Happy Half Birthday To Drew!

Today is Drew's half birthday!

Drew is 6 months old and is SO much fun! I know that I say this every month, but this really is my very favorite time in the first year of life. He is just full of personality and is such a joy to be around. He has changed so much this month!

* He weighed 18 lbs. 5.5 oz. at the doctor's office last week. I let you know the official length & weight next week at his 6 month check up.
* He wears size 3 diapers and size 9-12 month clothes. He is such a big boy!
* He eats rice cereal or single grain oatmeal twice a day. We haven't ventured beyond cereal yet, but hope to start some other baby foods this month.
* He takes two 2-2.5 hour naps and a 1-1.5 hour evening nap. He does best when he gets all of his naps in, but is still sweet when he misses a nap. What a blessing it is to have a flexible baby!
* We have started practicing with a sippy cup of water with his cereal. He looks so grown up holding his sippy.

* He & Clayton still LOVE each other. Clayton asks to hold Drew every morning for a few minutes while he watches Franklin. They are best buds!

* I still can't figure out exactly what color Drew's hair is going to be. It looks red in pictures, but light brown in real life. It looks very blond in the sun, though. It remains a mystery...

* He loves his hands and feet. They are his very favorite toys. :)

* He gives "kisses"! (Really, he just licks your faces or tries to latch on to your nose or chin. It's so funny!)

* This boy loves his cereal! I have learned that I can't put him in the high chair until I have his cereal ready. If I make him wait while I am mixing it up, he gets pretty impatient. He has definitely learned to associate his high chair with meal time.

* He has the biggest grin. I've yet to get my favorite type of smile on film, but I am working on it. He squishes up his face and smiles the biggest smile that you've ever seen. You can see both of his gums and it is too cute. This smile is pretty adorable, too, though.

* He loves his Johnny Jump Up and is starting to get a hang of the bouncing action. He will bounce and spin while I am showering or getting ready. It keeps him totally entertained.

Oh, Sweet Drew,

You have totally captivated our hearts over the last 6 months! You are a joy to parent and brighten every day. You are laid back and easy going, which I am eternally grateful for. I adore you more than you will ever know! You make your Mama so proud. Happy half birthday, baby boy!

I love you,

Mommy

Birthday Beauties

This weekend we got to celebrate the birthdays of two of my favorite girls! Danyelle's birthday party was on Saturday, and Makinley's party was today. Both of these girls hold a very special place in my heart!

I met Baby Danyelle when she was just 1 day old. She was a patient in the PICU at Children's and I was assigned to be her nurse. She had PPHN and was gravely ill. I was at a point where I was totally burnt out and beat down by life as a PICU nurse. Several patients that I was close to had passed away and I was seriously second guessing my career choice. I was so filled with grief, and prayed constantly that God would give me a patient that would have a good outcome.

I will never forget the nurse giving me change of shift report on Danyelle. She sounded so sick as the nurse went through all of her history. At the end of it all she said, "but she has an awesome family. They are going to love you and you are going to love them!" Man, was she ever right! I fell in love with her family and claimed Danyelle to be "my baby" at work. :)

Danyelle had a rocky road and gave us several big scares, but she did have a wonderful outcome. Her family was so appreciative and kind. They were the answer to my prayers and boasted my spirits so much. We kept in close contact even after Danyelle was discharged from the hospital. Her mom, Leslie, and I became good friends. We have scrapbooked together and laughed a ton over the years.

I have really enjoyed watching "Baby" Danyelle grow into a lovely little girl. She is so special to me. :)

Baby Danyelle (this is a picture that her mom gave me while she was in the hospital)

This is her exactly 5 years later. How's that for a good outcome?!?!

We also got to celebrate my sweet niece, Makinley's, birthday. I can't believe that it has been 8 years since we were sitting at the Ranger game and got the call that Leigh Ann was in labor. I loved that little bundle of pink from the first time that I laid eyes on her! She is such a beautiful girl - inside & out. I absolutely adore her!

What a joy it was to see these precious girls celebrate their birthdays!

Ragin' Cajun Good Times

This weekend our friends, The Brewers, invited us over for a crawfish boil. As my Daddy would say, "it was some good eatin'!" It was a lot of work for our host & hostess, but the fruits (er, uh, crustaceans) of their labor were DELICIOUS! Thanks Brent & Abbey!!!

Sorting through the crawfish & washing them off - we deemed that to be man's work!

The Men (L to R) - Brent, Tim, Wade, Clayton, Todd

The Girls - Abbey, Holly, Me, & Leah

(CCA folks - remember Holly B.? She & her husband, Tim, just started visiting our church. Small world, huh?)

The finished product was YUM-O!

Great food and even better company - what a delightful way to spend a Saturday night!

Sittin' Pretty

Drew figured out how to sit up by himself today! He was so proud of himself!

He can sit with his back straight for a few seconds. However, as you can tell by the look on his face, it kinda freaks him out and requires full concentration. He prefers the tripod sitting. :)

While Drew and I were working on his sitting skills, Clayton was drawing pictures. He brought me the following picture which he said was a drawing of me...

My thoughts:

1. What's up with my hair being spikey?

2. What are those squiggles in the chest area? Please don't tell me that this is an anatomically correct drawing.

3. What's that in my hand? A pickle? A cucumber?

His explanation:

1. "Your hair is in a pony tail. That's why you can only see the hair on top."

2. "That's your heart, Mama!" with the sweetest little look on his face. Whew - that's so much better than what I was thinking...

3. "That's your lightsaber, silly!" Oh, of course it is.

Good News, Bad News

The good news is that my sweet, hardly-ever-fusses baby hasn't decided to do a 180 and cry for hours on end for no reason.

More good news: we got a 9:20am doctors appointment and were in and out by 9:40. That's a record!

The bad news is that the little mister has an ear infection in his left ear. Poor love bug...

Here's to praying that Augmentin kicks the infection to the curb - and quick!