great before. great after.

it's no secret that both of my boys wore helmets.  both of their little heads grew in width, but lacked growing in length.  there are a number of reasons why their heads didn't shape as 'normally' as they should; familial gene, laying transverse in my belly, long labors & fast deliveries, not enough tummy time, or all of the above.  but thanks to Altru Health System and their team of specialists, we were able to correct their little noggins before a problem ever arose.

a few months back i taped a segment for my Altru Moment.  yesterday, it finally launched.  please take the time to learn a bit more about my experiences with james and his helmet.

{side bar: you may already know this, but this is the first time i've ever really watched myself on camera trying to be serious, and i have quite the facial expressions.  yikes.  note to self: work on that pirate eye.}

this is my Altru Moment. 

his sweet, gentle heart.

i want to remember this night forever.  the night that i saw my sweet james' heart open wide.  the night that i knew we were doing something right raising him.

as of late, james has been two.  and i mean all of two.  and sometimes its hard to remember the funny, good times through all the tears.  {and believe me, it's not just him in tears.}

but on tuesday night, as james and i were rocking in his room together, i asked him if he wanted to say his prayers together.  and in his sweet, little voice he said, "yes, mommy."

so we start with our usuals.  God bless mommy.  God bless daddy.  God bless james.   and God bless drew.   

then i asked if there was anybody else we should pray for.  and he immediately says, "maggie!  and ria!".  see, maggie and maria are dear friends of ours who were his baby teachers at daycare, and are now drew's.  to say we are great friends is an understatement. 

i then again ask james if there was anybody else we should pray for.  then through the dark, he turns and looks at me and asks, "christian?" 

christian is maria's little boy, who is about a month older than drew.  james calls christian his little buddy.  and you better believe that everytime he sees maria, he asks right away where christian is.  james always has christian's back.

{que heart melting.}

so we finish our prayers with the sign of the cross, james' favorite part.  and he's getting quite good at it, too.  we always have a good exuberant aaaaaaaa-MEN at the end, too!  but that wasn't good enough. 

james wanted to do it all again. 

"me do it.  me do it myself."

and so he did.  everyone got doubly blessed tuesday night. 

my sweet boy, with his ever gentle heart.

stripes and polka dots

my heart is overflowing today.  as in, Drew's party was everything i wanted it to be for him.  i know he won't remember it, but one day he will look back at pictures and see that we celebrated his {unofficial} birthday with close friends and family and he will see the smile on his face and know in his heart that it was a fantastic day.

although i got a bit worked up with my never failing late husband, i was able to decorate and still be present, just the way i wanted.  i was able to see Drew plow around everyone and laugh.  i was able to hear James laugh and giggle as his cousins swarmed around him.  i was in awe at the friends and family that came to show their love for Drew.  its moments like his party that will be forever ingrained in my heart. 



stripes and polka dots

 

my boys just being themselves.
nose pickers, going in two different directions at warp speed.

we had seven present helpers...under the age of five.
 

party animal.
{and a birthday shirt made with love by mama<3}

and at the end of the day, this smile is all i needed to see.  it sums up his party and day beautifully.  my happy, loved, blessed boy.



all smiles.