Amos Celebrates Turning 1 in Biloxi!

Thank you to everyone who came out and helped us celebrate my sweet baby boy turning 1!  We had such a great time.  And thank you to everyone for your generous donations to the Footprints Ministry.
Also , thank you Paw Paw Wayne for the cake , Cousin Lanie for his Lion "SMASH" cake,  and  for the face painting.  Thanks Paw Paw and Grammy for making the trip the celebrate AGAIN, with the Biloxi family.  Kristina and Lanie thank you for the cupcakes, Kristina, again for the invitations and everything else you helped with!!  Aunt Laurie thanks  for letting us have it at your house and the million other things you did to make this day special.   Bebbie thank you for the favors and everything you did to make the day special.  And ReRe thank you for the great deal on decorations and his adorable jersey! (I will take a picture and post about that later)

 Here are some pictures from the  big zoo theme celebration!

Footprints Donations...Thank you guys!

This was about 7pm and he was out!

My sweet Maw Maw holding her  Great Grandson!  

He loves her!

What a Big Weekend!

Friday we played with the Withrows at their house and then went out to lunch with them.  He is now drinking whole organic milk ...no more baby formula!!!!!  This weekend  we went to see Paw Paw and the Clay Boys at a Bluegrass concert.  Amos sat in the front row and enjoyed watching Paw Paw on stage. Then we shopping with Grammy and he found out that he can stand in the back of the shopping cart and get out of his stroller if not buckled in.  I leave him unbuckled sometimes if he is sleeping and laying down.  But not anymore!  And last he finally learned to ride his toy Aunt Lis got him for Christmas.  He is getting more comforable on his feet and I feel before to long he will be taking steps. We are looking forward to the Big Party in Biloxi next weekend!  Here are a few pics and a video to show you his fun big boy weekend.

Playing with Anna & Si with the water table

Riding his toy

Happy Birthday Amos Alexander

Today is my little man's 1st Birhday.  We had a great small family party at Grammy and Paw Paw's house.

Go job Wes, he was in charge of the cake...

Amos loves Elmo

Playing with Anna and Si

Sweet Anna Kate

Silly Si

Birthday Boy

"His" cake,  Anna had a little taste, he was 

unsure at first...

"

We were "face timing" with Bebbie

Decided it was pretty good!

Aunt Lis was helping

He was not happy when we took it away!

And then he needed a bath!

We had a great night and are very excited about the Party in Biloxi!!

Saturday at the Booth's

Today was filled with family QT!  Amos is cutting his top two teeth, so he hasn't been all that happy lately.  So today we just stayed around the house and did some chores and spent time with the man.
We and Melissa washed cars and Amos was outside with them for a while catching some rays.  It was such a nice day!

 Wes was cleaning up the Jeep

He wouldn't keep his hat on so Aunt Lis had to improvise!

OK...NOW THE SOCKS!

These socks were purchased YESTERDAY!

How in the world do they look like this after well, not even a full day?  Well here is how!  I had to run an errand and Aunt Lis and Wes were in charge of the little one.  (I was gone maybe 15min) When I  got back, I was just  a few houses  away, and I could see Wes and Melissa in the street.    As I got closer this is what I saw...(For those who do not know, we like in a cul de sac)

Yes, this is my child in his WALKER in the street, having the time of his life.

I could not believe it, what were they thinking.  I got out of the car and said "are y'all serious"

They were both just like" look at him, he is loving it" and he was!  So then I say"does he have on shoes? And the response...he did but he kept taking them off!   

So here is my child in the street, in his walker, with no shoes on and two adults having the best time just watching him run around.

So when I picked him up I saw the socks!!!!  I just had to take a picture!  You never know what is going to happen next!

The day before, on Friday, we were getting ready to meet Grammy to go shopping.  he was in our room with me just crawling around playing.  And then, I didn't hear him...and out the corner of my eye, I see him playing with the TP!!!!  Oh he is a little explorer!  HE is into everything, but isn't he just the cutest!

Footprints

Tonight, as I was rocking Amos to sleep, I  started thinking.  Almost a year ago, he was about to come into this world 4 weeks early.  As most of you know, he spent the first 51/2 days in the NICU at St Vincents Hospital.  During this time we said a lot a prayers and a lot of prayers were sent from you all as well.
For the first 12 hours I could not see him.  Immediately after delivery he was taken to the NICU and Wes went with him.  While I was recovering, Wes brought back pictures for me, my Mom and his Mom & Dad to see.  He then told us he could not yet hold him.  He  then had to break it to the Grandparents that they would not be able to see him until Thursday night...and this was Tuesday!
That nigh,t Wes wheeled me down to see my little angle, who we still had not named.  When I first saw him, all I wanted to do was pick him up and tell him how much I already loved him!  When the nurse told me I could not hold him I felt helpless.  I was his Mommy and all I could do was touch him ( and she barley let me do that), it hurt my heart to think this child could not be held. ( Wes was filming my first actual meeting with the little man,  and I was on pain medication from the surgery and when the nurse walked away... apparently I  started talking smack about her and that she did not know what she was talking about and that the best thing for the baby was for me to hold him...oh yes this is on video)
Anyway, the next morning I went down to see him, I  still  could not hold him.  I noticed a gift bag sitting in his little area and  the nurse told me it was for me.  When I got back up to my room, my mom was there and we opened it.  There was a card from an organization called Footprints Ministry. It was filled tons of stuff, burp cloth, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, camera (just to name a few) and my favorite...a receiving blanket.  Attached to the blanket was this poem:

My Blankie

by Pam Carroll

I have a little blankie

That I hold tight each night

But there's just one thing missing

That's Mommy by my side.

If Mommy takes this blankie

And holds it very close,

When she brings it back to me

I'll smell her with my nose.

It won't replace my Mommy

But remind me of her love,

And that God's watching over me 

From heaven up above.

I got to the third line and had to have my Mom finish reading it.  It was at that moment that I knew he was not only in great hands medically, but God had these wonderful people... His earthly angels, that  did not even know my child, praying for him and visiting to pray with him daily.  The NICU is very strict about visitors, but they allow this minister who works with the Footprints Ministry to come pray with the babies daily.

The point of this LONG post is to explain why we are asking you  to help us Support and Thank this amazing organization.  We will send out invitations to Amos' 1st Birthday  in a few weeks.  His party will be at Aunt Laurie's house.  In the invitation you will  have a card asking you to help us thank and support Footprints.  There will be a list of things they need to make the bags they give to the families of babies in the NICU.  Our little man was only there 5 1/2 days, but some aren't so lucky.  Their stay is much longer.  Please help us by bringing one of the items on the list to the party.  When we get back to Birmingham we are going to take all the items to Footprints.  We have been in touch with Footprints, and they are so excited that we will share Amos' 1st Birthday with them.

Again , I cannot express how this little bag can mean so much when you are in that situation.

God has given us this child, this amazing gift and trusts that we will raise him to be kind, giving and appreciate all of our many blessing.  I can't think of a better way to start.

I have listed below, what will be in the invitation.  I just could not put all of this in the invitation, so I thought this would be a great way to explain the importance of helping this organization.

Items Needed

Disposable Cameras with flash

Travel size Kleenex

4 or 5 pack receiving blankets from Target or Walmart

$5 gift cards to local restaurants

Gas Cards

Monetary donations should be made payable to Footprints Ministry

I hope to see you all as we celebrate his 1st Birthday!!!

We are so blessed!

Shout Out!

Check out our shout out  for out anniversary on our wedding photographers blog!

http://ardenphoto.squarespace.com/

Look at me...I am feeding myself with a spoon!

Well kind of!  Today was the first day I gave Amos a spoon and let him try to eat by himself.  I know I probably should have done this already, but the thought of the mess just made me wait.  I know that is horrible, but it's true!   So today I did it and well I think the pictures say it all...

He was so excited

Aunt Lis came home just in time to see this huge moment

He was so proud!

Still has the spoon

So much for the spoon, he decided to use his hands 

and, well maybe he is trying to eat the way Marley 

and Lucy eat.. who knows

Trying the spoon agian.  Then it just became a game

I would give it to him and he would throw it 

down.  So I gave in and just let him do it his way.

And after his bath...the high chair was stripped and the cloth part was washed, the plastic was wiped down with lysol.  I have no idea how I am going to get thru this stage.  I can't do this every night!  

But this kid had so much fun.

We also went to the park today and for the first time he could climb and crawl on the playscapes.  He thought he was big stuff.  We will go back this weekend and I will take some pictures.

Oh one more big thing happened today.  After 11months, I finally ordered his Birth Certificate and we received it today!!!!!  I wont be geting mother of the year for that one.  I just completely forgot to do it!

But we got it today...he is offical!