God Gave Me A Son

I came across a blog this today. It's everything I love about being a boy mom and more. 

God gave me a son.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to shop for pink dresses, and oversized bows. To have tea parties or baby dolls scattered across the house. To feel the responsibility of raising a strong woman, in a world that sometimes feels built for men.

But, God gave me a son.

So I fold tiny superhero underwear and give daily reminders about putting the toilet seats down. There are trucks and tractors packed into every crevice of our home. Giggles when the slightest noise sounds like a toot, and moments where spontaneous wrestling matches break out, pretty much anywhere.

Yes, God gave me a son.

A son to teach empathy, kindness, and love to. A son to remind that the dishes, and the laundry, and the cooking and the cleaning are not just for a woman to do, but for a man as well. A son to snuggle, so they know embrace is more than just something physical, and one sided—there is an emotional power that comes with touch. A son that I can remind to be vulnerable because it’s one of the bravest things you can be. A son to be husband and father—ones who don’t walk away or quit when it gets hard. A son to be a man, to be respectful, responsible, and encouraging, no matter your race, gender, or beliefs.

That’s why God gave me a son.

Not because he needed me, but because I needed him. To remind me that a son need a mother’s strength, a woman’s love—because I will always be his first example of how treat a lady. I believe few things in life are more powerful than that.

God gave me a son, and if he ever gave me another, now I know why.

Find this blog here and more here: 

https://herviewfromhome.com/category/kids/motherhood/

Declan at 12 Months

Declan: TWELVE Months!!

• You weight 18 pounds
• You wear size 3 diapers and 6-9 month paints and 9-12 month shirts
• You sleep from 6:30/7pm to 6:30/7am. So from whenever we put you down you still sleep about 12 hours. 
• You have another tooth coming in on your top right so you've needed some extra love on some nights.
• You have to have food that you can pick up. So we keep shredded chicken here at the house and if we go out to eat then we keep puffs with us. 
• You still love your bottle. You freak out and start kicking when you see it. 
• You love people. You stare at people you don't know and will stare at them until they talk to you.
• You love bath time! You still stay in there and play with your bath toys forever.
• You can stand by yourself for a few seconds then you realize you're not holding on to anything and then fall down. 
• You can say "mama"  "dada" "uh oh" "wooooooo" "Dec"
• You love sleep and you love naps! Most days at the nanny's house you take 2-3 hour naps!
• When I tell you no you have started getting really upset and put out your bottom lip and then a few tears come out. It's so sad that I just want to pick you up and hold you.
• You went to your first basketball game, red and white game, on November 1st! You hardly took your eyes off the players!!
• You had your last first holiday, Halloween. You were a NBA basketball player with tattoos. We even dressed up as refs! Everyone thought you were adorable with your tats and basketball!
• First Arkansas Razorback Basketball game, November 1. 
• We just found our you cousin J was born a few hours ago!!

Wow. I can't believe it. You're ONE! I still can't remember what we did before you (besides sleeping a lot more). You are so lovable and love everyone and anyone that will give you attention! You are so ticklish and have the best laugh when you get tickled. You still love your toys and take them all over the house. You still love food and pretty much eat everything in sight. You've started saying 'YUMMMM' after eating stuff you really like. It's adorable. 

Declan you are the light of our lives and so I am so glad that you came in our lives one year ago today. 

{12 MONTHS}

{shopping with me makes you sleepy}

{corn maze, petting zoo, and pumpkin patch}

{halloween 2015 - nba basketball player}

{first razorback basketball game}

{so close to walking without help!}

{one year pictures}

{photos by Jen L. Davis}

{again with the one sock and shoe off}

{first hair cut on your first birthday}

{first birthday dinner with family}

Happy 1 YEAR Birthday Baby Boy!

I'll love you forever

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be.

xoxo
ac

Declan at 11 Months

Declan: Eleven Months

• You weigh 17.5 pounds
• You are wearing 9-12 month shirts and 6 month pants and you have tiny feet size 2 or 6-9 months!
• You sleep anywhere from 6/630pm-6:15/630am, and 1 nap (11:00 to 2:00)
• You are still crawling and standing with help and will walk along the couch or with your little walker or in your walker. It's so cute to see your chubby little legs up and walking!
• Your favorite toys are still your colored shapes and dino bounce ball.. but really you love all your toys equally.
•  You love daddy's computer and will try and 'type' on it all the time when we aren't looking....
• Your 5th tooth came in a few weeks ago, 3rd for the bottom!
• If we lay you down and you're not ready to go right to sleep you like to bang your paci's on the back of your crib and throw them over the railing and then cry until we come back and give them to you.
• Your favorite foods are chicken, baby puffs, yogurt, avocado and sweet potato.... however you love all food but you don't like raspberries! 
• You can call the hogs and its so adorable!
• You still love your bottle and freak out when you see one.
• You like to watch anything that is on TV. You still like the intro to Friends and Orange Is The New Black... (good thing you can't tell what is going on during that tv show!)
• You love the TV remote and look for it until you find it!
• When you get sleepy you rub your eyes and bang your head into where ever you are at...  my shoulder, the floor, the couch cushions, really wherever you are at. 
• You've been sick again this weekend, and daddy and I have been too. So glad we are all almost over it!
• Since it's fall we have started putting socks and shoes on you and you take them off and then eat them... every single time!! (see pic below)
• We have started putting long sleeve shirts on you when it's a little cooler and you try and take the sleeve part off. Its pretty amusing!
• We went to Little Gym this weekend and you loved it like the first time but I think even more because you got to do more things this time!! We hope to do this once a month until you're older and then we will take you more!
• You slept 16 HOURS one night..... I didn't know what to do with myself after a few hours of being up so I woke you up! 

Declan I can't believe you are 11 months!! ELEVEN MONTHS!!! It feels like last week we were just finding out we were pregnant with you and now your 1 month from a year. It has been a long but very short 11 months and I can't remember what we ever did without you! Your little face lights up when I come to pick you up at Mrs. B's house. Your little squeals are adorable and 'calling the hogs' makes this mama so proud!  You my dear Declan James can't get any cuter, sweeter, lovable but I'm sure you will find a way. 

{september 13 - first grandparents day}

{being adorable}

{go cardinals}

{2nd tailgating event was a blast}

{you can call hogs}

{swinging makes you happy and sleepy}

{so cute in your bowtie}

{after 16 hours of sleep made you a happy baby}

{can't keep socks and shoes on you}

{our 6 year wedding anniversary october 3rd}

{you love dogs}

{little gym}

{sippin' on pedialyte and watching friends}

Happy 11 Month Birthday Baby Boy!

I'll love you forever

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be.

xoxo
ac

Declan at 10 Months

Declan: Ten Months

• You weigh 17 pounds!
• You are wearing 6-9 month shirts/ Finally are in 6 month paints.
• You've finally moved up to size 3 diapers!
• You sleep from 6:30/7pm-5:30am/6:30am (11 to 12 hours) and the weekends we try and keep you up a little bit later jus so we can sleep a little bit longer! 
• You have been taking 1 really long nap 3 hours right in the middle of the day and then a cat nap from 4-5pm.
• Your favorite toy right now is your new toy your Gigi got you. Go Poppity-Pop Musical Dino. you LOVE it!
• You still crawl everywhere and will stand as long as you can hang on to something. 
• You have 2 bottom teeth and your top 2 teeth have finally came in!   
• You've started eating some big people food. You love chicken, sweet potato fries, shredded cheese and hamburger. You still love your yogurt.
• You still say, "mama mamma" "lalalalala" and now "Dadadadadda" a few times!
• You still love the introduction of the TV show Friends. 
• You had your first real cold/sickness this past month. Running a small fever, sneezing, coughing, hardly ever smiled. About a week later you finally started feeling better. 
• You went to your 3rd Naturals game this month. You did great even though thats the day when you started feeling bad. We got to ride the train you loved it and looked everywhere! 
• We took you the your first tailgating event Saturday September 5! You did great even though it was early and hot!
• You went to your first concert on your 10 month birthday! You got to see LoneStar when we went SDC. You were more interested in watching everyone walking around and seeing wear they were going. 

Declan you are such a great baby! I don't know if we could ever have another baby after you because you are so easy! Even when you were sick for a week you were still a really good baby. You just wanted your momma a little more. You love all your toys and will keep yourself busy playing if we need to do house work. You love food more than anyone I know. We have started to shred up chicken and hamburger so you can pick it up and eat it and you are happy and we can eat our food! Your always smiling and now squealing, all the time. It's so adorable.  I can't say this enough, we love you to the moon and back Declan. I can't wait to see what month 11 holds for you!!

{TEN MONTHS}

{playing with your new toy}

{love looking outside}

{train ride at the ballpark}

{crazy hair}

{wooooo pig}

{so grown up with those socks and shoes on}

{figuring out how to walk in your walker}

{you love hamburger}

Happy 10 Month Birthday Baby Boy!

I'll love you forever

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be.

xoxo
ac