Goodbye 2008

WOW! What a year this has been! I can only pray that 2009 is as wonderful as 2008. We have been overly blessed this year. From this amazing baby, to wonderful friends getting married, and other's moving back to town-- this year has been full of happy surprises and many, many memories. Happy New Year to everyone! We will see you in 2009!

the $4,000 rug

The picture of my new rug. What a deal!!!

new (much more exciting) post below

Happy Birthday to me!

What a great start to my morning! Reese slept from 9:20 to 4:15 this morning, ate his snack and then slept until 6:30 a.m.. Thanks little man for those extra thirty minutes of sleep, Mama needed it.

After our breakfast in bed (his not mine) we went in the living room to play on the floor. As you know, Reese has been very sneaky when it comes to rolling over. He only does it in his bed when no one is watching. Until this morning. He rolled over for me!

Of course I captured it on camera...

Okay, that was fun. Now I'm stuck. Roll me back over Mama!

Christmas in Rewind

That's right, I'm going backwards-- hence the title, "Christmas in Rewind."

We returned home to Opelika this morning around 9:45 a.m.. That's right, A.M.. Why, you might ask, did we get home so early? Well, Reese was plum worn out from traveling and being away from home. We've basically been carting him around since last Saturday when we went to the lake. The past two days he had been exceptionally fussy (our bipolar baby is always a BIT temperamental). Last night was the final straw for us though. Reese woke up at ONE in the morning and there was no turning back for him. He screamed, whimpered, and yelled until Nonna came to save us around five. Sure, Lofton and I could have taken that opportunity to catch some ZZZ's, but I knew that the sooner we got in the car the sooner Reese could get a good nap.

We fed him at six and then headed off. I sat in the back with Reese (clearly I love him-- I get terribly car sick) hoping that he would remain in a good mood and fall asleep so I could nap.

This is what I wanted:

But it only lasted ten minutes...

This is what I got for the majority of the three and a half hours:

Followed the last thirty minutes by this:
As soon as we pulled into the driveway I immediately rescued this tortured little guy from his seat and fed him. He was so exhausted he could barely stay awake to eat (If you are familiar with our son, you know this is a HUGE deal!). I put him down in his crib to nap and he just looked around and smiled, so happy to be home in his bed. Then he happily fell asleep.

December 26, 2008
Yesterday, Mama took me shopping for my birthday. It's an annual tradition dating back many, MANY years. I got lots of cute things and now I am going to have to clean out my closet. As I may have mentioned before, women in 1910 clearly were not fashionista's. Our closets are incredibly small.

Shopping was followed later by dinner out with the family (minus the moody teenager). Reese was perfect at dinner, sleeping in his car seat the whole time. Mom and I had a few lemon martini's to celebrate that on Monday I will be TWENTY SIX. I'm old, I know.

The most exciting thing about yesterday though was the UNBELIEVABLE deal I got at Linen's N Thing's. Y'all, I got a rug that was originally $4,000 for $400. I saved $3, 600!!!!! The rug was 90% off because the store is going out of business.

The rug is beautiful ( I'll post a picture later) and is perfectly sized for a our gigantic dining room. If only I could have captured my poor husband trying to single handedly lift it into a shopping cart and then lug it to our car.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Santa was very kind to us this year. At the Buckley house, for the first year ever, Santa only came to see Reese. Two of our favorite gifts are pictured below:

The Baby Einstein Music and Motion Jumper

and a stuffed Martin guitar

This is a picture of all his gifts:

Lofton and I also got everything we could have possibly wanted and more. Thanks Nonna and Buck for a great Christmas at home.

Reese also got the high chair of his dreams (or maybe my dreams) from his Mimi at the lake. We can't quite use it yet, but the day is soon coming!

Our first Christmas as a family of three was wonderful. We hope yours was as well!

Cool gift

Home for the holidays.. more about that later... for now though,

Mama gave Reese (and I) the coolest gift for Christmas.

Inch bug baby bands that go around our bottles. When Reese starts daycare in January his bottles have to be labeled with his name. This usually proves to be a difficult task because the bottles get wet and the marker rubs off... until now, enter this: We have two packs in green, but ours obviously say Reese, not Grant. Ingenious!!!! If you have children, or know children, or think you may have children soon-- you MUST buy these.

Christmas at the lake

We spent Christmas at the lake with Lofton's family Saturday and today. Here are some pictures...

Attempting a big family shot

The three of us... ignore the wet spot on Lofton's shirt, Reese was hungry!

The Hurst Family. Luke, Tiffany, Analee and Brenan.

new post below

Almost three months...

I can't believe we are almost three months old. Time with Reese is flying by too quickly. These past two weeks he has changed so much. We have FINALLY found our hands. It's become a hard decision for him though-- does he eat his hands or suck on his pacifier?

This is actually a big step for him considering he has spent the majority of his short life with his hands clenched as tightly as possible. There were days when his fists would be so tightly clenched they would turn purple. In discovering his hands he has also discovered my hair. If you know me well, then you know the majority of the time my hair is in a ponytail. This doesn't stop Reese. Friday night when he got sleepy he reached that little hand up and grabbed the back of my hair around my hairline-- mission accomplished, my hair came down. In the bathtub at night I have to clean my hair out of his hands.

These past few weeks his head control has also improved. On his belly, he can raise himself up on his arms and look around. Those eyes are also looking around! Reese is definitely a curious little man. And finally yesterday the little stinker did something VERY sneaky. I put him down for his morning nap-- on his belly-- in his crib. My phone rang, so although he wasn't asleep, I ran down the hallway to grab it. As I was talking i walked back into his room. And whose little grinning face did I see lying in the bed.. ON HIS BACK? I couldn't believe he rolled over and we didn't see him. I tried, very unsuccessfully, to get him to repeat his trick, but alas I had no luck. It's coming soon though, I can feel it!

Oh! For size reference I took a picture of him on the changing table component of the pack and play. We have one from when he was about a week old in almost the same position.

October 7th

Eleven weeks old

Outtakes

I've been saving the outtakes from our Christmas card photo shoot.

It took many MANY more to get this

Three years, really?

I can't believe it's been three years since Lofton and I walked down the aisle. The memories of that day are such a blur of excitement and anticipation.

I could not have married a better man.

bath time

Bath time is getting better. We aren't laughing and splashing, but we aren't screaming either!

Merry Christmas, Love the Ostrea's

No kidding we got the Christmas cards I ordered (at-the-last-minute) today in the mail. I hurried home from work eager to see them. I ripped open the UPS package only to discover the cards inside were not my beautiful son, but the Ostrea family. Ethan, Hannah, Lily, Robert and Susan wish you a happy holiday season!

I wonder who got our cards????

After a chilly call to Shutterfly, the problem has been fixed and our new cards are on their way. I audibly chuckled when the lady from Shutterfly told not to worry about the cards from the Ostrea family-- that I could throw them away. Okay, thanks, I thought maybe I should keep them.

Blog Stalking

Tonight I was blog stalking (reading other people's blogs) and I happened upon the blog of one of my sorority sisters from college, Abby Maddox. I love to read her blog because she writes with such an amazing honesty about marriage and motherhood.

Anyway, tonight as I read her blog she shared a story, and a link to an organization, that I want to share with you.

Jenny's Light is an organization started by the family of a girl who committed suicide last year. Jenny was a girl much like myself. She went away to college, met a boy, fell in love, got married and started a life with him. After a few years of marriage, they decided to have a baby. Her pregnancy wasn't the easiest, she was pretty sick, but she carried her little boy to term and he was born last year on November 1, 2007. Motherhood was an adjustment for her-- much like it is for all of us.

On December 19th of last year, Jenny went to a store in Birmingham, bought a gun, and killed herself and her little boy. She suffered from post-partum depression.

As I sit here holding my sweet little boy-- the one who God so graciously gave me but forgot to leave a handbook for-- I'm saddened. I'm sad for this girl's family, they lost a daughter and a grand baby, a wife and a son; but mainly I'm sad for Jenny. I'm sad that she felt so lonely and so hopeless during what should have been the happiest time in her life.

I read a little more about post-partum depression tonight and it really is more common than I realized. It angers me to think that so many people suffer because they are too ashamed to ask for help. There seems to be a stigma attached to becoming a mom-- we think we can do it all and asking for help makes us seem incapable.

I'm so grateful to have the support of such an amazing network of mom's. Of course my mom is my rock, but the support of my friends at work, who readily offer advice and answer any of the questions I have, makes motherhood so much more navigable. Thanks to all of you.

If you would like to visit Jenny's Light, the website is www.jennyslight.org

Sleep

Sleep is elusive with an infant, and being tired wasn't as big of a deal when I was staying home, but this past work week has been a blur of sleepy days. Reese is on a 10-2-6 schedule but he was also waking up at 4 a.m. ready to eat again almost everyday.

After conferring with friends at work about the amounts they feed their kids and the length of time others babies sleep, we made some changes to Reese's diet this week.

When we had our two month check up (before Thanksgiving) I asked Dr. Greer about when we should start feeding Reese more. His answer was that we would know. Well, we thought we knew before and that was how our little Reese gained three pounds in three weeks. We overfed him! Although recently I had been feeling like he might need more food during the day, I was also (understandably) doubting my instincts.

After much discussion at home, Reese is now eating around five ounces of formula every four hours and a little bit extra a night. We even sneak in a teensy bit of rice cereal to his 10 p.m. bottle. So far, the results had been mixed. He was still waking up at 2 a.m. to eat but not waking up at 4 a.m.. I read in one of my books that we should try weening him off the 2 a.m. bottle by slowly decreasing the amount. So Lofton started only giving him two ounces instead of the usual four-five. According to the book, this gradual weening (we will continue cutting back) is supposed to make Reese think it isn't worth his time to wake up during the night if he isn't going to get to eat! Metabolically, children don't need to eat during the night once they reach eleven pounds- which we weighed at four weeks!

I am happy to report that he slept much longer last night! Last night we went to dinner after the game and didn't get home until about 8:30 p.m. Reese slept through most of dinner, but was wide awake for the car ride home (i.e he was screaming-- have I mentioned he's bi-polar?). We fed him his bottle a little early, about 9:30, and then Lofton put him down for the night.

When I heard him stirring on the monitor I nudged Lofton awake so he could go feed him (Lofton takes the middle of the night shift because if I get up I can't go back to sleep). I reached over and grabbed my phone to see what time it was-- fully expecting it to say 1:30 or 2, but NO, it was 4:30 a.m. 4:30!!!!

Please Lord, let this trend continue!

(new post below)

SEC Championship

Last night we had friends over to watch the SEC championship. Though isn't wasn't quite the route of Alabama I had hoped for, the Gators pulled out a win.

Our friends Ashley and Rich came over, as did Kelly and Ricky. Ashley was my little sister in KD and Rich was a Sig Ep with Lofton so it is super nice that they are married and we can all be friends. We found out last month that they are expecting a baby in late July, so Reese is pumped about having A) a best friend or B) maybe a wife.

Ash getting a little practice time! She's going to be a phenomenal mom.

(new post below)

Back to work

I don't have much to write about going back to work. I love my kids at school and my job is great, but I sure do miss my baby at home! Only two more weeks until Christmas break!

Reese spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with his daddy at home. Lofton says they sis "man things." I'm not sure what that entailed, but when I got home from work Monday Lofton was still in his pajamas. Thursday and Friday Nonna was here to keep the little man. As usual, our bi-polar baby had his good days and his bad.

The next two weeks Lofton is going to split Daddy duty with Mimi (his mom) and some other friends. It's a little hectic to bridge the three week gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I just didn't want him to start daycare until he was a little bigger. Okay maybe bigger isn't right word when your child dwarfs most infants his age! I don't want him to start daycare until he is older.

snuggling after work

Iron Bowl

Family picture before the Iron Bowl

So upset about our dismal football season that he passed out

I'll be overnighting Reese's Florida onesie to the house this week. Go Gators. Chomp, Chomp!

doctor

Reese won't be two months old until next Thursday, but we went to the doctor a week early so I could get it done before I go back to work. He was a trooper- getting two shots in his left leg, one in his right, and one by mouth. He only cried a little bit, but I did as well!

His two month stats are:
Weight: 12 pounds, 12 ounces
Height: 23 and 3/4 inches long
Head: 15 and 1/2 inches

Dr. Greer says that he is growing really well. A happy, healthy baby is definitely something to be thankful for!

I captured a smile on camera this weekend. I know, it makes you melt. Ladies, he's a heartbreaker. Watch out!

My mama is SO funny...

She makes me laugh...

Literally right after I took this picture his face went from happy to this....

Seriously? This kid cracks me up!

Road Warriors

This weekend Reese and I traveled home to see the fam. We pretended it was because we really missed our Nonna and Buck (which was true but not the reason for the trip). We really just wanted to put as much distance between us and Lofton as possible. We love him a lot, but we do NOT like him on inventory weekend. It happens twice a year and puts him in a stinky mood. This is why all weekend whenever Reese and I would talk about Daddy we called him stinky Daddy.

Anyhoo, Lofton packed up the car on Wednesday night so I only had to add the essentials on Thursday. I should have taken a picture. As Dad pointed out yesterday when he re-packed the car so we could head home, there isn't going to be room for Lofton to have luggage when the three of us travel home for Christmas. You never know wheat you might need though. Luckily, Nonna has her own pack and play and stroller. We just had to take clothes, diapers, food, the bathtub, our activity mat, the bumpo seat, and my suitcase. It's a haul, but that's why God created SUV's (Just kidding Cassie and Hugh, obviously God didn't create gas guzzling SUV's).

After my check-up on Thursday morning, I fed Reese lunch plus extra and put him in his seat for the ride. It's worth noting that we had about a fifty percent chance of getting home without a lot of screaming in the car. Reese is a great car rider approximately half of the time. He started screaming when we left the house and I told myself as I pulled onto the interstate at Exit 58 that is he was still screaming at Exit 22 I would pull off and sit in the back with him until he fell asleep. * Does that seem like a long way to let him cry? * A short five minutes later he was napping, with his neck bent forward and head straight down. I didn't actually realize this was his position until I navigated through Montgomery traffic and looked in the rearview mirror. I wish I could have taken a picture. I called Lofton my mom for confirmation that Reese was A) safe in that position in the event of a crash and B) could breathe with his neck cocked at such an odd angle. They both said he was fine. Never the less I stopped at a rest stop in Greenville to be sure. We made it home a short 3 1/2 hours later.

Home was uneventful and wonderful. I don't get home very often, in fact I hadn't been home since July (and before that it was March). Mom and I took little man shopping for some warmer clothes. Yes his closet is well stocked, but unfortunately nothing fits right now. For such a child with a weight problem he is very slender. He wears 0-3 month pants even though he far exceeds the weight on the tag. I bought him his first pair of jeans. They are too cute!

Reese spent lots of time talking and smiling at Buck and Nonna. I got to eat a meal using both hands, not just one. And he even took a three hour nap on Saturday. It was fabulous.

Yesterday we loaded up and drove back to Opelika. The return trip was as uneventful as the trip down. He slept most of the way. We were cutting it close on mealtime though so once we got to Montgomery I kicked into high gear. I made it off the interstate before he woke up and to the Piggly Wiggly (which means nothing to you if you haven't been to our house) before the screaming started.

Tomorrow we head to the doctor for our shots. I wonder who will cry more? Me or Reese.

genetics

Lofton has been asking me to post these pictures for weeks, but he doesn't read my blog so I haven't been in big hurry.

Who do you think Reese looks like?

Elizabeth

Reese

Lofton

Happy Birthday

Before I met Lofton and we had our beautiful baby, there was only one love of my life, Jackson. When I was younger, I secretly worried that my parents would die and I would not only grow alone, but that my children would grow up without an aunt or uncle. I prayed every night for a baby. Jackson was the answer to my prayers. Fifteen years ago today, at 1:33 in the afternoon, he was born.

We have shared many fun times in the last fifteen years and I'm so excited for Reese to have such a sweet and fun uncle to play with as he grows up.

I love you, Jackson!

good morning

Good Morning!

The Bear

This is Lofton's solution to the sub-zero temperature in our house. Put Reese in a Winnie the Pooh eskimo outfit. It came complete with mittens and ears. As you can see it was not well received.

Never did I think

Little man has not napped well for me today. Sleep has come in short intervals and not in his bed. This lack of mobility has given me time to ponder my last few weeks at home. I have mixed emotions about going back to work. I love my job. It fufills me in a way that I wish everyone's job could, but I also love being at home. I get to see my sweet baby grow and change everyday. When we first got home it was long afternoon naps together in the bed. Now we have mornings full of talking (kind of) and almost smiles. These last six weeks have been amazing...

My pondering also led to this:

Never did I think I would bite someone else's fingernails and think that's totally normal and not at all gross

Never did I think I would be fine with someone's urine, snot, or spit-up in my hair, on my clothes, or down my chest

Never did I think I would cheer someone on as they try to burp and then issue a proud "good job" at their success

Never did I think I would be so glad to see a stinky diaper after a few days without one

Never did I think I would allow someone to scream at me for no reason

Never did I think I would take so many pictures of one person

Never did I think I would want someone to smile at me so badly

Never did I think I would appreciate my parents so much

Never did I think I would love my husband more than I did six weeks ago, and in such a new a profound way

Never did I think I would love someone so much, so fast

Thanks Reese, for everything you've taught me thus far. Our journey together is just beginning.

In case you forgot...

In case you have forgotten what I look like...

This is me. And yes, he is screaming.

Oprah

On Monday's Oprah she is featuring talented kids. From what I've seen on previews she is going to have some acrobatic kids on the show that can contort their bodies in weird ways. Do you think Reese is a candidate?

Saturday night nap position

This is how we hang...

Hey Daddy, is this safe? I'm sitting in my seat ON THE BED. Obviously Mom was not in the room.

sweet face

exaggerated yawn

sleepy face

playing with Daddy one night

He's boring. Mama is way more fun:)

please don't make me take a bath

and please stop taking my picture