One Year Ago

One year ago, our lives changed forever with one little word.

It was a day I will NEVER forget as we embarked on a new adventure.

We've come a long way in just 365 days.

This past year has been full of so many emotions: elation, stress, joy, fear, anticipation, exhaustion, excitement.

It has contained some of the best memories of my entire life as we have spent the year getting know our little Love bug

who has evolved into a bouncing bundle of pure joy

and has become the light of our lives.

A Week of Firsts

Nathan had a big week this last week. It was a tough one, for mom that is. Nathan just sailed right through all the changes. He's a champ and such an easy going little guy. He definitely gets that from his daddy.

On Sunday, Nathan spend his first Sunday in the church nursery. Matt and I had decided a few weeks ago that it was time to put him in the nursery, but we were out of town for two Sundays and then had his baby dedication so last Sunday was our first chance to try it out. He is becoming much more alert and interactive and not sleeping all the time. We knew that he would have a better time being held and played with in the nursery than tagging along with distracted parents who were trying to keep him quiet. He's also old enough and on a pretty good schedule that I know when he is going to be hungry, and he has consistently been going at least three hours between feedings, so I felt confident knowing he wouldn't be starving in the nursery (one of the many irrational fears of a new mom). The nursery workers were super sweet. I knew Nathan had made a friend when the worker asked if he liked to be rocked asleep. Oh, he was in heaven :). They also were very reassuring that they would call us if he started crying and they couldn't soothe him. Words this nervous mommy needed to hear. I was a nervous wreck on the way and through most of church. Matt was a great encouragement in assuring me we were doing the right thing. One benefit of nursing is that I got a chance to spend a little time with him after Sunday school to feed him. I was able to work his schedule so that he ate at the beginning of church. Usually, his schedule worked out that he needed to eat near the end of the service, which meant I always missed the sermon. In the last four months, I had heard 2 sermons, and one was last Sunday. I had really missed our pastor's teaching, and it was nice to not be distracted by our little one during church. He did wonderfully in the nursery, and was happy both times we picked him up. I'm glad the first time is over. I know it will get much easier. Matt teased us that by the time we have our third kid, we'll be dropping them off the first week.

First day in nursery. I wanted to get some better pictures, but we were in a mad dash to make it out the door on time.

Then on Thursday, we had another big first, Nathan's first day of preschool/mother's day out. I felt like Sunday was a good warm up for this big day, and I had been preparing myself all week for this milestone. Nathan will attend this preschool two days a week. I'm hoping it will give me a chance to have a day to work for Youth Services, and a day to have to myself to get errands run, chores done etc, without constant interruptions (even if those interruptions come from a very sweet little boy)
Matt and I went on Wednesday to the open house to meet his teachers. They were really nice and are both grandmothers so I know he is in good hands. They also have a maximum of a 1 to 3 ratio of workers to babies, which I was really excited about.
Thursday didn't come without a few tears, on my part. Nathan was super happy when I dropped him off. I held it together while I dropped him off, even when I was taking him out of the car seat and he looked at me with those big blue eyes. I kept thinking that he had no idea what was happening that day. Once I got in my car to go home, a few tears came. I can't believe he is big enough to spend the day with someone other than his mommy. I composed myself quickly though and had a good rest of the day. On my way home I stopped and ran a few errands (tag agency, bank, pharmacy). Quick errands are much easier without having to take Nathan out of the car and lug his car seat into each place. I made it home straightened the house, did a few things on the computer, and then met a friend for lunch. Afterward I came home and cleaned and mopped the kitchen. I had a few rough moments when I walked into his room a couple of times and he wasn't there. He's always either in his room or with me, so it was an odd feeling when he wasn't there. Nathan is enrolled in extended care on Thursdays, so he stays until 4:00 on that day. I was anxious though and left the house about 3:30 to get him. I picked him up and his teacher said he did great. I wasn't surprised. He is a really good baby.
Another thing that is really nice about this preschool is that they have web cameras in each of the rooms. So, when those irrational fears popped in my head (he is screaming his head off), I could log on and check in on him and see that he was happily snoozing in his bouncy seat. It made the day a lot easier on me.

I'm glad this week is behind us. I'm excited that Nathan will get a chance to socialize with other adults/babies, and I'm looking forward to a little adult time of my own.

Working for the Diapers

Matt's work recently built and moved into a brand new building. A couple of years ago they decided it was time to expand and considered locations all over the country. Thankfully, Broken Arrow decided to keep them here, and the new building is even a little closer to our house. I remember thinking about having to sell our house and move when we had only owned it for a couple of years when Matt told me the facility was expanding. We're glad we didn't have to move.

They had a grand opening yesterday with lots of important people in attendance. The CEO of Flightsafety flew in from New York and the governor, Congressmen and other government officials were also in attendance, and of course the most important person, my husband, was there as well.

We are so thankful God provided Matt such a good job in a great city to raise our family. He is a hard worker and a wonderful provider to our family. Nathan and I tell Daddy all the time how much we appreciate his hard work so we can have a nice place to live, food to eat, and lots of diapers.

Here's a link to the news coverage of the grand opening.

Here's another one as well

Baby Dedication

Nathan was dedicated to the Lord at our church on August 14. It was such a special weekend for my little family. I really enjoyed planning for a celebration of our precious little boy. It was the first time I had planned any sort of event in his honor, and I can't wait to do it again for birthdays, holidays, graduations, etc. Nathan was blessed with lots of family to celebrate with on his special day. All four of his grandparents were there along with Granny, Grandaddy, Momoo and Great Aunt Lanie. Everyone just loves him so much. Family started arriving Saturday afternoon. Later that afternoon we left Nathan with Grammy, Papa Joe, and Momoo, and the rest of us had a tour of Matt's new work. Grammy and Papa Joe had already had a tour so they were happy to babysit while we went. That evening we all ate pizza, played games and took turns holding Nathan.

Sunday morning everyone met us at church for the dedication

I don't know what I'd do without these two boys

Handsome little man

Nathan's fan club

Our pastor does an excellent job with baby dedications. He holds each baby and offers a prayer for them based on the meaning on their name. This was his blessing for Nathan.

Nathan means gift of God.
Wilson is the son of a determined guardian.
Nathan Wilson, may you learn at a young age that God is your heavenly guardian and receive His great gift, salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

That is my prayer for Nathan every single day.

Poor Nathan had a rough time on stage. We timed it so that he wouldn't be hungry during the dedication, but unfortunately that meant it was nap time, and poor Nathan was a sleepy boy and cried while Pastor Johnston was holding him.

I love this picture. Nathan is screaming, and Matt and I are in the background laughing. Parenthood can be a humbling experience.

After each baby had been dedicated, the pastor turned and charged us as parents to raise our children in Christian homes so that at the proper time that would come to know Christ as their Savior. He also charged the congregation to be faithful to supporting us as parents in raising them to come to know the Lord. It was a sweet time for our family.

After church my parents offered to host lunch at their house since they have a bigger dining room table. Nathan and I spent the week before preparing for the lunch. It was fun to shop for decorations, plan the menu and prepare the food. I just love celebrating my little baby. Barry offered to smoke barbecue and my mom helped a lot with the menu.

We had barbecue sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, corn, vegetable salad, and fruit. It was a nice time of fellowship with our family.

I also made a special cake for the occasion, and had a lot of fun baking and decorating it during Nathan's naps. He was sad he couldn't have a bite, but everyone else enjoyed it.





Sunday after lunch, everyone headed home. Granny and Grandaddy decided to stay another night, so we spent the afternoon and evening playing settlers, and visiting. Nathan enjoyed being held by his great grandparents all evening. He had a rough day on Monday readjusting to not being held constantly.

Please join our family in praying for little Nathan to grow up to be a man of God, and for Matt and I to honor the Lord in the way we raise him.

Iowa Visit

Nathan and I had a busy week last week recovering from our trip to Iowa and preparing for a special weekend with family, so I have never gotten around to posting about our time in Iowa celebrating the arrival of a very special little girl.

We had a great trip, and oh I love that baby girl so much! I didn't realize how quickly I would fall in love with a baby who wasn't "mine." I mean my love for Nathan is out of this world, but he is my son, so I wasn't overly surprised at the love I have for him. But this little girl, well she surprised me with how easily I fell in love with her.

We left Broken Arrow Tuesday night after my mom got off work and drove about half way, before we decided to stop for the night. Nathan was ready to see his cousin, so he woke us up about 5 the next morning ready to go. We got back on the road and made it to Jeremy and Anna's just as they were pulling in their driveway coming home from the hospital. It was perfect timing. We spent the afternoon and evening admiring Amelia and visiting. My mom and I made a quick trip to the grocery store and cooked dinner for everyone. Anna's parents were in town too.

Nathan loved cuddles from Uncle Jeremy

My brother slept in this cradle when he was a baby. I don't think I ever slept in it, but Granny has had it in her house for years, and I remember playing with my baby dolls in this cradle. Now I have a real life baby! He's already almost too big for it.

Sweet, sweet baby

She loves her Auntie Angela!

Nathan tested out Amelia's bouncer while we were there

Thursday morning we headed back over to the Flamings for more cuddle time. That afternoon, we ran a few errands to pick up some things for Jeremy and Anna and a few for us as well. Earlier that day, Nathan had a major spit up incident that got all over him and me. I had a couple of onesies in the diaper bag, but not a nice outfit, and I needed a change too. We had to go and run a few errands, so my solution was to stop by the hotel on our way, so Nathan and I could change. Grammy's solution was to stop by the mall and by a new outfit for Nathan and a new shirt for me. Love it when my mom spoils us :).
That afternoon I got a chance to have a long chat with Anna, and it was one of the best parts of the trip for me. I loved catching up with her. I know I mentioned before how fun it was to be pregnant at the same time, and its even more fun to be new moms together. We can encourage and support each other and share advice. I'm so thankful for such a great sister-in-law. Now if we can only get them a little closer to Oklahoma :). In person chats are better than phone chats, but those are still fun too if we can get nap times coordinated.

Nathan was mesmerized by cousin Amelia. He just stared and stared at her. He loves her already, and he seems so big compared to her.

My sweet baby boy in his new outfit

Friday morning, Amelia had some doctor appointments, so we had the morning to ourselves. I got a little jog in trying to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, then we took off to a big outlet mall a few miles away. I was looking for new outfits for me and Nathan to wear for his baby dedication the next weekend, and we were both successful. We also almost bought out the Carter's store at the mall. They had all their Fall stuff out, and it was all so adorable. Because I had an early summer baby, all the clothes I had bought/looked at were summer, so buying for a new season was a fun experience. He is starting a preschool/mother's day out program next week, so it was our first school clothes shopping experience (looking forward to many more!). We also picked up a couple more things for Amelia. My mom loves spoiling her grandbabies, and I love shopping with my mom! We went back over to Jeremy and Anna's that afternoon and helped them with a list of chores/errands they needed done. I'm proud of them for making a list of things we could help them with. I might take their advice for our next baby. I'm pretty independent and don't really like asking for help, but I loved getting the chance to help them out. I know how tough those first weeks are as new parents.
We also took a few cousin pictures on Friday. My mom bought Nathan and Amelia matching outfits, and we took advantage of their cuteness.

The two cutest babies I've ever seen

Pretty in pink

Mark and Jean cooked a delicious supper for everyone that night and we had a good visit.
Saturday morning we spent a little more time with our favorite Iowa family. Anna and I got another good chat in, and we all got some last snuggles in with Amelia. I miss her already. Hopefully we'll get to see her again soon. We said our goodbyes, grabbed some lunch and got back on the road about 3:30 that afternoon.

Can you see how smitten they are with their new granddaughter?

My brother and our babies. Whenever I see this picture, I think about how proud our dad would be if he could meet our spouses and our babies.

We made it back to Broken Arrow very early Sunday morning. Nathan was so good during the drive. We stopped every three hours so I could nurse him, and he had a few bouts of crying, probably out of frustration because he wanted to be held, but he was a fantastic traveler. My best tip for traveling nursing mothers is to stop and nurse in hotel lobbies. That was my mom's idea and it was genius. They have much more comfortable seating that restaurants, are always clean, and have nice bathrooms. Plus they are usually located right off the interstate. None of the front desk workers ever seemed to mind that we borrowed their lobby for a few minutes.

Daddy missed us a lot, and even greeted me with roses when we made it home. We were all happy to be back together as a family.

I was really glad I got the chance to make the trip with my parents to see Amelia as a tiny newborn. Originally, I was just going to wait and make the trip with Matt and my grandparents a few weeks after Amelia was born. That's still the plan, but I took advantage of my freedom from a job right now, and tagged along for this trip too. I really wanted to be a support and encouragement to Jeremy and Anna. Having recently been in the same stage as they are, I know how difficult the first couple of weeks are especially for breastfeeding mommas. I was glad to be on the other side of it to let them know how quickly things get easier. It brought back lots of memories of Nathan's newborn days: questioning every cry, celebrating every wet/dirty diaper, trying everything to keep baby awake for feedings, feeling totally exhausted and yet so entirely in love with this new person. I love my 3 1/2 month bundle of joy and personality and all the sleep I'm getting, but there is something very special about those first few days with a brand new baby, and I'm thankful to share part of that time with my brother and Anna.

As I Lay Myself to Sleep

Nathan had another big first last night. He slept all night in his own room for the very first time! Since he was born, he has been sleeping in our room. It just made things much easier for middle of the night feedings, diaper changes, etc. He has been napping in his crib for several weeks, but he has always slept in our room at night until last night. He has been sleeping consistently through the night, and I knew it was time to make the transition to sleeping in his own room. Matt left for a short two day trip to Florida yesterday, and I thought it was a good time to try putting Nathan in his own room. I think part of my prolonging the process was that I know that Matt needs a good night's sleep, and I didn't know how difficult it would be to put Nathan in his room, and I didn't want Matt up all night with a crying baby or a wife who was constantly getting out of bed.


So we tried it last night, and Nathan did fantastic. He is such a good little baby. I put him down about 9:30 and by 10:00 he was asleep, and I didn't hear a peep from him until about 5:00. We got a pretty big thunderstorm in the middle of the night that woke me up, so I went and checked on him, and he was fast asleep. He started fussing around 5:00, and I went in to check on him. This is pretty normal for him. He usually wakes up around 5:00 and 90% of the time I can rock him, put his paci back in his mouth, and he'll be out for another hour or two. Well, this morning he had a hard time going back to sleep and I could tell he wanted to eat, so I went ahead and fed him, and put him back in his bed. He slept until 7:30. At this point, I was sleeping pretty hard, and not quite ready to get up for the day, since I hadn't slept well during the night, so I scooped Nathan up and brought him back to my bed for some cuddles. It was raining and dark, and we snuggled for another 45 minutes, before we got up for the day.

We'll try again tonight and see how it goes. I was surprised at how soundly he slept. Usually I hear him stirring a few times at night. I think he's usually still asleep, but it wakes me up and I pat him until he settles down, but last night I never heard him stirring. I'm glad we tried it, but I'm not sure if it was the best idea with Matt gone. I'm always a little skiddish and nervous when he's gone. Add to that my baby being all the way across the house and thunder and lightning, and I was on edge most of the night.

This morning we hung out in our pajamas for awhile, and Nathan told me all about his big night. I'm so proud of what a big boy he is!

Trip to Weatherford

I’m behind in updating because of our wonderful little excursion to Iowa, but we also had a really fun weekend in Weatherford a few days before we left for Iowa that I want to make sure I write about. Nathan got to spend his first weekend with his grandparents in Weatherford. We saw lots of family and Nathan got lots of spoiling. Matt was able to take Friday off, so we got to spend a little more time in Weatherford than usual, which was wonderful with a new baby, because we had to make sure we fit all the family in. We made it to Weatherford in time for lunch on Friday. We had lunch with Matt’s parents, fed Nathan and then got a quick visit in with Momoo. She cuddled Nathan and we visited for a couple of hours. Friday night, Granny, Grandaddy, and Aunt Sydney came over for supper at the Baughers. Of course Grandaddy hogged Nathan, but everyone got a turn holding him. We ate and visited and played for a few hours.
Saturday we got more play time in with Granny and Grandaddy and Aunt Sydney. They took us to lunch and we played cards while Grandaddy played with Nathan. They practiced rolling over on the floor. How sweet is it that my 79 year old Grandpa will get down on the floor and play with my son. Grandaddy told us that Nathan rolled over from his back to his tummy. I didn’t get to see it, and I’m not sure if Grandaddy gave any assistance, so I’m still waiting to see it myself. I know he is getting close. All weekend long we kept talking about when Amelia would arrive. It was always on the front of our minds.



Saturday afternoon, Nathan got to spend some time with his Aunt Becca. She hadn’t seen him since he was two weeks old. He’s obviously changed a lot since then. That night we drove to the big town of Cordell to see Brandon and Mindy. They had just moved there a couple of weeks before so we got a tour of their new house, ate ice cream and played settlers. It was really nice to catch up with them and visit for awhile. We already miss them living in Tulsa so much.




Sunday morning we headed back home. I was hoping to make it back in time to make it to a friend’s bridal shower, but we were out late on Saturday night, and all three of us slept in too late on Sunday morning to make it back in time. Instead we unpacked, Matt took a nap, and Nathan and I relaxed. Just as we were getting back in town, we got a text that Amelia was officially on her way, so I was way too excited and anxious to nap. That evening we decided to go over to my parent’s house to wait it out together. I could tell my mom was really anxious and needed her other grand baby to distract her. We played a few games to try and get the time to pass faster and all jumped every time the phone rang hoping it was Jeremy with good news. We stayed a lot longer than I planned. Amelia decided to take her time. Finally about 10:30 that night we got word of her arrival. It was a late night for all of us. By the time we made it home and I fed Nathan and put him to bed it was after 12:30 and I was still too excited to sleep! It was a memorable weekend. We are so thankful for all of our family and friends in Weatherford, Broken Arrow, and Iowa!

3 Months Old

Nathan you are a quarter of a year old. Your third month has been so much fun. You grow and change so quickly, and it’s a joy to watch you learn and explore the world. This month we have really seen you start to interact more with us. I can tell that you recognize who I am and you recognize your daddy too. You just smile and smile at him when he comes home for lunch. It makes his day. You also have begun to turn and look at us when we talk to you. You and I have fun conversations all day long. You coo and babble all the time. Your voice is very sweet.
This month you have found your mouth and your ears. Everything goes into your mouth. Your motor skills are starting to improve too and you can actually grab things and pull them to your mouth to suck on them. You have a few favorite toys that you love to slobber all over. You have also found your ears. Since you were born you have always slept with your hands up by your head. Since your grasping reflex has improved now you hold onto your ears when you are sleepy or fussy. We have lots of pictures with your hands up by your head :).

You are still rolling over pretty consistently from your tummy to your back and your neck strength is amazing. We lay you on your tummy and you can hold your head up and look all around. It wears you out sometimes though and you much prefer to lie on your back. You are also close to rolling over from your back to your tummy. You always roll to your side when we lay you down, and your lower body is strong enough to get your legs to turn over. If you could figure out how to get your arms to help you roll over, you’d easily be rolling everywhere. I’m sure you’ll have mastered this trick by the time you are four months old.


You just love to stand up. We will try and sit you down and you’ll straighten your legs so you can stand. We just hold you while you stand and look all around. Your daddy comments on your leg strength all the time. I think you will be an early walker. Granny told me that your grandpa walked when he was seven months old. Maybe you’ll follow in his footsteps.

You wear 0-3 month and 3 month clothes. 3 month shorts and pants are still too big for your little waist, but you are able to wear 3 month rompers and overalls. You still wear a size one diaper. We took you to the doctor about 2 weeks ago and you weighed 10 pounds (10th percentile). We made it into the double digits. You were 23 inches long (50th percentile). I can’t remember your head circumference but it was in the 10th percentile. You are long and lean just like your daddy. I don’t see a football career in your future, but maybe soccer.


You nurse 6-7 times per day and it takes you 25-30 minutes to eat. You love to nurse. I can tell it’s very comforting to you. Sometimes I laugh because you end up in some of the most awkward positions when you are eating, and I know they can’t be comfortable, but you could care less as long as you are nursing. You get annoyed whenever I interrupt your eating to burp you. Recently you’ve started to fix that problem by just burping while you are eating. It’s so funny what a great burper you are

You have been consistently sleeping 8-9 hours a night for your entire third month. Your mommy loves you so much for that. You still aren’t a great napper, and I think I’m just coming to the conclusion that you just don’t need as much sleep during the day. The doctor assured us your sleeping habits are fine. It’s hard to get much done at home when you usually only sleep for 30 minutes at a time, but I am loving your nighttime sleep habits, so I can’t complain. You usually sleep close to an hour for your morning nap, and then take anywhere between 20-45 minute naps after your other feedings during the day. I can tell you still need to nap between each feeding, you just don’t need to sleep very long.

You still sleep in your pack and play beside our bed. Honestly I thought we would have moved you to your own room before now, but it’s much more convenient to have you close. I do have a goal to have you in your own room by the time you turn four months old. Mommy and Daddy need our room back at some point.
I’m a little behind with your 3 month post, because we’ve had some exciting things happen in our family. In your third month you got a cousin! This also led to many other firsts including your first long car ride, first hotel stay and longest time away from your daddy. We both missed him a lot, but it was so great to get to meet cousin Amelia and spend time with Auntie Anna and Uncle Jeremy. You were such a great baby during the whole trip. You are very laid back and just go with the flow (as long as your belly never gets empty). You definitely take after your daddy in that regard. You were a super traveler although you did get pretty tired of that car seat by the end of the trip. We’d put you in your car seat and you immediately would arch your back and straighten your legs to try and get out. You are a strong little man. You also continued to sleep good in the hotel room especially with extra cuddle time with mommy every night. You have always slept so much better in someone’s arms than in your bed. I think you just don’t like to be alone.

Nathan Wilson, I seriously can’t believe we are a quarter of the way through your first year. You grow so fast. I guess it’s time to start planning your first birthday party :). You bring so much joy to our lives. I know that I fall more in love with you every single day.