Here's To New Beginnings....

Around this same time last year, as we were surprising our families with news of a pregnancy, Jeremy was contemplating applying for a new job with TVA as a training instructor at their Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. With a new addition coming it seemed to be the opportune time to make more 'life changing' decisions.  A move to TVA and Soddy Daisy would mean a better work schedule and a closer drive to our families in Alabama.  So we said we had nothing to lose, and Jeremy applied and waited....

And waited....

And waited....

And then we got the call for an interview - it was July.  Jeremy drove up to Soddy Daisy alone on his single off day during a two week work stretch for his interview and to scope out the potential territory.  He loved the vibe he got and the area!  ...but was he to get an offer?  So, here we were, waiting again... and the whole time we waited, my pregnant belly just got bigger and bigger!

Cole was born November 10th and just a few days after we got home from the hospital, the call came in!  Here it was, the long awaited offer!  ...but what do we do now?!  Decisions, decisions....  We weighed our options - it was clear and yet muddy all at the same time....  but, in the end, we chose to take ahold of new opportunities, and to raise our family in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.

So, Jeremy's first day with TVA was March 14th.  During a mid-February house hunting trip, we found the home of our dreams and closed on our home on March 18th.  So, here we are - Tennessee residents.

For me, leaving Augusta was very bittersweet.  I was so excited about our new opportunities - the church family we were going to be joining, the beautiful area and scenary, the weather, Jeremy's new schedule (NOT SHIFT WORK), the shorter trip it was going to be to visit family....  But I was so heart broken to be leaving all of my friends - I cried as I drove Cole and myself to meet up with Jeremy in our new hometown.  Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to better our families - I knew that if our expectations of Soddy Daisy weren't bloated and fluffy, that not only would Jeremy and I be better Christians and parents, but I believed that as a result, Cole would have a greater chance of being the best Christian and parent he could be one day as well.  So far, Soddy Daisy has been a great move for us!

We've had a lot to happen in our lives since we arrived here two months ago.  I hope to find time this week to update you all on our current lives.  We are doing well and I hope that you are, too!



May 8, 2011 - Mother's Day
Cole is 6 months old.



You haven't heard the whole story yet....

So, the night my water broke was pretty funny and I've failed to fill you in yet!  Here's the whole story.....

So, we'd decided that we'd have Sonic for dinner.  So, I had to go pee before we left (you knew I had to say something about peeing - every pregnant story has to include something about the potty!).  Well, while in the bathroom, I began to feel nauseous.  So, when I got out of the bathroom, I told Jeremy that I really didn't want to throw down a greasy burger, so I started rummaging around the bottom cabinets in search of a can of chicken noodle soup.  Well, I didn't find one so I stood and WOW; what was that?!  I said, "Oo..., ooo..., OOOO...!" and grabbed the front of my pants!  Jeremy said, "Did you pee on yourself?!"  I took off toward the bathroom and it happened again....  I said, "Do you really think I peed on myself when I just went to the bathroom?!"

Ok, so fast forward about 10 minutes and we are still trying to figure out whether my water has broken or not...  The books say it will be a small gush, and I wasn't sure that it was a small gush or not, but I wasn't sure what it was if it wasn't my water breaking....  So, I'm laying down and standing up repeatedly trying to get it to happen again, and realized that I'd not seen Jer in a few minutes.  So, I went to look for him.  You'll never guess what he was doing....  HE WAS CLEANING TOILETS!  Yes, that's what I said, cleaning toilets!  So, I stood in the hallway laughing at him because he was nesting and then realized that I could walk - my hip had been in such pain for a week and a half- and then I laughed harder! ..and he laughed, and we just had a good 'ole time right there in the hallway!

But then there was still the question, "What do we do?  Did your water break or not?"  So, we made a few phone calls and finished packing the bags and decided to head on to the hospital.

Ok, so, remember what we were doing when this all started?  That's right, we were discussing dinner.  So, fast forward another 10 minutes and we're pulling into the McDonalds drive thru! Yes, that's right, McDonalds!  I didn't eat anything just in case the anesthesia made me sick, but Jer did!  And of all things, he HAD to have a McRib ('cause you know they were only for a limited time!)  Well, you cannot eat a McRib and drive....  So, I'm steering the car that is taking me to the hospital because I'm in labor....  and, can I just say that that McRib stunk so bad and everytime he put his hands close to me, I could still smell the BBQ sauce!  YUCK!

Alright, if you want to read about the labor part, you can read my post from November.

Now, fast forward about 12 hours....  Our families had driven all night and had finally made it to the hospital.  Little did they know, they were in for a culture shock!  The gypsy's were also having a baby that day!  I've heard that everywhere you turned there were gypsy women and girls!  I didn't see it that day, but I have seen them on another occasion at the hospital.  ...that's all I'm going to say about that, because apparently they read about themselves on the internet...  Here is a blog entry I found so that those who don't know about them can catch up!  http://stillstandingforhim.blogspot.com/2008/02/irish-travelin.html

Oh, the memories we've made!

Wowza!

Where has the time gone?!  Ok, before we talk about that, can I just say that I am the best wife Jeremy Bailey has ever had?!  I, yes, I, cooked him breakfast before he left for work yesterday morning!  ...scrambled eggs and microwave pancakes...  It was the first time in our marriage that I have ever cooked breakfast before he left for work - it may never happen again, so he better have cherished the moment! 
Ok, so back to what you all want to hear about - WE GOT A CAT! We named her Melba.  She's a house cat and uses the litter box nicely, which I am just tickled about!  She is the most beautiful black and white cat I've ever seen, with long hair and a big fluffy tail!  I just love her to death!  We let her eat off of our good dishes and sleep on our bed.  We will be taking her to church with us on Sunday so that she can hear about God. ...ok, ha, you got me - I'm a liar!  ...but I bet that I sure had some of you going!  We aren't really going to take her into church, we'll just leave her in the car so that everyone can see her when they leave! 

And now what you've all been waiting for.... DRUM ROLL!  (...and I've just got to throw this in there....  "Eddie, I wouldn't be more surprised if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet." ...love that movie!)  Cole is now 11 weeks old!  There, I said it; are you happy?  What?  More?  You gotta be kidding me!

11 weeks old and already hogging the remote!  He is wearing a 3-6 month sleeper in this pic.


So a lot has happened since my last post.  We've got reflux.  We've got Zantac (which by the way, only costs me $5, but the receipt says that my insurance saved me $75!  GASP!).  We've gained weight which means we're wearing bigger diapers.  Oh, you want me to start at the top...  pushy, pushy, you....

So we enjoyed our white Christmas in Alabama.  And, yes, it really snowed on Christmas Day.  James Spann, one of our heroes, said that it was the first time Alabama had ever had a white Christmas in the history of the record books, but some of us remember at least a Christmas Eve in which there was snow and ice present- I remember this because I fell up (yes, UP) the steps at my grandparents' house.  So, anyway, Cole's first Christmas was a white one.  The grandparents and aunt loved and kissed all over Cole while he was there and when we brought him home, he. was. rotten.  Any semblance of a schedule was eradicated.  Gone. Zilch. Nada. 



Christmas Eve

 

Christmas Eve - Maw Maw and Paw Paw Posey's first meeting with Cole!

Christmas Eve - 5 generations: Great Great Grandfather Pugh, Maw Maw Posey, Grandmommy Wells, Jess, and Cole

Christmas Eve - Cousins meeting for the first time: Will, born September 6th, and Cole, born November 10th.

Christmas Eve - Playing together already... or fighting, you decide!

Christmas Day - Our white Christmas was just beginning!

Christmas Day - in our pajamas to open gifts from Santa!

Christmas Day - all tuckered out!

Christmas Ninja!

So the first week after the spoilage, we had to go to the doctor because Cole's ears were seeping yellowish goo from the lobe and behind the ear.  He basically has eczema really bad. We were prescribed an antibiotic ointment and were advised to grease him up with Aquaphor to keep him supple.  (Ok, so the doc didn't actually use those words...  apparently my vocab is superb when I'm sleep deprived.  Guess that's why I had good grades in my lit and writing classes....  However, my spelling is not so superb, so thank you spell check!)  During this week, his sleeping habits only exhibited themselves during the daylight hours and his spitting up increased dramatically from the amount it had been in previous weeks.  I attributed this to him being fussy about his ears.  (At this appt he weighed 13 lbs 1 oz.)



5 weeks old

5 weeks old - upset that Momma had to go to the doctor!

So the next week, when his ear issues were cleared up, he was still fussy and the spitting up was awful!  Jeremy called one evening on his way home from work and I told him we had a 'puke fountain.'  His carpool guys thought that one was funny...!  Oh, if they'd been here to see it!  So that night, there was no sleeping going on for Cole and me.  It was just not going to happen.  Everytime I did get him to fall asleep, he'd sense that I was going to put him down and so he'd either pop his eyes open and look around or he'd puke; or he'd do both...  This was also the week that my clothes washer broke.  Oh joy.  A puke fest and a broken washer = fun and resourseful times.  Yay me! NOT!  So on that Thursday morning, Jeremy came in to say bye before he left for work and Cole and I were so pitiful that he stayed home from work!  I was probably worse off than Cole was - Jeremy told me to go to bed, so I did - no argument from this one! And he tended to Cole for a few hours, which ended up being easy peasy because Cole was finally ready to sleep!  Cole went to the doc that day and that is when the Zantac was prescribed. (At this appt he weighed 13 lbs 8 oz.) That Thursday night and Friday were a new experience for me - I had a totally different child on my hands!  He slept without grunting and tossing.  He ate without puking.  And, we had clean clothes because the washer was delivered (and I thought we were going to wear it out that weekend!)

6 weeks - the cutest SOCKS ever!

6 weeks old - spending time with Aunt Mandy

So then the next week was his two month check up.  He got a good report (of couse, because this was the third week in a row we'd seen the doc!)  He weighed 13 lbs, 8 oz which was the 90th percentile for his age (so he didn't gain any weight over this week) and he was 23.25 inches long, which was the 60th percentile.  He is a big boy!  That was two weeks ago and I can tell that he is even bigger now.  We are bumping up to a size 2 diaper - we had an extracurricular bath yesterday, so there will be no more size one diapers used in this house after the rest of this small pack is used up.  ...again, yay me....  I've also been looking through his 3-6 month clothes to see what we have and what needs to be washed.  He wore one of his 3-6 month sleepers yesterday and it fit him pretty well, which surprised me!

7 weeks old - excited that Daddy is home!

7 weeks old - loving bath time with Mommy!

7 weeks old - cutest Charlie Brown ever

7 weeks old

Ok, ok, ok...  I must confess....  We aren't taking Melba to church.  We don't let her sleep on our bed or eat off of our good dishes.  Melba doesn't have a big fluffy tail and she isn't quite as beautiful as I've made her out to be.  Hmm... I might even say that she isn't even the least bit on the pretty side.

8 weeks old

Cole has become very sociable over the last few weeks.  He coos and squeals all the time and loves to play with his hanging toys.  He is also becoming very independent.  He will lay in his crib and have a morning chat with himself before he calls for me to come and get him to eat.  One day this week his chat lasted an hour!  He will also play by himself and have just the best time swatting at his toys!  He has started to self soothe by sucking on his hand and fingers.  One morning I caught him acutally sucking his thumb!  He has also started putting himself asleep at nap time - if we could only get him to do this at night!


9 weeks old - we didn't make it out of the house in this outfit... he puked on it when we put him in his carseat!  yay me!



9 weeks old - stylin' and profilin'

9 weeks old - look at my chunky legs and gut!

Jeremy's schedule has changed at work and he no longer has to work nights!  His new schedule has rocked my world but I'm getting used to it and what a pleasant change it is to have him home every evening and every weekend!  I think Cole is enjoying it, too!  Wednesday evening Jeremy came through the door calling Cole and his little eyes lit up so!  He was excited to see his daddy!

10 weeks old - sucking on my hand is my new favorite thing to do

10 weeks old - look how long I am!

10 weeks old - BOO!

10 weeks old - Daddy took me for a walk outside in the yard and I feel asleep before we got back inside....

10 weeks old - I love my swing!  Momma loves my socks!

Well, actually, I've not been honest with you... we don't even have a cat.  I just made up that whole story about Melba! 

11 weeks old - playing with my hanging toys

11 weeks old

Santa! I know him!

Since I came home from the hospital, Christmas music has been playing on the radio in my room.  My momma and daddy sing to me all the time - especially when I am crying during my diaper change!  I've heard about Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer; but I've heard a lot about this Santa guy, and my momma and daddy took me to meet him this week!  He asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him that I spit up a lot and so I wanted some burp cloths! 

Happy One Month Birthday to Me!

I turned one month old on Friday.  Momma and Daddy took me to Outback Steakhouse to celebrate... they may have enjoyed the trip and the meal more than I did!

How Time Flies!

So, I've been busy and haven't been able to post until now....  Cole eats all the time, so trying to squeeze a little house work and doctor visits between feedings doesn't leave much time for updating my social outlets!

We cannot believe that it has been four weeks since Cole was born!  ...four weeks!  Time flies when you are having fun, right?!  ...and when you are sleep deprived!  We are all doing well - Cole is gaining weight, Jeremy has went back to work, and, even after being left alone night and day with the little one (seeing how Jer is back at work - and when he works, that's all he has time for), I still have all of my hair!  Cole and I have been doing well by ourselves; the first day Jer was back at work, both Cole and I had had baths and dinner was ready when he got home from work.  >>I was very proud of myself for this!  Nothing else had been done, but at least we all were clean and fed!


Chillin' with Mom while waitin' on Dad to get home

So, we've been getting Cole out just a bit - We've taken him to the grocery store, Lollipops (so I could collect my money from bows), and to church.  He has done very well with outings and I'd love to get him out just a bit more, but it is just too cold out!  ...not to mention that it is flu season....

He sleeps very well during the day.  He sleeps very well most nights, too.  But the nights he doesn't sleep well are horrible!  I think he had a tummy ache earlier this week - for three hours, if he wasn't eating, he was screaming!  I felt like such a horrible mom!  Eventually, though, he went to sleep and stayed asleep.  Last night I was able to sleep next to Jeremy for a little over two hours while Cole slept in his crib down the hall!  We are working on getting him to sleep in his crib so that we don't have a four year old in our bed in a few years!  I'm the one who won't put him in his crib for every nap because I'm afraid he will puke and we won't hear him!  (When Jeremy works, I sleep in the extra bed in Cole's room so that we don't wake him - seeing how he runs a nuke plant and all, he needs his sleep...!) 



Cole's four week pic.  Check out that double chin!  We call it his 'chin-chin'!  He's not a lazy eater!

So, Cole is almost ready to eat again, so I need to wrap it up!  I hope you've enjoyed reading about our boring last two weeks....  There will be more boring stories to follow later!

Three week pic

Tummy time with Daddy - I'm a strong boy!

I'm a little stinker!

My first Iron Bowl....

Did I really get all dressed up for this?!  Bama lost to Auburn, but I'm still a fan!