Elmo!

Today we celebrated Miss Morgan’s birthday party! Morgan is new to Jayden’s class and he was very fortunate to garner a birthday invite from her. Morgan’s parents, Thad and Brittany, made us feel extremely comfortable and we had an amazing time. Of course these are his supposed future in-laws since I found out that Jayden runs to Morgan each morning when she gets in to give her a hug! (For some reason I fear that Todd and I have a future of unease with Mr. Flirt!)

The theme was Sesame Street, which had Morgan’s favorite character Elmo. Morgan’s mom was concerned that some of the little ones would be scared. However, I knew that our little guy wouldn’t be! Sure enough he proved me right! He was the only one who ran up to Elmo! The other little ones cried, or shied away from him.

Jayden’s thirst for adventure and thrills never ceases to amaze me! Nothing scares him! (P.S. - If you perhaps think you saw J in feminine flip flops on, you are correct. He stole Morgan's sandals and did not take them off until we left! That boy and his love for shoes!)

Slumber Party/UCF Game

Last night I had my first slumber since the night before my wedding! We somehow were able to clear all of our schedules and come together to celebrate Amanda’s birthday! Lindsey came from Orlando, Martina came from West Palm Beach, Emily came from a few streets over J and Amanda came over from Groveland. Todd was gracious enough to allow our house to be full of women!! I ran to Publix before they all came over and went shopping for our slumber party snacks…..Twizzlers, Snickers, Laffy Taffy, Bacon Parm Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip and a Cheese platter. Did I mention that we also ordered out for pizza and Greek salads! Lol who knew five girls could put down so much!

I can’t remember laughing so hard! After catching up we dug out the video from Amanda’s bachelorette party and my 21^st birthday party at Tivoli. LOL those were crazy memories! I think we all laughed and giggled for two straight hours! At least till Todd came home and Lindsey demanded that we shut off the video! (Lol she didn’t quite like the idea of Todd seeing her dancing it up on the video at that particular moment!)

When we all woke up this morning, we were off to do different things. So our precious few hours were over. Lindsey was headed to the USF game, Amanda was headed to work, but the Shappards, Emily and Moe were headed to our Tivoli reunion at UCF! Now those of you who know me post college years you most likely don’t know about my Tivoli days! Tivoli was the apartment complex that Emily, Martina and I lived in. Martina and I actually worked there too! There aren’t quite words to express what Tivoli means to me. It was my life and some of the best memories I have.  We met some of our best college friends here and somehow we merged over 20 people from St. Pete, Palm Bay, Merritt Island and Clermont into a family.

I couldn’t wait to see of my college friends and introduce them to my little man. (Most of them had already met Todd!) This was Jayden’s first official tailgate and I couldn’t wait to see how he loved it. The Shappard’s were decked out in UCF gear and J was sporting his jersey!

We had an incredible time and it truly precious to see all of my best guy friends play with Jayden. He was in heaven playing with the boys and an extension cord. Plus he had a blast chasing them down the green! Lol the boys loved him because he definitely attracted the ladies in with his fohawk and jersey!

11 WEEKS

Two more weeks and I will be out of my 1st Trimester! I have been patiently counting the days in the hopes that I will start to feel better! I love this baby already, but my goodness is he/she putting me through the ringer!

Size:             Large Plum

Length:         2.5 Inches Long

Weight:        .5 Ounces

Fun Facts:    Most of our baby's systems are fully formed and it is doubles in
                       size in the last three weeks! In addition, his or her bone marrow
                       is already producing white blood cells to fight off infection after
                       birth! IN the Shappard family we know this is a MUST have!

The Peabody Ducks

The Peabody Duck March

Since opening its doors on November 1, 1986, The Peabody Orlando has continued, in unbroken sequence, the traditional March of The Peabody Ducks which began at its sister property, The Peabody Memphis, many, many years ago.Each morning, promptly at 11 a.m., the hotel's atrium lobby is the scene of a remarkable ritual. In a special elevator, the five North American mallard ducks, four hens and one drake, comprising The Peabody Ducks, descend from their $100,000 penthouse Royal Duck Palace.When the elevator doors open, The Peabody Ducks, accompanied by their crimson-and-gold- braid-jacketed Duck Master™, take up their positions on a plush red carpet and begin The March of The Peabody Orlando Ducks to the strident tones of John Philip Sousa's King Cotton March.

They waddle their way in formation through the hotel's marble halls, and when they reach the magnificent, orchid-crowned fountain, which takes center stage in the Atrium Lobby, the ducks mount three red-carpeted steps and splash into the fountain's waters. Tumultuous applause reverberates through the lofty, foliage-draped lobby, and standing ovations are the order of the day by the hundreds of onlookers who daily crowd into the hotel to see one of the greatest shows on earth.

At 5 p.m., the procession is reversed, The Peabody Orlando Ducks marching back to their special elevator, then to their Royal Duck Palace for dinner and a quiet evening together.

The Peabody Duck March is something my parents took my brother and I too when we were little kids. We would make a special day of it! We would start by seeing the ducks waddle in and then we would go to the B-Line Diner attached to the hotel to have brunch! The Duck March is something that has been on my bucket list to bring Jayden to! I couldn’t wait to see this unique event through his eyes! We invited his Auntie Rebecca and his Uncle Nick to go with us. (They had never been either and I couldn’t wait to share this experience with them!)

Jayden adored the ducks! They went by so quickly that I think it was hard for him to register! He coultn’y wait to chase after them!

As soon as they flew by he was off to see them in the fountain! He had the biggest smile on his face and I couldn’t have imagined this experience to be any better!

 

Of course he was so cute that he caught the attention of a Brazilian news crew who proceeded to interview us and film J! What a ladies’ man!

After his thorough assessment of the ducks, we headed off to brunch at the B-Line Diner!!! It was just as fabulous as I remember! Thanks to everyone who made this day so special and surreal!

Buddy Time!

Jayden’s best buddy at daycare is his friend Xander! I would say they are more like brothers, especially when they have their Mohawks going on! It was well past time to get the boys together, so Xander and his mommy Megan come over today for a play date! The boys started out playing outside and then they proceeded in the house to change out of their bathing suits! As soon as they were dry snack time was on the agenda!

They were quite priceless playing with each other. Todd and I got to see firsthand how they must be together at daycare!  They followed each other everywhere and took turns pushing each other in the Cozy Coupe! I could just give these boys kisses every minute! (Which of course they would never allow!) After exhausting themselves from playing, it was time for lunch! These two sure do enjoy their food!



After lunch, it was time to say goodbye. The boys adore each other and had to give each other hugs before they left! So precious!

Allergies!

A few weeks ago I took Jayden to Arnold Palmer Hospital to get blood taken for allergy tests. Our friend Catherine recommended that we take him there rather than Quest diagnostics because they specialize in taking blood from babies. I was so happy that we listened to her because they were tremendous and Jayden didn’t even cry! (There was a little bit of a lip quiver though!)  Afterwards I rewarded him by going by the Disney castle in the atrium and letting him play for a few minutes!

I got a call on Wednesday that the results were in and our pediatrician wanted us to make an appointment to go over them with us. (You know this is never a good sign when they want you to come in!)  So today, Todd and I brought J in to discuss the results. Low and behold out little guy is allergic to PEANUTS! Who would have thought! So we are now proud owners of epi pens! We also learned that he is highly allergic to dogs, which we were anticipating after his allergic reaction after breakfast with Grandpa. (After breakfast we were walking outside and a large dog licked him in the face. Ten minutes later his eye started swelling close and his face swelled up with welts!)



So as Jayden’s grandma would say, “He’s special!”

Baby Announcement!

Today was the official Facebook and work baby announcement! I have been dying to tell people! I don’t know why, but it seems more real when those around you know! We sent the following email/post to the world:

The Shappard's will be a family of four come March 11, 2013!
Jayden can't wait to be a big brother!

I loved the equation idea when I saw it! Fortunately our wonderful friends Emily and Lindsey helped us capture it! There were several people who thought we photo shopped the numbers in, but it was actually poster boards that I cut out!

7 WEEKS

Sometimes it’s shocking to even think I am pregnant, let alone 7 weeks pregnant! Todd and I agreed that we would not tell anyone about the pregnancy until we had our first appointment/ultra sound (August 6^th) just to ensure the baby is healthy and growing. Therefore, in attempting to keep it a secret, I tend to forget that I’m pregnant. Lol, that is until I get nauseous!

With J, I typically would only get nauseous in the early evening. Well this precious one seems to be all day whenever he or she wants to! I love being pregnant, but I sure hope this stops by the 2ns trimester or I am going to make Toddy pay! (With a nice piece of jewelry of course!)



Size:             Rasberry

Length:        .5 Inches Long

Weight:        .5 Ounces

Fun Facts:    Our baby's upper lip is forming, along with his/her button nose!
                       His/Her heartbeat beats at 150 beats a minute!               

Jayden and His Hilarious Antics

As we all know, Jayden is quite the entertainer! I wish I could capture more of his antics that have us giggling by the hours, but sometimes I am able to capture a few seconds! Tonight Jayden was illustrating his true shoe fetish by walking around in mommy’s heels. Thank goodness I got it on camera for you all to witness! (I just adore the kissing part at the end, priceless!)



Co-Sleeping?

Todd and I have been extremely fortunate that Jayden has adapted to his crib and been sleeping by himself since he was a little less than a month old. (We had him in a bassinet in our room for the first few weeks.) He adores his crib and we can always find him luxuriating in the mornings and when he wakes up for naps. It is rare when we is not ready for bed or not feeling good that he snuggles in bed with Todd and I.

Well last night just so happened to be one of those rare nights. I hate to admit it, but it was selfishly due to me! With being six weeks pregnant, I was dead on my feet. I couldn’t keep my eyes open another second! So when J refused to go to bed and was really fussy, I took him into the big bed with me. (I knew Todd would put him down when he came upstairs!)

When I woke up in the morning, it was to a text from my hubby with the following message and picture:

“”I see we’re co-sleeping now huh? Bad squirrel! LOL!” (Squirrel reference is an inside joke with the Pyles Family!)