Six Month Check-Up

Jonah had his six month old check-up today. He is 26 inches long and weighed in at 16lbs. and 3oz. He is in the 29th percentile for height and the 20th percentile for weight. Noah was always in the 75th percentile or higher, so although I know that Jonah is doing well, it is just so strange to have a child on the opposite end of the growth chart. Jonah was right on track with all of the "six-month" accomplishments such as reaching for things and bearing weight on his legs. Jonah was his typical self and puked all over Dr. Wheaton, so he is referring us to a gastrointerologist over at MUSC. He is going to keep him on the Prevacid for another three months. Even though it does not do much for the vomiting, it seems to help with the pain. Jonah has been a much happier baby since he has been on the medicine. As you can see from the pictures, he was all smiles today. At least until it came time for the shots. Jonah got three shots and one oral vaccine. Poor guy, I just don't think his little legs are fat enough to have to get shots in them. However, he did really well and only cried for about thirty seconds. Noah admitted that he cried much louder and longer the last time he had to have shots.
This is Dr. Wheaton with my two boys, before shots of course. Jonah had a death grip on the stethoscope and Noah is grinning so big because he knew he didn't have to get any shots. After the visit with the doctor, we made a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. I'll post those pictures later. It has been a long day!

Wild Blackberries

Noah loves wild blackberries. We used to have tons of them all over our property, but the more we clean up, the fewer we have. Tonight, just before dark, we all went out on a blackberry hunt. We found a few cup fulls that were ripe. We have many more that are not ready yet. Hopefully in the next week or so we will be able to gather more. They are so sweet this year. This is part of our bounty but it is not going to last long with Noah around.

Noah's Haircut

The boys and I made a trip into town today to get Noah's hair cut. I gave the beautician the same instructions that I always give; Cut it as short as you can. Noah's hair grows really fast and haircuts are too expensive to have to get one every couple of weeks. Anyway, I think she did a great job. On the way home Noah was looking at himself intently in the mirror. He must have caught me watching him, because this is the dialogue that followed...

Noah: Mom, why is my forehead so big?
Me: What are you talking about? Your forehead is the same size it always was.
Noah: But it reaches all the way up to my hair!
Me: Your forehead is supposed to reach your hair. You would look funny if it didn't.
Noah: My head feels bigger.
Me: You head is not bigger, your hair is just littler.
Noah: Oh; well it still feels bigger.

It was at this point that I decided not to answer. There are just some arguments that you can not win with a four year old.

Rice Festival

This weekend was the annual Rice Festival in town. The boys and I went Friday afternoon to enjoy the kids programs. We parked at Dad's house and he walked with us downtown. We watched the "Animals That Educate" show and visited the petting zoo. Next time I will take my own animal food so I don't have to shell out a dollar for each handful of food that Noah feeds the llama. Noah also rode the pony. (The only digital camera we have is on my phone and it doesn't take great pictures.) Anyway, Noah wasn't very impressed with the pony. I tried to get him to wave, but he refused to let go of the saddle horn! It did not help that the county decided to spray for mosquitoes with one of those low flying airplanes at the same time, so the ponies were a bit spooked. After all the animals, we went to visit the giant pot of rice and get a sample. Can you believe they ran out of rice!! How does a RICE Festival run out of RICE? Around five, Joe brought Granny Faye to town to join us. We went out to eat with Dad, Linda, my cousin Nick, and his girlfriend Nikki. After dinner we watched the festival's firework show. All in all, it was a great day and I believe a good time was had by everyone. After such a big day, the boys both slept very well Friday night. I guess that is worth any amount of money I had to pay for animal feed!

Such A Beautiful Baby

I walked in on an interesting scene this morning. Noah was sitting in front of Jonah's swing singing "Such a beautiful ba-by, Such a beautiful ba-by." It was touching to see my older son singing to his baby brother that way. I said "Noah, do you think Jonah is a beautiful baby?" With a very serious expression, Noah replied..."Yes, but I was singing about myself." That struck me so funny, that all I could do was laugh. It never occurred to me that he was singing about anyone other than his brother and it obviously never occurred to him to sing about anyone other than himself.

Six Months Old

I can't believe that today makes six months since this picture was taken. It seems like only yesterday that I was introducing Noah to his new little brother. I remember how excited he was that he got what he asked for, a boy with hair! Since then Jonah has lost all of his hair and grown a little bit of new one. He has gone from nursing every two hours to eating solid foods and drinking six ounces at a time. He can now roll over in both directions, smile, laugh, squeal, and grab anything within his reach. Of course from the day we brought him home he has been able to melt our hearts with just one look. The past six months have flown by so quickly. Why is it that the older I get, the faster time seems to disappear? Anyway, this is Jonah at six months. My little butterbean is growing fast! Ignore the spit-up at the end...I couldn't get the camera off fast enough!

Some Days Are Better Than Others

People are always asking me how Jonah is doing. I don't mind the question, but I really don't know the answer. Yesterday was a great day...the best we have had yet. Jonah had only one episode of spitting up and it was just the "normal" baby spit-up. However, today was a different story. From the time Jonah woke up, he started vomiting. It did not matter what he ate it only stayed down for about two minutes before it all came right back. I get so discouraged. Nothing was different today than from yesterday. No new foods, same amount of medicine, and yet he is like a different child from one day to the next. We are not scheduled to go back to the doctor until April 30th. I think everyone thought that he would have outgrown this by now. He will be six months old tomorrow. So hard to believe! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Five Years Today

Today is the day. Five years ago today Joe and I pledged ourselves to each other. I love remembering our wedding. Our original plans were to have a small ceremony in the backyard accompanied by a barbecue. What evolved was an amazing plantation wedding that surpassed my dreams. It is still the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended. One of these days we plan to go back to Bonnie Doone Plantation to celebrate our anniversary.
If you had asked me on my wedding day what my life would look like in five years, there is no way that I would have described my life as it is now. I never imagined that we would be this blessed. Who would have known that within 24 hours God would have began the biggest surprise of my life? Joe and I spent the next nine months cherishing the time we had alone, knowing that we would not experience it again for at least eighteen years. When Noah was born in January of 2004 we realized that we loved being parents just as much as we loved being married. That love was magnified with Jonah's birth last October. I loved my husband on the day that I married him, but that could never compare to the love that I feel for him today.

To My Joseph, I love you for being my best friend, my provider, my rock, my confidant, my love, and the father to our children. Thank you for the last five years. I still love every minute our marriage.

Did I Really Do That?

I had to work today. Kellie Mixson, Noah's favorite sitter was going to watch the boys. I spent a long time last night getting everything ready to take to the sitter so that I would not forget anything in the morning rush to get out of the house. We all got up on time, had breakfast, got everyone and everything buckled into the car and were out of the drive right on time. Both boys were in a great mood this morning. Noah and I talked about all sorts of things while Jonah cooed and squealed at us. It is usually a thirty minute drive to work. We had been on the road for about fifteen minutes when I realized that I had forgotten one crucial thing, Kellie lives about four minutes from my house. I had forgotten to drop the boys off! It is not that I forgot they were in the car, I was talking to them the whole time. I simply forgot that they could not come to work with me. After a good laugh with Noah and an illegal u-turn, we headed back to Kellie's house. I did make it to work on time but I still can't believe I almost took my children with me.

My Music Lover

Jonah has been going through a stage where he does not want to be put down or go to sleep. I think he is a bit spoiled. Joe discovered from the time we brought Jonah home from the hospital that he loved to hear the piano. Now the only way that we can get him to go to sleep is to sit at the piano and play until he passes out. Today, he screamed every time I put him down. I literally held him all day long. The only time he would sit in his swing for any length of time was when American Idol was on. He watched every minute of the show without so much as a whimper. As soon as it was over, the screaming started again. He is definitely my music lover.
Every since Noah has been born, he has been fascinated with touch. He loves to feel all different types of textures. He has to put his hands on everything new that he sees. Even now, one of his favorite things is to go to a fabric store and feel all the different types of material.
It is amazing to me how both of my boys have developed their own "things" so early in life. It is going to be so much fun watching them grow and develop their personalities, likes, and dislikes. At least for now it is fun thinking about it. I just realized that they may develop a penchant for tattoos, piercings, or motorcycles. It is then that I will have to look back on the days that Jonah loved the sound of the piano and Noah loved the feel of fleece against his face.

The Auction Again

We went to the auction again tonight. I am really starting to enjoy our new Saturday night tradition. As usual, the boys fell asleep shortly after it started. Joe and I just lay them down on pillows next to us, relax and enjoy ourselves. I am surprised at how much fun it actually is. However, I learned an important lesson. When the auctioneer sells an item and says "three times your money" that does not mean you get three items for one price. I thought I was paying $4.00 for a set of three hanging baskets when in actuality I paid $4.00 each, totaling $12.00 for the set. Oh well, I really like the baskets and at least I had fun while buying them.

Ozious And The Auction

Many people have asked me where I came up with Jonah's middle name. He is named after my grandfather. I decided to use the name Ozious because I wanted to remember my grandfather in a special way. My grandfather loved to go to the auction. He would drive my grandmother crazy on Saturdays when he came home with a load of treasures! He and my grandmother were wonderful people who raised an amazing family. However, when I look at the family, I tend to see my grandmother's legacy more than my grandfather's, but I have finally found a small part of the legacy that my grandfather left behind.
Tonight we went to Claxton's Auction at Bells. They have one every Saturday. Joe and I go almost every weekend with the boys. It is mostly small yard sale items and tools. Tonight, four of my grandparent's seven children were there along with many of the grandchildren. I could definitely see that my grandfather had passed on the love of auctioning to his family. It was so funny to watch them go after each other trying to get a great deal. Last week I watched my Uncle carry on a conversation with the man next to him all the while listening to the auctioneer, and bidding just in time to win the item he had his eye on. I guess he truly did learn from the best.
I miss my grandparents. It is nights like these that I remember them vividly and wish that my children could have known them. I can only pray that they will grow up experiencing my grandparents as I did tonight, through the legacy they left behind in their children.

Back From Texas

As most of you know, Mom and Mr. Jimmie have been in Texas for a couple of weeks visiting T.J. and Holly. They came back by way of Tennessee to visit with Michael and his family for a while. They are finally home! I am so glad they were able to take the trip and that they had a good time. They came over tonight to visit and see the boys. Noah was very excited to see his Grammy and Pa (his favorite toy). He even wanted to go home with them when they left. Noah has spent very few nights away from home, so this was a big deal. We got warm clothes on him, packed his bag, and moved the car seat to their vehicle. After all this, Noah decided that he wanted to stay home after all. I think maybe it was just a stall tactic to get them to stay longer.

Mom brought home refrigerator magnets with the boys names on them. She told me that my next child must have a common name. It has become easier to find items with Noah's name on them than it used to be, but for Jonah, Mom had to find one that said "JON" and add an "AH" on the end of it with permanent marker! Unfortunately, his middle name is not any easier. I can't imagine ever finding something that says Ozious, especially since it is technically spelled wrong.