five friday confessions

• There were so many things that I wanted to do on Christmas that just didn't happen so I'm already thinking of how I can squeeze them in next year ha!
• I cannot get Bruno Mars' Locked Out of Heaven out of my head. It's just too dang catchy and driving me crazy!
• I finally purchased a couple pairs of new jeans. They are two sizes smaller than my pre-pregnancy ones and instead of doing a happy dance all I can think is "damn vanity sizing."
• I think I am ready to start tackling the craft room/office. The hubs had to clean it up so we could put a blow up mattress in there. Once I saw how much is in there is didn't feel as overwhelming. I need my creative space back!
• For Christmas eve dinner, we ate in the formal dining room, sitting in our new chairs, around our gorgeous table, with our fancy Spode Woodland Hunting Dog china. I wish I had the energy to have dinner like that every night. {Did I mention we were all in our Christmas pjs? Perfection.} 

Quinn helping daddy assemble the new dining room chairs

christmas cards

I adore receiving Christmas cards in the mail. Let's be honest, who doesn't? It's so wonderful to see a hand addressed envelope mixed in with the standard stack of junk and bills. I would say my love for snail mail really stems from my grandparents. When they vacationed in Florida during the spring they would always send a postcard.

I wrote them letters all the time, even though we lived less than 10 miles apart, and when we moved down south, I continued to write them at least once a month. Of course I could always pick up the telephone, but something about a card in the mail meant so much more. This is probably why I sent out 80 Christmas cards. I just can't stop myself.

I used to hand stamp my cards, but that was before the baby. Unfortunately I just don't have that kind of time. I was crazy enough to hand address my cards with a fancy twist which still took 3 different lunch breaks to complete {curse you Pinterest for giving me the idea}.

Last year instead of giving something up for Lent, I decided to send mail to 40 different people. I think I'll do it again this year. Cards don't have to be reserved for only Christmas!

just call us the Griswolds

This past weekend the hubs and I finished putting up the rest of our outside Christmas decorations. A small part of me wonders what the neighbors must think. Are they shaking their heads and questioning, "Who in the world moved in next door, the Griswolds?"

But a bigger part of me remembers. I remember sitting in the car with my parents as a child, driving through neighborhoods looking for Christmas lights. The more a house had, the more ooooos and ahhhhhs we gave it. I remember being so excited when we would find "a good one," the kind that you can see from miles away. I want my house to be one of those houses. So let the neighbors call me crazy, but I bet you a five-year-old will say it's awesome.

Hopefully as Quinn gets older, he'll be proud of his house and not embarrassed by it. I know it makes my heart happy.

time to slow down

Well this past weekend was quite...interesting. We had lots of fun things planned and lots of surprises thrown in as well.

On Friday I took the day off of work to go Christmas shopping. I created my plan of attack days before, mapping out what I wanted to get everybody and where I wanted to go. I was so excited to have the day to myself, no husband, no baby. The only baby I saw happened to be this cutie.

I met up with my friend Jessica and her daughter Parker for lunch at Panera. It was nice to catch up a little before heading back out for more marathon shopping. While crossing the parking lot I spotted this and couldn't stop giggling.

Unfortunately, around 3 o'clock I received a call from the daycare saying Quinn had an allergic reaction to a raisin cake they gave him and he was covered in hives. Cue mama panic attack. I was 45 minutes away and there was no one closer. Luckily his breathing was never hindered and by the time I got there the hives were already receding. By nightfall I had my happy boy again.

After I put the baby to bed I noticed Shiloh kept chewing on her paw {a horrible habit she's done since she was a pup} except this time she had made her pad bright red and raw. So out came the bag balm, baby socks, and electrical tape. She may hate me for it, but it's the only way we can ever get her pad to heal and keep her from chewing on it even more.

Saturday morning I decided to make us all pancakes while the hubs got in the shower. He came to me in the kitchen and exclaimed, "I think I need to go to urgent care." The poor thing was covered in a rash with hives and his hands and face were starting to swell. Four hours later, the doctor didn't know what caused the reaction but he gave the hubs a cortisone shot and some steroid pills. The hubs then napped the rest of the day while Quinn and I played.

My parents came later that afternoon. My company Christmas party was that night and they were going to stay with the baby while the hubs and I went. Around 5 o'clock I woke up the hubs and he decided he felt better enough to go {who can say no to an open bar, right?}.

I'm glad we did end up going because I won two round trip flights to anywhere in the US, Mexico, or Canada! Besides winning the great door prize, it was nice to enjoy a night out with great food, a little booze, and some dancing.

Sunday the hubs had to work in Charlotte so he left around 1pm and wouldn't be home until around 1 in the morning. My parents and I took the baby to a paint your own pottery place to make some memories.

After my parents headed home and the baby was down for the night, I started to not feel so well. I quickly finished cleaning up and crawled into bed around 8:30 thinking I would just sleep off the yucky feeling. Ha! I ended up with a stomach bug that kept me in the bathroom all night. Around 11pm I managed to text "ginger ale" to the hubs. It was pretty awful and I stayed home from work Monday.

Thank goodness it was only a 24 hour thing and not the full blow flu. I was weak but feeling much better by Monday evening and after a hot shower even felt human again. At 4:30 this morning the bug hit the hubs. Poor thing is now in bed himself. I pray over and over that the baby won't be the next victim. My mom already let me know that my dad has fallen pray. Hooray for spreading the love!

So I'm taking this weekend as a big old shot from God to slow down! How was your weekend?

five friday confessions

• I hate when people call me Des. My name is Desiree, not Des. I don't do well with nicknames. Two of my uncles and two of my cousins used to mercilessly taunt me with a nickname which is probably where the hatred stemmed from. 
• I think I'm experiencing the winter blues. I never felt this way before. This year it's taking me quite a bit longer to get excited about the holidays. When the sun sets, I just get so...sad.
• I might be going extremely a little bit overboard with gifts for Quinn this Christmas. Technically it isn't his first Christmas, but it feels like it to me. Last year we only got him pjs and one of those recordable books from Hallmark. This year it's game on!
• If there is more than one roll of toilet paper in the stall, I feel obligated to use the roll that already has less on it.
• I'm taking next Friday off to go Christmas shopping and I'm so excited! It's not necessarily because of the shopping but because of the alone time. A whole day to myself! {well at least 8 hours}

because shopping with this maniac results in cart surfing

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree

If you know me at all, then you know I love Christmas, especially decorating for it. If you know the hubs at all, then you know he is obsessed with Christmas. Not even kidding a little, he blows my love for all things merry and bright out of the water.

This year we have four trees. That's right, four seven and a half foot, full blown, fully decorated trees. It all started with a Clemson themed tree. Then we added a traditional tree. Then came my Coca-Cola tree. Now we have added a tree on our front porch.

With the baby this year, I'm having to decorate in stages. Tuesday night we decorated the Coca-Cola themed tree. I just love this how it looks. It fits so perfectly in my Coca-Cola themed breakfast room.

The next tree we decorated last night was the traditional tree. This tree needs some help. I feel like it's seriously lacking something. We definitely don't have as many ornaments for this tree. The ones that are currently up there are things we've picked up on trips or received as gifts or brought home from ornament exchange parties. I do have some "fillers" in there but I think I need more.

The next tree would normally be the Clemson tree but we are currently waiting on replacement lights to come in the mail. We bought a brand new pre-lite tree this year and of course the very top section was a dud. Maybe I'll decorate the tree on our porch next. I'll be sure to post more pictures because Lord knows we are far from done adding to the holly jolly!

football season is over!

Booohooo! Just kidding. I'm not one of those girls. I like going to the games. I like tailgating. I like dressing up in my team colors. I don't die when it's over though. We had lots of fun this season. I went to every home game this year except NC State {it was the Saturday before Quinn's party and I needed the time to set up}. We even took Quinn to two of the games.

We're already planning for next year and hope to really get into a good tailgating groove. I love the thought of Quinn growing up going to the Clemson games. I pray he ends up loving our school as much as the hubs and I do. There aren't enough words to explain where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness. If you're a Clemson alum, you understand.

Quinn loved watching Tiger Band parade down the hill to the stadium!

Sitting with daddy, watching pregame and the most exciting 25 seconds in college football

For military appreciate day, Tiger Band and the VA Tech band marched together

Tailgating before the homecoming game against Maryland

This year was the 30th anniversary of Alumni Band. Nearly 400 alumni marched during halftime and the hubs and I were part of it. Of course I made my Tiger Guard besties march with me!

Quinn with Shannon before we headed to 90 Minutes Before Kickoff

What is this thing daddy??

Enjoying some Tiger Rag!

Our one night game was against South Carolina. While we didn't win, it was still a really good game.

still here...

I've dropped off the blogging radar it seems. Lately I just haven't been into it. I still want to write Quinn's 11 month and 12 month posts so I can have them for his baby book, but I'm not certain I'll be blogging about the holidays. We've been go-go-going with football games, birthday parties, house unpacking/cleaning, and now Thanksgiving is two days away. It's all swirling and whirling past me and I want to make sure I'm soaking in the moments and not worrying about typing it out in a blog post.

One thing I will quickly mention is the unexpected sadness I'm experiencing after Quinn's first birthday. I can't help but feel so weepy that I'm missing it. Missing the moments somehow as they all go zooming past me. I'm just having such a hard time coping with the fact that I now have a one-year-old. Post-birthday blues? I guess. I hope it passes soon.

Quinn is one year old

Happy Birthday Quinn!

Today you are my precious one-year-old. How in the world did that happen? I can promise you I will say that with every birthday, so go ahead and get used to it ha. Of course the day started out with the happy birthday song. You should probably get used to that too. I plan on singing it to you every single year. 

Oh where to begin? Eating, sleeping, and clothing size have all stayed the same as last month. We are very proud that you have good habits already. You are starting to show signs of getting pickier with food, but often tiredness plays a part in not wanting to eat certain things. Now that you are one, you are going to start drinking whole milk. It's a big transition {especially for mama} but I'm sure you'll do great.

At your one-year check up with the doctor we got your official measurements. You weight 18 lbs 13 oz (5th percentile), are 29.5" long (40th percentile), and have a head circumference of 19" (90th percentile). You have always been our skinny little baby. I can't imagine where you get that from, hehe{hint: not mama}.

So last month was your first word of uh-oh. This month, your second word? Dada! I have to laugh because I certainly thought you would say mama before dada. You say it with such pride too! We try to get you to say mama but the only time it comes out is when you are upset and want me to pick you up. In between the tears I'll hear "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" so I know you can say it ha!

Your other big accomplishment? Three days before your birthday you pulled up! We now have a stander. It is so fun to see you pull up on the coffee table. You get so excited and want to clap and then boom, down you fall. The extra padding from your cloth diapers is coming in handy though!

I can now feel a second tooth looming right under the surface. Soon you'll have your bottom two teeth. That sweet little grin of yours will be filled with teeth before I know it.

Your first Halloween was more for mama and daddy than you this year. We dressed you in the sweetest tiger costume and took only about a hundred pictures. No trick-or-treating this time, but I'm sure you'll be excited to go next year!

You are such a quick learner Quinn. I got you some snack holders to amuse you in the stands during the football game. In about 5 minutes you had figured out how to push your hand through the flaps and dig out a fist full of cheerios. You love when I fill the container with mini nilla wafers. They keep you happy for at least a grocery store run.

Your happiness brings me such joy. I know if I've had a lousy day, some time spent crawling around on the floor with my baby boy will always make my heart happy again. To watch you come barreling towards me with the biggest grin on your face is just unbelievable.

Your silliness is so contagious. Your laughter and smiles are certainly my top favorite things. After splashing in the tub I can't help but blow raspberries on your tummy to hear your funny little giggle. You push me away and then look at me, waiting for another round.

You love to mimic mama and daddy. If we make a sound, you try to make it right back. You are turning into a little parrot and it just tickles me to hear you from the back seat of the car. You are definitely a boy with your noises. You blow raspberries and make sounds that only a little boy seems to know how to perfect.

Even though you have your boy moments, your are still so cuddly and sweet. When you get tired, you grab your passy and lovie and curl up in mama's arms. I love the way you nuzzle into my chest and let out a huge sign. It has to be the best feeling in the world. One day you'll decide you're too big to cuddle with me. I have to soak in all the snuggles and cuddles I can get.

So many wonderful things have happened during your first year. I know your daddy and I are in charge of teaching you things, but I truly think you are the one that keeps teaching us. We love you to the moon and back.

Love,
Mama

mish-mash

I haven't been so good at keeping up with blogging lately so it's time for the good ole bulleted list and iPhone picture dump. Do you ever find that the longer since your last post, the harder it is to get going again?

• The hubs went to Asheville to work on a press there and he stopped at one of my favorite stores, Bloomfield's. They carry one of our china patterns. {Yes that means we might possibly have more than one...maybe five} This is the pretty he brought home.

• Quinn has been sleeping in his crib for a little while now and I always get so tickled at the different positions I find him in.

• When you announce you're in the mood to bake something, this is what you'll come home to ha!

• We moved Quinn into a big boy car seat. He loves it! It's a little more challenging when he falls asleep, but so far I like it. 

• I was unpacking some more boxes and came across my grandparents' china. This was their everyday stuff. Lucky for me my married name starts with the same initial as theirs!

• Our friends Jessica and Bryan had their beautiful baby girl Parker on October 4th. We went to visit while they were still in the hospital. I'm itching to visit again soon!

• On our way into Clemson, the hubs and I decided to order a pizza from Papa Johns. I found it so funny that when I went to give them my phone number for the order they still had it stored in their computer under my maiden name. I definitely had my fair share of pizzas at college.

• For the Clemson vs Georgia Tech game, the bestie and her beau came to town. It was such a great game! We decided to skip tailgating and instead ate at TD's downtown and did a little shopping. It was the perfect decision.

• The Sunday after the game, we ran errands as a little family. I love days like that. We had breakfast at Denny's and picked up pumpkins. Quinn loved riding in the race car cart.

• I'm so happy it's soup weather! I've been bringing soup to lunch almost every day and my mom even made a batch of chicken noodle that's in my freezer. Yum.

• Some cuteness of my baby boy.

• This weekend we decided to make a trip to Ikea. It all started because the hubs saw this sink. I've always wanted a farmhouse sink in the kitchen but not for the price they normally cost. Ikea's version is much more reasonable!

• We ended up leaving with a red table for the breakfast room, a rug for the den, and some toys for the kiddo. We picked out chairs to put on our wish list and save for plus I'm inspired to make a version of this circus top to hang in Quinn's room

• The new rug for the den led to this remodeling project last night. 

• My little Sophia snuggling in bed with me.

• And one last picture of the kiddo to wrap it up. He loved bouncing while I worked on unpacking in the breakfast room.