Daddies Are the Greatest

...at least that's how my son sees it. And honestly, how I remember feeling as a kid myself. No matter how many boxes of mac and cheese mommy makes, or how many times she changes the "worst diaper ever", or how many rounds of choo-choos she plays, OR how many times she has to watch Thomas the Train...the words heard most often in our house are, "Where's dad?" That is usually what I'm greeted with first thing in the morning and hear umpteen times throughout the day. This becomes increasingly difficult when daddy is gone for 4 or 5 days at a time. But today wasn't one of those days.

Today daddy came home. Today Clinton heard the door open which he responds to by looking at me with his surprised face. Then he hears the footsteps, the magic footsteps he has been longing for all week. The footsteps that bring nothing but sheer joy to my little boy as he knows he is about to see the ONE person he has dreamed about all week. The first footstep triggers an Olympic-like sprint out of this two year old that brings him to the laundry room door. As soon as I hear that door open I know Clinton has seen his dad because he either starts shrieking with joy or yelling, "DAD! DAD!".

Rodney doesn't have a chance to do anything. His suitcase gets dropped in the laundry room. His potty break, if needed, must wait. And the thought of changing into comfortable clothes is but a dream. It is imminent that he start playing RIGHT THAT SECOND! And as you can see, it is but a piece of heaven for one special little boy...






Loving my life (and GREATLY appreciating my mother),

My Little Giants

Yesterday I had my 35 week appointment. While I was a wee bit giddy about having lost weight at my 33 week appointment (I know, I know--not what you want when you're pregnant, but I've got issues), the doctor told me I made up for it over the past two weeks. Gee, thanks. I have to admit, I did indulge myself over the past two weeks thinking I was immune to weight gain--ha! Although, continuing on with my issues, I've decided the baby is actually the one that has gained the 7 pounds, and I, of course, have maintained my weight. :-) Which of course, would make for a HUGE baby if it gained 7 pounds in just two weeks! ;-) I also found out that I've already started dilating a wee bit and the baby's head is really low, which explains a few aches and pains I've been having! With all that said, the doctor said we could have a baby anytime between now and April 1...stay tuned...

So, for my real little giant. Clinton had his 24 month appointment today. And as suspected, he's adorably huge. His stats are as follows:

Weight - 32 lbs. - 88th percentile
Height - 38 1/4 in. - way off the charts (a bit taller than the average 3 year old)
Head - 20.47 in. - off the charts (about the size of a large 3 year old)

And, as usual, I can't just take the information for what it is, I have to start speculating. I have to start using my statistics to make predictions--it's the researcher in me, I can't help it. There's this general rule that by taking a girl's height at 24 months or a boy's height at 30 months and doubling it is a good predictor of what their full grown height will be. Well, even if we doubled Clinton's height now at 24 months (knowing he's probably going to grow a little more over the next 6 months), his predicted height is 6' 4 1/2". Crazy, right? We're starting basketball drills in the driveway tomorrow! :-)

Lookin' forward to meeting a new Williams soon,

Clinton's New Love

Clinton has just recently (in the past few months) started liking books, but is VERY particular about which books. For his 2nd birthday, Clinton's Pop (Clint) sent him a new book that Clinton reads about 20 times a day. It's called Smash-Crash. You can see it on our Shelfari bookshelf on the right side of the screen. If you have a little one that likes trucks and craziness, it's a pretty good investment...at least it has been for us.

Clinton also loves his Bob the Builder book and ALL of his Thomas the Train books, of course.

We're off to bed now to read Smash-Crash for the 21st time today. :-)

Happy reading,


P.S. - Clinton is officially out of the crib and in his big boy bed! I'm a little sad, but he's very proud. I'll try to update this post with a picture soon!

Train Tables Aren't Just for Trains

So far, ours has been for Potato Heads, farm animals, monster trucks, race cars, and Clinton, too!

Dear Spring, PLEASE Hurry Our Way!

This past Friday was one of the best days we've had at home in a very long time. It was warm enough for Clinton to play outside all day! He took his "schrucks" (trucks) outside and played and played and played...until he came in and sat in his chair and went to sleep watching his shoo-choos (choo-choos).

The cold weather has really been getting us down. Aside from Clinton loving to be outside playing and always mad at me for making him stay inside, we have been sick, sick and more sick. A few weeks ago Clinton picked up the stomach virus (AGAIN! -- this is 8 times for this poor kid!). The next week he had a bronchial infection which required a breathing treatment (which was met with a lot of kicking, screaming, and two adults holding him down) and a take-home inhaler (requiring me and Rodney to either bribe him or hold him down). And then last week he had a really bad ear infection and I had a bad cold/sinus infection...we are SOOOO done with being sick!

We're ready for consistently warm days and LOTS and LOTS of playing outside!

Clinton and Gracie visiting with the little boy next door who also likes to play outside all day...but is scared of Gracie, so he won't come in our yard. ;-)

Clinton's Valentine Dreams Come True

Today was a WONDERFUL day for Clinton. Our dear friend John called and told us about a train show in Nashville and we decided it would be a fun day for Clinton. With his Valentine's day shirt on (thanks Samantha!) and his always-necessary milk and blanket, we headed into town. Clinton had no idea what awaited him there, but we were so excited about showing it to him. He had a blast!


As you can see by his facial expressions, he was amazed every time he turned around! As we went in the doors, he immediately ran up to the first exhibit. He would have stood there all day if we had let him. He didn't realize every exhibit was a train exhibit. We had to carry him away from the first exhibit kicking and screaming in order to show him there were TONS of trains to check out. His favorite exhibit was the one on the floor (the last pic). I couldn't believe all the boys sitting around the exhibit, perfectly still and so well-behaved! And I was doubly shocked that my child was one of them!






If you have a child who loves trains and you live near San Antonio you should check out this site, it will be near you next weekend!

Baby Williams' Update

I can't believe it's less than 50 days until delivery! Some days that seems like a long time, but for the most part this pregnancy really has and is continuing to fly by...

I went in yesterday for my 33 week appointment. I have lost almost 2 pounds, but the doctor said as long as I'm eating and not throwing up then it's nothing to worry about. My belly is measuring on target and the heartbeat sounded good...although I can't remember what it was, maybe like 140 or so.

There's not much to update on since I'm not doing a nursery just yet and we still haven't come up with a name. I did, however, get a couple of things checked off that list hanging over there to the right. I got the dresser cleaned out in the new nursery and I'm almost done cleaning out the closet. I got out all of Clinton's old newborn clothes and went ahead and put them in the dresser. I figure if it's a boy, then we'll be all set...if it's a girl, I'll box 'em back up and go shopping.

Also, if you haven't heard about the Carter's Recall you should look into. (You can just Google "Carter's Recall" and find the info you need on the Carter's website.) I emailed them and they sent Clinton a gift for his trouble (just minor irritation where the tags were on his back) and they sent a prepaid envelope for me to send the garments back in. I should be receiving a full refund very soon! Maybe I'll use it for some pink clothes... We'll see!

Lookin' forward to April,

Two Looks Good On You

Sunday our little baby turned 2! I'm still having a hard time believing it! I can't believe how fast it has flown by.

Clinton had a big day and loved every minute of it. Rodney and I loved it, too, but we were exhausted from staying up until 1AM the night before putting together a train table.

Rodney working hard!

What hard work looks like when it's finished!


Clinton awoke to his new train table in the living room. He was so excited and spent much of the morning between his train table and the chocolate chip muffins I made him for breakfast! He wasn't exactly sure why he was getting chocolate for breakfast, but he wasn't complaining!

We've discovered there's going to be a lot of rebuilding of the track, so we've put the blue print in a very safe place!


After church, I made Clinton's choo-choo cake for his birthday party that evening. It took some time and patience, especially when a certain helper awoke from his nap and needed to be in the middle of the action! We managed to get it finished but Clinton wanted to play with it the rest of the day. Every once in a while, he'd look up and say, "Ummm, gool." (Ummm, good.)





Around 3 o'clock, Clinton's guests began to arrive (Rodney's family). He had so much fun and FINALLY got interested in opening presents. Even at Christmas he wasn't really into it, but last night he had the hang of it. He got a scooter, a battery powered ride-on Silverado, an FP Little People Barn Set, a Tonka garage and cars, a Hummer truck w/ a trailer and motorcycle, a Big Wheels, and a remote control bus. Rodney also got him a bunch of matchbox cars and monster trucks. They were significantly smaller than the other packages and he was not interested in opening them. We'd ask him and he'd say, "No!" and throw it on the floor. Finally, he opened one and saw that it was a car...suddenly he was interested in them all!





Clinton's girlfriend, Addie, even made it to the party. He's always excited to see her!


Oh, and here's the belly at 33 weeks!


Birthday video to come!

Soakin' up the here and now,

My First Born

I stole this off Emily's facebook page. I thought it was a great "survey" to do in honor of my first born's upcoming birthday. I'm not so savvy with Facebook yet, so I decided to pull it over here to my blog.

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new post for yourself!

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST-BORN PLANNED? Yes, we decided after a year of being married we were ready. A few days later, I wasn't feeling well.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? We were VERY excited but a little freaked out because we thought it would take while to get pregnant...but not for us!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Absolutely not.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? Two years and nine months younger than I am now.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I took six pregnancy tests that had the double lines on them. I couldn't tell if it was really two lines or not, so I finally drove to the store and got a two pack of digital tests. Somehow, I messed up the first one and Rodney got home as I was administering the second.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I was on the phone with my mom off and on all day as I was taking the tests and she thought I was nuts. Rodney was the first to know about the results of the digital test that confirmed we were in fact 3 weeks pregnant.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes!

9. DUE DATE? February 14, 2007

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? 24/7 Nausea

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Cheeseburgers and spaghetti

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The spasm in my back.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I did at first, but I'm so in love with this little boy it's crazy!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 38 whoppers

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, my good friend Adrien threw me a beautiful shower.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about it.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? I had very painful contractions beginning at 28 weeks, I finally delivered at 39 weeks.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Williamson Medical Center

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Less than 9 hours.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Rodney--we were scheduled to be induced, but we were both a little nervous.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Rodney and my mom, and my friend, Alison, delivered Clinton (she's my OB)

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes, but I was more scared of the epidural than the contractions so I waited a long time. Rodney finally requested it for me because he couldn't stand to see me in pain.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs.

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? February 8th, 2007

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Clinton Robert Williams

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 1 year, 11 months and 4 weeks

Cousin Caleb (and Family) Came for a Visit

I'm a little late in posting this, but didn't want these pics and video to get bypassed. Last weekend, Rodney's aunt and uncle (Cathy and Robert) came to visit us from West Virginia and they brought their grandson, Caleb. Caleb is 4 months younger than Clinton. They weren't sure what to think of each other at first, but by the end of the weekend they were buds and Clinton was even looking for them after they had left.

Caleb was so much fun for me. He's the cuddliest and snuggliest baby I've ever been around. Don't get me wrong, I love to cuddle with my own little bundle, but it's a rare moment that he allows for that. Caleb would let me hug on him and carry him around...which of course made Clinton jealous.

Caleb let me snap a few shots of him out in the yard...




On Friday morning, we took the boys to the bounce house while Rodney was at work. As you can see in the video, they had so much fun! We let them loose for almost 2 hours and they savored every moment of it. Clinton even threw a little fit for his guests when we had to leave. One thing I love about our bounce house is that there is never anyone there in the mornings. And early morning play like this makes for a great afternoon nap! I also needed a nap...I started out having to carry the boys up the slide...I probably made 15-20 trips between the two boys. But by the end, the boys were pros and could climb up and slide down all by themselves. With all the cold weather, we've been back several times since...

My vanity feels the need to announce that I did have my hair cut and colored shortly after this video was made, so I'm looking much better...thanks to Aunt Cathy!

Clinton wasn't sure about sharing his toys. It's an issue we're working on!!! He did enjoy having Caleb around, but didn't want him touching his choo-choos or his mommy!


Looking forward to our next visit,