Father’s Day and Joe’s Birthday

We sang and ate cake the night before Joe’s Birthday (June 18^th). I got an ice cream cake from Brusters for Joe. It’s the only cake he likes so of course the best for my love! I wanted them to write “Happy Birthday Daddy” on the cake. Simple enough I thought. So simple that I didn’t even check the cake before I left. When I got home and looked at it I noticed they spelled Daddy wrong. Now I am sure you are wondering how… well it read “Happy Birthday Dadday” haha yup! South Carolina is the 2^nd worst school system so it shouldn’t surprise me but still!

We sang and ate the cake anyway. Even with the extra ‘a’ it was still a tasty desert. I got Joe a Grill and Mikey got him Gas (for the grill – I figured he had plenty to share). Saturday night we grilled out some BBQ chicken. It was very tasty! I think Joe enjoys his grill, putting it together not so much but now that its together it is great!

For Father’s Day/Joe’s Birthday we went to a restaurant on Dataw Island called Sweetgrass once Joe got home from work. It was so good! We all had a hard time deciding what to order because it all looked so good. We got something different so we could taste each others if we wanted.

After lunch we took just a handful of photos on the docks. I enjoyed the area and I hope to be back for photos soon! Mom and Dad left straight from the restaurant and we went home. It was a nice relaxing day. I did have Joe put on his Superman shirt and I put Mikey in his for some photos (of course). The first thing Mikey does is throw up on Daddy… but we pushed through and kept the photos going!

Hangover 2

Mom and Dad came down for the weekend. We decided to go see a movie. I was a little weary of this, considering Mikey is still little and I didn’t want him fussing. We went to go see Hangover 2. We all enjoyed the first one and were hoping for another laugh out loud movie. We were running just a bit late (what else is new). We managed to get there just in time and all of us were seated about 20 seconds before the movie started!

I fed Mikey in the beginning and he did good… once I finished feeding him he was not interested in sleeping. He started to crank up a bit so Joe stood up with him (we sat in the back row for this very reason). I took over once he calmed down and he ten took a nap on my chest during the rest of the movie. I had to keep my laughing in check so that I didn’t wake him but other than that we all enjoyed the movie. Mikey was just shy of 8 weeks and he saw his first R rated movie. Don’t worry… I covered his eyes for the nudity. I didn’t want him thinking he was a buffet or anything ;)

Big poop at Palm and Moon

Joe doesn’t work on Fridays (well most of the time). Since it is his Birthday/Father’s Day weekend I decided to surprise him with Palm and Moon (the local bagel shop we enjoy). So we get all ready to go. For some reason we did not put a cloth diaper on Mikey, so he had a disposable one on. So we are in the car and half way there and we hear it… the infamous shart. Crap!

Once Joe and I got to Palm and Moon we both got out of the car to help clean up the baby. Joe pulls him out and there is a little drippage out the side of his diaper. It had leaked into the car seat. So I ask, do you want to clean up the baby or the car seat? After a short pause, Joe says, car seat!

OK… so I start changing/cleaning the baby. He did make a mess no doubt! I think it was a good 4 or 5 wipe mess. Got him all clean and into a new outfit. I look own to Joe and he is still working on the car seat. It had leaked through the seat belt hole into the plastic part of the seat. So all the poop had gone into all the crevasses. *Snicker… smile… giggle* “You should have chosen the baby” I tell Joe.

“Yeah, no kidding. Next time I know!”

“Nope, next time he goes into a cloth diaper when we get in a car… I’m not doing this again” *smile

Outlet Mall

Morgann came to Beaufort for a visit on the 16^th. We didn’t have much planned but she mentioned about going to Carter’s to find a few outfits. Great idea… so we jumped in the car and went to Tanger Outlet Mall. I had never been to Carter’s, and I figured it could be dangerous. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but I did come across 2 rock star outfits for his party in Columbus. I also noticed the swim shirts. Since he liked the pool so much I thought having a swim shirt would be a good thing. So I asked if they had any his size. They did, but it was a swim shirt/swim trunk combo for $17. I figured what the heck. So I bought it. We went to OshKosh next. I found individual swim shirts for $12. Since I didn’t need the swim trunks I figured I would buy the shirt from OshKosh and return the set to Carter’s; save $5. So once we left that store, Morgann ran to Gymboree and I went back to Carter’s. I was going to meet her at Gymboree once I was done. Once I finished and got to Gymboree I walk in and Morgann is holding up 2 swim shirts and she says “You are not going to believe this! They are on clearence, $4 a piece!” Of course! Haha I bought those 2 swim shirts and went to return the other one from OshKosh; saving $4. I think I returned more money then I spent on that trip! Too Funny!

First Time in the Pool!

Michael loves the pool! I was a little skeptical at first. I wasn’t sure if a baby his age is supposed to go in the pool but I figured why not. I have little swimmi diapers for him and so I put them on and put a little sunscreen on as well. The water was a little chilly to the touch. But once you get in it was comfortable. Michael enjoys his baths but that is with warm water so I didn’t know how he was going to react.

His feet were first and not crying yet! I submerged him to his butt and he was quite content! After a few minutes I put him in up to his armpits. He just kicked… I think he enjoyed the buoyancy!

Beach

There are a lot of beaches around where we live... we had never been to 'The Sands' in Port Royal so we figured we would drive out there to take a peak. I made sure to put Michael in his swim trunks (well they are big on him so they are swim pants I guess). Joe just rolled his eyes and said.. of course you plan to take photos!

It was a hot day but I put Michael on the beach for a few quick snapshots! I can't wait until he is a bit older to enjoy it more!

8 Hours of Sleep

Michael has been in a pretty good evening routine. During the day he naps and eats as he pleases. But as the day winds down he gets a bottle at 10:00pm. This allows us to lay him down in his crib by 10:30. He then talks and wiggles himself to sleep. Usually he is up by 5 or 5:30. Not too bad, I am quite happy with it! So anyway, Michael fell asleep around 11:00pm on June 10^th. We went to sleep and we were not woken up until 7:30am. Holy smokes! Our baby slept for 8 hours! Joe and I felt quite rested that morning! The best part about the mornings, Michael cries to wake us up, but not a hysterical cry. Just trying to catch our attention. So every time I go in to get him… he is just laying in his bed smiling up at me!

6 Week Birth Center Appointment

I can’t believe it has been 6 week already! Gosh the time has escaped me… June 10^th I had my 6 week appointment at the birth center. I picked up Morgann on my way. When we got there I saw the Midwife student, Jen and everything checked out ok. She was puzzled as to why my breasts were still sore from the breastfeeding. I got some more cream so hopefully that helps. Other than that she said to let them air out as much as possible… I will try. I dropped off a card and announcement to the midwives and staff

I weighed Michael on the scale and he was 10lbs 5oz. Oh my baby is getting big! After the Birth Center I took Morgann to Mellow Mushroom. She had never been! We shared the veggie pizza and it was very tasty. When I go with Joe all he wants is cheese so it was nice to change it up!

First Day of Cloth Diapers

When we got home from Ohio I had a box waiting on the doorstep. It was the cloth diapers! I had to wash them a few times before I could use them. So the first day of cloth was June 9^th. He liked them; from what I could tell. If it were me I would much prefer cloth on my bum and not diaper gauze. They are much easier than I imagined. They just snap on and off. When they are soiled I just put them in the pail. If he poops, since he’s breastfed his poop is water-soluble so I don’t have to do anything special, just put them in the wash machine. After he went through all the diapers I washed them and got them ready for the next day. At this point we are cloth diapering part time. Joe doesn’t want to have anything to do with them so its all me at the moment. We shall see if that lasts ;)

On a Happier Note...

Joe's parents came to Ohio for Gandma's Funeral. It was so nice of them to come. Having them there meant the world to me and my fmaily! It was a bonus for them. They got to spend some time with Michael! Here are some pictures from our visit to Ohio and the get together afterwards...

Grandma’s funeral

We had Grandma’s funeral set for Monday June 6^th. There were quite a few people there; more than anticipated. They had to bring in more chairs to accommodate everyone. It was wonderful to have so much love and support in the room.

Mindy came from Pittsburgh. Over the time that we went to school she got to know Grandma from our many trips to go visit her. I was so happy to have her come. The Wesleys’ came up from Columbus. They are always there through the good and the bad. John, a really good friend of mine showed up. He saw her obituary in the paper and wanted to come show his support. It was so great to see how my friends cared, I am so blessed with their friendship.

I remember turning around at one point as I saw a few more people come through the door, and I recognized Kevin. Now Kevin is a friend of Dad’s, he just hired him to come work for Variety. He is from California and in my head when I saw him I thought, wow that looks like Kevin but why would he be here, in Ohio, at my Grandma’s funeral?!?! That’s when I noticed 7 or 8 others from Dad’s work walk in after him. They all had boarded the company jet that morning, visited a few stores and flew in for the funeral. I know it touched dad; t touched all of us! It just shows what kind of company Dad works for. To have the friends we have is so amazing.

I did surprisingly well during the whole event. It helped to have Mikey in my arms. Every time I was sad or started to cry, looking at him made me smile. I was given 2 opportunities to say something. I shied away, I don’t like to cry in front of people and there was no way I could. So I figured I would post here what I would have said if I could.

~Grandma and I had such a special relationship. I was her doll baby, and she let everyone know it too! We were night owls. When I would stay with her we would lay in her bed until 2 am watching game shows. Love Connection was her favorite and I of course I loved it too! She was always up late… to the point that I knew I could call her anytime and she would no doubt be awake. I exercised this knowledge back in February 2008. Joe had just boarded the plane to Kuwait and I was a mess. It was 1:00am and I couldn’t sleep. I needed to have someone tell me it was going to be ok. My roommate was sleeping and I didn’t want to wake her even though I knew she would have been ok with it. So I dialed up Grandma and she answered. She was awake of course and talked with me for a good 30 min. She was able to calm me down and without her I am sure it would have been a sleepless night. Grandma was always interested in my love life. When I was dating someone she always wanted to know the details. When I was single she was on the prowl for me. In fact one time she tried to hook me up with a nail technician. Oh Grandma! Not once did she mention great-grandkids until I met Joe. I told her about Joe and she immediately said… OOOh I can’t wait for your great grand babies! She nailed it! That is why it was so important for me to have her meet Michael. She was so happy to see us. She promised me to always look out for him, she will be his guardian angel no doubt. Knowing that I am at peace. I am going to miss seeing her smile and holding her hand but I know she will always be with me like she has always been.~

Our Anniversary - Fly to Ohio

On our anniversary, June 5^th Joe went to work and when he got home we drove to Charleston. We were going to jump on a plane to Ohio for my Grandmother’s Funeral. I wish we were visiting for better reasons of course.

I had never been to the Charleston Airport, I was fairly certain it was small and wouldn’t be a problem to get through. I was half right. It was small… but with Mikey in tow, it was kind of a pain.

1^st, as we were checking in our bags, the attendant asked for Michael’s Birth Certificate or shot record, neither of which we had (because we have yet to obtain such documents). My eyes widened as fear of them not letting us on the plane. She asked how old he was and I said 4 weeks. She wanted to see him so I tuned the stroller around She then proceeded to get her manger for a second opinion. They wanted the documents to determine the age, since he was a lap child they wanted to be sure he was under 2 years. I thought to myself that she was a nut. Clearly he was not 2 years old. Some people amaze me. Her manager laughed and said yes I am pretty sure he is under two. She then informed me that next time we need to bring documents otherwise we cold be fined. The travel rules these days are ridiculous!

So we are in line for security and Mikey was in his car seat. Joe was a little nervous about the whole security thing with an infant so I briefed him before we got to the front so we went into it with a plan. I start the process of the diaper bag, my shoes and my purse… Joe unbuckles the baby and pulls him out. Joe is patting his back keeping him calm. All the while thinking “man my son is kind of sweaty”. I turn around to grab the car seat and that when I see the poop stains all the way up to his armpits. Ohhh Shit I said quietly.

Joe’s face was complete panic when I mentioned to him it was poop. I took a blanket and wrapped Michael up in it. I then proceeded to take him through the security screening. All clear… thank goodness! The less time with a poop covered baby the better! We bee line it to the bathroom and I run in to change him. 5 wipes and a new outfit later he is clean (somewhat). About 10 min later while Joe is holding him he Shit/Farts again (we call it shart just a fyi). We are 10 min from boarding our plane. Southwest no doubt (open seating) and I want on the plan first so I am not stuck in the back middle without Joe. Joe takes him to the bathroom with 1 diaper and wipes. He comes out with a half clean baby in need of another diaper. Yes folks he pooped on the table on the new diaper. So finally he is clean and we are on the plane.

Long story short, he slept most of the 2 plane rides (we had a layover but didn’t need to change planes… yay!) When he wasn’t sleeping he was eating. No crying from this little guy, everyone was pleasantly surprised, as was Joe.

Cloth Diapers…

I have had my eye on cloth diapers. Some may call me crazy but I hear so many great things from friends who use them. I know you have to wash them and poop and what not but the money to be saved can be enticing!

I have heard the BumGenius (BG) was a good brand. The month of May they were running a special, buy 5 get one free. Apparently sales on BGs are rare so I wanted to take advantage of it. Joe and I talked about it mid May but we came to no conclusion. Joe doesn’t want to have any part in this whole cloth diapering thing! So at 11:30pm on the last day of the sale I bring it back up. Joe, tired and not wanting to discuss, gave me the go ahead with 1 stipulation, he didn’t want to touch them or have anything to do with them. OK! Off to the computer I go to order them! $86 later I had 6 diapers headed my way...

1 Month (a little late) Photos

I kept my life at full speed ahead. The more I kept myself busy with the less time I had to think. So up next on my agenda was 1 Month Photos for Michael. I ordered this necktie for him that I plan to use in every month photo until he is 1 year old. I think they turned out wonderfully! I couldn’t be happier!

Memorial Day

Joe didn’t have to work on Memorial Day. Its always nice when he gets a day off… I feel like they are far and few between these days. We made breakfast with Mom and Dad. They wanted to get on the road early since it is a 5 hour drive. They got the car loaded and just before they were about to leave Dad got a call from Aunt Shyrle. She called to inform us that Grandma had just passed. We all knew it was coming but it sure doesn’t make it any easier.

With heavy hearts we gave each other hugs and Mom and Dad left for Raleigh. With a little baby needing love and affection my grief was short lived. It wasn’t soon after we found out that Grandma was no longer with us that Michael needed to be fed and cuddled. He does such a great job and keeping our minds off of everything. One would call it a blessing… I am holding off judgment because I have not truly cried and I know it’s only a matter of time until it hits me.

Home to see Daddy!

Once we got to the airport in Cleveland Mom, Michael and I made it to out gate. Once there mom ran into the restroom. While I was sitting there with Michael I heard him fart/poop real loud! I quickly took him out of the Moby wrap to check and see if he was leaking. Just a little I noticed but nothing got on me. I didn’t know where to put him so I held him on the seat next to me. Once mom and out I lifted him up (he left a little poopy wet mark on seat… oops) and took him into the bathroom. What a mess he made! Yuck! I was so happy that we got there early! Being rushed would have been quite stressful.

Once we cleaned him up we grabbed some breakfast and waited at our gate. He did very good on the plan yet again! Once we got to Raleigh Mom, Dad, Michael and I got in the car and drove to Beaufort. Michael slept for a good 3 hours and they we stopped for gas and went to Sonic. We all got malts and I fed him. I went to change him after eating and he decided to pee all over himself. Of course, nothing is easy with him hehe! So once we cleaned up his pee pee mess we got back in the car and we made it to Beaufort.

Joe was so happy to see us! I know he missed Michael… and he may have missed me but the jury is still out!

Visiting with Michael’s Great-Grandma

Off to go meet Great Grandma...

Grandma had been in the hospital or long care facility for about 2 months. She really just wanted to be home. With the help of Hospice, they made that possible. By the time we got Twinsburg, she was home and laying in her own bed.

It was so important to me to have Michael meet his Great-Grandma. I know he wont remember it but I have the pictures to show him one day! When we walked into Grandma’s room she had the biggest smile on her face! I missed her smile! It had been almost a year since I saw her. She was hooked up to her trachea and was able to talk. All she could say was how gorgeous Michael was and how much she loved and missed me. Though she didn’t need to say a thing, she said it all with her eyes and smile. You can see a video of Michael meeting her here.

The next morning we went back to visit with Grandma. Unfortunately she was not doing as well as she was yesterday. She was not talking but she was smiling. Just having Michael in the room with her brightened her mood. I laid him on her and she cuddled with him for quite some time. Dad, Ash and Britt decided last minute to fly into Cleveland that night (Thursday May 26^th). See what we all thought was good news that Grandma was going home because she was better, she was actually going home to be comfortable. It was very hard to grasp this concept but I tried to keep that from my mind and enjoy the time I had with her. I spent most of the day holding her hand or laying with her on the bed. Even though she couldn’t talk and she slept most of the time I knew that she was happy just having me there.

I would tell her it felt like old times when I would stay with her. We would lie in bed watching silly game shows (Love Connection is the one that I remember most) till 2 am! We were night owls no doubt!

There was a moment that afternoon when her respirations decreased to like 6 to 8 a minute. I thought that she wasn’t going to make it to see Dad, Ash and Britt. I remember asking her to watch over Michael. She looked at me and smiled. I said, “Promise?” and she just nodded her head.

Dad, Ash and Britt did get to Twinsburg that evening and made it to Grandmas. Dad, Grandma, Michael and I got a photo, 4 generations! It was so great. We even got a smile out of Grandma!

We spent the rest of that evening visiting. Grandma was in and out of consciousness but she knew we were there. There was one point where she was giving out lots of kisses. And of course we all (even Michael) took advantage of that!

Friday we spent the day visiting. The Wesley’s came up from Columbus to see us. It was a nice distraction to have some friends come for a quick visit. We went to Bob Evens for dinner. Jacob was playing the game… throw my toys off the table and watch Mommy and Daddy pick them up. It was too funny! They got a room at the same hotel so we all hung out back there after dinner. Michael and Jacob were subjects of my photography of course. Michael turned one month as well so I took a few photos of him as well. Ashley put a picture of Joe up on her ipad so he could be in the picture with us! Quite clever I think!

Our plan was to fly home Saturday. With Grandma not doing well we decided to stay one more day and leave Sunday May 29^th. It was a hard day with Grandma. She was not responsive much at all. The only time she would wake up was when the nurse aid would move her to change her shirt and what not. We tried to make light of the situation. With Michael there he managed to make everyone smile. I am sure just having everyone in the room made Grandma at peace.

Sunday was the day we were planning to leave. We went by Grandmas for a short while. We all had a flight to catch and unfortunately couldn’t stay long. Britt sang a few songs to her and she smiled a little. Everyone said their goodbye and got kisses from Grandma as they left. I lingered, as I really did not want to leave her. I went to the restroom to collect myself. My heart was breaking. I always hated leaving Grandma and I knew this was going to be the last time I see her. I snuck back into her room one more time for one last kiss… I just couldn’t pull away. Even looking back now I wish I had gone back in there one more time…