8 months...

We became parents 8 months ago. I am stunned that something can simultaneously feel so recent yet so far away but that is how I feel. Declan has grown and changed so much and so fast that it seems to have created a timewarp of sorts in my life. I can't believe how lucky I am that God chose ME to be his mama!

Declan has been super busy...
He doesn't crawl forwards or backwards but... he crawls in a circle like a compass.
He also rolls.
He also climbs.
In short, he gets anywhere he wants to go.
He can pull himself up on our fingers (not sure that counts but I'm counting it.)
He balances well.
He sits and reaches.
He opens and closes his fist for "bye-bye" but he doesn't quite grasp the "bye-bye" concept yet. The wheels are turning, however.
He does give high-fives.
He ADORES peek-a-boo (we say "pee-pie", though)  and will look around the pee-pie towel to try and find me.
He gives Mama super-sloppy kisses on the cheek but will NOT give Daddy's scratchy face any sugar whatsoever!
He LOVES to dance to music. He sways his little head and moves his hands and feet rhythmically to the music. It's so sweet to watch!
He LOVES the hammock and being outside.
He LOVES the girl dogs and pets them surprisingly gentle for someone his age. The sweet girl dogs are equally fond of their little human baby brother.
He LOVES food.
Speaking of food, we have now successfully added lamb, asparagus, cherries, blueberries and yogurt to his diet. This boy LOVES food (did I mention that yet? Ok, well, it just bears repeating!) and we have been truly fortunate to have no issues with food allergies thus far.

I will leave you with a few oldies of sweet Declan's first few days...

(Can you get over how different he looks? I certainly can't!)

Adventures in baby wrasslin'!

Declan was diagnosed with Pneumonia on Thursday

THEN

Ben left for a conference in Mexico on Friday morning 

THEN

Declan was put on Steroids an hour and a half later

THEN

Declan's antibiotics gave him diarrhea 

THEN

The 'roid rage started 

THEN

I noticed he was TEETHING.... 

THEN

I realized Declan had 3 more days of Steroids and Ben would be gone for FOUR DAYS.

It's been a LONG weekend. 

I was tagged...

Shell-bell tagged me several days ago and was interested in the contents of my purse... Lucky for me, I'm in the midst of changing over from my winter to my spring/summer bag so the timing couldn't have been better...

I'm transferring from the black patent bag to the discontinued vera bradley print that my brother and father bought me two Christmases ago. I've become less of a bag person since I've become a mother... probably because I have to carry more bags.  What you see before you are the contents of my bag.
*Zebra print wallet
*3 pens(one of which is neon orange)
*super-cute yellow change purse given to me by my dear friend, Molly. I keep $1 bills in it to pay for parking in the close garage (or when I hit up the mouse's ear... I KID!!!)
*1 zone perfect bar
*Sephora gift card/compact
*silver case that uses to hold gift cards
*burt's bees hand lotion. It's the world's STINKIEST hand lotion but it feels sooooo good!
*4 pink lip glosses and a tube of lipstick. (Don't judge me! I like variety. )
*Hand Sanitizer
*Nail Polish in "OPI Red". It's my signature red. I've worn it since High School. Opi discontinued the color for a while but brought it back (Thank the Sweet LORD!). I just keep my bottle in my purse so that when I gotta get a pedi in a hurry, I'm good to go!

Sadly, if you did a "What's in your bag?" diaper bag edition, you'd find much of the same stuff.
Now it's my turn to tag some people...
Meredith , Jamie, Elizabeth and Allison.
I want to know what you girls are packin'!

Declan's weekend of spring time adventure!!

This weekend was so beautiful that we spent as much time as possible out of doors! I got as many pictures as I could stand to get but there are some missing... because sometimes a mom just has to live in the moment and not worry about a silly camera!

Declan looked super duper sporty in his shades

He LOVED the hammock...

But was none too thrilled to roll around in the patch of violets!

(this one's a little blurry but he looked so cute in his new hat!!!)

In addition to our roll in the hammock and grass, we also had a snuggle picnic under a shady dogwood and played "Peekaboo" for hours while Daddy did manly yard-work things and the dogs looked on. This weekend felt like the closest to heaven that I've ever been for sure. Thank GOODNESS Spring is here!

Love,
Katy

PS. Keep a dear friend of mine with a big heavy special intention in your prayers please. Thanks!

A brand new day...

 

Today we are thrilled to announce that our beautiful son was reborn in Christ! Declan was baptized by Father Charlie Donahue this afternoon while Grandparents, Godparents and Mama and Daddy looked on.

Father Charlie gave a beautiful homily (or sermon, if you will) about how the Holy Spirit came to Jesus' baptism in the form of a dove and how the dove is a sign of peace because the dove is such a fragile animal that it requires peace to thrive. How doves can live their entire lives in one tree. How Declan is like a dove in that he will thrive in a peaceful, loving, Christian home and how, like a dove, he will always be able to find his way home. He also brought up the fact that since the first century when babies are baptized, they are anointed over their fontanels so that "they will always have a soft spot for God".

It was like he knew that today was something special! After the service, most of us went to Calhoun's on the river for dinner. It was lovely. Declan's "Fairy Godmother" (Aunt Susanna) snapped this beautiful family photo outside of the restaurant.