Fun to compare...

A lot of people say Allen looks so much like Drew. I don't really see it. Here are photos of each at 6 months for you to compare!


However, we do have some baby pictures of Uncle Mike where Allen looks very much like him! Unfortunately, without the skin color...

This...is NOT fun...

Anyone who has ever had a 6-month old with a stomach bug...I now feel your pain! Allen has been sick since Wednesday night and last night was the worst yet. And yes, Patrick is out of town. Thank GOD for Nana! I'm not sure what I would have done without her. I have such an appreciation for single mothers (and fathers) out there. I don't know how they do it day in and day out without extra hands. I am not cut out for this!

Welcome Elizabeth!

Elizabeth Maggie was born at 3:00 am this morning. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20.5 inches. Mom and baby are doing fine and Maggie was able to deliver naturally which was her desire. They are resting and should be home in the next day or so.

Welcome to the world Elizabeth! You are going to have to learn to defend yourself against your boy cousins, not that I have any doubts with your mommy's teaching! Congratulations to Auntie Maggie and Uncle Jim! Welcome to parenting...it's an adventure!
We love you already! Uncle Patrick, Aunt Amanda, Drew and Allen

6-Month Check Up

Today was Allen's check up. He did very well and showed off all his skills for the doctor. He is still having some issues with the crud (as our doctor and I now agree is the only term for it) so we are starting some new medications to try and clear things up. He did get shots and cried more out of frustration from being held down - he stopped quickly as soon as I was able to hold him again.

Here are his stats:
Weight 19 lbs 2 oz (75%)
Height 27 1/2 inches (75%)
Head 45 1/2 cm (90%)

To compare, here are Drew's from 6 months:
20 lbs
26 1/2 inches
45 1/4 cm

Happy Masters' Sunday!

Since Patrick and I had the awesome opportunity to attend a practice round at the 2005 Masters, the tournament has been even more exciting to us. I was pregnant (just barely!) with Drew at the time so we purchased a bib and shirt for the little peanut. Drew wore the shirt in honor of the 2006 tournament and Allen was able to wear it today. They both looked adorable in it! (And though I have searched through every folder on my computer, I cannot find the photo of Drew in it - I'm hoping it's on my parents' computer...if I find it I'll post it!)

Nana's Family Party

Friday night was Nana's family birthday party. We grilled steaks (despite the tornado warnings) and had a nice dinner at her new dining room table. The kids had a good time and enjoyed the cake and balloons! (There are certain things required at a grown-up birthday party when there are kids involved!)
The night was not without incident, as Drew broke his first item at someone else's house. It was just a hurricane globe for a candle, and he replaced it today with his Daddy. I'm sure it won't be his last accident of that nature, given his new attitude on life!

Why you don't buy new things when you have children...

Today, Drew poured most of a Diet Coke in my new car. Yes, picked up a can and promptly poured it into the rear cup holders, on the floor and on the seats.
We were leaving his appointment at the allergist and he was playing his "I'll get in my seat all by myself - after I run around the car for a while" game. When I reached in from the side door to grab him, he said he would do it himself. So, I stepped back. I then watched in horror as he dove over the middle console, grabbed my 3/4 full can of Diet Coke, and started to pour it in the cup holders on the back of the console. When I reached in to stop him, he jerked away from me and poured more on the seats and floor. I cried, got as much up as I could with what I had available in the car, and drove home. Luckily, Nana and Grandaddy were at our house with Allen while he napped. I put Drew in his room (he cried...a lot...) and started cleaning. My dad pulled the middle console out and Diet Coke kept pouring out of various openings. The cup holders on the top have small openings so it all flowed to the "extra" holders at the bottom (it is a minivan...there are thousands of cup holders!). We cleaned and took it apart as best we could, but I think there will be Diet Coke in that console for a long time! I think I got most of it out of the carpet, and it wiped off the seats just fine (another reason to have leather with children!).
Drew and I talked about how he hurt Mommy's new car and how that made her very sad. He apologized and told me he still loved the new car. I told him I still loved him...but that he had lost his car privileges for a while. I will be putting him into his seat myself for a few weeks!!
All I wanted was to make it to permanent tags before something happened to my new car!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Today was Nana's 60th Birthday! We celebrated today with a surprise luncheon at a lovely tea room. Tomorrow evening we will celebrate as a family and properly have cake!
Happy Birthday Nana - congratulations on reaching this milestone in your life! We wish you many more happy, healthy years!
We love you!

6 Months!

Sure Mommy...I'll pose for you...again...

If I sit here long enough, I'm going to need something to chew on! This lense cap looks perfect!

Yesterday was Allen's 6-month birthday! We celebrated by dropping Drew at preschool and heading to the doctor. Allen has still not completely recovered from his bout with RSV and is still coughing, sneezing, pulling at his ears, and not sleeping well. He does have another ear infection so we started antibiotics again. Fun stuff! The rest of the day was relatively uneventful and then last evening Allen attended his first Junior League meeting with me! He was wonderful and everyone was so sweet to him.
Here are some new milestones he has reached in the past month...
He found his feet! I think it was March 20. Since then he has started attempting to put them in his mouth which is comical with the number of fat rolls in the way. But he does occasionally succeed and I even caught him sucking his big toe last night! Hilarious!
Finally...he has started reaching for you to pick him up. You have to initiate it, but if he sees your arms out, he reaches up and just grins! I think he knows how happy it makes Mommy! Of course, the first person he reached for was Nana...he knows who spoils him!
New foods...March 20 was his first vegetable...peas! He loves them, which is great. We have also started pears and green beans. So far, there is not a food he won't eat! He is still eating cereal twice a day and has 3-4 bottles a day. I can't remember when to wean him down on the bottles...I figure he'll let me know!
New toy...Daddy put up his jumper seat in the door frame between the kitchen and dining room and he loves to jump while we cook dinner. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and just laughs! I'll try to get pictures of it when I remember.
Sweetest thing he does...any time Nana picks him up, he takes her face between his two hands and just kisses all over her. It is priceless (and a bit messy) and she loves it!
Still no teeth, though I hope they are not far away. He is drooling constantly and puts everything in his mouth. I keep thinking one is coming through and then it fades...who knows how much longer it will take!

Confessions by Mommy...

The bunny, the bunny...oh, I ate the bunny...
(Any of you familiar with VeggieTales are now singing, aren't you?)

I ate Drew's chocolate bunny. Not all at once, but gone nonetheless. It started innocently enough...he didn't need the whole thing and it was, after all, a solid milk chocolate Cadbury bunny. I couldn't let it go to waste! So I ate the ears off...he would never know! Then, the next day came the head...and so on...until all that was left was the cute little feet and tail. And I had a bad day last week so there it went. I ate the whole thing and he never had a bite. I didn't even let him have one bite! Granted...he doesn't really know it existed (it was wrapped all pretty in the basket and didn't rattle like the eggs that he promptly opened and ate the jelly beans inside!) so he doesn't know I ate it. But I feel guilty and might have to go buy him something to replace it. Only, I may eat that too so that might not be the best idea!!

To top it off, while driving the poor child to preschool last Thursday, I realized I had forgotten to feed him breakfast. He had him milk in the car with him, but no food. The little skinny thing doesn't need to miss any meals! So I detoured through Chik-fil-a and got him a box of minis...we'll just pretend there is any nutritional value to those!

I might win worst mom of the year award with those two!