Miles Hearts Aunt Crystal

Aunt Crystal & the girls came down to spend the day with us. I'll post the pics later in the week. Darrin has been out of town since Friday. He's almost home (a day early!) and I'm going to lay on the couch and chill til he gets here. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

By the way....Miles going to sleep at 6:30 last night wasn't a cat nap. He slept til 4:30am...I fed him...put him in bed with me...and he slept until 6am. He went to sleep a little before 7 again tonight. I think he's feeling a little under the weather. Might be teething...might be a cold....or maybe too much fun in the sun.

Stay-cation

We are chillin' at home this holiday weekend. I decided Miles needed some sort of water toy. I came across this and thought it would be so much fun for our weekend at home. Yesterday we spent the day at Darrin's parent's house where we learned that Miles does NOT like cold water....not even a little bit. He screamed and cried when we put him in their kiddie pool. In his defense, the water was freezing. So, while he napped for 2.5 hours (definitely a record for Miles) after church, I filled it up so the water would be warm when he got in. The hose attaches to the side and squirts water through holes in the center and all around the edge. It creates about 2-3 inches of water in the middle.

It took him a little while to look around and figure it out, then he loved it. Here he is just checking things out.

At this point he had warmed up to it enough to let me get out without coming after me.

I've never seen a baby that liked sticking his face in the water. He does it in the bathtub too.

Maybe we need to get a water fountain installed in the house since he still won't use a sippy cup.

Sticking his face in the water again....

He decided to get out and explore the backyard a little.

Our afternoon outside completely wore him out. He came in and played for a little while. Then I gave him a bath....he fell asleep in my arms while I was drying him off. I was still sitting the side of the tub and his eyes were shut! He's asleep in his crib now with only a diaper on. I'm sure it's just a cat nap since he fell asleep at 6:30pm. More fun in the sun tomorrow!

Sidenote...someone could make a killing it they created an adult version of this water toy. It was perfect to lay out in. I laid back in the rainbow "canopy". Maybe I should go on that inventors reality show.....

A Little Cheese....

...is okay when it comes from a kid, right? One of the teachers at Miles' daycare is leaving on Friday. She's not actually his teacher but she watches him in the morning until his teachers get there. She is so nice every morning, and has always been very sweet to Miles. I'm sure there are plenty of days she hasn't been in a great mood and didn't feel like being cheerful amongst tons of little kiddos, but you would never know it. We are really going to miss her. I don't know her that well, but wanted to give her something kind of thoughtful. Hope Miles and I succeeded.

9 Month Check Up

Miles had his 9 month visit with Dr. Bates today. He was 29.5" long (85th percentile) and 20.6lbs (48th percentile). His weight has dropped a lot in the percentiles, and is the lowest he's ever been in any category. Dr. Bates said not to fret. He's becoming more active and burning a lot of calories. He said that babies are unlike adults and need a lot of high calorie, high fat food for brain development. He already eats a lot in terms of quantity. We just need to up the calorie in take. I wish I could find a doctor to tell me that.


This is our attempt to entertain Miles while waiting.

He was good, as usual. He cried for less than 10 seconds after getting his shots. I think being pinned down was more upsetting to him than the actual shots. He's such a wiggle worm these days. Changing his diaper and getting him dressed in the morning has become quite a task. By the time we get in the car to go to daycare, I am worn out.

Lovin' It

Miles is loving his new crib hook up. I wrote here about making his bed more comfortable in an effort to help him sleep better in his crib. I'm happy to report that he LOVES his new bed. He has slept through the night every night, with the exception of one, since we hooked him up with some foam padding and a blanket over a week ago. He has also reverted back to laying down without a fight. If he cries at all, it doesn't last longer than 10-15 minutes. It's literally been amazing how instantly he changed. It's one of those parenting moments that you ask yourself why in the world you didn't figure it out sooner???


Of course, as I typed the first paragraph he was going berserk which lead to being picked up and is now laying on the couch with Darrin. Don't worry he's not going to sucker us back into that habit. I kind of feel like tonight is our fault. We went to Walmart and bought an obscene amount of groceries which took forever. He didn't get a bath and his routine was a little off. He was so good while we shopped and then fell asleep on the way home. I think he got his second wind when he woke up. So he can cuddle with Daddy tonight, but tomorrow it's back to business.

Summer Time

Darrin and I love summer time. He would prefer that it was 100 degrees year round. I like the seasons. I think that comes from growing up in Florida where there really is only one season - hot. The start of every season is exciting to me. I associate each season with things that I like.

Spring is my least favorite just b/c there are less things that thrill me about this time of the year. I do like thunderstorms and the fact that summer is on it's way. My next favorite is winter. I love winter clothes...turtlenecks, scarves and Uggs....just lovely. I also like the holidays b/c of all the family time that goes along with them. And, days that you are snowed in and get to play cards and boards games all day are fantastic. My next favorite is summer. I love swimming and sun tans. And I love, love, love cook outs, which is what we did on Saturday. We had Darrin's parents over. It was beautiful outside.

Miles and I laid on a blanket in the front yard while Darrin hit some golf balls.

Back to my commentary about seasons....my favorite is fall. Awww...volleyball and football. It's simply wonderful. I love the weather...the smell of tobacco barns when I'm driving to my mom's house....bonfires & smores....my birthday/anniversary....I could go on and on. I kind of wish my life away b/c I'm always looking forward to fall. Just the other day I saw something on TV about football and commented to Darrin that it wouldn't be long.

Volleyball is obviously a huge part of our lives. Volleyball season, August through November, is the pay off for all the work the rest of the year. For me, it's the reward for Darrin's extensive travel schedule during the off season due to recruiting. There's so much talk about volleyball in our house year round (I wouldn't have it any other way) and the season is when all that chatter plays out. You just can't beat fall. For now, I'll try to enjoy my second favorite season.

Daddy Is So Fun

Randomness

Sometimes it's hard to come up with something interesting or creative to blog about. Lately I feel like I'm living out my life through this blog....meaning...I'm constantly thinking that I need to take a picture b/c it would look cute with a certain story, or trying to come up with clever words to describe something that happened. Those that blog know exactly what I'm talking about. It can be exhausting. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love this blog for some strange reason.

However, tonight I'm exhausted. My boss leaves tomorrow for a long vacation. It took a lot of work to get her ready to leave, and while she's gone I have to make decisions in her absence. It's stressful b/c I really enjoy being the best support person I can be, but not in charge. I don't ever want her job. I'm drained. And, we are ridiculously busy at work....tons of PR events and getting ready for the biggest grand opening we've ever had. My office is actually moving from Union City to Martin, which is where I live, in 2 weeks. I'll blog about that another day.

Anyway, today I'm tired and I just want to go watch Grey's Anatomy. So, I give you complete randomness, with no order or creativity, and lazy/no explanations. Enjoy!

The loves of my life. So handsome....

This is Paige, Darrin's cousin Shawn's daughter. She's going to be a great babysitter. She is excellent with Miles already.


Tonight we went to Abby's kindergarten graduation. Abby is Shawn's youngest daughter. She was adorable up on the stage, and quite proud to be there.

Shawn and I turned around and Abby was holding Miles all by herself. She looked like she might topple over b/c Miles is so heavy.

Random. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Over the Limit

As Miles becomes more active it can be challenging to keep him clean while feeding him. Of course I try to maneuver the spoon to his mouth while avoiding his flailing arms. And, if he grabs to spoon or turns his head without notice causing food to fly on his face, I quickly wipe it off to try to keep the mess from spreading.

However, there are those times that are beyond repair. Somehow food ends up everywhere but in his mouth. These days it's just easier to let it go and change his clothes after the fact. Miles definitely won this battle.

Snug As a Bug

Miles loves to sleep in our bed, and not b/c we are in it. He loves to take naps there too. Our bed is extremely comfortable. It got me to thinking that maybe he would sleep better if we made his bed a little more comfortable.

Up to this point, he's had a firm mattress, and no pillow, blankets or stuffed animals. Our pediatrician has always put a major emphasis on this and we have strictly obeyed. I questioned several moms at church about whether or not they use blankets and pillows, and when they started. After my little research project I decided it was time to change some things. Miles is the only baby that is being deprived of these luxuries!

We went to Walmart after church and bought a foam pad and curtain to help make the room darker. Came home and put two layers of foam padding under the mattress pad and hung the curtain. When we laid him down for his nap he got a blanket, which is actually the little comforter that came with his bedding. It is soft and comfy. And, we turned his ceiling fan on low. I have always slept with a ceiling fan. Even in the middle of the winter, we sleep with the fan on high.

The result...we had to wake him up to go back to church on Sunday night. And, he slept from 8:30 last night until 6 this morning. I'm guessing he loved it. Hopefully it's not all coincidence, and instead we're actually onto something.

McSweaty

We went to the UTM softball game yesterday. UTM hosted the OVC championship. It felt pretty good outside at the start of the game. Miles was half asleep in his stroller.

Sporting Daddy's sunglasses and his UTM gear that Mrs. Mitsie bought him when I was first pregnant....

Not happy at all when Daddy reclaimed his glasses. Darrin says he has my cry face, which is not a pretty sight. His usually lasts about 10 seconds, and then he realizes it's not worth the effort.

It got hot and sticky very quickly. Miles still hasn't grasped the sippy cup so Darrin gave his some water with a straw. He also got some on his head and belly. We didn't plan to undress him but thankfully we were able to borrow some sunscreen (Thanks Jenny) and little man didn't get red at all.

He seemed rather comfortable bearing his belly for all to see.

On the Mends

Darrin took Miles to Dr. Bates this morning. He was up a lot screaming in the middle of the night. I was sure it was his ears b/c it just seemed like something specific was hurting him. I guess he was just hurting all over. Dr. Bates said that it was viral and he didn't have anything that could be treated with medicine. We just have to wait it out and use Tylenol and Motrin to help him through. He said his ears looked perfect which is great news. We have been so fortunate to not suffer with chronic ear infections like a lot of babies.

He seems to feel better now...

Or, maybe not...

Darrin said he played all day. His appetite has picked up also. Hopefully he'll rest better tonight and feel all better tomorrow.

Poor Little Baby

Miles is under the weather. They called from daycare yesterday afternoon to say that he was running a 102 fever, which turned out to be 100.2. I'm not sure if they said it wrong, or I heard it wrong. He was ok from the time we picked him up until he went to bed. Then, he got up at 1am, 2am, and finally at 3am there was no consoling him. The other two times I was able to easily get him back to bed. At 3am, I just put him in bed with us, where he stayed until after 7am.

I thought he might be teething again since it was a low grade fever. Tonight his fever got up to 102.8 so there goes that theory. It's obvious he feels terrible. He's acting like he did when he had an ear infection so that's my latest diagnosis.

Darrin stayed home with him today b/c I'm so busy at work, and this is a slower time for him. Unfortunately I have a PR event that I have to go to tomorrow, so Daddy will be staying home with him again, and hopefully taking him to the doctor. He's asleep now. I better rest while I can. I'm sure we're in for a long night.

Cheese

The last time Ava came to our house she and Miles actually played together. He was big enough to play this time. She would do something silly and he would laugh. They played the whole time we ate dinner.

After dinner I went into the play room with my camera. Ava was on her way out. I asked her to play with Miles some more so I could take some pictures. Her reply, "I already played with him." I convinced her to at least lay beside him, but this is the best smile I got. She was over him.

Home Remodeling

We've been involved in a little home remodeling project. Darrin & I operate very spur of the moment when it comes to big (expensive) purchases. We've bought computers and couches when we weren't in the market for them at all. So, a couple weeks ago, I decided we needed hardwood floors in our living room and hallway. Our carpet is yucky and now that Miles is crawling I can't stand the thought of him all over that nasty carpet. I either called or texted Darrin and he agreed without question. It was like, of course we need hardwood floors....why haven't you taken care of this before now? Like we're buying toothpaste.

We already had hardwood in the foyer and dining room/Miles' playroom. After further research and measuring, the existing hardwood would have to be ripped up b/c it wasn't going with, or against, the floor joists, whichever way it's supposed to go. That didn't change our minds. So, the plan was to rip up the existing hardwood and replace it, going the correct direction.

The living room before...

And after...

The foyer...

We are exhausted from having the house torn apart for the last 4 days. Darrin & his Dad moved the furniture, and tore up the carpet and hardwood to save a little money. They had to do it on Saturday since Sunday was Mother's Day. That meant no living room or playroom all weekend. And, most importantly no TV b/c our main satellite receiver is in the living room and it controls the rest of the TVs. If you know me very well you know that I love watching TV. It was painful. We had to hook it back up on Sunday night to watch the Amazing Race finale.

The men came to get started on Monday. The room was cleared out and ready for them to start laying the floor so how long could it take? Well, since you asked, it took all day Monday and from 8:30 this morning until 8:45pm. OMG. Talk about frustrating. They wanted to quit for the day around 6 something and Darrin said no. I wasn't around for that conversation (thank goodness) but I am so thankful he stood his ground. I don't function well with a messy house that is out of sorts.

Since the house was torn apart this weekend, we spent time in the garage. Random, I know, but it actually felt good out there. It forced me to clean and organize my garage too.

So glad this job is finished. I told Darrin to promise me that he'll say no if I ever talk about buying a house that needs much work. This is not my (our) thing.

Mother's Day

Miles made something special for me for Mother's Day.


That is his hand print, and the poem says:

Sometime you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave dirty marks

On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing

I'll be grown up some day

And all those little dirty marks

Will all have gone away.

As I grow, I'll change a lot

The years will fly right by

You'll wonder how I grew so quick

When and where and why?

I may be still very small

But this I'd like to say

I love you very, very BIG

Happy Mother's Day

I thought that was very nice of him. Darrin got me a very heartfelt card and some pjs. My Mom was actually here for the weekend. I can't remember the last time I got to spend Mother's Day with her. It was a very good day. And, Miles picture in the grass looked cute on the slide show for church. When his picture flashed on the screen, I saw a lady a few rows up turn to the person beside her and say that he was a cute baby. Awww, just what every mother loves to hear.

Home Alone

Miles and I have been home alone since Sunday morning. Darrin went on a golf trip to Biloxi, MS. I don't announce on here when he's out of town for obvious reasons. I already check under my bed at night and sleep with a mag flashlight on Darrin's side of the bed while he's gone. I don't need to create any other insecurities in my head. When I was in 7th grade our house was broken into and I was the one that came home and found it. Scarred for life....that's another post.....

While Darrin was gone, I lived like a bachelor. Not a cute, fun bachelorette. A sloppy bachelor. I ate egg mcmuffins, either from McDonald's or homemade, for breakfast or dinner, eight times. The two nights I didn't eat egg mcmuffins, I ate a popsicle one night, and 2 pieces of lemon ice box pie that my in laws brought me for Mother's Day. I think I gained at least 5 pounds this week.

I also lived like a slob. Didn't make my bed one day and just threw clothes wherever they landed. I did one load of laundry all week. On two days, I actually got pants out of the dirty clothes, ironed them and wore them b/c everything was either dirty or didn't fit.

So, last night it was time to get to work. I can't let Darrin know that I think it is remotely acceptable to live like this for even a week. After all, it's taken me almost 9 years to get his housekeeping habits up to my standards :)

This is what Miles did while I cleaned my room.

And, this is what he did while I cleaned the kitchen. There I go again pacifying him with food.


I was very excited that Darrin was able to go on this golf trip, but have not been looking forward to a long week at home by myself. I have to say, it wasn't that bad. Miles slept through the night most of the nights and went according to schedule every night. He knew I needed his cooperation. We are very, very happy to have Daddy home.