Happy Autumn

It's been far too long...and I will post more very soon!  However, I couldn't go to bed before sharing this little slice of joy :)

Our sweetheart. In his first pumpkin. Haha :)
4 1/2 months old!

12 Weeks

I can't believe how long it has been! People said life with a little one would be busy. How right they were...!
Tomorrow our little Garrett will be TWELVE WEEKS OLD. Whew! He is long and skinny, though he's finally getting some signature baby cheeks. Very kissable :) It's been a while since we've had him weighed, but I'm guessing he is in the high 11's, and I know for a fact he is more than 2 feet long (taking after his Uncle Donald and Great Uncles Jeff and John!).
Since I've last blogged, so much has happened. Prayers have been answered and I got a job with the Genesis Healthcare System. YESSS! I will be working at both Bethesda and Good Sam's in Zanesville as a Patient Care Technician. I passed my summer Chemistry class with an A (which is quite impressive for someone who has never before experienced success in a science class before). My sweet sister-in-law's house is going up and is looking great, Mark has started back to school, my brother got engaged (see photo), my Dad moved out west to his birth-state of Washington, I got my wisdom teeth out (yikes), got a haircut, and my little boy has started to sort of hold his bottle on his own...with just a tiny bit of help from Momma and Daddy :)

I would like to write more and share stories, but I am W O R N  O U T...pain meds will do that to you, haha!
Needless to say, our cup is overflowing with blessings from the Good Lord. I look forward to a pleasant week and our church's Kids' Campout this weekend at the lake. Let the camp songs begin... :)

From top: Garrett has his first trip to Tom's ICB, Momma gets a haircut,
Donald and Emily are engaged to be married next August,
and Dad (holding me and my brother when we were small) moves out west

Oops

"Beeni Baby" binky holder

Garrett has a very strong sucking reflex, and wants a bink in his mouth at all times.  Before he was born, I was totally against pacifiers.  Then he came out, latched on like a pro, and I decided that it just might be okay. :)  Anyways, he often sucks so rigorously that his bink pops out and inevitably falls on the floor.  Mark and I have always said, "Wouldn't it be nice if there were some kind of strap that just keeps it in there for him?"  We never thought such a thing actually existed, considering the obvious choking and asphyxiation hazards.  But I decided to google it anyways, just to satisfy my curiosity.  Oh man.  I was slightly horrified to find this contraption.
>>
It's called a "Beeni Baby."  Initially I thought it was a joke.  But....it's NOT.  Can you believe this?  I mean, really?  Luckily it has been re-called.  Just because all of us 'wish' this kind of thing existed, we all know that it's totally impractical and unsafe.  The best part was all the comments from parents.  Here are a few of my favorites:
 
"No way. it looks like a muzzle. would NEVER use this with my child or give it to anyone as a gift."
"For one thing, it doesn’t look right at all!"
"Ok, we’ve all thought of this (including plain old duct tape), but none of us actually did it! I think I dislike this as much as Walking Wings. Just do the work yourself (meaning pick up the paci, clean it off, etc). No one said being a mom was a cake walk of baby products that did the job for you."
So the verdict is out on "Beeni Baby": definite NO.  Guess we'll just continue to fish around in Garrett's swing and car seat for his dropped bink, and listen to fussing when he accidentally spits it out :)  Such is life!

Garrett's baby hickey

Continuing on the subject of Garrett's love of sucking (is that weird??), we recently discovered a bad habit of his.  While laying his belly, perched on my chest, Garrett sucked contentedly on his forearm.  He was slurping away and I just thought it was so cute.  He did this for probably 15 minutes before I put his in his swing so I could get some cleaning done.  An hour later I noticed a small, purple bruise on Garrett's little arm.  Turns out he gave himself a baby hickey.  Hahaha.  The nurse at our Monday morning weight-check told me I need to dress him in long sleeves so people don't call Children's Services on us.  Seriously?  I just try to keep his arm out of his mouth.  But when I don't and he somehow manages to get it into his mouth, I just smile.  Who knew they even did that? :)







 

Wanderlust

View of the Blue Ridge Mts. from Craggy Gardens Pinnacle
Outside Asheville, NC

Overlooking the Sleeping Bear Dunes from the top of a dune bluff

Empire, MI (20 miles outside the gorgeous Traverse City)

There are so many places I want to see and experience at some point in my life...but of the places I've already been, these two are especially dear to me.  Someday I'm going to drag my husband and son (and any other future little ones) to both destinations.  And they're going to like it.  Even the 8-hr. drive to NC or the 9-hr. drive to Northern MI.  Cause I said so :) 

454 miles from home

502 miles from home

Good morning, love

Garrett and I spent a few minutes outside on this warm morning.  Oh, how I love quiet time with him.

It's the little things...

Greetings from our little home.  I've been meaning to update for a while now, but life with a newborn gets crazy (imagine that?!).  So Mark and I discovered that Garrett makes this wonderfully funny face when air hits him. Then everyone started telling us that it's because wind/air makes a newborn hold their breath.  Either way, we think it's the cutest thing in the world.  And for the record, we don't make a habit of blowing in his face...hehe.  It's just for the occasional photo-op. :)

Well Garrett is just under a month old and I'm nursing, which means several late-night/obscenely-early-morning feedings.  I've found that the longer I spend feeding him, the longer he will sleep when I eventually put him back in his crib - so it pays to be patient.  It also pays to rock him to sleep before laying him down because if I don't, he invariably fusses less than ten minutes after I get back into bed.  Our baby monitor works well (too well, it sometimes seems), and even the slightest baby whimper sounds like a yell.  Of course that may be less about the monitor and more about my motherly instincts, considering the fact that Mark sleeps right through it.  Anyways, last night I was up with Garrett around 3:30am.  I was watching TLC, eating lemon sandwich cookies (don't judge me), and trying to coax him back to sleep.  Around 4, Garrett's eyes finally shut and his breathing became patterned. SUCCESS.  I tip-toed back to his nursery and carefully laid him in his crib.  The second his body hit the bed he let out the smallest little fart, which woke him up.  I checked his diaper, which was clean.  But that pesky little toot kept us up for an additional 30 minutes by the he stopped fussing and fell back asleep. Go figure :)

Better half

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.                                                                                                                                 --Psalm 103:13 

I have to take this Father's Day-eve opportunity to brag on my husband.  Since the day we met, Mark has worked so hard to make me happy.  He loves showing me how much he cares about me; you can see his eyes light up when he successfully surprises me with a note or flowers or a rack full of clean dishes.  He is someone who truly gets satisfaction out of making others' days.  

Now, we have a sweet baby boy...a baby boy that requires a lot of Momma and Daddy.  Mark is not only willing to fulfill those needs, but seems to thrive on it.  He glows when we take Garrett out in public.  I can't count how many pictures he has texted to our friends and family.  He changes diapers, and has never said "this one's yours!" He helps with nighttime feedings like a champ...he practically jumps out of bed (which, if you know Mark, is quite impressive!).  As if all of this weren't enough, he helps his OCD wife keep the house clean so that we're ready for guests whenever they may happen to stop by.  I am difficult to live with...I know this.  Mark would probably disagree, but I know the truth.  Haha.  It's something I am working hard to change, and it takes daily prayer and intent to keep myself in check.  I have this habit of over-reacting to things, and getting worked up at a moment's notice.  It's not something I choose, however I know it's something I can work on.  But Mark is so gracious and forgiving, and doesn't remind me of all my mistakes.  He doesn't call me out when I have to apologize for the same things over and over again.  He just listens intently, assures me he's here for me, and reminds me who's in control.  I am truly blessed, and lucky to have Mark as my husband and Garrett's father.  God has given me so much more than I deserve, and I am forever grateful. 


Happy [first] Father's Day, Mark Hogue.  You make my heart happy; Garrett and I love you. :)