hiatus

I plan on drinking up every last drop of time with my little man this weekend. I'm going to miss him so much next week.

This face lights up my heart.

Unless something monumental happens {and I'm ever so hopeful it won't}, I'll catch you next week!

restriction

I didn't think we'd have to do this for many, many years. This morning we had to take the cell phone away from Reese. Lofton and I were awakened very early this morning to a little voice over the monitor saying "Hello!" and "Goodbye", as Reese opened and shut the phone repeatedly.

I'm not sure who he was trying to call. Maybe his Daddy Buck. He's the only person I know coherent enough to have a conversation at five in the morning.

Lofton laughed and said that it's ironic we will be having this EXACT same problem fifteen years from now. So true.

(New post below)

shopping spree

We outgrow clothes at warp speed in this house. Sometimes Reese only wears something once or twice before it's too small. With at least two more months of warm weather upon us, new clothes were a necessity. I've enjoyed dressing him up in fancy clothes this summer, but that's not going to work when he goes back to school full time.

It's IMPOSSIBLE to find school clothes around these parts, so yesterday the three of us headed to Columbus, Georgia. I wasn't sure if it was worth the trip, but my sweet friend Laura (mama to the cutest twins ever) had recently gone and assured me I would find some stuff.

And find some "stuff" we did. I loaded down Reese with enough clothes to make it through the summer months and enough stuff to make it through the fall and winter too. It was OUT OF CONTROL. All the summer clothes at Carter's were on clearance for $5.99 plus an additional 20% off. The fall clothes were on sale, too. Shirts were six dollars and was more than 12. I was in heaven.

I'm shallow enough to admit that I like little man to look cute even when he's at school. Super cute. I also HATE laundry, so it is imperative we can make through at least a week without me washing clothes.

And because no blog is complete without a picture of my baby. Feast your eye's on this little man, who is gnawing on a lego and thrashing his head around growling. Where did he get this personality? Surely not from me. He is going to be quite the toddler if he keeps this up!

Only a few more days of summer left. Feel sorry for me this week, okay?

nine (and 3/4) month check-up

We finally made it around to going for our nine month check-up. There aren't any shots with this visit so I wasn't in a big hurry to go. I really didn't plan on taking him at all, but I had some questions about food and bathroom issues.
The vital stats:

Weight: 25 pounds, 10 ounces
Height: 31 inches
Head: 19 3/4 inches around

I thought for sure his weight and growth had slowed down. Clearly I'm delusional. This train isn't stopping anytime soon.

Dr. Greer gently admonished me for not switching him to regular formula like he told me to do three months ago. He said we really need to introduce lactose into Reese's system BEFORE we make the switch to whole milk. Or else.

Gas. Bloating. Lack of Sleep. Let's just say the picture he painted didn't sound pretty. I believe his exact words were, "How many college freshman do you think still drink Similac?"

I get it, Doc. Anyway, our bathroom issues are probably tied to the lack of lactose in his system. So maybe we can kill two birds with one stone here, if not, we will soon find out.

Also on the bill, a discussion about food. I have made the leap to only feeding Reese "people" food. I guess the technical term is "table" food. For the last two weeks we have been baby food free. He eats peaches, pears, applesauce, sweet potatoes, green beans, yogurt, cheese, bread, zucchini, squash, chicken, hamburger meat, shredded pork, and pretty much anything else I give him. Other than bananas-- we seem to be doing great with the transition.

And speaking of transition. The big elephant in the room around our house has been the rapid end to summer. I start back to work in a little more than a week. I'm not doing well.

I cried for a while last night. And again today when I went to meet Reese's new teachers at school. We have the double whammy of him going back to school AND moving into a new room.

To be perfectly honest, I'm just not good with change.

Lofton feigned support last night. He just doesn't get it. "What if you had never had these two months off," he asked, "Do you think it would be easier?" I don't know, Mr. insensitive-to-my-feelings. He goes on to say if that's the case, maybe next summer I can just get a job, so we don't have to go through these feelings again.

Thanks, husband. I appreciate the thought. Maybe you should keep them to yourself.

We are off to Columbus tomorrow in hopes of finding clothes for this beast of a child. Wish us luck!

wishing wells

I wish on pennies and stars. I pray nightly. I believe in miracles. And for the past few months I have hoped upon hope for all of my prayers and wishes to come true.


This is my dad. You may have seen him around here before.

Not only is he a great father and grandfather, but he is an amazing teacher as well. A third grade teacher to be precise. {Are you seeing a trend?}

The year before last, his school closed. Not because it did anything wrong. They were just a little fish in a big political pond and the cards didn't fall their way. My dad made a rash decision and took a teaching job at a school in the same hood {literally}. It has been a hard year. As a teacher myself, I know the importance of having friendly colleagues and a supportive administration. My dad had neither.

We have agonized over the right path for him to take. Move to middle school? Change professions? Suffer?

But finally, FINALLY our prayers have been answered. His former principal {the one from the school that closed} is at a different school across town. She called yesterday and offered him a job teaching third grade. He met with her this morning and enthusiastically accepted.

Thank you, Lord. We are so blessed!

ouchies

We had our first accident today. Well, our first accident with visible injury. {Our REAL first accident was two weeks ago when I let him flip forward out of the chair in his room. I was trying to take pictures for the blog:)}

We were busy, busy this morning getting dressed, making the bed, and straightening the house. Reese was doing his usual thing-- crawling around our room, pulling up on any and everything, when he had a little tumble. Face first. Into my dresser. And the drawer was cracked.

Ouchie for baby. Guilt for Mama.

I tried my hardest to convince him he was fine, but the swell above his left eye convinced him otherwise. A little ice in a washcloth dulled the redness and pain, but a faint bruise {and knot} is still visible. It is probably the first in a long line of ouchies if this boy is anything like his daddy.

What else could make us feel better but a lunch date and shopping trip with Lofton's Aunt Linda. She came from Montgomery to take the three of us {Reese and I, plus Lofton} to lunch. Then she, Reese, and I went to do a little shopping. She got Reese some adorably cute outfits for school. He is going to be such a stud.

We had a fantastic time, and once again, I neglected to take pictures! Little man stayed awake for the whole trip, flirting shamelessly with all the sales ladies. He promptly crashed for a nap when we got home. Aunt Linda and Uncle Dick are headed to Ohio tomorrow for a little vacation and we hope they have safe travels!

sunshine and swings

The weather was amazing this weekend. Cool in the mornings and perfectly warm in the afternoons. We spent an ample amount of time porch dwelling.

We had great company. My parents.

Maybe I'm biased. But they take great care of us.

They are generous with their weekend time {and gas money}, and they bring gifts.

Books! A whole container full of old children's books. Most were mine, some were Jackson's, and a few actually belonged to my dad when he was a little boy. It warmed my heart to go through them and brought back so many childhood memories.

They also brought toys. Reese has a new favorite!

Little man eats up their attention when they're here.

He loves Daddy Buck's music.

But, we are always pitifully sad when they leave. Come back soon, okay?