Baby Bing

Blake turns TWO!

2011-07-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

When trying to think of a theme for Blake's second birthday, we started listing all of his favorite things and quickly realized that they all began with B! So however scattered and random it may be, it made him very happy! That's all that matters...

A perfect invitation designed by Clementine Grace Photography.

Blake's favorite foods were represented with bananas, blueberries, blackberries, strawBerries, blocks of cheese, bean dip and brownies.

There was a bubble machine at the front door and tables around the room had some of Blake's favorite things...
His favorite booksA bucket of balls

Blake's buddies Bryan and Tate building with blocks.

Blake had a blast running around his friends, opening presents and playing with all his favorite things!

The guests brought home a bucket with a book, bubbles, basketball and water bottle.

Blake had a wonderful time with all his favorite "B" things... but perhaps his favorite "B" was announcing that he is going to be a BIG BROTHER in February! Here's to another fabulous year!

FINALLY

2011-04-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

A new post. It has only been a little over 5 months.

If you have ever had a toddler, you understand.

I have been searching for good photos to post, but almost every one of them is a blur- because that is what Blake is. A constant blur of movement. The only decent pictures I can snap are when he is stuck in a highchair or strapped in his car seat.

He is so sweet.

So silly.

So playful.

So suave. And he all of a sudden turned into a little boy! Where did my baby go?!

We have been loving the beautiful weather! We practiced hunting for Easter eggs at the Boys Ranch.

He and Bryan had a blast feeding the ducks there also.

We strolled Main Street with the family. I

Blake is a huge fan of the zoo! He wasn't so sure about the dinosaurs until closer inspection.

Every day is so much fun with Blake. We are so blessed!

Slacker Mom

2010-11-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Nancy and I'm failing as a Mom.

Not only am I not keeping up with the blog, I blew off a Halloween costume this year. I had every intention to make something. I bought everything I needed for a precious Bamm Bamm outfit and it is all still sitting in the bag on the kitchen table. Instead, I took the slacker way out and used the costume that he made at daycare for their costume parade.

Blake was an M&M.

Which was super cute when they were all together... But it just didn't have the same effect when he was by himself.
Or when he was with his super cute spidey-cousin, Tate.

Yup. There goes my shot at the Mother of the Year award. Maybe next year.

Time Flies

2010-10-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since school started. Actually, I can. We have been very busy! Please excuse the randomness of pictures... these are just a few of our Fall Favorites, in no particular order.

First of all, Blake's 15 month stats:
Height: 33 inches
Weight: 26.12 pounds
Head: 20 inches

Blake's favorite things:
Opening doors and playing with Jack.
His Cozy Coupe.

Pacifiers and putting on shoes.

Our Fall activities:

Blake loved watching the Rangers throughout the playoffs. He would actually watch the games and clap for the players. He would even get out his glove from the toy box. We were able to go to one of the games before tickets were hard to come by. World Series, here we come!

We went to the Pumpkin Patch with my best friend, Brandi and her son, Cade. The boys were very irritated about us trying to get pics. They just wanted to play!

We celebrated Mia's 60th birthday! Blake and Tate helped finish off the cake.

We took rode a train in Fort Worth. Blake loved waving at all the people and all the trees! He is a very curious little guy.

Our days have been spent chasing. It is exhausting but oh-so-much fun!

Back to School!

2010-08-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

Things went much better than they did last year. We are incredibly lucky that Blake's teachers from last year happened to move up to his toddler class! We all absolutely adore Ms. Kim and Ms. Megan. Blake was hesitant when we went in his classroom but Ms. Kim picked him up and started to show him around. He quickly forgot about me standing there and ended up having a wonderful day. I am excited to see what this year has in store for us!

Down the Drain

2010-07-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

This summer has literally gone down the drain! We have been doing two bathroom remodels. We had the guest bathroom redone first, during which we encountered surprise after surprise. It ended up taking twice as long and costing twice as much as expected. When it was finished Todd and I moved into the guest room and started work on the master bathroom. It is still going and probably will be up until school starts. This all would be so much more exciting if I didn't have to chase a one year old around to keep him away from all the mess. And we have to stay in the house because there is someone doing something here every day. Plumbers, tilers, dry-wallers, etc. Blake now has an "Uncle Carlos" though!

That is my excuse for not posting about Blake's one year appointment.

Blake's one year stats:
Height: 31 and 3/4 inches
Weight: 25.8 pounds
Head: 19 and 3/4 inches

He is still off the charts for height and head and 90th percentile for his weight.
His allergies are getting better so we took him off medicine.
He can walk- when he wants to. He prefers to hold onto something but can walk about 10 steps or more from A to B.
He wants to eat/drink whatever Mommy and Daddy are having and will let us know by making a fish face at what he wants. He also likes to tell us to eat something with the same fish face:

Random funny morning this summer:

Yeah, we hang out in our pajamas. A lot.

Grand Slam!

2010-07-05T09:31:00.001-07:00

Blake's first birthday party was a major HIT!
Fans received their commemorative ticket created by Muddy Road Productions.

They arrived at Post Field from all over Texas to celebrate!

The gift shop was full of wonderful gifts.

The concession stand was loaded with delicious hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jacks!
And of course we hit the "sweet spot" with yummy cupcakes.

The MVP spent time with his adoring fans...

while the All-Stars had a photo shoot for their baseball cards. We had a ball hanging out with all of our buddies.

After the 7th inning stretch, Blake called his next shotto the mound of amazing gifts!

The coach struck out with the baseball cake.

putting the little slugger in a foul mood.

The All-Stars were thrilled with their souvenirs. They each got a game ball and their own photo on a baseball card!

The coaches celebrated a victorious season with their Rookie of the Year!

Fourth of July

2010-07-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

We had an exciting weekend! Blake had his first birthday party (pics to come) and then we celebrated the Fourth of July in Crowley with family. I tried to get my hardest to get a picture of Blake for his first Fourth of July, but getting this kid to sit still is impossible lately. Even his buddy Carter tried to get him to sit still and look at the camera. Nothing stops this kid. "Lady, give up. I'm not going to sit still." This is our typical view of Blake. Constantly in motion.

Or making silly faces.

By the time we headed out for fireworks Blake was exhausted and fell asleep in the car.
He was unimpressed by the show. Maybe next year will be more exciting for him?

First Steps!

2010-06-26T21:16:00.001-07:00

Blake learned a new game on our bed. He will get up on his knees and then throw his body onto the pillows. He will giggle really hard and do it over and over falling both forward and backward. He learned to also do it on the couch. The only problem with his new game is he sometimes forgets that the key to the game is pillows. At the beginning of this week we were hanging out in the den and Blake was standing right in front of me with his hands on the couch. He started giggling and then threw himself back... onto the wood floor. It was horrible. Since then I have been terrified of his new game.

Tonight I was sitting on the floor to catch any falls while he was cruising along the couch. He turned toward me, let go of the couch, took one step and threw his body at me! I couldn't figure out if he was just playing his game or if he had really taken a step so I quickly put him back at the couch again. This time he took TWO steps and threw his body at me. At this point I am ecstatic. He is giggling uncontrollably because he is playing his favorite game. Todd is scrambling to get the video camera ready. I put Blake a little farther away from me. He took THREE steps and threw his body at me!

Right as Todd has the video camera ready to capture this monumental moment, Blake decides he has had enough fun for the night. He sat down and crawled away. I chased him and tried to get him to stand up again but he all of a sudden has wet noodle legs. Humph.

My goal is to get it on tape. Baby Boot Camp starts tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Belated- Spring Break

2010-06-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

I can't let this trip and Easter go unnoticed! 3 months late is better than never!

We drove to Angel Fire, New Mexico with Granny, Grandpa, Aunt Teresa and cousin Carter for Spring Break. We had a wonderful time in a beautiful place.
Blake was a happy little traveler.

We made sure to eat healthy in preparation for our active vacation. Candy bars and Doritos TOGETHER make a healthy snack!

Todd was an excellent skier...

and he didn't even get bothered when I was a ski school drop out.

We found that sledding was more up my alley. The whole family was able to play at this gorgeous park.

Blake had the most fun inside with Carter, Granny and Grandpa.

Our superheroes, Captain Heartbreaker and Spider-Man, protected us the whole time!

Belated- Easter

2010-06-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

I am embarrassed to even post these pictures now... but they are too priceless to not immortalize on the blog.

We had a great Easter. Although Blake wasn't too sure about the Easter Bunny.
Who wouldn't be scared of that bunny??

But no one would be scared of this one!This was probably the last time he was able to fit in the Bumbo. If you call this "fitting". This was at the Bingham's Easter Celebration.

At the St. Timothy Egg Hunt.

At the ECDC Egg Hunt.

Blake and cousin Tate had a blast!

Summer is Here!!

2010-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our summer with Blake just started since we left for Vegas last week and Blake stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.

We kicked it off with Blake's first time swimming. He wasn't a huge fan of the hat.

"If you think it's so cute... YOU wear it!"
"Now, take me around the pool and see how you like it!"

I learned my lesson and didn't put him in the hat for the next day's swim party at Lorrie's. He had fun playing with his friends Bryan and Valerie in the pool! He then lounged in the big pool on his float, played with all the pool toys and munched on all sorts of goodies. We had a blast!
I am so excited about our summer together!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2010-05-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

The tradition lives on! Blake loves celebrating Cinco de Mayo!

I have no clue where he gets it.

Likes and Dislikes of a 9 Month Old

2010-04-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. I totally missed our trip to Angel Fire as well as Easter! Our office isn't exactly baby proofed yet so getting to the computer is a luxury lately.

The 9 month appointment was last Thursday. The tubes are working! His ears are finally clear. Truthfully, we cannot see a difference in Blake but we also never knew when he had an ear infection. He is constantly happy!

Stats:
Weight: 23.7 lbs
Height: 30.25 inches
Head: 19.25 inches

He is in the 90th percentile for height and weight, but still off the charts for his head.

Blake loves:
*Crawling anywhere we don't want him to be. He will give a quick glance over his shoulder to see if we are watching and then he will take off.
*Pulling up. We are working on the getting down part. Now he just cries until someone helps him down.
*Patty cake.
*His toy laptop.
*Chewing on anything. Toys. Tables. Hangers. Mom's leg. Leaves.
*Hangers.
*Peek-a-boo.
*Anything BUT staying still to have his diaper changed. He is like a fish out of water. He likes to grab whatever is left out on the changing table.(usually hangers) When you try to pull it out of his right hand, his left hand will quickly swoop in and grab. Then he tries to play keep away with you. He wins a lot.
*American Idol. He claps after each of the performances and waves when Kara Dioguardi is on the screen.
*People. He waves at everyone. Sometimes if the people aren't looking at him he will "yell" at them and then wave once he has their attention.
*Whatever we are eating. He is over baby food.
*Baths.
*Playing with hangers in the bath.
*Being in the stroller.
*Other babies or kids.
*Remote controls.
*Phones.
*Stereo volume knob.

Dislikes:
*Being still.
*Going to bed.
*Taking medicine.
*"No".
*Dancing bears.

Waving

2010-04-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Blake is trying out two different waves. He hasn't decided which one is cooler yet so he does both... at the same time. It is the equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your belly. Impressive.

Tubes

2010-03-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Blake got tubes this morning!

Not those tubes, but tubes in his ears. I think it was much harder on us than it was on him. He was cheerful the whole morning. He was smiling and talking with the nurses and both sets of grandparents. I got to go with him to get the "giggle juice". He was so funny. The nurses kept him amused with their bright colored hats and by blowing bubbles. They kept laughing at him and I overheard them say "he is the cutest baby we've had all morning!" In hindsight, I shouldn't have announced that to my family when I got back to the waiting room. Who would have thought there would be other babies' families in the waiting room, too??

The procedure didn't really take all that long, but it felt like an eternity for me. When I finally got to go back and see him he was doing great. He barely fussed and was happy and playful by the time we got home. We have just been taking it easy all day.

We are incredibly thankful that the tubes are the only worry we have. We saw other babies at the hospital that really put everything into perspective. We are blessed!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-11T06:04:00.000-08:00

Ear Infection

2010-03-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Blake has had a double ear infection since December 14. It went away for a whopping 6 days in January. On Friday, we went back to the doctor to have his ears rechecked and he STILL has it. We are now on antibiotic number SEVEN. We have an appointment with an ear, nose and throat specialist in two weeks.
We have been really blessed in the fact that little Blake hasn't seemed to be bothered by it all that much. He has been his usual happy self for the past 3 months. We have gone every 2 weeks to the doctor for the rechecks. Each time we went, I felt certain that it was gone because Blake was acting so happy.
So here's to hoping that the 7th round is a charm!

Elmo, Clapping, Crawling and Dada

2010-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

We got to go with Jenny and Tate to see Elmo Live! Blake loved every minute of it and was mesmerized by the lights. But then he was more mesmerized by Tate. All he wanted to do was hug him.

He also started clapping! He had been able to clap his hands together for awhile, but he was only able to do it once. Now anytime someone says, "YAY!!" he gives them a round of applause.

I hadn't really understood how to download video from our camera until now, so now we are having a video marathon!

Blake has started army crawling. It started on Valentine's night, but we didn't want video of that because he was chasing the paper bag from our romantic Valentine's take-out.

He also likes to mock my attempts to get him to say "Mama". I think he is on the edge of saying Jack, too. Anything but Mama.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T18:49:00.001-08:00

Blake's favorite Valentine, Jack!Mommy and Daddy gave him a monkey towel. Happy Valentine's Day!

Snowed in and 7 months

2010-02-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the 'Snowmageddon', a record 12.4 inches of snowfall fell yesterday so we are snowed in today. It is gorgeous. I am determined to get a picture of Blake in it but I am going to wait until the sun is out. This picture was taken standing on our front porch. Blake has been really busy since he turned 7 months! Right before he was 7 months he cut two teeth on the top. Now he has 4 teeth! Right after he turned 7 months he woke up and started babbling. It was completely out of the blue. Before he would just squeal and coo. Then all of a sudden he started saying syllables! Ba, Da Ga, and what sounds like hi. It is cute because when he gets going on the da it sounds like he is saying dada.

The next day after the babbling, he started army crawling. He saw his favorite toy and started pulling himself towards it. He hasn't mastered it, but he knows how to use his arms to pull himself forward across the floor. He somehow always ends up under the coffee table and will giggle and play.

He also started waving! It takes him a minute to figure out how to only use one arm, but he can do it!

Everything is happening so fast!

Six Months and SICK

2010-01-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

We had our six month appointment awhile back. Blake's stats:
Head: 19 inches
Height : 28 1/4 inches
Weight: 21.7 pounds

We were mostly concerned because we were on round two of an antibiotic for an ear infection. We were excited to find out at the appointment that the second round had taken care of it. We started him on fruits and are working on a sippy cup.

We went to the 6 month appointment on a Tuesday. On Friday Blake started to get a little cough. It got progressively worse until Sunday when he got a 102.9 fever. We took him to the doctor and found out that he had RSV which brought on bronchiolitis and a double ear infection! We had to do breathing treatments with him 3 times a day to help the RSV/Bronchiolitis and had a "baby z-pack" for the double ear infection. He really hated the breathing treatments at first but became such a little trooper as he got used to them. The antibiotics were really rough on him. They upset his stomach so much that he would throw up when he took them. It was a horrible week that then ended with him cutting another tooth! He couldn't catch a break! We were so blessed to have family around to help us get through it. He was really well taken care of. He stayed with Mia and Big Guy one day and then his Granny and Grandpa Bingham came and stayed with him the other 3 days while we had to work. He was cuddled back to health and is now doing much better. He went back to school after being out for over a week and was all smiles for his teachers. I think he missed them! However, I do think he loved having all the attention from his Granny and parents. So we don't exactly have any six month pictures of him. We wanted to wait until he was well. It will really be almost-seven-month pictures. Hopefully there will be more posts now that we are getting back healthy and happy!

Happy Half Birthday!

2010-01-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

6 months ago, we anxiously awaited the arrival of our baby boy. We were first shocked by the size of our bundle of joy... then by his easy going and content personality.

After his first month he was already sleeping through the night and smiling.

He was laughing at 2 months. He also started the ECDC.

Right before he turned 3 months I was trying to take these pictures of him in his new Aggie outfit but he kept turning over on his side. I remember being so frustrated with him as I would put him back over on his back. He would just laugh and try to do it again. The next day when I picked him up from daycare his sweet teachers were talking about how amazing it was that he was rolling over from his back to his belly! I realized then that all the poor baby was trying to was to show his Mommy how he could roll over and I kept pushing him back onto his back! (You can even see his legs in motion in the pic) He started rolling over from front to back by the end of the month. 4 months was a big month for him. We started cereal. It was ugly at first, but we got it. He hasn't stopped eating since!

He was also baptized! Then the day after his baptism he got his first tooth and the following week he got his second!

He was sitting up without assistance when he 5 and 1/2 months old! He also had his first Christmas and loved opening presents... or eating the wrapping paper at least.
He was completely spoiled! (This is from everyone, not just Santa!) And now at 6 months he has started shaking his head up and down. I like to call it dancing. It is not a simple yes nod. It is a full body, up and down nod. He does this often, but especially in his high chair. This is mid-dance as he was celebrating his half birthday with his first fruit, bananas!

I can't believe half a year has already passed. He is growing so fast! Happy half-birthday, Blake!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T21:50:00.001-08:00

Your Song

2009-12-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

Todd and I were laughing hysterically as we went through some pictures of Blake from this month. He has some of the best facial expressions! He brings us so much joy. I couldn't get part of Elton John's "Your Song" out of my head.
"How wonderful life is while you're in the world..." Trying to use mind control to get the bottle to his high chair.

He loves Jack and gets so excited anytime Jack is near him. I can't say the feeling is mutual for Jack, but he is so sweet enough to duck his head down far enough for Blake to pet the top of his head instead of grabbing his ears and nose. No, that's not a shock collar around Jack's neck... it's ummm... something that says "good boy" everytime we push it.Listen lady, we've gotta talk about this pureed food junk. Where's the steak?

You're serious about this?? (he can raise one eyebrow!)

Daddy's way of feeding Blake. I have to admit, it was probably better than him keeping Blake's clothes on. I found carrots in the most random places after this meal.
These are just from the first glance of silly photos. There are plenty more! I need to save some of them for later posts. Stay tuned for his FIRST CHRISTMAS!

ChristWhit 2009

2009-12-21T12:22:00.000-08:00

My friends and I had our annual Christmas/Whitney's birthday celebration. (aka ChristWhit)
Sadly, Todd couldn't make it this year because he was in San Antonio watching the Trinity Trojans win the State Championship. We had a wonderful time as always. Blake got to hang out with his new buddy, Will.
He also got to open his first Christmas present, ever! He did a really good job opening it. We weren't paying attention and he was already tearing into it. He had a sneak peek and was AMAZED at what he saw!
Thank you Aunt Sara and Uncle Jon for my awesome plate! Blake took awhile to warm up to Aunt Nanci. I can't imagine why!?! But after receiving her fabulous froggy lovie gift, he decided she was great!

Blake had to learn the hard way... don't be the first to fall asleep around this crew!
He got the last laugh as he sought his revenge. All was forgiven... and we had a fantastic time! Merry ChristWhit!!

Carrots!

2009-12-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

In honor of Blake's 5 month birthday... we tried his first vegetable, CARROTS! We were prepared with video camera in hand for his first taste of real food. There was no point. No funny faces, no unapproving sounds. Apparently changing from rice cereal to vegetables doesn't matter. The kid loves food. He has food all over his face because he couldn't wait for next spoonful. He would grab his bib and try to eat it. After the carrots were all gone he tried to eat anything else he could grab. "Mmmm... a giant cookie.""If I only have one it's ok, right?""Have you guys tried the giant cookie? It's heavenly!"

"Wait, that wasn't a cookie??"

Happy

2009-12-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

Blake is such a joy. We are having a great time with him. He is happy all the time... so we had to buy an outfit to tell everyone.

Some mornings I wake up to him laughing and talking away in his crib. He will turn himself sideways in his crib and put his feet up on the bumper. He kicks the button on the rain forest soother to turn on the music. I am able to get completely ready without him fussing. When I walk in the room to get him he smiles really big and starts cooing and laughing at me. It has really made me more of a morning person because he brightens my day before I even leave the house.

He is growing so fast! You can see his first two bottom teeth in this picture. He got his first one right after his baptism and his second one around a week later. He isn't even 5 months old yet! He is ready for some chicken fried steak.

I know I need to get a new background for my pics of Blake. Most of his photo opps are in the morning before he goes to the ECDC so it is easiest to have him right there. I will work on my photography skills!

He is also rolling all over the place.

Blake's first class, Rolling Over 101.

Daddy needed some tutoring.

Gobble Gobble!

2009-11-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone, from our little Gobbler.
In related news... Blake got his first tooth yesterday! Blake and his buddy, Bryan. We will have to pay for this later in therapy bills.

Rice Cereal

2009-11-16T19:10:00.001-08:00

We are finally getting the hang of rice cereal! He just isn't sure where the food comes from.

Baptism

2009-11-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

Blake was baptized today! Pastor Chuck Brown officiated at St. Timothy Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The service was beautiful and Blake was an angel. The gown Blake wore is an heirloom which was first worn by his great grandfather in 1912. The gown has subsequently been worn by his grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of whom have their monogram encircling the slip.

Blake was surrounded by his wonderful family on this special occasion. We are blessed!

Four Months and Halloween!

2009-11-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

Blake had an eventful First Halloween.

He celebrated by wearing a different Halloween outfit to the ECDC every day for 2 weeks leading up to Halloween. I figured you didn't want pics of all 10 outfits, so here is one.
We went to the Jeremy's Friends Charity Event as a football family.
He was a little stinker for a family party and Trunk or Treat at Bear Creek.

Of course we had to carry on the air freshener tradition.

Blake also just had his four month checkup. He is 27.5 inches and 17.4 pounds! His head and height are off the charts and his weight is in the 90th percentile. He is growing and learning so fast! At 3 months he started rolling over from his back to his stomach and then began pushing himself up on his arms.

We tried rice cereal. We will keep trying.

State Fair

2009-10-11T06:47:00.001-07:00

Blake took his first trip to the State Fair with Granny, Grandpa, Aunt Teresa, Uncle Corey and cousin Carter. He was amazed at the types of people at the fair.

He was so embarassed to be there.

He tried to trick us so he could go home.

Granny caught him.

Blake would have gotten to try his first solid food but the line for fried butter was too long.

We had a great time with the family and loved being able to bundle up for the wonderful fall weather! Maybe next year he won't be so scared of all the carnies.

Gig 'Em!

2009-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Football Friday!

Football Season Kick-Off

2009-09-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am now in my 3rd week of teaching. It has been hard to get back in the swing of things, but I am just now feeling like the actual teacher instead of a substitute. It didn't help that the kids would often tell me, "but Mrs. DODSON did it this way..." We pretty much have the morning routine down like clockwork. It runs so smoothly that this morning I didn't even realize that I left the house with a bib that says "Lucky Duck" stuck to my behind.
I guess it could have been worse.
Blake loves school. He gets so excited about it that he sleeps most of the time he is there. That may be a big part of the reason why the teachers love him so much. It has gotten a lot easier to drop him off in the morning. The hardest part is picking out what he will wear.
We have also been enjoying seeing his Daddy's middle school team play in Euless. His shirt says "Little Coach Bingham".

Watch Me Grow!

2009-09-21T19:48:00.001-07:00

I took Blake to the doctor on Friday. He gained 2.4 pounds in TWO WEEKS! I gasped when the doctor told me that. He laughed and told me "you aren't over-feeding him or anything... the kid has a huge head". Ouch.
I have been doing a "watch me grow" series of pictures. I haven't been so great at remembering to take them, but it has been fun to look at the ones I have snapped. I never positioned his arm to touch the alligator. He always does it on his own for some reason.

4 Weeks

6 Weeks

7 Weeks

11 Weeks

Looking back, the loud monster pajamas weren't such a great idea for a photo but he is asleep now and there is no way I am going to wake him.

Around the World

2009-09-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today was day 2 of the Early Childhood Development Center. (I have decided to call it by its actual title because it sounds fancier than "day care") It went much better than yesterday. Most likely because Todd came with me and did the morning hand-off since that is what killed me yesterday. The teachers are wonderful and made me feel much more at ease. It is also all teacher's kids so it is comforting to see familiar faces when I go to drop him off and pick him up. It didn't hurt that school kept me so busy that I didn't have enough time to sit and realize that I was sad.
BUT the absolute BEST part about the day care Early Childhood Development Center is that they have themed Fridays such as pjs, football, and fall colors. Our first theme day is "Around the World". I couldn't come up with anything other than a sumo wrestler for the little guy... but I think I should wait until the teachers understand my sense of humor a little better before I bust out the big guns. I decided that pjs from our friends in France would be a better option. It says "One more kiss and then sleep" in French. I think.
At first Blake thought he looked fabulous in it.

Then the darn bear came along and told Blake what was on his pjs.

WHAT??? THIS IS IN FRENCH???

Who knew Blake hated the French so much?

Darn bear. We won't be participating in the first theme day.

First Day Back

2009-09-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

I knew I wouldn't handle dropping Blake off at day care well so I decided to ease into it. He went for a half day today while I went to school. I am incredibly glad I made the decision to do a trial run before my first day back to teaching tomorrow. I cried yesterday. 3 times. I cried this morning before I took him. I held it together as I walked in the early childhood center. I held it together as the sweet teacher showed me what to do every morning when I bring him in. I held it together as I was taking him out of his carrier.
Then I had to hand him over.
I lost it.
I knew it would be hard... but I never thought it would literally hurt me the way it did. I know it will get easier, but I will never think someone else can love him like I do.
Tomorrow will be better. Tonight I can't put him down.

Yes, that is a tear stain on his shirt.

Gearing up for Back to School

2009-09-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

It is almost time for me to go back to school. My sweet mother started the school year for me as my sub. I couldn't have left my precious new darlings in better hands! She has filled me in about all my new kids and says they are absolutely precious. I am excited to meet my new class but I am incredibly sad about leaving Blake. I took advantage of my last few days as a stay at home mommy and took Blake up to school to eat lunch with my team and meet my kids. He was so excited about going to school, he had to dress up to make a good impression! I think he takes after his Mommy.

After only an hour in school, Blake was already pretending to listen but sleeping through class. I guess he is going to take after his Daddy.

Two Month Check-Up

2009-08-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Blake had his 2 month check up today. He is now 13 pounds and 25.25 inches long. His head and height are still in the 95th percentile while his weight is in the 80th. He is a tank! We decided to spread his vaccinations out so he only got one shot and one oral vaccination today. It was so sad. He was smiling and cooing at me but as soon as the nurse gave him the shot his face scrunched up like "what the heck was that for?" and he screamed. I was able to hold it together and not cry this time. If they had given him more than one I don't know that I could have kept calm. Especially with how the day started out...

I am usually a very punctual person however I have learned that getting myself and a baby ready to go isn't all that easy. I was so proud of myself today because I was going to be so early to the doctor's appointment that I would be able to stop for lunch on the way. I had bathed Blake and gotten him ready. He was sitting in his bouncy chair while I straightened my hair and talked to him. After only 3 swipes of the straightening iron I began to smell something awful. I guess with motherhood comes a keen dirty diaper radar... or maybe Blake had a MAJOR blow out. Ten baby wipes, a load of laundry and a quick bath later, I made it to the appointment on time! I was hungry with my hair in a partially straightened pony tail but nonetheless I was Super Mom!

For Renee--
Yes the kid has clothes. It is my goal to take pictures of him dressed now that you pointed my weirdness out. I don't want anyone calling CPS on the crazy nudist mother! I snapped some early morning pics. We love our lazy mornings cuddling together on the couch. Pajamas stay on until there is a good reason to not be in them. Jack photo bombed the first picture. Poor dog still doesn't understand that he is no longer the baby.

Couldn't be happier!

2009-08-28T14:10:00.001-07:00

I wish I was better about posting, but I never really have anything to say! I am such a lucky Mom. Blake has been sleeping through the night for the past couple of weeks. He sleeps a good 7-8 hours. He is such an easy going kid. He has his bouts of screaming, but stick a bottle or pacifier in his mouth and he is content. If that doesn't work I just have to put him where he can look me eye to eye and talk to him. Then he coos and gurgles right back at me. So since there isn't much to talk about, I am just going to post some pictures of him at 7 weeks to show how much he is growing. We go to the doctor for his 2 month check up on Monday. I can't wait to hear what he has to say! I am sure he will want to test Blake for giftedness.

Relaxing in his favorite spot- the swing.

Talking with Mom.

Playing with Mom.

Whatchoo talkin bout, Willis?

He loves his Gilley Gator!

Smiles!

2009-08-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Blake has been really active and fun lately. He has been smiling away for us. He loves his changing table for some reason, so that is why most pictures are taken there! I promise we normally put clothes on the kid.

Crikey! The crocodile hunter...

Blake's gun show.

Tonight's gonna be a good night...

2009-08-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

So we had a bad night last night. Blake acted like he was in college. He slept all day and then wanted to party all night. It was my goal to keep him up today to fix his schedule. I think my arms got a great workout from all the lifting and moving him around. I also sang to him a lot because I thought I would torture him as much as he tortured me. It just so happens that the song in my head was the Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's gonna be a good night". As I was singing it to him, he smiled! BIG toothless smiles! It was the greatest moment. My goal now is to catch it on camera so you can all see how precious he is when he is trying to make me not mad at him.

Introducing Blake Robert Bingham

2009-08-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Todd and I checked into the hospital the night of July 5th for an induction. By 3:00 pm on July 6th there was still no baby. There wasn't even any progress to indicate the possibility of a baby coming soon. Realizing that the little guy wasn't budging and we were already overdue, we decided to do a c-section. That could easily be the best decision we ever made...

Todd and I welcomed Blake Robert Bingham into the world at 4:25pm weighing 10 lbs, 2 oz and measuring 21.5 inches! Our big guy was perfectly healthy and adorable. We couldn't have been happier.

He was greeted by a sea of family members and friends the night he was born and in the following days. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in Blake's life! He even had some of his own "buddies" come visit at the hospital.

For the past month we have had a wonderful time getting to know eachother. He has the sweetest disposition and is happiest snuggling someone's arms or riding in the car. At our 2 week appointment we found out that Blake is in the 95th percentile for his head and height (he is already 23.5 inches!) and the 75th percentile for his weight.

I am very lucky because I have 2 dear friends that are fantastic photographers so Blake has become quite the model. He was very sweet for both sessions and actually slept through a lot of being curled up and put in funny positions.

Melissa Zihlman- www.melissazihlman.com

Brandi Luig

The past month has been a whirlwind. He is already changing so much... I can't wait to see what the future brings!

6 weeks!

2009-05-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

I have 6 weeks left and I WOULD feel great about that... except my cousin who was due only a week before me had her baby on Saturday! That made everything way too close and way too real for me. So now I am in stress out mode. I am trying to figure out what I am forgetting. What do I pack in the bag for the hospital? What are the essentials for a diaper bag? Who the heck is going to change the dirty diapers?
All the things I need to do to get ready coupled with the sheer terror of what is about to happen to me is making my days go by too quickly. I have a lot to do! Words of wisdom are welcomed!

I won't do blue...

2009-04-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

Since I found out that we were having a boy, I had absolutely no clue how I was going to decorate the nursery. The only thing I was certain of was that I was NOT going to do blue.
Determined to find something that no one else had, I searched the internet for my perfect nursery bedding with brown walls in mind. I couldn't find anything that I liked! (Maybe some of the struggle could be attributed to my Mom saying that the baby was going to think he was a gopher.) Finally Mom, Jenny, Aunt Kathy and I went to Canton and I found a bedding set that I fell in love with.

The baby isn't even here yet and I have already done something that I said I would never do. How many more times is that going to happen?
So now I have a good start for the nursery. There is a lot more to go, but I wanted to show everyone that I am still alive and I am actually doing things! Just three more months until the little guy is here! Hopefully he won't be too over-stimulated by the bright BLUE walls and lime green diamonds!

20 Weeks

2009-02-10T18:42:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I am already halfway there! 20 weeks came very quickly. I haven't started working on the nursery. I don't even know which room it will be in! I keep looking for ideas, but nothing is set in stone yet. Jenny and I searched for fabric on Saturday and found some great ideas! The only problem is that we talked ourselves out of them on the drive home from Dallas. Too many decisions!

Also- Baby Center said that the baby is able to hear us now. I really need to find more intelligent things to talk about than American Idol. I also should probably quit listening to KISS FM. Dang.

It's a...

2009-02-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sweet faced

Big footed

Precious little

We have a lot of preparing to do!!! We are so excited!

Sneaky

2009-02-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

My Mom will be the first to tell you... but I will admit it. I am sneaky. Always have been, always will be. The latest case in point is our last trip to the baby doctor. It was supposed to be a routine check in which my doc had previously told us we definitely would NOT find out the sex of the baby. He is a very cruel man. His reasoning was that he has been in the business for way too long and has been "burned" way too many times.
He put the heart monitor on my stomach and listened to the baby's heartbeat. He said everything sounded good and then he asked if everything was ok with me. I was quick to say no. I told him my cyst had REALLY been hurting me and that I would get sudden sharp pains in my left side. Which wasn't ALL a lie. My cyst had hurt. Or at least something had hurt in my left side. Once. This concerned the doctor because my cyst was large. He decided a sonogram would be necessary now to check on the cyst!! Todd and I stared as hard as we could at the screen. He showed us the spine, head and all that uneventful stuff. Then he asked if we wanted his "guess" on what the baby was. DUH! So he told us a guess... but I won't bother you with the guess for now. The level 2 sonogram is Tuesday so we should have a definitive answer by then.
The funniest part is that he looked for the cyst and it was COMPLETELY gone! Which is wonderful news except for the fact that it proved what a liar I really am!

Playing along

2009-01-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

After reading Jenny's "I've been tagged" post I wanted to see what picture I would have to post if I were to accept the challenge. My picture folder is organized by years so the fourth folder is 2005 and the fourth folder within that is my engagement/bridal pictures.
P.S. I swear I am not lying. I did not go and try to find a picture of me in "my prime". I am playing the game legitimately!
There was no good story for that picture... we are so happy and so in love. Boring. I decided that I would cheat a tiny bit (for the sake of the blog)and post another picture from the same folder with a MUCH better story.
This is the very LAST picture in the folder because it is the very last picture of my bridal session. It had been a very long day fueled more by Red Bull than food. That paired with fake smiling for 2-3 hours in a tight dress made me feel a little sick. You can tell in this picture that my smile is more of a grimace/snarl because I knew at that point in the shoot I could not go on any longer. I felt like I was going to either pass out or throw up so immediately following this photo I jetted to the building my regular clothes were in. My entourage (photographer Mike, Mom, Dad and sister Brooke) followed closely behind. I got to the building only to find that the door was locked. My mom ran to the other side of the building to see if the front door was unlocked.The rest of the story all happened within 20 seconds but felt like 10 minutes. I was feeling horrible and turned to Brooke and said I am going to be sick. I leaned over the wood railing to try to make it into the bushes instead of all over my wedding dress. Instead of throwing up, I passed out. Brooke saw me starting to go down so she caught me as I scraped my dress down the wood railing and sat me on the ground. When I snapped out of it my first groggy thought was I can't breathe and the only remedy to that would be to get out of that tight dress. I was so out of it that I reached back and unzipped my dress. Now you realize, in a dress like that you don't really need to wear an appropriate undergarment... nor will it fit. The dress fell off of my body letting everyone at Grapevine Botanical Gardens see what God gave me. My Dad and Mike quickly held up the sheet I had been standing on for photos to give me some privacy. However the sheet only blocked one side of me so a poor unsuspecting garden patron got an unexpected treat that day. I have never seen someone do a 180 dead in their tracks so quickly. Luckily at that moment my Mom came through the building and unlocked the door to rescue me. That day will forever be known as
"The day Grapevine Botanical Gardens saw my goodies."

F.Y.I.

2008-12-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

McDonald's turns off their milkshake machine at midnight. They also will not turn it back on even if you tell them you are pregnant.

I hate insurance companies

2008-12-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

We were not able to determine the sex of the baby today. We were also told that we WON'T find out at our next visit in 4 weeks either! My doctor basically explained his reasoning by saying he has been burned by insurance too many times because they won't pay for the sonogram. We had a sonogram today!! I wanted to just lean over and push the zoom in button on the machine, but I couldn't find it.
On a happy note... the baby is healthy and everything is going great! Baby Bing was moving all over the place and his heart rate was 156. He looked like he was dancing! He also had what looked like hiccups which is also what I look like when I am dancing. He is precious!

Wonderful News!

2008-12-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

We finally get to tell people that we are expecting! With Todd's broken arm, it took awhile to get the great news out to all of our friends and family in person. Baby Bing is due on July 1st, which is our 3 year anniversary! He/she will be 13 weeks tomorrow and the size of a medium shrimp.

We have another doctor's appointment in the morning. Some books say that the sex could possibly be determined by then, but we aren't getting our hopes up. All in all I have been feeling pretty good. I had a couple weeks of all-day sickness instead of morning sickness. There was also a day when I had to turn out the lights in my classroom and lay down behind my desk while the kids were at P.E. because I was so exhausted. I don't really look pregnant yet, I just look like I have been enjoying a lot of chocolate milkshakes... which I have. Great, now I want a milkshake.