Pictures.

Not sure why this one keeps turning on its side, but Henry's smile is just too sweet....

Bathtime is even better now that he has mastered the splash.

Checking out the dry rack.

Taylor installed his swing from Uncle Chase and Aunt Shannon on our front porch. He loves it!

Hanging out at the beach with Grandaddy.

Notes from Henry.

1. I LOVE my bath. Since my mama is such an obsessive googler, she found an article detailing how long soaks in lukewarm water, followed by an immediate slathering of lotion is the new treatment protocol for excema. Man, am I glad that she is so obsessed with that pink laptop of hers, since it means I get to take baths again! I now get to sit in the sink for 30 minutes each night. My mama turns on the water and lets me try to grab and eat the stream from the faucet. It's pretty cute. Sometimes I get frustrated because wet toys are slippery toys, but there is always someone standing nearby that can help. In fact, they stand really close to me since I can almost tipped my bath ring over picking up the dry rack off the counter last week.

2. My Aunt Lizbeth is also quite the googler and she emailed my mama to tell her that I am advanced! Duh. Turns out that most babies my age can't stand by themselves. Well, I live to hold on to rungs of the kitchen chairs and stand up. Without any help. Well, maybe I do need a little help getting up there. Once I am standing, I am on my own. That's the way I like. My mama laughed when my daddy said that I pulled myself up but today she witnessed it with her own eyes. Looks like it's time for somebody to lower my crib mattress before I figure out how to escape those awful afternoon naptimes.

3. Not only does Aunt Lizbeth think that I am advanced, she also deciphered one of the reasons that I don't like to nap so much.... my mama was drinking too much morning coffee. Way too much. I am napping better now that mama is off her habit. That first day of breaking her addiction, my daddy had to fix her a cup at 8pm for her caffeine withdrawal headache. But, now her headache is gone and I really am napping much better.

4. I'm also sleeping better at night. Sometimes, I wake up and cry and nobody comes in to check on me. Can you believe that? Who could resist me??? Sometimes, I fall right back asleep. But, sometimes, I have to scream really, really loud for someone to come and pick me up. And honestly, that's all I want in life.....someone to pick me up ALL the time. Is that too much to ask?

5. This whole ear infection business really sucks. But, getting all that medicine poured down my throat sucks even more. This morning, Mama did pretty good by herself torturing me, but I showed her who was boss after lunch. I spit out that nasty pink stuff all over myself, her shirt, and the changing pad. Mama: 0 Baby:1 -- we'll see who is in the lead tomorrow.....

6. I officially have 3 teeth! 2 on the bottom and 1 on top. Daddy thinks that my newest tooth has retreated but who has ever heard of that kind of nonsense?

7. My mama thinks that she has figured out an easier way to start posting pictures. So, hopefully, yall will be able to see my cute smiling face again!!!

Bullets.

• Henry has his first ear infection,his 12th runny nose, and his 1,324 cough. He's pretty pitiful and hates his medicine with a vengeance. One person is simply not strong/agile enough to pin down his arms and actually have any of the antibiotic go down his throat. It is definitely a two-man effort.
• Taylor was sick last weekend and I got sick this weekend. He gave me his funk -- stiff neck, fever, runny nose, and cough. Do I sound like a flu commercial, or what?
• It's no secret that I love MckMama's blog. If you live here in my house, it's no secret that I am very upset that little Stellan's heart is racing at 300 beats a minute and that he is very very sick. He needs prayers for a 2nd miracle!
• Last weekend was spent with my OF (original family.) Although with the babies involved, I think we should be the NOF (new original family.) Baby Martha is precious and Lizbeth is doing a fabulous job of keeping her in cute outfits. It was a great visit filled with: shopping (thanks, Mama!), eating, caring for babies, playing the Wii Fit, creating Mii's for everybody in the whole fam damnily, making sure that all the Mii's are color coordinated with their family unit, watching Henry hysterically laugh at the dogs, laughing out loud at the Flight of the Conchords, and eating corned beef and cabbage. I feel sure that we did more than the items on my list, but I am at a loss.
• Friday night, a dear dear friend came to visit and spend the night. I really could say anything I wanted to about her because she told me you know I don't read blogs, or do facebook. I'm just not that interested in people. Hmmm. Strange, I know. However, as she put it her situations are all bad. After talking and spending alot of time with her, I gained some perspective. I need to stop. And, be thankful that I have a husband who cares, supportive family, and friends that live really really nearby and would be there if I needed them.
• My computer is still not uploading pictures. I know. I know. I really need to do something about that.
• Tchuss!

what? another post?

Today's original post was written during a time of great despair -- baby's refusal to nap. Now, I feel obligated to report on the remainder of the day's nap. Ready?

1. Nap 1, aka 1st post of the day, 9:00- Looking back, this nap was destined to fail. I was pushing Henry to stay awake in order to make the Tiny Tots program at the library at 9:30. Big mistake. He had been yawning and rubbing his eyes for 20 minutes before I finally realized that I should just go ahead and put him down for a nap. An hour of fighting sleep later, he was asleep for his customary 45 minutes.

2. Nap 2, 12:00 -Henry fell asleep in the car after a trip to Kroger and Dirt Cheap. I suppose he was still exhausted from his morning nap because he pretty much stayed asleep as I got him out of the car, nursed him, changed his diaper, and layed him in his crib. Asleep for 45 minutes.

3. Nap 3, 4:00- I have been pushing this late afternoon nap since I started picking up the girls from school after Christmas. Today, he actually cooperated. Asleep for 30 minutes.

4. Bedtime, 6:00- Personally, if I had only been awake for an 1.5 hours I wouldn't have been ready for bed but this baby certainly thought he was....until he was dressed and ready, whereupon he decided to wake back up. But alas, 30 minutes and some crying later, we have sleep.

Reflection upon today's sleep situation: It's really not so bad. After writing it down, I realize he sleeps more than I give him credit for.

What is the new problem at hand? You are probably asleep if you actually read this incredibly boring post about my child's sleep habits....

more updates....

Henry's lead level came back completely normal. Anything above a 10 on the lead test is cause for concern and Henry's blood level came back at a 1. But, I do worry that one he is mobile (and in closer contact to our windowsills) that the level will go up......but, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

On the baby food front, there is little progress. He has refused rice cereal, applesauce, avocado, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Tomorrow we will give peas a try. I need to take a video and post it to show everyone how cute he is when he pinches his little lips shut whenever the foody spoon gets near his mouth............

What's been going on?

We have been a busy family of three during the past few weeks. A few highlights of our past week....

1. Our friend, Jeremiah Dumas, is running for Alderman here in Starkville. If you happen to live in Ward 1, please vote for him. His Alderman Kick-Off party was last Friday night at Barrister's (can the name of a bar owned by a lawyer get any cheesier?) and it was quite fun. Yes, there was some politicking going on but I managed to stay away from all that as I chatted with friends, admired their kids, and drank a few beers. Where was Henry? Asleep in his stroller. What else would this baby be doing after 6pm? He sure does like to go to sleep early.......a perfect segue to my next bullet...

2. Just as much as this boy loves to go to sleep for the night super early, this boy surely hates to take naps during the day. Does he get so tired he can't function? Yes. Is he in his crib crying right now? Yes. How do I feel about his "crying it out" business? Like a total failure. Enough said. 20 minutes later: He never did cry himself out. Just how long is that suppose to take, anyway?? I finally nursed and rocked the poor little thing, again, and he is now finally asleep.

3. Back to more pleasant topics -- Saturday we went to Yazoo City to visit my grandparents. Henry was oohed and aahed over and we had a very nice visit.

4. Saturday night, Taylor's mom hosted an engagement party for Taylor's cousin, Austin. There was a great turn-out and it was a lovely function. However, I am still left to wonder about these people who prefer punch to wine.....

5. Sunday, I met with my friend, Maury, aka as my long lost friend I found at the Stuckey's in Hattiesburg. We had a great visit and it was good to reconnect with a childhood friend. I remembered just how much we have in common and we promised each other it wouldn't be another 6 years until we talked again.

6. I have lots of pictures to share but my computer is having issues uploading pictures. Typically, I would blame blogger but I have gathered some items to sell on Ebay and my pictures won't upload to that site either.

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So, Laura, since your computer won't let you share pictures with your friends and family just what is that little rugrat of yours doing these day?

At almost 7 months, Henry Meigs is ...........

1. crying, instead of napping
2. rolling everywhich direction until he gets stopped by a piece of furniture. If you are unfamiliar with my house, that means he doesn't get far.
3. sitting completely unsupported for as long as he wants to -- only falling over when a toy he desperately wants is out of his reach and he goes for it anyway.
4. riding and sitting up in the grocery cart. Kroger is his favorite place in the world.
5. pushing the button to make the music play on his crib toy.
6. wanting to crawl, but he ends up looking like he is swimming the butterfly with his arms and legs waving in the air.
7. still working on getting those top two teeth in. With the way his gums look, it surely can't be too much longer.
8. sleeping better at night, although this is still a night to night endeavor.
9. loving to watch other babies when we are at the Tiny Tots library program.

That, my friends, is everything that is going on my life. Now you know it all!

New Orleans in Numbers.

6 - friends.

14 - children left at home with fathers and grandparents.

2 - nights in New Orleans.

6 - am bedtime Friday night. Or should I say Saturday morning?

10 - pm bedtime Saturday night.

1 - pitstop at Target in Hattiesburg.

97 - conversations about our children.

267 - times I threw my arms in the air and yelled "Woo! Spring Break 09!" on Bourbon Street.

48 - times we toasted ourselves at Pat O'Brien's piano bar.

1 - frequently used Medela Pump in Style

6 - gas station bathroom breaks.

1,863 - laughs.

4 - trips to the Royal Sonesta Brunch buffet for more food.

1- chance encounter with a long-lost friend at Stuckey's in Hattiesburg.

0 - complaints.

An Eventuality.

Name that tune.

My boy has a first name.

It's H-E-N-R-Y.

My boy has a second name.

It's M-E-I-G-S.

Oh, I love him more everyday, and if you ask my why, I'll say.......



He is my D-E-A-R-M-A-N.

Perfect.

I love her.

Am I trying to be the Pioneer Woman? Never!

How to make "Laura's Black Bean Soup"

The Cast of Characters:

two cans of black beans, large sweet potatoes, jar of salsa, broth/stock/boullion, onion, garlic, olive oil

I am using my mother's old Le Creuset dutch oven that she so kindly handed down to me at my request. If I wasn't using my dutch oven, I would be using my mother's hand-me-downed heavy bottomed big stock pot. If I didn't have a heavy bottomed stock pot, I would continue in whatever big pot I had handy.

You will soon see that my cooking style is not very particular to rules.
I like it like that.

Heat up the olive oil in your pot in anticipation of the garlic and onions. How much olive oil did I use? I have no idea....I measure in splashes, dabs, and smidges. For some reason, I was concerned that I would forget to add the garlic (no squeezing the garlic in that little thing that makes your hands so smelly for this girl) so I just went ahead and stuck my 3 pieces of garlic into the cold olive oil. Remember, I'm not big on cooking rules.

Cut the onion. No, this is not my dirty countertop. Taylor made me a cutting board from a leftover piece of our new countertop. Some nights, I am really into chopping my vegetables really tiny. Some nights, I just give the veggies one good rough cut and call it done.

I went ahead and peeled and chopped the sweet potato. Since my sweet potato pile looked puny and I really do enjoy chopping vegetables, I went ahead and prepped a second sweet potato.

Once I think the olive oil is hot enough, I like to throw one piece of onion in the pot to see if it will sizzle. Tonight, I just dumped all the onion in at once and waited for the immediate sound of sizzling. There was no sizzle.

At this point, Taylor decided to come into my kitchen and start a debate about Israel so I gave him the job of browning the onions and garlic. As you can see, he did a very good job.
As Taylor tended the stove, I got my beef broth ready. I really like this jar of "Better Than Boullion" that Taylor bought at Kroger. Me? I never would have paid $6 for beef boillion but it is MSG free, which I do like. Last time I made this soup I used vegetable broth in a box. Next time, I will probably use the frozen chicken stock in my freezer. But tonight, I will demonstrate to you the wonders of "Better Than Boullion."
Yes, I know what you are thinking

7 minutes of microwaving later, we have beef boullion. So, Laura, how much stock/boullion/broth did you use? Well, I used one big bowl of water and one big spoonful of "Better Than Boullion."

Enough said.

Dump the liquid of your choice into your big pot of choice.

Rinse your two cans of black beans in a colander. Don't let any of that nasty canned bean juice into your delicious soup unless you want it to taste very unhomemade.

Add the beans.

How did I decide how much salsa to use? Well...I defininitely would have used the whole jar had Taylor not made a special run to the gas station, just this afternoon, to get us a big bag of chips to dip into our fancy organic salsa. So, I added just enough salsa in the soup so that we could still dip our chips later in the evening.

Add your sweet potato or two and give your soup a good stir.

Bring to a nice rolling boil.

Add the lid and simmer until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.en

If you like, top off your bowl of black bean soup with a dollop of sour cream, a shake of cheese, and a few green onions. I did and I liked it!

Personally, this soup is entirely too watery for my taste. Will I eat it for supper? Yes. I am extremely hungry. But personally, I prefer a nice thick stew. However, the best thing about homemade soup is that it just gets better with time. By lunchtime tomorrow, this soup will have magically become a thick stew.

Mmmmmm. Oopy goopy goodness.

Better Thoughts

After much retrospection of yesterday's doctor visit, I am feeling better about the whole experience. To be honest, the bleeding wasn't quite as bad as I described. It was just a finger prick, but it did continue to drip for a very long time and there were blood stains on his outfit. Henry's rash (which is probably exzcema, although the doctor never used that descriptor) is much better after one night of prescription cream. It now just looks more like dry skin and isn't nearly as red and splotchy. Jamie made me feel better about giving Henry the Singulair for his allergies, which I was very uncomfortable about. I hate the thought of giving Henry so many pharmaceutical products -- especially after I have been living with Taylor for so long and his many conspiracy theories! Since Henry is exclusively breastfed, I am also taking a closer look at my diet and I am drastically cutting back on wheat and gluten (no more half dozen of bagels a day for me anymore...) since wheat is such an allergen and I consume SO MUCH wheat on a daily basis.

We will get results from the lead test next week....

6 Month Well (?) Baby Check-Up

Henry and I just got home from our most traumatic doctor's visit yet.....

a. The "yes" to the question "Was your house built before 1960?" question led to a finger prick for lead in Henry's blood stream. For this I was glad -- I've been worried about lead poisoning since before I ever got pregnant....our house was built in 1949 and once the trim paint started to peel and crack, we sent a sample and a $30 check to the chemistry department at MSU. Our lead levels are above the federally mandated level. Now we wait for the lab results. I will keep you posted.

b. The finger prick went surpisingly well. No tears.

c. The aftermath of the fingerprick is where it got traumatic....Henry was immediately intrigued with the blue bandaid wrapped around his finger. As I studied his chart, like I always do when the nurse or doctor leaves the room, he went to work sucking that bandaid. Soon, he was eerily quiet.....not only had he sucked the bandaid off his finger, he was in the process of beginning to choke on that same bandaid. I swept the bandaid out of the back of his mouth, he gasped for air, and he was just fine. Thank you very much.

d. Yet, his finger still bleeds. Bleeds. Bleeds. Still bleeding after 10 minutes of applied pressure with a piece of gauze I found in a drawer. By the time the doctor gets into the room, I have decided he can just bleed on his hand-me-downed through several children outfit. By the way, he was still bleeding when I strapped him into his carseat for the ride home.

e. I get out my list of concerns to share with the doctor. She shares my concern for his full body rash and declares that this rash/dry skin is most likely the reason he is not sleeping well at night. She breaks the news that this rash is definitely uncomfortable and itchy. I am immediately devastated. He has had this skin issue for months now and I have done nothing more than apply aquaphor and insist that it doesn't bother him. Bad mother of the month.

f. All of my concerns (rash, coughing, wheezing, hoarse voice, sneezing) share the common thread of allergies. Why would I expect anything different from my child? He gets some sort of cream for the rash and medicine for the allergies. Hopefully it helps. It would be nice to sleep again at night.

g. I was told to expect his top two teeth any day now. His gums are very puffy and swollen.

Henry weighs 16lbs 12oz (50%). His head circumference is 44.5cm (75%).
Drumroll please....he only grew half an inch in the past 2 months....he is now 24.5in long, placing him in the 5th percentile!!! Looks like he will be a little bit like his daddy!

Henry by the numbers.

6 ... months old today!

10...toes that he finally managed to get in his mouth all at once, just yesterday.

8....times that I laid Henry down in his crib last night, just to have him immediately wake up screaming.

1....daddy who had to take over because this mama was about to lose it.

2o...minutes of the "put-down." AKA as the amount of time Taylor slowly transitioned from rocking, to standing, to leaning over the crib, to laying him.

5...minutes of sitting up all by Henry's self yesterday.

3... different occasions I tried to entice Henry with rice cereal.

3...times he clenched his mouth tight and refused to even taste the rice cereal. Even after I used my finger and not a spoon....refusal.

9...nights we were away from home last week.

4...different locations Henry slept while we were away.

3...times he reached out to be held by his Grammy (no, not his Oscar...)

2...teeth!

1...baby who received his first lessons in discipline (a firm "no.") after he bit his mama repeatedly while nursing. And, he learned!! No more bites in 3 days......

132,986...bumps covering Henry's very senstive skin right now.

8...aunts and uncles.

4...grandparents

2...parents who think that their baby is the best baby in the world!

Prettiest Girl in the World

Little Baby Girl Martha is changing and growing already..........

I might not love my dawgs yet, but I promise I will..........

babies, babies, babies

Martha is still precious. The new family of three came home from the hospital yesterday and the sweet baby girl was pooped....she slept in her crib for hours. She has a super girly squeal to show her displeasure at life on the outside. And, she is so tiny -- but, Henry was apparently even tinier because her 0-3 outfits already fit and Henry was still sporting his one preemie outfit to his two week check-up. I love her and will post more pictures soon!_________________________________________
I decided Martha needed to rest without Henry's incessant fussing for his mama whenever my back is turned occasional peeps, so I packed him up in Martha's cute new stroller and we walked to Lizbeth's neighborhood park. I love Tallahassee.....the entire city is filled with trees, walking trails, parks, and green spaces. Quite the departure from Mississippi.

This is the walking trail/playground/tennis court/ballfield/green space less than 5 minutes walking distance from Lizbeth's house. I tried go 'off road' to walk amongst the trees but Henry did not like all the bouncing and made his opinion known loud and clear, so I stayed on the sidewalk.
This boy loves strolling outside. and me. and all the attention I give him. and smiling at the camera. and exploring the straps on this new stroller. and this super cute outfit his Grandmama bought him.

Notice Henry's rapt attention to the left. A daddy was pushing his toddler in that swing. Not only was this man pushing his son's swing, he was also making a very loud business call on his bluetooth, totally ignoring the other other son sleeping in the stroller on the other side of the playground, and POOTING very loudly with absolutely no shame.........

By the time Mr. Pooter and family left the swings, I finally realized that Henry needed to lean forwards, not backwards, and he really started to enjoy himself.
Taylor: I bet Henry would love to have his new swing installed by the time we get back home this weekend. He is growing up fast!!

A New Mama is Made.

Martha has officially arrived.....my newest niece was born this morning at 7:30(ish) am, weighing 7lbs and 8oz and is 20 1/4 inches long. She is extremely cute with blond hair and blond eyelashes and very rosy pink skin. Lizbeth is doing great after 28(ish) hours of contractions! I took some great pictures of Mama and Baby but I promised that I wouldn't post those pictures. :(
David is a proud papa--taking control of diaper duty.

Henry is clapping for his newest cousin! Really, he is trying to clap....I am too tired to explain, but get ready to read all about Henry's first "baby trick" in a future post!

Martha, Martha, Martha

Little Martha is working on making her arrival.....Lizbeth is at home ith contractions between 5 and 10 minutes apart. My mother and I are getting ourselves (and Henry) ready for our 4 hour drive. I will update once we arrive in Tallahassee and know more details!!

Smiles.

So, I still tend to think that my baby is so teeny tiny....his shirt fit perfectly! I couldn't believe it....for sure, it was going to be too big. This picture was taken early in the morning...the ensemble was perfected by the end of the day with a brown/white striped onesie and camo pants. Too bad I didn't take a picture of Henry's sad sad face while I changed his outfit every couple of hours.

This picture is extremely current, i.e. about 30 minutes ago....we are spending the night at my aunt and uncle's house in Tupelo. To be honest, he wasn't this thrilled about his sink bath the entire time. But, it couldn't have been too bad if he could get this excited with me hidden behind my camera and just clicking my lips at him.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's............

Gender Neutral Boy!

Henry Tells All.....

DID YOU KNOW...............?

...I love playing with my stuffed monkey from Aunt Lizbeth...

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...I am named after my grandfather and my great-great grandfather...
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...I am cutting my first tooth at this very moment...although there is no visual indication of this tooth, my mama and daddy have felt it's sharpness on their fingers.....
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...I went to my first birthday party and slept in the arms of a stranger for over an hour...

I have a cute picture depicting the scene, but blogger isn't cooperating.

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...my cousin, Martha, is due in 2 weeks... ____________________________________________________

...my mama bought me a cute new shirt from Make Mine Monogrammed....I would model it for all my adoring fans but it's still too big!
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...our dog, Maggie, has a new home thanks to CARA and http://www.petfinder.com/...
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...my mama and I are going to visit Grandmother and Granddaddy in Foley next weekend..,....even though I won't partake of the items in the picture below, my mama sure is excited about a shrimp po boy. She thinks the Stella Artois doesn't look so bad, either..... ____________________________________________________
...I now sleep unswaddled, wiggle and scoot all over my crib at night and prefer to sleep on my side...

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....my daddy let me put up the star on top of the Christmas tree...

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My mama has been a bad blogger of late, but she promises to do better...............