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!!