I've been such a slacker with this blog. I've just been busy and enjoying every second of spending time with my sweet Raylan. A lot has happened since I last blogged. He has two teeth coming in. It first was just his bottom front left tooth, but a couple days later the one beside it starting coming in. He is such a happy baby. We are working on crawling right now. He almost has it! Hopefully he will have it by Christmas. He gives high fives, kisses, and now he  is starting to reach out for certain people to pick him up :). He rolls EVERYWHERE. I may leave him on the floor and go to the kitchen super quick and when I come back he is already on the other side of the room. He has been sitting up on his own now for a couple of months. I can't believe he is already 7 months! It just seems unreal!! Halloween has passed he dressed up twice. The first night he was baby Carlos from the Hangover and his dad was Alan, and the second night he was UNC's mascot. He was so precious! 

Halloween

 Emmie's 1st Birthday Party

Aunt Shannon and Raylan

We baby swapped :)

Raylan wanted to take a nap on Cara :)

Farmer's Market with Raylan and some family :)

Raylan and his Aunt Susan :)

Raylan and his Aunt La La! 

Aunt Kels!

Nee Nee!

Raylan is not a wolfpack!! ;)

I found a couple of things today that I thought was comical.


"Oh you ask, do I work? Um yes, 24 hours a day, I'm a Mom!! I am an alarm clock, a cook, a maid, a teacher, a nanny, a nurse, a taxi, a handyman, a security officer, a photographer, a counselor, a jungle gym and a comforter. I don't get holidays, sick pay, or days off. I work through the day and night, and am on call 24 hours and get paid with hugs and kisses <3." I'm a proud mother :)

On another note, Raylan went to visit his Aunt Kelsey the other day at her new apartment at NCSU. Although Daddy and Mommy didn't like him being tortured with the wolf, Raylan loved biting and drooling all over it haha! :)

Raylan and his La La! :)

 Aunt Kelsey! :)

No blues around Raylan :)

Last night I was really upset about something that had happened to me earlier. I heard Raylan wake up from his nap so I went to go get him. When I picked him up and sat down with him he just chatted away and smiled and laughed at me. It was like he knew I was upset and wanted to cheer me up. I swear, no matter how mad or sad I am I can never be mad or sad around him - he makes it absolutely impossible. Raylan is by far the biggest blessing God has ever given me and I'm so thankful for him! :)

"I promise you this, I'll always look out for you-that's what I'll do..."

   So I've decided to make a blog (obviously), for my sweet Raylan. I wish I would have started this a long time ago because I want this to be like a memory book for him. Recording all of his firsts, good times, and bad times (hopefully they will be rare). So starting from the beginning, Raylan was due to be born April 3rd, 2011-however he was running late (just like his mom) and did not enter the world until April 10th, 2011 at 8:43 p.m. Weighing a healthy 7 pounds 12 oz. I remember Eric and I changing his middle name at the last minute after he was born. It was going to be Raylan Jaxon D'Amico but we changed it to Raylan James D'Amico. (Which was our 1,928th time changing his name, ha.)

                 I know this sounds cliche but I never knew I could love someone as much as I love Raylan. When it was time to leave the hospital I couldn't believe that they were trusting me to take him home. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. As soon as I walked in the door my dogs Stoney and Hendrix went crazy because that was the longest I've been away from them. I put them outside and took Raylan out of his car seat and took a deep breath - and somehow I knew that I could do this.
      
       The first couple of weeks were tiring because I was still trying to get on a new routine. Waking up at 2:30 every morning to feed him was tiring but I didn't mind a bit. One morning he didn't wake up at his usual 2:30 and I woke up at 10 am and I went running to his crib to make sure he was breathing (I was being a paranoid mom) and he was and from then on out he sleeps through the night (which is awesome).


    As far as his firsts, to be completely honest he has been smiling since he was in the hospital. This is a picture of him smiling in the hospital while his Nana was holding him.

Now he is standing for long periods of time if you hold his hands, laughing, smiling all of the time, blowing rasberries, grabbing his feet and more. The best feeling in the world is when he wakes up and I walk to his crib and he is just smiling at me so big and kicking his feet in excitement.

    Here are a few hospital pictures:

Eric and I checking in at the hospital.

 Walking to our room.

 Eric was so sweet during all of this, I love him :)

My mother-in-law, Cathy :)

My mom, me, and Cathy

Our Crew in the waiting room :)