I thought I couldn't wait for this...

What a bittersweet time.  Things are touch and go right now with my emotions.  I've been looking forward to Seth starting Kindergarten and Abby going to five day a week pre-school.  But, now it's here.  I have a work schedule that has me working more day/morning hours so I can pick Seth up from school and even get home to put the kids to bed some.  It all worked out how I had hoped.  And I WAS so excited to start this new adventure.  Now it's here.  I'm happy and I'm sad.  I've cried several times today and I'm about to cry again now. 
I'm excited because I know Seth is totally prepared for Kindergarten.  He had the best preschool teacher to get him where he needs to be.  He is socially ready.  He is excited to learn! I couldn't ask for more from him.  Yes, he went to preschool for 2 years!  And last year he was there 5 half days a week!  So why is this so different? 
I read a blog to new kindergarten moms.  It talked about this being a celebration for us moms.  Not that we have a few hours to maybe clean without kids in the house, or sit down for 5 minutes without ANY sound in the house, but a celebration that we prepared our children for the beginning of their journey.  I feel great about how prepared he is.  I'm proud of Seth and I as parents for the struggles we've endured (so far). How much we've grown and learned in raising our son (so far).  I am happy to have those few minutes of quiet.  But I'm sad. 
When I first had my kids, everyone told me, "it goes so fast."  I was not a fan of people "putting their feelings on me."  I wanted to figure it all out.  I didn't want to hear "wait until he starts..." I wanted to enjoy what was going on then.  I thought, "that might not happen with mine," or "maybe I won't feel that way."  Well, I do, and it does go by fast.  And it's not like I won't see my son every day and experience all the new exciting things with him.  But I'm sad because I don't know if I took FULL advantage of the time I had him home.  I can only imagine how working mothers feel.  I do a lot with my kids, but as a mom I question "did I do enough?"  And then I think to a conversation I recently had with a friend when I said "but do you remember the things you didn't do or didn't get as a kid?"  I don't.  I remember the fun things we did as a family.  The special trips to the toy store. Saving my money and quarters and pennies to buy that plastic charm necklace and charm clips to put on it.  And that wasn't just handed to me and it obviously meant more to me.  So I guess I need to keep telling myself that. 
Seth is prepared for school.  He's so excited to learn.  He is so outgoing and great at talking to people, kids and adults.  He's not thinking about the last 5 years and what I didn't do with him.  He's looking at what's ahead and how much fun he's going to have.  So I guess I need to keep thinking about the fun things ahead.  I'm doing the best job I can.  I'm keeping busy while the kids are in school - God knows I'd go crazy if I wasn't busy!  So tomorrow I will try so hard not to cry in front of him. I will send him into school thankful for what a special boy he is and how happy he is.  Thankful for how far we have come with him.  Thankful that we have this son that we can continue to make memories with.  And then...I'll take Abby, stop at Starbucks, and go to work for a few hours. 
And then...we'll pick him up with balloons and go get him a special treat to remember his first day of school.  Because those are the happy memories I want to make with him, not the sad mom crying ones...

Seth's 4th Birthday

I have blogged on SJ's every birthday until now.  I have a good excuse though...it was Thanksgiving, so things were a little crazy.  Couldn't be a better day to have a birthday.  So he knows his birthdate and that it was Thanksgiving, BUT he was VERY confused because his birthday party was last weekend.  He has been asking for a Buzz Birthday since the SPRING!  AND he invites/has invited every person we meet. My super friendly little guy walks up and talks to anyone and every conversation somehow always turned to "I'm going to invite you to my Buzz Birthday!"  So he had his birthday complete with Buzz decorations, pinata, balloons, and of course you can't have a Buzz Party without Buzz so we got SJ a Buzz costume to wear.  He LOVED it.  And of course loved his family party. 
So we have come so far this past year.  This time last year, Seth was easier to handle than the year before but still very difficult.  He is no longer very difficult, but he takes a lot of energy.  He is super energetic, sweet, lovable, and DETERMINED!   His personality is that which when he says "Mommy what flavor is that yogurt?" and I say "strawberry," he responds "no it's grape." Doesn't matter that I can read and read the package, he's got the right answer...must get that from his daddy the lawyer. 
Since his Birthday was on Thanksgiving this year, I need to say how thankful I am for his outgoing personality. He is 180degrees different from me.  I do not like to talk to strangers/random people, and I'm not outgoing enough to approach people even to make friends.  BUT, my son is forcing me to be better and for that I am forever grateful to him.  God gave me that child so that I would have to work on being more outgoing, that I can talk to random people, he knows...
So as I write this, I'm sitting in the dark living room with out Christmas tree lit, and I think about the month following his birth that we sat together while Daddy was at work and watched Christmas movies in the dark, and snuggled, and napped, and what great memories they were.  I say it often, but I'm so lucky and blessed with all I have and I would be just as lucky and blessed if the only thing I had was my family.  The truly mean the world to me...

Seth's first day of Pre-K3

Today is Seth's first day of School!  My big ole guy is getting too big.  I put the kids to bed alone last night and struggled saying prayers, praying for a great first day of school.  I know he loves it, he's been asking for friends to play with (poor guy) and loves to socialize AND learn!  I'm so excited too, to have a few hours each week with just Abby - to run errands, clean, and we may even take mommy and me swimming again while he's at school! 
Seth was very excited for his first day. Daddy and he went to get a big boy backpack yesterday - he calls it his camoflauge backpack (I'm not a fan of the grey, black, and blue thing), he picked it out himself.  Last night, he got out of bed once which he hasn't done in forever, because I think we got him a little too excited about the whole thing!  This morning he got up and got dressed, took pictures with Daddy before he left for work.  Unfortunately it's a court day for Daddy so he couldn't stay.  We had a good breakfast and then Mimi came over to help get everyone out the door.  Of course 15 pictures later we left!

We found his classroom, he picked his cubby out himself, gave his papers to his teacher, foudn his name on the school bus and put it in the basket.  Then he went and foudn the fishing game that he played with at his Orientation the other day.  I think it's his favorite toy already!  I asked for hugs, he gave us all hugs and we pretty much left. He ran and started playing!  Couldn't ask for a better drop off...for him.  Mommy struggled to hold the tears back for him - like I am now.  Abby was sad in the car, but is good now. We came home and she asked to go snuggle in her bed.  Couldn't ask for more!  Sounds like a perfect idea to me!  And thus begins, the next I don't know how many years of "First days of school..."http://www.facebook.com/#!/KGreer5http://www.facebook.com/#!/KGreer5

Wow, it's been a while

So I guess as the kids get older and life gets a little more crazy, I post blogs a little less. Luckily, I find I'm not the only one this is happening too. I see many of my friends haven't updated blogs in a while either so that makes me feel better:) Obviously a year has gone by so lots has happened. In July we went on our family vacation to Myrtle Beach. What a great time, but right now the age of the kids makes things a little less relaxing, but I think that may start changing this year. In November we had SJ's 3rd Birthday! Holy cow! I can't believe it's been 3 years. We have definitely gone through our rough spots but we are learning how to deal with his personality and realizing how we deal with him affects how he acts. So, we are working on how we act towards him and he is starting to learn to deal with his feelings and reactions. He's definitely a total boy! He's got a TON of energy! He's got such a personality too...and very smart might I add:) I'm a proud mommy! Seth had 2 birthdays this year. He had a party in Maryland and then we flew to Louisiana on his birthday and we had another party there with the Greer's! We had a Robot cake (thanks Aunt Step) and everything. That kid was spoiled because a few days later we celebrated christmas down there. So he got presents in Maryland, birthday presents in Lousiana, and then Christmas presents.
Christmas was in Maryland this year and I think I was just as excited as the kids. We had Snowflake the elf stay with us from Thanksgiving until Christmas and the kids were excited to see where he landed each day. Seth was super excited christmas morning when he saw Santa brought him a Rocketship! Just what he asked for! Abby was just happy with whatever. She kept telling us that she cried when she saw Santa. Hopefully she'll be happier seeing him next year.
Next week is Abby's 2nd Birthday. She is definitely all girl. She loves her dollies and dressing up. She LOVES shoes which she totally doesn't get from me, must be daddy...he loves his shoes too! Abby is totally into Peppa Pig on Nick Jr. so we are having a Peppa Birthday this year. She better realize how much Mommy loves her because the decorations are coming all the way from the UK. That will never happen again because mommy thought the price was already converted to US $ and it wasn't! Let's just say when I saw my bank account I tried to cancel the order but it was too late. So...Abby is now potty trained! Our biggest accomplishment for her this year! She is still wet at naps and in the morning so stays in diapers then, but she is in big girl panties the rest of the day! So proud of her and excited to not have to change poopie diapers anymore! HOORAY!
I think that's all for now. Better get back to my stay at home mommy work! Still loving every minute of being home during the day!

Abby's First Birthday

Wow...wow wow!!! I can't believe this will only be the 4th blog I've written since Abby was born! Obviously a lot has happened. Abby is 100% walking. She started shortly after she turned 11 months just like Seth did. It was a fight to get her to take any steps but she would stand up on her own without holding onto anything from sitting. I knew she COULD walk if she tried, but she just never wanted to try. Which I WAS fine with. She and Seth interact a lot more now too. Abby will crack up at Seth and that eggs Seth on to make her laugh. It really is awesome to see that. We went through a VERY dificult couple months with Seth right before and right after he turned 2. He was NO FUN! He spent a TON of time in timeout and it felt like we were constantly getting on to him. But timeouts are not very common anymore and we do the "if I count to 3" thing. It REALLY works. I can tell him to do something 100 times, but as soon as I tell him "if mommy gets to 3 you go to time out, do you understand me" and he responds "yes m'am." He listens. It REALLY is amazing that it works! But it makes me realize that all the hard work DOES pay off even if it IS easier to let some things go.
We are starting to realize that we probably spoil Abby a little too much. She has started whining when she doesn't get her way. But she's so darn sweet we usually give her what she wants because she plays on her own and is so happy and easy to get along with. We continued with her crazy sleeping patterns (from the last blog) until right after Christmas because it was just easier to get up with her than have her wake up little Seth. But when we got home from Seth's parents, we decided "it was on." So the first night, we let her cry, and of course, ever since then she's been consistantly sleeping til 6:30 or 7. So bedtime for both is now 8pm and wake up ranges from 6:30-7:30 for the 2 of them....so nice!
So let me reminice (sp?) a little for a minute. Abby was up at 6:30 this morning and I was thinking, now is about the time last year that I was NEEDING an epidural...and then at 9:30 I was thinking I was probably holding that baby girl in the hospital. And then I put her to bed tonight. She layed with her tummy on mine while we said prayers and I sang to her and I sang the song that I made up in the hospital for her. Our first night together, Abby and I spent alone. Seth went home to feel better and take care of little Seth. So I was struggling a little feeding her and getting her to go back to sleep. So I sang this little silly song: Abby Jo, Abby Jo, Abby Jo, I love you so, I love you so my Abby Jo. I sing it sometimes still, but not very often. But it reminds me of our first night together. Just us girls...I can't wait til we have many "just us girls" times. I love having my little boy, our times together and those big hugs and kisses from that sweet guy are uncomparable. And I love having my little girl, to look at me with those big eyes, and give me unsolicited kisses and hugs when she gets up from her nap. It's amazing. I feel so blessed. My little family 100% feels complete...and I'm a lucky lady...

where has the time gone...

So my baby is 8 months old today...where did the time go? How much has changed!!?!?!? Who knows...and a ton! Seth is talking like crazy...up to 3 words together. He knows what he wants and he knows how to push mommy's buttons. He is a handful these days and has a TON of energy. He needs to be going going going...BUT he does love his Yo Gabba Gabba. He's pee peeing on the potty again. Not all the time but a decent amount, but only pee pee...it's a start! We're going on about 3-4 weeks now. He'll tell us sometimes...but not all the time. If this trend continues longer we'll do something more to get him really potty trained...these $45 a box diapers for 2 kids is EXPENSIVE! They wear the same size diapers though, so really I only have to get 1 box at a time. Yep, you heard me correctly, my 22 month old and 8 month old can wear the same diapers!
Abby is the best...she is SUPER happy...I thought SJ was happy, but Abby, is crazy happy. I love it. She's getting a little needy lately though. She wants to be right next to me all the time, has to see me and if I'm down on the floor, she is in my lap. If I'm changing SJ's diapers, she's right there in the way. Her smile though...the thought of it even, just makes me smile. Don't get me wrong, SJ's smile makes me smile too...but he is more of a handful at this point. Abby has 5 teeth now, and is crawling like a crazy woman! She started that shortly after she turned 7 months. She's pulling up on everything too. I have no doubt she'll be walking before she's 1 too. Which is completely fine with me! She gets heavy to carry...fast! But I do love that she likes to snuggle some still....because SJ is too busy right nowfor that. I know it will come back soon.
Abby's sleep changed from 12hours to waking up at 5:30 am most nights andthen back to sleep for 2 more hours. I'm not complaining, she goes from 7:30-5:30, but we could have done without this change. We get up and give her a bottle then even though the doctor told us not too...but the dilema is...let her cry and wake SJ up and have both of them cry (because believe me they do feed off of eachother when it comes to crying) or get up for the 10minutes it takes to give her a bottle and put her back down. I choose the 2nd rather then having 2 screaming babies up at 5:30 am for good!
I love my babies more than anything...they are so much fun and I am such a lucky person to have them and Big Seth. I can't imagine my life without them in it. Awesome...that's all I can say! Seth and I both think our family is perfect right now. I honestly don't think I could do the infant thing again anytime soon...I'm worn out!

How quickly things change...

So it's been a LONG time since I wrote a blog...
Abby had her 2 month appointment and weighed close to 14 lbs. She was sleeping til 5 am for the longest time and going to bed around 9. The past week or so we've put her down (well Seth has) around 8pm, right after SJ goes to bed, and she's been sleeping til 8:30...one day til 9!!! So WONDERFUL! She's sitting in her bumbo and holds herself better everyday. I can't believe she's almost 3 months old already! I tried to put her in her crib for naps last week and almost lost my mind. She was fighting me pretty good and barely slept each day.So I gave that up quickly. Then this week she fell asleep rocking in my arms and I took her up and she slept in her crib for 45 minutes. I did that 2 days. Today, I did the same thing and we're going on 2 HOURS! Seth is also in his crib and we're going on 45 minutes of them taking naps simultaneously...which is why I have time to write this!
Seth peed and pooped on the potty this week too. First time on my Birthday and he pooped twice and peed 4 times. The next day he did it again and then Wednesday he went all day with a dry diaper. He pooped in it but no pee. Then Thursday he only used the potty once, and today, after starting to pee on the floor, I put him on the potty and that's been it for today. Oh well...
We've been playing outside a lot, and Seth LOVES it. The weather has been mid to upper 80's a few days this week...so I've been in heaven too...I love it! I like the cool, windows open weather too, but summer...I can't wait for summer!!! Big Seth and I took SJ out this past Sunday morning to play while we had some bloody mary's and Abby napped. It was wonderful....we've planned to continue this as long as we can...Bloody Mary Sundays...
Not too much else going on...super busy with work and just LOVING this time of year and feeling so blessed with my little family...Seth and I tell each other every day how lucky we are...we don't taken any of this for granted, we're so thankful.

Birth of Baby Girl Greer!!

2 weeks and 1 day old and just now posting her first blog. And rushing through it at that, but I guess that's how things are going to be for a while...a blur...rushing. But I still want to take it all in. That's one of my big reasons for this blog. I know it allows people to see whats going on in our lives, but not having time to do a baby book or scrap book right now, this allows me to keep some kind of record of whats going on. My thought is one day I can print all these blogs out and maybe make a family book instead of baby books.
So, my due date for baby girl was 1/11, I was none too happy when that date came and went. At my doctor's appointment that week , Dr. Guckes didn't expect me to last a few more days. He said he'd put in for me to be induced Monday the 18th, but I could "laugh at him" if I made it that long. Guess what, Friday I got the phone call I was to be induced Monday morning at 12:45 AM!!! So yes, I made it, Sunday night I got my shower at 9pm and dried my hair, put on make up(yes to go give birth...that's one of my simple pleasures and I took advantage of it knowing it would be a while before I could take my time again!). Seth was sick with a sore throat and fever so he laid on the couch and we watched TV until my mom came over to spend the night with little Seth so we could GO HAVE A BABY! It was strange to drive us to the hospital (since Seth wasn't feeling good) so I could have a baby...how ironic huh? So they set us up in my room, which I walked to (again weird) and by 2am I had a pitocin drip. I couldn't sleep so I watched Nick at Nite:) By 4ish I could tell the contractions were getting more intense but then they slacked off. Around 5 am the nurse told me the anestehesiologist was going into surgery and if I wanted an epidural I needed to do it now because he would be unavailable for 1-1 1/2 hours. I was ok. At 5:50 I felt a contraction then almost a pop in my stomach, then a trickle. I thought my water had broke, so I made Seth call the nurse. She checked and said she didn't think so, I had another contraction and told her "no I think it did." She checked again, yep sure enough! So she left and called the Dr. By 6:15 I told Seth YOU'VE GOT TO CALL THAT NURSE and find out when I can get an epidural. Contractions were coming VERY quickly and VERY intense. I'll never forget the shirt Seth had on (his custom Steelers Shirt) because I used that Steelers Logo to focus on during each contraction. I remember telling him "I don't want to do it like this!" The nurse said the anesthesioligist was still in surgery and I had to wait...AHHHHHH!!!! So by 6:30 he was in my room thank goodness, along with the doctor. AHHH the relief of that epidural...so WONDERFUL! The doctor checked me (first time that I was checked) and I was 8 cm. So by 7:45ish I was ready to push...8:11am, baby Abigail Johanna Greer was born. They told me she was huge and would give little Seth a run for his money as far as birth weight. On the scale she went...and....9lbs 8oz!! How did I have a baby that big? So then the doctor said "what are you going to name her?" To which I answered "beast".

SJ's First Birthday and Thanksgiving

Happy Birthday baby boy! Can I still say that??? Baby boy? He's already 1! It's truly amazing how quickly a year can go by. We celebrated Andrews birthday on Saturday the 21st (his actual birthday) and Seth' s on Sunday (his actual birthday). It was fun to see how they reacted or I guess their lack of reaction to things. SJ was totally uninterested in any of his gifts or cards. He plays with some of his cards now and the next day he ONLY played with his new things. Too funny. He was unsure of his cake too. He looked at it for a while then put his hand in it, and left it there, then he finally put some in his mouth. I tried to make his little cake look like a cupcake so in order to build up the center, I used an ENTIRE tub of icing...can we say sugar rush!!!

The following week we made the trek down to Clemson, SC for Thanksgiving with my cousins, grandmother, and family. The 9 hour trip took 12 hours, and SJ did a good job. I sat in the back part of the time and daddy did the rest of the time. We had a great time, SJ had his first Thanksgiving meal too!!! We gave him a taste of everything and of course there was nothing he didn't like. Oh yeah, this is where I should mention that on our drive down we hit some traffic right in front of a Raising Cane's Restaurant!!! So of course we stopped and SJ also had his first experience with Cane's strips and Texas Toast. Again, he loved it!!!

In the midst of all this he's gotten his first little cold. Poor little guy with his snotty nose! He was a little fussy, and needy, and cuddly through it but he's back on track now. Our newest thing...watching Ni Hao Kai Lan in the morning when he wakes up in mommy and daddy's bed and then after his afternoon nap laying in our bed again and watching some of Wow Wow Wubzy. If Nick Jr. is on - he's a happy kid...he especially loves moose and zee!!!!

Next post will be our Santa experience...I wonder how he'll react!!?!?!!? I'm not expecting very well. If Santa were female I'm sure he'd do fine, but he doesn't do as well with male strangers!

A Day I'll ALWAYS remember

So I'm sitting in the living room, some of the Christmas decorations up, with a pregnant belly...again, and thinking about this day last year. I remember more about this day than any other day I think in my life...
I remember waking up in the morning, sending Seth off to work, making Cinnamon Rolls and listening to Kidd Kraddick on the internet while I uploaded Jimmy and Becky's Dewey Beach pictures to Shutterfly when I my mom called me to tell me Keri was in labor and asked if I could watch Emmy til Mike got off work. I got myself together, went over, picked her up and brought her to my house. I wanted to do something fun with her so we decided we'd start decorating my house for Christmas. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, but me being a week past my due date, I thought I better do it now. So we did, and it started snowing...so we went outside and took my camera and we took pictures of each other. We caught snowflakes on our tongues. Mike picked Emmy up, and I ate my lunch, cleaned up our mess and then got in the shower. I even remember that I painted my nails, plucked my eyebrows, and trimmed my bangs. Then off to the hospital to see how Keri was doing. I met my mom, Gilly, and Statia in the hall and then went back to Keri's room. I got to see my nephew be born with mom, Statia, Amanda, and Aunt Donna. I remember Aunt Donna telling me I was glowing, that she thought it wouldn't be long til' my little boy would be here. Seth came up to hospital and met Andrew, and off we went to get some of our last minute things at Babies R Us and then dinner at Fudruckers. As we left Babies R Us it started snowing again. I had a big ole hamburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake for dinner...Seth called his sister when we left the restaurant and when we got home I remember him laying on the floor with only the Christmas lights on talking to his friend Mickey. It was near 9pm and I told him I was exhausted and going to bed. Around midnight we both woke up to a rattling paper sound, we searched til we found the paper under the bed. It was then that I decided to go sleep in the chair so I'd be comfortable. About an hour later, I was in labor. and the next day my little boy was born.
Sitting here with only the Christmas lights on now reminds me of our first month home, napping in the afternoon together, watching Christmas shows and movies with only the Christmas lights on and then daddy coming home and hanging out with him the rest of the night. That was just the start of this whirlwind of a year. A whirlwind, full of wonderful memories. We are so blessedto have such a wonderful, happy little boy. Every night either Seth or I can't help but tell the other "I love that boy." I can't believe that before we know it, we'll have another little baby to give our love too. Seth and I have come so far, from a long distance relationship, dealing with Law School, the Bar, moving 1/2 way across the US, buying a house, marriage and now parenthood. God certainly blessed our broken road...and continues to bless us every day...

Exciting Weekend

I say exciting, maybe I mean crazy, fun, hormonal...
Thursday Seth and Seth flew to New Orleans. Big Seth is in a wedding this weekend and Grandmama and Aunt Steph drove in to pick up SJ. He got to spend the weekend with his Louisiana Grandparents and Aunt and cousins. Maybe he'll come back with an accent! I know daddy would love that! With them leaving, the house has been SOOOO quiet, and that makes me sad. It's been a while since I cried as hard as I did Thursday. But each day has gotten a little easier. Friday I FINALLY got my hair cut, then ran a few errands and had lunch with mom for my birthday (a little late - but still great!) Then we ran around a little and I got fabric to make curtains for the new baby's room and fabric to cover the glider. I guess that's my new project! Friday night I put up new blinds in the kitchen and Saturday morning I put them up in the baby's room. Tomorrow I'll do the ones in Seth's room! Saturday when I got home from teaching I was surprised by a baby shower!!! A little dejavu? Yes - and very strange the whole baby girl thing is still so surreal to me. You would think it would be more real by now but it's not! We got so many cute girly outfits and a double stroller - which I can't wait to put together. We got the cutest sign "a ballerina sleeps here" from my aunt and cousin and my sister gave me the baby quilt that my grandmother made in 1985 for a neighbor. She had given it back to Keri when Emily was born and now I have it for this baby girl. So special!!! Tonight my mom and I did a little shopping. So...with my busy weekend on my feet...the swelling has begun in my hands and feet! Woo hoo!!! But I only have 9 weeks to go so I can't complain too much!
Seth seems to be having a great time in New Orleans for the wedding hanging out with old highschool buddies from his hometown...not getting much sleep...but having fun. I know he probably would like to have had more sleep since we don't have to get up with Seth...maybe for his birthday next weekend:) It's his big 3-0 and I think that means you require more sleep!
SJ seems to be doing good with everyone in Vidalia - which I'm so thankful for. I was worried that he would not do well since he doesn't see them often. And of course I worried, but he's sleeping good and they said they're all having a good time with him. So I'm so thankful that he had this opportunity to spend the time with them and that they were able to spend the time with him too. I hope they took pictures!
To update what SJ is doing now...he eats everything we eat (minus the sweets that mommy craves) and he's walking! He started walking a week after he turned 11months. I'm so thankful because he's not exactly light as a feather! He's so sweet, giving kisses, and hugs, and his "so big" and "fishy lips". His smile makes my day...
I think its good to spend time away sometimes because it makes you realize what you have. I love my boys so much and don't know what I would do without them. I HAVE enjoyed my time this weekend doing things that are hard to do with a 1 year old, but I am ready to have my boys home and get back to our schedule!
Seth loves my countdowns...so here's my latest! 1 week til daddy's 30th bday, 2 weeks til SJ's 1st birthday, 2 1/2 weeks til Thanksgiving, 3 weeks til December, 3 weeks left of teaching before maternity leave, 1 month til Christmas, our Louisiana family visiting Maryland, and then 2 weeks til baby girl is due to be born!!!

24 weeks and 10 months

Seth is 10 months old today!! I can't believe how quickly time has passed!! Seth and I were talking tonight and it's just so much fun to come home and see him play. Just watching him...it's amazing!!! He's getting close to walking...I think he still just thinks it's easier to crawl - cause he can really get after it! He definitely knows "no" now...he shakes his head no quite often. Hope that doesn't mean we tell him no too much!! He eats almost anything we do - feeds himself finger food...says Dada, Mama...it's awesome! He loves to chew things...anything, the carpet on the stairs, his crib, furniture...doesn't matter to him, he'll lean over and try to eat anything!! We started laying our head down on a pillow and he would come over and we thought he was giving us kisses...today we found out, he's trying to bite our nose!! Little stinker! He has a new babysitter too. It's so nice to be able to let him nap if I have to go to work and the babysitter comes here. The first day she watched him I had a text with his picture when I got out of work. Of course hormonal me cried, but she immediately got bonus points from me:) Seth really seems to like her too...he ignored me when I left today because they were ready to play. I'm glad he's taking to her so well...
We also found out we're having a little girl. So SJ will have a little sister! So exciting...
She still has no name. She has her crib and dresser, and bedding set...but yep, no name! I feel huge this time, loving my sweets, and gaining the weight to show it...is it bad to want to diet when I'm preggo? I think I just need to slow down with what I'm eating! Baby girl is a mover too...and I already feel elbows and knees going across my belly...tickles!!!
This fall is definitely going to fly by...
This weekend we are cleaning out the basement for the yard sale and to move the old bedroom furniture from the nursery out. The following weekend is our community yard sale, then the next weekend is a HUGE craft show, then Fall Festival with Friends, then Seth and I get a relaxing night at the beach without SJ!!! Thanks to one of Seth's coworkers!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you! Then it's Halloween!! ALREADY!!! Can'tsay what SJ will be...it will be TOO CUTE though...Then it's November...Seth and SJ are going to Louisiana for Seth to be in a wedding and SJ to visit with Grandmama, PawPaw, Aunt Steph etc...and mommy gets a weekend to herself...happy and sad at the same time. Then Daddy turns 30, then SJ turns 1!!! Then Thanksgiving, then DECEMBER!!! 1 month til baby girl is here...oh my oh my!!! Just another countdown. I can't wait for all the excitement of this fall and winter, I can't wait to try ot just take it all in and not rush it...things will be SUPER busy come January!!!

How do you measure, measure a.....month!!!

Wow, I was reading our last blog and realized how much has happened since then. Really it's only been a month, but WOW, how things change. Since last month SJ has learned that he doesn't like to be told "no" he's figured out how to pull up, and crawl. He's eating more solid foods, fruit pieces, puffs, cheerios, green beans etc. He's also got 8 teeth and now it looks like his "fangs" are coming in...they look like they might be coming in up high, like mine were as a child, and he's been really fussy, so I guess we'll see!!! He's a mad man sometimes, and just goes goes goes!! It's a lot of fun, but I've had to clear off everything in his reach. I was hoping to be able to tell him no, HA....right!!! He IS learning no, but he doesn't like it and he tests us every time.
Other news is that I'm pregnant again. 16 weeks today! I'm due January 11th, but hoping for an early baby to get that tax break again!!! Gotta take what we can get right!!! Also, Seth's family is planning a trip to MD right after Christmas since his brother and his family are coming to the states and I won't be able to fly, and there's no way I'm gonna let Seth leave me when I only have 2 weeks til my due date!!! But how exciting if they could meet the new little one then! Really though, we're happy as long as the baby is healthy.
So things are changing, not only does it look like we're cleaning out because of SJ getting into everything, but now we have to clear out the spare bedroom, and start thinking about another nursery! We're out of bedrooms after this one, so we have to figure out how to not get pregnant again right away ;)
It IS hard to get in the baby mindset again, but the more I think about it and it all sinks in, the more excited I get. I really can't wait to have another little one, and I really don't mind being pregnant, I can't wait to feel all the little movements again, and as long as it goes as well as last time, I'll be good to go! And I'd say so far so good!! I didn't even know I was preggo til I was 11 1/2 weeks along! Things will be tough, tougher than the first go round with chasing SJ and taking care of an infant, but then I think at how quickly time went by with SJ...I mean he's already doing so much and it hasn't even been a year! So...How do you measure a year? For the last 2 years we've been measuring by smiles, tears, pregancies, babies, and everything that goes along with it...

This weekend

So this weekend SJ and I took a trip to Bossier, LA to a friends house for her baby shower. I got to hang out with Lacey and Michelle for the weekend while Seth hung out in Maryland with Mickey. It was a great visit, although too quick. And, SJ got to visit with Grandmama, Aunt Steph, and Cousin Sarah and give mommy a break while we were there!
The actual flight was quite and experience that could have been much worse if SJ wasn't such a good kid. To start things off I got to Reagan National and had to park at a complete seperate concourse. Then I got to the ticket counter and realized the car seat base was still in the car. Thank goodness we had enough time that I could check my bag and car seat carrier and go back to the car for the base. The trip home was another experience. I got to the airport to find out our flight was delayed. They didn't know for how long and rebooked us to get home at 10pm. We were orginally scheduled to get home at 5:45. I was not too happy AND I only had enough food/formula to get us through the original time. Thank goodness for Michelle and John who went to the grocery and brought us more formula. The delayed flight ended up getting us to Memphis 20 minutes before our originally scheduled flight departed. So we ran, 2 diaper bags, a stroller, and SJ in the baby bjorn, through the airport to the gate. WOO HOO!!! We made it and they were able to get us on that plane. Everythings great!! Right??? Well, we got in the air and then I realized, what are the chances our luggage got on this flight...yeah, probably not. And I checked the car seat and base. Great! Now what? So as soon as we landed I had Seth call a car rental place to see if we could rent one so he wouldn't have to drive an hour to bring one. Well, all I can say is Northwest Airlines became very accomodating. When I reported the bags missing, they gave us a carseat and base. Brand new, and they don't take them back so we now have an extra car seat and base. And $50 towards another flight!!! WOO HOO!!! SJ slept through all the flights, so I couldn't have been more relieved and the terrible experience was better than it could have been.
So, while I was in LA, Seth and Mickey I thought were hanging out. But to my surprise when I got home I found a redone kitchen!! They put in new countertops and tile backsplash. Mickey is very handy and helped Seth SO much!! We're so lucky to have such great friends! Both of us! They did hang out some in the middle of it all and played Rock Band, Mario Kart, and even a trip to an O's game! The downside, they worked until 3:30 am. So they're "relaxing weekend" was chock full of projects. I'm excited they'll get to hang out again (for real) in a few weeks when we go to Tampa.
So now I'm waiting on my luggage...oh what fun...
In the meantime, here are some pics of my new kitchen!! We still want to knock down a wall and repaint, and lay wood floors, so this will only push us to get it done sooner rather than later!

The Old Kitchen

Tile done

Tile done, countertop in!

Our New Kitchen!!!

6 Months!

Here are some cute pictures from the last 2 months

We had our 6 month check up Friday!! Seth is 17 1/2 lbs, 27 1/2 inches long. Such a big boy. We saw a new doctor this visit - our old doctor sadly left the practice. But this doctor was wonderful!!! She was so thorough and talked to me for a good 15 minutes, asking me questions and letting me ask her questions. She said we can start him on small finger foods, let him start getting used to a sippy cup, brush his teeth, give him water, put sunscreen on him. And she told us to watch out because he seems like a very active thing and she has no doubt that the next time we see her he'll be crawling and pulling up. We'll see...crazy to think that in 3 more months he'll be really getting into stuff!

His accomplishments this far are rolling over - although he's pretty lazy and won't always put forth the effort. He's sitting up pretty well too and learning how to catch himself when he starts to topple over. He's eating 3 meals a day and yes, we started him with some finger foods. I thought mashed up banana pieces would be best, but he made gross coughing choking noises with that...and I hated it. So we tried the gerber graduates puffs and he does much better with those. He gums them and then swallows well. He started splashing in the bathtub so I was so excited to get him a baby pool. This weekend we got one and played twice. Both times he played for a good 45 minutes in it!! I'm very much looking forward to taking him to the beach now!!! Hopefully he'll do just as well! He's also grabbing EVERYTHING in site. It's fun but annoying at the same time.

Pics from Uncle Ed and Aunt Laura

They always look like they're getting into something when they're together!

Henry: But wait a minute!

SJ: NO! Don't say anything.

Caught in the Act!!!

4+ Months

So SJ is now almost 5 months. It still amazes me at how fast he's growing. Everyone tells you that will happen, but you can't believe it until you spend every day with an infant. He is the best thing in the world to us. Our world is completely overtaken by him - every conversation etc. IT'S AWESOME!

Seth Jr/SJ is now 24 inches (no real growth there) and 14lbs (or he was 1 month ago). He looks so big to everyone but he really only measured in the 25th percentile on weight and height, but his big ole head (Thanks daddy) is the 97th percentile:) It's all those brains!!!

He started cereal, which he goes to town on, and has now tried, peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. He did ok with the peas the first couple times, but when we talked to Grandmama and Paw Paw on Skype he decided to put on a show and act like he didn't like them! He's a STINKER!

He's also gotten his first tooth! ALREADY! It's broken the skin and is very visible. A second tooth is starting to come in right next to the first. We're doing a lot more formula these days:) Mommy's a little afraid of the teeth!

SJ got to meet his other new cousin this past week, Henry. Henry didn't care too much about SJ but SJ stared Henry down. He's a lucky boy to have so 2 cousins so close in age. Now we just have to get Aunt Laura and Uncle Ed back in the states!!! Seeing Henry was awesome for us too, it brought back memories of how little SJ was and made us remember some of the things he used to do.
We have some cute pics of the 2 of them on our shutterfly site. greers.shutterfly.com

I'm waiting on the pics from Laura and Ed - they took some really great ones!!!

Another Month gone by...

Our little boy changes everyday. It is truly amazing how quickly babies learn and grow...and how slowly we as adults learn! Imagine if we continued to learn as quickly as babies...wow...

So, after 2 people told us about the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby we bought it. Not that we ever had issues sleeping at night, but naps were few, and had to be in someone's arms. It was wonderful to cuddle with him and sleep with him in the afternoon - he'd sleep for 3 hours if we held him, but that's 3 hours of not moving, not getting chores done etc. And as my husband constantly tells me and my mom would agree too (from my childhood) I'm the world BIGGEST wiggle worm! I can't sit still that long! So I'm sure SJ wasn't getting the sleep he really needed. At the same time, he wouldn't sleep in his crib during the day and the doctor said he was too young to "cry it out."

Well, if there are 2 things I would reccomend to new parents, they would be that book and a bouncy seat that has lights and sounds. Not just any bouncy seat - lights and sounds make a difference once they're older!

So it's been about 2 weeks now that we've put SJ to bed at night before 8pm, let him cry (our method is to go 5 minutes, calm him down, let him go 10 minutes, calm him down, 15min..etc). So far we haven't gotten past 15minutes and he's asleep for the night until 6ish. We used to be in his room for an hour or more getting him to sleep. I guess because of that, in turn he has learned to nap in his bed. He's been taking morning naps for a week now and the last 2 days has taken an afternoon nap! Today he's been up there for 2 WHOLE HOURS!!! IN HIS BED!!! It's WONDERFUL!

Granted our first 3 months haven't been as hard as they could have been, I feel like we have truly gotten through the hardest times, and we can get through the rest...I know we've been spoiled with him...we are SO THANKFUL that he's been this easy!

Other firsts this month...giggles, a couple squeals, family pictures, rolling over from tummy to back...

Month # 2

Wow, so much happens in just a month. Time seems to go by so fast these days. Seth (SJ) just had his 2 month appointment. He's now 11lbs 11oz and 24 inches tall! He's grown 3 inches in a month and is now officially too big for "newborn" size clothes. He has found his hands and is getting so good and putting them in his mouth, although he's partial to his right hand already...we'll see if that lasts and he'll be right handed! He's also getting really good control of his head and will sit in a Bumbo and talk to us. That's the best, he smiles and coos a TON! It's awesome and amazing how quickly he's changed.
The doctor told us that because he sleeps so long at night, it tells her that he can put himself back to sleep...I LOVED hearing that...and then last night he proved it. Seth doesn't make ANY baby noises while he's a sleep...he seems to sleep pretty hard, but around 5am this morning (after going to bed at 10:30) he started making his waking up noises. Being selfish this morning I thought, please don't be ready to get up...and what do you know, the little bugger put himself back to sleep and didn't get up til 7:15!!
He's getting to be like a little baby and not a newborn anymore! He only ate 5 times yesterday instead of how he used to eat every 2 hours, now its already 5-7 times, and he'll eat as much as you give him usually...so the doctor told us if he wants 8oz that's fine...he's such a big strong boy.
Oh, and he has another new cousin! A little boy, Henry Greer born 1/22. Exactly 2 months apart! He's so lucky to have other cousins so close to his age. Andrew was born 1 day before him and now Henry 2 months after. It's going to be so fun for him growing up!!!

Update

It's been a while and I was reading up on my friend Michelle's blog and figured I'd update ours. So our little man has had his 2 week appointment (2 weeks ago) and had gained 10 oz since birth. He was 7lbs 11oz when we left the hospital so he'd gained a whole pound! We go Monday for our 1 month appointment. Big Seth's guess is that he'll be 10 1/2 lbs and my guess is 10lbs. He's a BIG eater. He took a 6oz bottle the other night before bed and eats every 1-2 hours lately. He's sleeping better during the day now too now that I know he wasn't getting enough to eat.
He's still sleeping through the night too, from about 10:30 or 11 to 5 and then again til 8 or 9. I guess the 7am thing was short lived but 5 works too!
I'm loving my days off too. I enjoy getting out when I can don't get me wrong, but the days with my son are priceless. I taught 1 class this past week though, well I say taught losely, my kids took a dance exam and I wanted to give them their grades so we invited the parents, I sat in a chair and we went through the exam for the parents. It felt soooo good to get back.

To see updated pics, our shutterfly site is greers.shutterfly.com!