As Reed was scrounging through a cabinet this morning, he came across these baby food trays. What was once used to freeze his baby food is now being used as roller skates. He keeps saying "here come roller skates"!
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| Looking like a pro! |
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| Whoops! |
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Let the Christmas season begin!
We ventured out today to pick out a Christmas tree. We were lucky enough to find just the right tree in the first tree that we picked up. Phew! Now, we'll have our annual Christmas tree decorating family party with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation playing in the background! Merry-start-of-the-Christmas-season everyone!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Photo Sneak!
We braved our first ever family photo shoot a few weekends ago. I still have a few things to learn, but I think most of them turned out pretty well. I am seriously considering trying my hand at this and would love to take some FREE photos for anyone interested(I can only coax my toddler into this every once in a while, lol!). And I'd like to limit the takers on the free photo session to those with low expectations with the potential for high return, ha!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Preschool
Reed is finally loving school. It took him some time but he turned the corner a little while ago to the shock of both me and his teachers. We all kind of looked at each other like, huh, when he walked right in without any coaxing.
He talks about his teachers and his friends in his class. He also regularly comes home telling me about songs or stories he learned at school. The other day we had to drop off something at his school and he didn't get to see Miss Mary Howard or Miss Janet and he was none too happy. I take that as a good sign.
We have had one little hiccup with preschool thus far. Reed has been put in timeout several times. Yes, timeout. He got into trouble for hitting his friends. He knows this is a big no, no. He even told me "I not hit my friends" when I picked him up that day. During our parent-teacher conference a month ago, his teachers said that he is 2 and a boy so it is bound to happen. It continues to be an issue and I have even sent the teachers a please-tell-me-my-child-is-not-going-to-get-kicked-out-of-preschool email. Thankfully they responded with a 'no'. Let's hope it stays that way.
His timeouts have progressed to being in the office across the hall from his classroom. He was actually sent to the office twice in one day. Not good, not good. My dad said I absolutely had to document his two trips to the office in one day at two because that has to be some kind of record, ha!
Speaking of the parent-teacher conference, they told me that Reed was a bright, timid, and very enthusiastic little boy. He originally had a very hard time with the transitions during school, such as getting upset when it was time to line up to go to music, etc. They said that this is no longer a problem, phew. We are just crossing milestones as quick as we can. They also said that Reed gets super excited and belly laughs at pretty much anything they show him that's new to him. What a sweet boy!
Reed has sung the hello and goodbye songs for us. It goes a little something like this......"hello Jensen, hello Jensen, hello Jensen, have a gooda day." Yes, Reed puts an "a" on the end of good and it is so cute. Jensen tends to be the one he wants to say hello to the majority of the time. It might be his first girlfriend in the making.
Me and another mom were responsible for the Halloween Party a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun to watch the kiddos eat their snack, make a pumpkin craft and play a pumpkin toss game. It was very exhausting though and I was only there for about 30 minutes. Props for sure go to Reed's teachers!
He talks about his teachers and his friends in his class. He also regularly comes home telling me about songs or stories he learned at school. The other day we had to drop off something at his school and he didn't get to see Miss Mary Howard or Miss Janet and he was none too happy. I take that as a good sign.
We have had one little hiccup with preschool thus far. Reed has been put in timeout several times. Yes, timeout. He got into trouble for hitting his friends. He knows this is a big no, no. He even told me "I not hit my friends" when I picked him up that day. During our parent-teacher conference a month ago, his teachers said that he is 2 and a boy so it is bound to happen. It continues to be an issue and I have even sent the teachers a please-tell-me-my-child-is-not-going-to-get-kicked-out-of-preschool email. Thankfully they responded with a 'no'. Let's hope it stays that way.
His timeouts have progressed to being in the office across the hall from his classroom. He was actually sent to the office twice in one day. Not good, not good. My dad said I absolutely had to document his two trips to the office in one day at two because that has to be some kind of record, ha!
Speaking of the parent-teacher conference, they told me that Reed was a bright, timid, and very enthusiastic little boy. He originally had a very hard time with the transitions during school, such as getting upset when it was time to line up to go to music, etc. They said that this is no longer a problem, phew. We are just crossing milestones as quick as we can. They also said that Reed gets super excited and belly laughs at pretty much anything they show him that's new to him. What a sweet boy!
Reed has sung the hello and goodbye songs for us. It goes a little something like this......"hello Jensen, hello Jensen, hello Jensen, have a gooda day." Yes, Reed puts an "a" on the end of good and it is so cute. Jensen tends to be the one he wants to say hello to the majority of the time. It might be his first girlfriend in the making.
Me and another mom were responsible for the Halloween Party a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun to watch the kiddos eat their snack, make a pumpkin craft and play a pumpkin toss game. It was very exhausting though and I was only there for about 30 minutes. Props for sure go to Reed's teachers!
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| Reed at school....as a cowboy! |
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| All the kiddos enjoy snack time! |
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| Snow White aka Miss Mary Howard. |
Monday, November 14, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Ever been scared to death and completely mortified all in the same day? I have.
Yesterday was that day for me.
While running errands yesterday, Reed and I were at the mall and he complained "my back is hurting" while sitting in his stroller. I just assumed that he was tired of sitting in the stroller, so I took him out. He proceeded to run around and play normally. He did his usual stay with mom for two minutes and then run off routine.
We left the mall soon after and once we got on 400 to head north to run another errand he was screaming in pain. I too just assumed that he would prefer to be running around and not strapped in his car seat. It got considerably worse as the drive progressed to where I was beginning to worry. We got to our destination and I took him out of the car. He just couldn't get comfortable. He would lay his head on my shoulder and then start twisting around. And he was screaming out in pain the entire time. I tried to get him to run around and play but no dice. So I called his pediatrician and they recommended that I come in at 1:45 (it was 11:45), for which I replied "I am not going to listen to him scream for two hours". She said, in that case, you should take him to the ER. So off we went.
Reed was absolutely miserable. By the time we got on 400 to go south he had already manage to get his arms out of his straps, hanging over the side of the car seat, arching his back toward the car door. I started to get scared. If you know me, you know I always imagine the worse and this was no exception. After talking to Chris, I decided to call 911. We pulled over at a restaurant and waited for the ambulance. During that time, Reed started to get very tired. We were sitting in the parking lot at this restaurant and the poor little guy just laid down on the ground. I got even more worried, as did the 911 operator. She recommended that we be upgraded. I don't know if that means extra help or get there in a hurry, but I appreciated it. I really don't deal with things like this very well. The operator told me repeatedly what a good job I was doing, but that wasn't very helpful. I tried to manage to keep calm for fear of me passing out (I know, I need to get it together.). Once I heard the sirens I felt so much better. And Reed pepped up a bit. He loves a big truck. Both an ambulance and a firetruck arrived where we were at the same time. It was nice to have all that helped, but it also made me a little scared.
They got him into the ambulance lying down on the stretcher and he was miserable again. They took some of his vitals and then we headed into the hospital. Reed screamed the entire ride there. He was inconsolable. He was screaming "I want to get out" by the time we got to the hospital. I was thinking the same thing, but it probably isn't wise for a grown woman to act like that.
At the hospital, I was able to take him off the stretcher. As soon as I did he passed gas, pooted, whatever you like to call it. And then he was better. Seriously?!?! Seriously. My kid, writhing in pain in his car seat, just apparently needed to poot. We didn't know that this would necessarily be the cure-all, so they stuck us in a room where we waited for 4 hours. In the meantime, they took an x-ray of his belly just to rule out a kidney stone and thank goodness nothing showed up. He was a little lethargic the first little bit we were there, but then pepped up as the afternoon went on. The doctor told us as we were about to leave that it was probably gas buildup and/or constipation and that maybe I shouldn't go to the mall anymore. Haha, very funny. The funny thing was that Chris had literally just arrived from his drive from Charlotte (yes, the poor guy jumped in his rental car and drove almost 4 hours because his kid had to poot), so we joked that Chris told him this before he came in the room.
So anyway, Reed is fine and I am a little, okay a lot, embarassed. Hindsight being 20/20, I certainly wouldn't have gone to the ER or ever called an ambulance, but this kid was in pain and I didn't know what to do about it. It is certainly better to be safe than sorry and I wasn't taking a chance with my baby. Next time we might try a little poot-encouraging tricks (I don't know if there are any, but I am certainly going to look some up, lol) before getting so worked up.
A HUGE thanks to my Mom and my in-laws for trekking down to Atlanta to be with Reed and I while we waited on Chris to arrive. It was so good not to be alone!!
Here's a pic of our little guy resting on the hospital bed. There is nothing worse than seeing a baby in the hospital. Notice the 'send' sticker on his shirt. The salesman at Nordstrom gave it to him to try to stop his crying. It worked momentarily.
While running errands yesterday, Reed and I were at the mall and he complained "my back is hurting" while sitting in his stroller. I just assumed that he was tired of sitting in the stroller, so I took him out. He proceeded to run around and play normally. He did his usual stay with mom for two minutes and then run off routine.
We left the mall soon after and once we got on 400 to head north to run another errand he was screaming in pain. I too just assumed that he would prefer to be running around and not strapped in his car seat. It got considerably worse as the drive progressed to where I was beginning to worry. We got to our destination and I took him out of the car. He just couldn't get comfortable. He would lay his head on my shoulder and then start twisting around. And he was screaming out in pain the entire time. I tried to get him to run around and play but no dice. So I called his pediatrician and they recommended that I come in at 1:45 (it was 11:45), for which I replied "I am not going to listen to him scream for two hours". She said, in that case, you should take him to the ER. So off we went.
Reed was absolutely miserable. By the time we got on 400 to go south he had already manage to get his arms out of his straps, hanging over the side of the car seat, arching his back toward the car door. I started to get scared. If you know me, you know I always imagine the worse and this was no exception. After talking to Chris, I decided to call 911. We pulled over at a restaurant and waited for the ambulance. During that time, Reed started to get very tired. We were sitting in the parking lot at this restaurant and the poor little guy just laid down on the ground. I got even more worried, as did the 911 operator. She recommended that we be upgraded. I don't know if that means extra help or get there in a hurry, but I appreciated it. I really don't deal with things like this very well. The operator told me repeatedly what a good job I was doing, but that wasn't very helpful. I tried to manage to keep calm for fear of me passing out (I know, I need to get it together.). Once I heard the sirens I felt so much better. And Reed pepped up a bit. He loves a big truck. Both an ambulance and a firetruck arrived where we were at the same time. It was nice to have all that helped, but it also made me a little scared.
They got him into the ambulance lying down on the stretcher and he was miserable again. They took some of his vitals and then we headed into the hospital. Reed screamed the entire ride there. He was inconsolable. He was screaming "I want to get out" by the time we got to the hospital. I was thinking the same thing, but it probably isn't wise for a grown woman to act like that.
At the hospital, I was able to take him off the stretcher. As soon as I did he passed gas, pooted, whatever you like to call it. And then he was better. Seriously?!?! Seriously. My kid, writhing in pain in his car seat, just apparently needed to poot. We didn't know that this would necessarily be the cure-all, so they stuck us in a room where we waited for 4 hours. In the meantime, they took an x-ray of his belly just to rule out a kidney stone and thank goodness nothing showed up. He was a little lethargic the first little bit we were there, but then pepped up as the afternoon went on. The doctor told us as we were about to leave that it was probably gas buildup and/or constipation and that maybe I shouldn't go to the mall anymore. Haha, very funny. The funny thing was that Chris had literally just arrived from his drive from Charlotte (yes, the poor guy jumped in his rental car and drove almost 4 hours because his kid had to poot), so we joked that Chris told him this before he came in the room.
So anyway, Reed is fine and I am a little, okay a lot, embarassed. Hindsight being 20/20, I certainly wouldn't have gone to the ER or ever called an ambulance, but this kid was in pain and I didn't know what to do about it. It is certainly better to be safe than sorry and I wasn't taking a chance with my baby. Next time we might try a little poot-encouraging tricks (I don't know if there are any, but I am certainly going to look some up, lol) before getting so worked up.
A HUGE thanks to my Mom and my in-laws for trekking down to Atlanta to be with Reed and I while we waited on Chris to arrive. It was so good not to be alone!!
Here's a pic of our little guy resting on the hospital bed. There is nothing worse than seeing a baby in the hospital. Notice the 'send' sticker on his shirt. The salesman at Nordstrom gave it to him to try to stop his crying. It worked momentarily.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Our little guy was the cutest cowboy on the block for Halloween. We debated long and hard about what Reed should be for Halloween. At this age, he could either run with his costume or be completely miserable in it. There were several people in his class at school who refused to wear their costumes, so I was happy that we went with something that he was excited about. And, he was oh-so-cute. His costume was made even more adorable because every time we would ask him what he was going to be for Halloween he would say "a cowboy doll". Apparently, there are a few times in the movie Toy Story that Woody is called a "cowboy doll", so Reed wasn't just a cowboy for Halloween, he was a cowboy doll. Thanks to all those who voted and helped convince us that cowboy was the right option for Reed!
Our neighborhood hosted a pizza party prior to the beginning of trick-or-treating. He spent most of his time running around the tennis courts versus eating pizza, but I think he had a great time. After taking a neighborhood Halloween pic, we took Reed to trick-or-treat for the first time. He was so adorable. He was a little reluctant to go up to the homes but once he said "trick or treat" and got a piece of candy he then proceeded to say "I want to come in". That kid, that kid.
We only stopped at 3 or 4 homes and then headed back to our house to let Reed pass out candy. Oh how our kid loves to see the "kiddos" come to the door. He would yell "here comes more kiddos" every time they would come up to the door. He would then tell them "Happy Halloween" once they were heading away. What a sweet boy!
Our neighborhood hosted a pizza party prior to the beginning of trick-or-treating. He spent most of his time running around the tennis courts versus eating pizza, but I think he had a great time. After taking a neighborhood Halloween pic, we took Reed to trick-or-treat for the first time. He was so adorable. He was a little reluctant to go up to the homes but once he said "trick or treat" and got a piece of candy he then proceeded to say "I want to come in". That kid, that kid.
We only stopped at 3 or 4 homes and then headed back to our house to let Reed pass out candy. Oh how our kid loves to see the "kiddos" come to the door. He would yell "here comes more kiddos" every time they would come up to the door. He would then tell them "Happy Halloween" once they were heading away. What a sweet boy!
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| Our little cowboy riding his pony! |
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| Just a little relaxing ride to the party. |
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| I might be a little biased but he is such a cutie. |
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| Running, running and more running! |
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| Let's play "Where's Reed?". He should be easy to spot, he's the only unhappy kid in the picture. |
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| A pic of more of the kiddos with Reed in a little bit better mood. |
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| Going up to his first house. |
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| Getting some yummy candy. |
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| No, Reed, you can't go in. LOL! |
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| Cowboy Reed passing out candy. He loved every minute of it! |