Don't Blink...

12 weeks....it has been 12 weeks since my angel came into this world. People always say, "don't blink". It's so true! I look at him and see this big boy who is noticing everything around him, playing with his toys, learning who people are, sitting up with little assistance, holding his head up straight, and now eating cereal! I can't believe how blessed we are. He is the most beautiful thing, and I would give anything and do anything for that squishy! I love that his little legs are getting rolls on them, and his cheeks are starting to look chipmunk-like! I have been playing with the idea of feeding him cereal for a while, but didn't want to start it too soon. He has been taking so much formula lately (like 6-8oz every 3-4hrs). I asked Dr. Darby (at Greenvale) what she thought, and she said to feed him and he would let me know if he was ready or not. The first night we fed him, he did ok, but just wasn't sure about it just yet. By the second night, he was taking the bites a little better, but still spitting some back out. By the 3rd and 4th nights, though, he was an expert. He is eating about 2tbsp right before his bedtime bottle. He is also sleeping SO good! Last night, he fell asleep before 9:00 and slept until 7:00 in the morning! I think I'm being spoiled by such an angel baby :)

He is also starting to really hold onto and play with his toys. He watches his Baby Einstein DVDs and actually pays attention. He is going to be so very smart, I just know it! I'm a little biased, but I'm so very proud of him!!!!

BABY HULK!!!

Such a happy boy in the morning! Ready for school!

Loves walking with Mommy!

Talking to hims duckie!!!

First time eating hims cereal!

My big hungry boy!!!

Ma, that was gooood!

God Bless the USA!

Well, Jonah had his first major holiday...July 4th!!! It was on a Wednesday, so not much excitement went on. That day, we went over to Chris and Ashley's to have a pool party...kiddie pool that is! We had a small pool for Jonah and Keeks, and Dylan had a bigger pool to play in. It was Jonah's first time in a pool, so I wasn't sure how he was going to act, but he did pretty good! He was a little fussy at first, but that was my fault because I put him in too close to eating time. After he got a bottle, he got back in and actually enjoyed it! The best part was sitting him in the float inside the pool and just watching him chill, and let me say he was straight chillin :) We grilled some burgers and all just hung out together. I will say, it is still so strange to me that we are now dealing with 3 kids when just a few months ago we only had 1 in the group. A lot has changed in a short amount of time!!! On the way home, we stopped by to say hello to Derek's dad and put a flower arrangement at his grave. Sometimes I wonder how different things would be if he was still around, and I'm sure Derek wonders that too. I know he would have LOVED all of his grandkids so much. I just wish I could have seen him holding Jonah B. Well, we will certainly tell JB about his Grandpa when he gets a little older. Later that night, we watched Thunder on the Mountain from our quiet, cozy, air conditioned living room! I wanted to take Jonah, but it didn't start until 9:00 and that's past his "bedtime". Plus all the noise might have just freaked him out a bit. Next year, we will have to make the journey out to the mountain!

Ready for his pool day!!!

These boys are up to no good!!!

Mommy's angel eyes :)

Sweet babies!

Our awesome pool day setup

Pool boy :)

WAZZZZUUUUUPPPP!!!!!

Totally chill

Angel babies!

We stopped by to talk to Derek's dad for a few minutes. We SO wish he could
be here to see Jonah. We know he is watching over us, though. We will
always tell Jonah about his Grandpa and how great he was :)

Nonny loves Jonah!!!

Too cute for words...

These are a few of my favorite things!!!

I decided to make a list of some of my favorite doo-dads and gadgets that Jonah B has. Some of the things people come up with just amaze me. There are a few things that I don't know what we would do without. I will probably come back and add to this list as time goes on, but here goes...


We got this playmat after his 2 month checkup when
he had to get 4 shots! We felt bad for him and his
Great-Granny Jo had just sent him some money
to get something nice, so this is what we got.

He will literally spend an hour playing and swatting at the toys
and kicking that piano. He adores this thing. He will just
stare at himself in the mirror and smile so big. This is
the best thing that we have spent our money on so far!!!

These are muslin blankets made by Aiden and Anias. They are so soft and
light-weight. I love how they feel, so I'm sure Jonah B appreciates them, too!
They also have a little bit of a stretch to them, so swaddling him when he
was really little was so nice with these!

We love the sleep sacks! Especially this one, also a muslin
material made by Aiden and Anias. Again, lightweight
and very soft. Jonah sleeps in a sack everynight,
preferable this one :)

The first few baths that Jonah B took at home, we
couldn't use this yet, because his cord was still
attached and we could only sponge bathe.
Once he could take a good bath, this thing really made a
difference. His bathtime is more like spa time!

He loves to be covered up and have water poured over him.
One time, he even fell asleep in the bathtub! These things
make bathtime very pleasant and fun!



Of course, no list of favorite things would be complete
 without the good ole Boppy! We love the Boppy! We use it to prop him
up while we feed him or just sit him up next to us
on the couch or bed. It puts him in the perfect position and cozies
 around him. I have even laid down on it a time or two :)

We also love this little pouch! Jonah absolutely loves to go on walks
around our neighborhood strapped in this thing. He will just look around at
the trees and the sky and listen to the birds. We haven't gone lately, because
it's been like 104 degrees, but trust me, he has the greatest time just hanging
out with his mommy!!!





This monitor is fabulous! It honestly makes me sleep
 so much better than I ever could without it. If Jonah wakes
up and starts making little noises in the night, I don't have
 to wonder what he is doing, I just roll over and look!
 It was hard moving him into his big-boy bed,
but this definitely made it easier!!!

Sleeping baby boy!!!

Squishy and the Fishies!!!

I have recently started to get some major cabin fever. Yes, I have gone back to work and get out of the house everyday, but I needed to get away. We have not been on vacation since last October, and we weren't planning on taking another vacation until this October. This thought just didn't sit well with me! We decided to take our first overnight trip with Jonah B to Chattanooga, TN! Derek took of Friday and I was already off, so the timing was perfect. We left Friday morning and got there around lunchtime. We were a little worried about how Jonah would do on the car ride. Let me tell you how fabulous he was! He slept the whole way there and didn't make a peep! We checked into the hotel, fed him, ate lunch, then headed off to the aquarium!!!

Right after we arrived at the hotel. Such a sweet boy!

Jonah slept through the fresh water fishies. They weren't too exciting to us either!

Mommy with sleepy squishy!

Ok, so he couldv'e used his sunglasses, but I must add that it was about 104 degrees and
we took this super quick in order to rush back into the air conditioning.

This is Jonah B watching the rays

Daddy said this is how he really felt about this trip. Whatever, I think Jonah loved it :)

Squishy watching the fishies!!!

LOVING the big fish. We saw sharks, rays, a HUGE sea turtle, and lots of other fishies.

See the giant sea turtle???

This boy had so much fun!!!

Upside-down jellies. Really neat!

Jonah B and Daddy!

I got a souvenir penguin!!!

We had a wardrobe change, and I had to take a pic of the hat that was too big
and the shoes that were too small! Bless this baby, he is my dressup doll!

Later that day, we went to Lookout Mountain to see the pretty views. This picture says it all.
I love my baby boy with all of my heart. Words can never express what he means to me.
I honestly never thought that I could feel so strongly about someone, especially someone that I
have only known for 2 1/2 months. He is my whole world!!!

My favorite boys!

Next up was Point Park. It was a very nice little park down the street from Lookout Mtn.
It had the best views. Although, I would not want to take a small child that could run around,
because there were no rails! Kinda scary, but again, very beautiful views!

Doing the Lion King!
(Please don't call DHR on me. I was not as close to the edge as it looks and it was very quick)

Mommy and her Angel!!! We had such a fun time on our mini vacation. Jonah did so
very good! We've already been talking about where we want to go next. Traveling is so much
fun when you've got an easy going baby! Thanks Jonah B!!!!

Going to church! We love our little Squishy!!!!!!