Mississippi State Fair

The Mississippi State Fair rolling into town constitutes one of my favorite events in the fall.  Of course, I'm a Dyersburg girl so the fair has ALWAYS been a big deal to me.  This year, I was able to attend the fair, just not the Dyer County Fair! The Mississippi State Fair is a fun-filled 10 days of rides, food and "interesting" people...and I love every second of it!  Even though Stafford is a little young, we thought he would enjoy looking at the lights and the animals so we decided to take him.  HE LOVED IT!!!  His little eyes were about to pop out of his head...he couldn't get enough of the lights! We let him sample a few fair food favorites (pizza and a funnel cake), too!  That child is definitely his momma's boy...he chowed down on the funnel cake, literally couldn't get enough.  Below are a few pictures from our little fair adventure:

first carousel ride

on the midway

chowing down on a funnel cake

Back to September

September needs a little recap!  I have been so caught up in Stafford's birthday and posting those pictures that I have totally neglected the rest of September....please forgive me!  September was a busy month for the Stacy family.  We spent A LOT of time in Oxford last month and we even took in a little concert by someone named Elton John...heard of him?! :)   OMG is all I can say about that concert.  I am a B-I-G Elton fan so when I heard he was coming to Jackson (WHAT?!) I made plans immediately to be in attendance.  Let me tell you...he DID NOT disappoint.  This truly was one of the best concerts that I've ever been to.  Our seats were fabulous (thanks Sarah for selecting those seats!), the music was awesome and the company was FUN! We went with four other couples, did dinner beforehand and had an absolute blast! Let me note, this was the first time that Stafford spent the night away from us (thanks Mimi and Pop Pop) and we (or I) made it without any tears!

All of the hype surrounding the Ole Miss/Texas game did not disappoint either.  The Grove was slammed and it was awesome!  Although I was a teeny bit disappointed that I didn't have a Matthew McConaughey run-in, he was present and accounted for (or so I heard!).  Miss America sang the national anthem and Betty White did the Hotty Toddy...so neat!  We did take Stafford to the game and I was pleasantly surprised by how well he behaved and how much he liked being there! Since the game had such a late start time (8:15 pm) we only stayed until half-time.  Stafford did so fabulously well that we're going to take him again this weekend!  See below for a few pics:

with my man, Ole Miss vs. Texas weekend

love my bestie!

Stafford meets his new friend, Jack Ray

just chillin'

love my Sis!

hanging out with Papa in the Grove

little man was AMAZED by the lights and the crowd at V-H Stadium

date night for the Elton John concert

Elton John...perfect seats!!

Up Up & Away...

for Stafford's FIRST birthday!!  We had such a blast celebrating Stafford's birthday at our home (a few weekends ago on the 22nd!) with family.  Since we have such a large family, we decided to do family party at home this year.  We had so much fun visiting with everyone! My parents, uncle and grandmother came into town and celebrated with us along with all of the Stacy/McDaniel clan.

 I wanted to do a hot air balloon-themed party so I went to town on Pinterest looking for ideas.  Stafford's outfit came from my friend, Shannon's line, Patycake Kids (www.patycakekids.com) and it was PERFECT!  For the food, we decided to order burgers and fries from Five Guys (my favorite!), pasta salad, fruit, hot air balloon shaped cookies from Campbell's Bakery (in Fondren) and a homemade, rainbow layered birthday cake.  I tried to make the icing from a recipe that my mother-in-law had but it didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to...oh, well...Stafford didn't mind one bit! Stafford racked up on gifts, too!  Below are a few scenes from the party:

the cousins and Gaines (honorary cousin!)

 

birthday decor

banging on the drum from Sis

the Stacy family

the birthday boy

krispy kreme for a birthday breakfast!

celebrating with memama

celebrating with uncle ronnie

12 Months!!!

I cannot believe my sweet little man is ONE!  Friday, September 21st was Stafford's first birthday.  This past year with him has absolutely flown by!  I took off work that day so that I could spend the day with him AND get ready for his birthday bash (on Saturday)!  See below for a few stats:

Feeding: Last night I officially opened our last can of Nutramigen...WOO HOO! I was super excited to reach this milestone for several reasons: 1) that stuff is EXPENSIVE and 2) it STINKS...literally!  At Stafford's one year appointment, the doctor said we could start feeding him whole milk or mix it (half and half) with the formula that we have left.  Since we did have a can or two left, I've been mixing it and so far, so good.  He still seems to want his bottle in the morning and before bed so I plan on giving him whole milk in it for a little while...at least until he fully transitions into a sippy cup.  He's doing pretty well eating solids...we basically give him whatever we eat (within reason) for him to at least try.  Some things he likes, some he doesn't.  I'm starting to think my little guy is a big texture person meaning a funny texture = no way.  He loves all flavors of puffs, crunchie sticks and yogurt melts.  He is eating the Level 3 baby food for supper and seems to like most of those flavors as well...chicken noodle is his favorite!! 

Sleeping:  Stafford, on the whole, sleeps pretty well.  Lately, he's been sick so he hasn't been sleeping through the night.  When he's not sick, he's a great sleeper! We just installed a ceiling fan in his room and he loves to have that on, be bundled up in his sleep sack and watch his projector on the ceiling.  We haven't had to lower the crib all the way down, yet, but it's coming soon!  He alternates days in taking one vs. two naps...usually it's just one unless he's really sleepy!

Weight:  20 lbs, 1 ounce.  Little bitty thing but his doctor said he's growing like he should!

Height: 2 feet, 5 inches tall.

Clothes:  He is fully wearing 12 month clothes and even a few (small-sized) 18 months outfits.  Thankfully, it's still very warm down here so we are able to get away with some of those "summer" themed outfits that he has TONS of!  I don't think I projected correctly...oops!  He still wears 9-12 month jammies (from the Children's Place) since those tend to run a little on the bigger side.  Stafford is still in a size 3 diaper too.

Personality: Lots of it!  He is so sweet but now that he's crawling (YES!) he has gotten VERY independent.  He can be a bit cranky if we miss a nap or stay up to late but he quickly snaps out of it once he's fed and Mickey is on.  He is very curious and can win any staring contest known to man! He loves to be snuggled and rocked (sweet boy!) and he's big into sharing his puffs with you!

Fitness:  We are FINALLY crawling! This happened at about 11.5 months so we haven't been doing it long BUT Stafford has quickly learned how to get by you in a flash!  He is even starting to pull up on things and put one foot flat on the floor so I have a feeling he'll be standing on his own pretty soon. Stafford claps all of the time and likes turning off the light switch. He still loves to lay down and sit up, so he does this LOTS when he's supposed to be in his crib asleep!  Stafford has 4 teeth (two top and two bottom) in the front. 

Routine:  For now, we still have the same routine.  I think that's going to change a little once we do away with the bottle completely but that probably won't be for another couple of months.  Stafford has been sick (those nasty ear infections and runny nose won't go away!) so that messes up our routine some.  Thankfully, we're on the mend so hoping that won't be a factor anymore!



big boy!!

so silly!!

B-I-G Day Tomorrow!

BIG BIG BIG day tomorrow for the little guy above!! Hint: I'll be alternating between being a crying mess and a proud mama ALL day! :)  Where in the world has the time gone???

It's Football Time in Mississippi!!

AHHH!! My favorite time of year...football season, aka FALL! Technically, it's not even close to fall down here in Mississippi...it is still HOT HOT HOT but we're on our way there, slowly but surely. Last weekend was the first Ole Miss home game of 2012. With it being a long weekend (and my dad's birthday!) we headed to Oxford on Friday after work. There was much excitement in the air as we were heading into a new football era (FREEZE WARNING, anyone?!) and another Grove season. This wasn't Stafford's first time in the Grove being that we did take him last year to one or two WARM games but it was his first time to take it all in. He seemed a little confused by all of the activity at first but once he was able to spread out on his blanket and play, he was all good! We didn't take him to the game this time but we're planning on it in the future. These late night games throw a wrench in bedtime routines!

We extended our Labor Day Weekend by celebrating my Dad's birthday at Old Taylor. We had the best time even though there was a TWO HOUR wait! I hadn't been to Old Taylor in years and it was really the perfect restaurant for Stafford. Loud, lively and making a mess didn't hurt a thing!!

11 Months!!!

One month to go until we are O-N-E! This has been such a fast and rewarding 11 months. Stafford has been up to A LOT so here we go!

Feeding: We are still taking four, 7 ounce bottles of Nutramigen per day. We have graduated to the Step 3 Gerber baby foods (even though he still loves some of the Step 2 ones) and he's even eating some table foods now. We usually let him taste whatever we eat and if he likes it, add it to the list! Stafford loves yogurt melts and puffs. We pretty much eat those all day long! He loves an occasional Oreo or animal cracker, too! At school, he's eating their food for snacks, breakfast and lunch. Reed and I love getting his weekly menu to see what he's been trying...he is eating some fancy things! His teachers report that he is eating well so I guess this means that it is now time for me to start cooking!

Sleeping: Stafford is still a fantastic sleeper! He sleeps through the night and is still taking about two naps per day. He usually takes a short morning nap and a long (2-3 hour) nap in the afternoon. We have really started using Sleep Sacks at night (because he rolls around so much at night) and they're great! I highly recommend Sleep Sacks!

Weight: Stafford is currently 20 pounds, 3 ounces. (LITTLE BITTY THING)

Clothes: Stafford is wearing his 9 month clothes wonderfully but we are on the tail-end of those. He is more into his 12 month outfits now and wearing 12-18 month pj's. I have SEVERAL 12 month outfits that this little dude will not be wearing since I projected him to be in those around June or July. Actually, he could be wearing them since it stays hot here until October...don't judge if you see him in a sand pail or crab john-john next month! :)

Personality: TONS. That is really all that I can say. He is so sweet and loves to be "loved on." He has been dancing away lately so he's loving music! Those mean ole teeth are coming in so he has been a bit cranky the past few days but for the most part, he's always happy, smiling and jabbering away!! BIG TALKER! Wonder where he gets that from?!

Fitness: We are still trying to crawl and we're almost there! Stafford has been pulling himself from laying down to sitting up A TON lately. That is his new trick so he does it all the time. He will reach out for things (while on all fours) but fall just as he gets it. We're almost there! Pulling on everything and scooting all over the place!!

Routine: We are still in the same routine so far: Wake up by 7:30, School by 8:30, Home by 5:45, Dinner at 6:00, Bath at 6:30, Bottle at 7:00 and Play Time until 8:30. Our weekends, especially now that it's football season, get a little out of whack but for the most part we stay on track!!