Lazy Saturday

We have had the best day today.  It has been cold and rainy all day and we have all enjoyed staying in our pajamas and relaxing.  After Edward’s nap, he enjoyed trying to play Super Mario Brothers on the Wii with Brooke. 

Welcome William Alfred Hughes, IV!!

My nephew, William Alfred Hughes, IV was born January 12 at 1:18pm.  He was 5 weeks early and weighed 6lbs. 10oz. and  was 19.5 inches long.  It is truly a miracle that a baby born so early was so healthy!  Mom and baby are both doing well.  We had the opportunity to visit with my brother, Will and his new family on Tuesday.  Baby William is absolutely precious.  Edward was smitten the second he saw his new cousin.  As soon as the nurse brought him in, Edward held out his hands and said, “I holt” (his version of “I hold”).  It was so sweet.  As I held little William, Edward wanted to hug and kiss him.  He loves babies and I hope this means he will be just as loving to his new baby sister!  Here are a few pictures from our visit.

21 Months

I haven’t done a recent post on Edward. I also haven’t been very good about updating his baby book so I want to at least have one place where I have documented his milestones. He is 21 months and into EVERYTHING. He is all boy but tends to show a feminine side every now and then. I know he is just exploring and curious. I will touch on the feminine side first by saying that he likes to march around the house in my heels and with a bag on his shoulder. I guess he is trying to imitate mommy.

He talks all the time now. He is constantly saying new words and phrases. He also repeats just about everything we say. He still loves any type of vehicle. His new thing now is lining up his cars and trucks to race. Once he gets them into position, he says, “on your mark, get set, go, go, go” and gives them all a good shove. It’s amazing to me how they learn. I don’t know if he has gotten the racing idea from watching the movie Cars, but I know I didn’t teach him how to line them up! He now loves to climb onto the changing table. One day he was being quiet and I walked into his room and he was sitting on top of it. I guess we are going to have to secure it to the wall!

Before Christmas, we attempted trying out a “big boy” bed. He would sleep in it, but not great. We finally decided that he just wasn’t ready and reverted back to the crib. We have a few more months to work on the new bed. He is still a pretty good eater. We still struggle with him not wanting to drink milk. The only time he wants it is at bedtime.

He is still a very loving, affectionate little boy. He loves to kiss and hug. He has started saying “num you” for “I love you.” He doesn’t say it all the time, but when he does, it melts my heart! He loves Brooke very much and gets so upset when she leaves. He loves his grandparents and gets so excited when he sees them.

He also still loves to play outside. He got a wagon for Christmas and we have enjoyed a few walks with it. He loves, loves, loves our neighbors, Tyler, Haley and Kelsey. He thinks he is big stuff getting to play with them.

and yes, I found him there!

The Name Game

Well, I know we have plenty of time to be planning/worrying about baby names, but I want to be totally ready and don’t want any last minute planning. By nature I am a procrastinator, however when it comes to the baby, I want to be prepared!  I think that the reality of having a baby girl has finally set in.  The shock has finally worn off and we can begin our preparations.  When I found out I was pregnant, we argued over boy names because we were certain that we would be having another boy.  I pushed and pushed for a certain name and Thomas finally agreed on it UNTIL we got the big news on Wednesday that our little bundle of joy was NOT a boy but in fact a healthy little girl!!! In reality, I wanted to throw up but instead I cried…TWICE!!  You see, all I know is boy.  I love my sweet Edward and have loved learning over the last 21 months what little boys love.  Bugs, balls, dirt, trucks, cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters, etc…   I dreamed of Edward and his little brother and all the fun that they would have and the trouble they would get into.  I am thrilled to now have a daughter of my own and I look forward to the special relationship I will have with her just like I have with my mother, who is my best friend. 

Now onto the naming process.  For the last couple of days we have tossed around several different names.  We finally came to two that we both really liked, but struggled with the final decision.  I’ve made Thomas talk about it every opportunity we have had.  I want to be able to refer to her with a name and not just “her” or “baby girl.”  So, we have finally decided on Emily Katherine and we will call her Emily Kate.  Emily is after my paternal grandmother who suddenly passed away when I was pregnant with Edward.  We were very close and I want a special way to remember her.  Katherine is after my maternal grandmother (and who I am named after).  She and her family live in Florida and we don’t get to see her often.  I felt that choosing this special name would be a good way to honor/remember two important women in my life. So, we look forward to introducing you to Emily Kate at the end of May!

I hope you all had a Happy New Years day.  Ours was very uneventful and I enjoyed it.  It’s  been nice after such a busy week to just relax a little!!