Cletus is an APPLE

Well, I am guessing that I am right around 15 weeks, which according to babycenter.com makes my little baby the size of an apple. My dear father says that we don't refer to babies as "it" in this family, so until we know if it is a boy or a girl, he/she will simply be "Cletus". This is no joke. He even prays for "Cletus". Not "the baby" or the "boy or girl" he actually refers to the baby as Cletus. :-) I find this amusing since Cletus is obviously a male name. Hoping for something Dad?

We go to the doctor on Tuesday to begin my round of progesterone shots. Once a week for 20 weeks. This is due to the fact that Grayson came so early. They want to try to keep my cervix closed as long as possible. This, I am not looking forward to. Two weeks after that is the big boy/girl appointment. Yes, I know, it would be nice for it to be a surprise. I am, however, a planner, and the thought of not being able to prepare terrifies me. If it is a boy, we are set, but if the baby is a girl, I have a LOT to do.

We are still trying to sell our house. We have already outgrown it with only one child. I cook a lot, and desperately need more kitchen space as well as another bedroom, more storage, the list could go one and on.

We are doing well here in NC. Benji is still loving his job, and is super excited about child #2. I feel like I have found my place as a full time wife and mother. I have kept a neighbor's little boy off and on for the past couple weeks, and that has been a good experience. To have 2 children is very different than one, but we cannot wait for it to be our own.

We love you all and hope the Lord blesses you in this new year.

Grayson=1 year Fetus=3 months

Wow! I really thought I had posted since finding out we are expecting baby number 2. I am doing a terrible job of keeping you up to date.
So, yes! We are expecting our second child in late June. We will just have to see if Grayson's early arrival will be duplicated with this one. We don't know what we are having yet, but do have a doctor's appointment on Thursday, three days from now. I think we will probably find out boy/girl at the one after that.
This pregnancy has been very different. Grayson was a breeze. I went about my business like I wasn't pregnant. Other than a great big belly, I felt terrific. This one has been less comfortable. I have not been sick, but have lost all energy and have a love hate relationship with food. I get hungry, and that makes me feel bad, so I eat to counteract that, and then I feel worse. Luckily, I am right around week 13, and some of that is starting to get better. My energy is picking back up, and food and I seem to have an understanding. :-)
We are very excited! The kids will be 19 months apart if I last until my due date. I have been watching a neighbor's little boy for a couple days, and he is one month younger than Grayson. It has been a good experience to have 2 small ones in the house. It has actually gone quite well. Benji and I are convinced if we can get the sleep thing down, then the rest is smooth sailing...at least that's how it was in Grayson's case. I am aware that all babies are different, but sleep is going to be our number one goal.
We just had a big birthday party for Grayson on Sunday at church. Lots of family and friends came, and it was so nice. Grayson got some very nice gifts and much needed clothes. We still cannot believe it has already been a year. He is "chattering" with us quite a bit. Most of it is babble, but we can pick out things like "ba" for ball or bottle...although he uses "ba" for his milk cup too. He does say "dada" although it is usually mixed in with some other stuff too.
Benji loves it when he comes home in the morning because Grayson gets very excited, squealing and clapping his hands. It is heartwarming to watch. He is pulling up on all the furniture and I am convinced he will be walking within another month.

We are just very happy right now. My life as a full time wife and mother is extremely fulfilling, and I just wouldn't trade it for anything. It helps to be married to a man that is such a strong Christian and so supportive.
Please keep in touch. I will try to be better about keeping this thing updated. Have a wonderful week!

8 Months

Oh, man, I am so behind!
Grayson is now 8 months old, he has two teeth, rolls over, sits up, and babbles the most beautiful jibber jabber I have ever heard. It is absolutely amazing to see how fast he has grown and changed. Our friends just had a baby and she was 7 pounds 11 ounces. When I held her she seemed SO tiny, but Grayson was 2 pounds smaller than that when he was born. Now he looks giant next to little Lila. God is so good. He is healthy and smiling all the time. He is just a joy to be around.
Our house is for sale. We feel it is time to move out of Thomasville. The cost of living here is definitely great, but we need more space, and are encountering the same issue my parents had when we were growing up. Everything we do is 15-30 mintues away in High Point/Greensboro. Benji works in High Point. We go to church in High Point. We shop, go out to eat, etc., all in HP. It would move Benji closer, not only to the Fire Station, but also to many of his yards. It will also open up new territory to build his customer base.
We are very excited, but have to sell ours first. We are in a good place, in the sense that we are not in a bind. We do not have to sell. We want to sell, so we can sit on our house for as long as we want before we decide to drop prices and negotiate and all that headache. :-)
Benji and I ran in our first 5k July 4th morning. It was a lot of fun, and we are looking to do more in the future. I started running shorttly after Grayson was born and have quickly become addicted to it. Benji pushed Grayson in the run, and did really well.
The weather here has been miserable. Near 90-100 everyday for the last couple weeks. We are both ready for fall.
Everything here is great! We love being parents, we love our little man. Benji talks already about having another one. We shall see. I don't know if I am up for that yet. I would really like to get my body back first, so I am not compounding the problem with each child.
Keep us in your prayers as we are trying to sell our house, and also pray about the decision to have another child, and when. We love you all!

5 1/2 Months

I have got to be better about blogging. I just crept back to my sweet baby boy's room and watched him while he slept. He has completely turned around in his crib, and is now facing the opposite direction from where I laid him down. So funny. He does this on a regular basis. I love to watch him sleep. I wonder what he dreams about or if he dreams. Sometimes I wonder if God talks to him and keeps him company in his dreams. It is such a nice thought. He is 5 1/2 months old. this absolutely blows me away. He has been with us for almost half a year. My pregnancy feels like a dream, like it didn't really happen...this wonderful child just showed up all of a sudden.
We have started praying with him before bed. We want him to have that constant in his life; want there to be no question about our Lord. We want Him to always "be" for Grayson. Benji and I take turns putting him to bed and getting him up. Because of his schedule, when he is home, he likes to do these things. It also gives me a little break, not that I don't love our little routines.
Grayson is developing more and more personality, and is such a sweet baby. He smiles all the time, and is "talking" regularly. It is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. He is eating rice cereal and "real" food. I am making all of his baby food, so I guess it is more real than the stuff in the store. I really like doing this. I feel like I am contributing where I can.
Staying home and raising our son is more than I ever thought it could be. I love my job. I knew this is what I felt led to do, but I just had no idea how rewarding, and what a blessing it would be. god is so good. I have also had wonderful examples of moms staying home from my mom and my aunts. They are amazing women.
Grayson has his 6 month appointment on June 18th. Say a little prayer. I have been concerned about his weight gain. He still seems to small to me. Probably nothing. He is sleeping through the night and taking good naps, so I know he is getting enough to eat. Probably unfounded worry, but keep him in your prayers. Love you all!

4 1/2 months

Grayson is four and a half months old, and doing wonderfully. He is still a small little guy, but is gaining weight and personality every day. He has started on rice cereal, and we give it to hom just for one meal right now. He is sleeping from 7:00-7:00 and it is amazing. Benji and I are back to having a little "us" time in the evenings, and are starting to reconnect with each other a bit. Not that we were disconnected, but so much focus was put on Grayson that we kind of lost us in favor of being mom and dad.
Our house is for sale, but we are not pushing too hard. We want to move, but are not sure yet if we are going to buy another house or build on the Alcon (benji's mom's family) land. It is a beautiful place, but we will probably double our house payment, and we are not sure if we want to do that yet.
Benji's lawncare business is thriving. He is very busy, but with me staying home, her is able to work all day and come home and relax at night instead of coming home to help with house work. It is really working out well.
I have several projects I want to start working on. Mostly photo organizing, and starting a scrapbook for Grayson. I have also found a website, Etsy.com, that lists all homemade items. I am going to list some of the jewelry that I make on there. We'll see if that goes well. I am still selling avon, but should probably push it a little more.
We are extremely happy and blessed. God has showered His love on us, and we are doing so well. Thank you all for everything!

Update

Wow! I cannot believe it has taken me so long to update. Motherhood is amazing, and God is so good to us. I am so blessed to be able to stay home and take care of my son and my home. I have an amazing husband who is providing for us so that I can do this. God continues to amaze us with his many blessings. It doesn't seem like the money and the bills should match up, but every month it is there. He is so good.
Grayson is 3 1/2 months old now, and doing so well. He holds his head up really well, but still falls to the side now and then. He is making sounds, and smiling, and I am telling you, his smile is the most beautiful smile on any baby ever, trust me :-). He is sleeping from about 8:30-6:00 now, and it is so great. It makes the household feel a little more normal. He is just so wonderful. I have never known this sort of love. Knowing this sort of love now makes me appreciate my parents so much more. Not only my parents, but the Lord as well. How wonderful that we get this love from Him as well.
We are counting down the days until we fly to Dallas for Debra's wedding. It will be Grayson's first (of many I am sure) plane trip, and I am a bit nervous about this, but we are traveling with Mom and Dad, so it should be ok. Meeting them in Raleigh the night before, and then they are going to help us with all the "baby stuff". We will also get to meet Grayson's newest cousin, Harper Grace Jameson on this trip. Nathan ans Robyn had their little girl on Austin's birthday, January 28th. We are so excited about this time that we are going to get to have with family. Can't wait!
Again, thank you all for all of your prayers during Grayson's birth. We love you!

One Month

Can you believe it? Grayson is one month old tomorrow. It is amazing. He isn't even supposed to be here yet, and he is one month old. We were worried at first, but he is putting on weight and filling out. He is much more alert. Of course, he sleeps a lot, but when he is awake, he is always looking around and seems to really focus on things he looks at. When he hears people talking he turns his head to follow the voices. We are so happy, and so excited that God chose us to be Grayson's parents. We are so very blessed. Grayson has his 1-month doctors appointment on Friday, so we will get to find out how much he has grown. We can't wait. Thank you for all of your prayers. We love you!