Goodbye 2011....Happy New Year....Welcome 2012

I can't believe how quickly 2011 flew by.  It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming our sweet baby boy, Ethan, into the world.  And now we are celebrating the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012.  In just 2 1/2 short months we will be celebrating Ethan's first birthday.  *Tear*  They don't lie when they say that time flies by when you have a baby and to enjoy every minute of it.

I can honestly say that 2011 was probably the best year of my life.  I started the year as Mrs. Miles and then we celebrated the birth of our first child.  We have hit a few bumps in the road along the way but nothing that we couldn't get through.  I have enjoyed every minute to this year, watching my son grow and all the milestones that he hit.  My husband and I celebrated our 1st year anniversary and I couldn't be happier.  There are a lot of memories that go along with 2011 and I can't wait to see what 2012 bring our way.

So, goodbye 2011 and hello 2012. 

I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas and has a Happy New Year!!!!

*The day he was born

*Auburn Fan

*1st Halloween

*1st Thanksgiving

*1st Christmas

*1st Anniversary

Until next year....

A Glimpse of what Christmas was like this year....

Christmas with the Miles'

Christmas Eve: We decided to let Ethan open up two of his presents.  (sorry I sound like a 12 year old, I'm really 25!!!!  LOL)

He seemed to really like the Scout dog.  He ended up sleeping with it and every night since.

Christmas Day: He opened the rest of his presents from us.  (Gotta love the pillow pet theme song...).  He got a small t-ball set and a lil laptop that teaches him to count and abc's, as well.  After the opening of the Christmas presents we ate Christmas brunch with our neighbors and then preceded to make our first home cooked Christmas dinner.  We had a great time that day. 

A couple days after, we headed down to Josh's parents house and spent some time with his family.  Ethan got to see his 3 cousins and play with them.  It was so cute to see him and Westley together.  Westley is 5 months older then Ethan and walking.  But that didn't slow Ethan down.  He tried his best to keep up with Westley and the 2 girls.  It was the cutest thing.  

*Ethan trying to see what Westley got for Christmas.

We are headed up to my mom's house in a few days and I'm so excited to get to see my mom and some of my friends.  My mom hasn't seen Ethan since May and I truly think she is more excited to see him then her own daughter.  I guess that's the way it goes when you have kids. 

Well, I guess this is the last blog posting of 2011.  I will post another one once we are back from my mom's that will update you on the new year.  Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a Happy New Year.

Until next year...  :) 

The holidays!!! (Where has the time gone...)

It's been a while since I've done the last blog post and I feel like such a slacker.  But, the past 2 months have just been a bit chaotic for me to even think about sitting down and blogging.  My husband was gone the entire month on November and that proved to be the biggest test for me as a mommy married to a soldier.  I think I ended up having 2 mini meltdowns last month.  I think it was just where I'm not used to taking care of Ethan all by myself since he has become completely mobile.  I turned my head for two seconds and he had managed to make it from the livingroom to bathroom.  He's like houdini....  On top of that, I'm just not the type of mom who can have someone else watch my child for an hour or so, no matter how tired and frustrated I am.  I want to be with him at all times and I know that that isn't the best thing but I just can't seem to pry myself away from him.  People keep telling me that I need "my time" but I'm finding it very difficult to take the time away from him.  Maybe I'll get the hang of it in the near future.

I really didn't get a lot of my school work done in the month of November.  When I would sit down and try to work on it after Ethan went to bed, I was too exhausted to even think about homework.  There were a couple times that I tried to sit down and read a chapter and reread the same line like 5 times.  I pretty much gave up on homework until after Josh got back.

He managed to get back just in time for our 1st wedding anniversary.  The day he got back, Ethan and me kept him out of the house all day.  We took Ethan to the mall to see Santa for the first time.  He did so well, better then I expected.  He sat on Santa's lap and smiled his cute lil smile and didn't even shed one tear.  I think he evened managed to have a conversation with Santa while mommy and daddy were selecting which picture they wanted.

The next day, Josh and I left Ethan with Rah Rah and Grandpa Chuck to spend our anniversary together.  I thought we had everything planned out really well until we started the day.  The biggest mistake we made was going downtown clarksville for dinner and getting stuck in the middle of a parade.  And when I say "stuck", I mean an hour and a half, missing the movie showing we bought tickets to earlier that day and having to buy new tickets for the hour later showing.  The only thing we could do was laugh about it.  Obviously we have no luck when it comes to our wedding day or anniversary dates.  Let's see what next year brings....lol

Speaking of Christmas time, I got the tree up in the midst of all the chaos of November.  Looking back, I have no idea how the tree even got put together so nicely.  With Ethan crying in the background and me fighting to the lights off the tree to get the branches apart and then back on the tree afterwards!  I can't believe the tree isn't in the front yard right now....HAHA!  A few days after we got the tree up, I wanted to try and take a Christmas photo of Ethan in front of it.  It ended up turning out so cute.  We decided to use it as our Christmas cards this year. 

That's about everything that I can think of to update everyone on the past two months.  Sorry about the lack of photos in this blog, I'm typing it on our laptop and I don't have any photos on here.  I will try and put some up in the next two weeks. 

Until next time.....

It's noodle time....

Ethan had his first experience with mac and cheese the other day.  He ate a lil bit of it but he also had a few gerber snacks before the mac and cheese was finished.  So, I'm not sure if he didn't like it or he just wasn't that hungry.  He played in it for a lil' while.  I did manage to snap a photo of him digging in to the cheesy goodness. 

There are so many things that I want to do this month but I can't because my husband is currently deployed.  One thing that I'm really excited for is taking Ethan to see Santa and getting a photo.  But, I have to wait until next month because I don't want Josh to miss out on his first Santa visit.  Also, the new Twilight movie is coming next week but I'm under strict orders that I can't go see it unless it is with the hubs.  Starting next week, I get hear about how good the movie was over and over again but I have to wait to see it.  Stop deployments come at the worst times!!!!  Oh well, I am kind of busy taking care of Ethan, while working on my school work and trying to come up with something special to do for Josh and my 1st anniversary.  Busy, busy, busy....

*He conquered the baby gate...

Until next time...I will be sitting here missing my husband!!!

Busssssy BEEEEE....

Let start off by saying sorry for being gone so long.  The past 3 weeks ( I think is how long it's been since my last post) have been a lil hectic, to say the least.  Unfortunately this post is probably going to be shorter then normal only because I'm still playing catch-up on my school work and Ethan is due to wake up form his nap at any time now.  I'll just kind of recap what has gone on the past couple weeks and include some photos.


We ended up taking Ethan trick or treating two different nights. The first night we took him around our neighborhood, which turned out to be a slight bust because no one got the memo that they would have tons of neighborhood "characters" knocking on their door for candy. That night ended being quite cold and I worried that Ethan was going to get sick but he hung in there like a trooper. Unfortunately, he fell asleep about 15 mins before we got home and mom had to carry his little sleepy life-less body most of the way.

*Forgot to mention he was dressed up as "Aubie" the tiger!!!!

The second night we took him (Halloween night), we tagged along with our friends, Eddie and Amanda, and went to a neighborhood down the street where they actually got the memo.  I think we ended up trick or treating for about an hour but we managed to get good stash of candy.  Yet again, he passed out before we made it back to the car. 

This past week has been the most difficult because the two of us (Ethan and myself) managed to get sick.  I believe it is from the first night of trick or treating and just how the weather changes so drastically around here.  Ethan was just stuffy but the night after I started noticing it turned out to be one the longest nights because he just couldn't sleep at all.  We ended up staying up practically all night and early the next morning.  So, later that evening I finally went and bought a humidifer for his room and it worked like a charm.  He fell asleep that night at 6 p.m. and slept until 8 the next morning.  However, once he was in bed I started to notice that I was getting sick.  And the next couple of days were the worst.  It is not easy taking care of a 7 1/2 month old, that will not sit still for more then 2 secs, when you're sick.  He did manage to keep himself entertained...

*"Mom, I want to help with the laundry..."

I have just started feeling better the past couple days.  So, now I'm super busy trying to clean up the house, which has fallen to the way-side the past week, take care of "fully mobile" Ethan, and try to catch up on my school work.  Not fun!!!!  I haven't touched my school work in almost 2 weeks.  Ugh.....

Well, wish me luck....

                    *He has officially started pulling himself up on everything to a standing position...

*And he has found where all his toys are kept and managed to pull every single one out, so I have toys ALL OVER my livingroom floor....

Until next time....and I promise I am going to try and get one up in the next week!!!!

Who Knew...

Wow...this week has probably been one of the busiest weeks that we have had in a while. To begin with, the kitchen and laundry room have been painted....YAY!!!! The laundry room is completely done but the kitchen still has a few things that I want to do before it will be done, mainly knick knacks and new dishes.

Wednesday evening, while I was cooking dinner, Ethan and Josh decided to go outside and toss the ball with our dog Rock-o.  I believe this was the first time that Ethan actually felt the grass with his bare feet.  He seemed to really enjoy being outside.   Of course, dad could have put him in some sort of clothing...LOL!!!!

Grocery shopping was at the top of our agenda thursday afternoon. That is always a tiring experience. Once we made it home and managed to get everything put in it's right place, Ethan and Josh decided to take a load off, which meant melting into dad's recliner. Ethan had slightly different plans then dad. He wanted to lounge and just read a nice magazine. And then try to devour it.

Laundry day was friday, which also meant doing the usual lounging at our house.  Ethan cruised around in his walker with his mum mum sticking out of his mouth.  Gotta love him!!!!

So Saturday we made it to Josh's parent's house and I almost cried because that evening my lil monkey decided he was going to start pulling himself up on Rah Rah's den steps. The first time he did, he almost managed to get up on his feet before toppeling over. He, of course, tried a few more times and I did manage to snag a couple videos of him in action. He is getting so big and everytime he decided it's time to try something new, I just want to cry because it feels like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. *tear!!!!

Shopping is always a fun thing for me.  Sunday we spent the day in Chattanooga with Rah Rah.  Ethan got a few pairs of, what else, lounge pants...LOL!!! And once we got back the house, he couldn't wait to get back to those steps and start practicing again. Oh how the time flies....

Ethan was officially 7 months old on the monday, the 17th. 

That was pretty much the just of our week.  Since getting back from Cleveland on Monday, we haven't really done much.  Today we had to take Ethan to get his second half of the flu shot.  He really doesn't do that bad when he gets his shots.  He cries for a couple of seconds then he is fine.  I'm so proud of my baby boy. 

For me, the past 2 days have been a littel frustrating because I have finally decided to start back to school and it seems like I have to jump through hoops in order to make that happen.  I finally decided to start a program for either medical transcripting or medical coding and billing because I want to be able to work and help out with our finances but at the same time I have NO desire in putting Ethan in a daycare or even having someone else watch him.  I want to be there to take care of him all the time and that is why I made the decision to go with one of these two programs because you can work from home.  However, I can't seem to get the right people on the phone to answer my questions about the money part of it.  It's really starting to irritate me because I want to be able to start this new adventure and I just keep getting sent in the wrong direction. Who knew it would be so hard to actually try to advance your education. Hopefully I can get this taken care of in the next couple days.  Wish me luck!!! 

Until next blog....

P.S....

Ethan decided to make a tunnel out of his hamper.

 Ethan's first bath in the actual bathtub, sitting up by himself...  *tear again...

We had to buy him a few new pair of sleeper pjs and these ones have monkeys on the feet also.  He spent about 10 mins going in circles trying to catch the monkeys on his feet.  It was the funniest thing ever....

Caught Redhanded....

The past week has been a fairly normal week for the Miles' family.  Ethan and I were lucky to spend the majority of it with daddy home from work.  Unfortunately, it wasn't as exciting as most would think because he spent the whole week lounging around the house from being sick.  The three of us spent Wednesday sitting around house in our pjs watching t.v.  We did however manage to introduce to Ethan to "The Lion King", on blu-ray and with surround sound, of course!  He spent the first half of the movie in his activity center mesmerized. 

The second half of the movie he actually cuddled up with mommy and slept for the first time in months.  I miss the days when he would lay on my chest and just cuddle with me.  *Sigh....

As Josh and I attempted to make dinner that night, Ethan decided to sneak into our lil' pantry cabinet and help himself to some chips.  Can you say baby locks!!!!  But I couldn't help but run and grab the camera to capture this moment.  PRICELESS!!!!  Once he is in that walker, you can't stop him.  You blink or turn your back for one second and he is either gone or into something.

 Thursday we all attempted to get out of the house for something. Josh actually made it through a whole day back at work and Ethan and I had an appointment to go to on post that afternoon. But until then we just, as usual, lounged around.  I did manage to get him to smile and show off his two teeth and his BIG BLUES!!!!

And Friday was the usual lounge and try to clean day, but Ethan had other plans.  Like trying to climb Mount Everest, of wait, I mean our loveseat.  Our lil' Adventuerer in the making.

Saturday was Josh's company's family day. With Josh feeling ten times better then what he had been feeling all week, we all decided to put on actual clothing and make our way to family day. It turned out to be a pretty good day. I talked to a couple of the wives and we watched all older children bounce around in the jump house and some of the soldier dress up and sumo wrestle!!!! Ethan, of course, watched in envy since he obviously was too young to bounce the older kids and didn't want to show up the soldiers with his mad sumo skills!!!! LOL!!!!  Here he waving at the camera.

Sunday we just so happened to acquire a new 52" television that required a bigger t.v. stand.  So, we made our way to wally world and purchased a stand that not only fits the new t.v. but also matching our livingroom decor.  I was so excited, especially when I found that I got permission to go back to purchase the matching end table to complete the set.  So, as Josh attempted to assemble the stand in a "speedy process", Ethan enjoyed a mum mum and decided that Rock-o needed some loving to.

Rock-o just happens to be Ethan's dog/horse, once he gets big enough to "saddle up"!!!!

All-in-all, sunday turned out to be a very productive day.  Not only did we get a t.v. stand but I decided that I was sick of eating the same meals over and over again.  Earlier Sunday morning, Ethan and I made our way to the grocery store to gather all the ingredients to make rigatoni with eggplant and tomato puree.  I was so excited about this new adventure in the world of cooking (if you know me, then you know I'm not the world's best chef).  However, when I finally got around to making it and tasted this new recipe, I was a little disappointed in it.  But I guess that's what usually happens when you actually try something new.  You either like it, or you don't.  This time, I didn't!!!  Josh said he enjoyed it but I don't think we will be eating that recipe again. 

Monday, Columbus Day, we went back to the store to get a few things to hang pictures and try yet another new recipe.  Taco Chili in the crockpot.  I'll let you know how that one goes.  But when we got back from the store, Josh had practically cleaned the entire house.  Lucky me!!!!  Then it was game time!!!

"Mom, I wanna be like dad!!!"

And then he decides to go and sit up by himself...at least for a couple of seconds.  I just want to cry.  Not only is he scooting around, he has two teeth, eating from a spoon, and now he's trying to sit up by himself.  Soon I'll be sending him off to college and he won't need me anymore.  OMG!!!!

But, that is the just of our week.  Tune in next week to find out what new recipes we try out and if we finally get our laundry room painted and finished.  Oh, and to see if Ethan has gotten his acceptance letter to Harvard Law yet!!!!  LOL

And blogging begins.....

I've been seriously considering starting a blog for a few months now.  I have gone back and forth just about everyday, but I figured today I just needed to go and give it a try.  I'm actually really excited about this new adventure but also worried that it might fall by the wayside as many of my "newly found" hobbies often do.  However, I plan on trying really hard to keep this one going because it will give me something to look back on down the road when my 6 1/2 month old son is grown up.  So, how about a little bit of info about my lil' family.

I am married to the love of my life, Josh.  It's your typical; boy meets girl, falls in love, gets pregnant, and then marries kind of story.  Haha.  Our baby boy kind of through our relationship for a loop early in the game.  Regardless, we were extremely happy when we found out that we were going to parents.  We both decided that we didn't want to marry just because we had gotten pregnant, even though we both knew that we wanted to down the road.  But as fate had it, a few months into the pregnancy, Josh decided it was time to "put a ring on it" (as Beyonce would say) lol.  When it happened, I was actually VERY happy because, even though I never told Josh, I didn't want to be the only one out of the three of us that didn't have the name Miles.  So, needless to say, I was ecstatic when he popped the question.

On 12-3-10 we went to the "Chapel of Love" and made it official.  I was 6 1/2 months pregnant with our lil' bundle of joy and he did not object one bit.  It would have been a perfect day if the judge had shown up on time and had not answered his cell phone in the middle of our little justice of the peace ceremony. I look back and laugh now but I was so mad when it happened.

After that my bundle of joy (my stomach as well) continued to grow bigger and bigger.  The closer it came to March, the more scared and excited I became.  First time mommy jitters were everywhere.  The first time I saw the finished nursery, I almost started crying.  But, no matter how scared I felt, I knew I couldn't wait to meet our lil' boy.

March 17, 2011 at 6:07 p.m. our lil' Ethan made his appearance.

 Already an avid Auburn Tigers fan.  Haha. 

And I can honestly say that everyday since, even though it seemed hard at the time, has been the amazing.  I love spending every waking moment hanging out with my lil' man.  And I NEVER thought I would be the type of person who didn't care about cleaning up spit-up and changing dirty diapers 24/7.  But, ya know, it really doesn't bother me.  I couldn't picture my life any other way. 

We have experienced rolling over for the first time, cutting his first tooth, learning how to scoot across the floor, sleeping in his crib for the first time (which was actually harder on me then him. Go figure!), and eating his cereal from a spoon in his highchair for the first time.  It has definitely been an exciting journey that is far from over.  And I am looking forward to blogging about every single new milestone that we encounter.