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Sunday, August 30, 2009

Four Months Old


Bobby turned Four months old on August 30, 2009.


Weight: 13.6 lbs. (will find out exact weight at 4 month appt. tomorrow).
Sleeping Patterns: Bobby is finally sleeping through the night pretty consistently. What is not consistent? His wake-up time. He wakes up anytime between 4am - 7am each morning. If he gets up any earlier than 6am, we feed him in his room, and put him back down immediately. If he wakes up after 6am, he's up for the day. Most nights, he is in bed by 8pm. It is nice for Bob and I to have a couple of hours each night to relax. His naps are ok. He's been having a lot of shorter naps lately, and it is driving me crazy. I am a happy mommy when he naps for at least an hour.
Eating Habits: Bobby is eating on average 5-6 oz. per feeding. Sometimes he'll eat as much as 7 oz., and sometimes under 5 oz. It really depends. He is eating usually 5 times a day now. When he sleeps in till 7, he may eat just 4 times a day. Although he is 4 months old, we won't be starting solids for at least another month.
New discoveries & Accomplishments: Bobby is "talking" so much lately! I love when he screams. His voice is high-pitched. It is so cute. He is really a chatterbox in the mornings. He has also started talking in his crib when he wakes up from his naps. This is nice, because it gives me a few extra minutes before he starts to cry. He is also very much into his hands. If he is not sucking on them, he is caressing his little teddy bear he carries with him always. Just today, he started to roll over onto his side from his back. He is such a strong little boy! In just a couple of weeks, I'm going to start putting him in his Bumbo seat a lot more. I think he is getting close to sitting up with some support. He still loves playing on his Activity mat, and with new stuffed toys (see picture below). He likes his swing, but definitely has to be in the mood for it. He's the same with his car seat. I never know if we'll have a meltdown-free errand, or not. The only thing I wish he was more into, is tummy time. He hates tummy time, and only enjoys it for about 5-10 minutes.
Places you love: His Activity mat, lying on the blanket on the floor, being rocked, his bouncy seat, and swing. He'll soon be outgrowing most of these toys, and I cannot believe it!
Special Friends: Henry Ritter. Henry's mom Liz, is my running buddy.
Current Events: The tide is definitely changing in the political arena, which makes mommy and daddy very happy! Scotland releases terrorist responsible for Pan Am bombing in the 1980's, causing an uproar. Football season starts next weekend.
What We did This Day: Played indoors! It was raining most of the day. Winston always joins in on the fun too.








Friday, August 28, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

Bob's First Multi-Sport Event

Also, known as his first organized sprint triathlon.

Bob decided it would be fun to host a practice triathlon at Oak Mountain State Park on Sunday. He invited several co-workers and friends to participate. He figured it would be great practice for the experienced folks, and a stress-free way for any newbies to do their first tri. Bob had several helpers - including his friends and co-workers Mike, Jaki, and Greg. Afterwards, there was a delicious cookout. And, to top it all off, the weather was in the 70's that morning. We definitely got a hint of fall this weekend in Birmingham.


Bob and Mike (Coozeball), post-race.


Amy and I, holding our little munchkins.


The three winners. From l to r: 3rd place - Bob, 1st place - Bart, 2nd place - Greg.


The participants.


Family picture :-)


Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Grandma!
You're the best!
Love, Bobby

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Paranoid

This is a question for all the mom's out there:

Do you, or did you, let your baby watch TV? I'm not talking about cartoons or the Baby Einstein videos. We are not quite ready for that yet. I'm talking about letting him/her see the TV if it is on. Here's my deal... during the day, I will feed Bobby in the living room on the couch while watching TV. Not always, but a lot of the time he will watch it. It kind of freaks me out a bit, because I am so paranoid about the whole autism thing, and what-not. Sometimes I feel like it is inevitable, and if it is on, he will watch. I've noticed it more and more, and will shut it off. But, I'll admit...it's not very often. And, oftentimes, later in the afternoon, we have started to snuggle on the couch, while I catch up on TV.

Is this bad!?!?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

April 29, 2009

I really have wanted to document the day leading up to Bobby's delivery... more for our family's memory and records. This day was about as chaotic as they come, and it inevitably led to the birth of our beautiful son.

Starting at 32 weeks, I was to have a Contraction Stress Test done weekly until delivery. During my 33 week appointment, my test results came back as "suspicious." After returning the next day for another test, everything looked great. This was a good sign for us, because we were leaving that weekend for a short, cross-country trip to Seattle, WA. My doctor advised me that I could travel by plane, until I was 35 weeks pregnant.

We returned home from Seattle late Monday night. I didn't bother to unpack, and we had no food in our house. On Tuesday, being 8 months pregnant, and jet-lagged, I decided to rest all day. I was a big couch potato. I had decided that I would get the house back in order, and grocery shop on Wednesday, after my doctor's appointment. On Wednesday morning, I made my grocery list, and took my time getting ready. The house was a mess, dishes were piled up in the sink, we had no food, and I still hadn't unpacked from our trip. But, I headed out the door around noon for my doctor's appointment anyways. I figured I'd just take care of it all after the appointment. Little did I know, that I wouldn't return for six days!

Oh, and did I mention that I had ran out the door without my cell phone?

Once I got to the hospital, I was ready for the testing to begin. As it progressed, the nurse kept making comments about Bobby's heart rate dropping. Because of this, the test took longer than normal, as she wanted to make sure the results were actually valid. I started to get nervous, but was also thinking that everything would ultimately be fine. She told me that she was going to call Dr. Brown, so he could pull up the results on his computer. After waiting around for a few more minutes, she came back and told me that we needed to go to Labor & Delivery. I promptly asked to use the phone, so I could call Bob. I knew he would be at lunch, so I called his cell phone. I got his voicemail, and left a message. I then called the receptionist at his office, leaving her a detailed message of what was going on. Unfortunately, I didn't have a return number for him to call back with, because I had left my phone at home. All I could think was, "how could I have left my phone at home?!?"

Because I was being checked into the hospital at this point, the nurse wheeled me over to Labor & Delivery in a wheelchair. I still thought to myself, that I'd be outta there soon enough, and on my way home. The nurse brought me to an empty room, and gave me a gown to change into. At this point, I started thinking, "maybe I won't be going home?!?" Somehow, Bob was able to track me down in the hospital by phone, and we finally talked. I hadn't spoken to my doctor yet, so I was still hopeful of leaving later that afternoon. Bob asked if he needed to leave work, and I told him no.

After sitting around for an hour or so in bed, and listening to Bobby's heartbeat on the fetal monitor, I finally heard from my doctor. He called my room, and explained what was happening. He then proceeded to tell me that he would be taking the baby tomorrow morning, via c-section. "Oh my gosh!," I thought. I could not believe what was happening. I called Bob right away and told him the news. He was freaking out too, and left work immediately to come to the hospital. While on his way, he called his parents, and mine. His mom was in Atlanta at the time, and rushed back home to Peachtree City to start packing. I would later see his parents that night around 8pm or so.

Meanwhile, as I was waiting for Bob to get to the hospital, I started to cry. I cried mostly over the fact that I knew my poor sweet baby would have to stay in the NICU. I knew he was going to be a preemie, and it broke my heart. I knew that I would not be able to take him home upon my discharge from the hospital either. I cried because we weren't prepared for him yet. His nursery was not done, and we didn't have all the supplies we needed. I hadn't so much as bought a nursing bra for myself either. Our plan was to be in "baby mode" after our trip. We thought we had 6 more weeks to prepare. I cried because I didn't even have a bag packed for myself, nor the baby. I cried because my house was in shambles too. I had a big, fat pity party for myself. But, then I got over it. After I let my emotions settle and sink in, I started to get excited. I was finally going to meet my sweet baby boy tomorrow - April 30th, 2009!

Bob arrived at the hospital fairly quickly, and we talked over the day's events. The doctor came and spoke to us, and put our minds at ease. I then made him a list of items to bring from home for me, and off he went. While he was gone, I started calling family and close friends to let them know the news.

By the time Bob came back, it was almost 9pm. He arrived with my items, some dinner, and his parents. He also brought his things, as he would also be spending the next five nights with me in the hospital. I was given a steroid shot for Bobby's lungs, and an Ambien. I had asked for something to help me sleep, as I knew I'd be too nervous to sleep well.

I slept pretty well that night... knowing full well that my life would change at 8:22 am, on Thursday, April 30th, 2009. My sweet baby boy made his entrance into the world, and our lives have been forever changed for the better. I guess April 29, 2009 wasn't such a crazy day after all!


Monday, August 17, 2009

Baby Blues

Will he, or won't he?

Bob and I both have brown eyes. In my family, everyone has brown eyes (brothers, sisters, mom, nieces, nephews), except my dad. He's got blue eyes. In Bob's family, it's 50/50, with his dad having blue eyes. There is only a 25% chance that Bobby will have blue eyes. When he was first born, they were more of a gray/slate color. Now, they seem to be more blue. But, I know they could still change to brown. I am conflicted on what to think. Some days I think they will stay blue. And, other days, I think I see specks of brown in them. If he does end up with blue eyes, our recessive genes are the winners!

How long did it take your baby's eyes to change?


Hangin' with Mr. Daddy


Pool Time with the Wilder's!

Bob and I hung out with Bart, Amy, and Drew this past Saturday. We first headed to the pool, late in the afternoon, and then headed back to our house for some dinner. We had a lot of fun, and it was so nice at the pool during that part of the day. It cooled down a bit (as much as it can for August), and the pool emptied out little by little. Next time, we are going to bring our dinner to the pool, so we can enjoy it until dusk. As always, we had a blast with the Wilder family. We have become very close to them since our boys were born. I definitely consider Amy to be "my Amy," (insert inside joke here).

Here are some pictures from the fun afternoon!


Munchkin and Daddy.


Drew and Bobby after swimming.


Bobby and Drew. Don't they look like twins?!?!


Da Boyz.


Hot mommas!

Bobby's First Group Playdate

On Friday afternoon, Bobby and I went to his very first group, baby play date. My running buddy Liz, and her son Henry hosted this fun event. There were six mommies and babies total. It was a great opportunity for the mom's to get some much needed girl talk time, as well as compare notes about the babies. All of the babies there were six months or younger. And, the best part... wine was served! :-)

Here are some pictures to document this fun afternoon.


Ginger and Harper (5 months old).


Liz, our host, and Henry (4 months old).


Bobby and I. He was squirming!


Henry and Bobby "talking" to each other! It was the sweetest thing ever. Lauryn's in the background hanging out.


Bobby and Harper. Do I see a love affair blooming here?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Whew.

Ok. We are finally back online for good (I hope!). We've had some technical issues (that I previously mentioned) with our internet and I have been out of the blogging loop. I think Bob has finally fixed the problem after a new modem and router.

Some random things to note:

Bobby slept through the night for the first time this past Sunday! (For my record: 14 weeks old). He slept from 8pm - 6am. Of course, last night, he was up at 2am, and then 5am. I am predicting he'll teeter totter back and forth for a few weeks. He is nowadays, on average, waking up around 4am for his first feeding.

He is 15 weeks today, and has really started to discover his hands. He is sucking on them with every chance he gets. He will probably discover his thumb is opposable any day now.

And, he is scaring me with his bouncy seat. He pushes up with his legs, and positions himself towards the very top. I am so paranoid he's going to flip it over backwards!

Sorry for the short, sucky post. I just wanted to let my dedicated readers (ha!) know that I have not forgotten about my dear old blog. We've just been living prior to 1997 in this house! Talk to you soon!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Sometimes you just gotta get away...

Here we have Winston basking in the hot, Alabama sun. There are times when I will let him out to go potty, and instead of returning back to the door, he'll lay down in the yard. I have a sneaking suspicion that he may just want to get away some days!

He's been such a great older brother to Bobby though. I swear he knows how to tip-toe now around the house. All I have to do is give him a stern look, and he'll tip-toe out of sight. This usually happens when I am trying to put Bobby down for a nap. It really is cute, and a sight to be seen. Now, if only I could train him not to bark when the baby is napping.

Sigh.



Wednesday, August 5, 2009

"A happy family is but an earlier heaven"

~ John Bowring

Bobby's eight cousins (my side) came to Birmingham two weeks ago to meet him for the first time. It was a lot of fun, and I was so happy to have them all at our home to meet our little guy. I feel so fortunate that he has been born into such a large family! If only I can convince Bob to have more than two kids...ha ha.

Onto the pictures...


From top to bottom: My niece Victoria (age 11), my brother Mike, and niece Ashley (age 9). Victoria and Ashley are my brother Chuck's two oldest kids.


Bob and Victoria.


My sister-in-law Lorraine (Chuck's wife), Bobby, and Ashley.


Meagan (Mike's oldest; age 10) and Bobby.


This was the "goofy face" picture, and unfortunately, the only decent one we got on our camera of the 9 grandkids.

Top row, l to r: Matthew (Mike's 2nd oldest, age 8), Victoria holding Bobby, Meagan holding Ava (Mike's 4th, age 1) and Ashley.
Bottom row, l to r: Andrew (Chuck's 3rd, age 5), Alexis (Chuck's 4th, age 3) and Abigail (Mike's 3rd, age 5).

Whew.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

3 Months Old



Bobby turned Three months old on July 30, 2009.

Weight: 12.2 lbs.
Sleeping Patterns: Another month has gone by, and he's not quite sleeping through the night yet. But, I do have to remember that he is only 8 weeks old, if you go by his due date. Anyhow, the longest stretch for him has been 7 hours between feedings at night. This was done within the past week. Otherwise, we are normally going at least 5 hours, and then another 4. His bedtime routine now starts around 8pm. He gets very cranky around 7pm each night. His napping schedule is getting better too. He usually takes a long nap (1-3 hours) in his crib each day, as well as several catnaps.
Eating Habits: He is starting to drink 5 oz. per feeding on a regular basis, sometimes more, sometimes less. He usually eats 6-7 times per day. We are now on breast milk and formula. He is drinking Similac Sensitive, due to his tummy issues.
New discoveries & Accomplishments: Within the past few days, he has finally really taken to his swing! He usually takes about a 45 minute nap in the swing each morning. I had almost given up on it. He is always smiling, and is in the best moods in the mornings, and after each feeding. He has just recently discovered his hands, and he is starting to suck on them. He loves his Activity mat. He is talking a lot more too. He is focusing much better on objects and has started to follow them. He is almost able to fully support his head. I tried him in the Bumbo seat the other day for the first time. He liked it for a few minutes, but I did not let him sit too long. He is not quite ready for it.
Places you love: The swing, finally! Bobby also likes his bouncy seat. He also loves to just lie on his back and look around, or play with mommy and daddy. He is, however, becoming more fussy in his car seat. But, he usually calms down after a few moments. Mommy and Daddy take him for runs now a couple of nights a week together. We call them Family runs. Winston always comes too.
Special Friends: This past month, Bobby met Ava Claire Anderson, Hayes Hardy, and Kayla at the pool for the first time. He still adores his other friends Harper and Drew. Winston is also becoming more and more protective of Bobby. As soon as Bobby wakes for the morning, or from a nap, Winston is always the first one to his room.
Current Events: The President is trying to pass his version of health care reform. There is a large uproar as to whether or not this is another step in the direction of becoming a Socialist nation. Football season starts in just over a month! The Tour de France ended with Lance Armstrong (Daddy's hero) taking 3rd place.
What We did This Day: It was rainy most of the day, so we stayed in. Mommy took Bobby and Winston for a car ride, and went through the drive-thru at Starbuck's. Daddy had to work.

Oh Technology!

On Wednesday night, we had a bad thunderstorm. It was 11:30pm, and I awoke (screaming, I might add) to the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard in my life. Well, come to find out, our neighbor's house was struck by lightening. Somehow, as a result, the cable box on the outside was frayed. We had no cable or internet. The cable was fixed on Friday morning. We finally were able to get online yesterday, but our wireless router was also blown in all of this. So, I am connected, instead of going wireless, and it is no fun.

Anyhow, what did people do before cable and internet?!?!

I'm only kidding, but it is certainly a luxury that has become a slight addiction in today's society. Wouldn't you agree?

Being a stay-at-home mom was not fun without any TV for an entire day. I do not, by any means sit in front of the TV and watch it all day. But, it's nice for background noise, especially when the only communicating you get is coo's (which, of course, I love!) Plus, I do try and watch 1 or 2 of my DVR reality chic-flick shows that Bob hates.

Anyhow, no point to this post, other than to let you know that I am back, and will finally try to get caught up!

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