The Good Life

My sister just recently accepted a position with a power plant in Columbia, South Carolina. For the past several years she has been working at Duke Energy and living in Charlotte, North Carolina. It wasn't a huge (distance) move for her and she has only been in her new apartment for a little over a week. A week was long enough for Mom and I (and Colton too) to invade and check out the new place. We left Greeneville around 6:45 yesterday morning and headed for Columbia. This was my first road trip with Colton without Daddy but we made out pretty good (we had Mimi). Minus the fact that we got into Asheville at morning rush hour, got stopped in a traffic jam for an MVA and had to pit stop for breakfast/diaper change...we made the trip in about 3 and 1/2 hours. If you've never been to South Carolina in the summer, I'll just fill you in on something...it's HOT (and it's only the end of May)! Lucky for us, Denise lives in an apartment complex that is more like a resor...

Colton will be 21 weeks old tomorrow - almost 5 months old. It's amazing how much he has changed just within a couple of weeks. We are on a full week of Colton sleeping at least 8 hours a night (mostly 9 or 10 hour nights)! KNOCK ON WOOD! We decided to move his bath time up by just a half hour, so he is getting his bath at 7:30pm now, followed by a full bottle which puts him asleep by 8:15 or (at the latest) 8:30pm. We also decided to stop swaddling his arms in, which helps him be able to find a comfortable position in his crib. So far when I get him up in the mornings, he has been sideways in the crib, feet propped up on his bumper pads and his security blanket above his head - hey, whatever works, right? It's quite adorable and he and Mommy are both much more rested and pleasant! As for talking, Colton has really starting warming up his lungs over the past week. I mean, he is half mine, so he had a 75/25 chance of being a big talker! :-) He has started saying syllables...

Matt & I at the Indy 500 Today was race day! All (okay, I'm exaggerating slightly) I heard/saw/read today was in relation to The  Indianapolis 500  or the Coca-Cola 600 . Of course I'm a NASCAR  girl myself, so I understand the excitement of a big race weekend. I've attended several closed-wheel races but I've never been a huge fan of  Open-wheel  racing. I did have the pleasure of attending the Indy 500 back in 2008 and will admit that it was pretty impressive. The Indianapolis 500 (open-wheel race) is held every year on Memorial Day Weekend in Speedway, Indiana. The event is considered to be one of the top three most prestigious motorsport events in the world. The Indy 500 draws in between 250,000 to 400,000 spectators (combining seating and infield "capacity") each year. It has been named "The Greatest Spectical in Racing", and I think that statement should say "The Greatest Spectical in Motor Racing" because The Kentucky Der...

If it's Thursday, and I'm looking on Instagram , Facebook ,  Twitter or any other social media app, I'm going to see #TBT (if you're not sure what #TBT is, don't feel bad because it took me a while to catch on to what it was too). Since "Throwback Thursday" is getting more and more trendy, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and use my Thursday blog to share some throwback memories! In 1994 (yes, Joe Diffie was probably rockin' on the radio), my family moved from North Carolina to Indiana. Even though we only lived in Indiana for 4 short years, I made a lifetime of memories. The school district we moved into was the South Henry School Corporation and my sister and I attended Tri Jr. Sr. High School. During those years, I was blessed with the opportunity to play basketball - and if you know anything about Indiana, you know that they LOVE their basketball (ever heard of Hoosier Hysteria? It's no joke)! Not only was I blessed to just be playin...

As I sit here this morning, kind of in a fog, I thought I would ask YOU to share with me today! I realize that I've worn this "lack of sleep thing" in the ground...but when you're the one lacking, it pretty much consumes your life. I realize that Colton is still very young, but getting him to sleep at night is a daily (better yet, nightly) battle which leaves me frustrated, tired (emotionally and physically), confused, impatient and most of all just TIRED! What was/is your baby's routine? At what age were they sleeping all night? By all night, I mean just 6 or 7 hours! I'm not asking for miracles here, just a solid night's sleep. Even when Colton sleeps 7 hours, I am up 5 or 6 times either A. due to putting the paci back in or B. due to him crying his head off. Have you seen a trend for boys vs girls? Do some babies just not need as much sleep? I have tried everything - literally, everything from rocking him back to sleep and feeding him in the middle of...

If there is one main thing I have learned about being a new Mom, it's that I don't know anything. :-)The second thing I have learned is the importance of reaching out for help when I need it. I have been able to reach out to several of my friends and family for advice during the past few months. I can say that even though there is no solution or answer to the problem(s), being able to brainstorm and "vent" has been more helpful than I could have imagined. Reaching out for advice on Colton's most recent "issue", sleeping, has helped me to explore options I might not otherwise have thought of. Hearing all the trial and errors of other Moms has helped me in 1) having the confidence to "change things up" and 2) the comfort in knowing that I am not alone. Since Monday's rant, I have (thanks to my husband) been able to get some much needed sleep. It's amazing how getting a little bit of rest has helped clear my mind AND given me a boost wit...

My cousin Joseph has been stationed at Fort Benning (outside Columbus, Georgia) for the past 16 weeks for Basic Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Joseph's AIT consisted of Cavalry Scout Training. During the 16 week period, we have had limited communication as he had to undergo rigorous physical training to prepare his body and mind for the eventual physical and mental strain of (potential) combat. Colton increased his "states visited" number to 6 this week as we took a quick road trip to Georgia for Joseph's graduation. We left on Wednesday morning, around 7:00am (Matt, Colton & I rode with my parents) and trailed a truck loaded down with my Uncle Pat, Aunt Teri, Mamaw, Papaw, Aunt Paula and Parker. We arrived at the hotel with plenty of sunshine left and were able to enjoy some time at the pool. Colton got to experience his first hotel stay and his first "swim" in a pool. On Thursday, we visited the Maneuver Center of Excellence...

Today is the day I talk about the negative side of being a new Mommy. Don't get me wrong, I'm still so thankful and blessed to have such a healthy baby boy, but dang, sometimes being a Mom is just not all that fun. I know the saying "you should enjoy every moment because it goes so fast" - well I can say this, I do enjoy most moments but there are other moments that I sure hope go fast, very fast! Sleep - that is today's topic! I have come to the conclusion that Colton does not like to sleep - period. If you have been following my journey in this blog, you know that Colton has had some rough spells with Baby colic . At first, I blamed his sleeping habits on the colic, but since we are way past that, I know it's not the problem anymore. Every book I have read, every Mom I have spoken to, every piece of advice Colton's pediatrician can give and everything I have tried do not seem to be the solution for Colton. The saying "every child is different...

Mamaw S, Me, Mamaw B, Denise, Mom Mother's Day 2012 As Mother's Day approaches this year, I find myself feeling extra blessed and so thankful. I'm blessed to be celebrating this Holiday as a Mommy for the first time and I'm thankful that I have such amazing women in my life to share the special day with. My Mom is an amazing woman. I know that I don't tell her enough how grateful I am for her as, not only a Mom, but as a friend. I've always known (at least in my adult life) that my Mom has made so many sacrifices for my sister and me, but now that I'm a Mom too, the sacrifice is appreciated in a whole new way. My Mom was a "stay at home Mom" in a day when it was not the most popular choice. During the years my Mom spent raising my sister and me, most women were pushing to be a strong force in the work place. A woman was somewhat looked "down on" for committing to being a housewife and Mother. Criticism didn't stop my Mom from b...

Colton didn't sleep very well last night - which isn't much of a surprise these days -  but something just didn't seem "right" throughout the night. Once we got up this morning, I noticed that his eyes looked "glassy" he felt a little sweaty, had a runny nose and sounded very congested. Sometimes he wakes up with a stuffy nose and I just use the snot sucker, aka Rubber Bulb Syringe  and it clears up. This morning, it didn't seem to help. Colton was already scheduled to see Dr. Woods today for his 4 month check-up, so if he was getting sick, at least we were already headed to the doctor. In case I haven't said it before, I'll just say it now...I absolutely love Dr. Woods. As of today, Colton weighs 17 pounds (75th percentile) and is 26 and 1/4 inches long (92nd percentile). I'm so thankful that he is trending in the "average" to "above average" range for growth and development. Dr. Woods did notice that our little guy...

Colton turned 4 months old on Friday, May 3. I think this past month went the fastest of any since his birth (I'm sure they'll keep getting faster and faster)! We have experienced so many wonderful things this past month. Colton is eating more at each meal, which means he is eating less often. Although it still feels like he eats all day long, I do at least feel like I can get more done (other than just wash bottles) between each meal now. His little tummy has grown from the size of a marble to (approx) the size of his fist. He is still eating some solid foods along with his bottles and I think the only new "solid" addition to his diet are his carrots - and he loves them. Along with eating great (as you can tell by his chubbiness), Colton is really great at - assisted - sitting and standing. He absolutely LOVES to be on his feet and if I was a betting woman, I would bet that he will walk before he crawls. We shall see. Speaking of feet, I believe Colton's feet a...

As some of you know - maybe from reading previous posts - Matt has been traveling to Charlotte for work during the week days and home to Greeneville on the weekends. This is getting exhausting for all of us. It's hard living apart and it's starting to wear on us. We feel like after much prayer and discussion that the Charlotte area is not the right move for us (at least not at this point). After so many closed doors, we finally are taking the "hint" that maybe we need to explore other options...again. One of the options we looked at was the possibility of moving to the Northern Kentucky area. Matt's  brother works for a Heating & Cooling company in Cincinnati and they (the company) were willing to giving Matt an interview. It wasn't a guaranteed hire, but it was definitely a foot in the door. If we took this option, we would be taking a chance that Matt would actually get hired, we would have to move north and commit to living there for at least 3 years....

Boy, I have a lot to catch up on since my last post! It's been a week. Sheesh, time sure does fly when you're having fun, right? Where do I start...? I guess I'll start with last week. On Wednesday of last week, I discovered the true meaning of a "teething baby". Colton has been doing a lot of drooling over the past several weeks and doing the "hands in mouth" thing. I figured he was just obsessed with his hands (like most babies his age) and also thought that we were getting closer to "teething time". I had no idea when it would actually hit. Well, it hit last Wednesday. I discovered two (very faint) white dots on his lower gums and said "awww, buddy you're getting teeth". Yeah, there's no "awww" about it. Poor little guy was miserable. I tried the teething toys, cold cloth, Tylenol and Orajel but he wasn't getting much relief. Out of exhaustion and desperation, I reached out - via Facebook - to my Mom friends...