More Pics of my Sweetheart

I love it when he first wakes up and his cheeks are a bit flushed and his eyes are still bleary.

He loves to hear himself talk and sing and screech right now.

Just when I thought he couldn't possibly get any cuter ...

Did someone say they were looking for a studmuffin?

Does foaming at the mouth indicate OVERSTIMULATION??

It's getting chilly outside, so I have to bundle him up for our walks! The poor guy is nearly sweating by the time I take him out of his seat at the end, but I just don't want him to be cold!

Sensational Saturday

What a Saturday! I feel so rejuvenated and re-energized!

The Hall family started the day by meeting our realtor at a house we've had our eye on buying -- totally out of our price range right now, but who knows -- we've got time on our hands and prices are falling. It's exciting to begin looking again for a place to buy, and great to see our realtor again -- she is so much fun to talk to. We loved the house and will just have to wait and see what happens.

After our showing, I dropped my boys off at home and made my way to the salon for some pampering. I'd been looking forward to this hair appointment for weeks. My usually blonde hair had become quite dark and dull, which definitely had me feeling the same! (I know all of you blondes out there understand!) It's funny, though, how I always expect to get my hair done and then leave the salon a different person, which never really happens. Rarely does the final product match the look I was envisioning. This time was no different. I wanted to be a bit blonder than she made me, with a cut that was a little trendier, but oh well. At least I don't look so white-trash anymore.

Afterwards, I stopped at home again to make sure that "No-Girls-Allowed-Football-Saturday" was going well without mom there to take care of everyone. My heart melted when I walked in and saw my two favorite boys playing and laughing together on the floor. Jon had literally turned our family room into a little play-land, with all of Tanner's toys arranged around him and his computer. I wish I had snuck in with my camera and gotten a picture of it.

Jon said that he also thought my hair would be a little blonder when I got back -- "You know, like Posh Spice in this week's People -- Now she's HOTTT," he said, as he flipped through to find the picture. (I mean, I know I'm already built like her and we basically share the same taste in clothes. In fact, I just wore my black leather corset and snakeskin pants to MOPs this week! I didn't want people to start mistaking me for HER at church this Sunday if I got the same hairdo, too! -- RIGHT) I just rolled my eyes. After feeding Tanner and kisses for everyone, I was off again.

This time, my destination was Starbucks, where I was planning to finish Eat, Pray, Love. I had definitely been looking forward to this part of the day for two reasons. First of all, I was excited to just sit and read with no interruptions. Secondly, and most importantly, I hadn't been to Starbucks since Monday. "Big deal," you say? Why yes -- to me it is. You see, I have either been to Starbucks or had a drink from there almost everyday for the past year (even when I was in the hospital after having Tanner!). I am totally addicted. I don't know what it is. I mean, really, the drinks aren't THAT great. But I'll find myself getting a drink in the morning, and then seeing the Starbucks logo somewhere later that same day and thinking "that looks GOOOOD." I never have two in the same day, but still, I was starting to feel a little bit guilty about my "habit," as we like to call it in our house. Especially after I saw the episode of Oprah about the woman who shopped her family bankrupt. It started by saying "she goes to Starbucks every day." YIKES!! Anyways, I decided earlier in the week that I'm going to try and give up my daily drink and save my Starbucks visits for special occasions or times when I really want to treat myself. So today I did just that. I sat in peace, enjoyed every drop of my 1/2 caff, nonfat, no-whip mocha, and read until my heart was content.

I did finish Eat, Pray, Love and I have to say, it was fantastic. I would totally recommend it to anyone. Elizabeth Gilbert is just a wonderful writer, extremely witty and thoughtful. It would be an awesome book club pick because there are so many great ideas to think about and discuss.

I drove home feeling completely refreshed and refueled -- ready to be a mom again and hang with my two loves. Now my little one is in bed and my husband and I are munching on pizza from our favorite local pizza-joint.

My bucket is overflowing. What a day...

Just another day at the office ...

It seems that Gasperini-ville lovingly refers to their exersaucer as "The Office." Too cute -- we've decided to adopt the term, also.

Welcome to the Exersaucer. What can I do for you today?

This just needs a bit of a tweak ...

Listen, Mom, if we're gonna make things work around here, this is what needs to be done.

Let me just enter those calculations into my computer.

You're Fired!

Happy Halloween!

Tanner went to his first Halloween party yesterday at our class at the hospital for Mommies and Babies.

Tanner and friend, Joey

If he is able to stay awake until Jon gets home from work, our little pumpkin will be trick-or-treating for the first time tonight (just to our neighbor's of course!). Hope you all have a great Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Jon and Grandpa S!

We had so much fun celebrating Jon's birthday with our parents this past Saturday. A great end to what Jon fondly calls his "birthday week." Hmmm ... something I'll have to remember come January. (I'm envisioning flowers, no dishes to do after dinner, and somebody else getting up with our little man in the middle of the night). :)

We all had a great time together doing what Jon loves best -- watching college football! It was also my dad's birthday and Jon's parents' anniversary.

I'm afraid my cake wasn't very original, but that's okay. I was so proud of myself for putting my cake-decorating skills to work again -- I took a class way back in college! Now I remember why I don't do it often -- so time consuming!

Here are some pics from our Par-Tay!

Jon and my dad opening gifts.

Happy 36th Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa Hall!

Tanner and Grandpa H watching football again.

The cake

Snuggling with Grandpa S

Eat, PRAY, Love

I've been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. It's a great read for moms because the chapters are only 1-2 pages, so you can read a whole chapter in less than 5 minutes. The author is witty and a little funny and has some really great insights. I really liked this one on prayer. It's a little bit lengthy, but so important to remember ...

My prayers are becoming more deliberate and specific. It
has occurred to me that it's not much use to send prayers out to the universe
that are lazy. Every morning before meditation, I kneel in the temple and
talk for a few minutes to God. I found during the beginning of my stay
here at the Ashram that I was often dull-witted during those divine
conversations. Tired, confused and bored, my prayers sounded the
same. I remember kneeling down one morning, touching my forehead to the
floor and muttering to my creator, "Oh, I dunno what I need ... but you must
have some ideas ... so just do something about it, would you?"

Similar to the way I have oftentimes spoken to my
hairdresser.

And, I'm sorry, but that's a little lame. you can
imagine God regarding that prayer with an arched eyebrow, and sending back this
message: "Call me again when you decide to get serious about
this."

Of course God already knows what I need. the
question is -- do I know? Casting yourself at God's feet in
helpless desperation is all well and good -- heaven knows, I've done it myself
plenty of times -- but ultimately you're likely to get more out of the
experience if you can take some action on your end...

... Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I
want transformation, but can't even be bothered to articulate what, exactly I'm
aiming for, how will it ever occur? Half the benefit of prayer is in the
asking itself, in the offering of a clearly posed and well-considered
intention. If you don't have this, all your please and desires are
boneless, floppy, inert; they swirl at your feet in a cold fog and never
lift. So now I take the time every morning to search myself for
specificity about what I am truly asking for.

How often I come to God with vague requests and prayers. The other night, after reading this, I prayed that God would just completely heal my little man's ingrown toenail -- I thought I'd start small. In the morning, it was as good as new -- after WEEKS of being swollen and red and yucky looking. Praise God!

** I can't believe I have a Master's Degree and still don't know how to cite a source. I'll give it a try, though:

Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love (New York: Penguin, 2007), 176 -
177.

3 Month Portraits

I've been meaning to post these for a few weeks now. Oh, how the time flies! These were Tanner's 3 month pics. I originally went to the photographer intending to buy the special $9.95 package and that's it. By the time I walked out, I had spent $100! Yikes -- I learned my lesson. It's so easy to get sucked in when you're presented with 50 pictures of the love of your life! Next time it's the basic package and nothing more! I thought you might enjoy some of our faves!

What a poser.

Top 5

A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine called to get a little advice on which baby items to register for. I have to say, I LOVED sharing my opinion with her, and probably gave her way more advice than she was seeking, which is always annoying -- Sorry, Sally! After we hung up, I continued to ponder what baby items have made my life as a new mom the easiest. Here are my favorites (as of 3 1/2 months). What are yours?

Top 5 (okay, 7) Baby Items
1. Summer Night/Day Handheld Video Monitor. I can't say enough about it ... SOOO great. I can see if Tanner is awake or asleep without having to go in. Did he just lose his pacifier? Is he out of his swaddler? Was he just making noises in his sleep? I thought registering for one of these was a little excessive in the beginning, but someone talked me into upgrading the audio monitor I had already received to this, and I am SO glad!

2. SwaddleMe Wrap. We use it every night and every naptime. Our boy looks like a little sweet pea when he's all bundled up.

3. Boppy Pillow. We actually have 2 of these -- one to keep in Tanner's room and one for the family room. They make nursing SO much easier and are nice to set our little guy in when he needs a little propping up.

4. Bebe Au' Lait Nursing Cover. Makes me feel like I can feed Tanner anywhere and not be embarrassed. (Not that one SHOULD be embarrassed for nursing in public -- I just had a hard time being discreet about it.)

5. Fisher Price Rainforest Carseat Mirror. It straps onto the headrest on my back seat. I just look in my rearview mirror and can see what my little man is doing since he is rear-facing. It plays music, too, which he LOVES! (the actual tune is completely annoying, but if he's happy, I'm happy!)

6. AVENT Bottle Sterilizer. Just put in everything that needs to be sterilized (including pacifiers and such), pop it into the microwave for 4 minutes, and you're done! I even take it home with me to Michigan whenever I go!

7. Sassy Deluxe Developmental Mobile. In the beginning, I was kind of against mobiles. Don't ask my why -- I was being dumb -- you know, I didn't want to overstimulate my baby. My mom got this one for her crib at home, and I loved it so much, I got one for ours, and then my mother-in-law got one for theirs. I love that it moves a little, then pauses, then moves a little, then pauses, etc. Plus, the little hanging parts change into more complex things to look at as your baby develops. It plays classical music, lullabies, and white noise, AND it has a remote control to go with it. The best part is that they were only $20 at Big Lots.

Congratulations to Jon!

Last weekend, Jon was inducted into our high school's Athletic Hall of Fame. We went home for the special event and attended a reception honoring the new inductees, then the football game where they were recognized. Jon said it was a "magical" evening for him. I'm so glad. I was so proud and remembered all those Friday nights when I used to sit in the front row of the student section with a "23" painted on my face and Jon's button on my chest, cheering for him! Yeah, Jon!

Mommyhood

Every day, my intention is to update this blog. For some reason, I can't ever seem to get it done. Don't ask me what I've been so busy with, because I probably couldn't list many tasks that you would deem important. Instead, I would tell you that I spend countless seconds kissing my son's sweet cheeks, reading him stories, singing him songs, cuddling him and tickling him, lovingly changing his stinky diapers, feeding him, walking him, and rocking him to sleep -- he fights it so!

Tonight I spent the evening at a Pampered Chef party hosted by another mom I met at a class for new moms at the hospital. (Yes, I am finally making some friends!) This was my first real outing to spend time with other women since I moved. Driving there, all I could think about were my wonderful friends from my girls' nights in Colorado Springs -- how I miss them!! I would so love to be sharing this season of my life with them! Of course, Jon was in charge of Tanner while I was gone and I was happy to hear that they "bonded" in my absence. I'll have to get out more often!

When I got home, I was visiting a friend's blog and happened upon another family's blog, where I was reminded again how incredibly blessed I am to have a healthy boy. What a little miracle each and every child is! My little Tanner has had an ingrown toenail this week (hence the extensive soaking that you will see in the pics). I have been so worried about his little fat toe -- you can hardly tell that its swollen because he's so chubby! We went to the doctor and they just gave me some ointment to put on it. I hope it gets better soon, I know I probably worry too much.

Please excuse the large number of photos I'm posting. I couldn't help it. I adore him so. Jon asked me the other night if I loved Tanner (I think he was trying to be sarcastic and funny). This is what I told him:

"This is the way I feel about Tanner. Right now I'm laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, and all I can think about is how excited I am to see him in the morning."

Reading with Grammy. Check out those cheeks! Swollen, I'm sure from so many kisses!

Oh my gosh! I LOVE this book!

I love my Grandpa Hall!!

Staying true to the Hall tradition of football Saturdays! Ready to cheer for ARMY!

If I Only Had A Brain ...

The weeks go by so fast here at the Hall house!! Is it really Wednesday already?!! We have been keeping very busy! Last weekend we went home again -- I know you are probably SO surprised to hear that -- for a baby shower. I picked Jon up from work and we drove home from there. The traffic was terrible!! Poor little Tanner whined and cried from the time we got on the interstate until we reached Indiana. By the time he finally fell asleep, I was crying, too. When we got home, my parents babysat so that Jon and I could go see a movie. It had been a while since we saw one, especially since we used to go every weekend! It was nice to be able to go out with my husband!! We saw Death Sentence with Kevin Bacon -- it was okay, but a little violent for me.

I spent most of the next day shopping with my mom and mother-in-law. It was my first big trip out to buy clothes since Tanner was born. I think I was feeling a little more confident after having some success with my first week on Weight Watchers. Yay!! Hopefully, I will continue to lose -- only about 13 more pounds to go until I'm back where I was -- and I'm fully aware that my pre-pregnancy clothes still might not fit then -- but I'm determined to reach my goal anyway.

I'm sure you've figured this out already, but I have a tendency to be a bit flighty at times. Those who know me well also know that this condition runs in my family. I'm proud to say I have yet to drive away from the gas station with the hose still attached to my car, but I have definitely had my moments. Today was one of them. I had cooking club this morning and made my dish on our gas-burner stove just before I left. When I left, all of the burners were off, but I must not have checked them carefully enough, because when I returned to the house 2 hours later I could smell gas. YIKES!! Tanner was still in the car, so I quickly went around and opened all of the windows in the house and took Tanner to the park across the street and then for a long walk so my house would have time to ventilate before we went inside. A few hours later, I returned home and called the fire department to see if there was anything else I should do to make sure the house was safe again for us. They said they would send someone over to check the gas levels. (The fire department is literally next door to us.) Lo and behold, they sent their biggest fire engine WITH sirens singin' and lights a-blazin'. I was so embarrassed! They checked inside and said everything was just fine for us to return back inside. I'm so lucky all I had to go through was a little embarrassment and not a major emergency. I swear I lost a major chunk of brain cells during pregnancy that have yet to grow back! It was totally worth it, though. Check out the latest pics of my Snickerdoodle (actually, we've taken to calling him Stinkerdoodle lately).

Hey!! I thought I ordered some nachos a while ago!!!

Daddy's Little Helper

I only smile at the pretty ones!

Oh Mom, what am I going to do with you??

Lucky

Let me preface this post by saying that I definitely do NOT judge another woman on whether or not she stays home with her children or goes to work each day. I know that what is right for me and my family is not what is right for every family. I also know that not every woman who wants to stay home is able to stay home.

That being said, I am one LUCKY woman. I have just been reflecting all weekend on how much I LOVE my job as a stay-at-home mom. This has truly been the best 2+ months of my life. I absolutely adore what I do each day -- playing with and caring for my sweeter-than-candy son and taking care of things around the house. I used to hate Sunday evenings because I knew I was starting the work-week the next day. I always felt like I was taking a deep breath on those nights, because I wouldn't be able to come up for air again until the following Friday night!

Sometimes I think it's easy for stay-at-home moms to feel guilty about not working and bringing home an income. I have definitely had those feelings at times. My husband would NEVER try to make me feel bad about staying at home -- he is always very supportive of it. However, I still feel sometimes that society looks down upon women who choose not to return to work after having a baby. I even find myself answering "not this year" when people ask whether I'm going back to work -- like I'm only taking a year off when, actually, I plan to stay home as long as possible. So I decided last Friday that I wouldn't feel guilty about it any more. Why should I? I am actually someone that can say they love what they're doing and not many other people can say the same. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts -- because it won't be forever.

I love being a mom.

I love staying at home.

And I love my husband so very much for encouraging me to do both.

I am one lucky woman.

One More Thing

Oh yeah ... one more thing. My little boy has started laughing!!! Music to my ears ... I never knew anything could sound so sweet!

Pics of Last Weekend

We had a great Labor Day weekend! Jon really enjoyed his time in Ohio and was eager to tell Tanner and I about all of the wakeboarding stunts he attempted. His family has a cottage on a lake there, and they were able to spend a lot of time on the water. Sadly, Army lost, but I'm sure they all still had a great time tailgating and such.

I had a wonderful time with my family. It was chaos getting everyone home, with flights being delayed, cancelled, and rental car places closed. But the entire family was together by Saturday morning and we enjoyed watching football together and just catching up. Tanner was a huge hit and everyone enjoyed cuddling with him. He went on his first boat ride on Lake Michigan in my dad's boat -- quite an adventure as the water was a bit rough -- I was feeling queasy by the end! Tanner was a trooper, though, stuffed like a little sausage into his life jacket!

I'm the first mate!!

Hanging out with Aunt Lauren

I'm loved! Stealing kisses from Aunt Kat -- and she only just met me!

Sharing a laugh with my Grammy!

I think Uncle Daniel needs some kids of his own!! He's a natural!

Tanner and his look-alike, Uncle Eric

Tanner and Uncle Pat, whipped after a long day of watching football!

It was hard saying goodbye to everyone, knowing that we won't all be together again until Christmas. I just love the precious time I get with my sisters! We have settled back into our routine here at home. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is already Friday!!

Tonight I made my first attempt at running since before I was pregnant with Tanner. I've been saying that I'm going to give it a shot for a while now, but when it comes down to it, its scary actually going out there and doing it. I don't know if I was scared because I didn't think I would be successful or if I thought it would hurt or what. But I did it. Now I didn't go far -- just to the corner and back -- a little over a mile, but my husband didn't have to come pick me up off the side of the road, so I'm viewing it as a major accomplishment! You have to start somewhere, right?! Tomorrow I'm starting something else I've been putting off for a while now -- I'm going to Weight Watchers. I'm determined to get this pregnancy weight off because I only have one pair of normal jeans that fit and I refuse to wear maternity pants through the fall!! It's hard knowing how many lbs I still need to lose, but all I have to do is cuddle with my little boy and it makes every pound that I gained worth it! What a slice of heaven! I felt completely guilty today as I just cuddled and played with Tanner all day, getting nothing else productive done, but I just can't get enough of him and I know this time won't last for long! Before I know it, he'll be in school like B's son M!