Gage's Surgery

Gage was such a trooper!!! Both of his arms were in casts from the tips of his fingers to his elbows and the doc had tied them together!! The last picture is of him just hours after his surgery! Happy as can be!! What a sweet baby! He is more brave than I could ever imagine!!

1st Birthday Pictures

Back By Popular Demand!!

SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I know I am a blog slacker!!! It has been three long months of not blogging!!! There have been so many things going on in those three months! Gage had his big 1st birthday!! YEAH! His party went great! I do not have pictures on this computer because I am at work but I will post the pictures later!

Gage had surgery at the end of July! We ventured to the Shriner's hospital in Chicago. The surgery went GREAT! The doctors said he did awesome. ( I will post pictures later) He came through the surgery with flying colors and is healing better than expected!! We went for his last apt. a few weeks ago and the Doctor was very impressed with the way his hands were healing! I will post some before and after pictures of his hands later! He is healing so well we don't have to go back until December!!!! YEAH!!! We are so blessed to have all of our friends and family praying for us! God is AWESOME!

Also, on a lighter note, I am pregnant again!! I am 12 weeks prego, due March 23rd of next year. Super excited. We are hoping it is a girl but would love a boy just the same! We have 2 names picked out already, Sophie June (June after my Grandma) and Fisher Todd (Todd after Todd)!!! The doctor will be monitoring me more closely this time around to make sure everything is ok! We are praying and believing that this baby will be born just fine!!!!

12 Teeth

Gage has 12 teeth now!!

1st Birthday photos and such to come... I promise!!!! (One of our neighbors was steeling our internet so it was SUPER slow and would not download ANYTHING last week!!! Todd fixed the problem and now we are good to go!!)

11

Tooth number 11 has come in!!! Steak and potatoes here we come!!!!!!!

10

Tooth Number 10 is in... I repeat tooth number 10 is in!! YEAHH!! He has 2 more that are almost through the gums!! Hopefully after these 4 teeth are through we can have at least a month with out teething!!

Masters in the Art of Teaching

This weekend I graduated with my Masters in the Art of Teaching! It took 18 LONG months for me to finish! I am so thankful to my family who put up with me during my course of study! I am truly blessed to have such a supportive family! I am especially blessed to have a husband who supports me in everything that I do, THANKS TODD for being such an awesome husband and my very best friend!! I couldn't have accomplished this without you!

Tooth Number 9!

FINALLY! Gage finally cut one of his molars this week! YIPPY! He has been teething for like 2 months now! He has the hardest time teething! We are happy that this tooth finally came through! He almost has enough teeth the eat a steak!!!


Also, Gage's newest word... Tickle!! Not sure where he got it from,... we think from Papa McCann... but he says it as clear as day!!What a goofy little boy!

Mother's Day

As A Mom...

Favorite Part of the Day: I have several favorite parts of the day! I love waking Gage up in the morning during the week. It is really nice to snuggle with him and just hold him as he wakes up, even if it is only for a minute or two.

I also like it when I pick him up from the in-laws house in the evening, when he sees my face he gets the biggest smile on his face!! I love it! Now he gets really excited and crawls up to me! LOVE IT!!

I also love night time. I make him a bottle and we snuggle on the couch while he drinks his bottle, he will usually fall asleep in my arms!!

Least: Even though I know he is going to a great place (the in-laws house) I still have a hard time leaving him in the morning! I do feel a lot better knowing that he isn't in daycare and he is well taken care of.

Proudest Moment:
So far, I would have to say the day he was born. That was the best day of my life; even if it was painful, stressful, and one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life. I wouldn't change it for anything.

I was also very proud of Gage when we went the the Shriner's hospital. It was awesome! He did so well and was so brave! What a big boy!

Biggest Challenge:
My biggest challenge is juggling everything that a Mom has to do on a daily basis. I am very organized and I am grateful that I was blessed with such organization but, it is still stressful!! I feel like I do a good job at keeping everything kept up but I still am working all the bugs out!!!

Biggest Opps/ Embarrassing Moment:
I would have to say that there hasn't been very many, but when Gage burped in church and it was the LOUDEST burp ever. The whole church heard it!! Too Funny!

Things you never thought you would say or do (before you were a Mom):
"I am too tired to go shopping!!"
"Did he poop today?"

Things you are most looking forward to:
I am excited to see Gage start walking and really talking!

*************************************************************************************

My First Mother's Day went was very nice! On Friday I took the day off work and got pampered with a Mani, Pedi, Hair Cut, and a massage! YEAH! It was awesome! On Sunday I woke up and we got ready to go to breakfast with Todd's parents! It was nice to spend a little time with them before we went to church! Then after church we went to my mom's house and enjoyed a day filled with laughs, food, and fun with family!! Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers and soon to be Mommies!!!

EASTER!

Better late than never! I thought I would post a picture of Gage on Easter Sunday! He looked so cute! He had on a baby blue suit with a bow-tie! TOOO CUTE!! The only picture I have of him in his suit is with me! So, here it is!!

Like Father Like Son

What?
YUMMY MOUSE!

CHEESE!

I have a feeling Gage is going to grow up and have a job where he works with electrical and or a job that has to do with some sort of cord!! When we first got our new TV we hooked up the computer to it, I don' t really know why... we just thought it was cool!! So, Gage decided he wanted to play with the computer too! He loves to play with anything electrical! He loves to play with the computer and cords, he plays with Todd's WII remote all of the time! Anytime there is a cord that he can see he will go right to it and hit it on the ground! They keep him entertained for hours!

BIG BOY BED!

YEAH FOR MY NEW LOWER BED!!!!

Gage Helping Daddy What are you doing DADDY??

Just after he turned 9months we had to lower his crib! He was pulling himself up and it scared the poo out of me when he woke up one morning and was standing in his crib!! So, I made sure I took plenty of pictures of Daddy lowering the crib! SUCH A BIG event in the life of a 10 month old! (P.S. Gage had a rash on his face when we took these pictures... that is why his face is SOOO RED!!)

How I have MISSED You!!

I know... I know! I am a blog SLACKER!!! It just seemed like after working all day long all I want to do is come home and VEG... after playing with Gage of course!!! So, I promise I am going to turn over a new leaf and not be SOOOOO LAZY during the week!





So, much has changed with Gage since his 9 month post! HOLY COW!! He is so mobile now! He loves to just crawl around and play! He is great at entertaining himself and making himself laugh!! TOO CUTE! He has also learned how to pull himself up on the furniture! Gage can also crawl up the steps and with assistance get back down. He loves to eat food! REAL FOOD!!!! I loves mashed potatoes with beans and some corn all mixed in with a touch of gravy!! YUMMY!





Since I am a blog SLACKER.. He is now 11 months old! He is still in a size 5 diaper, he still only drinks 6 ounces of formula, he has 8 teeth and I swear he has been teething for the last 2 months and has about 4 swollen pumps in his mouth!!! He doesn't eat much when he is teething, he would prefer his bottle to anything! The transition from bottle to sippy is going to be a struggle I think!! So far he refuses to take the sippy!!





He says DADA, MAMA (FINALLY), WHAT, & GOOD!!! Not sure where the what and good came from but they are pretty clear when he says them!! Too Funny!

9 Month Stats

weighs 25pounds 7ounce--97th%
Length 29 and 3/4inches--90th%
Head......Lets just say it is BIG! HA HA!--90th%

He has 8 teeth
He loves baby food
I have started giving him SOME table food.... not a whole lot though
He is still drinking 6 ounce bottles... about 4ish a day
He can not crawl .... YET... but he is scooting backward!

I can see signs of him being shy!! When people he doesn't know talk to him, he will hide his head in my arm or just get REALLY quiet! If he can't see me or Todd he will get scared... I just hope he isn't as shy as I was when I was little.... I think he will be like his Daddy! Todd isn't shy at all and is willing to do anything!

He is such a fun baby to hang out with! I am very proud to call him my son!!!

Tooth number 8

Gage got his 8th tooth this week! That makes 4 big ones on top and 4 on the bottom! Maybe we can be done teething for a while!!!

Gage at 9 Months!!

Gage is such a sweet baby boy! He is nine months now! I can not believe it! I took the day off the other day to get his pictures taken!! This time he was so much fun to take pictures of! He was such a HAM!! The lady just kept taking his pictures because he was so cute and smiley! These pictures are just the pictures that Sears puts on the Internet so they are blurry! When I get his picture CD back I will post the better ones!!

I also haven't had time to take him to the Doctor! They couldn't get him in the day I took off so I don't have his STATS yet!! Anyway, I will post them later!!

Tooth Number 7!!

I forgot to post.... Gage got his 7th tooth last week!!! YEAH! So far I am the only person he bites! STINKER!

Weekend In-Review

Friday- I went to a church lock in for the girls in the youth group. I didn't stay all night because of the baby but I did stay until almost 1! It was nice to be able to get to know the teenage girls in our church on a more fun and personal level. Plus in today's society, they need as much spiritual support as they can get!!! Todd and Gage stayed at home! They had some Daddy and Baby time. Todd is such a great dad and Gage just loves to spend time with him.
**Friday at work I started getting a sore throat, it continued into the night!

Saturday-I woke up feeling horrible!! My throat hurt so bad. I promised Todd he could go small game hunting and even though I felt like poop I wanted him to still be able to go. So, Todd went small game hunting with my cousin Chris and my brother -in-law Wayne. Gage and I hung out at the house and had a good time lounging around with my good friend Amanda and her baby Mike. We were practicing a drama for church. The kiddos had a great time playing together. They are only 1.5 months apart, Gage being older, and they are really cute together. The rest of the evening was spent with me laying on the couch and Todd and Chris playing the WII.

Sunday- I still felt like poop but I went to church anyway! I figured church is a great place to be when you are sick! After church Todd and the rest of the boys helped my Grandma move back in with my parents. Then we just stayed at my parent's house until almost 10 p.m.! Todd was playing the WII again with Chris! Anyway, needless to say Sunday came and went and I still felt like poop!!!

I don't have pictures of this weekend because I just didn't feel like getting the camera out!!

Look-A-Like!

This is my mom and I at the Valentine Dinner at our church! She definitely could not deny me! We are always getting asked if we are sisters! The older I get the more I look like her! At least she is beautiful! I have a lot to look forward to when I am her age!! She is beautiful... and one of my very best friends! LOVE YA MOM!!

BirthdayWeekend!

This last weekend (Sat.) was my birthday! I love having my birthday on Valentines Day, it just makes it that much more special! Anyway, the weekend was great! Friday Todd and I went with my parents to set up the church gym for the V-day party my mom and I were putting on. After we decorated we went bowling! We took Boo! I felt bad getting a babysitter because I was gone working all week (and my mom was keeping him over night on Sat.) So, Gage went bowling with us! I must say...he is THE BEST BABY EVER! He was great! We had about 15 people with us so Gage got passed around from person to person and he played on his blanket with some toys until 1 in the morning!! He didn't make a peep! He was content the whole night! We left bowling at 1 and got in bed by 1:30! Gage slept in until 10 on Saturday! YEAH!!!

Saturday we woke up with the baby and hung out all day in our jammies. Todd gave me my Valentines and Birthday cards.... Gage also got me a Valentines card! The cards were really cute. Todd really takes his time picking out the perfect card. I also got a 1 hour full body massage from Todd and Gage! I was so excited I cried because I have always wanted one but I never would spend the money to get one! SUPER EXCITED about it! So, then we all got ready to go to the party at church. We packed up Gage's toys and we dropped him off at his Great grams and gramps Cook! They are my step-grandparents. Gage wasn't too excited that we left him there! He has never stayed with them but I knew he would be OK, even if HE didn't think so! When my mom picked him up after the party at church my grams said that said cried the whole time almost! I felt bad but I know he was fine, just missing mama and dada!

The party at church went off with out a hitch! It was fabulous! Everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great time! After the church party we Todd and I were going on a "date". We went to the movies to see Taken... except we forgot to take into consideration that it was Valentines Day!! Our movie was sold out! SAD FACE! So, we went bowling with some people from church and my cousins! It was still a lot of fun.

Sunday was church! Gage loves church and since his Grandpa McCann has taught him to clap his hands he fits right in with the rest of us "Holy Rollers"!!!! It is really cute to see him clapping and liking church already!! Sunday night he even got to play the piano! The piano man at church put him on his lap and let him play after church! Wouldn't that be something, a kid with a nub and sever REALLY small fingers playing the piano... that would be awesome!

Overall it was a really great weekend! I had a very special birthday! Todd is a great man and always knows how to make me feel SPECIAL!

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday messages! LOVE YOU ALL!

Just a few photos!

We got the camera out today and snapped a few pictures of Gage! In some of them he has his Milk mustache.... he had just woken up from a nap... before he naps I lay him in our bed with a bottle and he usually wakes up with a milk mustache. Too funny!

NEW JOB!!

I finally got a new job! I had a job at a school district in Flint and taught there for 1.8ish years! Needless to say, that wasn't the best position for me! I was not happy there and hated every minute of working there, except my teacher friends! I will have to say that the woman who work there are amazing and helped me through all of the struggles I faced in that position!

Anyway, since last April when I resigned, I haven't been able to find a job. (Mostly in part of this school that was giving me a bad recommendation..... not what they promised when I resigned!) To much tribulation I was not able to get a JOB!! AHH!! But I have enjoyed being home with Gage for the last 8 months!

To make a long story short, I finally got a new teaching job! GOD IS GOOD!! I started on Monday as the newest addition to Richfield Public School Academy! I am the K-4 special education teacher! I LOVE MY JOB! Going from working with 7th graders to working with K-4 kids has been a HUGE transition but I am up to the challenge! I really enjoy all of the teachers that I work with and the special ed. department is AMAZING!

God is so good! I must say he never lets me down! I have learned so much from working at my former position and I know I will learn and grow in a more positive direction in this position!

FINALLY!

Today I slipped on a pair of PREPREGO jeans! My jeans were the only clothing that I haven't been able to fit into until now! I had to go up one size after Gage was born... but I can officially say I am back (almost) to the way I was before! I weigh the same as before but my FAT is just in different places now! OHHH WELL.... it was all worth it!!


HAPPY!!!!

8 months OLD!! HOLY COW!

On Jan. 31st Gage turned 8 months old! I can't believe it! He is so big! He is pretty much doing the same things he was doing at 7 months. He got his first fever last Wednesday 102.2! He also had a runny/stuffy nose and was very very very fussy! We made it through though and he is feeling better! He still has a stuffy/runny nose and has a hard time drinking his bottles but he is feeling much better! When I took him to the doctor he weighed in at 25lbs 12oz, he is 29.5 inches long and his head is 47cm (BIG!) HA! He is almost on the verge of crawling but still hasn't quite gotten to concept. He will roll all over the floor though! He loves to play with his toys and talk to himself all the time. Gage is really content just playing by himself. He especially loves it when Daddy comes home because he gets all of Daddy's attention and they play all night long! It is so sweet to see how both of their faces light up when Todd comes home!

This is picture of the first time Gage slept on his side and he was flipped around in his crib! Now he loves to sleep on his side!

Gage and Ava having tons of fun together! They love to play and talk to each other! Gage especially loves to take her toys away from her! We are teaching him how to be a gentlemen! LOL!

He always has a beautiful smile on his face! That is one thing he gets from me!

I just love my bubba chubba!