Reed has tons of new friends that are being born everyday. The first is Jedediah Strong Tomlinson born on July 6th and was 9 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long. Both of Jedediah’s parents are clergy at our church and are close friends of ours. Leslie is an incredible woman who has delivered 2 children (Jedediah has an older sister Lucy True) without a hospital (birthing center) and no pain medicine! Jedediah was home sleeping in his bed a mere 6 hours after he was born. Congratulations Kit and Leslie!!
All posts by JB
4 Month Update
Reed’s 4 month appointment with Dr. Purnell was on July 6th. Dr. Purnell says he looks great and is chunking up nicely. He also said we are free to start cereal as soon as Reed acts interested. We haven’t started just yet, but I’m sure we will in the next week. He got all of his shots and I was expecting a rough afternoon so I stayed home with him. Thankfully he did great. Right after his shots he nursed and then fell asleep for a few hours. When he woke up he was his normal smiley self. Praise the Lord for the small gifts.
His stats are good:
Weight: 15 pounds 10 ounces (he has almost doubled his birth weight!) – 75th%
Length: 26 inches – 65th%
Over the July 4th weekend Reed changed so much. All of a sudden he found his voice. Not only is he louder, but he is also more vocal. Sometimes I can’t get that child to hush (wonder where he gets that from…) He also looks different. He now looks like a baby, not a skinny little infant. He found his feet and loves to pull them up any chance he gets. He also tries to pull himself up from lying flat on his back to sitting up (obviously he can’t get very far, but he is constantly trying).
Every mom says the same thing, but I just love this kid so much. I love coming home every night knowing that I get to play with him for a few hours. Listening to his little voice when he laughs and talks to me is my favorite sound in the whole world.
JB
July 4th
July 4th weekend at Lake LBJ was significant for many reasons. As previously mentioned the lake property has been in my dad’s family for many years and I spent most weekends as a child up there. As I grew up we started bringing friends to join us and July 4th turned into a big party weekend. After I moved to San Antonio the party weekends stopped, but then Randy joined in and it became a family weekend. This year was the best ever because it was the first time Reed was at the lake.
This weekend was especially sentimental to me because I found out I was pregnant with Reed the Sunday after July 4th 2008. All weekend I kept thinking about how much that one moment changed our lives forever. The last time I was at the lake before this weekend was when I told my family I was pregnant. I am so thankful that so many important moments happened at such an important place.
Reed also had a few firsts this weekend. Obviously it was his first time to swim in the lake. He has been swimming in the pool, but not the lake. It was also his first boat ride.
But the most important first is that he rolled over for the first time!! Sunday morning (the day after his four month birthday) he was playing in his pack n play while we packed up and I happened to look over at him as he rolled over from back to front. I am so proud of him!! Then, yesterday I put him on his belly for tummy time and within 10 seconds he rolled from front to back. And so it begins….
Best Baby EVER!!!
Our weekend trip to Dallas turned into the weekend from hell. Mishaps alone are not a big deal, but add 100+ degree weather and you have a recipie for disaster!!!
Most of you who know my family and me know that they make fun of my 2 degree thermostat. My mom (lovingly, I think) jokes that I have a 2 degree thermostat. I’m either burning up or freezing cold. There is no in between and since I live in South Texas, I’m usually burning up. I know, what a brat. I tell you this because I want you to keep in mind that everything I’m about to explain happened on the hottest weekend of the year in 100-105 degree weather.
We left San Antonio at 10am Friday morning headed for a relaxing weekend in Dallas where Randy would get to play volleyball and I would get to spend lots of time with all of my friends in Dallas who I don’t get to see very often. When we were in San Marcos the air conditioner in Randy’s car decided to stop working. We had to turn around and change cars. (Don’t forget that we had to drive 45 minutes home with no a/c.) Not only was it scorching hot in the car, but the thermostat kept beeping the entire time. Randy and I didn’t speak. The whole way home I kept praying that Reed was ok and that he would stay asleep. I don’t think I could have dealt with a screaming baby on top of the heat and stress. He proved he IS the best baby in the world because he slept the whole way home.
We got home and moved all our stuff to my car. At noon we were headed out for the second time. The rest of the trip was long and 35 was full of traffic, but it was uneventful. We even got to Dallas in time to have dinner with the Browns and the Keiths, which was the whole reason Reed and I came on the trip. Unfortunately we had to cut our time short because we hadn’t checked into the hotel yet and didn’t know what we were going to find. Thank the Lord we left when we did.
We got to our hotel (which I foolishly picked out online and prepaid for). It was next door to a strip club. I could probably stop talking right there and you would get the picture. I won’t go into details because this post is going to be long enough, but I have never felt more dirty and unsafe in my life. We walked up to the room took one look and walked back out to our car, drove off and never looked back. At this point it is 10:30 and we have had a terribly exhausting day, we are still hot and smelly and we have no idea where we are going to sleep. I drove to Grand Prairie and luckily we found a hotel. We finally got into bed at midnight.
The next day was Randy’s tournament. We prepared for the heat, but there really is no way to prepare for it. As we leave the hotel we notice that I-20 West is completely shut down. Luckily we didn’t have to get on it, but there was an accident and it had been shut down since 5am.
The tournament was good. Randy’s team was having a good time and surviving the heat. Reed slept most of the morning and I was sweaty, but ok. At 1pm I decide I need to get Reed (and me) out of the heat so we head back to the hotel. Randy had a 2 hour break so we were going to cool down and then come back for his last match. I completely forgot about I-20. I got on the highway before I could see that the traffic was still stopped. It took me an hour to go one exit. I was in tears because I was so sweaty and hot and truly didn’t know how long I would be stuck. Plus, my a/c was working but there is only so much it can do in stopped traffic. Once again, Reed is a life saver. He slept the whole time. I think I might have had a nervous breakdown if he had been screaming in the back seat because I already felt like a terrible mom for keeping him in the heat as long as I did. Needless to say we did not watch Randy’s last match.
The rest of the weekend was fine. We had dinner with Amanda and John Saturday night and Sunday the boys played again. They finished playing in time for us to take showers in the hotel before we hit the road again. The drive home was SO much better than the drive up there. Totally uneventful.
The reason for the title of my post is that all weekend I kept saying how greatful I am that Reed is such a good sleeper and is so laid back. I wonder where he gets it from, because it obviously isn’t from me!!!!
J
Grandparent Names
Picking Grandparent names was so much harder than we realized. All four of our parents wanted to make sure they had special names that fit them. None of them were satisfied with Nanna or Gramma. So, after much ado…here are the grandparent names:
Julie’s Mom – Ya-Ya
Julie’s Dad – Duke
Randy’s Mom – Granny B
Randy’s Dad – Papa B
Working Mommy
I went back to work on June 2. I enjoyed my maternity leave more than I expected, but I had to return. There are lots of things I miss about being home, but my favorite part was our morning hikes at Eisenhower park. We would spend an hour at the park 3 or 4 times a week. The best part about the mornings was that I could start whenever I wanted. The weather was cool enough to go as late as 10am, but most mornings we were there around 8 or 8:30.
The hardest part about going back to work is giving up my mornings. My leisurely mornings have been replaced by an alarm clock that goes off at 5am so that I can get myself ready and feed the kid and be in the car by 6:30.
Other than the change to my morning routine, going back to work has been a very good thing for me. I am a better mommy when I go to work. Some women are wired to be able to stimulate and play with their baby all day long. Unfortunately I am not one of those. After our fun mornings I usually started to get antsy. The only way I knew to calm the antsy was to either shop (not good when you are home on 4 weeks of unpaid maternity leave) or visit friends or go for a walk.
So long story short being back at work has been good for me. However, I wish I could have gone back on a reduced hour schedule so I could still enjoy my mornings. Maybe one day I will find the right job that will allow me to have the best of both worlds. Until then, I will be greatful to have a job and greatful that (for the time being) Reed is spending his days with Ya-Ya and Granny B.
J
Crazy 8’s
Missie tagged me so I had to comply… The picture is a picture Randy took from his laptop while he was working from home my first day back at work.
My Boys
8 Things to Look Forward To:
1. Reed sitting on his own. He really likes to be upright and I get tired of holding him up all the time. I can’t wait until he can do it himself!
2. Losing all the weight I need to lose!! (Sorry, I had to say it. It almost made number 1 on the list)
3. The arrival of all the babies cooking away this summer…Swayze, Tomlinson, Keith, Edmunds, to name a few
4. Getting into a good working mommy routine. I still feel frazzled, tired and behind…
5. Our trips to Dallas in June, the river in August and Vermont in September
6. Football Season!!!
7. The end of the hot South Texas summer
8. Watching Reed grow and learn everyday
8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Woke up at 5:30
2. Went to work
3. Ate lunch at Dough. First time there, best pizza I’ve ever eaten in America (I think)
4. Pumped at work (still feels a little weird. Hopefully I will get used to it)
5. Played with Reed when I got home from work
6. Bathed Reed alone for the first time
7. Took a family walk around the neighborhood
8. Read in bed before I fell asleep
8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Workout everyday. Ah to have unlimited time
2. Play with Reed every morning. It’s his best time of the day and now that I’m working I miss it during the week
3. Learn to be content
4. Do a better job of keeping in touch with all my friends
5. Have more time to travel
6. Figure out what I want to do professionally. I seem to struggle with this more than most people, I’m just very picky.
7. Go back to Africa. Not sure how long it will be before I get back there and I loved it.
8. Be a college professor
8 Shows I Watch:
1. Football (that should maybe take up slots 1-4)
2. Lost (this is the only show I actually “watch”. The others I watch when I can)
3. Lanscape Smart (I know, weirdo)
4. Desperate Housewives
5. My Boys
6. Grey’s Anatomy
People To Tag:
Summer, Christine, Sarah, Meredith
First Date Night
Last night Randy and I left Reed with a babysitter for the first time. Praise the Lord we have so much family in San Antonio because my little sister Diana Beth was our first babysitter. She is in college and therefore has tons of free time. She has spent lots of time with Reed and I in the last month so I felt totally confident that she could handle him.
We went to Pei Wei and then to our friend Chris’ play ‘Pirates and Ninjas’. We met 3 other couples and were gone for about 4 hours total. It was the perfect first night away. Long enough, but not too long, lots of friends with us, and a hilarious play. I think I could do this again!!
J
Mother’s Day!
Sunday was awesome. All I have ever wanted was to be a mommy. Ever since I was a little girl, I didn’t dream about my wedding. I dreamed about my kids and my house filled with kids. Needless to say, this was one of the best days of my life for that very reason. I’m finally a mommy! Randy woke up early on Sunday and got Reed out of his crib. The first thing I got to see was my sweet little boy smiling up at me. I could have stopped right there and it would have been a perfect day. Randy gave me my cards and gifts and then gave me an even better gift…he got up with me! It was only 6am and he was ready to get up and be with us. As I have alluded to previously, Randy is not a morning person and I am. The only problem with that is that I don’t like solitude in the morning, I like to talk. This drives everyone except my parents insane (probably because I learned it from them!) So I think the best present he gave me (aside from Reed) was that he got up with me and we made breakfast and coffee and played before church. Such a wonderful morning!!
My mom has been overwhelmed the last few months with moving her mother down to San Antonio to live and all the changes and stress that go along with that type of life change. I did not want to plan my own mother’s day celebration but I also didn’t want the day to get lost in the shuffle. So I asked Randy to get with my dad and plan a picnic at my parent’s pool. This way no one has to cook (because again, then I would be doing all the work on my first mother’s day and I didn’t want that) and we get to take Reed to the pool for the first time and could spend a relaxing afternoon together. We did just that and it was perfect! Reed liked the pool and we spent the afternoon relaxing and talking and spending time together.
In the evening we went to dinner with Randy’s family to round out the day. It was a busy day, but a wonderful one. I never realized how challenging a day like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are once you become a mom/dad. It won’t ever really be about only me because I still have a mommy that I want to love on and show her how much I appreciate her. I never really thought about that situation before Sunday.
J
2 Month Update
We have been a little slow in posting updates. I will try to get back into the blogging groove.
Reed’s 2 month appointment with Dr. Purnell went well, except the shots of course. He had to get 5 shots in his fat little thighs. I was strong while the nurse was in the room and didn’t cry, but as soon as she walked out and I could start dressing him I had big huge tears falling down my face. I wasn’t expecting that reaction and was rather surprised at myself. Reed fell asleep almost immediately which made the drive home better than expected. When he woke up around lunchtime he screamed so much and was in such pain that I cried again. Once we got some Tylenol in him he was ok and rested well the rest of the day. Shots are not fun and I can understand why my mom said the number one reason she would not go back to work in Dr. Purnell’s office after she retires from the school district in 2 years is because she hated giving the shots. Not fun at all.
Stats: Weight – 12 pounds 8 ounces, 75th percentile, Height – 23 1/2 inches, about 55th percentile.
Reed is in a daddy phase right now. The moment he sees or hears Randy his eyes light up and his whole face smiles. Sometimes he even squeals with delight. He might love his daddy, but he definitely is on my schedule (which is wonderful). His best time of the day is first thing in the morning. I love going to get him out of his crib and bringing him into our bed to wake Randy up (yes, Randy sleeps very late!!) He is always so happy and ready to wake up. The best news is that he has been consistently sleeping from about 10pm to 5am. This has been happening on a regular basis for the past 2 weeks or so. I can only pray this will last once I start back at work.
J