Happy Birthday, Chris!

Twenty-eight years ago today, the wonderful man I'm married to entered the world. That's right - today is Chris' birthday! Chris and I were able to celebrate together this past weekend with a trip to Ruth's Chris (thanks MaMaw for keeping Hayden). But, how could I resist putting Hayden in a goofy birthday hat, buying a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and taking this cute picture today when Chris got home? Happy Birthday Chris! Hayden, Gus, and I love you very much!

First Days of School

Because Hayden received his 8-week shots last week, this has been a week of many firsts - first trip to Sunday School to learn about God and first trip to big boy school to learn how to read, write, and do a little arithmetic (aka...Mother's Day Out). Yep, that's right...Chris and I have a very advanced 2-month old! Hahaha...

On Sunday, we woke up two hours before church began to get Hayden ready for a morning of Sunday School. After all, we had to have our boy looking good, so he could learn about Noah, Moses, Adam and Eve, Joseph, and most importantly, God and Jesus. We got him dressed in his Sunday best - an outfit and some shoes given to us by two of my aunts (thanks Billie and Kitty...he looked so cute!). Ironically, the picture that I'm posting describes his morning at church very well...look at that yawn!

We dropped him off with his Sunday School teachers at about 8:45 am. He met his SS teachers shortly after he came home from the hospital...they came by the house to meet him and bring a gift basket...how sweet is that? Anyway, when we dropped him off at 8:45, he was fast asleep in his carseat with his blanket (a pretty white blanket given to Hayden by Gran) wrapped around him. They asked if they needed to wake him up, and I assured them that he'd let them know when he was ready to get up. Chris and I headed off to church (it was so nice for us to be back in church together), and we had Sunday School after that. We, of course, were dreaming about all of the wonderful things our son would be learning that morning (I'm only kidding, of course). Anyway, when we picked him up after our Sunday School at 11:45 am (three hours later), he was still fast asleep...in his carseat...with his blanket over him. The nursery workers were worried that we'd be mad that he slept the entire time...I laughed! I learned my lesson the hard way, because needless to say, getting him to go to sleep Sunday night was pretty difficult! Hahaha....oh well, at least everyone can see him all dressed up in his picture.

Today was his first day at First Baptist for Mother's Day Out. His bookbag was loaded with all of the things he'd need to have for his first day of school - diapers, a change of clothes, bottles (for lunch time, of course), a burp cloth, and a bib. When I dropped him off, I was surprised to see his aunt, Tracie, in his room. She had been asked to help for part of the day, and I was excited Hayden would get to spend a little quality time with his aunt. Keeping up his ritual from Sunday, Hayden was fast asleep in his carseat. Having learned my lesson on Sunday, I asked Tracie and his other teacher to please wake him up in an hour.

My day was so weird without him. I went swimming this morning at the YMCA with my mom. I've been swimming for the last three weeks or so...trying to lose those last several pregnancy pounds. When I got home from swimming, it was SOOOO quiet. It suddenly hit me that I had not been in that house without Hayden before. (When Chris and I moved in to our house, I was 29 weeks pregnant.) Although I definitely missed him, I believe my Tuesdays and Fridays will be good for me and make me a better mother...giving me a chance to travel a little for work and have some "me" time.

I picked Hayden up at 2, and he was asleep in the arms of one of the workers. They said he had a good day and were able to verify that he didn't sleep the entire time. On his "Daily Information Sheet," it said "I can taste, touch and smell." It was so cute. When I got Hayden home and took him out of his carseat, he opened his eyes, spit out his pacifier, and gave me a grin from ear to ear. What more could any mother want?

Bath Time on My Birthday

Hayden turns 2 months old today! Actually, as I am typing this, he is now officially 2 months old (he was born at 2:14 pm). I thought we'd celebrate his birthday by sharing one of Hayden's favorite events with everyone - bath time! When we first got Hayden home from the hospital, he absolutely hated getting baths and would scream all the time, but now, he absolutely loves his bath. He usually gets one about every other day...only a total of about 2 to 3 a week...usually not more often than that, because I don't want to dry his skin out.

His little tub is great. It has a little hammock mesh-type thing that Hayden lays in while he's getting a bath, and it can be used until he's a toddler. Hayden is a lot like his mom, because he enjoys warm bath water. I was actually afraid it might be a little too warm when I found a temperature he liked, but I guess he'd let me know if it was too warm! As much as Hayden likes getting a bath, he really enjoys what happens after his bath. We have these really fluffy brown towels that we bought at Linens N' Things, and he likes those so much more than the baby towels. We wrap him up tight and carry him back into his room to dry him off.

I'm posting some pictures below. In an effort to reduce his embarassment when he is older and sees the pictures, I tried to minimize the nakedness. Oh, and there's also a picture that gives everyone a good idea of how LONG he is!

Shot Day

I took Hayden to the pediatrician today to get his 8-week shots. He had the best little time at the doctor's office. He got weighed and measured and must have thought that the doctor's office was just beautiful, because he was spellbound by everything in there. He just cooed and laughed and smiled at just about everything and everyone in there...he's a little ham! And, boy, has he grown! He weighed 7 lb, 1 oz when he was born and now weighs 12 lb, 4 oz. He's grown 3 inches in 6 weeks and has gone from the 25th percentile in height to the 75th percentile! That must be why his little 3 month clothes are almost getting too short already!

Dr. Myers, his pediatrician, is just great and was really pleased with how he is doing and how he looks. Other than a case of cradle cap and seborrheic dermatitis (just a little rash that goes along with cradle cap), he looks healthy as can be! Hayden really enjoyed smiling really big at Dr. Myers. Apparently, he didn't know what was coming...because, before he knew it...

In came the shot lady! Oh no! His happy trip to the doctor's office was soon over as he got all of his shots. He really did good, though. He screamed pretty hard when he was getting his shots but calmed down pretty quickly afterwards when he got his pacifier. Since getting his shots, he woke up just long enough to eat and is back to sleep. He cried a lot and wanted me to hold him while he was going to sleep, so he must not be feeling too good. Poor little guy!

The good thing about the 8-week shots is that he can officially now be around other little children in large groups. Oh, we've been getting out and about a whole lot...because I'm not one of these moms that can sit inside all the time. I figure he'll get sick at some point, and we might as well go ahead and build up his little immune system. But, he hasn't been able to go to Sunday School at church or go to Mother's Day Out yet. He'll get to go to his Sunday School class on Sunday (he went with Chris and I to our class this past Sunday), and he'll start Mother's Day Out at First Baptist in Clinton next week. He'll be able to go to that on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 am - 2 pm to give mom a chance to travel for work or just to give me a little free time to run errands without having to lug around a car seat. Even though it's not like he can really play with little children or anything, I think he'll really enjoy being around other little kids...it will give him some different faces to look at every once in a while.

Daddy's Look-A-Like...Mommy's Boy

"Oh, he looks just like his Daddy!" I hear it everywhere I go! When Hayden was born, Chris and I had not even seen him and the cord hadn't been cut, and the first thing my doctor said as she was pulling Hayden out (I had a c-section, by the way) was, "he looks just like his Daddy." Yep, that's right...even before Hayden had been cleaned up, my doctor could tell that he was his daddy's boy. Just about anywhere we go as a family, it is inevitable that a complete stranger will come up to us and tell us how much Hayden looks like his Daddy.

There remains a few people who don't see the look-a-like connection (EVERYONE sees the connection with the hair...how could you not?), and my mom says she OCCASIONALLY sees little pieces of my brother and I in him...but for the most part, that cowlick gives Hayden away. The only other look-a-like connection I've seen with him is with my two-year old nephew, Kristopher. Kristopher's hospital picture and Hayden's hospital pictures look very much a like.

I obviously think that my husband is very handsome, and I think Hayden would be lucky to look like him (I'm still excited to see those bright blue eyes...just like his Daddy). After all, nothing really matters as long as Hayden is happy and healthy.

Well, that boy may look just like his Daddy, but it seems as though I have a mommy's boy. I had heard other moms telling me (before Hayden was born) that "little boy's LOVE their mommies." This fact has always been evident to me in my brother's home, where Kristopher absolutely LOVES his mommy, Tracie. Even in the hospital when Hayden was born and Tracie held Hayden for the first time, Kristopher obviously didn't enjoy seeing another "man" in Tracie's life, because he quickly said, "want to push the baby off"...meaning he wanted to push Hayden off Tracie's lap. Rest assured...there were no mishaps in the hospital in which Hayden ended up on the floor, and Kristopher absolutely loves Hayden (especially pulling Hayden's pacie out of his mouth and putting it in his own).

It seems as though Hayden is carrying on the "boys love their mommies" tradition. Poor Chris! There are times when he tries EVERYTHING to get Hayden settled down, and he'll finally give up and pass Hayden to me. Within minutes of being in my arms or laying on my chest, Hayden is out like a light. Just the other night, Chris was holding Hayden, and Hayden was upset about something. I went over to put Hayden's pacifier in his mouth, and Chris said he had already tried that a dozen times. I put that pacifier up to Hayden's mouth, and he quickly took it and was asleep within a few seconds. Chris just shakes his head and smiles and says, "I don't know what you do that I don't do." I guess being his mommy is all I have to do.

On that same thought, I realized there weren't any pictures of Hayden and I on the blog. Chris has his "game day" pictures when Hayden, but I don't have any pictures with him. So, I'm including a picture of Hayden and I. Hayden is wearing my favorite outfit...a really cute set of Winnie the Pooh overalls that Tracie gave him. I tried to get Hayden to look at the camera, but he wanted to look at his mommy. I'm also including a picture where you can see his little overalls better...forgive the hair in that picture...I have to calm that cowlick down sometimes with a little water. :o)

By the way, we solved the "Mystery of the Fussy Baby" this past weekend. We put Hayden back on his el-cheapo formula, because changing his formula just wasn't helping. Anyway, I realized that when Hayden started getting fussy, I had stopped pre-mixing his bottles and heating them up and had started just making his bottles when he got hungry. Well, one of the things that comes along with making his bottles when he gets hungry is LOTS of bubbles when you shake the bottle. Poor little guy...those bubbles were hurting his tummy. Now, his bottles are made when he wants them, but they are stirred and not shaken...it keeps the bubbles away and makes for a happier baby! I'm so glad to figure that out, and bless all of you mothers who have chronically fussy/colicky babies! Two weeks of all that screaming and crying was about all I could take.

Safety First...First Fingernail Cutting

Safety first! Isn't that what every mom always says? (Well, maybe not my mom, but when you grow up in the country in Pelahatchie, MS, I don't think there's any such thing as safety when your idea of fun is chasing your brother around in the barn, catching crawdads in the creek, and jumping haybails.) But anyway, like I was saying, every mom wants to be like superwoman...flying around town ready to fend off anything and everything that might hurt their little one!

So, what does that mean if a mom hurts their child? Yep, that's right...I've officially made my child bleed for the first time. It was going to be a harmless adventure for me (being superwoman and all)...just a simple clipping of Hayden's fingernails. After all, he had started scratching his face and hasn't even had not one fingernail clipping yet...he's 7 weeks old today, by the way! First, I should probaby say that this was probably not the best time to choose to tackle such an adventure, since I didn't have Chris (I guess that would make him superman?) to help me. Not to mention that the mornings are Hayden's fussy time, and keeping his little fingers still long enough to cut them wasn't going to be an easy task. But, being the superwoman-like person that I was, none of this was an obstacle too big for me to tackle.

I armed myself with fingernail clippers (which humorously are even Safety 1st brand, by the way), placed Hayden on my lap, and I was ready to tackle this new adventure. Well, you can only guess what happened. He started wriggling all around and didn't want to keep his fingers still, but I was still determined. Clip, clip, clip. Hey, this isn't so hard. Clip, clip, SCREAM...and then little bitty drops of blood. It didn't really bleed all that much and didn't make him mad for too long, and I was determined to finish cutting the rest of his fingernails. I succeeded in finishing. Better luck next time, superwoman!

Confessions of a Mom of a Fussy Baby

The first five and a half weeks with Hayden were so smooth. He was an easy baby. Sure, he had his nights where he didn't sleep too well and would stay awake for three or four hours, but that got better with time. We also had some breastfeeding difficulties for about 4 weeks, but those difficulties finally ended with both mom and baby deciding that bottle feeding would work so much better for the both of us. He had fussy times, but they never really lasted very long and usually weren't anything that a bottle or some sleep wouldn't help. For the most part, though, Chris and I were dealing with a very happy baby.

Hayden started getting a little fussier while we were at the beach, but it only escalated when we got back. Last Wednesday, Hayden screamed almost all day. I called the pediatrician's office and could hardly hear what the nurse was saying because of the screaming. Their suggestion? Maybe it's gas...Try some Levsin drops. The result? They didn't help. So, Chris and I thought we'd try changing his formula (even though he had been a very happy baby on his formula before then). That didn't help either. For about a week now, Hayden has continued to scream almost all morning and fuss much of the rest of the day. The only deviation from that pattern was yesterday when he waited to do his screaming until night-time.

About the only thing that might soothe him is for me to sing hymns to him, and one of the worst things that can happen when he is screaming is for me to put him down and not be holding him. Although I love holding and singing to him, holding and singing to a baby is just very difficult to do all day. I've heard other parents talk about how far they go to calm their fussy baby, but I never really understood...until now. While we were at the beach, my brother told Chris and I that the only thing that worked to calm their oldest child, Lindsey, was to jog around the house holding her. I chuckled at the time at how ridiculous it must have looked for my brother to be jogging around the house with a screaming baby, but now, after only one week of enduring a fussy/screaming baby, I completely understand why he tried and was willing to do just that.

I woke up today hoping and expecting some peace and quiet. I was hoping that I could actually get some work done. (One of the things I do as an education consultant is to write curriculum. I'm so fortunate and blessed to be able to do some of my work from home, but it's been difficult to work very much lately.) The screaming started shortly after Hayden woke up and ended when he fell asleep for a little while. My sister-in-law and nephew came by, and he didn't scream. I was beginning to think I was going to be lucky. They left, and the screaming broke forth with new power. It continued until after lunch, and I decided that I had to have some peace and quiet.

The solution? Look at the picture below. No, this is not an advertisement for my Chicco carseat and stroller (though I do love them and find them easy to work with). What you see below is the confession of a mom of a fussy baby. I put my screaming child in his carseat, snapped the carseat in the stroller, and pushed the stroller around my house. After a few laps, Hayden was out like a light. He's woken up once since then, but a few laps put him back to sleep. I understand and appreciate moms and dad out there who go out of their way to calm and soothe a baby who is upset. A parent wants to do anything and everything they can do to make their little ones happy and content. And, a special thanks to my mom (Gran) for the great suggestion!

On a second note, Hayden started smiling at us while we were at the beach. He had been "smiling" in his sleep for a while, but he started smiling at us with his eyes wide open and focused on us. It makes me feel so good when he looks at me and grins. He's a little cutie and a blessing from God...whether he is screaming at the top of his lungs or smiling at me from ear to ear. Although the screaming period is difficult to bear, I know it will be over before I know it, and I'll barely remember it when he's older. I can't wait for that to happen! Hehehe...

A Family Beach Trip

From Wednesday of last week through Labor Day weekend, our family took a little beach trip to Orange Beach, AL with some friends from our church, Morrison Heights Baptist Church. It was obviously Hayden's first trip to the beach, and he had a great time being a little beach bum! My brother and sister-in-law donated the SPF tent; we donated a bouncie seat and a portable fan from Wal-Mart (only $10 by the way); and Hayden donated lots of peaceful sleep on the beach in his tent with his little personal fan. He was a great baby and gave mom and dad some time to just relax.

We had a pretty large group with us - consisting mainly of people from my brother and sister-in-law's Sunday School class and their children and extended families; Chris, Hayden, and I; and my mom (Gran). Gran and Chris were both a huge help to me with Hayden and often volunteered to give me some time to myself. Now, don't get me wrong! I love spending time with Hayden, and he is the joy of my life...but every mom needs a little break every now and again.

For the most part, our activities consisted of hanging out on the beach and crab-hunting, but Saturday included lots of college football games - including LSU, Mississippi State (our alma mater, of course), and Auburn (boo!). Dad and Hayden both got dressed up in their game day outfits and enjoyed a day of watching games together. The Mississippi State vs. Louisiana Tech didn't end in our favor, and as you can tell from the pictures, Hayden had just about all he could take and spent the rest of the day sleeping.

The weather was beautiful and couldn't have been more perfect. The sun was shining; the beach was calm and peaceful; and the ocean wildlife was plenty. The crabs were huge down there...literally eating size. We also managed to catch a sting ray, several skate (which I was not familiar with until this trip), a starfish (a real live one...not the dead kind you see in souvenir stores), and several little fish. Anyway, the trip was so pleasant...until...Hurricane Gustav. That's right...we were down there when Gustav hit. We were those crazy people you see on the Weather Channel, and you are like, "Why are those crazy people still there?" Although Gustav didn't make a direct hit at Orange Beach, we got plenty of action...they even had mandatory evacuations about 10 miles down the road. Did that stop us from staying? Absolutely not. :o) When we woke up Monday morning, it was amazing. The waves were breaking even with the walkway from the condo to the beach, and the waves were so high. The wind was also very strong, and we had tornadoes popping all around us. In all seriousness, I was extremely glad that Gustav was not as strong as had been originally forecasted and that we were kept safe.

You'll notice the strength of Gustav's winds from the video, but you can't reallly get an appreciation of the water or the white caps in the swimming pool! I apologize in advance for my video attire...I was in my pajamas still! I'm adding an appropriate song to my playlist in honor of Gustav.

A Video of Hurricane Gustav