Do Not Leave Child Unattended...

I debated even posting this on the blog, but I thought I'd try to make other new moms that might have an accident or two along the way feel better...so here goes.  Plus, life is in't always pretty as a picture, so no need to paint it that way. 

Sunday afternoon we ran errands- Babies R Us, Sams, you know, the necessities.  We got home and my boys took a little nap while I got all the goods put away.  I love a good day in the kitchen, getting everything organized, all the cans in a row- (which I have about 19 cans of Rotel now...see what happens when you just shove things in for a few months...), all the granola bars out of boxes and into tuperware bins in the cabinet, snacky foods together, pasta's together, so everything lines up just right.  Can you smell the OCD?  Much to my delight, I had a floor full of boxes and trash after my organizing fiasco.  Lance and Easton woke from a nap and were just hanging out on the couch when I asked him if he could help with the mess.  He got up from the couch, reminding me to "listen for Easton" while he took the trash out and rolled the bin to the curb for Monday morning's pick up. 

Remember, for 14 weeks now, I've been "listening for Easton" with not so much as a noise or movement other than the occasional goo or gurgle...so...down the hall I went to put some clothes in the dryer when I heard a thud...then a cry.  Oh.my.heart.  I knew what happened.  I flew into the living room to see that my little lovie had fallen off the couch and onto the hardwood floors.  My heart broke.  He cried; I felt like I was going to throw up.  He cried for a good 10-15 minutes, however I think it was a 'my feelings are hurt' cry rather than 'something hurts' cry.  We called the doctors office right away and they told us to just monitor him, make sure he'll make eye contact, follow a rattle, respond, etc.  So, I kept him up for about 2 hours and he showed no sign of a concussion.  I don't think he even his it head at all because I never saw a bump or even a red spot.  But, we treated him as if he did, just in case.  He slept in the bed with us Sunday night.  He slept.  We dreamed of sleep.  He was fine yesterday at school.  They didn't notice any difference.  I did make them aware of our little accident and no one seemed too shocked...they all responded with "it happens".  That sure didn't make those tears any easier, but I'm glad to know I'm not the terrible mom I had made myself out to be.  Bless his heart.   

Needless to say, lovie will no longer be left unattended on the couch.  He's gotten a bit more mobile over these past few weeks, he'll be turning over very soon I think.  I'm SO thankful that he wasn't hurt. 

I reassembled the pack-n-play and that's now decor in the living room. Lovely.

I know this was only the first of many falls to come over his life, but it sure hurt my heart.  I guess for every fall he takes, knee he scrapes, boo boo he gets, I will hurt too, it's part of being a mommy.  Now I know what my mom meant when she said "I'd take the pain for you if I could" because I would have taken it in a heartbeat from Easton. 

Happy Father's Day

What makes a Father?  To me, a Father is someone who is always there for you.  Someone who provides examples for you- what to do and sometimes even what not to do.  He loves you no matter what.  Even if you disappoint him, you'll still see a glimmer in his eyes when you make ammends.  He is the person that you can go to in a crisis or in times of celebration.  He is your Hero.  He will give you his last penny.  He is your biggest fan. 

My father and I were not always close.  We had a rough start.  However, God changed him and he changed me.  He taught me how to forgive, that everyone deserves another chance. Grace.  My father is a recovering alcoholic.  As of May 23, he is 20 years sober.  He did not used to be all of the things listed above, but he is now, and I am so grateful.  Happy Father's Day Papa!  I love you!

It's warms my heart to see Lance, who was all mine for 8 years, now as a Father.  He is a wonderful husband and has impressed me beyond words with his skills as a father..  To watch him with Easton, the way he loves him, the way he can make him smile, they way he can get him to coo at him, he'd give him the world if he could lasso it- absolutely makes my heart happy.  Lance and Easton are two peas in a pod.  I can't wait to see them together as the years go by.  I think they are going to be the best of friends. 

Today, we skipped church.  Lance had to work yesterday and we needed to sleep in.  Plus, lovie has his first cold so we're avoiding crowds for now.  Ah, the joys of daycare.  But, we decided to stay home and relax.  I made lemon poppyseed muffins for breakfast.  Easton gave Lance his Father's Day Present... the Line Up card from the Red's game we went to last Friday- he pulled some strings with a gal in the Red's Office...and 2 pages for our scrap book with all the pictures of him and Lance since he was born.  I'm not quite as creative as Lance in the gift giving but we did our best.  We spent some time on the deck while Easton took a nap.  It was 9 zillion degrees outside and the plastic pool was occupied and I wasn't enjoying the heat.  I can't take the heat like I used too.  We each visited with our dads and then came home for dinner.  I grilled Pork Tenderloin, made fried corn, baked cinnamon apples, steamed green beans AND some "rising bread"- you know, that kind you get that's frozen dough and you let it rise all afternoon and it melts in your mouth- yeah, that bread.  Mmmmmm. 

Happy Father's Day Boo- I'm so thankful to share this first Father's Day with you.  I love you- and so does Easton----he told me so!

Look at that head held up!  He's getting a lot of practice on his tummy at school and it's paying off.  He's had 2 naps on his tummy this weekend (I know---Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play...but...he really seems to like it) and slept like a champ and spent some time on a blanket on the floor on his tummy today and didn't scream---at least not right away.  :) 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Until next time...

3 Month Pictures

A few that melt my heart...

The talented Kim Vetter took these pictures and I couldn't be happier.

Check out the rest here:

http://www.kvpslideshows.info/Easton3mo/

 

You have GOT to watch this!

If it's skipping....go to this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYr9X293KqI

This afternoon we discovered Baby Einstein.  We put in a DVD and let Easton watch it for a few minutes.  Yesterday I tried and he started giggling but I turned it off because I didn't want Lance to miss it...SO, we tried it again today!  And he laughed at the same exact part as yesterday.  He LOVES the little dog and duck puppets!  They get his funny bone every time!

If this doesn't make your heart happy, well... then...you've got trouble!

ENJOY!!!

First Day of School- We ALL survived!

I've been dreading this day for, oh, 12 weeks!  I never dreamed that I'd love staying at home so much.  I really hated to see my 12 week leave come to an end, but, I had to get back to work. 

Yesterday was hard, knowing the events of today would lead to tears, and no doubt, it did.  Yesterday ended in tears, today began with tears. 

Lance was able to go with me this morning for his first day of school and I'm so thankful I had him by my side.  He's my pillar of strength and I can't imagine not having him.

Easton got up at 6 to nurse like he knew that was the 'plan' and then fell back to sleep with Lance.  He napped for a short time while I got ready.  Once we were ready we took a "First Day of School" picture.

He looks a little skeert! 

I had a rough time on the way in.  I sat in the back with Easton while Lance drove.  This morning he discovered that he could look in his mirror and see the person in the front mirror...he and Lance were making eye contact and it was priceless.  He wasn't too concerned with looking at me, not when he could see his Daddy. 

We arrived at school with all our gear, ready for our first big day.  Easton did wonderful.  I, however, couldn't keep it together.  His teacher is wonderful.  She got right down in the floor with him and talked with him while we got his things settled in and filled her in on all his little in's and out's.  He smiled at her.  I knew he was at the right place.  It's amazing the peace that you feel when you go with your conscience, especially when the Lord is your guide.  I'm so glad we switched to this school. 

Ms. S called me around 10:45 to say that Easton was ready to eat.  They had fed him a bottle at 9 but he only took 2 ounces.  Now, you can look at my lovie and see that he eats more than that.  They wanted me to come in BEFORE he got too fussy.  It's wonderful having him so close to work because I can go nurse at lunch...at least for a little while...and only have to prepare 2 bottles.  I got there and he was happy in his bouncy seat.  There's only one other infant in his class so he's sure to get attention and love.  When I left he was getting his diaper changed and was content.  I felt SO much better once I left him after lunch.  I knew I only had a short time until I picked him up but I also knew that he was well cared for.

When I picked him up this afternoon they said he did wonderful.  He had 2 naps in his bed! 

Yes, you read that right...he napped in a bed!  Praise the Lord!

He fell asleep the first time in the bouncy seat but they moved him to his bed...the second nap Ms. C rocked him and put him in the bed...both times he stayed asleep!!!

This school is so wonderful.  They sent us the picture of him napping and this one...

along with a little letter 'from Easton' about his first day at school.

He looks pretty happy to me, what do you think?

He was out like a light this afternoon when I put him in the truck.

All in all, I think it was a good day.  Lance said "Boo, this will probably be your hardest day and even at that it wasn't that bad was it?" 

Love his heart, always helping me look on the bright side.

For now, I'm going to sit her and watch lovie sleep.  He's so content on the couch...it's our night time routine and I couldn't be happier.

Praying for a good tomorrow.

Lance Won...

But after being up all night because our little grunter, kicker, noise maker kept us up all night... he agrees that was a bad idea!

Let me say, he started out in his bed but when he woke at 1am, I gave in!

Back to the crib tonight!

However, now that I KNOW he can sleep through the night I might have to let him cry- at this point he's getting up out of habit and not need...because no matter what time I feed him, he gets up at 1 and 4.  That's got to stop.

We won't start the CIO at night just yet, because we start "school" tomorrow...and we only need one dramatic event at a time...

First Road Trip

This weekend we took Easton to his very first Major League Baseball Game. 

Lance got tickets on the front row above the Red's Dugout. 

We drove up to Cincinnati on Friday morning. 

We toured the Red's Hall of Fame Museum...

We ate lunch at Bulldogs, across the River from the Great American Ball Park.

We napped in the room for a little while and then geared up for the big game.

We didn't make it to batting practice, but we got there just in time for the First Pitch.

We wore Daddy's hat for a few funny photos...

And...we got our first Major Leage Baseball...

Sam LeCure gave Easton his first Major Leage baseball.

Because Lance watches EVERY game, he knew that LeCure had pitched his first game for the Reds on the 28th and won!  He got his attention and told him "good game the other night".  I had Easton in my arms and stood up and said "can we get a ball?"  He came out of the dugout and gave him a ball.  As you can see, Easton was THRILLED! 

Even though the Red's lost, we still had a great time.

We went back to the hotel and took a sponge bath in the sink.

What?  You don't bathe like this on vacation???

Another highlight of the trip was that Easton slept from 11pm to 6:30am! 

I won't mention that we let him sleep in the King Bed with us...because I swore I'd never do that!

We woke up all smiles this morning, just like we do every morning...but I captured it this morning...

Lance has been trying to convince me all afternoon to let him sleep with us again tonight...

we'll see who wins...

Our first road trip was a huge success!

Stay tuned...3 month photos by the talented Kim Vetter will be up soon!!!!

Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend so far!

Plastic Pools, Wavy Lays & Lightening Bugs

It's the unofficial start of Summer and I couldn't be happier- unless of course, I had about 12 more weeks maternity leave, but we won't think about that right now.

Saturday, mom and Ali spent the day with Easton and I.  We headed to WalMart to get the necessities for a day on the deck- sunscreen for my fair skinned lovie- SPF 50, a sun hat, plastic swimming pool and lunch fixins. 

Rewind about 15 years...gosh, that sounds like forever ago, but the memory is still so vivid.  When I was little, after church on Sunday's (Summers stick out most of all) we'd stop at the grocery on the way home.  We'd unpack the groceries and spread out anything and everything one could possibly want for lunch on the counter.  We'd have deli turkey, ham, bread, condiments, chips, fudge rounds, dr. pepper, the works. We would eat and be together what seemed like most of the afternoon but I know that it wasn't but probably 30 minutes...because then we'd head to the pool...or to the couch for an afternoon nap.  It might not sound like much but it's one of my fondest childhood memories- just being together and doing the simple things. 

Back to today...or rather, this weekend.  We headed to Wal-Mart to get some outdoor goods and decided to have lunch on the counter at my house.  When your nursing, you've got 3 hours plus or minus a few minutes, start to start and we were cutting it close on hour number 3...so there was no time for a lunch stop.  We got the basics for lunch and headed home.  We had it all spread out on the counter just like old times.  We had Turkey Sandwiches, Wavy Lays, Iced Sugar Cookies (you know the ones you get in the bakery that have just as much icing as they do cookie...mmmm) and sweet tea.  It felt like summer- plastic pool, wavy lays...what could be better than that?  Saturday night I even caught a glimpse of lightening bugs.  I can't wait till we can get a jar and collect lightening bugs for Easton and put them in his room so he can watch them twinkle while he falls off to sleep.  Ahhh, Summer.  It's my favorite time of  year. 

We waited to take the first "swim" until Sunday when Lance was home.  I'm not sure if Easton got the full effect of swimming.  It was cloudy and hose-pipe water is COLD.  We did pour in some hot so it wouldn't be as cold.  I think on a hot, sunny day, he'll love it.  I sure hope so because mommy and daddy sure do!  

I might have found my nap time solution---take a swim and move the pack-n-play outside!

Mmmm...look at those rolls...Heavenly!

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!