Hunter exhausted after walking 6 miles at the Zoo, I wanted to get in the stroller!

The Zoo is crawling with Peacocks, they are everywhere, you can even find them walking on the paths with the crowd. Today, the Peacock was on the sidewalk showing us its feathers, Hunter just kept staring as you can see.



We had a nice day today, we did our errands in Royal Oak, then we took your suggestion Wendy and went to the Zoo. It is the perfect place for me to train for the walk, it was a beautiful day, nice and warm, and they had the misters on which kept Hunter amused and cool :) It is so nice going during the week there is hardly a crowd and all of the animals are out. Hunter has a special day tomorrow with his Dad, our good friends Amy and baby Paige are going to Florida so they aren't watching Hunter tomorrow, Dad is staying home to watch him while I go to work, I'm sure they will have so much fun! Hunter has learned to somewhat adapt with his tongue and is beginning to make vowel and some consonants sounds, very exciting, this should help him to catch right up after his surgery. We hope you are having a great week, enjoy the beautiful weather!

This is the picture of Hunter that will appear in the book, I love his open mouthed laugh!

Exciting News!!!!

I entered Hunter in a contest for a book that is going to print this summer featuring cute kids, and he was selected! They said he was a "cutie patootie" but we already knew that :)

Thanks Grandma for the fun day, you pooped me out!!! I learned a new dance, helped grandma with her sign language, she helped me try to say "mama" and "dada", and so much more! Maybe after my surgery I will be successful with talking, I hope! It would sure help me out if mom and dad knew what I was asking for all the time! I am walking all over in my walker now, when mom was in the fridge I came over and took the wrapper off a bottle of champagne. I was thirsty what can I say. I'm so tired, I have to get some sleep so I can start all over learning more fun things tomorrow! Mom is taking me to Royal Oak, hope the weather is nice :) Good Night!

My first popsicle! (If you could call it that, mom was trying to trick me, really it's water with a little apple juice)
I don't care, because it's good!!!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Holiday weekend, we did except for almost getting attacked by a pitbull last night on our walk. But we are fine! Hunter did really well in the sun, with his sunscreen and his pool! Today we got a new pool, a bigger one with a sun shade. The kids next door came over to play with Hunter, but he was over stimulated, once things calmed down he had fun playing and splashing! We planted our flowers and got our yard in top condition, fertilizer and all :) We feel so accomplished, we decided to make this a yearly tradition to use Memorial Day weekend to work on the exterior. It feels good to appreciate the land that so many people, have fought so hard to protect! We also added a flag! Have a wonderful week everyone! Love you!

Hope you're not working too hard!!! Gotta love a boy in a romper :)

Mom....Seriously.....are you going to make me wear this hat?
That's better, I can relax!
I might have relaxed a little too long.
Content.

Another beautiful day! It started out with Dad arriving so we could run to the store, we had to get fitted for our shoes for the Breast Cancer Walk, and we had lots of things to buy for Hunter. He got pool toys, a dump truck, a big ball, a sun tent, you get the picture, well then he needed a place to store them at Grandma's so we got this storage bench, really neat! Something about your first child, first grandchild that buying a big ball and a storage bin is so much fun!!! Then we came home to get Hunter to swim in his "first pool" one of Dave's cousins gave us this as a shower gift, and it is the coolest thing! Hunter stayed in it for an hour and a half, he probably would have stayed in longer but he was tired, he splashed, tried to fit the watering can in his mouth, destroyed some leaves, tons of fun! We enjoyed the weather, company and relaxation! We hope you are having a wonderful weekend, and that you are getting a lot of R & R!

I want a bite!!! Grandma was eating an apple, when Hunter acted interested, he tasted it, shivered, tasted it again, shivered, then began sucking on it, it was so funny!

The sun tired us all out today! It was beautiful out and Hunter got sunscreen on 3 times. At the house grandma set up a tent for him to protected from the sun (a table with a sheet over it) Hunter thought he was pretty smart when he learned he could hold onto the leg of the table with both hands and pull himself all the way up, that was the first time grandma saw him do this. He is just growing so fast! We hope you are enjoying this weather! Tomorrow, Hunter is going swimming, in his "first pool" wait until you see his swimming gear :)

Fun at the park with our new friends! This is Kyler and his mom Amie, Kyler is 5 1/2 months old. Today was both of the boys first real day in the hot weather, they really liked it at first but after awhile Kyler started to cry, when he started to cry Hunter would put out his lip like you see in the picture, cute I know :) Amie thinks he is going to be sensitive and compassionate with people like his mom, because this happened on five occasions of Kyler crying. I just pray that for Hunter's sake he isn't like either one of us, just somewhere in the middle!

All dressed up and no place to go!!! Check out my hair, its the newest thing, we call it the Sunscreen Mohawk :)
This is me on Mango.
This is me not on Mango.

What a fun day! It started out with lunch with our friend Kathy, she was quite impressed with Hunter's manners, that is until he started throwing his toys on the floor. Not that he dropped them, it was a new first, he actually threw them, as you can imagine...I was not to happy. Nevertheless, it was a great time, and she told me that the pictures of Hunter the better, so I will work on posting multiple times this weekend, thanks Kathy for the fun lunch!

Then it was off to buy flowers, it was a beautiful day a little overcast but nice and warm. Hunter's first trip to Home Depot, that way I could put him in the cart and the flowers too. We got home, I set up his blanket on the yard, I changed our clothes, and we loaded up with sunscreen, we went outside...and...it was pouring rain :( So as you can see from our first picture we hung out on the porch in the rain, still fun.

It was nap time after all of that, then it was up for a snack....Mango. As you may have noticed from Hunter's facial expression, he did not like Mango at all. Which is fine with me, because it was a pain in the butt to make! Those were our highlights! We are all packed and ready to go to Grandpa & Grandma's tomorrow. We are meeting our new friends, Amie and her baby Kyler (I know too hard to keep all of the Amy's straight, my sister, our good friend, and our new friend; I will specify babyless, Paige, or Kyler) anyway we are meeting for a walk to the park! We are very excited about the holiday weekend, and we are very thankful for everything our Veterans have done for us and our country, and what our Military Services are doing for us currently, whether we agree with it or not! Thank you Great Grandpa for your comment about receiving your Memorial Day card, Hunter worked hard to make them, he dipped his little fingers in paint to make stars on a flag, we hope that by starting early he will always appreciate all of the important people in his life, and everything they have done for him! Dave, Hunter and I are appreciating my dad, Dave's dad, my grandpa, and Uncle Bob this weekend for their sacrifices for our Country! We hope that you are appreciating your loved ones who served our country, this weekend and always! Love you!!!

A beautiful day today, fun in the sun with Paige!
Paige and Hunter learning to share :)

First of all, I want to thank all of you who showed your support and love of Hunter by calling or emailing today to see how he did at the Surgeon! I really appreciate it! For those of you who don't know, Hunter is tongue-tied which means the tiny flap under your tongue that is connected a ways back, is connected all the way to the end of his tongue therefore he can't stick it out, and several problems can come from this. I have done a lot of research and spoken with several Speech Therapists, who say the best thing to do for Hunter is get this fixed. So, we went to the Pediatric Surgeon today, Hunter will be having the surgery on June 14th, this was the soonest they could get us in, it is scary because even though it's minor surgery, they still have to put him to sleep and with that comes risks. I never thought that my 8 month old baby would have to be put to sleep, I'm 27 and having Hunter was my first surgery. But, we Thank God that this is our hand, as so many children out there have debilitating diseases, we are so fortunate! Enough about that, we just thank you for your support, and hope you will keep praying for Hunter!

As you can see from the pictures that Hunter had a fun day with baby Paige and Amy. I learned an important lesson about Michigan weather, even though they say thunderstorms it can be absolutely beautiful, so pack several options! From now on, Hunter's bag will contain shorts, pants, hats, jackets, and all of the essential Michigan items! He was embarrassed as Paige was sporting the latest in summer fashion, and his mom dropped the ball. Next time they will be looking cool and collected together!

We are looking forward to an exciting weekend, that begins tomorrow with lunch out with our good friend Kathy! The weather is suppose to be beautiful and Grandma has invited us over, so we are planning for fun in the sun, lots of things to accomplish, and new traditions to be made! Stay tuned for all of the latest news from our holiday weekend!

Dad, I love when mom goes to the store...I can get away with anything! Can I be Dog the Bounty Hunter when I grow up?

First, I have to ask a favor....someone slap me if I start watching American Idol next season. What a waste of time! Ok, back on track Hunter and I had a fun day today, we are excited for the holiday weekend, so we did some research and have plans for new Memorial Day traditions. Hunter loves moms crafts, so we made some cards, and we got a lot of projects crossed off our to-do list! I made Mango's which Hunter will try on Friday, the first day of the Papaya was good, but it has been downhill since then, hopefully the Mango's will be better. Hunter went outside and played in the yard with the neighbor kids, boy did they love him! We are just loving the great weather, and Hunter can't wait until it's nice enough to go swimming again! He is dying to use his floaty turtle! We hope you enjoyed the beautiful day as much as we did! Have a great rest of your week!

Apparently, mom and I aren't the only ones tired out by all of this walking!!! Aunt Mimi bought Hunter this Boston Red Sox hat when he was 2 months old, his whole body fit inside the hat, now only 6 months later it fits him, he is literally growing before my eyes!

Ok girls, Motherhood has changed me. My favorite vegetable is still onions on pizza, but there have been a lot of changes. I realize, how am I going to get Hunter to try healthy things if I am not willing to eat them, so daily there are little changes occurring, you know me nothing happens overnight! I am even drinking Organic milk, which by the way is the best thing ever! As one of the pickiest people in the world I could be their poster child! Enough about that, Hunter had a great day with Grandma, they played outside, Hunter tried to show her how he pulls himself up in the crib, didn't quite make it today, and Grandma thinks she might see where a tooth is trying to show itself. I have gotten my hopes up so many times, this time I am not counting on it. Won't that be cute when it happens! I wish I could put video on the blog because Hunter was laughing harder than he ever has, his whole body was shaking, I was singing this frog song from my girl scout camping days, and he thought it was hilarious, it was adorable to hear his funny little laugh! Yes, I do think most everything he does is wonderful, but that is part of my job description, and it is just too easy! Who knew that being a mom was the job I was searching for. I hope that you are on your path to finding the job you are looking for!

Looking cool in my new car!
Kimmy giving me a ride, and Ally giving me a car wash, this is fun!!!

These pictures are from Saturday night, Dave bought this car for Ally when she was a baby, who knew that one day his child would be riding in it. We had a great day today, nice and quiet, Hunter just practicing all of his new moves. We tried Papaya today, and I do mean WE, I tried it too. Believe it or not. It wasn't that bad, and Hunter liked it! Well, Grandma and I just got back from a big walk, only 10 weeks until our 60 miles, so we better get some rest so we can walk more tomorrow. Hope all is well!

I'm at Grandpa & Grandma's for our belated Mother's Day, there is so much to see and do. I like to scoot around, you should see me rock!
Great Grandma, Grandma and Mom were shocked to see me trying to get in the sitting position from my hands and knees.
I was a little shocked too, see how frustrated I am when I realize I can't do it. Then...guess what happened...plop back on my tummy!

We had a really nice day today, it was cold so we couldn't have our picnic outside, but it was fun inside nonetheless! I wowed everyone with my progress in the crawling department, not happening yet, but we here it's pretty close. Mom won't let me write much tonight, she says I have to go to bed so she can watch the Desperate Housewives Finally, shucks! I will talk to you tomorrow! Love, Hunter

Hey You....check out my new slideshow from today's trip to the ZOO!

What a fun, and exhausting day! Hunter's first trip to the zoo, I don't think it affected him much but he did like all of the excitement and fresh air! He was a good boy today, for not having a nap from noon until 8:45, at 8 he started to get real fussy, so it was time to get him home to bed, hopefully he will make it through the night! Thanks for the fun day Smith family!!! Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend, and that my good friends Wendy and Keri are still enjoying their Birthdays!!!! Love you girls!

Hunter and I say, Happy Birthday to our friends Wendy & Keri!!! Have a good one, we love you!

Another first!!! Hunter pulled himself all the way up, he has been working on this all week, but today he succeeded! He kept looking at me like, what happened.

Thanks to my college buds, Wendy and Erin for the comments, I have become a total comment junky!!! Today another first happened, it seems like they are happening everyday, how exciting! Anyway, he took a 3 1/2 hour nap, I had to check on him to make sure he was breathing. I loved it, and so did he the picture was after he woke up, he woke up happy, where normally he wakes up crying. On a regular day Hunter gets dressed after his first nap, usually around 11 o'clock, today that was 2:30, bizarre! I had to go grocery shopping tonight, and so Hunter stayed with Dad, when Hunter stays with Dad he gets to watch TV, not baby shows, shows like American Hot Rods, Orange County Choppers, you get the drift. Today I caught this experience on film for you, but you will have to wait (it's worth it!) until a day I don't have so many pictures to post, believe it or not, I took about 40 pictures today, I'm obsessed!!! Tomorrow will be more because we are going to the Zoo! We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Hunter's lessons in blowing Raspberries. 1. put your lips together and blow
2. keep blowing until bubbles are formed, make lots of noise in the process
3. if you are doing it right the bubbles should turn into thick drool all over your face
4. smile and laugh, because you are so cute they won't tell you NO

Hunter and Paige playing in their jami's, Paige liked Hunter's toy just as much as he does!

First of all, thank you to making my day with your comments, mom, Kathy, and how exciting my Grandpa Gruss!!! We had so much fun last weekend, we are looking forward to the 4th of July! Hunter was a bad boy for Amy today, he cries every time she leaves the room, he has been doing this for a few weeks, but today I got to witness it myself, I do not approve :( I thought at first it was about attention, so I have been making him play alone more often, but he is actually doing quite well with that, I thought maybe he was jealous of Paige getting attention but he does it even if she is sitting with him, now we are thinking maybe he is just aware of his surroundings and knows he is not somewhere familiar. It really doesn't matter what the reason is, I just want him to stop doing it! Any ideas, we are fresh out! An exciting thing happened though, Hunter might have waved, we are not sure, it looked like it, but then he wouldn't do it again, I'll keep you posted. Hunter and I learned some new sign language today, we learned all of the farm animals, to bad they weren't zoo animals...as we will all be going to the zoo Saturday to celebrate belated Mother's Day with the Smith side, Hunter's first trip!!! Exciting and busy weekend planned, then Sunday its off to my side for a belated Cook Out, and mom and I are going to walk our first 5 miles as we train for the 3day, wish us luck! I didn't realize I had so much to say today, love you all, talk to you tomorrow!

A PHOTO SHOOT!!! That is what we haven't done in a long time, two months actually. I do one for every month but somehow I missed 7, anyway check out some of Hunter's photo shoot on his slideshow!

Hunter had his Cantaloupe today, he appeared to enjoy it! We had a foot craft thanks to Great Grandma and Grandpa, I just love baby feet! A lot of nose dives today as Hunter is trying to get on his hands and knees from a sitting position. That was about it for today, but Hunter is excited for tomorrow when he gets to have fun with his friend baby Paige, he is going to take one of his new favorite toys, he always loves Paige's so maybe she will like his! Hope you all are having a wonderful week, I miss all of your comments!

I'm up....
I'm going...
Plop!

Two little Monkeys! I always forget something when packing for Hunter, and this weekend I forgot his baby Magnum (a stuffed dog he sleeps with) so Grandma bought him this monkey on our way, well he loves it, when sleeping he holds onto it, and usually has it smooshed in his face, dangerous but adorable!

Hunter had a great day today with Grandma, and she seems to think that Hunter will be crawling by the end of the week, he gets on his hands and knees from a sitting position but then doesn't know what to do after that. At one point during the day, grandma left him in one place and when she returned he was about three feet from where she left him, and on top of his boppy? We don't know how he did it. Very exciting but mostly it scares me, I just want him to stop growing and stay this cute, smiling, laughing, kissing and dancing baby! Where I don't have to worry about him getting hurt.

Tomorrow, Hunter is trying cantaloupe! I am excited, I looked at all of the baby food in the store and they sell desserts for Heaven's sake, so I think we can expand his taste buds! Yesterday, Hunter had a little bit of ice cream off a real spoon, I think he just liked the cold, but then he kept grabbing the bowl, where was my camera? You know what we haven't done in a long time? Find out tomorrow!

We're back...and cuter than ever!
The lifeguard was in today, thanks to Aunt Lori and the adorable swimsuit she bought for Hunter!
Grandpa showed Hunter all of the fun you can have in the water, and boy did he love it! He kept his mouth open the entire time, did I mention we were in the pool at 7 a.m. if that isn't love...I'm not sure what is.

Happy Mother's Day!!! It was the best day of my life with Hunter yet, he got up with his very first hug! He grabbed my arm and neck pulled his head into my chest, and that was the best feeling ever!!! Hope you had a day where you felt just as special! Love you all!

This is why Hunter doesn't have bumper pads anymore, little rascal! Hunter is going to see his John Deere Great Grandpa this weekend, and all of his extended family at his cousins graduation party. Lots of packing to do, and being I can't just buy food for him off the shelf (due to him eating homemade food for those of you who don't know) it is taking a lot of planning too, so hopefully for Hunter's sake I don't forget anything. Tonight, Hunter is having a sleepover with grandma and grandpa so mom can go out with her friend Wendy who is in town from New York, we are going to a Psychic and Dinner hopefully with a few drinks!!! Have to run, lots to do. Oh, big news....Hunter pulled himself to a standing position in his crib, then proceeded to chew on the side!

The Mother's Day festivities begin....
with our dear friends Amy and baby Paige....
and Wendy my photography skills improve!

Hello everyone almost the end of the week, and almost Mother's Day! Today's blog is a special tribute (kind of deep I'm warning you) to Mother's as we will be gone this weekend, and I am not sure what the blogging opportunities will be. I am sorry for not blogging last night, but I was having an exhilarating evening at the Breast Cancer 3 day walk meeting with my mom! We will be doing the 60 mile walk in August and I have been reflecting on being a woman, a daughter, a grand-daughter, a sister, a wife, and now a mother. I am sure you can all relate to feeling so thankful to be all of those things and I am extremely blessed to be those things untouched by Breast Cancer, and this will be an incredible way to give back to those who are not as fortunate as I am.

Ok, on a much lighter note...what a fun day!!! Hunter had his first ride in a buggy today at Joann Fabrics, he surprisingly enjoyed it, and he didn't even try to suck on the handles! Hunter as always had fun with his friends this morning, and as you can see in the picture he is once again admiring Paige's toy, so even though my house already looks like a Day Care it looks like we too, will be getting the playhouse learning center for Hunter. Paige always has the coolest toys, I can't deprive Hunter right? Ha Ha. Not only does Amy help us out be taking such good care of Hunter, but she bought me those beautiful flowers for Mother's Day! I also have been receiving cards from so many of you, and now I know why everyone loves Mother's Day! I also am beginning to realize how as a mother you give up so many things, but it doesn't seem to matter because what you get back is so much more rewarding! I am very fortunate to have so many amazing, strong, independent, smart, hard-working, inspirational, faithful, beautiful women who are mother's in my life, thank you for being role models for me! Thank you to our mother's who have been such an integral part of making us who we are, who are now Hunter's grandmother's and will help to shape him into the amazing person I know he will someday be!

What a little turkey!!! Oh, I guess he was just eating the turkey!

Hunter actually tried the turkey over the weekend, but we had so many fun pictures that I am a few days behind. He liked the turkey much more than the chicken, although he may like the chicken better on the next batch as I will be preparing it differently. Hunter had a fun day with Grandma today, and a huge thank you to her as she made our dinners for the week! In the beginning things are new and overwhelming, and everyone is willing to lend a hand, but almost 8 months later, it is sure nice to have such a big help!!! Hunter entertained Grandma all day with raspberries ( when they put their tongue forward and blow with their lips together) his tongue doesn't really come out, so basically he just sprays spit, or food everywhere. Grandma thinks it is adorable, but that is her job! Grandpa and Dad are planning for this weekend when we will head up north, and it sounds like there may be some fun planned pulling the tractors, I am more excited for Hunter's first hotel, and pool experience! I must report that Hunter is still feeling great! Thank God! It has been over two weeks, I really appreciate the prayers and positive thoughts, they have made a difference! We send prayers out for the well being of all of our family and friends, love you all!

Hunter had his first trip to A & W with Great Grandpa and Grandma today, he said, "I love coney dogs!" ha ha. The first picture is a close up of the way Hunter was sleeping while we were there, I guess the fresh air makes him relax. Then, Grandma and I went shopping and I thought he had gotten sunburned, it turns out he gets really hot in a onesie and jeans in 75 degree weather, I will be more prepared next time. Great Grandma spoiled Hunter with a new designer pair of shorts, I've got to say Hunter is very well dressed! Hunter had a great day with them, and he hated to leave but we had to return to do our chores :( Grandpa and Grandma are here tonight to watch Hunter tomorrow so I can go to work, and we had our first Summer cookout, it was great! Hunter didn't do anything new today, he just practiced all of the things he has been learning! It is so cool to see their brain at work! I forgot to tell what happened while we were shopping, four people thought Hunter was a beautiful little girl, as you can imagine I was very distressed! Only one other time in December someone said what a pretty little girl, and he never wore that outfit again. I guess I will be retiring more clothes!!! Although, I think they are pretty stupid because he was in a blue shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes! Talk to you tomorrow.