Recent Happenings

We had a good weekend this past weekend. We didn't have too much planned which was a nice change since we are normally pretty busy. On Saturday, we took Sawyer to the pool for the first time. He loves bath time so I was sure that he would like the pool. We took him in the morning when it wasn't so hot outside. He wasn't sure what to think at first but ended up loving sitting on the steps and splashing and having Keith take him out and doing "Superman". He wasn't too thrilled about the 30 lb diaper that he had on when he got out! I was over cautious about this so I had a regular diaper and a swim diaper. The fine at our neighborhood pool if there is an accident is $1000!!

Later that night we took dinner to my friend Meg and her family because she had surgery last week. It was eventful to say the least!! We were getting close to leaving when Sawyer had a HUGE blowout that resulted in us having to give him a bath and as we were changing him into some new clothes, he peed all over Keith. And to top it off, he spit up all down Keith's shirt after he was all cleaned up. Thank goodness they have a 14 month old and could not have been more understanding. Poor Sawyer was asleep before we left the neighborhood and we were exhausted too!


On Monday, my friend Shelley gave birth to her and her husband John's baby boy Hunter Stephen Futrell. He weighed 8lbs 6oz and was 20 inches long. I went up to the hospital that day to meet this sweet baby and see the new Mommy. She did really well and Hunter could not be any cuter! It turned out that Shelley was in the room next to where I was when I had Sawyer and I even got to visit with one of the nurses that I had. It was so surreal being back up there and it brought back so many happy memories. I can't wait to see our little boys grow up together.

Today we had Sawyer's 4 month old check up and it went great! He weighs 18lb and 2oz (97th percentile) and was 27 inches (98th percentile). Dr. Smith said he looked very healthy and was pleased with all of his new deveolpments. He wants us to introduce rice cereal and some fruits to him. I can't believe he is at this stage already!! He had to get 4 shots and has been pretty pitiful the rest of the day and he even went to bed at 7:30. Bless his little heart. We are so fortunate to have a happy, healthy, growing baby who is our everything.

I am going to close now with a few more cute pics and a funny video of us giving Sawyer a frozen teething toy. He thought it was a popsicle!

Looking Back and New Milestones

It is amazing to me how much Sawyer has changed over the last 4 months. In the first video, Sawyer is less than a week old and is still learning about this new world. When I was looking at these videos earlier I was reflecting back on those newborn days. The second video was taken a couple of weekends ago and its like he is a different baby. He is so alert and his personality is really starting to come out. He is so verbal and loves to have attention and affection. I could seriously eat him alive!

A new milestone that we reached this week, or are starting to attempt, is no swaddling. Most babies are over this by the first month or less but this seems to be the best way for him to stay asleep and not be woken up by his startle reflexes. He is getting so big now and we would have to come in the middle of the night to re-swaddle him because he would break out. I also read that he is at the age now that babies do a lot of movement in their sleep that is important to their gross motor skills and helps them learn to roll over, crawl, and eventually walk. I try not to read into everything I come across but we were also at the point that we thought he had out grown the swaddle. Today while he was down for his nap, I heard him on the monitor wake up and was very upset. I went upstairs to check on him and his LEG was hanging out of the crib. AHHH! I was so upset and I picked him up and brought him downstairs to cuddle him then put him in the swing where I knew he would be ok. Keith made a little barrier on the crib so hopefully Sawyer won't wake up to any body parts hanging out of again!

Another new thing was this past weekend we tried out the high chair at my parents house. He seemed to enjoy it because he could look around at our level but I am not sure if I was ready for him to be big enough for it. He is just growing up so fast and it seems like every time I turn around he is doing something new!

This past Friday was my last day of work at Compass. I returned from my Maternity Leave at the beginning of July knowing it was going to be yet another adjustment but this one was by far the hardest. I started off with such a positive attitude but it quickly faded into regret and a personal let down. Keith would get home from picking him up at Honey's at 6 and by the time we ate dinner and gave him a bath it was time for him to go to bed. This was not the same quality time that I had experienced over the past 3 months when I was with him constantly. So, after much contemplation, budgeting, and letting go of some financial planning for the future, we decided we needed to make a change. To be honest, it was more me worried if we could do it without my income. Keith did not like seeing me that upset and knew we would be fine. So I asked the Lord to take control and he once again blessed us. I thought the solution for now would be to find something part time so I would have more time at home with Sawyer. I looked at different options and was willing to take a major cut as long as I could spend more time with my baby. In conversation with Keith's cousin, she mentioned that one of her husband's co-workers was looking to hire someone PT for his growing business. I told her that I would love to know more about it but really didn't think much more about it. Well, that night Keith filled in at a softball game and the guy who was looking for the position was on the team. I had told Keith about it that afternoon so he mentioned something to him. The next day Russ called and we had lunch the following week to discuss what he was looking for as well as my needs. It went really well and I thought that it would be the perfect fit. He called me last week and offered me the job! I went yesterday and we discussed my job description and when I would be working and I am really looking forward to it. I will be working Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9-12 on Wednesdays. The name of the company is Nowlin and Associates Wealth Management. I couldn't think of a better work schedule and it allows me to achieve my ultimate goal and priority which is to be with Sawyer as much as possible. And thanks to Honey, she will be keeping him while I am at work. She has been such a life saver and I am so appreciative for all that she has done for us. It is amazing what can happen when you put your trust in God. I am so undeserving of his grace and mercy.

How did this happen??

My baby is 4 months old! He is getting so big and changes everyday. This is such a fun stage that he is in right now. His little personality is really starting to come out and he is discovering new things all of the time. He has started to use his hands more these days. He tries to hold his bottle, grip his soft burp cloths, and grab his toys and stuffed animals. He will "flirt" with his eyes when he looks at people and then will give a sweet little grin. I have a feeling this little smile may get him in trouble one day! He is also starting to giggle if we tickle him while playing "Grandaddy long leg" or when Keith will lift him above his head. Cindy, aka "Honey", has been keeping him during the day while we are at work. She has such a heart for babies so having her own grandson has been such a blessing to her and Papa D. I am glad to have her and my sister-in-law Kenzie spend so much time with Sawyer so they can see why I am so in love with this baby!! A few weeks ago we went to the lake with my parents and they just ate him up! Dad made us homemade blueberry pancakes and bacon for breakfast then we cooked out steaks that night to celebrate Keith's 29th Birthday. It was such a fun weekend! Before we know it Sawyer will be old enough to ski! He is such a sweet and happy baby and if he is fussy you know something is wrong. Here are just a few things that Sawyer is up to at 4 months old.


Clothes size: almost out of 3/6 month so we are starting to use 6/9 month.
Feeding: He eats 6 oz bottles every 3 hours during the day
Sleeping: He goes down around 8 and wakes up at 6:30. He usually wakes up around 4 because "Hulk" has broken out of his swaddle.
Diaper: Size 3
Playtime: He is starting to like his exersaucer. He DOES NOT like tummy time and I usually give in because I hate when he gets upset. He is loving the lamb swing. He takes at least 1-2 naps a day in it. He is putting everything in his mouth so I am thinking he is in the beginning stage of teething.


~ Stay tuned for his updates on weight and height from his 4 month check up on August 25.

 

Almost.

Rolling.



















Over!
                                                                                                                                        


                                                                                                         

Carpenters Close To You

Karen said it best when she said the Angels made a dream come true on the day my son was born. It was by far the most exciting, nervous, scariest, happiest day of my life all rolled into one. I had waited 9 months for this day with so much anticipation. All of the planning, doctor's visits, nesting, and of course praying were all coming full circle. I had a great pregnancy and tried to take care of myself and my baby as much as I could. Of course I had my frequent trips to Baha Burger but who is keeping tabs right?? So lets rewind just a bit to the beginning. We found out in August of 2009 that I was pregnant. I took 3 pregnancy tests that day and even one the next morning and I still was in so much shock. I hate to say the word "trying" but you could have put us in that category. I was prayed over at my church in May at a retreat and we did some major decision making around that time to start a family. I didn't really know when it would happen so that was just the start of the whole journey of things that were out of our control and we learned to lean on God for everything.  The day I took the tests I went to the store and bought a bib that said "I Love My Daddy". When I got home from work that day I put it around our dog Missi's neck and sent her downstairs where Keith was watching TV. He was speechless and we walked around for about a week not knowing what to think! We were of course so happy but very nervous too. When you call the doctor that early in your pregnancy there is not much that they can tell you to do. Every week it got better and there was a peace that came over me and took the driver's seat. It was such an exciting time going to each doctor's visit and hearing the heartbeat and having the ultrasounds done where we could see this miracle that was inside of me. We found out we were having a boy in November when I was 18 weeks and I honestly could not believe it. From the beginning I had a gut feeling that it was a boy but everyone I knew besides Keith's mom and my friend Meg thought it was a girl. We got together with both sides of our families to share the news and everyone was so surprised! We decided on the name Sawyer Richard Scott for our first born son. That is where a lot of the fun began from picking out the furniture, bedding, and registering. Time went by fast after Christmas and I was still feeling really good with only a few pregnancy side effects such as insomnia and the ever expanding belly! In February some of my family and closest friends hosted a shower at my sister in law's house and  worked so hard to make the day so special for me and Sawyer. It was so great to know how many people supported Keith and I and that they already loved Sawyer so much. Around 36 weeks the countdown to D-Day began. I went to see Dr. Heath every week to get some news if my body was preparing for this big event. Each week was the same old story, 1 cm and just a little bit effaced. I did have a scare at 37 weeks when I had some unusual movement from Sawyer that included us going to the hospital to get checked. At my 38 week appointment Dr. Heath examined me and noticed that she could not feel his head in my pelvis and she wasn't even sure that he was head down anymore. What? He had been head down since I was 28 weeks! So, she sent me to ultrasound to have my fluid checked and see his position. Well.....that is when the fun started. Keith went to almost all of my appointments but I just assumed that this one was going to be like the others so I told him not to worry about coming. The technician was quiet while she was doing the exam so I was of course asking her a ton of questions! He was head down but that was just it, his head. It was off the chart of measuring on the machine because it was so big. I got upset because I was worried that he was going to look unproportioned with a big noggin. Then she tells me that he is measuring 42 weeks and was around 9lbs 14 oz. My first reaction was surely they will not let me deliver this baby naturally and thanks to modern medicine and an awesome doctor I had a scheduled C-section. We had to be at the hospital on Monday, April 12, 2010 at 6:00 in the morning to get settled in and prep for surgery. I had the most amazing nurse Pam. She made me feel so calm and was there for us every step of the way. It turned out that I was contracting every 5 minutes so more than likely I would have gone into labor on my own that day. Our families came to the room and we talked and had a sweet prayer before I went in to have surgery. It was so terrifying to walk into an operating room and lay down on the table. I mean, aren't you supposed to be under when you do that? The team was so great and we were all having bets on what color hair he was going to have. Momma knows best because I guessed blonde! At 8:48 am our son was brought into this world weighing 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long. He was crying so loud and I remember thinking how that is all that I wanted to hear. The nurse brought him over to see us and he was so beautiful. When we got back to the room our families were there to greet us and they oohed and awed over the baby. He was so alert and pink! Everyone kept saying that he was such a pretty baby and just so in love already. After they left, Keith and I were left alone to nurse and bond with him. I was still pretty out of it from the anesthesia but I didn't mind, I was holding this little miracle that I had only seen in my dreams. We were discharged 3 days later and started our life with a newborn. We had so much support from our families and I honestly would not have made it without my Mom and my Mother-in-Law Cindy. They truly saw me at my best and at my worst. After a few weeks of adjusting we, both Mom and baby, were finally getting the hang of things. I was not prepared for the post partum woes and the hormonal rollercoaster! But, my most fond memory was staring into Sawyer's blue eyes and seeing my reflection. Truly unforgettable. Four weeks later, I got the reward for all of the hard work...his first smile. And we've only just begun!

Welcome!

Welcome! Here we go! I am starting to blog because I spend so much time looking at other people's blogs and I realized how much I need to to journal about our memories because life over the past 3 years has already flown by. I hope to look back in the years to come and read the old posts and remember all the fun times we have had. So it all started 5 years ago when I met Keith who is now my husband. We met, fell in love, got married, and now have a beautiful baby boy, Sawyer. I hope to keep updating the blog frequently. Enjoy!

The day before the big day!

Happy Birthday!

3 Days

1 week

1 month

2 months

3 months