Bubble Bath

Bath time has always been one of Rex's favorite part of the day... during his 2 week sickness we gave him vapor bubble baths to help him feel better. His favorite part of that: EATING THE BUBBLES!

Snow Days

We have had a couple of snow days recently. Rex actually wasn't a huge fan of the snow, but here are some pictures:Our HouseHe wasn't sure about the snow or the sledChloe didn't care much for the snow eitherReady to go inside

This weeks snow:

Our Little Aquaman

We took Rex swimming for the first time this weekend and he loves it so much that we've been twice more since. He loves the water and just kicks and coos and chews on his little water toys. I know where we will be spending most of the summer. Here are some pictures of his first trip to the pool.Chillin' out, catching some raysHe loves his crab floatDrying off with Pops

First Foods

We gave Rex his first rice cereal on Friday. I think that he liked it, but he couldn't quite get it in fast enough and that frustrated him a little. I had to hold his hands down while I fed him because he wanted to "help" by sticking them in his mouth with the spoon. Here are some pictures and a video of this momentous occasion.

Catching Up

I have gotten so behind...some of our recent accomplishments are: Celebrated Carson's 4th birthday, Ben and I celebrated our 6th V-day together...but more excitingly our 1st with Rex, Rex's baby dedication at church, we officially switched to cloth diapers (a whole world of possibilities I didn't really know existed and honestly would have made fun of pre-Rex), Ben and I both turned 27 (that sounds so close to 30, but I was reminded that it's still 3 whole years away), and Rex rolled over from his back to his belly (the cheering in our house rivaled that of winning the big game, tummy time has paid off), Rex also has begun to cut his first teeth (I can't believe my little guy is old enough to have teeth... 4 months have gone by so quickly).

Here are some pictures...I know that's what you really want to see. There are a lot...get ready to spend some time scrolling down.Yea! Unc is turning 4!London loved Rex and wanted to rock him and pat his headGetting ready to go to our first Valentine's PartyRex's dedication dinner (Carson was watching Franklin in the background)Cloth Diaper CutieAngel Baby (He loves looking at himself in the mirror)

Thanks For Your Prayers

Thanks to everyone who prayed for our little Rex yesterday. He did such a good job and did not even fuss much before or after his surgery (which makes us thankful for what a good, easy-going baby he is). Everything went fine during his surgery, when they got in there they realized they only had to repair one side which is a huge blessing. He woke up without any complications, and besides being hungry and tried was a happy baby. He was even smiling and flirting with the nurses when he was moved to a room. He is a tough little guy and we praise the Lord that there were no complications. I will say, one of the hardest things I have ever done was handing him over to the nurse before his surgery.

Here's some pictures from yesterday:

They gave Rex little Vanderbilt PJs to wear before his surgery. He was so cute in them and so hungry. We couldn't feed him past 7am and it was after 1pm before they came and got him. We've never seen his belly to empty.
Gigi (Cindy) got him a seahorse that lights up and plays music and ocean sounds. He really likes it and it lulled him to sleep last night each time the nurses woke him up to check on him.

Making Up for Lost Time

I got a new camera for Christmas (Canon PowerShot A1000IS in blue) and it has made it so much fun to take pictures of Rex. Don't get me wrong, I love taking pictures with my D50, but it's not always convenient. I love that I can throw this little point and shoot in my diaper bag and have it at hand whenever a photo-op pops up. Here are some current pics of our little guy.

A couple of weeks ago he started smiling when you talk to him and cooing. When we sit him in his bouncy seat he just stares and the cow and bird and smiles at them and talks to them. We haven't been able to get his full smile on camera, but here are some cute grins.

Fun relaxing with Daddy... one of Rex's favorite pastimes.
We took him for his 2 month check up Friday. He is growing and progressing wonderfully! He was 9.8 lbs which still just puts him in the 3% for weight and is 21 inches long which puts him in the 1% for height, but his growth curve looks really good and is actually steeper than average. He's just making up for lost time and should be caught up with his peer size wise by the time he is about 5 or 6 months.

Ben's Graduation

I know I start every blog out like this, but once again I am behind the times when it comes to posting blogs. Ben graduated from Southern Seminary with his MDiv on Friday, December 12. It was a very cold day and I ended up having to walk quite some distance alone with Rex, so needless to say my camera didn't make the journey. We had a wonderful time with friends and family. I am so proud of Ben for this accomplishment. I got these pictures from my friend Rachael's facebook page. We're proud of both accomplishments, the babies and the grads!Rex and Story's first date (Rex was actually not very happy for the pictures, we later discovered it was because he had pooped up his back... I think he was upset because he was embarrassed in front on his date.)

Me and Rachael Before and After:

Prayer for Rex

Please keep our little guy in your prayers. We noticed a knot on him when we were changing his diaper last week and it turns out that he has a little inguinal hernia. We caught it before it became inflamed or infected so it is not a emergency situation but he is going to have to have surgery to repair it. We we to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital today to have a consult with his surgeon. All went well and his procedure is scheduled for January 13. Normally it is an outpatient surgery but since he is a preemie they will keep him for 24 hours to watch for apnea spells. Over all hernias are fairly common in premature boys and his procedure is routine.

We couldn't resist taking his picture today in his little hospital gown. It just proves he is cute in everything he wears. (We took the picture with Ben's cell phone so the picture quality is not that great).

Thanksgiving and More

Time has gotten away from me, but I have some new pictures to post from Thanksgiving and of Rex just being Rex. Enjoy!

Gobble till you wobble, this cute onesie was a gift from our friends Adam and Kayce and his first time wearing newborn sized clothes... he's growing up on us.Playing with Mr. Cow and Mr. Bird in his boucey seat...a favorite past timeMy boys can't even stay awake to watch a whole TV showGetting ready for bed in his big boy newborn sized pjs...no more preemie clothes for RexWe noticed he was fighting to get his hands free from his swadlle blanket so we moved him up to a sleep sack. He his very cute and cuddly in it. This one is neat because it has flaps that you can add to swaddle which I use after his middle of the night feeding because his hand get cold, but he much prefers to have them free. I tried putting little mits on him to keep his hands warm, but he gets mad and pulls them off. Overall, he dislikes going to bed...I see this becoming more and more of a stuggle as he gets older.

Chloe's Identity Crisis

We have been calling Chloe the little momma because she has been acting like Rex is her baby. When he cries she goes running to see what is wrong, every now and then she feels the need to check on him to make sure he is alright, and she loves to give him kisses (we have limited them to his feet, but if she had it her way she would kiss his face and hands).

However, this evening we discovered that she may still want to be the baby of the family. This is where we found her while we were fixing dinner.

Rex Update

Ben and I realized last night that we have not been taking pictures of our little Rex... He has changed a lot in the last three weeks and we haven't even thought to document it.

We had to take him to the doctor on Monday because he had a clogged tear duct. I could tell that he really didn't feel well, but after a week of antibiotics he is back to good health. Please continue to pray for him to stay healthy this winter as RSV and Rotavirus are a huge risk for him.

We have been working with the Lactation Consultant, Kristi, and Gateway. She has been wonderful in helping Rex and I learn how to nurse. I told her that I thought that he was getting about 3oz to eat because that is what he took from a bottle. She told me that she didn't think so since newborns his age only take about an ounce to and ounce and a half and bottle fed babies tend to overeat because they get milk faster from a bottle. However, on Friday she weighed him before he ate and he was just over 6lbs 1oz... after he ate she weighed him again and he was 6lbs 4oz. What can I say he, eats like a little piggy! He is beginning to outgrow some of his preemie clothes so I am getting the newborn size ready. I still look at some of his clothes that are 3 months and up and think there is no way that he will ever fit in them because they look so big, but I'm sure he will be in them before we know it.

Today is my due date and he will be 4 weeks old tomorrow... we feel blessed to have had him for an extra month! After thanksgiving we are going to take him to get his 1 month pictures made (it is super convenient that my dad is a budding photographer). Till then here are some pictures we took last night.