5 Months Old

Owen,

My tiny little baby boy, I can’t believe you are 5 months old. You have been such a blessing in my life. Through the ups and downs I have cherished every moment with you. I know you are growing so fast and as much as I love to see you develop, it is bittersweet. I know I will blink my eyes and you will be a big boy. Here are some things about you at 5 months old.

-You just celebrated your first Christmas. You were the best present of all.

-You love to chew on your hands. I can’t keep them out of your mouth, not even to give you a bottle!

-You are starting to hold your head up. You wobble still at times but I can see a huge improvement.

-You are reaching and grabbing for toys and your bottle. Great coordination!

-You are smiling all of the time now. (You especially like to smile at mommy)

-You have been up and down with weight but you are around 12 and a half pounds now.

-You are 24 ¾ inches long.

-You are starting to venture into 3-6 month clothing. (We just have to roll up the sleeves and pants a few times.)

-You talk and coo to mommy as if you are holding on a conversation.

-You eat 4 ounces every 2 ½ to 3 hours.

-You are still not sleeping through the night. You go down around 8:30 and wake up at midnight and 3. You get up for the day around 6. (Mommy is very tired these days, but I am holding out hope that this is temporary and you will sleep for longer periods once you feel better.)

-Speaking of feeling better, you have been a little sick this month. You have had a cold, an ear infection, the stomach flu, and an allergic reaction to your formula.  This resulted in a 4-day stay at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Despite your sickness you remained in a pretty good mood (with an occasional meltdown). I am grateful for the wonderful doctors who helped you.

-You are still not rolling over, but you are very close. I expect to see that in the next few weeks.

-You still LOVE to cuddle.

-You are still dependent on a pacifier to go to sleep.

- You are an observer. You sit quietly and watch people, as if you are trying to take it all in.

Owen, I have had the time on my life with you these past 5 months and I am looking forward to watching you grow each day. I love you very much! I am so blessed that God gave me you!

Love, Your Mommy

Look how you have grown!

Its Over... Owen's 1st Christmas

It's over. Although we are still sporting our decorations... Baby O's FIRST Christmas is officially over. Sigh. This is our recap of Owen’s first Christmas. We headed over the mountains and through the woods to Papa and Nanny B’s house on Christmas Eve, Eve (12.23.11). We ate a fabulous dinner prepared by Nanny B. We watched Christmas Vacation and quoted the entire movie start to finish. We slept (sort of) and woke up on Christmas Eve and exchanged gifts. Owen got a LIFETIME Hunting and Fishing License, which his daddy thoroughly enjoyed. I think he can envision the trips down the Caney Fork River with Owen already.  (Just wear a life jacket, please) Brandon got some new shirts, and I got Ugg house shoes (pictured here) along with several other items. We had a wonderful time.

At Papa and Nanny B's

 Then we packed up and headed to Nashville. We spent Christmas Eve eating finger foods and playing games. Owen got to be with his Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Mandy, and Uncle Matt. We laughed and enjoyed each other until 11 pm. (this is unusually late for us) Owen wanted to stay up and party too because he didn’t go to sleep until 11:30! I think he was trying to stay up and watch for Santa. 6:45 came early and we opened A TON of presents. 

Highlights: Owen got Leap Frog toys, and his Aunt Mandy made him animal puppets that we LOVE, a start to a college fund, and so much more!

 Brandon got an air compressor, Leather Uggs, Carharts. I got a Coach wallet, InStyler, Black Uggs, just to name a few. 

 We rushed to get back to Cookeville where we ate breakfast with his Grandmother, Grandaddy, GiGi, Aunt Beth, Uncle Howard, and his cousins Matthew and Michael. We exchanged our presents. Highlights: Owen got some MORE toys, a savings bond, and cash. Brandon got a Lowes and Dunam’s Sports gift card, and I got a Wal-Mart and Old Navy gift card. 

But out of all of the gifts this year..... this

was the best.

We had a GREAT time celebrating Baby O's very FIRST Christmas, spending time with family and most importantly celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And did I already mention that this year was especially special because it was our FIRST Christmas with our precious baby boy? Oh I guess I did already. 

All that's left are the decorations that must be taken down...anyone wanna come help me? I hate un-decorating. I just don't want to procrastinate too long and look like the tacky house that leaves their decorations up all year long which very well could happen at this house! ha

It's over. Oh Christmas... we loved to see you come, but we hate to see you go.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Oh my, Christmas is almost here. This past week has flown by. We came home from Vanderbilt and have not stopped moving and going since. Brandon and I were still shopping yesterday. Can you say "procrastinate"? Every year I say I am going to have my shopping done early and yet every year I am shopping 2 days before Christmas. We did however have time for a quick photo shoot with my beautiful boy. Enjoy!

Normal?

For those of you who follow our blog, I apologize for giving you nothing to read over the past few weeks. I have come to that point where I realized I had NOTHING to write about. Writer's block. Then it hit me. My life seems pretty much...well...normal. It took about 5 months but the new normal is finally here.

Now don't get me wrong, I know with a baby your life is constantly changing, but as of right now, we are pretty much at a stand still. Just eating, peeing, pooping, playing, crying and sleeping and getting ready for the holidays.

I will say this to all new mommies that are behind us in the life timeline... it does get better, it does get easier, and you will find your new normal.

I am boring and I gotta say... I like it this way. The new mommy anxieties are slowly disappearing....notice the emphasis on slowly.

I laughed today thinking about old normal vs. new normal. I will share with you...

Old Normal=Being embarrassed for someone to see your goodies.
New Normal=Being embarrassed that everyone in the world has seen your goodies.

Old Normal=Being tired from date parties, crash studying, nights with friends...ahhhhh...college.
New Normal= Being exhausted from round' the clock feedings and screamfest 11'...uhhh...baby.

Old Normal=Running and lifting weights to keep that bod in shape.
New Normal= Running to make a bottle and lifting a baby that breaks your back. (I know I shouldn't complain since I have a ‘tiny’ one!)


Old Normal=See a spider-scream, run, act like a lunatic and wait for Brandon to come home hoping it will still be in the same location so he can kill it.
New Normal=See a spider-scream, develop Mamma Bear courage, hit with Brandon's big shoe to protect Baby O while acting like a lunatic. Then hit a few more times to make sure the sucker is dead, still acting like a lunatic. THEN wait for Brandon to come home to clean up the mess.

Old Normal=Bathing on a normal basis and only occasionally using baby powder for greasy hair.
New Normal=Being dirtier than the dog and using more baby powder on your head than your baby.

Old Normal=Dinner date nights with hubby.
New Normal=Nothing in the fridge, take out that hubby brings home, most of the time eating it so fast we can't speak, make eye contact or barely breathe.

Old Normal=Movie/Dinner Dates.
New Normal=No Dates.

Old Normal=Pedicures/manicures/ tan/hair color on a regular basis.
New Normal=Chipped off painted nails /ghostly white/nasty hair.

Old Normal=Feeling stupid for praying about a test or something that seems very insignificant.
New Normal=Praying for things like poop and knowing that God knows how important it is.

Old Normal=Norman's the baby.
New Normal= We have a dog?

Old Normal=Love
New Normal=Indescribable, Neverending, Selfless, Powerful, Close to Perfection, God-given L-O-V-E

Old Normal=Brandon and Caitlin
New Normal= Brandon and Caitlin Plus One

Owen Met Santa!

Owen met Santa for the first time yesterday! At first he was not so excited about the fact that I woke him up from his nap to do this...

But, he humored his mommy and stared at me as I jumped around like a mad woman trying to get a smile out of him. (No luck) He is still as cute a a button though! Great Day!

Our Maynord Family Photos

Merry Christmas

Owen update

-Owen is doing well. We are possibly looking at going home today if all goes well. All tests have come back negative, praise the lord. His x-rays on his belly showed no masses or blockages. The Vanderbilt doctors say Owen has severe food allergies to milk and soy. The doctors in Cookeville had him on soy due to poor weight gain. However, there was mucus and blood in his stool when we arrived at Vanderbilt on Wednesday. He has fat malabsorption issues as well and that is causing him to not soak up all of the nutrients he needs. A nutritionist is working with him on gaining weight and eating. He will have a special diet to help him gain some weight. He will meet with a GI specialist in a few weeks for a follow up. Long story short, they have switched his formula to a prescription brand in hopes that he will tolerate it and keep it down. (fingers crossed) On top of that he is battling the stomach flu and an ear infection. He hadn't eaten much in over a week so he was very weak when we arrived at the hospital. He is slowly gaining his strength back and he is in a great mood. He is off of his iv fluids for the moment. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers for our little guy.

Owen's First Halloween and Thanksgiving

Now that it is almost Christmas, here are Owen's First Halloween/Thanksgiving pictures!

Our Lumberjack Family

-Halloween 2011-

-Thanksgiving 2011-

Long day...

New addition!

Congratulations to our good friends Lesley and Joel Worsham on their new baby girl...Lilly Charlotte. Born 12.5.11. 7 pounds 9 ounces 19" long. She is beautiful!

4 months old

12.8 pounds and 24 1/4 inches long!

Its gonna be a cold one!

Our Weekend with the Georgia Crew!

Owen enjoyed meeting his PaPa, Memaw, and Aunt Mary Kay! 

You can see it on his face :)