Sleeping and Eating

I think Reese is getting back on her sleep schedule...at least I hope she is. Last night I laid her on her back to go to sleep, she woke up a couple of times, I went up around 10 to check on her and she was sleeping on her belly. The doctor said that if she rolls over in her sleep it is ok to leave her that way because she can now move her head around on her belly. She slept so well on her belly! Around 5:30 she was kind of whining but still asleep so I stuck her pacifier in her mouth and she was fine. At 7:30 I heard her "talking" as she does when she wakes up to start the day. I went in to get her out of bed and she was on her back. She doesn't know how to roll from her belly to her back so that was a first!! How exciting! I don't know how she did it but every time she was on her belly today I could tell she was trying to figure it out again. She gets so frustrated when she can't do it. I am so thankful that she is doing better about sleeping. Hopefully we can get her on a good schedule now that we shouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

We started Reese on vegetables today. She ate green beans and gagged every time I put them in her mouth. It was hilarious. We have a video but I have not loaded it yet. I will soon...

Congrats to my cousin Michael and his wife Zoe...they just found out they will be having a little girl in May!

They keep coming

Reese has hit two new milestones this week. After Lance's post the other day about Reese screaming for hours, we finally learned that we were right in our assumption that she is teething. Last night I ran my fingers over her bottom gums and her two bottom front teeth have cut the gums. Soon she will have two little white teeth popping up. I can't believe that. I am relieved that she has gotten through the worst with those two teeth. Now she should (key word) be happy for now. She is also sitting up unassisted. She can sit for about ten seconds on a good run before she rolls to the side. This coming weekend we are going to start her on vegetables. We should have some good video from that so be looking for it!

Until then here is a picture of our little Hollywood pushing herself up with her arms.

Merry Christmas!

Well, Christmas is over. We made it through a hectic few days with smiles on our faces and thankful for the time we had with family and friends.

Saturday we started our whirlwind of parties and visiting with the McKinleys. We had lunch with them and spent the afternoon at their house. It was great visiting with them as always and we can't wait to do it again.

Maddie, Jodie, and Reese


Sunday we went to my aunt and uncles house for Christmas with my dad's family. The Florida folks didn't make it up this year and we missed them greatly. Reese got tons of cute presents while we were there and she can't wait to play with them all.

My grandparents with Reese

After Christmas with my dad's family we spent the night with my parents and had Christmas eve with them. That morning my Mom, Becca and I got a pedicure while Lance stayed home with Reese and my dad and Leah worked. That evening we went to Lance's sisters house and spent Christmas day with them. Reese got some wonderful presents (as did Lance and I) and we can't wait to see her enjoy them all.

Here is a picture of her enjoying some sunglasses from my cousin Bryan, her Bebe Pod from my parents and her Music Station from Lance's parents.

Sweet Baby Santa

Jacksonville and Back Home

It has been a busy week so I will do a quick recap. Last Thursday Lance's sweet Aunt Anne passed away from cancer. She had been battling it for a while and was very strong in the fight. She was a great person who had so many wonderful friends and family members. We went to Jacksonville on Saturday and returned Monday night which was not nearly long enough. We would have stayed much longer if we could. Lance said the service was beautiful (I stayed at the house with the kids) and that he has never seen a church so full of people celebrating the life of a friend. After the service every one came back to their house and visited. Anne's friends put together a wonderful spread of food and drinks. She really had some great friends who cared a lot about her. We feel so blessed to have been able to visit when we did back in November. Reese did well on her second road trip in a month. She was definitely entertaining and loving to every one who was around. We are so blessed with a well behaved baby.

Today Reese is five months old. We went to the doctor this morning to get her Hib and IPV vaccinations. She was a trooper. She only cried until I picked her up. She weighed 18 lbs and 11 oz...which is 1 pound and 10 ounces more than three weeks ago...wow. It must be the cereal. She did have her clothes on this time though...so take away a few ounces. I also think she is teething. She screamed and cried last night and would not go to bed. She finally went to sleep shortly after 10:00 and then slept until 6:45. Her little cheeks are red and she is enjoying chewing on her chew toys.

The rest of the week is going to be super busy. Tomorrow and Friday I need to finish Christmas shopping. I said I would not be shopping last minute this year but here I am less than a week before Christmas and I am not done yet! Then we will be full of Christmas visits starting Saturday.

Reese pushing herself up with her arms...she is getting to be such a big girl

What kind of accent do you have?

Click here to find out.

Here are my results:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The South
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Northeast
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

GAG REFLEX

When my sisters and I were younger we all went to the orthodontist together. The first time you go they make an impression of your teeth with this gooey, gummy kind of stuff that taste really nasty and it goes far back in your mouth. I imagine everyone gags the first time this happens because you don't realize what is happening. The doctor tells you to breathe through your nose to help keep you from gagging. Occasionally they will make this mold again to see the progression of your mouth and in between these times the doctors hands are always in your mouth doing something. After a while you get used to this and are not gagging anymore. Well, most every body does...except for Becca. On the top of Becca's chart in bright red and bold letters it said GAG REFLEX. This was for each assistant as well as the orthodontist to know that she would gag every time they did something and to be prepared with a vomit bucket. We thought this was hilarious. I tell this story because I think Reese is going to be the same way. I have started feeding her oatmeal now and EVERY time I put the oatmeal in her mouth she gags and then pushes all of the cereal out of her mouth. I am not sure why she does this because she did not do it with the rice. I don't know if it is the texture or the taste. I make it pretty soupy to see if that helps. We will see. I video taped feeding her this morning but have not loaded it yet...I will soon.

Sleep

Sleep is a luxury around here. For some unknown reason our FOUR MONTH OLD has decided she does not need sleep. She doesn't sleep much during the day...maybe two 30-45 minute naps. And then at night she wakes up EVERY TWO HOURS! It sucks! We have been trying different things to see what is causing her to wake up. As hard as it is for me, I know Lance is having a harder time because he has to actually get up in the morning. I get to sleep in as long as she will let me...which is a while if I put her in our bed. Having her sleep in our bed is not ideal and we only bring her in there if it is around six o'clock in the morning or if it has been a rough night...like last night. I finally brought her in to our bed at 4:15, she fell right to sleep, and then didn't wake up until 9:20....when I woke her up!!! We are so frustrated and we don't know what to do. We will keep you posted...

The Office

Lance signed up for a two week free trial of Netflix and the first dvd's we have gotten are from the tv show "The Office". At first I thought this show was pretty stupid but as we got in to it, it is pretty stinking hilarious. My favorite character is Jim Halpert. He is constantly picking on Dwight Schrute. Here is a video from YouTube. My favorite part is around 4 minutes when Jim is explaining how he got Dwight to hit himself in the head with his phone. There have been several times that I have been in the middle of drinking some water only to spit it back in the cup because Jim was so funny!! Enjoy!!

Cereal

Wednesday was the first day introducing cereal to Reese. It was quite an experience for both of us. I had to figure out how best to give her the cereal and she had to figure out what to do with it. I video taped (I guess it is not really taped anymore since it is digital but you know what I mean) feeding her on Wednesday but all of the videos are long and will take forever to load. I did a shorter one today that is not as funny but you can see her being a big girl and eating (and squealing...not sure why she squeals the whole time...I guess she is excited to be eating). She ate ALL of her cereal today. I think she liked it because it was a little thicker than the last two days. After I put the cereal in her mouth she sticks a finger in her mouth to suck on. I think that helps her swallow. The first day all of the cereal ended up on her bib but I think she actually swallowed most of it today. Enjoy!

My Honey's Birthday

Tomorrow is my honey's birthday! This next year he will be spending time enjoying the last year of his twenties!! I can't believe he is already creeping up on 30...yikes!

Here is what he wants for his birthday!!

4 month check up

Today was Reese's four month check up...and shot day!! She weighed 17 lbs, 1 oz...97th percentile...officially has doubled her birth weight. She is 26 1/4" long...97th percentile. I can't believe how fast she is growing...she is definitely a healthy baby. She got one shot and screamed! I felt so bad! It has to be child abuse to hold your child down while having her poked with a needle! Poor baby!

Busy Week

It has been a busy week around here. Here are some pictures to show what we have been doing.

Getting ready to visit Santa




Relaxing in my bubble bath


Sitting in Mommy's rocking chair like a big girl


Having lunch with friends like a big girl


Visiting Daddy at the UGA v. GT tailgate

Jacksonville Visit

We went to Jacksonville for a quick visit. We left here Saturday morning shortly after 4:00 am so that Reese would sleep most of the way. She slept until 7:30, was awake until 9:00 or so, and then was back to sleep for another couple of hours. We arrive in Jacksonville around 11:00 and were very proud of the way our sweet baby behaved on the way down. We visited with Lance's grandmother all day Saturday and then went to dinner with his cousin, Claire, that evening. Reese was very good despite not being at home or on her routine the whole day. She was able to take a few naps here and there but was pooped by bedtime. Saturday, Lance went to the Jaguars game with his uncle and they had a blast!! Claire, Reese, and I were able to spend some wonderful time together shopping. Claire is seriously one of the most sweet and compassionate people I have ever met so is was great spending time with her. Lance and I truly hope we can raise Reese to have some of the same compassion that Claire has!! Saturday evening was spent at Lance's aunt and uncles house for a dinner party. It was so much fun...they have fun friends and were great hosts! We were planning on leaving that evening to drive home so Reese would sleep the whole way home. We did her normal bed time routine by giving her a bath, putting her pjs on, and feeding her. As soon as we were in the car she was asleep and slept the whole way home! She cried out a couple of times but was still asleep...she was probably just telling us she was uncomfortable and ready to be in her own bed. We finally arrived home around 3:00 am, got Reese to bed, and slept until 7:30. I fed Reese and then we slept again until 10:15. Today has been so relaxing...we haven't gotten out of our pjs all day! Don't you just love those kind of days? We are so glad we got to visit with Lance's family and that they finally were able to meet Reese.

Charles, Reese, Claire, Anne, Louie, and Lance

Four Generations: Reese, Claire, Lance, Grandma Hazel, and Charles

Videos

I finally caught Reese rolling over today. She has been a rolling over machine. She still is only rolling from back to front but it won't be long until she is going the other way. She gets frustrated when she is on her tummy...I can tell she is trying to figure out how to go back. It has been so much fun watching her learn how to do this. Check it out...

Here is my sweet baby laughing. I got her going so I had to get the camera out to record it. Sorry about the mess in the beginning...I was getting the camera set up so it could see her and hear her.

Challenge to my husband: Get at least one post written this month slacker!!

For Sale

Our house is officially on the market. Monday night our realtor came by to put the sign in the yard and put the lock box on the door. Today pictures were taken. Since we decided for me to stay home and raise Reese, we thought it would be best to sell the house and downsize. We don't plan on the selling being easy but we are hopeful. If it is meant to happen it will. If it doesn't sell by February, we will start over in the spring time and try again. Once the house sells we will probably move in to an apartment for six months to a year to find the perfect house for us to move in to because we will be there for a long time. We want a new house in a new community where people are our age. We want it to be a great school district too. So if we have to be in an apartment for a while to find that perfect place we are happy to do it. I just have to mention that Lance has put a lot of effort in to getting the house cleaned and ready to sell. He has done a great job!!

A Year Ago

A year ago yesterday, Lance and I learned (or confirmed) that we were pregnant. For a week it had been seriously in the back of our minds but for a couple of weeks it was a potential. "It" was late but I didn't think much about "it" until I was headed to Virginia for a day trip with work. I thought "it" would arrive that day which would have been horrible because traveling with "it" is not fun!! When I got home I told Lance that "it" had not arrived yet. We both kind of laughed and went on about our business. Every night after that I would say, "Still not yet". Each night both of our laughs turned to more of a nervous laughter. Finally I told Lance that if "it" wasn't here by next Friday we would get a pregnancy test. So that Friday rolled around and of course Lance had to work that night. I worked on things for a silent auction I was planning to keep my mind off of "it". Saturday we ran errands and did other things but didn't really talk about "it". Finally that night Lance asked if I wanted to go to the store to get the test. I said no let's go to dinner. So we went to Outback. During dinner we joked about the possibility. Lance thought for sure I was pregnant and I wasn't so sure. After dinner we went to Eckerd. He tried to send me in by myself and I said no way. I didn't want to go somewhere that I went often either...I didn't want them to know who I was. Lance said I was acting like I was 15 years old and afraid I was pregnant. He kept saying "We are married...it is ok to shop for this." I still felt nervous so I bought two tests in the pharmacy and we left. We went straight home. I guess I was so nervous because we hadn't planned this at all. I went to the bathroom and peed on the stick...by the way we bought the digital one because it either said pregnant or not pregnant...we didn't have to worry about if we misread the lines, colors, etc. Three long minutes later we both went back in to the bathroom to check the results and there it was blaring out the word pregnant. I picked it up and just laughed. That night started our journey to where we are now. I would not have changed the way it happened for the world!! The next eight months were great and the following four have been even better.

Two Firsts

On Saturday night Reese laughed for the first time. She was almost laughing when we were playing with Becca during the afternoon. That evening I did something that tickled her and she laughed. It was precious and we can't wait to hear it again.

For a while Reese has been trying really hard to roll over. Finally yesterday she did it. She rolled from her back to her tummy. She was surprised and I think when I got excited it scared her because she started crying after she did it. She rolled over again for Lance last night. Today she was trying really hard to roll over and would get frustrated and cry. Finally she was able to roll over again. You can tell she is so proud of her self after she does it. I haven't been able to catch her on video doing this but as soon as I do I will post the video. Here is a picture of her right after she rolled over the first time (before she started crying).

Finally

It has been a long week with Reese waking up every 3 hours and wanting to eat. Last night she got back on her normal sleeping pattern and didn't wake up until 3:45. Of course I woke up at 2:30 wondering if she was ok. I went in to check on her and she was sleeping the exact same way she was when I checked on her before I went to bed. She was deeply sleeping apparently. She usually rotates around her bed. Hopefully tonight will be just as peaceful.

Happy Halloween

Here are pictures from Reese's first Halloween.



Playing during the day with my witch's hat on.



Handing out candy with Daddy.



Waiting for the Trick or Treaters.


Handing out candy with Mommy.


If you couldn't tell she was a ballerina.

Growth Spurt

Reese has been eating like a machine the last few days. She has been waking up more at night to eat too. I hope this is a just a growth spurt because it is wearing me out. She is constantly whining because she is hungry. She can't wait to eat. I think in the past 24 hours she has eaten nine times. It is hard to go to sleep at 11:00 and have to wake up at 12:30 to feed her...and then wake up again at 4:00. In the past three months I don't think I have slept more than four hours at one time. On top of being tired and frustrated I am starving!!

Jogging Stroller

Shortly after we had Reese I decided that I needed a jogging stroller. So I found one on Craig's List and bought it for $60. When I started using it I decided that I didn't like it. I posted it on Craig's List several weeks ago to try and resell it. I had a couple of people contact me but they didn't want it for the same reason I didn't like it...which is that the front wheel does not swivel. Well I finally got it sold today and made a $20 profit...I sold it for $80! Finally! Maybe this could be my new job...buying and selling stuff for more. People make a living that way on eBay all of the time. What else could I sell...

Crib Nap Fight - Final Round

So I think Reese is a crib nap sleeper now. She did pretty well today...an hour twice. I think she is starting to teeth so she has been cranky today. She has not taken her hands out of her mouth all day, her face is sloppy wet, she has been cranky, and her cheeks and chin are red. I gave her some tylenol for the first time so hopefully it helped soothe her gums. We are in the process of washing all of her chew toys that freeze. She has had a rough day and now is soundly sleeping. I have had a rough day too so I think I will hit the shower and then bed!! Good night!

Crib Nap Fight - Round 3

This mornings nap time did not go as well as I would have liked. She didn't fuss at all when I was rocking her but she only slept for 25 minutes. Then she would not go back to sleep and was fussy until after she ate her lunch. I got down again at 12:30. She woke up at 12:45...got her back to sleep and she has been asleep ever since (it is 2:00 right now).


Good news...hopefully I am not jinxing myself...she has slept through the night the last two nights. She wakes a couple of times and I give her a pacifier and she is right back to sleep. Maybe something good besides her sleeping in her crib for nap time will come out of these fights. I think she is so worn out by the time it is bed time that it is helping her sleep through the night. Hopefully this is just the start to full night sleeping and not a tease!!

I can't believe it but Reese is 3 months old today! It seems like we have always had her but it also seems like time has flown by. We are still enjoying every minute of having our sweet baby!! She has reached some fun milestones recently. She is reaching for and grabbing things that are with in reach. She likes her toy rings. I am hoping by the end of this next month she will be rolling over...we will see. When she is on her back she will roll to her side so I will push her the rest of the way over. She lasts much longer on her stomach when it happens that way than when I put her on her stomach to start.

To be fair to Reese, here is what she has to say about all of it (this video took FOREVER to load):

Crib Nap Fight - Round 2

Well, I got in two naps in the crib today! Both of them were around 45 minutes each. It was still a battle getting her to do this but it will get better. Usually she takes any where from an hour to two and a half hour naps in her swing. Since she only took two 45 minute naps she was sleepy this afternoon. Kristin came over to visit and Reese was sleepy but for the most part very well behaved. At around 3:45 I put her in her swing because I wanted her to get in a good sleep before dinner. She just sat in the swing and watched me and Kristin and then finally fell asleep for 30 minutes. I wasn't going to let her sleep much longer than that anyways because I want her getting used to sleeping in the crib. I am sure the battle will start all over again Monday because being away from the house on the weekend will make it difficult to get regular naps in. We will keep fighting though. I will win eventually!!

Crib Nap Fight - Round 1

Since Reese will be three months old on Friday, I decided it was time to start the battle of getting her to sleep in her crib during nap time. For the last three months she has slept in her swing during naps. So yesterday I started the fight. I know it is going to take a few days to win this battle but I am ready. Yesterday morning she woke around 9, I fed her and then we went to Babies R Us. By the time we got home I knew she was super sleepy so I headed to her room. I turned on her music, fed her, and then rocked her to sleep. Once she was asleep I laid (I never know if it is laid or layed) her in her crib. She slept for about five minutes and then woke up crying. So I rocked her to sleep again and laid her down. This time she slept for about 10 minutes. Again...this happened several times. I finally thought I had her so I went downstairs to make a lunch and she woke again. Went through the whole routine again and this time she slept for about 40 minutes. Just long enough for me to enjoy lunch and get the downstairs vacuumed and dusted. Mommy 1 - Reese 0. So we are trying this again today. I started around 9 this morning to get her to nap because she was sleepy...it is now 9:30...I have been in there once so far...we will see how it goes. I am going to win this battle and finally be the boss around here! ; )

Britney

Britney Spears can't catch a break. Don't get me wrong, I think she brings on about 99% of the drama herself. However, I think the paps need to lay off of her. I saw this video the other day of her going to Target to get a camera charger. Is that news? Do we all need to watch her do this? I think the Target security cops should have kept the photographers away. I saw another video the other day when she was driving away from court. The photographers were standing in front of her car while she was trying to leave. I am pretty sure that in Atlanta if you jaywalk you get ticketed so why are these guys allowed to just stand in front of her car? No wonder she hit a car while trying to pull in to a parking space the other day. She was probably trying not to hit one of the guys standing in front of her car. Granted she should have tried to find the person who owned the car but what is she going to do...leave her name and phone number on the window so the paps can take that? I used to like Britney...liked her music lets say. But now I feel bad for her...she is a trainwreck. Hopefully she can get back on track soon. I do not think she will ever be a pop star again...however, I did hear that her new single was on the top of the charts this past week. I have not heard it so I can't comment on that.

I deleted this video because it kept making the page jump down to it. I couldn't figure out how to edit the code to stop this so the video is gone...sorry!

Firsts

*From the second Reese was laid on my belly after being born people have said how much she looks like her daddy. Not one single time has anyone said she looks like her mommy...until yesterday...A lady at church said she has my eyes. I don't know if she really does or not but I was so shocked to hear that I had to share.

*This past week Reese had an upset stomach for a couple of days. She was throwing up and refusing to go to sleep at night. For the first time since she was born I had to take her temperature RECTALLY! It was so scary. Luckily she never had a temperature (yes, I had to do it more than once). At least that first time is out of the way.

*We took Reese to a pumpkin patch this weekend...well it wasn't really a pumpkin patch as much as it was a bunch of pumpkins on crates. Anyways, here is a picture of her from there.

*Here is a video of Reese having some tummy time. She does really well for the first minute but if she is down there for much longer she is not happy! I bet she will be rolling over soon!

Pictures

Who is that cute baby?


Watching TV with Daddy


Sitting like a big girl


My little Thumb sucker


Catching a wave on my tummy


Daddy is fun!

Book Recommendation

I just finished reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend reading it. It is a story about a man and his wife who have twins...a boy and a girl. The girl has Down's syndrome and is given away by the father before the mother knows. The mother is told the baby girl died during birth...



Now you have to read to learn the rest.

Daddy Time

Here is a sweet video of Reese and Daddy spending some quality time together...

"Knocked Up"

I really want to see that movie...but this isn't about that.

One year ago (some time around now) we got pregnant. That is so crazy to think it was that long ago!! We didn't actually figure it out until November 11th though. Our lives would never be the same after that!

Was that TMI?? Sorry.

Benicio del Toro

Some think he is sexy...I personally think he is a little scary. I also think he looks like a cross between Brad Pitt and a caveman. I guess he would be the product of Brad Pitt hooking up with a cavewomen...haha!

+ =

Post Secret

I have added a link to my "things to see". It is a blog I found on a friend of Lance's page. It is fun to read every once in a while to see what kind of secrets people keep...enjoy!

Super Mom

These last few days have been a little trying. I feel like I have to be super mom all of the time. Reese's new thing in to scream instead of cry. At first it really scared me because I thought something was wrong. I checked her temp...fine, fed her...full, changed her diaper...clean, cuddle...check. She is my little snuggle bug. She just wants to be held and cuddled. I am afraid I am creating a monster but I think it is just a stage she is going through right now. If I put her in her swing and walk in to the kitchen she screams. She used to be content there.

Oh well, it will get better. She did sleep from 8:00 to 5:00 last night so I can't complain there. I think I hear her waking now...better go feed that baby!

Are you smarter than an 8th Grader?

I stole this from Lance's page...I never claimed to be as smart as he is...I probably failed this in 8th grade anyways!!

New Pictures

Enjoying bath time

My new trick...my head started where my knees are

Happy Baby

Helping Daddy at work

Playdate with Mitchell