Four Weeks Old

I can’t even really begin to think where the time has gone the last 4 weeks.  My baby is 4 weeks old!!  I guess I have been in such a new mother funk that I can’t really think about what we have done.  Oh yeah… nothing.  We have been in doors because it’s been 100 degrees and I don’t believe in taking babies in public (much) without shots.

We went to have professional pictures at 3 ½ weeks and it was pretty much a disaster.  He was NOT in a good mood that day.  I stayed for ONE hour.  During that time he tee teed 4 times, pooped on my arm, and spit up down my shirt.  I captured these moments with my phone!

The low down on John Brantley….

He went to the doctor Monday and weighs 10 pounds.
He can’t really wear a size NB diaper anymore since he is chunky, but I have a few left so I make him wear them during the day when he is awake.  They usually leave a mark on his leg since it is a tight fit. 
He LOVESSSSSSSssssssssss to cuddle.  Ohhh the child would be in HEAVEN if someone would hold and rock him 24/7.
He also LOVES to eat.  I feed him and sometimes it’s a struggle to make him wait 2.5 hours between feedings.  I honestly feel like a dairy cow most of the day!!!
At night he will go 3-4 hours between feedings and one night he actually went 5!!!
He rolled over.  I AM NOT LYING!  It happened yesterday.  I was unloading the dishwasher and Trey put him down for some tummy-time.  I turned around a minute later and the joker was on his back.  Ford rolled over very quickly too.  John Brantley has a nice round belly so I think he had some help!!
He likes a paci.
I swaddle him at night and somehow he manages to free his arms every time.
He sleeps in his baby bed.  He has been there since the first night we brought him home.  Since we added on to our house his room is connected to ours.  I don’t have to go far to get to him.
He sleeps in a wedge.  The first night we were home I found him rolled over into the bumper pad.  I NEARLY died.  I woke Trey up all panicked and said he could have suffocated.  We rolled towels up to put beside him for the night and then my friend, Amy, let me borrow her wedge.
John Brantley has a very weak stomach, as did his big brother.  I can’t eat red meat or multi grain cheerios.  I know better than to try anything greasy, spicy, or acid… I made that mistake with Ford.  Therefore, I might turn into a chicken soon.  That is basically all I eat.  Fortunately you can cook chicken many ways.
John Brantley isn’t a fan of the car.  He yells.
When he really gets upset and cries his entire body turns red.  He has a little dimple on his chin that turns white when he screams.
He has blue eyes… I hope they stay that way.  Ford’s did.
Currently his skin is kind of peeling off like he’s been sunburned.  His skin is sensitive.  I have sensitive skin.  I guess he got that from me. 
He has a red splotchy mark on his neck at the bottom of his hair line.  Some people have referred to it as a “stork bite” or a birth mark. 
The child has about 31875483752789 wet and dirty diapers a day.  It’s amazing.
He spits up a lot after he eats.  I thought we had developed a bad case of acid reflux, but the doctor didn’t think so.  I’m not used to spit up… Ford didn’t do it much.
He usually stays awake after I feed him the first time in the morning.  Then he naps most of the day.
He hates a bath.  He gets bathed in the sink and yells when you are bathing him.  He REALLY gets upset when he gets out and is cold.
He is fascinated with the celling, lights, and the fan.  I caught him smiling at the bathroom lights yesterday.
When he is upset I hum “Jesus Loves Me” or “Silent Night” to him.  I did the same thing with Ford.
He is going to have wavy/curly hair like me.
He loves to be outside.
He has a patch of blonde hair on his left temple.  Possibly another birth mark.
So far he hasn't gone many places.  He has visited Puddin and Pops' house, Arby's, Rio Lindo, Trey's office, the doctor, and Uncle Ken and Aunt Ashley's house.

Cuddling with Momma in the middle of the night.  Check out those lips!!!  Trey decided those must be Anthony lips because they didn’t look like his!

So why the Chevy shirt?  When I was pregnant it was upsetting to some of the other teachers that I hadn’t named John Brantley yet.  There was a precious third grade student who always asked me about the baby and my belly.  Well, one day she asked what the baby’s name was going to be and I told her we didn’t know yet.  She told me that I could name him: 1. Ford  2. Basil  3. Chevrolet   Her teacher thought it was hysterical and started calling him Chevy.  I even got an outfit out of the deal!

 

We have wonderful friends who are still bringing us meals.  It’s been so nice because I am not sure I am ready to tackle the cooking process just yet.  Thanks again to everyone!

2,557

July 9, 2005 = 7 years and 2,557 days (including two leap years) that Trey and I have been married!!!

Engagement day at Pickwick Lake

 

We got engaged on Trey’s 24^th birthday, August 5, 2004

Our wedding day

And now 7 years and two babies later here we are…

I love you…..and here’s too many more years together!!! 

Both Screaming Bloody Murder

During my difficult days (hormonal times) I chatted on the phone with a friend from Jackson.  I think she could sense how I was feeling (overwhelmed, exhausted, panicky) about all this newness and planned a trip to Mayberry.  Pam Wilson and I taught together for two years in Jackson.  Despite our 26 year age difference she is an amazing friend and we have a great time together.  She got here on Sunday and quickly went into babysitter/homemaker mode.  She was soooooo good with Ford.  She got right down on his level and played whatever he wanted her to play.  She stayed up at night and rocked John Brantley so I could sleep when I wasn’t feeding him.  She folded my laundry, washed my dishes, put sheets on my bed etc.  Needless to say, I was SAD to see her go!

Ford always needs to be entertained.  I am constantly racking my brain for ideas.  One day we made a pinecone bird feeder. 

Wilson, as I call her, and Ford played super heroes. 

 

She brought him a canvas to paint on.  At first he told me he was painting a Christmas tree and then he said it was the railroad tracks. 

 

Speaking of railroad tracks, I suggested that Wilson and Ford try to get the train to flatten some pennies again.  Last time we didn’t have great luck with the experiment.  This time they taped them down and they did really well.  Ford was pleased with them and has shown them off proudly. 

 

July 4^th at Puddin and Pops’ house 

 

Trey was a little bitter that we weren’t at the lake yesterday.  I didn’t think 3 weeks out from having a baby and the lake mixed too well.  He had to settle for watching TV and Puddin and Pops’ pool.    

 

Puddin and John Brantley     

 

My 3 week old baby.  He makes the funniest faces.  He often times reminds me of a baby bird.       

 

Tummy time…. Not his favorite.  He prefers to cuddle.         

 

The funny faces of John Brantley….          

Last night Trey took Ford to the country club to watch the fireworks.  I stayed home with John Brantley because he was screaming bloody murder.   We will discuss why in the next paragraph.  I sent Trey a text and told him to take a picture for me.  He responded back with… “A little bit of drama.  Not too much blood.  Explain later.”  Yep, every Momma wants to hear that.  I thought “great!”  It ends up that the sparkler Ford was holding burned his foot and he also decided to cry and scream bloody murder.  Moral of the story… three year olds DON’T need to hold their own sparklers. 

So John Brantley was also yelling to the high heavens. I ate steak for supper. I kind of knew maybe I ought to steer clear of red meat, but I did it anyway. About 5 minutes after he finished feeding the screaming began and lasted over 2 hours. I felt HORRIBLE!!!!!! The poor little guy had terrible stomach pains and it was all my fault. NO MORE red meat for me for a LONG time.       

He Just Might

It has been made VERY clear to me numerous times that my boys look like their Daddy.  I think their Daddy is very handsome and I am glad the Lamar genes are so strong.  However, it would be nice to have some credit for their appearance considering I carried them for 9 months and birthed them both. 

My mom was going through some baby pictures and found some of me that reminded her of John Brantley.  So maybe, just maybe, one of my boys might look a little like his Momma!

My mom thinks we have the same nose.  I’m not really sure.  Thoughts???

The Heads Up

This hot 100 degree weather is really putting a damper on our outside play time.  When a 3 year old is stuck in doors for too long it leads to Trouble with a capital T.  Ford needs to be kept busy pretty much every waking hour or something unpleasant might happen.  Last week he wanted to get a bottled water and pour one of the individual flavored drink mixes into his water and make “Kool-Aid” as he calls it.  He spilt half of it on the floor and the other half stained his face. 

See Exhibit A 

 

I am nursing John Brantley and I must say it is going very well.  However, I do believe he needs to learn to drink from a bottle so I can leave him for more than a couple of hours at a time.  The other night I fixed him a bottle and asked Trey to feed him.  Naturally, my best helper, Ford, needed in on the action as well.  John Brantley wasn’t a fan of the bottle to say the least.  I think it royally pissed him off.  Perhaps the time of day in which the bottle was given was a mistake (8:00 PM) or it could be that it just isn’t his style.  From 7:30-9:30 is pretty much chaotic around here… for me at least.  Both boys need a bath, Ford wants me to lie down with him, John Brantley needs to be fed and rock, and all the while the baby is usually ticked and yelling.  By 9:30 I am exhausted and need to go to bed.

 

Saturday Ford and some buddies went swimming at Puddin and Pops’ house.   And I will have you know that I even graced everyone’s’ presence in a bathing suit.  I have 10 pounds to go…. Things still aren’t pretty, but I am making slow progress.  And I have to remember my child isn’t even 3 weeks old. 

 

This was me exactly 3 weeks ago …..

This baby is soooooo sweet.  I kiss him about 200 times a day.  I love how he sleeps so soundly and lies in a little wad.

 

Ford is insanely jealous of my time with Toto.  Feeding times are difficult because Ford cries for me, climbs on top of me in the rocking chair, brings loud toys into the baby’s room to disturb us etc.  So when I go places (which is rare) I like to bring him back a little something.  Yesterday he got a push pop sucker from Wal-Mart.  This pleased him. 

 

I’m glad it’s July.  Lots of things will be happening this month; anniversary, my birthday, vacation.  I should have a lot to blog about!

Again, I must say THANKS to all the people who have brought us food.  You have made my life soooo much easier.  My mother and mother in-law have been a huge help.  They have both spent the night over here a lot lately.  I have had friends to come and play and entertain Ford so I can take a shower and know that he isn’t coloring on my couch!!!  I think we are adjusting to our “new normal”.  I just wish SOMEONE would have given me the heads up that two kids are much more difficult than one.  I wouldn’t change it for the world though.  I love my little family!!!!!!!