Braids and Bulldozers

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Moment to Catch Up

June has had it's ups and downs so far. Some of the ups have included a visit from Memo and Gigi (i.e. my step-mom and her sister), a birthday bash, first time having a babysitter when Momma and Daddy had to work on a Saturday (granted I only trusted my mom with this job and not your everyday "babysitter"), our big boy turned 4 months old and went to his first rodeo, and our first Father's Day with a boy.
Some of the downs have included Momma being very sick for a couple of weeks, Tyler getting pink eye and an ear infection, a sleepless/painful night, and no sister's in the house.
At the beginning of the month we had a great time spending an extended weekend with Memo and Gigi. They had a seminar in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday so we weren't able to spend much time on those days with them, but we did manage to make it over to Salt Lick for supper on Saturday night.Yummy!!! The next weekend we were able to pick up 3 little girls to enjoy supper at Chuy's for Hailey's 12th birthday! It's so hard to believe that she is already 12 and going into 7th grade. It seems like she was just that little 5-year-old that I was meeting for the first time. She has turned into such a beautiful young lady that I am so proud to have in my life and in my family. My mom was able to join us for dinner that night because she was babysitting the next morning as Chad had to work in San Antonio and I had to go to an in-service in Austin.
This night was also the night of no sleep!!! Tyler had gone to the doctor on Thursday the 7th and found out that he had pink eye, but then out of the blue, Friday night he began screaming moments after being put to bed. Now, if you have been one of the lucky ones to spend the night with my little angel, you know that once he is put to bed he either goes straight to sleep or will lay there looking around not making a peep until he does fall asleep. So needless to say this was NOT normal!!! He proceeded to scream the entire night - only resting for about 10 minutes on 4 or 5 occasions - right up until my alarm clock went off. Well, Daddy went on to work, and Momma went on to Austin, and Nana had never been the wiser to the night's events so a well rested babysitter was given the reins...and wouldn't you know that he slept the entire morning for her! I was still glad to see my baby when mom and Tyler met me for lunch in Austin to make the exchange. On Sunday he began to run fever and by Monday we were headed back to the doctor. Ear infection. So now my little man is on antibiotics and is still having good days and bad days.
For Father's Day weekend we were able to get the girls! Yeah!!! For the most part it was a restful weekend of good rest, good family time, and good home cooking (if I do say so myself). We did venture over to Stockdale on Saturday evening for the rodeo - Tyler's first. It was pretty crowded so we didn't get a seat, but the girls had a spot sitting on the fence and we enjoyed the evening as one big family. I'm pretty sure Chad had a great Father's Day spending it with all 4 of his babies, I know I did!

All in all we've been having a pretty good time around here. Just let the good times keep rolling!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

May is just a memory

In the last couple of weeks we have had our ups and our downs. Time flies by so fast, and I keep thinking I will get better at keeping this blog up to date, but before I know it, it has been another couple of weeks and I haven't even had a second to take a breath much less catch up with all of you. For the quick run-down, these are the things we have been up to.

Momma got sick
Hailey had her final band concert
Tyler and Momma spent the night with Nana
Lacee and Leah finished up the school year (Hailey will finish Thursday)
Had a wonderful dinner with grandparents, aunt & uncle, and cousins in Austin
Tyler started sleeping with a humidifier (gotta clear up this congestion)
Ordered a new swing for Tyler (one that will plug in!)
Tyler is starting to tolerate tummy time a little better
Holding head up really well
Doing lots of talking and even more smiling
Starting to try to reach for things
Finally, we have moved from nursing to formula

The thing that has most consumed all of my thoughts and concerns has been the issue of nursing. I had planned and hoped to be able to nurse Tyler through 8 months, but once I started working full-time, it has just become such an ordeal. Part of the reason I chose to work at the day care was to be able to continue nursing, but as I moved into the 2-year-old room, it became apparent that this was not going to work. I tried it for a couple of days, but the only way it was going to work was going to be to pump...this was even worse! Me and pumping did not get along at all and ultimately I wasn't able to take a breather throughout the day. I was having to pump during all recess times and lunch. Not only was I exhausted at the end of the day, but I wasn't able to spend a single second with Tyler...and wasn't that the reason I started working there in the first place??? So, Chad and I sat down and had a serious talk last week about working and nursing and what would be best for us and Tyler. We decided to go ahead and switch to formula at this time. Once the decision was made my stress level went down considerably and I was finally able to enjoy my job and enjoy about another 3 hours a day with Tyler while at work. He seems to be taking to the formula just fine (maybe even better than he did nursing). He is holding it down a bit better and I think he really enjoys getting fuller faster. As for me, I am finally reaching the end of the pain and looking at the positive side of things. I know have time for so many things like riding horses, shopping, pedicures, working out, ect. It's nice that Chad and Hailey (and any one else) can help with feedings now and I don't have to revolve my entire life around him eating. Feeding times have also gone from about an hour at a time to about 15 minutes at a time. This in itself has freed up an incredible amount of my time. I think it's going to be good for both of us in the end, and I'm just thankful for the 3 1/2 months I was able to nurse to ensure that we both received some of the benefits that come from nursing. Now at least we have more play time together and not just feeding time.

Below are a few pictures of the last couple of weeks...Enjoy!

Our happy boy

Hailey at her band concert

First chair the entire year!

Playing with Daddy

Sweet siblings

Amazed with his hanging friends

Reading his new book with Daddy

"Really Momma, another picture?"

Love my Nana

Our new humidifier

Holding my own bottle at 3 1/2 months

This thing is way too fun

"Hi Momma"

Sweetest face I've ever seen!!! Love this boy

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

3 Months Old

My little man is 3 months old today. I would never have thought that something so little could bring such an enormous amount of joy to my life! He is by far the best thing I have ever done. I find it amazing how in the past 3 months he has taught me so much about love and life and about who I am and who I want to be. My life is crazy, hectic, fun, surprising, and completely perfect with this little gift from God at the center of it.

3 Months:

Discovered a deep love for mobiles
Started smiling with all he has, both sporadically and in response to others
Sleeping completely through the night
Tummy issues improving (slightly)
"Talking" much more
Trying to start laughing
Staying awake for longer periods during the day
Discovering more of the world around him
Tried out the Bumbo since he loves to sit up (still need to do some growing)
Going to daycare for full days - some without Momma in the same room all day
Wearing 0-3 month shirts/onsies
Still wearing Newborn shorts/pants
Wearing 3-6 month shoes
Bringing countless moments of joy to my family and all who meet him!

It's really hard to believe how quickly time is going by, but with each passing moment there are so many memories being made. I can't imagine a more perfect baby, and I'm just thankful that God saw fit in His infinite wisdom to bless me and Chad with Tyler Lane.

Catching up

WOW! So it has been almost a month since my last post. My how time flies when you're havin' fun! So many things have been going on since I last wrote, so I will give you all the "Cliffs Notes" version.

My little man is coming into his own. During the time since I last wrote he has really started smiling and "talking" a lot. This is one of the reasons I have not gotten on here - he's just so fun to talk to and to watch as he smiles and coo's at us! He is still having some tummy issues, but as we near the end of the third month his colic is diminishing as promised, but the the reflux still persists. Fewer fussy moments in our day has certainly made for more fun around our house. He is still suffering with the persistent congestion that has plagued him since he was 3 weeks old, but we manage our way through it with mental bath, eucalyptus "Boogie Wipes," baby Vapor Rub, and my new favorite snot sucker.
He is growing so much and gains more and more personality every day. He has started going to daycare all day now, although he would really rather stay home. He hasn't quite gotten used to all the noise that goes along with being around the daycare, and therefore his sleep is interrupted regularly. This sleep deprivation during the day has caused him to start taking extremely hard, long naps in the evening and so he has been waking around 4:30 in the morning ready to start the day - his Momma on the other hand, is NOT! I had gotten way too used to him sleeping until I had to wake him around 7:00 to get ready to go to daycare - yes, I have been very spoiled by my little angel.
He has also done his first art projects this month and was kind enough to not only do them for his Momma, but also wanted to share them with some special members of his family. He is now officially wearing 0-3 month onsies, but still fits more into the newborn shorts. However, his newest pair of tennis shoes and sandals are both 3-6 month. Tall, thin, and with big feet and hands!
We were so lucky to get to see just about everyone in our family during April. Tyler and I headed North mid-month to spend the weekend with Grandpa and Memo (my dad and step-mom), and we were able to have the opportunity to make several pit stops along the 1-35 corridor. First we had a quick visit with Nana (my mom), then stopped in at Uncle Slade and Aunt Nicole's (Chad's brother) where we saw them, 3 cousins (Iris, Cody, and Brooklyn), and Mawmaw Butchie and Pawpaw Charles (Chad's mom and step-dad). Then after a wonderful weekend with 2 of our favorite people we stopped in at Pawpaw Bert's (Chad's dad) and then another quick stop at Nana and Papa's house. Whew, whata weekend whirlwind!
We, of course, celebrated Daddy's birthday over the course of about a week. Nana just had to come see Tyler baby the week before Chad's birthday so he got his gift from her, patio furniture, then the kids and I got him a new grill that he also got that weekend. Needless to say, on his actual birthday the kids and I just took him to eat and gave him our cards (well, minus the one from me that I STILL haven't located). Unfortunately we made it short and sweet since he had to work late that day and then work all day the following day. :-(
We also went to my sister's house for a double birthday party - my nephew turned 1 and my mom turned 60. We had a wonderful fiesta for Clay's party at lunch and then we toned things down for a relaxing afternoon filled with long lost family time before our evening celebration. Chad and I, along with all our clan, stayed the night and were able to enjoy a few more precious moments with some of our favorite people.
Somewhere in the midst of the month of April I took the girls and Tyler up to the High School for "Seniorpaloosa" (a fund raiser put on by the Navarro Seniors. There was face painting, a dunking booth, a Cars train ride, and several other activities for the kids to participate in. The girls had lots of fun - mostly at the face painting booth - and it was a fun way to spend a few hours on our Saturday.
Finally, as most of you know, Tyler and I started working/schooling at daycare in April. We started off part-time, and then after a couple of weeks we moved to full days. Tyler has done okay, but would rather spend his time as the complete center of his Momma's attention with both of us relaxing at home. I will admit that starting at the daycare has been the number one reason I have not stayed on top of my blog. I am hoping to get more settled into a routine and be able to go back to updating all of you on the families happenings more often. This will hopefully prevent me from having to overload this thing once a month.
On that note, sorry for the lengthy reading and even more lengthy picture trail, but thanks for reading and looking, and mostly for caring! Love to all!!!