Okay, so I'm on the laptop today and it must be blogger that's messed up...I again can't see my pics--it's all in html code or something. So hopefully they're here...

Yesterday, Reid and I went to the mall to meet with the wonderful leaders and ladies of my former infertility Bible study/support group, In His Time (Ecc.). How absolutely wonderful to see all the miracle babies God has provided!! Some were adopted, some were conceived w/ medical assistance, some were conceived naturally...but all are miracles! (I think all babies are miracles, anyways, but especially this group's!) What a happy reunion!



We enjoyed a nice chat with everyone, then went to eat at the food court (I took a detour to take advantage of the nursing mothers' room...great!). It was so fun! Since we were at the mall (I hate going to the mall, especially now with a kid!), I needed a couple more nursing bras, so we hit one store and Reid was DONE. As soon as we were in the car and moving, I figured one more stop wouldn't hurt, so we made a quick stop at Mardel (Christian store/teacher supply) since I had a gift card I'd been wanting to use. (Thanks, Ian and family!!) It was funny b/c we ran into several teachers and the counselor from my school just in the short amount of time we were there. I found sooo many cute things for my classroom, but limited myself. Reid was very happy little guy and cooed and talked with me the whole time. But then, again, he was DONE all of a sudden, so we checked out and left. He was immediately asleep...possibly even a record of 10 seconds within moving! When I got us home, here's what I found:



Later that evening, we did Reid's first "faux hawk"...but the picture doesn't really do it justice. Still cute, though:



And here's our little cranky guy. He has been doing the cutest (or saddest?) little pouty lip before he cries lately, but I can't seem to quite get a pic of it. So this is the best I've been able to capture so far...



Today he has been TOTALLY cranky, so I'm hoping tomorrow's better. It's his first day at our "official" sitter's house. I'm sure he will do fine, but please pray for me!! I totally cried at inservice on Thursday because we had to bring a picture of a child who's special to us (of course, I brought Reid's pic) and list things we hope for them and things that are our biggest fears. My biggest fear is that he won't know who I am, or worse...won't care and will like the sitter more (and who could blame him? I have to leave him for 9 hrs a day!!). For some reason, God wants me back teaching this year, so I'm doing my best to have a good attitude about leaving Reid. Thank goodness for a great team, great school, and great admin! And I am relying on LOTS and LOTS of prayer ;)

2 months!

Well, I think our desktop is just about to poop out once again. I can't see the photos I'm uploading, but I think they're there... Anyhow, our little guy is officially 9 weeks old! I, unfortunately, have been back at work most of this week...thus the delay in posting. I realize I am very fortunate to have a job, a wonderful team at school, work in a wonderful school, and hopefully will have great kids/families this year (that's what I've been praying for!). On the extreme downside, it's going to kill me to be away from our little miracle guy. Just yesterday, our first official day of inservice, we had to bring a pic of a child who's special to us. Of COURSE I took a picture of Reid...and promptly boo hooed when we had to share what we'd written about our biggest fears for the child. Mine was that he won't know who I am and/or will like the sitter better than his parents. Eek. It's gonna be a really rough year!!! But on a happier note (or more serious judging by his expression, hahaha), here's our little guy at 2 months: He now holds his head up very well for a little guy! He doesn't always like tummy time so you have to capture just the right moment... (also notice the steel blue eyes...we're hoping they'll stay, but assuming he'll eventually have brown eyes like Jason and me) And he's now sometimes napping in his big boy crib. But here's what I found last week--I left his room and got to the bottom of the stairs. Little Houdini somehow managed to kick most of it off by the time I made it back up the stairs. Last Friday, we actually hooked up the video monitor (love it!!) and put the whole bassinet into the crib (the crib just still seems so big...but we did get breatheable bumpers to try it out soon minus the bassinet). He slept through the night!! Just that one night so far, but it was GREAT...10pm-7am, when I woke him up to eat. And Jason and I have had the privilege of having up to 20 minute "conversations" with our son. I tried to capture it on video, but this doesn't give you the true cuteness of it. Plus, he'd been sleeping on his pacifier (or scratched himself? I don't remember, now) right before this. And, in true boy fashion, he rips a couple of toots. Pardon moi.



And even better, I just got a (short) video of tummy time...so cute! Please excuse the horrible filming...he won't look up unless he sees me, not the camera, so then I can't exactly tell where the camera is filming.

Jason's B-day

Jason turned 31 on July 25, which was a Sunday, so I decided we'd celebrate on Saturday evening instead. That way, we'd all enjoy it more since nobody had to work the next day. I carefully planned my outing to the store for his surprise dinner...knowing it had to be something kind of quick (not a lot of time for food preparation around here these days!) and preferably tasty. Dixie approved, of course!



Reid was a good boy that day and slept through pretty much all of the meal, thank goodness, since lobster is not exactly a clean food to eat with all that cracking going on ;) We did later pay for him being so good...he woke up at 1am, 3am, 5am, and 7am the next day for some reason. He hadn't done that since his third or fourth week of life! Here's Jason and Reid after the big celebration:

And here's Reid later that week, in cute jammies he hadn't worn yet. I love the feet! (Should've taken a pic of his little behind, too, because it's a big monkey face!)

Reid and Daddy (notice Reid's feet all curled up...he's quickly growing to big to do that--up to 10 lbs, 13oz!!)

And beginning this week, Reid has been napping in his big boy crib! He can't roll around or really move since he's all burREIDoed up (get it? hahaha) so I've left the cute bumper in for now, but it'll be coming out when he begins scooting around. Or outgrows the bassinett...which isn't too far off with this little guy in the 75th percentile in height!

And here's our cutie's newest feat...I only got the tail end of it as he'd been doing it awhile, but still cute...

Houston Trip

The week of June 19th, I decided to brave my first road trip with Reid--all by myself since Jason had to work. The car trip part wasn't quite as bad as I'd expected...Reid did have a blowout (diaper, not car!) on the way there, so I had to find a place to stop (fyi, there is nothing for 15 miles outside of Buffalo, TX) to clean up him and the carseat, and by that time I knew we wouldn't make it there before he'd be screaming to nurse. So we took care of that in the Dairy Queen parking lot. What fun. On the way back later that week, I planned for us to stop at Buccee's. I was SO bummed that they don't have Buccee's onesies :( But I did grab a yummy sandwich to stick in the cooler for dinner later while we piddled around in hopes that Reid would take care of his business before we got back on the road (normally, he always goes as he's eating or right after). Of course, Murphy's Law ruled and he was screaming about 8 minutes after we'd gotten on the road. At least it wasn't a blowout this time!

It was great timing to see Laura and my nephews before they made their voyage back to Perth, Australia. My parents had gotten a week at their time share on Lake Conroe. Laura and I had decided that we and all three of the boys would stay out there since my aunt and uncle were coming into town (figured the grandparents and aunt/uncle would enjoy the peace and quiet at night!). It was perfect for us--a loft area with king bed and huge bathroom where Laura and the boys stayed. Downstairs was a bedroom and attached bathroom where I could store all Reid's stuff (wow, does it take a lot of stuff to travel with an infant!!) and nurse in privacy. And right off of that, there was a living room complete with beautiful balcony. After settling in, Grammy and Grumpy arrived...only to find that our a/c had apparently gone out. It was a sweaty evening--at first, we just thought the a/c was having trouble catching up from all the ins/outs through the door and patio, but it became apparent that the a/c just wasn't working once the thermostat hit 85 and it was nearly 9pm. I won't go into that drama, but that's why we look sweaty:

There was a beautiful rainbow our first night there. Here's a view from our balcony overlooking the lake:

The next day, we headed over to the pool to see our friend Mandy and her cute son, Riley. Reid and I had to chill in the shade since he's not allowed to be in direct sun or the pool for now. But I couldn't resist bringing the adorable sunglasses Mike had given him, even though they're too big for now...


And here are all four of the boys: cousins Alex and Ben, Riley, and of course Reid is on the table since he can't exactly sit yet.

Later that afternoon, Reid's Papa, Aunt Kristen, and Gamma came by for a visit:

We all got to catch up, and they all had a chance to hold the newest French.

It looked like he'd be asleep the whole time (yes, Reid actually napped pretty well that week, unlike last week!!), but he finally awoke to their delight. Playtime!

Later that night, my Uncle Lindy and Aunt Nell joined us for a barbeque dinner and some catching up. In true Uncle Lindy fashion, he taught Ben the "Who Pooted?" song. I'm so excited I got it on the camcorder, but I realized later that I didn't snap any pictures of the evening's events...except for Bubble Boy Ben! He loved the whirlpool tub, especially with bubbles!

And here's my happy guy, after bathtime. Oddly enough, he loves his baths and doesn't even mind the getting out/being cold for a second part anymore...but he hates lotion!! I still put it on him sometimes because it smells so sweet (and the lavender is supposed to help with soothing/calming before bedtime).

The next day, I ventured out to The Woodlands. Sounds easy to do, but when you only have about two hours between feedings and you're 30 minutes away, you have to plan accordingly ;) The Adams graciously spent their afternoon with me so we could all catch up and they could see Reid outside my belly this time! It was wonderful!!

And on our last day there, I decided to forego packing up and leaving early since Reid typically naps better in the afternoon (not that there is any guarantee, mind you!). The timing allowed us more time with the grandparents, cousins, and my sis. I'm so grateful the timing worked out perfectly so I could see everyone before they left this week! We went to the pool one more time (and I even got 20 minutes in the sun while Grammy watched Reid and Grumpy went to grab burgers for lunch!) and then enjoyed a family lunch before all the boys had naptime. Laura and I had a little more sister time, then it was time to head back. Aside from sitter drama in the middle of the trip (yes, I have been panicking and lost LOTS of sleep over this--if you know of an in-home sitter/nanny/home daycare in the Frisco/McKinney area, please call me!!!!), it was fantastic!

Cranky Baby, Happy Baby

Oops...for some reason, I forgot to update the blog last week. (Could it be baby brain, lack of sleep, having a kid attached at the boob 5 hrs a day, or all of the above?) Still have NO idea where the time goes--my days are jam-packed and there's rarely ever a spare moment, but I barely have anything to show for it!

Last Saturday, Jason's bro Steven and his wife Aimee invited us over for a yummy dinner. Just thinking about Steven's cooking gets my mouth a-waterin' ;) The nephews also had a chance to 'bond' with Reid. And most excitedly, we found out Reid will have a new cousin around Valentine's Day!! It'll be so fun having one that close in age! Congrats, you guys!! Here's Hayden holding him:

And this week, we had our first official playdate with Lacy Shiligani (Bennett's wonderful Art teacher) and her daughter, Violet, who's a month older than Reid. It was so fun to compare notes and see our little miracles out of the womb! Reid wasn't a very good host, but Violet was a little angel.

And when Reid actually does nap during the daytime (not so often, I'm afraid!), he definitely prefers being on his tummy. Here's my little "inchworm," hiney sticking up and all:

He was a very cranky little guy this week for no apparent reason...wanting to eat more often, so I'm hoping it's that 6 week growth spurt everyone talks about. But the on Friday evening and Saturday evening, he was SO happy for about 10-15 minutes...made it all worth it! Here he is with Daddy and some new cool threads (thanks, Aunt Sharon and Uncle Steve!)

And the next one was even cuter!

Here's a little snippet of our happy little guy--we actually got an even better one on our video camera, but I have yet to learn how to upload those...

Ho Hum...

Not too much going on this week (which isn't a bad thing ;) Mondays seem to be my 'catch up around the house' days--laundry, cleaning, etc. Unbelieveably, I'm looking at the clock and realizing that Reid and I slept a little longer than usual, did a load of laundry (and #2's in the washer), gave him a bath, ate lunch, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, plus did a little stint on the treadmill. Not much to show for it, but guess I've accomplished way more than I thought! Next on the list is tackling my mountain of paperwork to be filed (that's definitely been waaaay back on a burner somewhere, lol) and I'm hoping to get my HUGE Snapfish order in soon so I can fill in some pics for his baby book. Never knew I'd spend $80 on one picture order alone...but I just couldn't choose which pics I wanted b/c they were all so cute ;) I do find it ridiculous that they charge sooo much for s/h. Sheesh.

Laura, this one's for you:

I am still in awe that Reid's eyes are so beautiful...they're a steel blue. I'm sure it'll change to brown one of these days, but I'm trying to get pictures while I can. This really doesn't do them justice, but at least you get an idea.

I am still shocked at how "off" my poor body is after all it's been through. My tummy, face, and feet are peeling like I'm a lizard shedding my skin or something. I slather on the lotion every single night after showering (and now in the mornings, too), drink a TON of water, and eat as healthy as I can. Don't get me wrong--the Blue Bell is still a part of my diet ;) Gotta have some fun in there somewhere!! I look relatively normal again, but still have ten pounds to go (I've lost 30, now) and about 5 inches to go on my waist... Guess that's not too bad for having a 5 1/2 week old, but seems like it's taking forever...mainly b/c none of my regular clothes fit, yet maternity stuff's too big. I bought a few things to tide me over during this in between period--Reid had a fully tummy, so he was a good little shopper at Kohl's the other day :)

Aunt Laura!!! (and other fun things)

Aunt Laura's visit was much too short (you know I'd say that even if she were here for like an entire year ;) but boy did we enjoy ourselves!! We ate a ton, took walks in the nice 70 degree weather (love clouds!), played with baby boy, bonded over cheesy movies and tv shows, shopped a bit, and just had wonderful sister time.

A family pic (I realized we only have one from the hospital, so need to take advantage of when people are here to snap a photo for us):

Aunt Laura, Baby Reid, and a furry Dixie cat (whose good graces I seem to be back in once again...she's purring on my lap even though Reid is right next to us):


I was bummed this pic didn't show what his bib said, so the one below shows it more clearly (and no, we don't call her Auntie, but all the other bibs were way girly...I had actually tried to find one ahead of time that said, "I love my Aunt" but again...all too girly):

Sisters and Baby Reid:

And our weekly pic. Guess at this point I'll probably move to one month pictures, but it was neat to see him grow sooo much in just a month's time! Aunt Laura accompanied us to the pediatrician last Friday and Reid is now 9 lbs and 21 1/2 inches long...tall boy!

Here is my favorite pic of the week--a smile!! And I actually caught it with the camera!! :) This makes ALL those poopie diapers (and there are a lot of them) and sleepless nights totally worth it!

Here's what the little guy is currently doing... I now understand the phrase "sleep like a baby" much better. He can sleep anywhere! (this happens to be on a soft blankie next to mommy on the desk)