Sunday, August 28, 2011

Driving a golf cart



Watch out people, Stryker is already wanting to drive!

Running down your roller coaster

I had to post this video of you running down your toy roller coaster for attention. Each day confirms that you have a good time no matter what you're doing!


Friday, August 26, 2011

Stryker's 18 month check-up

Maybe there is hope that you'll get your daddy's height since you have my build! Friday afternoon was your 18 month check-up & the results are in:

Height: 33 1/4 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 23.6 pounds (25th percentile)
Head Circumference: 50th percentile

Next appointment is scheduled for 2 years of age. You received one shot in your left thigh today. This time you cried more than you normally do but I think it's because daddy held you down.

Urgent Care visit

you grabbed this & stuck it in your ear; such a smart boy


loves Dr. McCain!


maybe you'll be a doctor since you love stethoscopes





Little man, you were a sick boy this week. It all began...


Daddy called me at work Monday morning asking the signs of pink eye. When I told him that your eyes get "matted", he stopped me immediately. The pediatrician informed daddy to bring you in since we were not completely sure & this would be your first case. Daddy & Coco took you to the doctor about 9am. Dr. McCain diagnosed you with pink eye & prescribed some drops 2x/day in each eye. As she was examining you, she discovered that your left ear had the worst infection that she had seen & it was draining internally into your eyes. Poor baby boy :( Daddy & I felt horrible because we did not have a clue you were sick. You are such a tough little man. You never ran a temperature, never whined, or even acted sick. With your surgery approaching (tubes in ears & removal of adenoids), the pediatrician wanted to give you a strong antibiotic to knock this out quickly. You hated the eye drops, mainly because we had to hold you still which you despise. Your pink eye cleared up within 2 days & your ear infection within about 10 days.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Busy Sunday

playing with daddy at the baby shower


prayer walk


it was hot


dancing to the music



playing the drums with daddy


I'm starting to get sleepy


he has lost his little baby look :(




Today was a busy, fun-filled Sunday. Typically, Sundays are a day of rest (as much as possible) since this is Logan's only off-day. But, today was different in all areas. Waking this morning brought the worst nausea (morning sickness) yet. Not a good feeling when I was excited about our plans. Logan, being the compassionate husband that he is, kept reassuring me that it was okay to feel bad & offered to let me rest while he cared for Stryker. It was frustrating because this was the first time I didn't feel up to doing anything. With my stubborness, I slowly got ready for church while Logan was able to get himself & Stryker ready. We headed off to church with ginger ale in hand. Eating 2 doughnuts at church helped somewhat but quickly wore off. The message was amazing as usual! I was able to bury my nausea thoughts away during the worship music & the message but immediately asked Logan for some food on our way home. For some reason, Taco Bell sounded yummy. I know, right?! When we arrived home, Logan put Stryker down for a nap & insisted that I do the same. I told him I would be fine, but my body did need a nap! Stryker & I slept for a solid 1 1/2 hour! We woke up to find Logan had slaved in the garage getting it completely organized. Now, there's enough room for the Tahoe to fit. Such a hard working husband. We headed out the door again for a baby shower. Our friends, Andrew & Trista Wolverton, are expecting their first child in early October. It was great being able to attend as a family & see them again. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay the whole time due to a prior church committment. We drove back to Cullman for a prayer walk/worship service at Desperation Church. Our pastor spoke of 7 areas (family, government, media, entertainment, education, church) that the devil can attack us & wanted to pray in those areas. Our family decided to join the "family" category of during the prayer walk. We felt most passionate about that particular area. Afterwards, we enjoyed worship music inside the church. Stryker joined us instead of going to the nursery. He loved the music & even wanted to dance, clap, & raise his little hand in the air. Praise Jesus! What an awesome family experience!





loving the music




saying "bye bye" on the way home - love that sweet little voice



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Baby Green #2 expected to arrive on April 9, 2012!

Our 2nd baby is expected to make his/her debut on April 9, 2012!! That makes us 6 wks & 1 day along. Well, we hope to make it as close to the due date as possible this time. We saw Dr. Adcock this morning for an ultrasound & visit. The ultrasound showed our little peanut's heart fluttering. My heart melted as I saw the heart beating normally. I can already tell that this pregnancy is going to be totally different. With Stryker, we were excited to begin a new & unknown journey. With bedrest & premature birth in history, we are more anxious to meet milestones with this pregnancy. Praying for strengh & patience for us during the next 8 months. May we trust in our Lord for He has His hands on our growing baby. Worry is an insult to God. I cannot express the appreciation that I have for Dr. Adcock & knowing his strong Christian faith guiding our pregnancy/labor. Thank you for your supportiveness today in the office.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Stryker's 18 months old

You're already 1/2 way to your 2nd birthday, big boy! We can't believe that time is flying by. So much has happened in the last month.

1. will have your adenoids removed & tubes put in your ears on September 30th

2. starting a curriculum today at school as well as potty training (pics below showing you in your new little boy underwear which you love)

3. still laugh at yourself - it's hilarious to watch you act silly & crack yourself up

4. finally your 12 months shorts are getting a little tighter so we'll be buying some bigger sizes soon

5. wearing size 5 diapers, size 5-5 1/2 shoes, size 18-24 month shirts (mostly 24 for the length)

6. new words (of course you only say them 1-2 times & then act like you don't remember them): doughnut, baby, love, thank you

7. blow kisses after you say "bye" or "bye bye"

8. moved you into a different room upstairs: we made the hard-wood study into your big boy room so that your old room can become the nursery; you cried as daddy took down & moved your crib but quickly loved the big room after everything was in it's place















dressed for church in your polo gear






you playing in a box when we moved you to your big boy room




you in your first pair of little boy underwear



(you loved them!)




such a big boy wearing your underwear & eating a Dunkin Donut










Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Acting silly...as usual!

This just shows you the constant entertainment that our little boy provides on a daily basis...


putting his head through his golf chipping game


nobody touches my corn-on-the-cob


playing with his new backpack in Academy


helping daddy pack the car for church with a blueberry Eggo in hand


brushing his teeth


cracking himself up!


























jumping off our exercise equipment into Coco's arms







playing the drums





laughing at our neighbor sneezing





walking around in big shoes


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Meet the teacher at daycare



We had to attend "meet the teacher" at Stryker's daycare today. Unfortunately, his main teacher is out on maternity leave but she'll be back soon. He loves his teachers. He'll be in the same class as this summer. I need to take the time to brag on how awesome this school is. They have amazing teachers. The daycare is conducted more like school. Teachers from Gardendale say that children that come from Mt. Vernon United Methodist's child enrichment center ("daycare & preschool") are above average. Thank you God for allowing us to get into this type of program. The teacher informed us what all Stryker would be doing throughout the year:

1. completely potty-trained by April: They do not use pull-ups, they only want the children to get used to little boy or girl underwear. This will be an answered prayer seeing that Stryker will be out of diapers by the time this next little one is born. The teacher said Stryker has already been holding going to the bathroom so they've begun sitting him on the potty! Way to go buddy! We're ready with an Elmo potty at home to use.

2. be able to count 1-10 by end of May

3. be able to name all of their colors & shapes by the end of May: They are using the curriculum "Kumon".

4. be able to cut, color (obviously not completely inside the lines), paste, & trace by the end of May: They are using the curriculum "Kumon".

5. They will be using the "Baby Can Read" videos. This will be helpful since we have them at home.

6. They will be giving us a scrapbook (one like you can do off Shutterfly) at the end of the year. It will have a class picture on the front. Inside, each child will have a complete page of him or her. There is one full-length pic of the child with candid shots all around. The rest of the book is filled with candid shots of the class during activities. We got to see the book from last year's class...it was so cute! I can't wait to get ours.



Stryker with his new back pack


Stryker coloring in his classroom


"What are you doing mom? Nobody else is taking pictures!"


holding onto his picture while showing us where to go








Monday, August 8, 2011

Already a switch hitter!



He's already showing signs of being a switch hitter!!! He'll dominate one day in baseball, especially with a name like Stryker!





Friday, August 5, 2011

Stryker's going to be a big bro!!!!

We're expecting our 2nd child!!! I honestly can't believe it happened so quickly. It took 6 months with Stryker but only less than a month this time! Thinking back to the day we found out...

It was Thursday, July 28th. Logan had bought me a new car (2011 White Z71 Tahoe) so after work, I stopped by to sign the papers. On my way home, I kept thinking how nice the extra room would be, compared to my GMC Acadia, when we have another child. Stryker fell asleep early that night so Logan took me outside to show me the different gadgets in my car. Of course, it was humid causing me to quickly run in the house telling Logan to show me in the morning because I was feeling sick. Logan was in the kitchen while I felt confused (& sick) of why the humidity caused this. I knew there were some pregnancy tests in my bathroom drawer. Just out of curiosity, I took one. It quickly turned positive! I couldn't believe it! How exciting, but also I kept wondering if it was a false positive. I ran into the kitchen. Logan asked me why I had a smile on my face when I was sick. I asked him, "how do you feel about being a daddy again, now?!" He asked for clarification as I started crying. I handed him the pregnancy test. He grinned from ear to ear & picked me up in a huge bear hug. We both were so happy & shocked. That night was mostly talking with short cat naps. We discussed everything: names, room arrangements, telling our families & friends, etc. Fear set in a little for me when I began thinking of what we had to endure from my last trimester of pregnancy with Stryker. We even texted Dr. Adcock about when are visit needed to be scheduled. Logan & I took a second to pray for God's hand to be with this developing baby as well as my doctor. We also prayed for strength to know God will be with us throughout this pregnancy & remembered we have the most knowledgeable & faithful doctor.

The weekend was filled with telling our families & friends. Friday night, Stryker walked around Coco's house with his big bro shirt until she noticed. Fletch caught on quickly but just smiled at us until Coco said something. Coco was in complete shock but became extremely happy about having another grandchild. Before church Sunday, we visited Mamo to tell her the news. She couldn't believe it & was amazed how Stryker had grown. It was a good visit since we don't get to see her much. After church, we drove to Springville to tell Logan's family. Grandmomma was shocked also. Logan's prediction is a girl. Our neighbor Lisa's prediction is a girl. I'm not sure but I don't care this time. All I'm hoping for is a healthy baby. Can't wait for this new chapter in our lives!

We saw Dr. Adcock on Wednesday, August 3rd. The ultrasound did not show much because we were too early in the pregnancy. The blood test results came back positive & with good levels. I go again for another blood test Friday, August 5th. I'll post the possible due date & details as we get further along.



the shirt is a little big but it was perfect for us to tell family


telling Coco & Fletch


running around in his new Nike shoes (thank you Coco) & big bro shirt


such a cute little boy


telling Mamo before church


playing the piano after telling grandmomma