Our Nest

No one will ever know the strength of my LOVE for you. After all, you are the only one that knows what my HEART sounds like from the inside."

This quote was given to me from my friend D, she said it reminded her of the way I talk about my pregnancies, and my babies! This quote is such a perfect way to describe the love I have for my children~especially during that first chapter when I discovered they were there~the moment I knew they existed. I loved it so much that I placed it on Leo's first pottery hand/footprints.
There is so much I want to say about this sweet little boy, I don't think I could possibly list it all, and if I tried, it would literally take me ~~days~~ D-A-Y-S! So how do I condense everything I want to say? Leo has made my life, this family's life so very happy, full of joy, and a given us a sense of completion, we're a party of 5 now :) He is one of the sweetest things I have ever known, my little blessing. I am in awe of him on a daily basis. I will never forget the moment that I just knew he was there, inside my body, when everything within me was telling me I was pregnant with him before it was confirmed. I also remember how terrified I was, not because I was pregnant, but because I didn't want to lose another baby. Leo had so many people praying for him, praying for a healthy baby, and a healthy mama. As much as I wanted to cherish and embrace my pregnancy with him, I really wanted to get to the finish line more, just so I could get him out, to hold him, to kiss & nibble on his tiny body, to know he was here with me and healthy! Leo came out and was a mama's boy from the beginning. He nursed like a champ right from the start, drawing my milk in almost 24 hrs after he was born. He gained a pound within his first week little chunker. I love that he still wants to both be with me 24/7 and nurse 24/7. A friend of mine keeps reminding me that I am so lucky to still be nursing him, and that the time I get just laying with him, nursing, relaxing, letting him play with my hair, touch my face, or just to fall asleep, is so precious...and will be over in a blink! She's right, I am so lucky, and as much as the long nights, sleep deprivation, and night feedings can get to me, it is all worth it, Leo's worth it! He would seriously be the perfect baby if he was a good sleeper...but he's not(a good sleeper.) We have co~slept with him up until 3 weeks ago :( Don't get me wrong, he is still in bed with us each night, but he now shares a room with his big brother!
Leo has also done everything the fastest. Especially the physical things. He took his first steps at the end of June, and was walking like a little champ by his first year. He is a great little eater. His favorites right now are cheese, crackers, oatmeal, yo baby yogurt, squash, peas, cheerios, tortillas(of course right, he's gotta make his great grandpa Leo proud!) strawberries, applesauce, pears...he's pretty much trying everything aside from peanuts, and meat(grosses me out when they are little, I prefer my kiddos to be vegetarians until they are 2 or 3, no joke!) He LOVES airplanes, helicopters, loud cars, motorcycles and stops if he sees or hears one and makes sure I am aware too. No surprise that he loves music~he gets goofy when it's on~always dancing, bobbing his little head & moving his body whenever he hears a good beat~I love that he loves it :) He likes to throw balls, hit balls with a little golf club, swing, play in water, be outside, run outside, watch the wind blow the trees. Tonight he reminded me so much of Nolan when Nolan would look out the window and point to the moon~he did that tonight, was very sweet. He likes to cuddle with stuffed animals, he loves his baths, to be naked, to play with the telephone, or remote controls, did I mention he loves to nurse ;) He has a cute little voice and is trying so hard to talk, can't wait to hear more of his sweet voice...it's coming, if he's anything like Liv or Nolan he will be talking our ears off in no time at all. They were early talkers. He was born with dark hair, and now has the curliest honey blond hair. He has a sweet little smile, bright blue eyes, a perfectly chubby little body, and tiny little teeth poking through his gums~he's dreamy, my little hunk! I have to say he favors Olivia's look as a baby, although I see Nolan every once in awhile too. I think he looks so much like Shane's Dad(Papa Jerry,) when he was a baby.
One of my favorite things about him right now, he will come over to Shane, Liv, Nolan, or I and wrap his little arms around our necks to hug us, but it's not a quick hug, he will just sit there for a minute or so cuddling. He is a doll baby, always happy, & wants to show us love. I can only hope it comes from the love he knows and feels from his family. He grits his teeth already because he sees us all do it daily as we grab onto him, kiss him, hug him. I can't count how many times within a day that Shane or I say we want to eat him. He is delicious and seriously smells like a sugar cookie! There are so many more things I want to say, I want to write about him forever :) He is a fun baby boy, and such a character. I have a couple other posts I would like to share so I am sure I will say more. Since he is now 13 months I thought I'd better get his 1st BiRtHdAy post uploaded(*might I add that it is midnight, I am so tired, and when I just went through these pictures, it uploaded them in super random order AND the margins are all wacked out~arg..., oh well, I am not changing it, not tonight anyways.) Summer has been crazy, fun, with its ups & downs. I am way behind on pictures, updating journals, baby books, but I have legitimate reasons :) Our July, August, & September are super crazy~Leo's Birthday in July, Liv's one week later in August, and NJP kicks of September with his birthday!

It was only fitting that we had and Owl themed party for Leo...since he is a true night owl! So my friends D, and Laura helped me make Owl cupcakes. They turned out so cute! We made a little smash cake and stuck an owl cupcake on top of pretzels to make it look like the Owl was sitting on the nest, pretty cute right?! I should mention he wanted nothing to do with the cake, good boy stay away from that sugar(unlike your Mommy!) Liv and Tabitha cut out stars and moons, and Tabitha came over and hung them up. It was a pretty simple party, simple food, decorations ex. One of my favorite things was displaying my favorite pictures of Leo throughout his first year. I printed out BiG pictures and used clothespins and clipped them onto twine. Leo was a trooper, there were loads of people/kids here, and he had just woken from a nap as the party began, but he hung in there, and if he could tell me, I think he'd say it was a great party :)
Lord I am grateful, forever grateful for so many things that you have blessed me with. One of the most amazing gifts you've given me is my Leo James the most sweet and perfect little boy(next to his big brother Nolan!) Leo is truly the 3rd best heavenly gift I have been given! Thank you for allowing me to be a Mama to my 3 babies, they are my life!