Mama's Boy

You know what.......... I love my baby boy=) We thought having two daughters completed our family. Then, we were blessed with our third and final baby, Dannen Michael.

People say you have to plan for children, the ups and downs, the financial responsibility, the mental preparedness, etc. I agree to a point... What's that saying? "THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON" Our son came in our lives right when he needed to, regardless of where we were in our lives. No one can ever take that away from us. So much happiness came with lots of doubt and disregard from others to our happiness and the life of a child...

My family makes me rich. Nothing will EVER change that! I thank God every day for the opportunity to have three wonderful children and to be their Mother.

My baby boy=)

Awesome Doctor Visit

Today was my 6 week PP check-up... exactly the same time I was delivering my baby boy Dannen. I've lost 28 of the 42 pounds gained, leaving only 14 to go- YAY! My personal goal is to lose another 12 after that. I think it's funny that I have to lose the same amount of weight my son weighs... yes- he's 14 pounds!?!?! OMG I have a little football player already =P

I adore my doctor- he seemed like a family member from day one. My heart was so warm when I heard him say, "I have a surprise for you!" He framed the two pictures Kaylie and Makenzie drew for him while they were sitting next to me in the delivery room, waiting for their brother to arrive!!! They'll be hung in his office to share with everyone who visits. To do something so wonderful, that means so much to us and our girls just makes me melt:)

I've decided to get my tubes tied... no more babies- sad face and happy at the same time! Surprisingly, it's scheduled for next week!!! Friday April 3rd is the day I can no longer make babies. Time to enjoy my three beautiful children and husband, and once again my body:)

Looking at you...

Dannen loves to sit up and look around. His little neck muscles are getting stronger by the day. If he's not sitting, then he's wanting to be held up high so he can see everything. He even turns his head so far sideways just to look us right in the eyes... then he puts out THE biggest smiles:)When he gets excited, his head wiggles a mile a minute!

Relaxing on the couch sporting his 3-6 month jammies

Where's the remote???

Makenzie had an accident=(

My baby girl had her first major accident today... my heart hurts so bad thinking about the "event"...

We went for a family walk tonight. Everyone was doing great, laughing, looking at all the flowers, running around being silly. Then, Makenzie's face met the ground...

Makenzie had shoes on that are a little too big. When she started to run in front of us, she tripped on an uneven sidewalk and literally fell face-forward onto the concrete. OMG the sound of her little forehead hitting the ground still lingers in my mind and makes me want to hold her so tightly and cry! All we could do was watch her fall forward. William tried his hardest to catch her:( Instantly I helped pick her up. Kaylie saw Makenzie's bloody face and started screaming. She gets super emotional when it comes to her sister! I held Makenzie while William helped calm Kaylie. Thankfully Dannen was just hanging out, relaxing in the stroller. Makenzie's such a trooper... she wanted to keep going. William cleaned her up and I gave in and piggy-backed her the reaming trip around the neighborhood. After crying for only a few minutes, she was back to giggling and enjoying our time together. Once home, I kept her away from the mirrors (kinda hard since the dining room has a mirrored pantry the length of the wall). She got all cleaned up, then saw her face... a look of shock came right before quickly tearing up. Makenzie was back to herself once she showed her face to Daddy and Kaylie:)

Whew... Thank God she didn't break anything or do any permanent damage! I personally can't wait to get the image and sound out of my head...

What a week...

We've had a VERY busy week!

Having three kiddos sure makes each minute of the day need it's place. William and I pride ourselves on how well we've taught the girls how to be dependant and independent of Mommy and Daddy. It's extremely important for a child to have playtime alone- that's where they learn creative play and use what they learn to expand their imagination. I know while Kaylie's at school learning, Makenzie can learn with color time or reading with me and while playing on her own. Dannen can be cared for knowing she's okay. He loves to sit in his swing or bouncy seat learning to see and figure out his hands. He also likes tummy time! I can get things done throughout the day and have happy kiddos at the same time:)

We finally have a pretty set schedule:
330am Dannen's bottle... 630am girls up for breakfast and school... 730am Dannen wakes up for Daddy to feed him a bottle and I take Kaylie to school... 8am play time for Makenzie and Dannen to include play dates at the mall or friends houses... 1030am Daddy wakes up... 1130am lunch for everyone... 1pm nap time for Makenzie... 215pm I pick Kaylie up from school... 230pm Daddy goes to work (sometimes it's 330pm)... 245pm snack time for Kaylie and Makenzie... 330pm Dannen's bottle... 530pm dinner for the girls... 6pm bath time... 630pm story time... 7pm bed time for Kaylie and Makenzie... 730pm Dannen wakes for dinner bottle and bath time... 830pm bed time for Dannen... Midnight bottle for Dannen. WHEW!

Last Sunday, Grandma Carol came for a much needed visit. Kaylie was excited to go with Daddy to the airport. She even helped Grandma pick up her luggage. This was the first visit from a family member for baby Dannen:) We spent Monday relaxing and enjoying a wonderful lunch together at Olive Garden. William helped convince her to stay longer, so early Tuesday morning, Kaylie was excited to have Grandma help drop her off at school. Then, Makenzie and William drove her to the airport for a sad good-bye. We can't wait to see her again!!!!

Grandma Carol braved the back seat to sit with the girls

Yummy Armadillo "poop" (chocolate covered sunflower seeds) & Chocolate covered "rocks" were a great treat!
Grandma gives awesome cuddles:)

I was in need of a hair cut. With a trip to the salon I thought my crazy hair days of pony tails and sun glasses in the hair were over. Well, I was WRONG! My hair was butchered. I thought I could make it work, but after three days of crying my eyes out, it ended up getting redone. When the hairstylist asked me to fill out a complaint report, I knew it was bad. She asked how upset I would be if it needed to be short... the original cut had me with two different layers of bangs and length in the back! Thank goodness she fixed it. Now I just need to get used to no hair...

The absolute shortest hair cut I've EVER had!

William finally had a full weekend off from work. Since we only have seven more months left on our Busch Gardens/Sea World passes, we thought- why not make the trip over to Tampa for the weekend?!?! So, Saturday after everyone had breakfast, we loaded up the van and made the 2 & 1/2 hour trip. William got a great deal on Price line for a Holiday Inn only 1 mile outside of Busch Gardens. Surprisingly, the weekend went smoother than I expected... it was the first time venturing out somewhere big as a family of five. The girls had a blast enjoying a lot of rides for the first time alone without mommy or Daddy. They even got special one-on-one times as well. Dannen was such a good baby! He made it through some hot weather and bumpy rides without crying:) On Sunday, William was able to ride every one of the six roller coasters... some even twice. Thank goodness it was very slow at the park. I enjoyed watching my kiddos enjoy themselves. It's been a full month of new things for all of us, so their happy faces and laughter was priceless:) Enjoy some pictures and video clips of our family trip...

On a GREAT note, last night was the best sleep night so far for Dannen. I fed him his 7pm bottle, and he didn't eat again until 330pm... with falling asleep at 9pm that meant he slept for 6 & 1/2 hours!!!

Just chillin'

Dannen's 1 Month Old Today:)

Our baby boy is one month old today. Time sure has gone by so fast! Dannen is such a happy baby=) He eats 4oz. every four hours. Sometimes, he'll do a five hour stretch at night, just after his evening bottle. He's learning to follow us and our voices. We love watching him try to play with his hanging car seat toys and play mat buddies. Recently, he started making little noises when I talk to him while changing his diaper.

It's amazing to see how much he has grown in only a month. We are so blessed to have Dannen in our lives!!! Life may be challenging at times, but God works in mysterious ways... through little miracles=)

Do you like my tiny Mohawk?

My very first sMiLe=P
Relaxing in my Dalmatian Doggy bed

Peek-a-boo, I see you

Cuddle time!!!

Interesting conversation...

Date Night with Daddy

William and Kaylie had another great date night. This time it was at the Orlando Magic basketball game on Friday, March 6th. The Magic played the New Jersey Nets, winning 105-102! William's friends had an extra ticket and heard of Kaylie's great job in school. Off to enjoy good food, to include the best ice cream, and special one-on-one time! Kaylie said, "I had an awesome night with my Daddy!"

Kaylie enjoying the game:)

View from their seats...

*Play Time*

VIDEO: Push the play button

Dannen likes to relax on his play mat. He actually reached a hanging toy and held on for a long time!

Meet Titan=)

Well, for a week we had another family member... Titan the Chihuahua! A co-worker of William's had a puppy that needed a place to stay for a while. Seeing as our girls are really good with animals, he hopped at the chance to have Titan come home with us. Titan was born on Christmas Eve- only 9 weeks old!

Instantly, our hearts melted when he came to us. William brought him home at 3am last Wednesday. First thing he did was cuddle up to me in bed. With a brand new baby in our home, William took on full responsibility of Titan's daily duties and making sure he was taken care of. He slept right by William every night, and stayed with him in the bedroom during the morning hours just after I took Kaylie to school until William woke up around 1045am each day. The girls had so much energy with Titan here LOL It was nice at times having him around to help occupy the girls while I needed to take care of Dannen. All three kiddos had the chance to cuddle up with Titan:) He's the best... never once tried to hurt any of us. Any time Dannen would squeak or cry, Titan jumped to sit by his side. Oh yeah- and he never went more than two feet from me whenever he was awake... my little shadow!

Since we have a lot going on right now, Titan went back to his first home and his Mommy last night. It was hard to see him go, since we feel he's a part of our family:) William's hopes are for his return in a few weeks when he's older and we have a better schedule set up with all three kiddos. We've already made plans to visit Titan with his Mommy and have Titan come over for play dates.

I never thought something so little could be so stinking cute!?!?!

Too cute:)

Makenzie's first time holding Titan
All comfy in his bed

First time Kaylie played with Titan

His favorite toy... a Care Bear's teddy bear:)