Father's Day Weekend. June 15-16, 2013.

Since this is Todd's first year as a daddy, we started celebrating Father's Day weekend on Friday!! First stop, Kitt's Cafe for breakfast. This is actually a weekly tradition for the three of us now. Delicious! If you haven't been there, you must give it a try! All of the ladies there just LOVE Tuck, too. 

Next stop, Lashbrooke! This is our lot. It's at the highest point in the community, so we have great veiws of the lake, the interior lakes, and the beautiful rolling hills. We come every two weeks to mow the grass, and usually come on the in-between weeks to swim. 

This is the view from our lot. It's absolutely breathtaking. We can't wait to one day sit on our front porch, sip on some ice cold lemonade, and call this home. 

The pool was so nice. The water was beautiful and warm. Tuck loved it again! I'm so thankful to have a happy water baby. This will definitely be fun when we go to the beach. 

I made Tuck a sunproof tent with a lounge chair and a beach towel!!

He was so cute...

and smiley!!

I thought he might nap a little bit. But no, he just played the entire time!!

Next stop, Parkway Drive-in theatre! Gates open at 7; Movie starts at dusk....which means almost 2hrs and 45min later! 

That's perfectly okay, because this cuteness was the talk of the field! Everyone wanted to know how old he is, is he a good baby, does he sleep well, do you sleep well, etc, etc, etc. 

Special times with daddy!! We loved our time at the drive-in, so much so that we plan to go back this week too! Man of Steel was good, but I'm thankful we only paid $7ea for tickets, plus it's not as loud as the real theatre, which makes it Tuck-friendly. 

The drive-in is really all about the experience. And we had a BLAST!! Tuck was perfect; slept in mommy's arms the entire time! We all cuddled under a blanket. It was priceless. 

This was also so reminiscent for Todd and I, as our very first date was at this drive-in movie theatre 10 years ago!!! I can't believe it's been that long. I'm still just as crazy about him, and had a few butterflies all over again when he pulled the blanket up over my shoulder, just like he did on our first date. I'm in true love. It doesn't get any better than this.

We didn't get home til 1am, and yes,  Tuck continues to feed every 3-4hrs, whether you've spent the whole day going strong or not! We were completely zapped, and didn't even get out of the house until 4pm the following day! We went for a great walk though! Just like daddy, Tuck is wearing one of his double dip sprint triathlon shirts. Too cute. This was really to keep the sun off, and keep him cool in the hot hot hot weather! I love these two with a fierce passion. I certainly look forward to taking Tuck to his daddy's triathlon races this summer!

Which leads me to Todd's first Father's Day gifts. This year is all about "firsts" of course, so Tuck now has his first life jacket, his first bike helmet, and first pair of running shoes, all to "train" with daddy for his first race :)

Daddy also gets to experience the first kick of a soccer ball, first hike of a football, and first slam dunk of a basketball with Tuck. Yes, these will take place years down the road, but Todd is set and ready for many many fun firsts with his son. You can't see it, but Tuck's first kettlebell is also in his duffle bag. First Crossfit WOD!! You know it!

We hope to go to our first Western Carolina football game this fall, with Uncle Evan, Aunt Rebecca, and cousin James!! Big thank you to Rebecca for picking out this sleeper for Tuck, and mailing it to us so it arrived just in time to give to daddy for Father's Day.

Todd is probably especially looking forward to his first hunting trip/weekend at Mamaw's with Tuck. She actually picked out this outfit for Tuck. I can't wait to see him in it!

We'll soon have our first beach trip together, and experience Tuck's first "toes in the sand and ocean" moment. So excited for this!! And this tent is supposably a life-saver for littles on the beach. We're definitely planning to put this to good use!

After our long walk, we went to NFC, and hit the swimming pool!! 

These swimmy diapers are TOO ADORABLE! They are a MUST for little boys.

Todd says I take a lot of pictures of Tuck....and I DO!! Can't help it...especially when he's so picture perfect!

Doesn't swimming make everyone sleepy?? That makes for some great snuggles with daddy =)

Happy Father's Day! Tuck even broke out his tie, khaki shorts, and sandals (thank you Emily and Momma J!!) for daddy's very special day.

He started out with a smirk/grin....

....then realized he was in the nursery....

....and that we would soon be leaving him with strangers.... I think he just wanted to stay in daddy's arms, especially on this very special day for dads.

Father's Day brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe!! We love Market Square, and we REALLY love Tupelo Honey!! We can also HIGHLY recommend anything on their menu.

Todd, Tuck, Grandad, and Mimi.

Three generations of Mills'.

I would so love for my daddy to be apart of this picture too. He gets to celebrate Father's Day in Heaven though, with his own loving Heavenly Father, as well as his earthly father.

I'm sure my dad knows the love we have for him, how much we miss him, and how excited we are to be reunited with him again one day. What a day that will be. We love you Daddy/Papaw Barr, and will make sure Tuck is apart of the great legacy you left behind.

TFM: 2-Months. June 12, 2013.

We've been busy little beavers during month two. We started out with an unplanned visit to our wonderful pediatrician's office. Tuck developed projectile vomiting, which lasted for 24hrs! To say it was stressful and heartbreaking is the understatement of the year. I never knew reflux and milk allergy could be so hard on such a little guy. 

Because boys are more likely to develop pyloric stenosis than girls, and because it usually occurs between 2-6 weeks of life, Ashley sent us to Children's for an ultrasound.

Thankfully, it was normal, which means no surgery...Praise the Lord!! We can certainly live with and deal with reflux and milk allergy. So began the elimination diet for mommy. No milk, soy, eggs, or nuts. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, reflux medications, and allergen free breastmilk, it still ended up on the floor with almost every feeding. Last week, we made the difficult decision to transition Tuck to an extensively hydrolzed and hypoallergenic formula. Our sweet boy is 100% better, keeps all of his feedings down, and is happy as can be. 

Since we need to stay upright 90% of the time for Tucker's reflux, we have put mommy's new Boba to good use. This was one of my Mother's Day gifts from Todd. That, and he had our entire condo cleaned floor to ceiling, front to back!! Both gifts were so thoughtful and practical. We've even spent a couple nights sleeping upright in our Boba....before we made the switch to formula that is. This truly is the 4th trimester. Tuck's little digestive system is still maturing, and he loves nothing more than to be snuggled tight against his mommy, just like he was in my womb. I love that so much :)

Tuck went to his first martial arts demonstration. Todd and his dad, as well as a couple other martial artists, performed a great demonstration at the Tennessee school for the deaf. 

Here, Todd is holding boards for the students to break.

They absolutely loved it, and were so excited when the punched right through the wood. I have no doubt Tuck will be breaking boards in his toddler years. This is the first of many karate demonstrations.

Tuck had two very special visitors: Ashley and Anna Kate Sims. They brought us Litton's burgers! Oh man. Even though I couldn't eat the buns, a Litton burger is just as good on homemade bread from Old Mill Bread Co. We loved our visit with them, although it didn't last long enough at all. 

Tuck has had lots and lots of night-time snuggles with daddy.

I can't get enough of these two. I never knew how much love I could hold in my heart. Actually, my heart can't hold it all....it's truly overflowing.

Tuck was slowly and carefully positioned under his play gym. Thankfully, it came with a soft and reflux-proof whale that we use to keep him elevated.

It took him awhile to warm up to all of the new aquatic toys.

Okay, it didn't take too long. He loves the octopus, and seeing himself in the mirror.

He plays hard for about 15 minutes, then crashes in mommy's arms. No other place would I rather him be than in my arms. 

We had a fun stroller date with baby Ella Jane. It was HOT HOT HOT at New Harvest Park, so we went straight to the mall. 

We love our Boba so much that we also need a BobaAir for the HOT summer months. It's much cooler. Tuck always holds onto my shirt with his little hands. It completely melts me. 

More time under the sea!

He takes it all in during the first couple of minutes, then starts swinging his arms all around.

Growing so quickly! It blows me away how he truly is changing, literally on a daily basis!

Sweet yawns.

Sweet smiles at mommy.

A perfect pose for his 6-week picture.

It lasted all of 3 seconds. This is priceless though. I promise....I only snagged the one photo, then picked him right up in my arms =) These days, that seems to fix everything. I hope that continues for a long time.

He always notices my phone/camera. Observant from the get-go.

More smiles at the octopus and at baby Tuck!

Since turning 6-weeks old, Tuck is now "old enough" to attend childcare for a short time while mommy and daddy hit the weights. Then, he and I watch daddy teach karate to other kids. Daddy always starts his class out with prayer. A simple yet super effective way to integrate Christ and the Gospel into his time with these children. What a great example he is setting.

Then they hit the mats hard as well. I love watching Todd teach. He is exceptionally gifted in working with little kids. He is patient, gentle in spirit, funny, consistent in his teachings of discipline and respect of others, and a great Christian/Godly influence for these children. They love him, which makes me love him even more. 

 Tuck's second trip to lashbrooke. The pool is still a little cool, so we'll wait for our next trip out. We can still oooh and ahhh over the beauty of the countryside in Louisville. 

Sunday afternoon nap. He almost doesn't fit in his snug-a-bunny anymore!!

More smiles for mommy. I could look at this precious face all day and all night. He is again, a completely different baby now that his tummy feels better. I'm so thankful God gave me peace of mind and heart, to know that Tuck will be perfectly fine on formula. In fact, he's even BETTER on formula. 

He sleeps so well; naps in his carseat while mommy jogs! 

Naps in daddy's arms. 

He snuggles right up with daddy, as soon as he gets home from work. 

Love. Pure love.

Next trip to lashbrooke. This time just to picnic and swim!! 

The water was a little bit warmer, so we started with toes in, then worked our way up. 

I could not believe how content my little man was in the water!! 

Swimming makes everyone hungry, right?? Thumb and first finger in!!!

He was so relaxed in my arms :) 

Napped perfectly in the lounge chair. So sweet. 

After round two in the pool. I just love his little hat. 

He likes to bury his face, and stick his cute little tooshie up in the air!!! Adorable!! 

Sunday brunch with Grandad and Mimi. 

Sunday afternoon naps are the best!!

Two months. Love that smile. 

Yes. I kiss him over and over and over and over again!! 

I'm so blessed to be loved by him.