Best Friends

Ever since we brought Cole home from the hospital Mason has kindof gotten left out of things. He used to be the center of our attention but that attention quickly turned toward the baby even when we tried to include Mason. For the first few days Cole was here Mason totally ignored him and each day since he has gotten more and more used to him. Tonight while Rhonald, Cole and I were lounging around on the couch Mason decided to join us. He ended up falling asleep with his head on Cole's bottom. It was so cute we had to capture it and share it with everyone! We finally saw what we had been hoping to see all along...that Mason and Cole are going to be buddies and will hopefully continue to grow closer as time goes on. I look forward to being able to take them both to the park and for walks as the weather gets nicer and Cole gets a little bit older. I am sure we will all make many more memories together throughout the years!

2 Weeks Old and Loving Life

Love those wrinkles!!!!

Cole likes to suck on his pacifier at an angle - silly isn't it?

It is so hard to believe that Nicholas is 2 weeks old already! He is growing and changing even at this age! He has been sleeping and eatting very well. This week he has started being awake a little more. He is very alert for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon. It is so awesome to watch him begin to interact with us. For example, when he is really alert and we talk to him he looks up at us like he knows exactly what we are saying to him. It is an amazing feeling to know he is ours and that he is depending on us for absolutely everything. We are so proud of him and love him so very much. I think it will be wonderful to experience this world through his eyes as he gets older. Motherhood is such an amazing gift and I am so thankful to have this opportunity. Although it is somewhat scary at times, I believe God put the three of us together and He will watch over us and guide us through parenthood. Having Cole has opened our eyes to so many things already - I can only imagine what we will learn from him in the future!

So Many Friends, So Little Time

Rachel and Keira with Cole
Marla, Owen and Mya with Cole and I

We have had so much fun this past week visiting with friends. Cole is only 2 weeks old yet he has so many friends already! Since it is winter and super cold outside we have not been out much but the visits from our friends have kept us sane and kept my spirits up. As much as I have needed to visit with people, it has also been fun to show Cole off and introduce him to people. It is exciting to think about Cole getting older and playing with his friends. I can already picture him riding his bike with neighborhood boys or fishing with his daddy. It has been wonderful for Rhonald and I to have so many friends with children (or expecting children) to learn from and get advice from. We can't wait to watch all of our kids grow up together! We look forward to making many more memories with all of our friends and their children.

One Week Old Today

Well, our beautiful baby boy is one week old today - can you believe it? This week has truly flown by for us. It seems like just last night when we were driving to the hospital talking about who Cole would look like! Thank you for all of your support, encouragement and prayers...we have felt all of them and appreciated them so much. He is a wonderful blessing and I am so happy and thankful to be his mom. Please continue to remember us as we strive to be the best parents we can be!!!

Total Happiness

Isn't this is face of total comfort and happiness? This was taken right after Cole ate - he always looks like he is in heaven after a feeding!!! Let me tell you, that makes his mommy very proud!

Just Me and My Dad

We have been so blessed that Rhonald was able to take the entire week off to be home with Cole and I. One of the most awesome things I have experienced this week has been to watch Rhonald and Cole develop their relationship with one another. Rhonald is an excellent daddy. He has jumped right in there to help me with anything and everything and he is having the best time doing it! His face lights up whenever Cole is around - especially when he looks up at Rhonald with those big eyes. It is so obvious when I see the two of them together that they are the best of friends already. On more than one occasion it has been Rhonald who is able to calm Cole down and get him to go to sleep. He has been wonderful about taking Cole into another room so that I can take a nap and I know part of that is simply because he loves being with his son. This may sound kindof crazy but I see even more how much Rhonald loves me in the way that he cares for Nicholas. I am so excited to watch them grow closer each and every day. Cole and I are so blessed to have Rhonald in our lives and I thank God that he is here with us each and every day.

Our Shining Star is Born

Nicholas Myers Searcy (a.k.a. Cole) was born on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 4:42 pm. He weighed 7 lbs and 7 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. Cole is the most amazing gift we have ever been given and we cherish him so much. We keep saying that it is hard to remember what life was like before he came and honestly, I don't even want to.

Rhonald and I went to the hospital on Thursday night to begin our induction. We were so anxious to get things started that we actually showed up an hour early! We were so lucky to have one of my oldest friends (and co-workers), Rachel Grubb, take care of us that night. My water broke around 4:00 am which was the strangest feeling ever! I was so excited that it broke on it's own since everything else was so planned out. On Friday the waiting room was full of family and friends which was so nice and several of my co-workers would stop in and check on us throughout the day. We felt so blessed to be surrounded by loved ones and familiar faces. It made us much less nervous to know that we were being cared for so well. I owe a lot to my nurse, Jennifer. She was so patient and kind - we could never think of enough words to thank her. The day progressed quickly - once I started dilating I dilated quickly and by 3:15 pm I was ready to get the show on the road and see my sweet boy! I only pushed for about an hour and it really was not that bad. I got so excited when I saw Dr. Shenker come in the room because I knew it would not be long then! Rhonald was awesome - he coached me and encouraged me like a pro and I loved seeing how excited he was too.

Words cannot describe the feeling we had when we heard Cole cry and the dr placed him in my arms. It was love at first sight for all of us! Right after delivery I was able to feed him and Rhonald was able to hold him. It was so awesome to see that tiny face and know that he is ours forever and ever! As you can see he looks a lot like his daddy but with my skin tone (so far). He is truly the sweetest baby - he loves to cuddle and eat. When he opens up those big eyes and looks up at us our hearts simply melt! We thank God all of the time for him and the wonderful addition to our family that he is. He fits in perfectly and we love him dearly. We hope that all of you can meet him soon!!!!