A Practically Perfect Sunday

Reeves spent Saturday night out at the Bair's while we hosted BUGS at our house. What a lifesaver! Thank you so much!! Sunday morning, after not opening our eyes until 9:30, we got ready and went to get Reeves because we were having lunch with my parents and Mimi. We had a great day. Boo stopped by after church to see him, and Big Laura and Rod came by. I really need to get this child around to family and friends who don't get to see him that often. It is amazing how fast time is flying! When will things slow down? Anyway, we all enjoyed watching Reeves play. This is his favorite toy at Mom and Dad's. It was a party favor from a New Year's Eve party, but he loves it! It makes that whoop, whomp noise when you turn it upside down. He used to just shake it to get it to make noise, but now he has figured out how to flip it. We are all impressed!

We had a delicious dinner of roast, rice and peas. Then we all headed to our house to see the new fence and because Mimi had not been there in ages. We had Caroline's apple cake for dessert, along with some vanilla ice cream. Well, no one was moving after that decadence, so we turned on the basketball and watched Reeves again.

Apparently it's true, all boys LOVE Thomas the Tank Engine. Check out the two teeth! I was finally able to get thim on film!!
Reeves even showed Dad how to play with the trains (even though he is just learning himself!)

He eventually tired of playing and settled in with his dad and grandfather to watch the cinderella team, George Mason, make their way into the Final Four.
It was truly a wonderful day. We missed Lol and the Bearsches, though!!

Reeves' Great Grandmother, Mimi

After spending most of the day with Reeves yesterday, Mimi was watching him play at our house and said, "He just looks so happy to be here on this earth." That comment just struck me as so sweet. He is a happy baby (most of the time). And we are certainly glad he is here as well. Reeves is so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents and great grandparents.

Happy Birthday, Jules!!

We hope you have a great day!!
Welcome to the 30's!!
Love,
Kak, Bryant, and Reeves

Happy Birthday, Harris!

Finally!! I am able to upload pictures!! Here are some of my pics from Harris' birthday party. I hate that we got there late and had to leave early, but the time we did spend was quality time! Thanks for having us. We had a great time. And Reeves loves his bucket! I can't wait till it's time to go to the beach!












I had always thought Reeves was going to look like Harris as he got older, but then Harris had to go and grow all that hair!




Speaking of hair...can you say "opposite issues"?


The Birthday Boy and his momma.




Pre-icing bath...
Dorothy practices for her upcoming role as the mother of multiple children. Doesn't she look like a natural?

How Big Is Reeves?

"May I please have some?"

OK, I got a good tongue lashing from Caroline last night for not having done this sooner. We had Reeves nine month well visit on Monday. Everything went great. Reeves weighs 19 pounds, 10 ounces and is 30 inches long. His weight is in the 35th percentile, and his height is in the 95th. His head circumference (I can't remember what it it) is in the 50th percentile. Wouldn't it be great if it could stay that way for the rest of his life! Anyway, she is most impressed with him. We are going to start giving him lots of finger foods now. She said to go finger foods first, then baby food as a back up. As you can see, he is quite interested in what we are eating.
It is amazing the transformation just over this weekend and this week. He is now readily picking up bits of food and putting them in his mouth. He doesn't always keep them there, but it's a start. We gave him some chicken last night, and he really seamed to like it. He's not too big on peach bits yet. He loves the Gerber puffs. Peas are apparently only for mushing and flinging. I guess it's because they roll so well. Rice looks like it will be a favorite food, though. I guess he takes after his Aunt Lol, "I'll eat ma rice, but na ma paas."
Needless to say, the floor under his chair is needing multiple cleanings. This is when I wish we had a dog!

Homeownership and New Parenthood

"I can help!"

Bryant and I are trying to get a picket fence up in front of our house before BUGS this weekend. I never realized how difficult outdoor projects are with a child until this one. We can put Reeves in the excersaucer during the middle of the day, but not in the afternoon because the gnats are too bad. So, basically, we can work for a bit in the middle of the day and while he is napping. This isn't really that bad a plan. Unfortunately, this weekend, we must not have informed Reeves of our intention. He decided that napping for long periods of time was maybe not such a good idea. Just as B and I would get a pretty good stretch going, the monitor would pipe up with screams of terror. "I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE WITHOUT ME!! MY TEETH ARE HURTING!! YOU MUST COME TAKE CARE OF MEEEEE!!!" Poor thing. I don't usually rush to his wake up cries, but these were awful. I did let him go on the first time, and he was so upset and sobbing when I got there that I felt terrible. Oh, and there was the one time where, I swear, he took his diaper off, wet himself and the bed, and put his diaper back on. Everything was soaked in that crib except for the diaper. Needless to say, I was not able to be so much help on the fence project. Now this week, it looks like the fence is going to have to be an "after Reeves goes to bed" chore. There's nothing like working by thie light of the moon and the flood lights and the car headlights! I just hope we can read the level.

Gams Said I Could

At home, the remote and phones are strictly off limits. At Gams', they may as well be in the toy box. I have tried to instruct her in the value of age-appropriate toys, but I may as well ask the tide not to come in. It ain't gonna happen!! Oh well, grandparents are supposed to spoil them, aren't they? And look at that face. It's like he knows he's doing something he's not allowed to do at home! And he's loving it!

Nine Months

Well, I'm a day late, but I just can't believe Reeves is already 9 months old! Time has flown by. I never thought time would pass more quickly than summers did when I was a child, but now I know - once you have a child of your own, time is like a snowball. The more time passes, the faster it goes. It seems like just yesterday that we were figuring out breastfeeding, now, suddenly, we're working on finger foods! I remember being convinced when we first tried rice cereal that he would never be able to handle solids and would have to live the rest of his life on Slim Fast and Ensure. I think it was last night that he slept in his car seat on top of his bassinet so that we could catch a couple of hours of sleep, now he sleeps for about 10 to 11 hours a night and is standing up in his crib when I go in in the morning. What a belssing he is. We have learned so much in these last nine months. Bryant and I have relished every small achievment, laughed at him and each other for the things we do to make Reeves giggle, wept together when we sent him off for his surgery, and thanked God for carrying him through it. I can't imagine my life without this child. The happiness, the worry, the love, the frustration, the hope, the giggles, the love, the love, the overwhelming love. He makes every day just that much better.

Aren't You His Father?

So Saturday morning, Reeves woke up around 8:00. I went and got him, changed his poopy diaper, and brought him into our bedroom. Bryant, meanwhile, had gotten up and made his bottle. We love Saturday mornings because it is such a fun time for the three of us to have time together to relax and play. Anyway, Reeves is in bed with us drinking his bottle. He finishes, and we play for a bit, then I get up and take him into the den. He plays with his toys while I get his breakfast ready. (Bryant is still in bed wathcing Discovery Kids on NBC.) Once Reeves' breakfast is ready, I go get him, put him in his chair, and feed him his breakfast. By this time, Bryant has come out into the kitchen and is fixing his coffee. He is there, so when I finish feeding Reeves and putting his dishes away, I let B know that I'm going to get in the shower. Bryant calls after me, "Are you just going to leave him there by himself?" This child's father is less than two feet from him! What?! I said, "No, you're there." "Oh, OK."
All I could do was laugh...and shower.

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.