The Baby Book!

So today I finally started filling out LC's Baby Book of "firsts!" It's been sitting in a closet probably since before he was even born in a box and I looked at it maybe one time since I bought it. After going through his closet and de-cluttering the pile of a disaster thrown in there (I still had 6 month clothes he was never going to fit into hanging up!), I decided to start filling out his baby book. Thank you to my Blog and endless amounts of photos saved in folders arranged by his age to help me answer all of these questions!

I think being a mom has made me procrastinate even more, because I want to spent all of my time WITH him! I thought I would have more time being able to stay at home with LC everyday, but sadly, that is not the case!

So today, I sit starting this baby book with intentions of doing more and maybe one day even actually doing his scrapbook (which would mean I should finish the one of me and Kyle that was supposed to be out at our wedding too, huh?) I accomplished a lot today, what if I could do this everyday? LC would have a baby book/scrapbook for every month of his life!... Okay, now I'm getting carried away.

So here it is... the baby book! Now in 20 years, he will know he smothered poop all over his bedroom when he was 13 months old and laughed for the first time on our family vacation in FL! I must admit, I'm kind of glad I waited so long to do this, because it's been fun reminiscing on his firsts and the first, most precious moments of his life!

With Love,

Dress your kids in style!

So I am a BIG fan of custom made outfits for LC! I love getting his name embroidered on outfits or cute little applique's! We have ordered a few outfits from this AWESOME children's clothing company localled here in the Charlotte area called Daffodils & Daisies, and we LOVE them!!

She makes absolutely adorable dresses (I had one made for a friend for her new baby girl, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!) and adorable outfits for little boys too! (Which admittedly, is hard to find!) Stores always have tons of stuff for girls, but never enough for boys!

Anyway, check out some of the absolutely adorable stuff by Daffodils & Daisies!
I can't wait to have a daughter to buy her this dress, I am a HUGE advocate for helping out charities (especially those related to cancer), and Daffodils & Daisies makes this one of a kind dress to benefit a little girl who is battling cancer :

And look at this adorable Jon-Jon! Landyn has more than one in different fabrics! There are many choices!

Are you totally IN LOVE with these adorable children's fashions?? Go to Daffodils & Daisies Facebook page to see more! You can order on the Facebook page if you see something you like (FREE SHIPPING!) Be sure to post on their wall that I (Kelley Crowe) sent you! She is doing an AWESOME contest where whoever gives the most referrals to Facebook, will get a $50 gift certificate!! I can go on a little shopping spree for some adorable outfits for LC! "Like" them on Facebook here :http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Daffodils-and-Daisies-Childrens-Clothing/147008105316370

And you can also check out their website and Blog at http://www.daffodils-and-daisies.com/.

I will leave you with a picture of my cutie pie in one of Daffodils and Daisies adorable Jon Jon's (monogrammed of course!)

With Love,

The inspiration of MY inspiration!

Everyone always tells me how much they love Landyn's name (Landyn Carter.) Only a few people have asked me if I got it from where it came from.

I thought it would be more obvious that Landyn Carter came from "Landon Carter" in "A Walk to Remember." Nicholas Sparks has always been my favorite author. I knew I wanted strong names for my children, and I have dreamt about what name it would end up being ever since I was a little girl. I used to name my dolls and I would think for days "What is the best name?" Well, of course more thought is going to go into the real thing, right?

Landon was a name Kyle and I were instantly attracted to. But, I wanted to be different, so we went with Landyn with a "y." Done. No questions asked. His name would be "Landyn with a y" and I hoped that this would set him apart from the rest. We thought we had decided on a middle name. It's important for me for my kid's name to mean something; to come from somewhere. So we threw out some family names and for a long time his name was Landyn Lawrence. It flows, it sounds cute, but it wasn't right. I loved the idea of naming him after Kyle's dad and grandfather, but the fact that we kept reading baby books told me it wasn't the one.

One day in the car, I threw out Carter. This was a name I had considered for a long time and I loved, but I never thought Kyle would go  for it, because it came from a Nicholas Sparks book. To my surprise, he loved it! Landyn Carter Crowe. Perfect right? Landyn Carter coming from the character in Nicholas Sparks' "A Walk to Remember" and I couldn't be more excited about it!

No, it's not after a family member, or someone who changed the world, but it's after an author that has inspired me in more ways than one. Nicholas Sparks was my inspiration for the little person that has become MY inspiration.

When Landyn was just five months old, we had the opportunity to meet Nicholas Sparks a a book signing for "The Last Song!" I was so excited! I couldn't wait to meet this person who has inspired me and I admired so much. I couldn't wait to tell him Landyn's name and share this with him!

There we went, walking up to him and I was holding Landyn and I looked at Nicholas and said "And this is Landyn Carter with a Y." He looked up at me and smiled, then looked at Landyn and smiled, and held his hand. It was such a fun moment for me!

Now I can tell Landyn when he grows up he got to meet my inspiration for what has become the biggest inspiration in my life : Landyn Carter.

Check out "A Walk to Remember" here:
A Walk to Remember

A year of my sweet baby boy...

I realized I never Blogged this video I put together when LC turned 1. He's now 16 months old, and I wanted to share his first year with you all. There truly has never been a better year of my life!



With Love,

A Mother's Love

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

People always ask me what my favorite part of being a mom is. I struggle to give them the answer, because there's a list of reason's why I love being a mom. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a mom. I used to play house with my friends, and I used to dream of my baby's name's and what they would look like. Then when it became a reality, those dreams became closer to my heart.

I remember rubbing my belly and talking to the growing person inside of me. I had dreams of his ten little fingers and ten cute little toes. I sang to him and I talked to him and I told him mommy would always be here for him. Then when he was born, all of those dreams became a reality. My list of what my favorite part of being a mom was started, and it will never stop. So here they are. My favorite parts about being a mom.

1.) The open mouth kisses & uncontrollable giggles

2.) The little hands rubbing my arm and the cute little cheeks that never seem to go away

3.) The sleepeless nights (yes, I said sleepeless nights) when you snuggle up so close like when you were just hours old

4.) The way you say "gaga" and run up to me with open arms

5.) The feeling my heart has whenever I think about you

 6.) The feeling of love I hold close to my heart and the realization that my mother once had this same love for me

7.) Reading you stories and watching your eyes glow

8.) The innocence you portray and the dreams that glimmer in your eyes

9.) The feeling of closeness you bring to our family and the hope you have brought into my life

10.) The endless amounts of possibilities you have given me to be a better, stronger, and more loving person than I ever thought I could be

This is just the start of my list. The start of what being a mother has done to my heart. Now, I'd like to ask you the same question... What is your favorite part about waking up the toughest, yet most rewarding job we will ever have? Being a mother is filled with endless possibilities.

Addicted to Cloth Diapers!!!!!

Well, it's happened! I'm a mom, and I am no longer obsessed with cute heels and going out tops. I no longer care more about making sure my toes are painted and my cuticles are taken care of. Yes, it's true.. I'M ADDICTED TO CLOTH DIAPERS!!

I recently started cloth diapering LC for the many reasons (toxic chemicals on my baby's soft bum!?) that disposable diapers are no longer the preferred choice to many mom's, but I didn't think I would enjoy it SO MUCH! Aside from the other reasons why I decided to choose cloth over disposables, they are the cutest things to ever put on a baby's bottom!!!

I bought LC this wicked (yes, I said WICKED!) adorable FuzziBunz polka dotted cloth diaper, and I just love letting him run around and admire how amazingly adorable my little man is!

Check it out, and ask yourself this,.... do you want your child to be exposed to to carcinogenic chemicals listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals? ESPECIALLY when you can buy cloth diapers as cute as this!!!

FuzziBunz Perfect Size Cloth Diaper - Brown Polka Dot, Large

Platinum First Birthday's??

So I FINALLY have a free moment to share some memories from Landyn's 1st Birthday Bash! Friends and family joked it should be on "Platinum First Birthdays!" Although I'm no Tori Spelling (she does Hansen's cakes, we do Nona's Sweets! ;)), I tried to create some lifelong memories using some "going all out tips" from A List celebs. If there isn't a show on TLC, WE, or any other network... I have some video footage to be your first episode!! ;)

Landyn showed us what a big boy he truly is, and instead of crying, throwing a fit, or hanging on for dear life, he jumped for joy when Elmo came into the room! It was truly a first birthday to remember...

I want to thank all of the special people in his life (and mine!) who were there to share our special day. Please know how important you all are to us and how thankful and blessed we are to have all of you in our lives!

And a special thank you to Wish Upon a Star children's parties for making the kids so happy that day, to Romp N' Roll in Harrisburg for throwing such a great bash, Nona's Sweet's for making the most delicious cakes, and Bum Bum & Button (whimsical parties for children) for making Landyn's First Birthday unforgettable!







With love,

March 10, 2009 10PM

March 10, 2009 at 10pm marked the beginning of everything.....

This time last year, I was counting down the days until my scheduled c section. Nothing could make me take my mind off meeting my little man. Everyday I woke up wondering what he would look like, who he would resemble. Would he have my eyes? What about Kyle's nose? I hoped he wouldn't have Kyle's nose!!

Last year at this time, I had already had an amnio test done to check for lung materity and about a million ultrasounds. All of which showed me that healthy, growing baby inside of me. I had dreams of holding him in my arms, sining him lullabies, snuggling him to sleep.

My c section was scheduled on March 13th, my original due date was the 29th, but because of what the ultrasound was showing (a 10lb baby!!!???) We decided to schedule it sooner. Little did we know.. Landyn Carter had a mind of his own.....

At 10pm on March 10, Kyle and I got into bed to get one of our final full nights of sleep! Oh how I used to love sleeping in, in the mornings! Not 10 seconds after we laid down there it came.....

"Ummm... I think my water just broke."
"What!?"
"MY WATER JUST BROKE!"

Then comes the light,.... and I stand up, and I am COVERED in total wetness. What did we do? Call the DR? Rush to grab my bag that I SHOULD HAVE already packed!? No. We laugh. We laugh like there's not tomorrow! Here I am standing in a puddle of amniotic fluid, drenched in this water. And we are laughing to the point of tears! Oh wait.. you think that's funny? Wait until you hear what my adoring and absently concerning husband says...

"OMG! I have to go shower and shave so I look good for pictures!"

Here I am, waddling with towels between my legs, packing my bags, calling very person in my phonebook to laugh about the unpredicted news.

About 45 minutes later, we are ready to go. Instead of being in a complete rush out the door, I stand in the middle of the kitchen and cry my eyes out! This time it's not a laughing cry, it's an "Oh my God! We are going to have a baby and I don't know what I'm doing!" kind of cry.

After waiting in the delivery room all night with contractions (blissfully unfelt!) THANK GOD, we get prepared and ready for the start of the rest of our lives.....

....Landyn Carter Crowe. A year ago at 8:05am on March 11th graced us with his appearance. Coming into a world of chaos and creating something so simple and perfect.

So I sit here right now on March 10, 2010 and I laugh at the moments leading up to your birth and I remember every little detail from that day forward, and I think surely, life can't get any better than this!

Blessings,

Oh what a beautiful morning!

The weather here has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! We are LOVING it!!! Landyn and I have been spending lots of time outdoors and with the windows open! We have been enjoying Cooper's company too! Landyn watches him on the baby video monitor and looks around for him when he's not here!

Yesterday, I tried out my new double stroller! I have been too excited to try this out, and the boys had a blast! Landyn held Cooper's hand the whole way... even towards the end when Cooper started to fuss, because he was tried.

On a stroll we go.....




With love,

Landyn's 1st Haircut!!

Landyn got his very first haircut today!! We went to a children's place called Pigtails and Crewcuts and we even got a little keepsake photo with his name and date and a lock of his hair to take home!!

He did a GREAT job, except at the very end, he decided it was a good idea to jump out of the little car and made everyone in there jump!

Only 5 more days until our baby boy enters his toddler years with many more haircuts, bruises, and laughs to come.....



With Love,

Hangin with Mr. Cooper!

As we embark Landyn's last few weeks of babyhood, Mommy has gotten some serious baby fever all over again!! We started watching Cooper in our house this week and we all enjoyed having him around!!

Landyn was obsessed with watching him on the video monitor, and loved holding his hand. He wanted to be wherever Cooper was! We have enjoyed having this sweet little man around, that's for sure!!





With Love,

First cupcake from Nona's!

Last week, we went into Nona's Sweet's (the BEST in Charlotte!) to order Landyn's 1st Birthday cake (countdown = 18 DAYS!!!!) Well we were back over that way over the weekend and decided to stop in for some goodies!

The last time we were there, Miss Dominica gave LC a yummy cookie :



And Saturday when we went in, we got him an orange cupcake with orange frosting from the cupcake bar. Everytime we go in, Miss Dominica gives him a wave and he always smiles back! We can't wait to see the cake for his birthday! (we even got almond flavoring like our wedding cake!! YUMMY!!)




With Love,

Look Mom! I'm not using my hands!

Landyn fed himself with a spoon for the first time today!! He usually just digs right in and lathers himself up in his food, no matter was it is (wait for the blogpost coming next!) BUT,.. today he actually fed himself with a spoon, without choking himself by shoving it down his throat!!

Our baby is growing up!





Blessings,

Almost a year.... Really?

So.... before Landyn was even born, I PROMISED I would keep up with this Blog. Well, my New Years Resoltion is to actually follow through with that!

For the last few weeks, we have been planning Landyn's 1st Birthday Party! What!? Really!? My SON is going to be ONE!!!???? ... Yes,... Yes he is!

You know how it goes right?.. "Sunny Days, Clouds all day..." That's right! His party will be filled with Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert & Ernie.. the whole gang! And even a SURPRISE visit from ELMO HIMSELF!! But.. Shhhh! It's a suprise!!

Anyway, life has been filled with joys, laughs, sleepless nights, all the good and bad and tiresome of being a mommy, but this last ALMOST 1 year has been the best year of my life! And I promise to share those amazing moments with you more often!

Blessings,

Mufasa in the house!!!!

We got LC this giant Lion the other day, and it has become his BFF!! LC and Mufasa playing around!!





With Love,

Too cute for his own good!

I couldn't not post these photos of our little monkey right after his bath!!

With Love,

My Wish for You

Growing up, my mother always wrote to me. She wrote poems and short stories. She left me notes in my backpack telling me how much she loved me. She wrote something sweet in each every one of my birthday cards, christmas cards, valentine's day cards, easter cards, and every holiday on the calendar. She wrote to me. My wish for you Landyn Carter is I will be able to carry on those inspirational words and write to you. My wish is you will be everything you are destined to be and you will follow your dreams. Let the sun shine on your face. Let the wind blow on those beautiful cheeks. Never look back and let the future be in the palm of your hands. My wish for you is that you will be loved no matter where you go or what you become. You will be loved.

"Make each day your masterpiece."

John Wooden

I hope you always know how much I love you. I hope you see the smile on my face everyday of my life, because you have been brought into my life. I hope you grow up to know you are God's gift to your daddy and me and neither one of us would ever want to imagine our lives without you. Everyday with you is a new adventure; a journey into an amazing life with you and I wouldn't have it any other way. I only wish for the best and I hope you always remember that.

Wish upon a twinkling star and let your dreams become alive. Dream about the crashing waves that make the sound of the ocean, the tickling sand beneath your toes, and the beautiful moonlight you see at night. Dream big my sweet baby boy, and mommy will always be there beside you to hold your hand and make those dreams come true.

I love you Landyn Carter.

Blessings,

The smile that keeps on giving

LC is by far, the best and most amazing thing to ever happen to my life. Each new day with him brings something new that I will cherish forever. I know this is something every mommy says, but what is better than seeing your smiling baby from day to day and knowing he is smiling, because of you?

The last 7 months of my life have proven to be the most successful of my life. I have brought a beautiful healthy boy into the world who is thriving in life and more importantly, teaching me the meaning of my own. HE is the reason I breathe and the reason I wake up in the morning.

I know I promised to keep this updated everyday, and I swear I will update the last 7 months with photos, words of inspiration, and amazing moments of this little man's life, but I have been way too busy starting as this amazing little person Kyle and I made and thinking about how amazing life is and how blessed I am to have the most precious gift God could give.

This is what life is all about....



With Love,

My life as a mom

Soo, I have seriously sucked at keeping up with this, but from now on I plan to write here often about Landyn and our amazing life with him! :).. PLAN is the operative word in that sentence. We are off to a playdate soon, but I will update with pictures from day 1 of Landyn's birth through now 5 months old! (See - I told you I sucked at keeping up!) The reality is, I have been too busy staring at this beautiful little person we made, and dreaming about the years to come. Kyle and I have no greater accomplishment to date than bringing Landyn into this world, and we are absolutely enjoying every moment he is bringing into our lives. From his first smile, to his laughter, to even the cries and late night feedings, he is hands down, the BEST thing to ever come into our lives!

I'll leave you with a touch of the best thing that ever happened to me....

Our first family photo!



Blessings,