Wednesday, July 11, 2012

4th of July

The week of the 4th of July 2012 is one that I'll always remember. I am so grateful that I got to spend a full week at the beach with my mom's entire side of the family. It was pretty much a miracle that all 20 of our schedules somehow managed to work. We came from AL, NY, CA, TX, TN, DC, NC, and my cousin Margaret had just returned from a semester abroad in Nicaragua. Grant worked the whole week so we all missed him so much but he did get to come down Friday night for the weekend. It was pretty chaotic with 20 family members all eating, drinking, sitting, playing, talking, and fellowshipping together but we wouldn't have wanted it any other way! William was passed from one person to the next all day everyday, and he loved every second of it. He was pretty fussy from Friday through Sunday, but I think it was because he was just completely worn out. I'll attempt to recap the week in pictures of course! Lots of these pictures were taken with my phone, so sorry for the poor quality ;)

William ready to go to Capt. A's the first night we were there. This may be the last time you see him in a "gown" besides his christening one. Don't want to scar him for life ;)

He was worn out after a long day of traveling. William and I drove to Dothan and then hopped in the car with my mom to head to the beach. I was a little nervous about being alone for the drive to Dothan but he slept all the way to Ozark before needing a bottle. He did great!


Reunited with Juju after a month apart.
William spent a lot of time on the porch in his beach rocker. I'd say he liked it okay. 

 Chillin' with cousin Paul at Quin's condo for dinner on night 2. William doesn't quite know how to "look at the camera."

 William gearing up for his 1st trip on Never Rest


 William and his great, great uncle Quin
 William and Mommy on Never Rest


 Angel


 William covered in spit up 30 seconds after I dressed him. That's what happens 98% of the time. 

 Just talkin' to great grandmother, Jan Jan, on the porch
 Margie and baby "Willum," as she calls him
Julie and Margie on the boat ready to head to Shell Island
 William and the birthday boy!
 July 4th fun.

Such a sweet moment. Sam is smitten with his great grandson.
 William and cousin Nelson
 With Aunt Birdie
 A big part of the week was meeting Paul's sweet girlfriend, Steph! She was one brave gal to put up with all of us for a week. 
 Sam and Big Lee 
We had an AMAZING spread on the 4th. It was insane. I'll see if I can remember everything we had: ribs, squash casserole, peas, tomatoes, homemade peach ice cream, and a birthday cookie cake for my dad. I'm certain I'm leaving some of the sides off, but it was delicious! We didn't make it out on the boat for the firework show this year but we could see them from the dock.

 Crooked Island - where the bay and gulf merge. Quin took us to this magical place several times during the week, and it was more beautiful than I've ever seen it before. The water was crystal clear and there were very few boats there which made for a lot of fun and relaxation. 
 Annual girl cousin picture
 Fleming family love
 Beautiful Julie
 Billings + Steph :)
 Aunt Lane and Lee
William and his new best friend. These two could spend hours "talking" and smiling at each other.
We've changed my Dad's name from Papa Steve to Daddy Steve. I grew up calling my grandfather on my Dad's side, Daddy Joe. 
Hanging out before dinner one night
 Dinner at Capt. A's again on our last night
 Snoozin' on Never Rest. 
William was very happy to be reunited with his Daddy at the beach after a long week apart!



 Sunday morning boat ridin' with Juju and Daddy Steve

Grant had Monday off so we had a nice last night with our little family of three. We ate leftovers from the week and soaked in a couple of more hours of porch time and salt air before packing up to head north on Monday morning. I can't wait to take William back to the beach next summer. He'll be ready to build sand castles and maybe even swim in the ocean. 

Friday, June 29, 2012

Two Months Old

It's hard to believe my little boy is two months old! All moms say it, but it is true : THEY GROW SO FAST!!! This past week he has really started to show interest in music & sounds, and he has also started to use his hands to swipe at the hanging toys on the activity mat. He smiles and coos more and more each day and is becoming more interactive. However, he has started to have a consistent "fussy" period each night that hits anywhere between 6pm and 9pm.  His pediatrician said it is most likely colic, and unfortunately there isn't much that can be done about it other than what we already do. It usually takes standing up swaying him back and forth (Thanks Dana for the tip) to get him to calm down. I must say, I have never felt helplessness like I do when he has one of the crying spells!  It is heartbreaking! Now, on to some pics:



My sweet BIG boy!
Baby G. I know I say this ALL the time, but when Grant and W look up at me at the same time, I literally feel like I'm seeing double. It's pretty spooky ;)
Pics from this angle make him look sooooo long!! He looks sad in all of his 2 months pics but I promise he really does smile 90% of the time. It's hard to catch those sweet toothless grins!

This week, we went for his 2-month doctor's appointment, which involved 4 shots and 1 oral immunization. It was a very tough day for William and mommy. Luckily Grant was with us to help keep things calm. I think Daddy was the most anxious of all of us though. W weighed in at a whopping 14lbs. 9 oz. (97th %ile) and measured 24.5 inches long (97th %ile). Needless to say, he is a growing big boy. He got an excellent report from the doctor, and he told Grant and I we were doing a great job. It's always nice to hear that from your child's pediatrician.


Daddy keeping him distracted with videos on his phone. He loves to watch videos of himself.

So sad!

Not happy!

Poor little baby. Look at that tear :(

William, you bring such joy and happiness to our lives, and your Daddy and I are so thankful for the little person you are becoming. It is so fun to watch you grow and learn new things. We love you!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

iPhone Photos

Some of my favorite iPhone photos that I'll want to be included in our family scrapbook aka the blog!
 He does some funny things with those little hands :)
 At his 4 week doctor's appt. 


 Weight at 4 weeks...I'm thinking he's pushing 12 lbs. at this point!

 Porch time with Papa Steve at the beach

 Meeting cousin Dabney at the beach
Hanging out at the park

One of the 1st smiles we caught on camera. Aunt Birdie took this one.


Out and about with Juju while Grant and I were in Lexington.


 My little chunky 7 week old

 Napping with Daddy
Sleepy eyes
Happy baby!!

 Grant is going to kill me for posting these pictures but I couldn't resist. Saturday morning sleepy heads!
They are identical.