9 Weeks of Fun!!

Friday marked 9 whole weeks since the world was blessed with Malachi Allen and he's starting to be SO much fun! Thomas and I stayed home with him last Tuesday and we had a blast with him all day! He was talking and kicking and smiling! Parenthood was fun up until now, but now that he's starting to interact with us we are REALLY having a good time. He's not just smiling because of gas anymore, he's actually showing us that he's happy! He even rolled up into a little ball last night and giggled when Thomas was playing with him! It's SO special!

Saturday, we went for his 2 month checkup and it went GREAT! He weighs a whopping 10lbs 7 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long! He is in the 25th percentile for both height and weight and the Dr. is THRILLED!! We saw his growth chart, in comparison to the "average" growth chart on Saturday and it was really cool. The normal growth chart is a very nice "bell shape" and Malachi's line is going STRAIGHT UP!! YEA Malachi! He also got a shot and an oral vaccine and didn't even cry! He whimpered a little bit, but that was it!! He's such a big boy!

On a different note, we have a friend who has twin girls age 2 and a little boy who is just over a year old. One of his twins, Camryn, has just been diagnosed with leukemia and is receiving chemo as we speak. Please pray for the Smith family as they are going through a REALLY hard time right now. I can't imagine seeing your baby in pain and not being able to do anything to help him/her! Please pray for Marcus, Julie, Camryn, Olivia and Noah.

Our First Vacation

OUR FIRST FAMILY VACATION!!!

The Allen Family went on their first official vacation over the 4th of July holiday. We packed our bags (and about 3/4 of Malachi's room) and headed north to Colorado Springs, on Thursday afternoon around 3:00. What a shock it was to our system trying to pack for a newborn. You never know how many outfits you're going to need, you never know how many diapers you're going to need, you know he'll need long and short sleeved outfits, but how many blankets do you pack? So, in true form, we WAY overpacked. We were going to the mountains, after all, shouldn't we take long sleeved? But then, what if he gets hot? I guess we better take short sleeved to. But then, what happens if he spits up, or, closer to Malachi's heart, what if he has a "blow out?" And that's not even getting into packing all of his cute outfits, because, after all, he does have to be the cutest baby anybody's ever seen when you're showing him off. So, you pack your favorite outfits for him, after they're ironed and creased and he's gonna look SO adorable. Then, of course, there's the matching socks and shoes, and no outfit would be complete without the matching bib, burp cloth and blanket. I know, it totally sounds like I'm raising a sissy. But, I can't accessorize with panties and bows, so I've got to figure out some other way! Then, there's the stroller, his music maker so he can sleep well, and, of course, LOTS of pictures once you're there!

Here's Malachi sleeping away at the zoo!

I just thought this was cute!

But, after all is said and done, it was such a blast having our baby there with us!! He was, as you might expect, the talk of the town. haha We're not partial or anything.

Last but not least, here are a couple of videos of Malachi playing the other night! He's getting so big, we can't believe it!!!

Finally, Congratulations to Jennie and Jordan on the arrival of THEIR new bundle of joy, Elliot Grace! We can't wait to meet her! The Allens, Jacksons and all their extended family have been SO BLESSED this year! Thank you Lord for allowing these two precious angels into our lives!

How do I Love Thee?

This post is dedicated to my incredible husband. Yes, I've mentioned on and off throughout my blogs how great he is, but I've never taken the time to tell him how much I love and adore him.

Thomas, the last 10 years have been the happiest of my life. Who would've thought that 10 years ago this October, we would have been starting our life together? I never imagined that the cute boy I've had a crush on since 7th grade would one day be my husband and the father of our precious little boy. Everytime I look at Malachi, I see you. Not just in the specific features that you share, but in his eyes. This morning before I left the house, I told you that I am SO in love with him. And now it has hit me why. It's because I'm so in love with you and he IS you! It's so fun to watch you with him and it makes me love you both so much more everytime I see that. You are doing an incredible job! From getting him ready every morning to taking over for me sometimes at night, you take such good care of him. You're so gentle and loving with him that I know HE knows you're HIS daddy and NOTHING will ever change that! I so hate it that we didn't meet and fall in love when we were 5. I hate that we missed that time together! I knew when I met you what a special heart you had and over the years, you have proven that OVER AND OVER to me! Our life now revolves around a whole new little person and what an experience it has been so far! Through it, I think we've learned to love each other in a WHOLE NEW WAY!! I have a new respect for you as a man and I have a whole new love for you as a husband! You are an incredible husband, father, son, brother and uncle! How blessed this world is to have Thomas Allen in it!

I love you honey. Thank you for my son, thank you for my life!!