Love Never Fails

The Month of May

2010-05-24T22:10:00.004-05:00

We started this month by getting back from a week long trip to Asheville, NC, where Dustin was attending a conference at Ridgecrest. It was a really nice trip for us to spend quality time with Addison while Preston stayed with my parents. She traveled really good. On our trip out there and back, we were dodging all the tornadoes in Ark., Miss., and Tenn. It was great to get away.

I'm just loving my babies right now. I'm amazed at how fast time is flying! My baby boy just turned TWO in April and my baby girl is about to be 4 months old. Both are so precious and I absolutely love being home with them to watch them grow. Preston is really starting to talk a lot. His first 'real' sentence was a few weeks ago when he said, "More tatoes, please, mommy." Just melts my heart! He has also been saying his night-night prayers, "Jesus, I love you, Jesus, night-night, Jesus." Addison has been scooting on her back off of her play mat and turns on her side..I'm sure she'll roll over soon. She's also been drooling and has had her fist in her mouth for about a month now-teething..du-du-dun!

MY PRETTY GIRL!

BABY DEDICATION SUNDAY/MOTHER'S DAY

I'M A PROUD MOMMA

PRESTON LOVES HIS BUBBLES

MY LIL' CUTE DUDE!

Addison is Here!

2010-02-08T21:29:00.002-06:00

Addison Dawn Slaton was born at 3:14 a.m. on January 30th. She was 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 19.5 in. long.
We are absolutely in love with our sweet baby girl!
Preston loves to give his baby sister kisses on the forhead. When she cries, he is concerned for her. If he sees her blanket off of her, he tries to put it back on her. He is 22 months old, but already acting like such a big boy.

Addison is such a good girl. Our first night home, she cried a little. However, every night since she has slept so well that she has to be woken to eat. What a blessing!

Our Lil' Ball Player

2009-12-18T15:47:00.003-06:00

Preston loves balls!! He's either going to play baseball, football, golf, tennis, or basketball. He can already throw with 'awesome' aim...especially for a 20 month old.
This picture was taken this past summer.

Fun Month Ahead!

2009-12-05T10:45:00.006-06:00

Mommy is 30 weeks pregnant and I am 20 months old!

Preston's first sight of snow...it snowed somewhat large 'Texas' flakes for about 20 minutes!
I wish we could show him REAL snowflakes...Colorado Snow!!

Checking out the tree.

We've had to move a few balls up, but for the most part he just touches it gently.

Preston turned into a baby again...he found his paci and sucked on it for a whole day! He didn't even like it when he was itty bitty. It made us laugh!!! He's all bundled up here, ready to go to Canton on a COLD day.

I'm passing along a Jordan family tradition, we have 'bell tree' that has 24 ribbons on it. Each ribbon has a small present to be opened everyday till Christmas. There is a cute, Christian poem on the 'bell tree' explaining the true meaning of Christmas. I rarely remember my parent's filling up my 'tree'; we would start a week or so before Christmas. I wanted to start Preston on December 1st because we have him a "Little People Nativity Set" and I wanted him to enjoy it before Christmas.

1st - The Angel

2nd- The Camel

3rd- The donkey

4th- The Wiseman

He's getting much better at opening his presents. We always do it after breakfast and I just say, "Are you ready for your present today?" and he says, "Yeth (yes)!"....so CUTE!!

Isn't this Nativity set cute??!! He still has a few more characters to open, but it sure is fun to have something that he CAN 'touch' and play with and we can teach him about baby Jesus.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T10:08:00.005-06:00

I love getting together with the family for Thanksgiving. Anytime we all get together it is a great time. We eat, tell stories, and play games. However, in the past few years it's gotten to where not everyone can come so that makes me sad. Why can't it be like the 'good ol' days' when we all got together and played games till midnight? Well, that's just life, isn't it?
We had our Jordan Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house and the Slaton Thanksgiving at Dustin's parents. Preston actually got to enjoy more of real 'family' time as he ran around the house playing with toys and messing with people. Last year, he was just too little to enjoy it much...plus, he got to REALLY eat. He enjoyed the dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoe casserole, chocolate oatmeal cookies, and bread.

Mad at Joshua for wearing a Longhorn Shirt when we are ALL AGGIE fans!!

Four of the Seven Grandkids and our Families

Both of my Mamaws and my Papaw....so blessed!

Thanksgiving decor at Our House

Thanksgiving at the Slaton's

A Picture out of a Magazine

Yum!

Fall Family Fun Night/Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-31T20:20:00.005-05:00

Heading out to do 'Reverse-Trick or Treat'. It gave us a good opportunity to meet the neighbors we haven't met yet.

Our Lil' Train Conductor!! He's so CUTE!!

Preston and his little Sunday School Bud, David

Our Family: Hawaiian Vacationers- Mom(and Addison) and Dad, Train Conductor-Sweet P
At our church's Family Fun Night.

Last week we carved, Jack. Jack the Pumpkin has been sitting on our hearth for a few weeks. I guess Preston found a place in his heart for the pumpkin because after he and Dustin finished taking the seeds out and carving him, Preston just cried and cried. We couldn't tell if he was upset because it scared him or if he was sad that we 'messed up' his pumpkin. I use to cry when things got 'messed up'...still do sometimes.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T11:44:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, Momma, Grammy Slaton, Aunt Meagan, Cousin Andrew and I went to a Pumpkin Patch. There were so many cute things for the kiddos.

Momma and I riding in the barrel train. Of-course we rode in the A&M barrel! Also, by the end of the day, I was saying, "Gig'em" and holding out my fist.

This is me, driving a tractor of pumpkins in the field.

I look like I really know what I'm doing!

Me and Linus

I really enjoyed running between all of the Peanut Characters.

So many pumpkins to choose from!

Wow! Mom actually got a shot of me looking at the camera! I was so busy that I never wanted to sit or look at the camera.

I'm a scarecrow!

I'm 33 inches tall!

18 Months Old

2009-10-10T11:17:00.004-05:00

Preston turned 18 months on October 1st. To commemorate the day he climbed out of his playpen/time-out to prove that he is turning into a 'big boy'. I was laying on the couch reading something when this little head peeped from around my paper and said, "Booo"! I laughed my head off!! He was so proud of himself.
Well, I'm definitely seeing a lot of changes with him lately. He's just looking older! He's trying to say more things. He's being quite a bit more defiant and showing us his 'strong will'. He's showing us his really cute, silly personality, too. He loves to dance when music comes on...makes me laugh every time! We try to get him to say "Addison" and for some reason he just mouths it. He usually repeats everything we ask him to, but he just 'acts' like he's trying to say it. He makes us laugh!!

Where has my baby gone?!

Loves to help Momma clean! So much like me!

What? The floor is clean.

Loving his swing (blurry, but so darn cute!)

My awesome Daddy built me a swing!

It's a Girl!

2009-10-10T10:49:00.004-05:00

On September 25th, I had a sonogram and we found out we are having a girl! Addison Dawn Slaton!! She was measuring 13 oz., at the time. She's a healthy little one, thank the Lord! I think Dustin and I were a little shocked because when we thought of a baby, all we could amagine was another baby Preston. We are very excited to have one of each. I definitely wanted 'my girl'! I've already gone on a shopping spree...so fun!! We've got her furniture so we are pretty much ready for her...besides needing a lot of small things. I know the holiday season goes by so fast so I want to have most of my work done before Christmas. Also, if she comes early, like Preston, she could be here mid-late January. We are excited!!

New Cousin

2009-09-10T10:11:00.002-05:00

Preston is proud of his new cousin, Andrew. He can't wait to play with him. By Christmas they should be able to interact more. They will grow up having so much fun playing together.

He's a little cutie! Slaton babies can't help but be cute!

New Pictures

2009-09-10T09:58:00.005-05:00

Our Little Sweety!

Our Little Stinker!

Our Big Boy!Our Little Cowboy!

Our BIG MESS!

17 Months-Preston/ 17 weeks- Baby #2

2009-09-03T15:34:00.002-05:00

September 1st Preston turned 17 months old and this week I am 17 weeks along with Baby #2.

We went to the doctor on Wednesday and everything is checking out great. She said that the baby is up to my belly button now which makes sense because I'm starting to feel something going on in that region. I'm not going to say I feel kicks yet, but I feel something. Baby's heart rate was 146 beats/min. which was about 10 beats less than last month's check up. I will FINALLY get my gender sonogram the last Friday of this month. I am so impatient because my last doctor did one at 16 weeks and that's when we found out we were having a boy. This pregnancy is going a lot faster than with Preston.

Speaking of....he's babble-talking a LOT lately! If he sees a dog- "wuff wuff", cow- "moooo", cat-(high pitch) "meowww". He cracks me up on the cat sound because it's so different from anything else I've heard him do. He can pretty much mimic any animal noises we do but those are the ones he'll do on his own. Lately, he has been dragging out my "Lady and the Tramp" Disney video. He brings it to me and says, "Wuff wuff." I think it's funny that he keep picking that one out because Dustin and I watched that movie the night I found out I was pregnant with him. Such a cute coincidence!!
Well, this month we were suppose to start Preston in Mother's Day Out and I just had to bail. I just couldn't do it. I have 4-5 more months till baby #2 is here and I just really want to spend all the time I can playing with Preston. I don't really think it's for him as much as it is for me. I would have loved the break to get stuff done, but goodness...I should be able to get stuff done with him here, too.
Well, we survived summer and now we are off to an exciting fall. Going on vacation, couple retreat/conference, Friday night football games, 5th Quarters, D-Now, State Fair, Thanksgiving, Christmas....AAAAaaaHH....Christmas will be here before we know it and Baby #2 will be on the heals of it all. Exciting times in the Slaton household!

I'm SO BAD!!

2009-07-30T22:08:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted. Since Preston is SO active now, he's really jealous with my time and wants to play, play, play! When he's napping, I've been trying to nap myself. I've just been so tired.

Baby #2 Update:
I went to the doctor on July 8th and there was a cute little baby with lil' nubs on the sonogram. Dustin and I just think that's so funny. Preston was only 8 weeks our first sono with him and this baby was 10 weeks so we got to see it's 'nubs' - starting of arms and legs. Due date is February 8th, however Preston came 8 days before his due date so baby #2 may be a late-January baby.
Everything went well with that visit, but then I had to return two days later because they didn't take enough blood for my tests.....grrrr.....I HATE giving blood. Anyway, that visit wasn't so great because I had to go in by myself because Dustin was in the car with Preston, who was sleeping. As I was leaving the back part of the building I started feeling light-headed and told one of the nurses. She said I was really pale and the next thing I knew, I was waking up on the floor. She kept saying she was glad I had said something to her because she was able to catch me. That really scared me!!
Anyway, I'm starting to feel a little better, but I still have my moments that I just wish I could throw up. I haven't actually gotten sick yet, though. I've been having to wear my 'bella band'....well, I haven't had to with everything..it just feels better if I do. I am so amazed at how fast my stomach swells with this second baby!! I'm about to have to retire my small t-shirts, they are just getting to snug looking at my tummy.

Baby Boy is going to be 16 months old on Saturday. Here's what he's up to:
He's saying ball (bah), daddy, momma, thank you (tank-u), bible, woof-woof. Grandpa (my dad) taught him to raise both arms when you say, "Praise the Lord"- it's so cute!! Preston always has boogers...I even tend to call him booger...well, now I have a problem since I'm always digging in his nose....HE'S starting to dig in his nose...grrr.....anyway....
Well, he can point to his ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. When Preston wants to go outside, he will bring me my shoes, then go get his shoes, and if I don't respond he'll go to the back door and point out the window saying, "uh, uh". The other day I was sitting in the living room and he walked up. I said, "Go get a book and I'll read it to you." He just ran into his playroom and brought me a book. I'm sure other kids this age are responding like he is, it's just I'm shocked each time he responds to a request. I feel like he was just crawling the other day!!! How can he really know what I'm talking about and respond??!! Talk about needing to watch what you say...even a 16 month old can begin to understand!!

Baby #2

2009-06-14T22:26:00.003-05:00

Guess what, Preston?

Momma's going to have a baby!

Momma said that having a baby means I'll be a big brother!

Hey, Dad-N, I'm going to be a BIG BROTHER...see!!

Yeah! I'm a big brother!
Happy family of FOUR!!
On Thursday, Preston and I gave Daddy an early Father's Day present....a positive pregnancy test and a print out saying I was 5 weeks pregnant and due at the beginning of February.

This weekend we were able to see most of our famiy to give them the news.

I will have my first doctor's visit the first week in July.

I'm already feeling a little funky at times, but praying that I'll feel just as great as I did with Preston.

I'm definitely feeling pudgy...ALREADY...maybe that just happens early with the second baby!

We are very excited!! Pray God's protection over this little one!

Our Cutie!

2009-05-14T11:27:00.001-05:00

Easter Pictures

2009-05-14T11:12:00.003-05:00

Baby's First Easter

Preston had so much fun running around looking for the bright colored eggs. It was hard to get any good shots of him because he had his head down the whole time. He was given his bunny outfit last year as a shower gift and he finally got to wear it.

Wow, not too excited about Easter pictures...ha ha!

Baby in the Bluebonnets

Stinker at the Photo Shoot!

2009-05-14T11:00:00.003-05:00

Look, there's a hole in the log, Mommy!

Where's the sand?

I'm trying to smile, this is the best I got!!!

"Trying" to smile!

Just wanting to be silly.

Time for snack?

Photo Shoot

2009-05-14T10:51:00.007-05:00

I'm ONE years old!

Playing at the beach

Our Family

Mommy and Daddy are fun!

Sweet Boy!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-04-11T13:33:00.004-05:00

Here are pictures from Preston's birthday. He knew it was his birthday and he knew it was all about him! Without a morning or afternoon nap, he was an angel. We had about 3o family members for his party. It was a lot of fun. We were proud to have everyone in our new home even though we just moved in 2 weeks ago.

It's my 1st birthday!

Why is everyone singing to me?

MMMmm..Cupcakes are good! See...I'm not too messy. I take after my momma.

I had fun with my cousins.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!!

2009-03-31T11:11:00.003-05:00

A YEAR AGO!

About to POP!

Tomorrow my baby boy will turn 1 year old! I'm sad, happy, excited, grateful, and just a little teary eyed thinking about our past wonderful year. God has truly blessed us above and beyond what we could ever hope and dream...It's just like God to do that for his children. He's given me a new outlook on how his love for us is like a parent to a child- unconditional! It's something I had to experience for myself. So many lessons learned and still to be learned by having a child. God is SO good!
Preston:
He's had several spills lately since being in the new house. He's learned that tile doesn't give and 2 busted lips prove that. He's learned that he can give momma a heartattack by climbing up dadda's 7 foot ladder...seriously. I was in the kitchen and saw his little head peeking above the couch. Dustin had stepped out of the living room for a second while he was getting a tool for our ceiling fan. Preston was on the first step and had a knee up on the second. We spotted him while he just shimmied on up to the 5th step by himself-NOT COOL LITTLE DUDE!! He just learned to walk 2 months ago. What will he be doing 2 months from now? Riding a bike?? Climbing is definitely his 'thing' lately.
He likes to throw things in my tub and turn on the faucet in my bathroom and drag out ALL of my make-up while I attempt to take a shower. He can't get enough of my bottom two drawers of my china cabinet..open..close..open..close...grrrrr. He loves to carry around little objects and put them in random places. Dustin found his keys in the trash..oh no, right? I found mine in a box we were unpacking and in the seat of his little car. I've found my lip gloss in his toy box.
He's LoViN' big people food...no more baby food for him! (Roast and Potatoes/Pasta/Grilled Cheese/Toast/Fruit/Veggies).
We've had several guests lately with little ones and he just loves other kids. He's a little show off and just smiles and laughs and follows the older ones around the house. He is a little stinker and I love every moment. He's such a joy..good days and bad. We are blessed to have a healthy, happy boy. Thank you, Jesus!!
Dustin and Melody:
Dustin is about to finish seminary in May. THANK the LORD!! He is so drained right now with moving, church and 'trying' to study so pray he'll hold on another month. You can do it, baby!!
We are loving our church! The people are so supportive. The youth are responsive. We've had several salvations since we've been here. Also, we just feel a heart of revival brewing in the hearts of all the people. The children's program is great..Dustin is looking forward to Preston being in 'Upward Basketball' in a few years. We've made a lot of dear friends who are around our age with little ones. It will be fun to see our kids grow up together.
I'm glad to be getting our house in order. SLOWLY but it's coming. I'm glad to have my kitchen together..it's been forever since I've had all of my stuff to really cook. Preston has been sleeping better and taking two naps a day so I've been so much more refreshed. Hopefully, when the house gets in order, I can get back to scrapbooking..such a good outlet for me!
I'll post pictures of our house when I get things looking better---so don't count on it being anytime soon. When I do post pictures I'll tell you about how God miraculously blessed in the selling of our house and the buying of this house. Only God could have worked it out!!

11 Months Old

2009-03-02T12:00:00.004-06:00

My little baby boy is 11 months old! Ahhh...it's going by so so fast!
This past weekend we were at my parent's while Dustin was at a conference with the youth. My dad (Grandpa) got Preston to doing "Patty Cake". He's got the clapping part down really good. Also, this weekend he said "Amen" very plainly after my dad repeated it several times. On Sunday, Preston got to go on stage at church for a few minutes so that Grandpa could show off his grandson. Grandpa said that hopefully, Preston will have many more opportunities to stand infront of the church...maybe he'll be a preacher someday. Preston has picked up speed in his walking this week as he's had much more room to roam. Also, this weekend Preston learned how to climb onto the fireplace harth....big NO, NO!! Not safe!! How do we keep this little boy out of stuff?
Well, we are on the way to planning Preston's Big 1st Birthday. We'll just do a family party for this year. We will be in our new house for a mearly 2 weeks before his birthday. What a busy month we have infront of us!
It was a great day yesterday as Preston turned 11 months, but it was also a sad day for Dustin and I as we lost our male cocker spaniel, Tanner, who got off of his leash and got ran over. I hope he is in dog heaven running and pouncing to his hearts content as he chases birds! We never got a chance to take him bird hunting. He sure had it in him!
This is a be-lated posting of a 9 month picture we had taken of Preston.

Uh-Oh!

2009-02-18T16:55:00.002-06:00

On Valentine's Day Preston started his first real word besides, "Mama and Dada"...he's saying "UH-OH"! It's so funny because he will purposely drop something so he can say 'uh-oh'. He will even say 'uh-oh' and THEN drop something. It's just too cute! He's changing everyday.
Also, he starting to throw a fit when he doesn't get his way or he's tired. He arches his back and goes limp while kicking his feet and fussing. He's starting to be quite a stinker, for sure.
Preston is walking a lot now! He walked from the front door to the kitchen doorway this afternoon. When he wants to get somewhere fast, he'll crawl. However, he IS walking!! YEAH!!!

Well, we have a contract on a house and will be moving in mid-March. We are very excited. I'm glad we will be in a place where Preston will have more room to play and a much larger back yard. We've got room to expand!...eventually!!

Ten Months Old

2009-02-05T15:46:00.006-06:00

February 1st Preston turned 10 months old!! We are getting so close to a year!!January was a crazy month full of a lot of changes. Our first change is that we moved, sold our house, and are attempting to buy another house. Among all of those changes, Preston is growing and maturing daily. He's started feeding himself puffs and banana pieces.

He's gotten into my powder and dumped quite a bit on the floor.

He has learned that unrolling the toilet paper is a LOT of fun.

He's walking really good behind his push walker and along the edge of the couch.

He like to get my pen (with the cap still on) and write on paper or books. He's obviously been very observant in watching mommy write in her bible study book. He's reprogrammed our TV remote. He has enjoyed the freedom of taking a bath in the 'big' tub. He's standing completely by himself. He's 'big cheesin' for the camera showing his 8 pretty toofies.

You know he's either really happy or flirting when he blinks and squints his eyes at you. He's had a play date with a few older ladys (2 year olds) from church. He's eating a few small, soft things off my mommy and daddy's plate. He's facing forward in his car seat..so much fun to see him better! We have just had a fun month. He's been sick with a cold for most of it, but it has been adventurous and exciting.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-08T12:48:00.000-06:00

Moving this Weekend

2009-01-08T12:22:00.002-06:00

I haven't been able to blog for awhile for many reasons. One is that our whole family has been sick this week (that is a story within itself!!!) and the other is that we are moving this weekend. I'm trying to post some of our Christmas pictures and then I will probably be taking a break for a week or longer until we get things settled. We are moving to a rent house until ours sales. If you would like our new address, just email/text me. I'll keep my cell number the same for a few weeks. Keep us in your prayers. There's a lot going on all at once and it gets kind of crazy at times.

All I Wanted for Christmas was....

2009-01-08T12:10:00.004-06:00

MY TWO FRONT TEETH!!!

and I got them just in time for Christmas!

9 Months Old

2009-01-01T22:26:00.002-06:00

Baby Preston is 9 months old today! Can it be possible that he is already 9 months old? In 3 months he will be a year old!!! Time is flying by so fast!! I weighed and measured him yesterday and he is about 28 inches long and 19 lbs. 13 oz. He's a big boy! He's actually looking more like a little boy than a baby and it makes me sad, but he's SUCH a cute little boy!!
Since we've gotten home from Christmas he's started doing several new things, such as: opening all the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and dragging stuff out, opening the drawers on my china cabinet and messing with my crystal platters (big no no), and messing with the old sewing machine in our entryway. He's REALLY keeping me busy watching him. It seems like he wants to get into the very things I don't want him into. During the week of Christmas, he started letting go for a few seconds while standing. I don't think I'm going to say he's standing by himself yet, but he's very close. He's been a lot better about sleeping longer. I've been able to sleep till 8 or 8:30 this week. I just hope that continues.
He's loving all of his Christmas toys...especially if they make noise. I've seen him get more active lately with wanting to play and keep himself occupied longer, however, he still wants Momma to play with him and hold him ever so often.
He's drinking out of his sippee cup like a big boy and eating half a mashed banana or 1/2 cup of applesauce along with each meal. Before we know it, he'll be eating meals with us.
He started making this really funny face this week when he eats. He clinches his eyes shut and then opens them while giving a big cheesy grin. I'll laugh at him and he just does it again and again for about 5-6 times. He's so witty and turning into quite a flirt. My heart overflows with love for him. Children are definitely a gift from God....and God gives the best gifts!!

2008-12-20T15:50:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas

from

The Slatons

Time Line of Pictures

2008-12-10T22:18:00.001-06:00

Holiday Fun

2008-12-02T11:12:00.001-06:00

Trying Mamaw's Sweet Potatoe Casserole...YUMMY!!!

Loving Grammy's 'Orange Stuff'

Me and my cousins...we're becoming good buds.

Kissin' Cousins

8 Months Old

2008-12-01T20:58:00.006-06:00

My little baby is 8 months old today! He is so fun! His favorite activities right now are taking splashy bathes, crawling everywhere and pulling whatever he can off of desks and shelves, hunting down any plugs that don't have covers, pulling on cords, watching the dogs, sitting in momma's lap and touching her face and pulling her hair, laughing at daddy, and most of all watching videos and looking at pictures of 'Baby Preston'. He likes to pet my hand while feeding and if my hand moves, he won't stop searching for it till he's found it...he makes us laugh. He starts to cry if the dogs are playing rough and barking...poor baby. He's saying "Momma." He's got 3 bottom teeth and one top tooth. He weighs 19 lbs. 2 oz. He's very inquisitive and curious which is already getting him into trouble. His favorite foods right now is pretty much any fruit, puffs, Good Evening-Ham, Rice and Pineapple, but not green veggies. He's drinking water out of a sippy cup. He's falling asleep right away when I'm putting him down for bed and sometimes when I put him down for a nap. He's still very attached to momma, but that's ok because momma is very attached to him, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-24T21:07:00.004-06:00

This momma is thankful for her lil' turkey!

Thank you Lord for this beautiful baby boy who has brought such joy to our family. He is a true blessing and miracle. May you bless his life and protect him. Guide us as you have given us such a great responsibility to raise this perfect gift. Thank you so much for our family, our health, and for the sacrifice that you made for us.

He's loving his teething feeder! We've been thinking that for Thanksgiving dinner, we'd put a little bit of turkey in it for him. I'm sure he would enjoy it! We'll take pictures of him eating his first Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma's...and just for fun, we bought him some baby food jars of Sweet Potatoes and Turkey Dinner--MMmmmm!

Just Too Sweet

2008-11-24T20:58:00.005-06:00

This face is just too sweet! He's my little sugarbooger!

At 7 1/2 months, Preston is weighing 18 lbs. 15 oz. He's wearing his 9 month clothes pretty well. I'm afraid he's growing too fast! I didn't plan on him being in 12 month clothes till late winter. Maybe he'll slow down....maybe!

7 Months Old

2008-11-05T15:51:00.004-06:00

Now that Preston is 7 months, he's cruising the floor and getting into everything. He loves to crawl over to the window or back door and look outside at the dogs and crawl over to the entertainment center and pull out the CDs and DVDs. When he's mad or upset he'll crawl over to me and pull himself up on my leg and just cry to be held. He's going to be dramatic like his Momma, I'm afraid. Also, he's been saying, "Mamamama.." This is the first time we've heard him say any "M" sound so I don't know if he's saying it on purpose or not, but he usualy says it when he's in his crib crying.
We are getting closer and closer to eating real food. On Monday, he started drinking a little water out of a sippy cup and ate/gummed a few 'baby' rice puffs.

Playing Outside

Crawling over to the CDs

Just lookin' pretty

Smarty Pants

2008-10-23T11:14:00.002-05:00

Preston's new hobby this week is to bang on the back door and scare Runtly. It's so funny!

Please get me out of here! It's so sad. Now that Preston can stand up, he gets stuck. He knows how to get up but can't quite figure out how to get down.

Daddy is taking a study break to play with Preston.

Highchair Time

2008-10-23T10:48:00.004-05:00

Preston's highchair came in on Tuesday so he was able to eat like a big boy in his chair. Yeah!! So fun!! I love the brown. I think this will be a wonderful highchair for our other babies...either girls or boys.

He's been sticking his tongue out a lot lately. It's so cute! I know in a few years we will be like, "Put that thing back in your mouth!"

Growing Up So Fast

2008-10-20T15:12:00.003-05:00

Is he really suppose to be pulling up so fast? He's only 6 1/2 months old!!! Where has the time gone? He's changing everyday...right before my eyes!!!

We Love Bath Time!

2008-10-16T12:26:00.003-05:00

Preston loves his baths! I hope he always loves his baths. He stays entertained for a long time. He has learned to splash. He will splash with his arms, but sometimes he will start kicking his feet. It scares me to death because he'll get so squirmy that he'll slip down into the bath. I grab him up before he goes too far, but it scares me!!

Active Little Boy!

2008-10-16T11:42:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, Preston started crawling. We got out the video camera and caught him on video crawling over to Dustin on the couch and the next thing we know he was pulling himself up to his feet. We were so shocked! He hit two milestones at the same time. Since then, we've taken things off of our lower shelves and even taken a few shelves out. He's a little stinker! I'll try to take a picture of him crawling this week.

Now that he can sit up, he looks so sad peering over his crib crying.

We had to make the bottom of the book shelf a toy shelf because he was pulling everything off of it. He's excited to have his own place.

He's pulling up to his knees on almost everything.

Texas State Fair

2008-10-16T11:07:00.003-05:00

On October 9th, we went to the State Fair with my parents, Mamaw, and my aunt and uncle. It was a lot of fun. Aunt Mary took Preston around the petting zoo, we got to check out all the new cars, and Mamaw really enjoyed holding Preston. Dustin tried the fried Snicker bar and it was REALLY good!!! It tasted like a really really good cookie. When we were leaving I was going to go by and try the fried Jelly Bellies, but the place had already closed. I was so curious to what they tasted like. The big thing this year was the chicken-fried bacon...a lot of people said it was good but we just didn't care to try it. I wonder what next year's big 'fried' thing will be?

We love JEEPS!!!!
Nothings coming to my left. Let's go! Rrrummmm rrrumm!
I can see over the steering wheel, daddy! I'm ready to drive!
Yea, dad and I look good in this Challenger! Can I have it, mom?

(Sure, you can have a 2008 Challenger when you are 16 years old in 2024.)

Six Months Old!!!

2008-10-02T19:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Preston's 6 month old birthday! Time sure does fly by so fast! We thought we would celebrate by getting him a few little 6 month old toys and we baked a cake (any excuse for cake). I weighed/measured him yesterday and he weighs 17 lbs. and 14 oz. and is 26.5 inches long. On Tuesday, we woke up to find that Preston's hair was lying flat. It has always stuck straight up in the air.

He did NOT like us putting the bows on his head...he's all boy!!

Today, he decided that since he was 6 months old, he is old enough to sit up by himself. So that's just what he did all day today.

Cute baby! Check out the bubble on his chin....ha ha!!

Da da da da OhhHHH

Lil' Stinker

2008-10-02T18:42:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I've got a lil' stinker on my hands. For example:
He's rolling all over the place and getting into everything....including my stack of coupons I had all organized!

He's making a face everytime he eats baby food. I was thinking he just didn't like sweet peas, but he makes this face after his first bite of food. However, he still eats it all. (What a mess he makes!)

Look at the floor....um YA, that's what it is!!!! For some reason he's been pooping out of his diaper lately, but only once has it been THIS bad.

Like I said, he's rolling everywhere. When we were at my parent's we looked down and he was 'hiding' between the table and entertainment center.
His first 'shiner'. He rolled over to the bookshelf and pulled a picture frame down on his eye. I think I cried more than he did.

Mini Vacation

2008-09-06T17:59:00.005-05:00

Labor Day at the Slaton's

We took a longer weekend for Labor Day and visited Dustin's parents. It was such a nice visit. Michele (Dustin's mom) always has the house so welcoming. She has a cute set up with Classic Pooh decor for Preston and it's so nice that we don't have to take everything with us when we go. Also, Dennis (Dustin's dad) is an amazing cook so we ate really well while we were there. Preston got to see his Aunt Meagan and Uncle Matt for the second time. He was only 6 weeks old last time he saw them so it was really good to see them again.

September 1st, Preston turned 5 months old. He's weighing about 16 lbs. 9 oz. He's starting to make a clicking/smacking noise with his tongue. We will copy-cat him and he just smiles like he knows we are messing with him. He's trying REALLY hard to sit up. He's rolling over like crazy. We have to hold him down when changing his diaper because he'll just roll right off the table. He loves to laugh and when we really get him going he makes us laugh so hard. He's been eating his cereal better but he still has room for improvement. It still gets all over his face and hands before we are done. We found out that if he's cranky, we just need to go outside with him. He LOVES to be outside. He's all boy!!

Preston's Island

2008-08-24T15:25:00.007-05:00

Just sit back, take your shoes off....imagine your toes in the sand, the smell of salty air and the sound of the waves crashing.

Let's go to the beach....in Preston's Room!!

Preston love relaxing in his tropical room.

2008-08-24T14:57:00.003-05:00

(cont.)Welcome to Preston's Room

Preston's room has a rustic/tropical island theme.

I painted Preston's letters. You can't really tell but they are red and I made them look a little distressed/dirty with a tad of black paint. I'm still looking for something to go on the wall over the glider. I'm thinking of like a black and white ocean scene on a canvas. If you've got any ideas...please share.

Dustin restored an antique piece to exactly what I was wanting in a changing table. He also painted, added cork boards, and knobs to the blue mirror/shelf. He's been so awesome in helping me acheive what I've wanted for Preston's room.

A sweet lady made this for Preston and it is such a perfect addition to his room.

Momma Love Baby

2008-08-24T14:45:00.003-05:00

This little boy is my pride and joy!

Rub-a-dub-dub

2008-08-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Rub-a-dub-dub..Baby Preston in the tub

He can sit up on his own in his baby tub.
He can, also, sit up on his own in his stroller!
And he's been laying on his tummy and pushing up a lot.

Got Teeth? I DO!!

2008-08-14T13:23:00.002-05:00

See my two bottom teeth?

I've been sucking on my bottom lip and it makes me look like an old man. I'm trying to figure out what these things are in my mouth. Monday, I started sucking on Momma's finger and she felt my teeth. She said it makes a lot of sense considering I've been abnormally fussy and waking up a lot at night. Who knew my teeth would come in when I'm only 4 months old?

Big Blue Eyes

2008-08-14T12:22:00.002-05:00

This past weekend Papa and Grammy came up to visit because Papa was playing in a tennis tournament in Plano.
Family Photo Time
I can't wait for Daddy and Papa to teach me how to play tennis.
Grammy and I are talking to the cute baby in the mirror.
Nonna and Great Grandma came to visit earlier in the week and I enjoyed all the books Great Grand read to me.

4 Months Old

2008-08-01T15:04:00.003-05:00

My little baby is 4 months old today!! I can't believe how fast he is growing! He is weighing 15 lbs.5 oz. which when he gains 5 more oz. he'll be double his birth weight!! We will be going to the doctor this next week for his check up.

This past week we made a trip to Oklahoma.

This was a beautiful spot where we had a picnic.

Sara came to visit us this week. Preston really enjoyed her holding him. Now that Sara is married, I tried to give her the baby bug. She got to exprience Baby Boy 101: We gave Preston a bath, he sprayed while changing his diaper, he spit up, he was fussy, he had naptime, and several feedings

Ending Up Our July

2008-08-01T11:41:00.004-05:00

First Camping Trip with Nonna and Grandpa (we are Nascar buddies)

Daddy is letting me taste cantaloupe....mmmmm....if only I had teeth and could actually bite it.

In honor of Papa, I'm supporting his alma mater.

I'm learning to wiggle out of everything.

Cereal

2008-08-01T11:32:00.004-05:00

Our first attempt at cereal was something else. I think he got more on his bib, in his hair, on his face and in his lap then actually in his mouth.

This is the face he made when it finally made it to his mouth. He didn't know what to think of it.

This is a chore!

What a mess!

More Adventures

2008-07-21T13:01:00.002-05:00

First sit in the Bumbo sucking on his fist

A new perspective on his puppy play mat
Surfs up on tummy time
Baking Mommy's birthday cake
First baseball game to watch the Rough Riders

As you can see, Preston has had an adventurous July and has started many new things. He's holding/shaking his rattle and other objects, holding up much better on his tummy, drooling/sucking on his fist (teething), he's laughing, smiling a LOT, talking more, once he rolled from his back to his belly, he's sitting in his Bumbo, he's more occupied with 'toys', and just getting more handsome everyday!!

Adventures of a 3 Month Old

2008-07-21T12:22:00.005-05:00

First 4th of July

Shaking his rattle for the first time
Cousin Madeline and Great Grandma

First excitement of a playstation

Cousins: Ethan, Kyleigh, Preston and Rachel with Great Grandparents

3 Months Old

2008-07-01T12:11:00.002-05:00

Preston is 3 months old today. Time is flying by. I weighed him today and he is 13 lbs. 13 oz. and 25.5 inches long. He is smiling a lot and 'talking' to us. He can lift his head pretty high when laying on his stomach. He likes to be active. If we sit with him for too long he gets fussy and wants us to walk him around. He is most content when we are out and about because he is obviously adventurous. He can bare all of his weight on his legs and can almost sit up when in a lounge position. He's such a strong little boy.

Hello Friend

2008-06-30T17:35:00.003-05:00

My friend Mandi from college dropped by for lunch and to see Preston. Preston has already made another good buddy.

1st Wedding

2008-06-30T16:56:00.003-05:00

One of my BFFs got married this past weekend so Preston attended his first wedding. He was a good baby! Dustin was such a good daddy, too, taking great care of Preston while I was running all over the place.

Beautiful Bride 'Sara' and Me

Emily and Me

Em~Thanks for letting us stay at your house..it was a lot of fun!

Lock Up Your Daughters

2008-06-25T19:32:00.004-05:00

You better lock up your daughters because lil' Preston is getting cuter everyday!

Preston just loves wearing his little camo shoes his cool Aunt Meagan and Uncle Matt gave him. I can't believe they make such cute things SO SMALL!
12 weeks old: 13 lbs. 9 oz.

Precious!

2008-06-17T11:15:00.002-05:00

11 Weeks Old

2008-06-17T11:05:00.002-05:00

Preston is 11 weeks old today and is growing like a weed. He's around 13 lbs. 3 oz. and 25 inches long. It looks like his new hair that is growing in is going to be a very light brown to dark blonde. His eye color is looking a lot like Dustin's...dark blue around the outside turning into a light crystal blue in the middle. We are still enjoying every minute of parenthood! He's such a joy!

HAPPY 1ST FATHER'S DAY!!!

2008-06-17T10:50:00.002-05:00

I love you, Daddy!!

Daddy's Helper

2008-06-12T07:43:00.003-05:00

He's 10 weeks old and getting so big!! I'm starting to really realize that he's not a newborn any more. He's looking like a little boy!!

Cute Mouth!

2008-06-06T15:56:00.006-05:00

Preston has the cutest mouth. He's starting to babble and it's so fun to just watch his mouth. Aren't babies so much fun?

We went to Preston's 2 month old doctor's visit on Monday and he weighed 12 lbs. 3 oz and was 23 inches long. Today (4 days later), I weighed him and he was 12 lbs. 8.5 oz. This little man puts on the weight FAST!

Big Boy!

2008-05-28T13:00:00.004-05:00

Momma was saying how much I look like a big boy in my t-shirt and shorts. I don't look as much like a little baby. That's going to make Papa Slaton sad because he said that I can't get any bigger until I get to see them again. Yesterday, I was 8 weeks old and I'm weighing 11 lbs. and 11 oz.

Momma thinks my smile is SO CUTE!!

Can you sort-of see my left dimple?

Hey Papa and Grammy, my hair is growing back!!

Mr. Popular

2008-05-28T12:35:00.002-05:00

Little Man had a big day on Saturday. We went to Josh and Nelleke's for a birthday party.

We made it over to DBU to check it all out. It's looking so beautiful and they are growing like crazy. The new chapel is huge; it's going to over-power Potter's House!! Anyway, I was telling Preston that he will get to ring the Liberty Bell when he starts his freshman year!! Go Patriots!!

Little "Ladies" Man had fun being passed around at Sara's wedding shower. He wants Miss Sara and Mrs. Emily to hurry up so he can have some friends to run around with.

Here's Little Man with the soon-to-be Bride! Sara, it looks natural!!!

Playmat and Smiles

2008-05-21T11:09:00.003-05:00

Preston is 7 weeks old now and has hit a personality milestone...he's smiling! Oh, it's so CUTE!! And in case you don't already know...he's got DIMPLES like his daddy...YEAH!!! I haven't been quick enough to get a picture of very many smiles, but I have a few below. Once I get a good picture of the dimples, I'll post it.
Last night we introduced him to his Puppy Playmat. He didn't seem to be into it but this morning was a whole new story. The puppy that sings and lights up made him smile and start making an "Ahhh" sound. It kept his attention for about 10 minutes..YEAH! This is so fun!!

First Mother's Day

2008-05-14T18:58:00.003-05:00

Preston is the greatest gift I've been given. Being a mother has changed my life. It's such a blessing from God. I never thought my heart could love like this.

For Mother's Day, I was given a "Many Faces of Preston" clock...I just TOTALLY love it!!

Also, Preston gave me an "I love Mommy" onesie that he'll wear that also has a little star on the booty cheek that says "And she loves me, too."

One Month Old

2008-05-01T12:55:00.002-05:00

Our little baby boy is one month old today!
This has been the most exciting month of my whole life. Preston is our little miracle from God..the second greatest gift God could ever give us, the first being salvation. He is the one thing that we can invest our lives into that we can take with us to heaven for eternity. I love him so very much!

Burps and Toots

2008-04-28T15:39:00.002-05:00

Who in the world would have ever thought that I would actually think burps and toots are cute? I actually like to hear them (coming from Preston ONLY)! It's a funny thing what parenting will do to you!

Preston is a very sqirmmy sleeper!

2 Week Doctor's Visit

2008-04-20T16:54:00.003-05:00

Preston had his 2 week old visit to the pediatrician on Tuesday. He was so good. Well, actually he was so out-of-it. He slept through it all...including them drawing blood from his heel!

He measured 21 inches long so he grew an inch since birth. Also, he weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. which is almost a whole pound since birth!! At birth, he weighed 7 lbs. 12.8 oz. Go Little Man!!

Well, even though he was so good for the doctor's visit, he decided to wake up in a fussy mood once we got home. That's okay, though, because he's still 100% CUTE!!

My First Week of Life

2008-04-08T14:34:00.007-05:00

Day of My Birth
I'm a little roughed up, but everyone says I sure am a cutie! My parents say I'm a keeper.

Day 1
I'm trying to get use to this place. People around here always want to wrap me up so tight in this blanket.

Day 2
I'm so excited to be going home today! Momma has me dressed in a little 'woof' overall set.

Day 3
I just love my new home. Here I am sleeping in my new bed with my puppy sleeper that my Nonna and Granddad gave me at Christmas and my 'Runtly' puppy that my Grammy and Papa gave me on the day I was born.

Day 4
I'm so smart. I can hold my paci all by myself. Also, I'm a little stud wearing my 'heartbreaker' onesie that Aunt Meagan and Uncle Matt gave me.

Day 5
I just love to sleep during the day. I make it a little difficult for Momma to feed me because I just want to sleep and sleep. She sure does love the 'little man' gowns that I've been given. It makes it so nice for changing.

Day 6
I took my first trip today! My Nonna and Graddad are camping at Lake Ray Roberts and we were able to take a few hours to go see them. I really like riding in the car.

Day 7
It's my 1 Week Birthday! At 11:33am today, my Momma called my Daddy and I got to tell him that I was a week old. I'm wearing a cute little outfit that says 'Just Hatched'.

Our Pride and Joy has Arrived!!

2008-04-04T12:55:00.006-05:00

Preston was born on

April 1,2008 at 11:33 am.

He was 7 lbs. 12.8 oz. and

20 inches long.

He is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! He's our little miracle from God! Preston has my mouth, and Dustin's everything (except Preston has more hair...hee hee).
The labor went extremely well. My doctor was impressed at how everything went. It wasn't as rough as I thought it would be, thank the Lord.

My parents and Dustin's parents were able to stay with us in the labor room up until the delivery. It was great to be able to just sit around and impatiently wait together.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. Keep praying as we try to get sleep in the midst of feedings and crying. Preston seems to have his days and nights mixed up. This is very hard and exhausting work!!!!

These pictures are from Michele, Dustin's mom, Preston's Grammy. I will try to upload my pictures when I have the time and strength to do it.

Still Not Here!

2008-03-31T08:50:00.002-05:00

Just letting everyone know, Preston is still not here. We had a wonderful D-Now weekend with the youth and we are ready for Preston to come now. It's just a matter of time and as of yesterday afternoon I am IMPATIENTLY waiting for him to come. The hormones are kicking in and I'm trying NOT to get emotional about it all. I do have a little over a week before his due date, but I just get things set in my mind on how they are going to be. Well, I just wanted to give an update. Keep Praying!!

Any Day Now!

2008-03-26T09:13:00.002-05:00

I went to the doctor yesterday and he said, to my surprise, that Preston could come any day now. He's predicting within a week. He said that he was certain that I wouldn't make it to 39 weeks. I was 3 cm dialated and 75% effaced. Also, Preston is in position to come. We did another sonogram and I will post that picture later. He has little chubby cheeks now...so CUTE!!! We also got a picture of his foot. I just love baby feet!! The doctor said that Preston is a little over or under 7 lbs. at this point. I'm excited but almost a little scared now. Reality is setting in that this could happen at any time. I don't have the 2 weeks I was expecting to have to get everything finalized.
Pray that Preston will come at the RIGHT time. Dustin has a D-Now with the youth this weekend and his mom is a radiology tech and can not get off this weekend. Either Preston needs to come before or after the weekend, so you know that means he'll come right in the middle of the weekend.
If you don't hear from me for awhile, just know I'm probably in the hospital. I will update my blog as soon as I can.

Big Baby Boy Belly

2008-03-21T20:10:00.004-05:00

For those who say that I haven't gotten very big.......maybe I haven't, but there's no denying that Preston isn't.

These are my 37 week pregnancy pictures. Crazy how fast things change. In just less than 3 weeks, Preston should be here! (Better be!!)

Showers of Blessings

2008-03-21T19:53:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much to all of you that have come to my showers or given gifts for Baby Preston. It just reminds us that we are loved and that means the most. I have had so much fun! It has been a true blessing. I had no idea how much stuff a baby needs, but I think we have gotten the majority of what's necessary. Thanks, again!
Let me just show you these beautiful cakes! I just hate that they had to be eaten, but at least I have pictures.

Preston Follows Directions Well

2008-03-21T19:43:00.002-05:00

On Monday, I had my 36 week check up. I will be going every week from here on out. The news was WONDERFUL!! Preston's head is pointing southward. The doctor said he is actually really low and my cervix is soft so.....it could be anytime he's ready. Thanks for your prayers. This appointment was a big one for us.
It's so funny how my stomach has changed over the last 3-4 weeks. I'm not as round as I have been. I'm starting to look a little squared off with corners at the top. The doctor said that it's his rear on one side and legs on the other. Even though he is really getting lower, ever so often he moves and will get his legs (I'm assuming that's what it would be) and push up on my ribs. It just makes me want to do a back bend, just to get some room.

Friendly Visits

2008-03-21T19:17:00.006-05:00

This past week I had a good friend from high school come visit. Ashley was so fortunate to see our cluttered, work-in-progress, baby's room. I'll have to redeem myself in the next few weeks and post a picture of the final project just so she can see what we were trying to do with it all. I'm 36 weeks in this picture.

At the beginning of March, Dustin and I went to Jacksonville to see his family. While we were in the area, I got to stop by and see a good friend from college who is also expecting. Hannah will be having a little girl in May. I'm 30 weeks pregnant in this picture. (Hannah looks great!)

Snow (2x)

2008-03-08T21:40:00.003-06:00

(Updated: I finally found time to get my pictures uploaded...we are too busy)

This past week it snowed on us TWICE, once on Tuesday and then again on Thursday. The craziest part is that when it started snowing on Thursday it got bad FAST! Around 1:00, I called Dustin to tell him to look outside because the snow was falling big Colorado flakes. By 1:30 our school was announcing that we were having an early release at 2:00. By 2:00 the school was almost completely empty and Dustin was picking me up. Our 15 min. drive from my work to home ended up taking us 1 hour and 45 minutes to get home. There are a lot of curves and hills between our house and work. Everyone was fish-tailing, spinning out, and not getting enough traction to make it up the hills. Finally, when we were about 1.5 miles from the house we got to our last main hill and there was 7-8 cars stuck...either in the ditch or in the middle of the road blocking us all. Dustin pulled our car into an empty house's driveway and WALKED to our house to get our 4x4 Jeep. After sitting there for 10 minutes I called to see how he was doing. I called him at least 10 times and he never answered. I started getting a little concerned and being that I'm pregnant...I had to go to the bathroom so bad. Anyway, after sitting there about 20 minutes, he called to say that he was at the bottom of the hill with the Jeep. There were several cars still blocking the street so he walked up to get me and we made it back down to the Jeep, which by the way is the best car ever because it weaved in and out of all of that junk with no problem. Come to find out, Dustin had been trying to call me too but the lines must have been full or connection was bad. Anyway, we didn't have work on Friday so we enjoyed staying home snuggled up by the fire. By Friday afternoon, the roads were all clear and we pick Dustin's car up. I was glad to see that no one hit it while it was sitting there.
Well, let me catch up on a few other things that have been going on......
For Valentine's Day, Dustin gave me a little jewelry looking box that had a pink collar and little name tag that said, "Runtly", on it. It's official!!! For all of you that have kept up with our puppy drama, you know how special Runtly is to me. She's the best Valentine's gift, EVER!!
Also, last weekend, Dustin and I went to see his parent's in Jacksonville and I got to stop by and see Hannah (college friend) in Tyler. It was so good to see her. She was able to help me out with a few questions I had about certain 'mother-to-be' things. She is expecting a little girl, Parker, in May.
Well, I have another doctor's appointment in a little over a week. Be praying that Preston starts to turn southward because at this moment he is still laying sidewards (head in my right side ribs and bottom in my lower left side). Also, I am starting to get to that uncomfortable stage. I'm going to the bathroom several times a night, my ribs are killing me, my feet hurt if I have to walk/stand very long, and I'm just not comfortable. Thanks for your prayers!!

34 Weeks/ 6 Weeks To Go!!

2008-02-29T08:55:00.002-06:00

I had another doctor's visit yesterday, but it was one of those visits were I get all excited to go and then I leave disappointed. We went all the way there for them to weigh me, check my blood pressure, measure my belly, and hear his heartbeat. The majority of that I could have done myself at home. I guess I'm just at the point of wanting some 'excitement'. Next time, however, they will do another sonogram, so that's good. It gives me something to look forward to. Also, the next visit they will be checking where he is positioned because they said that at 36 weeks they are usually set at where they will be for delivery. Please PRAY that he will be positioned right where he should be!! I really have an issue with having a planned C-section. I want the baby to come in God's timing and I want that element of surprise when I go into labor.
Today we are heading to Jacksonville to see Dustin's family. We are excited to see them again. It's been since Christmas since we've seen them. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing a good friend from college while we are in Tyler. She's going to give me some insight into all of this 'being a mommy' stuff. I'm just like a sponge...I soak it all up!

Finally, More Baby Furniture

2008-02-21T11:04:00.003-06:00

We were blessed to get a baby bed at Christmas, but that is all that we've had for Preston. I started flipping out when I realized I'm almost 7 weeks away from my due date and there is NOTHING in his room but a bed. My mom had me 6 weeks early so you never know if they'll come early or on time. So, this past Tuesday night we made a random trip to Sulphur Springs to an antique auction and found the perfect piece for a dresser/changing table. It's going to take a little bit of work, but it's got MAJOR potential. It is sturdy oak and cost 1/6 of the price of a flimsy non-wooden thing you'd get at Babies R' US. I am so pumped to find good deals. Now, our only feat is to get this thing in shape before Preston comes. Once it's finished, I'll show before/after pictures.

31 Weeks Sonogram

2008-02-12T09:53:00.001-06:00

We had another doctor's appointment yesterday and he did another sonogram. We didn't get any perfect shots because Preston had the umbilical cord all in his face....little stinker!! However, from this picture I'm posting, you can definitely tell he's got Dustin's cute little pudgy nose. The doctor said that even though I am recorded as 31 week and 2 days pregnant, Preston is a little bit larger and measuring as though I were 31 week 6 days pregnant. He's just a tad larger than average. He better behave himself and not get too big. You know I can't handle a large baby for too long!! He's suppose to almost double in weight in the upcoming weeks. Lord have mercy!!

Cold Chills and Hot Sweats

2008-02-10T20:41:00.000-06:00

That's what I get for opening my mouth so soon. I was just telling Dustin this past week how proud I was that I haven't REALLY gotten sick this whole winter. Well, I guess that triggered it all. Friday I started coughing..deep coughing in my chest, and I got congested along with a fever. When we got home I was shivering with a long sleeve shirt, fleece pants, a sheet, blanket and comforter covering me up (plus it was 70 degrees in the house) and Dustin thought I was nuts till he took my temperature and it was 100 degrees. Saturday, I had plans to clean house and get several things done around here before Preston comes, but "NOOOoooo" I had to stay in bed all day because my fever kept coming back and everything was aching. Well, it's Sunday evening and I can't even talk above a whisper, I still cough once in awhile and I'm still pretty congested so I probably shouldn't go into work tomorrow. This is my most miserable cold/flu I've ever had. Being pregnant makes it so much worse. I can't take 'real' medicine that knocks it out, my stomach kills me when I cough and Preston gets all stirred up, I'm SO thirsty but everytime I drink anything it tends to come up and burn my throat thanks to pregnancy 'acid reflux' and I'm just not liking any of it. Does anyone have advice on controling acid reflux? Tums just doesn't do a thing for me.

Sunny Day

2008-02-02T16:55:00.000-06:00

We've finally had a nice, warm, sunny day to enjoy. We took the puppies outside to play and they had a blast running around and playing with their momma. Tanner didn't know what to think of the pups so he kept his distance. It was funny because a few of the pups just kept wanting to run toward him and he would high-tail it out of there. These little babies are so precious!! If you know of anyone wanting a registered cocker spaniel, we are starting to put them up for sale. I hate selling them, but I know it must be done.
This Friday, I am going back to the doctor. I always love going and finding out something new....who knew I would actually love going to the doctor. As of today, I am 30 weeks..that's 3/4 of the way!!! YIKES!! Am I ready??? NO!! I've got so much stuff to do before he gets here. I've had several people tell me that they predict he will come either the beginning or mid-March. We'll soon see!!

Kicks and Jabs

2008-01-23T08:20:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, I was laying down on my parent's couch and "BAM". I think an elbow or heal punched me from the inside. It made me interupt the conversation to say, "Woah! What was that?" Since then I have been getting beat up from the inside. Those little bumps I was feeling has turned into jabs. Preston is being a little stinker. I'm even being woken up in the middle of the night with him poking and bumping. I can't believe I'm going to have to put up with this abuse for a little over 2 more months!
Well, I'm getting bigger and bigger by the minute. It seems like once Christmas was over the basketball inflated to double it's size. It must be true that boys are carried like a basketball because that's what it looks like to me. It kind of gets in the way when I'm trying to do stuff. It makes it hard to shave my legs unless I'm in the bath and I don't enjoy bending over to tie my shoe.
I went to the doctor again this past Thursday to take the glucose test and thyroid panel. I haven't gotten my results back, but we are praying everything will be fine. I'll go back to the doctor the first week of February to have another sonogram. I look forward to seeing what he looks like (I'm sure his daddy). Preston is close to 2.5 lbs. and probably measuring close to 15 inches long! I didn't know babies would get so long and then start putting on fat toward the end. When I was born I was 17 inches long so I was surprised he would be so big already.
The 'excitement' for this week is that there are 15 cases of chicken pox going throughout the school. I've either worked with or been around most of the kids within the last few weeks. All of the kids have had the vaccination shot and are still getting it. I had my vaccination shot when I was 15 when it came out in 1995 because I never had chicken pox when growing up. There is suppose to be a booster shot that I didn't know about till this year...and too late for that now. I'm just praying praying that my antiboties are high enough to be fully immune to it. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Island Toile/ Blue Aloha

2008-01-06T22:29:00.000-06:00

Some of you may have heard about my baby bedding experience, so I thought I'd make it my new background and show a few pictures of the print. Hopefully, soon we'll be getting Preston's room together. It will be in a tropical theme with red, baby blue, blue and green as my main colors. Right now, we are just trying to 'clear' it out.
Quick story, for those who haven't heard it... Before I knew I was pregnant, I was looking through a Pottery Barn Kids Catalog. I saw this print (on sale!!) and thought it was so cute and different. I like things that are different, but still pretty classic. When I found out I was pregnant, I started looking for this print on-line....no where to be found!! I checked ebay and it was double the price from the catalog because it had been discontinued. I was so sad. A few days before we were to find out the sex of the baby, we were in the mall and I asked Dustin if we could just stop in PBK to check to see if they just had a sheet or something from this print. They actually had a pillow case. After talking to them more, they were able to locate all the other bedding that I wanted from other stores from Houston to Scottsdale, AZ. Not only were we blessed to find these items, they were super duper CHEAP since each place only had a few of each item. It was such a God thing!! We would have never been able to afford much more than a sheet and pillowcase if these items hadn't been on sale for being discontinued. I was a little scared after we finalized the deal with PBK, that evening, because I knew we would probably find out we were having a girl and I wouldn't be able to use this bedding for several years. I was very excited to find out that we were having a boy...for more reasons than one.

Pups with Personality!

2008-01-06T22:03:00.001-06:00

Of-course we have our little babies named. Let me introduce them all to you.
This is TJ (Tanner Junior; after his daddy). TJ is a sweetheart! He loves to be held. He and his sister are the smallest from the bunch. We had to give them extra attention when we were bottle feeding the pups because they were so little and didn't want to eat much.

This is my baby girl Runtly. She is the only pup that made it from the preemie litter. She is a mess. I guess since she is so much smaller than her brothers, she has to make up for it in being a fighter. She tries so hard to keep up with the others. They are all learning to walk right now and she is not going to let her big bros. pass her up. Even though she falls a lot, she makes it to her destination, eventually. She loves to crawl on top of the whole bunch to sleep.

This is Rolo. In the beginning, he was a little chunk so we called him a little Rolly Polly which has turned to Rolo. Rolo is known for laying on his back to sleep. If he doesn't watch out, the other will crawl up on him and pin him down on his back.

This is Lil' Dip. Dustin and I thought of a dipped ice-cream cone when we saw him. His whole head is black with a little white for a beard. Dip is so content to be held. He's going to make a great lap dog.

This is Pepper. He is colored up so pretty. He makes me think of the dog Beethoven. He has turned out to be the little chunk. He was our smallest black/white pup out of the five, but he's been a fighter when it's come to meal time. He has been the one to introduce the playful growl to the rest of the bunch. He loves to play...climbing, chewing (no teeth, yet), and growling.

Sleepy Heads

2008-01-06T21:58:00.002-06:00

Here are my babies' three week old pictures. As you can tell, they are very sleepy. This week they have started staggering to their feet and attempting to walk a few steps before toppling over. Also, they are really getting their personality. They have started growling playfully and chewing on each other.

Week and a Half Old Pups

2008-01-02T15:16:00.000-06:00

As you can tell, my pride and joy, at the moment, are these sweet puppies. I have enjoyed taking care of them over the Christmas break. I wish I could just stay home with them a little bit longer. I'm very attached and want to keep every one of them. These are their pictures around Christmas. See how much they've grown in just a little over a weeks time. I'll post more recent pictures soon.

The Pups are Here!

2007-12-15T23:12:00.000-06:00

Well, the pups were born late Thursday night into Friday morning. Wow!! It was quite an experience. It has worn us out! Freckles had 9 puppies but as of now, only 5 have survied (second picture). About half of the litter must have been conceived later than the other half because they were premie. It's SO hard on me to loose a pup. I've felt so helpless. I hate that feeling. I understood going into all of this that usually one pup will not make it, but having four die has been so very hard. To top things off, Freckles isn't making enough milk for them and we are having to bottle feed them every 2 hours. Since we've got 5 pups we feed each for about 10-15 minutes..do the math...we only have an hour break between feedings. Last night Dustin and I swapped off so we could get a few hours of sleep and it worked, but I'm pretty sure this is going to catch up with us soon. If you think about us anytime during these next two weeks, please say a little prayer. This time of year is already stressful with traveling, Dustin's sister's wedding and then we have an added stress of keeping these puppies fed and healthy. Especially think of our littlest one, "Little One", (picture below) she needs to catch up to the rest of the litter. I'll keep pictures coming so you can see their growth. I sure love these little babies. They are so very sweet!

Loving Family!

2007-12-13T08:14:00.000-06:00

I just love this time of year! One of the best parts is being able to spend time with family. I absolutely love my family....my parents, in-laws, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They are all so special to me. I can't wait till Preston is here where he can enjoy family with us. I feel like our family is very unique because we are all so close. I'm so grateful that he will be able to experience true family love.
Just this past week, Dustin and I were discussing how no longer will 'we' be a 'couple' but a 'FAMILY'! Our own little family! It's so exciting to be starting a family, just like how my grandparents started their little family that is constantly growing. Enjoy your family and feel blessed to be around them this Christmas season!

This is a shot from my second photo session. I was a little over 22 weeks pregnant (5 1/2 months).

More Slaton Babies on the Way!!!

2007-12-05T21:32:00.000-06:00

All of the excitement is at our house!! We just realized last week that our puppy (who is no longer a puppy), Freckles, is going to be having puppies in the next few weeks. They will be arriving at a very hectic time. She's due about 3-4 days before we head to Jacksonville for Dustin's sister's wedding and Christmas. These are just a few picture of her from when she was a puppy. She's was the cutest puppy I had ever seen. She's going to probably have the cutest puppies EVER!! She and the boy dog are registered Cocker Spaniels. Freckles is black and white and Tanner is orangish-tan and white. They both have a different look than most cockers because they have little 'freckles/spots' on their noses, legs and back. We are going to try to let my parents take Tanner for a few weeks to give Freckles a break. Even though it will be pretty rough toting a momma dog, puppies, and a fat pregnant lady at Christmas, it just adds to all the excitement.

Baby Slaton has a Name!!

2007-11-26T09:13:00.000-06:00

After much thought AND I was scared Dustin and I would slip up and accidentally say his name, we decided to tell our family our little boy's name. I was really wanting to hold out till Christmas, but Thanksgiving was a good time. I made a Thanksgiving card to give them that said, "We are thankful for our little boy." Then we had our most recent sonogram pictures scattered around and at the bottom it said his name,
"PRESTON LYLE SLATON"
Lyle is Dustin's middle name and Dustin's father's middle name so he wanted to pass that along to our first born son.
At first, I was scared to go ahead and tell his name because everyone seems to like to voice their opinions. I felt like if someone told me they didn't like his name I would be upset. Dustin and I had "Preston" picked out several years ago so it's a name we were set on. I figure if someone is really rude enough to say they don't like his name, then they must not be much of a friend. Dustin's family said they were going to call him Rufus until we told them the name...so that helped urge us on a little.

He's 100%

2007-11-21T13:48:00.000-06:00

Our last visit to the doctor on November 15th (19wks.), they did another sonogram to check out his organs and his growth. They said that he is growing just like he should and he checked out 100%. What an answer to prayer! We should never take it lightly that God is in control and is taking care of us.
It is very obvious that he has Dustin's nose and on the video we could tell that he probably has Dustin's chin and mouth, too. He's so CUTE!!!

It's a BOY, Pictures

2007-11-21T13:35:00.000-06:00

Here are the sonogram shots from my doctor's appointment last month when we found out we have a boy. (October 25th- 16wks.- 4 Months)

All Kicks, No Flutters

2007-11-13T18:05:00.000-06:00

On November the 4th we were laying in bed about to go to sleep when I felt something toward to right side of my stomach. It felt like a bubble popping or a thump from the inside. Of course I wanted to believe it was the baby's first noticeable kick, but I knew I wouldn't know for sure till I felt it more. Since then I've felt random thumps a few times a day. However, yesterday, around 4:00 while I was laying on the couch trying to relax from a long day, I felt a multiple of thumps toward the middle of my stomach that made me sit up. Woohoo!!! There was no doubt about it...it was most definitely the baby. Then for the next 3-4 minutes I would feel him kick about every 30 seconds. He must have really not liked the way I was balled up on the couch. I got so excited and called Dustin, who was on his way home from seminary. When he got home we laid there for awhile hoping that Dustin could feel him kick, too. We were kind of sad because he never felt him. However, today around 4:00 I was once again laying on the couch and started to feel him kick again. Dustin rushed over and put his hand on my tummy and BOOM!! There it was, he kicked twice. Dustin's face was so cute with this questionable, surprised smile. I was so glad that he got to experience feeling him so soon after I had my 'real' experience. People say that if feels like flutters, but this little boy doesn't flutter, he kicks.

Pregnancy Pictures

2007-11-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

I'm having a series of pregnancy pictures made by one of my relatives here in the Sherman area...Wyatt and Theresa Spurgeon. Here is a sample of my 4 1/2 month session. As I get bigger, we'll see more of a progression than just a pooch. It was a lot of fun!!

Stork Monitor

2007-11-06T14:49:00.000-06:00

This past week a friend of mine that I work with let me borrow her professional baby heart rate monitor for my pregnancy. We've had so much fun using it. His heart rate has been between 144-154 bpm. For the most part, we've been finding him over toward my right hip, but last night we had quite a time finding him. I actually started worrying a little. Finally, we found him and he was sitting very low in the middle. I couldn't believe he could have moved so far. Dustin said that he's already learning how to play Hide-and-Go-Seek. My parents were here this weekend and they enjoyed hearing his heart beat. I'm ready for a little more action now. People at school have been asking if I've felt him kick yet, but I think I felt something on Sunday night. I guess we'll just have to see if what I felt was really him when he does start making himself known.

This afternoon my mom told me that the lady she sold 'my' baby bed to in like 1982 still has it and wants mom to have it back. She is so excited to paint it and get it ready for their house. I think that is so cool that our kids will be able to sleep in my old baby bed. What are the odds that someone keeps a baby bed from 1982?

Well, I'm seriously needing to get some more pictures on here, but it may take awhile. I've got way too many projects going on around the house. Plus, our house has lately been a place of sleeping and showering and that's it. Pray that things will slow down a little for us so that I can get some things done.

It's a BOY!!!

2007-10-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

We are so excited!! The Slaton name will now be passed on. You can tell it's a boy by looking at the bottom picture. The picture was taken from the bottom side up. He is sitting on the left side of the picture. The doctor and sonogram tech were 100% sure...they said it was quite obvious. We've also got a video that we will try to put on here at some point. This is all so overwhelmingly exciting!! We are having so much fun!!

Boy or Girl?? I Can't Wait!

2007-10-24T19:22:00.000-05:00

Hopefully, tomorrow afternoon we will find out if it's going to be a boy or a girl!! We plan to be out most of the evening so I might not be able to blog till Friday, but trust me, I'll post ASAP. We did a gender poll at school and it was SO close between the two, however, boy won by 1 vote. Give your vote if you have a thought. Clues: The baby's heart rate was high but my doctor said that really means nothing and I've just got a pooch so I don't really know how I'm carrying it, yet. I haven't really craved sweets or salty...I've eaten a little bit of both. I've mainly enjoyed eating grapefruit and apples. What do you think?