The Wacky Wardell Family: My Little Ball of Sunshine

Perfect depiction of Eric!

This blog post is dedicated to my little ball of Sunshine, Eric. Last week my baby boy turned three years old! ( I start to tear up as I type this) He has gotten SO big and he has matured SO much! Eric is 100% boy. He is constantly moving and if it involves dirt, even better. He loves to run and jump constantly. Eric has always been a kid that keeps me on my toes. When Eric was born, things went very smoothly and he loved to be hugged! He loved having his head covered and he HATED being swaddled (that should have been a sign).

My favorite boys!

When we brought Eric home I quickly contemplated taking him back to the hospital (don't judge me, things were tough). He was a cryer...a screamer..whichever you would like to call it. He cried CONSTANTLY (I am NOT exaggerating). The only time he didn't cry was when he would eat (10 minutes every 3 hours) and sleep (he was the king of 10 minute power naps and 2 hours was his stretch at night). I cried with him and prayed that Heavenly Father would help me understand this baby, who was apparently not a happy camper.

He frequently slept in the sling, he would fall asleep and I would slip it off for a few minutes ...Once he was asleep I would KILL anyone who woke him up. He looks so sweet asleep!

I can remember that I read an article about colic and stuff and in they talked about babies having a "separation anxiety) from the womb. I thought about this and prayed about this and concluded that Eric had separation anxiety from our Heavenly Father, the veil was just too thin and he could still remember what he left. He was not happy to be here and he was terrible frustrated with this little body he was placed in. One night, after a particularly LONG day, I asked James to give him a blessing. In that blessing I asked James to ask Heavenly Father to let Eric know that it was okay to be here and that we loved him and that we would take care of him. James gave Eric the sweetest blessing (which he screamed through) and then at the end, he stopped long enough to give us a quick little grin, and then proceeded to scream.

As close as we ever got to a smile in he first 3 months of life :)

The next day was spent with family at a local pumpkin patch (Eric was 4 1/2 months old). I was not looking forward to dragging grumpy pants around while everyone was having fun. My grandma offered to keep an eye on him while we enjoyed some of the festivities and she sat and read her book. Later she told me that this made her a nervous wreck and she was sure he would start screaming any moment. That day, a day I will never forget, he stopped crying. He actually smiled and even giggled a bit! That day was truly an answer to our prayers. Eric finally started feeling comfortable in his own skin and he knew we loved him. After that we started to understand Eric's personality better.

What a sly little smile, like he has a secret! This was taken the evening he stopped crying

I LOVE this smile! This was taken about a week after "The Miracle"

He gives everything 100%. If he can't do something on his own he gets very frustrated and mad. He wants it all and he wants it now. He wants to do everything Alex can do and even more. Right now he is sure that he is turning 5 any moment.

I can't describe how much I LOVE this picture

His latest accomplishment

Eric has gone through times of crying and frustration, and we have come to understand that it is an indicator that Eric is going to hit a milestone soon. He did this before he crawled, walked, ran, jumped, talked, and pretty much anything else. He recently went through a phase and we were sure something big was coming and we kinda cringed at the thought, but all of the sudden, he became very aware of things and people around him. It is hard to explain this to anyone who doesn't know him, but he is definitely maturing into a little boy. I literally cried the day he looked at me (after I called him my "baby boy") and said, "Mommy I am not a baby anymore, I am a big boy".

I love him so much. He has a way of lighting up a room when he smiles and is laugh is truly contagious. He hates to see you sad and always wants to share. He LOVES going to Tumbling Class with Mr. Vincent and after every class I am told, "He keeps me busy, but I love him." Eric is a bright kid, he is my sunshine when I am down and he is always complimenting me. There is nothing sweeter than hearing him say, "Mommy, you're beautiful" every single day after I get dressed, no matter what I am wearing. His favorite thing to say to people lately is, "Guess what!" after the person replies, "What?" he says with the biggest smile on his face, "I LOVE YOU!" I love my little guy and I am excited to continue to watch him grow into a boy and a young man. I cannot express how grateful I am for him and how much I love him. I better stop now because I am bawling my eyes out and my eyes get all puffy when I cry. So until next time...

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Eric