"Little boy,

you

remind me

how

so much

depends on

days

made of now."

Anchors away!

Wednesday we said goodbye to my little brother, John. He has joined the navy and on to a new life! We're all so proud of him and will miss him while he's in basic. Please continue to pray for him during the new stage of life. We all know he will be a different person when he comes back. But we couldn't be prouder! We love and miss you John!

Pictures and Video updates

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Dear Daniel,

One year ago today, God changed my life forever. Never in my wildest dreams could I have possibly imagined how much. No parent truly realizes the changes and sacrifices they will make for such a precious gift. Daniel, you mean so much more to me than I could have ever imagined. Not a day goes by that I don't look at you and thank God for giving me one more day of your smile. The way you tug on my neck so I'll hold on for one more second. The way you say mama melts my heart with every breath you take. To know that sometimes I'm the only one that can calm your tears delights me. Your little hand at your mouth blowing me kisses. The way you seem to fit in my arms just so when I hold you close. Even on those sleepless nights I can praise God that I have a reason to be exhausted.

One year ago today, I held you for the first time and couldn't believe that God had trusted me with one of his most amazing miracles. The joy, honor and fear of it all washed over me. To know that I was responsible for His creation. To care for you and raise you to trust in our Saviour. To know that you were not only a part of me and your dad, but a part of God. To know that you weren't truly and wholly mine, but God's. To know that my love for the Lord was so much stronger because He blessed me with you. Because He was and is always faithful. Praise be to the one and true God who moves mountains!

One year ago today, I looked in your eyes and saw your father. My love for your daddy is immeasurable. My love for him grows each time I see him kiss your precious head. To see you both asleep in the recliner gives me such peace. Your laughter makes him smile a smile that he saves just for you. I love that smile! When he sweeps you up into his arms I know that he would do anything to help and protect you. And to see him reprimand you reassures me he will also guide you. Not only guide you through this world but down the path of righteousness. Because your daddy loves you more than any man on this earth!

One year ago today, I became your mommy. And I will always and forever be Daniel's Mommy!

I love you Puppy, a whole sky full!

Daniel's world

Daniel has changed so much in the past several months I don't even no where to begin!

He's not walking yet, but has taken a few steps. I am sad to say that I missed his first ones. But the ten other people in the same room got to see him. At least we were with family.My Uncle Roy asked me how long he had been walking and I told him he wasn't.

"Well, he just did!" I couldn't believe I missed his first steps. His MOMMY!

But we were able to get him to take a couple more steps so we could get it on video.

That will come soon.

He has a mouth full of teeth! Okay, I'm exaggerating. But it seems like he's gotten all his teeth over night. He has three working on four on the bottom and the same on top!

Funny thing is he already knows what they're for. He puts them to good use with some of his favorite foods. Or as soon as something is in his hands, it goes right to his mouth.

We've had lots of drool, trouble sleeping, yucky diapers, etc. The list goes on. . .

Needless to say, this last round of teething has been very difficult for all of us!

While Daniel may not be walking, he is cruising on everything possible.

Push toys, furniture, or Mommy and Daddy's hands have all proved to be very helpful in getting around. Of course his crawling skill has tripled! He's faster than ever.

When it comes to eating he's a pro! He of course is a Huffstetler and doesn't struggle with this a bit. He especially loves veggies, which makes his mommy very proud. He also loves yogurt. If you show him the container he goes nuts. And gets upset when we get to the bottom and tell him he's all done. (Like I said, he's a Huffstetler and loves his food!) We introduced the sippy cup at nine months and didn't turn back. It came to a point that he preferred them so the bottles were completely gone before 1o months! He is on whole milk now. While he wasn't on formula for long, that stuff smells horrible and cost a ton. Thanks to Gran she kept us well stocked.

Pacifiers are slowly becoming a thing of the past. I remember before having a baby I swore I would never use them. But I gave Daniel his first before he was a full 24 hours old! :o) I was so disappointed in myself but then he went to sleep! HEAVENLY!! We started "forgetting" it for nap times at school then at home. Now we're down to only in the car or at bedtime. Even then he doesn't use it much. However, if he does find one laying around he puts it straight in. I can't stand to see him playing with a paci in his mouth! I will ask him to hand me his paci and he obliges with no fight. Good boy!

We've been working on teaching him sign language. Just the very basic signs to start out with. (more, all done, milk, etc.) Although his sign isn't always accurate, he's seems to be picking it up. He certainly understands it if we sign it to him! He enjoys watching his Baby Einstein video that shows him the signs. He will watch the video then turn and watch me do the sign. It's really cute! I think the one sign he picked up on faster was "all done". He let's you know when he's had enough.

As far as speech he of course keeps it very basic. He now uses Mama and Dada in the correct context. And has now learned "yuck". It's especially cute when he says it while changing his diaper. I'm pretty sure that's where he picked it up at! :o)

Saturday we celebrated his first birthday a few days early. I can’t believe it was already time for that! We had a wonderful time with everyone that was able to come. We decided to keep it to just the family and had it outdoors since we live in a cozy two bed, one bath home. He had so much fun playing with everyone and playing with all his new toys. His top favorite was a big red ball Krystyna got him. Luckily he didn’t focus on just that and was eventually distracted by some of the noisier toys he received. He really needed some toys more geared to his age. I think he was getting bored with his rattles! :o)

We grilled hot dogs and had cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. His “cake” was a stack of cupcakes that I put together. The single one on top had chocolate icing. He was absolutely adorable! He really wanted to chow down but I guess he just couldn’t wrap his head around how he was going to go about it. It was just so funny. He eventually figured it out and got icing everywhere. I was holding back tears of laughter the entire time.

Well, I think I’ve covered all the bases. I will be posting pictures and video soon. I promise! :o)

We're back from our blog break!

Look what Daniel learned to do while we were gone!

Okay, okay. But I just had to share this video! :o)

Updates about . . . crawling, cruising, teeth, drool, and daycare . . . are coming!

9-month doctor appointment

Holy smokes! Three posts in one week! :o)

His appointment went very well today. Dr. Sweet (yes that's her name and it fits) said that it does look like the diaper rash has turned into a yeast infection and suggested Lotrimin. She also said that it does sound like he has allergies and suggested children's Zyrtec. She's very much about OTC products, which I have grown to appreciate. She is keeping him on the same dose of Zantac. If the cough continues even with the Zyrtec, she will then change the Zantac dose. She said the cough could be allergies, reflux, or both. So she wants to try to hit allergies first for a couple weeks. His ears look great and the tugging is just a developmental thing right now. She said otherwise he's doing what he should be and his stats are where they should be. Except that he has his momma's big 'ol lunchbox head. (My assessment, not hers! ) Lastly, she said we should expect some pearly whites within a few weeks. She could feel some buds on their way and that they may come throught the top first. We shall see! And the biggest surprise for today, NO SHOTS. Daniel is celebrating by crawling all over the house babbling up a storm!

19 lbs. 11 oz. (44%)
28" long (52%)
18" head circ. (69%)

You are 9 months old today my sweet baby!

Busy little bee!

This post has been started and restarted probably a dozen times in the past month. Luckily Blogger keeps your stuff as drafts until you’re ready to post them. I sit down to post something or add to my draft then I feel a little tug at my pants leg telling me I’m needed elsewhere! :o) My computer has also decided to stop working so I’ve had to squeeze in time on Michael’s. I’ve taken lots of pictures and videos for everyone to enjoy so look for an update this week. Sorry to bore you with the long post if you were only looking for pictures.

I would first like to make an announcement. My brother David and his beautiful wife Natalie are expecting their first baby! The whole family is so excited to have another addition. She’s been having a pretty rough time of it right now. That little one is definitely making sure his momma doesn’t forget he/she is there. She has been so sick these 12 weeks. Please keep her in your prayers the remainder of her pregnancy.

This year was my first official Mother’s day and I had a wonderful time. What better way than to spend that day with your little one! Michael fixed my mom and I lunch and then mowed the lawn. I love a freshly mowed lawn. It smells so nice and looks beautiful. Daniel had so much fun playing with me and Gran while Michael mowed. He played outside on the front porch and explored all that it could offer. He even tasted a few leaves now and then. A little dirt never hurt anyone. This baby literally had dirt from head to toe!

He is now crawling forward and cruising on anything he can pull up on. I think one day he decided he was tired of going backward and running into stuff. He just took off as if he’d been doing it for months! Like I said he is pulling himself up on everything and bravely cruising. Occasionally he will pull himself up to his crib rail but for some reason gets stuck. It’s actually pretty funny. I know I’m mean for laughing but he just looks so scared when he gets himself stuck when all he has to do is let go. Because he’s pulling up Super Dad has lowered the crib mattress all the way down. I couldn’t believe how fast that moment came. My mom bought him a cool little walker. He goes backward right now. Why does he have a problem with going forward? :o) He loves pressing all the buttons and listening to the music playing. (He loves musical toys!) Of all the songs it plays for some reason he continuously plays “When the Saints Go Marching In”. Hopefully in the near future he’ll figure out how to go forward. He gets himself stuck a lot going backward. Now if we could just get some teeth! He still has no teeth. He’s had all the symptoms just nothing to show for it. Maybe we’ll be lucky and get a whole bunch at once. Not that I want him in immense pain.

Even without teeth he seems to be doing just fine with his food. He gets very excited at mealtime. I’m still making all of his food at the moment. And he is officially weaned off the breast. This was a gradual process which proved easier for Mommy and Daniel than I thought. I haven’t started introducing meats yet, which I know I should. But we are trying new textures and other new foods. He loves his veggies with just one exception so far. GREEN BEANS! He hates them with a passion. He will kick and scream and clamp his mouth shut. It’s actually quite dramatic with tears and everything. He does love his fruits. I’ve not come across one he doesn’t like so far. Like I said his lack of teeth isn’t holding him back. My mother gave him a whole nectarine this weekend to play with and gum while she made a fruit salad. He surprised us by biting right into it. He of course loved it and destroyed it; eating what he could and sucking out all the juice. Needless to say, he was very messy and sticky. He also enjoys his Gerber puffs and wagon wheels. We think he is picking up on the sign “more”. His rendition of it is really cute and he will sign it when he’s getting hungry too. Even though he stays on a pretty regular feeding schedule it is helpful to know when he’s getting hungry without him screaming.

We’ve been doing pretty good with no more ear infections. (knock on wood!) He does however have a terrible diaper rash that has been coming and going for a couple weeks. Luckily he has his nine month appointment this week so we can ask the doctor what’s going on. I was hoping it wasn’t a yeast infection and have been giving him yogurt to help. But this rash is a stubborn one. His spitting up has been a little heavier of late. I think we may need to start increasing his Zantac. I also believe he has yucky allergies like his mommy and daddy. His poor eyes have been so red and itchy lately. And periodically they’ve been getting lots of “eye boogies”. But like I said his appointment is this week to help answer a lot of our pressing questions. Otherwise I feel like he’s a pretty healthy baby. :o)

He has also become quite the talker, like his parents. He has moved on to two-syllable sounds. His first one was “ma-ma”. I will admit that I was very excited to hear that for the first time. But I know he’s not aware of what he’s saying. But it does melt the heart just the same! He is also saying “bah-bah” and “da-da”. Michael of course grinned ear to ear the first time he heard that. Sometimes when we put him to bed you can hear him babbling away to Slobber, one of his stuffed puppies. I’m enjoying it now while it’s still cute. Remind me when he’s 13 that I couldn’t wait for the days he could talk! LOL :o)

He’s doing great at school/daycare. He loves all his teachers and “friends” and is currently the second oldest in his class. This is a room of about seven kids all under one year old. As much as I wanted to stay home with him, I couldn’t imagine a better place for him. They do so many things with him that I never would have imagined. And sometimes the simplest thing is used as a teaching tool. They’ve finger painted, played with dry oatmeal and explored a newspaper. Another time they “helped” make muffins. And now that he’s crawling he’s exploring the adjoining classroom a lot more often. A few times I’ve gone to pick him up and the teachers laugh saying he went to visit his other friends. I think he’s turning into quite the flirt, like his daddy! It’s a wonderful place and I have had great experiences with everyone he comes in contact with.

I think that’s all the updates I have for now. I’m sure that was more than some of you expected. Look for the pictures and videos. I promise to have them up this week!

Pictures, videos and updates...oh my!

Last weekend we celebrated my aunt's 50th birthday. She sure doesn't look 50!

We had a great time and Daniel was spoiled by everyone there.

Why am I the only one looking at the camera?

Daniel is trying so hard to crawl. You can't see it very well but he has figured out how to get his feet under him. Just not at the same time as his arms. Once he gets his arms up his feet fall and the other way around. But if he has something holding his feet still he get up. Then he starts that rocking motion. It's almost like he's thinking, "Okay, now what?"


He has graduated from the infant tub to the big tub. This has been for some time but now he's able to sit up on his own and actually enjoy bath time. And enjoy it he does. He still drinks the water every chance he gets. And funny enough, he prefers to play with the Cool Whip bowl rather than the other bath toys!



I have been making Daniel's baby food. But apparently not fast enough according to this picture! He's been doing really good with his new menu. He loves his veggies thank goodness. I can't really say what is his favorite. Maybe sweet potatoes or carrots. Bleh! I do not like sweet potatoes. He has also been eating banana, vegging mixes, peas, avocado, and yogurt. We will soon be experimenting with peaches, blueberries and mango.
Slow down son!

Is this not the most adorable picture? He is normally a little fussy after a bath. I think part of it is because he really likes bath time and hates to see it end. Also, no matter how fast I try to dry him off and get him dressed I think he doesn't like being the slightest bit cold.

This first video is obviously bath time. That slapping thing he's doing is what he does when he's very excited. I love the strategically placed washcloth. That's all him!

The toy he's playing with is some kind of music toy from my Nana. He got this for Christmas and just loves it. Could it be the lights or the music? Who knows, but he sure is funny playing with it.

Just a tease!

I know I have no place to tease right now. If I haven't totally lost my few followers. But here is a picture to tide you over. I have lots more to come. I promise to post more before the end of the week. You can hold me to that! Remember that gives me up to 11:59 p.m. on Saturday! :o)

What's taken you so long Mommy?

6 months and counting!

Our baby turned 6 months on February 27th! Where has the time gone? His dedication went great. We had a small intimate group which is just how we had wanted it. All the people who love Daniel were there. And those who couldn't be were there in spirit and in our hearts. It was an eye opener for me to remember that Daniel doesn't really belong to me, but to God. He is truly His. And last weekend we let everyone know. I pray that God will give us the wisdom to raise him in a loving Christian home. And I pray that one day we will see him give his heart to God as we have given ours.

Daniel has been accomplishing so much in his little world. We've really been working and playing hard. And I know his teachers and friends at day care have really been a lot of help. Here is what he's doing right now.
- sitting up

- grabbing objects around him (The tv remote and telephone are popular choices.)
- putting everything in his mouth
- trying solid foods

- attempting to hold his own bottle and spoon
- rolling over and over and over
- scooting around on his belly, backwards (He started out on the blanket playing with his toys.)

- making one syallable sounds (ie. ma, da, ba, bla, pa)
- recognizes both of his names (He goes by James at school and Daniel everywhere else.)
- enjoys bath time (Especially chewing on his washcloth and drinking the bath water. Yuck!)

- LOVES playing in his bounce gym

- plays and sleeps by putting his blanket on his face (Don't worry folks. I constantly check on him and move his blanket once he's done playing and falls asleep. Scary and strange, believe me I know. But it soothes him somehow.)

I can't believe I have a 6 month old! It is just amazing all the changes that have taken place. I look forward to each new thing. All the firsts that we are seeing and will get to see. I'm cherishing them all. Because like we are constantly reminded by everyone . . . it'll be gone in a flash!

I can't think of a title! :o)

Well, it's been pretty busy around here. More so for Michael than anyone else! Michael is finally finished with the musical. He said it went very well and can't wait for next year. (I unfortunately missed the performance because I was struck suddenly with fever on Saturday night. The fever hung around Sunday too but finally broke early Monday morning.) Now Michael is headed to San Antonio for the remainder of the week for TMEA. The following weekend he will be in Waco for Solo & Ensemble. Then in March he goes to New York with his choir for their Spring Break trip. He is running around like a crazy man!

Plans are in action for Daniel's dedication on Feb. 28th. I will be mailing out invitations this week. If you get missed, consider this your invite! :o) I'm looking forward to the service. We're having it in Italy at the same church we were married. I thought it would be neat to do his dedication in the church we dedicated our lives to each other as man and wife. I know, I'm sappy!

Daniel is getting so big! He's trying very hard to sit up on his own but not quite succeeding. He can roll from his back to belly and back again when playing. But for some reason he can't figure out how to roll onto his back when in bed. He wakes me up around 1:00 every morning because he can't roll back over. I've had to just let him cry until he figures it out or gives up. His feet finally touch the floor in his bouncy toy so he can really get some air some times. He was so cute when he got himself turned around in it and discovered there were more toys behind him. He was so surprised that he had to take a double take. Last night I fed him some rice cereal for the first time. I was wanting to wait until six months but decided I'd just give it a try. I don't think he's convinced it was a good idea. We'll keep trying.

Not much else going on around here. Hope you enjoy the pictures! :o)

This is the cold that never ends...

... yes it goes on and on my friends!

We are well into week three of living in the sick house. Here's how we spent our January:


Friday, Jan. 2nd - Daniel starts daycare
Tuesday, Jan. 6th - Daniel turned over on his belly at daycare and I got to witness it! We were both very excited.
Friday, Jan. 9th - Daniel appears to have a runny nose and fussier than usual at bed time. Was that a sneeze I heard?
Saturday, Jan. 10th - Daniel has 103 temp! He seems very unhappy when I come near his ear with the thermometer. Mommy's gut says it's a cold with possible ear infection.
Monday, Jan. 12th - Daddy stays home and takes Daniel to Dr. Sweet. She diagnosed a head cold but ears are all clear.
Tuesday, Jan. 13th - Daniel still running fever throughout the night. Mommy stays home to nurse sick baby. He finally breaks fever late in the morning but then spikes again at bedtime.
Wednesday, Jan. 14th - Mommy takes Daniel back to daycare so she can go back to work. She feels very guilty but know it's the best she can do.
Thursday, Jan. 15th - Mommy wakes up stuffy
Saturday, Jan. 17th - Daniel seems to be bouncing back! Just a cough "to get up the last of the snot". Daddy and Mommy are taking turns napping and playing because they have shared Daniel's cold.
Wednesday, Jan. 21st - Mommy notices a crusty little ear on Daniel. "Whens the last time I cleaned your ears?"
Thursday, Jan. 22nd - Mommy picks up Daniel from daycare and notices his left ear is completely covered in a yellow, crusty material. Did you try baby food today without telling me? Mommy called doctor's office who suggested Daniel be seen.
Friday, Jan. 23rd - Daniel sees Dr. Moreland. He can't even see into his ear due to the ruptured eardrum and drainage. Apparently someones ear was infected this whole time! Why didn't I go with my gut? Again with the "Mommy Guilt". Ear drops worked great over the weekend! No antibiotics needed! Could this be the end?
Wednesday, Jan. 28th - Daniel seems to be doing so much better, besides that pesky cough! Why does Mommy feel like she's hearing underwater?
Friday, Jan. 30th - Mommy feels like she's been run over by a truck and someone is stabbing her in the ear!
Sunday, Feb. 1st - Daddy, Mommy and Daniel all wake up with low grade fevers, running nose, coughs, headaches, earaches...the list goes on!
Monday, Feb. 2nd - Daddy drags himself to work with barely a voice. Mommy and Daniel go see Dr. Moreland, AGAIN. Two prescriptions of antibiotics for the two of us please! Mommy has a "textbook ear infection". Daniel has an upper respiratory infection that better go away in 10 days or make another trip to the doctor.
Tuesday, Feb. 3rd - Daddy struggles getting out of bed because now it's his turn, again.

A little over dramatic? Maybe, but we're sick and tired of being sick and tired!

No more excuses...

I will try harder to keep up. It's been a very crazy month! I can't believe I let myself get so behind. Christmas and New Years was gone in a flash! I can't believe how fast it went by. We spent lots of time with family and friends. Daniel started daycare on January 2nd and seems to enjoy it. He's already learned how to share! He brought home cooties and gave them to us. For the past two weeks the three of us have been battling head colds and poor Daniel's busted ear drum. Well, I know the real reason you visit the blog is for pictures. ENJOY!
(If you haven't given up on us.)




This first slideshow is portraits we had done in November when Daniel was 3 months.

This is a slideshow of just a few pictures from the past month.

Can I play the "new mommy" card?

It has been brought to my attention, by several people, that my blog is lacking. So, I guess it's time for an update. Let's see...
I turned the big 3-0 this month! That's right I'm 30. Instead of crying about it I decided to torture my family and force them to go somewhere none of them have ever gone before. A sushi bar! I hadn't had sushi since before I got pregnant and I was ready to dive in again. Since I'm breastfeeding, I can't eat raw sushi yet so my mom volunteered to eat what I would have. She was very surprised at how much she enjoyed it. Jennifer, John and Natalie also tried it but I don't think they will be going back for it anytime soon. I had a great time even if everyone else was still hungry after we left. (The chicken teriyaki was the most popular dish at our table.)





Although Daniel hasn't mastered rolling over from his back, he is pushing himself off of his stomach onto his back. He's trying very hard to roll from his back. Sometimes I think he's almost got it figured out. But he gets very frustrated when he can't do it. It's actually quite funny to see him get so mad. Boy he has his Mommy's temper. Sorry world! Daniel has now transferred from his bassinet to his crib for a few weeks now. Please don't ridicule me for keeping my baby in my room for three months. I won't listen to you anyway! :o) He's been doing great and has slept through the night on two occasions. The first night he did it I woke up with a fear of finding...well, let's not go there. Anyway, he's been doing great and I don't want to jinx myself by bragging too much.

Michael has been very busy preparing for the high school musical he is putting together this year. It takes a lot of his time away from home so I know he is looking forward to his time off with Daniel. Michael is out of school as of Friday the 19th and will be watching Daniel until the new year. Two whole weeks with Daddy! Which brings me to wonderful Krystyna.

Since Krystyna will be going back to Navarro full-time in January she will no longer be able to watch Daniel for us. It makes us sad but we knew from the beginning this was only temporary. She was so great with him. I know he fell in love with her and she fell for him. (How can you not?!) My trust in her was strengthened everyday when I saw how comfortable he was with her. He would always greet her with a smile and lots of laughs first thing in the morning. (He doesn't do that for everyone.) My fear of putting a six week old in daycare was calmed by having Krystyna take care of him here at home. We'll still see her occasionally but we'll miss her just the same!
I'm not nervous about taking a four month old to daycare. I really feel like daycare is going to be a good deal for him. Especially the daycare we've chosen. It's literally right across the street from where I work and is one of the best organizations I've ever seen. The daycare may get tired of us pretty quick though. I plan on visiting quite often! (One down fall of being so close to work: I won't want to go to work!)

Well, that basically sums it up. It's really been pretty uneventful, which is really the only excuse I have for not updating the blog. I will try to be better about it. Can I just play the "new mommy" card this time?

Fave Foto Friday

Daniel is not happy that today was Krystyna's last day.

We love you Krystyna.