Patton Lately

Well, so much for posting regularly. It's hard enough for me to find time to take a shower in the morning (which did not happen today...oh well), let alone find time to remember to blog. It gets put on the side burner along with quite a long list of other things like mommy time, cleaning, work, and sleep. But the smile on Patton's face makes it all worthwhile.

In the past month and a half since I last posted, Patton has grown in leaps and bounds! He has had his first laugh, rolled over from belly to back, and increased his talking and muscle strength/coordination. He loves to sit in his bumbo, play on his play mat, and splash in the tub! He has outgrown so many clothes, and he is filling out nicely. He is now on formula, and we are in the process of getting him used to rice cereal before bed. Actually, I want to work on that a bit more diligently now...I've been a bit hesitant and cautious about it for some reason lately. My fear of being a bad mommy has surfaced its ugly head. During my pregnancy, I read alot about what to expect with a newborn. I felt confident about the newborn stage, but now that he is getting older, well, I didn't have time to do my research about feeding a 4 month old. The rules of feeding have changed so much over the years, so trying to keep up with what is "right" for right now is a bit difficult.

Anyway, this week we are busy preparing for Patton's baptism this coming Sunday. I am getting his gown today, and I can't wait to see it! We are having TONS of family and friends in town for the baptism, and we are cooking lunch for everyone after church...so needless to say, I have my hands extra full this week. I will post again after the baptism with pictures (hopefully within a week or two instead of a month and a half).

Patton and His Pup

When I was pregnant with Patton, our dog Charlie became fairly protective of me and followed me wherever I went. She would nap with me and would always lay her head on my belly. Well, when we brought Patton home from the hospital, I realized that I wasn't the one she had been following for the past 9 months...it was Patton. She could care less where I went once Patton was born. From that first day, Charlie has been like a second mommy to Patton. She is constantly checking on him, wanting to lay with him, and always the first to know if hid diaper is wet or dirty.

Well, this past week Charlie did the sweetest thing. Patton is starting to move and coo a lot more, and I think this has peaked Charlie's interest in him. Last week we got out his playmat for the first time, and he loves it. Charlie loves it too, and she will lie down beside him (or lick his face all over, which we are trying to stop). But anyway, one day after playing on his playmat, Patton was sleeping in his swing. Charlie checks on him during his naps fairly often, so I'm used to her putting her paws up on his swing to get a quick sniff or lick him. This time her visit was different. Charlie had found a long-lost squeaky ball of hers that morning after 3 months of it being lost. She was playing with her ball while Patton slept, and then she went over and laid the ball in his lap. Her little way of saying, "Play with me." It was so cute, and I'm sure it won't be long until those 2 do play ball together.

Our Little Alarm Clock

Well, it's only been 2 weeks since my last post. I think that's progress.

The past 2 weeks have been pretty busy. We surprised my Nana during her 70th birthday party on the 17th. She had not met Patton yet, so she was in tears when she saw us there. Josh and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on the 18th by going to church as a family and then going home to take a family nap (after which I got sick with a stomach virus, so poor Josh spent the day caring for me and Patton). Josh's sister Katie got married on the stormy 24th, and luckily the weather passed through before the wedding and reception began. Josh and I were both in the wedding, so my mom joined us for the weekend to help out with Patton. Now we are finally looking forward to a weekend without any plans. I'm actually excited that it might rain all weekend...gives us an excuse to just stay at home and enjoy some family time.

Something that Josh and I have started to enjoy is our little alarm clock. No, not that black beeping thing on the nightstand, but our handsome little boy. My husband is a very heavy sleeper and hits the snooze button in his sleep at least 5 times in the morning, much to my dismay. But I've realized that a visit from Patton will wake him up quite efficiently. Patton is a morning person like his mama. After his 5/6am feeding, he is so happy and playful. When I get the chance, I take him in our room after his feeding and let him lie in the bed with us. He will lay there and talk and coo. It's the sweetest thing! Josh loves it too, and it definitely wakes him up. Who would've thought such a soft sound could wake my hard-sleeping husband, but Patton's ooo's and coo's do the trick! And what a wonderful way to start off the day!

And the failure to post regularly continues...

Yes, it's been one month and one day since I last posted, but finding time to post and deciding on what exactly to post has made it difficult. Why would I have trouble deciding on what to post? Well, there's just so much to tell, but too much to tell. I can't possibly blog about every precious thing Patton does, although I want to. There just isn't enough time in the day, and to be honest, I would rather spend my time looking into his beautiful eyes and listening to him coo than to sit at my computer and type. No offense blog-readers, but he's pretty much my world!

So, to recap the last month, I think it's time for a top 10 of events and (of course) Patton-related items:

1. He has a precious smile! He's got my dimples, and he is definitely a charmer! But don't be offended if he doesn't smile at you...the ceiling fan still gets more grins than I do.

2. Easter! Patton went to church for the first time on Easter Sunday, and he got to meet the church family. He also got to travel to Butler to DebO and Mike-O's house. Oh, and he got to play with his BFF Jasper!

3. Gallbladder surgery. I had gallstones, so surgery is what the doctor prescribed. I did not enjoy the day of surgery: I wanted to be home with Patton so bad! Everytime the nurse would come in and suggest that I might have to stay longer or ask if I needed anything, I would start crying and say, "I just want to go home and hold my baby." I was pathetic, but as soon as she said I could go home, I was a completely different person.

4. Acid reflux. I had horrible acid refluc when I was pregnant with Patton, but the day after he was born it was completely gone. I was so excited that I didn't have it, but now it turns out that Patton has it. I would take it away from him if I could, but his medicine is starting to help.

5. Work. I returned to work a few weeks after Patton was born. We set up my office like a mini nursery. I have a pack-n-play in here with a changing table as well as a whole shelf full of diapers, wipes, blankets, and extra outfits for him. It's been fun having him with me, but not much work gets done.

6. Sleeping. Well, it happens at some point, but not always when Mommy and Daddy want it to. Patton is a pretty good sleeper, but that doesn't always mean he is a good sleeper at night. He has gotten into the habit of being wide awake after his 1am or 2am feeding. Luckily, we bought him a new swing this week, and it was a lot of help at 2am this morning for sure.

7. Ellie. Ellie is Patton's blue and green fleece elephant toy that is on his changing table. Josh and I bought it a couple weeks before he was born, and we got it for like 1/3 of it's actual price. You pull it's tail and it makes music. We thought it was cute, but Patton absolutely adores it. It's the only toy he has really grabbed for or held on to. One night during his wide-awake-at-2am time, Josh put Patton in his crib, turned him on his side, and put Ellie in there in front of him. He carried on a conversation with the elephant for a good 10 to 15 minutes!

8. Breastfeeding. Ok, so I won't get into the details or anything like that, but I mention it on this Top 10 List because I honestly didn't think I would last this long. During those first 2 weeks, I was miserable and we were feeding Patton mostly formula because I didn't think he was getting enough from me. Turns out he wasn't hungry all the time, he was just wanting to eat to soothe his burning throat (result of acid reflux). His pediatrician said that the formula could be making the acid reflux worse, so she asked if I could strictly breastfeed him. How could I say no? My baby was hurting by me not breastfeeding him. The doctor's orders are what got me back in the game because, believe me, I was about to throw in the towel. I went from breastfeeding him once or twice a day to doing it everytime he eats. I don't know how much longer I will continue to breastfeed him, but I'm just really proud of myself for sticking it out this long.

9. Shots. On Monday, Patton got his first round of shots. I was so nervous! I even had a pack of Kleenex in my purse in case I started crying because I was certain that he was going to cry. He took those shots like a pro...actually, he took those shots like he was a big burly man who had barely gotten pinched in the leg. He yelled when she pricked him with all 3 of those needles, but as soon as it was done, his crying was too. I picked him up and he gave one last sad "ooooo" and that was it. He then let us get him dressed and strap him into his carrier, and he fell asleep before I even made it to the car from paying the co-pay. Oh, and I didn't even get my Kleenex out!

10. Daycare. Yes, Patton is now in daycare. He started on Tuesday of this week. I haven't cried about it once. He is actually right down the hall from my office. I can check on him anytime I want to. I go and get him every 3 hours to breastfeed him, and then take him back so they can change him and put him down for a nap. He loves the swings in there, and I think he sleeps better in that room full of other crying babies than he does at our house.

Ready for his first day of daycare!

Ok, so there's the Top 10. Maybe I will update in a week or two instead of a month. Time will only tell.

Announcing the Arrival...(just 3 weeks late)

So...Patton is here! He's actually been here for over 3 weeks, but I guess if anyone has the right to be tardy in posting on their blog, a new mom should. Joshua Patton Lewis was born on Friday, February 19th at 7:40am. He weighed 7lbs 15oz, and was 21 inches long. Much bigger than anyone thought...even me. He was born via c-section, but that doesn't mean he made it easy. He didn't want to come out, so the doctor had to use some suction to convince him otherwise. He had a brown mark on his hand that we assumed was a birthmark until one of the doctors informed us that it was a blister...a suck blister to be more exact. It was from him sucking on his hand in utero. He has a red birthmark on the back of his neck...like I did when I was born, so it might fade away. He has long fingers a long toes...both of which he can use to grab your finger. I could go on and on about him, but the truth is that I would never run out of things to say about this little miracle. He is precious, perfect, wonderful, and just an amazing blessing from God, and Josh & I are so thankful to have in our lives.

The Countdown Is On...and so is the heat!

Less than 9 days before Josh and I welcome our little Patton into the world. We are so excited, and can't wait for him to get here! The bags are packed and in the car, the baby clothes and such are washed, the car seat is installed, the stroller and swing and bouncy seat have all been assembled, the house has been somewhat cleaned, and most of the thank you notes have been written (well, maybe half of them). Tomorrow and Friday, Josh and I plan on finishing up the house (the last deep clean before Patton arrives) and doing the grocery shopping. We've made a list of things we need to stock-up on before Patton arrives like paper plates, laundry detergent, etc. We're getting into the home stretch, so we better get a move on.

Well, we hope that the weather will cooperate with us. The forecast is calling for some snow accumulation on Friday, and it seems like it could get pretty serious. They are calling for 2 to 5 inches of snow with some areas receiving more like 6 inches. Who would have thought that southern Mississippi could get that kind of forecast? At first I didn't really believe all the hype, but now that I have watched the local news, I'm beginning to think we just might get some actual inches of snow on the ground. The weather has already caused a youth event at our church to be cancelled this weekend, but my heart isn't broken about it. I'd rather the kids be safe at home than traveling on the roads in any sort of bad weather. Plus, I wasn't going to be at the event anyway. Being 8 to 9 months pregnant has labeled me exempt from any youth chaperoning duty...Thank You God! I would love to see some snow, and I have to say that the possibility of having a "baby bump" picture taken in the snow would be pretty awesome, but...I'm worried about my luck. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far (except for my hospital stay), so I'm afraid my pregnancy luck will run out and that I will go into labor the day southern Mississippi decides to have a blizzard. How fun would that be? Not much, considering the hospital is 30 minutes away. Let's just hope my luck hasn't run out yet.

2 Years Later

2 years ago yesterday, Josh and I were forced to meet each other. Yes, forced. Neither one of us wanted to go on that blind date, but we are so thankful for our pushy friends. God used them in an amazing way to bring us together, and we are so grateful. Last night, Josh and I celebrated by not only having steaks (wonderful, juicy, delicious steaks) for dinner, but by eating those steaks on our china. This was the first time those plates came out of the china cabinet, so it was pretty special. We reminisced all through dinner about the night we met. We would look at the clock and say, "We were getting to the Mardi Gras party around this time" or "About this time 2 years ago we were on the dance floor." It was so fun to remember that night. After dinner, we celebrated somemore by finally tackling one of our big items on the to-do list: we packed our bags for the hospital. Who would've thought 2 years ago, that we would be right here, married, and packing our hospital bags for the arrival of our son? We are truly blessed.

Josh was so precious as we packed our bags. He checked things off the list as I packed my bag, and then he realized that he really couldn't pack his bag since he would need those clothes in the coming weeks. Since I am having a c-section, we will be in the hospital for about 3 days. Josh will need clothes for all 3 days, while I sorta have the luxury of staying in a hospital gown and PJs as long as I want. Instead of packing his bag, Josh made a list of everything he would need. It's sitting on the shelf with his clothes...so that he can grab everything (or someone else can) at the last minute. We then moved on to Patton's room to pack his hospital bag. We used his diaper bag that Ashley bought us and we had it monogrammed last week with Patton's name. I sat in the glider with the bag and the list as Josh went through and picked out blankets to take, socks and mittens for Patton to wear with his coming home outfit. Josh was adamant that they all match. He was just so excited and too cute! My bag, Patton's bag, and the car seat are all in my car waiting for that "moment" to come along.

We are finally in the home stretch and it seems like the days just get longer as we wait. But in comparison, the past few weeks feel like they have flown by. I guess that is because we were so busy. We had 4 baby showers (one at the church and 3 in Birmingham), doctor's appointments, work, and projects around the house. It would take me forever to recap all the events, but I will say that we are so thankful for all the gifts, the fun, and the support given to us by our friends and families. We are truly blessed...now if Patton would just join us.

Baby Shower!

Well, Patton and I had our first baby shower this past weekend, and it was wonderful! Josh and I traveled to Birmingham late on Friday. We had to stop by Babies R Us and order our glider and ottoman, and I cannot wait for them to come in! They are the last items needed to complete the nursery, and I know Josh and I will be so glad when they are finally here. We also stopped and had dinner with my mom and stepdad and handed Charlie off to them for 24 hours. We finally made it to Caroline and Jeremy's house late Friday evening. On Saturday, we had our baby shower at P.F. Chang's!

Now, some of you might not know the significance of P.F. Chang's to me. Yes, it is my favorite restaurant, and yes, the food is amazing. But that restaurant has been the place for many important celebrations. I was first introduced to P.F. Chang's in 9th grade, and since then, I just can't get enough of it. During high school, it was the place we all went to eat dinner for our birthdays, and in college it was where we would all get together for Christmas after being away from each other for so long. When we all started getting engaged and married, it was the restaurant we all went to for dinner as part of our Bachelorette Parties. I can't go to that place without thinking about my best friends and all those memories. What's even better is that now that restaurant holds a special place for me and Josh. There isn't one in Laurel or Hattiesburg, so our closest P.F. Chang's is in Jackson, MS or in Birmingham. Every time we go to Jackson to Babies R Us, we go to P.F. Chang's to eat. (Side Note: My fortune cookie during our first trip to Jackson had "boy" as the Chinese word on the back...that was before we found out we were having a boy. Needless to say, I kept the fortune.) We even found a way to eat at P.F. Chang's while we were on our honeymoon! And now, that place filled with delicious food and so many memories is the location for Patton's baby shower!

We had such a wonderful time! I was surrounded by friends from all stages of my life. Caroline, Beth, and Lauren were there...my best buds through high school and after. Monica and Maggie were there...we were really close friends in elementary school. Stephanie was there...one of those dear Maryville College girls. Whitney and Erin were there...who are practically like younger sisters to me. Chancey was there...who is a new friend and is so sweet! Oh, and Baby Jasper was there too! His first trip to P.F. Chang's! We ate, laughed, ate some more, and then we all went back to Caroline's house to open gifts and visit for a while. We sat around the living room telling stories from the past, laughing at ourselves, and looking through old yearbooks. I can't remember the last time I laughed and smiled so hard in a while. It was the best day...it was a "girls" day, and I needed one oh-so-badly! It was the perfect baby shower, and I am so thankful to all those girls that came and made it such a wonderful time! I love you all!

February 19th!!!

Well, we had our 32 week doctor's appointment yesterday. It took forever! We have never waited in the exam room that long. Josh actually dozed off, while I sat there and nervously tapped my feet for at least 20 minutes. We got to schedule our c-section for February 19th, and we are just so excited! Just a little over 6 weeks, and we will have our son in our arms. We can't wait!

Christmas Recap and 2010!

Wow! I am officially horrible at updating this blog! I haven't written since December 19th, which was forever ago. Since then, Christmas has come and gone, the New Year has begun, and we are getting closer to the day our son will join us.

Here's a little recap:

In December, before Christmas, I was busy with work. We had the Children's Christmas Program, which was precious, comical, and dramatic as usual. At one point our back-up Baby Jesus (a baby doll) was being pulled across the stage sitting backwards on one of the sheep, which was made out of a roller skate. That image will never leave my mind. I hosted the Evening Circle Bible study, and we had a wonderful time despite the yucky weather. Josh and I had the church kids over to make ornaments, decorate cookies, and watch "Rudolph." The amount of icing and sprinkles these kids were able to digest still grosses me out.

For Christmas, Josh and I had Christmas morning to ourselves, and it was a wonderful time. We unwrapped gifts, made breakfast together, and cuddled on the couch enjoying each other's company. Once the afternoon hit, it was time to get going. We traveled to visit Josh's family in Butler that evening. We had a great time with them...lots of laughs, great food, fun moments. We spent the night with Josh's parents and then got up Saturday morning and traveled to see my mom and stepdad. We also stopped by and visited with Caroline and baby Jasper! Josh finally got to hold his godson, and he was on cloud nine after that! Sunday we went to church and spent the afternoon with my dad and stepmom. Somehow we fit all the gifts in the car, as well as our things and Charlie (along with her kennel). Charlie had an interesting time for sure. She got to unwrap a gift from us on Christmas morning, she completely destroyed a stuffed animal that Josh's parents gave to her (in less than 15 minutes mind you), made us believe that she had eaten 3 York peppermint patties, and acted funny throughout our travels making us believe that she was sick.

Since Christmas, Josh and I have been marking things off our list of things to do before Patton arrives. We put together our changing table, bought some baby things, ordered curtains for the nursery, and have done numerous projects around the house. Our next order of business is setting the date for our c-section! We get to schedule it tomorrow afternoon at our doctor's appointment, and we are both so excited!

To end, here's the latest baby bump picture that was taken this weekend. I am now 32 weeks pregnant, so not too long to go!