Blue Blue, Blue Knit Shoes!

Aren't these so stinkin' cute! I think Mills needs them! What do you think?

Bumbo Experiment

Tonight, since our Mills is holding his head up much better, we thought we'd give the ole' Bumbo seat a try. At first, he did okay, but then decided that he'd had enough. lol! So, we put him on the couch on his back, then sat him up for a little while beside me while I ate dinner. Here are a few pictures of our growing boy!

Like I said, he'd had enough! lol

FYI...H1N1 vaccine

For those of you inquiring about or a little leery about the swine flu vaccine, I received my shot yesterday, (I chose it over the mist because it is a dead virus) and I have had NO complications or adverse affects from it. I feel fine. A friend of mine, Anna Kathryn, eased my mine about it, and so I went ahead, for the sake of MY CHILD! Working in mouths all day is a good way to catch yucky germs, and so I decided that I was the most important barrier of protection for Mills. Erik will be getting his within the next week or so via Shelby Co. health dept. It is supposedly safer than the seasonal flu vaccine. There were TONS of people getting it. So, if you have infants and children at home, are pregnant, or are around children all day, I think it would be good of you to protect yourself and them. Just saying...

JA's FALL FRENZY TOMORROW!

Just to remind you, Junior Auxiliary will hold it's first annual Fall Frenzy on Saturday, October 24 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm at Trust Company Bank in Brighton, TN. This is a new finance project for our chapter. It will be a one-day shopping and community event where vendors and other nonprofit organizations will have the opportunity to come showcase their products/services to the public. We are also incorporating a countywide children first art contest into this day, so anyone attending would get to see the art of our county's students. You don't want to miss this! There will be something for EVERYONE. Not only will there be shopping, but we'll have lots of good food, a coloring area for the kids, bouncy houses, etc. And men...we'll have plenty for you to enjoy as well! We appreciate your support. Check out our vendors below! Hope to see you there!

A FEW OF OUR PARTICIPANTS...

Felicia Belle Boutique

Tupperwear

Allison Pruitt Concessions

Perkins

Studio 1688

Beauty Hound

C.A.R.E.

Bouncy Castle for the Kids

We-R-Nuts

Elizabeth Rose Designs

Made Especially for Posh Moms

Simply Tranquil

Tipton County Concessions

Pampered Chef

Metal Yard Signs

Jewels by Park Lane

Joela Maddox

Alicat Gifts

Eva Belle

Mommy & Me

Creations by Jeanne

Rose Garden

Jen's Jewels

Sweet Sensations

Anna Laura McGowan

Patty Cakes

CCC Youth Concessions

Maggy Lou Designs

Turning Leaf Custom Woodwork

Meg Ford

Kindermusik

Emily Peyton Cook Photography

Cookie Lee

Scentsy31 Gifts

Toe Trotters

Usborne Books

Patina

JA Jonesboro

Beauticontrol

Professional Care Services

Premiere Designs

Chantel's Originals

Sassy Stitches

Silpada Jewlry

GM Enterprises

Bailey's Brush

Mixed Media

NC Frames

Neighborhood Tutor

Munford Funeral Home

Bottle Bling

Studio 1688

V. Thomas Artist

Cyndi Timbs

Arbonne

American Red Cross

Patriot Bank

Tastefully Simple

Trust Company Bank

Sharon Statler

Angel's Closet

Carl Perkins Child Abuse Center

Tipton County Beautiful

Tipton County Sheriff Dept

Classy Bags

Mary Kay

Brighton Fire Department

AIHU Healing SystemsBaptist Hospital

Becky Gibson

Buds-n-Blooms

Tail Wagging Biscuits

South Tipton County Chamber of Commerce...and many more

Reporting In

It has been a fairly good week, so far. I feel like I run, run, and run some more, but hey, its all in being a new mommy. I wouldn't trade it for the world! Ever!
Our Mills slept through the night last night, and woke up wide eyed and smiling this morning. I could not get him to go back to sleep, so I took him downstairs with me while I got ready for work. Daddy was still upstairs in the bed, so I thought it would be less bothersome to him if I took our little man and put him in his bouncy. He is a much happier baby, but now, we've traded the screaming, belly aching, constipated baby, for a "spitter." He is spitting up quite frequently, but it is not projectile, and he just smiles after doing so. I called Dr. O, and we have put him on Mylanta- 2 times a day, and have elevated his crib mattress, to see if it helps. He is so hard to burp, and I feel like that may be part of the problem. Sometimes he will burp, sometimes he won't. Most of the time he spits up, some times he does not. So, we'll see if this will help.
I made an appointment today for the H1N1 vaccine. I have been a little leery of it, but Monday, a patient with flu symptoms and fever sat in my dental chair wanting to get his teeth cleaned, this act, as well as having an infant at home, has provoked me to get the vaccine. I am not at all excited about it, and am no less leary about it...wish me luck!
Today, I also made an appointment for our Mills to have a renal ultrasound next Thursday. My 20 week ultrasound revealed that he had a little "fullness" in his kidneys, which meant that they were just draining a little slow. This is called hydronephrosis, and is very common in male babies. We did a follow up ultrasound at 28 weeks, which still showed it, but it was VERY minimal, and at 36 weeks, one kidney was perfect, the other, still a little slow, but functioning well. They radiologist and Dr's think that it was only due to immaturity. Dr. Stern stated that his children had it and that it went away after birth when they had their first "tee tee." We were assured that this is extremely common and usually corrects itself, but we just want to make sure that all is well. We are fairly certain that we will get a good report :)

And so I was asked...

"Are you going to put a picture of Mills on your blog header?" The answer to that question is, "YES!" Of course I am. I have been trying to figure out how to change our blog design to incorporate our little Mills, but am still deciding on whether to just change the pictures, change the line "our busy b life as husband and wife" or just re-do the WHOLE THING. Jennisa, who did my blog design, now has her waiting list closed, and so I am waiting on her to open it. She is DEFINITELY worth the wait!!!! Besides, it is not in my budget at this time and I want to do something new and fresh. If any of you have any ideas or sayings that could be added, I would love to hear them. The name will still be "Whats Buzzing with the Beasleys," but I need to change the "husband and wife" line. After all our Mills is our pride and joy and we can't leave him out!

Our Little Crustacean

Our little lobster in his Halloween costume

Mills Goes to Action News 5

I know, this is starting to sound like a Curious George Series...(Curious George goes to the Fire Station, Curious George visits the Library)-lol! Well, we've started with "Mills Goes to Sunday School," but now we have "Mills Goes to Action News 5."

Today when we left Mills' Dr's appointment, we met Justin over at the TV station for a tour. It was a lot of fun. We've been meaning to go, but just haven't made it. Everyone was extremely nice and very welcoming. We toured each and every inch of the place. I've never seen so many monitors, computers, soundboards, etc. It was a very laid-back atmosphere.

We met several of Justin's co-workers, Andy Wise, John Bryant, Kym Clark, Andrew Douglas, Jamel Major, and tons of others. They all had to see our Mills, of course, but we got to see pictures of their children too! It was all about the babies :)

I got to "play" with the "green screen thing," (HAHA Justin, I forgot what it's called!) that is used for the weather forecasts. John showed me where to stand and in a snap, there I was, on the TV trying to point to geographical areas on the map. I'm no good at all! We stayed for the 12:00 news and were able to watch Kym and John work their magic. I expected a room full of people, but no, it was just Justin, our family of three, Kym Clark, John Bryant, and the camera man...forgot his name! Its funny how you "picture" things in your head, but when you actually get to experience it, its not a thing like you thought. I'm sure Mills had a blast...oh, okay, he SLEPT the whole time. I guess those shots knocked him out. Maybe we'll try it again when he is actually old enough to remember it! Thank you Justin for the awesome tour and experience! We can't wait to visit again!

Kym Clark during the 12:00 news


He's out!

John Bryant in front of that "green screen weather thing." haha!!!

Erik and Mr. Mills

Mommy & Mills

Mills' "8 week" check-up

Our Mills is actually 9 weeks old, but today, we went for his first round of shots and his "8 week check up." He was a very good baby! Bless his heart, those mean old shots sure did hurt, but mommy was there ready and waiting with a bottle as soon as Ms. Julie finished giving them. I made Erik hold him while I stood behind him. I just couldn't watch. Mills did cry of course, but as soon as I stuck his bottle in his mouth, he was just fine. He has slept most of the day, but I would too if I were him.
Our big boy now weighs 10lbs. 11oz. and is 22" long. Dr. O said he was doing just fine and that he looks wonderful!

What can I say...

I just love jinxing myself!

1. Mills has last bottle before bed- 10:30pm

2. Mills goes down at 10:45pm

3. Mills wakes up at 4:25am

4. Mommy's alarm is set for 4:30am

*Yes, I get up THAT early. I have to pump, drink coffee, eat breakfast, AND shower before waking Mills, get him changed, put him in his car seat, and get out the door by 7:00...whew! I have to allow extra time for any mishaps such as him needing a bath, or hosing my wall down during a diaper change. You can't be to quick with little boys! And being a new mommy I am bound to forget something.

So, would you actually call that sleeping through the night? I never woke up to feed him, and he missed his normal 1:30 feeding. Hmmmm?

We got to meet Laurie!

Laurie who?...you might ask. Laurie is the fabulous creator of those Whimsey Cookies that I absolutely love! Mom surprised me by ordering some fall cookies from her. So, off to Arlington we went, to meet her and pick them up. We were supposed to meet her at Arlington Florist at 11am this morning. We got down there early and decided go to Celeste, but ended up running into Laurie there. It was so nice to meet her!!! We had a nice talk and she got to see our Mills. I am so exhausted right now, and don't have the energy to get my camera out and take pictures, I only have energy to eat cookies :) So, to see the cookies she made for us, click here! HAHA!

So Far, So Good

It is night #2 of the "no bouncy seat" trial. I fed Mills at 10:15, he fell asleep during burping (that kids is the hardest to burp! soooo frustrating!), and I put him directly on his sleep wedge. Tonight I tried a sleep sack instead of the blanket. Blankets make me uneasy. The sleep sack was given to Mills at a shower. I totally forgot that Mills had one in his closet, until my friend Melissa recommended using it instead of a blanket. Thanks Melissa! It is so cozy and soft. I think Mills likes it too! I guess I'm going to have to invest in a few more of them. It is now 11:30pm and I am gathering all of our "loot" to take upstairs for the night. Every night and every morning I have to transfer all of Mills stuff (boppy, mylicon, bottles) from upstairs to downstairs and vice-versa. It is a chore, but hey, we do what we have to do, especially since we are all upstairs now. Mills is still sleeping. I am watching him on the monitor and he is O-U-T, not to mention that he actually looks comfy! Again, pray that this pattern continues. I have the "bouncy bouncy" close by just in case.

Mission Accomplished

Mills and I ran to Memphis this afternoon. I went to find Erik's dad a birthday present AND see if I could find Mills a Halloween costume. Everything I've found so far has been way to big for him, or I just didn't like it. I know he can't go "trick-or-treating," but I can't stand the thought of him missing out on dressing up (as if he really cares)...but I do!


We started out at Party City. I found a cute monkey, but it was too big. The pea n' a pod costume was cute, but too common, so we ended up at Target, and I found just what I was looking for. Perfect costume, perfect size! This year, our Mills will be a lobster! I can't wait. I only hope he'll like it too!

We're Up!

And the results from last night's trial....HE DID IT! Mills slept until 1:20am and woke for a feeding. I put him back in his crib, gave him his pappy, rubbed his head a bit, and he went back to sleep. He woke again at 5:35am for his next round of formula/breastmilk went back to sleep until 7:30, of course when he woke up then, he was fussing and doing his Jane Fonda workout. He was "exercising" so hard that he had scooted upward toward the head of the bed and his head was hanging off of the wedge. I'd be mad too! lol Now we've fixed our coffee and are sitting in the living room watching Dora. I don't know if he's paying much attention, but hey I'm trying. I just put it on for the sounds and animation. He is looking at it, though.

No Bouncy Seat

No, we didn't get rid of the "bouncy bouncy," as we call it. What we did do, is put Mills in his crib without it for the first time in 7.5 weeks. Yes, we have been letting him sleep in the bouncy seat, in his crib! It was not something I wanted to do, but as you may remember, our Mills had his days and nights mixed up terribly, and every time I would go to lay him down at night, he would scream bloody murder. I could look at him and tell that he was uncomfortable on the flat mattress. Just like his bassinet (travel crib), he wanted nothing to do with it. So, as desperate new parents who were seriously sleep deprived, we opted for none other than the bouncy seat. We knew it was a sure bet for getting Mills to sleep, so we gave into the advice that many of you gave us, and "did what we had to do," as you all called it. We put him in his bouncy seat and then put it in his crib.
Before Mills was born, I was the typical mom who said, we are NOT going to do this, and we are NOT going to do that. So, I will admit that I have eaten my words...I know some of you are laughing and saying, "I told you so!" Hey it takes experience to learn, and that's what we've done, learn.
Mills will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. For a week or so I have been saying, we've got to break him of this. I haven't been able to stand it, because I am afraid of developing a bad habit. The child can't sleep in it forever, and since I am off for the rest of the week, I decided to go ahead and give it a go. At least if he's up all night I don't have to get up early for work and attempt a morning ritual with no sleep. I bought one of those elevated crib wedges at Walmart a week a go, but haven't had the courage to give it a try. I was afraid of failure. Tonight we put him on it at 11:00. He kicked and flailed, then whimpered quite a bit. So, we got a light blanket, put it over his legs, then tucked them into the edges of the mattress so that it would not be anywhere near his face, and brought out the old faithful "pappy." So far, it is 11:35, and he is still asleep (here I go again jinxing myself). I am now watching him on the monitor. Please pray that this works. We can't have a bouncy seat sleeper forever!

We've hit the Jackpot..well almost!

I think its safe! Week before last, I told you all that I wasn't going to comment on our new formula, because I didn't want to jinx anything. I think that after almost 2 weeks, it may be safe now to report. Believe me, it was that bad, and so I was very afraid of jinxing myself. Now, Mills is doing WONDERFUL! After several recommendations, and trying several types of Enfamil and Similac, we switched (on our own, which may have been a "no no") to Goodstart Gentle Plus. Within 24 hours, our sweet Mills was a different baby. When they keep telling you to "give it a few more days," enough is enough. Besides, I don't think it could have gotten any worse, so why not chance it? Seeing our little one scream until his head looked like a tomato, and watching his veins pop out of his head from pushing is not going to make me "give it a few more days." I think a week was enough. Not only did his fussiness get better, and I say "better" because he is still a baby and is going to fuss anyway, but he started "pottying" on his own. We did use Karo with Dr. O's permission, but now, with this formula, we have stopped the Karo AND prune juice (which didn't last long anyway, because I didn't like giving it to him- he didn't like it either, yuck!); and we haven't used a suppository in about a week and a half. TMI...again, sorry!

Our Mills is staying awake most of the day, with the exception of a few catnaps, and sleeping 3-5 hours between feedings each night. He is VERY alert, staring everything down the he can get his eyes on, smiling, cooing, and he loves laying on his back kicking and flailing his arms. I am telling you, he did that in my belly from 21 weeks on. His favorite things are his swing, his bouncy seat, his pappy (well sometimes), riding in the car, and his two monkeys aka. "Sketchy" and "Swingsley." He is doing wonderful at "Mimi June's!" We are so relieved. She always gives a more than wonderful report upon pick-up. That always makes my day! Knowing that my baby is happy is such a relief and a blessing! We are so thankful that she is getting to keep him. Having family to babysit is the best, and she LOVES her all of children like they're her own. It was much easier leaving him last Monday, knowing that he would be in her care. I had a great week, because of it.

Now, its 11:28pm and our Mills still wide awake. Usually he is asleep by now and so I am hoping that before long, he will be sound asleep, as I have to work tomorrow! After swaddling (swaddling rocks!) and a bottle he is STILL observing everything in the room, ugh! He is not winding down at all. I am wondering if someone slipped some coffee into his last bottle! hehe

Our Visit with Lainey Drew

Today was our first visit with Lainey since she has come home from the hospital. We have been giving them time to settle in a couple of days before visiting, because I know from recent experience that the first few days home can be quite overwhelming and you can definitely have too many visitors! So, Whitney messaged me today wanting us to come over. Mills and Lainey finally got their first "photo-op" together. You can really see what I meant when I said that our sweet Mills has grown when he is lying next to her. Here are a few pics from our afternoon.

Gammy and Pops with their new grandbabies


Mills playing on Daddy's tummy...again!

Oh what a yawn!

The new cousins hanging out on the floor

While Lainey tries to nap, Mills looks at Whitney and I like we are crazy.

See how big he is compared to her...wow!

Mills accidentally gives Lainey a right-hook...she wasn't happy about it!

Mills Goes to Sunday School

Today was Mills' first time to church. What a rainy day! Of all days we decide to go back to church, it would be cold and rainy. When we woke up this morning, it was not yet raining, so I decided to go ahead and brave the task of getting ready, and then getting Mills bathed and dressed. Then, it kept getting worse outside, but after all of the trouble of preparation, I was not about to skip out, so off we went. I have been having church withdrawals for the past 7 weeks. We went to Sunday School and took Mills with us. We are not sending him to the nursery until he gets his shots. There were only 10 people in Sunday School. I guess the weather kept everyone else at home. Mills did well, then he got fussy (aka. hungry), so we decided not to "brave" worship service. We are taking baby steps, so maybe next week; and after Oct. 15, he will be able to run the nursery with the best of them!

Happy Birthday Erik!

Today, is my wonderful husband's (aka. Mills' Super Dad) 32nd birthday. He is still asleep, along with Mills and Joey, and I am up having a cup of coffee, enjoying the morning sunlight as it beams through our living room windows, and watching our Mills on the monitor. So far, it is such a beautiful day, a perfect day for a birthday, and Erik deserves it. I am hoping that they will both sleep in this morning, but I can't wait to give E his birthday present. I bought him a hunting shirt that he has been wanting for quite some time, and Mills got him a round of golf at Mirmichi (Justin Timberlake's course) in Millington. He hasn't yet played it since the change/takeover from Big Creek golf course. Although he's wanted to, I can't imagine why he hasn't had time. lol! This will MAKE him go! So, I can't wait for him to wake so I can bombard him with the gifts :) He deserves them! Happy Birthday sweetheart! I hope your day is the BEST!

LOVE,

Lainey Drew Sullivan

Our niece, Lainey Drew Sullivan was born yesterday, September 30, 2009, at 9:10am, weighing in at 7lbs. 2oz. 20". Isn't she beautiful? Drew and Whitney, we are so proud and excited. Mills has been waiting on his cousin! She and Mills are going to have so much fun.
We went to visit them last night at the hospital, I was unable to be there for her birth, because of work. Erik was there, but was sweet enough to take Mills and me back down. As I was standing over her holding my sweet Mills, I couldn't believe my eyes. Our tiny Mills looks huge compared to her, and she weighed more than he did at birth. It kind of made me sad to see how fast he is growing. I see him everyday so I can't really tell a big difference in his growth from one day to another.