Friday Night Lights

On Friday night Michael, Derin, Nana and I packed up and headed to Canyon's football game. It was our Homecoming game. It was so much fun. All the CHS babies were there! It was the first time the cheerleaders got to see Michael in person. Kelsey of course was the first to hold him. Don't they look adorable? I walked around with a bottle of hand sanitizer and made anyone that held him put some on. I know I need to relax but this is flu season and Michael can't get his flu shot until December! Anyway, Michael enjoyed the ladies and one time the football rolled over in our direction and he watched it bounce! I can't believe how he is following things with his eyes like that! The night ended as all the babies fell asleep in their mommies arms. All the babies except Michael. As you can see he was wide awake and enjoying the view! He loved the lights and the band and of course all the girls :). He got to see baby Tatum and Marissa. I can't believe how old Tatum is, I remember her in her mommie's belly! Time truly flies too quickly! The night was perfect, topped off with a Cougar victory over San Marcos!

My Week With Nana

Well the day finally came where I had to return to work. It makes me want to go back in time because I can't believe that Michael is 15 weeks old! It is AMAZING how much he has grown and developed. He holds his head up, he laughs and "talks" so much more.

So Monday Sept. 28th I had to return to teaching. I just couldn't bear going back to work and taking Michael to daycare all in the same week so my mom came up to take care of Michael for us. What a sweet sacrifice to give up a week of her life to help us. I cried everyday on the way to work except for Friday. I think I was so excited that the weekend was here that I didn't have a chance to cry. I felt so safe knowing that my mom was with Michael everyday. She took pictures and texted them to me and I called four times a day to check on him. In reality I know that Michael will be fine but it is so hard for me to be without him. Plus I know he will cry and I will not be there to soothe him. But I know he had fun with Nana because everyday he would smile and giggle with her. She sang songs to him and rocked him in the rocker she used for Matt and me. One afternoon she took Michael on the deck and had a little photo session.

The days literally flew by and I could not have made it through them if it wasn't for my sweet students from last year coming to visit. Kelsey gave Michael the cutest little "sneaker socks". I can't wait until they fit him! I also believe that Michael has grown this week. I guess not being with him all day long allowed me to see that. The only regret is that I didn't take any pictures of Nana with Michael. Thank you mom, words cannot express how grateful I am that you took care of my little boy. Now I understand what an immense love a mother has for her children and I am so grateful to have a mother like you. And by the way, the Bumbo is awesome and Michael is getting stronger everyday!

Three Months Old

Well it is really here, Michael is three months old. SOOO hard to believe! We got up yesterday and like every morning, Michael and I snuggled for a while. We ate breakfast and then two physical therapists came by to check up on Michael's progress. At his two month check up our doctor said he had a flat spot on his head so she had us call the pt to come and check him out. Well guess what, he is perfect and his head is perfectly normal. They were here for about an hour and tested him in three other areas. For his communication skills he tested on age level, for his physical motor skills, he tested on level but for his social skills he tested at four months. He is so advanced :). I guess he takes after his mommy!Then we watched Dancing with the Stars. Michael has no idea what he is watching but the movement seemed interesting. We ran to the store and then off to meet our realtor. We found a house and made an offer. Michael didn't seem too impressed but he did love the gorgeous 60 degree weather!!! I dressed him in the sweetest outfit from Nana and PawPaw, again cute little jeans and this cute little thermal shirt. Can I use the word cute for a boy? Anyway, I couldn't resist taking a picture of him and of course you can see Kaya wasn't far behind. Wherever I am with the baby, there she is too. Here are the pics from us on our property. We planted the trees we are standing by about 10 years ago! I can't believe how big they are! Well, it is still about 60 degrees outside so I think we will go out for a walk before the sun decides to come back out and heat things up!

Michael's Debut

Thursday:What a weekend! On Thursday Derin, Michael and I set out for a trip to League City for his Sip-n-See party at Nana's house. It was crazy how long it took us to get there and back. You see, we just listed our house so we couldn't just run out on Thursday morning. Derin mowed and we had to make sure everything was picked up before we left. So despite the fact that we were up at 7 we didn't leave until around 11. By the way, the amount of things I pack for Michael was triple what I pack for Derin and I and stil forgot some things! So, we get on the road only to run a bunch of errands first. We finally made it to I-10 around 2:30, but the good news is, Derin and I got our flu shots! So you think okay, the trip should only last about three more hours right? Wrong, we hit traffic in Houston and of course we have to pull over to feed Michael twice. He is such a champ, he is used to nursing in the car for sure now! We pull in the League City around 6:15 and meet Mama Lu (or C.C Lu, not sure what Michael will say yet) and G.G for chinese food. It was the best dinner I have eaten in a long time! We LOVE good Chinese! Then off to Nana and PawPaw's for a bath and bedtime.

Friday: Friday (after sleeping for 6 hours :) began with Nana and PawPaw playtime. Michael loves his new play gym they bought him. Thank goodness to because he outgrew his other one! Around lunchtime we went to see Mama Lu at her office to meet her friends for Paninis. He was greeted by another little baby named Callie. Girls were all around, but more about that later. After a good nap with Mama Lu it was off to Derin's old job to meet his friends then back home for a nap and hamburgers!

Saturday: Michael went to sleep at 9pm on Friday night. It was wonderful to go to sleep that early! We got up and quickly got ready for the party. The house looked beautiful! Nana sure knows how to decorate for a party! Michael looked so cute in his jeans and long sleeve shirt. Of course despite the size I had to roll the sleeves and pants. He just looked like a little person. We had so much fun seeing all these people that have played such huge roles in our lives! The party was during Michael's naptime which didn't seem to bother him as he slept in people's arms. It was just such a joy to show Michael off to all the people that mean so much to us.
After the party we ate and headed to Hunstville to see the state park and off to Lake Conroe to check on our property. Michael ate, then we ate and then headed home. We were missing the Texas game and could barely get it on the radio. We made it to College Station before Michael wanted to eat again but luckily he soon fell asleep and stayed that way the whole way home. Sadly though we didn't make it home until close to midnight! Michael went straight to bed and so did we. What a great night's sleep! Michael slept until 4:30 and then cuddled with me the rest of the morning. I could have put him back in his crib but I have to go back to work next week so I don't think I will put him down this entire week!

Big Boy Crib

Well starting on Thursday Sept. 10th, Michael starting sleeping in his crib in his own room. I have to say that it was a hard night for me. I couldn't fall asleep because I was so worried about him. I don't know why because his room is close by and thanks to technology our baby monitor has a camera. I LOVE that thing. The camera is right by my bed so I can just open my eyes and see him. The speaker is so sensitive that I can hear him breathing. Kaya our persian isn't sure what is going on so she sits in his room and mewos. I don't know how it doesn't wake him up and I don't know what she is thinking. I shoo her out and check on Michael and then off to sleep. As sweet as all of this is, I can't seem to get Michael to sleep before 11 or midnight. I have been trying and trying to set a bed time routine but he will have none of it. Sometimes he goes down around 10 and once at 9:30. I first tried to start the bed time routine around 6:30 with a bath, a feeding and then rocking and singing. He did fall asleep at 8 but was up at 8:45 and then back to sleep at 11:30. So now I try to start it at 8:00 but again no sleep until 11 or midnight. He does however sleep for 4 to 5 hours at a time. Last night being the exception (3hours). He will fall asleep but the second I put him down he wakes up. I cannot leave him in there to cry for hours until he falls asleep. Instead I put his binkie back in his mouth, watch him fall asleep and then sneak out. Trust me, I have read so much on letting him cry it out or going in and picking him up when he cries and personally I choose picking him up. I don't run in there everytime though, luckily he does go back to sleep sometimes. The times he hasn't I have picked him up, he burps and settles down. I'm learning. I ordered a wubanub so his binkie will stay in his mouth and I won't have to run in and fix it. I will just have to keep trying a routine until it becomes routine. Maybe when he starts daycare he will sleep more at night. Although, I would stay up all night with him forever if it meant no daycare. Wow, what a learning curve. I thought I was done when I finished grad school. They don't give out a diploma for motherhood but they should. So for now he is sleeping in his crib and my room seems so big without his bassinet, I finally packed it up yesterday. He does still snuggle with mommy in the mornings :) and my new favorite thing is when he wakes up for the second time (around 7:30) I go in and tell him good morning and he looks up at me and smiles. Be still my heart, can life get any better than that?

Labor Day Weekend

We had a fun filled weekend for Labor day. Nana and PawPaw visited while Derin and I were busy. When we came home, we discovered that PawPaw loved putting styling product in Michael's hair and taking as many pictures as possible. It is amazing to watch Michael smile and see how his eyes light up when he looks at you. He laughs when I stick my tounge out at him and has begun to mimick me. He has outgrown his tummy time mat because he is getting so long and he keeps rotating off of it. Here we are 11 weeks old and he is outgrowing his toys. I have to go through his closet this week and see what clothes fit and what doesn't. I LOVE looking at him in his jeans and stuff, he looks like a little man! We finally have his two month bear pic and again I just can't believe how long he is getting. So much for a chubby baby, he will be long like a spider monkey. According to Dr. Rieger he is in the 7th percentile, meaning that 93% of babies are heavier than he is. She said not to worry, Michael Jordan was in the same place at Michael's age. Basketball anyone?

CHS Play Group

Well, it was a banner year at CHS with 10 new babies born into the Cougar pride. A couple of weeks ago those of us on maternity leave got together to introduce our babies and to enjoy some adult conversation. It was also a reason to put make-up on for a change. There are six boys and four girls. Who knows what next year will bring. Thanks Michelle for opening up your home to all of us and for sharing your diaper champ. We missed babies Sanders, K and Boggs, but maybe next time!