Fun with Fruit

This is just a short post. But it pretty much sums up what we've been doing new recently. Jack has started solid foods in the past few weeks. He'd been eating rice cereal for a while, but now we're expanding his horizons to fruits and veggies.

As soon as I gave Jack his first spoonful of pears I knew we had to get this on video. So Lyle got the camera going in time for Bite #3. I'm not completely sure...but I *think* he liked it.

Growing in the Right Direction!

On Tuesday we had our follow-up visit in North Atlanta with the orthotics / prosthetics specialists about the shape of Jack's head. I am very excited to report that he was down from 11.8 mm asymmetric to 9.9 mm!! That probably doesn't mean anything to most people, but this is actually very good news. The specialist was very excited that he had that much positive growth in just one month. If we can get him down to 7 mm then he'll be within normal range, and we won't have to even question the whole "Should we or shouldn't we get him a helmet?" thing.

Lyle and I were both extremely encouraged after this visit (and Jack would be, too, if he knew what was going on!) If you think of us, please pray that Jack's head will keep growing in the right shape to correct this problem. Thank you!!

Moments of Serenity and Insanity

The other day I had this great idea for a blog post. It was going to be about enjoying the moments of serenity and gratitude that come into our lives and taking each beautiful moment as they come. It was going to be one of those things that I would feel better after writing and you would feel better after reading. It was supposed to be something that would inspire all of us just to be thankful for happy little blissful moments as they are sprinkled throughout our day-to-day lives.

Here's the backdrop...

Thursday night around 9 p.m. I had just finished getting Jack to go to sleep. I went downstairs and ate some of Lyle's German chocolate birthday cake and ice cream and joined my husband to snuggle up on the sofa and watch the last part of a documentary on PBS. (PBS on a Thursday night at the Sewall house...woo hoo!)

Anyway, I settled into our sofa and my mind drifted away from the television to just thinking about how happy, thankful, and peaceful I felt that night. I had so many things to be thankful for...Jack is doing well and just knowing he was safely asleep in his crib upstairs made me happy. Plus, it was Thursday night which meant that there was only one more day to the work week before the weekend. Plus, I was just happy to be cuddled up with Lyle and eating my favorite kind of cake. Life was good.

So I had fully decided to write a nice tranquil post telling us all we should appreciate each and every moment of our lives including all the little things that make life sweet. Like German chocolate cake.

However, the weekend got in the way and tonight was the first time I had some down time to even really think about composing my little Oprahesque messaged blog. And after the events of tonight...I don't really feel so stinking serene anymore, so I'm not really sure what the message is now.

My emotions were already on a roller coaster because of the book I've been reading this weekend. It is an allegory similar to Pilgrim's Progress, and I remember my mom often saying it was one of her favorite books. The simple truths in this book have humbled me to the point of tears in revealing to me how far away from God I have strayed in my spiritual walk. So I had just been thinking how ironic it was that I felt like this was my mom's way of getting me back "on track," so to speak, and all these thoughts were making me rather emotional. I was feeding Jack upstairs in his room when this was going on, when suddenly, Jack started coughing. Well, the coughing turned into full-fledged vomiting, and the next thing I know I have a very wide-awake child on my lap whose jammies are now soaked. Plus I needed to go change my own clothes again...I think it was the third time today??

It was another hour before I was able to get Jack to go sleep again after that and needless to say, the serenity and gratitude of Thursday night feels clean out of my system -no pun intended.

What is the lesson here? Am I just one passenger of many on this crazy ride called the first year of motherhood? How do we learn to swallow (and keep down!) the sweet moments in life along with the bitter ones? How do we keep our hearts filled with gratitude and love when sometimes we just feel like screaming and running away? How is it that sometimes we can feel so in control and at peace with our circumstances and other times we feel like we're just being dragged along for the ride?

I'm not posting any answers tonight. Maybe those will come in the morning. Tonight is just for questions. I guess it's okay to go to bed feeling a bit overwhelmed, puzzled, and yes, even humbled sometimes. Maybe especially humbled. And if I am feeling thankful for something small tonight, at least I can go to bed with a dry pair of clothes on.

Over the river and through the woods...

...To the north Georgia mountains we went!

Last week Lyle, Jack, and I escaped for a few days to the beautiful country near Blue Ridge and Ellijay, Georgia. I felt like I was back in southwest Virginia for a few days - it was great.


We rented a cabin that was a mile and a half up a very steep and narrow gravel road. But once you got there, it was well worth the trip. Here's the view we had from our back porch.


Our trip started off a bit rough...I caught the rest of the virus that Jack had had the week before, which really tore up my stomach for a few hours. But it didn't stop us from hiking the Amicalola Falls the next day. All 425 steps of it!

The next day, we took a train ride (the first for Jack!) from Blue Ridge to Copperhill, Tennessee. What a fun adventure! When we got there, we had enough time to eat lunch at a Mexican restaurant, walk around a bit, and then catch the train back. The weather cooperated the whole time we were there, too. It was a little cooler than it's been here in Hot-lanta.

As you can see in the background of this picture, Roscoe came on this vacation with us. I guess it was better than the kennel for him, but boy, he was one stressed-out pup the whole time we were there. Too many new smells in an unfamiliar place, I guess.

Jack was much more laid back about traveling.



We tried to take a family picture with the timer, and it sorta worked, but it looks over-exposed. (Yes, we are all pale, but we're not THAT pale!)

Overall, it was great to get away for a few days. The cabin was very cozy, and we'd love to do this again maybe with some more people next time. I really missed a lot of the "creature comforts" for Jack that we've gotten used to at home! I bet other moms know exactly what I mean...things like the Johnny-jumper, the Exersaucer, and the high chair really make life with a baby a lot easier.

So...even though it was a great trip, it was good to come home, too!

Is it time for a vacation yet?

Thankfully, the answer to that question is actually, "Almost!"

This past week seemed like one of the longest I can remember for a while. Lyle was off this week for the plant shutdown, so I decided to work all 5 days. I should have known by last Sunday night that we were going to be in for a crazy week. That night Jack just decided at 2:30 a.m. that he was tired of sleeping for a while. No real reason, he was just very awake! So Lyle and I took turns with him until about 4:30 when Jack fell back asleep. He must have realized that it really was still night-time after all.

Wednesday was stressful because pretty much out of the blue, Jack refused to drink a bottle at daycare, so I ended up rushing home that afternoon to feed the poor guy. That night we made a Wal-Mart run to try a couple of different types of bottles that he might like better. (No real luck, by the way, on that one). That battle is still on-going. The next day, when I got home Thursday night I noticed that his skin looked a little spotty. He didn't have a fever, so I thought we would wait another day before we took him to the doctor.

Friday morning we were scheduled to have an appointment in North Atlanta with a specialist to talk about Jack's head shape. Note to self: Do NOT try to schedule another 8:30 a.m. appointment on the north side of town!! Stupid, stupid, stupid me. What a stressful morning. The appointment went okay and we really liked the doctor, but by the time we left, we found ourselves driving straight back to Stockbridge for an appointment with Jack's pediatrician. The spots we noticed Thursday had turned into a full-blown head-to-toe rash by Friday. The doctor said it was a viral rash and not an allergic reaction to anything, which is what I had assumed it was. Thankfully, he said it would pass and that Jack had already been dealing with the virus even before the rash showed up. This explained some of the fussiness and odd sleeping patterns we'd noticed in the past week. There were a few more complications Friday that made the day even more hectic, but you get the picture, right?

Suffice it to say, by the time the weekend finally arrived we were both completely and utterly exhausted!

Lesson Anne has learned this week: Be Flexible. Just when you think you've gotten yourself and the baby into a nice routine and things are going smoothly, something is inevitably bound to occur to change things up. Whether it's a trip, a virus, a growth spurt, or all of the above, that routine you've come to enjoy won't stay permanent for too long. But I guess that's what keeps things interesting, isn't it?

And P.S. - Jack's skin is back to normal now, which is a huge relief. Now only if he'll take a bottle tomorrow when I'm at work!

Blue or Brown? We can't decide...

It is so fun these days to see things come out in Jack that are hints of his personality to come.

First of all, we think Jack will be an extravert. He really likes to be where the people are! He's a big fan of his exersaucer these days, but he likes it best if you're in the room with him. He'll bounce and bounce as long as you're there, but if you get out of his sight, he's not a happy camper. The same thing happens at dinner. He doesn't like it if he's in his bouncy chair and we're at the table. He likes it much better to be sitting on my lap and being part of the conversation!

Second, we think he might be a leftie like his dad. I have no idea when this really starts to emerge in children, but so far Jack seems to prefer to grasp toys with his left hand. He seems to use his right hand as more of a secondary support for the toys. I'll be curious to see if this one pans out.

Speaking of whom...I know this pic is blurry - but doesn't he look like his daddy in this one??

And finally, there are his eyes. It is the strangest thing, some days they look just as clear blue as they can be. Then the next day they will be brown. Then the next day they'll be blue again. It's like his genes can't decide who's going to win this one yet!

Here's my hungry cutie...Jack has started eating rice cereal in the past week, and he is a huge fan! He was starting to get hungry all the time, so thanks to some advice from Aunt Amy we went ahead and tried some rice cereal with him. He was hooked after the first time! He still has a little trouble with the spoon, but boy is it cute to hear him get so excited to eat! MMMmmmmm!!!

4-Month Update

Tuesday Jack had his 4-month check-in with the doctor.

He weighed 21 lbs. and 10 oz now, and measured a lengthy 27 and 1/2 inches! The boy has grown six whole inches in four months! That is some major growing going on. If I did that, I would be 6 feet tall by November. Wow.

I am much too tired to write a longer blog tonight. The boy has worn me out two days in a row. I don't know if he's growing again or what, but he's wanting to eat a lot and he's not satisfied when he's done, so it has made for a long and frustrating (and painful) day. We tried to give him a bit of rice cereal for the first time tonight to see if that would help. I think it might; he seemed interested in eating, but he just had a hard time getting the cereal to actually stay in his mouth! You have to start somewhere, I guess.