Updates and Lyla....

I am not a fan of the updates on Facebook. Let me clarify this...I like your status updates. I like to know if you're having a great day, or a bad day, or if your kiddo decided to smear chocolate pudding all over your brand new white couch, but typically I don't care that "John Doe is now a member of the group I hate purple hats and people that wear them." Not to say that I don't care about your interests dear friends, but I think most of you get what I'm saying.

Having said that, every once in a while, something will catch my eye. Last night when I logged in, I saw a few friends had joined the group "Praying for Lyla Grace." I clicked on it to see what it was about and it broke my heart. I won't go into the whole story but if you are interested please go to http://www.laylagrace.org. Unfortunately for this family, the story will not have a happy ending. This sweet little girl is quickly losing her battle with cancer. There is nothing more powerful than the thoughts and prayers of a mother experiencing what no one should ever have to endure...the loss of a child.

But there is something you can do to help...a photographer named Christie Lacy took some beautiful pictures of the family a few weeks ago and is offering "A Portrait Party for Layla." Here's how it works:

"Hostesses open up their homes and gather friends to fill designated time slots for 20 minute photo sessions. Hostesses enjoy their session free and earn free prints based on the number of people that book. We bring our mini studio to you.

Portrait Package includes: One 20 minute session
5-10 digitally enhanced images to choose from
One 8X10 Fine Art Print
VIP Pricing on additional purchases

Cost: $50 per child with $25 going towards Layla's family
(this is a LIMITED event to help support a wonderful Cypress family in a time of great need! The price for portrait parties will NEVER be this low again)

I have signed up to host one these events and will hopefully be selected for a date in April. Please let me know if you are interested in doing this. You can comment on here or feel free to email me at alanabethea@hotmail.com. What a great way to help out this family!

Always On The Go...

I had no idea how much energy a 1 year old little boy has bottled up inside. From the time Mac wakes up to the time he goes to bed it is non stop movement. One of his new favorite activities is to grab a kitchen chair and push it all over the tile. The game usually ends when he runs into a wall at full force.


We have moved Heisman's food into our bathroom because it has become Mac's new splash toy...but of course he has already found it. I figure he spends less time in our bathroom than he does in the kitchen so it's a bit easier to keep him out of it. Maybe if I quit taking pictures of him doing things he's not supposed to do he would stop...just a thought...but it won't happen!
He has also discovered the stairs which really scares me. It didn't take him long to figure out how to get up those things either. He stands on the first step (back to the ground) and it looks like he's going to do the Lipton Tea plunge. All that to say he keeps Mama on her toes!

I am trying to find some type of barricade to put in front of the steps and am having a little bit of trouble. If we use one of the cheap little $20 gates (that he could probably pull down if he wanted to) he can still get up the third step. I know it doesn't sound like much , but that's a long fall for a kid. I also don't want to spend $200 or more dollars on a gate. Here are pictures of our stairs so you can see what I'm talking about.
If any of you have stairs like this, what did you use to keep your kids off of them? We have a great gate at the top of the stairs, but it just won't work at the bottom.

Mac also has a new trick...he loves to play Peek A Boo. He just started this a few days ago...he puts his hands over is face until you say "Where's Mac??". Then he shows his face and waits for you to act surprised and gives the biggest smile you've ever seen. It makes me laugh.

It's funny that when you have an infant you can't imagine being any busier, but then they grow, they crawl, they walk, they open doors (that's right) and you realize how tame life used to be! Don't get me wrong, I love every second of it, but it's definently busy...I'm just glad that we have enough activites planned during the week with other kids so he can get some of that energy out!

Party Time!

Mac's first birthday party was a huge success! We ended up having over 50 people in our house and it was a great time...And I have to say, the cake turned out really well! I think that making that cake stressed me out more than anything else, but I was very pleased with it in the end.
It was so great to have all of our friends and family make it out to celebrate the little guy. Mac had quite a showing of his little buddies too. It's very strange that I only know 2 people in the past year that have had girls. And I know a lot of people who have had kids this year! Mac will never have a problem finding friends his age to play with.

Mac's smash cake (that my Mom made) was really cute. It was a little football player. We are referring to the color as light maroon =). Mac was not to thrilled about getting his hands dirty, but we got some cute pictures anyway.


The past few days have been interesting. Mac got a hair cut that went really well. He was so good. I always take him with me when I get highlights so he is used to sitting in my lap there. I am so glad to be able to see the tops of his little ears again.

He also had his 1 year check up this week. That did not go so well. He is growing like a champ, 30.5 inches (80th percent) and 24.5 lbs (50th percent). As the doctor was checking him out she noticed something....prepare yourself...he has infant penile adhesion. Sorry that I'm sharing this with everyone son...but basically the skin has grown back together since his circumcision. It's not really that bad and it's a pretty simple fix. We do have to go and see a surgeon, but it will hopefully just be an in office procedure and should take 5 minutes...that should be a fun one. So...after having skin in a very sensitive area tugged on he was not pleased, and then came the shots. That was the most I have seen him cry in a long time. The best part about that morning was that he slept for almost 3 hours when we got home.

It's been a busy birthday week for the little guy!

Happy Happy Birthday To You!

Happy birthday my sweet little man! Where has a year gone? As excited as I am to watch you grow and learn, I would give anything to have this year back and do it all over again. You have changed our lives in ways you will never understand until you are blessed enough to have a baby of your own.

Mac at the end of 11 months, on your first birthday:

-You are walking around all by yourself!

-Heisman is still your best buddy

-You no longer eat any baby food

-You drink whole milk now...and lots of it.

-Green beans, quartered grapes, and Goldfish are your favorite foods

-You try to be very independent

-You are all boy...not a delicate child

-You have learned how to say "dog"

-You still hate peas

-You weigh 24 pounds

-You like to wave "Bye-Bye"...and sometimes you will say it back

-You are learning how to clap your hands...you are already a pro at clapping your feet

-You wear mostly 12-18 month clothes

-You eat like a champ

-You are terrified of regular size footballs (daddy is concerned about your future as an NFL QB!)

-You make Mommy nervous when you try to kiss other kids because I am scared you are going to bite

-You have made this the best year of our lives

Your Daddy and I love you so much...Happy Birthday Mac

Emotions Gone Wild...

Apparently Mac turning one has made me into a big old ball of emotions. I heard the song "Chicken Fried" the other day and in the chorus it says "the touch of an innocent child" and I seriously teared up. Really??? Then today we were in our Mommy and Me music class and I was holding him while we were singing and I teared up because I started thinking about how he was going to be too big to do this one day. Fortunately no one saw me and I pulled it together. It really does make me sad that he is turning one. He needs me less and less everyday it seems like. I told Eric I can see myself giving him a bottle too long because it's one of the few times he is still enough to let me hold him anymore. I just didn't realize that the whole baby phase comes and goes to quickly. I mean, he will always be MY baby, but he's not a baby anymore. One of my friends told me the other day that life will be so much as he gets older...I just want to freeze time for a little while. I know that every month (or probably week at this point) I say "this is my favorite age/stage, so I'm sure I will love to watch him grow, but it is really stirring up a lot of emotions I didn't expect.
On a little more upbeat note, I have decided that every year on Mac's birthday I am going to write him a letter. Eric and I (and a lot of friends/family) wrote Mac letters before he was born. We sealed them, put them away, and one day I will give them to him. I don't know when...maybe when he has his first child. I like the idea of writing and sealing the letters because you feel like you can write the most personal of things to your child, knowing that no one else will ever see it (Eric and I never even saw each others letters).
Party plans are coming along smoothly. We are cheating a little bit and ordering a little bit of the food for Saturday. It will just be easier. I'm just hoping for a happy little man to show up to the party!

Road Trip

A year ago today we scheduled the date that Mac would be born! I was NOT happy. A C-section was not part of my plan, but as you have probably figured out by now, it all worked out =).

So much has happened in a year. He's walking, talking (okay...babbling), waving, etc, etc...I finally understand why people say you just don't get it until you have a child. It is an eye opening experience.

Another eye opening experience involves going on a 5 hour car ride with an 11 month old. It's not really something I recommend. We went to Louisiana last weekend for my brother's 21st birthday and had a blast (once we got there). Mac actually wasn't that bad on the way up, but it's just involves constant entertaining to get him there without a meltdown (or just have your sister feed your child Twizzlers...that works too).
The last time we went to Louisiana Mac loved all the animals. Not so much this time. We took him to see two calves that had to be bottle fed. Great photo op, right? Mac didn't think so.
Mommy on the other hand had a good time.
The only animals that Mac seemed to enjoy were a duck and goose combo that wanted to attack him! The goose and I have had previous issues (I didn't like him and he wanted to bite me)...so I was not so thrilled to see him. Mac was standing at the door looking out when I saw our not so welcome feathered friends come waddling up. Mac thought they were hilarious as they quacked and honked and pecked at the window. Little did he know they were trying to get him!
My brothers party went really well. Lots of relatives we never see came and it was a good time. Mac tried to make friends with his little cousin Jasey by chasing her around, but she was not as impressed. She kept running away saying "you can't touch me!!!"
Hope you had a great birthday Kevin!!!

Here are a few more pictures from our trip...plus some of my destructive child and dog: