Life lately - according to my Iphone

Our happy, 

happy boy!

Loves sleeping in the car...always:)

Teething at it's finest! How many fingers can we eat??!

Dinner time and daddy's hat.

Shots once again!

Learning a thing or two from cousin Emil

Hanging with newfound friend Malachi

9 Months and Counting!

Another month has passed and Kaz has now reached 9 months (7 months corrected). He has thankfully been cooperating through the transition of wearing his helmet, and beginning to act like it is any other body part that should naturally be attached;) After our first checkup 2 weeks ago with the orthopedic office...it looks like he will be wearing the lovely addition for at least the next 2 months. The positive news out of the appointment was the fact that his head is reacting and adjusting the way it should!

We have seen great strides made within the last month in Kaz's development! He is so much stronger each week and now much more interested in reaching out for things. He enjoys being in his jumper and scoots around in his walker on a regular basis. Books continue to be his favorite thing - "Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?" is at the top of his book list.

Jessica (Kaz's keeper) had a job offer last month that she couldn't turn down, which required us to find someone that we could trust all over again. We are so thankful to have two wonderful, nurturing ladies willing to take great care of our boy until I am out of school for the summer - Mrs. Sara & Mrs. Barb :) I know Kaz will miss Jessica...but he couldn't ask for any better replacements.

Kaz had a great check-up today with Dr. Hoddy. He is weighing in at 23lbs.(82%) and now a whopping 29 inches ( 76%)...all compared to same age peers - so he continues to defy odds in the preemie world on paper. Dr. Hoddy was pleased with Kaz's progress to date as well. He saw major improvements with his head and applauded how far he had come with reaching many new physical milestones.

It's still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that we will be celebrating Kaz's first year of life in as little as three months! What joy this boy has brought to our lives and we are grateful for everyday.

Our Getaway!

Preston's birthday was this Thursday, so I thought I would take him away somewhere...just the two of us. We have been away from Kaz overnight a couple of times since he was born...and those nights we were only a couple of miles away, not over an hour - so this was a first! Preston knew we had to drop Kaz off at my mom's for the night, but I kept it a secret where our destination would be until we arrived there! I'm not so good at keeping surprises...but I did it this time:)

We stayed at a wonderful Bed & Breakfast a little over an hour away. This place was gorgeous...with the river running right in the backyard. As soon as we checked in we got a tour of the entire home and given a platter of snacks to take back to our room:) The couple that managed the home was so inviting and we got all of their attention since we were luckily the only couple staying!

 We chose to have dinner at a local restaurant in this small town...it was quite tasty.

The best part of the entire trip was of course....the BREAKFAST! Yum

We got to spend some much-needed time together...just the two of us. It was so relaxing we made a pact to make it a yearly tradition:) Now, Preston is already looking forward to his other bday present...the Needtobreathe concert in April!

Snow Days!

Kaz got to experience his very first "snow day" this Friday. Since I'm a teacher, snow days are a luxury (until it's time for summer break) and a great chance to spend an extra day with my baby. I wanted to be sure and give Kaz the chance to see, taste, and feel the first snow fall of his life...so we bundled him up (helmet and all;) and headed outside to check out the field of white...

Worn out after a long day...

8-month-old LINEBACKER

Kaz celebrated turning 8 months today by being crowned with his very first helmet. It wasn't the easiest day for him, dealing with the additional piece of equipment and extra weight on his head. I'm sure he will get accustom to the new contraption in time and before we know it, his head will be fixed and there will be no more helmet needed. In the meantime however, I'm thinking the next few months will be just as challenging for mommy and daddy as they will for Mr. Kaz (he is stronger than us in most situations it seems). I hate to see my little man having to deal with the whole helmet ordeal, however we've made it through worse. Also, I know in the end we will be happy with the results of his head and he will thank us in the future if he ever wants a buzz cut;)

On another note, regarding Kaz's #1 love = FOOD, we did run into something that he is not too fond of - chicken. He really doesn't seem to care for any of the stage 1 jarred meats thus far. I guess I need to kick it in gear and figure out how to whip up some homemade meat purees for him?!:)

Every day we see progress in Kaz's motor skills. Just yesterday, he picked up a ball off the table for the first time on his own and I could have cried. Those are the proud, thankful moments. Once again, it's the small things. Those things that the average 8 month old was doing months ago are the things that I am thanking God for daily.

Praying for patience for us and comfort for my little linebacker during these next few months....

Hobby @ 30

I think I may have finally found something that I enjoy doing in my spare time. I never thought I'd be quite this "Suzy Homemakerish"...but here I am. (Seems to get worse with age;) This activity fits into my new altered lifestyle of being at home more now that there is a little one in the mix. Preston gave me a sewing machine for Christmas...something that I've had my heart set on for quite some time now.

After taking on my first-ever real sewing project last year, I immediately became interested in trying more crafty things.

The blanket I made for Kaz before he was born:)

 I love monogrammed clothes, personalized everything, and have become even more interested now with the opportunity to dress up a little boy:) I have a feeling this machine is going to come in handy in many ways.

Waiting on me to get done embroidering his onesie

After a quick tutorial from my friend Becky and reading up on all the many papers, booklets, etc. that were included with this new fine piece of equipment - I decided to take on a couple of projects of my own! I was off to a great start, after I broke 2 needles it was smooth sailing. I did manage to pull of a little onesie for Kaz to ring in the New Year:) I hope to find some fabric this weekend for a few projects that I would like to try out. I'm looking forward to knowing what it feels like to finally have a hobby (@30)!

Mommy's first embroidery job

Welcome 2012

Our family rang in 2012 with open arms, welcoming another year of life and hopeful of many blessings to come. After a surprise arrival, with our son coming early and a pretty rocky start the first few months of his life...we are thankful to have made it through the storm of 2011 and look ahead to the positive view in 2012.

We celebrated New Years at our friends, the Coppersmith's this year. It was great spending time and catching up with friends...not to mention eating lots of yummy snacks. Kaz bumped into his buddy Griffin while we were there. They seem to have more and more fun each time they get together.

Of course we didn't stay out until the ball dropped this year. With Kaz put to bed, Preston and I saw the hour of 12:00am on 1/1/2012 strike from our couch. Funny how a little person can completely change your (social) life;) I'll take it any day!

Happy New Year!