A First

So, I haven't been so great at keeping up my blog lately.

Sorry....

Somehow, little babies have a way of keeping you very, very busy!

Here's what has been going on this week:

1. Football is over!! Wooo! We get Jeremy to ourselves for about 2 months. Then, pre-season stuff begins, and we will be back into football once again.

2. Normal everyday stuff...just trying to keep the house straight and clean, which is much harder to do than you would imagine. Even I find myself shaking my head at myself. I mean, I'm home all day; you'd think I'd manage to keep the house spotless every day! Well, that's not so easy when you have a little one napping....and then when he's awake, he requires your constant supervision.....plus, he's so stinking cute, it's hard to peel yourself away!

3. The highlight of my week: All the cloth diaper inserts are washed and ready for use! Yes, it took me two days to get them washed. I had to put them through 6 washer and dryer cycles. Refer back to number two, and you'll see why it took 2 days! The ones we use are sized. Collen outgrew the smalls faster than I anticipated, so I was behind. Luckily, we have a ton of disposable inserts, so he has been using those until the inserts were ready.

4. I actually got out - dinner with my mom, Jeremy, my sister and her boyfriend. It was nice to sit in a restaurant....

5. The Holiday Show! My mom and I went twice this weekend. We went Friday night to have Collen's picture taken with Santa, and then we went today (Saturday - if my post says Sunday, blame daylight savings) to browse all the booths. I love the Holiday Show; I look forward to it every year!

6. ECU vs. Navy game. We were the crazy parents who took their 10-week-old out in 50 degree weather, wind blustering...chilling us to the bone. Collen and I stayed out at the tailgate for all of 45 minutes then my mom came and picked us up. Collen did great...as usual. I'm the one who nearly has a panic attack most of the time. I wish I had a picture of him from today. He was all bundled up and had on the cutest knit tobogan and matching mittens. I'll have to catch a picture of it soon....

So, all in all...not an eventful week. However, I like it like that.


So, to the point of my post for tonight - while at the Holiday Show today, I experienced a first in regards to this blog o'mine. Believe this or not, but I often forget that anyone aside from close family reads anything I write. I see the comments; I read them with care; I take note of the number of followers slowly creeping upward, but I still operate under the mindset that I'm just writing all of this for myself and a few others.

Then, a moment like this one occurs.

I was standing by the Jenni K jewelry booth picking out a couple Christmas gifts for myself (thanks Mom!), and a lady walks up to me and says, "You don't know me, but I read your blog."

Wow!

I responded, "Oh, wow! Nice to meet you! This has never happened to me before!"

We go on to make small talk. I introduce her to Collen and my mom; I meet her son and her mother. We small talk a little bit more.

It was quite a humbling experience. In that moment, I realized that there are a few hundred (really???) others who keep up with us....who know our story....who know the ins and outs of our lives.....just by reading my blog. I was just struck and a bit befuddled because I thought, "I'm just me. I'm nothing special. Yet, there are people who can pick me out of a crowd. They "know" me. They know my life....my story....my fears....my dreams. Wow."

Each time one of you leaves a comment or emails, I never know quite how to feel other than just gracious. Ayden is so very, very special to us. He has changed our lives in ways that no one else can. Through him and our four beautiful months together, we have learned more about life than most learn in their own lifetime. And in moments when I meet a complete stranger who knows everything about us, or I receive an email from someone expressing how they have been encouraged or touched by our story, I'm reminded that there are people out there who love Ayden....who love us....people who think of our son every day....people who have a new perspective because of Ayden....people who pray for us daily. It's amazing.....and (I know I keep saying it) just very, very humbling.

Thank you. That's all I can say....just Thank you for loving us, praying for us, extending virtual hugs and well wishes to us. Thank you for sharing Ayden's story and his beautiful life with those you meet and you go through life. Thank you for sharing in our joy as well as our fear. And Thank You to the sweet, sweet people I met today (I won't share your names in case you don't want me to) and for reminding me that Ayden continues to touch people through his story. (And thank you, especially, for telling me that BOTH of my boys are beautiful. It means the world to me for people to acknowledge them both.)

I hope you have all had a great weekend. My extra hour of sleep is slipping past me.....so I'd better go take advantage of that!

Enjoy a few pictures of Collen from Week Ten:

Dressed up to go see Santa Claus!

Collen and Santa!
He did great...didn't cry at all. Just stared at Mommy....

This is how he smiles when he sees me :)

I can almost hear him saying, "There's that mommy who loves me so much!"