Milestone Report

Last week, Justin was out of town. When he finally made his way back home on Friday Mom and Collier were here at our house...I was at a client demo... Mom was changing Collier's diaper when Justin got home and she said that Collier got so excited just hearing Justin's voice and footsteps she could hardly keep him still! He was squealing and so excited to see his Daddy! Then Justin was going in and out unpacking his car and one of the times that he walked out Collier suddenly yelled "Dadda". Mom couldn't believe it and Justin was thrilled to hear it. He chattered Daddadadaddadaaddaaa all night. It was just so precious and sweet! I honestly was starting to get a little worried that he hadn't said Momma or Dadda yet. But I know they all have their own timing! I was so excited to get home and hear him saying Dadda - just wondering now when we'll hear Momma??

On Sunday I put my finger in his mouth to check for teeth and I felt a sharp tooth on the bottom peeking through his gum! It must have come through overnight. I check fairly often because I keep wondering when he is going to get his first tooth. It has arrived. And the second one popped in yesterday! I still haven't actually seen them because when I pull his lip down he sticks his tongue out and I can't move it to see them. But they are mighty sharp and certainly there. He has been doing really well and hasn't been all that grumpy considering that they have broken through his gums. I've prayed a lot asking for God to make it an easy process and that Collier won't feel too much pain and I am thankful that He has answered this prayer so far. Its only the first two and we have a lot more to go. I'll continue to pray and request this before God so that Collier isn't miserable and that he will be able to continue to sleep soundly. I am so thankful!

So in two weeks he has: started walking, said dadda and has 2 teeth. Good gracious, all happening way too fast.

And a funny picture of Brinkley enjoying this beautiful weather! HOORAY

Doesn't this look like fun? We should all run and jump around like that - just not with sticks in our mouth! Ha!

Fundraiser

You have to eat, so why not eat for a good cause? We're having a fundraiser tomorrow (Wednesday, March 24th) with Moe's Southwest Grill three locations in Birmingham (Lakeshore, Lorna Road in Hoover and Vestavia at the City Center). Just print off the below flyer and present at check out and they will donate 10% of your check to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This is part of my efforts to raise money through Team In Training to fund research for these nasty blood cancer's. Its a great way to contribute in a huge way....take a friend (be sure to print off more than one) and go and eat at one of these Moe's locations!

Thanks so much. Your support means more to me than you will ever know!

I'll be back soon with some BIG milestones that Collier has reached this week...YIPPIE!

Latest

Here are a few of Collier's latest happenings:

I'm trying to do the whole sign language thing and MORE is the first that that he has picked up on. And honestly does it the whole time he is in his highchair. I have to make him stop eating and stop sharing with Brinkley. I'm thrilled that he is such a good eater, but he is eating me out of the house and isn't even 15 yet! Beginning of March I started giving him whole milk and he is doing really well with it. I'm still nursing twice a day and I am not ready to give that up quite yet!

Ssome of the latest foods he is eating: peaches (not cooked), blueberries, chicken (not pureed), pasta, normal backed potato and of course sweet potatoes, french fry, grits and sometime cheese grits that Grammie makes for him, cheese, eggs, pears, lima beans, bread/rolls, chicken salad and the latest...cucumber!

Yes....the child is WALKING! He has gotten better and balanced as the week has progressed. We took this video on Monday so I'll take another this weekend and share with everyone how good he is doing. He realizes that he is faster by crab crawl, but really prefers to stand and walk if he can be patient enough to get his balance. He is just growing too fast! He has also started showing a bit of a determined/stubborn side. If you take something from him that he doesn't need to have or move him away from something he will tense up his whole body and scream one loud squeal! Growing pains, right? Yet, he is such a blessing and has the sweetest smile that melts my heart!

I have so much to catch up on and share and I don't even know where to start. I'll start with the beautiful weather that we've had the past few days, the end of last week and over the weekend I took full advantage of the perfect weather and ran several times. It was a joy and delight to be outside running (with no knee pain!!) in the cool but not cold temperatures and the bright sun shinning. I loved not being bundled in layers of clothes and gloves, but to feel the fresh air all over...it has been perfect. Although we did have a day and night of showers and storms...those are almost forgotten because the beauty of the other days. Such a joy and I hope that spring will arrive and stay for as long as possible!

Last Thursday my mom packed her car and took Collier to the lake a day ahead of the rest of us. Which left Justin and I alone for a night and we almost didn't know what to do. I felt like I was functioning with out my right arm. But we totally enjoyed ourselves and even got up early on Friday morning to enjoy a delicious breakfast at the Ranch House (If you're in Bham and haven't eaten there...you should) Friday afternoon we drove down to the lake and met Mom, Dad, Chris, Amanda, Ashlyn and Collier to celebrate my Mom's birthday for the weekend. It was so much fun to relax and spend time with everyone and boy was I glad to see my sweet boy....even just one night away and I missed him a ton! Mom and Dad were awesome to have such an adventure with Collier and Ashlyn joined them on Friday for the day as well. Fun to have two cousins play together with their grandparents! I couldn't ask for better grandparents for Collier (all of them), but his Grammie (my mom) is so special to us and I am so thankful for her. I love to watch her interact with Collier and the love that radiates from her brings me such happiness. She is a wonderful mom and friend to me and I am so thankful that God gave her to me as my Mom! She has served as a great example of a women who loves the Lord and shares His love through all that she does! I'm thankful that we live in the same city and that we live so close to one another and I am so thankful for all that she does for my family! We talk, laugh, cry and love together and it is simply wonderful! We're greatly blessed and we wish her a very Happy Birthday with all of our hearts!

The other thing that we did this weekend was attended a sweet friends 1st Birthday party in Dothan. Justin's friend Eddie and his wife Jennifer live in Dothan and they have a little girl, Elizabeth, and she turned 1 this weekend! It was so fun to see so many sweet babies. There were 4 other children there and they were all boys and within 3 months of each other. We got to see some friends we haven't seen in a long time and it was so much fun! I was so glad to be invited and that we were able to make it. They really are very special friend and mean so much to us....Eddie is Collier's godfather. A very special Happy Birthday to Elizabeth!

One of Collier's newest discoveries are Popsicles! Justin gave up chocolate for Lent and so we have fruit Popsicles instead....Last week Justin decided to give Collier a taste and oh boy HE LOVED IT. Now when he sees us with a Popsicle he starts bouncing his arms and squealing with excitement....usually mouth wide open waiting for a bite!

Ok.....IS ANYONE STILL READING?...The final and most nerve racking exciting thing that occurred this weekend was that Collier took his first REAL step...all by himself. We were eating dinner Saturday night and he was crawling around the table and playing. He crawled over to me and stood up and was walking in between our chairs holding on - which is totally normal. All of a sudden he let go and was standing there and suddenly stepped forward and stayed standing up. I couldn't believe it. Tonight he has done it more and more and has taken a few more steps. I've tried to catch it with my camera and can't seem to get the timing right. We can't believe it and to be honest I am not ready for my sweet little baby to be walking yet! I want him to stay curled up in my arms but the hard truth is that he is growing up and quickly becoming a big boy!

Knee Update

After a week and a half running break and lots of stretching, I ran for the first time yesterday. I feel like I'm so far behind in my training but I keep telling myself that this short break now is better for the long term success. When I ran yesterday I took it really slow and easy on the flattest road I could find. It hurt off and on for the first mile. When the pain increased I just walked for a minute and then the pain was gone again. By the end of the 3 miles it wasn't hurting at all. Praise the Lord! I've prayed hard that this would not be a major issue through all of my training and now I know that its just going to take a little extra stretching effort but that I can make it. I was greatly relieved by the end of my run yesterday and look forward to slowly increasing my miles in the next two weeks! I said this when I started this whole marathon process...I will only be able to do this through the strength of God...not on my own! When I look around (people around me and around the world) I see people that are facing hard times: financially, sick children, loss of loved ones, no where to live, destruction of Haiti and it makes me think that my knee is so insignificant and maybe it is in the grand scheme of things....but what a great God who cares even about my silly knee. Nothing is too big for Him, but also nothing is too small for Him. I think that is where I am quick to 'take care' of things on my own because I don't want to bother God with a little silly knee problem...but the truth is that God is in every detail and He does want us to lay it (hopes, concerns, desires, dreams, fears, etc) before Him and trust that He is in control of every little tiny detail of our lives. True test is if we let Him be in charge of that tiny detail or if we take charge of it ourselves...in doing this we are telling God that we don't trust Him. Makes me step back and realize how much He loves me and how His love is unconditional and endless...nothing is so satisfying!

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

Psalm 144:2

YUMMM

Please hurry and make this. It is so delicious and the recipe is from the back of the Cinnamon Cheerios Box! I've made it almost every day for the past week and I love it and my mouth waters the whole time its in the oven.

The recipes calls for a whole baking dish of it and if I made that size I would probably eat it all. Therefore I do my own individual portion (from the looks of the pictures looks huge, but its really not) and as a result mine isn't actually measured and more like dumped together for some fruity goodness!

Crispy Topped Fruit (Apple Cinnamon Cheerios)- 9 Servings

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1Bag (16oz) frozen unsweetened sliced peaches (do not thaw)
1Bag (12oz) frozen unsweetened raspberries (do not thaw)
2Cups Apple cinnamon Cherrios cereal
1/4Cup chopped walnuts, optional
2Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2Tablespoons butter, melted
Raisins, optional
1. Heat oven to 375. Mix flour and born sugar. Stir in fruit until well coated. Spread in ungreased 8Inch square baking dish. Bake uncovered 20 min.

2.Meanwhile, place cereal in ziplock bag and crush with rolling pin. In medium bowl mix cereal, walnuts, 2T. brown sugar and melted butter until crumbly. YUMMMM

3. Sprinkle cereal mixture evenly over hot fruit. Press lightly. Bake 15-20 minutes until light golden brown and fruit is tender. Top with raisins. Chow Down.

I personally use frozen mixed berries with the peaches!. Can I just warn you that the topping is really delicious. I am dying to try it with fresh fruit but wouldn't need to cook it the first time, can't wait for this summer to have all of the yummy fruit in season! After all, its really the topping that is so yummy and crunchy. DeeeeLicious!

This weekend we spent some time outside since it was so stink'n pretty! I love the sunshine! Collier likes to sit and pick up sticks and give them to Brinkley. Brinkley loves every minute of it. Collier tried to find out what is so great about the sticks....Yuck. He does the same thing to her food. If she has food in her bowl, he picks it up by the handfuls and holds it out for Brink to eat out of his hand - he has been doing this for about a week now. This morning he thought he would try it himself. YUCK.... don't worry I quickly removed it and he didn't actually eat it! Brinkley is so patient with him and Collier loves her. They are already big buddies!

TRAINING UPDATE....or not! Last week during a few of my runs my knee started to bother me. Nothing major but a little irritation. After my run on Wednesday my knee was actually hurting. I decided that I would take off Thursday and give my body and knee some time to rest, but when I woke upon Thursday just walking around I could feel my knee. It concerned me because on Saturday we would be running 11 miles and I was really excited and looking forward to running such a long distance. I had really been mentally preparing for such a long run. But the knee thing was really bothering me and I had heard the coaches say that its better to listen to your body and take it easy than to push yourself and really cause an injury. I emailed the coaches and they both advised me not to run on Saturday. I was bummmed, to say the least!!!! But I also knew it would be best in the long run. Sunday I decided to just try and run maybe 2-3 miles to see how it felt. In my first 10 steps I could already feel the pain. I could walk with no problems but the minute I started to jog it came back. I'm doing some research and stretches in hopes of it getting better but most of all I am PRAYING that God will just heal and take away this pain. I'm so eager to get back to training. I want to be prepared and not running isn't helping that train of mind. I would appreciate your additional prayers for me as well!