ONE

Well I can't believe it.  Stanley Pierce turned a year old yesterday.  The reason I can't believe it is because everyone would tell me when he was born and still in that "tiny, fragile, infant stage" that it was all going to go by so fast and I totally didn't believe them.  In the moment, the infant stage seemed like it lasted forever but unfortunately they were right.  I felt like I blinked and here he is turning a year old.

As I reflect back over Stan's first year of life,  I have to say that it has been a huge blessing!  Sure there were a few bumps in the proverbial road like pyloric stenosis or torticollis but once we got through those, I have to say, it has been pretty smooth sailing.  Besides "blessing," another word I would use to describe Stan is "easy."  I think the Lord knew just what this uptight, control-freak, borderline OCD Momma needed when He gave me Stan.  I can't tell you how many times through the course of this past year I uttered the phrase, "Yes, he is a VERY easy baby.  So much so that I am scared to have another one!"  And it is SO true!  Preston and I have to get payback some how right?  Either our next one is going to be horrible or Stan is going to give us a run for our money during his teenage years!

But back to being easy.  At each new turn or transition, in true form, I would fret over every detail.  I would read books, articles or threads online, and call my mother or sister thousands of times.  How do I drop a dreamfeed?  How do I wean him from a swaddle?  How do we start baby food?  How much should he be eating?  How do I fly on a plane with a baby...by myself?  How do we transition to just two naps a day?  How do we transition from a 3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule?  How do I start a sippy cup?  How do I get him to actually eat his food instead of throwing it?  How do we drop a bedtime bottle?  Fret, fret, fret...worry, worry, worry.  And what would Stanley Pierce do?  He would go through each transition like it was NOTHING!  It was almost as if he were saying, "Simmer down lady....I got this!"

So here are some transitions and some things that Stan is up to these days.  We went to his one year check up and he weighs 28 lbs. 10 oz. in the 95th percentile and I don't remember his length or head circumference but they were both in the 75th percentile.  The doctor said that he is a bit heavy for his height but that was no shocker....my aching back could've told you that!  He isn't walking or even really pulling up on his own yet and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with his weight.  But he is crawling.  He does this little one-armed army crawl which is too stinkin' cute.  He knows how to crawl on all fours but he will only do that for short distances.  If he really wants to move somewhere he is on his belly doing his army crawl.  He has four teeth now...two on top and two bottom.  Right now he is a little snaggle-toothed because his top left tooth is pretty much all the way in but the right tooth is just peeking through.  He is on table foods and is making progress with the sippy cup.  We are still doing a bedtime bottle and are probably going to try to drop that sometime next week.  I'm not looking forward to that, mainly because I LOVE that sweet, cuddly time with him!

With that said, this year has also been a huge learning curve for both me and Preston.  But mainly me.  If there is one thing Stan has taught me it would be to let go a little and just go with the flow.  Not to say that I have mastered that by any means but because he is his this own little person there are a lot of things I don't have control over.  And from what I have heard, this lesson in "letting go" will continue as he grows.  It makes my heartache at this very moment to even think about the time I will physically have to let him go.  Geez...let's not talk about it.

Preston and I listen to The Zac Brown Band and every time I hear "Highway 20 Ride" I cry and Preston laughs at me for crying.  If you haven't heard the song I suggest you listen to it....it is very sweet.  And I know it's a little cheesy but I feel like he sums up parenthood very well in that song.  So even after just one small year of parenting, I can easily say to Stanley Pierce "it was the pleasure of my life and I cherish every time and my whole world, it begins and ends with you...."  I love you so much Stanley Pierce and Happy Birthday!

Starting Anew

Well it's a new year.  I like the start of a new year.  I know it drives some people crazy with all of the to do lists and resolutions that are guaranteed to fail but I like it.  I like the idea of a clean slate...starting anew.  In fact, "starting anew" is a perfect phrase to describe this phase in our lives.  Not only are we starting a new year but we are in a new town, new house and Preston has started a new job.  Ok, so technically we aren't in a new town.  We moved home to Tupelo.  And technically we aren't in a new house.  It was built in the 1930s but it is new to us.

With all of this renewing going on, I thought it was a perfect time to start fresh with the blog.  I originally started "The State We're In" to help keep our family and friends in Mississippi updated on our lives in Arizona.  I have never been the best blogger but after Stan was born, blogging fell VERY low on the totem pole.  I could never keep up with it and I fell behind.  Life got in the way... between having a baby, baby having surgery, voluntarily foreclosing on a home, moving into a rental home and then moving across the country...there was no time for blogging.  When we decided to move back home to Mississippi, Preston asked if I was going to try to blog.  I told him probably not because there was no reason for continuing the blog since we would be seeing our Mississippi friends and family all of the time now.  Plus I had this whole last blog post planned in my head that was cleverly titled "Saying Goodbye to the State We're In."  Poetic, right?  Preston reminded me that the roles have been reversed.  We now have "family" and friends in Arizona that sincerely care about our little family.  They want to see how Stan is doing and what me and Preston are up to....but mainly they just want to see how Stan is doing. ;)  So as you probably could've guessed one of my many resolutions is to be a better blogger.  Mainly for all of our Sahuarita, Tucson, Green Valley, Rio Rico and Nogales family and those that have moved away including our family in Idelstein, IL and Palm Harbor, FL....y'all will always be our Arizona family no matter where you live and we miss ALL of you more than words can explain!

2011 was a very exciting and hectic year for us but what a blessing it was.  The Lord has been very good to us and we are excited to see what He has planned for us in 2012!  Look for an update on Stanley Pierce soon...he has A LOT going on!  Happy New Year friends!

Baby Fix

I have a WHOLE lot of updating to do on the blog including 5 month pictures, a post about our three week trip home and 6 month pictures, just to name a few. But until I get around to getting the camera cord out of Preston's work bag, here is a little baby fix of random, cute pics from my phone.

I was going to get him up from a nap and he just looked so HUGE! Especially compared to the picture below.

This is normally how I find him in his crib in the mornings or after naps. Just doing a little light stretching.

Daddy says that all of his clothes say something about Mommy..."Bananas for Mommy" or "Wild about Mommy." But I found this bib in a storage bin so Daddy can't complain now!

Practicing.

This picture was just for Papa and Daddy too!

Stan started rolling from his back to his stomach right when we got home from MS...right at 6 months old. He has turned into quite the little rolly-polly and the next two pictures are normally how I find him when he is playing on his play mat.

That's all for now! Look for more updates soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Reed and Jennifer

The weekend after we got back from Mississippi, Reed and Jennifer Hillen came to visit!  We had the best time hanging out with them.  We love these two SO much and we were so excited that Stan got to meet them!  Of course Jennifer "took" to Stan immediately but I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Reed!  He was a natural and I think that, when their time comes, they are going to AMAZING parents!

Lounging around

"The Natural"

Cute couple - at the overlook on the way up to Mount Lemmon

This was just too cute not to add!

BFFs! :)

Welcome to Mississippi Stan!

As I mentioned in the previous post, we took a trip to Mississippi back in May.  This trip contained many firsts for Stan:  first time to Mississippi, first time on an airplane, first time to meet MANY relatives including cousins, uncles, great grandmothers, etc.  We had such a wonderful time introducing Stan to "home."  We traveled SO much that we wore the sweet baby out!  At one point we were putting him in his car seat and really think he was looking at me like, "Seriously Mom....you're putting me in this thing AGAIN!"  He was trooper though...obviously, because he's the best baby in the whole wide world!! :)  Here are a few pictures from our travels:

First plane ride - He did SO well on all of the flights.  He did a get a little fussy on one of our plane rides back to AZ because his ears were bothering him but that only happened once!  Also, out of the four flights we were on, there and back, he pooped on three of them!  So I am a pro at changing poopy diapers in those tiny bathrooms!

Meeting cousins for the first time!  And no, this AWFUL car seat is not ours.  It was the car seat that the rental car company gave us and it SUCKED!

Stan LOVED Drew and I do believe the feeling was mutual!  Drew loved to play peek-a-boo with Stan.  Drew would actually scare Stan when they were playing and Stan would jump every time.  Drew thought this was HILARIOUS so the minute Drew started laughing Stan would start laughing too!  I also should mention that I think Stan has loved Drew even from the womb!  When we were home for Thanksgiving while I was pregnant Drew would sing to my pregnant belly and Stan would move and kick!  It was the CUTEST thing!

I think LC thought Stan was her live baby doll!  She wanted SO bad to swing him when he was in the swing.  She did very well with him and was very gentle.

We went to Drew's T-ball game.  Stan in the sling, sound asleep! 

We drove up to Oxford so Stan could meet Uncle Pierce for the first time!  He was a little unsure about holding a baby for the first time but he did GREAT!!  We are so proud of Uncle Pierce for graduating and finishing his college career on such a strong note!

"Wait...did he just puke on me?" :)

Meeting Mimi!  Stan is Mimi's seventh great grandchild!!  I think it is amazing that she has lived to meet seven great grandchildren!  What a legacy!

This picture was taken the morning after we arrived in Mississippi.  Poor baby was already so pooped from traveling that he feel asleep on my bed at my parent's house!

3 Months

So I am a month late in posting this but oh well....better late than never!  Stan's third month was a VERY busy one.  He visited good ole Mississippi for the first time and while we were there he got to meet A LOT of family (post to follow).  So of course there were a lot of firsts on that trip:  first time on a plane, first time to spend the  night at Lollie and Papa's, first time to meet lots of relatives, etc.  The following weekend after being at home, Stan got to meet Jennifer and Reed Hillen (post to follow).  He also went on his first picnic!

A few developmental firsts:  he found his hands and his feet, he holds his head up like a champ and he has been rolling over stomach to back for a while now.  Something I didn't mention in previous posts:  he has been sleeping through the night since he was about 8 weeks old!  We do a final feeding at about 10:00pm and he sleeping until about 7:00am!  We have definitely been blessed in that regard!

So what you really came for......pictures!

Happy 3 month old baby!!

These were too funny not to post - about to sneeze!

And sneeze!

Big boy sitting in his bumbo holding his head up

Loves bath time!

Clean, happy baby!

Sweet face

And another sweet face

Haaaaaaa!!!!  This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it!

First picnic by the lake!

Just chillin' in the shade with my shades!

Easter 2011

Stan had a great first Easter!  Bebe and Ole Dad came to visit and we all had such a fun time.  Golf was played, eggs were dyed and brunch was had.  Thanks for coming to visit Bebe and Ole Dad!

Stan's Easter basket was a joint effort between Mom, Dad, Bebe and Ole Dad

Sweet baby boy with his Easter basket

Thanks for the Easter outfit Cousin Drew!

Hangin' out with Ole Dad before church