Today was Shiloh's first official Gymboree class! She did so well! She was in a class with three 9 months old and she was up to par with all of them! In fact, the two little boys there aren't even crawling yet so she is one up on them....not that I'm keeping score or anything :)
There was actually one thing she could do that none of the other babies there could....clap her hands! I am so proud! Anyway, she did very well socially also. She kept giving kisses to the one litttle boy and patting his head. The other little girl, Ashlyn, is crawling as well and she and Shiloh crawled around a lot together, almost chasing eachother. It was so cute! Gymboree is awesome!! I know Shiloh is enjoying it but I think at this point I'm loving it a lot more than she is!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
One More Thing
I forgot to mention something about Memorial Day. I just wanted to take a moment to thank those who have given the ultimate sacrifice/served/are serving in the military. These people keep our great country just that, great! I made a promise with myself this year to really make Memorial Day a significant holiday from here on out for my family. I want Shiloh and any future children of ours to grow up with an appreciation for our military and what they stand for. I want them to feel the same pride I feel when I hear the National Anthem and I want them to have that same wave of thankfulness/humbleness/admiration come over them as it does in me when in the presence of military.
At church on Sunday they did a great job of honoring those who have served/lost their lives. They put together a really nice slideshow of the military members of our church (I sent in a picture of Richard) and the choir sang all of the "theme songs" for each military branch and at the end they even had these machines that shot out red, white and blue streamers above the congregation. It might sound kind of cheesy but it was pretty cool.
Shiloh showing off her patriotic side....
At church on Sunday they did a great job of honoring those who have served/lost their lives. They put together a really nice slideshow of the military members of our church (I sent in a picture of Richard) and the choir sang all of the "theme songs" for each military branch and at the end they even had these machines that shot out red, white and blue streamers above the congregation. It might sound kind of cheesy but it was pretty cool.
Shiloh showing off her patriotic side....
High Five!
Shiloh started doing the cutest (in my opinion) thing today! If I hold my hand up and say "high five" she brings her hand up to mine and we connect in a high five....and then we clap together!! It's so fun! Which reminds me of another "first" today! She finally got clapping down! She's been "clapping" for the last couple of weeks but when she would do it her hands would end up hitting her chest before coming together. She had the right idea she just couldn't quite get the execution down! Today she finally made contact with her hands! It's so amazing to watch her get things.
On a random note, Shiloh has started going to sleep around 8:30 the last few nights. She is still sleeping in as late as usual in the morning, just going to bed earlier. I LOVE IT!!! Any extra time to myself in the evenings is greatly appreciated! I'm trying to really take advantage of this time because I don't know if this is going to last or if it's just a phase. Oh how I pray it lasts!!
On a random note, Shiloh has started going to sleep around 8:30 the last few nights. She is still sleeping in as late as usual in the morning, just going to bed earlier. I LOVE IT!!! Any extra time to myself in the evenings is greatly appreciated! I'm trying to really take advantage of this time because I don't know if this is going to last or if it's just a phase. Oh how I pray it lasts!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Looking Back
I'm having trouble falling asleep tonight so I've been sitting here looking at pictures of Shiloh from birth to present. It makes me so sad!! I see these pictures of this tiny little baby but I find I can't remember her! The first 12 days after bringing Shiloh home from the hospital (revocation period) were so amazing but we were so concerned with Kim changing her mind that it was hard to really take in this time with our new daughter. Even after that there wasn't the initial bonding that occurs between mother and child. I can honestly say it took 2 1/2 to 3 months for me to really feel like I was a mother and this beautiful little baby was my daughter. Before Shiloh was born I was constantly telling Rich it would be weeks before he would get to hold her because I was never going to let her go. Yet I remember during the two weeks my mom came to visit after Shiloh's birth not really feeling that sensation to want to hold her every moment and take in this amazing gift I had been given. When my mom was holding her (which she did about 50% of the time...Rich had trouble bonding initially as well) I was content for her to keep her as long as she wanted. The experience felt more like a babysitting job for basically the first month.
Anyway, I didn't mean to get into all of that. I just wanted to say that next time around I am going to do my best to just accept the situation. I want to focus more on the baby in front of me, keeping in mind that for whatever reason God has placed this baby with us to love, nourish and care for he/she....be it for a couple days, a week, or forever...and I want to cherish that time because when baby #2 comes our way I want to truly live those moments and not look back with any regrets.
Anyway, I didn't mean to get into all of that. I just wanted to say that next time around I am going to do my best to just accept the situation. I want to focus more on the baby in front of me, keeping in mind that for whatever reason God has placed this baby with us to love, nourish and care for he/she....be it for a couple days, a week, or forever...and I want to cherish that time because when baby #2 comes our way I want to truly live those moments and not look back with any regrets.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Almost Wordless Wednesday
She refused to sit/lay down on the floor to watch her baby einstein dvd. Guess we should
start saving up for eye care now!
Sidenote: Congratulations to the Stickle Family on the birth of Matthew Lawton!!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
She's Growing Up Too Fast!!
Shiloh's first teeth (that's right, teeth, not tooth) are coming in!! She's generally a happy baby and has definitely had some fussy moments this past week so we thought something was up. Sure enough, we inspected her mouth tonight and her bottom two front teeth have already broken through her gums!! I know I have nothing to do with her teeth coming in but I feel so proud...yet so sad! She's growing up so fast. When she started talking, crawling, pulling herself up, etc it was exciting and great but this is on a different level for me. To me it's a big slap in the face that she is not going to be a baby forever (not that I thought she would, but ya know!). I feel like I want to jump up and down and celebrate and cry at the same time! Oh what children do to us!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mum
I was in the kitchen yesterday morning making some french toast while Shiloh crawled around my feet. She started to get fussy and sat down next to me whimpering. So she was sitting there looking up at me when all of a sudden she said, "mum....mum". I'm sure it's too early for her to be putting a name to my face but it was still nice to hear her say mom...or mum.
Richard had to go to Atlanta this morning to take a test for work so he has the afternoon off! He called around noon to say he was on his way home! Shiloh and I are meeting him at Olive Garden for lunch and then we're going to take the dogs to Oconee River for some family time! I'm soo excited! It will be so nice to spend some extra time with Rich!
Richard had to go to Atlanta this morning to take a test for work so he has the afternoon off! He called around noon to say he was on his way home! Shiloh and I are meeting him at Olive Garden for lunch and then we're going to take the dogs to Oconee River for some family time! I'm soo excited! It will be so nice to spend some extra time with Rich!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mother's Day Update
Well, I can definitely tell you Richard was listening! He did such a great job of making my first mother's day extremely special! As we were sitting in Outback yesterday enjoying a nice lunch I told him, "Just wait until Father's Day! You'll feel so special".
Mother's Day started out with Richard suprising me with breakfast in bed before church. He made my favorite, french toast!! And he didn't just use the regular, okay bread we have laying around the house, he went out and bought the thick, texas toast style bread. Sooo good!! Shiloh woke up while I was eating so Rich left the room to get her. When the two of them came back Shiloh was wearing a necklace they had got for me. After breakfast we got ready for church. When we got out to the truck I found two cards, a willow tree figurine and a couple small gifts from Rich.
Church was great also. Shiloh's dedication was Sunday so that made the day that much more special! One very sweet thing the church did was after the service was over they had about a dozen 5-6 year olds standing at the exit handing out carnations to all of the women there....whether they were a mother or not.
After church we went to Outback for lunch then went home and lounged around for a few hours. Our friends Brittany and AJ cooked out some food for dinner so we enjoyed a nice dinner with them and that was about it!
It was a great day!
Flowers from church/necklace from Rich
Mother's Day started out with Richard suprising me with breakfast in bed before church. He made my favorite, french toast!! And he didn't just use the regular, okay bread we have laying around the house, he went out and bought the thick, texas toast style bread. Sooo good!! Shiloh woke up while I was eating so Rich left the room to get her. When the two of them came back Shiloh was wearing a necklace they had got for me. After breakfast we got ready for church. When we got out to the truck I found two cards, a willow tree figurine and a couple small gifts from Rich.
Church was great also. Shiloh's dedication was Sunday so that made the day that much more special! One very sweet thing the church did was after the service was over they had about a dozen 5-6 year olds standing at the exit handing out carnations to all of the women there....whether they were a mother or not.
After church we went to Outback for lunch then went home and lounged around for a few hours. Our friends Brittany and AJ cooked out some food for dinner so we enjoyed a nice dinner with them and that was about it!
It was a great day!
Picture after church
Flowers from church/necklace from Rich
Friday, May 9, 2008
A New Cousin For Shiloh!
Andrea has started sharing her news with friends and family so the time has come to reveal it here! As some of you may know, my sister has been dating a guy (Daniel) for the past year or so. What you probably don't know, though, is that in the past couple of months they've been beginning the earl stages of planning a wedding....they were hoping to do something next summer. Well, it seems, if all goes as planned, they will now be getting married June 28th! Why the sudden rush, you may be asking. Good question. The answer is that Andrea went to the doctors this past Wednesday and learned she is 9 weeks pregnant!! Of course, it's not the order my parents' would have wanted things but we are all excited! Andrea and I are both hoping she has a girl since her baby and Shiloh will only be 14 months apart! Also, I'm honored to say that An has asked me to stand up with her at her wedding! I am very much so looking forward to experiencing that special day with her and taking part in it as well!
So that's the great/interesting news I've been referring to! Now you know!
So that's the great/interesting news I've been referring to! Now you know!
Mother's Day....
is fast approaching!! I'm so excited!! I keep reminding Rich that this is my ONLY first mother's day I'll EVER have so I guess we'll see how he does on Sunday!
In March I something about how we had arrived at our one year anniversary of learning of our infertility, well, here's a happier one year anniversary! It was one year ago today that we met Kim (Shiloh's birthmom) and her dad! It was May 4 when we got the phone call....another day I will never forget! We had just pulled into the parking lot at the Atlanta airport (Rich and I were flying up to PA to visit my family) and my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so I almost didn't pick up! When I did answer it was actually Kim's dad on the other end of the phone. At first I was a little worried. He sounded very stern/almost mad. I was afraid he was calling to yell at me for leaving Kim a voicemail introducing ourselves.
sidenote: we met Kim through an old coworker of mine. She had told Kim about us and given her our phone numbers. At the time Kim was talking with a couple in TN who were wanting to adopt. My coworker was given permission from Kim to give us her cell number so after spending multiple hours working up the nerve I called her cell and left her a voicemail introducing us and just telling her if she ever wanted to talk with us we'd be happy to meet her...or something to that degree. I actually wrote out a little script in case I got nervous. I should have kept that!
Back to the story...thankfully, he wasn't calling to yell at us but he wanted to see if we were still interested in meeting Kim. Of course!! We explained to him that we had actually just arrived at the airport but we'd be back home in a few days and would love to meet them! He also told us during that call that judging by the slower heartbeat the doctor's were guessing the baby to be a boy...old wives tale. I was a little disappointed hearing that news...I always just kind of knew I'd have a girl first or at least I always really hoped I would....but of course it didn't really matter. Just thinking of what this phone call could lead to was amazing!! Believe it or not I made it to our terminal without calling anyone. Talking to Kim's dad had us running late so we were rushing. As soon as we arrived at our gate though the phone was out and I was calling everyone in my family!! That was a great day!
So we arrived back in Georgia May 8th and the next day we met Kim and her dad after work at the Arby's on Pleasant Hill Road. I can't even begin to describe my feelings that evening. It's a good thing Rich was there because I spent most of that evening just stealing glimpses at Kim....feeling excited, sad, anxious, amazed, and so much more. We left eachother that night with an agreement to move forward with an adoption plan and here I sit a year later with a 7 month old crawling on the floor around me!
Oh and one more neat thing linked to mother's day. It was May 11th (mother's day) when Kim had her ultrasound that told us she was having a little girl....another day I will never forget!
In March I something about how we had arrived at our one year anniversary of learning of our infertility, well, here's a happier one year anniversary! It was one year ago today that we met Kim (Shiloh's birthmom) and her dad! It was May 4 when we got the phone call....another day I will never forget! We had just pulled into the parking lot at the Atlanta airport (Rich and I were flying up to PA to visit my family) and my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so I almost didn't pick up! When I did answer it was actually Kim's dad on the other end of the phone. At first I was a little worried. He sounded very stern/almost mad. I was afraid he was calling to yell at me for leaving Kim a voicemail introducing ourselves.
sidenote: we met Kim through an old coworker of mine. She had told Kim about us and given her our phone numbers. At the time Kim was talking with a couple in TN who were wanting to adopt. My coworker was given permission from Kim to give us her cell number so after spending multiple hours working up the nerve I called her cell and left her a voicemail introducing us and just telling her if she ever wanted to talk with us we'd be happy to meet her...or something to that degree. I actually wrote out a little script in case I got nervous. I should have kept that!
Back to the story...thankfully, he wasn't calling to yell at us but he wanted to see if we were still interested in meeting Kim. Of course!! We explained to him that we had actually just arrived at the airport but we'd be back home in a few days and would love to meet them! He also told us during that call that judging by the slower heartbeat the doctor's were guessing the baby to be a boy...old wives tale. I was a little disappointed hearing that news...I always just kind of knew I'd have a girl first or at least I always really hoped I would....but of course it didn't really matter. Just thinking of what this phone call could lead to was amazing!! Believe it or not I made it to our terminal without calling anyone. Talking to Kim's dad had us running late so we were rushing. As soon as we arrived at our gate though the phone was out and I was calling everyone in my family!! That was a great day!
So we arrived back in Georgia May 8th and the next day we met Kim and her dad after work at the Arby's on Pleasant Hill Road. I can't even begin to describe my feelings that evening. It's a good thing Rich was there because I spent most of that evening just stealing glimpses at Kim....feeling excited, sad, anxious, amazed, and so much more. We left eachother that night with an agreement to move forward with an adoption plan and here I sit a year later with a 7 month old crawling on the floor around me!
Oh and one more neat thing linked to mother's day. It was May 11th (mother's day) when Kim had her ultrasound that told us she was having a little girl....another day I will never forget!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
I missed 6 and 7
Here are Shiloh's 6 and 7 month pictures since I was MIA at those times...
When I took her 7 month picture the battery in the camera was about to die so I only had time for 1 picture and that's what I got...so you don't really see her face....sorry!
Good News...
no, make that GREAT news in my family...but I just can't share it quite yet!! Other than that there isn't much going on here.
About a week and a half ago I began getting up at 6 am five days a week to go jogging/walking with my friend Brittany. I was wanting to lose some weight before Brittany's wedding (I'm a bridesmaid) but since she is getting married in just a few weeks it looks like my procrastination skills got the best of me! Now my goal is to get in shape for the Warren family reunion this July...it's possible.
Shiloh is crawling on the floor all around me saying "la la la da di da dit dit". Baby talk is the best! We're still working on mama but every time I say it to her she just looks at me with this mischevious grin.
Well, like I said, there isn't much going on here so I suppose I shall end this. Oh, one more thing, for anyone out there still watching American Idol I will be so excited to see Jason Castro go home tonight!!
About a week and a half ago I began getting up at 6 am five days a week to go jogging/walking with my friend Brittany. I was wanting to lose some weight before Brittany's wedding (I'm a bridesmaid) but since she is getting married in just a few weeks it looks like my procrastination skills got the best of me! Now my goal is to get in shape for the Warren family reunion this July...it's possible.
Shiloh is crawling on the floor all around me saying "la la la da di da dit dit". Baby talk is the best! We're still working on mama but every time I say it to her she just looks at me with this mischevious grin.
Well, like I said, there isn't much going on here so I suppose I shall end this. Oh, one more thing, for anyone out there still watching American Idol I will be so excited to see Jason Castro go home tonight!!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Hello, again....
I can't sleep...due to some very interesting news I received tonight, which will be shared at a later date I'm sure. A lot has happened since I posted last so I will not so elequently fill you in because even though I'm can't sleep I am exhausted!
Let's see the last time I posted was around Easter, I believe. Since then Shiloh turned 6 months old, and most recently now, 7 months old! She crawled FORWARD for the first time April 24th. She still refuses to even try to say mama and according to her everything is still dada. She loves music. When we're driving in the car if she gets upset all I have to do is turn on the song "Love Song" and she is as happy as can be! She loves watching and listening to her daddy play is his guitar...another thing that elates her! We bought her a baby pool! Loves that as well...giant bath tub to her...can't go wrong there in her opinion! She now eats table food. Although, her lack of any teeth limits her options. So far she has had mashed potatoes, bananas, heated up, soft apples, chicken, fish...and I believe that is it! She loves bananas the best! The girl will eat anything as long as it is banana flavored! Shiloh and I flew up to PA the first two weeks of April. That was nice. She did an awesome job flying! Slept just about the whole time both ways! While in PA she met her Uncle Jeff and cousin Brayden for the first time! I believe she has a crush on Uncle Jeff and she and Brayden got along amazingly! We took Shiloh's 6 mth pictures while we were there as well as some cousin pictures. They turned out okay... the lady taking the pictures was not very good!
Well, I guess that's enough catching up for now. I think I can go to sleep now.
Let's see the last time I posted was around Easter, I believe. Since then Shiloh turned 6 months old, and most recently now, 7 months old! She crawled FORWARD for the first time April 24th. She still refuses to even try to say mama and according to her everything is still dada. She loves music. When we're driving in the car if she gets upset all I have to do is turn on the song "Love Song" and she is as happy as can be! She loves watching and listening to her daddy play is his guitar...another thing that elates her! We bought her a baby pool! Loves that as well...giant bath tub to her...can't go wrong there in her opinion! She now eats table food. Although, her lack of any teeth limits her options. So far she has had mashed potatoes, bananas, heated up, soft apples, chicken, fish...and I believe that is it! She loves bananas the best! The girl will eat anything as long as it is banana flavored! Shiloh and I flew up to PA the first two weeks of April. That was nice. She did an awesome job flying! Slept just about the whole time both ways! While in PA she met her Uncle Jeff and cousin Brayden for the first time! I believe she has a crush on Uncle Jeff and she and Brayden got along amazingly! We took Shiloh's 6 mth pictures while we were there as well as some cousin pictures. They turned out okay... the lady taking the pictures was not very good!
Well, I guess that's enough catching up for now. I think I can go to sleep now.
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