Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. 

SO much has happened in our house since last year at this time. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I went for blood work at the fertility center. Later that day we heard 'you may be pregnant or have a resolving pregnancy based on your HCG levels.' Doug and I patiently waited until the following Tuesday for more blood work, and to finally hear YOU ARE PREGNANT!!!

And one year later...

Everyone is Thankful for this little man!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

A Boy and His Toys

Ok, really just one toy in particular! Callen loves his Sophie the Giraffe. As I was looking back at pictures to include in the blog, I didn't realize we brought Sophie out so soon for Cal to play with her. He was only a few weeks old, and already holding on tightly to his buddy. At first I think he liked the sound she makes as well as the soft and squishy feeling of her. Now Callen has a full on attachment to Sophie! Over the last few weeks, he smiles when I squeak her, grabs a hold of her and gnaws on her face and ears, and reaches for her while sitting in his car seat or bouncy seat so he can play with her. Needless to say, Sophie goes everywhere with us these days. Instant pacifier!

It was amazing (and awfully sad) to look back at these pictures and see how much Callen has grown. I know he is bigger, but I don't see his change as much as others.

Looking back at these pictures makes me realize how big our boy has gotten in 3 1/2 short months.

Double Fisting it with 2 Sophies!

A Birthday to Remember

On Sunday, I celebrated my 34th birthday. It is hard to believe how fast time flies. Doug and I were talking the other night about how old we were when we met each other. I was 27...almost 7 years that we have known each other! In some ways it feels like just yesterday that we met, and in other ways it feels like we have been together forever. One thing I do know is that we have had a lot happen, both good and bad, since meeting almost 7 years ago.

Doug is very good about celebrating birthdays. He told me that your birthday is the one day of the year it can be about you. Holidays are great for family events and gatherings, but your birthday is all about you! He always seems to surprise me with a gift that I wouldn't normally ask for, but he knows I will love it once I have it. Other times he will set up a surprise dinner with friends. Anything to make the day special for me. 

This year for my birthday we decided to give hiking another chance. When we went hiking for Doug's birthday, it was way too hot and humid for Callen. It was nice to get out, but looking back, it wasn't all that enjoyable. We talked the other day about how nervous we both were for Callen that day...the heat, humidity, bugs, etc. Neither of us could enjoy what we were doing! We felt that since there were cooler temperatures, we would try going to Paris Mountain State Park to hike. It only takes us about 25 minutes to get up there, and we knew we could easily get home if things went south with Callen and hiking! Lucky for us, little guy did awesome. He got up early that day, so we got an early start; we were on the trail by 9:30am. (In our other life, Doug and I wouldn't wake before 10:00am, let alone be on the trail before then!!!) Cal loves the outdoors and was asleep before we even made it to the trailhead...which was about 10 feet from our car! I carried him in the front pack, and he literally sunk into my chest in the pack. Such a wonderful feeling having him snuggled against me while exploring nature. Cal literally opened his eyes for about 3 minutes while on the trail...just as we were stopping to take a few pictures! It was a beautiful fall day with temperatures getting into the low 70s. There were lots of fallen leaves on the trail, making it quite slippery. I tripped several times because I was holding onto Callen and not able to brace myself with arms outstretched or grabbing for a tree. I know now to take hiking poles with me next time we hike in order to have more leverage. We could not have asked for better for our hike. The weather was perfect, it was good to get outside and exercise, and best of all, we were able to experience it all with Callen. 

Once home, the 3 of us hung out and opened presents. Doug surprised me with a grain grinder! Sounds very exciting to so many people (ha ha...I am sure it doesn't!), but I have been wanting to experiment with different flour blends and making my own breads. I was very excited for this gift. I had talked about something like this a few years back but had not talked anymore of it since. Doug did lots of research and did an incredible job surprising me! I am very excited and can't wait to experiment. Lookout...you may end up with trial cookies or breads on your doorstep! My family came over for dinner and cake later that day. It was great to have everyone over and spend time as a family. It is hard for us all to find time to get together, so it is extra special these days when we are all able to be together.

My 33rd year has been incredible. There have been so many changes and wonderful experiences. I am more than excited to welcome in my 34th year and hope it is even better than the last!! A huge thanks to all who helped make my birthday extra special this year!

sleepy boy!

 

 

Helping mommy unwrap her presents

A Little Getaway

Doug had to go on his first business trip last week. He was not very excited to have to leave Callen for a full week. He says he missed me, but that is up for debate!! He was able to talk and text with me throughout the week, but there was never a good time for him to FaceTime with Cal. Doug was putting in long hours at the warehouse, and Callen was sleeping any time Doug was available to talk. Needless to say, Doug was ready for Friday afternoon when we picked him up at the airport. Smiles from both my favorite boys!!!

I always hate when Doug travels for business. I really don't like the nighttime, and never sleep very well. I knew I would be fine taking care of Callen on my own during the day, but worried about the nights. I also felt I would want some adult interaction, or the ability to have a few minutes of free time after a full day with Cal. It had been a while since Jan and Ken had seen Callen, so we decided to go to Charleston for a few days. What a great idea! That was what I needed for a week without Doug. 

We had a great time. I was able to go for a few runs...something I haven't been able to do while exercising on my own with Callen. Ken and I fished one morning, and kept 2 red fish and a trout. (Those fish became homemade fish and chips when Doug returned home!) 
Cal even caught his first fish!

I would get up and work on the Sudoku puzzle every morning while Cal and Oupa read the latest news on the computer:

We worked on Cal's Halloween costume. As my Papa always said, 'Every job needs a supervisor.' Callen is taking those words of advice these days:

 

Based on how his Halloween costume turned out, I would say he did a great job supervising!

My favorite part of each day was hanging out on the veranda in the late afternoon/early evening. Doug has a favorite hammock swing he always falls asleep in while in Charleston. Watch out Doug, because Callen has now claimed that spot for himself!

 

We had so much fun, and it helped to make the week without Doug go by much faster. Callen enjoyed being spoiled, and I enjoyed the company. Jan is already asking when Doug's next business trip will be!! 

Speaking of...

Doug has taken a new position at Michelin! He will be working in the Supply Chain side of things rather than the Logistics side. He is very excited and set to begin January 1. I am very excited for him. He was ready for a change, and this seems to be a great fit for him. Congrats!! He will have to travel to France 2x a year. Looks like Callen and me will need to become fluent in French so we can go shopping for super cute French baby clothes!!!

Happy Halloween

 

While pregnant with Callen, he was given several nicknames. We started out with Popcorn Shrimp, but he quickly became known as Popcorn or Shrimpers. With the nickname Popcorn, we were drawn to anything popcorn related. We gave thank you gifts for one of our baby showers consisting of popcorn buckets, candy, movie tickets, and of course popcorn! At another shower, the flower vase was a plastic popcorn cup/bucket! 

Doug and I like to be creative with our Halloween costumes, and we prefer to make them instead of buying something off the shelf at the store. As most people do these days, I started searching Pinterest for Halloween costume ideas for newborns. I honestly did not think they would make something small enough for a baby other than a little pumpkin onesie type outfit, so I figured I would have to make something or be creative. After looking at Facebook last night and seeing all the tee tiny baby costumes, I was wrong. Oh well, I am pretty happy with the costume we chose! After a little bit of searching, I

came across a baby dressed as a popcorn bag...PERFECT! I would love to say his costume was my idea, but I owe my creativity to Pinterest and other crafty people in the world. I love to do projects and scrapbook, but my ideas are based off of other people's projects. I just take their ideas and add my own twist to them.

I think his costume turned out pretty darn cute if you ask me. Doug was out of town on business this week, so my sister Kim came and went trick-or-treating with us. We really just walked with our next door neighbors to a few houses and then walked to dinner. But, everyone who saw Callen in his costume loved it. Kids were yelling, 'there's that popcorn baby' or 'look at the popcorn.' It was really cute! 

 Hopefully next year Doug will be in town and we can make a family themed costume!