Ketchup Post

I have to do another Ketchup post because I am so behind! I was behind before I took a near month long blogging break. With everything that has been going on at our house and our computer issues, blogging has taken a backseat. I am still reading everyone else's blog, but can't seem to keep mine up. So let's see...

I pretty much left off from the summer and my memory is terrible...

Reed had his 10 and 11 month birthdays. Actually his real birthday is next weekend! EEK!

Brad and I took a little trip to New Orleans for the weekend. First time I have been away from Reed for more than 1 night. We had a blast but New Orleans really isn't 'our town'. The food was fabulous, though!

Will is potty trained except for night time. He has been for a few months now.

The boys had hand, foot and mouth disease. Yuck. They were miserable. Blisters, fever... I guess I can spare you the details. Luckily Brad and I did not get it.

Reed gave up the bottle. This one was kind of tough. I knew he needed to give them up but they were just so baby looking and I was kind of happy he couldn't use the sippy cup. But overnight is seemed to click and I only gave him sippies one day and that was it. When I was taking the last load of clean bottles out of the dishwasher I was a little sad. Dr. Brown treated my baby well and now Playtex will have to see him through babyhood.

The boys each had double ear infections. A first at our house. Really can't believe we made it this long without getting any! During that week Will had high fevers for 6 days. He was pitiful. He lost a couple of pounds. We went to the doctor twice and called several times. Will decided he could not stand medicine which was unfortunate because between antibiotics twice a day, cough medicine up to every 6 hours and tylenol or motrin as needed, there was a lot of liquid being forced down him! I think I went to Walgreens 4 times in 36 hours. No fun.

And I took the boys back to the doctor today because they have horrible coughs. So round 2 of antibiotics. And I hate being the crazy "my kid sneezed so something is wrong!" type but they had been coughing several days so it was time.

Reed went back to the opthamologist this week and we are going to proceed with surgery but we can't do it next week since he's been so sick. I am glad the doctor is cautious but it is a little aggrivating to have the time scheduled off work and not be able to do it. We rescheduled for December so hopefully he will be well enough to have it then (or even better - the duct opens on its own!).

This is a very exciting thing - we rented a rug doctor. I know, I know. You didn't have much warning and probably fell off your chair. I am sorry. But I had to tell you. This thing was awesome. It works so well! Our carpets looked pristine. The water we dumped out of it was disgusting. And then 0.5 seconds after the boys came back home (Poppy and Gigi kept them so we could clean), things started getting spilled/wiped/tracked on them and now they look pretty terrible again. Sigh. But it was nice having good looking floors for a minute. I highly recommend renting a rug doctor and using the ZEP carpet cleaner from Home Depot unless you have rugrats (ha! get it?) who are going to undo your hours of work in mere minutes.

Hmm.... lets see... what else, what else...

Oh! I started a weight loss competition at work. Several coworkers and I decided we needed/wanted to lose weight so we started a money pool and are weighing in every week (privately) and one person is keeping up with our weight sheet. In March the person with the highest percentage of weight lost will win the money! It should be around $400 if everyone sticks with it the whole 6 months. I am down 10.2 lbs in 4 weeks! I am very happy with that because I haven't been exercising like I want to. It has either been 100 degrees or the boys have been sick and now I am sick. I did get out in 95 degree weather and jog/walk 1.5 miles and can't wait to do it again. I just think being able to breathe first is a good priority. A few coworkers and I are signing up for a 5k at the end of the month so I need to get better and get active! We aren't planning to run the whole time (I would die! ha!) but we are going to jog/walk so I need to get more conditioned to doing that in the next 4 weeks.

I am planning out Reed's party and I think it is going to be really cute. I can't believe my baby is almost one!

I hopefully can put up the pictures of his 10 and 11 month birthdays soon and our New Orleans trip. I got some good ones!

Sarah

Frustrated

I have so much to blog about, but can't get my pictures to upload! I could do posts without pics, but that's no fun, is it? Any tips? I think maybe it's my computer...

Sweet Puppy

This big guy is 5 now. I remember bringing him home nearly 5 years ago, right after Hurricane Katrina hit the coast. He was a cute little thing and had a ratty looking tail. Turns out it was ringworm which is pretty expensive to treat, but it cleared right up and now his tail is a big rope of fluff. The lady offered him to us for free because of his partially hairless tail, but we payed halfprice. Free just didn't seem right. He is our discount doggie.

Jake is a good dog. He is sweet to my babies. He loves to sleep in (unlike Lucy who wants to be let out by 6am, EVEN ON SATURDAYS. She clearly knows no boundaries). Jake still likes to play but generally you can find him doing this if he's inside. Or he is possibly stealing a poptark from Will who just can't get over that Jake took it! I mean, he set it on the ground just for a minute...

9 Months*

*This should have been posted in mid July. I know, I know...

Reed, you are NINE months old! I know I say this all the time, but you are growing up too fast! Just a few more months and you will be ONE!!

You are quickly shedding your babyness. You have started crawling everywhere. It is a really cute army crawl. First you were pushing with your feet and rolling, then you got up on your knees and rocked for a couple of days and then you took off! I try not to put you in white too much because your little belly drags the floor and shows me how dirty the floors are, even after I've just mopped. Ha!

You are also pulling up on furniture, toys, whatever! You have two teeth that came in within a few days of each other (on the bottom) and I think you will get some on top soon!

Look how big you are!
I could only get a couple of decent ones with the bunny. You just won't sit still! I remember when the bunny was a little bit bigger than you. That's definitely not the case now! You are wearing size 3 diapers but we are about to move up to size 4's. You are wearing some 6-12 month clothes but a lot of them are 9, 12 or 18 month sizes. You are able to wear several things of Will's and it tickles me to see you in them because you fill them out in length but they look a bit baggy in the sides. I guess your brother stretched them out!

The tear duct in your right eye is still blocked and draining lots of gunk. Dr. Rogers was thinking it would clear up by now but it hasn't so we will go see an opthomolagist next month. You scratched the outside of your left eye the day we took these pictures, so both of your eyes are

pitiful!

But Dr. Rogers was pleased with the rest of your development. You are pretty much on track with other babies your age and it is hard to believe you were a preemie!

You weighed 22lbs 2 oz (75th percentile)

Your length was 28.25 inches (50th percentile)

Your head circumference was 18 inches (?)

You are such a delight to be around! You usually sleep from 7:30 or 8:00 to when daddy wakes you around 6:30 to go to Ms. Honey's house or between 7 and 8:30 if we can sleep in. One Saturday you slept till 9:35! Will was at Gigi and Poppy's house so Mommy and Daddy slept till 9:35! It was blessed! You are taking 2-3 naps a day ranging from 45 min to 3 hours depending on what is going on.

You take four or five 7oz bottles of formula a day. Dr. Rogers said your iron was good and we could switch you to whole milk but I want to make sure you are eating more table food first. You usually have 2 containers of baby food at lunch and 2 at dinner and you are really starting to enjoy puffs and other finger foods. Your favorite baby food is pretty much anything orange. You tolerate peas and your dislike green beans and bananas. You ADORE Earth's Best Wheat teething biscuits but make a HUGE mess with them so I am selective about when I give them to you. You really seem to like yogurt, too. When I get it out for you Will usually asks for some so I give him the first one and you throw a fit while I stir your yogurt up.

You love to play! You are starting to play peek-a-boo with a blanket and you love getting into Will's toys (which he cannot stand!). You adore Ms. Honey which I am thankful for. You do ok in the church nursery but have nearly been kicked out a few times for crying. I think there is just too much stimulation in there for you to go to sleep and you get very cranky! There were several Sundays when I came to get you and you were in a room next door asleep in Mrs. Korbi's or Mrs. LaDonna's arms with the lights off.

You are saying "Hey!" sometimes and babbling mama and dada. I can't wait to hear you talk! You seem very reserved about people you don't know and are so joyous around those you do know. Even though you can't talk yet, you are able to communicate well. I know immediately when you don't like something because this is what you do:

You seem to be a little dramatic and a put-on but at least I can read you! When Will steals a toy from you or you are tired or hungry, you cry. But you also get over it very quickly!

I am so proud of how well you are doing just nine months from coming into the world! I love you very much and enjoy your sweet cuddles and the way you touch your little fingers to my face. Happy 9 month birthday, sweet boy!

Love,

Mommy

Aunty Em

The weekend after we went to the beach my brother Sam and sister-in-law Emily came to visit. Oliver was not in tow this time which was sort of strange. He was visiting with his Aunt Tressie and baby cousin Adley, so I feel pretty sure he was having a blast!

They brought Will some belated birthday gifts and he was so excited! Aunt Emily read his new book to him and his cousin Alex.
Can you oink like a pig?

Alex can!

Can you chomp like a gator?

The boys enjoyed spending time with their Aunty Em!

*It is funny to me to look at Alex and Will side by side. Alex is 20 months older than Will and they enjoy playing together. They are first cousins and look NOTHING alike. And they are both wearing size 3t gymboree shirts here!

I can't keep up

Life is happening and I can't keep up.

On the blog, that is.

I have missed Reed's 9 and 10 month posts. And he has 5 (almost 6!) teeth. And he is crawling like a big boy and pulling up and cruising the furniture.

Will is daytime potty trained. Still has occasional accidents but he's spoting some Buzz and Woody or Lightning McQueen or Elmo undies everyday now.

Reed is outgrowing his infant seat so we just got convertibles for him.

I've tried new recipes.

I'm still working. Brad's still working his hiney off. We got to go away for the weekend together a week ago.

I rented a rug doctor to clean our carpets. Will definitely do that again. And possibly soon because the boys have had hand, foot and mouth disease since Friday. And the carpet has taken a beating.

Will is at his Gigi and Poppy's for the evening so it's just me and the little guy. Maybe I can do a few actual posts with some of the pictures I have taken since July. Hopefully I can get at least a few done this week. Wish me luck, because I can't seem to keep up!

Photoshoot, Take Too Sweet

Reed is a mama's boy for sure, but Gigi got some good snuggles in while I took pictures.

These are Will's feet. That's the only part of him that made it in this post!

I love this of my baby boy. He was mesmerized by the sand.

I love this shot, too. I like the sand glob falling down from his hand.

Mmmm...gritty!