Professional Pics

When I was pregnant with Stafford, I just KNEW that I wanted to capture (in pictures) him growing up.  Last summer, I started looking for photographers and found one that was in my price range AND that would do a yearly plan (4 sessions).  I had it in my mind to do newborn, four month, eight month and one year pictures.  A few days after Stafford was born, the photographer that I had found came to our home and took his newborn pictures. The pictures were great but it sort of all went downhill from there.  To make a long story short, I ended up finding a new photographer (based on friend recommendations this time!) and she could not have been any more AWESOME!  Since we missed the four month mark, I ended up doing six month pictures and had them made by Natalie Wester.  She came to our home, snapped TONS of pics (in about 2 hours) and sent me the proofs (that I got to keep!) about two weeks later.  Did I mention that she was awesome? 

If you are looking for a photographer, definitely think about Natalie.  I couldn't have been happier! She is so talented, very professional, super affordable, timely and Stafford loved her!! Visit her website at:  http://www.nataliewester.com/  in order to see some of her work and look below for a few of the pictures that she took of our little guy...we loved how the photos turned out!!

CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8 Months!!

Eight months has gone by way to quickly for this mama's liking!  Stafford turned 8 months old on May 21st...see below for his "stats":

Feeding:  Stafford is currently eating baby food (the sitter level) three times a day - a fruit in the morning, a veggie at lunch and a veggie at dinner.  Sometimes he will eat half of a fruit at dinner for a little dessert BUT not too often.  We've started putting rice cereal in his bottle (to help control the acid reflux) so he's knocked it back from 8 ounces per feeding to 7 ounces per feeding.  He still has a bottle four times a day.

Sleeping: Big boy is sleeping wonderfully in his crib! He loves to spread out (arms and legs) and roll over onto his side.  We keep five Wubbanubs (pacis) in there with him so he always has one close by to grab hold of!  He sleeps through the night with absolutely no trouble...sometimes I even have to wake him up in the morning to get him ready for school!

Weight:  17 pounds, 9.5 ounces (i know this because we were at the doctor on Friday)

Clothes:  Stafford is finally, TRULY wearing 9 month clothes! He's wearing 6-9 month pj's (The Children's Place ones are the best!), 6-12 month rompers and 9 month smocked, "dressy" clothing.  Recently, he's been in swim trunks a lot and those are usually 9 month too.  We still haven't tried shoes yet but it's coming soon.

Personality:  He is still our sweet, laid-back boy.  A few weeks ago he was going through "grumpy" spells but we've attributed that to teething (we think).  He rarely ever cries and smiles all of the time.  He's really started talking a ton, too! I think he must like the sound of his own voice because he babbles and squeals constantly...it is the greatest sound on Earth!  His first word was "Ma Ma" and now he can say "Da Da" and "By By" really well!

Fitness:  We are FINALLY sitting up on our own pretty well!!  We still keep a Boppy or a pillow around him while sitting on the floor because he is prone to falling over some BUT we're almost to the point where we won't need those anymore.  He still hates tummy time and sometimes has a hard time flipping himself from his stomach to his back...needless to say, I don't think we will be crawling anytime soon which is fine with me! I don't think I'm ready for a mobile child yet!

Routine:  Our beach trip (see post below) got us a little out of our routine but we're slowly getting back to it.  Stafford still wakes up around 7:00-7:15 and goes to bed anywhere from 8:00-9:00.  We absolutely LOVE his teachers at Little Acorns and he doesn't ever fuss when I leave him each morning.  Sometimes, I think he's not ready for me to pick him up at 5:00! We've definitely gotten into the routine of putting Stafford in the bed with me (Reed is up and at em' already!) on the weekends for a little extra snoozing.  Now, that summer is here, I'm sure we will be adding POOL TIME to our routine soon!!

8 months!! 

always such a happy baby!

Been Beachin' It

Ahhhh! That is the "sound" of a week's worth of rest and relaxation in beautiful Seaside.  Oh my, we had such a good time that it was extremely hard getting back to reality on Tuesday morning! Reed and I went to Seaside/Seagrove Beach, Florida with four other couples (plus kids!) for a full week (Saturday to Saturday) and it was pure heaven.  I don't think we've taken a full week for vacation since our honeymoon so it was such a nice treat to wake up mid-week and realize we still had several days left to go! The families that went (the Blanks, the Samuels, the Allens, the Haralsons and us) holed up in a beautiful, 4-story beach house right on 30-A.  The house was amazing, complete with it's own pool, kiddie-pool and multiple balconies to take in the gulf!  Several nights there, we had dinner reservations at AWESOME restaurants: we had dinner at V Seagrove on Monday night to celebrate the birthdays of Anna and Morgan, dinner at Caliza in Alys Beach on Wednesday night and dinner at Borago on Friday night.  On Tuesday night, we cooked at home (Jacob's famous shrimp and Shannon's homemade pizzas) and Thursday night, we slipped into Seaside and had dinner at Bud & Alley's Taco Bar.  So much fun! All of the kiddos did GREAT (ages were 5 months - 2.5 years) and the adults are dying to go back already! 

Stafford did wonderfully on the beach, all laid out on beach towels, under an umbrella, surrounded by toys! He really liked floating in the pool, too!  Below are some pics from our awesome vacation:

drinks for the boys at Caliza



group shot on the beach

 big boy sat in a high chair for the first time at Chik-fil-A!

 the Stacy family on a lunch date

 swimming with daddy

 strolling to Seaside with the big boys

 finally meeting precious Jack Carr!

 my sweet boy!

 Stafford loved wearing his new shades

 cutie patootie in his new outfit from Honey!

 lunch at The Back Porch...my favorite!!

 family pic

 girl shot at Caliza

the whole gang

Happenings...

Man, I've been SUPER behind on posting lately...hence the three posts in two days! The Stacy family has had a busy month.  Lots to celebrate (Memama's birthday, our 4 year anniversary, Ashley's wedding) and fun places to go and see!  Spring has flown right on by and summer is here...at least in Mississippi!  Below are some pics from our fun-filled past few weeks:

 Stafford & Daddy cheering on the Rebs from left field

 One of my favorite sights in all the world, Swayze Field...Hotty Toddy!!

 Lunch with Baker Arnemann on the CCJ patio

 Another favorite sight...Double Decker 2012

 Stafford was chillin' out and listening to the bands

 Happy Birthday Memama!!

Mr. & Mrs. Mathis Young...such a sweet couple!!

Happy 20th Birthday Sis!!

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear Sister, Happy Birthday to You!!  How in the world is it possible that you are 20?!! I officially feel as old as dirt! Sis, you are the sweetest, smartest, funniest and prettiest person that I know.  I remember the day that you entered my life and couldn't have been a prouder big sister...both then and now.  You are my best bud and I love you dearly...we all do! Happy Birthday!! I love you!



 sisters...all grown up.  i love her too much!!

this is how I think she should look...2 1/2 and drinking out of a sippy cup!!

7 Months!!!

OH MY I'm late on making this post!  My sweet boy turned 7 months old on April 21st and here are his latest "stats" for ya:

Feeding:  Stafford is currently taking four, 8 ounce bottles of Nutramigen a day.  He eats a fruit (baby food) in the morning, a veggie at lunch and usually a fruit + a veggie for supper.  He is STILL a great eater and I am so happy that he is! He still doesn't like green beans but I've found a few different veggies and fruits at Babies R' Us that our Kroger doesn't carry.  He's now a HUGE favorite of chicken noodle...takes after his mama on that one!

Sleeping: DRUMROLL please...Stafford is sleeping in his own crib!! YAY! I know that you're probably thinking this should have happened a long time ago but he slept so well in his rock-n-play sleeper in our room that I was afraid to rock the boat, per say.  He finally got to the point where he was starting to outgrow it and wanted to stretch out so we made the switch to his room.  I was a nervous wreck (still am) but he loves it and sleeps so well all sprawled out! He doesn't really roll over a lot during his sleep but does wiggle himself catty-cornered in the crib.  We have TONS of Wubbanubs in there with him so if one comes out, he's got several close by to grab!

Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces. 

Clothes: Currently wearing 6-9 month pajamas, playsuits and onesies.  He's mostly wearing 6 month smocked outfits unless it's a brand that runs small in which he's in a 9 month. No more gowns, which kinda makes me sad BUT I'm loving that my boy is healthy and growing! We're still in size 2 diapers but he's getting close to outgrowing those!

Personality:  SWEET SWEET SWEET! Love my little man's personality so much. He is still a laid-back, easy-going kiddo that rarely fusses.  He smiles and belly laughs all of the time and loves to snuggle.  He says "mama" and "bye bye" (not knowing what he's saying, I'm sure) with a lot of babble mixed in.  He has just started paying attention to Ace and LOVES watching him run around.  Stafford has a sound machine with a projector on it and he will stare at the projections on the ceiling for hours...loves it!

Fitness:  A little slow on the fitness front.  He's rolling over from front to back GREAT. Sometimes he will roll himself from front to back but he usually just gets stuck for now! He does not like being on his tummy for very long at all.  He holds his head up wonderfully and will sit up a little bit before tumping over.  We're getting there! :)  He's also really interested in holding his bottle.  Stafford will put his hands over mine when I'm feeding him and will sometimes hold it by himself...until he figures out that I'll do it for him!

Routine:  We have really settled into our routine wonderfully.  I'm probably not the best at getting to work right on time in the mornings (Stafford will sleep in sometimes!) but we have our nighttime routine is down pat. I'm not a stickler about Stafford's bed time at the moment. He usually starts getting sleepy after a bath and a full tummy but sometimes he wants to play so we do!  He'll fall asleep on his own anywhere from 8-9 on most nights which is fine by us...especially since he sleeps all night long!!

7 months old!!

Happy 4 Years!!!

Happy Anniversary to us!! Today marks 4 years of wedded bliss for the Reed Stacys.  I cannot believe it's been four years...time really does fly when you're having fun! If you remember from the previous years, Reed and I usually take a trip every year for our anniversary.  This year is no different, although we will be staying a little closer to home now that we have a little munchkin in the mix! We ALWAYS attend a baseball game on our anniversary weekend, hence the photos below. I can without a doubt say that May 3, 2008 was the best day of my life along with September 21, 2011 (when Stafford was born!).  Thank you Lord for blessing me with a wonderful husband and a precious child...I am so grateful!!  See below for a little trip down "anniversary vacay lane"....

 Anniversary Year #3:  San Diego, California

Padres Stadium

Anniversary Year #2:  Chicago, Illinois 

Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs

 Anniversary Year #1: New York, New York

Yankee Stadium

May 3, 2008:  The Beginning!!