Grand Cayman

IAI's motto - A Great Place to Work.

And a great place it is! Jason's company decided that to celebrate their 10 year anniversary, they would take all 300 employees and a guest to Grand Cayman to celebrate the occasion. It was a great weekend of relaxing in the sun and drinking and eating all day. It was paradise really. And Jason made my 30th birthday extra special by treating me to a couple's massage on Saturday and then a swimming with the dolphins excursion on Sunday. Probably one of the coolest things I've ever done!

I still remember when Jason was deciding between 3 job offers after getting his clearance and IAI wasn't the highest offer but there was something inside that just kept bringing me back to this company. I just felt like they were family oriented and really cared about their employees and I think nowadays that is hard to find. We definitely made the right choice and we are so appreciative of this amazing gift they gave us.

Noah - Almost a year old

Noah is searching for Serenity. Quite the determined little guy.

Christmas, New Years, Vacation...wait what?

So after Jason and I got engaged, I made the decision to remember every moment and enjoy each step of the way because I knew that time would fly by and my life would be changing forever and I kept that promise to myself. Now having a baby....whole different story. I keep reminding myself to enjoy every stage but I still think I'll probably be an awesome mom once Noah turns 3 or 4 and we can communicate much better with each other.

Christmas came and went before my eyes and it turned out to be a great time. The weekend before Christmas we headed to Richmond to the Green Annual Yankee Swap with all of Jason's extended family and did xmas with his mom and George. Then we went to Xmas Eve Services - our first time at the "Family Service" instead of the candlelight which was so special to share that with Noah and he did really well the whole time. Afterwards, we headed to the Sinclairs for our traditional Tafrawe/Sinclair xmas eve service dinner. Then Christmas morning we were with my family and it was the first year we weren't trying to visit 3 families in one day which was the best present I could ever ask for. For the past 7 years, we typically just run around everywhere and it's completely exhausting! Finally, the weekend after, Jason and I hosted all of my extended at our house and it meant so much to be able to do that for my grandmother since she can no longer live on her own in Fredericksburg and has moved in with my parents.

If that wasn't enough a week later we left after celebrating New Years alone at home to go to Aruba with Jason's family to get away from the cold! It was a wonderful time and so great just to get away and have help with Noah but vacationing with a baby can be pretty stressful. It was great to get out one night and have Jason's mom babysit so Jason and I could actually *gasp* eat a meal together! This never happens anymore so it was a real treat. Noah did better than expected flying and I only ended up in tears on the last flight home when Noah was screaming in first class - yeah that was fun:)

Sadly, we have not gotten to celebrate Christmas with the Watlington side of the family yet but we are very much looking forward to them coming to visit next week for a few days and I love being with them. We're just ummm extending the holidays and making it extra special for Noah's first:) I'll try and post some pictures soon but as for now, Noah is awake and not pleased I am not holding him.

ahhh yes....as MOPS would say....the adventures of mothering!

Noah -The First 6 Months!

The first 6 months with Noah have been such a blessing, joy, challenge and fun all wrapped into one. The best Christmas present we could ever have! It's still so hard to believe he's been here with us since June - the time has flown by and here we are at Christmas! It feels like he has always been with us. Jason and I are so grateful for all our family and friends who have supported us and been so wonderful to Noah. I feel so blessed to have so many friends that have babies around the same age as Noah and to experience being first time mommies together! Here is a recap of the past 6 months:

Got Milk?

Well...for most of you that keep up with us on a regular basis know that Noah has desperately been struggling with acid reflux and what a battle it has been! His first couple months were wonderful. He barely EVER spit up and I thought we were the luckiest parents in the world...well I spoke too soon. Around month 3, it started to affect him more and more and he would literally just vomit a good portion of each bottle after each feeding. About a month ago, we went and saw the doctor and she started out the conversation by saying well just try the rice cereal and see if that sticks to his stomach better and I in turn said "ok that's fine but I'm also not leaving here without some sort of prescription - this is the whole reason why I made the trip over here."

Well the rice didn't work and the zantac has been a nightmare. Whoever the idiot was that designed peppermint medicine when apparently babies don't like that flavor really has made my life difficult. Literally, the first time we tried to give him the zantac (syrup form with a syringe) he LITERALLY shot it from his mouth over to the door across the room. It was actually quite impressive. Needless to say, he hates the medicine and we can barely get it in him or not much and we've tried to put it in the bottle but still no change. So today I took him back over to the doctor and said we need to do something new- this isn't working and Saturday he cried and cried and cried and cried and cried....get my drift. Yeah for 12 hours straight, nothing could calm him down and add teething on top of that. It was a sad day...for all of us. So all that to say, I now have a prescription filled for prevacid which is a dissolvable tablet that goes under the tongue. So please, please pray for us that we start to see a change....definitely for our little guys sake and for our sanity.

We've done zantac, maalox, rice cereal, gripe water, tylenol, similac soy, enfamil A.R Lipil and now back to square one with our regular enfamil. You know- there's only so many baby products out there!

Serenity & Noah

So....the good news and bad news. The good news...Serenity doesn't seemed bothered by Noah. The bad news...Serenity doesn't seemed bothered by Noah. For the past 8 years, Serenity has been my child, my calming effect, my joy..my well... serenity. And first, bringing a boy and now a baby into the picture has left her less than thrilled with my life choices since she is fast falling in the ranks. Of course, this isn't true and every spare minute I can wrap her up in my arms with lots of hugs and kisses I do to reassure her she is my baby. I know it's a sickness really to treat your pet like a person but I don't care...she was there for me when I felt like no one else was so it is what it is.

I know the constant crying and attention to Noah annoys her to no end but each day I remind her that at least now I get to stay home with her everyday...I know I'm reasoning with a cat but hey, after this long, we have our own language...she knows my moods and I know hers:) My hope is that one day when Noah becomes mobile and starts crawling and running around the house that they will become fast friends...or she will at least tolerate him. We've overcome many obstacles: 1. Jason is allergic 2. My dad lost her when I was out of town 3. I thought the movers let her out so as you can see....this too shall pass and hopefully one day she will learn to love Noah. As I write this post, she crawls into my lap. I think I'm forgiven :)

Serenity the Cat

Noah -my favorite things

*he's the first one I see in the morning*the way he repeatedly looks at me and says "ah goooo" * his little birthmark on the backside of his leg*the way he sleeps with both hands behind his head*how he falls asleep as soon as he goes in the car*his old man hair on the back of his head*the way he stares into my eyes and finally seems to know who I am*the satisfied coos he makes while drinking his bottle*and also sucking down the bottle to the last drop*the fact that he already seems mesmerized at watching football*all his baby fat rolls*the fact that he is a mini-me of his dad*the way his facial expressions make me laugh*the grunts when he's pooping-such a man*his curiosity as he explores everything around him now*his amazing grins*his rosy red cheeks*his mommy's nose* And of course that he's my miracle, my baby boy - a gift from God.