2010 SEC Baseball Tournament (Hoover, AL)

Go Rebels!!! Ole Miss was scheduled to play at 4:30pm today. I hurried home from work while Coco dressed Stryker in his old school baseball uniform & baseball hat. Coco, Stryker, & I met Aunt Barbara & Uncle Steve at the game. Stryker's attention was all on the field. I think he loves the sound of the ball hitting the bat! Logan had a long day at work so he met us there with 2 innings remaining. We thought about the future & sitting at the ball field watching Stryker. "Stryker" being announced over the loud speaker & written across the scoreboard...what a great thought!

Sitting like a big boy

Stryker can sit while holding his head up!!! Well, at least in a boppy pillow! Now that he's figured out he can do this, he wants to sit all the time. Coco decided he needed another toy so he could sit/stand more. I know spoiled, right?!

Decoration & Shower

Stryker's grandaddy, Charles Stanley (Buddy) Green, passed away 1994. Every year, a decoration is held at the cemetery on Chandler Mountain. This morning was the first year Stryker attended. Logan spent time holding Stryker & telling him stories of his grandaddy. Steele City Quartet sings at the church. Stryker enjoyed listening to the southern gospel music! Afterwards, we all went to eat some Southern food. Loren, Cody's fiance, had a bridal shower at 2pm that afternoon. Logan spent time with his brother while Stryker & I attended the shower. The picture above is Stryker's great-aunt Bonnie with cousin Allie.

Let's move some dirt

Stryker & I visited daddy at work this afternoon. Vestavia Country Club is re-doing their par 3 course. Logan wanted us to see the process in construction. Stryker rode in the golf cart with us for the first time. He loved bouncing up & down as daddy drove us over the future cart paths. The wind would catch his breath! A precious little sound would come from him as he tried to catch his breath back. Stryker was able to sit in a John Deere 710 Bulldozer with his daddy! Logan said he grabbed for the gear shifter immediately...made daddy so proud! After all this excitement, we attended the first CMMA summer cookout. We had a great visit & the food was delicious. Stryker enjoyed sitting under the fan on the back deck during supper. Summer memories have begun!

Answered prayers

Stryker's skull x-ray came back completely normal! The pediatrician informed us that positioning would be beneficial in shaping his head. We return to the pediatrician in about 3 wks (4 month check-up) & would be assessing it again to determine if something else should be implemented. Today was our first physical therapy appt. She was absolutely wonderful! The physical therapist was extremely optimistic about his neck & head shape. Stryker does not have torticollis. His upper trapezius on the right side is tight. Stretches are performed 4-6 times per day to help correct this problem. As far as his head shape, she offered several suggestions on positioning. She also told us about her daughter who had this same issue & has turned out with a beautiful round head. Stryker is definitely a show-off. He rolled from his tummy to his back twice for her! The old saying about God putting people in your path of life is true. This PT was someone that I did a short clinical with at the hospital. She was just as helpful & knowledgeable as I remembered. Not every problem is big but when it is your child it's always a big deal. Thank you for all your thoughts & prayers for our little boy.

3 months old

Our little boy turned 3 months old today! Oh, how time flies. It's fun watching Stryker discover new things such as having two hands. He just realized that both hands are his! Who would have thought that was cute :) Stryker loves to play with his toys using both his hands instead of just his right. He gets a kick out of playing peek-a-boo. Logan will take his burp cloth or blanket & swipe it over Stryker's face, producing the biggest grin & laugh automatically! What a playful little boy.

The picture above is the view from our table at Flip Burger in the Summit. It was a great night to be outside. We were overlooking Highway 280. Logan, Stryker, Coco, Fletch, & I enjoyed a wonderful meal together. Stryker loved looking at all the lights!

Need prayers

Logan has been expressing concern to me regarding the shape of Stryker's head. Since Stryker was in the birth canal for about 6 wks, we were worried something might be wrong. The back of his head is noticeably flatter & forehead is slanted slightly. Logan called our pediatrician who wanted us to come in for a visit. Our appointment was at 2:45pm on Friday afternoon. He weighed 13 lbs 2 oz. The pediatrician palpated his head & examined his neck. She wanted us to get an x-ray of skull to rule out premature closure of the fontanelles. If the x-ray showed abnormalities, a CT scan would be the next step. She also noticed his torticollis (R side) was a little more pronounced. The PT will teach Logan & I interventions to do at home. We'll be seeing her on Friday afternoon. Prayers are what we need now. Trusting in the Lord for comfort.

Mother's Day

God has blessed me with a little miracle almost 3 months ago. Now, it's my first Mother's Day! Being a mother is one of the most meaningful roles that a woman can play in life. I have always been a daughter of a mother who taught me what it means to sacrifice so much for her children. Now, it's my turn to be a mother. I have high expectations of myself. Each & every day I strive to better the day before. Logan & Stryker made my first Mother's Day so special. The morning started off with all of us playing & talking in our bed. Logan gave me cards from both of them which included a present: gift card to Dick's sporting goods to pick out new tennis shoes & running outfit! Perfect gift! Later that morning, Stryker gave me something that I never expected. He said "momma" twice! What an amazing feeling to hear your child say your name. My heart just melted. We spent the afternoon looking at houses since the weather was a little chilly. Logan wanted this to be my day so I chose to make homemade sandwiches. It was nice spending time not going anywhere. Coco & Fletch ate with us. Coco gave me a card from her, a card from Stryker (she let Stryker hold a pen with her help & make marks for his signature), coffee table/end table, & a running outfit. Thank you for a wonderful, fun-filled Mother's Day weekend.

Fun in Springville

Homestead Hollow weekend in Springville, AL. Logan & I took Stryker to enjoy the afternoon at his Uncle Cody's booth. It was a wonderful afternoon with the sun shining but the wind blowing keeping it cool. With all of the activity & noise, Stryker kept his eyes wide open. After staying for a few hours, we headed to grandmomma's house for a Mother's Day visit. Stryker spent the visit kicking & playing on the bed. Stryker & I heard several stories of Logan's childhood. It was a great visit! We decided to eat dinner at Landry's with Logan's side of the family (grandmomma, Brian, Uncle Cody, & Aunt Loren). What a delicious meal of seafood! Grandmomma gave me a book & a framed short story about mothers. On the background, she had Stryker's handprints. What a creative gift. Family is such an important part of both Logan & my lives.

Hitting my toys

Coco gave Stryker a toy that attaches to his car seat several weeks ago. It has a mirror, frog that plays music & lights up, & turtle that has beads in it; all which spin/flip around. Coco & grandmomma have been working with Stryker on hitting the toys to make them spin/flip around. After only two days, he began doing it on his own. The first time that we noticed it was when Logan & I were riding in his truck. This afternoon, we put Stryker in his car seat to run an errand. He was looking so intensely at his toys. All of a sudden, his little fist started hitting the bottom of the frog. Each hit resulted in Stryker smiling & laughing! It was absolutely adorable. He's beginning to entertain himself with toys. Seeing Stryker figure out he can make something happen means so much.

Grabbing at strings

Stryker was sitting in my lap this afternoon. He was amazed looking at the strings dangling from the blanket draped over the couch's armrest. As Logan & I watched him, Stryker reached for the strings. His tiny little fingers grabbed the strings & started tugging on them! It's the little things that amuse children the most.

Another week has come & gone

A cookout with friends ended our work week last Friday. Stryker, Logan, & I enjoyed going to dinner at the Slagley's house. It was perfect weather to grill out. Thank you for the delicious food & great visit. This was the first time we visited the Slagley's as a family of 3! Lindsey claimed that she was Stryker's girlfriend...guess I'll allow that one! Monday was difficult for me to go back to work. Coco kept Stryker again on Monday & Thursday while grandmomma kept him on Wednesday. Stryker is making some new sounds: "um" & "oh". It's precious to hear his little noises. He's also smiling intentionally now. His whole face lights up. Coco called me on my way home from work Thursday to tell me Stryker's new skill. She was happy to inform me that our little boy was trying to crawl! Coco was letting him play during tummy time when he started kicking. She thought he may like to kick her arm. When she placed her arm down, he kicked her pushing himself forward. He crawled to one corner of the blanket, she turned him around, & he crawled back! I quickly called Logan to tell him. As soon as we both arrived home, we tried it again. Coco was right! Friday night, we took Stryker to Oneonta to watch his cousin play in the State baseball tournament. Stryker met his future baseball coach...Coach Putman from Wallace State Hanceville! It would be great to have Stryker play where his daddy played in college. Like father, like son. Saturday was a shopping day at Buy Buy Baby in Hoover (a new baby store). Since mommy got her first paycheck, we decided to stock up on some baby necessities. I saw this cute throwback baseball uniform that was cream/navy pinstripes. He can actually wear it even though it's a 6 month outfit! Such a big boy. We also bought him a tummy time mat. It's a car with a steering wheel, mirror, toys, tummy bolster, etc. He loves it. Sunday afternoon was spent house shopping & watching baseball. The Yanks won since Stryker was wearing his new throwback uniform. Go Yanks!