Merry Christmas, Baby!!

What a wonderful Christmas we had! I have always loved this time of the year, but I never knew how absolutely magical it could be until this year. Reeves was an angel. He was so fascinated bythe lights and the music and the wrapping paper. He gave us an early Christmas present on Christmas Eve morning - he can now sit up, unassisted, indefinitely. Grandmother had said he would be sitting by Christmas, but I wasn't so sure. Turns out she was right. I suppose they really do know best.

Just to run down the schedule of events over the long weekend:

Friday night - Dinner at the Humphreys with the Smiths, the Phillipps, and the Bearsches. This was great. It was too much fun watching the little ones play. We took lots of pics, but trying to get the three of them (Reeves, Leeze, and Henry) together was like trying to wrangle cats. But no matter, there are hundreds of adorable pictures of them anyway. You know how first time mamas are!
Bryant, Reeves, and I spent the night with David and Jenny and had a wonderful morning watching the boys play together the next morning. I cannot wait to watch these two grow up together. What a blessing to have family so close.
Then it was off for a couple of last minute errands, finish up wrapping, and head to church. St. Philip's is always magical on Christmas Eve. I have never really appreciated the children's service as much as I did this year. Nancy, I think Reeves answered Dubose when he screamed. It was too funny. All he cared about was looking all around and trying to pull Leeze's hair and dress. And all she cared about was walking back and forth along the kneeling bench and playing with the teenage girls in front of us. After church we went to Mom and Dad's for a little visit. It was very nice, and we got to see Mimi, which is always special. From there, we stopped by the Bryce's. Madelle and Stephen have been in town for over 6 months, and we have probably seen them 3 times. It is amazing how much we can take the special people in our lives for granted. Needless to say, what was going to be an early Christmas Eve ran much later, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.
Then it was the morning of the big day. How lucky we were that we didn't have to wrap Reeves' presents this year! He was just happy to see all the colors and lights. He got some fun toys, but his biggest enjoyment was helping us open our presents.
It was so exhausting that he fell asleep as soon as I put him in his seat - before we even walked out the door!
We had a great time at home on Reeves' first Christmas morning, then it was off to the Phillipps' for breakfast and opening. Leeze and Reeves were in their matching outfits. Leeze was too precious helping everyone unwrap and playing with the ribbons and her new ride along toy. Reeves finished up the nap he had started earlier. Breakfast was delicious, and we all got way more than we deserved from everyone.
Then we headed over to Grandmother and Poppa's. I love that the whole family still does this. I can't remember a Christmas without it, and I wish it could go on forever. I am so glad Leeze and Reeves have been able to be a part of it. They, of course, stole the show. There is nothing like a couple of babies to make everyone go silly. At times it was difficult to decide whether to open presents or watch them play. And they looked so cute in their little outfits.
Leeze has certainly turned into quite the little girl. She is really into carrying around purses. She picked up a bag Carolyn had given me and put it over her shoulder. I can only imagine, based on his actions thus far, that Reeves would have picked it up and started beating it against the floor!
Grandmother and Poppa gave Reeves a book with a mirror on the last page. He loves it!! (or he loves himself - hard to tell!)
We had a lovely dinner and ate entirely too much. Grandmother always cooks an enormous roast, and I think it gets better and better each year. It is so amazing to see how are family has grown - particularly in the last two years!
And for the last leg of our Christmas day, we went out to the country to see the Bairs.
More presents and more family. It was too much fun. Reeves got all kinds of toys and 2 keepsake ornaments for his first Christmas. We had gotten Preston a play backhoe, and he was set for the rest of the night. That was all he wanted to play with. I am sure he has figured out exactly how to make the bucket work by now.

More details later, when I have more time!!

Finally!

Well, score one for the little man. After months of fighting with the insurance company over coverage of Reeves' surgery, the insurance company has finally conceded. They are paying all the hospital charges!! What a wonderful early Christmas present! And what timing, after a few of us had, just Saturday night, been bemoaning the insurance companies.
It is just ridiculous that we had to go through all of this to have this resolved. As it turned out, MUSC did notify them within the required time period. Apparently, an email from them, coupled with a strongly worded letter from an attorney friend, was enough for the insurance company to concede. Oh, wait a minute, did I say "concede", what I meant to say, was accept their responsibility!! Which begs the question, "Is this truly standard practice for the insurance companies?" What happens to the people who don't have the ability or persistance to follow up like this? And those who don't have a friend who is a lawyer who can put some pressure on them? There must be hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by insureds unnecessarily. This almost borders on criminal. We were just about to set up a payment plan with MUSC because in a couple of weeks this would be going to collections, which would affect our credit. But what were we to do?
There must be a better way. It's not like this surgery was an option. We weren't having a mole removed! We were saving our son's life. I'm not begging for compassion from them. It would just be nice not to have them add insult to injury. I know for our family, I will be looking into a medical savings account or something similar. I'm tired of feeling like Oliver Twist. "Please, sir, can you pay my claim?"

Eliza's Christening

Eliza Drake Halford was christened this past Sunday. It was such a beautiful day. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Eliza was precious. It was so cute to watch all the kids run around, inside and out! The Halfords had thought of everything. A delicious meal, a sinfully good cake, and even all sorts of treats for the kiddies. I am so glad we were able to be there. And Reeves was excited to get to practice taking his and Eliza's wedding pictures!!

Reeves Latest

Let's just recap the sicknesses which have befallen Reeves in the last month or so.
1) We have had an ear infection, which was treated with the yummy pink bubble gum antibiotic. Unfortunately, Reeves didn't find it so yummy. Could this possibly be an indication that he will not like sweets in the future? One can only hope.
2) Turns out that one side effect of an antibiotic, in some children, is that it can cause thrush. You guessed it - Reeves got thrush. This is treated with a sweet yellow syrup, administered through a dropper. Our luck changed on this med, and he actually liked it. Of course, it could be because he only had to take 1 ml instead of 12ml! Either way, as nasty as thrush is, this bout cleared up very quickly, and the poor little man only had to deal with it for about a day.
3) And finally, for now, we have now learned that, sometimes, when a child is getting over being sick, a rash can occur. This is basically the poisons moving out of the body. Guess what, Reeves woke up yesterday with a red, bumpy rash all over his torso. We took him to the doctor. Just to be sure, and by incidental default to freak us out, she tested him for strep. So that you may know what we were fearing while we waited for the test results - if the strep had been positive, along with the rash, and the day before, a fever, Reeves would have had Scarlet Fever! Are you kidding!! What year is this - 1749? But it was at this point that we got lucky. The strep was negative. This is just his body getting better, and I'm glad to report that this morning, Reeves is fine. Very little rash is left. He woke up happy - which made us very happy.

Two things - As a mother, I should really pay more attention to the names of the medicine I am administering to my child. What kind of a mother refers to the medicine as yummy pink bubble gum and sweet yellow syrup? I have got to get better about that!! And more importantly, even though dealing with all this is a bit of a pain, how lucky are we that these are the only problems he has? Other than the pyloric stenosis, we have not had to rush to the hospital, there have been no major illnesses, and everything has been easily treatable. Also, on a positive note resulting from our visit to the doctor yesterday, we now know that Reeves weighs 15 lbs, 9 oz. There is always a silver lining!!

Delightful Dinner

What a treat! Tonight we had dinner at an amazing house on Isle of Palms with wonderful friends. Caroline's family has rented a house at the beach for the week of Thanksgiving, and what a house it is! The living area is on the second floor, so that everyone, not just those spending the night, can enjoy the view. Granted, this bit, we probably would have appreciated more during the day, but what we lost of the view in the darkness, the house made up for inside. Wide pine plank floors, huge windows, a state of the art kitchen with slab granite countertops and three ovens, and a fireplace. What a perfect night for a fire. Love it!
Nothing, however, tops having this wonderful group of friends. It was such a nice chance to have a relaxing dinner before the rush of the big weekend and impending holiday season. Thanks to the Fordhams and the Smiths for having us. And thanks, Elizabeth, for letting us all catch a glimpse of Sweet Baby James. He is too cute.

The Junior

I just love walking (and occasionally running on) the new bridge. It is such a wonderful addition to our city. Everytime I go I take my camera because each time I'm up there things are changing. It has been fun to chronicle the demolition of the old bridges. I try to take a picture of Reeves in front of them each time, just to be able to show him that he was actually around when they were still up. I know we will still be talking about them when we are all rocking our great-grandchildren.
Mom and I went this past Sunday. We had a great, brisk walk on a cloudy cool afternoon. We had decided to walk the whole way over, so she met me in Mt.P, then we parked her car downtown. Perfect idea, right? Well, it is until you realize, as you are approaching the first tower, that the keys to my car are in my pocketbook, which is safely hidden in Mom's car, in the Cigar Factory parking lot! I am a testament to the fact that you become more absent minded after pregnancy. Needless to say, I ran back and got her car, and she and Reeves continued on to Mt.P. One of these days, I'll be able to go all the way over the Junior. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy my trips halfway up and halfway back!

I Hear a Train A-Comin'

I just went to see WALK THE LINE with Morgan, Jenny, and Helen Ravenel. What an awesome movie! It is definitely on par with RAY, except that Joaquim Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon do their own singing. You can't tell the difference. I definitely reccommend this movie. And you will want to rush out and buy a Johnny Cash cd. It also happens to be the first movie I have gone to since Reeves has been born. The last movie I saw in the theater was CINDERELLA MAN, and how appropriate was that, after seeing how Reeves entered this world! Thanks, Bryant, for taking care of Reeves tonight!

A Visit from the Willis Fam

We had such a nice time last weekend. Jodie and Davis came for a visit. What a treat for us - Jodie was able to babysit Reeves Friday night while we were at Todd and Melinda's shower! Davis loved pushing Reeves in the swing, but was surprised when it wouldn't go all the way around. Van went to the Clemson game, so Jodie and I were able to have a super Saturday with the kids. (I think it was a bit too much Mommy for Bryant!) We did a bit of shopping, had a bit of lunch, Reeves did a bit of napping, Davis did not. We were going to go paint Christmas pottery, Davis was super excited about it, but his not-napping finally caught up with him. The little man was whipped. So, we let the boys nap while Jodie and I went around Mt. P. They slept the whole time.
It was too cute watching Davis and Reeves interact. Davis was very sweet and gentle with him, and Reeves, of course, was fascinated with this older kid! Davis even enjoyed playing with Reeves' toys. The exersaucer was his favorite. Saturday night, we decided it was easier to go out to dinner than bother to cook something. FYI, mexican restaurants are very kid friendly. I think we wore Bryant out, though. He hit the sack at 9:30 that night! He didn't even get to see Van when he got there.
Thanks, Jodie and Davis, for visiting us. You are welcome anytime!!

Happy Baby

I am so glad to report that we have our happy baby again. Reeves had his first day of antibiotics yesterday, and, although getting him to take the medicine is an absolute bear, the results are well worth it. He has to take 12 ml of this stuff. We have to be sure to give it to him right before we feed him otherwise he is full and won't possibly take it. It is almost the amount of an entire feeding, luckily for him, a good bit of it ends up on the chair, the burp cloth, his clothes, my clothes, you name it. But as much of a hassle as it is to administer the meds, he slept through the night last night and woke up happy this morning. When I went in his room this morning, he was lying on his back, smiling. I said, "Oh, look at my happy baby!!" He responded by laughing and rolling over. It was too cute.

Doctor's Visit

Well, Reeves has his first ear infection. He has been running a fever at night for 3 or 4 days and been coughing with a runny nose. So I finally took him to the doctor this morning. There is nothing like going into a pediatrician's office without an appointment. I got there at 8:00 (before the office officially opens), and there were already 5 people in front of me. We finally got called and went back to the room. The nurse weighed him and measured his length. (We were at the West Ashley office, but his chart is at the Daniel Island office.) Somehow, amazingly, between his last appointment, on Halloween, and today, he has not only gained 4 ounces, but he has also grown 2 inches!! I've never been convinced that the height measurement was that accurate. The appointment went fine. The doctor looked in his ears, gave us a prescription for the yummy pink stuff, and we were on our way. He should be all fixed up in a couple of days. Now if he will just sleep through the night again! We have our church directory picture tonight. I haven't slept in two days, and I have a black eye! I'm sure I'll look great! One of the guys here at the office suggested that Bryant wear a wife-beater tee, have a cig hanging out of his mouth, and a can of Bud. Real classy!! I'll pist the pic when we get it.

My Precious Babe

I just had to put these two pictures up on my blog. I thought they were too cute.
The one of him in the swing was taken on Monday, when Reeves and I were lucky enough to be able to join the girls and kiddies for playgroup. I took the day off because he had his 4 month appointment that afternoon. It was so special to be able to do that. I am going to definitely have to do that at least once a month! Reeves really enjoyed the swing and watching the big kids play.
The one of him with the bottle was taken that morning before I went to my doctor's appointment. Bryant was taking Reeves to work with him until I could pick him up. I took the pic because Reeves is really starting to try to hold his bottle now. He can't quite hold it in his mouth, but he can certainly grasp it.

Reeves' 4 Month Appointment

Reeves had his 4 month appointment on Monday. He weighs 14 lb, 5 oz, and is 25 inches long. I can't believe how much he has grown! Dr. Goedecke couldn't either. The last time she saw him was in mid-August, when he was a scrawny 9 lbs!! He had to get three shots. He screamed like I had never heard him scream before. I felt so bad for him. But he was getting hungry anyway, so I nursed him right after the shots, and that calmed him right down.
Bryant and I gave him his first bit of rice cereal last night. I should say that we attempted to! He was not really that into it. I think he was getting fussy anyway. We will try again tonight with hopefully, more success.
I had a first this morning. When I went in to get Reeves, he was on his tummy! He had rolled over in front of me on Saturday, but this was the first time he had rolled over during the night. If I blink my eyes, he'll be crawling!!

Christening Pics

Here are some pics from the christening. Unfortunately, I could only find my film camera during the luncheon, so I don't have any digitals from then. If any of you have some, please send them to me. I have posted all my pictures on my fotki site - public.fotki.com/kbair

Reeves' Christening

Reeves and Henry were christened yesterday. It was such a special day, and we couldn't have asked for any better weather! What a glorious day! I'm so glad they were able to be christened together. The boys did great during the ceremony. Henry let the devil out, but I'm a bit nervous because Reeves didn't make a sound. Does this mean we're going to have to deal with it later?? Reeves was very interested in what Marc, the minister, was saying, and he was particularly interested in the bowl of water. He didn't reach for it, but I think he wanted to!
We had a lovely luncheon at my parents' house afterwards. Good food, family and friends. Judy's cakes were a hit! (FYI, they came from Ashley Bakery.) Reeves had fallen sound asleep on the way from the church to the house (a three minute trip), but once we got there, he rallied. Henry took a great nap on the front porch.
I haven't downloaded pics yet, but I'll try to put some up tonight. I'm fighting a sore throat right now, so I may head straight to bed when I get home. But Caroline has some great ones on her blog.

If anyone can firgure out how to squeeze a few more hours into each day (without depriving yourself of sleep), please let me know. I feel like I am two people right now. There is work Kak, and Momma/wife. I haven't quite yet firgured out how to be 100% at both. Work demands so much of my time, and I like the work and the people there, but the entire time I'm there, all I want to do is leave and be with Reeves. I don't see how I can give 100% at work because I am just counting the minutes until I can go home.
I went to a dinner last night with the office. Not a requirement, but everyone else in the office was going, how could I not? It was a really nice dinner at the Post House in the Old Village, and pre-Reeves, I would have had a great time, joined in the drinks, and probably have gone out with the group afterwards. Last night, I stayed till dinner was through and into a couple of stories, then I had to leave. I was almost in tears. Luckily, I was able to hold them off till I got in the car. I don't think I will be doing too much after work stuff this year.
Maybe we'll win the lottery tonight, and all this will be solved!

Happy Birthday, MK!!

We had a great time at MK's 2nd birthday party! Thanks for having us. We loved the yummy cake and ice cream!

We finally got to walk to new bridge. Reeves and I went with Caroline and Fordham. Unfortunately, Daddy was sick:( We had a great time. Reeves slept the whole way. I am glad we started in Mt. P. I would not want to walk back up that long incline towards the end! What amazing views from up there! Caroline was super sweet to be so patient with me as I stopped to take pictures all the time!! We had a great time and will definitely be doing it many more times. It will be fun to watch the old bridges disappear.