thursday thoughts

This is a hodgepodge of things I have been meaning to share. Since my computer is fixed, but still in Pensacola, I have to lug my laptop home. I don't desire to do that everyday. Sorry.

Now, in no specific order, my thoughts.

1. I'm a teacher, a mother, and a wife. Duh. But these past few weeks I don't feel that I'm doing any of these particularly well. Case in point, daycare called Lofton around 8:00 this morning. Why? Because I forgot to pack his breakfast. Oops. Fifteen more days of school. Fifteen more days.

2. My child is an eating machine. Last night he met one of Mama's favorite treats, a dairy queen ice cream cone. After two nights of Lofton dragging me through the neighborhood on a "leisurely" stroll, I wanted some reward ice cream. When we pulled into the driveway from our DQ run, I raced to get my screaming child out of the car and in a moment of mommy-weakness stuck my cone in his mouth. He loved it! The tears ceased and that beautiful smile came out. I was hooked. Needless to say, MY treat became OUR treat.

3. In keeping with the above thought, Ms. Maureen at school (Reese's favorite teacher) told me Reese can no longer swing during the day. They put him in the swing last week, cranked that baby to max speed, and the gears started grinding. The swing barely moved. Evidently we have reached the weight limit.

baby einstein

Ashley and Rich, Reese's faux aunt and uncle, gave him some blocks for Easter (among the other fifteen things they gave him). He loves them! I took pictures Sunday morning (It is evident that we are playing in the pre dawn hours when you look at his sleepy face!) of him trying to figure them out.

Worn out and throwing in the towel!

water baby

This was the perfect warm, sunny day to break out the turtle pool Reese got from the Easter bunny. I'm not gonna say he loved it... but he didn't cry either. Every time we splashed him with the water he would start huffing and puffing. It sounded a little like he was in labor.

In the process of getting him ready I realized we were missing two key ingredients: #1) water diapers, if that's even what you call them and #2) a hat. I did lather him up in SPF 50 and the turtle pool has a shade cover. Besides, a little vitamin D is good for you.

Feet first, first time

"Something is wrong here. This isn't my tub."

I might like this!

break for a kiss

Looking like a stud in his swim trunks!

last night

Reese has had a hard time going to bed the last few days. I'm not sure why... every night has been different. Last night he got the hiccups. I took the opportunity to steal a few moments in the rocking chair with him since Lofton was on the phone.

We curled up in the chair, him with his head on my shoulder and his hand holding my face, and I got a little misty eyed. How does six (almost seven months) fly by so fast? How much longer is he going to want me to rock him to sleep?

I started thinking about the first seven weeks he was here with us, miserable because of his belly. We spent HOURS in that rocking chair. It was the only thing that comforted him. I would literally hold him so tightly I thought he might burst and we would rock, and rock, and rock.

I remember telling Lofton then that I read most digestive issues are worked out by the time an infant is thirteen weeks old. I said, "He'll be three months old before we know it. We can make it." In the blink of an eye we have. We've made it to one week shy of seven months old.

Slow down, little man. Mama wants to rock for a few more years.

*Please keep in mind that in order to put pictures on the blog i have to take them with my camera phone! They are not the best quality.

stomach bug, take two

Sick again. That’s what we were. Evidently Reese’s throwing up on Sunday night (and Monday night) were not at all related to the two bottom teeth puncturing his gums. It was yet another stomach bug. This round was weaker than the bug that hit us in February, but still.

Sick again? Really? Lofton swears he is moving out if we get sick again. He HATES being sick. And, quite honestly, I hate him being sick. He is such a man about being sick (i.e. whiny and cranky). This time (fortunately?) I got sick first. He was at least able to help with Reese. Last time, I had to take care of sick Reese, sick Lofton, and sick me. Not fun.

I’m looking forward to a weekend with just the three of us (five if you count the heathens) and 80 degree weather. We haven’t been home together in weeks. Yay for sunshine!!! And yay for only four more weeks of school! I can't wait to be a stay at home mama.

turkey man

Lofton killed a turkey…

Thank the lord. I couldn’t take another turkey season slump. He left Reese and I for the weekend to go hunting with friends, but we persevered.

Reese and I are pros at staying alone now. We know just what to do—call reinforcements! Nonna, Buck, and Uncle J arrived just in time to kiss Bunky goodnight Friday. The five of us had a great weekend laughing, strolling, and sitting on the porch.

Porch sitting

There was (and is) only one problem; Reese does not nap when my parents are around. He is much too stimulated to go to sleep. At home we follow the Ignore Him Rule: Put him in the swing and then avoid eye contact at all costs. My parents do not abide by that rule. And to make it worse—they are sneaky about talking to him.

Joking aside, our weekend was fabulous. Saturday morning, mom and I dragged Bunky to the grocery with us. Then when we got home we traded the groceries for Dad and the four of us strolled all over downtown Opelika. I went in a bunch of stores I had never had time to explore. After a quick lunch, Mama and I loaded Reese back in the car and went to Tiger Town.

I have been giddy over Ulta’s grand opening. The store was everything I had dreamed it would be. Stocked full of makeup, nail polish, and hair products. No. I don’t actually wear a lot of makeup or nail polish. And yes, my hair is usually in a ponytail. BUT, I covet the products. And I converted mom to a Bare Minerals wearer. My face is dry on a normal day, but when I was pregnant with Bunky it became the Sahara desert. Seriously. This makeup saved my life. And because it’s “all natural” I feel even less guilty about crawling into bed every night without washing my face. Yes, I really do that. No, I don’t care that it’s gross. We can talk about my issues with getting my face wet at another time.

Back to our afternoon. Bunky was a trooper. After Ulta we hit Target, World Market, and Hobby Lobby. I found these lamps. I desperately want them for our bedroom. If you would like to purchase them for us, message me and I’ll give you our address.

World Market was our last stop Saturday afternoon. Reese was tiring of his stroller so I picked up the little Hoover and carted him around the store on my hip (Speaking of my hips, God obviously did not bless me with large hips for the purpose of birthing. Instead, they must be for carrying this future football star.) I wish you could have been with us. Really, I do. All of you. EVERYTIME Reese looked at Mama, or vice versa, he started laughing hysterically. I could have wet my pants it was so funny. Even people in the store were laughing. It was classic.

In other news... Bunky's bottom two teeth are FINALLY cutting through. I didn't think these babies would ever break out. The increased drool combined with continued allergy issues caused quite the mess last night. Reese gagged a little too much and his bedtime bottle PLUS his carrot dinner came up all over poor Lofton and the poor rocking chair. Thankfully, the chair looks fine. I smartly scotchguarded it last summer. Lofton is fine too. He and Reese played hookey today.

Reese helped me grade papers sunday morning.

New post below

computer issues

Computers…

I hate the computer. Really I do. I love the internet and I love my blog, but if I could utilize the two without the computer I would. Just when you need it, something always goes haywire.

My rant has a point. Our computer is sick. I sent it home with my mom yesterday to be repaired. I’m not sure what’s wrong with it, but hopefully the issue will be resolved soon. That being said, in order to blog I must bring my laptop home from work. I can’t upload pictures from my camera onto my school computer though. So, bear with me the next few weeks while I work through these kinks. I think I have devised a temporary solution that involves my camera phone, the T-Mobile website, and some copy and pasting… The quality of my pictures is sure to be outstanding!

Goodness. The things I do to show off my kid.

tired

Sleep. I miss it. So does Lofton. We are both blurry eyed and borderline irritable. You see, my delightful little baby has decided NOT to sleep through the night for the past seven days. That’s seven days of Lofton and I each getting up multiple times during the night to pat Reese’s back, re-position a blanket, and re-insert the pacifier.

We have racked our brains trying to decipher this new situation. Is he gassy? Nope. Teething? No. Cold? Hot? Hungry? No. No. No.

I think I have found the answer. You see, last week we decided to take him off (or really he outgrew) his wedge at night. He has slept on it since the first part of February when he got croup. It was a way to elevate his head at night and the sides kept him semi-confined in the bed. Lofton and I kept finding him half-on, half- off in the morning looking ridiculously uncomfortable and we just knew it was time to let him sleep “free and uninhibited” in the crib.

Reese has not been so happy about his newfound freedom. In fact, he hates it. I truly think when he wakes up during the night he feels lost and lonely. Which actually makes me a little sad for him. Many, MANY times last week I would finally stumble into his room around four and “throw in the towel.” I would scoop him up, grab his pacifier and walk back down the LONGEST hallway ever to climb back in bed. He would look up at me with those big blue eyes and I could tell he was saying “thank you for saving me from my big scary crib Mama.” We would settle back into bed and he and Lofton would drift back to sleep, while I lay awake uncomfortable and exhausted.

The solution, I believe, has been discovered. Saturday night we stayed in LaGrange with Sally. She has a pack and play that is identical to the one at my parent’s house. From experience, I know Reese rarely ever sleeps well in it. About 9:30 he started fidgeting and as I got up to re-pat, re-insert, and re-position, I spotted a large pillow on the ground. No, I didn’t suffocate my child. I put it next to him in bed. Safely positioned so it wouldn’t fall on top of him (although I did lie in bed worrying about that and I did get up five times to check on him), but close enough to him that he had a very limited range of motion. He slept much MUCH better.

Last night we rigged something much safer in Reese’s crib. Two towels folded long ways that are heavy and firm and a small pillow on top for added weight. There was nothing that could fall on him. He slept much better. I think he would have slept through the night, but he was a little tinkle machine and he soaked through his diaper and his new Taylor onesie. Funny side note: When Lofton went to check on him and realized he was wet, HE CAME BACK TO BED. I said, “What was wrong with him?” To which Lofton replied, “He soaked through his diaper.” Me: “Did you change him?” Lofton: “Nope.” Me: “Then get your butt back in there!” (That last sentence has been edited.)

Maybe we are on track to more restful nights this week. I certainly hope so, because although Reese’s night was full of sleep last night, Lofton and I’s night still was not. A terrible thunderstorm came through during the late night/ early morning hours. Raleigh is deathly afraid of storms and was pacing the bedroom. The clack of her nails on the hardwood floors was driving us CRAZY. Finally I just let her climb in the bed next to me. It was a tad bit crowded.

I'm praying for better luck tonight. Last Friday morning I went to remove what I thought were mascara smudges under my eyes. Nope. Just hideous purple circles. Thank God for Clinique!

weekend recap

Whew... we've been busy the past few days. I have lots to blog about, but I'm a little tired and laundry calls. So, in lieu of a thoughfully crafted post about my lack of sleep (now going on 6 days), a few pictures and captions to start off your week!

Shots suck.... they started off our weekend on a bad note. I don't like them and neither does Bunky. Good news, no more until twelve months!

We got a big boy car seat. TWO actually. I teared up a little when we first put him in it Saturday. Although, the tears could have been caused by the fact that I had to sell a kidney on the black market to pay for these gigantic contraptions. Just kidding! Can you believe we have graduated from the infant seat?

We made our first overnight trip to LG yesterday. Reese had a fabulous time rolling around on the floor with Big Daddy.

First easter Basket. The Loot: some books, a turtle baby pool, a swimsuit, and a quacking duck for the bathtub. He also got five new pairs of pajamas and something you'll see in the last picture...

Pre-Church siesta.

Family picture at church.

And if you thought the car seat was bad.... check out what my little Bunky is drinking from in the picture below:

A sippy cup.

does anybody know an NBA scout?

We are home from our six month shots and they wore us out! Reese had not had a nap since noon and was just about asleep when I picked him up from school. I knew that was a bad sign. Although he was pleasant for Dr. Greer, he lost it when Heidi came to shoot up his beefy thighs. He finally fell asleep in the car and I was able to lay him on our bed, give him Tylenol, and then roll him over to continue his nap-- all without him ever waking up. That never happens.

His six month stats:

Weight: 20 pounds, 12 ounces (90% percentile)
Height: 29 inches long (above 100%)

Head: 46 cm

I asked Dr. Greer if he was in the normal range and he said except for his height everything looked right on target. Maybe he does take after my dad's seven foot tall cousin! Does anybody have NBA connections? Is there an infant league?

My sweet friend, Mrs. Massey, picked me up a new bath seat at Walmart and we gave it a trial run last night. Reese loved it. He has gotten too big for his infant seat and we needed a transition piece since we can't quite sit up yet. This new seat is perfect! I tried to cover up his man parts in the pictures, but they kind of peeked out-- please don't call DHR on me!

we survived

We survived! Both Reese and I emerged unscathed from our weekend apart.

Friday was rough. To demonstrate how anxious I was to leave Reese, I’ll tell you a little story. Friday was our longest testing day. Three hours for my little nine year olds. It is entirely too long for them to sit still. Friday was also the first day we had seen the sun all week, and my poor kiddo’s tested through PE. When I went to ask Dr. Dark if we could please go outside and get some fresh air- I burst into tears. Really, I did. It’s embarrassing, I know, and unfortunately it’s happened before. I’m a crier when I’m stressed!

Back to Friday, I zipped out of work early, flew home to get dressed, and then said a sad goodbye to my sweet Bunky. I was traumatized. He was fine. Have I mentioned he thinks my mom is the funniest person alive? Literally, she barely opens her mouth to speak and he erupts into laughter. It’s fabulous. I have no doubt he was thoroughly entertained all weekend by his Nonna and Daddy Buck.

Lofton and I made it to the rehearsal in plenty of time and had so much fun catching up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while. It’s funny actually. When we first got married, his friends were his friends and mine were mine, but now we just have our friends.

We sat at dinner with John and Leslie and Spencer and Brittany. John and Leslie are expecting Baby Wolfe III in July and Spencer and Brittany are FINALLY getting married in September. We are over the moon excited about both big events! Oh, and Holland and Mary Beth (the bride and groom) were both beaming all night. All the boys made appropriate toasts, which was nice considering what they did on Saturday. I’ll get to that later.

As you know I usually go to sleep right after shortly after Reese, but Lofton and I actually managed to stay awake past 11:00. We even had drinks at a bar. It was impressive. I still woke up at four in the morning though. These darn allergies are killing me. And I hate hotel rooms.

We ate breakfast with Aunt Linda and Uncle Dick Saturday morning and then visited at their house for a little while. They were super sweet to want to see us even though were sans baby. Lofton and I aren’t a big draw for visits anymore if the baby isn’t with us! Then Lofton and I went shopping for a few hours before he had to get ready for the wedding.

The bus picked the wedding party up at 1:30 to take them to Jasmine Gardens. It was a LONG time for them to sit there with nothing to do but drink beer. The three musketeers (John, Spencer, and Lofton) decided it would be a great idea to STEAL the contents of Holland’s suitcase for the night so that he would have to show up at the Sunday brunch in his tux. It’s possible that a few years from now Holland will think it was a funny joke. BUT, when we got a phone call at 10:30 on his wedding night, he did not think it was so funny. Luckily, John and Lofton are married already. Look out Spencer, you know what they say about payback. Aside from the prank, the wedding was beautiful and the weather this weekend was perfect!

Lofton and I packed up and were back in Opelika by eight yesterday morning. Reese took both his naps cuddled in my arms and he didn’t venture far from my hip all day. In case you were unsure, I missed him terribly while we were gone! I don’t think Lofton and I will be taking anymore solo trips anytime soon. We are definitely a family of three and I don’t buy into the idea that traveling alone with your spouse makes your marriage stronger. I love my kid too much!

the rehearsal dinner

Holland and Mary Beth

the fab four

Lofton, John, Leslie and I at the wedding

Happy 1/2 Birthday

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Bunky!

I truly cannot believe my baby is six months old. It's hard to put into words how this little man has changed our lives.

I found this poem online and I thought it was a perfect summation of how Lofton and I feel.

You are the poem I dreamed of writing, the masterpiece I longed to paint.

You are the shining star I reached for in my ever-hopeful quest for life fulfilled.

You are my child.

Now with all things I am blessed"
- unknown