Toadfrogs and Elephants

Of course the day started off with Easter Baskets. My mom even dressed Alex to match his basket:

Melissa’s gift was a tummy time mat:

It was quite a chore, but we all got ready for church and arrived on time. Alex stayed in the nursery and apparently did quite well. We came home and took the obligatory pictures:

My Grandmother and Great Aunt Eva Nell joined us for Easter lunch:

And what is Easter without some bunny pictures? It took us a while to get a good picture. I think my favorite is the second one. The progression:

I woke up at 6:30 am feeling wonderfully refreshed. I ventured downstairs to find my Mom rocking Alex. He had his second night with a 5 hour and a 4 hour stretch. Thank goodness! I had been worried he would cry all night and she wouldn’t come get us.

We spent most of the day at Granny and Papa’s. Judy, Jerry, and Emily all drove in for the weekend too.

It seems everyone was asleep before too long:

Jerry decided Alex would be more comfortable in his arms and even managed to get a smile:

After lunch it was back to my Mom’s house for more visits. Dabney stopped by and then Leigh, Carolyn, Jay, Mary Ann, and Buddy:

Laura cooked dinner for everyone at my Dad’s house. Guy and Sonya had driven to Nashville, but Grant and Christy were able to join us:

My Mom is offering to watch Alex for a second night and Wade and I are taking advantage. Off to bed for an early night again!!

Happy Birthday Ben!!

This trip to Paducah is going to be full of visits, people, and pictures. Alex made the 8+ hour drive wonderfully yesterday. He slept the entire way and only woke up to eat. We arrived in time for dinner with my Dad, Laura, Sonya, Guy, Grant, Christy, and Ken. We stayed the night at Dad’s house and Alex slept through the night for the first time (meaning a 5 hour stretch between feedings). Guy gave us an orchid (he has a green house full) and it is gorgeous!

After breakfast we drove to Mom’s house and let her have a few hours of “Alex time”. Before driving to see my Grandmother we stopped at El Chico (my all time favorite restaurant). Alex did okay for the beginning of our visit and then the colic showed up. We were able to get a few pictures before complete meltdown.

My Mother, Grandmother, and Alex:

My Aunt Beverly and Great Aunt Eva Nell also came to visit:

Amy came by after we were back at Mom’s house. It’s too bad she doesn’t live closer. She offered to babysit even when he is screaming:

Melissa arrived just in time for a bottle and before Alex’s evening meltdown:

My Mom has offered to keep Alex in her room tonight so Wade and I are headed to bed at 9 pm. Full night of sleep here I come!

After starting our window replacement last September, it is now complete. Curtis replaced the dining room windows with clear glass (the leading was not what we had expected), switched the hardware for white, and stained the trim in the kitchen.

Wade continues to be industrious and added foot rests to the kitchen island. Wade has a knack for keeping items that come in very handy. The foot rests were actually handrails we removed from the shower in the old bathroom at our house in Anderson when we remodeled the pink and blue bathroom.

Alex is 8 weeks old today and just wearing his first 3 month clothing. The newborn sizes still fit, but I was getting tired of the same outfits all the time. At least now we have quite a variety.

In other news, I took Alex to the doctor and she confirmed that he has colic. Not just normal colic, but an abnormal presentation of colic. (But when is anything about us normal?) Most of the time colic means periods of fussiness and crying with no cause and no cure. However, normally the periods of time are very regular. My doctor said her son’s always lasted from 8:30 pm to 10:05 pm. Alex basically has a good 24 hours and then a bad 24 hours (or any variation thereof). The good news is it should disappear at 3 months and he is 2 months old today. Poor little guy (and poor mom and dad).

My neighbor, Amber, asked me if I would like to join her for a trip to see the Easter Bunny. I hadn’t planned on taking Alex, but I loved the idea. I figured we would attempt a trip out and see how Alex did. Amber’s son, Abram, was in constant motion and had fun rocking Alex for me:

Alex slept all the way through it – thank goodness!

Alex didn’t have such a good day today (or maybe it was me that didn’t have a good day). Obviously his little system is struggling. We’re not sure if it is gas or acid reflux, but Alex is miserable. When the little guy isn’t sleeping, he is screaming. Daddy was able to soothe him with a bottle:

And then we went to meet Emelia Hoium. I’m sure she and Alex will be good friends:

Alex has his best time in the mornings so today we played:

And then he was happy again this afternoon:

On a side note, I am loving the cloth diapers. This one is by blueberry: