So Much Fun...

Ethan is so much fun these days! I can't believe that he is 6 months old. I thought this period was so far away when Ethan was born and now its here...holy cow! Ethan is rolling all over the place, talking, sticking his butt in the air, standing (of course with our help), laughing (at everything), eating solid foods (we like pears, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans we are warming up to), reaching for everything, etc, etc....

Last week we had our first real sickness. Ethan had pink eye in both eyes along with a slight ear infection in his ear. We went to the MD and are doing much better now! Definitely feels better. Just in time too, Christmas is almost here!!!! When we were at the MD Ethan got weighed...drum roll please...Big boy Ethan weighs 23 lbs! We'll go back in a couple of weeks for our check up, weigh in, and shots.

This coming up week is Christmas. Nick and I are so excited. We get to visit all of the grandparents and spend time with them along with other family members! Merry Christmas to all!!!

Funny pics of Ethan...Big Blue Eyes...Sitting on his own...

I guess the flash scared him...

'Tis the season...

This is my favorite time of year...Christmas. Now I can play that Martina McBride Christmas CD that has found residency in my CD player in the car for the past two years. I love Christmas!

But first came Thanksgiving. We had a really good Thanksgiving. The only bad thing was it was so short. I had to work on Friday, so that cut family time short. We went to Jasper on Thursday all day. Had a great visit with everyone! We discovered that Ethan LOVES to jump around! Malea and Dewayne had a "sit and go nowhere" station that bounced. Ethan discovered that and went to town. It was so funny! So now we have a jungle jumperoo in the den that Ethan bounces around in. He loves it. He just laughs and bounces for about 20 minutes and then he slowly fades off to nappy town. (That means he goes to sleep) When I was at work on Friday, I talked to Nick a time or two during the day. You could hear Ethan in the background growling and babbling and having a good ole time. Now that he has gotten over his sickness (thank the good Lord above that we made it through that) he just talks, growls, laughs, whines, etc. His personality is showing more and more.

We got to visit with Megan and Thomas the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was so good to see them! I miss you guys! I'm glad that they were able to stop on through. Funny Fact...Megan is going to kill me for this one....she sent me a text message the next day telling me her arm was sore from holding Ethan. Hehehehe.....Just had to throw that one in.

Ethan's development is moving right along! I can't believe that he is growing so fast! For someone who loves schedules (me) having an infant proves that schedules don't exist. Ethan is now eating cereal/fruit three times a day. We have had success with apples, pears and peaches. Because I have been mixing them in with cereals, his formula feedings have spread out and decreased. He loves to eat though! I think next we will try some veggies.

He is definitely teething. Nothing has cut the gums, but it is so funny to watch Ethan. No matter what he can get his hands on it goes straight into his mouth. When we have him bundled in a blanket or with a bib he stuffs half of it in his mouth. When we catch him doing that he stops, stares at us to see what our facial expressions are (we are laughing out loud) and then he laughs. Its so cute!

He has mastered the rolling from front to back, almost has back to front and almost has sitting up by himself. See the video/pics. He is a little tripod when he sits up. Then when he falls, he laughs. I think he likes the journey down to the floor.

Okay, I think that is all. Time for Christmas decorations and songs. I love this time of year!

TGIF

All I can say is thank the good Lord its Friday! This week has been terrible and I am just glad its over. Where do I even begin?

I ran out of the formula we were using and had to use a different formula. I thought this wasn’t going to be a problem and used it for about 2 days (until it ran out).
We started our new daycare teacher on Monday. It was a nightmare. Leaving Ethan on Monday was harder to do than the first day of daycare. When I dropped him off, everything I was worried about happened. First off, I told his teacher that he was only 4 ½ months old. The look on her face was frightening. I don’t think she realized how young he really was. Then I told her that I didn’t want him on the ground while the other babies were down there b/c I was afraid that they would try to pull themselves up using Ethan, swat at him, get in his face, etc. and Ethan had no way to defend himself. So, I put him in the “stand and go nowhere” thing…which is the only activity center in the room…and the first thing that happened was the 12 month old…yes, 1 year old in his class…crawled over to him…yea, that too…pulled herself up and swatted a sock in his face. After Ethan was quickly pulled away from the girl, it took everything I had not to cry in his room. I went straight to the director’s office and cried. I voiced my concerns and she basically told me the same thing that the other lady told me. Wasn’t comforting, wasn’t helpful, in fact, I began to look at other daycares. Then later that day I went back to go check on him and asked the teacher how his first feeding was and she said “he took the bottle well”. I was like good, now what about the cereal? Her response was “Oh, he gets cereal too?” It’s written down right behind her and I pointed that out. Mommy is not a happy camper. By the time I pick him up, he has developed a snotty nose, cough, sneezing and was breaking out on his face. OH NO, one of those other snotty nosed kids has given Ethan something. Ethan didn’t sleep through the night. All in all wasn’t a good day. By Wednesday I had calmed down a bit until I went to go check on him during the day and found him asleep in his teacher’s arms with a bottle stuck in his mouth. Ethan was definitely asleep too, it was obvious, he was snoring. That didn’t sit well with me. When I left, I stopped to talk to another mom whose child is in the same class and informed me of the flyers we had been getting at school. The first one was ANOTHER price increase of tuition and the other one was…drum roll please…the teacher was moving out of this classroom and another (whom we LOVE) is coming to take over. I cannot tell you how excited I was, and am, to hear that news. A prayer was answered, I felt so relieved. I could have hugged her when I found out. So, we are excited about next week when the new teacher starts. We look forward to it! :)

We switched back to his other formula. The snots are clearing up and so is his cough. Apparently he had an allergic reaction to the other formula. He still is congested a bit, but much better.

So, now we are glad it’s Friday and we can relax this weekend and watch some AU foosball. TGIF!!!!

Halloweenie

I forgot to post pics from Halloweenie. He was a skunk....

PS. I also forgot to tell you that when we for our 4 month old check up, Ethan weighed 20 lbs and 14 oz. He was 27.5 inches long. That put him in the 98th percentile for his age. He's a big boy!

Well, its been a while since I posted. Sorry I have been slacking.

Last week was slightly difficult. Ethan caught his first stomach bug. We thought at first it was the almost full jar of applesauce that he ate on Saturday, but the runny diapers lasted until about Wednesday. With that being said, he (and mom and dad) stayed home from Monday until Wednesday, the MD's office received phone call after phone call from yours truly. I was so afraid that he would get dehydrated and have to go into the hospital or something like that. I guess I was expecting the worse. Luckily, Thursday, back at day care, was back on schedule and much better, a more normal day. He ate his cereal, drank his bottles, pooped a more solid poop and kept on smiling. I was so happy on Thursday. Friday was a different question...

While we were at home on Tuesday, I received a call from the day care. The director told me that starting on Monday, Ethan will be moving up to the next classroom. At first I was okay with it, but then I started to think about it. The next classroom up had babies that were sitting up on their own, crawling, pulling up on things. I wasn't too happy about it come Thursday. So I called the director, left a message to call me and she never did. I dropped Ethan off on Friday and found out that the director is out until next Tuesday. So, I talked to his current teacher, Ms. Romona (whom we have grown to love and trust). She assured me that Ethan was ready to move to the next room, that he would be okay, and she would tell that teacher how his routine is. I also talked to the next in line since the director was out. She didn't do anything but make me mad. She shouldn't hold that position. She kept referring to me being a first time mom (first time or third time, a mom is going to worry about her 4 month old in the same room with 6+ mos who are pulling on him and tugging on him and making sure he still gets the attention he needs and doesn't sleep all day), other pregnant moms who need to get back to work (not my problem, there's something called a waiting list that I had to wait on and so should they. The day care shouldn't move babies into rooms they aren't ready for), then she kept telling me to pray about it over the weekend (my praying habits are none of her concerns nor does she need to push religion on a complete stranger...a huge pet-peeve of mine). I was visibly ill with her and had to get out of the conversation quick. Well, bottom line is that he is still moving and the class that he is moving to will have the same age babies as he by December. The older babies will be moving out too. We'll see how it goes and complain as needed. :)

Nick and I had a date night tonight. Grandaddy (Ronnie), Granny (Carlene), and Great-Grandmother (Nick's Grandmother) came up here to visit with Ethan while Nick and I went out. Big thanks to them. We had a great time! It was much needed.

In other news, Ethan is now reaching for things, grabbing things, rolling from front to back, trying to get the back to front, recognizes familiar faces and greets them with smiles, playing peek-a-boo, we are working on sitting up by ourself, and soon we will be starting on fruits and veggies. He is growing so fast. This is so much fun!!!!

Teefees

Well my friends, the time has come. That time when your absolutely perfect baby starts to get slightly feverish, fussy, and a little more difficult. Ethan's teeth are starting to appear!!! WHAT?! you say, yes, it's true. They haven't broken the gums or anything, but you can see the whites of them and definitely feel them. Surprisingly enough, they aren't the front ones. They are the ones next to the front ones. We can see the outside of them. He has been more fussy than usual and ran a little fever last weekend, but that comes with the territory. The drool is for sure on high too! He has soppin wet shirts at times. I don't expect a tooth to cut through for another couple of months, but they are on their way!!

On another note, Ethan ate his first bowl of cereal. It was all over his face! I'll post those pics later. Here are some other ones.

Tailgating....Mike, Debbie, Dad, Mom, Me, Anna Catherine feeding Ethan, and Megan

Anna Catherine, Katy, Lindsey, Me, Ethan, Meghan, and Katie

Rollin, rollin, rollin.....

Well, much has happened the past few weeks in our lives. Where do I start?

First, Nick passed his agency interview. YAY!!!! Thanks for everyones thoughts and prayers. Nick worked very hard for that interview and it payed off! Our next step is to hurry up and wait. We are waiting for an agency opportunity in an area that Nick wants. Where you might ask. I don't know, where ever he wants to go. I'll keep you posted.

Second, we took a trip to AU to visit with Aunt Debbie and Uncle Mike who flew in to meet Ethan and to celebrate Aunt Debbie's b'day. It was a real good visit, just didn't last long. Ethan had his first tailgating experience and seemed to have fun. A bunch of my friends from high school were also in town and they came by to meet Ethan too. I wish that weekend would have lasted longer!

Third, Ethan has begun to roll over!!! He is going from tummy to back. Its so fun to watch him do this too. Its just like a roll and plop. He sucks his thumb during this entire time and it doesn't skip a beat. When he plops over he's like "whats up, yea I just rolled over, so" (in his best gangsta voice). He is giggling, slobbering, talking up a storm! He loves Nick too. All Nick has to do is look at him and he smiles and giggles. I discovered scratches on his fingers tonight and question whether he has a tooth coming in. I stuck my finger in his mouth and there is nothing cutting through, but there are definitely two teeth poking out, not his front teeth but the next ones, whatever they are called. I am afraid he is going to have teeth like his momma's...big. He is developing so much. He is not a big fan of laying on his back now. Since he as gained excellent control of his head and movements, he loves to sit up and look around. When we have him laying down, he'll try so hard to sit up. His little head raises and you hear him grunting to sit up.

Ethan turns four months on the 20th. Can you believe it? FOUR MONTHS! The time has just gone by so fast. I walk in the nursery at work and see all the newborns and just remember my chunky little thing when he was born. Those days were seem so long ago. We'll go back to the MD on the 28th for a check up. I'm anxious to get a wt and ht on him.

I'll keep you posted.

Read her story

Since I got pregnant, delivered, and am now back to work I have a different perspective doing my job. I use to be able to sympathize with my patients, but now I can empathize with the majority of them. I have noticed that I can do my job so much better. I know what it is like to have a c/section, recover, be at home with a newborn, have a baby that was jaundice, experience the baby blues and much much more. My job has become a bit more meaningful.

On Friday, I was sent by work to a seminar in the ham about post-partum depression. It was a fabulous seminar that lasted just a few hours! In those few hours I learned so much that I wish I knew before I delivered. To all the moms to be, your OB's may have discussed this with you, but I know mine didn't and I wish she had. Just a few facts: *There are three different mental illnesses that can occur post delivery 1) Baby Blues 2) Post-Partum Depression and 3) Post-Partum Psychosis. Me myself suffered from the baby blues. Thanks to my family that is all it turned into. The baby blues occur most of the time in 70% of women. PP Depression happen in 15% of women. Any signs of PPD need to be addressed with your OB and/or a counselor so it doesn't turn into Psychosis. When I say psychosis, I mean it. You would hear voices, have hallucinations, be irrational at times. True psychosis. I want y'all to read this story. Its about a women, upper middle class, IN BIRMINGHAM, who suffered from PP Psychosis. This girls best friend's came to the seminar to speak about their organization. You may have heard about this back around Christmas of 2007. What this story doesn't tell is how well Jenny hid her feelings. One speaker said that she was there a few days before this happened and they were trying on baby clothes, laughing, having a good time. Even the day it happened, they said that that morning is when she went to the sporting good store and that evening she cooked dinner, set the table, packed their bags for an upcoming Christmas trip then went out back. Can you believe this happened in Birmingham?! It is crazy! They said she seeked help from her OB, but nothing was done b/c "she didn't fit the mold". It just goes to show this can happen to anyone! This story just breaks my heart. For all you soon-to-be moms, new moms, new grandmothers, please educate yourself and learn more about these mental illnesses. Lets do all we can to help new moms deal with their feelings/thoughts/emotions through those first few months into the first year to cope. There is also a link on their page for additional info on PPD.

On a lighter side, E-buddy had a good weekend. We have moved up to size 3 diapers and are about out of size 6 month old clothes. I have taken new pics but haven't uploaded them just yet. Ethan is cooing, laughing, played peek-a-boo a few times this weekend, and looking all around. Everyday he does something new to fill us with joy!

Please keep us in your prayers! Nick is working hard! We'll post updated info later!

Busy Little Bees...

We were super busy this past weekend. We had a great visit with Nick's dad and Carlene, mom and Dewayne, and Grandmother and Granddaddy. All of them were able to come and visit us and Ethan.

The AU game was a bit disappointing, even more bummed about the AL game. Also sad that we missed Megan on her trip to AU for a visit. Hopefully we'll catch them, her and T, next come around.

Ethan is surprising us more and more each day. We have discovered that he gets a bit shy around new people. He'll dig his head into the shoulder of whoever is holding him when a new person comes around. He's a snuggle bug! He's doing good holding his head up and doing mini push ups. He had a laughing fit this evening when Nick and myself were playing with him. He just smiled and laughed while bouncing up and down in his bouncy chair. Oh, funny story, the other day I went to go pick him up at school. Him and his friends weren't in the room so I looked out in the hall and saw his teachers pushing the Bye-bye buggy (this big red stroller that sits six kiddos stadium style--2 in the front, 2 in the middle, and 2 sittin tall in the back). Well, I went ahead and got his things together and waited for his teacher to push them around. When I went back out into the hall and saw the buggy, I laughed out loud! There was my tank of a child sitting in the front of the buggy with his 'gangsta lean' just a looking around. His chunky little belly was just hanging out of the straps and his feet were just a dangling. I wish I had my camera but didn't. When he saw me standing there, he just smiled and flared his limbs. It was just too cute!

Here are some pics from the weekend and from the previous weekend when we went to Tabitha's baby shower.

Still introducing cereal to Big E...not a big fan

Things I have learned...

I learned two things about Ethan this weekend:

1. He loves to watch football. All the colorful little things running across the screen fascinates him. At one point he was super fussy so I turned him around to bounce him on my knees. He stared at the tv screen and was quiet from then on.

2. Stinky poots....E-buddy is a gassy baby! Just wait, yall will get a wiff of it soon!

Happy Fall!

Super cute!

Just a couple of cute pics! Nothing new going on here but a bunch of slobber, cooing, and thumb sucking!

Right on track..

Tomorrow is Ethan's 3 month old birthday. From what I am reading and learning Ethan's development is right on track! My sources are telling me he should:

• Recognize mommy and daddy's face and scent---Check
• Holds head steady---almost check, we are working on that. Still a bit wobbly
• Visually tracks moving objects---Check. He keeps his eyes on mommy and daddy when in his bouncy chair.
• Vocalizes: squeals, gurgles and coos---Check; and its great! He will just talk up a storm for about 15 seconds at a time. Its wonderful! He is even laughing a little. He has a deep chuckle. Kinda sounds like woody woodpecker for 2 seconds or so.
• Does mini push-ups---almost check, working on that too! He almost has it.
• Notices his hands---Check. He sucks on his right hand constantly. Some have told me he might be teething. I don't know though. No other signs of cutting teeth as of now. We'll keep an eye on it.
• Blows bubbles---Double Check! There is a constant flow of spit bubbles, doesn't stop!
• Bats at toys---Check. Uncle B and Aunt Coco gave him a wormy gym that we have been using. He swats at the toys all the time. If they were bugs they would totally be goners!
• Rolls from tummy to back---Not yet. Unless he has done it at school. We haven't seen it, but I think we are getting close. He has done it accidentally when he was smaller, but not recently. He is rolling though so I think it is coming.

All in all, we are right on track! This has been really fun! We are really enjoying watching him development. I love it!

Just like Nick....

Well it has been two weeks since I have returned to work. A sense of normalcy is setting in. We have developed a schedule and its going pretty good! We got very lucky the week I went back to work! Ethan began sleeping through the night! I am going to knock on wood too, just in case! He'll grunt around during the night, but I will just sneak up there and restart his CD of ocean waves and he will go right back to sleep. A few mornings this week, I have had to go up there and wake him up to get him ready for school and for breakfast. He is just like Nick too, when he wakes up...super grumpy at first. After he eats, we get him ready and we head off to start the day!

He has a good teacher at school. I have heard nothing but good things from the other moms in the hospital who have had her. She pays close attention to all the babies in the room and works well with the moms, especially us first time moms! There are only 5 babies in Ethan's class. He gets tummy time, floor play, bouncy chair time and swing time. When he gets bigger and is able to sit up, he will get bumpo chair time, and bouncy walker thing time. There have been many times where I have walked into the room and they have had music playing too! All those things are good activities for Ethan's development.

The first week of work/school went better than I anticipated. I was so busy at work that I didn't even have time to dwell on the fact that I had to leave my baby at a day care. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were the worst of last week and this week. I feel guilty b/c I feel like I am not spending enough time with Ethan. Tears did come to my eyes! But they quickly disappeared once I got to work and realized how much work I had to do that day.

I don't know about you, but I love to watch Ethan develop. Day by day and week by week, I notice some type of development. The most recent is hands opening and more control over legs and arms. He just swats at his toys in his wormie and kicks his legs. He is so cute! We play when we get home, but it doesn't feel like there is any time. I love the weekends even more now! Right now he is laying in his new exercise gym staring at a whale and his butterfly rattle looking thing. He is cooing up a storm and slobbers all the time. The funniest thing is when he is trying to whine...he'll start to smile and realize that he was whining so therefor have to stop smiling. We just laugh!

Nick and I are very blessed! He is such a good baby! He sleeps through the night, cries only when he needs something, very playful, smiles a ton, super cute and chunky (size 6 mo clothes!!!), and healthy! So Lucky!!!!

Just a side note, these developmental toys are super expensive. Have you ever realized that! I bought one of these new gym things and it so was not worth the money I paid for it. I thought it was going to be so stimulating, but not so much. We all need to be baby toy creators!

First AU football game. I think the pre-flash scared him. ;)

He was super tickled in this one...

Back to life...back to reality....

This week started the beginning of work and the beginning of day care. I have been dreading this day for a long time! I was afraid that I would boo hoo and need Kleenex's all day long! BUT, it went a lot better than I thought. I only cried once yesterday and once today. It was really hard to leave the house knowing that I was going to be without little man all day. Ethan's teacher was really nice and understanding and explained stuff to me in new mom terms. She was great! When I was saying goodbye to him both days is when I had to fight back tears. You just got to suck it up and leave. Today, I got back in my car and cried a bit. It was therapeutic. But, as soon as I got to work, I didn't stop. I have had to work late both days and it has been super exhausting. His teacher says that he is doing really well! He always has HAPPY circled on his daily activity sheet. Of course he is happy! He's a happy baby! He has even slept through both nights! Well, with the help of some ocean waves CD and a rainstorm CD. Those are great and I highly recommend those for new moms! We'll see if he sleeps through the night again. Anyway, other than that, things are going good!

Here are some extra pics!

Sleepy Head!

Big Ron comes to visit

Three generations of Wade Boys

Graduation Weekend

The day has finally come and gone. Nick is officially an college graduate, diploma and all!

The weekend was a great success! We had family and friends up to visit and celebrate Nick graduating from college. We took tons of pictures! I'll post a few on here, email me if you want them all. I doubt some of you want to see all 77 of them..hehe. Anyway, Nick had a great weekend of festivities! We went to the ceremony, which was pretty nice! The rain held off and then back to the house for BBQ and family time. Had a good time! Glad everyone was able to make it!

Yea, I know this isn't Nick, but some random old guy. His story is pretty incredible! He was a 1943 graduate of Athens State University. At his time of graduating he was unable to receive his diploma. He was sent to serve his country prior to being able to attend the ceremonies. So, this graduation, he was able to finally walk across the stage and receive his diploma. It was very cool to see him do this. I have no idea who this incredible man is, but it was pretty cool! It gave me chills!

Waiting anxiously....

So, all week I have been waiting anxiously for today. You might ask yourself 'WHY? That means you go back to work on Monday!' Yea, I know, totally bogus, but its because we go to the doctor to get our immunizations and for a weight check. Well, this morning Nick and I got up, got ourselves and Ethan ready and were out the door suprisingly on time. Ethan and I make it to our doctors appt and the first thing they do is measure and weigh him. I want you to take a wild guess at how much this child weighs!!!!! Nope, guess higher! I thought he was pushing thriteen pounds...boy was I wrong! This child weighs 16 pounds!!! Can you believe it?! What a chunker! He measured 25 1/2 inches long. This child is on the road to be linebacker (for AU of course)! I talked it over with the MD and she gave me so much information!

• His wieght is in the 99% for his age (ya, don't say?!)


• His height is in the 98% for his age


• His cute round head is not as big as we thought! Its in the 89% for his age

He is right on track and perfect for his age! She even mentioned starting him on some juice and cereal. Normally the books suggest not to start until 6 months, she doesn't start talking about until 4 months but she said for his age, if he doesn't seem satisfied to try a bit of cereal. Juice is of course for the gas/constipation in him. But that is a whole nother story (yea, I said nother).

Anyway, all in all, a good visit to the doctor. We will go back at 4 months.

The Road is Getting Shorter...

First, here are the cute pics I promised in a previous blog...

He's such a chunky little thing!!!

Well, not too much longer until I return to work. I am trying to get Ethan prepared. The formula is going well. I wish I was still nursing at times, but there are other times that I am thankful that we have made the switch. Now, other people get to help out with the feedings. Ronnie and my mom have been able to feed him and it was a big help! I think they enjoyed it too!

I start work on Monday. I told the girls I share an office with to go ahead and get the tissue ready. Dropping Ethan off at school is going to be super hard. We went by there on Tuesday to drop off his consents and information packet. Everyone there was really looking forward to Ethan starting. They showed me his room and crib and I was able to meet the director and some of the teachers. Ethan has a cute name card above his crib. One of the teachers walked out of the room and said "This must be Ethan (they were expecting him this week)...ooohhh he's a fat baby!" My baby isn't fat, he's just healthy. Theres nothing wrong with a chubby baby. Anyway, they answered all my questions and then I had to rush out of there. I was starting to cry. Its going to be hard on monday.

We go on Friday to get his shots and for a check up. Everyone is anxious to see how much he has grown. I think he is pushing about 13 pounds and is around 24 inches or so. We'll see. He is already in the 3 month old clothes and pushing the 6 month old clothes. I think we have a few weeks before the next growth spurt though.

For those who don't know, Nick graduates from college on Saturday. We are so excited! He is excited. He keeps telling me we have to hang up his gown so it isn't wrinkled walking across the stage. Its hanging now. The fam is coming up and we are all going to celebrate his day. Its going to be a big day on Saturday!

Here are some update pics. They are from our trip to AU recently

Just Bite the Bullet

Well Ethan sure is growing! I have discovered, after bouncing back and forth, now is the time. I am just going to have to bite the bullet and start Big E on formula. My original plan was to nurse him until I went back to work and then wean him down to the bottle and formula. SInce I got back to work in a couple of weeks, I have thought about starting, but totally didn't want to. He has been pretty fussy the past week or two and after talking it over with some of the moms I know, I have found that I cannot keep up with his eating habits. In other words, he eats like a pig...hence Big E. I went up to the hospital the other day to show him off and also talked with a few people up there about switching to formula. They were very encouraging and explained what they thought was the best way to try to wean from nursing. I procrastinated as long as I could and then on Saturday, Ethan was fussy again after a LONG feeding. I decided to try some formula. He sucked down 6oz. then (mind you that was about an hour after me nursing him) and then about an hour later he sucked another 4oz. down. That was over 10oz. in a 2-3 hour period! I felt so guilty that I wasn't feeding the poor kid enough and he was starving!

SO, long story short, starting him on formula from the breast isn't going to be difficult for him. I'm the one that is going to have a problem.

OH, Nick took super cute pics yesterday. Once he loads them on the computer, I'll post them.

My Baby is growin up...

It's official! We have moved on up in this world. Ethan is official in 3+ month clothes and a size 2 diaper. They grow up so fast! :)


OH, the book I was referring to in the previous blog is called 'The Happiest Baby on the Block". Very nice book. Very informative and gives tons of helpful hints!

Nick and I went to Books a Million yesterday. I wanted to buy some books to read to Ethan. I've discovered he likes that in the mornings! So, I go to the children's book aisle and pick up a couple of books. One is about Noah's Ark and the other one is about Joseph and his brothers. Lets just say the first thing I am going to do today is take them back! I have learned my lesson! I failed to read the books before I bought them thinking how can you mess up these stories. So, I get home, start to feed Ethan, and planned on reading the books to him then. Let me read to you the first paragraph from "Noah's Ark": 'A long long time ago God became very angry. He saw that people on Earth had become selfish and wicked. So, God decided on a terrible punishment. He would flood the whole world and drown everyone in it." Later on in the book it states 'Everyone that lived on the Earth was swept away and drowned' then on the last page it says 'Noah and his family and all the animals went back to their normal lives and had babies.' WHAT?!?! Are you serious? What kind of children's book is this. One that is going to be returned to the bookstore that is for sure! I even think Nick considered writing the publisher about it. What a terrible children's book!

Does it count......I think so!

I forgot to mention this in the last post.

So, yesterday was a tough day with Ethan. The morning started out well until I noticed that he was a little more fussy than usual and ate about every two hours. Not only was I running out of milk, I also was getting worried. He would eat a bit, sleep for about an hour, poop (of course), and cry a cry we didn't recognize and it was super difficult to sooth him. It seemed as if the only way to sooth him was to rock him to sleep. So, I was talking to Nick about it, and thanks to my book, we think Ethan is going through another growth spurt. "What!" you ask...yep, we think is growing like a weed. My book also told me to continue swaddling him and play a CD of 'white noise'. I had no idea what white noise was either. It's soothing noises like a rainstorm, waves, night crickets, etc. So, last night when Nick got home I ran to Wal-Mart to buy a CD for Ethan to sleep to. Poor Nick was at home with Ethan and called me when I was on my way back. Ethan was having a fit and Nick had done everything he knew of to try to calm him down. Once again, an hour after his last feeding, the only thing to calm him down was to feed him. Anyway, later that night after another fit or two, we did our bedtime routine at about 11:30 and I was finally able put Ethan down for the night and pushed play on the CD player. The sound of calming waves began to play. (we could hear them through the monitor...they put us to sleep too ;) ) The next thing I knew it was about 4:25am and Ethan was trying to wake up. He grunted around and then cried for his next meal about 4:40 or so. So, the point of the blog, does sleeping from 11:30 until 4:25 count as sleeping through the night? Yep, in my book it does!!!!!

So, I know its been a while since the last post so this one might be a bit long. Where do I start? Lets see....we've had a busy week/weekend. Last week E-man and I traveled to AU to visit with my parents and to meet his great grandmother. Everything went well! Ethan traveled good. Slept the whole way down there with a few grunts and it wasn't until we drove into the driveway until he started to screech. I was really nervous about traveling through the ham afraid that I would get caught in traffic and wouldn't be able to feed him or something like that and he would just scream and scream and scream...but thank the good Lord...he didn't and we didn't. Now I have a good idea of what to do when we travel. The next trip will be to Jasper sometime soon.

After the week in AU, we came back home and were able to spend the weekend with the other side of the family. Nick's family came up on Saturday and Sunday and everyone got to play with him and see how big he has gotten. It was a very nice visit! Aunt Co Co's parents came to huntsvegas to meet everyone. They are super nice people! Next time they see Ethan, he'll be about 6 months old probably. They won't be able to recognize him!

Lets see, what else...Nick has started to paint the kitchen again. For those of you who don't know, the red color was getting old and we were going to have to paint it anyway when we get ready to sell, so Nick started now since he is done with school. OH YEA, Nick is finished with college! He finished classes last Wednesday and A'ced his math final! Yippie! He is now an official college grad! Yea!!! We're going to celebrate on the 23rd after the ceremony if anyone wants to come!

Well, Ethan is just a smiling and growing! We are about to move into a size 2 diaper and are already in 3-6month old clothes. We don't go to the doc for another few weeks, so I am anxious to see how big he really is! I'll keep you posted!

5 Weeks Already?!?!?!

Can you believe Ethan turned 5 weeks old today?

Many things have happened and I have just been too busy to post. Hopefully I can remember everything, if not, I'll add it on later. Lets see...first of all...Ethan has rolled from tummy to back twice! He did this at about three weeks old. Are they suppose to do that this early? He's so strong! My mom and Malea witnessed it at seperate times, I think, and we were amazed! It's pretty cool! After that there was one day we were playing and I swear he was trying to smile. He had that look on his face like I think i can, I think I can, but all I got was a half of a half of a grin. Braxton came to dinner on Nick's birthday and was playing with him and said that Ethan smiled at him! Yippie! Ethan's movin on up! OH, on that same note, Grandmother, Teresa and Polly came up not to long ago and if Polly had two more minutes I swear she would have had him laughing and cooing. Ethan wanted to so bad, you could just tell!!!

Still no sleeping through the night. About two times he'll wake up, nurse and then go right back to sleep. That is nice, but I still long for the night when he'll sleep through. He was showing off for my mom the other day and slept right on in until about 9 or 9:30 in the morning after his 4 or 5 am feeding. That was special. Don't you know that was the morning where I had a doctors appt and couldn't sleep in! Oh, and Ethan has graduated into his room in his crib. That is actually going well! We had him sleeping in our room in a bassinet, but he outgrew that at 4 weeks. His crib fits him nicely now. He loves to watch his mobile and is starting to track the animals with eyes and is fascinated with bright lights and colors.

He has changed so much these past few weeks! All that haven't seen him will be amazed at how much he has grown. The girls at work were asking how much he weighs now, even though I don't have and exact weight, I bet he is pushing 12 pounds. All his 0-3 months clothing is starting to get rather small. Everyone was right, the length goes first!

Nick is almost done with school! We are trying to give him his quiet time to finish up everything. He'll be done with classes at the beginning of Aug and graduate on the 23rd of the month. We are super proud of him! I think its pretty cool his son gets to watch him graduate from college. I can't wait to take a family picture of us with Nick in his cap and gown. Everyone make a mental note of that date! :)

Okay, enough blabbing. I'll try to be better about posting! Sorry!

OH, congratulations to our friends Greg and Monica! They just delivered their first baby! Born July 24, baby girl Blakely Kate!

Happy 3 weeks on Earth!

Ethan had his 2 week check-up on Wednesday. Everything is looking good. I thought the MD was going to start his immunizations then, but they don't start until two months old. Holy cow, two months old...this kid is going to have outgrown his car seat by then. I say that b/c he is weighing in at 10lbs and 2oz!!! That means that he is back up to his birth weight, well passed it, a week early! Remember the doctor said that it could take 3 weeks or so for 10LBers to gain their weight back after birth. Clearly, Ethan showed her! Just think how big he is going to be by his next appt!!! Anyway, he is in good health! The jaundice has cleared up, he is eating and pooping very well, and often, and likes his tummy time. Oh, he has rolled over for the 2nd time on Wednesday! He rolls from tummy to back. I don't know if its on purpose or it just happens, but he did it! Big Man!!! As the MD said...He's showin off for us!!!

PS..If anyone knows how post more pics or links or things to this website, give me some tips. I can't figure some of this stuff out! Can I still blame it on the pregnancy?! I think I will!

2-Weeks and counting....

This thing called parenting isn't too easy...

We've had a lot of events take place during E-buddy's second week of life. His umbilical cord fell off last Saturday night. It about killed my mom b/c it was just lying on the floor and she almost stepped on it thinking it was a roach or something. Now Ethan has a big outie belly button. Its super cute!

MaLea came up on Monday and helped out a ton. A big thanks for all the things she did for us. Definatly nice having that extra help!

Nick went back to work this week too. That isn't fun for either of us. I am sitting here at home trying to keep Ethan happy and Nick has to go to work and misses out on some things. It is definatly a learning experience for both of us. I am trying to formulate some type of schedule for me and Ethan, but as all you mothers know, that is extremely difficult with newborns. Some days he will eat every two hours and others he waits four hours or so to eat. Some days he stays awake and looks around and others he is out like a light. I guess time will put us on a schedule that works.

Dad sent me an article from USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-29-baby-workout_N.htm about making playtime 'tummy time' so E-buddy and I have begun to have tummy time at least once a day, sometime twice when Nick comes home. Ethan is doing really well for only being 2 weeks old. I only keep him down there for 10-15 seconds depending how fussy he gets, but he lifts his head and turns it from side to side. This is suppose to promote muscle building and control. I think E-buddy likes it. We are going to continue to do it as much as possible.

E-buddy is one week old

Well, we have made it through our first week as parents. Both Ethan and I have had our follow up visits with the MD and everything/everyone is healing well. E-buddy is still a little jaundice, but had a nice afternoon sunbathing. I think that helped tremendously! I called the nurse to make sure there was nothing more they wanted to do or if they even wanted to check his bili level and they told us to continue monitoring his output and input. Ethan had no problem with his output, especially after he has a fresh coat of butt paste on and a new diaper! I think one more day of sunbathing will do the trick!

Nick is hanging in there too! We both are learning as we go (with the help of my mom and others who like to offer advice). Sleep is rare. I try to snag a nap every chance I can but I am not very successful. Nick is sleeping a little better than me, but he also gets up and helps in the middle of the night for feedings. My feet are still super swollen. My overdose on medications didn't help either. Thanks to Ronnie and Carlene to pointing that out to me. I was taking too much of my discharge meds and thankfully they noticed. The swollen-ness is starting to dwindle, slowly.

E-buddy is down for a few hours right now. We are actually getting into bed before 12 or 1. Hopefully we will be sleep some tonight.

Our first family outing

We had our first family outing today. Surprisingly, we were on time to all our stops! We went to the MD, insurance people and to the day care center. Ethan is healthy, insured, and peed and pooped all over the infant room when we went to tour the day care. Ethan has been very generous with his pee and poop while we have him open wide. Nick is the lucky one that gets aimed at mostly. My mom got christened with a few long strings of poop down her leg. Quite hilarious!

Ethan had his first well-baby check up. Nick and I officially met our pediatrician and really like her. She came highly reccommended and now we see why. They checked his weight, bili level, circumcision and all that fun stuff. He had a good report! His bili level was a little high, but because he is only five days old, the MD said that it has no place to go but down. Apparently, the fifth day of life is when it peeks. So, we'll keep and eye on it.

Ethan is weighing in at a slim 9lbs. He should be back up to his birth weight at about 3 weeks old. Normally newborns take two weeks to get back up to birth weight, but with a 10lbr, they'll give him an extra week.

Many of yall knew that at discharge, Ethan had a slight infection on his pee pee from the circumcision. That has cleared up and he should have a good look'n pee pee when it heals. (those are the words of the Md). Thats good to know!

In other news, Nick and I are hanging in there. I have elephant kankles. The swelling hasn't gone down yet. And Nick is busy helping out with getting me up and moving around, waking up in the middle of the night to help me reposition and to get Ethan if he is crying, not to mention, dealing with the dogs and schoolwork as well. We have a follow up appointment with my MD tomorrow. I am anxiously awaiting my weight post baby. I feel as if I have dropped 40lbs instantly, but I know I haven't. My incision is healing without pain, but the back pain has got me. I'll keep you posted as to what the MD said...if anything.

My mom has been up here helping out. What a huge help she has been. Just getting the household chores done and cooking dinner and helping with nursing. She has been a huge help to Nick and myself. Its going to be hard when she leaves and Nick is back at work. We are trying to get a schedule down, but just when I think that we got something going, Ethan gets off his eating schedule. What can I expect with a newborn though!?

I am going to post a few pics if I can figure this thing out. Also, I'll try to keep all updated info on this blog, so check back frequently!