baby proofing time!

We now have a crawler.  Well, he's taken two little "crawl steps" or whatever you would call them.  Last night he surprised us right before his bedtime with his exciting new trick.  All he has to do now is figure out that he's figured it out and he will be mobile.  A mobile baby is much more work, or so I'm told.  I'm sure it is - but I am still so thrilled with his new accomplishment that I really don't care.  We are now in the process of babyproofing.  Baby gate, check.  And that's it....  We gotta get outlet covers, toilet bowl clips, cabinet locks, and all of the wires behind the TV secured.  Anyone have any other suggestions?  Because we're gonna need 'em!

addendum

Well, disregard my post yesterday. He finally had his meltdown today. Woke up at 6:45 am and refused naps until he got so overly tired he screamed himself to sleep about 10:00 am. But he did take a 2.5 hr nap - which is unheard of around here - and woke up happy! Needless to say he was an angel for the rest of the day. So, yes, naps are a must for us. I stand by my initial statement that they are of the utmost importance. If you are struggling with naps and your child: I feel your pain, most every mom goes through it too, and may God give you patience and wisdom!

my baby is a champ

First of all let me say that I believe naps are of utmost importance for a baby... and for a mommy's sanity. This is why I plan each day around naps, I try to keep the dog outside during naps and I stress when naps are not taken. They are essential at our house. I'm actually starting to think I'm kinda a nut about it. Oh well. Works for us. So, Tuesday I planned a playdate around his nap schedule - and of course he doesn't nap before. Of course. OK I can work around this, I kindly ask for a pack n play to be set up so he can nap when we get there. He won't go to sleep when we get there. Too much to look at, too much to play with, can't settle down. So I think maybe he'll get tired after playing for a few minutes. Nope. At this point I'm kinda worried he might self-destruct. I mean he's not cranky or anything, he just hasn't gotten one since he woke up that morning. It's noon. I start to sweat. We finally get home around 1 pm. He naps once we get there. Just like that. No fuss, no melt-down, I was ok, he was ok, no one perished.

Maybe it was a fluke and I've been obsessed over naps for good reason. Nope. I was called in last minute to work today and it happened again. No morning nap and everything went smoothly. Yep. My baby's a champ.  Mommy's the crazy one. :)

it's that time again

Football time!  It has finally arrived.  We watch Thursday night, Saturday, Saturday night, Sunday night, and of course Monday night.  (But only the teams that really matter).  Not until I got married did I actually realize that football was on TV that many days a week.  Now this doesn't include ESPN highlights or time spend trading players on Fantasy Football either.  Sheesh.  I'm just glad Andy's not a big basketball or baseball watcher too, or I might go insane.  :) 

Alright, how about some bragging to go along with all that nagging?  My husband has really embraced this fatherhood thing.  And how do I know this, you ask?  When he started watching the MSU Bulldogs play football without yelling. And get this:  I overheard him saying to friends something to the effect of, "yeah, I'm trying to not be too loud. The baby's sleeping." Too funny.  Cooper sure appreciates it, daddy.  I do too!



7 months

Just thought I'd leave you with a smile.  Doesn't that just make your day?

ahhh the rain

So you may have heard - Texas is burning up.  Literally and figuratively.  Wildfires are everywhere, getting started by wrecks, cigarette butts thrown from cars, or any kind of spark along the road.  It's crazy.  Not to mention it's H.O.T.  Has been since mid April.  Where is the rain??!!  HA - It's outside!  Finally.  Really it's just a drizzle, but hey, we'll take what we can get.  My husband keeps walking outside looking to see if it's real.  Oh,  there he goes again.  That's 3 times since I've been on my computer.  Silly man.  Thank you, God, for rain!

apple juice poison

You may have heard about the controversial episode on Dr Oz yesterday about arsenic in apple juice, but if not here's the scoop!  Of the top brands that the Dr Oz show tested, companies selling apple juice - in juice boxes - to kids - there were many that tested positive for arsenic.  Among the highest were Mott's, Juicy Juice and GERBER.  You know, the brand that has for years been the go to for baby products, baby food, baby formula, baby cereal.  I am astonished at Gerber.  Evidently there is little regulation on imported apple concentrate.  Countries like China and Brazil are spraying crops with pesticides and it is leaving residue in the food.  US companies are buying this and packaging it here and selling it to us.  My question is:  Why would these companies whose market is kids/babies care more about importing cheaply than the health of our country's children?!!  I find this outrageous and appalling.  Off my soap box now.  Here's how you react to protect your children:

- Always check the labels and all over the box (like on the stamped exp date, etc) for products from the USA.  These non imports are regulated by the FDA.  supposedly...
- When you can, buy organic.  All of the organic brands tested well below the legal amount for drinking water.  (Yes, there is trace amounts in drinking water that is legal and restricted by laws in the US).

This may be just one small step in the right direction.  Who knows, there may be tons of products that I buy with terrible ingredients or chemicals in them.  But I do know that from now on I will be checking all my labels for more natural products.  And for products grown in the USA.  I believe this to be a good practice anyway, since we should be supporting our own farmers and US based companies. 

Thanks for letting me vent and hopefully this helps keep someone's little one a little safer in the future.

when you grow up

Sometimes I try to look into the future and imagine what you will look like.  First as a boy then as a teenager, and finally as a father yourself.  Will your kids look like me?  Today I wonder what you will grow up to be. 

Every time I brush my teeth you get the biggest grin and watch me intently, so maybe you'll be a dentist.  You laugh when I am not fast enough to cover you up and you soak everything in the room, so maybe you'll be a practical joker.  You've figured out how to unfasten and dismantle a diaper, so maybe you'll be an engineer.  Your feet never stop moving.  While you eat, you kick.  While you bathe, you kick.  While you ride in the car, you kick.  So maybe you'll be a soccer star.  (Or a kicker for the Mississippi State Bulldogs!)

Cooper, whatever you decide is your dream, I hope and pray it will come true.  I pray you will be successful and have joy in your life.  I know you will be great.  Because you already are!

the end has come!

Alright, just when I call the Dr and start to worry about dehydration and obsess over how many wet diapers he's having..... the stomach bug decides to leave my house.  Praise Jesus and good riddance to the rotovirus!  This comes just in time to take him to church this morning (where he may or may not have picked up the virus).  Thank you Granna and Papa for 1: coming to see us and 2: babysitting Cooper while Andy and I attended church!! 

That was the first time in months that Andy and I have been able to attend both worship service and adult bible study together.  It was awesome!  The message in worship was on part two of the Beattitudes (Matthew 5:5  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.) and "The Riggler" gave us all a look at just how Jesus is the ultimate comforter/healer in times of mourning.  Now most of the time I would have maybe skipped over that verse thinking "oh, that's not really for me right now.  No one has died recently in my family, etc."  But he really pointed out that yes, that verse is for those mourning over the death of a loved one, however it's also for all of us that are grieving over our sin.  Really being heartbroken over the realization of our sins and the separation it causes from our God.  And in that realization comes comfort in the form of salvation and forgiveness of our sins.  He urged us all to soften our hearts and continually mourn over the sin in our lives.  Great message, Riggler!

Isn't it amazing that you can come into church running late and irritated and leave feeling refreshed and revived?  Just goes to show how God truly knows what I need, when I need it.  Praise you again, Jesus!

will this ever end?

Andy and I were just saying the other day how lucky we were that our son hasn't gotten sick at all.  Ooops.  Never think that out loud.  For four days now he's had a stomach bug.  Not sure what kind of "bug" hangs in there that long - it's still going on and it's high time for that bug to leave my baby alone!  The sad thing is he either got it from church :(  or from the Dr's office when he went in for his shots.  Yes, as if getting shots wasn't bad enough, poor kid also gets sick for the rest of the week.  Talk about adding insult to injury.  I just hope tomorrow brings us a healthier baby and a lot less dirty laundry/diapers!

I must say, however, I know how lucky I am to have only a stomach bug on my hands.  My heart goes out to a friend whose baby girl just had chemo and then a bone marrow transplant this morning.  I don't know how those parents are handling that impossible situation, except by the grace of God.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you baby K, A & L!