Sorry I haven't posted in a while...

Oh Em Gee....things have been so crazy! Now that work is in full swing I am so busy! I never have time to get on the computer!! But the last couple of weeks have been busy. Labor Day weekend we went to watch fireworks, I celebrated my 24th birthday, Blaine got very sick, went to Abbey's 1st Birthday, Blaine spent the night off for the first time, Football season started (Go Gators), and we celebrated on the 1st Anniversary of my  18 year old cousin getting cancer (she is now cancer FREE)!! So here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks:

Fireworks, Labor Day 2011

Blaine's reaction to the fireworks!! LOL

Sweet Baby laughed out loud for the first time!! :)

Happy Birthday To Me!! Dinner at Olive Garden and a yummy Strawberry-Mango Margarita!!

My poor sick baby, I basically held him for 3 days! He did not want to be put down!! :(

Happy Birthday Abbey!

Wearing Mickey Mouse ears at Abbey's birthday!

Wearing his "Off to Grandma's" outfit, to go spend the night off for the first time!! :(

Football Season Started!! GO GATORS!!!!

Cancer Free Katie....doesn't get much better than that!! FIGHT LIKE A GIRL!!

Ok...sorry for the information overload, but I told you we have been busy! Oh and one more thing:

BLAINE HAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK!!!

Week 11

What a long week!! Had to work Monday - Friday this week!! Hate when they make us work full weeks!! ;)))) But we did get off at noon today for the holiday weekend!!  A half a day with my boy!! :))))) So last weekend my 4 year old nephew came to visit us!! I was so exicted, he lives in South Carolina so I don't get to see him much. He was so excited to meet his cousin Blaine!! On Monday, me, Jeffrey, and Blaine took Camden to his favorite park here in St. Augustine...it has a carousel that cost $1 everytime you ride it. I'm sure we are going to spend a small fortune there when Blaine gets old enought to ride it. Here are some pictres from our evening at the park:

Camden on the carousel.

Jeffrey pushing Camden on the swing.

Blaine is going to be surprised next time he goes to the park, he has never seen it before because he never opened his eys while we were there!! ;)))

So this week, work has started to get difficult. I feel like I have no time with Blaine. I don't get home until about 5:30 and there is always supper to be cooked, laundry to be done, things to be cleaned, and things to get ready for the next day. And Blaine goes to bed around 8. That doesn't leave much time!! :( And Jeffrey would rather do "Blaine things" in the evening than doing "house things". So we have to figure out how to take turns and get equal time with Blaine and keep house work up. We will get it!! I'm sure all parents go through this!!

So....this is my "Mom of the Year" moment!! Let me tell you about my day today!!! hahahahaha....

I got off work at noon and because I was off early I decided to ride out to the farm and pick up Jeffrey's paycheck to take it to the bank for him to save him some time after work. SO...I went and picked Blaine up from the sitter's and took off to the farm. When we got there he was ready to eat so I fed him while we were there so he would be content while I went to the bank and did a few things around town. Well, as I was feeding him, he pooed. NBD, I took him to the back of my car to change him, and there is where the problem began. The only diaper bag I had in my car was the one I take to the sitters house. The only thing I keep in that bag is burp rags, a blanket, bottles, formula, and extra clothes. She keeps a large package of diapers and wipes at her house so I don't have to pack them everyday!! So here we are, at the potato farm, with a stinky diaper, and NO DIAPERS OR WIPES!! Ahhhhhhh. So I have to get the dirty diaper off Blaine's butt because we are about 25 minutes away from home and he already has a little diaper rash!! So I decide to use a burp rag (AKA cloth diaper). That solves the diaper issue, so now what about wipes?? Then I remember I have antibacterial "boogie" wipes in the sitters bag! PROBLEM SOLVED. We changed Blaine's diaper using a burp rag and boogie wipes!! My poor child!! Here are some pictures from our ordeal:

I stuffed an extra burp rag in his outfit for extra wetness protection. And thank goodness I did because he peed on the way home!!

Here is his daiper!!

Here is the duct tape using to hold it on!!

Here is my happy baby after he had a real diaper back on!!

So to wrap it all up, week 11 was fun and interesting!!! Here is my solution to the having no diapers problem:

I didn't buy a "mom" car not to take full advantage of it. I stocked my floor board compartment with diapers and wipes!!! 

Week 10

Wow....my baby is 2 1/2 months old!! Where in the world does the time go? I was telling my husband yesterday that it does not feel like we are new parents. I feel like I have know Blaine forever and that our lives have always been like this. It is the weirdest thing. Our little family were just meant for each other and our dynamic clicked instantly.

So anyways...this week was busy....

For starters we had to take Blaine to Jacksonville on Tuesday to see the pediatric cardiologist!!

We were up there for about 3 hours. Here are some pictures from our day...

This was Blaine and all his handsomeness in the waiting room. I was on the verge of throwing up at this point due to nerves.

Dad and Nakey Baby in the cold office waiting on the Dr.

 

EKG time!! :( Poor baby tried to hit the lady when she ripped off removed all the little sticky things.

So things went well and the final outcome was that Blaine has a small hole in his heart that should close up in no time and his murmur is just an "innocent" one. The doc said his murmur will most likely come and go and he should outgrow it by 2 or 3 years old!! So my boy is HEALTHY!!! (So thankful)

So the rest of the week was just as crazy, I was late 2 of the 3 days that I worked this week thanks to Blaine due to unforeseeable circumstances. On Wednesday Blaine wanted to eat at around 6:45 and I have to leave the house by 6:50 to be on time. And on Friday we had a little shit explosion accident right before we left the house....it was not pretty!!!! So, I was late again. Oh well, work is very understanding and these things just come with the territory of having a new baby.

We went and visited a friend on Thursday evening, Ella. Me and Ella's mom work together and were only a week apart pregnant. The babies ended up being 13 days apart. But what a wonderful experience to have someone to share pregnancies together. Nothing will bring two women closer together than that!! :) Here is Blaine and Ella hanging out enjoying each others company. They will be an "item" one day!!

Blaine fought sleep a little on Thursday night so we had to put him in his swing for him to finally slip off into dreamland!

After looking at this picture another picture of 5 day old Blaine sunning the window came to mind:

Look at the size difference....wow my little boy has grown!!!

So that's all for the week. Here we are 10 weeks in and we are all still happy and healthy and enjoying life to the fullest!! I love my family and it just bring tears to my eyes to think of it. My husband is wonderful to me and our son and Blaine is my greatest accomplishment!! I love him more with each passing day!!

10 weeks old and more handsome than ever!!

Week 9

Ok...so LOTS has happened!! First off I went back to work this week!!! :( It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be though!! I didn't even cry!! It is so nice to know that your baby is in good hands and you don't have to worry about him. I would have been a mess if I would have had to use a day care!! Private care is the way to go!! The peace of mind is WONDERFUL!! So work was good this week, exhausting, but good. And it is like Blaine knew I started working this week and he let momma get some sleep! :) He was on a wonderful schedule all week!! He would eat at 6:30 pm and be asleep in his crib by 7 and not wake up until 12 or 12:30 am. I would feed him, change him, and have him back in his crib by 1 am. Then he would sleep until around 5 am. Not too shabby for a 9 week old baby!! :) So yesterday Blaine had is 2 month checkup and I went and got a Mirena put in!! (no babies for us until we are ready) I am so glad I chose it, worry free for up to 5 years and there was no pain involved in getting it put it!! So back to Blaine, I swear they do shots at 2 months just to sabotage all your hard work at parenting and getting your baby on a schedule!!! He was not feeling too well after his shots yesterday and had a low grade fever (typical). He would not finish a bottle so he was eating less ounces and more often!! And I just got him to sleep tonight!!! So much for that 7:00 bed time!! Hopefully tomorrow we can get back to routine!! Also at the checkup the Dr. heard a heart murmur. They can be very common and cause no issues once so ever, but there is also a chance that a heart murmur can indicate a problem so we are off to the pediatric cardiologist on Tuesday! We are praying for good results and for just an innocent, common, heart murmur that he will outgrow! I will update yall on Tuesday!! :)

9 weeks old today!!

BTW....Mr. Blaine weighed 14 lbs 4 oz!!! He is in the 97%!!! My big boy!!

Night Out!!

So...some friends of ours kept Blaine last night so we could go to a wedding.

Mom all dressed up, ready for the wedding.

Dad all dressed up, ready for the wedding.

We had SO much fun. It was so nice to be out of the house, especially knowing that Blaine was in good hands! :) George and Stephanie have a beautiful 11 month old little girl, who Jeffrey and I babysat a few times for them. And since all my family and most of my friends would be attending the wedding, that only left G & S to babysit. I hated asking them since they have their own little girl, but they were more than excited! We are so thankful to have such wonderful friends. But of course, EVERYBODY at the wedding wanted to know where Blaine was....can't we leave the house without him??? So around 10:00 Jeffrey went to pick him up and brought him by the reception before we headed home for the night. He was bathed and in his PJ's. Thanks Steph!! :) I didn't ask her to bathe him, but she is wonderful! Here he is with his Aunt Sonni at the reception.

It's hard being a handsome little boy!

So here we are, relaxing on this nice Sunday afternoon, recovering from the late night at the wedding. 11:00 is now considered an all nighter!! LOL

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Week 7

It is so hard to believe that my baby is 7 weeks old this week!! Time flies. Back to work in 1 week for this momma!! :( Not looking forward to that AT ALL.We went to meet the babysitter this week. I already know her, I was just taking Blaine to meet her and to go over everything. It was very bittersweet. I'm actually kinda jealous of her because she will spend more time during the day with him than I will. There will only be a few short hours left of the day by time I get off work and pick him up! :( Also I got strep throat this week, GREAT. I am still miserable, even after being on antibiotics for 3 days! I have never had strep before and had no idea it was this painful. Jeffrey stayed home with us on Thursday because I had extremely high fever and was just too sick to take care of Blaine.Thank goodness for my hubby! And we are still working on the sleep and schedule issue. For some reason Blaine is WIDE awake every day from 6 PM - 11PM and I don not want to be going to bed that late and still be feeding him 2 and 3 times a night when I go back to work, but that will probably happen!

Here is my big boy at 7 weeks old.

7 weeks and everybody is still happy and healthy! (for the most part)

Things we are loving...

As a new mom, I try alot of products. Everything is so trial and error at this stage. But here are a few things that I am already loving by week 7 of Blaine's life...

We are loving NUK bottles.

We are loving MAM pacifiers. (Of course we love the I LOVE MOMMY one better. :)

We are loving our Munchkin Bottle Warmer and Pacifier Sanitizer.

We are loving our kick and crawl discovery gym.

We are loving all the bright colors on Nick Jr.

We are loving our Boppy Pillow. He lays on his Boppy, on his kick and crawl mat, and watches Nick Jr!

We are loving Nutramigen that makes Blaine's tummy feel so good.

We are loving A&D ointment!!

We are loving Pampers Swaddlers!! Awsome diapers!

We are loving Pampers Sensitive Wipes!!

We are loving our swing!!!

Week 6

Dad stayed home with us again this week!! Woo Hoo! More help! The guys had a diaper party for my husband this week too!! Thank goodness because this new formula and diapers are getting pretty expensive! We got about 10 packs of diapers. Blaine also got his first hair cut this week. His hair was outta control. My Aunt Julie cut it.

Before Hair Cut

During Hair Cut

I had my 6 week check up this week and I got a clean bill of health. Everything looked great. Now time to schedule my appointment to get an IUD...no more babies for us until we are ready!! ;) After my appointment we took Blaine to meet his Great-Great-Grandparents. Not too many kids have those around!!

Blaine with Nana and Grand Daddy!

6 weeks old today! Go Gators!!

Week 5

What an awful week!!! Blaine was getting more and more fussy so we switched formula to GentleEase to help with the gas and fussing. Well this did nothing, so I called the ped and they said to switch him to Soy formula. Well things got even worse after that. He screamed around the clock and was so uncomfortable. On Monday at about 2 AM he had bloody mucous in his diaper. At this point I knew his problem was more than just gas, we had a problem on out hands!! So that morning when the ped office opened, I called and made an appointment. After some talking and an examination of my now 12 lb 3 oz baby, the Dr. determined he had a milk AND soy intolerance! GREAT. So he gave us some samples of formula that must be made of gold because of the price of it. But after the first bottle Blaine was like a new baby, no fussing, no gas!! It was wonderful!! This formula is $35 a can though!! YIKES. So I called Enfamil and got some coupons from them to help with the cost of it. It is so worth the price though, because it has made a world of difference with Blaine!! He eats, sleeps, and poops so much better! :)

5 weeks old today!

Week 4

Dad finally stayed home with us this week, and I am so glad because I needed a break! He is such a great help too. I feel useless when he is around. He does it all, feeding, diaper, burping, bathing...everything. We started putting Blaine in his crib this week and he started sleeping much better. We should have done that from the start because I missed sleeping in my bed. Before then Blaine and I were in the living room and he would sleep in his bassinet while I slept in the recliner (well I wouldn't call it sleeping, just resting). Things started getting really bad at the end of this week though. I decided that I would not be able to keep up with the pumping when I returned to work, so I started giving Blaine more formula and less breast milk. Well the more formula he got the more gassy and fussy he got. He stayed up screaming from 10:30 pm - 4:00 am one night. IT WAS AWFUL! We tried everything, gas drops, different bottles, rocking, bouncing, swaddling, leg excercises, everything. If I read it helped with gas, I tried it because he was so uncomfortable and so gassy.We reached another milestone this week too....SIZE 1 DIAPERS!

4 Weeks Old Today