To the Gulf or Bust

It is that time of year again.  Vacay time that is.  Mama Taylor/her family, Hubby/Caleb and I have had a two family vacay in the planning for months now.  We plan to travel to the Gulf and enjoy some family time/cute babies on the beach time.  We had found the perfect condo to rent (or so we thought), and we had our vacation all booked and planned for the last week of May.  Yes, that is three weeks away.  Well, we had sent in the down payment, and we thought everything was good to go.  However, we find out today from the owners of the condo, that they have sold the condo and will no longer be able to rent it out to us.  Yes, I said sold.  As in they no longer own it, as in we no longer have a place to stay, as in our vacay is three weeks away, and there is no way we can find another place in time.  Ughhh!! I was beyond a little stressed. We are getting our deposit back, but is looks like our vacay is going to be postponed until the middle of  July.  Sucky, because I was looking forward to a beach in three weeks, and now I have to wait a little over 2 months.  However, all things work together for the good, and I have hopefully found the PERFECT place to stay.  It is within budget, and right across the street from the beach.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that when the owner calls me back it will be good news. 

Makes me Wanna Suck...

Out your boogies!!! Oh friends, I was introduced to the best baby invention of all time by my irl blog friend Brittney.  The battery powered Nasal Aspirator (and the hallelujah chorus begins). 

 I had no idea there was such a thing, and let me just tell you it has made our days much much easier! I mean poor little man has had an awful time with his nose due to his allergies, and this mama has had an awful time sucking those boogies out.  I mean I was still so last year and using the hospital nasal aspirator.

 You know the one where you have to hold your child down with your legs, arms, body etc just to repeatedly suck and suck and suck, only for the boogie to still be left in the nose.  I mean the problem was never solved.  Boogie still in nose, screaming child, and a sucky aspirator that can not suck!!! However, our days are changed now.  Caleb actually enjoys having his nose sucked by the new aspirator. He smiles at me and it sucks away every single boogy and snot stream he may have!! It is a wonderful wonderful invention, and I highly recommend it to anyone.  I bought the Safety First brand at Target for 25 dollars!!

These pics have nothing to do with the post, but they are from the baby pool party we had few weeks ago!! Soo adorable!  

Caleb and Presley are just too too cute together! Love the baby chunks!

 

Speed Eater

This is a little video I took of Caleb after his lunch today. He has always been the fastest little eater, and  I was curious how long it actually took him.  4 minutes and 15 seconds to eat 1 stage 2 veg/meat and 1 baby yogurt! He is a hoss!

You Give Me Fever

So remember the awesome steal I found the other day at the consignment sale? You know the $10 dollar bassinet that will be used one day for our next baby??

Well, that little bassinet gave me baby fever for another one of these little miracles

The ones that snuggle so long and sweet on your chest

The ones that look so tiny in the carseat that they outgrow so fast

The ones that were the exact same size as our little princess Bella

The ones that fill the first week with so much happiness, love, and sleepless nights

Aww how I miss my newborn baby.  I tried to get Caleb to fill my newborn baby fever by doing this to him

He was not to interested in playing along

Oh newborn babies are the sweetest.  However, they do not beat my little butt scooter, knee sitting, cuddle bug who claps, waves, gives high fives, and talks to me using the new word he learned this weekend,  "Baaa Baa".  Oh I love my little man and I can not believe how much he has grown :*(.  Eight months so far has been filled with so much excitment and new adventures, and it just keeps getting better!

So I Don't Have to Kill My Pediatricians Now

Okay, you may or may not know about the "illness" struggle that has taken over our household this month.  The illness monster started attacking my little baby, and trust me this mama was about to attack it!! Anyway, long story short in bullets

• Week before we left for Florida Caleb had a runny nose and cough. We went to the doc just to make sure there was no ear infection/anything in lungs. He checked out fine
• 2 weeks later he still has a runny nose and cough. I take him to another doc in our pedi group and he diagnosis him with a sinus infection and gives us amoxicillan. On top of this he tells me Caleb does not have thrush when I know he does.
• 2 days later Calebs mouth breaks out in white and I call the doc and demand thrush medicine. 
• Take Amoxicillan for 10 days and he is still not cleared up and cough is worse. Go back to the doc and see another pedi in the group.  He comes up with a "viral infection" and calls in two other perscriptions.  He then tells me that amoxicillan makes thrush worse.  OMG I am going to Kill these doctors!!!
• Thrush still there 2 round antibiotic for it!! Give Caleb a few rounds of the "viral infection" antibiotic, and then I decide that I need to find out what is wrong and not just give medicine for nothing.
• Go to Billy Days this past weekend and Calebs eyes start swelling and becoming itchy and red all the time.  I wait until today to make sure I was not being paranoid and went back to the doc.
• FINALLY I get to see the first doc that told me long ago Caleb needed no medicine and just had a cold and I LOVE HIM!!! He checked Caleb out, said it was crazy for him to have ever taken any of those meds to begin with, and he FINALLY figured out what was wrong!!
• MY BABY HAS INDOOR ALLERGIES.  Outdoor allergies generally do not show up until babies 2nd year of life, however, indoor can show up around 8-9 months. He said it could be caused my carpet, pets, cleaning supplies etc etc.  He said it was for sure allergies because his nasal cavaties were pale, and his eyes had small bumps under the lids.  He answered tons and tons of questions for me, gave me reading material to stock up on knowledge, recommended a medicine but gave me all the paper work to read up on first. OMG he was a life saver because I was really about to switch pediatricians!!! We will NEVER see anyone else. We are not exactly sure what is causing Caleb's allergies at this point, but in the next few months we will be trying to rule some things out.

I am so thankful that we know what is going on with my little man. I have literally been to the doc ever week this month with something new. It has killed me just giving him medicine for something that he might have!!  I just wanted to know for sure!  I hate that he has allergies, but we will figure out how to make him comfortable over time.  This doctor was so great, he even checked to make sure that Caleb did not have lumps in his belly by request of me, because due to his cough and droopy eye I had diagnosed him with neuroblastoma via google! (I know I am never googling again)!!! Thank you God for a doctor that I feel comfortable and confident with.

On another note this week has been full of bargains! I found a 25 dollar high chair at once up a child for Meemaw's house yesterday! Today we went to a consignment sale at a local church and I stocked up on a ten dollar perfect bassinet for baby #2 (one day), and a table and chair set for Caleb for 25 dollars, a Jesus loves me CD for 1 dollar, and a pair of shoes for 3 dollars!! So excited about  my finds!

Getting the highchair in my car was quite the task! Lucky mama Taylor was there to help!

Here are a few pics of little man from the past week to hold the g-parents over!!

This is how excited Caleb was about Billying!

He loves to blow raspberrys now!

Early Lovely Blogger Thursday

Lovely Blogger Thursday is back, and this week it is coming a little early.  Not to sure if I will have time to post tomorrow.  Anyway, on to the point...

This is Abby the Babbler who blogs here (pics taken from her blog)

This is her adorable little man Beckham (how cute is that name?)

She is this weeks LOVELY BLOGGER.  Make sure to stop by and check her out. 

1. When and why did you start your blog? {I started my blog 2 days before I actually had Beckham back in 2008. I created it as a way to chronicle our life as a new family - and it has turned into so much more. I love connecting with all the other bloggers out there and really feel connected to so many great ladies. I anticipate binding it all into a book someday as a family "heirloom" of sorts, and I think Becks will appreciate all the memories.}

2. How did you and your hubby meet/engagement story? {Brandon and I met in high school and dated on and off for almost 7 years before he proposed. He proposed on the front steps of my parents' house before I returned to Lexington for school. We'll have been married for 4 years next month!}

3. What is your schedule like with your baby? {During the week, I get myself ready for school, and then get Beck up around 7am. Either B or I take him to one of his Nana's until around noon when I pick him up. He usually naps from noon-ish until 4 or 5pm. He's a great napper! We spend our afternoons playing outside, baking, watching Sesame Street (always the same DVD), or running errands. We always have a family dinner when B gets home, and then it's usually a little more playtime followed by a bath. We read stories and sing songs around 7:30pm and then it's off to bed!}

4. Did you go before/after/or on your due date? Natural labor or c-section? {Becks came a day late and I was induced, much to my surprise, following a non-stress test. I wasn't anticipating having a baby that day, but due to heart decellerations, it was imminent. B and I both were big proponents of me going natural, but I couldn't bare the pain and eventually caved in for an epidural at 9 cm dilated. Crazy? ABSOLUTELY! If i have to be induced again, I would definitely go for the epidural earlier. However, I did have a fairly quick labor from start to finish and I'm starting to foget the pain! Becks' birth story is detailed here.

5. Favorite place to buy baby clothes? {Thrift stores, consignment sales, and garage sales. I'm a sucker for a good deal, and pretty much refuse to pay retail for something he'll likely wear for a couple of months before he outgrows it. With that said, I do love The Children's Place for staple items and will stock up at their yearly Monster Sales on seasonal pieces.}

6. #1 piece of advice for your baby? {Put God first, others second, and yourself third. Be true to what you believe in and have confidence and strength to persevere through the ups and downs of life. I think that is more than one! }

7. favorite bible verse/quote?

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

8. All time favorite baby item? {I'm going to go with a couple because I think their combined effectiveness helped me continue my desire to nurse, which was very important to me. I wouldn't have made it through earlier motherhood without my lactation consultant, Medela Pump-n-Style, My Breast Friend, the Boppy, and nipple shields! I tell you what, those nipple shields were my nursing saviors in the early days, and I doubt I would have continued if my consultant hadn't encouraged their use. }

Hi.....Yay

Hillbilly Daze

We are home safe and sound from HBD2K10!!! It was a blast.  We arrived later than planned on Friday, so our actual time spent in town was short lived.  However, we had a wonderful time at Uncle Brians "Tiki Bar"/Basement of his house as always, and everyone was really excited to see Caleb.

 Caleb was so excited about hillbillying that he even started clapping and waving his hands while saying HI while we were downtown.  I guess the bluegrass music excited him.  We have been lucky enough to see him wave and clap all weekend, and I have to admit he melts my heart. 

Caleb also had a lot to clap about on Saturday when he was able to swim in a big pool for the first time.  He loved it, and we actual have a video where he is kicking his legs and it looks like he is swimming.  I personally loved the cute little baby booty hanging out of his onesie while he was floating around.  Oh so cute. He is going to be such a water log this summer.

looking cool in his new shades

Friday night my family watched Caleb while Nick and I took the night off and hung out with some high school friends of mine.  Caleb did okay, except for a little break down around 1 am, but they were able to get him calmed down and back to sleep.  Nick and I had a lot of fun ghost hunting and having some hillbilly drinks at my friend Dillon's house.  We all ended up crashing there that night, and then arriving back at my grandmothers before Caleb woke up the next morning.

(Next few pictures sum up our hillbilly daze night) 

sis and I having a moment

I was obsessed with playing with her belly button

Hillbilly Days was great once again this year. It is always a fun time to see family, hang out with friends, and celebrate our "hillbilly heritage".  It is also great to travel home and see the mountains in full bloom for the first time each year!

Not so Patient

Ya'll I am ready to leave for Hillbilly Days! I am soo soo soo ready.  Hubby was suppose to be off work an hour ago, and he is still not done! At this rate we are not going to get into town until around 6 or 7!!!! I hate waiting! I look forward to this weekend every year, and I never get to go home as it is! I am so so so ready to get this show on the road!! I think I may have a break down if we do not leave soon.  I am staring at my phone waiting for him to call and say he is on his way!! Grrrrrrr

In the not so patient hours of this morning I did take a little photo shoot of Caleb in his Hillbilly attire.  Everyone always dresses their babies in overalls, and little girls with piggy tails, and of course a hillbilly hat. Caleb does not have a hat or pigtails, but I think he sports the Billy Days overalls quite well. 

On another note, Caleb is now able to PULL UP on our coffee table.  He does it best if he goes from sitting in our lap, but he is getting oh so strong! He is also blowing razberrys all the time now, and he actually just started that this week. 

It Happened to Me

Oh dear oh dear I have an awful story to tell today that involves my dear sweet precious, a boppy pillow, a couch, and a crying mama.  I'll start at the beginning....

You see Mama Taylor and I have made new friends with two new mama's this past month, and we have all been hanging out a lot! I first have to admit that it is wonderful to have more friends, and to have things to do during the day.  So anyway, we decided to lay out at the pool at my apartment today, and everyone was on their way over.  Well Caleb woke up from his nap, I grabbed the stuff for his bottle, laid him in his boppy pillow on the couch, and then there was a knock at the door.  I quickly got up (forgetting of course that my baby love to MOVE now), opened the door and turned back around to give Caleb his bottle.  Just then I see a flash of baby perfect skin falling to the ground!! I RUN OVER TO MY BABY, SCOOP HIM UP, and BEGIN CHECKING HIM OVER.  No bruises, no hurt bones, just tears.  I hold my baby, give him his bottle, and begin letting the freak out in my head begin. "What if he would have broken his neck, what if he would have broken his arm, am I an awful mama, oh goodness is my baby okay....etc etc".  Luckily my new mama friend was there to assure me that it was okay, that it happens, and to not dwell on the what ifs. So yes bloggy friends, my baby fell off the couch! I said it would never happen to me but it did!!! I think I will be overly paranoid about him sitting on couches from now on!!

This pic was taken of him and Miss Presley about 15 minutes after the fall. As you can tell he is fine!

The babies fort at the pool

On another note, I have been a bad blogger this week.  I decided I would just share a few pics of what we have been into.

Better pics of this day to come in another post!! Caleb LOVED playing in the pool!

Now lets play a game.  Can anyone guess where we are headed this weekend?

It is a place where you walk through streets like this.....

See people dressed like this....

(a pic of my great aunts I found online for the event website)

And have the best time ever!!

Anyone know?? We are headed to Caleb's very first HILLBILLY DAYS in my hometown, and we are ohh soo excited!!