Busy Bee

Walker was a busy little bee this weekend.  This weekend was wonderful and fun-filled. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, highs in the mid 70's with lots of sunshine.  We took full advantage and spent most of the weekend outside.  Walker loves being outside.  He is so funny to watch, especially when the wind blows in his face.  He is not too sure about it, he usually just looks at us and smiles.  Here is a quick recap of what we got into.....

Walker has a new fascination....the vacuum.  He loves the vacuum.  I think he would sit for hours in one spot watching me in action.  Its actually nice because I know once I turn it on he will stop whatever he's doing and watch or follow me around.  He really loves to play with it. Maybe Walker when you are old enough to clean your own room I will remind you how much you loved the vacuum when you were a baby:)

Coastal had their Spring Football game on Saturday.  As you can tell the weather was gorgeous. We tailgated a little before the game with friends and then went inside the stadium to catch some of the game.  Walker did NOT want us to hold him.  He played in the stands crawling around.  I had a very hard time with him getting dirty, but I've got to realize that's what boys do....right??  After we came home I did give him a bath.....I couldn't stand it.  The hat worked perfectly to block most of the sun.  Good practice for the beach.

Just a little side note:  On Saturday Walker stayed with his very first babysitter.  He really has not stayed with anyone besides family and a few friends here.  This was a very big step for me. I was very nervous, but knew he was in good hands.  She is a sophomore at Coastal.  She's a cheerleader, involved in a sorority and very intelligent.  Everything went perfect:)  We hope she will come back in the future....Walker said she was a keeper....probably because he likes the blonds:)  

Do You Need A Helper?

Do you need a helper around the house?  

I have one you could borrow, but you have to promise to bring him back.  These days we are saying a lot of "No, Walker don't do that" or "No No No". Most of the time Walker you just look at mommy and laugh.  Daddy says I'm not being tough enough, but how can I be tough when you look up at me with those big blue eyes and your beautiful smile.  I'll get there, it might just take a while:)  I think we are going to start calling you my little shadow.  You love to play in the dishwasher, the cabinets, the refrigerator and the pantry.  Your new discovery is the refrigerator.  When we open the door you are like speed crawler to get there before we close the door.  Daddy and I love to see you so happy.

Tonight you sat and played in the refrigerator.  I stood behind you amazed because you were just chatting away and cracking yourself up.  I would love to have understood what you were saying.  I bet you were saying okay, I would love some cheese.....no wait.......I see some pizza or maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich:)

You love to play on the dishwasher door.  I have to make sure the knives are out of your reach. See the pan behind you.....thats another one of your new discoveries.  You like it, the louder the better.  This stage in your life is soooooo much fun. 

Like Father, Like Son

I walked up stairs tonight to see what Daddy and Walker were up to and I find them watching the NCAA Basketball tournament (Actually Baby Einstein) like this...................

This picture is absolutely hilarious.  I think the only thing missing is mommy getting orders from them.  It's only a matter of time before they start tag teaming:)  I love my boys!!

On the Move.....

Wow, where has my sweet little baby boy gone......

Walker is into EVERYTHING and he is only crawling.  I'm scared to even think about what its going to be like once he begins walking.  He is even pulling up by himself.  Thankfully, he hasn't started cruising yet.  Just when I think we have picked up everything around the house he gets into something that I didn't see.....I guess thats why they say....get down and crawl around to see what he sees:)  He has started to give kisses and he even blows kisses.  He is changing so fast and although this stage is some what tiring he is truly sooooooo much fun.  His little personality is so awesome.  I feel so lucky to have such a cool little dude in our lives.  He has turned our world upside down, but I couldn't imagine spending a day without him:):):)    

Moppy has been here all week.  We love it when she comes to visit.  Yummy dinners cooked, laundry finished and most importantly, Walker spoiled rotten.  It's been an exciting week for her because she's experienced with us all the new things Walker's doing.

See my nose....As mommy told you how mad I was when I woke up from my surgery....some how I managed to scratch my nose twice.  My arms and hands were swinging around so hard, I guess I just hit my nose.  I guess you could call this my, "Battle Scar".

Walker takes big boy baths now.  He loves being in the bathtub.  He's just like a little fish flopping around. I love to watch him play in the water.  It's usually very hard to convince him it's time to dry off.  He normally puts up a nice fight:)

This is just an example showing Walker's destruction of the house.  These pears use to be nicely placed on the table in the foyer....not anymore.  

Fantastic Patient!!

I just wanted to update you on Walker's tubes procedure this morning.  He is doing wonderful as expected. We arrived at the surgery center this morning at 6:30am and we were back home at 8:00am. The surgery took about 15 minutes and then he was in recovery for about 30 minutes. The doctor and nurses warned us that he might be a little cranky when he came out of the anesthesia and boy were they right.  I'm so glad they warned us first or I would have been very scared that something was wrong....because let me tell you....I don't think he has cried this way since he popped out of my belly.  He did eventually calm down once we got in the car to come home.  He has taken a nap and eaten this morning and seems to be on the road to recovery. Thank you to all of our wonderful family and friends who have called to check on him!  Walker doesn't realize how loved he is by all of you:):)   

GO HILLTOPPERS!!

GO BIG RED!!

Go Hilltoppers! This is a shot out to Pops and Jules who are at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in Portland, Oregon. WKU is playing Illinois at 10:00pm tonight. We hope you all are having a blast. We wish we could be there to cheer on the Toppers. Patrick and I met the family last year in Tampa for the tournament and we made it all the way to the Sweet 16. For some of you who remember we beat San Diego and then Drake on a last second buzzer shot to move on to the Sweet 16. WKU won an ESPY Award for the shot made by Ty Rogers. I was 6 months pregnant at the time and I thought I was going to have Walker........we were soooo excited:)

We all had our WKU gear on today. I wore my lucky Big Red pin on my turtleneck. Walker sported his Big Red bib all day too.

Daddy had to be a little more quiet supporting his Alma Mater. He sported a nice RED tie:)

We are all ready. We just have to sit back and enjoy the game....hopefully!!!!

Off to the Races......

Walker is crawling....finally!  He has been trying so hard the last few weeks and today he crawled at school.  Patrick picked him up today and Ms. Mira told him all about the good news. Patrick did not tell me because he wanted it to be a surprise.  So, this afternoon while I was playing with him in the kitchen he started crawling and I screamed...Oh my goodness Patrick....LOOK...Walker's crawling:)  He is very slow and hasn't yet figured out how quickly he can get around now.  I guess this weekend we will be chasing him around the house:)  I will post a picture of the action tomorrow.

We saw an ENT yesterday and Walker will be getting tubes on Tuesday morning.  I'm okay, just a little nervous.  I know he will feel so much better and its the best thing for him.  I will keep you updated just keep him in your prayers!!

Walker had a very weird visitor to the neighborhood today.  Patrick and I saw this giant bird this morning and then it was back this afternoon when we got home from work.  Yes, look at the picture closely...its Mr. Peacock.  A PEACOCK was hanging out in our backyard...actually he just walked by the screened in porch and just looked at us.  I just wanted to show everyone, because Mr. Peacock was absolutely beautiful and its not everyday you see a Peacock in your back yard:

Are you serious......

Tonight I cooked spaghetti for dinner and we thought Walker should try some too. On Friday the pediatrician said we could start exploring different foods with him. We knew he would have a blast making a mess eating spaghetti. I'm really not sure how much made it in his mouth. He really enjoyed squeezing the noodles in his hands. Needless to say after dinner we took a nice long bath before bed:)

I loved the look on his face when we first put the spaghetti on his tray. He looked at us like Mom are you serious....this is all mine???? As you can tell he really loved his first taste of spaghetti:) Patrick and I are enjoying this stage of trying new things with Walker. His facial expressions are priceless. On Saturday, he had his first taste of a pickle. I thought for sure he would hate it, but I was wrong. He loved it and wanted more....For all of you who know Patrick, hopefully, Walker will get my taste buds:)

HAPPY 9 MONTHS OLD WALKER LEIGH!!!

Happy 9 Months Old Walker Leigh!!

I'm not sure where I should begin. It's amazing how much you have changed in just one month. I feel like everyday you are doing something new. You have yet to crawl, but it hasn't stopped you from scooting and rolling all over the house. Just this week you started going from your belly to sitting up. It's so funny to watch you do this. Everybody at school said that you need the beep beep beep sound when you are trying to go from your belly to your bum. You have mastered fruits and vegetables and you love Yo Baby yogurt. You are still saying a lot of Dadadada and Mamamama. We are hoping your next word will be Ribbie:) You are beginning to pull up on the furniture. Where did my little baby go that used to stay in one spot:( You love sitting in a high chair at restaurants. You are beginning to try people food. You especially like mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. You actually had some rice and pieces of a cheese quesadilla at the Mexican restaurant tonight.

Check out my cool RED shoes. I love this they are so darn cute. Thanks to Jules!!

We definitely had a very eventful week. Our week started out bright and early on Monday morning with a visit to the pediatricians office. You were diagnosed with bronchiolitis. We are now proud owners of a nebulizer....just what I have always wanted to buy. We give you your breathing treatments four times a day. We sit you in our lap and turn Baby McDonald on the TV and you just sit and watch while you are getting the breathing treatment. The treatment usually takes about 10 minutes. You have been such a champ!! You told me to especially thank Ms. Dot and Ms. Mira at school. They give Walker a breathing treatment twice a day. We are so lucky to have those two ladies in our life. They are so wonderful to us!!! After taking Walker to the pediatricians office we found out that Ribbie had partially torn her ACL....lets just say it wasn't a very good start to the week.

The nebulizer mask is a dinosaur. Very clever to use for little ones. Walker really doesn't pay it any attention.

Today we went for your 9 month checkup. You did so well with your two shots. While we were there we found out that your ears were infected for the 4th time in the last 2 months. Its amazing how quickly things can change because on Monday our pediatrician said his ears looked great and four days later his ears are very infected with lots of puss. The bad news is we are going to see an ENT next week to discuss tubes. I know this is a common procedure, but it still really freaks me out. I want my baby to not be in pain, but the anestheasia really scares me.

On a happy note Walker weighs almost 22 pounds. He has stayed very consistent since his check up in December. I'm loving it because we haven't had to buy any new winter clothes:) Our pediatrician encouraged us to start letting you try lots of people food. Walker only has his bottom two teeth, but she said some of her best chewers are the ones with no teeth.

We love you Walker Leigh. You are the best thing in the entire world. The last 9 months have been the happiest 9 months of our lives. You brighten my day and your smile melts my heart. There is not one thing I would change about you. You are an incredible little guy. I don't know how we got soooooooo lucky. Daddy and Mommy love you so much!!!

Walker attended his first Coastal Carolina baseball game last weekend with his Daddy. Check out his little outfit. He was decked out in baseballs. I haven't seen Patrick this excited over baseball probably since playing in college:) I know he looks forward to coaching little league and eating hot dogs at the ball park with Walker when he gets a little older.

Aren't this two just absolutely the cutest things ever. This is Walker's friend Caroline. Caroline will be 2 at the end of August. We are already planning the wedding:) Caroline is the daughter of our friends Rob and Kelly. They live in our neighborhood and have gotten to know them very well. Rob and Kelly started our supper club. We look forward to Walker and Caroline becoming best buddies:)Last weekend we had such beautiful weather. Walker loves to be pulled in his beach wagon. I'm not sure how we are suppose to keep the grass and sand out of his mouth. As you can see he's eating grass.

I hope to post a few videos in the future. We got a new laptop and we just need to figure out how to do it:)

Bang, Bang, Bang!!

Mom, you mean I can play in the cabinets and bang around for as long as I want....Oh my goodness Walker's new discovery is awesome. I needed to get some things done over the weekend, so I decided to let Walker play around in the cabinets. He absolutely loved it and will sit for as long as I'll let him banging and chewing on anything he can get his hands on. I did go through the pull out drawer to make sure I put up the blade for the chopper and the blade for the electric knife:) So far his favorite thing is to chew on the chopper top and the big blue plastic bowl. He loves to bang everything on the floor. I love it....I can get so much done and not have to worry he's into something he shouldn't be. I'm sure once he starts crawling I will have to pull him out of the drawer:):)

Lovin' my Jules

Let me tell you.....it has been a fabulous week filled with lots and lots of love and laughs. Jules arrived on Sunday night just in time for dinner with us. Walker was so thrilled to have one grandma leave and his other grandma arrive. Back to back grandma visits...what more could a little boy ask for.....He has been spoiled rotten all week:) Walker's mommy and daddy were thrilled too. It was so nice to know Walker was at home with his grandma getting lots of lovin' and laundry being cleaned and a yummy dinner being cooked ready on the table once we got home from work. Walker doesn't get to see his Jules often, but when those two get together its so fun to watch. Walker started mocking us this week. Walker and Jules had a major contest. Who could squeal the loudest:) It's actually very funny!! I know Patrick really enjoys her being around and I especially love the extra help. The weather wasn't that great this week, but those two managed to walk around the neighborhood three times yesterday:) They both enjoyed being outside and strolling around. They met us for lunch one day and shopped around afterwards. It was such a treat to see him at lunch...like having dessert. We look forward to seeing Jules again in April. We love you Jules more than you'll ever know. Thank you for taking such good care of Walker. He is truly so lucky to have you:)

Jules bought these really cool puppets for Walker. He gets a kick out of them. He thinks they are so hilarious. Jules would play hide and seek with the puppets and Walker thought that was so funny. He would try and find the puppets. He loves watching them and I would have never thought to buy them for him....what a great gift:) I think its a set of about ten different animals. They are playing with Miss Mouse in the picture.

If only I could crawl......he is trying so hard, but nothings happening. Walker is enjoying watching Ribbie eat her dinner. He is so fascinated with Ribbie. Jules said he scooted backwards all the way across the room. I'm not looking forward to him becoming mobile. This weekend Patrick is going to baby proof the house. Walker always seems to find the outlets.

Moppy To The Rescue

This post is to thank my wonderful mom and Walker's Moppy!! Moppy truly came to the rescue and saved the week!!

Just to refresh your memory just a little....last Thursday Walker was diagnosed with his second ear infection. Our pediatrician started antiobiotics and that was that....well....on Saturday he started to have a very upset tummy....if you know what I mean:(. It continued all weekend and into the start of the week. I went ahead and took him to "school" because I knew his tummy problems were coming from the antibiotics. His school only let him stay for about three hours on Monday morning before they called saying I would need to pick him up and he would not be able to return until 24hrs. After picking him up from school on Monday, I started feeling very yucky myself and I got the stomach virus. Luckily the virus only last about 10 hours. Feeling terrible and trying to take care of an eight month old is just not a good mix. Patrick stayed home and took care of the both of us. On Tuesday afternoon I took Walker back to the pediatrician's office because his bum was really really red from having an upset tummy all weekend. While at the pediatrician's office we learned that his ear infection had gotten WORSE and that we needed to change his medicine immediately. He his now on stage 3 antibiotics treating his ear infection. I have officially been welcomed into the parenthood club:)

This is where Moppy comes in.....My mom drove down on Tuesday night to help us out. I can't tell you how thankful I am for your help. We all needed some good tender loving care and she knows how to give LOTS of lovin. She is a wonderful mom and a wonderful grandma to Walker. They have so much fun together. Walker's face lights up when Moppy is around. It has been so nice to know Walker is in such good care and having a great time while we're at work. Having the house clean and dinner cooked is awesome too! Moppy you are the best and we LOVE you soooooooooo much! Thank you for everything this week. I personally could not have done it without you. I love you!

When I came home oneday after work, Moppy had Walker pushing him around in his beach buggy:) Walker's getting lots of practice riding before we take it to the BEACH:) Yeah!!

Stay tuned this week for more pics....Jules is visiting until Thursday. Walker is getting lots and lots of Grandma time:)

HAPPY 8 MONTHS OLD WALKER LEIGH!!!

The slideshow above is from last week from our WONDERFUL photographer Carol!! When I say wonderful I mean WONDERFUL. Thanks Carol for always doing an awesome job!! We can't wait for the next time we see you.

Gosh, I can't believe that we have already started talking about your 1st birthday. You are eight months old today and before we know it June will be here. I look at you everyday and can't believe God as blessed us with such an awesome little boy! You are the best thing in the entire world. You make us laugh so hard....you are truly the most fun to be around. Your personality and your smile brighten our day!

You are not yet crawling, but you have mastered scooting backwards. You can get up on your knees for a second, but nothing happens:) I think you might skip crawling...for mommy and daddys sake please wait a little longer to start moving around. We have started giving you very very small amounts of table food. You've tried your first "real" banana, mashed potatoes and strawberry toast. You are still working on trying to figure out your sippy cup. You love to watch and hear the ice coming out of the ice maker in the refrigerator...you show us the biggest smile. You really love being outside and especially watching Ribbie play. You finally have two teeth on the bottom...front and center.

I am sorry to say that we did take you to the pediatricians office this morning. You have your second ear infection. Our pediatrician gave you some stronger antibiotics and said not to worry just yet about tubes. You have been a little fussy, but we thought maybe it was your teeth bothering you. Both Moppy and Mrs. Dot tried to tell me you had an ear infection last week. Yes, they were both RIGHT.

Happy 8 months old buddy! You are the best thing in the world.

Baby It's Sunny Outside

We had such beautiful weather this weekend. Almost perfect enough to head to the beach...but not just yet. It was very tempting to take a stroll on the beach, but instead we hung around outside here at the house. We were able to take two fun walks around the neighborhood and then today we planted bulbs around the house. I love this time of year. It gets me so excited because both Patrick and I love being outside working around the yard. After our walk today, Walker decided he wanted to prepare for going to the beach minus the sand:)

He had a lot of fun playing with his toys. I was very excited because he didn't mind his hat.....until about 15mins later he realized...Hey, there's something on my head and then off the hat went and into the mouth:) We are going to work on wearing hats.

Dad had a great idea to put up the umbrella. Thats why we keep him around...he always has great ideas:) Yes, we did look a little weird out in the front yard with an umbrella. A couple of our neighbors came over to see the cute little boy under the umbrella. Walker loved his weekend spent outside!!!!

Little Traveler

My little traveler.......Walker and I went on Friday morning to visit Moppy and Papa and everyone else we love!! We started out early Friday morning to pick up Moppy have lunch and then head to see The Swain's and then to Atlanta for Uncle Doug's birthday. We left Daddy at home with Ribbie to get some much needed "rest":)

Our first pit stop was to visit my dearest friend Alicia and "Baby Zuri Kate". Zuri Kate was born on January 20th weighing 6 pounds and 14 ounces. She is absolutely the most beautiful little girl with lots of black hair. Walker was so amazed. First thing he tried to do was pull her pacifier out of her mouth. He also didn't understand why we wouldn't let him pull on her hair, arms or ears:) We love you Baby Zuri Kate and can't wait to see you again soon!!

Baby Zuri Kate is sooooo tiny. Walker looks like a GIANT beside her. I had already forgotten how to hold a little baby. Walker was never Zuri Kate's size. I think it was love at first sight...Walker was so excited to meet his first girlfriend:)

Happy Birthday Uncle Doug!

They look like two peas in a pod. We had so much fun having dinner Friday night and celebrating your birthday. We spent the night on Friday and then woke up bright and early on Saturday morning. The girls went out early Saturday for much needed pampering with Arther. Me, Mom and Patsy all got fabulous new haircuts thanks to Arther:) Uncle Doug & Judy babysat all morning long while we were off getting beautiful!! They had so much fun bonding together mainly watching cartoons and snoozing.

We enjoyed seeing our other favorite person in the entire world, Aunt Patsy. They were very busy singing and laughing. We always have so much fun together. Not a minute goes by with Aunt Patsy and Uncle Doug that we don't find something to laugh about. We love you dearly. Walker doesn't realize how lucky he is to have such wonderful family in his life. We love you Aunt Patsy and can't wait to see you again soon.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MASON

Mom and I left Uncle Doug's and then headed over to The Hall's. We went over to wish Mason a very Happy 1st Birthday. I can't believe Mason is already 1. It's so hard to believe how fast they grow up. For the first time Walker actually didn't have to prop himself up against Mason. They had so much fun playing together. I look forward to the next play date. Walker should be able to keep up with Mason. Can you believe how much they look alike. They are both two extremely handsome kids:) Take after their MOMS:)

Finally we made it back late Saturday afternoon for some much needed rest. We spent Saturday night visiting Uncle Ben, Aunt Amanda and cousin Logan. Since Walker is a little more mobile Logan is really enjoying him. He is not as scared of him. They actually sat very nicely together in the chair. Logan was combing Walker's hair. When you ask Logan who is favorite aunt is he says, "Aunt Brookie." I call him Loggie and he calls me Brookie. I know Walker will say is favorite aunt is "Mandy". The only aunt he has:)

We finally made it back on Sunday night. I'm so excited because we got to bring back all of Walker's X-mas toys from Moppy's house. We had so much stuff at X-mas that we didn't have enough room in the jeep. Here is Walker riding on his fire truck chasing Ribbie. It was absolutely hilarious and he was having soooooo much fun!!!

Is that a baseball bat I see??? Dad was in heaven watching Walker play with his new bat. X-Mas all over again at the Ransdell's.