The Willis'

37 weeks!!!

2012-01-27T11:19:00.006-06:00

We have finally made it to 37 weeks!! YAY! This means we are now considered "full term." We had an appointment yesterday and Lucy is doing great! Her heart beat was 161 and has made some good progress towards being ready to come! At our appointment last week my doctor told me that she was measuring a little small. She has always measured a touch small, but it has been consistent week to week which means she is growing on like she should. But last week my doctor told me that she wanted to do a growth ultrasound because she had fallen just a touch more behind and wanted to make sure that she is growing and developing well. Of course, being how I am, I totally was stressed out. When I went to the doctor this week and expressed how concerned I was about all of this the doctor looked at me and said "really? why?" and continued to tell me that I had no fat on my stomach so there was nothing to "pad" the measure and that Lucy is fine. Now, I don't know about not having any fat on my stomach, but it did make me feel better that she really was not concerned at all and that Lucy did grow a good bit over the past week. So anyways, we are now in a waiting game. She could come tonight or in 3 weeks. Only time will tell. My mom and dad so graciously offered to keep Walker last night and tonight while we finish up some things around the house and get some rest before the big day. THANKS MOM AND DAD! :)

I feel OK...just 37 weeks pregnant. I am getting pretty uncomfortable and sleep has definitely been minimal but, on a positive note, I am still able to workout 5-6 days a week and am mainly doing BodyPump and BodyAttack. I am not worried or stressed about the timing/labor/delivery of Lucy but am a little worried about how I am going to give Walker the attention that he needs and deserves while taking care of a newborn. I know mom's do it everyday and it will be a learning curve, I just don't want to force Walker to grow up faster than he has to and want to make sure his needs are met.

Here is little Lucy's bump picture from this morning. 37 wks and 1 day. I'm sorry I am always in my workout clothes when we take these pictures :)

Play time

2012-01-24T21:36:00.002-06:00

Gatsy is finally home from here vacation at Boo and Papa's! Yes...that means our fence is FINALLY fixed from the tornado (....2 months later)! YAY! We have been so happy to have Gatsy home! Walker and Gatsy are seriously best friends. They are so good with each other!

Gatsy has NOT been too fond of the "fur real" pet that Walker got for Christmas. I'm not sure if it is the way that it barks, whines, and moves that makes her nervous or if it is the way that Walker grabs it by the neck, drags it around by its leash or hits it....maybe she thinks she's next?? Either way...she is not too sure about it :)

Now, don't freak out. Walker is not hurt. He did not fall. He is not trapped. He has been wanting to "hide" all the time lately. So, this day, Walker pushed Lucy's chair over and crawled under it to "hide" and immediately asked "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?" He LOVES to "hide" from Daddy!

35.5 weeks

2012-01-16T06:47:00.003-06:00

Today is January 16th. I am due on February 16th. Yes ONE MONTH until little Lucy is due!! In 3 days I will be 9 months pregnant and in just 10 days our sweet little girl will be considered full term! I have made weekly doctors appointments until my due date (HOPEFULLY we won't need all of them) :). Lucy's clothes have been cleaned, washed and organized, her room is pretty much done, and her hospital bag is packed. I have been in nesting mode since Christmas and I really think that most everything is done! YAY!

How have we been feeling? We have been feeling 9 months pregnant. Not horrible, just pregnant (you know...tired, uncomfortable, unable to sleep...etc)...especially after fighting a tummy bug for almost an entire week! Thankfully little Lucy will be here before we know it!! :)

Baby bump at 35 weeks and 4 days:

Family Pictures!

2012-01-15T17:26:00.005-06:00

I have been a SLACKER on blogging lately! So here are a couple of blogs from December :)

The week after Thanksgiving (the first weekend in December) my family decided to have some pictures made. Considering it was 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday, freezing outside, we had 3 children 4 and under AND I was 7 1/2 months pregnant, I think they turned out pretty well :)

My fam :)

Willis Family Photo

Sweet baby boy! I can't believe how much he has changed in just 6 weeks! He has so much more hair now and really looks like a big boy :(. He is growing up too fast. Good thing he is still a mama's boy!

Richard thinks I'm mean because pictures like this are my absolute favorite! I think it is hysterical! Walker thinks it is tragic he can see mommy but can't touch her! This boy knows how to turn it on! I really think this may be my favorite picture of the day :)

All better now!

Try again with daddy....
Boo and Walker-man. I'm sad we didn't get one of just Papa and Walker......

Christmas....a little bit late :)

2012-01-15T17:03:00.007-06:00

This year, we spent Christmas in Henderson, TN with Richard's family. We had so much fun! Walker had a BLAST playing with his cousins Laura Beth and Carter! Baby Boy also enjoyed some much needed bonding time with his Gran, Grandad, Aunt Becky and Uncle Damon!

Walker and Grandad playing

Daddy teaching Walker how to play basketball
Aunt Becky and Walker-man
Walker loving his older cousin, LB!

SANTA came! :)

Again, I think these pictures are funny :) An attempt at Pop with his great grand kids....Walker not happy that he could see mommy but not touch her...
And again...with Gran and Grandad!
Christmas lunch!
Carter and Walker being silly!
Walker had a ball "helping" everyone open gifts!

We left Henderson after Walker's nap on Christmas day and headed back to Alabama. We stopped in Montgomery for a couple of nights to celebrate Christmas with them.

Walker's new ride :)
Walking his "Fur-real" pet from Boo and Papa
His new rocking horse!
Christmas was wonderful this year. I can't believe that next year at Christmas we will be a family of four with a 2 year old and a 10 month old!! I'm already excited!!

Chuck-E cheese and the Zoo

2011-12-23T14:56:00.005-06:00

On Monday Richard and I took Walker on a little day trip to Montgomery. We took Walker to Chuck-E Cheese with Boo for lunch then we went with Boo, Papa, Lyndsey, Margaret Ann and Claire to the Zoo to see all of the Christmas lights. Walker did so great and had a ball!

Boo showing Walker the ducks

Sweet boy loved the car at ChuckE Cheese

But his favorite was the "Dance, Dance Revolution" and let me tell this boy was breaking it down to BINGO!

Walker even got to ride a horse!
At first, Walker was not to sure about all of the characters, but he eventually warmed up to them!

Walker-man getting ready to go into the Zoo
Papa and Walker
The kiddos :)
Walker loved the hat that came with his meal at dinner!
Best buds! Walker and MA

Walker and Daddy :)

Christmas Party and SANTA!

2011-12-17T17:06:00.007-06:00

On Thursday Walker had his "school" Christmas party. Those kiddos were so cute! It was so nice to see Walker happy and playing with his new friends. I was really nervous about starting Walker in a "preschool" so early, but I know now that it was a good decision! When we take him to his room for school, he no longer cries (BIGGGG improvement) and is excited and ready to play! He is also learning a lot. Over the past couple of weeks Richard and I noticed that everytime Walker hears the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" Walker would start dancing and doing the same movements with his hands. Since it is not a Bible song, we assumed he learned it from his school and sure enough when we asked his teacher about it they have been singing and dancing to that song! Anyways, his party was fun. Here are a few pictures:

Walker taking his cookie and actually sitting in his seat!

And now Walker is up and going...less than 2 minutes later! Mrs. Linda told us that day that they have a hard time getting Walker to stay in his seat...and yes, this was AFTER she said that all of the other children are doing so great as far as sitting in their chair is concerned......hmmmm...wonder where he gets that from?!? Can we say like mother like son?!? Good thing he is only 15 months old!

Baby boy reading his Christmas present from Mrs. Linda, an animal book! :)

Yesterday, we took Walker to see Santa! We were a little nervous because his mood has been very up and down because of his ear infection and due to the fact that he has been having some major separation anxiety issues...well this little stinker knows when to turn it on! HE LOVED SANTA!! He kept saying "TA" "TA" "TA" and went straight to him and when I picked him up off of his lap he started reaching for him again! What a little stinker! So cute!! :)

31 weeks and counting!

2011-12-16T07:41:00.001-06:00

Sweet Lucy at 31 weeks!

Christmas Time and 15 months!!!

2011-12-14T15:44:00.010-06:00

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!! We have had SO much fun over the past couple of weeks as we have started to celebrate the holiday season! Last weekend, we took Walker to "A Christmas in a Railroad Town" in downtown Opelika. It was so much fun and Walker LOVED it! We didn't make it to see Santa while we were there, but we did get to see lots of other fun things!

Walker LOVING the fire truck!

Walker saw his friend Cooper!
Walker absolutely LOVED these carolers! He was dancing and laughing! It was so funny to watch!
Me and my baby!

Richard and Walker witha goofy grin (to match is goofy personality!). Notice the chocolate on Walker's face....yes he is his mother's child!

We saw horses and Walker was NOT happy that he could not play with them!

And we saw Aubie-clause!!

Take 1: Not so much a fan

Take 2...about 5 minutes later after Aubie started dancing for Walker....
Take 3...
The next night, Richard and I hosted a Chili and Cookie christmas party. We had almost 30 people over from our church. It was a blast! Most people either brought chili or cookies. We had 7 different types of chili and 10 different kinds of cookies. I had my camera out but totally forgot to take pictures once everyone came over....I did remember to take a couple before hand...

Our Cookie Table! :)

Walker is now 15 months! We went for his check up on Wednesday and he is one healthy boy and is growing so well! He weighed 24.5ish pounds (he was NOT a fan of the scale and was pitching a royal fit...and NOT wanting to sit...so this was as close as they could get) and was 33.5inches long. He was in the 75% for length and 50% for weight. Yep. Long and skinny just like his daddy! He is developing well and above average on his verbal development (what? someone with Wheatley genes likes to talk? Go figure.) AND according to our pediatrician early verbal development is the only early indicator for intelligence! YAY baby boy got his brains from his daddy! Smart boy!

Here are some things about W at 15 months:

-Walker is down to 1 nap a day and has been since he turned 12 months old. He usually naps about 2 1/2-4 hours

- Baby has 9 teeth and according to his doctor he is in the process of cutting his molars.

- Walker is a BIG eater! He is not really picky and will eat just about anything we give him (including my vegetarian stuff)

- He is actually able to communicate most things that he wants "Bite" (he wants to eat) "Wawa" (he is thirsty) "Ni-ni" (he is ready for bed) "side" (wants to go outside) "Dee" (wants to watch a movie) "BAAAHH" (he WANTS to take a bath). He also can follow some directions "Let's go night night" - He will go to his room "Let's go upstairs"- He will go to the stairs "Let's take a bath" - he will go into the bathroom, "where's your..." and MOST of the time he will go find whatever it is

-Baby boy has learned almost all of the animal sounds and animals. He can point to most of them in a book.

-Our baby is a little parrot and will try to repeat any word you say.

-He wears size 5 diapers and 18-24 month clothes.

- He LOVES his "night-night" (his blanket) and will carry it around the house with him

- He sleeps with a paci and will only want one when he is awake when he is super tired

- This boy loves, loves, LOVES music and dancing as well as animals (esp our dog, Gatsy!)

My water baby :)

2011-12-07T11:41:00.001-06:00

Such a happy baby!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T15:59:00.006-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving with my family in Montgomery. It was so much fun! Now that Walker is a little bit older he was really able to play with his cousins Claire and MA. It was so much fun to see how close these 3 are getting!

Papa reading to MA, Walker and Claire.

The cousins

Margaret Ann and Walker are only about a year and a half apart. I really think they are going to be great buddies!
BUBBLES!
Sweet Baby Boy!

Daddy and Walker. Walker was just sitting on the wall beside Richard. I should have taken this as a hint that he was getting sick! :)

My sister made this for the kids at Thanksgiving lunch! How precious is it??
The food!
On Friday afternoon, my family celebrated Richard's birthday (which was really yesterday). Claire choose the candles for the cake AND helped Richard blow out the candles. I have never seen anyone love parties as much as this girl!

Family pic....look at baby Walker...he looks like he does not feel well at all! This was Friday afternoon and he was already running a fever. After we got back into town we took him to the doctor on Saturday morning and found out that not only did he have his first ear infection he also had hand, foot, and mouth disease! Poor buddy!
In other news, on Thanksgiving day Lucy and I officially entered our THIRD TRIMESTER!!! WOOHOO! Time is flying by!!

27 weeks 5 days and Anniversary!

2011-11-22T15:14:00.003-06:00

This morning Lucy and I had another perfect doctor's appointment! I am so thankful for having such a healthy pregnancy! We had our glucose test this morning and I passed with flying colors! Actually, when the nurse took my blood sugar it was actually low so she told me that I needed to go eat something right then...oh darn that meant I just had to go by Starbucks on my way home! :) Lucy is also growing perfectly and her heartbeat was so strong! I am so thankful for a healthy little girl!

Baby bump at 27 wks 5 days!

This week Richard and I have SO much to be thankful for! First, Lucy and I had a perfect doctors appointment today. Today also marks our 3 year anniversary! Thursday is Thanksgiving AND it is the first day of my THIRD trimester! YES! That means in 9 short weeks, sweet little Lucy will be considered full term! Finally on Sunday we will celebrate Richard's birthday! What a wonderful week we have a head of us!

Richard and I have had so many life changing experiences in our 3 short years of marriage. When we first got married we lived in Montgomery and Richard was commuting to Auburn to work. Richard graduated with his PhD in December and was offered a permanent job at the University. I completed my dietetic internship the summer after we got married and we bought our first house and moved to Opelika. I applied and was accepted to graduate school at Auburn. Pretty much on our 13 month anniversary of being married we found out that we were expecting our first precious blessing. The following summer I transfered schools to the University of Alabama. In September we welcomed James Walker Willis into the world, all of this before our 2nd anniversary! I graduated from graduate school in May and we found out that Little Lucy was on the way in June. And here we are! I am working two jobs from the house and am a "stay at home mom," Richard is an Assistant research professor at the National Center for Asphalt Technology, and we have a vivacious, lively, funny, wide open 14 month old whom we love very much. Richard is the most amazing husband and father. He works tremendously hard at everything that he does at work and at home. He puts God first, his family second and his work third. He constantly gives more than I could ever ask of him. He is the most self sacrificing person I know, a wonderful protector and provider. I honestly can not remember what life was like before him and I can't imagine life without him!

A Wednesday to remember...

2011-11-20T16:54:00.006-06:00

Last Wednesday was a day to remember.

That morning my Mom came into town to watch Walker while Richard and I went for a repeat 4-D ultrasound. The week before at our ultrasound Lucy was being a little stubborn so we weren't able to get very many good pictures of her. Well, that morning she cooperated a little bit more and we got some precious pictures of sweet little girl!

Sweet, sweet baby girl! This ultrasound made me even MORE excited to meet her! Come on February!!

Well, when we left our ultrasound I turned on the radio and heard that there were some bad storms in downtown Auburn and that there was a potential tornado. I was on my way home to see Walker and mom and Richard was going to stop and grab some lunch for all of us. About 3 minutes after I walk into the door mom and I start to hear some terrible sounds and look up to see a CHAIR FLY BY the window! Mom grabbed Walker and ran to the bathroom while I searched for my phone. My immediate thought was "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND." He was getting lunch LITERALLY 1 mile away! I could just invision his car in a ditch somewhere. Not good. I tried to call him over and over and no answer. He finally calls back and says in a cool, calm and collected voice, "Sorry I missed your call." Supposedly, at Tiger Town it was barely raining and did not understand my panic! When I told him our house was HIT BY A TORNADO he seemed to understand my worry a little bit more! Yes. Our home was hit! I am so thankful that the Lord was watching over my husband and my home so that my sweet babies and mother were safe!

Over half of our fence is gone, garage door blown in, a column gone, all of our windows are messed up, trees blown over, siding blown off our house, and a trampoline from 4 houses down in our backyard. It was absolutely crazy. I am SO thankful that everyone was ok and no one was hurt. I am also thankful for homeowner's insurance.

A few pictures from that day:

No fence and the trampoline...notice a panel of our fence in the trees!

Bye, bye new maples!
Our column that is barely standing

26.5 weeks

2011-11-14T13:19:00.004-06:00

26.5 weeks! In just 1.5 weeks (aka on Thanksgiving day) Lucy and I will be in our THIRD trimester! WOOHOO! Last week we had our 4-D ultrasound of baby girl. Her positioning made it hard for our ultrasound tech to get very many good pictures, so we get to go back and try again...oh darn! I have to see my sweet girl again :) With the couple of good pictures we did get, we already thinks she looks a lot more like me than Walker does!

Within the next 7 days we will have our next 4-D ultrasound as well as my glucose test and next doctors appointment, then I will be seeing the doctor every 2 weeks!

Speaking of sweet little Lucy's positioning, right now her head is up, pretty much underneath my rib cage (already!) and her face is looking at a my back. This explains why I have been SO uncomfortable this past week or so! Every time she curls up her knees jab into my back causing some back pain, when she decides to stretch out or kick straight down...well...let's just say that is very, VERY uncomfortable!! Other than that, I am pretty much tired ALL of the time due to the fact that I haven't been able to sleep since the day we found out we were expecting and that coupled with chasing a 14 month old who is VERY, VERY much a momma's boy and is going through some pretty bad separation anxiety makes me absolutely exhausted by the end of the day.

Other than being uncomfortable and exhausted I am doing pretty well. I am still working out 6 days a week and am actually feeling better while working out/teaching than I did with Walker. I started having Braxton Hicks contractions about 2 weeks ago. I think that is around the time I started having them with Walker. We are still waiting on our nursery furniture to be delivered BUT the nursery is painted, the bedding is in AND my sister made me a PRECIOUS wreath to go on the hospital door and in Lucy's room! I will post pictures once some progress is made! :)

Little Lucy you are already loved by so many people! I can't wait for you to be here and I can't wait to hold you and kiss your sweet little face!!

My little Bam-Bam :)

2011-11-03T19:38:00.001-05:00

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Ketchup anyone?

2011-11-02T07:43:00.001-05:00

Last night Walker was introduced to ketchup....

Halloween 2011!

2011-10-31T19:08:00.004-05:00

Halloween was so much fun this year! Last night, we had a Halloween party with both of the young married share groups from church. We had tons of food, sweets and a bonfire. Walker had a ball playing outside with his friends and riding in the wagon. I think he ran around non stop for almost 2 hours straight. He was one happy boy!

Baby in the wagon:
Daddy playing with Walker
Tonight, we had our trunk-or-treat at church. Walker had an absolute ball! He ran around the parking lot like he owned the place. I let him have a couple of bites of candy and he definitely takes after his momma! He LOVED the Reese's cups as well as Almond Joys! That's my boy! :)

Our little Monkey! (Doesn't he look like such a big boy with all of those teeth?? He has only cut SIX in the past 2 months...)
Proud of himself for finding some candy. Notice the Snickers in his hand....
Found our candy bowl!

Daddy and little man
So today, I had my LAST doctor's appointment in my second trimester! Woohoo! I go back in 3 weeks for my blood sugar test. This morning I had some stuff go on that REALLY scared me. I was a nervous wreck going into the doctor's office but thankfully I already had an appointment scheduled for today. Luckily, everything was great. My belly is growing right on track, everything they checked was just like it was supposed to be and sweet little Lucy's heartbeat was strong! My wonderful doctor was very pleased (and relieved) at how everything looked. Since my morning was so nerve wracking, tonight my sweet, wonderful husband surprised me with these beautiful flowers! Happy Halloween!

Lazy Saturday

2011-10-29T13:48:00.005-05:00

Baby boy loves "walking" Gatsy....not too sure that Gatsy likes it so much.....

Daddy taking Walker on a walk and Walker "walking" Gatsy :)

HELLO Baby Bump!! 24.5 weeks! I feel like little Lucy is going to make mommy's tummy very big by the end of this! Even though I have gained less weight so far, my bump is DEFINITELY bigger....here is my bump with Walker at 30 weeks:

Little Lucy at 24.5 weeks....

Walker's first day of "school"

2011-10-27T14:32:00.002-05:00

Our little man started "school" today!!

A couple of weeks ago Richard and I decided that it would be a perfect time for Walker to start some sort of nursery school. We called and visited many of the local churches and looked at their programs. We are on the waiting list for our top pick but were able to get Walker into Lakeview. His program is from 8:45-11:45 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They play outside, have craft time, read a Bible story, sing, and learn colors and shapes. There are 2 teachers and 8 children (7 boys and 1 girl!). They have snack time every day and will even have a little Christmas program in December! We thought this would be a perfect time for Walker to before Lucy arrives early next year.

When I dropped him off this morning he had a minor meltdown (when I leave him in anywhere this is what happens) but as soon as I closed the door to the room and was out of eye sight he stopped crying. When it was time to pick him up I looked in the door and he was playing like a big boy! He saw me and didn't not shed one tear! Usually, when I leave him in any type of childcare setting whether it be at the gym or the nursery at church, he will usually turn on the tears as soon as I get there to pick him up. Not today! He saw me and smiled, went to grab a ball and brought it over to show me. He was so happy and in such a good mood! Now, when we got home he was exhausted and had to have me touching him at all times (he would not eat lunch unless he was sitting on my lap) but for his first day I thought it went great!

First day of school is a great excuse to buy a cute backpack....right?!? :)

My little man before school!

In other news, I am 24 weeks (AKA SIX MONTHS) today! I have my LAST appointment in my 2nd trimester on Monday! I am thrilled! I am ready for this sweet little girl to get here!

Henderson and a Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-17T13:59:00.007-05:00

This weekend we visited Richard's family in Henderson, TN. It was a short trip but it was wonderful!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend :

LB and Walker: These two were best buds.

Gran found a "Walker sized" broom for baby boy. Walker LOVED it!! It was the FIRST thing he asked for when he woke up in the morning and from his naps. We even had to have it out of sight when it was meal time!
LB and Walker playing on Grandad's lawn mower!
On Saturday, we all visited a pumpkin patch. It was SO much fun! The pumpkin patch not only had pumpkins but also had a hayride, train rides, a corn box, a petting Zoo, horses, horse back riding, and a play ground. So fun!

Walker and Daddy:
Walker LOVES animals. Here he is looking at the horses.

Walker even got to take his first pony ride!
Isn't he a big boy!
Walker man found some goats by the play ground and couldn't help but go check them out!
The cousins LB, Walker, and Carter
Family picture!
Walker loves his Aunt Becky!!
Grandad, Gran and all of the kiddo's
Sweet cousins!
What a fun day and weekend!

In other news, Walker now has SEVEN teeth!! I can't believe it! When he turned 1 he only had 3, now he has 7!! 4 up top and 3 on the bottom. He looks like a big boy! Today was also the first day of transitioning baby boy to 1 nap a day. Since Walker was almost 12 months his naps have been dwindling. When he was first born he was a TERRIBLE sleeper, but after a LOT of sleep training he became a great sleeper and napper. When his morning and afternoon nap had gotten down to about 1 hour each I decided it was time to make the change. I was very nervous at first because he started crying after only being down for 1 hour, it has now been over 2.5 hours and he is still asleep :) YAY for long naps again!

Rainy day fun and 22 weeks!

2011-10-13T10:04:00.004-05:00

Over the past week and a half little Lucy and I have been fighting off a nasty cold. We are FINALLY feeling good and actually have energy! YAY! At 22 weeks we are feeling good! Little Lucy Katherine moves all of the time. I absolutely LOVE feeling her move. I think she is going to be as active as Walker is! She really likes it when I work out. I am teaching classes at the gym about 6 times a week and feeling good while I workout. I am mainly doing BodyAttack and BodyPump but will occasionally take a RPM class. The nursery is coming together and is getting painted this weekend while we go up to TN to visit Richard's family. The bedding is ordered, curtains are in as well as a sweet lamp. The rug is picked out, the crib is at my sister's house. Now just to pick out the rest of her furniture and find some cute things for the wall and the nursery will be done! At the rate I am going it may be done before I get to my 3rd trimester! Woohoo! Here is sweet little Lucy at 22 weeks! Only 18 weeks (or less) left to go! :)

This week has been GROSS outside. Drizzly, rainy and wet. Baby boy has been so sad that he can not play outside, so, this week Walker man has discovered the garage. Oh boy! He does love it!

This 13 month old is so strong that we call him "bam-bam" :)

Playing with his favorite things: the pool and the brooms

"Mommy, why isn't there any water in here??"
Baby wishing the baby pool was still filled with water and trying to figure out how to get Gatsy in there with him.

Walker Man

2011-10-07T19:56:00.002-05:00

Since we have been home, Walker and I have had LOTS of bonding time!

What can I say...like mother, like son! :) He LOVES the broom and my Walker sized vacuum!

Sweet buddy getting some fresh air
After dragging sweet boy on several errands, I decided to take Walker the park for some play time. He LOVED it!

Our Journey to Paradise

2011-09-29T19:24:00.009-05:00

Richard and I have been planning an "us" getaway since before Walker was born. Once we decided that we wanted to go somewhere where we had to do absolutely NOTHING, we found a wonderful resort in Nassau, Bahama. About 72 hours before we left, if you were to have asked me if I was excited about our trip I might have replied "well, if we are going." Here is how everything went down.

PART I : CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

Our flight to Nassau was booked for Wednesday morning, flying out of Montgomery. Since it was early, the plan was to drive to Montgomery on Tuesday with Walker and let him begin to get adjusted to Boo and Papa's house before we left. Well, Monday when I called my Mom she sounded AWFUL! She had developed a TERRIBLE chest cold. She could barely talk, was coughing up a lung and felt pretty terrible. Well, this made me nervous because 1) Walker is 13 months old. While he is a very happy baby, he is also very busy and in to everything!! 2) Mom felt terrible and trying to keep up with Walker would be very, very hard 3) Walker has just gotten over a tummy bug and cold himself and I was nervous that he would get sick while we were away.

Richard and I decided to wait it out before we made any decisions. On Monday, Richard had to drive to Florence, AL for an overnight work trip.

PART II: THE PREGNANT BLONDE AND THE VIRUS

Tuesday rolls around. Mom still sounds sick but is going to the doctor. Richard is still out of town. He calls the resort to see what options we have as far as rescheduling but we quickly realize that we have no other time to go before little Lucy comes along.

I needed to go to Montgomery that day to do some work, so I decided to go ahead and pack up the car and figure out what to do as I drove. Once Walker woke up from his morning nap I grabbed the last few things and put them in the car with Walker and Gatsy. I realized that I had forgotten something on the kitchen table. I decided to leave the car running and dash inside to get it. Well, when I run back outside I see Gatsy wagging her tail in excitement while looking out of the driver door window. I go to open the door and it is LOCKED! Yes, Gatsy had LOCKED the car WITH my SON IN IT....not to mention my cell phone, wallet etc...

PANIC mode set in! What was I to do?!?! Richard was out of town, my phone was in the car, and my neighbors were not home! I began to panic. THANKFULLY, just then, our mail man drove up! I ran up to him and asked/begged to use his cell phone. He looked at me like I was crazy and said "sure." I then told him "MY SON IS LOCKED IN MY CAR" He immediately jumped out of the mail truck and ran over to the car and told me to get a wrench and rag while he started unscrewing the antenna. Thankfully, within 5 minutes he had unlocked the car! Praise the Lord!

I think my problem in this situation was that at this time I was driving Richard's Tahoe. I have run in very quickly a couple of times before when driving my car. In my car, you do not need to put the key in the ignition for it to start, it has a smart button, so whenever I would run inside in the past I would always have my keys with me and the car would still be running. I guess between my pregnancy brain and trying to get out of town I just was not thinking. I'm so thankful for our mailman, that the car was on and that Walker was ok (and I guess I am thankful that Gatsy was ok as well..even though she had gotten overly excited in this whole situation and piddled all over the front two seats of the car...so I was one UNHAPPY camper with my puppy).

So, we finally are on our way to Montgomery. In the meantime Mom goes to the doctor. The doctor says that she has a virus that has been going around and it is very contagious. Great. She gets a shot and some antibiotics, but you know with a virus not too much helps. What do we do?? Thankfully, I have a wonderful sister that lives about 10 minutes away from my parents who offered to keep Walker while mom recovered some! Let me tell you, from the sounds of it Walker was spoiled rotten by my Lyndsey, Russell, Claire, MA as well as my Mom and Dad! Another problem averted! I'm so thankful for wonderful family!

PART III: PLANES, TRAINS AND CURBS

Wednesday morning FINALLY rolls around and Richard and I wake up to a pretty nasty thunderstorm. We don't think too much of it and drive to the airport and check in. As we are waiting I realize we only have about 15 minutes until we are supposed to take off. I ask Richard "is our plane here yet?" No. It was not. We didn't have a very long lay over in ATL and our flight to Nassau was the last one out of ATL that day, so to say the least I start to get tickled from all of these things that have happened over the past several days. At the time our plane was supposed to take off we hear that our plane has not even left ATL yet due to weather. Oh my stars. I really did not think we would ever get to the Bahamas. Luckily we did. Our plane finally came and once we landed we RAN to our gate and made our flight! YAY! We were finally on our way!!! Smooth sailing from here....right?!?!

Wrong! After landing in the Bahamas and getting our luggage we finally hooked up with our transportation to the hotel. As SOON as we walk out of the airport, this clumsy, pregnant lady TRIPS on a curb and falls! It doesn't sound that bad, but let me tell you it HURT! By the time we got to the resort I could barely walk on my foot and by that night I could not put any weight on my foot at all. By this time I was just laughing, despite the fact that I did not sleep a wink that night due to throbbing pain in my foot and being on crutches. Thankfully, we were FINALLY on vacation! No where to be, nothing to do and no 13 month to chase after.

PART IV: A PERFECT ENDING.

We left Sunday. And our vacation was absolutely PERFECT. We rested and relaxed, slept without a baby monitor, we read, talked with no interruptions, ate some yummy food, visited downtown Nassau and Atlantis, went snorkeling and just loved every minute. It was so wonderful to just be "us" again. For those of you who have children you understand, and for those of you who are about to have kiddos, you will understand soon. Even though "us" time was WONDERFUL by Sunday I was READY to see my sweet baby boy. I was so ready that I begged Richard to rent a car in ATL so we could get back to Montgomery before Walker went to bed. It was so nice to shower my baby with hugs and kisses on Sunday night. I missed that sweet boy!Thanks Mom, Dad, Lyndsey and Russell for taking such good care of my precious baby while we were gone!!

My growing babies

2011-09-23T15:38:00.003-05:00

My poor baby has not been feeling well this week. Poor baby Walker had a tummy bug for about a week and seriously THE DAY that started to go away he got a terrible cold! It has been a rough week for my sweet boy! Sick babies are the worst. I feel so helpless. They are so upset but can't communicate to tell you where they hurt or what they are feeling. I really hope my sweet boy is on the mend soon! I miss his sweet smile and laugh!

Since he has been feeling so bad this week, we haven't gotten out to much. Walker did find some fun at the house....the "boom"

Walker LOVES the "boom" (aka the broom) almost as much as mommies "uuummm" (aka Vacuum)

Getting some fresh air:

Little (but definitely growing) sweet Lucy at 19 wks right before I went to teach BodyAttack:
Surprisingly I can still fit into my pants. I have a feeling that is about to change! I can't believe we are on the brink of 5 months! Almost half way!

A day in Montgomery

2011-09-18T11:27:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, we spent the day in Montgomery hanging out with my family. We had a WONDERFUL day. First, we took Walker to the Zoo. It was his first time there and boy did he LOVE it! I was very surprised at how much he liked looking at all of the animals! We walked around the Zoo for about an hour then took rode the train. Walker had a great time! After the Zoo it was nap time for baby boy. He was worn out! While he was napping, Mom and I went out and did a little shopping for Walker and started looking for some nursery furniture for Lucy. After Walker's nap time we all headed over to my sister's house for dinner. It was so much fun! The kids played outside and we ate some delicious food. Lucy Katherine even got a surprise! It was such a fun day and we were all ready for bed when we got home! I love having my family close by!

Papa, Walker and Boo
Boo and Walker looking at the Spider Monkeys
Papa and Walker on the train

A rare thing...a picture of me and Richard!

My big boy

Sweet Claire and Walker playing

Annie Boo
Lucy Katherine's surprise! :)

"Inch"...Pink or Blue??

2011-09-14T15:59:00.004-05:00

We had our big ultrasound last week and I was so relieved to know that my sweet baby is developing well and is perfectly healthy! I was so nervous all morning and it was such a relief to know that everything is going well. To add to the great news of our baby being healthy, to our surprise we found out that we are having a GIRL!!!! YAY! I was absolutely SHOCKED and thrilled! Here are a few pictures of our sweet little Lucy Katherine Willis :)

17 Weeks and Walker's 1 year Stats

2011-09-12T09:56:00.006-05:00

Last week, Walker had his 1 year check up! He was such a big boy and did so well.

Length: 30.5 inches (75%)

Weight: 21 lbs 14 oz (50% weight for length)

Yep, that means he is long and skinny just like his daddy! My sweet baby is getting bigger and bigger by the day. If you say an object outside or around the house he can point them out. His vocabulary has taken off over the past couple of weeks. He is completely off bottles and formula and only drinks milk and water from his sippy cup. He still takes a paci at nap and bed time (well...make that 3 paci's one for his mouth and one for each hand) but does not really care about them during the day. He DESPISES his car seat, stroller, high chair...well pretty much anything that confines him. I feel like this is going to be a big hurdle for us to overcome one day. My baby boy loves to laugh and will laugh at himself and does not like to feel alone. He and Gatsy are even better friends now that he can chase her and they love to play together. Walker is still taking 2 naps a day, but unfortunately, I feel like he is starting to transition to one nap a day. He is a wonderful eater and will eat anything except for lima beans! He even likes my veggie stuff, greek yogurt and he likes boiled OKRA! Big boy!

We have been spending a lot of time outside lately. The weather has cooled off (some) and Walker has LOVED being outdoors!

Sweet boy having fun sticking his face under water while playing with his new water table.

Walker LOVES running with his wagon (and taking the sides off)

Clapping after daddy let him slide

Here is sweet baby Lucy at 17 weeks, 3 days....Lucy has definitely had a growth spurt lately...and has had another one since this picture. As far as how Lucy's home has been feeling (aka ME)...I have had a lot more energy lately, which is a GOOD thing, considering Walker is now RUNNING and I am still working 2 jobs from the house plus teaching group fitness classes. Overall, I have been feeling pretty good. I do get pretty uncomfortable after being on my feet for a while, and unfortunately when I asked the doctor about this he said that it is normal with your second child and will probably just get worse (YAY). But he also said it is not hurting the baby when I am uncomfortable...I can deal with the pain as long as Lucy is safe! Other than that I am still teaching at the gym pretty much everyday of the week (except Sundays) and feeling good while I am teaching. So things are good!

Walker is one

2011-09-05T18:29:00.010-05:00

My sweet, precious, angel turned one on Sunday. I just can't believe how fast this past year has gone by. Before you have children people tell you how much life changes once you do. Me, being me, never believed them. I knew life would change, but I did not realize how much a small, little person would change me! On September 4, 2010 I fell in love with a little boy who I never had met before. The moment I held him in my arms I loved him so much I knew that I would give up my life for him. Walker has brought us love, joy, worry, tears, laughter, sleepless nights and so many fun times. He has taught me and Richard about ourselves, our marriage, and our faith more than any other life experience. He is so sweet and good natured. He is great with new people and wonderful with other children. Walker has more energy than any other baby I have seen. He is always busy and into something. He never sits still and loves attention. He does not like to cuddle unless he is exhausted. He hates his carseat and can not sit in his high chair for 10 minutes. He loves to laugh, sing, and he squeals with joy when other people laugh. He loves music and anything that makes noise. He has 3 teeth and is a GREAT eater (he even likes my veggie "chik'n" patties, falafel, broccoli, hummus and blackbean burgers).This past year has been such a wonderful ride and I can not wait to see what this next year has in store for us. Walker mommy and daddy love you very much!

Walker, September 4, 2010, 1st day of life :)

Walker, September 3, 2011, 1 year later!

Baby excited about his party decorations

Boo reading to Claire, MA, and Walker

Sweet Claire giving Walker some sugar :)
The kiddos at the W's party eating lunch
Annie Boo
Sweet cousins: LB, Walker, and Carter
Carter, LB, and Claire
The decorations outside

Balloons and flowers inside :)
Dad, manning the grill :)
Baby boy not too thrilled about his birthday hat
The BEAUTIFUL flowers!

Birthday BOY!
Gran, Grandad and Walker
Richard and Walker
The food!

The cake!
I think Walker has inherited my chocoholic gene :)

So happy!

Groom's Cake and 15 weeks!

2011-08-27T19:22:00.005-05:00

Pictures of my first groom's cake. Was it perfect? No. But I did it :)

A 3 tiered cake with 2 layers of double chocolate chip cake surrounding a layer of white chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate truffle in between each layer, topped with buttercream frosting :)

Baby Bump at 15 weeks, 2 days. T-minus 13 days until we find out if this sweet baby is a boy or girl! Can't wait!

Family Beach Trip Days 2, 3, and 4

2011-08-23T18:59:00.005-05:00

We drove home from from Panama City yesterday and were so sad to leave! We had an amazing time with my family at our annual beach trip! Walker had SO much fun and was SUCH a trooper! Thanks Boo and Papa for everything! :)

Papa and Walker on the frog at the toddler "splash pad"

Sweet boy LOVING the water (the sand was another story..)
Me, Claire and Walker before dinner one night
Distracting the babies while we were waiting on our food. This night we at a restaurant called Firefly. President Obama ate here with his family when they came down to the Gulf Coast after the oil spill last summer. Pretty cool.
Getting ready for bed!
Family picture after lunch at Pier Park
Boo and Walker watching the big kids and Uncle Richard at the Miracle Strip on Pier Park
Richard taking the girls on a ride...
There they go!

Baby's first time on a carousel! (I felt OLD....the carousel made me dizzy and woozy! I'll blame it on the pregnancy!)

Sweet boy after swimming!

Boo and the babies

"Inch" at 14 weeks and Beach Trip Day 1

2011-08-18T20:51:00.005-05:00

Baby Bump at 14 weeks :

Walker getting ready for FOOTBALL season! Say "touchdown!"
Today, my family left for our annual beach trip. This morning we packed up and headed to Panama City Beach to spend 5 days.

Sweet Claire
Walker loving the indoor "splash park"
Daddy and Walker loving the slide!
Sweet, sweet, boy
Papa and Baby before dinner
The cousins. None look too thrilled with the photo shoot!
Margaret Annie

An update on my BABIES :)

2011-08-16T15:34:00.006-05:00

Yes, it has been over a month (again) since I have updated. I keep promising myself that I am going to get better about updating my blog, but let's be honest, life is busy and I have pregnancy brain so I forget :)

A lot has happened in the past 5 weeks!

Walker is now WALKING! He took his first steps 2 days before he turned 10 months old. Now, he is walking all over the place. I have enjoyed him being able to walk. A lot of people told me that he was going to be so much harder to keep up with once he started walking but, honestly, he was such a fast crawler that it is about the same. Now, I can put him down in "dirty" places and he can get some energy out without touching the floor! Other than the increase in bumps and bruises I have really enjoyed baby boy meeting this milestone!

We have FINALLY gotten our sweet, sweet child to sleep through the night (PRAISE BE)! He now will fall asleep at about 7:00 and sleep until 7:00 in the morning! YAY!

Walker now says several words "ma-ma" "da-da" "hot" "ba-ba" every now and then "pa-pa" he also tries to say "light" "gatsy" and "thank you" but if you heard it, you would not be able to recognize what he is saying. He also knows the meaning of many words. He will point to the light, fan, chair, table, book, ball, dog, door, car, gatsy, and ALL of our family members.

Our sweet boy can also "sing." When you ask him to sing he will go "AHHHHHHHHH." He LOVES music. He is going to be very musical like his father. He will sing along to songs on the radio and move his hand to the beat. Smart boy!

Our precious child turns 1 in just a few weeks. I CAN NOT BELIEVE it! This year has flown by. That sweet boy has made such a special addition to our family and mine and Richard's marriage so much stronger. I thank the Lord every day for such a healthy, happy, sweet, child.

Baby 2 (aka "INCH") Update.

Tomorrow I will be 14 weeks!! Yes, I am ALREADY out of my first trimester! I feel like this pregnancy has been flying by! Probably because I am not only crazy busy, but crazy busy and trying to keep up with an 11 month old!

I am FINALLY feeling better! YAY! I have felt so different with this pregnancy. The morning sickness was much more come and go. I either feel great or terrible, no in between. Also, I have not been as emotional as I was with Walker but have already definitely had the urge to nest (which makes me think we are having a girl) :).

At my last doctors appointment inch's heartbeat was 168. Walker's heartbeat was never that fast. The doctor said my labs look perfect and everything is going great! We go back on September 9th to have an ultrasound and find out if it is a boy or girl! I am excited to find out, but I will be even more excited once I know that everything is developing properly with this sweet baby!

And, just in case anyone was wondering, I am still teaching classes at the gym and have actually felt great while working out! This makes me happy because with Walker I had some problems with my feet and had to stop doing impact at 5 months. Hopefully, that won't be a problem this go around! :)

Baby boy STILL loves water (wonder who he gets that from? :) ) He will stick his face under water or under the faucet! Scares me to death! He has only choked on water once or twice and ALWAYS comes up smiling. Let's just say we don't turn our head for a second when he is around water :)

My great friend, Stephanie, came up to spend a couple of weeks with us at the end of July. Let's just say that now Walker and Stephanie are new best friends!
Baby has discovered the joys of unrolling toilet paper....
and of pouring water all over mommy's hardwood floors :)
So proud of himself...
A quick picture before daddy had to go to work.
Sweet cousins: Laura Beth, Carter, and Walker

A Baby Blog!

2011-07-06T13:45:00.003-05:00

Yep! It is true! Richard and I are expecting our second child in February! We found out about a month ago and were thrilled! Walker and lil' bit #2 will be 17.5 months apart. Are we crazy to want 2 children so close? Maybe. Are we excited? YES!!!

The picture above is the picture that we sent to our families to tell them that I was pregnant. Can you see it? :) Right now I am almost 8 weeks and I can ALREADY tell that these pregnancies are going to be so different. With Walker, I felt TERRIBLE from the day after we had our first positive pregnancy test. With this sweet baby it has been more come and go. I am great one moment then the next I feel HORRIBLE. At least I have some moments of feeling not nauseous. I have also been much more tired with this one. Now, don't get me wrong, I was exhausted with Walker. Right now, I feel like I already have pregnancy insomnia and am chasing a 10month old all while trying to keep up with school, studying for comps and getting into the swing of a new job...to say the least, exhausted does not describe how I feel.

With Walker I definitely had food that I liked more or less than I did when I was not pregnant, but did not have a lot of cravings. I am already having some WEIRD food things! I also feel like I already have a "pregnancy pooch." With baby boy, I don't think I really showed until I was almost 6 months along.

We are going next Wednesday for an ultrasound! I can't wait to see this sweet baby!

The past 6 weeks!

2011-07-04T15:12:00.007-05:00

Well, I just realized it has been 6 weeks since I have updated! Today, Walker turns 10 months! I can not believe that in 2 short months our sweet baby will be 1 year old!

Since I missed his 9 month appointment here are Walker's 9 month stats:

Height: 29.5 inches (75%)

Weight: 20.4 lbs (50%)

Here are a few things that he is doing right now:

- He waves bye bye

- He has started talking! He can say "ma-ma" "Gah" "na-na-na" (for no no no...ha..while shaking his head) "ba-ba" for bottle and has just learned how to say "papa"

- He took his first steps 3 days ago. He took 4 in a row! He has taken a couple of steps since then but is still pretty wobbly

- He STILL wakes up once at night to eat.

- He is completely off of baby food. He started refusing to eat from a spoon so now he is eating all table food and is a great eater!

-He can now climb up our stairs (SCARES me to death!)

- Baby gives the biggest, sweetest, most slobbery kisses!

- Sweet boy cut his first 2 teeth the weekend that he turned 9 months old. The same weekend he had a nasty virus.

- Walker now fits comfortably into 18month clothes. Big boy!

- Baby is officially a Mama's boy. If I am in sight....no one else will do! It is super sweet but very exhausting at the same time.

In other news:

Last weekend baby boy spent his first night in the hospital! Poor baby! Baby boy woke up from his afternoon nap that Thursday with a fever of 103. So, immediately I freaked out! We made it through the night but Walker got up with a fever of 102. We called the doctor right away. After a 2.5 hour doctor visit, a strep test, finger prick, catheter, and a huge shot of antibiotics we left with a prescription for antibiotics, a follow up appointment for Saturday morning and knowing that baby had a UTI. It was a pretty rough day. Saturday morning all of baby's lab work looked about the same. The doctor told us to watch him and if his fever spiked or anything new came up to call him. A few afters after we got home baby boy developed a very bad upset stomach and his fever spiked to 103 again. We called the doctor and he told us that we would need to take Walker to the hospital...mainly to make sure that he did not get dehydrated. We ended up spending 2 nights in the hospital. It was horrible. Thankfully Walker is feeling better. We are going back to the hospital on Friday for Walker to have another test to make sure there is no reflux in his kidneys (which is a common cause for UTI's in baby boys). Walker is so blessed to have 2 sets of wonderful grandparents. Both sets of parents came down to help with with baby while he was so sick.

Baby boy right after he was admitted to the hospital:

A very dazed baby in daddy's lap. Check out his poor had with the IV :(

Look how big he has gotten!

Before church on Sunday

Daddy keeping Walker distracted while I got some work done

Sweet baby loves his graham crackers. Yes. That is what is on his face.

This is how baby spends several evenings a week. Playing in the baby pool with Gatsy.

Gran and Walker (in the PRECIOUS outfit that she MADE for him!)

A Week in Montgomery

2011-05-17T20:17:00.005-05:00

Last week Richard had meeting in New Port Beach/Irvine, CA (which is near L.A....poor thing...right?) so Walker and I spent the week at Boo and Papa's house. It was so much fun! When Richard got finally got home he came down to Montgomery to help us celebrate Annie Boo's (my niece) and Papa's (my dad) birthdays. It was such a wonderful week and I REALLY appreciated the help with baby boy. I just realized that I did not take a single picture of my mother with Walker...but let me tell you they have such a special bond! He reaches for her and laughs at her, it is truly priceless. Thank you for all of your help last week, Boo and Papa!

While I was getting ready to pack the car, W found the baby wipes :)

Papa showing Walker the waterfall in their pool....he LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the pool...

Baby L.O.V.I.N.G the water...
Annie Boo (the birthday girl) being silly
the "party room"
Yay for cupcakes!
The cousins: Annie, Walker and sweet Claire (Claire was like a little mommy to Walker...so cute!)

Papa, Claire and Walker.

YAY! Daddy is back from the CA! WOOHOO!

Annie and Papa blowing out the candles!
Pool time!
Baby and Richard
We had so much fun in Montgomery last week! When we got home baby boy slept for 11 HOURS without waking! That is a RECORD for him! He usually only makes it 6 hours...he was worn out :)

Walker Wiggling

2011-05-06T11:40:00.002-05:00

This is what Walker does every time we change his diaper, clothes, or are getting him ready for bed. When I said he does not stay still..EVER...I did not lie :)

8 months old!

2011-05-04T16:30:00.003-05:00

My sweet, sweet baby turned 8 months old today! I just can not believe how fast time is FLYING by! He is growing so well and has an amazing personality! Here are a few things that he is doing:

~Baby boy is crawling EVERYWHERE! He is still army crawling but he is FAST. He can crawl on his hands and knees and does it every now and then but mainly stays with his army crawl.

~He eats baby food very well.....maybe I should say...he eats baby food really well if he is not distracted...

~Baby gets distracted VERY easily. When we are feeding him Gatsy has to be out of the room, blinds closed, noises off, if someone is in the room they have to be standing by you...sweet boy just does not want to miss a thing!

~Baby is taking two-2 hour naps a day. He still only makes it about 6 hours a night. Every now and then he will make it more. I think that he is still hungry in the middle of night because he is SO active during the day.

~Walker DOES NOT stop moving. Ever. Maybe it is because he was bounced around in my belly for 9 months? Seriously, dressing him is a challenge. It took me 10 minutes just to put a pair of shorts on him because he would not stop kicking his legs. And forget about rocking him or cuddling with him. He will squirm and squirm. I do love how active he is!

~This week he has started doing some "tricks." If I say "Walker, say 'NO'" he will shake his head "no"...and he smiles and smiles while doing it. So funny! Also, most of the time, if I say "say 'bye, bye'" he will wave his hand. This is hit or miss. But still for an 8 month old...not to shabby :)

~He has started to give me sugar! There is nothing like a slobbery kiss from my baby!

~Walker is turning into a MAMA's BOY! If he can not see or touch me he is not so happy. As long as I am beside him he is a pretty happy baby.

~He is eating puffs and yogurt melts like a champ! I have given him some table food (steamed carrots, baked sweet potatoes, peas...) but he doesn't have any teeth...so we are just being careful and waiting!

~Baby boy is PULLING UP all over the place! I think that he is going to take after his mama and daddy as well as all of his cousins and be an early walker. I'm getting my running shoes ready!

Trip to Henderson

2011-05-02T16:14:00.007-05:00

This past weekend Richard, Walker and I spent the weekend in Henderson, TN with Richard's family. We have not been able to see Richard's family since Christmas, so, it was a much needed family weekend! We had a wonderful time!

Walker was such a trooper. He did NOT sleep at ALL in the car...either way. So considering he did not fall asleep until after midnight the first night and was up before 7AM, I think he did an outstanding job for an almost 8 month old!

Big J. Walker and little J. Walker

Baby boy watching the big boys play baseball
Aunt Becky and LB with baby.
Walker loves Carter!!

Walker wrestling with Daddy
The cousins! Carter, Walker and LB
Gran and Daddy reading to Walker

STORY TIME! Becky, Gran and Walker

Walker...No!

2011-04-25T16:12:00.002-05:00

The other day, Walker was having a "rough" lunch. He was spewing food, grabbing the spoon and dumping baby food on his booster seat and just being a *touch* cantankerous, so out of a *touch* of frustration I said "Walker, No." And this is the response that I received. I wish I had the camera about 10 minutes earlier....his reaction was much stronger....

Walker's 1st Easter

2011-04-24T16:38:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday with Walker. We were unable to be around our family so we spent Walker's first Easter around our church family. About 20 people from our share group and their family and friends joined us at our home for an Easter potluck lunch. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures from our day.

A fun weeknight visit

2011-04-22T07:57:00.005-05:00

We have been SO busy lately that we haven't had a chance to drive the short 45 minutes to Montgomery to visit Boo and Papa (my mom and dad) and due to 2 finals and a work project all being due within the next 10 days and a trip next weekend we aren't going to be able to make it to Montgomery to spend Easter with them! So, on Wednesday night, Boo and Papa came up to visit us! It was so nice to be able to see them again!

Walker excited about and crawling to his Easter surprise from Boo and Papa!

Thanks Boo and Papa!!
Boo and Walker
Papa and Walker
Walker trying on his Easter bunny ears
Gatsy getting in on the fun!
Daddy and Walker playing with W's new rubber duckies!

What a fun mid week visit! Thanks for coming up Boo and Papa!

Lately

2011-04-19T15:34:00.006-05:00

We have been so busy lately but have been having so much fun!

Walker is 7 1/2 months now and is growing so much! He is honestly the sweetest and funniest baby I have ever met! Here are a few things he is doing these days:

~Eating A LOT! He eats at least 37 ounces of milk a day plus 3 big meals of food. He will eat pretty much any vegetable or fruit that we give him (including spinach, rutabagas, and parsnips) and will eat some baby food meat...but is not a huge fan of it

~He is pushing up to sitting all by himself

~ He is army crawling like crazy! He does not stop moving. Ever. If he is not crawling around then he is bouncing. He does not stop. Ever.

~ He is in to EVERYTHING these days and is rarely quiet and I absolutely love it! He keeps me busy (and tired) but it is SO much fun!

~He started to pull up a few days ago. Yes. Started to pull up at 7 1/2 months......

Here are a few things Walker has been up to lately:

Walker's friend, Cooper, had his first birthday a couple of weeks ago. Here are all the babies at his party:

Sweet Walker

This boy is FEARLESS. Seriously. He is not scared of ANYTHING...including the water! He loves baths and does not mind water in his eyes, ears or nose! He will face plant in the water to get a toy. I guess he is taking after his mama! :) I can not wait to get him into a pool....

This is what we see when we get him from his naps or in the morning. Big boy just sitting there waiting for us to come!
Outside last Saturday

Watching Gatsy before church on Sunday:

My child is a mess. He is into everything and always up to something! I LOVE IT!

Eating. Yes, this is how he looks after every meal. We try to keep him clean...but it just does not happen ...
He has found Gatsy's food. Notice the water bowl on its side...

Under his jumperoo
And again....
He loves my ferns.

Found his way under the chair...trying to get a toy that was under the table...
Here is my sweet baby crawling. And since this video he has gotten so much faster!

Oh My! How time flies!

2011-03-21T11:11:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it has been OVER a month since I updated last. This past month has FLOWN by! Busy would be an understatement for how our lives have been...but you know...I wouldn't have it any other way! I don't think Richard and I would know what to do if our lives slowed down at all! We love living in the midst of crazy schedules.

This month has been a big one for Walker! He turned 6 months (GASP) on the 4th. At his 6 month check up he was 18lbs (just above 50%) and 26.5 inches (Just below 75%) . He has been so much fun and such a joy. Some fun things about my sweet, sweet baby:

~ He LOVES to talk. He babbles constantly. It sounds like he is saying "hey dada dada dada." Precious.

~ He is such a happy, happy baby. He laughs and laughs and laughs for really no reason at all. He has the most contagious laugh of anyone I know.

~ He LOVES attention. He is not one to be content by himself. He likes to be played with and talked to...not so much held and cuddled with...but that's ok.

~He has tons of energy and is very busy.

~He started to CRAWL last week! Yes, I said it. He is a crawler. Luckily, he hasn't figured out what this means for him. He usually will crawl one or two steps, drop down to scoot for a second, then decide that he can get to where he wants to go faster by rolling. It won't be long until he is EVERYWHERE!

~He is in between two and three naps a day. One day he will only need 2 naps then the next he is back to 3. I will be ready for him to make up his mind on how many he needs! (I like to plan :) )

~ Baby has his first fever! :( He woke up yesterday with a lymph node popping out of his neck and with a temp! Poor buddy! We have a dr's appointment this afternoon, so hopefully we will get him all fixed up!

Sweet, sweet boy!

Playing outside in his exersaucer at Boo and Papa's

Dad letting Walker play with his ipad....hmmm....that's one expensive toy for a 6 month old...

Baby ready to eat!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T14:10:00.006-06:00

L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see

V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that you adore

Love is all that I can give to you

Love is more than just a game for two

Two in love can make it

Take my heart and please don't break it

LOVE WAS MADE FOR ME AND YOU!

Oh What A Week!

2011-01-25T17:43:00.005-06:00

Oh what a week! It has been such a fun week with Walker! I feel like his little eyes have just been opened to the world around him! To me, he has been very alert for a long time, but this week has just been another huge turning point! Here are a few things Walker has "discovered" this week:

~ He has finally rolled from his back to his tummy. Now he can roll both ways....AND LOVES IT! I mean he rolled on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday he was just rolling in a line down the floor. Other times he just rolls back and forth from his back to his tummy for the fun of it! It is really funny because he just laughs and smiles as he is rolling!

~ Walker has also discovered the joy of the water. He has never minded baths before but this past week he has started splashing his feet and playing in the water! I wonder if he is going to love the water as much as his mommy did?

~ Walker has recently become intrigued with Gatsy. He will look at her, and lunge towards her. She has been SO, SO good with him! He will pat her...and sometimes grab her hair and she just licks and licks and licks! They are so cute together!

~ Walker has found his THUMB!! OH NO! The boy has always loved his chewing on his hands way more than sucking on a paci, but once I saw him sucking on his thumb, you better believe I started sticking that paci in his mouth!

~ Baby boy has started to eat so well! He has tried oatmeal, rice, bananas, chicken, peas, sweet potatoes and squash. His favorite meal: breakfast...oatmeal and banana!

~ The boy LOVES attention. Sunday night at our share group he was EXHAUSTED. He had not napped ALL day and he had NOT slept well the night before. What did he do for 2 hours during share group (which by the way started at his normal bedtime)? He smiled and laughed the whole time! As soon as we got in the car he PASSED OUT and slept from 8:00 to 3:00AM. The boy loves to be around people.

~ Walker has also learned how to tripod! Yep! He can sit up (while supporting himself with his arm) for several seconds! Such a big boy! Oh, and for the record, baby boy can now wear size 9 month clothes!

As far as Richard and I go...we are doing well! Just trying to keep up! Richard is teaching a class at the University this semester with 65 students! He is also gearing up to travel. A. Lot. At least once a month he will be jetting off all over the country. I started my 2 grad classes last week. Between baby boy, school, work and teaching at the gym I have had some very busy days!

Some pictures from our week...

Daddy and Baby

Baby Walker LOVING playing with Aunt Emily!

Lunch date with Daddy.

Baby rolled to his tummy to look at his book!

YUM dinner time!

Baby loving bath time with daddy!

Sleeping Semi-Success!

2011-01-17T12:39:00.003-06:00

Well, we have had some semi-success with Walker's sleeping! He now is able to sleep unswaddled AND is able to fall asleep on his own! YAY! Our next project is getting him to stay asleep at night!

Walker has also been introduced to Peas, Squash, Rice and Oatmeal. Oatmeal and peas are his favorites! Tomorrow we try chicken!

Some pictures from last week:

Walker and his sweet cousin Claire

Look how BIG Walker looks in Claire's lap!

Walker has been making this new noise....it sounds like he is "squawking"....kind of like a pterodactyl...so FUNNY! I am going to try and get it on video..it is SO hysterical!

Baby and his favorite lion!

New Year, New Routine

2011-01-08T14:53:00.005-06:00

Well, the first week of the New Year has certainly been eventful! Between an ant infestation (seriously THOUSANDS of ants in our kitchen on the night of January 1st), Richard and I fighting off a NASTY cold and trying to get our 4month old into new sleeping habits, 2011 has started out very hectic!

Over Christmas break, Richard and I came to realize that we had gotten Walker into some pretty bad sleeping habits that needed to be fixed ASAP! So over the past week we have been working hard to get baby boy into a new routine!

Bad Habit 1:

During Christmas break we realized that Walker needed to learn to self soothe and be able to fall asleep by himself. Why did baby boy need to learn this? Well, he had become so accustomed to us walking/rocking him to sleep that he COULD NOT fall asleep without it...which would be fine other than the fact that it got to the point of taking OVER an HOUR to put him down each time. Yep. Over an hour for 4 naps and at bed time. Not only was it taking over an hour to put him down, but he was unable to soothe himself back to sleep when he woke up during naps/night. It was turning into craziness! Richard and I were exhausted and Walker was tired! We really felt like he would be able to get more sound sleep if he was could teach himself to self soothe.

Well, starting Sunday we let him "cry it out" for 5 minutes, would go and soothe him, then wait 10 minutes, soothe him again, wait 15 minutes...etc. He did great! The first nap was rough but after that he caught on very quickly! He only made it to 10 minutes once and by day 2 he was going down without a problem!

Bad Habit 2:

Walker is/was absolutely ADDICTED to being swaddled. After his 4 month check up, the pediatrician said that he was just going to have to get use to not being swaddled. He does NOT need to sleep that way anymore. Well, let's just say this is a work in progress. Friday, he was up for about 7 hours straight during the day. He could not fall asleep. We broke down and swaddled him Friday night. Saturday, he screamed for...oh...a good 2.5 hours and ended up taking two 30 minute naps...and one of those was in his car seat! Poor baby. By last night he was so tuckered out he could barely smile!! POOR GUY! After he finally fell asleep last night he did very well. He woke up at least once an hour but was able to get himself back to sleep pretty quickly. Today, he actually took a hour and a half long nap and it only took him 10 minutes to go down! YAY! Progress! :)

Walker also had his 4 month check last week. It went great! He did so well with his shots and has gotten SO big!

Weight: 15lbs 10oz (Just below 75%)

Length: 25.5inches. (75%)

I talked to the pediatrician about his eating. He has been eating like a champ. Every 2-3 hours during the day and has gone back to eating every 3 hours at night. So the pediatrician told us that we could start him on rice cereal! YAY! He also said once he gets use to this, give to him 2x/day then we can start baby food! Not only did he give the green light for baby food...BUT...he recommended starting with meats! I was completely shocked when he said this. Being a dietitian, I had never heard this recommendation before. We were taught vegetables and fruit first, then meats at 9 months. But, I guess, according to recent research, no adverse side affects have been seen from starting meats early and actually is good for the baby since meats are high in iron. So I guess in a couple of weeks he will be on some meat! Crazy!

Some fun things:

~Walker has amazing head control and is super strong.

~ Baby boy still can't roll over from back to tummy, I think this is partly because he does not really like to be on his back anymore. He would rather be up where he can see what is going on.

~ He has been getting tickled very easily and it is SO funny! His laugh is so goofy and it cracks me up!

~ He DOES not care for rice cereal...but will hopefully grow into it.

~ His favorite books are "We're going on a bear hunt" and "God made you noes to toes"

~He really, really likes his exersaucer and jumperoo.

~Baby boy gets a kick out of attention. He will smile and ham it up for just about anyone who talks to him...I wonder what side he gets that from :)

~Walker would rather chew his hands than suck on a paci.

Baby boy in his new toy...his Jumperoo

Intrigued by his new toy.

Baby boy all tuckered out from not napping all day...watching Baby Mozart

Yes...he likes to watch things upside down

HAHA...not a fan of the rice cereal..and this was probably the happiest face he made the whole meal! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T08:11:00.009-06:00

Our December was fun and family filled! Two years ago, Richard and I spent Christmas Day in Belize on our honeymoon. Last year, on Christmas day, we announced to both of our families that we were expecting a child...and this year we were able to celebrate Christmas with a happy, healthy boy! We had such a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with Walker! Here is a quick recap of the last month of 2010.

At the beginning of December we had a 3 month check up:

He was 14 lbs 1 oz and 24.5 inches long. He was just below the 75% for both length and weight for age. Now, almost a month later, it seems as if he has GROWN so much! We have our 4 month appointment next week! I can't wait to see how much he has grown!

Here are a few things he has been doing this month:

~ Baby boy has found his feet! He LOVES grabbing them and playing with them!
~ His personality is starting to come out and I absolutely LOVE it!! He is either extremely happy, smiling and squealing or VERY mad! He has the sweetest laugh and the biggest smile!
~ It really looks like baby boy is wanting to crawl...when he is on his tummy his legs get all the way under his hips and just move and move...if only he could figure out his upper body!
~ He is not the best sleeper, I think it is because he is growing so much and ALWAYS hungry! He eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 2.5-4 hours at night. He is a BIG boy!

Baby boy and his feet:

Claire and MA loving on their cousin

Richard reading "Twas the night before Christmas" to the kiddos

Milk and cookies for Santa

Mom and Dad's Christmas tree:

Walker must have been a good boy....gifts from Santa

Walker in his CUTE Christmas PJ's

Walker under the beautiful (and HUGE) Christmas tree....

Happy Boy

LB, Uncle Chuck and Walker

The kids playing outside in Montgomery

Carter all bundled up!

LB and Claire racing!

Walker loves his cousin Carter!

Look how BIG baby boy is!

Such a happy boy!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY NEW BLOG! "Amy's Cooking Creations" (www.amyscookingcreations.blogspot.com)

A Pleasant Journey

2010-12-21T14:52:00.001-06:00

The Walk: Clear Direction and Spiritual Power for Your Life by Sean Alexander is really a tale about the journey each Christian takes as he/she matures. From the wanderings of an unbeliever to the challenges of being a teacher, Alexander finds ways to simplify many of the trials and triumphs that people experience as they walk towards having a closer relationship with God. While this book is not ground-breaking, it is refreshing in its simplicity. Alexander succeeds where many authors fail in expressing the maturation process of Christians. He encourages young Christians to think "I can do that!" I recommend this book to teenagers and college students who are beginning their walk with God. They will realize that they have a long way to go, but the walk is achievable.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from the publisher through the book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T17:38:00.011-06:00

The Willis family Thanksgiving was hectic, busy, wonderful, exciting and so much fun! Since both me and my sister's family were spending Thanksgiving day with our in-laws, our side of the family took a trip to Chattanooga to celebrate and have some family time. It was so much fun! We went to the Science Center, the aquarium, went out to eat and just enjoyed spending time with each other! Richard was in Denver for a conference during the first part of the trip but flew back and made it just in time to go to the aquarium with us.

The week of Thanksgiving we went to Henderson to visit family. We had SO much fun and Walker LOVED being around Gran and Grandad, LB and Carter, Aunt Becky and Uncle Damon and Pop.

Walker was SUCH a trooper and did a WONDERFUL job with all of the traveling. I mean we visited and spent the night in 4 different cities and spent a total of 24 hours in the car over about 10 days. For an 11 week old that is alot of traveling!

Speaking of Walker, he is getting SO big! We have our next appointment on Wednesday and I can't wait to see how much he has grown. He has outgrown pretty much all of his 3 month clothes and fits comfortably into 6 month clothes. He loves, loves, LOVES to talk, squeal and squiggle. He has the biggest, sweetest smile that will totally melt your heart. Walker has also been getting into a WONDERFUL routine. He typically sleeps from about 7:30 or 8PM until 3:00AM eats and then sleeps again until 6:00 or 6:30. Last night he actually made it to 4:30!! WOOHOO! :)

Baby boy can also roll over from his tummy to his back. He is SO close to rolling from his back to his stomach. He will get up on his side and just chill out there for a couple of minutes and then roll back. When he is on his stomach he can just about push up with both arms straight...almost! He is getting to be such a big boy! :)

Guntersville/Chattanooga

MA, Claire and Walker....they love each other!
Sweet baby!

Lyndsey and MA at the Science Center

Papa and Walker

Happy boy squiggling at the Science Center

Claire LOVES Walker!

Russell and MA

Boo and Walker

Claire in the butterfly exhibit

Walker loving on his daddy!

HENDERSON:

Baby boy after lunch at Becky and Damon's house

4 generations!

J. Walker and Baby J. Walker! :)

Walker LOVES his Aunt Becky

COUSINS! The adore each other!

Pop and all of his great's....Carter, Walker, Andrew, Mary Beth and Laura Beth

LOVE IT! So cute together!

4 generations!

Uncle Damon with baby boy

Walker with his Gran

Before we left for Henderson we decorated for CHRISTMAS!!! I LOVE Christmas time!

Our mantle

Tree number 1 :)
Tree number 2 :)

2 Month Check Up

2010-11-04T10:40:00.002-05:00

Walker and I just got back from his 2 month check up! I can't believe it has already been 2 months! Our pediatrician said everything looks great. He is right on target developmentally. He is 12 1/2 pounds and 23.5 inches which puts him right below the 75% for both length and weight for age. He is growing so fast!!

Another Month !

2010-10-12T12:17:00.011-05:00

Wow! I can't believe another month has gone by! Our sweet baby boy is growing so fast! This month Richard and I introduced Baby Walker to our crazy schedules and it has been a touch exhausting but a lot of fun! Here is a quick recap of all of the fun we have had over the past few weeks.

First, my sister, Lyndsey, came down to visit. It was so much fun! It has been a long time since my sister and I have had some quality time! It was great to visit with her and let me tell you...Walker LOVED his aunt Lulu! :) After Walker had some great bonding time with Lulu, we headed to Henderson, TN for Walker to meet his namesake and to see his Gran, Grandad, Aunt, Uncle and cousins. It was a big trip for Walker but we all had a wonderful time and cannot wait to go back for Thanksgiving!

A couple of days after we got back from Henderson, Richard had a conference to go to in Atlanta. While Richard was busy working, Walker and I went to Montgomery for a little bit of help from Boo and Papa. That week Lyndsey and her girls (Claire and Margaret Ann) were there visiting as well. Those two girls LOVE their cousin Walker. Claire was a little Mommy to him and MA really thought that he was one of her baby dolls....SO SWEET!!!

Richard got home on Thursday and left again on Sunday for an "expert task force" meeting in Okalahoma City. Walker and I packed up once again and camped out at Boo and Papa's while he was gone. Richard got back that following Wednesday night and had Lasik eye surgery on Thursday. It is such a blessing that he was able to have that done! Before the surgery he was legally blind (his vision was 2400, the same as a newborn's vision!). The surgery took about 6 minutes on each eye. His vision was pretty blurry for about 4 hours after and then started to improve dramatically. The next morning he went back for a check on his eyes. His vision was 20/25 less than 24 hours after having his surgery! How amazing is that!

Finally, on Friday (after Richard's eye appointment) we went to Montgomery once again. This time it was for an "us night." Our first night away from Walker! Man, it was HARD! I missed my sweet baby so much, but it was wonderful to be able to sleep through the night and have some quality time with Richard after our BUSY month! Boo and Papa said Walker did great on his first slumber party! Thanks Boo and Papa!!

Some fun things about Walker:
~Walker is SMILING all the time! He is such a happy baby! He has the biggest smile! It melts my heart when he looks at me and grins! So sweet!

~Baby Boy is starting to recognize voices. He will turn his head and look at me and Richard when we talk to him. He is also starting to recognize my parents voices.

~ His little personality is starting to come out and it is so fun! He either wants to be held close and cuddled or put down on the floor for some "squiggle" time. There is just no in between with him.

~ He LOVES looking at lights and fans. If he starts to get fussy you can walk him to an intersting lamp or light fixture that is turned on and he will calm down (... most of the time :) ).

~ He is sleeping pretty well at night. He started on a great streak of sleeping about 6 hours waking up to eat and then going down for 3.5 hours after that. He took about a one week sabbatical from that and reverted to waking every 1-3 hours. Luckily, the past couple of nights he seems to be getting back into his groove!

~ Baby is really getting into a great routine with his eating. He eats pretty much every 3 hours on the dot during the day.

We go to the doctor on Thursday for his 2 month appointment. I can't wait to see how much he has grown!

Here are a few pictures of the last month!

Baby Boy at 4 weeks

Walker and Lulu

So sweet!

"Squiggle" time at Boo and Papa's

Sweet Boy

Walker's first time to church at 5 weeks:

Our trip to Henderson at 6 weeks.

James "Walker" Whittle (Pop) meeting James "Walker" Willis for the first time

Carter loves his cousin! He can't wait for Walker to get a little bit older so he can teach him all about baseball!

Me, LB, and Walker at Carter's baseball game.

Gran's birthday dinner!

Grandad and Walker taking a snooze on Sunday afternoon! So sweet.

MA loving on her cousin!

Sweet Claire and Walker

Walker at 7 weeks:

1 month check up

2010-10-05T10:41:00.002-05:00

Boy, I can't believe it has already been a month since Walker was born!! Talk about time flying! We just got back from our one month check-up and Baby Boy is growing like a weed!! When we were discharged from the hospital Walker weighed in at 7lbs 9oz. Today, he was 10lbs 8oz!! Can you believe it? 3 pounds in only 4 weeks! He has also grown 1 inch. He is in the 75% in both length and weight for age! He is a big boy! :) The doctor said that everything looks great! What can I say...he is perfect! :)

October is here!

2010-10-02T18:14:00.011-05:00

I really can't believe it is already October and Walker is already a month old! Time really is flying! Baby Walker is still doing great! We have just started to venture out with him......just a little bit. I am a touch paranoid about taking him out. I feel OK with taking him to the store and to run quick errands but am still very, VERY hesitant to take him to places where he will be loved on. I think in a couple of weeks he will make his debut in these settings. He has already outgrown all of his newborn clothes! He is growing so fast! We go for his one month check up on October 5th...I can't wait to go and see his new stats! :)

In other news, our first "child" (Gatsy) came home last Wednesday after spending about a month at Boo and Papa's house (my parents). I was a little nervous about this transition. Gatsy is a bundle of energy and loves to be the center of attention and I was not sure how she was going to handle the new dynamics in the house. Well, she has done AMAZING! She LOVES Walker. She is very concerned and upset when he cries, she will bring him her bones and will run to the nursery/all around the house first thing in the morning until she finds Walker. It is very cute!

Gatsy watching out for Walker:

Gatsy....just a little concerned that Walker is upset!

Sweet boy

Walker's first visit to the pumpkin patch. Yes. We took him at 4 weeks old. I was a nervous wreck the whole time! We all survived and had fun! :)

Best Friends:

I absolutely love, Love, LOVE the fall! It is my FAVORITE time of the year. I love the weather, I love the atmosphere around town during football season, I love the changing leaves on the trees, and I love PUMPKINS! So, in honor of the fall, I experimented and made some YUMMY Pumpkin Muffins. I combined, modified, and added my own twist to several recipes to come up with this one....you need to try it! Please don't judge. Yes, I am a dietitian, and NO these are not the healthiest, but my motto is "Everything in moderation!" So, make up a batch and enjoy the changing seasons!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins:

Muffins:

3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 12 oz bag mini, semi-sweet choclate chips

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

3 tbls brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour muffin tins (makes 24 mufins plus one mini loaf pan).

Combine pumpkin, vegetable oil, white and brown sugar, and eggs.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Do not over mix. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

To make the filling:

Beat softened cream cheese, egg, brown sugar and vanilla.

Spoon pumpkin batter into muffin in, filling each cup 1/3 of the way.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in the center of each cup.

Spoon pumpkin mixure on top of cream cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. ENJOY!

These muffins freeze well and are best when eaten after they have completely cooled (and after sitting over night!)

Our First 2 Weeks!

2010-09-20T12:12:00.005-05:00

Baby Walker's first two weeks at home!

A few fun facts about baby Walker:

~ He eats like a champ!! He eats every 1-3 hours and has already outgrown his newborn diapers and some of his newborn clothes! I weighed myself then weighed with him the other day and he as gained a little under a pound from his birth weight!! He is a growing boy!!

~ He is a good sleeper. He generally only wakes up between 1-2 and 4-5 to eat. Other than that he is a wonderful sleeper at night!

~ Walker does not like to take many naps. Over the past week Walker generally eats at 5ish and will stay awake through his 7:30 feeding and will not nap until after his 10ish feeding! After that nap he generally will only take a couple 20 minute power naps throughout the day.

~Walker is a very content baby....not fussy at all. He is typically fussy only when he is wet/dirty, hungry or wants his paci! Sweet sweet boy!

~He sleeps in his swing at night and during most naps. It is one of his favorite places to sleep (his favorite place is on Mommy or Daddy's chest)

Here are some pictures of the last 2 weeks!

Napping on the couch....

Sleeping in his swing

A little sponge bath for baby...

TUMMY TIME!

All cozy in his boppy...

Ok...so here are mine and Richards baby pictures...do you see any resemblances?

Richard:

ME:

Baby Walker

A Father's Perspective

2010-09-13T13:35:00.007-05:00

I typically don't blog . . . at all. But over the past week since Walker's birth, Amy and other family members have asked me questions about what I was thinking and what was going on during the whole event. Before I forget the amazing feelings that I had that day, I thought that I would share my perspective on parts of Walker's birth.

I remember that Friday Amy had called/texted me numerous times about feeling contractions that were consistently about 10 minutes apart most of the day. This might seem callous of me, but I really did not think too much of it. Amy had been telling me that she had been feeling light, slightly uncomfortable contractions for a few days. I really did not think that Walker was coming because we had worked ourselves up numerous times about his arrival being imminent only to be disappointed. After Amy took the 4:30 PM RPM on Friday, she tried to take BodyPump with Scott and I. However, squats and contractions proved to be an unbearable combination, and she left about halfway through Track 2. I immediately went into hysteria because I had no clue what was going on, but I trusted Amy to let me know if something was really going on!

After I got done with Pump, we came home, and the contractions were about 8-10 minutes apart. I kept thinking they were Braxton Hicks, but we broke out the stop watch after we got back from dinner at Panera Bread until Amy got anxious about timing everything. To pass the time, we put on a little Law and Order and went to bed.

I went to sleep, but she really didn't. I think she slept for about an hour or so. I slept pretty soundly until I got the unsuspecting tap on my shoulder at about 2:25 in the morning. "Babe, I think my water just broke." She said it so nonchalantly, and I immediately went into overdrive. I don't remember what I was thinking, but I remember asking Amy if I should call the hospital. So I called the hospital which I had previously programmed into my phone for just such an emergency as this, but it happened to be the wrong unit at the hospital, and I had to get a new number from these nice people who were dealing with a stressed father.

During this time, Amy wanted to make sure she was clean when she went to the hospital, so she was showering, and drying her hair, and straightening her hair. At about 2:40, the "real" contractions came, and they came fast (about 3 mintues apart). I was running around the house, packing the car, straightening up the living room, making up the bed, moving the laundry from the washer to the dryer so it did not spoil. In my haste, I forgot to fold the laundry and take down our "curtains" in our bedroom. I was putting the last bit of Amy's bath stuff in her bag when she informed me that she was on her way to the car! That meant it was time for me to move. We hoped in the car at 3:27 am and were on our way to East Alabama Medical Center. I don't remember too much about the drive except there was a train on the tracks so we did not take our "faster" back way to the hospital.

I don't remember exactly when we got to the hospital, but it was not too long after we left the house. We walked into the Emergency Room and there really was not anyone down there. There was one lady (who did not seem to be that coherent) who was waiting to be helped in front of us. Needless to say, Amy was hurting, and she was trying to get the person behind the shatterproof window to find out if her ride had left her. After what seemed like an eternity, but what was more like 10 minutes, a second person helped us, and got us all checked in. A nurse came, put Amy in a wheelchair, and whisked us away to the third floor and room 3129 which would be our home for the next few hours.

We got into our room around 4:20ish, and Amy was in a ton of pain. She knew that these were for real and she was ready for the drugs! The nurse tried to help her stay comfortable, but she did not appreciate them asking her all kinds of questions and making her sign all kinds of documents while she was having contractions which were not about 2 minutes apart. About 5:15, Dr. Arnold flew into the room to give her the "sweet relief" that the epidural promised. While he was giving her the epidural, he seemed a little displeased because Amy's blood pressure spiked, but that might have been my fault. I don't think I was being a very good head support for her. When Dr. Arnold left the room at 5:30, he told her that she should be feeling much better in about 10 minutes. At 6:00 we were having a nurse shift change, Amy was still having painful contractions, and I was running around trying to find somone who could fix this problem.

Dr. Arnold flew back into the room about 6:15, and by 6:40, Amy felt no pain! To quote her, "I like drugs." Once Amy's epidural had taken, we then allowed family and friends into the room in spurts. Amy's mom and dad had just arrived so we sat around the room for the next little bit. Amy watched the Nanny on TV, some of the Today show, and we just waited on the Dr. to come back and check from time to time. Ms. Susan Kelly came by to visit us during this time, and a few other friends dropped by and left notes in the lobby just to say they were thinking of us, and we greatly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers during this time. Other than waiting, nothing really big happened until about 10:30. That is when the nurse came in and told us that it was time to push.

The next 45 minutes is a big blur. I don't remember when the pushing began (even though Boo told me to take a picture of the start time). I do remember of few events that happened during Amy's 45 mintues of grueling work. I remember after about 15 minutes of pushing, the nurse asked if I could get the air mask for Amy. While Amy was pushing, both Amy and Walker's vitals were for lack of a medical term "a little off." Neither were getting the oxygen they needed, so Amy was given the oxygen mask, and Amy was given breaks from pushing to recover about every 5 to 10 minutes. It was really kind of scary because I was not sure what was going on. I could look up on the screen and see Walker's heart rate drop during contractions. I could see Amy's vitals, but I thought this was going according to plan until the oxygen mask appeared. But God is good, and everything worked out fine for both Walker and mother.

A second scare came at about 11:10 when the epidural started beeping. It was out!!! The nurse ordered a second epidural to be brought to the room, but she looked at Amy and said we were not going to need it. It was time to bring Walker into the world!

I love my wife so much! She really is an amazing woman! She is a trooper, and I have seen her work hard in her life, but I have never seen her work as hard as she did to deliver our son. At 11:28 James Walker Willis was born. I noticed when he was born that he was face up, and that made me nervous about Amy's recovery. I looked down at our son, and I don't think words describe the way I felt. A million thoughts flew into my head, and a million thoughts flew away as I instantly knew that I loved this young boy.

I was speechless as Dr. Marino placed him in the arms of my wife, and I was fighting to hold back the tears. I had never been so in love with Amy, and the joy I felt was amazing! I got to hold Walker for the first time, and all I could do was just smile. This little boy who had just been born was going to be a source of joy and anxiety, but right now, I could just thank God for the amazing experience that He just let me go through. I had a son. A son whom I could teach to love God. A son I could teach to love his mother. A son I could teach the importance of family and friends. A son whom I could pass down my thoughts, insights, and experiences to. A son who might appreciate college football, baseball, and Star Wars more than his mother does. I had a son, and that meant that I was a father. A father whose family just grew. A man whose family had just gotten bigger and better! I love you Walker! I love you Amy! And I now have the rest of my life to show you both how much I do indeed love you!

One more thing . . . one word that people used to describe Walker constantly was perfect. I could not agree more!

A Baby Story...

2010-09-06T05:13:00.011-05:00

I have been anxiously awaiting this blog post for the past several weeks and now I can offically say that our little family of 2 has become a family of 3! That's right, on September 4, 2010 at 11:28 AM Richard and I welcomed our precious little James Walker into this world. Walker weighed in at 7lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long...and is absolutely PERFECT!

For those of you who are wondering.....here is our "Baby Story"

The couple of weeks leading up to September 4th were very LONG for me. I am a touch "OC" about certain things. I had worked HARD all summer to get ahead and be prepared for Walker's arrival. So when I was 37 weeks pregnant EVERYTHING...and I mean EVERYTHING was done that I could possibly do....school was done, the house was SPOTLESS, the nursery was decorated, Walker's clothes were clean, organized, and put away, our stand alone freezer was FULL of food, and our home was organized and baby ready.

I tell you this simply to take you to the day before Walker decided to make his big debut.

Since everything was done that I could possibly do, I had been a touch bored. I like to be BUSY and productive and had already done every trivial task possible to pass time.

Well Friday, September 3rd I had planned another trip to Montgomery to visit and pass time with my Mom. The day started out like any other.

I woke up wondering if today would be the day but quickly dismissed the idea (since I had previously convinced myself that Walker would be coming each day since week 37...this particular day I was 39wks and 1 day). Well, that morning around 8:30 I started having MILD contractions every 10-15minutes. The contractions were not painful...some a TOUCH uncomfortable but definitely not painful....and many felt like Braxton Hicks contractions so I was not concerned and went a head to Montgomery. Mom and I spent the day together running errands and hanging out until about 2:45. Mom was very nervous (since the contractions were STILL coming...even though not painful) that I was going to go into labor and encouraged/told me to go back to Auburn.

I was still unconivnced that Walker was getting ready. I drove back to Auburn that afternoon and needed something else to distract my mind. What did I do? I went to the gym...of course! After getting home from the gym I noticed that the contractions were now about 8 minutes apart...but they really were not getting any stronger. Richard and I just did not know what was going on.

Later on that night at about 9:30 we layed down to try and get some sleep. Richard was able to fall asleep pretty quickly, but, unfortunately, my mind was going about 100 miles a minute wondering if this could really be it, so about 10:30 I went downstairs to the couch. For the next 4 hours I laid on the couch trying to sleep, wondering if each new feeling was a "real" contraction, and hoping that all of the sudden I would "just know" that it was time.

Well at 2:20 AM I got up and my WATER BROKE! It took me a second to realize what had happened and to wrap my mind around what exactly that meant. I ran upstairs, tapped Richard on the arm and said "babe....I think my water just broke..." Richard JUMPED out of bed "REALLY???"...."Yes!"....He ran to the phone to call the hospital and was in GO MODE!

I decided that I needed to get clean before we headed to the hospital. So I got in the shower at 2:30 just in time to experience my first REAL contraction...let's just say that it took my breath away, lasted about 1 minute and was followed by another 2 minutes later...yes that is right....once my contractions really started they were 3 minutes apart. I finished getting ready as quickly as possible (which was hard with contractions SO close). We finally got to the hospital about 3:30 AM were registered and got set up in our Labor and Delivery room. About this time my contractions were lasting about 60-90 sec and were 2 minutes apart.

At 5:30 I recieved my first epidural. At 5:50 I was asked if I was supposed to feel different...because I didn't. Richard told me that at this point contractions were coming 2 minutes apart and some were coming back to back. All I know is that I was in pain and not really focusing on the clock. At 6:30 my second epidural kicked in!

No Pain = One happy Camper! :)

Last Picture of our Family of 2!!!

Mom and Dad had made it to the hospital at this point so they came back to the room and we talked until about 10:15. At this time I started pushing. During this time we ran into a few complications, but at 11:28 AM Walker made his debut!!!

I laugh because when Richard and I first got married we talked about a bigger family...you know maybe 4 kids....about a month into my pregnancy (and for the next 8 months) to be completely honest with you...I was down to thinking...I HATE BEING PREGNANT and seriously thought that this would be our only child. Well the MOMENT I held baby Walker everything changed and would do it again in a moment. It is amazing how much you can immediately fall in love with someone you have just met!

Our First Family Picture

Proud Daddy!!

Aunt Lyndsey meeting Walker for the first time!

Walker and his Uncle Russell

Papa and Walker

Lyndsey, Russell and Claire

Boo and Walker

Margaret Ann meeting Walker

Aunt Becky

Grandad

Gran

Laura Beth with her cousin

Carter and Walker

Changing spaces, places, and faces!!

2010-04-30T10:18:00.009-05:00

So, it has been OVER a MONTH since I have last updated! Oops! :) So here is what has been going on in our lives:

~Just in case you haven't heard, Richard and I are having a BOY!!! Yep that's right! The first boy on my side of the family! We could not be more excited! His name? James Walker Willis ("Walker")! It is a WONDERFUL family name on Richard's side. James Walker is actually Richard's grandfather's name, and let me tell you, I could imagine a more special person for our son to be named after. Pop is one amazing man.

~I started to feel Walker move at week 18 and at week 19.5 he decided he really likes moving and has not stopped since! Walker really likes it when I teach RPM. He kicks and rolls the whole time! I am pretty sure Les Mills music is going to soothe him when he arrives :) Yesterday, I decided to introduce him to swimming. I forced myself to get into a swimsuit and attempted to swim (which I haven't done in a LONG time). When I was done Walker started moving and seriously did not stop AT ALL yesterday! Maybe another swimmer in the family??

~Right now I am 21 weeks and 1 day and I feel GREAT! :) I really can't complain at all! I have been feeling so good that I even agreed to eat Mexican food the other week! That is HUGE! I use to LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexican food, but during my first trimester the mere THOUGHT of it made me sick so I hadn't eaten it since December! I am still teaching BodyPump and RPM and plan on trying to continue until July.

Baby Bump at 20 weeks 3 days:

(There IS a bump I PROMISE! :) )

Well, May is going to be an extremly BUSY month for both Richard and myself. Here is what we have going on:

* When we moved into our house we knew that we were going to eventually have to have some work done on our backyard. Well, we are starting a big renivation of our yard NEXT WEEK! We can't wait! We have been planning on this for a LONG time and just can't wait for a yard that is a little bigger and alot more functional.

* I have ordered all of the furniture for the nursery and it should be coming in within the next couple of weeks, so, as of TONIGHT Richard is starting to paint the nursery! I can't wait to see how everything is going to look! I will post pictures of both projects as soon as they get started! :)

* Okay, just in case you were interested, here is our schedule for May:

May 1-2: We are off to Atlanta to a food show where we are going to see BOBBY FLAY and MARIO BATALLI!!! SO FUN!

May 3rd: We head to Mongtomery to get ready to leave for our trips:

May 4th-7th: I head to the beach for work (and some fun..my friend Stephanie is going with me!) and Richard leaves EARLY in the morning for a trip to Nashville

May 7th-9th: Richard and I come back to Montgomery to celebrate my neice's (Margaret Ann) FIRST birthday and Mother's day

May14-15: Richard and I head back to Atlanta to meet up with Becky, Damon, LB, and Carter to go see the Braves play and to see Mary Poppins at the Fox...How fun will that be???

May 18-24: BEACH TRIP with my family!!! WOOHOO!! A week long vacation with my family and husband...what could be better?? Richard hasn't had a week off work since our honeymoon...I think it will be a well deserved vacation for him! :)

May28-31: Henderson, TN to visit with Richard's family! It is always so nice to be able to see his family. We don't get to see them often so when we can make the trip it is always wonderful!

Hopefully, by the end of the month I will have lots of fun pictures to post!!! :)

Our Weekend

2010-03-28T17:58:00.010-05:00

Well, Richard and I had a WONDERFUL but very busy weekend!! Here is a quick recap:

First, here is a baby bump update. This is little bit at 16 weeks 6 days. Yep, almost 17 weeks!! Can you believe it?? Richard and I find out in LESS THAN 48 hours if we are going to be having a GIRL OR BOY!! Don't forget to cast your vote!! :)

I SEE A BUMP!!!

On Saturday night, our share group threw a Baby Shower for Lydia! It was so much fun and Lydia looks AMAZING! I can't wait to meet little Cooper!

The food table...after we started eating (please don't judge me on my picture taking skills! :) )
Flowers:

Lydia and her precious niece:

The girls:

Lydia, Amy H., Jami and Aleesa

Audra, Kim, Brooke:

Abbie and Jamie

Aleesa playing our fun game...Guess what is in the baby food. I decided at that moment I will be making my OWN baby food......one word: EWWWWW

Audra...not a fan!

Lydia opening gifts:

FUN SHOWER!!!

On Sunday, after church, Gold's Gym Max launched our NEW BodyPump and RPM releases! So much fun!!

Richard, me, Hollis, Christy...the 2:00 PUMP instructors
Most of the instructors....pre-bodypump

Christy, showing us how it is done before warm up (notice....my hands on my hips, as always, and I believe I have rubbed off on my husband!)
SQUATS
Me teaching chest ...with pregnancy option..of course :)

the husband :)

CUTE! Scarlett and Kelly

The class...while Richard was teaching the back track....yep...we had 50 in the class!!

PRE-RPM...Kelly and Chris

Scott

Lacey....excuse me...Mrs. Haney! :)

Shellie:
Richard:

The first group of instructors:

Then I was on stage and could not take pictures :(. We had fun!

Lately...

2010-03-18T14:12:00.008-05:00

So, here is what has been going on lately with the Willis':

1. Baby Willis at 15 weeks 3 days...Not much of a bump, but trust me this is the most belly I have EVER had!! :)
I am feeling GOOD. My sensitivity to smells and food aversions have decreased dramatically. Some foods definitely sound better to me than others but no real cravings....yet :). I am still teaching BodyPump at almost my normal weights and RPM. I am teaching 4-6 classes a week...depending on the week. They are slowly getting MUCH harder to teach, but it does make me feel very good after I am done working out. Some people have asked me how long I plan on teaching...and my response...as long as my body will physically allow me. Ideally, I would teach until the day before lil' bit arrives...but I know that may not be the case and that is fine as well.

2. When I passed my RD exam at the beginning of February, Richard and my parents went in together and got me some AMAZING curtains!!!! They finally came in and were hung today... I can not tell you how EXCITED I was and still am for the gift, they look better than I could ever imagine!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

BEFORE:

AFTER!!!!!:

Aren't they GORGEOUS?!?!

3. Since Richard and I were apart last week and will be again pretty much all next week, we headed to Atlanta on Saturday for some MUCH needed us time. The trip was pretty FABULOUS. After we checked in on Saturday, we just relaxed for about 3 hours...and...let me tell you, we haven't just sat together, much less for 3 hours, in I don't know how long! It was SO nice. That night we went to a DELICIOUS French restaurant...one word: YUMMOO!!!!

Sunday, we enjoyed brunch at the Cheesecake factory and then browsed around at baby bedding at the Lenox Square mall. While we were at the mall I forced my husband to buy a few new shirts for spring. Richard's philosophy on clothing is that if it doesn't have a hole in it it is good to wear...it doesn't matter if he has had it for 10+ years or that it is tattered and threads are coming out. One thing I can say is that he gets his money's worth out of his clothes.

That night we went to see MICHEAL BUBLE in concert at the Gwinett Arena...a completely SOLD OUT show! One word: AMAZING!!! Richard and I had gone to see Micheal a couple of years ago at the Fox and he was awesome then...but now he is incredible!!! I took a video with my phone...but I have NO idea how to get the video from my phone to computer...but if I figure it out I will post it! :)

BITTERSWEET

2010-03-08T19:34:00.003-06:00

Well, today has been extremely bittersweet.

Starting with the bitter news….

This morning, at a BodyPump class at 5:45 am, I had to say goodbye to my husband! :(. He is jetting off to Sacramento, CA today (actually is in en route as we speak) and will not be back until LATE on Thursday night. He is heading to the west coast for a conference for work and is presenting on Wednesday. I really HATE being apart from my husband. You know, I was thinking today that I am really thankful that God has a hand in who we end up with. God knows what each person can handle and I am so thankful for that. As I was telling Richard goodbye today I realized how extremely HARD it would be to have a spouse in the service where were gone a lot and most of the time cannot even tell where they are going. I admire those couples for their strength.

I really don’t like being apart from Richard, but, I must say that I am extremely proud of him. He works so hard and it really does pay off. He is asked to present his research, others research, and to represent NCAT at so many conferences. He is so dedicated, trustworthy, hardworking , smart and honest that people want to be associated with him. Richard represents God, his family and his work so well in ALL that he does. He is pretty amazing.

Ok…now some sweet news….

This morning I went back to the doctor for a follow up appointment. It was wonderful because I was able to hear my sweet baby’s heartbeat again. Today, it was 148 and let me tell you, that baby was moving and grooving! The nurse was surprised how active Baby was! Every time she found the heartbeat it was gone in half a second and Baby had moved to the other side! I was also able to set up our next appointment to find out if it is a BOY or GIRL!! March 30th can’t come soon enough!! I can’t wait to see my angel for the first time!

Luckily, about a week ago the nausea went away and my energy is bouncing back!! WOOHOO! The only real problem I have been having lately is that sometimes I forget that I am pregnant. So, for several days I go 100 miles an hour and then inevitably CRASH. Good thing I have a sweet (and very patient) husband who kindly reminds me that I need to slow down and take care of not only myself but also our child. Now, I just need to learn to not be so stubborn and listen to him BEFORE I crash! :)

Since Richard was leaving today and I DETEST being home alone, mom and I planned a trip to Guntersville, AL to visit my sister, brother-in-law and 2 precious nieces. We arrived late this afternoon and ate a YUMMY dinner with them and then Mom and I headed back to the hotel for some rest. We will hit the ground running tomorrow!! Hopefully I will have some pictures from the week posted soon!

The Latest!

2010-02-11T13:12:00.003-06:00

Some exciting things have been taking place in the Willis household over the past couple of weeks.

Let's start with the most exciting; on Tuesday afternoon Richard and I went for our second doctors appointment and we heard the heartbeat!! It was absolutely amazing. I rationally know that I am pregnant, but so many times I can't believe there is a human growing in me, so it was an amazing thing to hear.

When the docotor came in she told us not to worry if we didn't hear the heart beat right away. She said with as early along as I am it usually takes several minutes to find. Well, the moment they put the sonogram to my stomach we heard it! The doctor was shocked that they found it so quickly and that it was so strong! They were almost able to detect a rate! Dr. Hensarling estimated that it was about 160....so you know what the old wives tale says: If its over 140 it's a girl. We will see. We go back on March 8th and then just a couple of weeks after that we find out!

Last time I wrote I was feeling pretty miserable, but about a week and a half ago I started feeling great! Nausea would come every now and then but nothing too bad. I thought that I was over the hump; unfortunately, about 3 days ago the nausea and fatigue came back...and came back with a vengeance. Luckily only 2 more weeks until I am OUT of the first trimester! Can you believe it??

Week 10: This week lil' bit willis is the size of lime (2 inches) and weighs a quarter of an ounce!

"This is the beginning of the fetal period when your baby's organs continue to grow and mature. The majority of his/her vital organs, kidneys, liver, brain, and lungs are functioning, but will continue to mature throughout the remainder of your pregnancy. Your baby's head makes up half the length of the body, and there is a bulge in the forehead allowing for brain development. Fingernails, toenails, and hair will begin to become visible this week. The fingers are no longer webbed. The baby is actively swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking his/her legs." American Pregnancy. com

In other news, I finally stopped procrastinating (which I had been doing since AUGUST) and decided to take my RD exam....and I PASSED!!! YAY! That's right I am offically: Amy Willis RD, LD :) So, just in case you were already tired of me telling you what you should be eating (hint hint mom and dad :) ) ...you better watch out! :)

WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!

2010-01-20T11:18:00.012-06:00

Yep! That's right! Richard and I are EXPECTING our first child! Lil' bit Willis is due September 9, 2010 and we just can not wait! Talk about a perfect Christmas surprise! We could not be more thrilled. Richard and I found out right before Christmas and were able to tell both of our families, in person, on Christmas day! Before we left Auburn we bought rattles that said "Born to be an Auburn Tiger" and wrapped them up for all of our family members from "baby willis". I don't think we could have hoped for better reactions! There were tears of joy (like Mom and my sister Lyndsey) and then there were also words (or shouts) of excitment (from Pop and Becky). It was the perfect way to end our Christmas celebrations with our families!

Richard and I had our first doctors appointment a couple of weeks ago and we are scheduled to go back for our first ultrasound and to hear the heart beat on Februray 9th! Isn't amazing that right now God is forming our child, inside of me, in his own image!?!? Pretty amazing! I can't wait to meet lil' bit!

As far as how I have been feeling....hmmmm...well this changes literally minute by minute. Unfortunatley I am nauseous 98% of the time and exhausted 100% of the time. But, I have to remember, that when I feel like this it is a sign that our baby is growing and the hormones are increasing. It is a sign that my body is doing what it needs to in order to provide for lil' bit! :)

For now here are some pictures from our fun times over Christmas break. The Monday before Christmas Richard and I packed up (unfortunatley, Gatsy did not make the trip...she went to the doggy hotel AKA BOO AND PAPA'S) and headed to Henderson, TN to spend some much needed time with his family.

SANTA CAME for LB and Carter!

Gran and Carter looking at some goodies from Santa

Chuck and Chewy Runts...need I say more?

YAY for Cameras! :)

After Christmas Brunch we headed to Montgomery to see my family.

Russell and MA

Lyndsey and MA

MA loves her Uncle Richard

Miss Clairey

Claire playing dress up and getting "all married"

All the Ladies! Claire, Lyndsey, Rita (Mom's sister), Me (and lil' bit), Mom, and MA

A picture of our last Christmas with just the two of us! :)

OVER A YEAR AND A HALF: Our crazy beautiful life TOGETHER!

2009-11-01T15:10:00.011-06:00

Well, it has offically been over 18 months since our last update and boy how our lives have changed! All I can say...we are blessed! Now that I am COMMITTED to keeping up with our blog here is a quick recap of our lives since April 2008...

We were completley showered with love and gifts by our friends and family before our wedding....(Seriously...we still have a garage full of gifts and we are SO grateful!)

On November 22, 2008 we offically became Mr. and Mrs. James Richard Willis! :)

Not to long after the wedding, Richard successfully defended his dissertation and became Dr. James Richard Willis! Just a side note about his dissertation...the DAY before our wedding (which was at 10:00 in the MORNING) Richard was driving to Auburn to turn in his final draft to all of his committee members. Talk about cutting it close!

Since I was in the middle of my internship and Richard was about to defend, we were not able to on our honeymoon right away....but let me tell you it worked out absolutely perfectly and it was well worth the wait! Over Christmas break we jetted off to BELIEZE for some much needed relaxation. We climbed on Mayan ruins, waded thru water up to our hips as we climbed up caves, tubed through caves (at times in pitch black) after hiking through the rain forest, and went to an iguana reserve! Talk about amazing! It was AWESOME!

For our first nine months of marriage we lived in Montgomery while I was completing my dietetic internship. During this time Richard was such a wonderful husband and commuted to Auburn for his job as a post-doctoral fellow for the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT). As my internship came to a close, Richard began searching for a permanent job and I started trying to figure out what in the world I wanted to do next. In the midst of the job hunt...NCAT offered him a job as an assistant research professor and I was accepted to Auburn's Grad school and offered a position as a graduate research assistant...so....the next thing you know we were house hunting in Auburn!!! So this is where we live now!

And finally.....we got a puppy....Ms. Gatsy Rose Willis! :)

And that pretty much sums up the past 18 months! Now we are just getting ready to run in a 10K next weekend at Callaway Gardens. All of their Christmas lights are up and the run starts at twilight! It should be so much fun! :) Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Thanks Amy

2008-04-04T15:07:00.011-05:00

Well, apparently, I have been tagged by my fiance to write down 100 facts about myself. She obviously thought that this would be a good way to spend my time as I was in my bed sick, and she was studying. I guess I can tag someone later once I meet three more people on here! So here we go:
1. My full name is James Richard Willis
2. I was born on November 27, 1980.
3. That was Thanksgiving day.
4. Right now, I am sick with mono. No fun!
5. I am severely color deficient.
6. I graduated high school in 1999 from Chester County High School.
7. I have a BS from Freed-Hardeman University in Physical Sciences in 2003.
8. I have a BCE from Auburn University in Civil Engineering in 2004.
9. I got an MS from Auburn University in 2005.
10. On December 19, 2008, I will receive my Ph.D. as long as I can write my dis.
11. I have been dating an incredible woman since April 5, 2007. That is you Amy!
12. On March 1, 2008, she agreed to marry me.
13. On November 22, she will become Mrs. Richard Willis.
14. We will be moving to wherever she gets into her dietetic internship and PA school.
15. I have no clue what I am going to do with a Ph.D. in asphalt technology.
16. I enjoy watching pretty much any movie with my fiance even if it is Step Up, Center Stage, or something like that.
17. I love the theatre.
18. I get into kicks where I read a lot.
19. I am taking my last class this semester for my last degree.
20. My favorite baseball teams are the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles.
21. My favorite football team is the Tennessee Titans.
22. My favorite basketball team is the San Antonio Spurs.
23. My favorite hockey teams are the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators.
24. I guess that means I enjoy sports.
25. Some people call me injury prone.
26. I teach group fitness at the local Gold's gym.
27. But that does not mean I like to eat healthy most of the time.
28. I would drive 2 hours just to get a world-class meal.
29. I have seen more movies than I thought humanly possible since mono has taken me over.
30. I have become a huge fan of and respecter of a properly working lymph system.
31. I like classic television.
32. Dick Van Dyke is one of my favorites.
33. The food network relaxes me.
34. I am going to win the Ultimate Recipe Showdown one day
35. I want to grill with Bobby Flay!
36. I used to enjoy writing music, but I have not done that recently.
37. My neck is starting to swell right now, so I will continue later.
38. Amy can give me a smile that makes me feel like I can do anything.
39. Registering for wedding stuff really overwhelms me.
40. I have taught the Civil engineering materials lab for the last two semesters.
41. I am teaching the Hot Mix Design Lab this summer.
42. I should be working on my dis. proposal right now.
43. I love traveling.
44. I have traveled to Scotland, Belgium and Romania on mission trips.
45. I have traveled to Greece for a engineering conference.
46. I hope to travel to Spain this fall for a conference.
47. My students complain about how hard I grade their writing.
48. I have slept through both Beaches and Pete's Dragon in the past 24 hours, along with getting 10 hours of sleep last night.
49. My fiance likes to clean my apartment when I am sick.
50. I am marrying the most wonderful woman in the entire world. Have I mentioned that?
51. I think reading a children's book can solve any problem.
52. I want a big dog one day.
53. I am allergic to cats, dust, and mountain cedar.
53. Some people have called me a picky eater, but I think I just have a sensitive palate.
54. I typically run a low body temperature.
55. So my 99.6 degree temp right now is really high!
56. I want to see Les Miserables.
57. I can sing all three hours of it (right now, if you wanted?)
58. I do not respond well to "ready, go!"
59. I am not a distance runner.
60. I am training for my part of a triathlon if I can get out of my bed any time soon.
61. I like the color black.
62. I like things neat and orderly if I have the time to keep them that way!
63. I like a schedule.
64. I have a wonderful sister Becky.
65. I have a great brother Chuck.
66. I guess Damon is alright for a brother-in-law. Just kidding Damon.
67. I am looking forward to getting my new sister, Lyndsey.
68. I love playing with Laura Beth and Carter.
69. I enjoy taking naps on Sunday afternoons whenever I get the chance.
70. I cannot tell you how much I want to graduate.
71. I still get scared of the future at times.
72. I like consistency.
73. My fiance says I radiate heat.
74. I think that is her way of telling me that I am "hot." (Just kidding Amy)
75. I cannot tell you how tired I am of being stuck at home.
76. I should have trained to be a masseuse, but my hands are too bony.
77. I am a sucker for a good song.
78. I really enjoy playing majohg to waste time while Amy is studying and I am supposed to be.
79. I think my fiance is the most beautiful woman on the planet, but she can't see it for some reason.
80. I try, but I don't always succeed.
81. I miscommunicate when I am tired.
82. I very rarely jump out of bed in the morning ready to go.
83. I should probably drink coffee, but for some reason this is disintuitive.
84. I like the cards that play songs even though most are cheesy.
85. My fiance likes it when I am cheesy. Good thing too considering it happens A LOT!
86. I have written 85 previous facts about me!
87. I like Snickers bars.
88. I am excited that I am able to eat unbland foods again because the Prednizone is out of my system.
89. I like the beach, but I am not a big fan of being in a swimming trunks, sunburn, or sand.
90. I wish I were a better swimmer.
91. I am a roller coaster enthusiast, and I am going through withdrawals.
92. I am hoping to go to Aspen for my honeymoon in December.
93. I have two more hurdles to jump through before I can graduate.
94. I hate ironing my clothes. Everything should be wrinkle-free.
95. I believe Dr. Seuss was a genius.
96. The man or woman who came up with the idea for The Cheesecake Factory was the MAN!
97. I enjoy world cuisines such as Greek, Thai, Italian, etc . . .
98. I am not a fan of onions, green peppers, and English Peas.
99. I hate lunge tracks in BodyPump.
100. I am done with this thing. Thanks Amy. I guess I need to search and figure out three people that I can make go through this!

I was TAGGED!

2008-04-04T10:21:00.005-05:00

Since my sister tagged me...I guess it is my turn to fill out 100 facts about myself. I don't really know how this works, but I guess I am supposed to tag 3 people. Since I don't have very many blogger friends :(...I guess I will tag Becky (my future sis in law!), Richard (to give him something to do while he is stuck in bed) and Russell! :) Okay so here we go:

1. I grew up in Montgomery AL
2. I am graduating from Auburn on May 10!!
3. It has taken me 6 years to finish my undergrad :(
4. I met the love of my life in February 2007
5. I was a Richard groupie/ stalker (I was at every class he taught)… before he even knew
who I was
6. We officially started dating on April 5.2007
7. On March 1, 2008 I said YES!!
8. On November 22, 2008 I will say I DO!!
9. I cannot remember life before Richard!
10. I do not want to think about life without Richard!
11. Richard has taught me the meaning of unconditional love.
12. He is my best friend
13. I like PINK
14. I love chocolate…
15. And peanut butter…..
16. And…when you put them together…YUM!
17. I like nutrition
18. I cannot go for more than a day without working out
19. I teach group fitness
20. I swam for 14 years of my life….
21. Now I hate getting wet!
22. I am ADDICTED to food network
23. Throw down with Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Iron Chef America….cant get enough
24. I am emotional
25. I cry easily…
26. Especially at sappy movies
27. I get frazzeled…
28. Very easily
29. I do NOT like Arizona
30. I am cold most of the time.
31. I would rather go to the mountains than the beach
32. I am a germ-a-phobe….
33. I get stressed when I lose my germ-ex
34. I am a horrible speller
35. I do not really like watching sports (like football, basketball, etc…)
36. BUT I am trying b/c my future in-laws are HUGE fans
37. Richards 6 yr old neice and 4 year old nephew know more about sports than me! (They can probably tell you every Braves player and their numbers without thinking twice about it!)
38. I am starting to really like baseball
39. I am competitive…
40. Very competitive…
41. To much for my own good at times…
42. I think I get this from my dad!
43. I don’t like getting dirty
44. But I love to get sweaty when I workout
45. I tend to feed people when I care about them….
46. Or when I feel bad…
47. Or when I want to make them feel better…
48. I think I get this from my mom!
49. I used to pride myself in not liking ‘unhealthy ‘ foods….
50. Unfortunately…..i am starting to like them
51. I am deathly afraid of roaches, snakes, spiders and clowns
52. I know maybe 10 words of French…
53. And insist on randomly using those 10 words.
54. I do not like mess
55. I pretend like I know how to cook
56. I do NOT….DO NOT like EBV…aka Epstein Barr Virus…aka MONO…aka the virus that is keeping my fiancée sick!
57. I like Disney movies
58. House is my favorite TV show
59. I am starting a dietetic internship in the fall (HOPEFULLY!).....
60. Location: TBA
61. Those 3 months without Richard will be the longest of my life
62. I want to be a Physicians Assistant…
63. But…I do NOT want to be in school for 3 more years
64. I am going to be married to a DR!! :)
65. You can call me Mrs. Dr. Willis! :)
66. My future hubbie will be able to build cool things and he will be able to play with asphalt
67. I am getting a dog
68. I am naming her Zoey
69. I have a tendency to be overly dramatic
70. I love coffee…
71. And diet coke…
72. And diet cherry limeades
73. And diet dr. pepper….
74. I like getting flowers
75. My grandmother gets mad at me because my toes are never painted
76. Even though I love pedicures
77. I like being surprised
78. Richard is good at surprising me
79. I have a hard time keeping fun secrets….which makes it incredibly hard to surprise Richard
80. I have trouble sitting still….which is hard when my fiancée has MONO
81. I have a hard time saying no
82. I like being outside…
83. Only when it is not too hot…
84. Or too cold…
85. And when there are no bugs!
86. Spring and fall are my favorites
87. Richard makes fun of me because I call all scents (like soap, candles..etc) flavors
88. I am a firm believer in retail therapy
89. I love my family
90. I have one PRECIOUS niece Clarie Collins McCrory
91. I wish I liked to read for fun…
92. I only like to read cookbooks and wedding magazines
93. My wedding cake is going to be CHOCOLATE!
94. My only real jobs have been in a gym…
95. Which is a good thing …..because that is where I met my future hubbie! :
96. I am a compulsive list maker
97. I am very very very indecisive at times
98. I have a small tendency to be bossy
99. I like MAC make up
100. I do not function past 9:30 at night…even though I can rarely sleep the whole night thru…and I can not function in the morning without my coffee

Epstein-Barr Virus

2008-03-29T22:09:00.000-05:00

Richard and I made a trip to Montgomery yesterday afternoon to REGISTER! I had no idea how overwhelming it was going to be! I honestly felt guilty and selfish for making a list of things I want! I have been blessed with more than I could ever need or want and I can not imagine needing anything else!

In other news...after chronic headaches for a couple of weeks and a recent golf-ball size lymph node, we found out today that Richard has MONO!! :( Make sure you keep him in your prayers. This is a very busy month for him and he needs his energy!

Here is a new picture for Mom....

RICHARD PASSED!!

2008-03-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

After years and years of school....countless hours spent studying and preparing....and taking a 40 hour test....a UNANIMOUS decision was made by Richards panel that he PASSED HIS WRITTEN COMPS!! I am SO proud of him!

Spring Break and Easter!

2008-03-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

Richard and I made our rounds over spring break. We were able to make a trip to Henderson to visit his family...we have not seen them since Christmas...OR...our engagement! We really enjoyed spending some much needed quality time with his family. After our trip to Henderson we made a quick stop in Montgomery to look at wedding locations. Fortunately, we absolutely LOVED the very first place we visited! It is offical we are getting married November 22, 2008 at Wynlakes Country Club! We then rushed back to Auburn and had a mini marathon of teaching at Golds (5 classes in 48 hours!) Then it was off to Guntersville. We left Thursday and about 4 hours later...(yes it is supposed to take under 3...) we met my family at a cabin on Lake Guntersville! It was our first time to visit Lyndsey, Russell, and Claire since they moved up there in December. It was BEAUTIFUL and very relaxing!