Tilley the Tiger

Tillman's first halloween was GREAT! He was a tiger which he looked darn cute in!! We spent time with the Lovelace's at their halloween party!! Tillman rocked the playpen out while we hung around with all the ghostly characters!! I can't wait for next year to see what Tillman will be!!

I'm getting old!!

Well October 10th marked a wonderful occasion! My little brother married his beautiful fiance Kath. It was a beach wedding which was so nice! Kath is an amazing addtion to our family, and my brother better take care of her!

The wedding was at Kill Devil Hills, and everything was amazing. They rented a HUGE house for the wedding party and it was a four day party!! I drove with my dad and Jenny since Matt was still in VA. He met us there and the party began. Friday night was the rehersal dinner which was wonderful!! It even had a chocalate fountain. Saturday it began to rain half way through the ceramony but then the clouds parted afterwards and we went on the beach for pictures. Kath was stunning and James never looked better. I have never seen such a genuine smile on my brothers face until I saw him watch Kath walk down the isle!! Tillman loved watching his Uncle James and Aunt Kath finally say I DO!!!

Great Granny and Great Paw Paw's 60th Wedding Annivrsary

Well Tillman is one lucky guy!! He has all his grandparents and three sets of Great Grandparents to love on him. We took a trip to Charlotte to celebrate his great grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. If there is an icon for what a marriage is, it would be these two people. When I became part of this family, I told Matt that I wanted us to be like them. They still kiss, and hug and call each other hunny bunch. It is amazing how much they love each other. Well, it isn't amazing, it is because they put God first in their marriage. They put him first and they come second. Matt and I will celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary on May 14th, 2065...hard to think that far ahead but we will make it and Tillman and his kid will be there to celebrate with us!! You can see their love through the pictures!!

First Day of "School"

So Tilley started with Lana on August 24th which was nice because it gave me one day before the kids started to get things together and get him adujusted. He did great and so did mom. I didn't really worry about him all day. He had so much fun and slept really well that night. She really tries to get him on a good schedule for me so that he sleeps well and eats well so I don't have to worry about him when I pick him up. Here are pictures of his first day of school!!

You know your a mom when..part two!!

So the past three weeks have been really hard. Don't get me wrong it is so worth every tear I have shed the past three weeks but it is HARD doing this alone Monday through Friday. So to lighten the air I thought I would post some more funny reminders that motherhood is CRAZY!!

You know your a mother when your screaming 15.8 pound son is screaming to be fed so you bring your boppy and chunky monkey into the bathroom with you and nurse while peeing!! You gotta do what you gotta do!!

You know your a mother when your son spits up in your hair and instead of taking a shower, which I should mention you haven't taken all day, you use your own spit to wipe the spitup out of your hair so you can look some what presentable while food shopping.

You know your a mother when instead of taking your son out of the carseat to comfort him because he is screaming you drive in sharp slow donut in the parking lot while waiting on your husband to drop off the lawnmower at the repair shop. This didn;t make me proud but my arms were tired, my brain was tired and I needed him to go to sleep.

You know your a first time mother when you get home and put on the baby bjorn throw your son into and then proceed to bop his head into everything while trying to get a million things done for the next day. I had no clue how far he stuck out on that thing and when would turn a corner or open the fridge he somehow would get bopped with whatever I was doing. He was ok but I laughed many times and apologized many more!! Hope he doesn't have permanent scaring from this.

You know your a mother when you chop off four inches of your hair because you literally don't have time to change your underwear much less fix your hair. Short hair can go out of the house wet and still look somewhat presentable.

You know your a mother when you sleep in eye makeup from the day before and not scrub your face to hard so it still looks like there is some makeup left over for the next day at work. If I don't wear makeup I look like a fifth grader with my short hair, spitup clothes and flats. I gotta do something to stand out even if it is day old eye makeup!

You know your a mom when you walk around school with a huge wet spot on your pants because your brest pump over flowed while you closed your eyes for a short 5 min cat nap. Luckily breat milk doesn't stain or smell because I would have had to change my pants.

So life is crazy and hard but boy being a mom is a lot of fun when you sit back and think about it! I love the T- Man more than life itself and I wouldn't change being a mom for anything!

Take this job and SHOVE IT!!

So as many of you know my husband has been working in VA for the past year and a half Monday through Friday. When Tilley was born we were trying even more to have Matt get a job here but there was no such luck. At the begining of July he started the application process with a company out of VA but he would work from home here. It was going to be the most perfect job ever but like the others he didn't have the years they needed. He applied anyway and a week ago we got the great news that he got the job! The weight has been lifted with this new job. He has four more days with the old job and then our new life begins. Let me tell you as a married couple the past year and a half has been a true test to us and our relationship. Through pregnancy he wasn't here Monday through Friday. When Tilley was born he was able to be here for the first month but then had to go back. He hated leaving and we hated seeing him go. We knew it would all work out when it was supposed to but there were days where we questioned if it would ever happen. With this new job came a raise which will pay our daycare for the year which made this past year an a half worth it. We have been so blessed but the part that I need to take a moment on is all the people that prayed and thought about us. I am surrounded by many people that love us and care for us and with thier support I made it through this year and a half. The helped me when I needed it the most and they were always there to listen when life became overwhelming. When I found our I was pregnant and the day before our first ultrasound I bled and had to go in for our first ultrasound without Matt. Laura and Nancy never skipped a beat to make sure I was ok and drove me to the doctors and were nothing but amazing friends! This past year and a half have been hard but with the prayers and love we have felt we made it. Thank you for all of it. The T-Man is loved by so many people and we couldn't have done this without you all!!

Crib Time

Since Tilley was born he has slept in a bassinet in our room that I kept right by the bed so I could nurse him at night. Well it is no secret that we have a chunky monkey on our hands and so as he grew the bassinet got smaller and smaller. So last weekend we decided to hook up the video monitor and try the crib out. It was a big move for me because I have to get up and nurse him which means getting out of the bed and walking across the house to the other room. Up till this point I didn't want to do that. So we tried it out and in my head secretly wishing it wouldn't go well because this was another milestone that my son was growing up. Well needless to say he loved the new found room he had. The boy loves to sleep with his arms in the air and his legs wide open. The mattress is also a lot softer that the bassinet mattress os that makes it nicer for him. The picture attatched are of him sleeping in his crib for the first time. When I clicked the camera a few times he woke up but boy did he have a great nap!! Now he sleeps in it every night and loves it. We also have moved him to the pack n play when he takes his naps now and it is working out great. Before he would fall asleep in the swing and I was worried he would get used to that so now it is the pack n play for him. He is sleeping so great now (when he isn't going through a growth spurt)! I do have to say using the babywise method and tweeking it to our lifestyle has made for a great sleeper. He can sleep through anything and he takes naps like a champ. The only time I have had issues is when the boy goes through growth spurts but even then he sleeps well through the spurts but just wakes up a lot more to eat.

8 weeks, 9 weeks, 10 weeks

All smiles these days!


Tillman at 9 weeks (Monkey Man is lookin small these days)

Ok so as you can tell at 8 weeks I went back to work. Man is it kicking my butt. Working and having and infant at home is exahusting. It really makes you prioritize your life and decide what you need to do and what is most important. The past three weeks have been insane. School has started and my sweet boy started with his nanny Lana! Man does she love this little boy. I have always known I was not stay at home material but I knew also that I didn't want him in some crappy daycare with hundreds of kids. I wanted the place to be small and intamite as well as clean and focused on the child. Lana does that, her house is imaculent. She loves him so much it makes me feel so much better. I truely don't worry about him during the day. Everday I pick him up and he is in such a good mood and loves where he is! He also gets tons of stimulation with the other kids there!

Well the little guy is growing up fast. We went to our two month checkup and he was 15.8 pounds and his height was 24 inches even. He also had a head circum. of 14 inches. His weight was in the 95th percentile and his height and head were in the 75th. Doctor said everything looked great! He took his two shots like a champ. He had such a delayed reaction his face turned bright red and he started to scrunch his forehead and then I picked him up and his hand went into his mouth and he was fine. He didn't want me to put him down so it was kinda hard to get his clothes back on but he did great. He decided to delay some shots so that made me feel a little better but let me tell you with all this controversy over shots and all things you read about them my heart hurt after we gave them to him. I was so worried he was going to have a bad reaction and even though we waited on some I had this war in my head about the others because what if he got something that I could have vaccinated for or what if something happens because of the vaccines. Up until this point he hadn't had a shot and I just battle in my head each time I think about it. We are on a delayed schedul so that makes me feel a little better and I know he will have to have them all before school but it is so hard to look at your ten week old and inject these foreign substances into them.

He is eat 5-6 ounces of food every three to four hours which makes for a hungry boy. He downs a bottle so fast and it makes me laugh because it's like he hadn't eaten in days. I am still pumping at school which makes things a little crazy. Right now I am only pumping twice and each time I get ten ounces so that is enough food for the next day. It seems to be working out well and when he gets home I nurse him through the night and then start the routine all over again. On the weekends I nurse him only that way my milk will stay up. I am trying hard to drink water throughout the day but it is really really hard. I have a nalgen bottle that I fill up and I HATE getting water from the water fountain so I have a milk jug of water in the fridge I refil my bottle with so hopefully I will keep up with it. I do still have a diet coke and coffee in the morning.

The sweet boy is "talking" up a storm. He is squiling and making gagaga noises. The other morning he was saying dadadadada while laying in his crib. By the time I made it in there with the video camera he had stopped. Lana said he says it all the time so hopefully Matt can hear it one day.

He is sleeping much better now. The last week man he was waking up every two hours. The past three nights he has gone down at 8 and slept till 12 and then slept till 4 which I can do. The every two hours I can't do!

These are just pictures of his 9 week photo shoot. I have the eight week ones on the other computer and the ten week ones are still on the camera. I will add those later.

Rub a Dub Time!!

All I have to say is our sweet boy LOVES the bathtub. Man he is getting to be such a ham when it comes to the bath. He is starting to kick his legs around to splash I have to take my pants of to bath him. (I put his tub in our tub and sit on a little stool. He splashes so hard the water soaks my pants!) He smiles and giggles so much while taking a bath. We don't use the infant sling thing because it kept him out of the water to much he was so darn cold. Now I just make sure to have a hold of his arms at all times so he doesn't flop over. (except when I was taking a picture ;) )


So happy to be in the bath!



Splashing those legs!



This is the look I get when I laugh at him because he is so darn cute!



Man do I love bath time!



After bath time...I hate it because I am so darn cold!

7 Weeks

I am so running late on this post since tomorrow he will be two months but it has been a crazy week! I love being a mom! That little boy has changed so much! It amazes me to no end on how much he changes and grows each week! I love him so much. He is starting to really smile and laugh at things now. Matt has a really hard time leaving him on Monday's because of the personality that is showing. He loves it when you talk in a high pitch voice and he loves when you get really close and touch his nose. He loves to look around the room. He is constantly moving his head back and forth trying to look at everything in the room. He also loves to move his arms around and open and close his hand. He now puts his hand in his mouth when he is doing tummy time. It is so darn cute. He loves to lay on his belly but doesn't really lift his head much. He kicks his legs which I read will help with the rolling over! He is liking a bottle just fine. I do have to say there are times where I wish I could give him a bottle since nursing takes much longer than a bottle, but then he will stop eating look at me and giggle and my heart melts a million times over! :) I weighed him three days ago and he weighed 13.12 which blows my mind. He loves to eat and loves to eat! :) I call him chunky Monkey because the boy has some rolls. Today we were at Babies R Us trying to buy bulk diapers for Lana when Tilley goes to daycare and we debated on buying the 2-3 because we weren't sure how long it would take our chunky monkey to get to 22 pounds. :) I hope it doesn't take two months or we will have to return 158 diapers! :)

Pool Time

So one thing this momma hasn't done this summer is gone to the pool. With all the body image issues I was not in ANY mood to put on a bathing suit. My friends Jill and AJ were taking their kids to the pool so Matt and gathered our things and headed down there. I was so paranoid that Tilley would get sun burned. Luckily Jill being a veteran mom, had set up an area with an umbrella over the pool so it was shady and the kids could play. At first Tilley wasn't so thrilled about the pool but once he warmed up he was happy. He fell asleep in Matts arms. It was so much fun to be out of the house and hang out with friends!

You know your a mom when....

So the past seven weeks I have realized that motherhood is like a secret club. Once you have crossed over into motherhood you can never go back. Before entering the motherhood club I never know what moms really did! Here are some examples!

As I was driving down the road, with my arm bent around the seat holding a paci in Tilley's mouth, while still maintaining the speed limit and not crashing into anything I realized I have entered the motherhood club.

As Tilley was in the sling, I was stirring a pot of rice, and pouring dog food into Stellas bowl all while talking on the phone, I realized I had entered the motherhood club.

While take a shower, Tilley began to cry in his bouncy seat. Instead of getting out of the shower like any normal person would, I opened the door stuck my foot out and began to rock his seat back and forth all while washing my hair. At that point I realized I had entered motherhood.

Sitting at Starbucks hanging out with a dear friend my son began to cry for food. Instead of whipping out a bottle like a more vertan mother would have, I whipped out my hooter hider (which I actually remembered to pack), wrapped a blanket around my waist (so no one would see my horrible stretched out love handles) and began to nurse my sweet hungry boy. I really had entered motherhood then.

I had forgot to charge the batteries for Tilley's swing (which the boy LOVES) and because I am still not as selfless as I need to be, I sat on the floor with my computer logged into facebook and my elbow gently pushing the swing back and forth while he slept. I really felt stupid then, but you gotta do what you gotta do when in the motherhood club.

Since motherhood is exhausting you try to do everything you can to decrease the amount of housework needed, that includes laundry. Even though I have spit up and milk from my never ending fountain, I am determined to only wear one shirt a day to help limit the loads of laundry. You know you hit motherhood when your son pees on you during a diaper change, and instead of changing you take a hairdryer and dry the spot so you can continue your day! Or since you are limited with your time, you just walk around with a wet spot on your shirt and tell everyone that you spilled your drink!

You know you have entered the motherhood club when your son drops his paci and you put the paci in your mouth to remove all dog hair and plop it right back into his.

So I hope you enjoyed this addition of "You know your a mom when..." I am sure there will be MANY MANY more editions to come!

This is the reason I love being a mother!! Look at that sweet boys face!

Putting on the Charm!

So my son has put on the charm! Boy does he love to smile and giggle! Now I am able to capture it on the camera! Here are some of his smiles, hope you enjoy! I do have to say that, when it is 2am and I am tired and he finishes eating and looks at me with his charming smile, I melt! Boy do I love this little guy more than life itself!

First Visit Home!

Well last week we went down to visit family. This is our first trip to visit family and it was great! It was also very very exahusting!

We started the trip with Matt having to work. I spent all day wednesday with Paulette. The cable was out and the internet was out. We talked a lot that day. That afternoon Aunt Katie came to hang with baby Tilley.



Aunt Katie and Grandpa Whisenant



That Thursday we went and visited a dear friend Lisa. We went to Starbucks and spent hours there talking while Tilley slept and ate. I fed him twice while at Starbucks. You always wonder what people think when you are covered up and they know the baby is nursing. Of course I didn't take a picture of Lisa holding Tilley. I was running my mouth way to much!

Friday we went to Cousin Owen's house and hung with him for a bit. Man it is amazing to see two babies thre days apart and how different they look. Let's just say that Tilley is on the tad bit bigger side. Owen is 9 pouds, while Tilley is 12.5. It was so nice sitting an talking with Michelle about all the new mommy world that we have entered!





Then we went out as a family to celebrate Matt's birthday! He turned 27 and it was so nice to eat out at a fancy resturant and spend time with family!

Saturday was a great day, but bittersweet. Saturday was the first time that Matt and I left Tilley alone with someone. He stayed with grandma while we went to the lake for Matt's cousin weekend. We had so much fun hanging with all the other cousins and spending time with his grandparents. I loved being with all the cousins but I missed my sweet boy!







Along with us going to the lake, Tilley took a bottle for the first time this week. I tried before we left and he wasn't having it. He wanted nothing to do with it, which made me feel good but worried about when I would go back to work. Lana Tilley's nanny/daycare told me to come over and she showed me how she gets baby's to take a bottle and he took it. So when we went home, Matt fed Tilley for the first time. It was so sweet to see the two boys bonding like they did!




Sunday we went to my Dad and Jenny's house. Her parents came up, my brother and his fiance came over and we hung out all day. It was so nice to see everyone! I love spending time with family!