Cause She's Crafty Like That!

Oh yeah! One of my very best friends, Christi, is one of the craftiest people I know. From baking to painting, or just whatever...she can do it! Our Joey received his very own treat jar today from "Aunt Christi." We have been needing a new one, since this clumsy mommy dropped the top to his other one and broke it into a trillion pieces. Joey gets TONS of treats from Santa every year. They usually last us until the next Christmas. So, it is only appropriate that they have their very own spot. Isn't this cute! Christi used her new cricut to make cute little polka dots and the "Joey's Treats." The cute little striped fire hydrant, which is appropriate for both Joey and his daddy, is made of fabric and decoupaged. Also, notice the cute grosgrain ribbon around the lid...perfect for our spoiled pup. Look! He likes it too! We'll have to be sure to keep it full., because we have one good puppy!!

Snow 2010

"Global warming?" After an unseasonably mild summer '09, and temperatures in the single digits, not to mention the 15" snow we had last year and Friday's big snow, I'm still standing on my beliefs that global warming is just a bunch of nonsense. Sorry, but that's just how I feel about it.

I definitely have cabin fever! I love the snow, but am starting to get over it. If Mills was older, and could actually play in it, I think I would have enjoyed it more, but being that he's not, we've been cooped up since Friday. I wanted to take him out on Friday, when those huge flakes were falling, but the direction that our house sits in relation to the fairway, the wind is absolutely horrid! I didn't want that stinging snow/sleet mix hitting my 6 month old in the face. Not at all. The roads are still pretty rough, but today's sunshine has begun to melt some of it. Still, we haven't been much further than a mile up the street. Being a mom, I didn't want to risk my life, much less my son's. So, at home we've stayed. I hear that the back roads are still just as treacherous as ever, and it looks like it may be days before they are clear. I've been bored out of my mind, and have had no computer, thanks to a nasty virus it received this weekend...thank goodness for Ryan C, because I know absolutely nothing about fixing a computer. Now, the Dell is back at home and running :)


Last night we were invited to our good friends, Chris and Sherry's for chili! Yummy! It was wonderful, and was the perfect thing to gobble up on a cold wintry day. I had planned on fixing chili myself for supper last night, but after their gracious invite, I didn't have to break out my crock pot. Mills had been in his PJ's all day, and so after I got him dressed for our dinner date, I wanted to take him out and get a few pictures with Erik and me. Next year, I hope to have more pics when Mills can actually stand. I didn't have a snow suit and didn't want to put him down in it, especially since we were leaving for dinner. I know....I'm no fun.

Oh Please Tell Me It's...

TEETHING?! At least that's what the doc says. Our Mills is 5 1/2 months old, and wouldn't ya know it, for the past week he has been eating everything in sight. Well, not literally, but is trying to. Last Tuesday, while eating his peas, he proceeds to grab the spoon from my hand, shove it in his mouth, and chew on it while exhibiting extreme pain. May I add that he DID NOT want his peas?! I could tell that something wasn't right. All I knew to do was grab the ora-gel or teething tablets and give them a "whirl." So, after application, and about 2 minutes of wait time, Mills ate his peas.
I picked him up from Mimi June's on Thursday, only to learn that he had an explosive diaper. Normal? No! Runny? Yes! I know...TMI, but its the truth I tell you. Mills does a "bad job" usually only once a day, but that night, during dinner, he had another, and we woke up to another on Friday morning. Oh, and I forgot...he was also running a low grade temperature on Thursday night that was cured with a little Tylenol. And if you remember, E took M to the Dr. on Monday for stuffy nose, which has steadily gotten better each day with out meds. Hallelujah! Since then, his diapers have been "not so good" but we've had no more fever :) Just extreme fussiness and gnawing, and he doesn't like those teethers that you put in the fridge or freezer. He's happy one minute and screaming the next. Tonight, he had a melt down while Erik was trying to feed him his cereal and bananas. We have gone to a starchy diet instead of one that contains a lot of fibers in hopes that he'll quit making me change his sheets every morning...geez! Again..TMI. Good thing is...he's only gone his normal once a day, until tonight. Lets just say that bath time was extra early, before dinner and before his terrible melt down. Can we say screamer? I told E, "bedtime is coming early tonight!" I felt of his gums last week. I could still feel his alveolar ridge (sorry dental terminology...look it up yourselves), but yesterday morning when I checked again, his gums are "bumpy." He is drooling every where, and won't stop shoving his fists in his mouth. Also, his reflux has increased due to "swallowing excess saliva," says Dr. O. That's the only way I know how to explain it. There's definitely something going on in that little mouth of his, but when will Mr. Tooth appear? Two days? Two weeks? Two months? Who knows! This mommy and daddy are getting a bit impatient. Okay, not a bit, A LOT!

He's growing...

E got the pleasure of taking Mills to the doctor for me yesterday morning. Saturday, he woke up with the sniffles again, and so to be cautious, we stayed home from church on Sunday, and I made him a dr's appointment yesterday morning. I don't want him going on forever like he did before Christmas. This weather change is not helping the matter, but he seems to be feeling good. Erik sent me a funny video of him while they were waiting to see the doctor. He was bouncing off the walls...as ususal! Everything checked out good and our little now weighs 15lbs. 10oz. :) No wonder my arms get tired while holding him!

It's Friday It's Friday!

Long time no blog...okay well, maybe not THAT long, but we've been busy bee's around here. I am pleased to announce that our sweet little one has made it a whole week in his crib with no need for his "bouncy bouncy." Last night I put him in his crib after his bedtime bottle, he wasn't asleep, but immediately drifted off to dreamland. I did wake up once in the wee hours of the morning to find him rolling around and trying to put his foot in his mouth. During the night, he takes a full tour of his crib, rolling around, flipping back and forth and so on. So, I just watched and went back to sleep. When he awoke this morning at 6:45, he was lying in bed "talking" to himself, and so I decided that maybe it was time for his "ba-boo." (aka. bottle).

He is doing very well with his new foods! I am beginning to think that green peas, squash, and pears are his favorite. It's funny, because Erik and I don't really eat green peas. Erik can't stand them, and they're just not my favorite, but I may have to start fixing them when Mills gets older. I guess I can "pretend" to like them...after all, I don't want Mills to be a picky eater. So, far he hasn't rejected ANYTHING we've given him, well, except for the first taste of rice cereal from a spoon, so that's good. He will now eat his rice, and so all is well.

Mills' eczema and dry skin are calming down a little bit. Thanks to Kendra for recommending our new body wash and shampoo! Kendra, I think we are going to have to stick with the Aquaphor. I ordered several bottles of it online, because I can't find it anywhere else, and it doesn't seem to be irritating to him at all. I am beginning to think that our Mills is going to take after his mom. I made way too many visits to the dermatologist when I was a little one, and still suffer from extremely dry skin. Seborrhea, which still haunts me, is not a fun thing, and you never get rid of it. So, I am trying to take our little one's skin issues and "nip" them before we take a trip to the dermatologist. Hopefully, we won't have to take that route, and he'll grow out of it, unlike his mother. I have switched detergents and am now using All free & clear instead of Dreft. Dreft, even though it's specifically made for babies, still has frangrance, so I figured I'd try something different. It surely won't hurt.

Here we go again...

You may remember me saying a few months ago, that I was ready to get Mills out of his bouncy and into his crib. Actually, he was in his bouncy in his crib. We wanted him to associate his nursery with bedtime, and so at first, we were willing to do ANYTHING to get some sleep. After finally trying him on his mattress, he slept really well, only waking a couple of times during the night, but then developed congestion AND reflux. So, Dr. O suggested keeping him in his bouncy until the congestion cleared. Well, after weeks and weeks of congestion, an antibiotic was prescribed and it is now completely gone...thank goodness! The reflux is "better," but still with us. I can handle a little bit of spit-up, but the projectile...not so much! Thank you prevacid.

I know that at many times, you have to do what you have to do. As a mom, I am steadily learning that a little bit at a time. I like normal, routine, and so on. Babies aren't supposed to sleep in swings, or bouncy seats, or in our beds. They have their own rooms and beds, and so its been hard letting him sleep in his bouncy seat in his crib. I know there's nothing wrong with it, but it still bothers me. I guess I just don't want him getting used to or depending on his vibrating bouncy seat. It scares me that he may not ever want to sleep any other way. Well, now that he is rolling around everywhere, he wakes in the morning fighting the restraints in his bouncy. He arches his back and attempts to lay on his side, but to no avail, he is unsuccessful, creating mass frustration!

For the past month, I have been telling E, that I can't wait until we can get him out of his bouncy seat. I have been wanting to try it again, but now that he is somewhat mobile, it is even more important to me that he is able to move if he so chooses. I told Erik that I wanted to give it a try on the weekend, when I didn't have to get up early and go to work- just in case we were up all night. So, on Friday night, while E was working, I went upstairs to prepare for bedtime. I placed a phone book under the head of his mattress for a little elevation (how this tiny bit of elevation will help with reflux is beyond me) and cleared his crib of any blankets, toys, etc. Sleep positioners, no matter how tight or loose I make them, do not hold my baby in place. He is a wiggle worm, so I don't even bother with them anymore. And I know what you're thinking...why did I try them to begin with, since they have "bad reviews?"

As bedtime approached, I took our Mills upstairs, read to him, then gave him his night time bottle while saying a prayer, begging and pleading for this new "method" of sleep to work. Making sure that he was good and sound, I placed him on his back, he stirred a bit, and then went back to sleep. He only woke a few times in the night when he realized that he could roll around as he pleased. He would roll to his side and sleep a while. Then he would roll to his belly, then back to his back. When we woke up, his feet were at the head of his bed, but hey, we made it. We've done 2 nights, and so far...so GOOD! Wish us luck!

Play Time

Mills loves his new "gym" that we have in our living room. You may ask why I call it a gym and here's why...we have a swing, an exersaucer, a jumparoo, and an activity mat right here. It looks like toys "r" us delivered it's whole inventory to our house. We alternate between them all during the day and different times. They all have their advantages and Mills loves them all for different reasons of course.

The exersaucer is handy because I can move it around the house. If he decides to wake in the morning before I finish getting ready for work, I put him in it and it occupies him until we get ready to leave. He loves the mirror on it. It is so sweet to see him looking at himself smiling and blowing "raspberries." We use his activity mat so that he can have some floor time. He is able to roll around and play with all of the fun bug rattles and toys. It plays cute little tunes too! He is still a little "short" for his jumparoo, but we managed to "rig" it up by using a sturdy cardboard box top covered with rubber cabinet liner for traction. We place it under his feet, and he jumps around like a little monkey, making us laugh hysterically!

The Beginning of Something Beautiful...

Look at these two. They are only 6 weeks & 6 days apart, and barely know the other exists, but I know that this the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I can see them now, running around like mad children, but what a joy! I can tell you now that we're going to have so much fun dressing them like twins. Santa brought Mills this outfit for Christmas, and we got Lainey the matching one. Aren't they the cutest? It's nothing like baby yoga pants and a hoodie :)