Cotton Bowl....Here we come!!

Well, it's official. The hogs are headed to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. They will be facing off against Missouri on January 1, 2008. Your daddy will be off work that day, so I guess we'll all be in front of the television rooting on the hogs....without Houston Nutt on the field. Guess we'll all see how it goes. OOOOOOOOO PIG SOIEE!!

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My First Christmas Parade

The Searcy Christmas Parade was Saturday night. Emma is really into lights and parades, so we decided to bundle up and go. Although it was short, both Emma and Mac enjoyed it. (Mac slept through most of it!!) Mac was very festive in his "Santa's Lil Helper" Outfit. Luckily Grammy bought it in 12 months (before he was born!!), so we were able to layer clothes under it so he would stay warm.

Christmas Pictures

I decided that I was going to take pictures of Emma and Mac to include in our Christmas cards this year. I had them dressed Saturday morning to take pics with Santa at USA Drug, so I decided to put them in front of the Christmas tree. Needless to say, it was crazy trying to get them to both look at me and smile at the same time, but a few of the pictures turned out cute.

Our trip to Mountain View

Our family took a trip to Mountain View the weekend after Thanksgiving. It was actually Mommy's birthday present from Daddy since she has been pretty stressed lately. We left on Friday morning. It was a very relaxing weekend. We rented a cabin with a big jaquzzi tub that I actually got in to take a bath. We got out to eat our meals and maybe hit a few shops, but other than that, we stayed in and watched a lot of football....We didn't miss those Hogs beat LSU...GO HOGS!!! I also sat in the high chair for the first time. I am still working on sitting up, but I enjoyed actually being a big boy for a change. Momma even let Emma get her camera and take a picture of me with Mommy and Daddy. We headed home Sunday morning (that was Mommy's birthday!!). I think everyone had a great time and really enjoyed themselves.

Decorating for Christmas

As I was getting out decorations for Christmas, I noticed Mac was really enjoying this snow globe with Santa and Rudolph in it. When you turn it on, it lights up, plays music, and spits snow out of a tube onto Santa and Rudolph. He plays with it daily. Yesterday, I took him and Emma to USA Drug and they had their pictures made with Santa Clause. He loved Santa's beard.

Mac is growing like a little weed. When he was weighed last week to get his Synagis shot (for RSV...it's given monthly until March), he weighed 18 pounds exactly. He is still wearing 6-9 month clothes. He is trying to crawl. He'll get up on all fours and get each leg to move, then he falls face first into the carpet. He is rolling everywhere to get to what he wants. He has 1 tooth and is working another one. He can sit up for a minute or so if you sit him up, but then he looses his balance.

9 month check-up

Well, we visited Dr. Luy today for our 9 month check-up. Mac weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 26 inches long. That's about average for a 6 month old. He doesn't even register for a 9 month old on the growth scale. Dr. Luy was very proud of the way he has progressed. He does have the beginnings of bronchitis, so she has put him on updraft (breathing) treatments every 4 hours, along with 2 other medications. Needless to say, we just added this to our long list. She is trying to keep it from turning into anything worse (such as RSV). At least we have a little boy who is constantly growing!!!

9 months old

Tomorrow you will be 9 months old. I can't beleive it. You are rolling completely over. We are starting cereal at night, adding it to our morning feeding already. You are very vocal, and you are always a happy baby. You enjoy playing hide and seek, and you love your big sister. I just know that when I turn around, you'll be crawling.

Happy Halloween

Your first Halloween was very busy. Mommy and Emma picked you up from school, and we went home and changed you two into your outfits. You just wore some pjs that said "Baby's First Halloween." I knew a costume wouldn't be very comfortable. Emma was a tap dancer. We visited Grandma's, Memaw and Pepaw's, and Auntie Carolyn's houses before we went to church. Once at church, you stayed with Mrs. Debbie in the nursery while Emma and I attended the party at church. After we left church, we went to Amy and Doug's house, then finally to Grammy and Gramps's house. We were all exhausted after we got home, but it was fun while it lasted.

Uncle Ra-Ra

Mac finally met his Uncle Ra-Ra yesterday. Randy is home from Iraq on his R&R for about 2 weeks. With Mac being 11 weeks early, Randy never met him before being deployed. Ironically, Randy left for Iraq on the same day that Mac came home from the hospital, March 9. He seemed totally captivated by his Uncle Ra-Ra, and I think they will be big buds.

Rubber Duckie...

Rubber duckie, you're the one. You make bath time lots of fun....Rubber duckie, I'm awfully fond of you....dup, dup, pee dup...As you can see, Mac has really taken to bath time, especially when he can play with his rubber duckies...He has 4. For a shower gift, he was given a "Mommy Duckie" with four "baby duckies." He absolutely loves trying to catch them in the tub and then putting them in his mouth. Of course, we can't leave him on his belly long because his neck still isn't strong enough to hold up his head long, but he likes it like this anyway.

8 months old

WOW!! How time flies! I can't believe that Mac is already 8 months old. It's amazing. He is getting to the point where he is getting a little balance. He still isn't sitting on his own, but if you sit him up, he can stay there a second or two before falling over. He is also beginning to like tummy time. I drug this mat out today, and he loved it. He is trying to roll from his back to his belly. We still aren't doing baby food, and he is still only eating cereal once a day. He does sleep all night (usually at least 9 hours), and that to me is amazing since Emma just started sleeping all night. We are still taking 4 medicines (iron, multivitamin, zyrtec, singular) on a daily basis. We need to go back to the doctor this week because Mac throws up his first morning feeding neearly daily.

Over all, Mac is a very happy baby. He is content to play by himself, or to have Emma playing all over him. He smiles and laughs constantly. We are so lucky to have this wonderful child in our lives!!

Sick...again!

Ok, so Mac is sick yet again. I had him at the doctor about a week and half ago. They said he had allergies and an ear infection and gave him some ammoxicillian, eye drops, and cough/decongestant medicine. It had cleared up by the middle of last week. Low and behold, we wake up Saturday morning, and it's all back...again. Randall took him to the doctor again today. The ear infection is gone, but the allergies are back in full force. Dr. Luy put him on Zyrtec and Singulair. Poor baby! On the up side, he did weigh 16 pounds and 2 ounces, and he was 26 1/2 inches long!!

Go Hogs, Beat Kentucky

Right now it is 21-20, Kentucky, but I am holding out for a Hog victory. As Mommy types this blog entry, I am in my jumper in front of the television watching the game...I hope the score again soon.

My big sister, the soccer player

I missed Emma's second week of soccer because I was sick. My allergies started acting up, and that caused me to get an ear infection. I really like watching her run up and down the soccer field...SPORTS ARE AWESOME!!!

My First Searcy Lions Football Game

Ok, so Momma is way behind, but since school started, she has been very busy. Between her Bible Study, church, and Emma's dance/gymnastics class and soccer games, we are constantly on the go. I did get to attend my first Searcy Lions football game. I really liked it at the beginning. We sat close to the band, and it didn't even bother me. Mrs. Beth got to hold me, then she took me walking around. When we got back, Daddy gave me a bottle and I was out. Of course, they lost. (It's been how long since they've won a game?) We left after the 3rd quarter, but I think I am going to like football.

Bumbo Fun

Ok, so I said I wasn't going to buy one, but I broke down today and purchased this at ToysRUs. I am hoping it will help Mac out with his balance so maybe he can start at least trying to sit up for a few seconds. As of right now, if we let go of him, he falls. He seems to like it, at least for a few minutes. I am sure he will grow to love it after he gets us to it. I love the support it gives him. He is still learning how to hold his head up...that is coming along. He does still get tired while holding it up. We had him evaluated this week to see if he qualifies for some physical or occupational therapy due to his developmental delays. We should find out sometime this week how all the testing turned out. Pray for us that we can get some of these services.

First Day of School

This is Emma giving Mac lovings before the first day of school. Emma started to Mrs. Curtis's on Monday, and Mac started to First Step. This is due to the fact that Mac's babysitter unexpectedly quit on us, and didn't even bother to call and tell us. On the days that Randall works, Emma and I take Mac to Grammy's house. She feeds him breakfast and gets him ready, then takes him to daycare. They don't open the nursery until 7:45, so Grammy is a real lifesaver. I then take Emma to Mrs. Curtis's so I can go take care of the "big kids."

Am I cute or what??!!

I couldn't resist...The outfit and hat were so cute, I just had to have Kodak moment. This is what Mac wore to church last week. Of course, we took the hat off once we got there, but he didn't seem to mind it at all. He never once tried to get it off himself.

Road Trip

Last Saturday, we decided to take a little road trip to end the summer. We first went up through Batesville and made a stop at Mark Martin Ford. We went through the museum and Mac had his picture made beside a couple of the NASCAR racers that Mark has driven. We then made our way up to Mt. View. We went around the square, then Mac got to put his feet in the creek for the first time. We enjoyed dinner, then went back to the square for some music. Both of the kids seem to really enjoy themselves. Randall and I did, too.

6th month check up

Randall took Mac to see Dr. Luy today for his 6 month check-up and shots. She said he is doing great, exactly what a 4 months old (his corrected age) should be doing. He weighed 14 pounds, 12 ounces, and is 25 1/2 inches long. She did take him off his Reglan (for acid reflux). We had to take him to the hospital to get some blood drawn to see if we can take him off the iron. I am glad that Emma had to suddenly go to the bathroom when we got there so I wasn't in the room while they drew blood. They had to stick Mac twice, and they blew the vein in his arm. My poor baby!! Dr. Luy did give Randall a little exercise for us to do a couple of times daily so he can learn to balance. We are in the process of getting him evaluated to see if he will qualify for some other services such as physical and occupational therapy. Hopefully that will work out!!

Playdate

We had another playdate yesterday. This time it was at our house. While the older kids were enjoying running around and playing with all the toys, Mac and Anna Grace (almost 2 months old) enjoyed laying in the floor and lapping up the attention of all the mommies. They seemed to really like each other. At one point in time, they were holding hands. Aren't they cute together?

Green Beans....I love 'em!!!

On Wednesday, Mommy gave me green beans for the first time....This is the first taste of food I've gotten, and I absolutely love them!! I prefer them to the rice cereal she gives me!! I can't wait to try more of this stuff called baby food!!