Mondays With Crosby

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 35 weeks old! His 8th month started out with a bang! We got to see lots of friends on Sunday at the Baptist Annual NICU Birthday Party!!! I had been looking forward to that event for quite some time. Even though our little guy barely qualified as a preemie and only spent a week in the hospital, we still have special connections to those who cared for him. And his big sister...

When we walked in the door, these were some of the first faces we saw...

Max and Kate!!!! You may remember praying for these 2 little ones. This was the first time we were able to meet these miracles in person! What a joy it was!!! Their sweet mama, Karen, was the first of my "blessings" to occupy the Predators Suite...

HUGE ROOM...

Hallway leading into the room (what I saw if I looked to the left while lying in bed)...

And what I saw if I looked to the right while lying in bed!!! You could see the downtown skyline out the window, which was kind of nice at night! Even had a little fridge!

Anyway...

She spent 8+ weeks in that room!! Thanks to a strange illness that has now landed her in a few medical journals and is currently being studied in Germany (very impressive, Karen! That should go on a resume...), she had her little ones just in time to make room for me! A few weeks after I left, Melissa camped out in the very same bed!! We had to take a picture of all the "Suite Mamas" holding the babies we were trying to keep inside!!!

Melissa and Margaret; me and Crosby; Karen, Max and Kate (in the stretch limo)

The best shot I could get of all the babes...

We got to see several nurses that cared for Crosby and me...

Rachel was in the NICU...

Then there is Danielle. Not only did she take care of Crosby, she was there for Caroline's birth. It was her arms that held Caroline as she left this world and met her Heavenly Father. It was her hands that bathed and dressed her before bringing her to our room. It was her hands that held ours as she prayed with our family. I placed my daughter into her arms as we said goodbye...

What an honor to stand beside Danielle with Crosby in my arms! We love Danielle and her hubby Jason, who happens to be standing in the back of the room with the navy blue shirt on!

Cheryl was one of the NICU nurses that cared for Crosby. She was also there when Caroline was born. She goes to Woodmont Hills with Blake's parents and has been a great source of strength and encouragement to our family.

Stephanie was the NICU nurse present when Crosby was born. She even stayed late so she could assist on his delivery!! She just happens to take her 4 legged babies to the vet clinic, so Blake knows her well! I will also add that she is as Auburn fan!!!

Chris is one of the sweet nurses that took care of me when I was on the antepartum floor, trying NOT to have Crosby! She spent lots of time in the Predator's Suite trying to ease my anxiety. Although I didn't believe her at the time, she kept telling me I wouldn't go into labor! She was right...

We had lunch after the party. I just think this picture is funny because Crosby and Blake are making the same face!!! Except Crosby doesn't actually have a straw! :)

Looks like he was just going to eat Mickey for lupper (what we call lunch/supper...did I really just share that??)...

Crosby was given a sweet gift this week...

He loved it!!!

Blake came home for lunch while we were playing in the floor. He got down there with us and I managed to catch this...

It seriously looked like Crosby leaned over to give him a hug!!! Although it was unintentional, it was adorable!

We had a surprise visit from Melissa and Margaret! What fun times for the little ones!!

This face cracks me up. It looks like Crosby just did something he wasn't supposed to do!!

Like...maybe... take a swing at Margaret!!!

Or try to roll over her!!!

He sure is rough these days! You can tell he is all boy!!! :)

We got this video earlier this week. We all sat down to eat dinner. In an attempt to keep Crosby entertained, Blake started making the noise you will see below. Needless to say, Crosby thought it was HYSTERICAL...

It was so funny to see him stop laughing, remember what had just happened, and then start back up, all on his own! That is pretty advanced processing!! Too bad the phone had to ring and Nugget had to chime in!

I had more to share but it is now 2:17 AM, yes AM, and I have a patient to see in a few hours! Blogger had been acting nuts so I am just going to have to stop here! Just so I don't keep you completely hanging, the door guy has yet to show! But I think I know what I want to do! And I appreciate all the comments. It felt like bloggers Christmas to me!! :)

And finally, to the little "bird" out there who is expecting...I am SOOOO thrilled for you...XOXO

8 months

Yep. It is that time of the month again. It sure does seem like the 29th rolls around fast, doesn't it? We are the proud parents of an 8 month old!!!! Excuse me...did someone else say that? Ummm...no...that was me. He is REALLY 8 months old... Good grief. This growing up business is for the birds. How many times can I say that??? Will I ever get used to it? In my mind, he should only be about 4 months old at this point! My mind is about as scattered and jumbled as the come these days so that should be no surprise!

I honor of the big day, we had a little photo session. Let me tell you, he was much easier to photograph when he did not move. I am afraid this is going to get worse each month. Unless I pull out duct tape, that is! On to "Perspective Pictures"...

Crosby with his bear...

Crosby with his bear in his chair...

Mug shot...

Big feet & little feet...

Big hand & chubby, little hand... LOVE IT!!!

Upside down...

Outtakes...

I thought this was a cute shot of our feet but couldn't deviate from the norm...

Blurry because he is spitting everywhere!!!

"Da da da da da..."

About to scoot himself right out of the chair...

Showing off his...hair...

"Hi! What's your name???"

Looking as if this is the first time he has EVER seen Nugget!!

Compare: 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months

I don't realize just how much he has changed until I look back at "old" pictures!

Crosby is still wearing size 3 diapers and they seem to fit just right. His clothing size varies but seems to wear 9-12 month in most things. 12 month pajamas! He still loves his Johnny Jump Up. He only uses the swing for movie time, which is only once every few days. But when he hears Baby Einstein music, he is GLUED to the TV. It is seriously like Pavlov's dog... He knows that music very well. He prefers the exersaucer that moves over the stationary one. He still sits on his activity mat but doesn't lay there and play as much anymore. He does prefers to sit over laying down these days. He spends more time on his belly but has yet to creep or crawl. He does get up on all fours when you go to lay him in the prone position. He just rocks back and forth until he does a face plant! He still sits in his bouncy seat on occasion but kicks so hard the thing could fall apart! We used to sit him in it ALL the time with the vibration turned on. It now appears the original batteries are on their last leg. They almost lasted 7 months (we didn't use it at first).

Crosby takes anywhere from 28-32 ounces of milk a day and has solids 2-3 times a day. We have been trying to get him to take the "6+" fast flowing, "Y" cut nipple. But he ABHORS it. He refuses his bottle and gets so frustrated. This means he is still drinking a 3-6 month nipple! I have told him that everyone else in the nursery is going to make fun of him but he does not care. Apparently he wants to stay a tiny baby as much as I would like for him to. :) I am not real sure what to do about this. It took 30 minutes and a major battle to get 6 ounces in the child when I refused to switch the other day! So I gave in. Probably not a good sign...

The little man still sleeps through the night. He is really good about taking 2 naps a day when we are here. He can also sleep well in the car if we are out. I try to respect his need for sleep but there are just some times we have to be out. Like Sundays! He is pretty flexible and we make it work.

The past 8 months have been the greatest! We are blessed to have an easy little boy. He has the sweetest smile and an adorable laugh. He is a strong willed little booger but we think he is kind of cute even when he is mad! :) Can you tell that we are crazy about Mr. Crosby??

This is not going as planned...

I love home improvement projects. That is why I was so excited about this post!!!! It was going to be great. I was going to start with this picture...


I was going to point out the HUGE Bradford Pear blocking half of the house. And then I was going to bring up the lovely, Green Bay Packer, green and yellow color scheme they had going. Then I was going to show you this picture...



I was going to point out the fact the Bradford Pear was gone and now our house could be seen from the road!!! I was also going to brag on myself for changing the shutter color from Packers green to a nice, grayish/black color. Easy on the eyes. The new landscaping isn't so shabby either! :) And then I was going to make a joke...

"Hey!!!! Who is that man in my window???"


Very funny...I know. That would have been followed by the explanation that we were having our windows replaced and I was SOOO excited about. This was a major "adult purchase" and I couldn't wait to share the end result. This would mean ridding ourselves of Packers yellow so there would be no evidence of Green Bay on our house!!!!! Thrilled my soul... This picture would have been next, with the caption, "Out with the old"...

Followed by, "In with the new"...


It was gonna be great!!!

I was going to show a close up of the finished product by sharing a picture of Blake painting the last of the yellow trim, sporting a very...interesting outfit...



Followed by this picture that nearly brought tears to my eyes. And his for that matter. You may not be able to tell, but this was was REALLY high up there. A fall would have meant spinal cord injury or worse. That is why it was a very good idea to perform this task while wearing Tevas...



But...instead of sharing this, back in June, I wanted to wait until the project was 100% complete. We were waiting on one LARGE, finishing touch. SOOO, I just sat on this post and waited. And waited. And waited. Until 2 weeks ago. When this happened...

They came to replace our front door!!!! It was going to be so exciting!!!!! I was going to mention how Crosby LOVED watching the men at work. He bounced for an hour without, squealing his heart out! His right quad was huge as a result. Then I was going to show you this...

Nugget had to be right in the middle of everything. That is until his nose got the best of him and he wandered off, ending up in the neighbors house for a few hours. Good thing the vet's dog listens to his owner and stays in his yard... The last picture before the final reveal would have been this...

The HUGE hole in the front of the house where the door once stood. It was going to be awesome to finally see the completed project after 2 months of waiting. It was going to happen this week. Until today...

Looks good. Right???? Let's move in a bit...

Does anything strike you as odd?? We'll move in a little closer...

Yea...it doesn't match!!!!! What???? Basically, the door (on the right in the picture above) is one type of wood. The transom, jam (on the left in the picture above) and the sidelights, are another type of wood. And, as we all know...well except for the makers of this door, different wood types don't always take stain the same way. Here is proof of that! (Oh...the really light wood in the middle is part of the jam that is on the inside of the house and that is going to be painted the color of our inside trim...when I pick that out...so just ignore that...) While we are pleased with the actual door, the rest does not look good. It has a "country feel" to it and I am not fond of that look. Not that there is anything wrong with it if you are a country fan...

So why in the world am I even posting this, you ask??? Well, we have a dilemma on our hands and our brains cannot make a decision. We have to decide what to do with this mess. I could not be more happy with the look of the new door/sidelights/transom. It is all that I had hoped for. But the stain looks awful. These are the options...

A. We should hear from and/or meet with a rep from the door company tomorrow. The only solution that will make us happy is to rip the entire thing out and replace it with a new door/sidelights/transom/jam (there is probably a word for that whole thing but I am unaware of it) made of the SAME wood. Genius idea... Why was that not done in the first place??????

B. We could keep what we have and just paint the ugly part the same color as the trim and it will look much like our old door minus the Green Bay yellow. It would be the color of the new windows. And I realize you can't really tell a difference in the old yellow vs now, but believe me the old was yellow and unattractive... We would keep the door the stained color it is now.

Now that this has happened, I am questioning if having the entire thing stained even looks good on my house. I completely love it on all the new constructions I see but on my house?? Is it as pretty? Does the door get lost in the brick? Does the trim around the window overwhelm the door? We want the door/sidelights/transom/jam to POP when you see it. We want the "WOW"!!!! Will we achieve it with stain?

I need all the help I can get. So far, I am about 50/50 with opinions. Some say paint the ugly wood the color of the window trim and just keep the door stained, as is. Others say have the whole thing replaced and stain it as planned, because the stain, on the same wood as the door, would be beautiful. What do we do?? I need any and all advice, opinions, thoughts you may have. Problem is...it is not Monday. Nobody reads this blog unless it is Monday. So I am probably wasting my finger strength for nothing because no one will read this...

But if you are one of the faithful followers that just happens to see if the blog slacker has blogged anything, she has. And she needs your help!!! Because this is CLEARLY not going as I had planned!!!!!!!

Mondays With Crosby

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 34 weeks old!!! We have seen a...different side of our little one this week. I am thinking he is in the process of teething. YIKES!!! At least I am hoping that is what we are in the midst of, I should say! :) I make it sound much worse than it really is. We have just heard a little more whining and have seen a lot more protest these days. He has the classic signs: drooling, irritability, refusing to eat, chewing on EVERYTHING, etc. I don't see or feel anything but surly to goodness there is something brewing in those gums of his!! Just as an example, this is my sweet, little cutie pie this morning when I was trying to feed him breakfast...

I had to throw that bowl out because he never gave in. So we tried again at lunch. And this is what happened...

He ended up eating a whole bowl of oatmeal and another jar of food. Not bad considering it took forever to get him to cooperate. He grumps for about 5 minutes. Then he starts to open his mouth like he wants to eat so I feed him. Then he grumps again with the food in his mouth. Swallow, grump and repeat!! He is still pretty cute, even when he whines!! Yes...he was still in his PJ's at lunch. So was I for that matter...

I had a sad moment last Tuesday. I decided it was time to lower his mattress. I am not sure why that was so hard for me to break down and do, but it was. I guess I want to continue to tell myself that he is a tiny, infant that is fine to be sleeping on the highest setting. Clearly, that is not the case so I gave in to my irrational thoughts...but only for safety's sake!! He isn't doesn't transfer from supine/prone to sit (I don't know how to word that other than in OT/PT terminology) but it is just around the corner. He has been on all 4's, which you will see below.

We tried out the fresh food feeder last week and that was a hit. Of course I had to video it. Nugget was very jealous of all the attention Crosby was getting. Either that or he knew we were eating tuna salad for lunch and wanted to lick the can...

On Thursday night, I got the bright idea to shove a bunch of spaghetti down the disposal. Before I even started, I thought, "I should probably just throw this in the trash." But I didn't listen to the smarter half of my brain and proceeded to shovel. We came home from small group with a sink full of water. Did I mention that I never even turned the disposal on? Genius... Anyway, Crosby has been feeling a lot like our pipes! I did NOT shove spaghetti down his throat, in case you were wondering!!! Something keeps jamming him up for one reason or another. We tried prunes and that seemed to do the trick. But we are back to a clogged state. I don't want to feed the poor thing prunes everyday. Some folks say I should try apple juice. But I am worried about the sugar rotting those...teeth that aren't in yet... I know I can water it down but I wanted to avoid the sugary beverages for as long as possible. Ahhhhh, what to do? And, in case you were wondering, I was able to remove the trap under the sink, by myself, and remove the spaghetti from the pipes. Well, I did have my dad on the phone but I still get full credit, right? :)

Mr. Prune Lips...

A little photo shoot. For some reason I like the naked baby on the bed pictures...

Hiding in the pillows...

On all 4's...


It is getting harder and harder to keep his slobbery hands of the lens...

See ya later!!!

Before I go, I have to mention this. I cannot believe it has been a year since that post. To think back on that day sends chills down my spine. I was scared beyond belief. My words did little to express the hopelessness I felt inside. At that point in time, I was confident I would lose a third child. Fear, anxiety, panic and doubt overwhelmed any sense of peace that remained as I felt my body fighting against the life growing inside. I sit here, one year later and feel nothing but joy. PRAISE THE LORD that HE carried us through the storm!!! What an amazing year it has been!!!!!