Thanksgiving Travels

On Wednesday afternoon, we headed to TN for the Thanksgiving holiday. Although the trip included several extra stops, it was very pleasant traveling with Hampton since he slept the entire way!

On Thursday, we headed over to Tanner's Grandparents' house early so they could meet their new great-grandson. It is extremely important to us that Hampton gets every chance to visit with his great-grandparents and extended family, since family is really everything! We spent most of the day eating and catching up with everyone before heading to Charlie & Jeannie's house for dinner. It was fun seeing them and introducing Hampton to his "Aunt Sarah" & "Uncle Sam". We really enjoyed visiting with them and getting inspired by all of Jeannie's awesome sewing gadgets!

We decided to spend Friday spending more time with Tanner's Grandparents and the Tillmans and Webbs. We loved catching up without the hustle and bustle of the holiday, and we're really glad we spent the extra day with some of our closest friends and family.

As we headed home, we were exhausted by all the running around, but so glad that we had the opportunity to spend time with everyone. It was a great first Thanksgiving as our little family, and we're looking forward to seeing everyone again at Christmas!

Josie in the car seat. One day she may realize she's not a baby!

Tanner's Grandparents with Hampton

Uncle Richard & Liz playing with Hampton

Aunt Melissa and Uncle David, who was making some great faces!

Hampton & his Grandaddy

Katie, who absolutely fascinated Hampton

Happy Thanksgiving

This year, we hope everyone stops and remembers that even in this difficult year, there is so much for us all to be thankful for. Among many other things, we are so thankful for our family, our friends, our home, and that we are healthy. Our blessings may seem small, but they are all so worthy of our gratitude. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

our smallest & biggest blessing

Comings & Goings

We're headed to Tennessee today for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our car is going to be full with us, Hampton, tons of baby gear, our luggage, and Josie the dog. We're super-excited for Tanner's family to meet Hampton for the first time and also to eat her Grandmother's amazing food!

We hate that Paul & Jan won't be home, since they're in FL visiting some of Bo's family, but they made a stop by this past weekend to see Hampton on their way down. It was just overnight, but it was great to see them again so soon, and Bo especially loved that Grandpa saved him from an early morning feeding!

Oscar

Sadly, this past weekend we had to put down our dog Oscar. He was starting to fall apart....he had horrible skin allergies, advanced diabetes that required twice daily insulin shots, an enlarged spleen, arthritis, and his liver was starting to fail. As heartbreaking as it was, we have known since he was a puppy that his health issues would eventually lead to this.

We feel so lucky that we got to be part of his life. Most people would have never put up with his ailments, but his sweet disposition made all of our sacrifices well worth it. We couldn't have asked for a better protector or a more affectionate dog. He loved tennis balls, treats (especially Josie's!), and his guilty pleasure was lounging on the couch when he thought we weren't looking. He was an important part of our family, and he'll be greatly missed.

Maxing and Relaxing

Just a few photos of how we spend most of our time now days!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.....

When Boba & Andy were here, we decided to move Hampton's changing pad into our bathroom for the middle of the night changings (trust us, no one wants to hear a meltdown at 2am!). Hampton loved looking in the mirror at himself, and stayed occupied during all of his diaper changes. Wonder what he thought of the cute baby looking back at him?

Hampton's First Bath

Hampton does NOT like having his clothes taken off, so we were really concerned about bath time. It turns out we shouldn't have been! So far, Hampton LOVES taking a bath. He just relaxes and really seems to enjoy it. The only thing we have to do is keep sliding him back up, since he likes to "sink" into his soaking tub. He actually enjoys it so much that he's going to be getting bath toys for Christmas!

The washcloth is almost as big as he is!

"No pictures, please! Can't you see I'm relaxing?"

A First Time for Everything....

We've been so busy since Hampton has arrived! We feel like we've just run constantly, but it's been so fun experiencing all of the "firsts" with him.

We've had our first Doctor's appointment with our pediatrician, and it went very well. Everyone was super-nice and the nurses fawned all over him. We were also lucky enough to get H1N1 vaccines at the office. We went on our first walk with our stroller, and Hampton seems to love it so far! While we were out, we met some of our new neighbors that are expecting a boy in December, so that was fun, too. Hampton has also been out to eat a few times, so he's becoming a restaurant regular. He has also been shopping, so he's really just a little busy-body!

Here are some pictures of his latest adventures......

snoozing away at O'Charleys

our first attempt at a "photo shoot" using his handmade blanket from

Grannie Rains

leaving our driveway on Hampton's first trip in his stroller

Here Comes Boba!

Susie & Andy (Bo's parents) came up from south Florida this past weekend to meet their new grandson. Boba (Susie's grandmother name) and Andy (he hasn't settled on a "name" yet) arrived on Thursday and were able to play with us for a couple of days. While they were here, we hung out at the house, ate with Tanner's parents, and went on our first shopping excursion to the outlets. It was a great few days with them, and we are already planning our holiday itinerary!

Tropical Storm Ida

Well, Hurricane Ida that turned into Tropical Storm Ida was a non-event for us. Even though the storm came on land right down the road from us, thankfully the effects were very minimal! It rained all day Monday and into Monday night, and it was rather windy, but other than that, it was mostly just hype from the local news stations. Better safe than sorry, though. We're glad that Hampton's first Tropical Storm was very uneventful!

While the weather did this......

....we were busy doing this!

The Cutest Thing Ever

Our niece, Mira, lives in New Jersey and is in the 1st grade. She has to do a "show-and-tell" report for her class, and she decided to do it on her new baby cousin Hampton. She's taking in a photo of him and her report is below. Is this not the cutest thing ever? How fun that Hampton has a big cousin that's so excited to meet him!

Mira's report. She did such a good job writing it....we love the way she sounded the words out (even if they might not be correct by adult standards)!

The cute girl herself!

Grandpa & Grandma's First Visit

This weekend, Paul & Jan (Bo's parents) came down to meet baby Hampton. We had a great weekend just visiting with them and watching them enjoy their new grandson. We took hundreds of photos...seriously, we're addicted....and we were lucky enough to get the first picture of 3 generations of Howard men for Paul. It was very special to us to have them come down to visit, and we're looking forward to seeing them again over the holidays!

Happy 1-Week Birthday

Happy 1-Week Birthday, Hampton! This has been the best week for us, filled with firsts and memories that will last forever. Halloween was definitely the most wonderful TREAT this year!

Coming Home With Hampton

Our first few days at home with Hampton have been full of new experiences and lots of picture-worthy moments. So far, Hampton is a very laid-back baby that doesn't really fuss except for diaper changes. He's definitely not a fan of those! At first, he wasn't really interested in taking a bottle, but once we explained that Howards & Hensons love to eat, he's starting to come around! He's not sure what he thinks about his cradle (sometimes he'll sleep in it, other times not so much), but he absolutely LOVES his infant carrier. He also loves his hands, as he'll do anything to have them free to touch his face. We even have to pull them away from his face to be able to feed him! It's absolutely hilarious to watch.

As for us, we're trying to master changing clothes on a squirming infant, as well as staying on top of dirty diapers, dishes, and laundry. We're also trying to stay well-rested and relaxed as we learn all of these new parenting skills. Plus, we just can't seem to keep our eyes off of this little guy....we don't want to miss a second!

Our Hospital Stay

Here are some photos from our hospital stay with Hampton......

arrival at the hospital

Joy and relief at being done with the delivery!

Hampton's first look at his dad

Hampton is taking it all in while Granddaddy (Tanner's dad) holds him

Grandi's (Tanner's mom) shoulder makes a great napping spot

Getting ready to leave the hospital......yea!!

Guess Who's Here????

We'd like to formally introduce Hampton Robert Howard. He was born at 8:31pm on Saturday, October 31st and he weighs 7lb 11oz and is 21 inches long. He's perfect (at least we think so) and we're all doing very well. We'll try to post several new photos ASAP, but for now, all three of us need a nap!

PS---for those of you that saw the typo in our child's name before we fixed it, you'll know we REALLY need that nap!!