10 Signs You're a First-Time Mom...

1. You can't figure out how to take off poop-filled clothes without getting it all over the kid's head.
2. You drive 20 miles to the park, making a stop at Nana's house, without actually buckling your kid into his carseat.
3. You buy the expensive, "sensitive" wipes even though all they are just for is cleaning poop.
4. You buy yellow-squash to make baby food "squash" (I am told its butternut squash that babies eat).
5. You peek on him in the church nursery every 30 minutes to make sure he's still alive.
6. You're sure that ezcema was an early sign of chicken pox.
7. You wipe his face between bites of sweet potatoes so that his bib will stay clean.
8. You have three baby books, none of which are remotely filled in.
9. You take much more crap than you used to.
10. You discover what real love is all about.

"I asked Mom if I was a gifted child. She said they certainly wouldn't have paid for me."
— Calvin (Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes)

Some funny faces...

More Prayers Needed

Please pray for Amber and JC Autry, who's son Tucker passed away this morning. They are going through a difficult time now, harder than I can even imagine. Their entire family is hurting tremendously and there is little I can do to bring comfort. I know that God is soverign and His will is perfect, but I'm having a hard time understanding God right now. Only He can bring the comfort they need...

An Important Prayer Request

My friend Amber Phillips Autry, who has been a good friend of mine since 3rd grade, is 34 weeks pregnant with her first baby, Tucker. Tucker has a heart condition, known as Ebstein's anomaly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epstein_anomaly). Amber has had two non-stress tests in the last couple days that have not turned out very well, and the baby is not growing much, plus his heart is growing abnormally large. She will be admitted to Northside hospital in Atlanta tonight for monitoring and they may have to take Tucker either tonight or tomorrow morning. The doctors want to have him born now while he's relatively healthy instead of later on when circumstances might change. He most certainly will require surgery soon after birth, which is why he's being born at Northside where Amber is closer to the specialists.

Please pray for Amber, Tucker and her husband J.C. during this very tough time, both physically and emotionally. I truely believe that God is watching over Tucker and will give the doctors the knowledge and wisdom to make the best decisions for his care. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

Our trip to North Carolina...and a new tooth!

Last weekend Robert and I, plus Mom, Dad and Nicklas drove up to Wake Forest, NC to visit Jonas and Melissa and Luke. We had a great time visiting and letting the boys get to see one another for only the second time in their lives! Luke was so cute, he's long and skinny (like his dad) and his little pants he wears make me think of capri pants b/c their so short! Nicklas had fun playing with Luke's toys and he traveled very well. He didn't like the long six-hour car ride home on Sunday (we split the drive in half on the way up), but once we stopped and gave him a break from his carseat he seemed alright.


The big news around here today...Nicklas cut his first tooth! He's been very fussy since we got home Sunday night, and early Monday morning I felt something sharp along his bottom gums. This morning I saw the tooth for the first time. Thank goodness for baby Oragel...he was up most of the night last night since his mouth is so uncomfortable! Maybe now that its popped through he'll be more comfortable!


Here's some more pictures from our trip...



Here's Luke doing his new favorite thing...sucking on his fingers. Doesn't he look like Nicklas in this picture? I had to look twice to be sure...

Luke getting a bottle from Nana...look how short his pants are!

Nicklas with his uncle Jonas


Here's the boys in a rare moment they were both looking at the camera. How cute!


Nicklas and his daddy playing on the floor. It's what they do best!

Are we there yet?!?

Everybody say "Jump! Jump!"-- no, not the Criss Cross song..

The video refused to upload, so here's a still shot...

So I found this jumper at Kid to Kid in Buford, by the Mall of Georgia. It has quickly become his new favorite thing to do. Since he already had one at mom's and loved it, I knew I needed to grab one. He's quickly out growing all his old swings and seats and I'm running out of places to put him when I'm busy so that he won't hurt himself. The jumper is great because he's occupied for at least 30 minutes or so!

On a side note, for those of you who don't know and are interested, Kid to Kid is a consignment-type store in Buford where I buy alot of used baby items for Nicklas, including clothes, toys, high chairs/booster seats, carriers, etc etc etc. They will also buy your old baby stuff when you don't need it anymore, which I'm holding off the urge to do since I know we'll probably have another little bundle of joy eventually (yes, eventually, not any time soon!) They are located across Hwy 20 from the mall in the shopping center where REI and DSW shoes are as well.

I took Nicklas to the doctor this morning to check out a rash he's had on his back for a few weeks; it turns out its just ezcema. I need to keep him lotioned up more ofter because his skin is so so dry! My boy turns 6 months old today, and weighs a whopping 17 lbs 5 ozs! We're expecting teeth any day now!

Someone's almost six months old...

...And to mark the occasion, Nicklas has started to sit up all by himself! He actually started this last Thursday when I was at work and he was at my mom's house, so I missed it! At least she got it in pictures for me...(apparently, every time he's had his picture made in the last month he's been in this same outfit. I swear I do change his clothes!)

Then when he falls over, his favorite thing to do it shove his foot in his mouth, shoes and all. His little boots are all discolored on the toes from where he's been sucking on them. We actually took him out with some friends of ours from church to the bowling alley last Saturday evening, and while he was sitting on the table at our lane, he fell face first onto the hard surface...yikes! I was bowling and heard this scream that made my blood curdle! He was OK, I think it was just more shock than pain. We still have to watch him closely as he's getting his balance right! It's just the first of many bumps on the head, I'm sure...he's a boy, after all!

He's fascinated with Sierra and Sasha (our cat). He's trying so hard to pet Sierra's face, which she just loves. She's very gentle with Nicklas, and they like to roll around on the floor and play together. It's the cutest thing. He thinks it's hilarious when Sierra gets under his bottom to smell his diapers...she's my poopy-pants detector.

Sick Babies and Sick Daddies

Trying to sit up by himself...I think he fell over right after I snapped this picture

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile! Nicklas has been sick with an awful cold/cough for the last five days, while Robert has been sick with the same thing for a week. Plus, Robert also went to Savannah for the Georgia Music Educators' Convention this past week, leaving me home with a very snotty boy. I hate it when he feels bad, because it makes me feel horrible knowing there's nothing I can do for him. Viruses stink! Here's a rare happy face that I haven't seen much of lately...

Last week we started back in our new semester of Kindermusik. Nicklas has a lot of fun at these classes, but its murder trying to get him there and have him napped, fed, etc etc. There's just no good time of the morning for me to try and take him anywhere. I know it won't always be like this, but after sitting him out of church for three weeks and missing my Thursday morning Bible study, my life is starting to feel like a hopeless void of begging him to nap and begging him to eat! Does anyone else feel this way? I constantly feel like I'm doing everything totally wrong and I'll never have fun anywhere ever again. My meal times are a rushed 5 minutes of shoveling food in my mouth so I can get him to stop crying or take him home from wherever we are at the time and he's having a meltdown. Sorry to vent, I guess I just feel kind of alone.




Anyway, here's Nicklas at Kindermusik. He really likes playing with the scarves. He's one of only two boys out of a class of nine or ten children, but he's not the youngest anymore! There's one baby now who's birthday is two weeks after his. I like to watch the other children and see what developmental milestones we have to look forward to in the coming months. We're doing our best to get him to crawl, but he's just content to wait for us to hand him the toy he wants (or whine until he gets it!)