Sitting on Shoulders is the Best

Sitting on Shoulders is the Best, originally uploaded by patrickhunton.

It doesn't get a whole lot better than this....

Birthday Story

Two and a half years ago, I posted Adler's birthday story. So, it's only appropriate to share Eli's as well:

I had convinced myself that I was going to give birth to Eli at 38 weeks, which was Super Bowl Sunday, February 1st. I had Adler at 38 weeks, which also happened to be a Sunday, and the same doctor who delivered Adler was on call on that Feb 1st. It just made sense that he would arrive on that day. I had prepared everything around that day, but as it grew closer, I started to wonder if he would actually decide to show - and realized I was going to be disappointed if I woke up on Monday morning with no baby!

So, Sunday, Feb 1st arrived....we went to church, no baby. We came home and made lunch...no baby. The Super Bowl started...no baby. But, I did have an upset stomach the entire day. I hadn't eaten much because nothing sounded good. I called my friend Bonnie to see where they were that night - I told her I wasn't feeling well, but figured it was just an upset stomach. Bonnie was my "on stand-by friend" for help with Adler. Bonnie was convinced I was in labor, but I didn't think so. But, come to think of it, I was having contractions. Bonnie said I should time them...geez..now there's an idea. I started writing them down and realized they were about 5 minutes apart. That's when they tell you to call your doctor, but I decided to clock them for an hour. So, I did that for about an hour while putting Adler to bed, telling Stephen he needed to stop watching the game and start acting like something was going to happen, packing a bag...this seemed like the real deal. Finally convinced these contractions were getting worse and not going away, I called my doctor. So, at about 9:30pm my doctor told me I needed to come to the hospital! Yikes! Maybe this was for real! It just so happened that my sister, Rylie, was in town, so she and her boyfriend came to the house to keep Adler for us.

On the way to the hospital, Stephen said he felt like he should be driving 80/ running red lights/ getting pulled over/ yelling "she's in labor!"/ getting the police escort/etc. I remember feeling each bump in the road...if this wasn't labor, I wasn't sure what was! Stephen did get his "moment' when he pulled up to the Emergency entrance and yelled to the security "She's in labor!"...who then insisted I sit in a wheel chair while the security guy wheeled me to labor/delivery and Stephen parked the car. I thought it was a little over the top, but it did add to the excitement.

So, here's where things slowed down....I got hooked up to machines, an IV, checked out by my nurse, who was great...all to find out that I indeed was having contractions, but it was either early labor OR I was just dehydrated from a day of not eating well. It was about 11:30ish and they decided to watch me until 2am and see what happened. I was determined that I was going to have this baby, so that's when I started making laps around the hospital...having to stop and breath through each contraction...seriously! If this wasn't labor, what the heck was? So at 2am, I had dilated a bit more, but it was certainly going to be a long night of no sleep. So, after more laps around the hospital, watching Family Matters, Prince of Bellaire, Full House (probably one of the first episodes, when uncle Jesse moves in) - good old Nick at Night...chewing ice, downing water, apple juice and cranberry juice....6am finally arrived and contractions were super intense. I still hadn't had any drugs and I was like the woman in labor you see in the movies. I had it in my head I was going to just see how I could do without drugs, but at this point of no sleep, no food...I caved to the epidural at about 8am.

From there it was smooth sailing! I didn't even realize how much pain I was actually in until after the epidural kicked in. I finally felt like I could relax and it even felt like I could rest after a night of no sleep. Pushing time came at about 10am, it only took a few, and he was here! There is nothing like this moment in your life. It's hard to describe....you're excited, scared, anxious, yet never more in love with your spouse, most aware of the presence of Christ, overwhelming feeling you are on holy ground and you know your life is changed forever. Sweet Eli was just screaming his little lungs out-it was like hearing angels sing! I got to hold him right away and they kept him there with me for what seemed like a really long time. I loved that moment with him, but a part of me was thinking - don't you all want to check him out and make sure everything is working properly? I guess they weren't too concerned! We were shocked by how much dark hair he had, recognized Stephen's hands and feet right away, and decided he looked like a good mix of Adler and Stephen. He's perfect!

Now, at this point, Stephen and I STILL were not certain about his name. We had a name we had been calling him, then over the course of the past couple months, our hearts changed about the name. We thought maybe God was calling us in a different direction. We had concluded to keep praying and trusted that we would know the right decision when we met our baby boy. Our minds had been made up after reading Probers 22:1 which says: A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. And when Stephen looked at our sweet baby, we both looked at each other and agreed he looked like an Eljah which means "The Lord is my God".

So that's how sweet Eli joined our family at 10:22am, February 2, 2009. He weighed 7lbs 13oz and was 20.5 inches long.

He is such a sweet baby, nursing has been a breeze, and for the most part, he seems to go with the flow. He does hate his car seat, but is happy when we start moving. So far, having a new born has been pretty easy. We're not sure if that is because of different baby personalities or experienced parents, but that's fine with us!

Adler has been a great big brother. He loves to help, brings toys to Eli when he is crying and says, "Here, Eli!". I do have to keep my eye on him because he just doesn't know that Eli may not want to play with Thomas the Train quite yet. He loves to watch diaper changes and is happy to help mommy throw them away. He often comments, "Eli's cute!".

We've had a great time with our families who have all visited in the past couple weeks. It has been so nice to have them all here to meet Eli, entertain Adler, and help with stuff around the house. Thank you, all for coming!

We are looking forward to a visit from Katie and Deanna in a couple weeks! It will be so much fun! Ok, that's about all I have time for! Here are some pics from my phone while we were in the hospital.

....and I'm back....for a few secs

Whew! The last two weeks have been a whirlwind! I'll blog about the details later. Stephen has introduced you to Eli via pics. I want to tell you all about him, about his birthday and the last two weeks, but I'm watching the Bachelor, so I need to save those things for later . However, I do want to share the CD playlist I've made for the little guy. Each song was picked for a reason, a moment that captured my heart and made me think of Eli. I wrote the below list out to give to Eli one day, so excuse the wordiness. I debated whether not to post all the details, but I figured you were all friends and family. If you haven't heard any of these songs, check them out on iTunes!

Songs from the Heart: For Elijah Beckett on the Occasion of his Birth

Sparks by Coldplay- While shopping at my favorite Atlanta children’s store, Sprout, this song came on. It made me think about how wonderful it is going to be to get to look into your eyes and see sparks as I fall deeper in love with you! I was about 7 months pregnant and the reality of your arrival and the eagerness to meet you had begun to set in!

River of Love by George Strait- Well, I’m a bit biased since George is one of my favorite country artists. This is one of his newer songs that just came out. Your daddy and I took dance lessons while I was pregnant with you and we focused on country western dancing. This song made me think of you and look forward to dancing with you to this song in the living room.

You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne- The lyrics of this song really say it all. Eli, you are the best thing to happen to this family!

Won’t Stop by OneRepublic- Your daddy picked this song out. We know God created you especially for our family and we are so blessed to get to take care of you!

Cannons by Phil Wickham- The Sunday I went into labor, Buckhead Church had special guest, Phil Wickham, lead worship. I loved hearing his passionate voice and his music will always make me think of you since this was the day the Lord started to bring you into the world!

You Will Always Be by Kristian Stanfill- This beautiful song made me look forward to our special times in the nursery when I would get to rock you to sleep. I imagined what it would be like to hold you against my chest, listening to this song, praising God for you.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Sufjan Stevens- I listened to a lot of Sufjan over Christmas (Songs for Christmas album). This is one of my favorite hymns and I love how simply he sings it. Jesus is the fount of the sweetest blessing of your birth. I hope to finally memorize this beautiful song so I can sing and pray this song over you!

Yellow by Coldplay- Sweet Eli, I pray you realize how much your Father in Heaven loves you. That he created this world for you to enjoy, these stars shine for you!

Lucky by Jason Mraz- Lucky or blessed, I am so thankful to be your mommy!

Come Home by OneRepublic- Your daddy also picked out this song. We are so excited to get to bring you to our home! Come home, Eli, we’ve been waiting for you!

Joy to the World by Sufjan Stevens- Back to the Sufjan Christmas, it was such a special season to be pregnant. I felt more connected to what it may have been like to have been Mary, Jesus’s mother. What Joy He brought that Christmas day, what joy you will bring us!

You’re Beautiful by Phil Wickham- Back to the Phil Wickham story, the lyrics of this song were amazing. I know I would look at you and see Jesus’s handiwork and see His face!

Welcome by Lori Chaffer- Your daddy and I listened to a lot of Waterdeep (her former band) in college. Lori and her husband wrote this fun song on the occasion of their son’s birth.

Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis- An oldie, but a goodie. Eli, you are my little boy and your Mommy and Daddy look forward to loving you through each of life’s joys and challenges. We are always praying for you, sweet one!

Stephen is in charge of the posts/pics these days.....

See www.stevohunton.blogspot.com

At the hospital

We're currently at the hospital getting ready for the arrival of our second boy. Yesterday was a day of continued preparation for his arrival and Kristine just started feeling more and more crummy. The contractions started heating up around 8pm so we finally called the Dr and she told us we should come in. Rylie and Brian came over to watch Adler for us and we headed off to the hospital. We arrived at around 11pm and pulled an all nighter....now it's 9:25am and we're getting closer and closer to his arrival. I'm so excited to meet him! Kristine has done an amazing job. She's been so strong and I'm so proud of her. Luckily the hospital has wireless, so I'll be posting news throughout our stay! He'll probably be here in the next couple of hours so stay tuned!!!

All systems are go....

Adler tested out the infant car seat Stephen installed tonight. Looks like a tight fit. Can't believe I'm going to have 2 babies in the back! What happened to my car??

Adler's Breakfast Prayer

This morning Adler asked for banana cake (aka banana bread) for breakfast. I fixed him up a slice on his Lightning McQueen plate and he settled into his red picnic table we now have in our kitchen. I was pouring him some milk, but stopped when I heard him say something about Jesus. I listened in to try to make out what he was saying and it went something like...

"Jesus....something, something I couldn't make out.....Lightning McQueen...something, something else I couldn't make out....Jesus......Amen" Then he picked up his banana cake and took a big bite. O my goodness, my heart warmed and smiled to hear his little prayer. I only wish I knew more of what he said! He's going to be a great big brother!

I turn 38 weeks Sunday, which is the exact day I delivered Adler, so we will see!!

This Little Guy Knows How to Have Fun

Practicing Hospitality Study and Giveaway

Find out how you can receive this book and join the book club for free. 

Random pics to share

Here is the latest pic of the belly. I'm currently 35 weeks and delivered Adler at 38, so we'll see when baby Boy decides to join us!

Christmas pic Stephen took of Adler in his Christmas outfit
Seeing Bow Wow in the Houston airport on our way back to the ATL
Shopping in Old Towne Spring, pic by Aunt Rylie
Adler playing in the dog kennel at Grammi and Tom Tom's
Bearded daddy and Adler watching the Fox and the Hound
Adler and Grandpa in Old Towne Spring

Here is the manger scene Adler and I worked on for the month of December. I cut out pictures from a book and placed the pictures in an Advent Calendar. We built the final picture right before we left for Texas. 

The Big Boy Bed! It's official! He has been sleeping in his bed now for almost a week, naps included! He is still so excited when he wakes up in his room and says "Bedroom!"

2nd Night in a Big Boy Bed!!

I'm so pumped! Tonight is the second night in a row Adler is sleeping in his big boy room! This was his decision and he asked to sleep in his "big room" and he is doing great! Looks like great timing with baby boy on the way!

The Days of the Beard

lensbaby_7.jpg, originally uploaded by patrickhunton.

Have come to an end. For the visual "story board" of what went down yesterday...just click over to http://stevohunton.blogspot.com

A sad day. :)

Turkey Lasagna

I've never really cooked lasagna. Mostly out of fear it wouldn't turn out as good as my mom's. I've also had a quite a few frozen lasagnas at youth group functions, watery lasagnas at other functions, lasagnas delivered when Adler was born....seems I've never had the need to bake one. Mostly because I just never got the recipe from my mom, I decided to do some Food Network research on lasagnas. I tried this one tonight and it turned out great! Stephen said it was the best lasagna he's ever had! This will definitely go down in our family recipe book. I usually substitute stuff when following directions, but this time, I followed it to a T. (except I used dried basil, but I think fresh would have been best)

Turkey Lasagna by Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Back in the ATL

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! 

We flew out to Texas on Tuesday, December 22nd. The days before that were busily spent on projects around the house. How to describe the week and a half in Texas? I'll try:

Arrival: Texas is hot, Stephen's beard is getting long, Candlelight Service, Silent Night, Random Visitor, Adler's Motorcycle, Christmas Lights Neighborhood, Setting up Adler's new train set for when he comes down stairs Christmas Eve, Thomas the Train, Rocket, Sweet gift from Rylie, My mom's stuffing, peppermint mocha coffee creamer (thanks PT), pecan pie, Fun gift exchanges, Watching Adler open "presents!", Adler sleeps to 8am, ridiculous attempt to meet sisters at a bar, Stephen's beard is getting out of control, Texas is cold, Christmas house party at Merrill's, going to the mall by myself, Old Towne Spring and Tomball shopping, manicure and pedicure, Mary Kay consult, pregnancy massage, Texans game, Texas is hot, trip to Crystal Beach, date night to movies, dinner at Brio w/ just Stephen, Adler no longer remembers who his parents are, Stephen looks European, New Years Eve Dinner at Well's, eating out for lunches, Neighborhood party at my parent's house, Adler now only asks for his grandparents, Stephen's mustache has it's own zip code, hanging out with my mom at the Huntons, Raynelle's banana pudding, stuffing suit cases, sad goodbyes, long trip home.

This morning at the Hunton house:

Stephen: "Adler, come here, you need a tissue."

Adler: "Oh! I know!!" (running over to couch and wiping snot nose on decorative pillow, followed by big proud smile)

Getting ready for baby!

So let the count down begin! I'm 31 1/2 weeks pregnant, official due date is Feb. 15th, but since Adler was born 2 weeks early, I'm expecting this one to hopefully to the same! So, with Christmas traveling taking up 2 weekends, we will have just about 4 weeks to get it together before this sweet baby boy gets here! I can't wait to meet him!

I can tell you already that he is following closely in his big brother's footsteps...he is measuring large and is extremely active! My stomach looks and feels like a waterbed. 

I had a wonderfully sweet shower Tuesday night, pics to come. Just wanted to say hello!

Mommy

Since we've been back from Texas, Adler has switched from calling me Mama to "Mommy".  A couple of my friends have mentioned this transition and it just makes me wonder what goes off in their heads to make them change the name. I guess the next transition will be from Mommy to Mom. I can kind of see why kids make this change since "Mommy" sounds like a name you say when you ARE a baby and "Mom" is a name for when you are a big kid. All kids want to be big kids. So, that makes sense to me. I wonder if the same is for Mama to Mommy? Hmmm....deep thoughts...but I sure do love the sound of "Mommy". I'm glad to be Adler's!

Time to play the lotto?

Here's how my luck has gone in the past two days:

• Yesterday found out Stephen was going to keep his job. (big news!)

• Then a few hours later got a phone call that I was the recipient of a sweepstakes I had randomly entered at my doctor's office to receive 18 years of free Cord Blood Banking for baby #2 plus a $1000 gift certificate from Babies R Us!!! I didn't believe it until I got it in writing today, but looks like it's for real! Cord Blood banking is a way to store your baby's stem cells (collected from the umbilical cord at birth) which has potential medical uses to treat life-threatening diseases (around 70 diseases as of today) for your child and any member that is a match. Siblings have an 80% chance of being match! The doctor that delivered Adler is actually a spokes person for this company, so I know it is legit! If you are expecting or know someone who is, complete the form here to enter for their final drawing in December. You never know!

• Then I got a confirmation email from Old Navy that my order was on it's way (outfit for my baby shower next week). For some reason, I went online to look at the clothes one more time that I had bought and found two of the items had gone on sale! Don't you hate when that happens? I called their customer service and they credited my account the $16 something without any hesitation. I love Old Navy. This was perfect because I was paying $17 for shipping to get it to the house in time, so it's like I got free shipping!

It seems in life, I'll get a string of "good luck" moments. And then a long dry spell. Three years ago, I won a $500 shopping spree to Bloomingdales (sadly, it didn't go very far there) and the next day, I won 2 flights on Delta to anywhere in the U.S. or Caribbean. I took my Bloomingdales gift certificate, bought Stephen a new swim suit and flip flops to surprise him with the Delta gift certificate. We went and saw Josh Rouse that night too...man, that was a fun night! I think we booked our flights to Aruba the next day. 

Well, it might be another three years for my "luck" to return, but so far, it's been worth the wait!

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. Proverbs 21:23

I was reminded today that I need to be mindful of the words I choose, not only in general, but especially around Adler. He's had a runny nose for the past several days. I looked at his face, snot running from nose to mouth, and said, "How can you stand that? Doesn't that drive you insane?" as I wiped his face. He looked at me with questioning eyes and said, "Insane?".

Hmph, probably not the best phrase to teach a two year old.

Lord knows there have been worse things to come from these lips, but a good "speed bump" to remind me to proceed with caution. These little ears have always been listening (scary to think), but now he is repeating!

I pray, with only Christ's help, to be a Proverbs 31 mother: "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."

"Thank you, DaDa, and thank you, MaMa"

Sweet words spoken by my 2 year old when we brought him into our bed over Thanksgiving after waking up in the middle of the night. 

Not sure what woke him up and we let him whine it out for a while, but eventually, no body was sleeping, so we brought him into our room. After he got settled and it was quiet, he said this little sentence. 

Exhaustion and frustration disappear. 

Love you too, Adler, sweet dreams!