Back to School

It is that time of year! The summer has come to an end (for teachers and students) and we are back to the groove of things, I guess. This past week  I started back to work. Instead of being at Putnam teaching first; I was offered a position at a local school East Newton teaching Special Ed. The school is only five minutes from Tanner, so of course I accepted! So far I have enjoyed the school and the people there; they are wonderful! Everything is going good....EXCEPT.....have to leave my child! This, I do not like...at all.
         I know I was very fortunate to have had the chance to stay home with him his first four months of life, I still don't like the fact of not spending all day with him. I realize he is in a wonderful place and could not be taken care of by anyone better than my mother in law. It is still not the same though. I am still adjusting to the change in schedule( I do not do so well with change.) Getting home earlier in the day is so wonderful and I am blessed to be able to have a job that I can do so, but leaving him smiling in his bed is horrible! I see that perfect little smile all the way to school and throughout the day. Looking back I can remember saying I could NEVER be a stay at home mom. If this child has proven anything since he has been born, he has proved that parents definitely eat their words! I would not mind staying home with Tanner every day if I could!
           I kept telling myself all week, that this wasn't so bad. Leaving Tanner wasn't going to make me too miserable. Well, I lied to myself! Friday it finally hit me. I don't know if it is the change in my job mixed with missing him during the day, but I honestly have to say that I struggled to keep a happy face! I am still adjusting to EVERYTHING! It is going to be harder than I thought!  I can't wait to go and pick him up and see his sweet smile and feel his love! Being away makes me appreciate being his mom so much more!

Tanner's Update

Well we went to Emory yesterday (July 15). Before I continue, I would like to say that we LOVED Emory. They are wonderful. The times we have been, we have been in and out in under an hour! The doctor (Dr. Bulut) remembered Tanner and it was only our second visit. The nurse was wonderful. We even arrived late and they took us straight back! Randall even said that if they were a Pediatrician, we would be switching even though they are 40 mins away.
    Tanner gained 2 whopping pounds and grew and inch since the last time we went. I knew he went through a growth spurt, but I dint realize that much! Although he is still spitting up, he is finally gaining weight! YAY! He is now in the 25% for weight and 75% for his height.  before he was in 10% for weight.So he is obviously going to be tall and lanky like his dad was! He has to continue to take the prevacid until he is a year old and his sphincter muscle matures. We do not have to go back unless another problem arises, which we have faith it won't!! Tanner is such a flirt. He had the nurses stopping to talk to him and see his smile. While seeing the doctor he laughed and played the entire time! He definitely likes to entertain like his father!
   I would like to end this post saying that we do give God all the praise for this! Only by His grace were we able to endure the many hours of worry and doctor's visits. He is the Almighty Healer like no other. When doctors are not optimistic...we know that God can intervene and change ALL things!!
      

Put a Smile on Your Face!

So as you all know, Tanner was not the happiest or most satisfied baby during his first month due to his reflux. Now that he is on his medicine, he is doing so much better! I look forward to getting him up in the morning because he always greets me with the biggest smile! I keep saying I am going to record him to show how he is the most silly and happy baby in the morning.  He just gives me a big wide grin that says "you know you love me!" Part of our routine is getting him up, feeding him, and then letting him lay with us for a few minutes until we get going. He loves this because he has mommy and daddy's undivided attention! I don't know what it is, but the child loves morning time.  I am not sure WHERE he got that from, because if you know me, you know I am NOT a morning person. He laughs, giggles, and plays all morning. He also already likes to watch his morning cartoons (I know, bad us!) It is something about his chipper mood that makes me feel like all is right in the world. I can be so tired, but as soon as he smiles it makes everything okay. Randall joked with me when we first came home from the hospital and I was still on pain medicine because of the incision. He could not understand how before I was pregnant Tylenol would knock me out for hours, but now could take two pain pills and jump up in a second and be so happy! I guess it is the mystery of motherhood. I am definitely NOT looking forward to going back to work and missing those silly playful mornings with my sweet baby! I am so jealous that Randall will still get to have those. At least I will have the weekend!

Something to look forward to!

Okay, so Tanner has been very "active" lately while sitting in his bouncy chair.  He often gets mad because he wants to sit up and constantly moves around. We thought that we would finally put together his walker/jumper for him to sit in.  We figured this would help him build his neck muscle as well! Two things came out of this situation, one great and one bad!
First:  I wanted to jump the gun and put the walker together myself instead of waiting on my husband! When putting things together my husband and I are ENTIRELY different. He likes to read directions and I don't. So of course I put two pieces in opposite and they got stuck. Well, my husband wanting to teach me a lesson said that I had to get the pieces out. So I pull and pull and pull trying to get them. I make one last pull and the piece comes flying out and hits me in the face while I fall to the floor! Needless to say, mommy is leaving putting ALL toys together to DAD!!

Second:  When putting the walker together I  got so very excited! It took all I had to not go wake Tanner up so he could try his toy that Papa and Gigi had gotten him. I wanted to see the excitement in his face when he could try out his new toy. I almost want to go to bed now so that it will hurry and be morning time and Tanner will be awake to play. This made me think about Christmas and how fun it is going to be! I know Tanner will only be 8 months, but it still is going to be so much fun for him to try new toys and presents! I am sure that I will be the one that is more excited. It is going to be so much fun and I can NOT wait. Although Randall and I did discuss being the parents who doesn't have batteries! lol One thing though....mommy will WRAP the presents, dad will put them together!

It Takes Two!

This has been a BUSY week! We have went to Fern Bank, the Mall of Georgia, and Walmart. In all I think Walmart was the worst! I can not believe that it is already July and August is getting closer and I will have to go back to work. :( I am NOT looking forward to that at all. I have so been enjoying my mommy/Tanner time. Through this week, I have earned a new found respect for single moms. I don't know how they do it.
              Seeing that my husband works odd hours and sometimes has to pull 10 hour shifts, I get a taste of what it is like for single moms. Those days are so hard. It makes me really look forward to the days that Randall is either off or gets home earlier and we can spend "family time." Tanner ADORES his dad, and loves spending time with him. So not only is Tanner in a better mood, so is mommy!
              I honestly don't know what I would do with out my wonderful husband! Even though he is working right now, and I am not (Summer break) he still helps clean bottles, change diapers, or even folds some clothes! We definitely double team it a lot! I may give Tanner a bath while he gets is PJ's ready or Randall may play with Tanner while  I fix a bottle. Having two people there makes it so much easier. I know the days where its basically just Tanner and I, it is more stressful and tiring for me. Raising a child absolutely takes two! They say "it takes two to tango" well it takes two to raise kids, a MUCH harder task! ;)
            This week going to Fern Bank and the mall with friends or family while Randall was at work showed me the it is rough being a single mom without that help mate. I am so thankful that I have someone that is as devoted to my son as much as I am. My mom was  a single mom (because of divorce) for a few years with 2 kids!!  I don't know how she did it. She has my upper most respect, along with all other single moms out there. You most certainly deserve a reward for raising a child by yourself!


** NOTE- I did not mean to offend anyone in this post. Anything I said was out of respect or admiration!

A Blast From the Past.....

Today we were brave and went to Fernbank Muesuem. My sister, brother, and I had a 3 mo, 18 mo, and 6 year old!! Ofcourse my nephew Brian (6) loved it! Tanner was able to enjoy some of the brighly colored exhibits.  I was very surprised by how well he did, and actually seemed attentive. Going to the muesuem reminded me of when I went when I was little. I couldn't help but look forward to when he is a little older and doing some of the same things I did when I was little! Often these days, kids just watch TV or play video games. I want my son to be like me when I was little! Go outside and play all day, not coming home until the sun goes down! Watch "old" Disney movies and sing along with them. Visiting many different historical and neat places that my parents forced me to go to (Grand Canyon, St. Augustine, Biltmore Estate.) I can't wait to re-live some of my childhood memories with Tanner. I guess it is true what they say, having a child allows you to be a child all over again! Some days I think about what college he should go to, or what sport he should play; mostly I just think about the all the memories we will get to make, just like my parents did!

Sleepless Night(s ???)

While being pregnant, I never got any sleep during the night. I would either wake up dying of thirst, having to go to the bathroom, or sick. I was lucky if I got 2 consecutive hours of sleep. During the early months I just camped out on the bathroom floor, because it was pointless to even go back to bed! Let me take a step back..... I LOVE to sleep!! I could nap anywhere and almost anytime of the day. I was never one of those people that had trouble going to sleep...AT ALL. It was like a special skill or something; when my head hit the people, my eyes were shut! So when I became pregnant and did not sleep at all, it was a nightmare. Some days I was a complete zombie. Then I would always hear, "You better get your sleep now because when that baby comes, you won't sleep at all." I was so very excited to hear that over and over...NOT! I was definitely not getting sleep when I was pregnant so I was kind of discouraged. I guess I thought I could store up rest, if that's possible. Nope, not me. So when Tanner came and he slept wonderfully, I was very thrilled. Then he slept through at only 2 weeks old! I was a very happy mommy. I even told one person that I get more sleep now that he is born! The entire 9 months that I was pregnant, I prayed for a good sleeper and boy did God answer my prayer. He even takes a good 3 hour nap (most days.)
I say all of that to say this...last night was HORRIBLE!! Tanner had been sleeping in his bassinet. Well we thought it was time to transition him to his crib for the whole night. He already sleeps there for his naps. When we bought our house, my husband had the BRIGHT idea to want a house with the master room away from the bedrooms, so Tanner's room is all the way across the house. So when I went to go to bed last night, with the monitor on full blast and vibrate, I did not sleep at all. Every time I would try to close my eyes, I would hear a noise or hear him move. Then my mind wondered if he was okay, did he spit up, was someone breaking in his window to steal him, did he turn over (yeah right!) and is suffocating, and all the other things moms worry about. I finally went to sleep when it was daylight and he was ready to eat again and I just put him in his bassinet. Tanner did wonderfully, slept all the way through and no screaming or crying. Instead it was ME that was doing the crying! I know all of you veteran mothers are probably laughing at me. I always said my child will never sleep with me, well now I see why parents do that! We are going to keep trying and hopefully I will get adjusted. I never thought I would be the one that would have to transition, instead of Tanner! Tanner -1, Mommy- 0

Battle of the Spitup..are we winning or losing???

Those that know us well, know we fight a daily battle with Tanner. It is a battle of spit up! I some may wonder what in the heck I am talking about; how can spit up cause frustration? Well, my friends, when your 2.5 month old baby CONSTANTLY spits up ALL DAY, it becomes a battle! It is a battle  of laundry, fussiness, and medicine! Sometimes I feel like all I do is monitor his reflux and wipe his little body that is covered in spit up!
Who knew that something so small can create sooooooo much laundry!! Tanner goes through at least 2 loads of laundry a week, sometimes more! There are some days that we have to change the poor child about 5 times. Randall and I have learned that we cant change him with just a little wetness, no we wait until he drenches himself (which is often). It doesnt matter where he is! We have to constantly wash sheets, blankets, chair covers, and burp clothes. We freak out if we get low on burp clothes! It is such a struggle when you are the only one home...you cant just lay him down. No, you have to make sure you get a blanket or a towel, lay that down doubled over (so spit up doesnt go THROUGH the blanket) and then lay him down. He is no longer allowed to lay on the couch or our comforter with out something underneath him!! So as far as our battle with laundry..it is never ending! So I would say we are losing that one.

As you can see below, we had to strip our sheets and his car seat!

I can say that as far as his fussiness, we are finally getting ahead. Used to we would have days where mommy couldnt put Tanner down because he was so very irritable and in pain. He would scream (no, not cry) for hours. It took God and God alone to help me keep my sanity.  As a new mom, I of course wondered what I was doing wrong!!! Being the person I am, I didnt want to ask for help and admit that I struggled. Poor Randall would work all day and as soon as he got home, he would have to hold little Tanner just to give me a break! Now, I can look back and see that my poor angel was hurting!! That is one thing that I would recommend to parents, dont be scared to take your child to the doctor. If your instinct is telling you something is wrong, something is probably wrong! Now we mostly have good days! He smiles, plays, and is fun to be around! He still has his moments, but he is just a baby! I am not ashamed to say, that I am finally enjoying spending time with my child.  I know that may seem awful to some, but when your child screams and there is nothing you can do...it does not make for an enjoyable day!

    We have taken Tanner to the pediatrician and a GI doctor at Emory. After switching his medicine and trying several different formulas (including the most expensive one!) they have concluded that he has BAD reflux that he will have to grow out of. The medicine he takes will only help the acid not the spit up. We are trying different strategies to help, but it still is a daily battle for us. Some days are worse than others. Its funny, people think we are exaggerating, until the spend 30 minutes with Tanner and then they realize what we were talking about! One thing that does bother me is that he is not gaining weight consistently, he is less than 25 percentile for weight. We do have to go back to Emory in July to follow up on his weight.

I know that he is in God's hand and He is watching over my child. Ultimately, Tanner will be ok and is healthy! I just pray that God continues to give us the strength and patience to fight this "Battle of the Spitup" so that one day soon, we will WIN!

Its true...it IS the small things that count!

Now, I have always been one to love and look forward to ALL big events and exciting happenings! I would get butterflies just waiting for that one big special moment (i.e birthday parties, vacation, and shopping sprees). The only thing is that those BIG events eventually end and they are over. Being a mommy has taught me that it is truly the small things that count. Everyday I look forward to what new "little" thing my son is going to do. Today, Mr. Tanner has taught himself to roll his tongue and make this gurgle like sound. I know to some it may not seem a big deal, but to me it is hilarious!! While he does this he seems to amuse himself, so he cracks himself up! He also cracks mommy and daddy up (and he knows it!) I promise you Randall and I sat there and watched/listened to him for 30 minutes straight as he "gurgled" and talked. It seemed as if the whole world stopped and all that mattered at that moment was watching my baby amuse himself with this new found skill of his. Spending this precious time with him is a memory I will never forget. Just like I will never forget the night that he first giggled and played with his dad! Going shopping and getting an outfit (which is a BIG thing for mommy at this point) may satisfy me for a moment or week; but watching my child teach himself new tricks will amuse me forever. This one small moment of the day means and excites me more than any trip to Florida ever could! So it truly is the small things that count!

A New Beginning

Okay, so I realize that the name of my blog is a corny reference to a Disney movie; but I just love that movie! I have started blogging to help track the milestones and special moments of my little one. Two and half months ago I became a new mom to the most wonderful, handsome, and special baby! I realize I am probably bias. It has definitely taking some getting used to over the last two months. I am still learning everyday the needs and wants of my child. One thing I have struggled with since his birth is (not the lack of sleep, personal time, or being in shape), but his constant spitting up. It is an every day battle, but that is a whole other post for another day! Something I know for sure is that I can not wait to experience all the special moments and memories with my sweet baby boy! Welcoming Tanner to this world has completely changed my entire life for the better. For some reason my marriage is more fun and stronger! I guess we depend on each other to face each struggle of a newborn and keep each other sane! The is the best New Beginning!!!