Happy Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Aileen!!

You've come a long way, Baby!!

Hope you have a great day filled with bon bons, champagne, and massages!!

See you tonight!!

We love you!
Kak, Bryant, and Reeves

Man's Best Friend

We were going to get a dog, but then we decided that in addition to retrieving, laughing and talking and helping out around the house would be nice, so we decided on a baby instead. Also, he doesn't shed nearly as much as a lab. Until you have one yourself, it is difficult to express how proud you are of your son when he learns to retrieve. It won't be long before we have him in the dove field. I just hope he gets along with all the other puppies.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank you!!

I'm not even sure how to thank my dearest friends for this quilt. It is so special to Bryant and me to have friends like you, and Reeves is so lucky to have so many wonderful aunts and uncles (not to mention the "cousins" who keep multiplying yearly!) I know he will treasure this quilt forever. It will always be a reminder of how much he is loved, and how much he was loved before he was even born! I pray that when he grows up, Reeves will have such a wonderful extended family of friends as we do. Thank you all!!

The Future's So Bright...

Well, good news. I found a way to get around my self imposed clothes buying moratorium. Sunnies and hats. (The hat counts as protective wear - spf 101 - not clothes. It's like buying bandaids, really.) I had to go to Target for formula, and how could I resist when I saw these? If you could, you are a stronger woman than I, and I salute you!

Stools - Good for Sitting,Not Good for Climbing...

The Offender
Well, I know what it feels like to be a criminal now. Bryant and I are on the run from DSS. Yesterday, we watched, from no more than two feet away, as our son pulled up on, and promptly pulled down on top of him, one of our kitchen stools. It was like watching in slow motion. We both saw it start to topple, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. After the fall, we immediately leapt into action. As Bryant pulled the stool up, Reeves, who had pulled up on the second crossbar, was not letting go. Lifting the stool lifted him. (That was a bit funny, actually.) Anyway, B pulled the stool up, and I picked up Reeves. The poor thing has a bump right in the center of his hairline on his forehead. Thr crying stopped after about a minute and didn't start again until I accidentally bumped his head getting him out of his carseat later. (How bad is that!?!) Anyway, last night, Reeves and I went to the store and bought a plethora of contraptions to use to hold the stools up against the counter so that this never happens again. My mission tonight is to make one of them work. It will take a bit of MacGyvering, but I think I can figure it out. The good news, the bump had not turned black and blue this morning, so we can take off the hat and let the boy go out in public again!

The Bump

There's No Turning Back Now

Well, we did it. We bit the bullet and switched Reeves from his bucket seat to his Britax. Bryant and I installed the Britax in my car on Thursday night. It only took about 30 minutes, but in our defense, it was a bit dark! Anyway, after much sweat and a few cuss words, it was a fete accompli. So Friday morning, Bryant drove Reeves out to the country and gave the bucket and the base back to Julie. (Thanks for letting us borrow them!!) Reeves and I were heading down to Port Royal that night, so when I picked him up, we were ready to go with the new seat. It was wuite strange putting him in - not nearly as easy as just dropping the bucket into the base. And you have to be a contortionist to get him into it in my teeny tiny back seat! But he loves it. He spent the first 30 minutes of the car ride just looking all around. And then he fell sound asleep!

He can see so much more! And I can see him so much better in the mirror. I will admit, I miss the ease and convenience of the bucket, but I think he likes this seat so much more. As a result of this switch, Reeves got his first ride, sans bucket seat, in a shopping cart. He was a bit unsure at first, but he was a natural by the end of the outing.

Tenderness

So, right now, I am driving Bryant's Dodge Ram because his truck is in the shop being mended from the deer attack. Although he tried to convince me otherwise, I have forced him to drive my car since he is the one who takes Reeves out in the morning and usually picks him up. I just couldn't see Reeves riding around in the passenger seat of a non-extended cab pickup, armor plated carseat or not! Anyway, I had to work late tonight, and when I turned the Green Monster into the driveway, the headlights illuminated Bryant getting Reeves out of his carseat. It was such a tender picture. He was talking to him, and once he was out, Reeves gave his daddy one of his sweet nuzzles. I took a mental picture and am now blogging about it because I never want to forget it.

Sullivan's Island Fire Department Oyster Roast

Thumbs in the thumb place, fingers all together. This is the song we sing in mitten weather.





Janine, Reeves, and Deanna





Last Saturday night we took Reeves with us to the SIFD oyster roast. We were meeting some friends from work there. As well as being Reeves' first oyster roast, it was the first for some of the Aussies as well. We had a great time, and the single select oysters from Simmons were the best I have ever had. (Of course, I paid for them on Sunday with swollen fingers and hands, but they were worth it nonetheless.) And, an unexpected benefit of having a child in diapers - wipes for everyone! We had Reeves in his mittens and hat and covered up with blankets. It was cold and windy! Poor Bryant, I even made him take off his sweater and add that to the pile on top of Reeves. Afterwards, everyone went to Poe's. Ah, the life before children! Bryant and Reeves and I went home and went to bed. We waved to them as we drove by!

Shake, shake, shake...

This is my child holding something...



This is my child shaking that same thing...

It is hilarious to watch this. His face transforms. He does not breathe while he is shaking something or trying to tear something. It doesn't matter what it is - a rattle, a spoon, paper, a blanket. The funniest thing is that when he is through with his non-breathing energy exertion, he takes the same kind of breath you or I would when we come up for breath after being under water. There is a major exhalation. I really need to get this on video because I don't know whether this is going to be a life long thing or just a fleeting habit.

Welcome to the world, Mills!

I just received word that Mills Faxon Egleston has finally arrived. 5:00 pm. 8 lbs, 2 oz. 20 inches. Blonde hair. That's all I know. I'm leaving work now to stop by. I'm sure Nancy's blog will be updated soon with many more details! We are so happy for the four of you!!

All's Well

Just to put your minds at ease, I wanted to let you know that the standing up in the crib was not a one time thing. Reeves has been up and ready for me to get him for the last 2 mornings. How sweet of him to let me see it. He really is growing up!! Also, he did a lap in the hall last night. He is thoroughly enjoying his mobility. But he doesn't like to crawl on the carpet on the hall. He prefers to crawl down the side of it, in the three inches of hardwood. I don't understand it. He gets better grip on the rug. I guess he just likes a challenge.

Don't Blink

So here is our morning routine: I get up, shower, begin to get dressed. It is at about this time that Reeves wakes up. At that point, I wake Bryant up for him to go make the bottle, and I go get Reeves. This, of course, involves changing his diaper which, although his attitude towards it is getting better, is still, on principle, an unpleasant matter. But this is what we do - every morning. The only thing that changes is that sometimes Bryant sleeps through the bottle making. Well, this morning, Reeves apparently let loose while I was in the shower. Bryant had to go in and get him. Guess who decided this morning would be the day he pulls up in the crib? What's the go with that? I have been waiting for that for a month! But every morning I go in, he is on all fours, waiting for me to pick him up. So the one morning Daddy goes in to get him, he is standing at the rail! The inhumanity! Oh, and also, I STILL had to change his diaper! It's like waiting to see a meteor, and then blinking as it goes by.

Of course, isn't all of childhood like that? It's gone before you know it.

A Body in Motion...

Batten down the hatches, Tot-Loc the cabinets. Reeves Bair is on the move. This child is now a card carrying crawler. He has been crawling for about a week and a half. Prior to this accomplishment, he had mastered Downward-Facing Dog, Sun Salutation, and the Butterfly swimstroke. (I must give credit to Bryant for coming up with this one. He is the one who coined this analogy. It perfectly described Reeves' first attempts at crawling. He would bring the legs up, then just flop the arms forward!) Anyway, there is no stopping him now - carpet, tile, wood. He can handle any flooring product you throw at him. His favorite thing is to crawl from the den, through the narrow passageway between the sofa and table, and into the kitchen. He also enjoys crawling through chair and stool legs and under tables. It is too precious!

(Sometimes we make him drop and give us 20. Hey, you gotta train them young!)

And for my next trick... He pulled up from crawling on the floor to standing at the sofa on Saturday. Of course, he had seen the phone and wanted to get it. Bryant wasn't there for that, so, when he got home, I went against all our parental training and showed Reeves the phone and put it on the edge of the sofa to tempt him to pull up again so that Bryant could see it. How bad is that!? Oh well, his pulling up is standard practice now, with or without temptations. He is so pleased with himself that he can do it.

How True

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.
-John Burroughs


I stumbled upon this quote last night. It seemed so fitting to me right now. If only there were more hours in the day to not only do all the things I want to do, but at least the things I need to do. There are so many family and friends I do not see nearly enough; so many things I need to do; so many things I want to do with Reeves and Bryant. It is amazing how time flies when you don't take the time to stop and truly enjoy it.

Reeves Update

We went to the dermatologist yesterday. Reeves has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. It is not too terribly serious and can be treated with creams and ointments. Hopefully, he will grow out of this. In the meantime, diaper changing, which was already an involved process, has just been given a 10 on the Degree of Difficulty scale. Here is the process - change as often as possible (fair enough). We are to use the Sandwich Effect on him. This is Kuric Cream applied first, then his hydrocortizone cream, followed by zinc oxide. The zinc oxide is to keep that area from really touching the diaper. I swear, if we wouldn't go to jail for it, I would consider equipping his changing table with restraints. He hates this! Hopefully, this three step process can be eliminated once his skin improves.
As for the rest of his body, we are treating the affected areas with a steroid ointment, then coating him with Vanicream. His face gets a steroid cream on it. We do this every four hours (not while he's sleeping), but every other time, he only gets the Vanicream.

But the truly terrible news for Reeves is that his bathtimes are basically cut out. He loves his baths, but the doctor said to just do quickie baths. We are super sad. Again, this should change, and hopefully soon he'll be able to enjoy long baths again.

It's amazing all the things you learn as a new mother!

The Bridge

Caroline and I took the boys on the bridge this weekend. We have been trying to do it for weeks, but our attempts were always foiled, either by the weather or massive lists of "Things To Do". So, thank you, Caroline, for calling Saturday morning. I would much rather do this than return something to K-Mart!! I'm so glad it worked out. And Reeves got to take his first trip in his umbrella stroller. I think (hope) he is more comfortable in it than in the car seat stroller. He had to be at least cooler on Saturday, as it was 70 something degrees. I love it because the handles are so much higher. Reeves no longer has Quasimodo pushing him along! We are looking forward to many more umbrella outings. Although, the jogging stroller does hold a great deal of appeal for these walks, as well...

Auto Angst

OK, I'm not sure what sort of automotive god Bryant and I have made mad, but whoever it is, he is royally ticked off! Other than failing to change my oil in a timely manner, I have committed no great offense, and unless a junky-beyond-belief truck is a sin, Bryant has walked the straight and narrow automotive line as well. Nevertheless, last Saturday, I rear-ended someone on Bowman Road. It was only at about 10 miles an hour, and I was slamming on the brakes, but the damage was done. Thankfully, the guy I hit was driving a big Ford truck. His truck was not even scratched. He even said, "Well, I can't really see where you hit me." Lucky for my driving record, not so lucky for my Camry. The hood is all scrunched up, the grill fell off, and there is a perfect indentation of his trailer hitch in my bumper. But it's OK. I have needed a new car for some time now, and this has been the perfect catalyst to make that happen.

So Bryant and I decided we can take that financial hit. It was bound to happen. The car's paid for, and we still have his truck which is in great condition. Oh right, except for that 8 point buck that took out the right side front end and passenger car door!! AAAGGHHHH! Oh yeah, and that happened on Wednesday night. Within 5 days, both of us wreck our cars? What crazy planets had to be aligned for this to happen?

Again, we have taken this in stride. Insurance will pay for his truck to be fixed, and, although fixing the Camry is throwing money down the drain, his truck should give us a few more good years. We can handle this.

Unfortunately, destroying the passenger side front end also involved taking out the headlight. No big deal, right? Wrong. Almost 24 hours to the minute, and in almost the exact same spot as the collision (he could see the carcass in the field), Bryant gets pulled over for having only one headlight. Are you kidding me? Is this still a crime? We don't even have car inspections in this state. Can this possibly be a ticketable offense, you ask? Why yes, it can. And to the tune of 200 and something dollars!

And to top off a ridiculously unlucky transportation week, some idiot pulls out in front of me on Coleman Blvd while I was on my way home Friday night. And when I say idiot, I mean IDIOT! It is one thing to pull out and keep going. You know you've done wrong, but you gun it and life goes on. This idiot pulls out halfway, I lay on the horn, and she stops!! WHAT!?!? Don't stop! You only make it worse. Trust me, your little wave of apology that you want me to see does not make up for the facts that I have seen my life flash before me (again), and so has the guy behind me, who is equally as furious as I am. But what can you do? Nothing. So I sit there, impotently fuming as I put my now shaky foot back on the accelerator, and she goes on her merry way.

I might look into riding CARTA. It can't be worse than last week!

Mommy's Day Off

I know for many of you, Mommy's Day Off, brings up images of spa treatments and quiet reading times and delicious dinners prepared by your husband (yeah, right!). Well, for me, it is a day spent running errands with Reeves. And what a day it was! I dragged that poor child all over the place! First it was to John's Island for a Rags Land trunk show. I practiced a great deal of self control and came away with only 2 outfits.

Then we were off to the Post House in Mt. P for lunch with the girls from my office. Reeves, of course, was a hit. Other than a little bout of the fussies, he was a perfect gentleman.
Next, a quick stop at his old allergist's to have his records sent to his pediatrician.
A call to Grandmother meant a trip to Once Upon a Child. She was heading out the door to bridge, so our visit to G&P was postponed till 6:00 (blogged about below). To fill the time before our scheduled 4:00 walk with Caroline and Fordham, we made a long awaited stop at OUAC. We got Reeves some cute playclothes for this summer. We even found some things for Leeze that we couldn't resist.
From there, we headed to visit Daddy at his office. What a treat for him! This was Reeves first trip to his office where he stayed awake the whole time. He loved seeing Mr. Joe and Ms. Anne.

Now, back in the car, home to change for our walk. By now, of course, the weather had foiled our plans to walk the bridge, but Caroline's neighborhood has almost as beautiful views!!
But, not so fast!! Upon arriving home, we discovered that my dad (currently called "That Man", but subject to change) had stopped by on his lunch and blown the leaves all out of the driveway. Well, how can we not stop by his office to thank him? And, boy, were they all happy to see Reeves! We really should get by there more often.
Then we were finally off to Caroline's. We had a great walk, and even had time to hang out and play with Fordham before we were off to Grandmother and Poppa's.
And, of course, you know about how special that was. However, I forgot to mention that Reagan was there as well, so Reeves got to play with her too.

Finally, we went home and passed out. It was a great day.

Treasured Memories

Reeves and I visited Grandmother and Poppa (my grandparents) yesterday. How lucky he is to have them around. It was so incredible to see Reeves' 83 year old great-grandfather down on his hands and knees playing with him, trying to teach him how to crawl. Reeves is facinated with Poppa. He just stares at him while he is talking, and screeches when he gooses him. I will never forget that image. I wish I had taken a picture of it.

I did get a picture of Reeves and Grandmother. She was feeding him his bottle and he was playing with her fingers. He was so happy and content to be in her arms. Great-grandmothers have an extra special touch.









I hope Reeves can somewhere remember these times. We are so lucky to have Grandmother and Poppa.

The Plug

HUGE milestone this morning. Reeves woke up at 5:30 crying. I didn't go get him and waited to see if he would stop. After about 10 minutes, he was quiet. I went back to sleep, then woke up, showered, got dressed, etc. When I went in at 7:45 this morning to get him, he was on his hands and knees with his pacifier in his mouth!! He had put it in there all by himself! I am such a proud mother!!

Changing Seats

OK, I am being unrealistic. I know the time has come to change Reeves' car seat. It is time to take him out of the bucket and put him in the Britax, but I am fighting it with every ounce of my being. I have been blessed with a 20th percentile in weight child, so carrying him around in this thing has not been a horrible burden. But, by the same note, he has now reached the 97th percentile in height. We are, therefore, beginning to reach the limits of the bucket's abilities. But... this means - buying another car seat for Bryant's truck, buying a car seat for Julie's car, and, most frightening of all, not being able to run errands when it is nap time!! AAAGGGHHH! How do you handle it? At the moment, Reeves can sleep through 4 or 5 different stops. What now? Is it illegal to leave them in the car if the weather is cool, and you're just running in really quickly? I would lock the doors and leave the windows cracked. (OK, don't freak out, Nazis, it's just a joke!!)
First the mattress lowering, now this. I suppose I should go ahead and order his cap and gown before it sneaks up on me like this milestone did.

Down Low

I moved Reeves' crib mattress down today. I can't believe it is already time to do that! Time flies with these little ones. Yesterday, I took him out of the bassinett, blinked my eyes, and now he's standing in his crib! It is so important to treasure every moment. He loves it. He can't pull himself up yet, but it won't be long. In the meantime, he is perfectly content to be placed on his podium, stand there, and survey the domain that is his room.

He is hot stuff up there! And with those new teeth, it won't be long before, as you can see, he will be biting the paint off of the rail. Caroline, I guess I need to get those covers!!

All I Want for New Year's

Well, they have finally broken through! Reeves now has two bottom teeth. They showed up on New Year's morning. He and we are very glad they have arrived. It is too much fun feeding him now. He bites the spoon everytime I pull it out of his mouth. And he thinks it is hilarious. The teeth, although very easy to feel, are quite difficult to see. Every time you pull his bottom lip down to look, he sticks his tongue out. You can only see them when he is laughing or crying.

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?"