Rollin, Rollin Rollin, keep that baby rollin!

Blake is SO close to rolling over it's crazy. I mean he rolls all the way to his side + some! I am sure that he will be doing it by tomorrow or the next day. He gets mad after awhile though and starts to yell! It pretty much infuriates him to not be able to get where he wants to go. What a trooper though, he sure tries hard! He has also started to laugh, it is the most adorable thing that I have ever heard. He tries so hard .. it comes out as a little "hehh" "hehh" but yesterday, he got out quite a big giggle! It was so awesome. On a more dire note, we have been battling cradle cap. I almost typed cradle crap. Which is what it should be called. Really, poop, spit up and boogers don't gross me out, but do not get me started on cradle cap! eeeek!

We are headed home to NY in two weeks, and as luck would have it, the lake is being treated with weedkiller right when we get there. Oh well, I am so happy to be going home, they could fill the lake with boogers and I would glady wade into them. (see I told you I am a HARDCORE mama now!).

Roxy has taken a renewed interest in Blake and if she isn't watched, I will find her spontaneously stopping by to lick up his whole face! Blake used to be alarmed by this. Now he opens his mouth wide (as if she has some tasty beverage to offer besides his usual milk), and today he giggled at her. But the sweetest thing was before she launched her lick attack, she looked at him, and he reached his little pudgy hands up to her face and cradled her face in his hands, I wish I would have had the camera!

Thats all for now folks! ***In the above pictures, I placed him on the floor on his back.
***he requested that shot of himself in the basket, I dont know why he looks so mad! :) heehee

The Farmer's Market

I really do enjoy the simple things in life. A warm sunny day, my baby's smile, a funny joke.. and the farmer's market!! Every Thursday I eagerly wait for Steve to roll in the door from work so we can go. I mean sure, I rarely buy anything because the vendors never change. But hey if I need a crocheted dishcloth or avacado honey, I know where to go! You never fail to see crazy things there either, today a man holding his baby (smaller than Blake!) up over his head with ONE hand! The baby was laying across his palm as they walked through the gravel parking lot. Call me an overprotective mother, but flying across a parking lot is not neccessary. I mean across a street sure.. hah. Just kidding, some people are so dumb, its too bad their reproductive systems are so well working. Blake and I ran errands for the rest of the day. We went to the commissary where he helped me pick out dinner, and then cruised the exchange where I cooed to him "Blakey wanna shop with mama? You love shopping!" To which he would smile and wiggle around. I am trying to brainwash..errr.. indoctrinate him young. I love this little guy so much, I cannot believe how fast my baby is growing. It seems like I was just looking at a digital test that said "PREGNANT". Well, I didn't look at it, Steve did, and then started laughing and hyperventilating... so I knew what it said. It was a pretty funny sight actually. But he regained his composure rather quickly, and assured me that all would be ok. And it is! It is better than ok! Blake is doing so good with tummy time, his neck is super strong. He is almost rolling over too! He can't wait to come home to NY. I am going to teach him how to wiggle his toes in Lime Lake, and have a bonfire (smoke blowing AWAY of course), and meet a jillion relatives including Great Grandpa Roy, cowboy extraordinare. He has already dubbed Blake "a fine little cowboy". Yep, thats his mama's boy! ;)
God fearin, animal lovin, hard workin little sweetheart.
Well, he will be, right now,..
Mama lovin, daddy grinnin, roxy befuddled, burpy, hairy little pumpkin!

No prayer is too small ...

This blog will be about a few different things, I will start with the cute stuff! I was reading in Parent's magazine the different reasons your child likes peek a boo, depending on age (and perception). It said not to bother playing before six months, because your child wouldn't get it. Well that is a lie, .. I take that back. It is probably true, but Blake is pretty advanced ;) I was playing peek a boo with him the other day and he was so cute he giggled everytime i uncovered my eyes and yelled (way too over cheerfully and in a super high pitched voice) "PEEK A BOO". The more he giggled, the louder and more obnoxious I got..haha I can't wait to get out in public and do that. So i am going to continue playing with my peek a boo prodigy on a daily basis, because no hand game is too challenging for him!
The next point has a lot to do with my title. Today I went to school to sell back textbooks. Two were small soft cover ones, and one was an old art book, and I had it for two quarters, so I was pretty sure it was out of date. Well, I put Blake in his baby b'jorn and we walked through the sunshine on the campus that is nested right in a small bay. It was beautiful, with roses blooming and goldfish swimming around a small pond. As I walked I said "Dear Lord, please bless this book buyback". I don't know why I thought to pray that, but the bible says "you have not because you ask not". I went to the room, and met a cheerful lady who scanned the first two books.. ten dollars for the first. Thirty three for the second (WOOHOO) and then, she said "I don't think we are taking this art book back". I was disappointed but glad for my forty-ish bucks. Then. she hesitated and scanned it. "Oh I guess we are!" she exclaimed. I can give you $98.00 total. I nearly jumped up and down! These books were just sitting on a shelf in my living room collecting dust! On the way back to the car, I thanked God for blessing me through my old garbage, and I felt so happy, so cheerful, so hopeful. I just wanted to skip. I probably would have, or even pranced, but with Blake in his carrier, I didn't want to give him shaken baby syndrome. Well I am off to catch a few zzzzz's, while Blake is asleep. A shoutout to my mom who is probably the only one who reads this blog. I love you mom!!

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

My mother is a poem
I'll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago

I guess just becoming a mother has given me a whole new appreciation for my own mother. She went to college to get her master's degree with a baby, and made straight A's! Securing a life for herself and I, teaching me about my heavenly I father, and always having a heart full of love! If you ask her, she would say I really didn't have bad diapers. I really didn't fuss much, I slept through the night right away. I only cried when I was teething, because poor me.. I was being tortured with pain. She would tell you that I never got on her nerves, or never made her tired. She would say that I am the most beautiful girl in the world, and the smartest to boot. A mother always knows what to say, how to give confidence, and how to be approachable. I hope that I can be all this for Blake!

My Life is Poopy, but I Wouldn't have it any other way!

I regret to say that this post is literally about poop. Yes, I never thought I would be so crude as to discuss it, but when it accompanies a Blake story..its a must tell. Today I was doing beach body abs in my living room. I am determined to have a Pam Anderson body for when I get back to NY. Ok ok, not Pam Anderson.. maybe Heidi Klum. Yes. Heidi Klum. I mean I already have a super beach bod. "Body By Baby-the Beach version". Ok I am lying a little bit. I mean I try super hard. I run about once a week, do situps maybe two days a week. I eat ice cream every night before bed, and I ate two brownies tonight. So when i come home i do not want to hear one comment like "oh you look great for just having had a baby" or..."oh no stretch marks, thats great! now all you have to do is tone!". No folks, I produced a CHILD, i get a little slack. Try getting five hours of sleep a night, and then tell me that Billy Blanks is calling YOUR name with his Tae Bo. Anyhow, back to my workout- I barricaded the dog away from me with the coffee table, in an attempt to protect myself from her tongue. (She thinks work out time, is wrestle time). Blake was cooing away on the floor next to me, and I was burning the ab's with Marco or Stavros, or some other greek god wannabe. Whoever Marco Stavros is.. he has big arms. I mean I never saw his abs, for all i know they were flab city, and the whole 13 minutes was a wasted of my time. Anyways, I was crunching and twisting and planking for a whole 13 minutes when I realized that I should be playing with my son. So I scooped him up and he smiled away as I told him how much mommy loves him and did anything I could to make him laugh. (he didn't) . So, I heard the dreaded ..ahem..noises that signal a diaper change. I was changing him when I felt something wet on the top of my leg. Now when I say leg, i mean UPPER leg. I was wearing super super short pj shorts to do my workout, and for all intents and purposes, my legs were totally exposed. I felt down and got something slimey on my hand... i looked down in horror to find.. yes.. Blake had pooped on me. Now remember, these are SHORT shorts.. and I won't bore you with the gory details.. but lets just say it was too close for comfort. But, Blake was smiling away in his animal onesie with his little naked butt all clean, and me wearing the fruits of his labor. It just made me laugh. A year ago, I was worried about chipped nailpolish. Now, I am just glad for poop free days!
On a very adorable note, I was at my friend Jen's for Bible Study tonight. She has the most well behaved adorable children ever and they are extra adorable. One of the middle boys was smiling at Blake when we left. He is about 8, he looked up at Steve and I, smiled a semi-toothed grin and said "you made a beautiful baby". That MELTED my heart! What wisdom from the mouth of babes! As poopy, burpy and tearful as any day can be...it is still so joyous because of our beautiful little boy. Thank you Lord for the little joys in each day!

Beach Fun with Roxy

Today we decided to head out to the beach on base and see if Roxy could be trusted off leash, and figure out if she knows how to swim. So first we headed out the door. Then we forgot a pacifer, back in I went. Then we forgot a baby hat and extra onesie...you get the idea! Many minutes later, we arrived at the base and it was a beautiful sunny day. Blake was content in his baby Bjorn, and we walked the trail, spotting a plethora of baby bunnies and wild roses growing all over. It was beautiful, and smelled so summery! We headed down to the beach -which was sparsely populated. And Roxy got crazy, she pulled and jumped all over the driftwood... we were getting less sure of our decision to unleash her..but we figured that at least we could see her for miles if she took off. So I took Blake, and Steve let her go. She ran in little circles first, plowing through the sand. Then he started throwing a stick for her, and she LOVED it! She galloped through the water and went out as far as she needed to to retrieve her beloved stick. When she came back to shore,she did a few victory laps in the sand before giving it back to Steve. It was so cute! Blake had a good time too, and fell asleep on the trail back to the car. The only downside to our new hobby, is our dog smells. :)
Oh and we met another boxer on the beach named Roxy!

Sleep? What is that?

As I write this, I reflect on all of my blessings. My guys are both sleeping peacefully, as is Roxy the loyal boxer. Blake is in his diaper with his arms straight out to the sides and his legs in a strange plie ...(ballet) position. He sleeps best swaddled, but it has been way too hot to swaddle him lately, even with a thin blanket. So unfortunately he flails around waking himself up most of the time. As for me, I guess I am adjusted fully to a major sleep defecit, and therefore I don't need to go to bed for awhile yet. We just learned that we will be able to visit family this summer back home in NY and while we don't have dates or details, I am SO thankful to be able to see everyone and finally have Blake meet his family. Thus far he has only met my Mom and Steves parents. I have been praying that we could make it home for a visit for awhile now, and God is faithful! It will be six months since we have been home, and the longest either of us has been away. At the end of my pregnancy I was not allowed to fly after 36 weeks, and we could not fly with a newborn either. So it took time, but finally we will be home. I cannot wait for Family, Friends, Lime Lake!!! and Buffalo food! I am going to eat a zillion Sahlens hotdogs, with Webers mustard, and Loganberry. I am going to Duffs for chicken wings and Teds.. and Andersons... I can't wait! When I was pregnant I was desperate... I tell you desperate for Buffalo food. I kid you not, Steve came home from work one day to find me on the brink of tears because I wanted a Broadway Market Polish Sausage SO badly. So, I did what any girl would do.. I turned to the internet where I found Buffalo Foods.com. I put sausage, and sahlens in my virtual cart.. and some bison french onion dip for good measure... I put in my credit card info.. and came SO close to clicking purchase...now mind you this was an overnight delivery of cold food, so it was going to cost about $70.00. Yes for one lb of hotdogs, one lb of sausage and a tub of onion dip. To me, it was worth it. Good thing he walked through that door when he did.. I got distracted and forgot about my purchases. When i revisted the computer, I decided it was a foolish expenditure, and cancelled the order. Alas, my cravings did not subside, and next trip home, I had a huge pack of frozen Sahlen's HOtdogs in my checked baggage! As well as a tub of French Onion Dip on ice in my carry on! (thanks mom!)
Wow, I was crazy when I was pregnant. Steve often reminds me of the night I sent him to the store for Baby carrots, watermelon, bubble bath, and and Michelina's frozen pepper steak and rice. Well he couldn't get the pepper steak and rice, so he bought EVERY other kind of Michelina's frozen meal (about 12 ) ... What a guy...Well it is 11 o'clock, Time to turn in. Good night to all!

Shots are the pits, but the park is fun!

I am very new to the world of blogging. Yet with family scattered all over the United States, it seems like a good way to relay news and photos in a timely fashion. I will try to update daily.. (hah!), at least every few days. I will keep everyone posted on Blake, Steve, Roxy and I. As well as WA happenings, future homecomings, and all kinds of exciting info. For starters, I have to remind everyone that Blake just turned three months old! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown. He has already outgrown so many outfits and looks so big already! He has beautiful blue eyes, and despite what the pediatrician said, he has not lost one lock of his beautiful hair. Daddy finallyconvinced me to cut it, but you better believe i saved every clipping! :)
The other day Blake and I took our first trip to the park..photos were just added! I took about 25, but for the sake of space I won't post them all!
Yesterday Blake had to go to the doctor for a check up because of a little cold. Call me an overprotective mama, but after the ear infection at seven weeks along with the bronchitis, I am always going for better safe than sorry. After being diagnosed with a little cold/maybe allergies, he had to finish up his two month shots. We spaced out/delayed his vaccinations. This has become a hugely controversial issue lately and is not something that I take lightly. Now, we are free and clear until four months. He was not happy after all that, the poor baby screamed like I have never heard him cry all evening long. Thankfully after a good night sleep he is *almost* back to our super happy boy!