This time last year...Kal-el in 4D!

Last January was a very special time in my pregnancy. It marks the month that I got to see my baby's features for the very first time via 4D ultrasound. Technology amazes me. Funny thing is by the time my little one is grown this method will probably be totally archaic and some new found technology that we cant even fathom  will be in effect but for now this is the neatest thing ever :) I eyeballed 4D pictures online for months before my  scheduled appointment. I loved to see all the pre and after birth pictures to see how close the 4D resembled the baby after birth. Some of them were just so clear and this of course made me so very excited to see Kal-el. I kept wanting to bump my appointment ahead so I could see him sooner but I forced myself to wait so I would have better pictures of him. Just when I thought the day would never arrive it finally came and Chris and I were headed as fast as we safely could to the OBGYN to see our baby boy. Mimsy and Aunt Shane meet us there as well. We were all so excited. I was a complete spaz! There was only one other woman with a large bump in the frount ahead of us so not much waiting thank goodness. When they called my name I had to force myself not to sprint haha they would not have been a pretty or safe sight! We were all cramped and huddled in a little room staring at my gargantous belly and praying that Kal-el would pose like Mommy...well maybe not exactly like Mommy...lol We held our breath in anticipation for the first glance. When munckin came into view you could clearly see a sweet little hand over his face...Everyone let out a series of "awwwwwww's" He played coy for most of his photoshoot and kept his little hands stubbornly blocking his face. She tried to gently coax him to move by pressing on different places on my tummy. Well this child has his Daddy's stubborn gene and he wasnt budgeing. After several efforts in vain she brought out the little but very loud bell they clang against your tummy. Its amazing how God's little gifts can react to such a big world on the outside all while still being insideyour tummy. Its such a surreal thing you cant begin to fathom it until you have experienced it. The bell did the trick long enough for Mommy, Daddy, Grandmothers, and Aunts to see the most adorable baby in the whole world (yes we are biased) and here are the pictures to prove it!

                                   My favorite! He still sleeps with that little hand pulled up sometimes

Grouchy face b/c of the mean bell :)

Looks like Mommy in this one!

No Bite Super..no bite :D

Ouch! Kal-el has a new interesting habit that we have to work on breaking. He bites us. lol Not out of frustrastion or aggression but his other teeth are popping up everywhere..I'm sure he has a mouth full now and the biting sensation feels good. So he practices on our shoulders when we pick him up. This of course HURTS. If we cry out in agony he laughs b/c he thinks we have just played a game. He's so cute but we have to stop this! It's a safety issue to b/c your first instinct is to release whats hurting you and I'm afraid this may startle another person into dropping him and of course I care if there are injured shoulders running around lol So we have been pulling out the good ol' behavioral therpy and simply putting him down (which he isnt fond of) and simply saying "no bite". I think we will have a recovering bitter in a matter of days if not I'll be passing around alot of shoulder pads! :)

Princess Kitana watches Super take his first steps!

What good could possibly come out of being home from work for two days with an absolutely horrendous tummy virus you ask? Well for the most part it was terrible b/c I was home with my sweet baby but didnt get to spend quality time with him b/c I was too weak to even leave the sofa. Not only that I had to wear one of those dang masks so I couldnt pass this gross bug to family making me bear a striking ressembalence to princess Kitana from Mortal Combat. "Get over here"  lol. If you get this reference I heart you! Believe it or not there was actually something wonderful that I got to experience during this time. Chris got home from work and started playing with Kal-el . I enjoy watching them so much so I gathered all my strength to sit up on the couch so I could feel like I was part of the living lol. Thats when it happend Kal-el was crusing along the couch in his new Jordan's and Chris held out his arms for him. Thats when our sweet man took his first three steps just shy of 10 months old! Mommy is sooo proud of you! It amazes me how brave he is. His little falls scare me much more than they do him. He gets right back up and goes at it again! So I'm very happy that God chooses to work in mysterious ways b/c while I would never ever choose to have a virus if I hadnt of had one I wouldnt of got to witness one of the most special milestones in my little boy's life. First steps!

Kal-el's First J's

Who is fly? Who is the baby with the most swagga? Umm that would be Kal-el in his very first pair of Jordans. :) Lock up your toddlers!

Bailey, Beth, and Bridge Street

Saturday was a busy day for us. We scheduled Kal-el's 9 month pictures that morning at 10am. My friend Bailey, who lives in Decatur, has been taking his pictures ever since he was born. Its really funny to watch Chris and I on road trips. Even though Decatur is only an hour away our methods for getting there were totally different. Chris plugs everything into his nice little phone and lets it lead the way. I am very old school and actually Mapquested the directions and printed them off and of couse got made fun of.We were really looking forward to getting some awesome shots b/c Bailey has always captured him perfectly. Kal-el was in a great mood for shooting but he was in a new place and eager to see everything. In the past we had always done our shooting outside but the cold weather prevented it this time. I knew we would be in for some exhaustion with little guy when we arrived and it was just a background and him! I was thinking oh boy there is no way he is going to stand still on a piece of paper and not move! We will all have to plan better next time if we are going to get the shots we want. Looking back I wish we would of brought his little red wagon at least we could of sit him up in it! I'm was really hopeing to get some standing shots of him since he does it so well now! I'm anxious to see the pics hopefully we got some great shots in spite of everything. After we wrapped up the shoot we starting making our way to a shopping center by the name of Bridge Street in Huntsville to meet up with my good friend Beth. She and I go way back. We have been friends ever since high school and have made some really fun filled memories together. I was glad that Chris and I finally got to meet her boyfriend Jason. I had heard so many nice things about him. Mimsy came along with us and Zac, Jason's cute little boy was there with he and Beth. It made for a really nice family get together. Bridge Street is really neat but so much better in the summer time since its pretty much all out doors. During summer they have gondola rides in the area beneth the shopping center. Its a great little get away close to home. As soon as we arrived we realised that we didnt pack a jacket for Super. So Mimsy suggested we stop in a store and pick him one up. She found a precious superman zip up hoody and the size that fit my big little boy was suprisingly a 3T! After layering Super up we met Beth, Jason, and Zac at Red Robin to fill up on yummy burgers. Kal-el dined on french fries. We managed to save room for dessert and walked over to Molly Moo's for ice cream afterwards. I love cotton candy ice cream but I'm apparently the only adult who does. Also unbenounced to me that particular ice cream turns your entire face blue so for the next half hour I am ridiculed and called a smurf lol it was so good I didnt care! We walked around some more and took Chris by the theater . I really want us to come back and watch a feature but we had little people and were running short on time. We made one last stop on our way back home. Beth and Jason invited us to stop by their place. They have a lovely home and we enjoyed the rest of our visit. I really do wish Aunt Beth lived closer but I am totally fine with making frequent trips to the Huntsville area!

Update on the 6 ft rule!

Prayers were definitely answered this morning as all went well with Poppa's surgery. We were even blessed with additional unexpected good news! Dr . Holcome informed the family that the six foot distance was over kill and the only precaution he wanted Poppa to take was simply not holding Kal-el in his lap. Which means they can sit as close to each other as they like! We couldnt be happier. Today is a good day :)

Poppa's Seeds

Back a few months ago Poppa discovered that his TSA was too high and he was having prostrate issues that needed to be addressed. Initally he was given light rounds of radiation to try and shrink the prostrate so a more effect method known as Radioactive Seeds could be implanted. He has done really well with all of this so we really anticapate the same results for this last phase of the process. With all of this wonderful news there is a downside. The seeds are of course radioactive hense their name and they are emmited from the body in traceable amounts making it dangerous for prolonged exposure esp if you are an infant or an expecting Mommy (which I'm not lol) BUT Kal-el certainly falls under the infant category. We have been given pretty specific instructions on the do's and don'ts of exposure and it is much more strict than what we initially believed. Poppa and Kal-el have to stay at least 6 ft from one another for a 2 month duration. Talk about a heartbreaking challenge! It's going to be equally hard on both of them b/c Poppa loves his Kal-el and Kal-el loves his Poppa! Six feet may not sound like alot to some people but when you have a close knit family the way all of us are you understand the frustration that comes with a request as this. On a postive note he will still get to look at him, be in the same room as him and interact in other ways and hopefully this time will pass fairly quickly for both of them. His surgery is Friday so they are spending as much time together as they possibly can these few days before. I 'm so grateful that by the time Kal-el's 1st Birthday celebration arrives in March that there will no longer be any restrictions, making this day even more special. I love you Poppa and I know everything will go well Friday! Kal-el and I will be counting down the days with you :)