Oh Nap Time!

As mentioned in my earlier post a week or so ago, nap time was not going so well for Spencer. I think he has finally adjusted to us dropping to 1 less bottle a day and we are getting some quality naps again! He has never been a baby to just fall asleep anywhere. He generally likes to sleep in his car seat or swaddled up in his crib but we caught a few pics and a video of him napping on Bill's lap yesterday! I wish he would do this more often because it is so sweet.

You will hear our TV in the background but listen closely for the cute little baby noises :-)

Splish-Splash-Spencer Loves Taking Baths!

After a fun filled day of Gymboree and Family Date Night at the Taste of Forsyth with the Hamiltons we were all beat. Spencer did save some energy for bath time though. Check out a few clips we got of him splashing around!

(If I had any clue how to link these clips all together I would but I am technologically challenged!)

G-Y-M-B-O, G-Y-M-B-O!

MEET GYMBO (AKA kind of scary clown)

March Mommies and Babies (minus a few)

From L-R

Nancy & Dylan, Me & Spencer, Kelly & Carter, Kerri & Miles, Krissy & Nicholas, Laurie & Macey

Today Spencer and I and some of our friends did a free Gymboree Play and Learn class. It's hard when they are this age to time feedings and naps just right to make sure they want to play during the class but all in all it was a great outing for us. Spencer loved the stimulation! You might ask what you do in a Gymboree class for babies this young????????

We sang songs, gave baby massages, played with flashlights to help with eye tracking, tummy time to make the babies stronger, and even played some peek-a-boo with the big parachute. I am not so sure we will be signing up for any future classes just yet as we can do a lot of the activities at home but it certainly gave me some great ideas! Although, it was really fun being around all the other mommies and babies!! Gymboree has a Groupon special coming out on Monday so if the price is right we may jut sign up!

Here are some pics from our Gymboree class:

Spencer all ready to start his first class!

Chillin with GYMBO

All the babies playing

All tuckered out after class! Didn't even make it to the car :-)

Spencer Meets the Bumbo

So Spencer has been getting stronger and stronger and his neck control is getting to be so good so I thought we would try the bumbo this morning. Why not, right? It's a little early for it but we had fun trying it out! I think it will be a few more weeks before we really enjoy sitting and playing in it! But here is a sneak peek!

10 weeks! Well, Almost 11

Long Live the TOOTHBRUSH!

So our darling little Spencer has started to rebel against napping. Fabulous! I could not be more thrilled :-)





Listen, I CANNOT complain at all because Spencer has been a great little sleeper thus far and is sleeping through the night but this is new territory for us during the day. As a friend told me today with parenting, no comes out unscathed! We may all have different challenges but we all have them.



The days of 2 hour naps have seemed to have ended with this baby. Within one hour of going down for a nap he wakes SCREAMING! Almost like he is in pain. Originally this started with his afternoon naps but now EVERY nap he takes, we get screaming within 1 hour. This has been going on for about 2 weeks now and we even took him to the doctor because we were concerned it was his reflux. After our doctor was not convinced it was reflux she told us to listen to Spencer for cues.





Lets be honest, I may follow a schedule, I may let my baby "cry it out" but I would never deprive him of anything he needed. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am not against going back to a 3 hour feeding schedule as opposed to pushing it to 3 1/2 or 4 hours but to be honest I just don't want to give him a bottle every time he cries. So, there is the debate.....do I feed him because that is what soothes him or do I let him "cry it out"???? The doctor says let him cry for 10 minutes. Mom's on Call says 20-25 minutes. This solution is hit or miss. Sometimes he goes back to sleep, sometimes he is inconsolable. Even when I do pick him up to console him after "crying it out", he wants nothing but to scream. Could it still be reflux pain? Colic? ughhhhh can't they just tell us???





Yesterday, I tried it all. I tried the swing, the bouncy seat, the playmat, my shoulder, shushing, cradling, swaddling, not swaddling but the only thing that worked was the toothbrush! I put Spencer in his car seat and I turned the toothbrush on and wouldn't ya know it, he fell asleep and napped through to his next feeding. And lets face it, when we are out and about, he does great and sleeps through not needing a bottle but in his crib at home, it's not happening. So is it really hunger?

On a good note, Spencer still loves his play time. He is so alert and happy which of course makes me feel better after a screaming fit :-) I find myself cherishing this time even more than before because I hate to see my boy unhappy.

So, hooray for the toothbrush yesterday but it cannot work forever. So, any suggestions?

Spencer napping with his toothbrush!

Another Weekend of Celebrations! Family, Friends and Fun!

Couldn't have asked for a better weekend. It was jammed packed with family, friends and FUN!

Friday night we celebrated a belated Mother's Day dinner at our house with Cheryl, Dad, Annie and Hubbell! It was a great evening with yummy food from the grill and everyone got to visit with Spencer (who cares about us these days......I have learned we are chopped liver).










On Saturday we celebrated our God Daughter Marin's 1st Birthday (and her cousin Molly's 1st birthday too)! I cannot believe she is already ONE!!!! It has been a crazy fast year and I cannot help but think before we know it we will be celebrating Spencer's 1st Birthday too! LB, Danny, Jake and Marin are "family" and we so enjoy celebrating special occasions with them and their families! Happy Birthday sweet Marin Rose! We love you!








After a quick nap at home, we headed to Trey and Katy's for our first Crawfish Boil! I did not know what to expect but I wish I had taken pictures of the 42lbs of Crawfish they had! It was crazy but cheers to the host and hostess for a fun-filled night and SPICY food :-) We got to see so many of our friends that we have not gotten to visit with since Spencer was born! Speaking of Spencer, he got to come too and saw two of his friends Brooks and Nicholas. It's a great feeling to know we are ALL welcomed to join the party and all the babies were on their best behavior :-) The rain moved the party inside after a bit but we had a blast. I think we stayed out the latest we have in 6 months arriving home at a whopping 10:30!!






Sunday was our day to get a bunch of errands done and we got out early to conquer our list! After another day of running around we all crashed around 4:00pm and were in for the night. Yay for great weekends!

Well, Maybe not.....

Just as I said I was going to get him, he stopped! Okay, maybe this will work but "crying it out" is not easy! Stay tuned :-)

Crying it Out

Ugh....I hate this part of being a mommy but I do believe it is important. Right now as I write Spencer is "crying it out".

It somehow never gets easier listening to him cry. But we are going on our second week on our new schedule and we are not making much progress so I must use self restraint and do it. I have been following Moms on Call to the tee for Spencer's schedule and we have done great thus far but this transition is not going so well. I am starting to think he is just not ready for 5 feedings a day and I need to go back to the old schedule that had 6 feedings until he is. The Moms on Call schedule calls for a transition anywhere from 8-16 weeks. We are only at 10 weeks and I am starting to feel like we are just jumping the gun. Spencer slept 10 hours last night so I cannot complain and he ate at 6:45 this morning so I am letting him "cry it out" for 20 minutes until he reaches the 3 hour mark. Then, if he is not settled, we will feed every 3 hours today and go back on our old schedule tomorrow. Sigh......the joys :-)

Okay so he's still crying (breaking my heart) so it's time to go get him....3 hours it is!

Spencer Rolls Over!

We thought last week was just a fluke but Spencer is at it again. This morning he was a rolling machine. I caught it on video this time! I had to work fast so I did not miss it this time so I was only able to grab my cell phone. The quality is not so good but it got the job done. Time to get the real video camera ready to go so we can catch more of these fun moments! Don't mind my annoying screeching in excitement.

All in One Weekend: Celebrating Mother's Day & Our 2nd Anniversary

When I planned our wedding 3 years ago, I promise I did not pick our wedding date because it was Mother's Day weekend. But, now as I look back on it, it was a good choice :-) Celebrating my marriage and now, for the first year ever, Mother's Day all in one weekend!

Last year we celebrated our 1st Anniversary in Turks and Caicos! I was not blogging at the time so here are some scenery photos from our trip! Bill and I dream of going back there all the time and hopefully one day, we will! It was the most amazing trip and to be honest, I was not sure how any anniversary celebration could top it. That is until this year!

Bill and I decided to celebrate Mother's Day and our Anniversary all on the same day! This year it was not about the beautiful beaches, delicious food, snorkeling excursions, or soaking up the sun. It was about celebrating us and our precious new addition to our family! Our little Spencer! Somehow, celebrating both occasions here at home was just as special if not more then a fancy trip. Below are pics of our fantastic day together. I feel so blessed to have these two "boys" in my life and being a mommy never felt so great!

Mommy and Spencer in Bed on Mother's Day-Cut us some slack, we just got up :-)

Self portrait with my little man

Breakfast for Mommy made by my Hubby

I got a Coach Diaper Bag for our Anniversary!!! Love it!

I told Bill I was scared to use it because it would get dirty but it took me know time to transfer all of "stuff" out of my old bag :-)

For Mother's Day I got this beautiful keepsake box. It's an antique and Bill had the saying "a special box, for a special person, for special things" engraved on the box for me. I love to keep sentimental items so now I have a place to keep it all!!!

Mommy and Spencer -before we went shopping at the outlets. It was a beautiful day so we strolled around, enjoyed the weather, and did a little shopping!

Later that night we celebrated with Dinner at Sage! Spencer was a great "third wheel" and we enjoyed our anniversary dinner complete with Chocolate Martinis for dessert :-)

Spencer all dressed up for dinner

Sad the day has come to an end!

9 Weeks, 5 Shots, and 1 New Trick!

Spencer turned 9 weeks old yesterday! Although it's no way to celebrate, we had our 2 month check up and as expected, we all survived :-) Our appointment was very thorough as mommy had lots of questions of course.

-Weight : 12 lbs 4 oz and in the 62nd percentile
-Height: 21.5 inches and in the 10th percentile - o'well we are vertically challenged :-)
-Head Circumference: 38.10 cm and in the 14th percentile- small head but full of brains ;-)

We found out the results of Spencer's hip ultrasound that he had done 2 weeks ago and we are proud to say his hips are normal! No braces or surgery for this breech baby!

We got all five shots and 1 oral vaccine. I have to say I do not know how those nurses do their job. It was so hard to watch, I could not imagine having to administer shots to babies all day long! Spencer did great. After the initial shock of the first shot, he turned bright red, and then had to catch his breath before screaming through the rest. It was over within seconds and I held him as soon as possible. Within in minutes his screaming went to whimpers and then, he just fell asleep in his carseat! I think the nurse was more concerned about how I was doing then Spencer. I admittedly did tear up. Hey, at least I will know what to expect next time. We gave Spencer a long, warm bath last night and massaged his little legs to take some of the soreness away. He seems to be doing great today.

We also have officially moved from 6 feedings to 5 after speaking with the pediatrician yesterday. With this change in feedings comes a change in schedule! We started last night and wouldn't ya know, Spencer did it! He slept 10 hours!!! We are following our new schedule today based on the moms on call book and so far so good. He is up for longer for feedings/play sessions and napping less. Now, I just need to adjust. I was so use to my "schedule" each day and now I need to change too. No complaints though as I am thrilled he is adjusting so well!

Along with our new schedule Spencer did one new trick today! He rolled onto his side all by himself! I had woken him up for his 10:30 feeding and put him on his blanket on the floor to play so he could wake up fully before we started his bottle. I went to grab a bib in the next room and when I came back, he was on his side!!! I called for Bill and he came running in to see (too bad I did not have the camera handy). We immediately put him back on his back and watched him do it again. It's amazing how excited we get at the smallest things these days!

Right now, Spencer is laying on the floor "talking" to all of his toys. I have started putting smaller toys in his hand and shaking them so he will learn to grab them on his own but I know we are not quite there yet. I say it often but I can't believe what a joy he is. I am enjoying every moment of watching him grow.

Happy 9 weeks baby boy! (Picture to come soon)

Taking on 2 Months!

I am a little behind on this post because Spencer actually turned two months earlier last week. I figured I still have until this Wednesday to post to stay on track so, here it is! Spencer is 2 months this week! Although we have Spencer on a schedule that we like to follow to the best of our ability, we are taking some extra time to really enjoy these precious moments with him. It's truly how amazing they change in one week and sometimes being on a routine, keeps you from noticing all those fun changes which we certainly do NOT want!

Spencer has his 2 month check up on Wednesday! Booooo! This is when the shots start :-( We have had several of our mommy and baby friends survive their 2 month appointments recently but we have heard it is a rough appointment nonetheless. We have asked Daddy to come with us to our appointment so mommy has some moral support! Hopefully, I do not cry with Spencer!

How Spencer is growing this week:

- transitioned to size 2 diapers

- smiles when we smile at him and make funny noises of course :-)

- loves to support his head on his arm and suck his arm during tummy time

- stands up and jumps when playing on Daddy's lap (with help of course)

- has lots of conversations with himself during playtime

- started to ween off the paci (sad)--we still use it at bedtime from time to time

- travels on his tummy from one end of his play mat to the other end by doing what I call the "tummy crawl"

-loves to make eye contact with us and stare at colorful objects

(No official weight or length yet but will have that after our Wednesday appointment)

Growing with Bath Time

I was looking back at pictures today and I compared these few shots! I cannot believe how fast our little boy is growing. These first few were taken at 10 days old and the later of the bunch were taken at week 8!Craziness!

Still too small for our whale tub

Not so happy at 10 days old

Much Better at 8 weeks!

SOOOO BIG! We love our whale tub now!