Friday, January 22, 2010

March for Life

My very good friend Ashely made a decision at 16 years old that changed her life forever. Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Collin and I went with her and Anekah (and Mandi and Brady and Drew, and Nik and Mandy) downtown to the Jacksonville March for Life. I have never been before and I was little nervous and wasn’t really sure what to expect. We picked up our signs and stood on the corner of Monroe and Hogan while others marched around the courthouse. There were a lot of people driving by that waved, honked and have us the thumbs up, but only one person that gave us the finger (I was expecting more of that). After an hour of standing on the corner everyone went to the steps of the courthouse where several women, including Ashley gave their testimonies. I’m so proud of Ashley for standing up and having the guts to speak like she does. Here are some pictures from the day.

Nik and Mandy (and baby #3 coming this summer)

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Mandi with Drew and Brady (and baby #3 coming this summer)

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Our group at Monroe and Hogan

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Melissa and Ashley

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Ashley with Anekah (she has a little sister in Heaven)

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Everyone gathered on the courthouse steps

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Melissa giving her testimony

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Ashley giving her testimony

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Thank you Ashley!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Collin at 12 Weeks

I can’t believe that my little boy is 12 weeks old already! I took him to his two month appointment December 29th. Look at this little man! Yes, the scale says 14.13 and he was 24 inches! The doctor said that puts Collin in the 90th percentile for height and 97th percentile for weight :) He was very happy that he was a breast milk baby too. I felt so bad when he got his shots. He cried through all three of them and wasn’t all about the oral medicine he had to take either. When it was all over and he got to snuggle in my arms he was OK. I think I was upset longer than Collin was.

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At the appointment the doctor asked how often he was eating and how well he slept at night. When I told him that he ate every two hours and didn’t sleep longer than that either, the suggestion was to try to push him a little at a time to stretch that time, for my own sanity. Collin fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept for three hours. I thought it was because I had given him Tylenol for his shots and that it was just a fluke thing. Well, that night, and ever since then, he’s been sleeping for three, or sometimes more,  hours at a time. He doesn’t get fussy when the two hour mark hits when he’s awake either. It’s like he heard the doctor say two hours was too frequent and was like “OK, I can help keep my mommy sane.” There have even been a few times that he’s slept for four and five hours at a time. I haven’t gotten that much sleep at once in a very long time. I’ve figured out that when he wiggles out of his swaddler that I can wrap him back up and he will sleep for at least one, if not several more hours.  I call him my little Houdini, because he always gets his arms out of his wrap, but doesn’t sleep well unless he’s swaddled. (He has since out-grown his swaddler and has a new one. That he still gets out of.)

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Some of my favorite onesies I liked to put him in, he’s already outgrown! I had to go out and get him SIX MONTH clothes. I absolutely LOVE dressing him up and taking him out. Little collared onesies and jeans, khakis, or shorts are my favorite things to put him in.

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This Christmas was his first, so we had to get him a special ornament to put on the tree. (The heart on the his blue ornament says “Baby’s 1st Christmas” in white)

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Over the last three or four weeks Collin has become much more aware of what is going on around his and is so alert. He loves bright colors and music. I like to dance with him in my arms around the living room and in his room. He got some toys for Christmas that light up and play music and his eyes get so big and he concentrates on the them when I turn them on. He gets so excited and happy. I love when I go to get him out of his crib and he is fussy until he sees me and then gets a HUGE smile on his face. He LOVES his changing table! He will smile and talk to me the whole time I change his diaper and/or clothes. He also LOVES splashing in the tub and (thankfully) likes bath time.

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE all the smiles and when he talks to me. He’s come SO CLOSE to a real giggle several times, I can’t wait until the day I really hear him giggle for the first time. Devin was with him a lot this weekend and said he got Collin to laugh. I was jealous, but I guess I can let him have that first considering I get to spend all day with him.

He used to hate his swing. Every time we would put him in it, after a max of five minutes, he would be hot, sweaty and screaming. But again, within the last three or four weeks, he’s really learned to like it (and he doesn’t get hot and sweaty). He’ll sleep his morning nap for several hours, I can take a shower and he’ll just be so content. He also really likes the gym mat I got him recently. He lays on his back and kicks his arms and legs and hits the bright colors toys hanging from the top and just smiles and talks. Between the sing and the gym mat, I’ve been able to get some more things done around the house.

Everyone says that you love your children more than anything, but it’s really not a concept I could grasp until Collin arrived. I love spending time with him during the days. I do enjoy getting out of the house and having some “mommy time” but I miss him when I’m gone and just want to cuddle with him when I get home. It’s such a good feeling to see him smile at me when I get home. I love watching Devin play with him. It’s SO CUTE to see them smile and talk to each other. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this little boy SO MUCH. I really don’t think there is anyone better in the whole wide world. I know everyone thinks that their child is the best and cutest, but I’m sorry to inform them/you, they/you are mistaken, Collin Landen is the best and cutest little boy in the whole wide world!

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Monday, January 11, 2010

Oh Yeah, I Have a Blog…

Well, it’s been almost a year since I started sharing my Epiphanies with the world. There is lots that I haven’t shared in the last month too. Since we spent a week in Orlando/Altamonte Springs I’ve been busy busy busy and blogging hasn’t exactly been on the top of my list of things to do.

 

  • Alahambra
  • Christmas
  • New Year’s/My Birthday
  • My dad’s visit
  • A Collin Update

 

The day after my last post my grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. A few days later that same grandmother had her 80th birthday. To celebrate these monumental milestones my family (grandparents, mom, uncles, aunt, cousins, and brother) took them to see A Christmas Carol at the Alahambra Dinner Theater. When my mom pulled into the parking lot, at 11:00 AM for the matinee, we (my mom, brother and myself) wondered if we were going to be the only group with people under 60 years old. When we walked inside, it seriously didn’t look like there was going to be anyone other than us under 60. The food was OK, I was expecting something different. I’m not sure what that was, but just different. Overall it was a good time and I enjoyed the experience.

Christmas was fun. Christmas morning Devin, Collin, and I loaded the car and headed over to Bradley’s for Collin’s first Christmas and Bradley’s fist Christmas in his new house. My mom made breakfast and we all exchanged gifts. Bradley has this little kitten, Oreo, that reeked havoc on his tree. He only had ornaments on the top half and there was a big hole in the tree level with the chair sitting next to it.  His tree topper was priceless also…CIMG2607yeah, that’s Yoda. Only my brother. Devin and I went home just long enough for me to make brownies and play the New Super Mario Bros. game my mom got us for the Wii. SO MUCH FUN! Then we headed to my aunts for dinner and family time. It was a long, but great day.

A week after Christmas is New Year’s and my birthday! I recently talked about the last three New Year celebrations and how this year was going to be different because Collin and Dallas were here. Dustin and Angela brought over Dallas, and Sam and Meg came over. We made tacos and played Wii all night, rang in the new year, then called it a year/night and went to bed shortly after watching the ball drop in New York City. On my birthday Devin and I lunged around the house all day being lazy and doing nothing but playing the Wii. That night we went to dinner with some of my family at Applebee’s and Devin and I went to get ice cream afterwards (yes, it was FREEZING while we stood outside and ordered the ice cream!)

Last Monday my dad and my aunt came down from New Jersey for a visit, primarily to meet Collin. I had such a good time seeing them and hanging out with just them and Collin. They went just as picture happy around him as I do! We ate out all week long (something we haven’t done in a pretty long time)! We even had AYCE Crab Legs one night, YUMMY!

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I’m going to call this a post and write a separate blog about Collin, because there is just so much to talk about, he’s changed so much and I have so much fun with him!

Happy 2010!