First steps....while holding on that is!!

Today was the first time that Leland has taken steps while holding on to something! He has stepped from side to side on the couch a few times, but while I was on the phone this morning, I saw him stand up and take a few steps with his train. Of course as soon as I saw him, he sat down! Tonight he took several more steps with the train and he didn't play shy, so I got it on video!

He had to stop and dance with Mickey in the beginning :)!

I still think we are several weeks away from walking all together! This is a start though!

New Project!

I have had a love for sewing since I was a child. My Ninny used to make all of my dresses when I was younger. I used to love watching her make things, and I know that is where I gained my creative abilities!

I have been sewing non-stop since Mom and I took a beginners sewing class while I was pregnant. We learned how to make one pattern, but I have since taught my self how to make several more as well as monogram and applique'. I have made so many bubbles, John John's, and simple dresses, that I can make them in my sleep. Seriously, I can make a single outfit in 30 minutes or less if I am able to sit and just do that (minus monogram of course!)

I keep an eye on all of the main (expensive!) clothing websites such as Kelly's Kids and Ragland Clothing. I am constantly looking at new websites and boutique's to get new ideas for clothing items for the business. I have been eyeing this romper from Ragland Clothing for Leland....

They want $50 for this corduroy jumper. I LOVE it, but I can not bring myself to spend that for a baby outfit! The only clothing items Leland has that were purchased for over $15 are shoes! While I was at the fabric store this morning, I browsed the patterns and found one that is identical to the red romper I love!! There was only one problem, it requires sleeves, cuffs, and a collar.

I am very Thankful to have a local fabric store that is full of several very sweet ladies that know me by name and are always willing to help!! I was talking with one of the ladies about the pattern and I was going to sign up for the intermediate class to learn this pattern, well to learn how to do cuffs, collars, and sleeves. She was very quick to tell me that I could easily to this romper myself. I was thinking yeah right!!

I left the store with my pattern and was asked to work on it on my own and if I couldn't figure it out, she would teach me. I had tons of monograming and applique' to do tonight, so while that machine was going, I taught myself how to make the new romper. I am so proud of myself!! This is the first time I have bought a new pattern and read the instructions to make the entire outfit by myself!! Not just an outfit, but a complicated outfit at that!

I can't wait for Leland to wear his new brown and white gingham outfit with rust orange monogram for the fall!! I will definitely be making this much cheaper version of the long sleeve corduroy romper for Christmas as well!!

1st Hair Cut Video!

1st Hair Cut!!

Leland got his first hair cut today! I did not want to cut his hair, but it needed to have some shape to it. It was WILD! He was a perfect angel getting his hair cut! He won't be getting another one for quite some time now that it has shape to it! Here is a before and after...(I have a video as well that I will upload shortly!)








<---Before











After!

Confused!

I am pretty sure that Leland is confused by the dog! He watches her eat and drink water like he is mesmerized! I get on to him multiple times a day for trying to get in to the dog bowls. He also watches the dog carry her toys in her mouth, so little copy cat has started doing the same thing! I was folding laundry the other day and he got a pair of his socks and started crawling around with them in his mouth! Silly boy!

This time last year...

Leland has a back bottom tooth coming in on each side of his mouth. Needless to say, we are not getting much sleep around here because he is miserable. I was trying to entertain him tonight because he wanted to take a nap, but it was to late for that and too early for bed. I snapped these pictures and remembered that I have a picture of him in his chair from last year.

August 30th 2009

Leland's 1st B'day & Fam pics (65 photos), by Jennifer Rooks

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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Professional Pictures by Amber Ford

We have been so busy lately! I have been overwhelmed with orders for the buisness, but that is a very good thing! It is a very new experience learning to balance running the business and keeping customers happy, yet being a stay at home at the same time! I am not going to lie, sometimes, it is very difficult to watch Leland and get all of my sewing/embroidery orders done at the same time. However, at the end of the day, I somehow manage to make everything work out, even though I may loose a bit of sanity in the process :)! I absolutely love staying at home with Leland and working on all the custom sewing projects. I just hope that somehow everything works out for me to make this a permenant deal instead of going back to work.

Leland is not really making any progress in the walking department. However, he gets everywhere he wants to get by crawling. (Please notice I said anywhere HE wants to get!) He wants anything and everything that is not his or that he is not suposed to have. I have put a baby gate at the door of the sewing room because he is obsessed with that room and makes a desaster of it anytime he is in there for 2 minutes! We also moved the old entertainment center out of the living room tonight. It was replaced with a taller chest that we had in the dining room. Praise God, the TV, DVD's, and cable box are now too high for Leland to reach. Hopefully I can stop sounding like a broken record saying, "No....no....no....no, no, no!!!" Leland is obsessed with turning the TV on and off and pulling EVERY DVD out of the cabinet, multiple times a day! I have definitely realized that with a one-year old, my house will NEVER be spotless! Some days I pray he will never walk and some days (when I have to carry him everywhere) I pray he starts any day!!

Truth be known, I still can not believe how big he has gotten and how smart he is! He still amazes me every day with some new trick! He is already mischevious as anything, so I am sure we have our work cut out for us the next 20 years!!

You're My Little Love Bug...

I found the cutest book the other day at Barnes and Noble! Leland got a gift card there for his Birthday, so this is the book I chose! It is titled, "You're My Little Love Bug". It is so sweet!!





















































You're my little Lovebug
My cuddly Kangaroo
My Funny Bunny
Sweet as honey
All of this is true!

You're my Punkin Wunkin
My Peaches and My Pie
My Bread-and-Butter
Peanut Butter
Apple of my eye.

You're my Wiggly Worm
My Busy Little Bee
My Silly Goose
My Moosey-Moose
My Monkey up a tree.

You're my Ice Cream Sandwich
My Watermelon Gum
My Soda Pop
My Lollipop
My Yummy Yummy Yum!

You're my Lovey Dovey
My Stinker Winker Bear
My Silly Willy
Piccadilly
Alligator Stare.

You're my Bowl of Cherries
My Toast with Berry Jam
My Snickerdoodle
Chicken Noodle
What a Little Ham!

You're everything that's wonderful
You're all of the above!
But most of all
What you are
Is God's sweetest gift of love!

1st JSU outfit!! Go Gamecocks!


















I took Leland to Jacksonville for the first time Friday night. I do have to admit that it was a little odd going back with a child! My best friend, Danielle, graduated from nursing school. If you will remember from previous post, she has fought a long, near death battle with cancer. Praise God, she is in remission and all of her hard work paid off to allow her to graduate with a BSN in nursing Friday night! I am so Thankful to have her in my life and Thankful that God gave her a second chance at life!


Ashley and I wanted to eat at our favorite JSU restaurant, Strut's before the ceremony. However, this is the face you get when you realize all of our chicken fingers were RAW! Needless to say, we didn't have dinner!













Leland was a perfect child, as usual. He slept through the down pour of rain all the way from Birmingham to Oxford. Thank the lord it stopped before the outdoor ceremony at the stadium! He sat in his stroller the whole time and didn't make a peep. Well except for yelling (not crying, just acting like he was cheering as well!) in the dead silence after families clapped and blew air horns for their loved ones! It was quite humorous!!



















It has been 2 1/2 years since I have been to JSU. I can not believe how much the city and campus has grown! For instance, the stadium below looked completely different while I was in school. They just finished the new box seats and dorms attached to the stadium. It is very nice now!!
You can barely see the box seats under the lights. The entire back section of these seats are now dorms that are housed in a HUGE building. I am assuming they will be athletic dorms.











Leland had fun crawling in the inzone. This is my future football player!!

















































His smile melts my heart!!

Happy Birthday Kade!

I can't believe my little cousin Kade turned 11 this week! I have kept him like he was my own child since my senior year of High School! That really makes me feel old to realize that Jason and I graduated High School 10 years ago this May!! WOW how time flies!

We went down to Sylacauga for his pool party. We welcome any excuse to get in a pool with the extremely hot weather we have had this summer!


Leland with his cousins Anslee and Ally!

1 Year Check-Up...

I took Leland for his 1 year check-up last Thursday. He got 5 shots. One in his right leg, two in the left leg, and one in each arm. He actually didn't cry as much as I thought he would, but it was still horrible!

The doctor said that because he was getting his first MMR shot, he had a really good risk of running high fever for 7-10 days. I kept Motrin in him every 6 hours from the time we left the doctors office through the next day, so luckily, it stayed in the 99 range. He was still pitiful. You could definitely tell that he didn't feel good. I had to get up at least 4 times for almost an hour at a time Thursday night.

He seems to be back to normal now Thank goodness!!

Leland now weighs 24 lbs and 6 oz. He is 30 1/2 inches tall and is in the 75 percentile for both height and weight. The doctor was happy he is on whole milk, no bottles, and said he is perfectly healthy!! We go back when he turns 15 months! You can tell how much he has slimmed up from crawling everywhere in the pictures in the previous post. He has only gained 3/4 of a pound since his 9 month check-up.

Someone's standing up a lot better!!

Leland has learned how to pull up and stand on his own a lot better, but he hasn't quite figured out how to move his feet and take a step, even while holding on, yet! I'm sure he will figure it out soon!!