The Wonderful World of The Williams

He Is A Walking Man!

2010-01-04T09:13:00.003-07:00

After being very close for quite some time, Josiah built up his confidence to start walking. He still does the straight knee walk because he is a little too timid to bend his knees. It is just adorable. This was a few days ago and now he is walking all around the house with his knees straight and hands out in front like Frankenstein. We are so proud of you Josiah!

Friends, Snow, and Throw Up

2009-12-30T16:22:00.005-07:00

Hello Friends!

We made it back from skiing all in one peice with only slight bumps and bruises! We were truly blessed by our time with the Smith family. Adam and I met on a mission trip to Nicaragua with our old pastor and friend Butch Smith so being back all together with his family was a little bit like old times. When I say BLESSED by them I am not exaggerating one bit. Jalie, the youngest of the clan, offered to change ALL diapers and Butch babysat each day while Adam and I had crazy fun on the mountain. We enjoyed Michelle's good cooking each night and then just hung out together in the living room and went to bed early out of sheer exhaustion!

One thing I am still not living down is when I told Josiah, "stop touching the electronics" as he was standing up trying to poke the TV. I thought this was perfectly normal as he doesn't know the word for TV yet, he might as well learn electronics. The whole Smith family, and Adam too, had a BIG laugh the rest of the trip over it. They are laughing now but who is going to be laughing when Josiah says electronics as his first word? Yea...I am going to be laughing and hollering with excitement when Josiah shows them up! But really, I'll take any word as his first word so we'll see:)

We drove home from Angel Fire Christmas Eve and it was beautiful with all the snow on the mountains. The stench from Josiah throwing up ALL over himself in his car seat made it a little bit less enjoyable but it makes good, smelly memories! I can't complain because little Josiah got sick in Texas, then got sick right when we got back to NM, and was just recovering while we were in Angel Fire. He was still his jovial little self but threw up almost every day for about two weeks. Fortunately, he hasn't thrown up since Christmas:) His Christmas night throw up was the worst as we were at a friends house and both Josiah and I had to borrow clothes to wear home.

Is this post about Christmas or throw up? I got confused for a second. Josiah's first Christmas sure was a special one. He didn't really care about the presents we helped him unwrap and he was more into biting the Bible as we read him the Christmas story then really understanding it, but I know each year his understanding of our Savior's birth will grow and grow! We had so much fun starting traditions even when he won't remember them! I really enjoyed getting to sleep in on Christmas as Adam was so good to me and got up with Josiah. I have a feeling sooner than I think we will be pounced on by Josiah in the early morning to get up and celebrate!

Enjoy the photos!

What Happened Yesterday

2009-12-20T21:04:00.003-07:00

Hi, my name is Emily you may not know who I am because it has been so long since I have written a post.

Ya'll I have just been TOO busy having fun to write about it! I have been in Texas for a little over 3 weeks and just returned home a few days ago. During my trip I got to reunite with Jenny, Lindsee, and Claire over dinner and they got to flirt with Josiah...he LOVED it. The three of us are just a few of a group of girls that pretty much grew up together(for me it was since 3rd grade) at Cypress Bible Church. Jenny and Lindsee are just the best bloggers. When I am having a boring day or just need something to make me smile Jenny or Lindsee's blogs usually does the trick. Claire's blog unfortunately has been a little bit too much like mine...empty....love ya Claire! During our conversation my lack of blogging came up. I admitted I was just too overwhelmed with everything I wanted to write about. Jenn said, "just write about what happened yesterday". So that is exactly what I'm going to do:) This is for you Jenn:).

Yesterday I slept in! Sweet Adam got up at seven with the baby and I got some much needed rest. When I did get up we made pigs in a blanket and had coffee by the fire. It was perfectly relaxing and made me so happy to be HOME! After that we took Josiah to the Dr. as he has been fighting a cold for a few weeks now. It turns out the little baby had the beginnings of an earache. During Josiah's afternoon nap I drove frantically to Target to try to get something that matched Josiah's ADORABLE picture outfit. We were having a family picture done and I hadn't really thought about what we would wear until that day. Recently I cleaned out my closet and maybe I did a little too good of a job because my closet is very organized but there aren't many clothes in it:). I was a mad woman at Target running through the woman's section looking for something blue, white, and gray. I had a picture in my head of a long sweater dress that was dark gray with a thick long collar. I found nothing of the sort but settled for a blue sweater thing. It all worked out and I was FAST. At home I was able to get showered, hair fixed, and makeup on in 25 minutes. Can I have a cookie or something?

We haven't seen the photos yet but I am anxious to. Josiah was scared of the photographer and just had this look of confusion on his face most the time. The more the man made noises trying to get him to laugh the more serious he got. Oh well, he is still a cutie even without a smile.

Right now I am trying to write as fast as I can as I need to go pack my bags again. Tomorrow we leave to go skiing in Angel Fire with good friends....whoop! I just took out my ski stuff which I haven't worn since our honeymoon (almost two years ago). It is actually my mom's ski outfit from when she and my Dad were first married. It is at least 30 years old. You don't have to tell me I'm styling:) I promise photos in the next post.

Love and Hugs!

When Mom's Away...

2009-12-08T12:29:00.004-07:00

The boys will play!!! Enjoy our adorable son!!!

Josiah Standing...

Josiah being SUPER excited (check out what happens right about the 1-minute mark)!!!

I miss you Emily and Josiah!!! Come home SOON!!! :-)

A Not So Scary Lion

2009-11-03T08:16:00.002-07:00

Recap

2009-10-16T14:17:00.003-06:00

Since we moved into our house we have been BUSY! I have so many things to fill ya'll in on I am slightly overwhelmed. That said, this post will be bullets to make this quick and easy.

*We have been PAINTING. Every single wall of our new house has been re-painted excluding the guest bedroom and guest bathroom. Those are the rooms I still have to paint. I know ya'll want photos. When it is finished (AKA pictures on the wall) I will do a before and after post. I don't see the point in doing a before and half way done post. So far, I love it but it is a lot of work.

*Tia Sarah came to visit last week. Tia means "Aunt" in Spanish. My brothers kids are bilingual and refer to us sister as "Tias" so it has stuck. Whenever I refer to Tia/Tia I mean Aunt/Uncle. We had so much fun with Tia Sarah. She got to see the famous Balloon Fiesta. The balloons literally fly over our house every morning. I know one day Josiah will really love it. We went to a balloon glow at dusk where all the special shape balloons were about 2 feet off the air and lit. It was beautiful. Again, Josiah wasn't that excited, but Tia Sarah and I got funnel cake! We also used the week to paint Josiah's room. Once I get his wall hangings up I will post a photo. Thanks for the help Sarah! It is so cute! Josiah loves and misses you!

* A few weekends ago I left Josiah (with his Daddy) for the first time for a weekend. I flew to San Antonio to see my old roommate Beth also known as "sweets" get MARRIED! I'm so glad I could make it. It was such a fun weekend! Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey!

* The week before I left Josiah got sick for the first time. He had a ear ache, a cold, and a yeast infection on his bottom from his constant diarrhea. It was SO SAD! Thankfully once he got some antibiotics he recovered quickly.

*We need to buy a lawn mower. We only have grass in the backyard but we haven't mowed it yet. It is VERY long.

*Josiah has hist first tooth coming in! He is also now eating a big array of fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. He has even learned to put his "puffs" in his mouth by himself.

*I love fall! Adam loves fall because it is pumpkin season. He has lovingly requested that he have a pumpkin dish every week from October through December. I have been behind so today I will make pumpkin muffins to start off fall in a belated fashion!

*Josiah is in the process of learning the word "NO" and boundaries. When he touches something he isn't supposed to he is told "NO" (in a stern, calm voice) and flicked on the hand. I was TERRIBLE at it at first. Terrible as in he wasn't learning the word "No" because he couldn't feel my flicks. But the past few days I have gotten much more serious after beginning the book To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl. Josiah is actually learning. When I say "NO" he usually backs away from the dangerous object. I am so proud of him! I am also amazed with how early training begins. Literally from Josiah first days home he is being trained by my actions toward him as well as my responses whether or not I am conscientiously training him or not. I guess I just always assumed you had a few years before that began. Goodness, was I wrong. I really am loving every second of it though. I love watching him grow and develop and become more affectionate. My baby loves kisses. Is anyone surprised? That is one aspect I have definitely been training him in for quite a while:)

Okay...there is more but no one like to read super long posts. I'm off to work on the muffins. Feel free to leave pumpkin recipes if you want!

It Is About That Time...

2009-10-04T16:15:00.005-06:00

Josiah is such a sweet baby. Really, sweet would be the FIRST word I would use to describe him. I know all moms say that, but really, my baby is SWEET. Now that everyone knows that.

It is about that time.

It is about that time when Josiah is big enough to explore everything. He is doing just that! He has been crawling for a while now but in the last few weeks he has turned into a speed demon. He goes all around the house. He used to follow me where I went but now he just goes off on his own. His new favorite things are the kitchen trashcans, any kind of cord, and then he still has his old favorites, the remote controls. The toilet would be his favorite but he has only experienced it one or two times as Adam and I learned quickly that the bathroom doors need to be SHUT at all times.

It can be exhausting at times but that is why God made babies so cute right? We are just learning how to baby proof everything and keep him out of trouble but that is pretty difficult as he looks for trouble.

All of these photos happened while I was cooking dinner and Josiah rolled out into the hallway for about thirty seconds. It took him thirty seconds for him to pull the box of pictures off the bench, unload the diaper bag, and find a pen to suck on. The first picture is of Josiah right after the fact in the kitchen so HAPPY about what he did. The towels on his lap are the kitchen towels. He loves to pull them down over and over again.

Let the good times begin.

What happens when he is walking???

Yay for Birthdays!

2009-09-30T17:26:00.005-06:00

I owe a big thank you to my husband, my baby, my family, and all my great friends. As you know, my birthday was this last weekend. Getting older is not really a positive thing for most people. I can't say I love getting older (today I thought about buying under eye cream for WRINKLES), but I LOVE birthdays. That said, they keep getting better and better! My husband celebrated my birthday all week. I always joke about having a birthday month but really no one has ever celebrated it. But I can honestly say Adam did something special for me every day of the week leading up to my birthday. I can't forget about my momma either. She remembered my birthday week too as I started getting e-cards from her on Monday (love ya momma!). I don't know why I love birthdays so much, but I do!

Oh I remember why...cake! I love cake! Why not have cake all week? Actually, we were pretty good and didn't have cake all week but we did have Adam's home-made milkshakes. I'll take either:).

Okay, time to brag on the hubs. He planned the best day ever. Friday the 25Th started off by him getting up at seven with the baby and letting me SLEEP in. Oh bless my soul, it was marvelous. When I got up at NINE AM I came out to a table with flowers, home-made crepes with Nutella (delicious), and the computer out with my birthday video playing. I was so impressed!

After I had showered and we got Josiah ready we dropped him off with dear friends down the street the Wallaces. Adam then took me to see the movie Fame. Oh my gosh, it was AWESOME. I don't even know how I sat in my seat the whole time. I'm not going to lie, I did a little shaking it as we were leaving. That movie needs to be watched with an interactive audience so everybody can dance along while watching!

Then, we went to Sonic where I enjoyed a strawberry shake...yum yum. Then Adam got REALLY impressive. He then took me to a ballroom dance studio where we had a private dance lesson. When he pulled into the parking lot I just started crying I was so happy. We learned a bit of swing and rumba. I enjoyed every minute of it and we have another lesson next week!

We then picked up Josiah and Adam blind folded me and took me to the Olive Garden where a bunch of sweet friends were waiting! Then Missy Erin Goodman landed at the airport to come visit for the weekend. I had not seen that sweet girl since my wedding. We had so much catching up to do and finally time to do it! It was indeed such a sweet weekend.

I can't express enough how blessed I am by all the people in my life. I love all of you.

Also, September really is a great month as my sister Anna was born the day after me! Happy Birthday month to you Anna! I wish I could of been in Houston to celebrate with you. I love you and am so proud of you!

Happy 25th Birthday Emily!

2009-09-25T11:47:00.002-06:00

I want you all out there in the blogoshpere to join me in celebrating the precious birth of my beautiful wife! Call her...e-mail her...facebook her...or leave a comment here on the blog - but let her know that how ABSOLUTELY AMAZING she is!!!

Emily...I know one thing...

I LOVE YOU!!!

California!

2009-09-15T18:33:00.005-06:00

I'm going to begin by back tracking about three weeks. Adam, Josiah, and I all went to La Jolla, CA to stay at a beach house that my sister Stacy and her family rented for all of us. My whole immediate family was there. We had so much fun. Josiah just LOVED all the attention he got from Grandma, Grandpa, Tias (aunts), his Tios, and all his cousins. He was constantly entertained. My whole family got to spend time together eating, hanging out, and yes doing a little swimming in the COLD pacific ocean. Unfortunately, the sun really wasn't out much but we still got in the water. I have to say I LOVE the ocean. What I love more than swimming in the ocean is getting CRUSHED by the waves. I came home with bruises all over my body from the waves dragging me against the sand but I LOVED it! Josiah wasn't thrilled about the beach. He looked adorable with his little sun hat on but he didn't really like being confined to the towel. He didn't like the cold water when we put his toes in it and he puts everything in his mouth so he couldn't play in the sand. Oh well, maybe in a few years he will change his mind. We had a great vacation and were so blessed by all the family we saw. Not only was my family there but much of my extended family lives there. Every night we got to share dinner with precious faces we see too seldom. We also got In N Out Burger which was just AMAZING. I'm still thinking about it:) Enjoy the photos!

We Have Internet!

2009-09-14T20:14:00.011-06:00

I have written at least five blogs in my head over the last few weeks. Since we began moving into our new house so many things have happened and we didn't have internet so I couldn't update the blog! You guys have been missing out on a lot! I will do my best to catch you up on all Josiah's cuteness!

Josiah got a hair cut!!! He is only 7 months and I wanted to wait at least a year but his hair was just too crazy.
I mean his hair looked like this when he was born. So he started off with more hair than many full size men:).

It got very cute as it grew long and curled and I sure did enjoy styling those curls.

No one can deny this baby had crazy style!

But then as he got crazy when he slept at night and lost most of the hair on the back of his head. At the same time this happened, his hair was still growing like crazy on the top and sides of his head. It didn't help that Josiah can not stop slobbering and also pulls his hair when tired or bored. So he would pull his hair in his face and it would stick to his slobbery cheeks. This is when we knew he needed a hair cut.

So we took Josiah to MopTops and his precious curls got cut!

And this is the result!

He is such a handsome little BOY! It doesn't help that the same time he got his boy haircut he started crawling EVERYWHERE, pulling himself up to a standing position, and eating in his big boy high chair.

Don't stay away long because I have lot more updates on the way!

Moving!

2009-08-26T20:43:00.004-06:00

No more climbing three flights of stairs. No more carrying groceries, Josiah, and a diaper bag across a parking lot to get "home". No more taking Josiah's car seat in and out of the car. We have a HOUSE. Most importantly, we have a garage where the car can hold Josiah's car seat without it becoming scorchingly hot. We have closets. We have a whole closet just for linens.

Linens!

Can you believe houses have closets for linens? Right now in our apartment Josiah doesn't even have a closet because his closet is filled with boxes of Adam and I's books from college that take up the whole thing. Having a closet just for linens seems like indulgence at it's finest. But I'll take it!

I have big plans of cooking big meals in a kitchen with 4 counters! I plan on filling all 4 counters up with different food dishes. Who would of thought you could cook different things on different counters!?

I really can't complain. We have loved our little apartment. So many things have happened here in this apartment. We went from renting a two bedroom apartment so we could have a guest room to turning our guest room into a baby room. We became parents here. It has been nice to be in a small place where the trek to Josiah's room at night wasn't very long. I have tripped over many things in this living room as I have sleepily tried to run into Josiah's room. Just last week when I was packing for vacation I hopped out of bed in my sleep as Josiah was screaming (he had a burp) and I ended up tripping over the suitcase that was on the floor and falling INSIDE of it. I screamed and Adam came running to find me sprawled in the suitcase! It is those moment I won't forget about this apartment.

We have outgrown this apartment, but just this week truly realized it as Josiah is crawling. He began officially crawling a few days ago and must feel cramped trying to navigate around the boxes. A while back I was writing about a short sale house that we put an offer on. It is a really long story but that house fell through. I was sad at first but God has given us an even BETTER house at exactly the right time. I am too tired to write more. Adam and I have been painting, packing, cleaning and trying to keep Josiah happy while not getting into the paint or cleaning supplies:).

I am off to bed to dream about all the first we are going to have in this house. Josiah is going to walk, run, poop in the potty, etc. We are so excited! We are moving ourselves (with the help of great friends) and will spend our first night at "home" Saturday. If any of you want to visit, we have a guest room and would LOVE to practice some hospitality!

Option 8

2009-08-13T17:48:00.002-06:00

This is option 8. This my best try at baby dreads. This one is dedicated to Daddy!

Happy Voting!

Hair Stylin

2009-08-13T10:08:00.005-06:00

option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

option 5

option 6

option 7

Everyone knows Josiah's hair is CRAZY! He was born that way. My sweet little baby was born with about two inches of hair that went EVERY direction. It has continued to grow and is always a topic for a good laugh. He rolls around like crazy when he sleeps and has lost most of his hair in the back. The result is that he has long hair on the top and sides of his head and then short hair in the back...poor baby. My Momma always asks me if I have brushed his hair. Yes, I brush Josiah's hair every day but it just doesn't matter. His hair goes in whatever direction it wants to. I know he needs a hair cut soon. Well, he has NEEDED a haircut since he was born but he will be getting one soon. I'm just not quite ready yet. In the mean time, vote for your favorite hairstyle! How many babies can wear different hair styles? This baby has so many crazy adorable options! Even though his hair is crazy, I wouldn't have it any other way! We love Josiah and his crazy head of hair!

Mommy Talk

2009-08-06T12:59:00.002-06:00

I must share a recent NORMAL conversation I had with good friend Kelly. This is what a lot of my conversations sound like. Until it was pointed out, I didn't think it was the slightest bit odd at all. (This is a synopsis and is not exactly word for word as my memory is not that good)

Me: Kelly, is Derek's poop firm and formed like real poo or is it still soft?
Kelly: It is firmer but not hard.
Me: Did it suddenly change when he started eating cereals or did it take longer?
Kelly: Oh it definitely changes with the fiber of cereal. But it should be a bit gooey. It shouldn't be hard and they shouldn't have to make all sorts of noises to get it out.
Me: Hmmm...ever since Josiah began eating cereal I have been thinking he is constipated. He stopped pooping every day and it is formed like a normal person's poop. I think it should be more liquid-like. He does make some crazy sounds when he poops too.
Kelly: It is okay if he poops every other day or every 48 hours
Me: Hmm...I guess it has been every other day but it was just a baby poo that is why I thought he was constipated. And it was very formed, almost like play dough. He used to poop a lot more. I have been giving him prunes for his constipation but maybe he isn't even constipated. Maybe his poop is just changing and I am wanting his poo to stay like his baby poo and he is growing into big boy poo and I don't' know how to handle it.
Kelly: Emily, his poop is going to change and become more and more firm, like nuggets...it is going to happen.

(Josiah then had diarrhea for several days after I thought he was constipated as a result of his prunes)

I always knew I was a talker and could go on and on about most anything but poop??? Really??? Nothing is off limits anymore:)

A Half A Year!

2009-08-02T17:15:00.005-06:00

Josiah is 6 months!
6 months!
I feel like that is so big! What am I going to do when he is 4, 8, or 10 YEARS old?
I don't know where the time has gone! I have to say I am enjoying this little blessing more and more each day. I love seeing his personality develop and getting to know him as a person with a unique personality more each day. He is getting happier and happier. My favorite attribute about him is that smile. When he smiles his big, toothless smile I think my heart really skips a beat. It just gets to me every time. If I were to describe his personality in one word it would be SWEET. He is just sweet, I don't know what else to say. He really has a gentle, sweet spirit and loves being loved. The words that would quickly follow sweet are crazy, wild, mobile, energetic, and restless. He has turned all boy! I have to be quick to get my momma snuggles in as he constantly just wants to MOVE. He can't crawl yet but he sure tries. When he is held he is constantly diving forward or backward (he wants to do a back bend) trying to move.

At six months these are Josiah's favorite things to do:

Rolling from the right or left to get wherever he wants
Flipping over backwards on the bobby when on the ground
Lifting up his play gym with his feet
Playing with his toes
Sitting up while holding himself on his hands
Attacking all his toys on his Baby Einstein
Laying on Momma and Daddy's bed and pushing pillows off his face with his feet
Laughing while being tickled
Being sang to
Doing the "airplane" with Mom or Dad
Nap time
Being read to
Putting any toy in him mouth and chewing on it
Drinking water from a real cup or just grabbing any cup he sees
Eating cereal, he can't get enough
Stealing the phone from Momma and putting it in his mouth

Josiah Eats Cereal!

2009-07-27T15:02:00.004-06:00

I am terribly sad. I had the CUTEST video of Josiah and his friend Rylea playing. Josiah kept grabbing Rylea's leg and Rylea kept patting Josiah on the head. She was flat out amazed with all his hair. Josiah was just amazed with Rylea. The sad story is the video seems to be gone. I can't find it anywhere on the computer. So in order to make this post not so sad, I leave you with Josiah' first time eating cereal.

Things I wish I Knew...

2009-07-23T11:39:00.002-06:00

Today is the first time Josiah has really fallen. It was a terrible feeling as a parent. I had him in my lap and was feeding him in his boppy. Adam called me and needed me to look up some important information regarding the house we are trying to buy. I moved the boppy next to me and set Josiah in it. I was lost in thought trying to remember the correct password with the correct letters/numbers in either upper or lower case. A few seconds went buy and FLIP Josiah was on the floor. He had flipped to his right over his boppy, did a 360 and landed on the carpet on his back. Our couch isn't that tall so he was okay. He was a little stunned but didn't cry and I quickly picked him up and snuggled him thanking God I hadn't killed this precious gift.

Well, later that day I was talking to my Dad. You just have to hear the conversation. Listen in, it went something like this.

(I explain Josiah's fall to my Dad)
Emily: Dad, did I ever fall off the couch when I was a baby?
Dad: Oh yea, you guys fell all the time.
Emily: Really? Were we okay? (Me thinking...oh that is what is wrong with me!)
Dad: Yea, you guys would just go BOOM on your head. It happened a lot. I would just tell you not to cry and you wouldn't. You were very compliant. You would go BOOM and I would say, "no cry" and you would just get up. You fell all the time. Really, on your head.

I think I laughed for a whole five minutes after this conversation. He made it sound so normal that I was always falling on my head and never crying. He also said he didn't tolerate crying...so I didn't. These are the stories a mom needs to know about before she has babies and freaks out at every ouchy. This explains so much about me you don't even know!

The Journey of Saying Goodbye...

2009-07-20T15:28:00.002-06:00

Recently in the Williams house we had to say goodbye to something very precious.
It was something that was near to us everywhere we went. It made night time easier and naps more peaceful. It was especially hard goodbye for Josiah. I didn't know if he would be able to bear saying goodbye. Yes, this precious thing I am speaking of is his beloved pacifier (may it rest in peace).

It is gone. All five of them actually were placed very lovingly in the trash can. I know you must be shaking your head in disgust. How can a loving mother take away such a precious item from a baby not even 6 months? I must say it was difficult. It was one of my first lessons in tough love and I just didn't know if I could be that tough. Josiah had a pacifier addiction. I affectionately called his pacifier Josiah's "drug". He absolutely could not fall asleep without it. I didn't mind him sleeping with it. He started maybe on his second day in the hospital. I never explained my milk problems after Josiah's birth but the bottom line is, I couldn't give Josiah enough milk. I didn't know this for a few days so he quickly attached himself to a pacifier for the relief of the sucking sensation. Poor baby was a crazy sucker as he wanted more food! Fortunately we figured this out rather quickly and he soon started formula, but the pacifier had stuck.

I was totally fine with it as it made him sleep (along with a down blanket in his crib). I was all about having this baby sleep through the night which he did at 8 weeks. All was well until we started realizing the pacifier was turning from a comfort item to an addiction. The pacifier would fall out in the night and Josiah was not able to go back to sleep without it. So I would come back and re-insert it into his mouth and he would be back to dreamland. This was okay occasionally but it began to happen more and more, sometimes every hour. At this point, we knew we had to take the pacifier away.

I was terrified! We decided to do it on a long weekend when Adam would be home more to help support. Well, it only took 3 days! The first 2 nights Josiah cried for about an hour in the middle of the night. I would go in about every 3 minutes and pick him up and pat him until he stopped crying and then lay him back down. I would do this until he fell asleep again. This was to reassure him that he was not alone and to make sure he didn't begin to fear his crib. By the third night he slept the whole night long!

He used to have to sleep on his side squished between two blankets as to not let the pacifier fall out easily. It was quite a production to get him in the right spot. Now he sleeps in all different positions his back, side, tummy,and end of bed etc. He is a much better sleeper now and is free to be a wiggle maniac.

To all you moms debating if you should do this. Just be strong and patient and it will happen!

In loving memory of the Josiah paci. You are no longer missed!

Happy Birthday Adam!

2009-07-02T21:36:00.003-06:00

Today twenty seven years ago Adam David Williams...AKA...my love was born! I am so glad he was born and so glad that he picked me to be his wife!

Adam, I love you. I can't wait to celebrate you everyday for many, many, many, many, many years to come. I can't wait until Josiah can say "Happy Birthday Daddy". I can't wait until grandchildren can say the same. I can't wait until we are that old couple with all of our kids gone, holding hands and still enjoying each other each day...each birthday. I'm excited to grow old with you and enjoy each moment...the trials and the joys. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I love you tomorrow and each day after.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

PS. You are HOT!

Daddy Hands

2009-06-20T16:49:00.003-06:00

Daddy Hands

The first time your fingers interlaced with mine I held my breath
And then talked really fast
Because, that is what I do
When your big fingers held that small ring in front of my face
I laughed
Because, that is what I do
I fell in love with you, all of you
But maybe your hands first
Those long fingers were strong but soft
They enveloped my hand and felt secure and safe
Warm but never sweaty
After all, that is a bit gross and not what you do
When I was in labor you caressed my face and said it would be okay
Because, that is what you do
You held Josiah and your large hands wrapped around him
Engulfing his tiny body
And shaked with love
Maybe a bit of fright
You made him feel safe, secure, and loved
Because, that is what you do
Now I watch him with you and your daddy hands constantly mean more
They mean playful tickles
Big laughs
They mean night time snuggles
Back scratches before bed
They mean firm pats
Relieving those painful burps
They mean safety and trust
Always catching
Always holding
Always protecting
Always loving

Happy First Fathers Day Adam
Josiah loves you just like I do!!

Josiah's Birth Story

2009-06-19T21:59:00.004-06:00

Midnight moonlight shining through the curtain lace
Paints a perfect picture on your perfect face
One sweet angel sleeping in my arms
You are the promise I knew God would keep
You are the gift that makes my world complete

And you'll never know how much I love you
But I'll keep on telling you my whole life through
Now I believe in miracles, and you're the reason why
So dream on while I sing you my angel's lullaby

-Reba Mcentire

Yes, Josiah is now 20 weeks old, but I just now finished his birth story. It is extremely long. I warn only read it if you want to know all the details of his birth. Also know birth can be a bit gross. You were warned, proceed with caution.

Well, it was a Thursday morning and I awoke around 8:30 AM. I was just laying in bed thinking about what things in the house I needed to clean that day when suddenly a liquid was running down my leg. I ran to the bathroom and realized my water broke. At least, I THOUGHT it was my water. It was a clear gush of liquid. I then called my mom. She told me my water broke and I was in labor! I then called Jenn Bacak, she said " your water broke, go to the hospital!". I think she was very shocked that I didn't see the need to go the hospital because I wasn't having contractions. One of the first things you learn in birthing class is when your water breaks, go to the hospital. I just had always imagined pain and contraction being associated with that so I was a little confused. So after calling the nurse and her saying, "go to the hospital!", I called Adam and told him we needed to go! So then I started packing. It is no surprise that I'm not a super organized person. I know you are supposed to have your bag pre-packed. I found this impossible. I knew what I was going to pack, it just wasn't done. The problem was I wanted to take my favorite pajama tops to the hospital, but I also wanted to wear them at home. Thus, I could not pack them until the last minute. My dear husband had already packed. This is typical, he is way more organized than me. I need to be more like him!

So we went to the hospital. This is when the story really started to get LONG. We were admitted to triage. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor and I found out although I couldn't feel them, I was having pretty consistent contractions...weird. We also found out that they test you to see if your water has actually broken. Well, they could pick up no amniotic fluid on me. But they said my story sounded true. We were in triage until four PM (without eating) while the Dr. was trying to decide if I was in labor. It was suggested that maybe I peed on myself and my water hadn't broken! I'm not saying this is impossible as I was getting up to pee every hour, but I KNEW I hadn't peed on myself! After so many hours of lying there though I was beginning to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe I just had a gush of clear other liquid. I didn't know what other liquids could gush out of my body but i knew SOMETHING had. I know how gross is that? I told you child birth is gross.

Well, finally, we were told indeed the Dr. "thinks" I'm in labor and I would be admitted to labor and deliver. I was also told I could have food. I was thrilled beyond belief. Unfortunately, right as my dear friend Melody was bringing me food, my orders were changed and I was on a all liquid diet...SAD moment in my life! I think I almost cried. I just didn't know how I could push out a baby and be that hungry. Melody literally had just gotten to the hospital with precious chik-fil-a. Adam went out of the room to eat his as to not taunt me. I'm not going to lie, I insisted he feed me a few fries! Well, turns out no baby was coming. My contractions got a little more steady and a little more uncomfortable but still NOT painful and then stopped around 10 PM. I was thinking surely labor was more painful than this. Around 11:30 we were eventually discharged but told we had to come back in the AM to check Josiah out again. At this point I just wanted FOOD and to not be hooked up to all these things. In triage Josiah's heart rate had dipped so they really wanted to watch him. Because of this, I was not allowed to walk around which was really uncomfortable. I was also hooked up to penicillin and an IV so I just wanted everything attached to me to be unhooked! My bed felt WONDERFUL that night and the subway sandwich Adam bought me was one of the best foods that had ever touched my lips!

Well, the test in the morning showed that my amniotic fluid was lower than the day before by one half. On one hand, I was worried that Josiah didn't have enough fluid, and on the other hand I was SO RELIEVED that I hadn't been crazy. My water had broke...or at least part of it leaked as I still had water, just less. It was then decided after seeing my Dr. that I would be induced that evening. I went home, we unplugged our phones, and I slept!

Friday evening Adam and I got packed up again this time knowing when we came home we would have our baby! This time I was sure to go the hospital with a full stomach as I knew I probably wouldn't be eating. Josiah was a big fan of Scholtsky's. When we got to my room I met Juan my nurse. He was such a gift from God. He was an amazing nurse who took wonderful care of me! He had been an OB in Columbia and moved here and became a nurse. You could really tell he knew what he was doing. He also really loves his patients. He did more than just take care of my physical needs he took care of Adam and I as a whole and really got to know us. God knew I need a people person nurse:). Again, things were delayed as my heart rate was too high and they had to stabilize it before I got pitosin. Once that was taken care of I got pitosin and my contractions got stronger and faster and yes, more painful. Meg, Kelly, and Ashley were all there to support me. It was our hope that I would birth Josiah before 7 AM as that is when my doctor's shift was over. Well, Josiah had other plans.

I had a long way to go as I was almost 100% effaced but only dilated to a 2! I hoped my strong contractions were making a difference. I stayed pretty much on the birthing ball with Adam behind me rubbing my lower back as I was having back labor until around 4 AM when I got an epidural. Can I tell you I love epidurals. I think they are one of God' greatest blessings! I went from extreme pain to taking a nap in the matter of 20 minutes it took the epidural to take affect. I know many moms are big advocates of the all natural birthing process. To those people, I offer my up most respect and I think they are a bit like a superhero, but I'm very comfortable being relaxed and pain free while in labor!The way I see it is, you can be in the most pain of your life and have your baby or you can be in almost no pain and have your baby. Being the baby that I am, pain free is great! I mean I already carried this human in my body for 40 weeks, that is superhero enough for me:).

By the time our Dr. and dear nurse Juan left at 7 I had only progressed to 4 cm. My doctor told me it would probably be about another 6 hours. This was longer than I thought, but at least he was coming. Well, at four when I was checked again I was ready to hear that I was almost a ten, but no I was still at a four. This was weird as I was having hard (painless) contraction every three minutes and had for a long time. Two hours later when they checked me again and I still hadn't progressed they also found out that Josiah's head was swollen as he was getting rammed into my pelvic bone. Either because of his size or position, he couldn't get past my pelvic bone but the contractions were still hard so they were pushing him into it. It was then we decided I needed a c-section.

In birthing classes I closed my eyes during the c-section part of the birthing videos we watched. I figured that part didn't apply to me. You see that is not what I was PLANNING. Well, I learned my lesson and will always have an open mind when it comes to giving birth. I definitely don't have control! The news of the c-section made me scared and a bit disappointed that I couldn't give birth "naturally", but at that point, my labor had been so long I just wanted to hold my baby and know he was okay.

My friends and Adam were such a support leading up to my c-section. Also to my delight, nurse Juan came back on duty at 7 PM which was right when I was getting prepped for surgery. He actually came right around the time my first epidural was wearing off. To suddenly feel labor pains after being in labor for almost 24 hours is a HORRIBLE pain. Juan was quick to give me another epidural but it still took another 15-20 minutes to take affect...that was not exciting to say the least. Then they took me back for surgery. The hardest thing for me was to stay awake. My body had been in so much stress and then with the extra anesthesia for surgery, I was FIGHTING to keep my eyes open. I wanted to remember everything but my body was just trying to tell me to sleep. The surgery was not painful. I could feel my body moving and could feel intense pressure but no pain...thank the Lord. Adam stayed right by my head and talked to me the whole time. He even helped catch my throw up when I had to throw up in the middle of surgery. He must love me:). He was able to look up right in time to see little Josiah be taken out. I remember hearing Josiah's cry and it was the best sound that ever hit my ears. I kept asking if he was healthy and what he looked like. Adam just said, "He has a lot of hair." Adam was able to watch as they cleaned Josiah up and stretched his legs in all directions to make sure he was healthy. Then Adam brought him to my face and said this is our son. I was SHOCKED with how much he looked just like his daddy. He was born 7 lb. and 9 oz. and was as perfect as he could be, well, besides his cone head. Because his head was getting squeezed by my pelvic bone it was a little misshapen but it went back to normal and he now has a perfect little head:).

That is the terribly long story of Josiah David Williams, the sweet baby that would not come:).

Warms My Heart

2009-06-17T11:17:00.005-06:00

This is from a while ago when Josiah first started laughing. It is just the sweetest thing in the world, but I'm not bias or anything. I just now downloaded it and had to share!

Friends, Family, and travel!

2009-06-01T13:24:00.003-06:00

I'm sure some you doubted, but Team Williams is still alive and well! We have been extremely busy lately with a trip to College Station and Houston, a visit from Aunt Dani, and all the busyness that comes with the beginning of summer. Adam had to go to College Station with work and it just worked out perfectly that Josiah and I were able to come along. We got to celebrate Mothers Day with both Grammy Rose and Grandma Nancy on different days. It was a fast trip but it was so fun to see so many missed faces! Our apologies to all those we didn't get to see. The trip was just too fast to see everyone and we hate that we missed some precious friends! Josiah loved all the hugs, kisses, and love he received from everyone he got to see. He did really well traveling and we were very proud of him. Grandma Rose had a fun time spoiling him while we stayed with her in College Station during the week. We even got to make it to Tia Sarah's nursing school graduation over the weekend we were in Houston! We are so proud of you Sarah!

Well, since a picture is worth a thousand words I will leave ya'll with a slide show of our busy month!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Kicking and Screaming

2009-04-30T12:41:00.003-06:00

The time right now is 12:42.

Josiah David Williams went down for his nap at 10:40.

He has not slept longer than fifteen minutest straight without waking up crying, screaming, and kicking.

The reason? His pacifier.

He LOVES his pacifier. If it falls out of his mouth while falling asleep he wakes up whaling. It is normally an easy fix of sticking his pacifier back in and he is back to dreamland. Today it just has been a bad nap time. He is overtired so instead of an "easy" fix it has meant me coming into his room picking his screaming, kicking body up and rocking him for a few minutes until he is back to being relaxed baby. I lay him back in his crib and he'll usually sleep for another six minutes and then the process begins again. I have to say this is not Josiah's norm. He normally is a great napper and takes at least two, two-ish hour naps a day and sleeps eight hours a night. But he is just a baby, and he has his days when sleeping is just really hard and today is one of them.

Today when I went into his room for the fourth time I was reminded of how many times I act like Josiah. You see Josiah's problem is not his pacifier it is his actions. He will will jolt his head from side to side forcing his pacifier out of his mouth or sometimes he will take his hand and jerk it over his mouth which pushes his pacifier out. The result is a very upset baby. I came into Josiah's room and with one look realized he was already too distressed for a simple putting his pacifier back in his mouth to work. He needed his momma to help him calm himself. I picked up his little body and his cute little thighs that I love were kicking like mad. His sweet little mouth that can make the most adorable smiles and sounds was contorted in a downright ugly manner. I put him to my shoulder and kissed him and told him to just not push his pacifier out of his mouth and he wouldn't be mad. I rocked him and held him and he slowly calmed down to to be a peaceful sleepy baby. I couldn't help but think how many times do I do that with God?

How many times do I insist that my ways are the best. When they don't work I kick my legs and scream and holler in my exhaustion of doing things on my own. How many times does God have to pick me up, hold my arms down so I don't hit myself in the head, and rock me and calm me with His truth? I was was reminded of God' patience with me as I put my sleeping baby back in his crib and started the process again six minutes later. How stubborn am I sometimes? I keep thinking if this baby would just stop knocking his pacifier out of his mouth and sleep like his body wants and needs to, he won't be distressed. How many times would I miss out on my distress if I accepted God' truth and consistently lived it?

Ouch!

I'm learning patience.

I'm learning I can cry and whine like a little baby.

I can be so foolish.

But my God is so faithful. He is so loving. He is so consistent to pick me up and calm me down. Sometimes I mess up as often as Josiah wakes up.

Ouch!