Thursday, June 24, 2010

Then and Now {and a Giveaway!}

Dear Eddie,
Then, you were so very small.  Daddy and I tried to prepare for you as best as we could, but we had no idea what it would be like to have such a tiny little person in our house with us.  You were just so small (even if EVERYONE kept calling you huge, you were tiny to us).
You stayed bundled up like a little burrito in your receiving blankets in your swing.  Your hair was so brown.
Your pipey was almost as big as your face. Your hands and feet had all that new baby dry skin.  I couldn't stop holding your little fingers.
Your eyes were so dark and beautiful.  You seemed to know something.  You seemed wise.  But at the same time...
...you were so little.  Your bib was as big as the rest of you!  The car seat seemed to eat you alive.  Hats swallowed your little face.
You needed LOTS of cuddling because your tummy was not happy.  The formula we had just didn't agree with you and you had so many bubbles in your little tummy.
you were so relaxed at bath time, though, that you would pee and then fall asleep.  With your chubby little tummy sticking out of the tub.

You seemed to weigh nothing.  I loved to show you off and dress you in cute outfits.  I mean, those shoes?  Awesome.

Every morning for the first two weeks at home this is what we did.  I got up with you around 4:00 or 5:00 and gave you your bottle and we would snuggle together until daddy woke us up just after 9:00 with Starbucks for me, and another bottle for you.  Every. Morning.

Back then we could lay you down and you didn't move.  You did cry though.  a LOT.  even after we switched you to soy, you were a mad little man.  An angerball.  But what a cute little angerball.
And your pooping was about once or twice a week.  And humorous because your whole face head turned red and you got a dimple when you grunted.
Did I mention that you were squishy and wonderful?  Our lives had changed.  The kitchen counter was now set up as a feeding station. There was a little blue tub IN our regular tub.  Swings and bouncey seats and boppys and bumbos and receiving blankets and burp clothes took over our whole house.  We had a baby.

And then...just like that, I blinked.  Eddie, I blinked and you were one year old.  You were not a baby anymore.  You are now a toddler with QUITE a personality.
Every morning daddy helps you brush your eight teeth.  EIGHT!  And you are so good at it!  You can even hold the toothbrush--although you tend to suck on it more than brush.
You can open your own gifts.  A year ago you laid in a little baby cart in the hospital and I opened all your gifts.  Now you are a big boy and can do it yourself.  You tear the paper and play with the bow!  It's all so exciting!
and you can even eat cake!  You are messy when you do it, but you can feed yourself AND digest the sweets!  and have FUN doing it!
You can sit up in your booster and eat a birthday dinner of fruit and chicken fingers in a restaurant with water in your sippy.  No more bottles for you, big guy!
You even charm all the waitresses into singing for you!  That is right, our waitress thought you were the cutest thing and you were most definitely flirting with her.  Flirting your way into another piece of chocolate cake for the day!
Our house is rarely picked up anymore.  Then we could set you in your bouncy and you didn't do much.  Now we set you down and off you go to explore!
There are so many things you can do NOW.  You can walk.  You can squat and pick up toys (like your new John Deere radio from the Eiks in Montana!).  You can bring it over to us.  And you LOVE to point everything out to us.
And now you are so mobile that I can't even get a good picture of you!  They are all blurry because, big boy, you've got places to GO!

And you want the world to know you are ON YOUR WAY!  Eddie, I am pretty sure you will go far with your powerful voice, your command of attention, your amazing blue eyes, and your devilishly handsome smile.
You've already got your momma wrapped around your finger with all those qualities and more. I love to listen to the stories you tell me, and spend our special momma/Eddie time together at night when I read you a book, sing you a song, and rock you to sleep.  I am trying so hard to be a good momma to you.  There are lots of battles I have had to fight for myself and for you and for our momma/son bond, but I know it will all be worth it.  You are worth it.  And I won't stop fighting for you EVER.  Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet boy.

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby YOU'LL be,
Love,
Your momma

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now, because he is officially a big boy, Eddie would LOVE to give YOU something in honor of his birthday!

Eddie loves to read.  I think he got that quality from his momma who ALSO loves to read.  

SIDE NOTE: In fact, I have a book blog over here that is going to have a mad awesome series called "July is SUMMER Reading Month" that will feature lots of great guest bloggers and some fun giveaways!  So stay tuned.

Ahem...the giveaway...right.

As I was saying, Eddie and I love to read.  We hope you do too.  Because of our love, we are giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to Barnes and Noble!
Anyone can win this!  All you have to do to enter is the following:

Mandatory to enter:  Leave me a comment here.  Any old comment will do.

Extra entries (please leave extra entries in their own comment space. That means use a SEPARATE comment for each entry.  If you don't, your extra entries WON'T be counted):
1. "like" Sluiter Nation on facebook and come back and tell me you did (or if you do already, tell me that)

2. become a follower using the Google Friend Connect on the side of my blog and comment that you did (or tell me if you already are a follower...and thank you, by the way)

3. Tweet the following:  "Giveaway!!@ksluiter is giving away the gift of reading at http://bit.ly/ctS3lp!  Enter now!" Make sure to come back and tell me that you did! (one tweet per day)

That is it!  This giveaway will end Sunday, June 27 at 6:00 pm.  A winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced Monday morning.

The disclaimer stuff:  You must have a valid email address to win.  You don't need to be a blogger, but you need to leave some sort of way for me to get a hold of you if you win.  Also, Barnes and Nobles did not give me a darn thing to do this.  How lovely it would be to have them as a sponsor, but alas, this one is from my own pocket because Sluiter Nation appreciates it's readers that much.

55 comments:

Gina said...

I'm a Google friend!

Gina said...

I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/gsc418/status/16926855836

mommytojenna said...

isn't it amazing how fast the time goes - from squishy little babies to toddlers?!!?

mommytojenna said...

I like ya on fb!

mommytojenna said...

tweet is up!
btw - working on the guest post!

Miranda said...

Such a sweet, sweet birthday post. Happy birthday, sweet boy!

Miranda said...

I "like" Sluiter Nation on facebook!

Miranda said...

I am a follower/subscriber to your blog!

Miranda said...

And now I'm off to tweet for the day!

Sian said...

What a beautiful tribute Katie and the photo's are gorgeous! Your little man looks so grown up, it's scary how quickly the time goes!

Amy said...

I love this post and that it's written to him!

Amy said...

I follow through Google Friend Connect

Jessica said...

So sweet! Little boys are true blessings!

Grace said...

i like you on FB!

Grace said...

i follow through GFC

:)

MacKenzie said...

Yay Hooray for Eddie's Birthday and his Giveaway!

MacKenzie said...

I am ALREADY a facebook fan :)

MacKenzie said...

I am ALREADY a follower as well.

Trisha V. said...

Cute letter! Eddie is lucky to have you for his mama!! Happy Birthday to him!

Trisha V. said...

FB fan fo sho!!

Betsy said...

I could have written this about my boy!

Betsy said...

following!

Natalie said...

Isn't it amazing how fast they grow up? I am always in awe when I think about it. And the difference from them at birth to at their one year birthday is absolutely astonishing!

punkinmama said...

Love this post! They DO grow up tooooo fast! Love that pic of you and Eddie!

punkinmama said...

I'm a FB fan!

punkinmama said...

I follow via Google Friend.

punkinmama said...

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/punkinmama/status/16964941073

(By the way, it's best to not have your twitter handle be the first thing in a tweet, because then only people who follow both the person tweeting AND you see it. I started mine with a . so that everyone that follows me can see it. Hope that makes sense.)

torie@Life With Rylie said...

Happy Birthday! He is just a sweety. You letter brought a little tear to my eye thinking how fast my little one is growing!

torie@Life With Rylie said...

I follow your blog via On Top Baby Bows

Kimberly said...

It goes by sooo fast. Sniff Sniff. I miss cuddle time. He's too busy now for that :(

missy widener said...

Love the picture of him in the surf. Love this whole post actually. Isn't it amazing how it goes by so quickly yet you just cannot remember life without your sweet babies in it??

missy widener said...

SO a follower and always will be. One of the original groupies actually.

missy widener said...

and facebook? You know it. You are everywhere, so it is fitting you have your own nation. And I love it. Ps- Audrey is a reader as you know- she will love reading to Eddie as he gets older...

Jonna said...

I cant believe eddie is soo big

Anonymous said...

I now follow you! WooHoo!

bestofthebunch@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I "like" you on fb!

Julie S. said...

I sing the I'll love you forever song to Brayden. Melts me.

Trisha V. said...

Following with google reader

Jonna said...

I follow on FB

Jonna said...

I follow google reader.

Jonna said...

i tweeted

The Lungos said...

Happy Birthdya Eddie! (and Happy Birthgiving Day to you Mom)

Ann said...

eddie is so cute!

Ann said...

i follow :)

Erin said...

Stopping by after I noticed you were a new follower to me on Twitter. I'd LOVE to win that gift certificate, I'm a big reader, and it looks like my daughter will be too. :)

Erin said...

I tweeted the giveaway!

Maureen said...

Awww such precious pictures! Happy Birthday again Handsome man! Looks like he had a great fun birthday!

Roy Black said...

Happy Birthday, Eddie Van Sluiter! I hope that this comment earns me a gift certificate, but even if it does not, I will make sure that I buy a bunch of books in your honor anyway. You can read them when I am done. I'm reading a lot of historical fiction lately, so you'll probably be ready to read them by the time I finish them.

Matt Roberts said...

"I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby YOU'LL be"

I can't read that book without crying, what a b*%#h I am.

Happy Birthday Eddie! Sorry I missed it. I couldn't leave my new four legged baby alone that long yet.

Miranda said...

I tweeted again today!

Tammy P. said...

Hi, retweeted for the giveaway

Tammy P. said...

I'd love to win. How cool that you are paying for this on your own!!

Tammy P. said...

Following on GFC

Mandy said...

He is sooooo stinkin' cute!!! Happy Birthday!

Mandy said...

(and of course I follow your blog!) ;)

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