'Cause Being Pregnant Ain't Always Pretty

I always thought I'd be one of those "pregnant only in the belly" people. Don't ask me why...maybe cute pregnant ladies on TV planted that seed in my head.





I am 5'2"...a shortie. When I was pregnant, I gained a lot of weight. I was just two pounds shy of 200 pounds two days before Reese was born. I was really, really heavy. I couldn't bend my fingers to make the "number 3" because my joints were so swollen. I had developed carpal tunnel in my right arm. I couldn't stand for very long because it was just so tiring.





But I still wore a bikini up to the day my water broke, because I just thought I was "pregnant in the belly".





It's only after looking back six years at the pictures from the day Reese was born that I realize just how heavy I was. It was craaaaazy!

Reese & Mommy, June 2003

Reese & Mommy, October 2005

Green Beans RAWK!

Or not....

Happy 4th of July...Come see Reese at CheerUpNation.Com!

Reese was featured on Cheer Up Nation today for their 4th of July photo :) This was 3 years ago and it was just the perfect photo...

Check him out, and have yourself a fun 4th of July (or as Reese still calls it..."four-fifths of July")

My Little Cone Head

Aren't C-Section babies supposed to have perfect little heads?

Reese, 2 days old

Reese came 2 weeks early, and I had only one very small contraction between my water breaking & the emergency C-section.

But check out his big ole' cone head....

Reese, two days old

Glad to say, it rounded out nicely :)

And can I just say...

Chipmunk Cheeks?

My sweet Reesesie Bear....

Don't Eat The Daffodils!

Around these parts, folks visit the Arboretum during the Spring

to take pictures with the thousands of tulip & daffodil blooms for scenery.

Being a new Mama, I felt it was my duty to follow suit,

so we headed to the Arboretum one Spring day

when Reese was about 9 months old.

The finished picture turned out cute...

just look at those TOES...

But I so vividly remember Reese kept falling over as I was trying to snap a picture.

Not "fall-on-his-face" falling over...

More like "Mom, what are you doing? I'm not sitting here" falling over.

And if he wasn't falling over, he was turning around

trying to eat the daffodils.

Or eat the grass.

Or eat a bug.

Or eat the mulch.

Good times....good times.....

The Power Squat

Don't you wish you could work like this again...

Imagine the thigh muscles you'd have!

I adore the concentration in Reese's face here.

The circle lid he's holding goes on the end of this cement truck

and he always worked SO hard go get it back on the end the right way.

And that upside-down-Gerber-sippy?

Those were the most leak-proof cups EVER!

Bears #1!

Daddy is a die-hard Bears fan

so naturally, Reese followed suit...

There was nothing better than a big bowl of chips

and sitting with Daddy on the couch

watching football.

Now, Reese thinks he's funny &

cheers for the Cowboys or the Packers...

just to razz Daddy.

I could just EAT those cheeks....

There's Always A Story

There's always a story behind pictures...

and as I was going through pictures last night on the computer

I remembered so many little details about Reese when he was a baby.

Things it seems one will never forget,

but as time has marched on, sure enough,

those quirky things only come to memory when

a picture brings them back.

I love this picture because it shows a few things Reese loves.

For a while, he was obsessed with sports jerseys. He would change through ten in a day...

He'd run back to his dresser & pull out a new one all the time.

It was fun to find second hand jerseys that didn't cost much &

bring them home to see his face light up at another choice!

Then one day, it just stopped. It's sad...I don't remember the last time he asked for a jersey...

Of course, his paci...his Love from day one on Earth!

Mommy was ready to rip it away at such a young age...

"He's too old for a paci"

Daddy, with his great wisdom, argued a better point.

"What is it hurting? He speaks fine, his teeth are fine. He'll get rid of it when he's ready"

I talked to the pediatrician. I talked to the dentist.

I wanted them to support my side so I could go home & tell Hubby

"See! We must take them away!"

But, no.

The doctors & dentist all said it was OK. That perhaps he *was* too old...

but the pacis weren't hurting anything.

So there we had it.

I gave up the paci argument.

And sure enough, Reese decided that one day he was too old for a paci

and that the Babies needed his pacis.

So we rounded them all up,

he put them in a box

and kissed them away.

He went back for one last goodbye kiss...

opened the box lid & pulled out one last paci...

brought it to his lips, whispered "goodbye",

gave it a smooch

and put it in the box forever.

The Paci Fairy came and brought something exciting & new,

but that box of pacis still sits on the top shelf in the laundry room.

Will I keep them until he's grown?

How can I possibly throw out something that offered such comfort & was so important?

Reese never had a blankie, dolly, lovie..

The pacis were his Lovie.

Vintage baby blankets & worn teddy bears are cute.

Old pacis...not so much.

I look at the box every now & then...but I can't bear to do anything with it.

Ziiiiing.....

Since I haven't posted anything in almost a month...

I thought I'd throw an old picture your way...

Look at that yawn...

My heart aches to hold that tiny boy again!

**Reese 9 months, Atlantis Resort, Bahamas**

Happy St. Pattys Everyone!!

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Christmas 2008: A SmileBox

My new favorite way to share pictures is with SmileBox! As you watch, if you click on the pictures you'll see larger ones. There's also a few videos stuck in there too!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

From Our House To Yours....

Sending Merry Christmas wishes your way...from our family to yours....

We've had the best time with all 3 kids together in one place! Lunch together...

And making cookies for Santa was especially fun!

Everyone got in on the decorating...even Daddy!

Austen worked hard on his cookie for Santa

Jessie puts up with my picture taking...
Reese needed blue icing for his Christmas tree....

A plate full of Christmas cookies to share...

And a special letter to Santa:


Dear Santa, These cookies r for you. Love, Reese

A special plate of cookies for Santa...one cookie made by each of us...

Opening Christmas gifts together...Daddy got a very special, handmade gift from Grammie!


We hope your Christmas was a fun-filled morning with many blessings!

Reese & Santa...Over The Years...

Reese has never been the kiddo who was afraid of Santa. He's always been excited to see St. Nick!

2003

What's up with Reese's head? It was this perfectly round little head, but this picture says otherwise. Oh well. This was also a spur of the moment decision, thus the non-Christmas attire. We happened to be at the mall in early December, & I was surprised Santa was already there! I figured we'd beat the lines...

2004

This year, we found Santa at the Bass Pro Shops!

This was a cheap little Polaroid they gave you (that I paid for).

At least he's wearing something in a Christmas color!

Notice the missing shoes...Reese hated wearing shoes for the longest time.

2005

Oh, how I loved the chili bowl haricut on Reese!

He actually looks semi-happy to see Santa this year!

2006

We met Santa this year at a Christmas party

Reese was laughing so hard at how silly Santa was acting!

2007

Last year, we found Santa at another Christmas party,

and I absolutely LOVE this picture of Reese with Santa.

They were having a very serious, quiet conversation about gifts...

We haven't found Santa this year yet....

Maybe he'll be on our cruise next week!

Halloween Through The Years

Thanks to Butterbean's Mama for the idea...I've found Reese at Halloween through the past 5 years! I know I say this all the time, but it never ceases to surprise me...my, how he's grown...

His first Halloween, Reese was 4 months old. It was VERY hot that year, so the cute head-to-toe fleece pig costume I bought would not work what so ever. This picture is from the pumpkin patch with Sissy.

Pictures from the actual Halloween night feature Reese in a pumpkin bib & tshirt, then crying, then throwing up because he was so upset at who knows what, then Mommy & Grandpa Al sitting in the car with Reese crying & throwing up while Daddy finished taking Sissy trick or treating. It was a ball, y'all! So...I like THIS picture much better.

The next year, Reese was in a stage where he hated anything on his head, so a hat or mask were totally out of the question. I needed a costume where he could fit the part without something on his noggin. This cowboy costume was perfect!

So hats became OK, & Mommy found this clown costume. I thought that this might be the last year I could get away with picking his costume & I went for something really, really corny but adorably cute! He was beyond precious in the little hoop-skirt type belly in the pants...And this was the first year where he really got "into" trick or treating!
I remember coming home & going into his bedroom with his pumpkin bucket.
He dumped all the candy on the carpet and just sat amazed at his huge stash!


The next year, Mommy had NO say in costume choice. Reese was determined to be Buzz Lightyear! Again, didn't care for the purple hood that went over his head, but one can clearly see who he is!
This year was COLD, and under his costume he's got on two shirts, a pair of sweats, & his tiny little gloves.



This officially marked the year where costumes ceased to be of the "cute" variety & they became the "superhero" variety. Don't get me wrong, I think Reese made the cutest Blue Power Ranger...but it certainly isn't a clown or pumpkin :)

Notice that masks have become OK now.

I don't have a picture of Reese yet for this year.
After Mommy firmly nixed the evil clown costume Reese saw in a catalog, he settled happily for a Storm Trooper costume. But he had to have the Darth Vader bucket.

And finally...I had to put this picture in when I found it while searching for the other Halloween pictures. This is a pumpkin at our old house, designed by Daddy....

Happy Halloween to you!