Slow Down! You are growing way too fast . . .

Connor and Chloe

Enjoying a spring afternoon on the back porch

Yet another new toy for me to play with

Mmmmmmm . . . Rice Cereal!

Mommy feeding me rice cereal

Me & Mommy swinging - one of our favorite things to do!

Farmer in the dell, the Farmer in the dell . . .

Mommy's little pets - you can see three in this pic

The Lone Deer - she always comes first & then the others follow

Sleeping Beauty - in his own room!

Really guys? Not another picture!

I love to stand, so this is becoming a favorite play thing

Baby Connor's First Rice Cereal Feeding

It has been an exciting month of changes for Connor! We had our 4 month well visit and Connor is in the 75 percentile for height, weight and head circumference. He is now 25 and a half inches long and weighs 15 pounds 9 ounces. He is a our little chub-a-lub. The doctor said he was doing fabulous and seemed to be a very easy going baby. We'd have to agree, of course!

She also gave the green light on trying rice cereal. We've attached a video of his first feeding. Hope you guys enjoy it. We also changed his feeding from 6 fize ounce bottle feedings to 5 six ounce bottle feedings. Either way he gets 30 ounces a day, but now he gets it in five feedings instead of six. We also moved him to his crib! He's been sleeping in his own room now for about a week and he's doing great! His only problem is that he is a back scooter! We get up in the morning to find he has pushed himself into the uppermost corner of the crib! He's a little rascal this one. One other change is that we now no longer wake him at 5am for a feeding. We let him sleep. New sleeping times are from about 10pm to 7am! What a good sleeper!!

We also saw the therapist last week and she also had good news. His torticollis is pretty much non-existant now and we're just working on strengthing his neck with some new excercises. She'll continue to meet with us every so often just to make sure it doesn't come back when he starts new phases like crawling, walking, etc.

Other than that, we're just hanging in here, keeping things pretty low key. We went & saw AJ's new place this weekend. For those of you who don't know, AJ is Aunt Jennifer. She just closed on her place in Durham. CONGRATS JENN!! This coming weekend we're taking our first road trip to Charleston to see Aunt Krissy and Uncle Wes and we're also going to visit Kevin's cousin Karen and her family while we are there. Pictures of that coming soon!

Also in good news - we got Mommy her very own camera! Now we don't have to wait so long to post things!

Hope everyone is doing well. More to come after our adventure next weekend!!

Connor's Got a New Toy!

Connor's New Toy Video

Connor Playing in Playland

Connor has a new toy! Aunt Kathy loaned us her bouncy station and Connor just loves it! The physical therapist recommended this as his next big toy so that it will help his neck stay strong and upright. He is doing really well with therapy, by the way. We don't go back for another three weeks, but she did add some new exercises to the routine so that we can get him up and going. This video clip shows that happening! He looks like he is running in this thing. So funny. Kevin was in tears he was laughing so hard!

Mommy also got Connor some hand puppets as he seems to really like those. He especially loves his Cookie Monster one. He just grins so big when I use that to entertain him. He is at a really fun stage now. Each stage is so amazing. Hard to believe he is already almost four months old. We'll let ya'll know how the check up goes on Tuesday. He sure is chunking up!!

Connor is also really starting to hold on to his toys and bring them to his mouth! I don't know how this stuff happens overnight, but it seems like it does. Friday night he also rolled over completely - from his back to his tummy four times! So much is happening all at once! My little boy is growing up . . .

Today is also my first Mother's day and while it is bittersweet day for me, I have to say again that I love being a Mom. There is nothing like it. I think a Mother's love is like no other. It is very powerful and magical. To know that I was once loved like this really brings it home to me. I miss my Mom and wish she was here today to see Connor, but I know she is watching over us from up above. I wish all of you that are mothers a Happy Mother's Day.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

Have I mentioned lately how much Kevin & I love being parents?? It's just so exciting to see all of Connor's new developments and just know that we made this handsome little tyke! He's really growing so fast. Martha even said to us about a week ago, "I don't know what happened over the weekend, but it's like he's grown!" His little legs are just as fat and adorable as they can be! And he is getting to be so long. We go for his 4 month check up and the dreaded shots next Tuesday (on his birthday) and I can't wait to see how much he's grown height and weight wise in the past two months.

Connor is also starting to realize that he can do things with his hands. He was at Martha's last week sometime and she said he grabbed a hold of the napkin she was holding and was just looking at it like "I did that??". He's starting to touch his toys more and even trying to hold the bottle a little. He's also starting to roll just a little bit. He's rolled several times already, purely by accident, but now he's laying on his side, almost turning over.

We bought a Baby Einstein movie over the weekend and played it for him Sunday night. We figured if we laid him on his tummy and positioned him to see the TV, he might stay for more than his usual 10-15 minutes. He stayed the entire half hour! And he was just a smilin' and talkin' to the TV. So funny to watch. I included a video for you guys to see of it. Enjoy!

This week Mommy has a physical and then we have physical therapy on Thursday. Daddy is heading to Nashville for the weekend to see Uncle Tim (his twin) graduate from Vanderbuilt with his MBA. Congratulations, Uncle Tim! We are all so very proud of you!

We also worked it out with Martha to keep Connor full time for all of July & August. He will officially start school on Monday August 24th. I better stock up in Kleenex. Just the thought of it makes me want to cry! It's good for him & I know he'll benefit from it, but still - it's my little boy! :(

Hope everyone has a good week. Hopefully I will have some pictures for you soon.

Three Month Pictures

Oh no!

Family Picture

What you talkin' 'bout Willis?

Chillin'

This is as close to smiling as we got.

Just being his sweet 'ole self.

How many chins do I have??

It's been a busy week for us, as is becoming customary! We went to see the physical therapist on Thursday. Again, she said that Connor is making excellent progress & to keep up the good work. Since he hasn't changed that much (that heavy 'ole head is still bobbing around), we won't go back for three weeks. Hopefully by then he will be supporting his head really well and she will be adding new excercises to our routine.

Friday we went to Chapel Hill to see Kevin's parents, grandparents and sisters. It was Connor's first meeting with his great grandparents (Kevin's maternal grandparents) and his second visit with Aunt Krissy. We are planning a trip to Charleston in late May to see Krissy and Wes and also Kevin's cousin Karen and her family. Should be lots of fun!

Saturday we took Connor to get his 3 month pictures taken. I have attached a few for you guys to see. He was not in much of a smiling mood, but with all those flashes going on, I don't think I would be either! It was lots of fun though and we plan to do it again at 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months. After that it will just be a yearly thing.

Yesterday we had Grandma's 81st birthday party (Monica's maternal grandmother). It was a surprise party and most everyone made it. Grandma was VERY surprised! The look on her face was priceless! I think everyone had a good time and the food was great.

Not much going on this week. Connor and I may meet up with Karen & Chase Thursday for lunch. Other than that, we are going to rest and recover from our busy busy weekend! Hope everyone has a good week!

Growing up fast . . .

This is my hat to wear to the pool. Looks like I am going on a safari!

Yes, yes. I see what you are saying Mr. Star.

Hi Mom! Hi Dad!

Awwwww! Sweet Sweet Baby Boy!

My 'laughing' face.

Aunt Rebekah, Aunt Angela, Mommy & me on Easter.

Mug Shot. Enough said.

Another day in tummy time land.

Up close and personal. I think I might have Mom's eyes!

Oh, geez!!!

Cousin Jordan, Dad, Mom and me on Easter.

Cousin Caleb, Dad, Mom and me on Easter.

Dad, Mom and me in my ears.

Why do they do this to me???

Basking in the sun . . .

Connor had his first PT appointment a couple weeks ago and the therapist said that he has a very mild case of torticollis. His neck is not in bad shape at all - just that gravity is taking effect and pulling his head down (all those brains weigh alot!). She gave us several excercises to try at home. Mom spends about 45 minutes working with Connor about 4-5 times a day with Dad filling in some on the weekends. Martha also works with him on the days she has him. When we went for our second appointment, the therapist could already see an improvement and said we are doing all the right things. We have our next appointment this Thursday to see how things are still going. Martha is able to see some improvement as well. When Connor does tummy time, he is starting to lift his head up and look around at some toys we bought to visually stimulate him. He is growing so fast!

We haven't done a whole lot out of the ordinary lately. We met Karen and little Chase for lunch last week and got our picture taken with the Easter bunny. Saturday we went to Shelby's birthday party (who turned 2 this year) and Sunday we went to Uncle John's and Aunt Sarah's for Easter. Lots of good times. Maw-Maw is turning 81 in a couple weeks, so we are having a surprise birthday party for her this weekend, so it will be a busy week for us. Aunt Krissy and Connor's great grandparents are also coming into town this weekend, so we'll be seeing them as well.

Today we are going for professional photos of Connor since he is 3 months old. If they have a soft copy, I will get them and post them on here. If not, look for your copy via mail.

Hope everyone has a good week. More to come soon!

Little C, Little C, Little C

Chillin in my little swing.

Reading my book while chillin in the boppy.

This is how I fall asleep at night (since I have to sit up for 20 mins after eating).

Love my little sailboat onesie! It matches my room!

I do look alot like Dad, but have a ton of Mom's features too!

Heh Heh Heh

Buddy, Connor & Chloe - our 3 kids.

Getting my tummy time in the boppy.

Practicing sitting up - won't be too long now!

Taking a nap in my crib.

Our Happy Boy!

Daddy Loves Me!

Look at the little bitty foot!

On the front porch with Daddy.

And now it is Mommy's turn. I do love to swing!

I wear my sunglasses outside . . .

One day I am going to get big and help Daddy with the gardening.

Practicing trying to stand. The more I practice, the better I will be!

Mommy does love me bunches!

I love the outdoors!

It's a little bright outside for me, so gotta wear my shades.

Is this not the cutest sweater! Thanks Aunt Krissy for making me cute!

Can you tell what my favorite page of the book is? I love black and white.

I'm such the cutie!

FINALLY! A Family Photograph. Chloe, Mom, Dad, Connor & Buddy on Saint Paddy's Day.

Seems like more pictures of Connor are being requested all the time, so here are some new ones. Be patient with me though . . . It is a lot to be a working Mom and still make time to do all the household things I used to do and give Dad some attention, too. I'd say on average, you'll see new pictures about every two weeks. Also, remember that if you leave a post as anonymous, please leave your name so we know who submitted the post.

Things are going well with Little C. He had his 2 month check up on the 12th and he was up to 11 lbs 4 oz and was 23 and a half inches long. He is in the 40th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height and head size. His pediatrician said he will grow up to be tall and brainy!!They also told us that Connor has torticollis - which basically just means that the muscles in his neck are a little tight and need to be worked out. He likes to look to the right and not alot to the left, so his head is flattening a little in the back. Good thing Dad wanted to ask about this! Since we caught it early, he most likely will not have to wear a helmet to correct the problem. We start physical therapy this Thursday (3/26) and will probably go once a week. She'll show us some exercises to do with his head and better ways to carry him to help him turn his head. We do give him some tummy time every day, which also helps, and have started putting his books to his left side and making him look at them from that angle. He seems to be doing better with his neck already.

Connor is LOVING staying with Aunt Martha. She is so good to him! She works with his neck also while he is there and shows him black and white books that he just loves. Little Noah loves Connor too. He calls him "Baby Con" and has more recently taken to calling him sweet guy. Martha says he made it up all by his self! He loves to kiss little Connor on the head all day long! When it is nice out, they take walks around the pond across from Martha's house. It is truly a blessing that things worked out the way they did and that Martha is willing and able to keep Connor. Kevin and I both feel really good about the decision and are glad that Connor will be six or seven months old by the time he starts daycare.

Dad is also enjoying his time with Connor on M, W and F mornings (the days he goes to Martha). Since Mommy has to be at work by 7:30, she feeds & changes Connor about 5:15 and puts him back to bed until 8am or so when Dad gets him up. Connor is definitely a morning person! He smiles and coos so much first thing in the morning! Mornings is Dad's favorite time with Connor. Mommy's favorite time is bath time. Probably because I am so crazy about having a clean child. Just ask Aunt Rebekah. When she used to bring the kids over, first thing I would want to do is give the boys a bath. Not even that they were dirty - I think I just like the smell of baby shampoo and lotion!

We've got a good routine going with him and he seems to like it. We especially love our weekend time when we spend time together as a family. When Mom is home on Tuesdays and Thursdays - we're usually busy with appointments and doing grocery shopping - things like that. So, Saturday and Sunday we like to go out to Target and get baby supplies that we need or go for walks with Connor. We took him out yesterday in the backyard and took some pictures of him. He really loves the outdoors! More to come soon!!