All Boy.....

or just a full diaper? :)

15 Months

Well I haven't been the best mother with keeping up on his stats but I am one busy momma!

Tillman is fifteen months and man is he so much fun! He is fully walking and that didn't start till he was fourteen months. He would try to walk a few steps but nothing serious till 14 month. Then he took off! He is moving though and really hasn't had any really bad tumbles! Stella loves to follow him around and he thinks she is chasing him so he gets super excited and starts to walk faster and giggle them wham he goes down!

He loves everything we eat! We have to still be tricky since I don't want to give him tons of bad food. I really want him to like all the good foods before he wants all the bad foods. He loves milk and can drink a gallon a week! We haven't given him any juice just water or milk. I don't really see the point in juice if he will drink water and milk.

He loves to sleep but with all the sickness and teeth the past month have been sleepless in NC! He really has been up at all hours with pain, sickness, or hunger because of sickness! Needless to say I am one tired lady!

Here are a few cute pictures taken today! Those PJ's are 2T yes the pants are big but it really did fit him! Oh man he is one chunky fella!

Lesson Number 436 Learned

So as parents we are always reflecting on days and thinking about how when the same situation arises how would handle it differently. Before we became parents we always would look at other parents and think, I wouldn't do that as a parent or man they suck as parents! ;)

Well we were put in our places on Saturday! Since Tillman is officially a toddler we are trying to let him explore the world and use those legs and brain cells. This means a little more work and patience on our end but I know in order for him to be inquisitive and to learn he needs to explore!

Well we went into ToysRUs Express on Saturday and walked around getting Christmas ideas. He wanted to get out of the stroller so we let him. He found this walking poppy thing which we all had when we were little. When you push it the bottom pops so the balls make a noise. Well he was so darn cute walking around the store.

The story takes a one eighty...I should have known. Not sure where my brain was, but when we began to make moves to leave we had to take the popper away from him. The boy lost it...I mean all out lost it. He was throwing his arms, arching his back, kicking his feet all the while screaming bloody murder. We held our ground, we walked out of the store and kept walking. Thirty second felt like a year! I was clenching my teeth telling him he needed to stop screaming. If only he was a little older...his butt would have been torn up! ;) Well then as new parents we hit a fork in the road. We either could go back and get the stupid toy or hold our ground! As an fork in the road there is a not so easy answer and an answer you know is wrong but is way easy!!!

Our answer was.....


yup we gave in and bought the toy....but that wasn't the lesson. The lesson was when we bought the stupid toy and he got the toy he still continued to scream bloody murder! So we decided in the car to hold the toy till Christmas! That made us feel better about buying the stupid toy!



and because of this face he got the toy back!



So the moral of the story is....don't give in to a crying baby..NO MATTER WHAT!

Toddling Through Life

Well life has been crazy busy! Now that Tillman has been walking we have been on the go! I can't even think back to when I posted last in order to catch you up but here is what has been going on.

Tillman has been sick a lot this month. I think it has to do with me being back at school and bringing all those nasty germs home. Matt's mom has been up a lot to help out and I fee like I haven' been at school a full week since we started.

Life in second grade is crazy busy! Learning a new grade level is hard and being a perfectionist I want to do everything right and not let anyone down and it seems that I am wearing myself down and spreading myself to thin. Hopefully I will get myself organized so I can be great at everything!

I have started a scrapbook club and I love it but I can't seem to find a place or time to work on anything scrapbooking related. You have to purchase things each month so I have the materials but keep piling things in my closet. I hope to get the things organized so I can actually do something with the million pictures I have. I would love to make cards that are personal to give to people instead of buying cards. We will see!

Fall is here and I am so excited! I love the cooler weather mainly because I sweat like a man on a hundred degree day! My second graders aren't sure what to say when I wear a shirt where my pit stains are all over the place. Luckily my new classroom has an air unit that I can adjust so I can make sure the room is cool.

I am now a screenr for DonorsChoose.org and I am super excited to be working for them. I read proposals and make sure they fit the criteria and then either send them back or approve them. It is interesting to read all the proposals from all over the country. There are some really needy schools.

My next post is going to be on education reform because of the movie Waiting for Superman has created a buzz and my soap box is getting a little dusty.

Tillman is so fricken cute these days! I get why people get all gushy around their kids! I do have to say he is one smart fella! He is saying all kids of words. I know I know I am his momma so the words he says make no sense to others but to me I think it is amazing! He is an ELMO freak! We have some videos and a limbo, tickle me, hokey poky, and hug me Elmo all given to us from friends and the kid is obsessed!

He is also in love with the Jesus Loves Me book. I has a button where it sings the song and he will hit it over and over and over again. When he gets really fussy or I want him to calm down I will start to sing that song and his whole body will loosen up and calm down.

Well for now this is all. I am sure I left things out but Tillman is trying to get into Matt's office while Matt is working and so I have to go get him out!

Blog Hiatus...

So I find that when life gets dull I don't write. Not sure why but I get into these blogging moods where all I want to do is type and then there are other days where I have to make myself get on the computer. Oh how life has changed, when we were first married all I wanted to do was get on the computer.

Well life has been the same since the last post. Tillman has turned one and I had all these great pictures of his birthday but my camera was in RAW mode and my computer doesn't seem to read them from the card so I am not sure how to change that in order to see the pictures. I should google that but I am not sure what to google.

Tillman is really starting to get brave with standing! He won't take a step by himself but will cruise along with furniture. He loves to push behind this grocery cart and other rolling thing. He loves to show us and moves so quickly.

Boy does our son have a temper. He is beginning to show his true colors when he gets mad. I do have to say the temper comes from me. When he gets frustrated with something he will fling his head forward screaming while turning red. I can't help by laugh, but I am not sure how to stop it because I don't feel like I am giving in when he is throwing a tantrum.

As a new mom there are so many things you have to learn and remind yourself of. For example explaining everything you do and why you do it is new for us. There are times where I will be feeding him dinner and I haven't said a word to him. Then there are other times where I look like a fruit loop walking around a store talking away even answering my own questions. I see now why people say your first is always your learning curve!

We leave in two days for our family reunion in KY! I can't wait because it has been since my freshman year that I have seen these people! I can't wait to introduce Tillman to them all!! I am also excited to get away since when your on vacation the rules don't apply to food and fun!!! I hope the ten hour drive will be ok with the baby but we shall see!!

Also I haven't taken a picture of my son in weeks! What is wrong with me!!

You know your a mom when...

Well it has been awhile since I have done one of these...but the past couple of days I have many moments of motherhood!

You know your a mom when you dig through your purse and find: a spoon, pacifier, baby food puffs, a toy, baby tylenol and food crumbs from always eating on the go!

You know your a mom when you like you finger and then wipe stuff off your husbands face.

You know your a mom when you leave the bathroom door open when you have not so close guests because it has become a habbit to NEVER close the door now that you have a mobile kid!

You know your a mom when get to bed a realize you haven't eaten anything because some how instead of you eating your dinner plate you cut it up into TINY little pieces to feed to your child.

You know your a mom when you get into your car and it seems that it has become a traveling house with extra underwear, new set of clothes, food, toys, books and an endless supply of wipes!

You know your a mom when you can go from a screaming child to a happy little one with turning ANYTHING into a toy.



I know there are more but these are what I got for now! Off to putt the munchkin to bed and he will wake up a one year old!

Daddy's Boy

As a mother I always think I do most of the work! I know the mommas out there are nodding their heads out there! Well in the past few weeks Tillman has become way attatched to Matt. It has become an issue now because he refuses to do anything unless Matt is with him. It breaks my heart because he always wants Matt! I keep reminding him that I was the one who fed him, changed him, played with him...but Matt is all he cares about! I know this will change through the years but as a momma my heart breaks because all he wants is Matt. When he is sad, hurt, hungry, happy he begs for MATT! The one up side is I get out of the dirty diaper duty since all he wants is MATT! :)

Great Grandparents Visit

One thing I love about having a child is that family now has a reason to come visit. A few weeks ago Tillman's great grandparents came to visit! They had never been to Raleigh to see our house but made a special trip to celebrate Tillman's first birthday! Tillman loved showing them his rocket ship and how he scoots across the floor!

Oh the places you'll go!

Well change is in the air! This year our principal made some changes to better our school and one of those changes is me moving to second grade. Being that I have taught third for four years, I was shocked to hear that I was the one moving. I knew changed needed to happen and I knew people were moving all over the place but I NEVER thought it was me. I am excited for the change! I am always up for a challenge and for a new experience. I student taught in second grade and never thought I would go back but here I am. I am a person who believes that everything happens for a reason and so I know this move is what is meant to happen. As a person who has all her ducks in a row months before school starts I am scared about a couple things. The scary parts are I don't know what room I will be in, I have no idea what second graders are like and I really have no idea what I am teaching! :) All that I will learn and be part of a new team. Change is good and I know that this move is good! Keep me in your thoughts as I embark on this new journey next school year! The group of kiddos that are moving to second grade need a little extra love and I know that my heart is ready to give it to them!

*nothing to do with second grade but I hate posting without a picture! I hope that second graders don't eat pine needles!

One year portraits

As a momma and an avid picture taker I am constantly trying to get portraits of Tillman. A friend of a friend is a photographer and does some amazing work! She did Tillman's first year portraits and they were amazing! My favorite is the one attatched to this blog. If you want to see more go to www.AJdunlapblog.com and look for Tillman's session! You should book her if your in the Raleigh area!

Happy First Birthday Tillman

Dear Tillman,

As I sit and type this you are scooting on the floor getting into EVERYTHING! I sit here and watch you explore the drawers in the dresser, the door stopper on the base board, the zipper on my luggage, the curling iron that was in the bag. I sit here and watch this little boy who just a few short months ago was my little (or not so little) infant. Tillman this year has been the most amazing journey I have been on. Watching you change each day and watching your eyes sparkle with excitment when you see new and bright colors makes being a momma the best job ever. People say when you are pregnant that there is nothing like having a child and they were right! Our lives changed on June 20th at 5:13. They changed in a way that we would have never dreamed of. They change because you became part of our family. My hope for you in this coming year is for your heart to continue to fill with joy and love. For you to continue to learn new and exciting things. I hope this year you will begin to realize the amazing world around you. Tillman I can't begin to tell you the love your father and I have for you. When we take a moment and look at you all we can do is smile because of those bright blue eyes and that infectious smile! Tillman I hope that twenty years from now you will understand how much your father and I love you! Thank you for allowing me to be your mom and for making me the happiest luckiest person in the world! I want to say Happy First Birthday sweet boy and that I love you with all my heart!

First Haircut

Well it was time because the hair was bothering his ears and eyes! I love his hair long but I also am not attatched to his hair and so I thought it would be so special for his great aunt to cut his hair. She cuts hair professionally so it was really special for her to cut his hair. We went home to visit for my grandmother's 80th birthday which is another post and so she brought her scissors. He did so well and didn't cry once. She brought an extra comb because as soon as he saw hers he wanted it!

Happy Early Birthday

Well the coolest part about being Tillman is that his aunt and uncle are in the process of owning their own Chick-fil-a which means chicken for LIFE! Well that isn't the best part, the best part is that they love him more than the world itself! Well some exciting new came down and that is they were being sent on their first assignment to run a CFA which is the second to last step before they get their own store. The stinky part was they had to leave last week which means they wouldn't be here for Tillman's first birthday! That is ok though because we celebrated EARLY! Aunt Katie made cupcakes to eat and Tillman wasn't sure what to do with it! Even though they can't be there it was so nice to celebrate early. We are all so proud of them for taking this chance and go to a big city to begin this journey! We know it is hard being away from all the family but in the end it will pay off, and by the way we want our FREE chicken ;)!!!! Love you guys!

Playing with Puppy

Well Stella has always been part of the family and as Tilley grew she started to fit back into our family now that he is more active. The other night we were playing around and Stella started dropping the toy into Tillman's lap instead of ours. He thought it was the funniest thing in the world!



!

Love to read

As a teacher and a mother I strive in my mothering to encourage Tillman to learn. It is odd to say out loud but I really want him to enjoy learning and enjoy asking questions. When I had my baby shower I asked people to not give cards but sign the inside of a childrens book so Tillman would have a library to read. Now that he is more mobile and loves to look at things he has pulled out his books and loves to flip through them. I love to watch his face as he flips through the pages and he then holds the book up for me to see. I want Tillman to love books and I hope that through my love of reading he will love to read. As a teacher I love to spark children with their love of reading and I always look for new books. I capture a moment with Tillman enjoying all the wonderful books people gave him!

10 months

I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that in two short month my sweet little one will be turning one years old! I am amazed at how much has changed in the past month. He wants to see everything while also moving everywhere...the catch is he can't move! :) He has a lot of weight to move and the boy is trying but really can't get the coordination down to get his legs underneath himself. It is very entertaining to watch. Every time I look at him my heart melts with joy and love. Only a mother can explain what it is like to love a tiny human more than life itself. When he smiles I just light up and when he giggles I giggle..he just is my everything. Then the best part is watching him with Matt. When I see the two of them play or giggle or just grunt to each other I just fall in love all over again. Having a family that is just Matt me and Tillman is an amazing feeling!

He loves to eat and now he has had turkey and a little hummus. He likes corn, broccoli and green beans. He still loves all things baby food which is good since I have a TON of veggies still frozen. He also loves anything puff. The boy loves his carbohydrates!

He is starting to mimic things that Matt and I do. He will wave and clap his hands. He loves to do things right after we do them like stack a block or open a lid of a toy. It amazes me how much he loves to learn new things!

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Sisterly Love

So eveyone said that when Tilley was born Stella would move down a few notches on the importance list. Matt and I both diagreed but what did we know. Well Tilley was born and Stella was Stella. She wanted our attention just as much as the new little one did! As time went on Stella adjusted to the fact that she no longer was the center of attention. Matt still loves on her but she couldn't always be where we were whenever she wanted.

Now that Tillman is older and starting to really enjoy having her around, she is taking advantage of the extra person to love. She really loves food time since Tillman is such a kind child and shares EVERYTHING with her.

She loves play time because she will plop beside him and beg for him to touch her and love on her.

She also loves when Tillman is on the floor because Stella's pas time is to lick everyone and everything! Well in my many photo shoots I caught Stella licking Tillman's hand as he reached out for it. Such a sweet moment!! Of course the hand went right into Tillamn's mouth but hey what harm is in a little sisterly love!

Sisterly Love

What we are just chillen!

National Boards...oh my!

So the past five months my life has been consumed by a little old thing called National Boards. This is an honor that teachers can receive if they attempt the portfolio and assessment and pass! This also brings a 12% pay raise (right now, that could all change with the NC budget) which is really nice.

Now this board project is no small feat. Until someone attempts it, it really is something you can't understand. My friend Nancy did it two years ago, and I thought I was supportive but I had NO IDEA what she was going through.

It is an emotional rollar coaster because you put your heart and soul into the portfolio. You put yourself out there for a stranger (who doesn't have to be board certified) to read and decide if you meet all the accomplished teacher requirments.

My friend Laura and I decided on the last day to sign up to take the plunge and get it done. Now the fact that NC has stopped paying for NBCT to do the process helped nudge us a little more!

The past five months ended on March 22nd when we sent the boxes and then on April 1st we took the test to end it all. We won't know until November or December whether or not we passed. Now the odds of passing are very low the first time. Many great educators I know didn't pass the first time so I know that it won't be a shock if I don't pass. It still will be hard though because I really want to pass.

Please send a prayer for peace come November so that when the scores do come back my heart will be at ease with whatever happens. Being an educator isn't just a job but a passion. I take everday seriously and this year has been hard with all the changes and having a new baby, but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Spring Time!

So the weather has been teasing us latley with such nice weather. The windows are open and the breeze is flowing! I took Tillman outside for a quick photo shoot and got some great pictures. I couldn't take anymore because all he wanted to do was eat the grass and we all know what happens when he doesn't get his way! (read post below) He did get a leaf and it was so cute watching him investigate the texture and the colors, then it went straight in his mouth. I got the leaf as he began to chew!! He def. is all boy!

Hey mom!!

Yummy Leaf

Ewww what is this?

Spring Time!

Sickness Sickness Go Away, DON'T come back another day!

Well the past week we have been fighting some kind of cold bug! Last Friday Tillman had a fever and we took him to the docs and got medicine. My mom came up to visit for the weekend and took care of Tillman because I caught whatever the little guy had. The doctor gave us antibiotics and an inhaler which helped the cough. He was not a happy guy with having to take it! The antibiotics weren't working so we had to go back and get a stronger one. The poor thing is just now feeling better! The picture shows him playing with the inhaler spacer. I wanted him to see it more as something that doesn't always make him mad. It worked because after he played with it for awhile he took the treatments much better!