Dang it!

So I was opening the mail last night and Garrison had gotten something. And since he still can't read, I have to read his mail for him. Much to my dismay, it was a letter from his pedatrician saying that they were closing their doors as of May 28th. WHAT?!? Apparently overhead costs keep rising, insurance reimbursements keep dropping, and with the new healthcare it will only get worse. So they decided to cut their losses and close up shop. DANG IT!!! Do you know how hard it is to find a great pediatrician that you feel totally comfortable with?? I mean Dr. Margaret Payne is AWESOME. We almost never had to see anyone else...she was always there, always consistent, very conservative, and very knowlegeable. She was sooo helpful with the seizures too. And of course, she was great with Garrison. I felt so comfortable with her and really trusted her. And after all we went through with our first pediatrician, it was such a blessing to have found her. If you don't remember, you can read about it here.

So here we go again...on the hunt for another wonderful pediatician. I may consider our runner up in last time's search, but I think I'll also look around. If anyone knows a great, conservative pediatician please let me know. And I say conservative because I don't want one that will just perscribe G with something that may end up being unsafe for him. So many doctor's are quick to perscribe when really, the best thing to do is let whatever it is run it's course. I want someone "by the book" because there's a reason why there is a book!! Okay, I'm getting off my soap box now.

Other than that bit of bad news, I am soooo happy it's almost the weekend!! 2 whole days with my boys. I LOVE IT! And we have a really fun weekend planned, so I'm even more excited than normal! Happy Friday!

Everything changes...

So they say everything, and they mean everything, changes when you have a child. We have found that to be true...our schedule, priorities, what decorates our livingroom. Yep, our child has changed the way our rooms are decorated! Now, a whole corner of the living room is littered with his toys. And because he is standing, we've really had to make some changes. Here are some pics of our new set up. Garrison loves his little play corner!



The kid always blink during the flash! Reason #356,249 that he is Bryan's child :) Not that there was a question! Haha...

Hard at play...

And did I mention that we love almost all the changes that parenthood has brought? We are enjoying this point in our lives so much!

Garrison's first official "photo shoot"

A friend of mine from highschool, Jane Foster, started her photography business about the same time Garrison was born. It's been so awesome to have her take pictures of Garrison throughout his 1st year. You should definitely check out her website...she's so talented!

Here are a couple pics from his very first "photo shoot"....


Isn't this just the sweetest!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Eat some chips and queso!

Random pic

My little guy when he was just 4 months old...

He's changed some much! But still just as cute!!

Daycare

Oh how I love Garrison's daycare. I am SOOO happy that we were refered to it. I really don't think I could have continued working had we not found such a wonderful, loving place for our baby. It's awesome because it's privately owned and run by a husband and wife. Their 2 adult daughters work there as well...Laura is the Infant Teacher and Vivian is the Program Coordinator. They are just the sweetest family. You can tell they are good people. And they love kids! All the other teachers are so wonderful as well. They kiss on Garrison and are just so loving to him and the other kids.

The building used to be a church and I think it totally has good "vibes" because of that. It's also in a residential neighborhood and I really liked the fact that it is tucked away.

And I know Garrison loves his school too. He has so much fun playing with his buddies in his class. He's the type of kid that needs that interaction and stimulation. He is definitely a people person! When I drop him off in the mornings he barely notices that I'm gone...he's too busy playing! He's only cried a couple of times when I left, and let me tell you, it BROKE my heart! But I know he was over it a couple minutes...gotta love how easily distracted kids his age are :)

I just got the schedule of the "Summer Fun" planned and I am so impressed! Every Wednesday they will set up sprinklers and have Splash Day. Can't you just see it...a bunch of toddlers running around in the water. I love it! I'll definitely have to get some pics to share. They also have a bunch of activities planned: petting zoo, a visit from Elmo, a visit from Dora, 4th of July Parade and party...I could go on! Isn't that cool?

So even though it sucks that I have to be away from him all day long, at least I know he's in such a wonderful place. And the fact that he's happy when he's there make me happy :)

One of my favorites

So we've been wanting to check out a church closer to us for a while and well, today we finally did it! It was pretty awesome. I kind of knew that the worship leader/band was one of my favorite bands, but wasn't expecting to see them today. And there they were! It was amazing to worship to my of my very favorite songs that they sing and I thought I would share it with you. I hope you like it too!

So Garrison was pretty good through about 1/2 the service, and then he went a little crazy! He DOES NOT like being constricted, held, anything like that. Needless to say, we had our work cut out for us! He would have been totally happy roaming around the new surroundings, but of course that wasn't going to happen. We managed to get through it with just a few LOUD outbursts but if we go there again we may need to see if they have some child care :)

Reflecting

Well here we are...in MAY. Last year this time I was enormous. I mean HUGE. My belly felt like it weighed about as much as 2 bowling balls. Men's bowling balls. Oh wait, it DID weigh that much! I was just looking at my post from the beginning of last May and it brought back so many memories...the excitement and anticipation of meeting our little guy, all the wonderful baby showers...what an amazing time in our lives. And I have to say that it has just gotten better and better.

What a blessing this past year has been. So many changes, ups and of course downs too. I've grown and learned more about myself this year than any other year. I feel changed in so many ways from becoming a mother. I've learned what it means to put someone else first, always. I've challenged myself to become a better, healthier person because that's what my son deserves. I've made choices, some very difficult ones, because that is what is best for him.

Being a mother means everything to me. It is the thing I always knew I wanted to be when I wasn't sure about anything. I am so very grateful and feel so privileged to be Garrison's mom.