It's the little things that mean the most...

Since I am nursing Hollis, Scott can't really help much with feeding so he has been getting up with Clayton in the morning while the baby and I sleep in. Well, Clayton knows mommy is in the bedroom, so it is all Scott can do to keep him busy and not knocking on the door. This morning he came to my door knocking and called out, "Hello, mama?!" Then he lays on the floor and does it again calling through the crack at the bottom of the door, "Hello, mama!?" I couldn't resist, nor can I ever, so I get up and open the door...with a giant grin on his face he says with enthusiasm, "Hi!" I pick him up and he lays his head on my shoulder and I feel a little hand patting my back. It was the sweetest moment...I love my baby boy, and I am pretty sure he is pretty fond of me too ;)

Sneaking In Some Family Fun...

I am a little behind on this post, but better late than never. Scott, Clayton, and I took advantage of those few beautiful weekends before the weather got cold. We had a few days that were perfectly sunny days, cool but not too cool and we made the most of them. We had an outing to the park and the zoo. Clayton thoroughly enjoyed both. I hung in there like a trooper, being one week before Hollis arrived! I love the days we can spend together as a family!

First Bath!

Hollis had his first bath at home last night, and he wasn't too fond of it! It is so hard in the beginning when you can submerge them, you know it has to be so cold no matter how warm you try to keep them. Clayton hated the bath until we could fully put him into the water and he has loved them ever since. I am hoping Hollis will love his baths just as much. Despite him not liking it, we got some adorable pictures and video. He had those eyes open wide!

First Few Days at Home...

Here are some precious moments we have captured from the first few days at home...

Brotherly Love

Just arrived home!

Mommy has room for both babies :)

Chillin' in Hollis' pumpkin seat

It's rough being a big brother

A lot to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!

What could be better than a beautiful healthy baby boy just in time for Thanksgiving?! We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Our beautiful son Hollis was born on November 21st just in time to be home for the Holidays. We have our beautiful healthy son Clayton and loads of wonderful family and friends to love. We are so blessed, and I try to not let a day go by without thanking God for all of the the blessings in my life both big and small. My dad was always so thankful for the small things in life, and I am trying to continue his philosophy. Even in his sickest times, driving to dialysis at 5 am, knowing he was going to sit in a chair for 4 hours and not feel well afterward, still recuperating from chemo treatments....his first words would be something about how beautiful the sunrise was and what a beautiful day it was going to be. Wow, if only we could all be more like him and be thankful not only for the biggest blessing in our lives, but the many beautiful blessings God gives us everyday. This Thanksgiving, since Hollis was so new, we spent our first Thanksgiving as a family of four quietly at home counting our blessings, especially our healthy baby boys who bring an overwhelming amount of joy and love to our lives.

Meeting Baby Brother Hollis...

Family of Four! (Notice he is holding his big brother gift...and hasn't let go since!)
Clayton liked mommy's new cup!

Happy to be back with Mommy!

This moment was much anticipated for me, and I had a lot of excitement, anxiety, and just worry about how Clayton would receive his little brother. He is still so young, at 22 months, so we explained and prepared him as much as we possibly could, but you never know! We had a gift ready for Clayton from his little brother...a Mater shake and go truck, and a Mater movie! Mater just happens to be his favorite character from Cars. I was anxious to see Clayton since I rarely leave him and I didn't realize when I went in that I was in labor and I wouldn't be home for several days. I was so happy to see him, and for him to meet his brother. I think the whole hospital setting was a little overwhelming for him with all the people and not being use to being away from us. He really wasn't interested in anyone but mommy and daddy at the hospital, and we didn't want to push things on him but rather let him discover our new addition on his own. Once we got home, things were much different, he showed an interest in Hollis and says, "baby" when pointing to him and things that belong to him. My mom worked on saying Hollis and talked a lot about him with Clayton while we were in the hospital which I think helped. He is adjusting better than I expected, and I am so happy to be home with both of my babies!!!

Hollis Elliot Mullins 11-21-10

We are excited beyond belief to announce the birth of our second son, Hollis Elliot Mullins...born November 21st at 6:10 am, weighing 7lbs 10oz, length 19 1/2 inches long.

Here is the story...
I had planned a long awaited lunch/movie date with some of my good friends from Owensboro that I don't get to see often. We actually kept joking that I couldn't go into labor until at least Saturday night so that we could have our date. I woke up not feeling well Saturday morning, but figured it was just simply that I was 38 weeks pregnant to the day. So off to lunch I go, then to see the movie Due Date, yes that is right...Due Date! I am starting to feel really sweaty and clammy in the movies and getting really sick to my stomach, so I quietly get up go to the bathroom, barely make it to a stall before I start getting sick. I texted my friends that I was in the bathroom getting sick and needed to leave. I went home continued to get sick and layed down for a few hours. Still not feeling well, I have Scott take me to the hospital thinking I just had the flu and needed fluids. Well, turns out I was in labor! I was 3 cm dilated, 75% thinned and after consulting with the Dr. on call, they decided this was the real deal and they were admitting me. Dr. Ramsey was not on call that evening, so that worried me a little at first, but we ended up having Dr. Mann and he was wonderful, and honestly as long as my baby is healthy and taken care of...that is all that matters. So, since we didn't know the gender of baby and Dr. Ramsey was the only one that knew...literally no one knew which made for a really exciting room! After laboring all night, Hollis Elliot was born at 6:10 am...an absolutely amazing moment, just as amazing as the first time. It is unbelievable how much love overwhelms you the moment that baby is placed into your arms...as if he has always been in our lives, and was always meant to be. Daddy and I cried tears of joy over this beautiful, perfect, baby boy of ours. The same overwhelming joy we felt the day we had Clayton came all over again. What an amazing day!!! So thankful and honored that God chose us to be Hollis' parents. He has already brought so much joy to our lives...the best is yet to come! We are now a family of four!

22 months old...here is a look at month 21!!!

Seriously...I feel like every time I turn around he is another month older...how does time go so fast?



Here are some highlights from month 21:


*When he falls down or gets hurt...he says "you okay?", I guess we have said that enough that now he says it for us



*Still in love with all things Toy Story...goes around saying "reach for the sky"...of course it isn't that clear, but he lifts Woody up and says it in his version



*We gave him a whole apple, and he loved it...so now he only wants to eat apples this way...no cutting it up!



*Loves to wrestle with Daddy!



*Any time he sees a car now he says "mmm, mmm, ca-chow" like in the cars movie



*He is getting really excited about Santa...seeing all of the Christmas items around



*Has mastered climbing up and going back down the stairs since his room is upstairs now



*Loves having a toy room, and is really good about playing independently



*He loves animals as I have said before and knows many animals and the sounds they make...even dolphins. We recently taught him to wiggle his nose for a bunny and it is the cutest thing!



*Will lift up my shirt and say baby and give my belly kisses...he is going to be such a good big brother!



*Still loves lining up his trucks...he loves to get things lined up and in order

*Putting multiple word phrases together more often

*Can follow multiple step directions

*Definitely has his own mind...stubborn like his mommy ;)

*So much more, but these are some of the many highlights...he amazes us daily!