"Baby Brother's" 4 Months Old!

Ok, I know this is so late again. I mean, really it's only a month late, but I am trying to keep up with this blog. It's kind of like my own little journal of the children's happenings. I hope I can print it out someday and give them each a copy :). I wish my mama would have done something like this. My parents did take lots of pictures and home movies. We still like watching them. They are so funny. Anyways, I get sidetracked easily.

Garret, who has become affectionately known as "baby brother," had his 4 month check-up with Dr. Guyton. I didn't realize Dr. Guyton was such a popular guy here in Lexington, but apparently he is the "cool" doctor in town. Anwyways, there I go again. Todd took Garrett. We, as parents, prefer at this time to not have to take both of the children out especially alone! I stayed home with Izzie while he took his turn at the doctor's office. Garrett's a pretty big baby (literally and figuratively). He doesn't do well with his shots. He screams bloody murder. Dr. Guyton was impressed with our big boy's size. He weighed 22lbs and was 26" long. I don't remember the head circumference, but I know it's big that is for sure. Did I mention he is in 12/18 month sized clothing? Um, yah!

Okay, well here is a little rundown on what our boy is up to. He has turned high maintenance all of a sudden. The little guy was so easy going when we first brought him home. He would lay around, never cry, and was happy with whatever was going on. Now, he has an opinion. He wants to move around, play, and doesn't sleep a wink! Well, he does normally take one or two naps during the day. I'm lucky if those are an hour or two. Izzie has completely refused napping, so I guess I should be thankful for whatever I get. Garrett likes his swing, the johnny jumper, activity center, and his playmat. We normally rotate throughout the day several times. He gets bored so easily. We got the okay to start cereal, but have only fed it to him a handful of times. He does okay eating it. Garrett's also sitting up (almost unassisted), holds his head up great, and rolls over all the time. He's just growing up so fast.

Well, I have to go already because he's whining away...

The SC State Fair

"Peek-a-boo!"

"This is my favorite thing to do!"

"Mom, why won't dad let me touch the pig?"

This blog entry's title is "The SC State Fair" or should otherwise be known as "Izzie, Girl with a Thousand Expressions." Did you catch all those faces? The first is my favorite.

We took Izzie to the fair today. We weren't sure how it was going to go. Last night, I looked up online and saw that the website said it was kindergarten and physics day *enter the sarcastic "Yay!" here*. So, we debated whether we should go or wait till later in the week. Well, the answer was obvious. No one wants to wait longer than necessary to go to the fair. It turned out to be a good day to go afterall.

Nina was nice enough to watch Garrett for us. We thought about taking him too, but realized that he would be better off staying with his grandma. He'd get some good playtime in and Izzie would be able to do a little more than she would if he came. Besides, we knew he would get to go next year.

Our day started off with Todd getting up looking like a kid on Christmas morning. ;) That's the cool thing about being a parent, you sort of get a second childhood. We arrived about 10:30 and stayed till about 2:3o (way past Izzie's naptime). The rides weren't open yet, so we headed straight to the barns. Izzie walked through the petting zoo, saw some pigs and cows. Later on, we went back to see the rabbits, chicks, and ducks. Todd was Izzie's designated ride partner. They rode the carousel first which is Izzie's favorite. She rides the one in the mall all of the time. They rode this little bumble bee ride, the slide, and the ferris wheel. Of course, we ate the fair food and walked around the exhibits, too.

It was so much fun. She had a blast. My favorite part of the day was when we were driving just outside of the fair, pulling up to the gates, Izzie let out a big squeal and yelled "the fairrrrrrr!" Todd and I were both surprised by it. It was so cute and you could tell she was so happy. Another moment of the day was when I had her beside Garrett on the bed this morning, she looked over to him and said "we feed the animals." I was asking her to tell Garrett what we were going to do at the fair. :)

Oh, I love my babies. There are so many great moments in our normal days at home and so many more on special days like this. I'm so happy that God chose me to be their mommy. I know Todd feels the same way about being their daddy.

This is how a professional does it.

I'm a baby wearing, breastfeeding, cosleeping mommy... and proud of it. I wouldn't do things any differently :)

I took this picture the other day. I needed to sweep the floors and little man wasn't happy with that decision, so he swept them with me. :) I wish someone else would pick the camera up every once in awhile. That would be nice. I would love a picture of me and my children lol. I guess I might have to figure out how to use the timer on it.

Izzie's 2nd Birthday

She blew her candles out like a big girl!! I don't know why this surprised me, but it did.

My first baby is 2 years old. I find everything bittersweet about being a parent. I've become so much more emotional and sentimental, too. There's just something about being a mommy that other people don't understand until they have become one, too. I find myself appreciating my mom so much more, too. It's not that I didn't before, but now I just have a different appreciation for her. Ok anyways. On to the birthday party!

The day of her birthday, Todd and I took Izzie out by herself while Mimi and Aunt Hannah watched Garrett. It was a good time. We took her to Toys-R-Us. We planned on letting her pick out something, but she is still sort of too young to appreciate that. She would pick up one thing and hold it for a minute then run to the next. Right now, she is on a princess kick. I love it by the way. She is turning into a little girly girl. So, we picked up the Disney DVD, Princess and the Frog. I think it's important to collect the Disney DVDs. I always loved watching them growing up and still do!! After that, we went to the mall to eat dinner and ride the carousel two times. She loves it. She waves every time she goes around. The lady that takes the coins thinks that Izzie looks like her granddaughter and thinks Izzie is a hoot. We then came home. Everyone went to bed, but me of course. I had a lot of birthday party planning to get done.

As you can see by the picture, she made a pretty Minnie Mouse. Beautiful as always. We decided Minnie Mouse was a good idea. She likes Minnie and Mickey. Minnie is also a little girly. I like girly. I believe she is starting to like girly, too. It was a tough choice though. Our other options were that big purple dino named Barney and Elmo. You see why I chose Minnie?

I got a lot of ideas off a site called Pinterest. Oh, I love pinterest. I stayed up till 3am the night before the party making cake pops, Oreo cookie Minnie Mouse pops, and I made Pink Lemonade cupcakes. The cupcakes sounded delicious online and the picture of them was to die for. Unfortunately, they were disgusting. I had to throw them out the next morning, because they were just icky. At the last minute I just made box cake mix and added an Oreo Minnie Head. We cooked hamburgers, hotdogs, and mac & cheese. I also made Izzie's pillowcase dress and Minnie Mouse ears/headband. She liked it. She smiled when I showed her in the mirror :). Ok, so I took about probably 12hours of prep time for a party that last 2 hours. Wooo! Kid's parties are a lot of work. Worth it though.

We decided to just invite immediate family this year. We had enough food to feed an army and should have just invited friends, too.

Izzie received lots of cool presents. Nina and Grandaddy got her a swingset which was of course a big hit. She also got a little Barbie 4 wheeler.... which she currently is slightly scared of. She won't ride it, but we are working on it. Mimi and Poppy got her an easel. She is loving that. She loves to draw and write. We just have to make sure she doesn't used chalk on the whiteboard side or crayons. She also received a whole new closet full of Fall/Winter clothes which she needed. Oh, and a girl's best friend.. a ton of shoes. Of course, she also got a lot of baby doll items, a play doggie, puzzles, books, and more that I can't even remember.

Our house is really starting to look like it's run by the kids. Toys and baby equipment every where! It's ok. I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Outside Mommy! Shoes on!

Outside Mommy! Shoes on!

This is what I woke up to this morning. It's hard explaining to a 2 year old that it is too early, too cold (a few degrees below 50), too wet (dew on the grass), and her baby brother is sleeping.

Izzie received her first birthday gift. You can say it was for Garrett, too, as I'm sure he will use it plenty over the next years as well. It has a fifteen year warranty, so this swingset better last ;). Thank you to Nina and Grandaddy for this awesome present. Izzie and Todd have already put about 10 hours of playtime in this swingset. I love it. It's also right infront of my kitchen windows so I will be able to watch her play while cooking later on in life of course.

Our Big Boy

He's a big, handsome boy. I love him.

He's going to make a great bodyguard for his sister someday. ;)

We tried tap dancing...

Well, we tried. Yes, I said tried. It looks like we'll have to try harder next year.

Izzie loves dancing all the time. She dances in her room, in the car, in the bed, in the bath.. everywhere. Todd and I like to say "Go Izzie, Go Izzie!" Cheering her on. We love it and can't get enough of her jumping, shoulder shimmy, hands in the air, and of course her hiney shake.

I decided, well she needs to get out of the house. Why not try dance? Most classes don't start until 3 years old, but there are a few that start at 2. I talked to Amanda Gunter and we both wanted our girls (who are just one month apart in age) to try together. We found a reasonable class. I called. They sounded great and informative. We bought the leotards, stockings, and tap shoes. I got to the class first. It hadn't started yet, so they had a little waiting area. When it was time two ladies walked out and called for the girls to come. I'm not used to just letting Izzie walk off with some stranger, so I held her hand and walked down the hallway with them. Talked to the teacher for a split second. She took Izzie in the room and closed the door. Now, Izzie went willingly to my surprise. She didn't hesitate at all. I hesitated. This class had no two way mirror or window to peak in. I had no clue what happened. When the class was done, the teacher came up to me and again talked for a split second saying "She started crying at the end" and just walked away from me. My daughter was no where in my sight. I found her in the back of a pack of toddlers with red eyes. No teacher holding her hand or comforting her. Needless to say, I was PO'd. We decided that this place was obviously not appropriate for my baby.

Later in the week, Amanda and I found a second place. We took the girls. The teacher was friendly. There was a window to peak in, but of course Izzie was hesitant now. It's like the poor girl was traumatized from the first class.

So, maybe next year, but for now she has a pair of tap shoes and a few dance leotards to play in :)

Garrett is 2 Months Old!

Well. He's actually 2.5 months now. I'm one busy mommy with two little ones. :) BUT! I couldn't be happier doing it. It's actually been *knock on wood* relatively easy compared to what I was expecting.

We went to see our wonderful Dr. Guyton for his 2 month checkup. Now, just to remind you all, our little Garrett weighed in at 9lb. 8oz. and was 21.5 inches long. He wasn't so little actually. I knew he was a big boy before we even went to the appointment. I was really excited to find out how much he had gained. It's a moment of excitement and pride especially for a mom who pretty much breastfeed 95% of the time. It's a nice little pat on the back. Ok, so drumroll please...

He weighed 16lbs and 14oz!!! He is 24inches long. I don't remember exactly, but weight was over the 99th percentile. Height was in the 89th percentile. Can you believe it? That is almost a pound a week. Holy moly. Now, Izzie was a big girl, too, but not that big! It's bittersweet. I'm glad he is big and healthy. I'm also a little sad that he is growing so fast. It's like he's almost a toddler. He is in a size 3 diaper now. Izzie wears a 4. We will only have to buy one size soon! He is also wearing 6 month clothing most of the time. Sometimes 6 months is too small. I'm thinking he will be in 12 months by Christmas time.

Garrett is also smiling and cooing a ton. I love that he smiles with a purpose. It's great getting him to smile. He has a ticklish belly, too. He isn't laughing but he wiggles and smiles. It's so funny.

Izzie is still being a good big sister. She is very loving and gives him tons of kisses. Every once in awhile she wants me to put him down and hold her. She will point to him and tell me "crib, crib, crib mommy!" I understand. I try to split my time up equally or find ways for all of us to be doing stuff together.

Luckily, Garrett loves the swing. It's his best friend and ours, too. When Izzie is having a girl moment (as I call them), I can normally put him down and spend some one on one time with her.

Well, that is my update for now. Izzie is turning 2 in a couple weeks. I have some party planning to do. We are going to be doing a Minnie Mouse theme. It should be cute. :)

Todd is 30!

Yes, my husband is 30! Wow! Yep, that's old. Just kidding. The only reason I can say that is because I am only a youngster at 25. My husband robbed the cradle. I am wise beyond my years though ;)

We got home from vacation on Sunday, so I planned a quick surprise for him on Monday the 15th. He actually wasn't 30 until the 16th. Everything did not quite go as planned, but it still turned out better than the last surprise birthday I planned for him about 6 years ago! The first surprise birthday I planned, I ended up sending a text to him myself ruining it. I thought I was sending it to his friend explaining directions with the time to be there. That wasn't even the icing on the cake for the day!! I ended up getting run off the road into a ditch by an elderly couple who was driving on the wrong side of the road.... wait wait wait... it gets better. It was also 100 degrees outside and I got in a wreck with his ICECREAM cake in the car!! Yah, that day stunk. I can only laugh about it now. This surprise turned out better.

Our families and friends met us at Fuddruckers. I was supposed to arrive there with Todd at 6:15pm. He just thought we were going on a date. Everyone was supposed to be in there when we got there. Well, as I pull up to the restaurant, my sister Brooke is pulling in too!! Todd asked "Is that Brooke?" I said "No... umm no .. no ... no that's not Brooke." He asked why she was there. I kept denying and saying that I did not have a clue why she would be there. Obviously, he figured it out fast. Oh well! It was still fun. He still did not have a clue until that point.

I don't think he is very happy about being 30, but at least he had a good birthday :)

The Beach!

Ok! Better late than never.

While on maternity leave, we had our first family vacation of the year. We have been so busy this year. I also was not allowed to go on vacation to the Smoky Mountains due to being 38 weeks pregnant in July. We went with my family to Hilton Head during the second week of August. It was great. We spent a whole week there. Garrett was just 4 weeks old, but he managed to handle it all well. We packed our whole car up, literally, and left for the beach. It's tough packing up a family of four (not to mention a newborn).

My family has a timeshare. It's a nice little condo in a marsh area. I guess you could say a little inlet area. There was a huge dock on the property where boats came and went as they pleased picking people up and dropping them off. We heard a few guys talking about how they went out fishing on the dock at night. They said they caught a few sharks and stingrays! Crazy. Brooke's boyfriend , Kurt, said his grandparents lived down the street from the timeshare. The community they live in is on a beach/ marsh area. He said people aren't allowed in the water off the beach because of a hammerhead breeding ground. Ok, that's scary. That's horror story waiting to happen! Although, the craziest thing about this property we were on is that there was at least an 8ft alligator living in the pond outside the condo. Izzie thought this was the greatest thing ever. I, on the other hand, had nightmares all week of Izzie getting a little too close. She was so excited every time she saw the alligator. She would go around our condo yelling "Alligator! Right There! Outside!"

Anyways, the whole week was full of relaxation. We went to the beach a few times. This was Izzie's first time ever at a beach. She loved it! She couldn't get enough of the water or the sand. She loved getting dirty. "Getting dirty" is rare in this house due to me being completely OCD about cleanliness. She also loved the water. She has no fear of water. It scares me, but I used to be the same way. She would just walk right out into the ocean, not even realizing that the water was coming close to going over her head. We had to keep a very close eye on her. I didn't get to play with her too much, because Garrett was stuck in a tent. It was way too hot for him to leave it. He did alright though. I took him to the beach twice. We lasted about an hour and a half each time before it got too uncomfortable. The beach was also having a jellyfish issue. I didn't mind not going in the water ;). I was a little scared about Izzie being in it, too. Luckily, none of our family got hurt. I saw several others run up to the lifeguard station though.

The rest of the time we spent eating, napping, swimming in the pool, and we did a little shopping. Perfect. Just my type of vacation.

One night, we went to a little shopping area on the beach. They had a live band playing some oldies. Izzie had so much fun. She loves to dance. Even with a pretty decent crowd around, Izzie was showing off her dance moves as she stood on a bench. We like to sing and chant "Go Izzie, Go Izzie, Go Girl!" She loves it and even shouts it back to us. Yah, my daughter is pretty awesome. I posted a video to facebook for all friends to see :). Her dancing basically consists of marching fast, normally in circles, while throwing her hands up in the air. Every once in awhile, she will try to shake her hiney or shimmy her shoulders.

The week flew by, of course, all good things do. My babies are growing up so fast. I can't believe Izzie will be 2 in almost a month and Garrett is almost 2 months old. It makes me want to cry. Happy tears and some sad ones, too.

I love the picture below. I took this one on the beach, the same night Izzie had fun dancing in the crowd. Isn't she beautiful? Mimi, my mom, has appropriately been nicknaming her Shirley. See all those curls? Blonde, too!

The Big Sister

I need to post about the big sister, Izzie. I'm sure I have already mentioned about how happy I am with her. I could not have imagined her being any better with him. She loves him so much. In fact, so much that when she says goodnight or goodbye to us, she goes straight to him first. She gives him the biggest kiss. It is normally not just one kiss, but several kisses on the top of the head or cheek. It melts my heart. She doesn't pay too much attention to me now. I don't mind though. She has bigger priorities, making sure her "baby brother," as she calls him, is "otay." She always wants to make sure I know when "baby is crying" or "hungry." She also likes to help burp Garrett. She pats him on the back and demands "Burp, baby! Burp, baby!" The first person she says hi to is always him. I'm loving every minute witnessing it. I never had a little brother, but I see dozens of priceless moments just like these in the future. I hope he grows up to love her just as much as she loves him. I am sure he will. How could you not?

Garrett's 2nd Week and a Special Visit!

Garrett is actually now 3 weeks old, but we have been busy bees here in the Kirkland house. The picture above is of Garrett lying across his Great Grandfather's lap at 2 weeks old. He is one big boy. He weighed 10lbs and 10oz. Yes, people, he has gained over a pound already. That is what liquid gold (breastmilk) can do! He was measuring in at 22.25 inches. He's growing up way too fast. It makes me a little sad and happy at the same time. Dr. Guyton gave him an A+ on this visit. He's such a good baby, too. He sleeps all the time. He only wakes once or twice a night. He normally goes right back to sleep after a quick feed and diaper change.

So onto our special visitors..

My grandparents (mom's side) came down to see him as soon as they figured out how to use Facebook. I bet you are asking why they did that after figuring out Facebook. Well, Great Grandma opened an account when Izzie was born to keep up with pictures I posted. Later on, she sort of forgot about it. After Garrett was born, one of my uncles was nice enough to show them how to use it again. They got online, took a few looks, and shared some smiles mixed with happy tears (as they told me). They decided they could not wait to come see their first great grandchildren and made the decision to come that weekend!!! That is some determination or deep love. :) They live in Tennessee, over four hours away. It was a great, little visit. We shared some alone time, without other family members, on Saturday night. They had so much fun chasing Izzie around the house. She constantly grabbed their hands asking them to "Come here" and "Go!" Somehow, they kept up with her. She got them to play with her baby dolls and did not even have to beg them to watch Barney (her favorite). They brought her a little baby doll with two bottles. She loved it. They bought Garrett a savings bond. We thought that was really cool. They chose that, because they are pretty sure Garrett wants for nothing. They are probably right.

Garrett Jaco Kirkland's Birth Story

*Warning: This is not for the faint of heart. This may be a little too much information for some!*


The day Izzie was born, I quickly typed out what the day was like. I did this so I would never forget it. This is a once in a lifetime event, because no two births are alike. I'm typing Garrett's out obviously a little bit later (a week and a half), but for the same reason. When I'm in my fifties and being pregnant or giving birth really is a distant memory, I want to be able to pull these stories out. So, here goes Garrett's birth story. It is at least my recollection of what happened that day.

We had an appointment Thursday before Garrett was born with my wonderful OB, Dr. Jones. Garrett's due date was July 18th. We had a growth scan done around 36 weeks, because I told Dr. Jones that I felt he was "BIG." The growth scan indeed basically said that. Of course, they aren't exactly that accurate. He was weighing in at 6lbs. 14oz. (give or take half a pound). Dr. Jones agreed, but said that I just grow them big! So, by my 38.5 week appointment I was pretty miserable feeling so huge. I was already progressing. I believe I was 2-3cm and 80% with Garrett lying pretty low. When Dr. Jones entered the room, I pretty much begged and pleaded for her to help me out. She checked me out and got me to 4cm easily. Dr. Jones asked me about induction, letting me know it was her day at the hospital Monday, July 11th. From the very beginning of this pregnancy, I told myself I was going to let him come when he wanted to come. However, around my 36th week I was pretty miserable. I had horrible back pain and what I thought were contractions. I had almost went to the hospital a few days before this appointment, because I thought it was time. The pain was serious, but eventually died off. Dr. Jones gave Todd and I a few minutes to talk about it in the office. Todd was all for it. He has always hated the idea of having to rush off in the middle of the night to the hospital or even worse delivering his own baby on our bathroom floor! I was a little hesitant. I also had that fear of not knowing when labor was really going to begin, not getting my epidural, and being in extreme pain. We eventually agreed we would induce on Monday if we lasted over the weekend. Dr. Jones appeared happy with our decision. I was also excited that she would be delivering Garrett, too.

We left the office and went to eat dinner with my parents, who had just returned from Tennessee. Everyone was excited that Garrett would be making an appearance in just a few days. Todd and I also went to buy Izzie's present from Garrett. We bought a little play diaper bag, baby doll, and a few books about being a big sister. She is obsessed with all things baby.

We continued on with our weekend. I had a few signs and symptoms that made me feel like I was close to going into labor, but nothing was ever consistent. I even worked Saturday night at the hospital. It was a big joke that I was going to end up delivering on my floor. One of my coworkers even snapped a final photo of my pregnant belly. Oh my gosh! My pregnant belly was so big. No wonder people asked if I was having twins. I really do think it is true that when you are carrying a boy, you are less round and more all belly. It's crazy.

Sunday, I slept a little bit. Then, I went with my mom to go get my nails done. The lady doing my toes looked at me and asked if I was in pain. I now look back and laugh, because I understand after my last belly picture what she was talking about. Getting your nails done is a must when going to give birth. There's not much "pretty" about birth, so I try to control what I can haha. After that, Todd and I went to go see Transformers. Obviously, that movie was his pick. He wanted to go on one last date with me. We came home and went to bed as a family of three. I actually did not go to bed until after midnight. I was still preparing all of our bags which included Izzie's for the hospital as well.

I woke up at 6am on Monday morning. Took my shower and got dressed quietly in order to keep Izzie asleep. Todd, of course, did not get up till close to 7! We had to be at the hospital at 7:30am. He almost made us late. Mimi, my mom, came to our house and watched Izzie until it was a little closer to get things going at the hospital. I told everyone not to come right away and wait a couple hours.

Todd and I got to labor and delivery on time. We met our nurse for the day, Linda, when we got to our labor and delivery room. She told me to go do all the things that I remembered from Izzie's birth. I had to go get undressed, put on the hospital gown, give them a specimen. By the way, giving a specimen is so hard for a 39week pregnant woman!!! I came out, sat on the bed, and got hooked up to the monitors. Linda asked us a whole bunch of questions, told us some of the rules, and started my IV. She started my pitocin, antibiotic, and IV fluids. I started having little contractions that really didn't bother me too much. Dr. Jones came in and we all knew the excitement was about to start. She checked me. I was still 4cm and 80%. She was surprised I made it through the weekend and so was I. We decided together that she would go ahead and break my water. The water was clear which is always a good sign. I forget how funny it feels. It doesn't hurt, but the warm gush is definitely interesting! We were all talking about my first delivery with Izzie. Dr. Jones said I would not make it till 3:24pm this time. She expected I would have Garrett before that. I was scared that I would miss my chance for the epidural, so she thought it would be a great idea to go ahead and get it. I agreed! It probably only took about ten minutes and I was really starting to feel my contractions. I remember the first one I couldn't talk through, was when my in-laws were in the room. I felt so bad. I just stopped talking mid sentence. They promptly left the room when they realized what was going on. I think I scared them as I was gripping the side of the bed. I was happy that they had went ahead and called the anesthesiologist. If I had waited, I might have died from that pain. Ok, I really would not have died, but I certainly felt like it at that moment. The anesthesiologist came in, Todd left the room due to hospital policy, and I got my epidural. It took a little longer to kick in than I remembered. I was worried it was not working. Finally, after about 30 minutes my pain was gone. That was the longest 30 minutes ever. The nurse checked me before my epidural. I was already a 5. I knew I was going to go quick once the epidural was in, because that is how it was with Izzie. It's like my body completely relaxes and does what it needs to do. By 12:30, I started having some pretty decent pressure. They called Dr. Jones. I was completely dilated. We had talked at the beginning of the morning about laboring down. I wanted a lot of time to labor down. I had pushed an hour with Izzie and did NOT want to do that again. Dr. Jones agreed that she would come back at 1:30 and it would probably be time to start pushing by then. Well, around 1pm or a little after I started having serious pains again. The nurse took a look and said it was time. My mom, Tori, and Todd took positions. This was Tori's first time experiencing a birth. The nurse told me to push once and immediately told me to stop. Dr. Jones came in and got ready. I pushed probably 3 times and Garrett was here at 1:36pm! He actually came out head and hand first. I was a little worried about that, but his arm is fine. Dr. Jones put him on my chest. Everyone immediately started commenting on how big he was. I was just enjoying my slimy, warm little baby. I know that's weird, right? But, I love that slimy, warm, fresh out of the oven baby. It's so wonderful. There is nothing in the world like it. They wrapped a blanket around him. Todd got to cut the cord. They then took him and weighed him. He was a whopping 9lbs and 8oz!!! Can I please tell you all that I am so relieved we did not wait any longer for him! I might have had a 10lb baby! He was perfect, definitely looked like a little man. He was a little, what I call, gurgly. I tried to feed him and it just didn't seem right. They took him to the nursery after everyone came in to see him. I was happy they did just to make sure everything was alright. Dr. Jones said he just didn't have enough time in the birth canal.

We spent 2 days in the hospital. We got to leave on Wednesday around noon. Izzie has been great with her little brother. She has been a little clingy with me. She doesn't like being away from us for too long. She even refused to sleep over at Mimi's house one night this week which is crazy for her. She is obsessed with her Mimi and Nina. She gives her brother lots of kisses and hugs. It scares me at times, but I try not to overreact when she touches him. I don't want to make her upset or make her think we don't want her to love on him. She has been a great big sister. I am so happy that she loves him.

A Big Sister's Love

She loves him so much already! I can already tell that she is going to be little mommy to baby Garrett when he arrives. She hugs, kisses, and tells him "Hi!" as she waves her hand at my belly daily. It is the sweetest thing. Of course, I really don't think she understands or maybe she really does think my belly is a baby? Either way, soon enough she will figure it out.

We went out to eat the other day and she saw a baby at the table next to us. The baby was getting a little fussy. She looked up at me and said "Baby's crying!" Her little face shriveled up and squinted in the baby's direction. She was so concerned. She would not stop staring and pointing. Secretly, I loved it! I can already tell how she is going to take to her little brother and it makes my heart melt.

Baby Boy, His Name, and His Room!

Well, We have a name people! Garrett Jaco Kirkland will be arriving sometime in July (as long as he stays put). We had plans to call him Rhett, but we aren't completely sure yet. We picked Garrett, because well we just liked it. It sounded a little southern (esp. when you add the Rhett in there) and a little sporty. Not too manly and not too baby. Jaco is his Nana's maiden name. It's a name Todd has always wanted to use. I gave the option for a junior, but Todd has never really liked that idea. Anyways, that's basically how he got his name. I am so happy that we have finally decided and we are sticking to it!

We are now 32 weeks along in our pregnancy. If anyone reads my FB status updates, you'll know I'm very excited about that double digit and especially about the "3" part. It's like you can see the finish line... I should have a day countdown by now, but I don't.

As you can see from the photos above, the room is pretty much complete. I am so happy to have that behind us as well. It was fun picking things out. I am more than happy with the finished product. It's pretty much everything I would want in a little boy's room. It doesn't scream at you; I like that. It was a surprise for Todd. He trusted me with the whole thing!!! That's a lot for a guy to do when it comes to his son. He even waited patiently, because I wouldn't let him see it until I was done. So, Monday afternoon he was allowed in. I am pleased to say that he loves it, too. The first picture shows one corner of the room with the rocker/recliner. We decided to go with a recliner. I think everyone is looking forward to that comfy chair. Then, if you can see it, my second favorite thing in that corner is the "allstar" blanket rack. The second picture is of a wreath I made for the hospital door. The last picture is of the crib, bedding, and the really cool baseball pictures. The pictures were framed by this awesome little place called The Custom Framer. I happen to know the owners very well ;).

Izzie loves the "baby" room. We walk upstairs, where both of their rooms are, frequently. She always stops at his door first. She knocks and says "babyyyyyy!" She could stay in their all day. She holds her little hands up in awe and little Oooo's at everything. So cute, I can only imagine the big help she is going to be when he gets here.

Happy Easter?

Yes, of course it's a little late. Everything in our life right now is a little late and we are perfectly fine with that :). I hope this baby isn't a little late though. I don't know if I will last.

Easter was superb. We made our rounds to each of the families. Spent the morning in church with Mimi and Poppy. Izzie has taken to calling my mom, Mimi, because Gammy was a bit hard for her to say. So, Mimi it is. Now, everything is Mimi this and Nana that. I'm ok with it. I used to get a little upset when she chose her grandmothers over me, but I completely get that they do nothing wrong. For instance, they don't have to tackle Izzie to brush her teeth or take her to the doctor to get her shots. Even though this mommy has to do those "horrible" things, Izzie still says my name in the middle of the night :) and that melts my heart. Ok now let me get off my soapbox. We spent the morning with my family and then ate a wonderful Easter lunch with them. I love Easter lunch and I think this little boy in my belly does, too. After that, we went over to see Nana and Grandaddy at Aunt Kim's house. Izzie got to take a dip in the pool for the first time this year.

Holidays are just getting better with each month Izzie gets older. She is so much more aware of everything going on. It makes everything twice as fun.

The picture at the top was of Izzie at Aunt or Great Aunt Kim's house. She of course managed to find the "dog dog" hiding on the porch. He wanted to say hi to her, too. My daughter can spot a dog from a mile away. She loves animals and I love it.

Izzie is 18 Months Old!

Once again, of course this is a little late. Better late than never. We just went and had her well checkup at Dr.Guyton's office. She is getting so smart. Todd and I both took her. It takes two when there are shots involved, because I am just not that brave. I have to have someone else hold her for the shots. I feel horrible for her. Anyways, we walked in holding hands and she sat down at the little play table without help. She's just growing up too fast. She was so calm until the door opened up and the nurse walked out. Izzie immediately jumped up and went to grab us. She had that "save me" look in her eyes. She started getting upset immediately. I'm pretty sure she thought the nurse was trying to strangle her while getting all her measurements. I think the nurse felt really bad, because she even forgot her head circumference and had to come back and do it over. Izzie weighed 26lbs and measured 33.5in tall. Her growth charts are finally leveling out. The doctor said everything looked good. The only concern I had was Izzie is refusing milk. She has since we took away the bottle a couple months ago when she had the flu. We are just going to try and supplement through other sources. She got two shots and cried less with those than when Dr. Guyton was listening to her lungs. Oh, and Yay! We are done with shots till 4 years old. We couldn't be happier with that.

Izzie is wearing 18-24 months and a size 6 or 7 shoe. She is just so stinking tall! We even have to buy 2T sometimes to get the extra length.

She can name most of her body parts without help. When asked, she can point and name her nose, ears, teeth, tongue, hair, toes, and bellybutton. I'm telling you. I think we have a genious on our hands. She is also good naming animals and their sounds. She can point to and name kitty/meow, dog/ ruff ruff, bunny or "hop hop," giraffe, cow/ moo, horse/ neigh, fish, and her favorite is the monkey.

I can't even tell you how many words she says. Her most used words are: mama, dada, Barkley and Bentley (her dogs), nana, mimi, Izzie, no, bad, auntie, aunt B, sit, up, down, move, please, thank you, juice, cup, bath, ride, bag, baby... ok the list can go on and on. She isn't really good at putting it all together yet. She tries though.

I would say right now she is a mama's girl. However, that seems to change every other month. She was all dada's girl in March. I definitely wasn't complaining about it. She likes to be right on top of me at the moment. Leaving to go to work is always the hardest and we have never had that problem until now. She cries and it breaks my heart. I'm just happy that she is sleeping most of the time I am gone.

I'm going to attach a picture taken a couple weeks ago with her little push car. She loves this little thing. It's definitely her favorite outdoor toy. :)

What are they made of?

Boys are made of frogs, snails, and puppy dog tails. Girls are made of sugar, spice, and all things nice.

This is a problem. Don't get me wrong we love our affectionately called, "baby boy," very much. We couldn't be more blessed as a family to be having him. However, having a boy is hard work. Little girls are so easy. Everything about planning for them is pretty and colorful. Little boys on the other hand well ... aren't as pretty. Of course, things can be cute. You really should not be saying the word "cute" around his daddy though.

We don't have a name, don't have a crib, don't have bedding, don't have a carseat, don't have a plan. We have managed to find a few pieces of clothing and that is about it. Picking and agreeing on a name has been hard. We will find one and then there is just something wrong with it. It's too manly, too cute, too squishy. Let's face it, how great are names like Gary, Hank, and Bob? No, not so great for a baby. Every little boy's room I see is cars, boats, or sports. Nothing is wrong with those things. They just aren't as sweet or appealing to me.

Oh! Izzie. What are we going to do with all these boys? I guess we will just love them even more.

The Gummi Bear is a ....... !

We went to see Todd's Aunt Kim on Wednesday in hopes of just seeing our baby wiggle around a little bit and maybe getting a peak at the gender. I thought I was only 14weeks and 3days. We got there and brought them some Krispee Kreme doughnuts as a thank-you. Izzie got to run around and meet some new friends at the office. A bunch of them had remembered seeing her in my tummy when we went for ultrasounds with her. We found out Izzie was a girl at about 15 weeks at Aunt Kim's, too.

After waiting a few minutes, we got to go back and I told them how far along I thought I was. Cissy, the ultrasound lady, told us that she wouldn't really be able to tell until 16 weeks. We were okay with that. We were happy just to see the gummi bear wiggle around. I layed down on the table and she put the little wand on my belly with the gooey warm gel. Immediately, we saw the baby wiggling around. It's so neat seeing them move in there. After about a minute, she moved the wand and without even having to look around we saw it! She said "It's a BOY!" I kept saying "are you sure?" over and over and over again. I saw it, too! It definitely looked a lot different than the way Izzie did. It was not a hamburger (as Cissy says). It was definitely a hotdog. Haha. She kept reassuring me. He was also measuring big at 15weeks and 2days.

We are so happy! Not many families get blessed with a daughter and a son. We get to experience that. We would have been perfectly happy with a girl, too. I grew up with 3 sisters and loved it. However, I was really hoping, secretly, that Todd would get to have a son.

After all the excitement, we decided to have some fun. None of our family knew that we were going to have an ultrasound that day. They were all at work, school, or busy running errands. We went to Publix to find some blue cupcakes and white boxes to put them in. We went to Todd's parents shop first. They did not have a clue. I videotaped all the family members finding out with my phone, so they wouldn't think something was going on. I uploaded one of the videos above :). I'm still in process of getting the others on here.

The whole day was filled with excitement. Here is who we visited and where:

- Todd's parents at their shop, The Custom Framer.

- My sister, Brooke, working at Hand Picked.

- My dad, who we found in the Lowe's parking lot.

- My sister, Tori, who we met at her house.

- My mom, who was working at the hospital. Her scream was priceless. I think she scared all of her coworkers.

-My sister, Hannah, who we met coming home from school.

Well, we don't have a name yet. We have a few ideas, but boy names are so hard to work with!!! Stay tuned for more updates.

Christmas, all wrapped up.

No pun intended ;). Sorry, it seems like everything is a little late for us these past few months. Better late than never. Christmas was wonderful this year for the Kirkland's. Well, it has been every year since this little family was established in 2006. I received the best gift ever. I was going to have to work Christmas Eve, but a wonderful coworker decided she was going to work for me. I got to spend Christmas with my family. This would have been my first Christmas working. Thanking God still that I didn't have to.

We got to spend Christmas Eve with Todd's family. Poor Rylee was missing, but Izzie got to see her cousin over the long weekend. We started off by eating at California Dreamin' (yummy) and then went back for presents at Nina and Grandaddy's house. Izzie got a kid sized stuffed chair from Pottery Barn that has her name on it. I would say she liked it the most. She sat in it immediately and it was deemed her little throne. All princesses should have one. Every morning since she has had it, she wakes up and goes straight to it. Baby "Gummi Bear" Kirkland also got a little gift, which will probably go towards their crib once we find out girl or boy. Oh, did I mention it's surreal that we might know at the end of this month!

Later, Christmas Eve we went over to my parents' house for their traditional festivities. These include a Christmas Bear for Izzie and pajamas for all. This is what we did when I was little and it has continued right into all the Russell girls becoming adults. Silly, but we love it! Great Uncle Bully came to be with us. His name is actually Billy, but we all nicknamed him Bully instead when we were little. The horrible, yet funny jokes he played on us as kids will forever be some of our most talked about childhood memories. What child has had to dive in a pool in the middle of Fall with all their clothes on to receive a Birthday gift? Don't worry, it was Florida :).

We got back home to our house very late, probably close to eleven. Took our baths and went straight to bed. We had to wake Izzie up that morning around 7:30. She was still sound asleep. My family was expecting us back at their house to open presents, so we had to get a move on. We woke her up and straightened ourselves up. Took her out to the livingroom where Santa had left her presents. I didn't take any pictures!! I have no clue what I was thinking. Her favorite toy from Santa is this little pink and blue push car. She sits in it and daddy or mommy get to do all the work of pushing her around. She loves it. I guess every princess needs a royal coach to match the throne.

Once, we got to Grammy and Poppy's house, we got to open even more presents. We were all about pooped from opening gifts at this point. We still enjoyed it though. It just took us two more days to finish opening Santa's back at home.

Anyways, we enjoyed every minute of it. It's crazy how it is over so fast. It tooke us a few days to recover. I would say our day after Christmas snow was the icing on the cake.