Mini "G"

The past month has gone by quickly.  We have had to "baby proof" the house because Zeke is into everything these days!  We added a gate at the entry way to the kitchen, cabinet locks, bumpers on the coffee table and hearth, and generally moved breakable items!  He will be 10 months old in a few days and we can hardly believe it.  He looks more and more like his daddy and continues to develop his sweet, outgoing personality.  We don't know where he got that because Gregg and I are both naturally introverts, but Zeke LOVES people and hasn't met a stranger yet!  He makes many different noises, and has figured out how to blow what we call, "Momma bubbles!"  At first I thought he was saying my name, but realized it was not about me...it was about the bubbles!  He says, "Dadda," but hasn't figured out that those are our names yet!  He also has figured out how to sneak one arm out of his pajamas at night, which has given me a good laugh on several occassions!



Standing on his own!



Daddy's "Mini me!"



Dressed just like Daddy!


 

"Look what I did, Mommy!"



DO YOU SEE THE RESEMBLANCE?

 

Gregg at about 5 months old with his parents

 

Zeke at about the same age with his daddy!

 We had family photos taken (again) with my side of the family for my parents' Christmas cards.  It was in October, but our crazy Atlanta weather gave us a hot day.  We still got some cute photos!

Daddy (Gregg) went on a 12 day elk hunting trip, so we took the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends in Alpharetta.  We had another play date with little Luke and his mommy, which was so much fun for Zeke AND me!  We got to spend some time with cousins Kariss and Sophia too, which was wonderful.  We ended the month with Zeke's first Halloween, where he dressed up as a baby gator, of course!  Zeke was thrilled to see Gregg when he returned home as you'll see by his expression in the photos below!




"Hey, you're about my size!  What's goin' on?"

 

"This is so much fun!"



Little Luke and me!

"I love Ms. Dena!"



Cousins!

   

Our baby gator



 



First time trick-or-treating



The moment he saw Daddy after 12 days apart!

 

Love!


We are well into Novemeber and getting ready for Zeke's first Thanksgiving.  I was very pregnant at this time last year, and now we get to celebrate the day with our sweet boy.  What a blessing!  Zeke got to meet my friend, Natalie, and her son, Benjamin.  Natalie and I have known each other for our entire lives, so it was a special treat to get to introduce our first born sons!  She is expecting her second little boy shortly after Zeke's first birthday!



Zeke and Benjamin

 

Zeke was relaxing apparently!



...and Benjamin was ready to get down and play!

We are so incredibly thankful to live near family right now, and to be able to spend time with them and our precious friends.  God has blessed us more than we deserve!

39 weeks!

Zeke,
It seems like you have changed more in the past several weeks than you have in your whole life.  You are one of the happiest babies I've seen, and I hear that from everyone...it's not just Mommy bias!  You are crawling with a vengeance and pulling up to stand whenever you can.  Mommy and Daddy have had to adjust certain things in the house to make sure you are safe.  Your favorite toys have become our remote control and Mommy's red exercise ball (kind of like a dodge ball).  We gave you your own remote control, but it's not as fun because it doesn't light up when you press the buttons.  You don't like being confined any more.  You'd rather be free to crawl around and explore.  This is taking some adjusting on Mommy's part!  Now that you are pulling up, you are falling more, which is also an adjustment for me.  You fell over in your crib and hit the side of the crib pretty hard one afternoon.  You had a bump and a lot of tears, but you were okay a few minutes later.  God is constantly teaching me that I am not in control.  I have seen this throughout the years, and He has blessed me with so many things in His timing, not mine.  After all, He gave us you!!!

Below you will see a couple of videos of you in action...

  

red ball



red ball



remote control



You were 9 months old AND 39 weeks on October 19th.  This was a special day to me because it marked the day you were officially here with us the same amount of time you were growing in my belly.  You were born on January 19th (a Tuesday) at 39 weeks gestation.  Your 9 month/39 week birthday also fell on a Tuesday.  I think the whole concept of you being here the same amount of time I was pregnant with you is pretty neat!

Mommy and Zeke

Chillin' with Daddy!

We got your 8 month photos back from Summer Adams, our photographer, and they were precious, of course!  Although, we learned that you do not like grass, as you'll see below!  We also had a family photo shoot with Wynna, Granddaddy, Uncle Jared, Aunt Jami, and the girls.  Fall has arrived, so I got a really cute shot of you in front of my pumpkin display at our house.  Everyone that sees it just can't help but smile because you look so happy!



Not into the grass...




Our family




My happy boy!


Next week is Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and it will be time for your first birthday.  That is hard to believe!  I will continue to try to record all of the milestones and little details because it is all passing so quickly. 




Looking up at Daddy!


I thank God for you everyday!

I love you,

Mommy

Bye Bye Summer!

Bath time!!!

It is hard to believe that summer is officially over.  The high today was 90 degrees, which certainly doesn't feel like fall!  We have had a wonderful summer in spite of the heat.  After we got home from Hilton Head, the three of us got a cold, but thankfully Zeke's only lasted a couple of days.  We continually ask God to protect Zeke's health, and feel blessed to have a healthy baby boy. 

Mommy and her boy!

Zeke is 8 months old now.  He has mastered the army crawl, and rocks back and forth on all fours, but hasn't officially started crawling yet.  He likes to stand and hold onto things.  He seems to be sprouting teeth like crazy.  We are up to four on the top and two on the bottom! 


Stage 1: start moving



Stage 2: legs and arms moving

  

Stage 3: got it!

Look...I'm standing!

 The Florida Gators football season is in full swing, so we have had a couple of afternoons of watching daddy jump up and down and talk to the TV!  Of course we have to dress up in support of our team!

First UF game...Go Gators!!!

 

"I drool orange and blue!" (sorry Uncle Jared and Aunt Jami!)



Supporting Mommy's Alma Mater!

We were blessed to have a visit from Zeke's Uncle Gary and Aunt Stacey last week.  They were driving through Atlanta and took the time to come see us and meet Zeke.  It was really special.  He loved them, of course, and they loved him!  They gave him a little deer and owl (like Gregg's childhood toy) as you'll see below.  He had a great time "talking" to them!

 

Uncle Gary and Aunt Stacey

As fall arrives, I often become nostalgic.  I am reminded of my childhood and many special memories with my family.  This week Zeke and I are staying at my parents' house because Gregg is traveling.  My mom and I walked Zeke around the neighborhood and reminisced about the old days.  We walked by houses where old friends used to live and areas where my friends and I played for hours.  I am thankful to have such wonderful memories and look forward to being a part of the memories Zeke will create over the years. 

Now that I am a mom, I have a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices my parents made for me.  I realize how much they truly love me, which leads me back to my Heavenly Father.  He loves me even more than my parents do, which means he loves Zeke even more than I do.  That's hard to believe!  I thank Him every day for Gregg and Zeke, in addition to our extended family and friends.  I'm glad this blog will help me remember all of the little moments with Zeke because they are passing more quickly than I thought possible!