Erin Akin Carroll

when our first baby grew up right before our eyes

Filed Under: Baby, Faith

Aug32012

*My blog friend, Kendall, just had her second baby girl last week, and she asked me to write a guest post for her blog while she’s enjoying her sweet newborn time. I “met” Kendall when she left a comment on my blog and then a little while later I blogged about Tracy Turpen’s wedding photography contest. Kendall entered the contest and won! Tracy captured Kendall’s beautiful family so perfectly on Kendall’s wedding day. Kendall’s story is one of faith and complete trust in God. After Kendall won the contest, she and I bonded over our love and appreciation for Tracy Turpen. And now we both miss Tracy and her talent terribly.

I am so excited for my friend, Kendall, and her new arrival. When Kendall asked me to guest blog for her this week, my heart went right back to the weeks before we welcomed our second baby boy.

My mind was full of worry. My heart was already completely full of love for Hudson, our first. I already loved our unborn baby so much. I couldn’t even imagine how much my heart could grow to accommodate all of that love once he arrived.

And the day that Hayes was born was so completely bittersweet. There isn’t a better word for it. We heard his sweet cry for the first time and it was instant. He was ours and we loved him completely right then. I couldn’t wait to hold him and kiss his head and be able to see Todd holding him for the first time.

When it was time for Hudson to come meet his baby brother for the first time, I felt some huge nerves. I had this overwhelming fear that Hudson would look different to me. And he did! For two years he was our tiny baby, and then all of a sudden he was our big boy. He was four times the size of his baby brother and he grew up right before my eyes in that moment.

…You can head on over to Kendall’s blog, Pearls to Pampers, to read the rest of my guest post for her!

the summer of "yes"

Filed Under: boy mom

Aug32012

I cannot believe how quickly this summer is flying by. It’s almost over and I feel like it just started.

Truthfully, I was dreading it a bit. Hudson has gotten so used to his morning preschool and he just loves it. So I was worried that he would be really bored at home all cooped up in the house all day. And he gets so frustrated as he is learning that he has to share his toys with his little brother.

Parts of the summer did seem really long, but we’ve found ways to pass the time and have a great time this summer without becoming “over-scheduled.”

We’ve been working on having Hayes drop his morning nap so we could have a little bit more flexibility with our schedule. It has helped us this summer to be able to have a morning outing. For the most part Hayes adapted to this change well. But in the last few days he has made it very clear that he really wants a morning nap, so he’s back to getting his morning nap. I know he’ll drop it sooner or later.

We’re about to go on one last family vacation before the summer officially comes to a close. Football season will start again and the boys will be in preschool. And I know it will be Christmas before we know it.

I’ve been more focused lately on just saying yes. But not to anyone but my kids. Their needs are simple. And they’re fun.

If Hudson wants to go to the park, then we’re going to the park. If he wants to go to the splash park, then we’re going to the splash park.

He wanted some ice cream after dinner one night and he ate every bite of his supper in hopes that we would take him to get some ice cream. So we loaded up the car and went to the yogurt place in our neighborhood.

Even Buzz and Woody were able to join us.

And Hayes snuck in bites of yogurt, too.

We went to the splash park with Anna and her girls on Monday, and ended the fun with a picnic in the back of Anna’s car. Aren’t these four just so cute eating their lunch?

Does this count as their first double date? So cute!

And today we went to a fun little indoor playground at the mall with Emily and Jack. And we had frozen yogurt again.

We’ve been just keeping busy without wearing anyone out, but making sure that the boys have an opportunity to avoid cabin fever.

I’ll admit that I used to be so intimidated by the thought of taking both boys on outings like this. Hudson has grown up a lot in the last year and he is the reason that these outings are so much easier. He still has the occasional outburst, but he’s agreeable and does a great job following directions. And that makes it easier on us to get out and do fun things. And it just makes it more fun.

We’re off to the beach tonight. We’re excited to see KK, Poppie, and uncle Walker!

Home Tour: a living room update

Filed Under: Home Tour

Aug22012

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted any pictures of our house.

A few years ago I posted about our living spaces, so you can see what they used to look like here.

I’ve gotten some emails recently from people wondering if we’ve made any updates. And there have been a handful of updates, so I thought I’d share.

And since our house is on the market, it’s fun to take pictures so we can remember what our first home looked like. You know, in case we ever do move!

I got these little garden stools using One Kings Lane credits a couple of years ago. I got one and then a few months later I got the other.

I am replacing the two lamps on the entry table. I have noticed how dark it looks right there. We’ve had those two lamps forever, but I’ve decided to find them a new home in our house. I’ve ordered some lighter lamps for this entry table– wholesale, of course. Hopefully they’ll arrive soon!

Please don’t fret, my fellow mom friends. My house is not regularly spotless and tidy. These pictures were all taken one morning before the boys were awake. The boys (and their toys) were all nestled snuggly in their beds.

My living room regularly looks like a bomb went off as the toys make their way from the boys’ rooms to the living room. Puzzle pieces are everywhere and let’s not even talk about the dog hair.

pregnancy and the baby daddy

Filed Under: Baby

Aug12012

Pregnancy is an interesting thing for men. Just like all women have a different experience with pregnancy, the same is true for the baby daddy. Todd isn’t a very emotional guy, and I think from the dad’s perspective, one of the hardest things about pregnancy is they really have no idea what’s going on.

They experience the mood swings and the cravings. They experience the restless nights. But that’s really all second hand. They’re catering to your every need. They may even gain a little weight, too. But, for Todd, I think because he couldn’t feel the babies move, he didn’t really know what was going on.

I didn’t “require” that he go to all of my OB-GYN appointments, but he came to all of the appointments when we had a scheduled sonogram. He didn’t want to miss any opportunity to see the babies. And if the baby was kicking, I tried to call him over to feel it. Sometimes he felt it and sometimes he didn’t.

But Todd was just there for me.

He supported me physically and emotionally when he really didn’t have any idea what I was going through. He knew that he loved our babies already, and he made it very clear how much he loved me.

But that excitement for him didn’t come during the pregnancy. He never felt left out or anything. He just was content to be the dad. He was content to hold my hand and hold me when I felt scared or overwhelmed.

When Hudson was born, it took Todd a while to really feel comfortable. He’d hold Hudson, feed him a bottle, swaddle him, help me change diapers, and any other “dad” duty. But I could tell that he was already getting excited for the day when Hudson would laugh. Or even just smile. He was getting excited about the possibility of throwing the baseball in the backyard and taking Hudson to his first Gamecock football game.

Just as some women say the maternal instinct doesn’t kick in automatically, I think that was the case for Todd.

All I really needed from him was to be there for me. I knew the day would come when he’d feel comfortable and when he’d look at our baby and not just see an infant, but he’d see a lifetime of this wonderful father/son relationship that he could grow.

Todd is the greatest dad, and my boys are lucky. I’ll admit that there were times when I wondered when that instinct would kick in for him. But it did kick in, and he is a “take charge” kind of dad. He is a great leader for our household. Even though it took him a couple of weeks to know what exactly to do with a baby, he did get it and he was an instant pro.

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