announcements

I am trying to send out baby announcements but cant find my excel spreadsheet of addresses!

Our Favorite Book

Our Favorite Book in the house is Little Lamb finger puppet book. I found 3 other books just like it on Amazon. I may have to get them for Sydney and Gracie. Sydney thinks that book is the funniest thing she has ever seen!! If you have a little one at home, I recommend these paper books.
I LOVE BOOKS! I just finished reading The Time Travelers Wife and I have just started the Blind Side. I seem to be on a kick of "on screen" books for now. I also just finished my audio book New Moon. Can't to see all these movies!!

4 Months!

Gracie is 4 months! Here is how much she has grown!

The Quad

We took a picnic to the Quad on Sunday and had a nice quiet family time! Chipotle (lots like Moes) in hand we fubbled our way to join the other families in the middle of UA campus. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful spot. I love being around college students...makes me feel young. They were coming in and out of the library, sitting on blankets with laptops, riding by on bikes, and cleaning up their tailgates. Gracie even enjoyed relaxing on a blanket. My book was hardly read, but my time with my daughter was precious.

Sleepy Wrap and Cycling

I fell in love with my Sleepy Wrap on Sunday. I am not neccessarily a "baby-wearing" kind of mom, but I needed some help holding Gracie at Blake's bike race and at Chick-fil-A afterward. My car has been in the shop for over a week and I left the little Front-Rider in the car. She loves to look around in that thing. I was so frustrated thinking that I would be walking all over Sokol Park carrying Gracie and getting all tired. I loaded her up and all her luggage to head down to the park when I remembered the Sleepy Wrap I ordered but could never figure out how to use.

I grabbed it and headed to the race determined to figure out the sleepy wrap.

I met Blake there and he helped me strap on the baby-carrying contraption and shove her in it. She loved it! THere was a moment as she tried to fall asleep that she wailed as usual, but she slept comfortably all snugggled against mommy. I was very comfortable too and want to carry her in it always. There is no greater feeling than a tiny baby sleeping on you.

Jason, Ashley, Sydney and Becky met up with me at the park so I had some cheering companions. Blake's biggest cheerleader was Sydney Claire. "Go Blake!" Is what every cyclist heard as they road past.

Gracie's Wish List

Grandparents and Great-Grandparents have been asking already what Gracie wants for Christmas, so she and I have been shopping online and found a few items she is just dying to have for Christmas! If you are a mom and think of anything else a 6 month (She'll be 6 months at Christmas!) old might want....please comment and let me know.

We really need an Exercauser and I may end up buying this before Christmas...yeah pretty sure I will.
Learn and Groove Musical Table ....CLAIMED BY GIGI

Ball Popper

Melissa and Doug toys and puzzles. I love the wooden stuff that will help her learn shapes, etc. IT is best if the puzzles don't make sounds please :-) I have a puzzle in my guest room closet that moos at me everytime I walk past it. Freaky.

Stacking and Nesting toys are great for her age, as well as teething toys!

Baby einstein octoplush

Or anything Baby Einstein!

Gracie LOVES Bathtime so here are some tools to get us in the big tub!

Boon Frog Pod. I have heard that it doesn't always stick to the wall. **Claimed by NANA
Safety 1st Tubside bathseat
Safety 1st Tubside Kneeler (a must have for mom and dad)

Monkey Around

Here is a video we took of Gracie in her Monkey Suit! We wanted to get her to smile for a picture but she was protesting. I think maybe we needed to potty :-)

She was a good girl for us when we went to Alison's Halloween Party! She enjoyed watching all of the children that she thought were dressed very strangely...as animals, super heros, sailors, ect.

Tonight we are going to Trick or Treat with Sydney Claire. She is a beautiful lamb.

On a side note...and I hope this doesn't jinx us...Gracie is sleeping through the night again! 6 nights in a row of 7 hours or more. YAY! The trick is putting her in bed awake. Sometimes she gets really angry with us and we go pick her up, sing some songs, and put her back down. I was surprised that I had the resolve to let her cry a little. She seems so much happier during the day because she is well-rested! What a difference it makes for her day as well as mine!

War Tide! Roll Eagle! I'm confused....

Auburn gave me the best years of my life to date and for that I am grateful. There is no other town like Auburn. I appreciate better shoopping in TTown but I miss my AU restaurants...Amsterdam Cafe, Niffer's and Laredo's mostly.
With that being said, I can already tell that my best years will be here in Northport. We are profiting nicely off Alabama football....which makes us cheer VERY loudly for the #1 rated team. Imagine....we are the only FSU in the town with the #1 ranked college football team. That sells a bunch of chicken biscuits!
We got season tickets to the basketball and baseball games. I am so thrilled that Gracie can grow up enjoying the atmosphere surrounding a college town....just so long as that doesn't include any fraternity houses! We have already made good friends (not that I have managed my time well enough to be a good friend!)

The Secret to being a great parent....

The secret to being a great parent, is being a great spouse! I hope that I have lived up to this #1 rule of parenting over the past few months. I know that at first, Blake and I were not big fans of one another. I had WAY too much on my plate so he took a back seat. He had so much on his plate that he really needed a little TLC from me. It was an ugly cycle with both of us needing so much, but neither of us having anything left to give.
We are FINALLY ourselves again! Our store is sustaining without us being there 24/7 which is more than I hoped for at this point! What a great team we have there. Gracie is falling into a bit of a routine. We still have a little of the "all thumbs, no instincts" feelings from time to time.
The best way for me to really serve Gracie as a parent, is for her to witness how completely and absolutely in love with her father I am. It is important for her to see us have meaningful conversations, kiss one another, and serve one another with our actions.

• UNITED FRONT- Blake and I have started having a united front as parents already. If we decide to let her cry it out, we both stand behind the decision. Making decisions together is something we are practicing now. We are very different individuals and we grew up in different homes, so many times our backgrounds conflict. There is give and take.
• PRAY TOGETHER- I think it is important for Gracie to see her parents hold hands and pray together. I would love to start a bedtime ritual where we say our night night prayers as a family. Right now I read her a book titled Goodnight Prayer while I feed her.
• MANAGING FINANCES- Blake and I NEVER argue about money. We really never have, even when things were super super tight. I am a born saver though so I think that helps. We agree on big purchases, and sometimes even small ones.
• PLAY TOGETHER- Gracie needs to know that mommy and daddy have fun, and we need to cut loose sometimes. This may be going to watch a football game somewhere, getting on the boat, going for a walk, or taking a trip. We will be a family that plays together!
• POSITIVE COMMUNICATION- Our conversations need to be uplifting and positive. It is easy to take your spouse for granted, but we should treat eachother with the good manners we would show others. I refuse to live in a negative home with a Debbie Downer. Leave that stinking thinking at the door! It isn't good for children.

When I was about 5 months pregnant I started to get really really nervous about how a baby would change our relationship. I remember laying in bed and praying to God that we would be as happy as we were at that moment. It is strange to think about how protective I became when I thought of a "stranger" coming into the home and rocking the boat. I was so afraid that the added stress would affect our amazing friendship. It definately threatened to. But watching Blake grow into an amazing father has given me a love for him that I didn't know was possible. I was certain that I loved him as much as one person could love another.

Disclaimer- Gracie was planned and prayed for and I was so thrilled every step of the pregnancy. She is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and my single greatest accomplishment.

CIO Bootcamp

http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/11/cio-bootcamp.html

This is a link to the blog "Chronicles of a Babywise mom." I have enjoyed reading it. I am still not totally convicted to try it out but this link is to the post "Cry it Out Bootcamp." My observations from Gracie so far are as follows:

• If she cries it out, she sleeps through the night. 9-10 hours. My concern is that it is because she has exhausted herself. Or it might be that she knows she is in bed to sleep and does just that.
• If she falls asleep in my arms and I put her down, she wakes at 2am. It doesn't seem to matter what time I put her to bed.
• She sleeps better at night with PJs that have footies. Don;t ask me why, but this seems to be true.
• She absolutely does not want to take an evening nap but is tired enough to need one. I believe it could be because she wants to hang out with me and Blake.

Sit down, You're rocking the boat

We took a boat ride today! What awesome weather to enjoy after a short work day! The sky was completely clear, the air wasn't cool, or hot, or humid. IT was just PERFECT. Blake wanted to take Hayden, Brooke's son, fishing with him. Hayden is the most adorable thing and remembers everyone. He was so excited to come. Jason, Ashley and Sydney came along too! I think Sydney just enjoyed being with a cute boy. We have to watch out.

I remembered Hayden asking me several weeks ago if he could come over and see Gracie's nursery one day, and sure enough, the first thing he asked his mommy when he walked in was could he see the nursery. What a smart little 4 year old. Sydney was so interested in him and would rub his face and he was so sweet to both of them. He told Sydney that if she fell into the water, he would jump in and save her.

We didn't catch any fish, but we enjoyed being around each other. Gracie was well past naptime but couldn't sleep with all that activity. I was very glad that she didn't get cranky until we were on the way home. She would normally sleep really well on the boat.

Blake let Hayden and Sydney drive the boat. That was a trip. Hayden did not want to go to fast because he was afraid someone would fall out! Sydney on the other hand, jerked the wheel around and we almost got swamped! She got a little jealous of Uncle Blake letting Hayden sit in his lap.

When we were leaving, Hayden asked if he could come stay at our house. Then he said, "Can I sleep in Gracie's bed?" And Blake got all fatherly from the other side of the boat and hollared, "What did you just say son?" We all died laughing! It was too funny watching these kids who were all about 2 years apart. It;s amazing how much they grow in 2 years!

Gracie Sleep Update-

Last night she cried for 45 minutes and then slept from 9:15pm to 6:45am. That;s crazy!! Tonight we did our routine again and she fell asleep nursing. YAY! No crying!! I tried to burp her for about 10 minutes and got nothing! I am a little worried she will wake soon screaming! She absolutely will not burp if she is asleep.

I am trying to learn when the exact right moment is to swaddle her and put her down for naps. We seem to have about a 3 minute window that is between wide awake and getting cranky. I am just going to really study her and try to understand these sleep cues. We are trying to eliminate sleeping in the swing, which is one of the only ways Becky can get her to sleep. Even when I have her during the day, she just takes naps on my chest while I watch TV or read. Napping in her crib is very irritating to her! A Princess prefers to be catered to. I have decided to not cry it out during naptime just yet. I hate to think she is spending so much of her day crying!

Blake's hidden talent

I thought I would blog for a moment on what a sweet husband and father Blake is. He likes to try to get Gracie to sleep...bless him! He knows it stresses me out! So tonight I really felt like she needed a good nap and he was laying on the couch with her on his chest singing to her. I say singing....but he has a special singing voice just for Gracie and she LOVES it! It is way too loud for me and I can't imagine it being peaceful or helpful going to sleep. But Gracie quiets down. Tonight he did a free-style reggae song. Let me see if I remember some of the words.
"Let's go afishin in the river. Let's go a fishin in the sea. Let's go afishing in the lakes. Who want to go a fishin with me?"
Then he sang a song asking Gracie to please go to sleep on her daddy. Some of it was sweet. Some of it was silly.

Self soothing>?

My miserable Friday night included me rocking, bouncing, swinging, walking, and nursing Gracie from 9:00 p.m. until midnight to get her to sleep. That's right...she will fight me to the death. I'll admit, she has an endurance that many a man would envy. I was beat. My body was sore from the combined bounce/sway/walk/pat her on the back manuever that seemed to pacify her. My throat was sore from the countless verses of "Hush little baby." And she was still going strong. Her lungs are great, meanwhile, I was puffing away on my inhaler. I'm telling you, this kid is made of some tough stuff. I think I have met my match.
How can someone so little invoke such fear in me? Anyways, after that little nightmare, I decided we needed a change. I am now trying the self-soothe method. This has been miserable for all of us, but I am hoping it will allow her to get better naps and better nighttime sleep.
Like I said earlier in this blog, she was sleeping through the night like a champ! Our real trouble was getting her to sleep. So last night we decided to put her on a routine and help her cry it out!
This is a controversial issue apparently, but I can only do what I think is best for Gracie.
We gave her a bath, read her a book, fed her, and then swaddled her and put her in her crib awake. The idea is to let her self-soothe and check on her every 10 mins.It took her an hour and 20 mins to finally go to sleep. I had decided that if she was still crying at an hour and a half I would just rock her to sleep again! This was the longest hour and 20 mins of my life! I really thought I was the worst mother ever during this process, however, my friend Summer had great success and we facebook messaged each other the whole time. She said it took her daughter 3 days and then she never cried when put down to sleep after that. That is my hope!
I just put Gracie down for a nap (her first nap was at church today) and it only took her about 15 minutes to fall asleep this time. YAY!!! She is used to being held all the time and is seriously protesting. I worry too much that she won't feel loved if I don't give her all of my attention but I feel certain that she knows she is a loved baby. When I got her up this morning, she was smiling and cooing. My what short memories babies have!
By the way, she slept 9 hours last night.

So long Robin Williams...hello fussy baby!

Last Christmas I got Blake tickets to see Robin Williams live at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The show was set for March, but Robin Williams had a heart valve replacement the week of the show. It was postponed to tonight! We were pretty excited about this show because Blake and I need a good laugh right now! Not to mention some alone time. Well, Blake has gone alone.

Gracie had been doing a great job sleeping 9-10 hours a night for the past 2-3 weeks until Tuesday night. The past 3 nights, she has woken up screaming at 11:00pm, 2am and 5 am. This is very unusual behavior, especially because her cry turns into a scream like she is in severe pain! Last night it got so bad that I thought she must have a tooth coming in, an ear infection or something.

The Dr. couldn't work me in until 3:45pm and we really needed to leave by 2pm for the show. Ashley and Jason were going to watch Gracie but had to take her with them to Birmingham to meet her parents at 4. Ashley graciously said she would postpone leaving until after the doctor. I think Becky had plans to leave at 4pm, but Ashley didn't want Sydney going to the doctor and catching anything. I knew I wouldn't have fun if I was worried the whole time. So I sent Blake on alone and I stayed behind. I think it was the right decision, but she isn't sick!

The doctor thinks it is something I ate this week...probably my homemade chili. I didn;t make it spicy, but it has beans and onions. I ate it Tuesday and THursday and Blake's spicy burgers on Wednesday. I'll admit that my stomach has been uneasy for days too.

So I have ultimately created my own hell.

We have so much going on at the store, and so much work to be done that I absolutely can not seem to finish it all by 5pm everyday. I am afraid that I am dropping the ball on things. I am running the minute I walk into work and leaving in a hurry before I am able to complete everything. I know that things will get easier, but for now I am doing all that I can. If only I could get out the door by 9 everyday....

3 Months old!

I stayed home with Gracie today! What a blessing. We had a blast. She has got the cutest little personality. She tries so hard to talk to me and is starting to make a wet raspy noise. I felt so lucky to get to just enjoy her all day! We played with her octopus on her play mat alot because she loves his smile. Tummy time was attempted 3 times but always ended in tears. We walked, and coo-ed, and I gave her a full body massage. We took pictures with her cow too. She is a little over 3 months now...about 3.5. If we could just get her to fall asleep easier we would be in business. She just fights it with all her might. I have a feeling I was the same way. We don't want to miss anything. Her daddy thinks he heard her laugh today. She sure is getting close to it. Right now the most I get is a squeal.

Gracie Milestones:

• Has slept through the night 9 out of the last 10 nights! The longest run was 10 hours! Last night she slept 9 hours, but I failed as a mother. I woke up at 7am and looked at our video monitor to see if she was stirring....and it was dead! There is no way to hear her in our room without a monitor. I was mortified. This is only her 2nd night to sleep in her room for that exact reason...fear I won't know when she needs me! She was still in the same spot in the crib so I don't think she woke up and needed me...I hope!
• Holds herself up on her elbows when on her tummy...and is tolerant of tummy time now!
• Plays forever on her play gym and loves to grasp the octopus and coo at it.
• Tries to laugh but it comes out as an audible gasp.
• Went to her first bike race and had a blast! She loved being outside with all that activity. She did, however, make a stinky that reached between her sholder blades during the race. It took a pack of wipes, 3 diapers, and a towel to clean up! Boy was she happy after!
• Went to Hooter's to watch the Auburn game last night....we figured it is a safe place to wear orange here. She loved all the attention! And the abundence of milk options I guess.
• Bath time is no longer a chore! She loves it best when daddy bathes her.

The Beach!

Gracie enjoyed her first beach trip! This is a picture of her putting her feet in the sand for the first time. I have a feeling she will be like her mama when it comes to hanging on the beach....no sand please! I prefer to hang out on a towel or in a chair. She even got some lovely naps.

On our way down to Gulf Shores, we typed our condo on "Fort Morgan Road" into our GPS. Having never gone to the beach from Tuscaloosa, we didn't bat an eyelash at going through Mississippi to Mobile. We blindly followed the GPS until the next direction was "Board the Ferry." The WHAT?!?!?! Thank goodness the ferry was still open when we arrived! We had to wait an hour, but we got some yummy icecream and sat by the bay.

You might wonder, how did Blake and Ashley enjoy the vacation? Well, Blake spent the entire time with my dad fishing! One night...they didn't get in until after 4am! Here is the fish they caught that night. Blake caught 2 sharks, blue fish, spanish mackrel, red fish, and 2 sting rays over the course of a week. These were caught from the pier.

Jason, Ashley and Sydney came Wednesday night, and we saw Sydney enjoy the beach and sand for the first time. She was nuts about it! I have never seen a child bolt towards the ocean, fall in and get up sputtering and laughing like she did! I love her attitude!

Link to Gracie's pics

http://ahphoto.zenfolio.com/p389177802

Happy Days are Here Again

Gracie is finally starting to entertain herself more. She loves her bouncy seat and her mobile in her crib. Of course, nothing makes her more happy than being talked or sang to.

Don't count your chickens....

Just when you start to think that you have it all together.....it crashes down around you. Gracie has thrown her schedule out the window, and is not happy about it. On the bright side, I have someone marvelous cleaning my house now! What a blessing. She even cleaned out Blake's closet today. Bless her heart, she has her work cut out for her.
At work, we have 10 team members who have gotten the flu so far. Most of them have gotten it from their children or from school. Everyday I come to work, I count how many of my chickens are out for the day. Luckily we have been very diligent about telling everyone they can't come back to work until their fever has been gone for 24 hours. It is important to me that we keep the flu away because I have little Gracie at home. I took her rectal temp earlier but she was good. :-) Not going to let it sneak up on us! I am terribly afraid that I will get sick. If I do, she will be shipped off to stay with someone some where so I can't get her sick!
So I want to take a bath now but it storming badly....I think Blake would panic if I got electricuted. Since the baby and new store, he seems to value my safety much more.

GiGi and Poppi

Gigi and Poppi came to visit yesterday and spent the night so they could watch the girls today. They offered to sleep in our room with Gracie so we could get a good nights sleep. We worked hard to give her a pretty good bedtime ritual...eat, play, bath, fall asleep on Poppi. I thought she might wake again at 10pm to nurse but she didn't and I was sleepy. I figured they had a long night ahead of them. The night before she woke up every 2 hours!! Well...she slept till 4 a.m. for Gigi and Poppi!! That is 8.5 hours between feedings. What's the deal???
Now they think we are being a bit overdramatic about our lack of sleep. :-) THEY SAID SHE ATE AN OUNCE AND FELL BACK TO SLEEP! I was up longer than her in the middle of the night to pump. I am hoping tonight is similar.
Sydney loves her Poppi more than anything in the world. She was kind enough to share him with Gracie this weekend. I think that Gracie is favoring Gigi at this point. She gave her the biggest smiles and would quiet down as soon as mom picked her up.
We have scheduled portrait sessions for Thursday morning. I really wish I had some taken when she was a newborn. This will just have to do. I was running on empty when she was a newborn.
I have been trying to decide if I think it is ok to let her cry herself to sleep. I am starting to think that it is. I have been rocking her for 20 minutes tonight and she just kept sucking on my shoulder and whimpering. So I decided to put her in the bassionette to see what will happen. She cried a bit but was asleep in less than 5 minutes. Do you think self-soothing is the right way to go? Will it make her a better sleeper in the long run?

Poopsie daisy and more!

Gracie is finally getting the hang of tummy time! I am definately not trying it often enough but she is already holding her head up steadily and rolled over 3 times several weeks ago. This is a picture of ChaCha showing her how to roll over. I thought it was so precious. ChaCha LOVES tummy time!

Nana and Papa came to keep the girls this weekend because Miss Becky got her tonsils taken out...bless her heart! They had a great time with Gracie and Sydney! And I was looking forward to their help all week. Nana brought casseroles, did my laundry and straightened the house. Papa unloaded the dishwasher and was the baby whisperer. It is amazing how the little ordinary things mean so much when you have a new baby. I would much rather spend my little free-time, holding and loving on Gracie...and an occasional hot bath for momma!

I had to capture her pitiful face. We see this face several times a day when she is being a little drama queen! I really love how she pokes out that lip. She already knows how to work her parents over.

I was excited when she started smiling and cooing for me a couple of weeks ago and wanted to get a picture! This has become a regular thing now, but this was one of her first real smiling moments. It was after I took the picture that I saw she had an explosion come out of her diaper and all over her bouncy seat. Oh well! I guess I'd be smiling too.

This is Gracie at 10 weeks (2 Months) with her Cow Growth Chart. Man has she grown! Here is a newborn picture so you can appreciate how much she grows in 10 weeks! This is her with Dr. Meyers.

War Eagle in T-Town

We experienced College Kickoff in T-Town. Next week will be the first home game. I am pretty excited. Blake and I agree that College Towns are the best places to live. The excitment in the air is contagious. We were certainly alone in our Auburn allegiance but we enjoyed it all the same. Gracie donned her "War Eagle" apparel and looked great in Orange! We shall see what next weekend brings.
Labor Day was our Chicken Sandwich promo. It was so fun here because EVERYONE came in wearing Crimson and White. If we were holding on sandwiches (which we were alot), we could just lead the crowd in a "Rooooooooooooollllllllllll Tide Roll." Then we would throw out little footballs and mini moos to the crowd. These Bama fans ate it up! Yell Roll Tide and they forget they are hungry. I stayed until 15 mins till close. Blake was Mr. Mom for 3 hours with Gracie and he said she was wonderful. Of course, as soon as I walk in the door she starts screaming for food. Long day, then a long night. She woke up at 1:45am to eat and then 3 more times before 6am. I think we are experiencing a growth spurt of sorts. Have considered weaning her after my 3rd infection but just can't make a decision. She loves to nurse, but I can't get sick every other week. I have never been able to give her a bottle myself...she rejects it with a fierce passion. Please say a prayer for guidance.
I will post pictures of our Gracie later. Heading back to the store.

The Many faces of Gracie Gill

Gracie is already learning facial expressions will say everything. She is quite the Princess.

Her Highness in her throne.

Her "ohh" face that Sydney mocks. She throws her head back with a pitiful howl.


Her "you crazy lady" face

serious face

Pure Bliss!! lots of smiley faces

Three's Company

My house is so quiet these days. Do I love it? I'm not totally sure :-) Jason, Ashley and Sydney Claire have moved into an aparetment this week and we are now a family of 3. This is the first time we have all been alone together. Blake and I are still adjusting to little Gracie Gill. She is a very sweet baby when she feels well. She smiles the biggest smiles...her whole face lights up! She will be a charmer like her little cousin. We had an awesome night with Gracie Monday. She was so content all afternoon. We took her to a mexican restaurant and she didn't fuss when we put her in her seat and sat quietly during the entire dinner. That night she went 7 hours between feedings. I think she was happy because she had taken 3 nice poos that afternoon. She has seriously tummy issues. I am hoping her digestive system works out the kinks soon. She gets stiff as a board and screams like she is in great pain. I feel so bad for her.
Blake gets very frustrated with a crying baby. He is always in such a hurry that it has been an adjustment for him to work on her schedule. When we are going somewhere and I am nursing (which can take from 30 mins-1.5hr) he stresses and tries to rush me. There is nothing I can do! Then when she is crying and he can't make her stop he gets so stressed and thinks she doesn't like him. I can take her and quiet her down. She senses his tension. Over the past 3 days he has really worked on it and now she is doing GREAT for him. He has become the sweetest and most gentle father. He even took her out of bed at 6:30 yesterday and let me sleep another 2 hours. He said they watched the sunrise together and she just smiled and talked to him.
Now that he knows he doesn't have to "fix" whatever is wrong with her, he is much happier. He is a man of action and having a baby is requiring him to take it easy. There is nothing sexier than Blake smiling down at his sweet daughter!

K Y?

When we were sick over the weekend, I had to give Gracie a prob in the butt (Rectal temp) This was new to me and she acted like it was an old trick for her. They took her rectal temp lots in the hospital when her temp was so low. The Doctor said to lubricate the thermometer and then put it in her butt about a quarter inch or so. Gracie didn't even cry when I took off her diaper and flipped her on her belly. Then, I could not find the Vaseline ANYWHERE! I know I bought some but can't find the Target bag it was in. I'm desperate. I am running a fever and feel like crying, Gracie is on my bed diaperless and all I can find is some KY Warming Gel. That poor KY hasn't been put to use in a while and still probably has a few neglected weeks ahead. So I slapped some on the thermometer and check her temp. I hope the fact that it was a warming gel didn't affect the reading of 99.2. Gracie was amazing and didn't fuss at me at all! Maybe she didn't mind the warming sensation. Maybe I shouldn't share this story. I think it is a great illustration of how mothers will do what it takes to get the job done even if it wasn't exactly how they planned. I have discovered in my short tenure as a mother, that I can't do things just right. I was a smug little thing- all big and pregnant a few months ago thinking that I could do it all....breastfeed, work fulltime, keep a clean house, dress Gracie up like a China Doll everyday and still have time for bubble baths.
This is so not how it turned out!

Illnesses and Boob Milk

On the bright side (I like to start with the bright side) I got to spend 4 days of bliss with my Gracie girl. We were attached all weekend, except for maybe 2 trips to the store for an hour each. On the down side, I was sick as a dog and Gracie wasn't feeling 100% either.
This was my second time with Mastitis, a breast infection. It is one of the worst illnesses I have encountered in my 27 years. It hits you all of a sudden like a ton of bricks. You feel like you have the flu, fever, chills, achiness all over, fatigue, and your boobs are tender and feel like they are on fire. And you still have to breastfeed as usual to keep it from getting worse.
I called my doctor Friday morning even though it really hit me on Thursday. They called in a RX and I started to feel better around Saturday. My parents, GOD BLESS THEM, came up on Friday night to help me with Gracie while everyone else was working on Saturday. Mom stayed in my room and gave Blake the couch. (He was thrilled to sleep in a room without a baby!) She got up with Gracie and me. I would feed and then mom would rock her to sleep. It was a real blessing.
Gracie was running a low-grade fever most of the weekend but was a perfect angel! She was never fussy...just a little sleepy. She didn;t want to eat much which was unfortunate because I needed to drain my milk.
This is all caused because of breastfeeding. Apparently I had too much milk and clogged some ducts. I gave quitting alot of thought over the weekend but really don't think I will yet. It takes up so much time! And I don't have an easy schedule down yet. If people want to go out to eat, they have to wait for her to finish eatting. Timing is a problem and I am tethered to a pump or child every 3 hours. However, I want to do this. I do believe the milk is the best for her. I know that she loves being that close to me.
I also feel guily for going back to work when she was only 2 weeks old. I somehow think that by breastfeeding I am doing my part for her well-being while I'm at work. Like it makes me a better mom or something.I will take it one day at a time and follow my heart. But I will probably post more about my experiences on here. If you are uncomfortable reading about boobs, Reader Beware.

I'm One Month Old!

I couldn't resist throwing Gracie a one-month birthday party. We had it at Chick-fil-A and it was a sweet moment. Ashley, Jason, Sydney, Amy G, Becky, and even BJ Stabler came. Apparently he was an awesome player at Alabama and asked if he could hold Gracie. She LOVED him. Just stared at him the whole time while he talked to her.

Meredith gave me the idea to take a picture each month with the same stuffed animal so we can see how much she has grown. I didn;t take it until about 6 weeks, but we will call it Month 1! It is amazong how much bigger she is already. She is eatting well and really filling out. Cutest cheeks I have ever seen.

As you can see, she is not a very patient child. Her temper is quick.

Some firsts!

I have been a very busy newborn! I have been to dinners, ribbon cuttings, and more! Here are some special moments. I am smiling a lot now too but the picture won't upload.

My first gentleman caller...Carr Calvert came to visit. I wore my ballerina outfit. I think he liked it.

The first bath my daddy gave me (and last) I don't like baths yet and daddy doesn't like being screamed at.

My first dining experience was at 2 weeks old. We went to Iguana Grill. I slept until every one got their food and I decided I wanted to eat too! Why should they eat without me?