Almost 4 Weeks Old

It's hard to believe Alexandria is already 4 weeks old! She is doing great overall, eating like a champ, and sleeping, well, not so much at night, but we'll get there. We have a doctor's appointment next week and I can't wait to get her stats-- she is growing so fast! Just look at those cheeks!

First Haircut

It was time... Wilson's hair was a bit out of control, so much to many folks' chagrin I made an appointment with Nick to get my hair cut and Wilson's too. Mamaw came to spend some time with Alexandria and Wilson and I were off!

We met SaSa at the salon, and it went better than I expected. Wilson went first, and only fussed a litttle bit, which is of course digitally captured.


We didn't take too much off as I didn't want to be in trouble with Mamaw. I like the results... no more mullet!

Tagged

My fun blogger friends are playing this little game of tag... I'm not sure whom I will tag after this, as I don't know anyone else who blogs. It's hard to answer these after you've read everyone else's answers... hopefully these are my own.

I am: chiefly a momma these days, but a wife, sister, daughter, friend and business owner too.
I want: to travel more.
I have: so much to be thankful for.
I wish: I could throw a big party and invite everyone I know-- that would be fun.
I hate: the word "hate".
I miss: my Connecticut Godchildren (and their parents too).
I hear: the quiet of a sleeping household and the cars driving by our house.
I wonder: how people deal with life without Jesus.
I regret: not doing things sooner.
I am not: the person I will be someday.
I dance: in the kitchen.
I sing: along with any song I know the words to.
I cry: at the thought of losing my children or husband.
I am not always: the momma, wife, sister, daughter, or friend I want to be.
I make with my hands: meals, curtains, Creative Memories photo albums.
I write: letters, but not as often as I would like.
I confuse: which day each grocery store starts their weekly sales.
I need: God's grace.
I should: stop drinking so much Diet Coke.
I start: a lot of to-do lists.
I finish: a few of the things on those lists, occasionally. When I do, I like to vigorously scratch them out if I can ever find the list again.


Here's a "Here and Now" Version too...

I am: chiefly a momma these days.
I want: my baby girl to sleep through the night.
I have: a whole lotta announcements to address and send out.
I wish: I had a double stroller already.
I hate: that I am turning Wilson into a TV junkie.
I miss: full-nights of sleep.
I hear: Sesame Street.
I wonder: how people deal with life without Jesus.
I regret: not keeping Alexandria awake more yesterday.
I am not: functioning on much sleep.
I dance: to make Wilson smile.
I sing: Jesus Loves Me over and over.
I cry: when she's been wide-eyed for more than 2 hours of rocking and walking.
I am not always: this grumpy.
I make with my hands: cheese sandwiches.
I write: on my blog... to feel like I have had some outside world conversation.
I confuse: what time Alexandria is supposed to eat.
I need: a back and neck massage.
I should: write some thank you notes.
I start: the day with Diet Coke.
I finish: the first Diet Coke too quickly.

If you are reading this and haven't been tagged, you are now... I think all the blogs on my link list have been tagged already-- lots of great answers!

Green

I've always wanted to be a goer and doer... and having a 3 week old keeps me in the house way too much.

For example... Many of my friends are going to JICP for the Festival of Lights Fun Run tonight and there will soon be lots of cute pictures on their blogs...

I am just jealous because I don't like missing out on anything, especially fun things...

But I suppose I wouldn't want to miss out on or wish away the first few weeks and months of my precious little girl's life, no matter how tiring it may be. These are days we will never get back and I want to treasure them.

So I am going to GO and DO my little chickens' dinners!

So if you are going (or went) to the Fun Run... miss me and have fun!

BTW I am working on my TAG...

Golf Lesson

Check out that swing! With Alexandria's arrival comes a lot of Daddy time for Wilson (he is COMPLETELY attached to Daddy on the weekends anyway). I caught a quick glimpse of this golf lesson...

and the cutest part was seeing Wilson turn his back to Brian a few feet away and then walk backwards until he was positioned to hit the ball.

PGA here we come!

Just what I needed...

It was a little too quiet... and then I found this... he actually brought me the empty Kleenex box, asking for "more" in sign language. Then, I sat him down for the picture and he started putting the tissues back in the box! I love that he loves to put things back.

Now to the original point of this post.... I am not sure how my sweet sweet boy knew exactly what I needed today, but he came through for me after a nearly sleepless night with little sister! We were all 3 sitting on the sofa after Alexandria finished a bottle. Wilson somehow got hold of my cell phone and as I retrieved it saying, that's not yours, it's Mama's-- can you say Mama? He IMMEDIATELY said "Mama" clear as can be, as if he has said it hundreds of times... I think he has been holding out on me. We've had the cell phone conversation hundreds of times, and the mama question thousands of times... he's never said Mama, until today! And he kept on all afternoon... mamamamamamamama! Oh sweetness!

Yahoo!

We had a fun night out celebrating our friend Stuart's 50th birthday-- Julie put on quite the show down!!! The invitations were cowboy boots, and the theme was thoroughly carried through the party... unfortunately this is the only picture we took!

Anyone who knows Brian... have you ever seen him wear anything but khaki pants? I am impressed that I got him to wear not only blue jeans, but an ORANGE checked shirt! And many thanks to Felice for the great hats! 

Happy Halloween!

Well, this year Halloween was a bit of a wash... for obvious reasons. But the first of 3 costumes for Wilson was this one... and it was by far the best! The cutest part was how tickled he was by himself!

I returned this one for a chicken that Wilson was awkward and miserable in, and a duck that he would not have anything to do with (thanks to the chicken experience I think). We even had several opportunities to wear our costume this year, including a very fun Fall Festival for Mary Kathryn's 3rd Birthday... but we went with his costume over my arm!

SO, I returned the fowl outfits the day before Halloween and very much look forward to next year!!! No party poopers in 2007! 

Gotta love group shots...

It always makes me laugh to see pictures like this...
there seems to be a story for every face!
Happy Birthday Mae!

Fun at My Gym

Wilson went to a birthday party at My Gym in Mt. Pleasant last weekend and had a big time!!!
Bubbles are always a hit... he is definitely skeptical of the crowd...

After rolling a huge ball around he took a nice spill....
Wilson and buddy James and the birthday girl.... I love how James just dives right in!
and Wilson sits on the edge with his feet in the balls... my son indeed.

If Only...

While I am napping or watching my soap operas, she sleeps and he cleans the house.... it doesn't get much better than this!

Here we go...

Thanks to all of our dear friends and family for all the prayers and words of encouragement... things are going extraordinarily smoothly so far with Alexandria and Wilson's transition into big-brotherhood. Brian and I were even able to go to a wedding last night while the kids (it's still wierd to say that) stayed home with SaSa and Grandaddy. That was a lot of fun! We've only had one (completely unnecessary) ER visit... our first date night since having the second child, but that's another story for another day, and our first 911 call-- two nights ago when Alexandria spit up, gagged, threw up and then seemingly stopped breathing... but she was fine and we hung up before 911 picked up. Twenty minutes later 2 police officers showed up to make sure everything was ok... needless to say Brian and I plan to take an infant/child cpr class asap. But tomorrow is a new day-- Brian is going back to work and I am on my own with both chickens... just pray we make it until Mamaw shows up around 2. It's all about survival, right?

Alexandria's thoughts...

Life is pretty good these days...
I am 10 days old and doing everything I am suposed to do, including keeping mom and dad on their sleepy toes. I went to the doctor today and have already regained my birhweight plus some! I gained 13 ounces in 7 days... for a grand total of 6 pounds and 9 ounces. I've given mom and dad a little hope of sleeping through the night at some point in the fairly near future, but not yet! That wee-hour snuggle time is just too good!





I am pretty cute and sweet when I am awake, which tends to be in the wee hours, but I am starting to find what momma calls "daytime" pretty interesting too...










All this baby stuff is hard work, so I am gonna go for now.. I need to catch up on some zzz's. I look forward to meeting you all soon!

We decided to have a little photo session on the couch... it went much more smoothly than we anticipated (thanks be to Baby Einstein!)
The pictures didn't turn out as great as we had hoped but here are a few:
This one's blurry, but really sweet.




We told Wilson to "kiss the baby"... which he hasn't done since we brought Alexandria home, until now!



And the winner is...

Survival

A dear friend told me the other day that all I need to do right now is survive... all the details will be a wash. Simply survive, and that is what we are doing. Those are words I truly needed to hear. Another friend reminded me that in Hebrews 1 God says that He sustains us in all things, another timely reminder of Truth. However, I do not know what I would do without a few things.

These are my KEYS TO SURVIVAL so far...
1. Diet Coke
2. Motrin
3. Zoloft
4. The freedom to NOT breastfeed (the hardest and best decision I've ever had to make)
5. Similac Advance & Avent Bottles
6. My Wonderful Husband
7. Diet Coke & Cheez-Its
8. Moments to absorb and enjoy my sweet children
9. Prayers and Words of Encouragement
10. Willing sitters/Wilson entertainers! (Mamaw, Julie, D, mom & dad, and more!)

That's it for now... it is time for Little Chicken to eat. Hopefully I will get some more precious pics uploaded this evening.

17 Months

Wilson, you turned 17 months old on the day your sister was born, which is why this post is a few days late. (It was on my list of things to do on Tuesday... sorry!) You are quite the little boy, becoming less and less "baby" every day!

Your favorite breakfast food is Publix Bran Flakes, and you usually eat a bunch of those as well as 2 scrambled eggs and part of a waffle... you love to eat... a lot. You love quesadillas (especially with black beans...) peas, chicken, hamburger with ketchup, corn, green beans, grapes, blueberries and strawberries. When we read books and you see strawberries you go, "mmmmmmmm...".

You started going to Toddler Time, which was a little rough at first. Your dramatic "glass-shattering cry" caught everyone's attention, but it only took a week or two for you to love going and being there. Now when we drop you off, you go right to playing, and you love your teachers, Miss Janet, Miss Laurie and Miss Julie, as well as Miss Annie when she is there.

You love to run around, to climb, swing and slide... life is good when you are outside! At the mention of the word you are ready to put on your shoes and GO GO GO! You started walking right at 15 months, and it has been so fun watching you explore. You have some great dance moves-- mainly squatting and the occasional turn around. You love to sing songs (well for momma to sing songs), especially "The Wheels on the Bus", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Pop Goes the Weasel", "Twinkle Twinkle", and "Old MacDonald".

You enjoy opening and closing drawers and cabinets, and you are always good about listening to Momma when she says, "OK, lets' close that now and play with something else." Youare a very good listener!!! When you find fun things, you want to know how they work, including headbands! You figured this one out pretty well-- perhaps you had some help from Daddy.

You are adjusting very well to having a little sister around, though it's only been a few days. You are constantly entertaining anyone who cares to be entertained!!!

You love to learn new things and you get very tickled with yourself as you master new skills. You know your colors and some numbers (Daddy drills you in the bath with your foam numbers) and you are starting to learn some letters as you make new sounds. You enjoy pushing things around the house including your dump truck, your walker cart, furniture, laundry baskets and swiffers.

I am so very very proud of you... you are sweet and loving, full of smiles and laughter, a little drama here and there to keep things interesting. Your Daddy and I enjoy every bit of you, everyday... more and more. You warm our hearts and light up our lives with your precious smile. We love you, we love you, we love you so much!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Alexandria Houghton, our brand new baby girl!
She was born Tuesday morning, October 17th, at 10:01am.

She weighed 6lb and 5 oz. (one ounce bigger than Wilson) and was 18 and 3/4 inches long.

We are so blessed... We love you so much!

Still ticking, but not so quickly...

The tick tock has faded a bit...
two weekly OB visits-- still one cm and not much else...
so we've got some time...
I am trying to savor these days of simply sweet Wilson and full nights of sleep (kind of).
My due date is 2 weeks from this coming Monday... Wilson was 10 days early (that would be next Friday).
Anyone up for a girls night out next week?

Tick Tock

I feel like the clock is ticking... and it's getting louder and louder. My complaints are getting more frequent and more whiney and more frequent. One minute I am ready to go ahead and have this baby and then I look around my house and the list of things to do sets off the nesting alarm! I am almost done with the sewing machine-- I wish I had a picture of our new cornice in the living room, curtains in the dining room and kitchen, and the baby girl's curtains which aren't up yet... but her room is coming together slowly. I just keep reminding myself that Wilson didn't even have a room until he was 4 or 5 months old and he made it ok.
Brian and I are going out on a date tonight (dinner and a movie-- after months of begging, a little birthday guilt and the threat of baby #2 chaining us to this house). And the the tick tock continues... what the heck are we gonna do with another baby? I am glad to have wonderful friends that have gone before with their #2's-- I will be eagerly seeking your wisdom and encouragement.
The Wilson alarm just went off.... naptime's over, and therefore this post is too.
Tick tock
Tick tock
Tick tock

Hip hip hooray!

Wilson has been going to "school" at our church two days a week for 3 or 4 weeks now...
The first week was pretty rough-- when I picked him up one of the teacher's said "He didn't cry the whole time..." (Just most of it...) The next school day was a little better, but still pretty rough. TODAY... I walked him inside, he walked right into the "classroom", started playing, I left, and when I picked him up they said he had a great time and didn't fuss a bit! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! ( I knew in my head that this would be the result, but it's just so hard to not question your own parenting when you leave your child screaming... oh the adventures of parenthood!)

I've Upgraded, I think?

Wilson has always been a great sleeper at night, so I can't really complain. But lately I have been complaining about his naps... we've been "transitioning" to one nap for over a month now, and the mornings can get nearly unbearable. Overall, he had become a fussy child, which I would quickly blame his lack of sleep during the day.

This past weekend, someone upgraded my child to this model... he slept in each morning until after 8am (he goes to bed around 6:30pm), and took 2 hour-plus naps each afternoon. THE EXCITING PART OF ALL THIS is he is so much happier, so much more himself, more playful, focused and coordinated...

So last night as I went to bed I anticipated Wilson waking up around 7 this morning, due to morning traffic noise, etc...
I WOKE HIM UP at 9:15... he went down for a nap at 1, and is still asleep... it's 3:30....
what to do?
perhaps it's a growth spurt?
what do I do tomorrow when he is supposed to go to Toddler Time at 8:30?
I want this to become a norm... day-by-day motherhood...
I think I am going to go wake him up for playgroup at the playground...

Tickled Pink

Well, I don't like posting without pictures, as I believe pictures tell the stories of our lives, but that is another plug for another day.

I was out running errands today, and I must digress for a bit about how little I get accomplished with so much effort these days...
Anyway, I am in WalMart (I don't recommend going to the Super WalMart on a Saturday) and I came across a bag of PINK M&M's... suporting the SGK breast cancer foundation. I immediately tossed the bag in my cart and justified the purchase with supporting a good cause. (Not that I need any reason these days to buy anything chocolate-- not much could have stopped me!) I found myself tickled by how excited I was about pink M&M's, contemplating possible uses since I am having a baby GIRL in a few weeks. Getting the nursery together has been quite the ordeal, but I think it has sparked my excitement about PINK!

As I checked out, I had another realization in WalMart. I wondered to myself, why did I, who really doen't like Halloween a whole lot, just buy a plastic jack-o-lantern for my 16-month old son? I just kept thinking about the smile on his face when he could show me the pumpkin, and put things in the pumpkin, and dump things out of the pumkin and shake shake shake the pumkin... it is simply amazing how much joy little people can bring to your life!!!!!!!!! (And I can't wait to post some pictures of Wilson in his Halloween costume!)

A few favorite pictures...

from the beach. We spent Labor Day weekend at the beach-- a "last chance getwaway". These are a few of my favorite pictures:
1st up we have Wilson watching the sunrise (yes, sunrise!) with such wonderment that I was semi-glad that he woke up at 6:45am.
2ndly, Wilson's mood and willingness to try new or out of the ordinary things is very dependent on his highly unpridictable naps... here he is well-rested and loving the water and little waves on his feet.
3rd... now that we can walk, the beach is a whole new world... chasing his shadow was a whole lotta fun! I love his little footprints in the sand!
And the 4th picture of this blog update is just one of my favorites.... no particular reason.

More beach pictures to come...

 

Wilson's 1st Diaper Rash

I am one of "those" moms that pediatricians talk about.

So last Friday afternoon I noticed some bumps on Wilson's bum--
He's never really had a diaper rash before, but I knew how to handle it, no problem. By Friday night it was bigger, brighter and spreading...

Saturday I was with some other moms, one of which noted that her son had a really bad diaper rash and that her pediatrician called in 2 prescriptions for a viral rash that has been going around... I heard "virus" and "going around" and being on hyper germ/infection alert, I thought perhaps I should have my pediatrician call something in. By Saturday night, Wilson had a few bumps on his legs & arms.. and some were beginning to blister up.

Our pediatric practice won't just call something in, I had to take him in... on a Sunday afternoon, to see the on-call doctor and show him this frightening viral monster that was overtaking my son's body. Actually by Sunday morning the diaper rash was going away-- a sudden turn of events, yet I still found myself in the Dr.'s office on a Sunday afternoon... showing the kind and patient doctor my child's DIAPER RASH........ we did leave with a couple of scripts, but nothing truly necessary, and the whole thing ended up costing nearly $75 (and a little please-take-me-seriously-when-I-call dignity!!!)

That is one pricey diaper rash!

Happy Birthday SaSa!!!

Happy Birthday to YOU!
Happy Birthday to YOU!
Happy Birthday dear SaSaaaaaa!
Happy Birthday to YOU!

mmmmmmmmwaa!
Consider this a kiss from me to you!

Who dat det sez who dat when I say who dat?

Love, Wilson

Ready to call it

a day, week, whatever!

Mom calls this morning with grand news-- they are sending her home from the hopsital. She will still have to go in everyday on an outpatient basis, but hooray! She gets to recover at home (for the most part). But then, I get a call from one of my dad's employees-- Dad's in the ambulance on the way to the hopsital with abdominal pains. Ok, so what do you do with a 15 month old in a stroller at the ER? Well, all of God's angels were looking out for us-- Wilson went home to play with Mamaw, Mom's home (thanks to her sister), and I took Dad home (waiting to pass a kidney stone-- yikes!!!). The pharmacist commented "Y'all aren't having much fun this weekend?" after my aunt had been in to pick up mom's meds followed by me, picking up similar meds for dad. Probably not...

Playdate With James

Thanks for a wonderful morning, James! You have very fun toys... I had a blast! I especially enjoyed our sing along session-- you rock on that guitar!!! We look forward to getting together again VERY soon! Thanks for being such a great mentor. Love, Wilson
 

Babies & Big Kids

This is a glimpse of the process of getting a group photo at playgroup this past Monday... the pictures truly speak for themselves! It's always reassuring to know that other children prefer not to cooperate at times too!

I haven't checked the other blogs yet to see what other pictures were taken... I will do that tonight, especially since this blog is no longer a dead end-- thanks, Nancy!!!!