A Weekend of Firsts

This past weekend was one of many firsts for everyone. It all started on Thursday night when Shane yelled to me from the other room with something resembling "He said it, he said it!!" He assured me that Caleb had just said his first word and guess what. The boys continue to dominate in our house because Dada was Caleb's first word. There was some baba mixed in there but after several minutes, I could not deny that he had definitely said Dada.

Friday was my birthday and Austin informed me earlier in the week that he was going to get me a special cake for my birthday. He was going to buy me a princess cake because mommy was the only girl in the house and was the only one who qualified for a princess cake. So, on Friday, I received the first "princess" cake that I have had in my entire 32 years. Austin had gone shopping and decided on the cake below because it was chocolate and had a "princess" on top. It is actually Tinkerbell but was a darn good cake. Austin also had a first when they took a trip to the nail salon to get my gift certificate. Shane said that he very quietly looked up and said "Daddy, are we getting our toes painted?" After a look of relief he then asked, "Do we get to wear masks?" I thought it was really cute.











Friday night, we cooked out with our neighbors. Austin got to eat his first marshmallow that he roasted himself over the fire. (Yes, it was really 80 degrees and there was a fire. Only on Onondaga Court do such things happen!!!)












On Saturday morning, we left for Caleb's first beach trip. We went to Atlantic Beach so the boys could spend some time with their cousins. Caleb was not so sure of the ocean or the sand.













He then proceeded to eat sand in mass quantities!













He had quite a nice conversation with his sunglasses. Press play to view the video.






But then decided he had had enough!












He had a nice time just playing on the deck with the breeze in his hair. (HaHa)

Austin had his first fishing experience later that night. He was really only interested in the fish once they were caught. Sitting still for any amount of time is a challenge.

On Sunday, we returned to the beach for a little more fun before returning home that night.

I wanted to include just some cute pictures as well. Austin is really starting to help entertain Caleb more and more. He is great at getting him to laugh. They seem to do well together without major injury yet.

Click on the play button to watch their fun!

Well, it was back to the same old same old today. Everyone survived the weekend and we had a pretty good time. Hope everyone else stayed safe. Until next time.......

7 Months Old!

Yesterday, Caleb turned 7 months old. Where has the time gone? He has now mastered sitting up and is enjoying playing with more toys in the floor. He occupied himself for about 30 minutes yesterday while I did some house work. Being the horrible mom that I am, I also let him watch his first TV program yesterday. He was cranky and no one could really make him happy so I took out Bear In the Big Blue House. This had been Austin's favorite show. The big bear did it again! Caleb was mesmerized. I guess once a week is not that bad! He also got the hang of eating puffs yesterday. I had given him several a few times before but he had not gotten any in his mouth. He was successful about 3 times I think out of the 15 he was given! Oh well, he was sure cute trying!

Not so sure I like these puffs!

I missed!

Reclining to watch Bear!

Austin had T-ball on Saturday morning bright and early. They got their pictures made and then had a game. He did a great job hitting the ball but continues to be easily distracted in the field by other players not necessarily doing like they should. I accidentally had the camera on the wrong setting so there is a little video of him hitting below. Sunday we were supposed to go to the Mudcats with his team but the game was rained out. He was bumbed but enjoyed playing the Wii with Daddy instead.

Click on the picture to watch the video below:


One last crazy, weird thing. My grandmother passed away 2 years ago yesterday. It was kind of wierd when they told me Caleb would be born on the 17th of October but I knew that the date had special meaning and that things would go great. Weird enough, her birthday was the 17th of November (too many 17s)! Anyway, after her funeral I was given a calla lilly plant that had been given to the family. (This is one of my favorite flowers.) Last year, Austin and I noticed that the plant got it's first flower on May 17th. This year, I looked on the 16th and no flowers. Yesterday I went out after the rain had stopped and sure enough, there were 2 "blooms" that were not there the day before. They were still green but definitely were more flowery than the day before. It is just weird to me how mysterious things happen every day.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Enjoy the day off from work!!

T-Ball and Ear Infections

It has been quite a day in the 90 degree heat! Austin had his first T-ball game today. He woke up excited and wanted to dress right away but the game was not until 12:50. When he finally got dressed, he could not be cuter. Pants that are too big, socks that are too long, shirt tale to his knees but it all worked out in the end!

He did so well both in the field and hitting. The first time he hit the ball, he looked a little stunned and hesitated to run to first base. He got the hang of it fast and had a great time. Dad had a great time coaching as well. He was excited to have Nana, Grandpa and some of our neighbors there to watch! One of the moms has set up a website for his team: http://fvaabees.weebly.com/. They are going to post pictures of games there.

Caleb was not fairing quite as well today. 2 nights ago I thought something was wrong because he had given me 3 nights in a row of great sleep. He proceeded to wake up and be very grumpy several times throughout the night. I had to work late last night and when I called home, he felt warm and sure enough had a temp of 101 by the time I got home. Motrin in and off to bed. He woke up three times last night and had a temp of 102.2 at 4am. I took him to the pediatrician at my office this morning and sure enough, he has ear infection #2. He has had a fever all day, sometimes up to 104 but has hung in there and has gone from lethargic to full of smiles at different times.

The look of leaving presents in one's diaper:

After the events of the day, everyone was pooped. Dad and Austin napped on the couch...

But Caleb began to get his second wind. (Click to watch the video.)

Luckily it did not last long and he has gone off to bed tonight without difficulty. We will see how long that lasts. Hope everyone has a great Mother's Day!

Nothing Better!

I have decided there is nothing better than 2 boys and beautiful weather. We have had temperatures in the 90s since the weekend. I had hoped to post last week but did not have the chance. Things have been crazy.

Austin has started T ball and is quite the hoot! 4 year olds swinging bats can be a little scary at times. They are all so cute and he really loves it. We were surprised at how fast he has blended with the other kids. Shane is acting as assistant coach and Austin is going between the groups at practice without difficulty. We were scared he would be clingy. He also enjoys cheering on his teammates. Since the weather has been nice, he has gone to play golf 2 times and wants to play outside almost every day. He has more energy than I think I would even know what to do with.

T ball practice - stretching, fielding and hitting

Caleb likes it outside too. He has enjoyed his stroller rides and swing on the swing set. Last week he had his 6 month well check. Beefcake now weighs in at 17 pounds 8 ounces and is over 26 inches long. His attempts to sit up are becoming much more successful. Last weekend, he actually showed us that he can sit up for about 15 seconds before finally toppling over. He continues to limit his bottle intake at times but they think that is due to the reflux. He will usually take the bottles for me once we get home at night. He will eat food from a spoon from whoever places it close to his mouth! We are still waiting for his first tooth but continue to think it will show up at any time due to the crankiness and constant drool!

Caleb's New Favorite Game:

Where's the baby?

There he is!!

Caleb's first attempts at sitting...

Did not last long and ended like this! (no babies were injured!!)

On a more serious note, my grandmother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about a month or so ago. She went in for surgery last Tuesday and has had good and bad days since. Yesterday, they decided that she must have a bowel perforation and took her back to surgery last night (as per her decision). I immediately went to Greenville to be with my dad. Things went well but she is very sick and still on the ventilator this afternoon. We can only hope for the best over the next 48 hours. Please keep the entire family in your prayers.

Last, I went and had the boys' pictures made on Saturday afternoon. They turned out great! If you are in the Cary or Greenville area, I cannot say enough good things about Portrait Innovations. They rock! My sister went today to get Carter's pictures taken and said the studio in Greenville did an awesome job as well. Until next time.....

Happy Easter!

We hope everyone has had a great Easter! Our morning was not how I envisioned it should be as Austin arrived at our bed carrying his new Wii game in hand and already wearing the new flip flops the Easter Bunny had left! We did not talk to him much about the bunny last night since he had made it clear that that thing was not to come into his house. When he got to the bed I asked him did he know who the gifts were from and he said no. After I explained that the Easter Bunny left them, he just said ok and went about his business. No questions asked.

The boys and I spent the last 2 days in Greenville with my family and getting to see the new baby. Austin thinks he is pretty cool and can't seem to remember that Caleb was once a little baby too! He held the baby a couple of times and sat for longer than I thought he would. He tried so hard to make him smile and laugh and just doesn't understand that he won't do those things yet. Carter is very cute and seems to be a good baby. We tried to get good pictures of the three of them but you can see that Caleb was just basically laying there wanting the commotion to die down.

Caleb had his first stomach virus and vomited every day for 5 days. After 2 days of being "well," he screamed his head off at day care for 2 hours straight only to find that he had his first ear infection. We are hoping that this is not the trend but he continues to be stuffy sounding every day. He is enjoying his food and is starting to get into the fruits. Once he starts eating good, he doesn't want to stop. He is laughing and smiling all the time.

Austin should be starting tee ball soon. We are just waiting for the coach to call. He is so excited. We went to the Holly Springs free for all Easter Egg Hunt and he was happy with the eggs he got. They also had one at school and he seemed to have a good time. He continues to love Wii bowling where he scored 279 tonight. For those of you who aren't familiar, that means he got strikes for every frame but one where he got 9 the first time and got the spare! He is better than me!

We are hoping to get more pictures once the weather gets warmer. We have had several warm days but then go back to cold again. Hopefully, things will stay warm soon. Until next time.....

Our First Look!

Here is our first look at Carter without the tubes of the NICU. This was taken from Grandpa's phone. We will get more pictures soon!

Way to go!

After 2 1/2 days in the NICU, Carter and mommy went home from the hospital today! Yesterday we got a report in the early morning that he had been weaned to 25% oxygen and by lunch I got calls that he was off of the oxygen and that his parents and grandparents had been able to hold him. It sure was a proud Nana and Grandpa when they called! He continued to do well through the day and night. After showing his true colors and eating like a champ, he was able to go home at the same time as his mom! We are very thankful that everything turned out like it did and hope he continues to do well.

We probably will not go to Greenville this weekend unless we go just for the day on Sunday. Caleb has encountered his first stomach virus we think. Last night he started vomiting and he easily could have had the staring role in the next Exorcist movie! It was absolutely horrible. After sleeping in the pack and play in our room, we thought he was in the clear but decided to resume the same this morning. It has been a tiresome day with lots of clothes to wash. We are trying to make sure no one else gets sick. Here's hoping you and your family stay well. (They are saying that the peak of flu season may still be a week or so away!)