'Round Here

Wow, it has been about a week since my last post and my, what a week it has been! We have had Christmas, the Bowl game in Charlotte, and now it is New Year's Eve...Here's a bit of what we have been up to....

* Gabriel had a great first Christmas, except that he was sick with what the doctor thinks is ear infection #2 for the month of December :( He is on yet another round of antibiotics and finally seems to be getting better. He has had a rough month, to say the least.

* Our house is now overrun with toys! I had to buy a HUGE storage bin to put them in, the size that they sell around Christmas time that will hold an entire Christmas tree. Gabriel is finally feeling good enough to start playing with all of his loot! Thanks to everyone for all his wonderful gifts, he got so many awesome things, including a wagon, UNC trike, the beginnings of his own nativity scene, lots of good books, clothes, etc. He is a very lucky little boy.

*Baby Luke is doing great, he had some tests ran on Monday and everything is really looking good from his heart surgery. Please continue to keep Wes, Lynds, Luke and the rest of their families in your prayers. They have been through a lot this month but they are all fighters and are still going strong!! Please also remember Nicki and Lucy, Bubby's two sisters. Nicki blew out her knee in a basketball game and will probably need surgery and Lucy has not been feeling very well. They have been through a lot too and need to be at their best right now.

* We hit the bowl game in Charlotte this past Saturday. Mom stayed home with Baby G, and we had preggo Nicole as our DD, so Dad, me, Zach, and Ceddy had a great time, to say the least! Tarheels lost at the end to WVa, but we should have won. At least it is b-ball time now....

*Most of my Christmas decorations are down and put away, thank goodness. I like to have my house back to normal when I have to go back to work. Speaking of work....still waiting on news of my new job. When the director of the program went to negotiate my salary, he was informed that the position has been placed on hold due to the state budgeting issues until the end of the year (which is today!)...So I should be hearing something in January, please keep your fingers crossed for me.

* We will be spending a quiet New Years Eve at home this year. The Heels play at 10 and I am making sausage/cheese/Rotel dip. Hopefully I will be able to make it til the ball drops at midnight!!!!!!

* I am working on Gabriel's birthday party, which is a Curious George theme. Mom and I were going to do the cake ourselves, but I decided that we do not need that pressure on us, so we are going with a store-bought cake. I am going to do a small cake topper-sized cake just for Gabriel though and am making banana punch, yum!

Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey!

My brother Zach introduced me to this song and I LOVE it, especially the he-haw, he-haw!!!

This Is The Morning Report

Hi everyone, I know it has been awhile. To say the least, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. Just wanted to let everyone who has been following his story, that Baby Luke is doing great! He came through the surgery with flying colors and came off the respirator yesterday! Please continue to pray for him and his family as he continues to make his recovery.

On a lighter note,Gabriel finally seems to be over the double ear infection/infection in the diaper area mess. Just when I thought I had him better, he ran a fever Friday night and all day Saturday...but yesterday he seemed back to normal with no fever. Keep your fingers crossed that I can at least keep him well through Christmas! Let's see, what else have we been up to??? Finishing up shopping, wrapping presents, baking, all those things you do to get ready for Christmas. Thank you to dad for keeping Gabriel yesterday so that I could go to church and focus on the real meaning of Christmas :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and please take time to enjoy it with the ones you love, it always flies by so fast!

Prayers Needed

Please check out the following link:

This is for my cousin Bubby's (aka Wesley) baby boy Luke, who is 13 days old and is in major heart surgery right now. Please pray for him and for their family. He is a strong little boy and such a fighter!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukewesleysigmon

Finally Friday

Although I had a short week at work, it feels like it was never-ending! I came home at 11:00 today too! Gabriel has a double ear infection and is running a fever. Cedric took him to the doctor this morning and stayed with home with him for 1/2 of the day, I left work early to keep him this afternoon. He is napping now, so thought I'd do a little update.

Thank You Red Devils

One more thing....The NCHS football team is heading to the state title game this Friday, so guess what? Our school system is releasing kids on Friday at 11:30 and staff at 1:00....So not only do I have a 3 day week, it is actually just a 2 1/2 day week, thank you football team!!!!!!

Back Home

We had a great time at the beach this weekend, other than the fact that I have been sick with a HORRIBLE cold/sore throat since Friday night...I started feeling yucky in the car on the way down and woke up Saturday feeling awful
:( Lots of Tylenol, Advil, and a little wine got me through though, don't worry! We did some Christmas shopping, a lot of relaxing, and even made it to the indoor pool. It was warm in the pool, but COLD when you got out. Gabriel didn't seem to mind though, that boy LOVES the water! We went to the mall to get his picture made with Santa...OMG, the cheapest you could do this for was 15.99 for ONE PICTURE and the line was SOOO long....so we decided to skip this for Christmas 2008, since Gabriel probably would have been crying by the time we actually made it to Santa....If he wants to do it next year, I will cough up the cash, but man, whatever happened to just getting a cheap Polaroid pic like when I was a kid?????

We got back into town yesterday around 3:00, changed clothes and semi-unpacked, then dropped Gabriel off at mom and dads...Cedric and I got to go to the Panthers Monday night football game against the BUCs...Thank you Daddy for the tickets, we had such a good time :) It was an AWESOME game and the Panthers won! You would have thought we won the Super Bowl with all the celebrating going on. I also learned a new term from the fans behind us....Butt Pirates! This made me laugh the entire game! I was bundled up like an Eskimo but managed to stay warm, and even got a $5 MNF tee-shirt on the way out, what a night!!

Beach Bound!

Once I make it through the day at school, the Moore's are headed to the beach!!!!! We are planning on a relaxing weekend of the indoor lazy river, hot tub, a little shopping, and hopefully Gabriel will get to meet Santa at the mall for the first time! We come back Monday, then Cedric and I will be heading to MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!!! Neither of us have ever been before and we are super excited about it. Especially since the Panther and Bucs are tied right now for 1st place in the division. Very important game! I took a personal day for Tuesday since we will not get home until VERY late, so I have a four day weekend to look forward to! Yea!!!
Happy Friday!

SPOILED

This break has me spoiled and I DO NOT want to go back to work tomorrow :( I am praying for snow! The thing is..... when everyone has to make up the snow days in the spring, I won't be working there anymore so LET IT SNOW!!!!! It is not that I am lazy, I have been doing TONS of stuff these past few days...cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating, wrapping gifts, ordering cards.....I just don't want to do school work!!!!

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family who read my blog, I love all of you!

I have so much to give thanks for this Thanksgiving. I am most thankful this year for our beautiful baby boy, who was born healthy and strong and is now almost a year old! I am thankful that both Cedric and I still have our jobs and health insurance. I am SO thankful for our families, who support us and stand by us no matter what. Also that we have somewhere nice to live...Although our house has a few issues, it serves nicely as our home until we get the house we dream of! I always feel very sentimental about our house around the holidays. For those of you who don't know, Cedric and I live in my great-grandparents house. Just the other day I was at Measer's and I saw a picture I hadn't seen in awhile. It was taken MANY Thanksgivings ago in my house, and it was my great-grandfather at the dining room table carving the turkey and my Papaw Lewis was at the table with him as a very young man. Another thing that I am so thankful for is my health, which is something I think we tend to take for granted until it fails us. I hope everyone takes a minute today to reflect on all the things you are thankful for this year :)

Christmas Pics!

Almost Turkey Day!

I have a short week at work this week, only one day! I was home with Gabriel today, he has a really bad cold and is also cutting two new teeth. Basically, he wanted me to hold him all day long and just snuggle, which was nice considering how yucky it was outside today. We took a 3 hour nap today, stayed in our PJs, and were just cuddly!! When Cedric got home from work, Gabriel took ANOTHER nap, so we put up our Christmas tree. It looks great and I will post pics later. We had a great weekend seeing Cynthia for the football game, even if our Tarheels did lose. All I can say is, thank goodness basketball season is here! I will post pics from our weekend later. Good news on my job, they are checking my references and supposed to make me a formal offer after Thanksgiving :) Cynthia, good luck on your interview tomorrow and we already miss you!!!

WALKING!

I forgot to mention this....Gabriel took his first steps the night before Halloween...now, two weeks later, he is taking 7-8 steps and can make it about all the way across the room. When Cedric got home from work last night, Gabriel walked across the room to him!!!! Gosh, he is growing up too fast!!!!

Happy Weekend

It is Saturday, thank goodness! And we have no major plans this weekend, which is nice! I am going to clean up around here and do laundry until this afternoon, when I plan on watching both UNC teams play (football and basketball). Tomorrow, we will be going to a baby shower for Zach and Nicole, but other than that, nothing going on.

Just to let everyone know, the interview went very well on Thursday and I am VERY interested in the job. It sounds like my dream job and I am trying not to get my hopes way up, lest they be crushed if I do not get it :) You work out of your home and are resposible for a number of counties in the western part of the state. I would track all of the newborns that are born to make sure they had their initial hearing screening at the hospital and that they are rescreened if they do not pass the first screening. From the sounds of it, I would be out and about visiting doctors offices, hospitals and health dept. 2-3 days per week and working from my home office the rest of the week. You get a state car and they pay for all the gas...they provide you with all the office stuff you need, phone lines, fax, computer, copier, even furniture if you want it. They told me it will be awhile before I hear anything, so not to get discouraged. They had a few more candidates to interview and then they have to go through all the hiring hoops for the state, which has recently switched to some new personnel management system. So it is just a waiting game for me, I will keep you all posted and please continue to keep your fingers crossed for me!

Here are some new pics of Gabriel, I thought they were extra cute!

Baby Blue!

Laura and Travis found out on Monday that they will be having a little baby boy in April!!!!!

A Day Off!

Since it is Veterans Day, we are off from school! It is nice to have a random day off, and I am loving the fact that it is 7:30 and I am still in my PJs drinking my morning coffee! We are taking Gabriel to get his Christmas pictures made today and then maybe do a little Christmas shopping. I am really in the Christmas mood already..I think it is because I was pregnant last year at Christmas and really didn't feel too good, so I didn't enjoy the Christmas season like I usually do. I love this time of year and it will not be long until I am putting up my tree...I always do it the weekend before Thanksgiving. I know this may sound crazy to some of you, but I like to have it up to enjoy while I am off for Thanksgiving Break. Of course I have a fake tree, the only way to go....But what about the smell of pine that is associated with Christmas??? Candles of course!!!! I will stock up at AC Moore this week!

Gabriel turned 10 months old yesterday, I cannot believe it! I am planning his birthday party...It will be on January 10th, which is a Saturday....of course the theme is Curious George! For those of you who don't know, I have gone MONKEY CRAZY!!!

We went to Jett's first birthday party on Sunday, it was fun and so cute to see Gabriel and Jett interacting together. I cannot wait to see them at Christmas! I love this picture of Gabriel and Jett, Gabriel has taken control of Jett's new toy and Jett is not too happy about it:




Here are some pics of our trip to the mountains, I have been meaning to share them:

My Little Pumpkin!

My favorite pic from Halloween...



So cute, I just had to share it!

Good morning!

It is Sunday morning and I am in my PJs drinking my coffee while Gabriel and Cedric get a little more sleep. It has sort of become a ritual for me, early Sunday mornings are MY time, where I can do a little housework, watch a little TV, drink a little coffee and play a little on the Internet, all before the other two of my three boys get up. I should clarify, one of my boys, Rocky, gets up with me and shares this quiet time. He has always gotten up with me, what a sweetie pie. I love this time in my week, I can relax and do just what I want to do, even if just for an hour or so.

We have a lot going on this week....I work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and am off Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday is Veterans Day, so NO SCHOOl!!!! We are taking Gabriel to get his Christmas pics made. Thursday, I have my job interview at 10:00 so please think good thoughts for me! I am going to do a little Christmas shopping that afternoon and have a little more ME time :)

Laura and Travis find out what they are having tomorrow! We will finally know whether to plan on pink for a little girl or blue for a baby boy!!!!! Can't wait to hear the news!!!!!

Halloween

We had a great first Halloween with Gabriel! It started with a costume parade at his daycare, then trick or treating, then back to mom and dad's house for a campfire/Halloween snacks/hot cider that I made----YUM! Gabriel got tons of loot, including candy, toys, snacks, books, a monkey that grows in the water, and even money for his piggy bank! Of course, Cedric and I have helped him eat a little of his candy!!!! Yesterday, Cedric took the day off and we headed up to Mt. Mitchell and Asheville to see the fall colors. We had a great time and it was so good to get away for the day. Here are our Halloween pics, enjoy!!!

A Rainy-ish Day

It was a yucky morning here and there was a good chance of rain, so Gabriel and I skipped the football game in Chapel Hill. I didn't want to take the chance of being stuck in the rain with him for a few hours. It is halftime, he is asleep, so I am catching up on a little blogging :) We just hit the Mt. Pleasant Barbecue with Uncle Zach for lunch and we left his house so he could get busy studying...he is taking an exam tomorrow to get his contractor's license. After Gabriel wakes up, we may head to town to do a little shopping. I have a 3 day weekend! Yeah! We have a optional workday and I have "opted" to take the day off. I have an eye doc appt. then we take Gabriel to get his 9 month shots. We are really looking forward to Halloween. They are having a costume parade/party at daycare and both Cedric and I are going to be able to go.

Happy Late Birthday to Cedric, he turned 33 on Thursday!!! Alright, game is back on and I need to focus!

Feeling Better (me!)

I guess since it is Saturday, I did wake up this morning with a brighter outlook on things. Glad that I at least have a job and that Cedric does too. Glad we have a home to live in and are all relatively healthy. Thankful for our amazing families who support us each day. Thankful for our beautiful little angel who makes me smile in my heart and on my face, didn't even know you could do that!.... Doesn't mean I am not going to keep my eyes open for something different as far as jobs go, but we are lucky compared to many people out there. When I think about other people, I am able to put it in perspective....i have a TON to be thankful for! Doesn't mean I don't want to whine and moan about things sometimes but.....sometimes that just makes ya feel better!

We are really looking forward to Halloween. We will ALL be in costume for trick or treating (if I can just convice Cedric) and then plan on having a bonfire at mom and dad's afterwards. I know the Spinellis are coming and any one else is more than welcome. We hope to hang out by the fire, roast a few marshmallows and enjoy each others company.

Still Here!

It's been awhile, but we are still here and doing alright....It has kind of been a week from HE^%, with Gabriel STILL sick (week 4 of it).....I ended up having to take off and head back to the doctor with him on Thursday, the doctor thinks he has asthma/allergies...we have allergy medicine, 2 inhalants, and a weird mask and I hope and pray we are on the way to feeling better.

Work has been really sucking lately for me. Really sucking. You know the kind when you are on the Internet looking for a new job whenever you get a free moment? When you are filled with a feeling of dread the night before.... Not a good thing. Something needs to happen in education, something big. I wish I could organize a revolution, b/c I really think it is a shame the way things are right now. A real shame and its only getting worse with each year. I'll get on that in all my free time.....Seriously though. There are lots of good teachers out there in the public schools..Lots of good teachers who have to devote tons of their time proving that they are teaching, instead of having time to just teach. I am SO sick of hearing that we need more accountability for teachers. How about a little accountability for parents and students???? We cannot perform miracles. This No Child Left Behind crap has made a bad situation 100 times worse. It is seriously ridiculous, the amount of paperwork required in today's schools, especially with EC (Exceptional Children for those of you who are lucky enough not to know that acronym!) Not to mention all this crap we are doing in my school system. Having kinder and 1st grade students write a mission statements, come up with their own goals for their learning...come on, who is writing this, not the kids, I can tell you that. What happened to teachers just teaching???

Ok, enough moaning and complaining from me tonight. Writing about this has just made me feel mad all over again. Any one who has any ideas on what I could do as an individual to combat this, let me know. Happy Weekend!

9 Months and Counting!

Gabriel is 9 months old as of yesterday, and man, how he has changed in those 9 months...When we brought him home he was just a cute little snuggly thing that slept, ate, used the bathroom and not a whole lot more...Now, good gracious, he is crawling, standing up, almost walking, grinning at us, laughing at us, chasing poor Rocky around the house and just generally getting into anything and everything that he shouldn't be!!! He is a LOT more fun now, but a LOT more work too!! Can't wait to see what the next 9 months holds for us.

Here are some recent shots of my little man!

Home From School

Well, I am at home with Gabriel today, so I figured I had better squeeze in some time for a new blog! He has been sick on and off for the past 2 weeks. He had a fever on Sunday, so I took him back to the doctor yesterday. They did a chest X ray and lab work to rule out pneumonia and ends up they think it is just a virus that keeps hanging around. He seems to be feeling much better today, thank goodness!! Hopefully he should be back at school tomorrow and I will be headed back to work. We had planned on taking him to the UNC/Notre Dame game this weekend and then to spend Saturday night with our friends Laura and Travis in their new house. But since all of this, he will be staying at home with his Grammy, who volunteered to skip the game and keep him. So.....Cedric and I will be getting a little date, just the two of us on Saturday and Saturday night! I am pretty excited! Since the game is at 3:30, we will tail-gate before, and maybe after the game, we will get to hit a few of the hot spots on Franklin Street!

Busy as a Little Bee!

Ok, we have been SUPER busy around here...it has been 1 week since my last post, and I vowed not to go more than a week, so here goes:

~ Gabriel was sick last week with a horrible cold...took him to the doctor and they gave him some cough syrup on Tuesday...he wasn't running a fever....Took him to daycare on Wednesday and surprise! He was running a fever and I had to go pick him up...I am new to this whole surprise! drop what you are doing at work and go pick up your sick kid. Turns out, on Friday we realize he is cutting 4 teeth! No wonder the kid felt crappy all week! He is mostly better now, still a little cough...

~ Helped give a baby shower on Sunday for my cousin...lots of fun, good food, and cute gifts, but I was EXHAUSTED when we got home and so was Gabriel...he had to come b/c everyone who could possibly baby-sit for him was at the shower! He had a great time though, played with everyone and crawled all around and just wore himself out!

~ We are skipping this week's UNC football game b/c it is starting at 7:00...that is just too late for us to drive back after and we didn't want to spend the night. Next weekend Cedric is off and we are all going to the Notre Dame game and then spending the night with our friends Laura and Travis in their new house, we can't wait!!!!

~ Cedric and Gabriel are visiting Cedric's family tonight..I am supposed to be cleaning, but I really needed to BLOG! I already vacuumed and mopped the kitchen, that's pretty good! Now if I can just do a little laundry and get the house vacuumed before they get home...

~ We celebrated Zach's 27th b-day last Thursday, he is getting old just like the rest of us!

~ The Tarheels and the Panthers won this weekend!!!!

~ And the big news....Zach and Nicole found out last Tuesday that they are having a little boy!!!! Jackson Clyde Sigmon!!!!!

~ Oh I forgot to mention this...I burned my ENTIRE forearm last Sunday night on the oven door...Don't even ask how I did it, I have no clue! It looks horrible and is finally beginning to feel better....Great way to start the week off!!!

Hey, at least Monday is almost over with!!

Introductions!

Gabriel got to meet Rameses for the first time this weekend at the ballgame! It was a bad football weekend for us though, the Tarheels lost and so did the Panthers...both teams had a good lead and then blew it. Cedric was happy because the Cowboys won last night.



We all got to meet Tucker, the latest Boston Terrier addition over at my Aunt Carol's house...isn't he adorable???? You will never believe this, a man GAVE him to her and the boys outside of PetSmart this weekend! Someone had dropped him off on the man's porch and he was taking him to PetSmart to find a home for him. Talk about luck!!!! The vet thinks he is around 6 weeks old and he is ADORABLE. Their other Boston Terrier Sammy really seems to be doing great with him too. It really made me want a puppy....but I don't think I could handle a puppy and Gabriel at the same time!




Here are some more pics from the game on Saturday:

7 Candles on the Cake

My 1st baby (Rocky) turned 7 today!!!! He got a new "favorite" ball from PetSmart (it is a round stuffed one that is leopard print-this is probably the 10th one, he LOVES them and uses them as a pillow propped in his mouth) and some other treats. He is such a good boy and has really adjusted so well to Gabriel. I am really proud of him. I still love snuggling up with him at night, he usually gets on the sofa with me after Gabriel goes to bed and of course you know he sleeps right beside me in the bed. I really can't believe it has been 7 years since he came into my life. I love you Rocky!!! You will always be my baby too!!!

Oct. 31 Preview!

We have Gabriel's costume, we ordered it online....Here it is!

He looks SO adorable in it, I can't wait for Halloween! We are trying to find a banana costume for Rocky. My cousin Melissa found this picture online, but we aren't sure where or if you can by these...



Wouldn't Gabriel and Rocky make a cute pair??? If anyone has any ideas on where I could find a banana costume for dogs, please let me know! As a backup, I am looking for fabric with bananas or monkeys on it to make a bandana for Rocky to wear :)

Just Dreamin

When Cedric got home I was looking for new jobs on Monster (for both of us)....I'm sure I could probably find one as a Speech Pathologist, but here's the catch...I want to work part-time, with benefits and full time pay...and not have to deal with any bullshit...yeah, I should just keep on dreamin right????

At least tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to go :)

Sweet Potatoes

Gabriel does NOT like sweet potatoes(see picture below), but he does like cottage cheese, go figure! We are so glad it is Friday. These 5 day weeks are kicking my butt!! We are celebrating Martin's birthday tonight by going out to dinner. Then I hope to RELAX for the rest of the weekend.

Picture Update

Blue Heaven

Gabriel took his first trip to Chapel Hill yesterday for the first football game of the season against McNeese State. We stopped in Burlington on the way to hit the Carter's Outlet for some fall clothes and got to Franklin Street around 2:30. Gabriel got his first game-day tattoo at the Shrunken Head (Cynthia's FAVORITE store---saw your old buddy there, she was just as cute as ever, ha ha)! We did a little shopping then headed over to our new tailgate site, which is WAY far away from the stadium, near the outdoor theatre. For those of you who have been to one of our tailgates before, the previous location was steps away from the stadium, right in the middle of all the action. Needless to say, I miss it :( Our spot is being turned into a parking deck...

Gabriel was an absolute angel all day, especially considering it was over 90 degrees. He was amazed by all the people in the stadium and just kept looking around and taking it ALL in. There was a weather delay in the 2nd quarter due to lightning, and it looked like it was going to let loose with rain at any minute, so we left. Thank goodness, we made it back to our car just as it began to pour! They eventually did finish the game and the Heels one, but barely...All in all, it was a great trip to my alma mater. I tell you, going back there with a kid kind of made me feel old :)

Tomorrow is Labor Day, so Gaby and I have the day off. Cedric has to work of course, it is usually a big day for them. We are having lunch at my Grandma's, then if the weather is nice, I am going to let Gaby swim in his little pool, it might be the last time this summer. I am hoping for a very relaxing day, let's see if the little one cooperates!

Tired!

After my first week back at work, I have only this word to describe how we ALL feel around here-- me, Gaby, Cedric and I think even Rocky. Things just run much more smoothly at home when I am here to coordinate things. Having to get bottles packed for the next day, lunches made, and clothes laid out is just a pain in the butt! I am not going to even mention laundry, I am working on that one as we speak :) I already had big respect for all the mamas out there, but let me tell you, I have WAY respect for working MAMAS!

But at least we have made it through the first week, I hope that it gets easier as time goes on. Gabriel has not slept good this week, I think probably just due to all the big changes, so of course that means noone has slept good! Hopefully tonight will be different.

We have done some fun things this week. Cedric and I went to the Panthers game last night and had a blast. We stopped at a little corner bar downtown and had a drink walking on the way to the game. It was fun to be out just the two of us, but I did miss my little man a little bit! The game was great. Our seats were high up but pretty near midfield and the Panthers played awesome, especially my main squeeze Julius Peppers! Gaby spent the night with his grandparents and I think I had the best night's sleep I have had in months. I guess just not having to be "on call" at night. It was awesome, thank you mom and dad!!! Today we had lunch with all the Sigmons out at the campground and then got to visit with Carol, Parker, Peyton and Sammy down at Grandma Dot's. Gosh, I really had forgot just how fast the weekends go.

Tomorrow is the first day of school for kiddies at my school, I am sure it will be a WILD day! Here are some new pics:

I Am Off....

to see the Panthers play the Redskins and to have a date night with my hubby....I am so excited (and I just can't hide it!)......

School Days

Gabriel did great today at daycare, and I did pretty good too...I teared up a little when I left the house this morning, but I pulled it together :) I called once to check on him and he was having fun and playing outside. Right now, he is the only infant there, so he has the teacher all to himself. Mom said when she got there he was playing, but when he saw her, he grinned and started crawling to her. I had a SUPER long day at work, because we had our "Meet the Teacher" night from 4-6...I have got everything ready for tomorrow, Gabriel is asleep, and once Ceddy gets home in a few minutes, I think I am headed to bed too...We have our opening staff meeting tomorrow from 9-1 (yuck!) but we do get to leave at 1:00 since we were there so late tonight......I am ready for the weekend already!!!

Is anyone else starting to tire of the Olympics???? I was VERY much into it last week, but now I am just ready for some good TV to come on. Could it have something to do with the fact that my boyfriend Michael Phelps is finished swimming???? Yeah, that could be it...

I Survived!

Just wanted to let you all know that I did indeed survive my first day back at work...It wasn't THAT bad, but boy was I glad to see Gabriel and Cedric sitting on the front porch waiting for me when I got home this afternoon! Tomorrow is Gabriel's first day, let's hope I can survive it too :)

Tomorrow's the Big Day

Back to work tomorrow! I have my school bag out and packed, man, I haven't carried it for almost 8 months. Tomorrow I will be busy just unpacking my room and getting things set up..If I am VERY productive, I may get to start working on a schedule of when I will see my little speech-language kiddos. The first day of school for kids is Monday, so we have a few days to get ready for them! Cedric is off tomorrow, so Gaby's first day of school will be Wednesday. We went by today to drop off diapers, wipes, etc. and just to let him hang out in the room. He really seems to love it and his teacher seems very nice! Gosh, my baby is going to school! I can't believe it has been 7 months since he was born, he has changed SO much!

I know it is only Monday, but I am already ready for the weekend and I do have something fun to look forward to. Dad got some Panthers/Redskins tickets for Saturday night and gave them to us, I am SOOOO excited! I already pulled my Julius Peppers jersey out to wear (I didn't get to wear it last year, it was too tight because of my belly)....Mom and Dad are going to babysit, so Cedric and I will have a fun date night at the Panthers game. Thanks Dad!!!!

Our Last Week

Well, this was my last week at home with my sweet baby. I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that I will be leaving him next week for 7+ hours each day. I have spent pretty much 99.9% of his life so far with him and it is just tough. I don't want to miss anything. I know it will all be ok in the end and I do feel good about the preschool he will be attending. But I still don't want to leave him :( I go back to work on Tuesday. Cedric is off Tuesday, so Gabriel's first day of school will be Wednesday. Please think about me in the upcoming week, I need postive thoughts coming my way!

* Bam Update--Bam won his first two matches and then lost the third. The rules for greco-roman don't seem fair to me, and I got mad watching. If the score is tied at the end of a period, the person who scored the last point wins the period. The order you go is determined by a coin flip or in the case of the Olympics, a ball pulled. It just doesn't seem fair to me! This is how Bam lost. Then, since the person that beat him got beat, he didn't even get to compete for a chance to win the bronze. Overall, it just sucked! But we are so proud of him for making the Olympics!!!

*Monday, we took Gaby to downtown Mooresville to walk around...Not alot going on down there anymore. But, lucky for us, the Deluxe icecream place was open, so we stopped in for cones. Gaby had his first taste of Deluxe icecream and he LOVED it of course! He got mad when it was all gone.

*Tuesday, we had an Open House at his new school. Mom and dad went with Ceddy and me. Hopefully we impressed upon these people that there are many people who care about Gaby and they better take darn good care of him!

* Yesterday we hung out with mom and Pete. We went for a walk at our church and took Gaby and Rocky...Gaby wanted to hold the leash!

*Today, I am getting my hair done, then mom and I are going to take Gaby somewhere since it is our last day together--I know I sound pitiful about this and I am!!!

*This weekend, I am going to wash my car and try to relax (yeah right) and enjoy my last few days of freedom.

Pulling Up!!!!

Ok, here is my first attempt at uploading a video to the blog...It is Gabriel showing off his newest skill, pulling up!!! He did it for the first time Friday night, and we finally got him to do it for the camera last night. He is so funny, any time you pull out the video or regular camera, he stares at it and won't do anything!

BAM!!!

I wanted to let everyone know...Cedric's long-time friend Dremiel Byers (aka Bam)is wrestling in the Olympics, 120 kg division...He is from Kings Mountain, NC and grew up with Cedric. This is when we think it should be on:

The preliminaries are shown online only, at nbcolympics.com

This should be 8/13 Wednesday night from 9:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and then from 4 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. that Thursday morning. The medal rounds are supposed to be on TV Thursday morning, on MSNBC sometime from 5 am to 10 am . If we find out any more information, I will post it on the blog.

GO BAM GO!!!!!

By the way, Michael Phelps is my new boyfriend. I know his face is not all that cute, but who cares??

7 Months

I forgot to put this...Gaby is 7 months old today, my how time flies with a baby!!!!!

SICK :(

Well, Gaby and I have had a yucky weekend....he has had a cold all week long, and it seems to have gotten worse this weekend. He is snotty and was running a fever this afternoon...Tylenol has helped but he is still very unhappy..all he wants to do is be held, which is not like him at all..We spent all day Saturday and today at home, sleeping on and off and doing nothing. I wanted to go to church today, since we have missed the last few weeks, but it was not in the cards. We also had to miss my cousin Maria's voice recital this afternoon :(

My stomach started hurting while we were at the beach, but then got better. This past week, it got much worse...I thought it was my ulcer acting up again (i had one in college)...went to the doctor on Friday and got the diagnosis of acid reflux...I guess like mother, like son (Gaby has this too, for those who have not heard that story!)...started some meds yesterday and my tummy is feeling some better today. We have been watching the Olympics NON-STOP since they began Friday night. I love the Olympics!!!! I have watched crazy stuff like rowing, handball, and now we are watching synchronized diving, I didn't even know that was a sport...and I LOVE Michael Phelps! Cedric has been trying to find out when Bam will be wrestling, we think it is either Tuesday or Wednesday. I am getting ready to prowl on the Internet and see if I can figure out a definite date/time. There was another article on him in Friday's Charlotte Observer.

This is my last week off :( I am starting it off with a lot of fun tomorrow morning, a trip to the dentist at 8:00 a.m for a cleaning and two fillings...tons of fun! I plan to spend the rest of the week just spending time with my baby boy, hopefully he will feel better tomorrow. We have an Open House Tuesday night at Gaby's school.

I have started looking for Halloween costumes for Gaby....I have a few cute ideas in mind and am seeing what is out there as far as baby costumes go. I figure this will be the only year I get to pick it out, next year he will probably tell me what he wants to be. We are planning a little Halloween get-together over at my mom and dad's for Halloween night...we plan on trick or treating early and then going over there for snacks, hot cider, a campfire, and best of all, SMORES!!!! Anyone who is interested is invited, the more the merrier!

Alright, back to the Olympics, it is time for gymnastics!!!

Packing It All In

I may only have 2 more weeks left until I go back to work, but man, I am filling those weeks up with all kinds of good stuff (and not so good stuff too, like a dentist appt)...We have been on the move lately! Gabriel did great at his doctor's appt. last week on Tuesday. He now weighs over 18 pounds!!! Friday, mom and I visited the daycare he was supposed to attend when school starts back up, and to make a long story short, we were just not happy with it. After visiting several other places, we have got him in somewhere else, and I really have a good feeling about this place. When I left the first place, I was in tears. I am taking Cedric by tomorrow and I hope he likes it too. That night, we had dinner out with Aunt Janie, then hit Target to do a little shopping...we got Gaby some new toys. He can sit up now on his own and loves to sit on the floor or in his pack n play and play with his toys. It is great, he can really entertain himself and I can get a little more done around the house, which works out quite nicely for both of us.

Sunday, Gabriel and I headed to Statesville to have lunch with my long-time friends, Susan and Andy. They were on their way home back from camping in the mountains. It was great to see them, I really miss hanging out with them when we all lived in Chapel Hill and Durham. Susan is an SLP like me and we have been friends since the summer after our sophomore year in college. We were both NC Teaching Fellows and we both had to go to this place called Turtle Island in the mountains for a weeklong summer retreat. We have been friends ever since and had lots and lots of memorable times together!!!! Sunday night, we went over to visit with Zach and Nicole and ended up doing pizza for dinner. We hung out on their front porch, which is so relaxing with the two big swings and rocking chairs. Their house is beautiful and soon they will have the fun of transforming one of the bedrooms into a nursery (they are expecting in February)!!!!! Today, Cedric and I just hung out around the house, and decided instead of a real dinner, we wanted milkshakes! I had peach cobbler and he had caramel cheesecake and they were great! Not that healthy, but delicious!

Wednesday, I am meeting my friend Maryellen for lunch...I don't think we have seen each other since last spring break (before I was even pregnant)....I haven't got to meet her daughter Sophie, and she has not met Gabriel. We are WAY overdue for lunch and some good conversation. I worked with her for three years before I moved back home and let me tell you, I have not worked with anyone as fun as her since! Thursday, mom, Gaby, and I will be hanging out with Pete, I am sure we will come up with something fun to do!!! Saturday we will be watching the Panthers first pre-season game and Sunday, we will be going to my cousin Maria's voice recital. Did I tell ya we are keeping busy or what?????

Beach Pics Are Here!

Here are LOTS of pics from the family reunion and from the beach! We are back at home, trying to recover from our vacation. Even when you have a relaxing vacation, it seems you are still worn out when you get back home. Not to mention all the unpacking, laundry, etc. that has to be done, yuck! This is a busy week for us. I took mom to Hickory today for gum surgery. She did great and is recovering at home tonight. Tomorrow, Gabriel has his 6 month check up and next round of shots. I am not looking forward to those at all, even though I am not the one getting stuck with the needle. I always feel so sorry for Gabriel :( Thursday I will be stuck at home all day...we are switching from cable to satellite, so I will be there while it is being changed over. Sunday, I am meeting Susan and her family in Hickory for lunch, I can't wait! I haven't seen them since my baby shower in October or November of last year. They will be stopping through on their way home from a weekend in the mountains.

In case you were wondering, I have exactly 3 more weeks off until school starts back up. I know it is hard to feel sorry for me, since I have been off since mid-December, but please try...I am DREADING leaving my baby. I know it will be fine and that life will go on, but dang, I am gonna miss him. Enough of that. I am trying not to think about it until the day I have to leave him.....Speaking of my big boy, he can now get to a seated position on his own and his 2nd tooth is coming in! He is growing up too fast!!!

Good luck to Cynthia and my cousin Wes tomorrow, they will be taking the BAR exam so they can become big time lawyers!!!! Now you know who to call when ya get in trouble with the law!

The Beach!

We arrived down at M. Beach late Sunday night. Gabriel did pretty well in the car ride, we had to do a lot of singing and acting crazy (me mainly) to keep him entertained. He LOVES "Old MacDonald" and when you stop singing it, he starts growling at you! Monday morning, we took him straight for the ocean, which he did not like. This is the first time we have ever seen him be afraid of anything, he was clinging on to Cedric for dear life! I think the noise and the splashing waves were just too much for him. After awhile, I had him sitting on my lap in a sand chair and he started warming up to it. But the pool is his favorite place on earth and we spent the rest of the day on Monday and all day yesterday there. He had a blast and when you hold him up on the side of the pool, he "jumps in" and then tries to crawl back up and do it all over again. The pool also has a big waterslide closeby, the kind that they have at big waterparks, just a mini version, and Ceddy, me, and dad all went down it, very fun. Last night, we took Gabriel up to Bar*Fo^T L*n%ing to walk around and he took his first ride on a carousel, he loved that of course. We are having a blast! He is napping right now, then we will be hitting the pool again.....Pictures will be posted soon, I promise!!!

Beach Bound!

We are heading for the beach tomorrow, and I can't wait! We haven't decided if we are going to take the laptop yet, but if we do, I will post some pics of Gabriel in the water. Right now I just need to finish packing and do one last load of laundry. Hope everybody has a great weekend!!!!!

One More Thing...

Gabriel is getting his first tooth!!!!!!!

Still Here, Just Been Slackin'

I have not been doing that great on my blogging lately, but we have been BUSY! Last week, we headed over to my Aunt Carol's to learn how to make homemade mints. My great-aunt Laura has made these for years, and I have always LOVED them (and assumed they were very difficult to make)...She taught Carol to make them this past year, and Carol taught me! They really aren't hard to make and I am so happy that I can now make them. Gabriel had a blast playing with Parker and Peyton, and then Uncle Mike came home and got to play a little too. It was so much fun!

We spent the weekend playing a lot outside and in Gabriel's little pool. He loves the water and I can't wait to spend next week at the beach so he can spend a lot of time in the big pool! And, I finally finished cross-stitching his Christmas stocking...it is just like the one my mom did for me and Zach when we were born. Now, I just have to find some red velvet fabric for the back, and take it to the seamstress to sew it into a stocking! I am so excited, it really turned out great and I have been working on it since before he was born!

This week, we have been running around making sure we have everything we need for our trip to the beach. We went out to dinner with Zach and Nicole tonight, since they aren't coming with us to the beach this year. Nicole is doing good, she is having some morning sickness but is hanging in there! Mom and Pete are coming over tomorrow to hang out with us and have lunch, and we are looking forward to seeing Melissa and Pete while we are at the beach (they are going to be down at Myrtle next week too!).

My Soapbox

While in a conversation about money, getting a college degree, etc. I was asked recently "Don't you want more for Gabriel than what you had growing up?". This question deeply offended me, has been on my mind all week, and here is why....

I grew up in a home where I knew I was loved and I have never questioned this fact in 30 years, EVER. Do you know how important that is to a person?? I grew up in a home where we ate dinner every night as a family, where we went to church and Sunday school together on Sundays, and where we were encouraged and supported to play sports and do other activities of our choosing. Not only did my parents cart us around to various practices, my dad coached our teams and my mom cheered from the stands. They rarely missed a game. We were taken on family vacations every summer, on a 7 Day Carribean cruise, and to Disney World not once, but twice! When we got older, we took our friends with us! When my parents went places, we went with them. They wanted to be around their kids and we knew it. Holidays were and still are made very special by my parents. We always decorate our house for Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and most years, my brother and I are still there to do that even now that we have trees to decorate of our own. My dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible and The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve, and let me tell you, there is nothing that could keep me away from hearing that, year after year. My most prized possession is my Christmas stocking that my mom cross-stitched for me and I bet Zach feels the same about his. We always had plenty to eat, nice clothes to wear, and more toys that we could have ever played with. We both had nice rooms of our own and I always thought we had a big house. We had plenty. At what point is enough enough??? How many pairs of shoes, outfits, toys,etc.???? My parents have always supported me, even when I worried that they might not accept my relationship with Cedric, they did not let me down. When something is bothering me or worrying me, I don't feel better until I can talk to my parents about it. These are all things that I wouldn't trade for a million dollars and I really cannot express my thankfulness to my mom and dad for providing these things to me.

My parents expected us to work part-time jobs so that we would learn the value of money, but they never "threw us to the wolves" even when we were older. I know if I needed help now, they would do anything in this world to help me. Yes, they did bring us up to value education and instilled in us a love of reading, but I never felt they looked down upon someone who had not gone to college. My father is the most hardest working person I know, he values hard work and education as well, not just a degree (he is a Carolina graduate, for the record).

So let me say this. If Cedric and I can provide EXACTLY what I had growing up to Gabriel, no more and no less, I think he is one very lucky little boy. I can only strive to be the kind of parents that they are.

And you can stick that in your pipe and smoke it :) Boy I feel better after writing this!!!

6 Months and Counting!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 10th, 2008


July 10th, 2008

Had To Try This Out!

Thanks Maryellen,for the new fun site to edit photos...Just another great way for me to waste time I don't have on the Internet!!!! If you want to check this out, look at TBG Happenings blog for a link to this website, it is very cool!

Well, I think we have finally recovered from our crazy July 4th! We had a great time at the lake cook-out, lots of good food and hanging out. The best food award has to go to Aunt Betty, who made the most delicious cake I think I have ever tasted!!! It was a yellow cake with AWESOME chocolate icing. Apparently, my great grandmother used to make an icing similar to it. Let me tell ya, it was good!!!! Aunt Betty, you have to bring it to the next event!!!!! Then that night, Gabriel had a blast in the pool at Uncle Mark's as usual. I am convinced he is going to be the next Michael Phelps!!!

Speaking of Michael Phelps, I have no idea what Cedric and I are going to do now that the Olympic Trials are over...we have been watching the track/field and swimming every night the past week. We are sad it is over, but are now looking forward to the Olympics in August. Cedric's good friend Dremiel Byers will be in Bejiieng (spelling?)competing in Greco-Roman wrestling (heavy weight) so be sure to look for him!! Everyone has been asking for new pics of Gabriel, so here is an updated slide show.

Cedric is off today and tomorrow...we had a great visit from Mamaw Dot and Pete today. Tomorrow I think we are going to wash our cars and do a little grocery shopping. Only 2 more weeks until our beach trip, and I am SOOOO ready. I can't wait to see Gabriel's reaction to the ocean.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!!!!

3rd of July

Gosh, is anyone else in shock that tomorrow is already the 4th of July? WTF???? Where is the summer going?? Really, I just can't believe it. But speaking of the 4th, we do have an exciting day planned. We begin the day at lunch with a big traditional cook-out at my grandma's house, down on the lake. Lot of good food and we may let Gabriel try out the lake. After that, we head to Uncle Mark's pool...we are having barbecue for dinner and there are rumours of a frozen margarita machine.....sounds like a recipe for a good time to me!!!! Big fireworks show on the lake tomorrow night that we may try and check out. Also, I am going to try out some of those Bud Light Lime beers tomorrow. They look good to me and since I am really watching my diet these days, beer has been a no-no. But tomorrow IS a holiday, so I am going to indulge in a few...Let's see, what else....this week has been pretty uneventful...I have been cleaning up around the house and trying to get stuff together for our beach trip, which is only 2 weeks away now.

Oh, I do have some big news...Guess who is going to be Aunt Moo???? Me!!!! Zach and Nicole are expecting, due date is February 16th! I am so excited for them and ready to have some company in the momma and daddy club!

Hump Day

It is Wednesday and I am WORN out! Taking care of a 5 month old all day long is kicking my butt! Gabriel is a sweet baby, he just has a LOT of energy and is at that age where he wants to be constantly entertained, and there are only so many ways to entertain him! He got up at 9 and I just got him down (it is 10 pm!) and he did not take a nap at all! I have a hard time getting any housework done during the day, so I usually wait until he goes to sleep, that is why I just mopped the kitchen floor at 10 pm....On the days Cedric works late, it is rough around here, he is gone from 9 am until 10 pm!

Anyways, enough whining from me, I am sure I am going to miss these crazy days with baby G when I am back at work in August :(

We had a great cook-out last night with Measer, Pete, Zach, Nicole, mom, dad, and Aunt Peggy. It was fun for Gabriel to get to hang out with everyone and Rocky really had a great time with Pete. They really hit it off with each other and Rocky is so glad to have someone that is more interested in him than Gabriel :) We had good food (homemade ice cream!) and good conversation. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again on the 4th of July, which I cannot believe is only a week away, where has the summer gone?????????

Father's Day and Baptism

We had a great Father's Day weekend! Gabriel gave Cedric his present ( a digital photo viewer keychain) and then we headed to church, where Gabriel was baptized. All of Cedric's family made the trip up from King's Mountain, so we really had a great crowd there to watch Gabriel's big moment and he did great! He didn't cry at all, I was so proud of him! We had lunch with mom and dad, Zach, and Grandma Dot( I cooked lasagna), then later on that afternoon, Amaya came for a visit and we made homemade icecream-YUM! On Tuesday, we all went to the pool and had a blast with Nicki,Lucy, and Aunt Janie...Gabriel LOVES the water, and seems to think that he can swim and float without any help from us! On Wednesday, mom and me took Gabriel to get his picture made in his baptism outfit. The pictures turned out great, but we don't get to pick them up until July 9th...

This weekend we don't have too much going on...Cedric is at work and I am trying to do a little laundry and cleaning around the house, which can be difficult to accomplish with baby G around. He is going through this phase where he wants me to hold him ALL of the time! He has started reaching for people and is still trying to crawl. He is eating a lot of different foods now, oatmeal,carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, apples, peaches, and bananas. The only thing he has not liked so far is green peas. Cedric says that Gabriel already is eating more veggies than he does!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!!

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, SUM-SUM-SUMMERTIME!!!!

Summer break is here and boy are we having fun! Yesterday was the first day of summer break and we did a LOT. Gabriel tried out his new pool (which he LOVED), we did a little bit of cleaning at the house, and even went for a walk! This afternoon we plan to hit the pool, I have a feeling it is going to be a daily event. Sometime this weekend we hope to go to Uncle Mark's to get in the big pool again. Sunday is Father's Day and Cedric is off work, yea!!!!
Here are some pics from yesterday!

This and That

*Gabriel is 5 months old as of yesterday, my how time has flown by!

* We just bought him a plastic pool at Wal Mart, can't wait to try it out!

* He is getting baptized this Sunday, on Father's Day.

* My last day of work was today and boy am I glad...I know I was only back for a week and a half, but dang, I am WORN out from it!

HAPPY SUMMER BREAK!!!!

WTF????

So I have been back at work for 4 days only....not only am I sick for the 1st time in over 9 months, Gabriel has a cough and stuffy nose too!!! I hate those nasty school germs. I wash my hands a million times a day and I still get sick. I am stuffy, my ears and throat are hurting and I have been sneezing like crazy, tons of fun. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. I have to be honest with you, this week has KILLED me. I will take staying home with Gabriel anytime to this. Although I am tired when I keep him, it is not the same as being at school all day. I am glad that I still have the summer and that I only have to work tomorrow and 2 1/2 days next week, then it is summer break! I hope it goes by very slowly because in August, I am back to work "for real" and I am not looking forward to it at all! I miss my baby during the day a lot :( Wouldn't you miss this cutie pie????

There are many times throughout the school year that I really do not like my job and wonder why in the heck I work in a school and not in a hospital or clinic but I gotta tell ya, summer break is why! What other job can you get 2 months off in the summer, a week at Christmas and a week at Easter?????? Not many, and that my friends is why I choose to work in the schools!!!! Ok, plus I do enjoy children, some of the time :)

Four Seasons Reunion

We have been BUSY as bees! Here are some highlights:

*Gabriel and me took at trip to Raleigh on Friday.He did a great job in the car and slept most of the way. We spent Friday night with Cynthia, and hung out with Erin and her little girl Alice (and french bulldog Sophia), and Laura. Saturday we got up early, too early! Cynthia headed to the airport to get Brianne and Jessie, we headed on over to Laura's. On Saturday, we had a big cookout/good-by party for Cynthia (of course it got a little emotional). We found out from Brianne that she is pregnant and due on December 30th!!! We got to see Laura and Travis' new house, which is really looking great and did a little riding in golf carts (which Gabriel loved). Sunday morning, Cynthia and Travis headed off for Dallas (he is driving with her and the dogs). That afternoon, Laura and I had an impromptu baby shower for Brianne and Jessie. Gaby and I got up early on Monday and headed home. Our trip back in the car was not as good, he cried for a solid hour and then FINALLY konked out! We had a wonderful time and it was so good for the "Four Seasons" to have another reunion. I am not sure when the next one will be. Cynthia is now living in Dallas and Brianne is still in Vermont, so only 1/2 of the 4 seasons are still living in NC :(

*Gabriel had his first swim in the pool Monday afternoon and he LOVED it!!!! He was not scared at all and was kicking and splashing around like crazy.

*We had our 4 month check up at the doctor on Tuesday (although he is closer to 5 months, will be on June 10th). Gabriel now weighs 16 pounds, 12 ounces and is 25 1/2 inches tall! He has been eating some really thin rice cereal for the past few weeks and we got the go ahead to begin some fruits and veggies, the doctor is hopeful that this will decrease his reflux.

* We tried green peas and G did not like them at all. He almost gagged and pushed the spoon away from Cedric! We have to wait 3 days to make sure he is not allergic, then we are going to try sweet potatoes.

* Our hot water heater has gone out and is being replaced tomorrow :(

* I am going back to work on Monday....and dreading it! Lucky me though, it is only for 8 days. Then I will be off for the summer. I go back "for real" in August! I will basically just be cleaning up the mess that the contract people that were covering my leave have left, and from what I have heard, I have a pretty good mess to clean up, YUCK. Should be tons of fun. Getting up at 5:50 is going to SUCK.

My First Mother's Day!

Our weekend was a lot of fun! We had a big cookout at mom and dad's Saturday night which was a blast! Gabriel finally got to meet his cousin Jett, who is 6 months old. Sunday was my first Mother's Day. Cedric got me an AWESOME black and white drawing of me and Gabriel. One of the guys he works with is an artist and he did the drawing, it really is cool. Cedric had to work of course, but Gabriel and I went to chuch, then out to eat lunch with mom and dad. That night, we went over to Aunt Janie's to have pizza with all of dad's family. Monday, we went to Kings Mountain to visit with all of Cedric's family. Tuesday, Gabriel and me were both WORN OUT and we just rested all day. Not sure what we are up to this weekend. Dad, Zach, and Martin are headed to Marco Island, Florida for the National ABC convention. Lucky dogs, they will be at the beach and get all the FREE liquor they can drink! Guess me, mom and Gaby will have to find something fun to get into!

Four Months Already???

Tomorrow is May 10th, and Gabriel will be 4 MONTHS OLD!! I really cannot believe it, the past 4 months have really flown by for me. He has really changed a lot over the past 4 months, just take a look at these pics:

The day he was born:


1 month old:


2 months old:


3 months old:


4 months old:


We have had a good week...We had dinner over at Zach and Nicole's on Saturday night, it was delicious and good to get to hang out with them at their new place...I got my hair cut and colored Tuesday, back to being just a blonde...I will probably do the red thing again in the fall, for summer, I just like it all blonde...you know what they say about blondes having more fun....I think it is true! Yesterday, we went for lunch at Chili's with Janie and Lucy, then we all got pedicures...Gaby just sat on our laps while we got our toenails done, I think he was fascinated with the whole thing! I am really trying to fully take advantage of my time off, and getting a pedicure in the middle of the day on a Thursday was great! I will be back to work at the beginning of June, YUCK! Tomorrow we are having a cook out at mom and dad's with her side of the family, which I am really looking forward to. Then Sunday is Mother's Day!

Gabriel has been doing pretty good this week with his reflux. He has not been spitting up nearly as much and has not had a choking episode at all this week. I am thinking that those Dr. Brown's bottles may just be doing the trick. I hope it just continues to improve. I am wanting to take him with me to Raleigh at the end of the month to see our friends Jessie and Brianne, who are coming in from Vermont, but it will all depend on how he is doing. I don't want to risk taking him anywhere by myself long distance in the car if he is not doing well. So we will just have to wait and see....Hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

On Mothers

With Mothers Day coming up this Sunday, I have been thinking about what a mother means to her children and how I am a MOM this year for the very first time and what that means to me.

First of all, let me say that I have the best mom in the world. Growing up, I loved to go shopping with her, learning things from her (such as how to cross stitch and cook), and when I was sick, she is the ONLY person I wanted to be around me. When I was in college and was sick, she took off and drove all the way to Chapel Hill to spend just the day with me, and then drove back that night so she could work the next day. She took care of me when I had mono and when I had my tonsils removed, and let me tell you, I am not the best patient! I know that she sacrificed things like new clothes so that me and my brother could have new things. We always came first to her and my dad. They always took us on trips as a family, not just the two of them. We have always been best friends. Now that I am thirty years old, not much has changed. I still love to do things with her, we like to try to learn how to do new things together (making pickles, canning jams/jellies), and I still only want her when I am sick or something is wrong. My mom can hear my voice over the phone and tell when I am upset, mad, or sad, even if I try and disguise how I am feeling, she always knows. She has always been completely supportive of me, even when I worried that she may not approve of my choices. She is now a wonderful grammy to Gabriel, and when something is wrong with him or I am unsure of what to do, she is the first person I will call for advice. I hope that I can be the type of mother to him that she has been to me. I love you mom!

Being a mom has changed me. I don't think that I was a selfish person before having Gabriel, but now my perspective has completely changed. He comes first. I know that I would do anything to make him better if he were sick and I know that I would give my life so that he could live. I will worry about his well-being and his happiness for the rest of my life. Those are powerful feelings that I have never experienced before. Being a mom is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. There is nothing that beats looking over and seeing that little boy in the middle of the bed between Cedric and me and knowing that we created him, that he is a part of both of us. It is truly a miracle. I LOVE watching him develop and learn new things, it is so fascinating to see him grow up right before my eyes. I just feel completed now, Cedric and I were a family before, but now we just feel like a real family and I love that feeling.