Thank You 2011 for the BEST YEAR EVER!!!

So, 2011 was a GREAT year for so many reasons...the most obvious, of course, being Stafford's arrival!! I cannot believe that this year has flown by so quickly...it really seems like yesterday that Reed and I were planning our wild NYE dinner date at Babalu and getting excited about ringing in 2011 - the year we both turn 30!! 2011 has blessed us beyond measure with so many wonderful things: great times with family and friends, lots of laughter and love, fun vacations, new experiences, and the most importantly, the most precious, loving, healthy little boy that we could ever hope for. We don't have any major plans for ringing in 2012...just spending time with our little one and getting some rest! I thought it would be fun to do a "year in review" in pictures so see below for highlights from 2011...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

January: getting Sis initiated into Phi Mu

(and telling my parents that a little one is on the way)!!

February: baby shower for Kristin and sweet little Perry Allen

March: Reed finishes New Orleans Half-Ironman for the 2nd time

April: Reed and I in Oxford for Double Decker 2011

May: our 3 year anniversary to San Diego

May: sweet Caroline Reed (far right) turns 2

June: baby shower for Katy and Hattie Hedglin

June: Reed competes in the Heatwave Triathlon in Ridgeland

June: beach trip to Orange Beach...6 months pregnant

June: Reed and Gray celebrate turning 30 with a bday dinne at CCJ

July: I celebrate turning 30 with fun friends at Margaritas

July: our sweet friends, Joshua & Brittany, get married!!

July: Reed competes in the Heart O'Dixie Triathlon at the Neshoba County Fair

for the 3rd year in a row

July: my precious Dyersburg friends throw me (and Stafford) a fabulous baby shower
at the Guthrie home...Iwas 31 weeks pregnant

August: my wonderful Jackson friends throw me (and Stafford) a fantastic baby shower

at the Country Club of Jackson...I was 33 weeks pregnant

September: my fabulous husband finishes his first ever Ironman in

Louisville, Kentucky...I was 36 weeks pregnant and cried like a baby when he crossed that line

September: my sweet friend Lauren, gets married!!!

September 21st: our baby boy is born

September 21st: Stafford Daulton Stacy = 100% perfection

September: with Morgan (and Baby Kate) at their baby shower

September: Stafford goes to Oxford, MS for the first time

October: my sweet 1 month old!!

October: Stafford's first Halloween (he's a bear!)

November: my sweet boy is 2 months old!!

November: Happy 1st Thanksgiving Stafford!!!

November: it's a pirate birthday for my 4 year old nephew, Ryan

November: Stafford meets Baker Arnemann for the first time

December: Stafford and Santa at the Country Club of Jackson Christmas Luncheon

December: Stafford and Savannah Peters go on their first date!!

December: Stafford starts smiling!!

Merry Christmas to You!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are SO looking forward to spending our first Christmas with little Stafford. He has been such a wonderful blessing to us these past 3 months and we cannot wait for many more Christmases, Santa Clauses, tree decorating, carols, cookies and learning about Baby Jesus. Have a wonderful Christmas with your families and I'm sure I'll have TONS of pictures to post next week!!

3 Months Old!!

I cannot believe that my sweet baby boy is already 3 months old!! Where in the world does the time go? Stafford is such a little sweetheart and has brought so much joy to our lives. My parents haven't seen him in a month so they are going to be shocked at how much he's grown in 4 short, little weeks. It just seems like yesterday that he was this small little thing getting his newborn pictures made (by Katie Stafford) from Mary Moment Photography:

at 8 days old...he was so little that he fit in the windowsill!!!

cutie patootie!!

(this is the one and only time he's ever laid down flat in his crib...got to change that!!)

Month for Change

Christmas is here...FINALLY!! I absolutely love this time of year and I am especially excited for Christmas this year because we get to spend it with our sweet baby boy!

December has been a big month for our little man...lots of milestones! Last week (Thursday, December 8th to be exact), Stafford went from wearing newborn-sized diapers to a size 1 diaper AND from his newborn clothes to 3 month clothes! It makes me a teeny bit sad that I have to pack up all of his sweet little newborn gowns but I love that he's growing and getting bigger everyday. In the past week, he has also started smiling and laughing A LOT. It might be the cutest thing ever!! He is so much more alert, now, and turns his head to whomever is talking to him. He's also gone from eating mainly 4 ounces per feeding to at least 5-6 ounces per feeding. He has really started "self-soothing" a lot more...which is great!

His current loves are: watching tv while he eats, sucking on his wubbanub (pacifier), swinging, chewing on his fingers, staring at the Christmas tree and laughing at my silly faces. He is still sleeping through the night but hasn't made it to his own room just yet. His acid reflux is still preventing him from laying down flat so he's sleeping in the fisher-price newborn rock & play sleeper by our bed. If you have a newborn with acid reflux, this is THE thing to buy....amazing!

His current dislikes are: acid reflux problems, having clothes pulled over his head and having his nose suctioned with the bulb-thingy. Unfortunately for him, I love that bulb and use it frequently...I can't stand a dirty nose!

Stafford has met Santa (they got along famously), gone to his first Christmas party at KK and William's house and met 2 new friends as well!! Merry Christmas!!

stafford and santa

meeting santa wore him out!!

hanging out with savannah peters

all bundled up for the trip to mimi & pop pop's house

fresh out of the bath!

i captured a smile!

meeting his new buddy, baker arnemann

face time with daddy

November Happenings

Stafford has had a BUSY November! We have been all over the world (Oxford and Dyersburg) and spent Stafford's first Thanksgiving at Mimi & Pop Pop's house. Stafford even started "school" on Tuesday and he has lots of new friends in his class and loves his teachers!! What a great month! See below for some November pics:

Thanksgiving Day with his great grandmothers - gran martha and memaw

too much turkey!!

cheering on the rebs to beat the lsu tigers (we didn't cheer hard enough)

hanging out with my beautiful sister in the grove

trying out the bumbo seat...he likes it!!

getting his first kiss from his girlfriend, edie allmon

8 Weeks & Counting...

I seriously cannot handle how fast my baby is growing...8 weeks?!! YIKES! Where did the time go? I have had the best time being on maternity leave and watching this little guy grow. The second month of Stafford's life brought lots of road trips and he did so good traveling! We went to Oxford for a few football games and to Dyersburg for a week. We had the best time! I was a little nervous making the 4 hour drive to D-burg but he did so well...slept the entire time! We went to our first Halloween party at CCJ and had a great time! Thanksgiving week marked my first week back to work. It wasn't too difficult but I do think that the short work week helped ease me back into it. I could easily get used to working 3 days a week instead of 5!

Stafford is doing great!! He is currently sleeping through the night (for the most part...11 pm - 7 am is through the night for me right now!!), eating every 4 hours and we have finally found a formula that doesn't make him spit-up constantly. We started out on Similac Advance then switched to Enfamil Gentlease. Neither one of these worked that great with controlling the spitting up issues. I had a few friends tell me that their kids couldn't handle the powder formulas and to try the ready-to-use formula instead. After 2 months of trying different formulas, we ended up with the ready-to-use Nutramigen and it works like a dream! The Nutramigen, coupled with the Prevacid has made a huge difference...FINALLY!!! Sweet boy weighs 8 pounds, 11 ounces and is 23 inches long. We go to the doctor, soon, for a round of shots which I am seriously dreading. Below are a few pictures from the past 4 weeks:

reed's mini-me


love these two more than anything in the world

2 months old

spending quality time with memama

hanging out with uncle ronnie

my halloween costume for the ccj halloween party (i was a bear!)

my halloween jammies that mimi bought

The First Month

Stafford's first month FLEW by...literally. His 2 week doctor's appointment went great! He gained some weight and went from 6 lbs, 1/2 ounce (he lost some from his birth weight) to 6 lbs, 12 ounces....BIG BOY! He also grew 1/2 an inch!! We are so in love with him and enjoy every single moment. Below are various pictures from the past 4 weeks:

posing with my big boy on his one month birthday

4 weeks old!!

meeting uncle will in oxford

cheering on the rebs from the condo

hanging out in my chair

meeting my best bud, gaines easterling

meeting my great-grandparents

meeting cousin ryan

hanging out with my oldest cousin, carter

meeting my cousin, caroline reed