Long time, no talk!

Well hello there!! So, it's only been about 3 months since I last wrote. Is that too horrible!??!!? I'm so sorry!!! There just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want/need to do!! But, hey, I'm not complaining. I'd rather spend the time with you than spend it on the computer!!! So let's see how much I can update in one sitting!!

Since June, you've started walking, pointing to the light, and pointing to your nose and eyes! I've also noticed that you understand what I'm saying when I ask you to do something - you're such a smart little boy!! I think most of this is coming from the fact that you moved to toddler class in August!! Mommy wasn't sure you were ready for that, but you totally were!! You love it!!! It's so cute to see you be able to feed yourself and take a nap on your mat (thank goodness for your sweet teachers who text me pictures so I can see all of this!)

One thing we have figured out about you is a very strange phobia. You are afraid of bald men!! I noticed it a couple of times around friends and Todd, but didn't put it together. Then one day at school, your little friend Morgan's dad (a bald man) was dropping her off, and the teachers said you saw him coming and started screaming, and it all came together for me. Now I know you have your love of hair (mine and yours), so I guess anyone without hair is a fright for you!!! Morgan's sweet daddy wears a hat now when he drops her off, so he won't scare you! But we're starting to make progress. The teachers told me the other day that you gave him a high five and didn't scream (too bad) when you saw him. So funny!!

Over Labor Day we went to Little Rock to visit everyone. We took you and Ryan to a water park. You were a little leary of it, but I think you enjoyed it. Except for when the water would go off and you stumble out in the middle to walk around, and darn it, the water would shoot back on. It scared you to death!! You also got to go out to the garden with us. You and I mostly drove around in the golf cart though - we'll leave the dirty work to someone else, right?!? You got to see Grandpa and Meemo. They loved seeing how big you've gotten and all of the cute things you do!

In September you went to Abby's 4th birthday party. It was perfect for you because it was a dance party, and you have some mad dancing skills! You usually bend at the waist and move the top half of your body side to side - it's the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!!

At the end of September we went to Pickwick Lake for Uncle Jay's birthday. This is an annual thing that we do. I think you'll enjoy it more as you get older. We went on a boatride, but you missed most of that because you fell asleep!! I have no idea how you slept in a life preserver, but you must have been exhausted, because you had no problem sleeping on the cushion!

We're coming up on Halloween season now, so I'll post all about our Halloween escapades in the next blog, which hopefully won't be sometime next year!! Until then, Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

Destin 2012

Hey Buddy! Well, boy am I behind! There's so much to tell, I may have to let the pictures do the talking. (I'll do a little!) For this post we'll talk about your 1st Destin trip! We usually go to Destin a couple of times a year, so this was the first of MANY trips we'll hopefully take! This first trip we went down to stay with Emme and Papa. Your dad drove down with us to stay for a couple of days. Then he had to go back to work, so you, me and Ryan stayed the rest of the week. Unfortunately while your dad was there, it was really chilly, so he didn't get any beach time at all! But you guys did a lot of looking at the ocean!

 

We tried to get you in the pool the 1st day, but it was just way too chilly, so you just hung out with Emme and Papa.

That night we went to Harborwalk and walked around at Kidfest. You and Ryan wore one of your many matching outfits that Emme made you. We tried to get a good picture of the two of you, but it's hard these days!

The next morning you were running a fever, so I figured this was probably an ear infection. You were scheduled to have tubes put in your ears the next week, so I was holding you could hold out a week or so before you got sick, but nooooo! So we went to a local doctor in Destin! Luckily, you didn't have an ear infection - just some kind of virus. So you took it easy that day.

The next day though we ventured into the pool! You seemed to like it. So for the next few days we took you to the pool in the mornings and then you just stayed in the condo after naps.

We did eventually get you on the beach but it just wasn't your cup of tea. You weren't quite sure about the sand, and the water was just too cold. At least we tried! And we'll try again, don't you worry!!!!

I know next year it will be a totally different story! I'm looking forward to trying it again with you!!

So like I said, the next week you got tubes put in your ears. After about 3 solid months of ear infections, I was SOOO ready for this moment! You were such a trooper. You did great! You were just a tad fussy after it was over, but who could blame you. And ever since, (knock on wood), there have been no ear infections! Amazing!!!

The very next day Mommy left you to go to Little Rock. Now I know that sounds terrible, but having been through the tubes before, I knew that it was a very lowkey procedure. And if anything at all had been wrong with you, I wouldn't have gone. But you did so well, that I knew it was OK! The reason I went was to help throw a baby shower for your cousins TJ and Sarah (who, by the way, a month later had sweet little Hays who was 10 lbs. 7 oz!!!!), and also to see Beepo who wasn't doing so well. So you were in fine hands with your Daddy. KK and Granddaddy came up as well to help.

"So what cute things have I been doing lately," you may be asking yourself. Well, everything you do is cute to me! But one thing that sticks out is your love affair with hair! You LOVE to run your fingers through hair - mostly mine and mostly ripping it out in chunks! And it's primarily when you're ready to go to sleep. I guess it's a soothing thing. You've started to play with your own hair, so I try to guide your hand to your own head. Sometimes it works, and sometimes, not so much! It's pretty funny though when I put my hair in a ponytail, because I'll be rocking you, and your hand comes up trying to find the hair and there's nothing there. You kind of look at me like, "Um, hello, where's my hair to play with!?!?"

As for sleeping, well, I'm starting to believe that no child really ever sleeps through the night. Now we have 2 kiddos who LOVE to sleep in our bed! It's totally my fault because, selfishly, I love to snuggle with you guys. But it's a nasty habit that we've created!!!

 

So that's the update for now. I'll have to continue this in another post. Until then, Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

Hoppy Easter!

Whoa! It's been a while, so we've got lots to update. I may have to split this up into a couple of posts!

First off, let's talk about trying okra! Since okra is in abundance in Emme's garden, we have to get you started early on with a love of okra. You had tried some earlier, and you ate the whole thing! So when Emme was in town for a visit, we thought we'd try it again. Well, it didn't go quite as well as the first time. You took a few bites but didn't finish it. I'm sure once you get old enough, and try fried okra, then all bets are off!!!

We had quite a few Easter activities over the Easter weekend. We started off in the middle of the week by going to Abby & Kate's and dying Easter eggs with everyone. Well, you didn't exactly dye Easter eggs. You and Kate hung out on the floor while the big kids dyed eggs. But I think you had just as much fun doing that! It may have been because Kate kept grabbing your booty! She's starting early, isn't she!? We're going to have to watch out for that one!!

Our next activity was an Easter egg hunt at school! Your Easter egg hunt was much easier than your brother's! They basically poured the eggs out on the floor, and the babies got to play with them! But it was a great excuse for Mommy and Daddy to leave work and come play with you for a little bit! We also had to get a picture of your teacher Miss Abby! She's so sweet, and she adores you. She always says how rotten (spoiled) you are, but I think she's made you that way!

For Easter weekend, we went to Ripley. On Saturday we went to safari zoo close to Ripley which has all kinds of animals! You had fun watching everyone else play with the animals, but Mommy was not about to let you near those dirty animals!!!

Later that day, you and Ryan played in Granddaddy and KK's camper! It was the perfect size for you boys to play in. They keep threatening to take it camping, but nothing has happened yet. That will be quite an adventure, if it ever happens!!!!

Then on Sunday, the Easter bunny left you and Ryan fun little Easter presents in our Easter baskets! Then we dressed you and Ryan in your Easter outfits and went to church. Afterwards, we had a big, yummy lunch at Granddaddy and KK's. It was a very good weekend!

I'll save the details from your first beach trip for the next blog! Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

March continued!

Well, the end of March has not been much better than the first. In the middle of March, you started to get a nasty cough and cold with a little bit of fever (while you were on the antibiotics), so we took you to the doctor. Come to find out you had RSV plus your ears were still infected. So they prescribed breathing treatments and more antibiotics. So to help out KK and Granddaddy came up for a few days so Mommy and Daddy could go to work. While they were here, they brought your Easter presents. That was nice way to help you feel better!

For St. Patricks Day, Emme made you and Ryan matching shirts to celebrate! Of course we had to get lots of pictures. You guys did fine for a while, but as you can see, you had had enough after a while!

The third week of March we took you to your 9 month appointment, and guess what, you STILL had an ear infection. The others never healed. So we've just gotten through with another round of antibiotics, and we go to the doctor tomorrow for a follow up. Hopefully everything will be fine! I know you're tired of your ears hurting!

But one good thing that's come out of this month is that you've officially started crawling! You started off a little slow, but you're moving full speed ahead now. You actually prefer to pull yourself up and stand, so I'm just waiting for you to start walking any day now!

You're also clapping. It's so cute!! You even like to do it when your exhausted right before bed. I'll be holding you rocking you, and you'll lean back (with your eyes closed) and start clapping. Of course, I have to laugh, and then you start laughing too. It's hilarious!!!!!

I'll update you on our nice Easter week in the next post. Until then, Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

We need March to go!!

Hi Punkin. Once I finish this post you'll understand why I want March to go!! We'll start off with March 4 which brought you a stomach bug! It had been going around school, so I guess it was bound to happen. But you were just so good when it hit you, you'd just throw up and go back to what you were doing. Poor baby!!

Then 3 days later, you got an ear infection! This would be #4 I believe. So back to the doctor we went, and they put you back on antibiotics.

So on day 9 of taking antibiotics for your ears, you developed a cough and an off and on low-grade fever, so back to the doctor we went. Well this time it was a little more than Mommy bargained for - RSV! That was not what I wanted to hear. Luckily you're old enough where it's not too serious, but it can develop into something more serious, so we're keeping you out of school for a few days and hopefully you can go back next week.

But in the midst of this your teacher Miss Abby did send me a precious picture of you and your bottle at school. She said she let you hold your bottle, and she turned to change another baby's diapers, and you had your bottle like this. So ingenious!!!

So now do you see why I just think we need to write off March and start fresh with April! We're only halfway through March right now, so I'm just hoping the rest of the month is all about healing! Today was the first day I've seen you truly smile and laugh with those sweet dimples, so I think we're on our way!!!!

Until next time!! Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

Changes

Hey Punkin! Sorry it's been a while, but it's been a little crazy at bedtime around our house, and Mommy has just been too tired to update! But I've found a few minutes to let you know what's been going on in February.

First off, we've gotten rid of the swaddler. I didn't think you could possible sleep without it, but when I found rolled over on your tummy still wrapped up in the swaddler, I decided it was time whether you wanted to or not. It's just not safe at all for you to rolling around with your arms still wrapped up!! The first night was a little hard, but once you rolled over to your tummy, it was all good! You're really not supposed to sleep on your tummy until you're 1, but if you roll over on your own, it's supposedly OK. I do start you off on your back (most times!), but I also give you a little help rolling over (don't tell anyone!). You just sleep so much better on your tummy!!!

You're eating all kinds of baby food now. It's so funny when you're in your high chair because Ryan loves to bring you your toys. And not just one toy - like a BUNCH of toys! But it doesn't seem to bother you at all!

On this particular day (which was actually Valentine's Day), you must have had a big day at school, because you fell asleep in your high chair!! Poor guy!!

The weekend after Valentine's, Emme and Papa came to visit. They just wanted to come up and see you guys. We didn't do anything too exciting, but they did watch you and Ryan while Mommy and Daddy had to work on President's Day, so that was nice to have babysitters!! We did get to show Emme and Papa how you are trying to crawl! You want to so bad, and you can get to your hands and knees but instead of making forward progress, you scoot backwards! But hey, it's movement!!

Towards the end of February, we got some unfortunate news that your teacher Miss Jennifer was let go. That's so sad to me because she was Ryan's teacher and your teacher, and she was so sweet to you guys, but I just don't think her heart was in it anymore. So you have a new teacher now, Miss Abby, and she adores you!! She and Miss Rachel fight over you all the time!! I totally understand how they can though, cause you're so stinkin' cute!!!!

At the end of February, KK and Granddaddy came up so your dad and I could go to a wine tasting and have an adult night!!! You got to spend a lot of time with your cousin Grant too because EP's niece Emmeline was born premature so she spent a lot of time at the hospital that weekend. It definitely makes me appreciate how lucky we are to have such healthy boys!

You and Ryan got to do a first that weekend, you took a bath together!!! You both did great. You LOVE splashing and playing with the cups and Ryan was really excited to take a bath with you! This will make things a lot easier in the future when I don't have to give 2 baths! I'm all about easy these days!!!

I think that wraps up February. I'll try to do better about updating, but it all depends on how guys sleep, so it's up to you to help me out!!! Until next time, Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

More First Moments!

Hey sweet boy! Well, here I am with more firsts! You seem to be doing more and more every day! You're just getting so big!! We had your 6 month pictures a couple of weeks ago. All four of us went to Mr. Derrick and Ms. Laura's house to take them. I think we got some really good pictures, but we're still waiting to see them. Your big brother was SUCH a big helper. I think your biggest smiles came from him playing peekaboo with you from behind the camera!

You're sitting up so well these days that we've decided to bring out the Duck for bathtime! You seem to really like taking a bath in it and splashing in the water! Look how cute you are!!

You also are doing the motorboat thing with your mouth. It's so cute except when you do it when you're eating and blow it everywhere! Ok, well, maybe it is still cute then!!

Speaking of eating, we've added fruit to your diet! So far you've only had bananas, but we'll try more! Of course, you like it - much better than peas and green beans!!

That's about all I have this time. So until next time, Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

New Experiences

Hey Punkin! You're just getting so big - I can't believe it. And pretty darn cute, I must say! The past couple of weeks have been chocked full of new experiences (plus an old one). The 1st week of January you had your 6 month doctor's visit, and he said you had fluid in both ears which may or may not turn into an ear infection. Well, guess what happened that night - you got a fever - hello ear infection! So we're on ear infection #2. You may end up having tubes like your brother, but hopefully not!

The doctor also said we could start you on baby food. So we started you off with peas! You seem to like them. We've since tried carrots and green beans. So far so good!

And lastly, I think I mentioned earlier that you're getting a tooth. We'll you're getting TWO! And you can totally see them now. You look so cute when you smile with those 2 bottom teeth sprouting through! But it sure does hurt when you try to give a kiss and bite down on my cheek! Those are some sharp suckers!

So I think we're on our way to many more exciting events in your life! I'll keep you updated as they come along! Kiss Kiss from Mommy!

First Christmas!

Well Christmas has come and gone! You've had quite the December! We started off by going to the Opryland Hotel to see the lights. You were a trooper just hanging out in your car seat the whole time. I can't say the same for your brother, but I'm sure one day your day will come as well! But right now, you're an angel!!

In the middle of December, we had a visit from your Great Uncle Rob, Great Aunt Pam, Cousin Matthew and his little girl Ella. She just loved you!!! And you were so patient with her while she grabbed your chubby cheeks and held on! They were so sweet to come by and bring you Christmas presents since we were going to be spending Christmas in Franklin and miss seeing them over Christmas.

We also took you for your first visit to see Santa! Santa and his reindeer were in Brentwood, so we went out there to see him and get a picture. Of course, you did fabulous! You weren't scared or anything - you just sat on his lap and hung out. I wonder how many years we'll be able to do that!?

The week before Christmas you caught some kind of nasty viral infection. You had a pretty high fever for a couple of days. Since it was a viral infection, there was really nothing we could do for it, and you couldn't go to daycare. So you hung with me at my office for a couple of mornings. Daddy was able to come get you in the afternoons, but in the mornings you'd just pretty much sleep in my office, so it actually worked out. Luckily you got it out of your system before Christmas, so we could enjoy the holiday!

Before Christmas, Ryan made some cookies for Santa and you watched us in your high chair. Well, after we had finished making cookies Ryan was eating some of the leftover M&Ms. I turned around for one second to clean something up and when I turned around Ryan was trying to shove one of the mini M&Ms in your mouth!! Luckily I caught it in time! You just kept licking your lips like, Mmm that was good! In time, sweet Jake, in time!!!

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Franklin at our house. KK & Granddaddy came up on Christmas Eve and we had dinner at our house with Uncle Jay, EP and Grant. It was crazy!!! There were so many presents!! Emme had made you and Ryan matching shirts so of course we had to put you in those for the special night! You got all kinds of cute baby toys and clothes (which you need so badly!!). Your brother loved playing with you and giving you hugs!! He's so sweet with you! Hopefully that won't change!!

Then on Dec. 26 we went to Little Rock. We got there just in time for Cookie Day! This is something that you don't really care much about now, but trust me, it will become one of your favorite days of the year!! Mommy's friends loved holding you and seeing how big you had gotten!! You got more presents from Emme and Papa, and then we went to Meemo and Beepo's so you could open presents there too! They loved holding you too! Everyone loves holding you!!

After a few days we came back to Franklin so we could spend New Year's Eve with the Clarks. Granddaddy and KK were kind enough to come back up here, so Mommy and Daddy could spend an adult night with the Clarks. But before they came to get you we had to get the annual group picture! This year was CRAZY with 7 kids!!! It took some wrangling but we managed to get a pretty decent picture of you all! We were pretty pleased with ourselves!

You're doing so many new things these days. You LOVE your exersaucer! You love it so much that Granddaddy and KK bought you another one for Christmas, so we could have one upstairs and downstairs! One day while I was wrapping presents I had put you in it, and when I looked back up at your a few minutes later you had fallen asleep in it!! I probably should have gotten the clue that you were tired, but you don't usually fuss in it so how was I to know!?!

You're starting to sit up on your own too!! You haven't totally gotten it down yet, but you can sit for a little while on your own, then you slowly fall to the side! But I'm always there to catch you (and I always will be!!).

And lastly, you're getting a TOOTH!! Finally! I'm glad to actually see the product of months of drooling! I knew it was coming soon with all of the bibs you're soaking! It's one of your bottom teeth, and I bet in a week we'll be able to see it a lot better and then I can get a good picture of it!

Well, that wraps up 2011 for us!! I can't believe you're already 6 months old!! Your 1st birthday will be here before we know it!!! But there will be lots more to tell before then! I love you sweet boy! Kiss Kiss from Mommy.