Last Post!

Hey Guys! I am attempting to actually keep up with the blog now, so I've even come up with a new blog site for us....this site will be no more!

www.gravespartyoffour.blogspot.com

Courtnie

10 month old photo/ Easter

Here is a pic from Easter before church. I tried to load more but kept getting an error message SO.... I posted some new ones of Natty on my( derek's) facebook page also. Enjoy. Hope all is well with those of you that still read this....

-DG

9 month Old Update and a Promise

Hey all,

I don't even know if anybody reads this anymore but I am gonna start keeping up with this site now that my basketball season is over....

Well like I said:  Basketball for me is over :(    &  :) = (mixed emotions)  On one hand I am happy b/c  of a few reasons: I can go home early; hang out more with the Natty & Court.;maybe start working out; have more time to for golf.  

On the other hand: It is not a certainty that I will get to come back to BOLTON b/c of new staff being hired by the new football coach( who ever that ends up being) so i might get cut...blah blah blah..... to put it in simple terms this might be the first/last season I coach there.  BUT, I don't care either way really.  I will follow God's Plan what ever that might be. 

"CAUTION, SAPPY, DADDY REVELATION AHEAD"

I can't express how much being a father has changed my life for the better.  Natalie is such source of pride for me.  I am so quick to show pics of her, tell stories about her, or anything else that involves her.  I honestly can't remember and don't want to remember what life was like without her.  She has been such a blessing to Courtnie and I.  I thanks GOD everyday for giving her to us....:)

Hmmm...what else?  oh....Courtnie and I are weight-watcher members.  Thats going OK I guess.We have both lost weight but not as much as we would have hoped for at this point.  I guess I just gotta learn that breaking a lifetime of bad eating habits is gonna take time.  I'll keep you posted on that battle.  

Courtnie is doing great. She is loving being a MOM. Especially lately, when Natalie is upset or tired or cranky she has turned into a Momma's Girl.  She only wants momma and Courtnie loves it.  Oh well, she did carry her for 9+ months so I'll let her have that one.

Courtnie is also loving her job.  She has nothing but great things to say about it.....

And last but not least the real reason you read this blog : NATALIE....

-Natalie is great.  She is very very mobile these days.  Crawling around and getting into everything.  She almost sampled some dog food tonight but I got there in the nick of time.  The first of many close calls I think.  She is also very vocal.  She is always babbling something. Its so fun to hear her except when your on the phone..ha ha...  She has grown so fast already.  I can't believe she is almost 9 months old already.  Time is flying by....but it has been a fun ride so far...Well that's all for now...I promise to keep you 2, 3, 4 or 0 people better updates and i will have a few pics next post....  Take care and God bless

-Derek

Thanksgiving in Branson and Santa Too!

This year we went to Branson for the week of Thanksgiving with Derek's family -- so fun!  We had  great time relaxing and seeing some great shows, especially the new Noah show.  If you are in Branson, it is well worth it!  We also did a lot of shopping and Natalie, Sadey, and Charity got to see Santa down at Branson Landing.  He was the best looking/most authentic Santa I have ever seen!  Natalie's ear was bothering her, so we couldn't get her to smile when she was posing with Santa.  I still think the picture is cute though!

5 Months Old and RSV!

Today is Natalie's 5 month birthday!  However, today was not the best day for little miss Natalie.  She has had a pretty nasty cough for the last couple of days and hasn't been sleeping well at night at all.  If you know Natalie, then you know something is wrong if she isn't sleeping well!  Also, she coughed so much and so hard last night that she threw up carrots all over Derek at about 3 am.  Yuck!  So I called the pediatrician hoping they would call in some medicine to at least help her sleep better at night.  But, of course they wanted to see her in person.  So I brought her in this afternoon.  The doctor listened to her lungs and heard some major wheezing going on.  He then decided to do a test for RSV (a nasty respiratory virus, for those who aren't familiar) -- just a nasal swab -- and the test came back positive for RSV.  So now my life is full of breathing treatments (every 4-6 hours) with 2 types of medication.  Natalie actually does pretty well with them...she is getting used to the mask I think.  I'll be sure to take some pictures in the next few days of her getting her breathing treatment!  Hopefully these will help her expel any nastiness in her lungs and sleep a little better at night.  She is supposed to do these breathing treatments for about a week and can't go back to day care until Monday!  Thank goodness Nanny is able to come and keep her!

4 Month Checkup and Rice Cereal!

Yesterday Natalie visited her pediatrician, Dr. Bubenzer, for her 4 month checkup and shots.  She got three shots (2 in one leg and 1 in the other) as well as an oral vaccine.  The doctor said she looks great and seems to be a very happy baby.  She was really impressed with how strong Natalie is for her age, especially in her legs.  The doctor really thinks she will crawl early!  Here are some stats:

Weight:  13 pounds, 12 ounces

Length:  25 1/4 inches long

I didn't get percentiles, but I think she falls right around the 50% range for both categories.  

Dr. Bubenzer also said we could start her on rice cereal twice a day -- spoon fed!  So tonight we stripped her down to her diaper, put on a bib, tried out the high chair for the first time, and went for it!  As you can see, she absolutely LOVED it.  She really got the hang of it and wanted more when she was finished!  By the time we were halfway through, she would open her mouth really big when she saw the spoon coming at her!  I think she'll do great with baby food too in a few weeks!

Just for Susan!

This post is just for Susan, who threatened me yesterday with the statement, "If I look at your blog and it says 'Backwards in the Bouncer' one more time...."  Haha.  So I guess I am seriously terrible at this blogging thing.  I do forget that not everybody sees Natalie all the time.  AND of course I'll blame a little bit of it on Derek, who "misplaced" the little gadget we use to upload pictures from our camera to the computer.  Hopefully we will either find it soon or just suck it up and buy a new one.  ANYWAY, here is what Natalie has been up to lately:

1.  She can totally hold her head up now

2.  She is a rolling machine when you lay her down (I love going to her crib every morning and seeing what position she has gotten herself into!)

3.  She smiles A LOT, and loves to smile back at you when you smile at her

4.  She is beginning to laugh out loud, but I still can't get her to laugh whenever I want her too.  It seems pretty random so far.

5.  She "talks" all the time!  

6.  She is definitely teething -- always chewing her clothes, passy, fist, my hand, teething rings, or anything else she can find to put in her mouth.  Baby OraGel is my best friend.  Her daddy has stripped her of the "good baby" title for the time being, as she is quite fussy these days.

7.  She is losing her hair, especially in the back where it rubs off on her carseat and in her bed.  I have to lint roll her sheets every day to get the hair off that she loses at night.  Otherwise, I'd have to change her sheets every couple of days

8.  She is wearing 3-6 month size clothes (nothing 0-3 months fits her at all!)

9.  She will be 4 months old on October 11.

10.  She goes to the doctor Oct 15 for lots of shots and a general checkup.  Hopefully the doctor will tell us we can add rice cereal to her bottle and even maybe start her on baby food in a month or two.

11.  She lays on her "play gym" and actually grabs and swats at all the toys hanging down.  Her favorite is the monkey.

12.  She is moving up to size 2 diapers in the next week.

13.  She is drinking 5-6 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours.  Still sleeping at night for about a 10 hour stretch!

14.  She is known as "nosy Natalie" at day care because she is always looking around at everything that is going on.

15.  She is excited about Halloween and is going as a baby giraffe.  

Backwards in the Bouncer

This morning Natalie did something really funny!  Derek and I are pretty guilty of using the bouncer as a babysitter while we get ready, especially for church.  So this morning while we were getting ready, she was laying in her bouncer (on her back obviously) looking around and smiling as usual.  As we were getting dressed for church, we would pop in on her and make sure she was still OK.  Well, Derek checked on her and she was on her tummy, face down in the bouncer!  I guess this was her first rolling over attempt, although I'm not sure it counts because she wasn't flat on the floor.  Needless to say, we must definitely strap her in to her bouncer from now on!

Tomorrow I am starting work!  By the way, Derek is teaching PE and 7th grade social studies at Cloutierville Elementary/Jr. High as well as coaching basketball for all who didn't know.  Needless to say, it is taking him some getting used to!  He is really starting to appreciate how good his kids were these past 3 years at Summit View.  

2 Months Old and Lotsa Shots!

Natalie is officially two months old (as of yesterday)!  I can't believe it!  Today she went to get her 2 month shots, which consisted of 4 needles (2 shots in each leg) and an oral vaccine.  It was really funny watching her take the oral vaccine and her reaction to the medicine as they squirted it in her mouth!  It was not funny, however, to watch her reaction to the 4 shots.  As you can imagine, there was a lot of screaming.  But she pulled through like a champ.  Nothing a little Tylenol can't fix.  Here are some recent pictures.  Sorry they are a little blurry.

FINALLY all settled in....

So apparently I am the world's worst blogger.  To my credit, however, we've had a REALLY busy month!  On July 12th, we started the journey to move back home to Louisiana.  We got here the next day and have been getting settled in ever since!  We are currently living in my grandparents' vacant condo off of Jackson Street in Alexandria until our house sells and we can buy or rent another place.  It's small compared to what we were used to in Kentucky, but it's free, and very convenient.  So no complaints here!  

After spending lots and lots of time with our families, we are finally settled in and are staying in the condo for more than 2 nights at a time now!  It feels good to be in a routine!  Last week Derek and I went to the beach along with his sister and her husband.  We left Natalie as well as their 4 year old and 6 year old with Nanny (Derek's mom).  I must have really needed a vacation, because I did great!  I was really scared I would be miserable without Natalie, but I did just fine!  Hope that doesn't mean I'm a bad mom or anything....haha.  Gulf Shores was a blast and Derek and I had some much needed time together.  

Derek is starting work this week (teaching math at Dry Prong Jr High, unless something from ASH pulls through today) and Natalie is starting Day Care next week (the 11th).  She is getting so big!!!  I can't believe she is almost 8 weeks old!  She is smiling a lot now, especially in the morning, and is doing great with holding her head up more and more.  She is getting so LONG!  I know she'll be rolling over before I know it!  I am starting work on August 18th, so I'm going to enjoy my last couple of weeks!  Pictures of Natalie to come soon, I promise.