Our Birthday Boy

Yesterday our baby turned one! I've decided we can't call him "Baby" or "Baby C" anymore, since he's not a baby--and who wants that nickname anyway? Our Saturday was ordinary, but the boys did enjoy week-old birthday cake after dinner. Most of our celebrating was done last weekend when our families were in town for Collier's baptism. Of course he wore the same gown that Hamilton wore.

We shared the day with another family at church who were having their little guy baptized, too.

How special and sweet it was to have our church family praying for Collier.

Pastor Craig walked Collier up and down the aisle for the church family to get a better look.

Our families joined us for Sunday lunch, though we saved birthday cake and ice cream for after the boys' naps.

We created a cow cake for Collier using this idea.

Collier loved the ice cream and cake; I'm sure he cried when they were gone. He usually does.

The birthday boy was covered in chocolate icing.

After the sweets, Hamilton helped open Collier's gifts. Collier loved walking behind this brightly colored, wheeled toy.

Last night the boys and I had a small celebration with Hamilton's singing "Happy Birfanks" to Collier. (Mr. Morgan was driving back from a men's retreat in Atlanta; he arrived at bedtime for hugs and kisses.)

Both boys wanted more cake than they were given--even after I gave a not-normal second helping, so I could take pictures.

Hamilton's singing is hard to hear on this video unless your volume is loud. But "birfanks" is what he's singing with an "Amen" at the end. And I love how Collier is so good and quick at eating--especially delicious birthday cake!

Easter Leftovers

I'm so belated in posting these Easter pictures, but at least we're still in the same month. We celebrated Easter at Cornerstone with Mom, Dad, Travis, and Cheri. According to tradition, we took lots of pictures following the service of the little kids in their Easter best. Moms were included because, otherwise, there would have been more mayhem.

Last year during this month, we girls were all having these precious babies; here's the photo of all our bellies at Christmas (2010). We attempted a shot with us mamas and youngest babes. As you can imagine, all of my pictures did not turn out with my child cooperating by calming sitting in my arms and my best smile on. But it's my blog, so I'll post the picture in which my child is behaving appropriately. (Bonnie, I had several shots where I was rearranging Collier, too.)

Travis and Cheri counted as "kids," so they obliged a picture as well.

The Morgan family so rarely gets a decent shot of all five of us especially in nice clothes, so we took advantage of the occasion.

Let's be honest: Most of our photos look like this!

Stealth with a 9-month-old

Collier was contentedly playing by himself this afternoon while Hamilton was still sleeping, and I thought it was so cute. I dragged out my big camera to sneak to video him. After two seconds, he saw me--obviously my stealth manuevers need a little work. Immediately he stops playing and begins crawling toward me and on me and over me and around me.

I took these next shots while Collier was crawling all over me. He thought it was a great game to capture the lens of my camera. Since he doesn't spit up now at the slightest provocation, I'm much more eager and willing to play "downwind" of his mouth.

Enjoying the Beach

Since Mom and Dad came to see Claire's talent-show performance, they stayed a few days to visit with us. Friday we took the boys to the beach. Hamilton's last trip to the beach was before he was walking, so I was eager to see how he enjoyed it being mobile now.

As we slathered on sunscreen and packed our cooler, we told Hamilton we were headed to the beach. He kept saying, "ditch," though he did seem excited about it. He was fascinated by all the people, and we had to keep a close eye on him. He easily wanders off (or runs off) because he's so friendly and unafraid of people.

Once we got Hamilton settled, he loved the water and the sand. He quickly discovered a little boy near us who had some fun-looking sand toys and trucks. The little boy was so sweet to share them with Hamilton.

The little boy was a few years older than Hamilton, and he enjoyed splashing Hamilton with water. After Hamilton looked a little surprised and slightly scared, I gave the little boy a stern, don't-do-that-again look that only a mama can muster.

Hamilton spent lots of time on his hands and knees letting the waves crash into him. Pops was at the ready in case Hamilton ventured too far into the oncoming water. I do enjoy Hamilton's laughing grin in this picture--like he's having the time of his life.

The county park was not renting umbrellas on Friday, which was unfortunate for us with a baby in tow. Dad rigged up a tent out of towels and a beach chair for Collier.

Adjusting

Grandma Judy visited during Collier's second week of life, and it was great to have extra help with all the kiddos. Hamilton quickly grew comfortable with Grandma Judy again, and by her second day with us he was cutely calling her "Joo" or "Jee."

Last week was my first week of taking care of both boys by myself each day; things went as smoothly as I could have expected. Adjusting to life with two little ones means smaller snippets of time to myself and less time for necessary, household chores. And, blogging--well, I miss it and I miss having the time to enjoy reading blogs and writing.

I have lots of posts swirling around in my head, and I'm hoping to get to those soon. And, I have lots of ideas for the new look of Morgan Adventures, but they'll take time to accomplish. (A special thanks to Travis for the cool, new header. I love having such a talented graphic designer in the family!)

Another One

Though Claire has been actively and consistently praying for a girl, we're adding another little boy to the brood. I think Mr. Morgan had been countering Claire's prayers with his own asking for a boy. We're super excited to have another boy! Everything looked great and normal with the ultrasound today, so we're thankful for a good pregnancy and a healthy baby boy coming in April.

Sixteen Weeks

I'm just over sixteen weeks along in this second pregnancy, and I had an appointment today with the doctor. I'm so reassured to hear the baby's heartbeat, especially since I'm not feeling any movement yet. And, the worst can and does happen to folks: At their appointment there's no heartbeat. I don't think I irrationally fear this happening, but I definintely think about it, especially in the days before my appointments.

I ponder how (I think) I'll feel if I get bad news and how (I think) I'll act or react. Perhaps playing the horrible scenario in my thoughts is my way of trying to control a bad situation. I do like to control things, and I also like to be prepared. I guess a "thought-rehearsal" is my way of preparing. But just a few moments into my hear-no-heartbeat "thought-rehearsal," I had to shake myself out of it. It was too bleak to think about.

Now that I've had my checkup, and everything is going fine, I'll relax and be thankful for good news at this appointment. My next appointment in four weeks will include an ultrasound, and we'll know whether Baby Morgan is a boy or a girl. Claire is hoping for a girl, though I think Mr. Morgan and I wouldn't mind having another boy. December 2 is my appointment day: The countdown is on.