December 5, 2009

Today was Brian's 32nd Birthday! So much happened this day...

Brian bought a Bama snuggie to keep warm during the cold night watching the SEC Championship. Was a great game...ROLL TIDE!! Brian was so happy- his 2 favorite teams are playing each other in the National Championship.

Today was Will's 1st Snow!

Will loves the Christmas tree and talking to his Daddy!

We went to the country club for Breakfast with Santa. Will was not a fan of Santa!...poor boy!

But he did like his first present ever. He knew exactly how to open it (like his Daddy!) - see picture at top of blog (I accidentally deleted it and then reposted and it moves it to the top :(

Today was an activity filled, fun family day. We had a blast!

Brief Update

Not too much time to blog lately b/w spending time playing with Will, work, and getting ready for the Holidays. Last weekend was Thanksgiving and Will was wonderful all day. We went to my Grandma's for lunch and to my Aunt Nel's for dinner. We had LOTS of wonderful food and got in great visits with everyone.

I'm working in Atlanta this week so Brian and Mrs. Saint are keeping Will all week. I know they will all have a great time. Will is a lot of fun and a great baby. I can't wait to get home :)

Will had his 6 month visit on the 20th- he weighed 18lb 12 oz and was 28 inches long. He's a big ole healthy and happy baby boy.

He is working on sitting up by himself. He can for a little while, but then gets too into playing and falls over. It wont be long :) He loves his toys, LOVES books, loves Jack, and still loves jumping. He is interested in everything now- toys, tv, other children, books, Jack, etc. He eats cereal and fruit in the morning, a vegetables in the afternoon, and a meat and veggies at night. He loves anything with apples and green beans, but HATES sweet peas and broccoli. We'll keep working on those :)

He's had a sinus infection so we're on meds trying to get that taken care of.

Hope everyone is well!

Will's First Teeth Came In!

Tonight after trick-or-treating Will was playing with Aunt Bettye. He started sucking on her finger (like he has been doing alot lately) and she noticed that his bottom teeth had come in. He's getting to be such a big boy! Both his bottom two teeth have broken skin. I should have known, the past couple days he has been sticking his tongue out and rubbing it back and forth :) We were all excited and Aunt Bettye was so happy she found them! She loved on him for a long time. I videoed all the excitement with my camera and uploaded one below. Will had a great time with Aunt Bettye. He's such a good boy! He did so good trick-or-treating and then played and played. We are blessed with an awesome little boy! ps- we did get a family picture taken but not on my camera. When my cousin emails it to me I'll upload it :)

Happy Halloween!

Tonight Will went trick-or-treating with his cousins Anna Claire, Cross, and Sarah Mac. Will was the cutest elephant ever :) The pictures don't show his full costume b/c we had him bundled up with a blanket and socks up his arms- it was cold outside, butWill stayed warm. Will LOVES to go strolling and enjoyed it tonight. Anna and her friend Gabbie kept Will's attention for a long time and then he fell asleep in the stroller. Will had a lot of fun and can't wait till Halloween next year!

Will is getting to be such a big boy :)

Will is learning new things every day! It's amazing and bittersweet at the same time :) We have started feeding him big boy food. He can and will eat from a spoon...we are just trying to figure out what to give him. He has bad acid reflux so he has cereal in every bottle. If we mix the cereal with formula and give to him in a spoon he's not very interested- he would just rather have it in the bottle I guess. We have tried to mix it with applesauce and water it down. He likes the taste, but doesn't eat too much. I think it's because it's too acidic for him? I'm going to by babyfood bananas today and try that out :) I think he'll like that. He's so cute- he opens wide and then laughs after he eats. We'll try to get a picture soon. We also put Will in his jumpy thing this week for the first time. It didn't take him long to figure it out and he loves it! I think he looks like a ballerina doing changements (shahnzh-MAHNs). You dancers will know what I mean :) He uses one foot to jump and the other foot goes from the front to back! Brian took a video and I've put it below. Usually he laughs and laughs, but in this video he's pretty relaxed- he'll jump a little bit, stop and rest, and then start jumping again all while being pretty mellow :) He's so funny. We're having a blast with him. He LOVES to be sung to (or is it sang to??) and belly laughs all the time. I'll get a video of him belly laughing soon and post it. It's the best sound ever. His hands are sooo strong now too. He usually chills with Brian on the couch every night for a little bit. Now he has grabs big chunks of Brian's arm hair and won't let go. I think it's so funny...Brian does not :) He's also starting to grab my earrings and necklaces...so those will have to be put in the jewelry box for a while :)

Will is such a happy, healthy, fun, smart and cuddly baby! We are so blessed :)

Big boy after his bath

Ready for school- It was SO cold this morning!

Will loves this toy- its a blue dog with all kinds of different fabrics and krinkly sounds. Plus has all kinds of fun things to put in his mouth :)- Thanks Leanne!
"Mom- what are you doing?"

Will is 4 months old!

Well the past 2 weeks have been busy. Sept 13th- Sept 16th I was in D.C. for work. Mrs. Saint came down and stayed with Brian and Will. They had a great time and no one got sick this visit :) Will is such a good baby and so much fun! The bottom picture is one that Brian sent me while I was in DC. I missed them SOOO much. During that week- Miss Mamie, Will's daycare teacher, was let go. Brian text me while I was at the conference and I about lost it. I went upstairs and called the daycare to find out what was going on. I LOVED Miss Mamie and so did Will. She took such great care of him. Everytime he saw her he would smile so big. She was like another grandmother to him. She would give me pointers and she would say all kinds of things that would remind me of Ma-Ma. The Director could not tell me any specifics about why the let her go, but she said that she had been reprimanded before about violating some policies and continued to do it and had to be let go. I really don't know but I miss her. The new teacher is okay so far. The first day of course I DID not like her. I wanted Mamie back. But- she is okay. Maybe I'm starting to warm up to her? She's very sweet, but more quiet than Mamie. She's younger so doesn't have that Grandmother feel to me. She didn't talk much either- but this morning she talked to me for a while and got down and talked with Will. She had much more personality this morning than I've seen before so that made me feel better. She said Will was a wonderful baby and so easy. She told me that he talks and talks to her- so that's good. I want someone who'll talk to him :) I'll let you know more about that.

Last Friday we went for Will's 4 month Dr appt. He weighted 15.8 lbs and was 26 1/4 inches long. He's a big un :) He was so good and smiled and laughed for Dr. Harmon. But then it was time for shots- he screamed and cried bloody murder. I did everything I could to hold back the tears too, but it's just so hard. Once they were over I picked him up and he was good in seconds. I was trying to cuddle him, but he just pushed against me and stared at the nurse. He wouldn't take his eyes off of her until she left the room. It was hilarous- it was like..."Who are you? and WHY did you do that to me?" I was laughing and told her he was not happy with her. She hurried on out of the room. As soon as she left he laid his head on my shoulder and just let out a big sigh. Oh I love that boy! He's too precious.

We tried cereal with a spoon for the first time last night. He did pretty good although most of it ended up on his bib instead of in his mouth. By the end he was opening wide, trying to eat it, then smiling and laughing. We'll try again tonight and hopefully get a few pictures. Once he masters the cereal he can go to baby food :) Should be fun...he's growing up so fast!! Love to all!

Prayers

Tonight as I was saying my prayers with Will, he opened his eyes (he was falling asleep before) and just smiled so big and babbled along with me. When I said "Amen" he closed his eyes again and went right back to sleep. I thank God every day for this gift he's given me. I know this baby is a blessing and is on loan from him, so I hope to make every day with him count.

I usually keep my prayers private, but there is so much going on right now that I am asking you to add these things to your prayer lists:
1) Pray that Dwight has a safe deployment. Let him know we are all proud of him and keep him safe in his travels.
2) Pray for Dwight, Lillie, and John as they are apart from each other for the first time (other than basic).
3) Pray for my Aunt Bettye- she has received great news regarding her cancer (thanks be to God), but is still currently going through chemo- give her strength Lord.
4) Pray for a few friends and family who are trying so hard to have a baby. Please be with them through their journey.
5) Pray that all my family and friends stay safe and healthy and know God.

I also thank God for the wonderful things in my life....Will, Brian, and my family and friends.

Good night and sleep tight! Love to all!

Sweet Dreams

My little Mister is getting so big! He'll be 4 months old on the 19th of September. He's still such a good baby....he's laid back, very attentive, loves to talk & kick, and his favorite thing is still standing. Wednesday night this week my fabulous friend Michele kept Will while I was at a recuriting event and until Brian got home from a meeting. She took the following pictures of him...I thought they were precious. Her kids are Trey and Claire and they are sooo great with Will. Will's getting so big- you almost can't see Claire behind him now :) Will is SO long. He's going to be tall like his Daddy. He looks just like Brian, but has my eyes and thighs :) HA!

Charleston

We had a great trip to Charleston. Dwight is being deployed on Sept. 7th and we haven't seen them since March so it was definately time for a visit. This was the first time they met Will. Will traveled great and was such a good baby the whole trip. John has grown so much!! He is such a little boy now and no longer a baby. Makes me sad how fast they grow up :( He was so much fun. We fed ducks, played with cars, played in the water hose, etc. He's a total boy and is so sweet and smart. Can't wait to visit again. We are hoping they come to Bama when Dwight gets back.

Not too sure yet about baby Will :)

Hum- maybe he's okay...

He loved his bubble mower from Aunt Amanda

Will is trying so hard to tell them something :)

John loves feeding and chasing the ducks

What a cute family

Chasing the ducks wore Will out :)

Playing in the water

Taking it all in :)

Happy 3 month birthday

Will is 3 months old today :) Time is flying by. He is such a great baby. He is so sweet and loves to play in the bouncy seat, roll around on a blanket, snuggle, and talk ;) He is holding his head up and is learning new things every day. Miss Mamie told me today he should have been a girl-b/c he is so pretty :) Of course I agree- he is so pretty ;)

This weekend me, Will, Mom, and John are going to visit Dwight, Lillie, and John. We are SO excited. They have not met him yet and Will is so ready to meet them :) It's going to be a long drive, but we are going to drive through the night so Will can hopefully sleep through most of the night. I'm sure we'll have pictures to post after our visit.

Hope everyone is doing great. Love to all!

Such a big boy!

Last night Will rolled over for the first time!! He rolled from his back to his stomach. It was so fun to watch....he would just throw his legs up in the air and to the side and then push the rest of his body over. He couldn't get his arm out from under himself though and he didn't like that...you could almost hear him say- "oh no- now why did I do this" :) I'll try to get it on video in the next couple of days and post it- hopefully he'll do it again soon.

Various pictures from the past few months...

Napping with Grandmother- 1 week

Hanging out with cousin Adelyn- 10 weeks
Enjoying my bath- 6 weeks
Great-Grandmother, Golvia Metheny- 6 weeks

Grandpa- 2 days

Grandad Saint- 2 weeks

Grandmama Saint- 2 weeks

Chillin in Destin- 7 weeks

Will loves talking to his Daddy

Hello!

This is Will's most current picture. This was taken before he went to church with his Great Grandparents on August 9th for the church's 120 anniversary. Will is 12 weeks old here.

Will is growing like a weed and learning new things every day. He amazes me :) He loves to talk to us and loves when we talk and sing. He's always smiling and laughing :) He is seeing new things every day- yesterday he just stared forever at the fabric on the pillow ;) He loves to watch Jack and likes to watch TV (golf channel :( ), but I try not to let him watch it and get him to focus on other things. He's also getting so strong...he wants to stand up on your legs all the time, is constantly kicking those legs up in the air, and can hold his head all the way up while on his belly. He's started curling his legs up and rolling to his side while laying on his back. Won't be long before he's rolling over and holding his head up all by himself. He'll be 3 months old on August 19th. I can't believe it!

I started back to work last Monday and am doing great. I miss him during the day of course, but am glad to be back to work and SO look forward to getting home to him each day. I LOVE his daycare and his teacher. Miss Mamie takes such good care of him and loves on him. This morning when I handed him over I could tell he knew her and he just smiled. That makes me feel so good.

Will try my best to keep this updated more often. I mostly put new pictures on facebook- so sorry if you are seeing repeats.

I'm Back!!

Well I'm finally back. Sorry it's been so long, but we have been just a little busy :) I promise to try to keep this more updated going forward.

Will will be 4 weeks old this Tuesday! I can't believe it! I'm makes me want to cry. Just 4 short weeks ago our world was turned upside down :) I would not go back for any amount of money in the world. I LOVE my life now and being a mommy. Will is the most amazing baby. The amount of love I have for him is indescribable- "my cup overfloweth." Just thinking about it makes me burst into tears. He is my everything- he's everything I think about and dream about. Everything I do, feel, plan for, and hope for is for him. It's amazing.

So much has happened in the past four weeks. There is no way to rehash all of it, so I'll just give a quick update. Will is a great sleeper. At first this was a problem sort of because I would have to fight to wake him up to nurse. He weighed 8 lb 5 ozs at birth and dropped to 7 lb 10 oz by the time we left the hospital. This is more weight loss than they wanted him to have so they stressed making sure he ate every 3 hours at the latest (I am nursing- or trying to). The first week of nursing was HORRIBLE. I would try to wake him up, try to nurse for about an hour, give him a bottle of expressed milk, burp, change him, get him back to sleep, pump, wash pump stuff, get ready for the next feeding, and then have 20- 30 minutes to sleep before it was time to start all over again. I was miserable and so was he. I started giving him bottles at night just so we could both get more sleep and I was able to monitor how much milk he was getting (before he just slept the whole time and I couldn't figure it out). This went well. Then we started getting out and running around a little ( I needed out of the house) and having visitors- so I would give him bottles during the day too. After a little bit- we fell into the schedule of bottles with me pumping. I would nurse at least 2 times a day to keep him in the habit. This is still where we are; however, I do nurse more often now. He stays awake more and will take to it better.

So after about 2.5 weeks he got feeding a little under control and then I get mastitis. I ran a fever of around 102 for about 3 days and felt like I had been run over by a truck. It was horrible, but with rest and antibiotics I got over it. I am still taking antiobiotics, but feel TONS better.

I am hoping for a good week this week. I'm hoping that nothing too dramatic will happen and we can get a lot of rest and I can get the house cleaned up. I have picked up, but it feels so dirty! I've got to get on the floors, etc :)

Brian has been fabulous. He is a great daddy. He changes him, feeds him, cuddles with him and loves on him. Today I helped throw a baby shower for a friend. Brian kept Will and when I came home I saw that the baby bjorn was out. Brian had put Will in it while he cooked :) He said Will liked it- that he just feel asleep :)

Will has grown like a weed. He still has a head full of hair. He sleeps all the time, but is now staying awake more and more. I love it! His smiles and coos melt my heart (I know they are just gas but I don't care...it shows me what is to come). He is a great baby and I can't wait for all the experiences to come; however, talking about him growing up any more makes me want to cry. Time is already going by too fast.

Well- I'm going to go pick up my baby and love on him now :) I'll update more later! Love to all! Thanks for all the thoughts, well wishes, and prayers. Keep them coming. I need them for sure- as I have no clue what I'm doing. I just pray that what I am doing is okay and that Will stays safe, healthy, and happy.