babywebbsite.com

Sometimes I'm Afraid

Lee and I settled down to watch a movie after the little Baby Ninja (his new name) was tucked into bed last night.* We had two choices - Taken and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. We had seen Taken, but liked it so much that we thought we might go for round two. I was really interested in the Button movie.

We settled on a little Brad Pitt action, despite the fact that I am most def on Team Jennifer.

Lee didn't make it past the two hour mark. Yes, it's a three hour movie, but I digress. I stayed until the bittersweet end. And I cried. And cried. And cried some more.

I cried from thirty minutes out from the end (12:00 a.m.) until an hour after it was over (1:30 a.m.). I only stopped crying at that point because Lee kept groaning and telling me that he had already been aleep for an hour and couldn't understand a word of my blubbering babble.

You may think I'm emotional wreck at this point, which is true some days;), but let me tell you why this beautiful story about a little baby who was born old and dies young touched me. It demonstrated the pain of losing someone you love.

Mommy Confession - I'm afraid of losing the people I love, especially my husband and my child.

I know that I shouldn't think about the what-ifs when I tuck Walker in at night or send Lee out the door. But I do. And it scares me.

When I hear news of tragedy, I put myself in their shoes. Sometimes I think about it to the point that I am upset, running through the possible scenarios and imagining my grief and all of the things that we would miss out on. Again, I know this is morbid, but I'm just being honest.

The bad thing about fearing the unknown (and unlikely) is that it can get you worked into a tizzy and make you one of those "helicopter" wives or mommies. (Lord, help me resist the urge!) But the good thing is that it makes you think twice when you get off the phone or take in a special memory. It makes you more human and fragile - and more thankful - than ever before. And most important in my life, it makes me trust God to care for the ones that I love.

Do you ever fear losing loved ones?

*See pic of Walker sleeping peacefully at three months. No worries for him. So sweet!

Please Watch This

Wanted to share this powerful skit that was shared at an LA nightclub - life changing, really. Watch it. You won't regret it.

Show Us Where You Live Fridays...The Nursery

I know that I have posted pictures of Walker's nursery before he arrived and you can certainly see it in the background of many of the pics that I post on my blog every day, but in honor of "Show Us Where You Live Fridays" - hosted by Kelly's Corner - here are some Walker's digs posted a day early b/c I won't be able to blog tomorrow morning.

 

Snips, Snails and Cotton Tails...Down the Rabbit Hole with Walker

 

The round crib where he sleeps most of the time:)

     

Blessings for my baby boy.

 

The changing table (a la Target) and the antique rocker with bells from our wedding on the back. Walker loves to pull on the bells. The pillow is a Peniel pillow (currently 15% off all pillows) that goes from a baby gift to a ring bearers pillow...one day. I store diapers, lotions and wipes on the side table to save room in the drawers for clothes and whatnot.

  

The bunny toile rocker (matches his crib skirt) and the curtains made by Lee's mom (Philly). She actually made all of his bedding.

 

Walker's bookcases

    

Little details

 

You can never have too many books

 

Thanks for stopping by to visit our home. I will close with the scripture that we wrote on one of the studs when we were building the house - long before we knew we were pregnant.

My New Coupon Addiction

I have become that crazy person in the grocery store that nobody wants to end up behind.

I have become a coupon-clipping momma.

A check all the prices, compare ounces, barter with the clerk over 75 cents woman.

It all started with an innocent conversation with a friend a couple of weeks ago. She told me about how much her family had cut back on their monthly expenses by using coupons and only buying what was on their list when they came into the store. So easy. But so not easy for me! I am one of those "aww, that looks cute" or "I wonder how that works" type of shoppers. Product placement strategies and POS displays were created with my type in mind.

But no more.

After saving $30 in just one trip to Kroger, I am convinced. Yes, it may mean nasty looks in Aisle 8 when I back up a line of shoppers to check out the various brands of extra virgin olive oil. It may even mean that I end up not buying something that I really want b/c I actually look at the price and realize it's ridiculous. But hey, it might save me some room in my pantry, my pocketbook and my pants.

I have much to learn about the world of couponing, but I am starting with a simple step that would be super easy for you to take if you are looking for a way to save a little cash - with the caveat that you don't need to buy something that you don't need just b/c you have a coupon for it;).

I visited www.kroger.com (where I buy groceries) and viewed their mailer to check out the deals that don't require coupons. I planned this week's meals around what was on sale (so NOT the old me, let me stress that). I also viewed their e-coupons and downloaded the ones that applied to products that I already planned to purchase (ex. croissant rolls, rice, yogurt). I used that combo to make my list and stuck to it. You can even put the coupons directly onto your Kroger card via the Internet if you want, but I preferred to print them out to help remind me of the specifics of the deal once I was at the store.

Maybe you are fortunate to have a fat money tree growing in your back yard, but not me. Although we are blessed BEYOND measure (praise God for his provision), these tough times have caused us to tighten our spending where we can.

Here are a few more links to site that may give you inspiration in trying to stretch your dollars. Remember, you don't have to shop at Kroger to get deals. There is a coupons for almost anything you need. You just have to decide whether you want to take the time to use it (which I have not done in the past).

Money Saving Mom (found via Babbling Abby's blog)

Coupon Mountain (not just groceries - check this site before heading to your local mall or ordering products on-line via a chain store)

Smart Source

More Eight Month Pics

As promised, more pics from our photo session at Waveland in Lexington with my friend, Ann.

Walker's first time down a slide and his successful attempt at eating grass...

 

The infamous scrunch face:)

 

Seeksucker and boat shoes...a southern combo.

 

So many good shots with Daddy...

 

No shortage of kisses in the Webbie household

 

And two of my favorites -

 

Happy Birthday, My Friend

 

I want to wish one of my closest friends, Aunt Kelley B, a very special & happy __th birthday. I won't put the number, but I will say that her baby face isn't giving her away!

We have made so many fun memories together over the past six years, and I can only imagine what kind of adventures await us in the years to come. The world is not ready...that's all I can say.

Thanks for bringing your bright smile into my life. The Webbies love you!

Goodbye, Medela

It's over. My eight and a half month relationship with the piston pump that provided ample nourishment to my baby boy. No more plastic tubes or funnel friends. No more "re-ra" "waffle" or "mario lopez (haha, Sherri)" sounds coming from the black bag that carries the little Medela engine that could.

No, I am free.

Part of me feels guilty that I didn't make it a little longer. But most of me is relieved. It was time.

I have replaced my pump bag with another bag - this cute personalized tote bag that my BFF Aunt LaLa sent me for Mother's Day. Could it be any more adorable? Me thinks not!

 

Summer Vacation

We are officially back from the beach - or should I say beaches. We spent a full week on Hilton Head Island, SC and a day in Jacksonville, FL. We had a super fun time, despite the yucky weather. It rained every single day. And the temps in HHI were record-breaking lows. Lets put it this way. It was warmer in Shelbyville than HHI. But we didn't let that ruin our time together. We made yummy lemonade out of lemons!

We used our one day of sunshine (Friday) to play on the beach and float in the kiddie pool. The water was cold, but Lee was brave enough to even hop in the big pool. Here are a few shots of my little sweetie enjoying the sand and putting his toes in the ocean for the first time (water was too cold in Destin in Jan)...



Walker also enjoyed a swimming pool for the first time, thanks to a lift from Mr. Turtle. Yes, I know the hat makes him look like he's on a safari expedition, but it keeps him from turning into a redneck - literally. You can see his cousins, Grace and Harper, splashing around in the background. The other pic is my attempt at crawling in his baby tent to pacify him with a bottle of water. Let me just say that there's a learning curve the first time you take a baby to the beach/pool IMHO.



On a non-beach note, Walker used the week to broaden his culinary interests. He ate toast, guacamole, chicken, hot dog, real green beans and lima beans for the first time. It is amazing how those little encounters have expanded his interest in food. Thanks to Aunt Ang for encouraging me to be brave and let him try something other than the mushy Stage 2 baby food! He has also started saying Da-Da in addition to Ma-Ma and Ba-Ba in the past couple of days. In fact, he said Da-Da the entire 12 hour ride home from Jacksonville yesterday. He is also babbling random combos of vowels and consonants that I have never heard. So cute.


Another highlight was getting airbrush tattoos with Grace. She picked out pegasus ponies for us and a shark (Greg Normanish) for Leedle. I will post those pics once I find them.

I will close with a few shots of the kiddos out on the beach and the only picture that I have of the three of us from the entire trip. Once you're a momma, you are usually behind the lens!


Outtakes...

 
The Three Musketeers

Family shot - I love my boys

What we've been up to this past week...

Hilton Head Island, SC

Walker hearts Redheads

Here are some shots of Walker and a few of his favorite redheads - Ellie, Molly & Grace.

Lee, Walker and I stayed with Ellie and Molly at their house in Columbia, SC this past weekend. Their daddy, Jay, is one of Lee's very best friends. When Ellie heard that the "Webbs" were coming, she said, "Don't you mean the Spiders?" So we were Mr. and Mrs. (and Baby) Spider for the next two days.

The girls were so sweet to Walker. They talked and played and made sure he didn't put little stuff in his mouth. They were also gracious enough to let us sleep in their bedroom. Their mommy, Lara Beth, does an amazing job of teaching them how to treat others and to love God. Jay makes sure they feel like the princesses they are:).

The other redhead is a regular on babywebbsite. Grace isone of Walker's besties - see pic of them watching Baby Einstein together below.

Grace teaches Walker how to play pretend and jump in the Pack n' Play - among many other things.