Christmas in Dixie

My little family opened presents the night before we left for Taylor's parents' house. Initially, the plan was to take the presents to Jackson to open on Christmas morning but space is pretty limited in the Kia when it is packed for almost 2 weeks away from our house. So, we had "Baby's First Christmas" in Starkville with just the 3 of us. Henry's reaction to his presents was very unenthusiastic but Taylor and I had fun unwrapping all the presents.

Thank you everyone for all our gifts!!!!

Taylor modeling his new sweater. Notice the shorts -- it was 75 degrees that night.

Henry "holding" a silver cup from Taylor's babyhood. Carla had the cup engraved with Henry's name and birthday. Very sweet keepsake.


I gave this marble mortar and pestle to Taylor. Not quite sure why I felt like he needed a mortar and pestle, but I've been looking for one to give him for some time now.

Modeling my new puffy vest from Lizbeth. On my feet are cute slippers from my mother, but they didn't make the photo.

Taylor had to finish this book before we left town and Henry had to be held. So an easy compromise was met and I packed for our trip in peace.

***More pictures coming soon. I LOVE my new Nikon D40!!!

Henry's thoughts....

"Shhh, I'm sleeping with my Meme...."

"Ooh, Pops! Did you know that's my favorite toy?"

"I'm cute. Everybody look at me!"

Getting Better All The Time

I am constantly reminded how well-planned and much anticipated events rarely work out as expected. David gets sick and misses his first day of work ever. Henry's stuffy nose progresses into an up-all-night coughing and wheezing bonanza. The Meigs Family Christmas is cancelled. Taylor and I leave Foley in the middle of night in order to make the first appointment available at the pediatric clinic in Starkville. Henry is diagnosed with bronchialitis --fever, congestion, wheezing, and coughing. Hooray for clear ears!! It was so sad, sad, sad seeing our little boy struggling through his coughing and breathing.

A week later, we just walked in the door from his 4month well baby check up and shots. He is still wheezing a bit but the doctor was not nearly as concerned as she was last week. His shots went well and he only screamed fussed for a few minutes. As a mama, I prefer to hear only positive things about my child, so I was quite pleased when his doctor said that except for the never ending wheeze, he is perfect! He now weighs 14lbs.10 oz. (50th%), he is 24in. long (25%) and his head circumference is 42.5in. (75%)

This is how our little chicken has been sleeping since his nose has been too stuffy to breathe laying flat. He has really taken to the whole carseat-in-the-crib scheme and is peacefully sleeping in this same getup as I type. No, I do not strap him in to take naps. This nap started post-shots at the doctor's office and went straight to the crib.

On the occasion of our 3rd anniversary...

3 years....a beautiful baby boy.....1 small dog.....1 big dog.....a grumpy cat.....a much loved house filled with family heirlooms....a little red scooter.....trips around the world....fried eggs and grits for breakfast.....family that loves us.....a bright future.

My Favorite Everything

My mother gave this sweet Feltman Brothers bubble to Henry on the occasion of his baptism. I was planning on him wearing it at Easter and a photo shoot on campus amongst the daffodils.

Who knew that it would fit perfectly in the middle of December??

Really.

Who would know??

Who could take such a beautiful picture of my son?

My friend, Hope.

Who else could it be?

questions...

Taylor's immediate reaction to these beautiful pictures of our son?

"Did those lights get hot and burn him?"

What do you think?

Typical Morning

This is what my family looks like in the morning. Although they did not make it into this picture there are always two dogs and a cat lurking about and watiting for food scraps or a bit of attention. Taylor and I can sit at our dining room table for hours on end -- enjoying each other's company, playing with Henry, emailing, internetting, and listening to NPR. I like to think that we are practicing for retirement!

A Published Perspectivist

My father-in-law wrote this article about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. He originally sent the piece to the Madison Herald but he ended up on the front page of the Perspective section in Sunday's Clarion Ledger!

To Meeme and Pots -- Last time you saw me, I.....

...was furry from my head to my toes. Not now.

...stared blankly into space and sometimes the ceiling fan would catch my eyes. Not now.



...fell asleep immediately in your arms. Not now.



...couldn't hold my own head up or stand on my legs. Not now.



...pooped every single time I ate. Not now.



...was still wearing newborn size clothes. Not now.



I can't wait for you to see how I have grown! Love, HMD

Ho Ho Ho

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

As a little girl (and still today to a lesser degree) I was plagued by allergy and sinus issues. After several very sick Christmases, my parents realized I was allergic to the Christmas tree. Therefore, fake trees. Problem solved.


Fast forward to Taylor's and my first holiday season as a grown-up (?) couple. He insisted on a real tree. I insisted I would get sick. He "surprised" me with a real tree a few days later. Where did that tree reside? The front porch. I had already decided since we were getting married exactly 1 week before Christmas and we lived in the crappiest apartment you could ever imagine that we would be having a Christmas ottoman for our presents that year. Cute idea, right?


Fast forward to our first Christmas in our much beloved house. I was on a massive search for an aluminum Christmas tree. You see, that's the kind of tree my dad grew up with in this very house and I like that. My search for an aluminum Christmas tree ended when I saw how unChristmas tree like they are. Imagine an aluminum pole with sticks pointing out in opposite directions and tinsel hanging from those sticks. Apparently cute enough to be the rage in the 50's but definitely not cute enough in 2006. So the search transformed into a search for a silver Christmas tree. Not to sound like my mother, but....I was way ahead of everyone with the very fake-looking fake Christmas tree. It was very difficult to find a silver Christmas tree in 2006. Is it a difficult find now? No. I am apparently quite progressive.




After an entirely too long discourse of my Christmas tree, you are now allowed to ooh and ahh over our tree.






Did I know that my fabulous tree would be this skinny? No.
Do I with that it were fatter? Yes.
Do I still love my tree? Yes.

Family

Our little family felt very lucky to be able to spent 5 nights in Foley with my parents. Most of the time was spent admiring my pretty baby...leading me to assume that we must have spent way too much time admiring the dogs before this baby came about. It seemed silly to cook all the Thanksgiving food we wanted for just 4 people, so we ate at The Gift Horse in downtown Foley. Absolutely delicious food -- including fried rolls, ridiculous, huh???

Oops, looks like I forgot about the flash again...

My mother finally allowed me to take a picture of her with Henry. I think it's pretty cute!!!

Henry finally met Taylor's oldest brother and his family. Ashlyn was very enthusiatic about this new 'baby cousin.' It seems that Henry is also interested in his own little "I'm strapped into this carseat and can't really turn around to look" way.

Not me! Monday

I have been inspired by Claire H. and MckMama..........


I did not make a dessert for our tailgate that included 1.5 sticks of butter and 3 different types of chocolate. I certainly did not leave half of this dessert at home to ensure that I had plenty to eat in guiltfree privacy. And, I certainly am not dropping buttery crumbs on my laptop as I type this confessional.

I did not drink alot of beer with my baby tied to me by a 15ft piece of cloth at the football game on Saturday.

I did not take my baby out during a thunderstorm because I was not inspired by the thought of a possible bluejean sale at several local stores. No sales were found.

For the past two weeks, I did not think that I was finished Christmas shopping for all the babies in our family. I did not completely forget about one little child.

I did not decorate the interior of my house for Christmas 5 days before Thanksgiving. I definitely did not get upset and call my husband a scrooge for not embracing my Christmas spirit.

What have you NOT done?!?!?

Giving Thanks

Henry is thankful for...

... his mama encouraging him to try new things.

... a mama that finally realized she needs to turn the flash off when she gets in his face to take pictures. I couldn't figure out why I only saw this funny look in closeup pictures. Hello? the flash surprises/scares him.

.. ... a comfy shoulder to sleep on and a new cousin in the making.

... a daddy that loves holding and snuggling with me (even if you can't see it on his face in this picture!) And, Henry is thankful for a grandmother that lives near an outlet mall and likes to buy cute clothes for her boy.

What's so funny?

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Little Old Man

Contrary to what I was repeatedly told, Henry's little old man fringe (scroll down a bit to see) never did fall out. But, his hair on top has filled in nicely and he no longer looks like he is balding. His new hair stands straight up, although my camera is not nearly of high enough quality to capture the scene.

A Date, A Concert,and A Deal

Taylor and I went out for the first time, together and alone, since the baby has been born. We had a lovely dinner at Bin 612 --I love their crunchy pizzas and I had the best cream of artichoke soup that you could ever imagine. Can you tell that Taylor was quite intrigued with the changing of the color on the ginkgo biloba leaf?

Hope was sweet enough to insist on keeping Henry for the night, although her household had been asleep for several hours when I finally made it to her house to pick him up. It was cute how she had him wedged between pillows to make a comfy bed for him on the couch.

I am still wrapping Henry to me on a regular basis. But, now that he is bigger and can hold his head up all the time, he can face out to the front. He is a big hit at Kroger...lots of compliments about my cute baby. On this occasion, we were walking down the street to our church to attend a harpsichord concert. Even though he slept through every piece, I like to think that the music still seeped into his brain. And, I greatly enjoyed the music and learning about the harpsichord. If you need facts about this instrument, I am full of information....I didn't think she would ever stop talking and actually play the damn thing.

Last week, I purchased this $200 Peg Perego highchair at Dirt Cheap for $68. Yes, it was Italian, and, yes, it was the highlight of my week even though my baby thought I was torturing him when I tried to get him to pose for a picture in his cute new highchair.

Rant: I was still feeling quite proud of myself about my highchair deal, when my sister called and told me that a $280 Britax carseat was on sale for $42 on target.com. Never one to pass up a deal, I purchased this carseat for when Henry outgrows his current seat. Can you believe that Target had the nerve to send me an email two days later saying that the item was mispriced and that they cancelled my order and would be glad to sell me the same item fro $280. Talk about mad.....

Hats and Teeth

I have taken a break from blogging during the past week or so....1. My pictures don't upload quickly and I get very frustrated very quickly (which is why I only have 2 pictures to share today) 2. I found myself obsessing over complete strangers' blogs (who knew how many quads and sextuplets families are out there in blogdom?), 3. I realized that I was sitting at my computer entirely too much, rather than actively playing with Henry or spending time with my husband during the evening.

However, I always like a test for my self control.....so, now I only (or try to...) only open my computer during his morning and afternoon naptime.

Isn't Henry's new winter hat cute? I think he looks like a little hedgehog. My ears hurt me badly when it is cold and even remotely windy outside. I worry about my little man having this same affliction, so he wears his hat whenever we go outside now. In fact, a little old lady at church told me that I am a good mother for putting a hat on my son -- I like compliments, even from strangers! He tolerates it nicely at first, but on extended walks he gets pretty pissy until you take off the hat. But, then I have to worry about him losing heat through his little head, so I just lay the hat on top of his head. That's pretty cute to see, too.

His hands are always in his mouth, nowadays. At a doctor's office a few weeks ago, he was sucking his hands so loudly that a woman turned around and said, "I do believe he is teezin."

(I spelled her pronunciation phonetically) She made me laugh and I was very eager to reply, "Yes, I do believe he is teezin."

One of many sweet pictures that I tried to upload for your viewing pleasure. However, my frustration is quickly rising at my/blogger's/my laptop's inability to upload my pictures -- so, what you see is what you get!!!

Taylor and Henry

I have been informed that my blog needs more "verbiage" so here it goes...

Things have been pretty slow here since Henry's baptism two weeks ago. I've been getting sick easily since the baby's been born (2 bouts of mastitis, 2 stomach bugs, numerous colds) and it seems that everytime I get busy/stressed that I get sick and stay sick, so we have been laying low around the house more and taking it easy.

Henry never did adjust (rather, we never adjusted him) to the time change. Now he gets his bath at 6pm and wakes up between 5:30/6:30am. Henry is always in his best mood first thing in the morning, so Taylor gets up with him and wakes me up around 7:30 or 8. I haven't consulted my husband about this, but I will speak for him and say that these mornings are the best part of his day. Henry laughs and coos at Taylor ALOT more than he does with me and you can really tell that he knows who his daddy is. Henry especially loves when Taylor says 'Om' (aka 'the sound of the universe' in hindu) to him in his deep resonant voice. Henry squeals and giggles the entire time. Very cute. Very sweet.

No pictures today. Too lazy to find my camera and upload them. Soon.

A Big Stretch

One of my favorite moments of the day...


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Baptism and MSU football cont.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Finally, I have the ability to upload video. Blogger doesn't always like my photos and definitely doesn't like my videos. Anyway....this video clearly shows Henry's new hobby -- sucking on his hands. Since Saturday when this video was taken, he has final gained enough control of his hands to unhook his thumb and stick it and his pointer finger in his mouth together. This morning he gagged himself because his finger was so far down his throat.

Also, what do you think about the vintage MSU shirt from Lizbeth's babyhood?

The Meigs Boys

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Our priest has quite a sense of humor...

My dad looking as though he owns this tailgate (which he doesn't).

I think Martha looks pretty cute in Lizbeth's belly.

Baptism and MSU football

Our little Henry was baptised at St. Joseph's this past Sunday. He behaved beautifully and didn't mind the water sprinkled on his head a bit. Taylor's favorite thing about Henry's baptism was the chrism oil that Father John rubbed on his head -- he still smells like a pine tree if you sniff hard enough, and yes, he has been bathed. After mass, we had a lovely lunch at our house with many friends in attendance. It was a very special day and we were glad that my family could all be here to celebrate Henry. And, even with Carla and Ted in India, Caine's little family did a magnificent job representing the Dearmans.

Once again, we enjoyed our losing hometown Mississippi State football game. Taylor and I even went into the game during the 3rd quarter to watch the game with Lizbeth and David. Of course, I didn't care about the actual game but I had to get my eyes on that new jumbotron and it was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be. Really. I appreciate a big screen after watching our 12 in. television for so many years.

Melissa, if you are out there....thanks for the tailgate. We enjoyed hanging out and watching the Ole Miss game while yall were at the game. Sorry I didn't catch you to say thanks for the hospitality!

Blogger won't let me upload pictures for an unknown reason. I will post pictures as soon as I can. Laura

It's David's Birthday!!!