A year ago!

I can't believe it was a year ago that a "typical" doctors visit led to a hospital stay, which led to the birth of our sweet little girl!  The whirlwind of those days, especially the day of the 25th, feels like just the other day, but to see her now, you would think it was years ago!  I never knew how much you could love something/someone until she was born!  As I look back, I am thankful that I was on so much medication after the C-section because it helped me to not realize I wasn't seeing my brand new baby girl!  I wasn't able to see her until 20 hours after delivery!  The thought of that now is devastating but the Lord knows how to comfort me when needed.  Over the past year, I have thought many different times how wonderful "this" age is and each stage just seems to be getting sweeter and sweeter!  I remember how much I just loved holding her in my arms as she slept all swaddled up in her blankets and then when she first started to smile and coo at me. And now as she babbles to me and calls out "maama", it amazes me daily the love that fills my heart!  I often think how selfish I am because I want her all to myself all the time and can't even start to understand the selflessness of God!  How He knew what suffering His son would undergo and still allowed all that to take place for me?!!  I'm know I wouldn't be able to do that!  I am just so thankful for this past year and all the amazing blessings the Lord has bestowed on us!  Our sweet little 3 pound girl has grown and changed into this cute, lovable, personality-filled 17 pound one year old!  Thank you Lord for what you have given to us and how you show us daily the blessings you pour out to us!  So  all that to say little Reese is now a year old - 17 pounds, almost walking and talking up a storm!  

My trick monkey!

I'm not sure if other people feel the same way, but at times I feel like Reese is a trick monkey! I find myself constantly saying, "Reese say Mama, dada, bye=bye" or "Reese, wave bye, give me a kiss" and I expect her to perform! YEAH right! I know she can but I think she likes to make me look like the fool! I'm sure she thinks, "I bet I can get her to say that at least 50 times!!!" Much like the movie...Look who's talking~! How do I know she does this? OH, because as she is crawling toward the entertainment center she stops...looks back....smiles .....and then keeps going! I think I'm in control but she really knows who is in control! I wonder if it gets any different with kid number 3, 4, 5??!! I'll just try to remember that I don't have a trick monkey in the meantime!

Since the last time.....

The end of September.....Nana and Happy came, a new addition to the (extended) family, and my second little bit of RSV. I also learned how to crawl much better than the army crawl I was doing in August! Here are a few pictures from the end of September!

"Something Bit Me"

Reese now has two teeth! I notice the teeth had be coming in but didn't realize how sharp they were until she bit me! That was a pleasant experience:) The bottom two teeth have broken through and are pretty powerful! Reese seems to not have any problems with teething so far and we all hope it stays that way! If I can ever capture a picture of the teeth I'll post one! Maybe for Christmas she'll want "her two front teeth" - that would be a pretty cheap Christmas!

My first try with a sippy cup!

Here is my first try with a sippy cup! I'm not sure what to do with it but I'll smile for the camera!

Still smiling for the camera but not sure what to do with the cup!

So, you hold it this way and do what with it?

Oh, I got it!

Wait, what's over there?

We are still working on using a sippy cup. I guess it will take some time!

"JUST" is the key word!

Two days after our 9 month check up we were back at the doctors office for our first real "SICK" visit. Reese came down with a cough that was rattling a little in her chest. Good thing I decided to error on the "over concerned mother" and take her to the doctor. She has a touch of RSV ( not the full RSV but just a touch - this is the infection we had to get special shots for right after she came out of the NICU). We are very glad she is just now getting it and hadn't gotten it before now! We were given a antibotic and breathing treatments. The nurse came in with the nebulizer and showed me how to put it together and use it with her. Connect this to that, plug this in here and then "JUST place this mask over her nose while the treatment is going". YEAH RIGHT.... JUST place......no way, doesn't happen.......it's like wrestling a wild hog to get her to keep the mask on for more than a few minutes. Here are a few photos we caught after a few minutes of fighting and wearing herself out! AND when she isn't fighting me and the mask then she is making noises into the mask to hear her echos! To say the least, it's been quite amusing! I'm just very thankful to the Lord for protecting her thus far from being sick!







It's now on her face and hopefully she is breathing in some of the medicated air!




Here she is making sounds into the mask!



The mask looks like a little fish and the nebulizer looks like panda! But neither one really help with the mask staying on the face!

My 9 month checkup!

Today we went to the doctor for Reese's 9 month checkup! She now weighs 15 lbs and 8 oz. She's 27 inches long and her head circumference is huge! Her percentiles are 50% for head circumference, 40% height and 5% for weight .....which means we have a tall, thin little girl with a big ole head! But I love that big ole head! It's amazing how far the Lord had brought her in just 9 months. I was looking back at pictures the other day and can't believe she was that small. I forget how tiny she was but am thankful for how well she has done since then!

Reese's Baptism

Reese was baptized on the 29th of June. Happy was able to particpate in the service which made the service that much sweeter! We had everyone over after the service for lunch! Here are a few pictures from the lunch!

Opps!

It's been a while since I last updated this blog but I am going to try to keep up better now. No excuses just laziness. Since June 4th a lot of things have taken place -(i'll just list them)
Trip to Jackson Hole
Reese's first trip to the beach
My last day of work
Molly passes away (the dog)
Dad's treatment
Reese's Baptism
I guess those are the main things. Now that I look at "the list" it's not really that many! Within the Reese world many things have taken place - rolling, eating and eating and eating, high pitch screaming, swimming, rolling but not crawling yet, friends visiting, a road trip or two! I'll try to post some pictures and fill you in on what all is going on! Hope all of you are doing well!

What a trip!

Our trip out to St. Louis was wonderful! Reese was great on the plane and through the airport! I could see the thoughts going through everyone's head and the sigh of relief when I would pass them! If they were cartoons the cloud above their head would have said "Sigh, glad they weren't the seat beside me!" Reese enjoyed her time with Nana and Happy. She had not seen them since she was 3 months old. She wasn't doing anything when she was 3 months - I mean nothing. There is such a difference between her at 3 months and now at 6 months! Her personality has really started to come out and she responds to people! She really liked all the shopping we did and the great food we ate! But her favorite time was when Nana and Happy got to play with her and keep her when we went out! Here are some pictures of the week!

St. Louis........Here we come!

We leave for St. Louis on the 22nd! This is our first traveling experience with Reese! Well, farther than the 3 hour trip to the beach. I've heard plenty of horror stories about the airport and small children - hopefully that won't be us! I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but that's been the theme since November the 25th! I'm prepared for her to yell like a wild baneshi during the entire flight and throughout the airport while people stare and make comments! If this does happen, maybe I'll just yell right along with her so people will think it is hereditary. Like mother, like daughter! I'm alright with most everything else because those things can be taken care of ie diaper change etc. But when she starts her high pitch yelling, the one where her face turns bright red and she doesn't make a sound for a good 35 seconds - yeah, that one - that's the one you can't stop! So, I guess in the next few days I'll let you know how this all works out! (You can pray for us and our first traveling experience!)

The end of my first soccer season!

This past weekend wrapped up the 2008 high school soccer season! Reese (and Gregory) have been champs through the past 5 months! The past two weeks have been very hectic for us given I traveled to Bluffton on Monday, Myrtle Beach on Wednesday and then back to Hilton Head on the following Monday. Gregory was such a help picking her up each of those days from Nanny's house and getting her fed and to bed! This really isn't anything new for him in that he usually would keep her at home with him on nights that I had games! (Even though many of the "soccer" moms would have liked for me to bring her!)
So to conclude our soccer season, Reese and I went to the state championship games on Friday and Saturday! She got to help her mom work the canteen and play with Uncle Will and many other coaches'! She did great out at the field - just hanging out in her stroller - talking to whomever would listen! One of the photographers took some pictures of her at the field! (Once I get them from him I will post them!)

Our First Play Date!!

Reese had her first play date with Ella Ballenger on the 15th. Ella is the daughter of a longtime friend Lindsay. Lindsay and I have know each other since the 2nd grade. We got together over at her mother's house in Columbia since Lindsay and Ella live in Charleston. We had a great time together! Ella was almost the same size as Reese even though she is almost 4 months younger! She is so cute and has a head full of hair. At one point Ella started yelling and then Reese decided she should chime in as well! So it was a chorus of baby crying! Reese is looking forward to many more play dates with Ella!! Thanks Ms. Roberson for the WONDERFUL salad!

Here we are at Greg's tennis match. She can sleep just about anywhere and during anything!

I tried to take a picture with her dad in the background but he was two courts away! At least we tried!

5 Months!

I'm FIVE months old! And the panada is not that comfortable!

Caroline Walker Cason!

Congrats to William and Jeri Cason who had a sweet baby girl! I think she weighed about 6 lbs 12oz! Congrats to Aunt Krisitin and Uncle Frank who are "aunt or uncle" again! It amazes me when I see a newborn who looks like a newborn! Caroline has a head full of black hair which looks just like her mothers! Reese is looking forward to her first "play date" with Caroline!

ALL DAY!

This past weekend Greg and Reese spent the entire day together! We host a soccer tournament at the high school each year - play begins Friday night and continues all day Saturday! Gregory and Reese had some amazing bonding time. They spent time talking with each other, eating, changing diapers and then they BOTH took naps! They must have been pooped after all that! Greg is an amazing dad! He always wants to do things with Reese like changin her diapers, playing with her, singing songs to her and he loves to take pictures of her! I think Nana ended up calling that day because she had received so many pictures from Greg's phone of Reese. She guessed that he was spending the day with her from the number of pictures he took and sent! He tries and tries to get a picture of her smiling or "laughing" but it seems Reese knows when she is being photographed! She's camera shy at times!

Ella Catherine Ballenger

Congrats to Lindsey and Matt Ballenger who gave birth to a precious baby girl on 04/01/08! She was 7libs 6 oz and 20 1/2 inches long! She is beautiful!

Lindsey and I have been friends since elementary school! I am so excited that our little ones will be "forced friends"!

Emma Theresa Henry is 1!

Reese's cousin, Emma, turned one on April Fool's Day! Emma and Reese both have the same middle name. They were both named after our mom! Emma LOVES Reese. When I take Reese over to Nanny's, Emma comes right on over and wants to play with Reese. Emma thinks that Reese is one of her baby dolls. She likes to "pet" her and pat her on the back! This "patting" she has learned from her great-grandmother (Nanny). Nanny loves to pat babies on the back and Emma has picked up on it. So when Emma is close to Reese she likes to "pat" the "baby" too!

My 1st Easter Basket!

Nana and Happy gave Reese her 1st Easter Basket! Reese is getting bigger daily but we still love to see what we can fit her in! When the Easter basket arrived I was so excited! It has her name on the liner and is so cute! When we got home from Easter lunch the other day Greg and I thought we should take her picture with the basket to send to Nana! We sat her beside the basket in her Easter dress. And then it hit me.....let's see if she fits in the basket! Oh yeah, she fit right in it! She'll probably be in counseling for this too when she is older but boy will they be fun photos to show later!

Easter!

We had a fantastic Easter! Dr. Ferguson preached a great Easter message! We all gathered over at Allison's (my youngest sister) house for lunch. Everything turned out to be delicious - and boy did we have a lot of left overs! Reese enjoyed being with her cousins, Emma and Dylan. The weather here was absolutely beautiful which made for a awesome Easter egg hunt! Will and Allison went on an Easter Egg hunt with Dylan, 4, in the front yard. It's always fun watching a 30 year old man "Easter egg hunting". But as always, the Easter Egg hunt turned into an Easter "who can you hit the hardest with an egg" Hunt! It's not just coincidence that we are all soccer players - something about "Eudy's" and hand - eye coordination! Here are some pictures from Easter!

9:30 to 7:45......And who doesn't call that a good nights sleep?

Reese slept through the night for the first time on March the 21st. When I started to wake up Saturday morning and realized the sun was just starting to shine, I shot out of bed looking for the clock. Much to my surprise the clock read 7:45am!!!! I never thought I would be so excited to see a clock that read 7:45 am but when you are use to seeing the clock read 2, 3, 4 am - it's awesome when your first encounter is at 7:45! I wasn't thinking very clearly when I yelled out to Greg (who was still asleep) that she was still sleeping. In hindsight, I would drift back to sleep and leave him sleeping as well! But hey, it was a big moment for us!

Me and my cousins

Nana came to visit again the week of February 25th! While Nana was in town we were able to take a picture of all the grandkids with her.

Here is Nana - holding Reese, Copeland is holding McCrary and Jay is standing.
Reese is trying to see how big she make make her cheeks look! Anyone up for a friendly game of "chubby bunny"?

Nana and Reese!

Family

Here are some pictures of Reese with the Family! This is GranNanny....(Lauren's grandmother) with Reese. (more pictures to come once I find them on the computer)

3 Months Old!

On February the 25th Reese turned "3 Months" old!!! She is getting to be a BIG girl!

McCrary Hudgens - she's my cousin!

Jane McCrary Hudgens was born 2/18/08! I am almost 3 months older and she still weighs more than me! Oh well, I tried to gain weight as fast as I could! I am looking forward to all the fun times with McCrary, Copeland and Jay!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi everyone! I hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

Once I learn how to smile, I will start smiling in my pictures!

The Ultimate Babysitter

My youngest sister, Allison, loves to be around her nieces and nephew. She likes to play with them, but when it comes to getting dirty, she doesn't really enjoy that part. Today Allison kept Reese while I coached. I took Reese over to Aunt Allison's house and I explained where everything was in the diaper bag, what time she would need to eat, and some other bits of information that might be helpful. WELL, during practice my phone rang! Allison was on the other line and the first words out of her mouth were,
"She's sick. Her stomach is upset!"
"No, Allison, that's what babies poop looks like".
"No, Lauren, she is really sick. She has been pooping since 4pm".
"Allison, just change her and she'll be fine."
"I'm scared she is going to poop on me and there is only one wipe!"
"She won't poop on you and there are more wipes in the diaper bag."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Allison."

Well, when I drove up Allison and Reese were on the front porch swinging ~ happy as ever! I guess she wasn't really sick and didn't poop on Allison since I didn't get a call back and Allison was still holding her!
I 'm sure over the next few months there will be many more moments like this one!

Happy and Nanny

"Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!" These words are to a song that Mr. Hudgens sings often to the grandchildren. So when Copeland (the first grandchild) referred to Mr. Hudgens as "Happy" it stuck! This picture is of The Hudgens with Reese over Chirstmas! (sorry it's so late)

How blessed we are..............

On our computer at home we have a picture of Reese from when she was in the NICU. It was the first few days of her life and now we are reminded of it on the screen saver. As I look at that picture of her connected to the IV, heart monitor, pulse ox machine, and tube in her nose (and her "goggles" on), I am reminded how blessed we are! She now weighs 6 lbs 14 oz at 10 weeks old ~ a huge difference from the 3 lbs 1 oz at her birth! For her to have done so well is just a blessing from the Lord. I look at her daily and it makes my heart so happy to have her here with us! At the same time, my heart breaks for a couple we know who just lost their baby after only a week! Our prayer is for them to be comforted and showered with love and support over the next few months and to know the comfort that only Jesus can provide. Only He can give them what they need. Please pray for His grace in their lives. It's a true miracle to have a healthy baby and I just praise the Lord for ours! Our little Reese is such a miracle! Praise the Lord for His goodness. May you all know His love and grace and experience Him in His fullness.

Happy 2 months!

On January 25th Reese turned 2 months old! At 2 months she weighed 6ibs 8oz~!! Here is the picture of her with the panada!

Forced Friends

Can you call someone a friend if the girls are only 3 months and the other 7 weeks? Well, that's the case with one of my best friends. We have known each other since 1st grade and have kept in touch since! Her parents still live here in Columbia but she moves around quite frequently due to her husband being in the Navy. So when she is here (which isn't often - but some wish it was more) we try to spend as much time together as possible! She is the one who actually started the early baby thing.......you see when we were on the phone last, the weekend before Thankgiving, she said "why don't you just go ahead and have the baby while I'm home!" Too bad she had to leave the day she was born!!! When she came back over Christmas we were able to get together! Our little ones went on their first shopping trip together. And since her mother and I are great friends, well you see that is where the forced friends thing comes in to play!! Here are a few pictures of them together!
(L) Lauren and I with Reese and Emily Ruth (R) Their feet!

More than a bag of sugar............

Yesterday Reese went to the doctor for her 2 month check up and shots! She weighs 6 pounds 8 ounces - more than the bag of sugar we have at the house! She's getting to be a little chunker! So that was the good part of the visit....the shot part on the other hand was quite disturbing. I was talking to her and trying to distract her but when that long needle went into the small amount of fat she has on her leg, well there was no comforting at that point. You see, Reese has this vein on the top of her head and it popped out as well as her face turning beat red! This vein is quite impressive, it had all the NICU nurses wanting to sick an IV in it! Yes, they put IV's in babies heads! It made me so sad to sit there and watch her cry! The saddest part was that she didn't even know what was coming to her! POOR THING! We now weigh as much as a "normal" newborn!

The car seat!

These pictures are a little old, about a month old, but people ask quite often how she rides in a car seat. Here is the picture of her in the car seat when we left the hospital! They wheeled her out in her "big girl crib" and then we got to put her in the car seat! As you can see she doesn't fit like a "normal" newborn does.

Happy One Month!

Christmas marked Reese's one month celebration! We have decided to take her picture with her stuffed panada bear every month to show her growth. The panada bear is not as big as it looks in the picture, she's just really little! At one month she weighs 4 pounds 4 ounces and is 16 1/2 inches long! The rate she is going she will be the same size, maybe smaller, as her cousin who is due the end of Feburary. So far she loves to eat, sleep and use the restroom which most of the time she does when Greg is changing her.