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.

Finally a Post about Myrtle Beach!

Well, we've been back home for over a week now, but I just have not had time to upload the pictures and tell you about Jack's first trip to the beach. Tonight Jack went to bed around 9:00, and when I went to finally upload the pictures and post a blog, I discovered that we hardly took any while we were there!


Shame, shame, shame on us...


We did have a good time at the beach, although it was so stinkin' hot that we really couldn't do much outside, especially with a 4 month old. Jack made it down to the sand twice, I think, and one of those times was when the sun was almost down. The closest he got to water was sitting on my lap on an intertube floating around the lazy river at the hotel. I can't say if he really liked that or not...he hollered for a bit because the water was cold, and then fell asleep with his floppy hat down over his face.


Here are a couple of pics to at least prove we did go to the beach!


This one should be captioned "It's a good thing the fashion police were not patrolling Myrtle Beach!" Between Jack and his flowery floppy hat and me and my goofy sunglasses, we weren't going to win any style awards, I don't think! (Oh well...at least we were having fun!)

This one has a sort of funny story behind it...so I spent all this money on an expensive little jumpsuit for Jack that has SPF 50 in the material. (I could have bought around 5 or 6 little rompers for the price I paid for this one outfit). I ordered it online, and it arrived in the mail the day before we left for the beach, so I was all excited for Jack to wear it. He had it on for less than half an hour before a rather explosive diaper erupted and just about ruined his expensive jumpsuit. As soon as that happened, I wondered what exactly I was thinking spending so much on one outfit for an infant??!! Lessons learned, I guess...


By the way, the orange striped socks he's wearing are actually foot rattles. They're a huge hit with Jack these days. Here's the pricey SPF-protected outfit prior to the diaper incident.

Here's another great memory from the trip. Jack's cousin Lauren celebrated her 6th birthday while we were all together. For dinner that night we went to Joe's Crab Shack at Broadway at the Beach, and the ENTIRE restaurant helped Lauren celebrate by singing Happy Birthday to her! Jack and I were outside during the actual song since one of us (not me) was having a meltdown. But the picture just says it all. I'm not quite sure, but I think she was having a ball.

Don't you just wish you could have a day where something would happen to make you smile THIS big??

And finally, here's a little clip of Jack talking to me in the hotel room before he went to bed one night. It's really short, but you can get the idea that he's really starting to discover his voice! I think he's going to be a talker. Who could he possibly take after??

Anyway, what a good vacation to get to hang out with my husband, my baby, and my sisters! Good times, good times.