I've Got My Eye On You

Apparently this toy catches the eye of both my babies!

Maggie's New Medicine

We changed Maggie's acid reflux medication from Zantac to Prevacid on Monday afternoon, and she is a completely different baby now! :) She is so happy all the time and does not arch her back or act uncomfortable in her carseat or even the stroller. I am so happy that we found the magic pill to make our little girl feel better. Initially the doctor thought it was colic, and since there is no remedy, I was simply waiting out the fussiness. Now we have THE solution.

Even though the medicine does not claim to reduce spit up, Maggie has NOT spit up any sigificant amount since we started Prevacid, and she is consistently eating 4-5 ounces every 3 hours.

Today she even took a nap unswaddled for the first time. She lasted about an hour! :) She did wake up and needed the swaddle to get comfortable again, but it was good practice.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

After three trips to Home Depot. :)

Inside decorations coming soon!

Thanksgiving 2012 Part II

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Corbitt family today. I had been looking forward to seeing my family all week. It is such a small group, so everyone is very close.

Maggie snuggled with some of the relatives before she realized how tired she was from not napping as very much today. Then she was only somewhat happy in my arms.

Jay had to multi-task during the celebration to fill urgent orders for Home Depot due to Hurricane Sandy. No rest for the weary.

Tuttle and Gwen interacted a lot more this visit. Since Emily, Robb, and Gwen live in Philadelphia and can only visit a couple times a year, Gwen is drastically every time we see her. I love watching our kids play together! Gwen even learned to say Tuttle's name this time. :) There is about a year difference between Tuttle and Gwen and about a year different between Gwen and Maggie.

The food is always delicious, and it did not disappoint this year. I look forward to the traditional favorites of cornbread dressing, marshmallow sweet potatoes, squash souffle, deviled eggs, and mashed potatoes. Although I was swinging Maggie in her carseat as I ate, I enjoyed EVERY calorie-filled bite, including the cheesecake cupcake that I split with Anne.

 Tuttle performed for an adoring audience again as he sang his ABC's and played various instrument. That boy lives for everyone's undivided attention.

Maggie fell asleep in my arms which has NEVER happened before. I savored every sweet second.

The countdown to Christmas has officially begun now!

Happy Four Months, Maggie Ruth!

Margaret Ruth Thorne has been a part of our family for four months now.

At four months, Maggie

• is 11 pounds, 15 ounces (4%)
• is 24.20 inches (34%)
• eats 4-5 ounces  (with about a tablespoon of rice cereal in the bottle) every three hours
• wears 3-6m clothing
• still wakes up about once a night to eat, but typically sleeps 7pm-6am with a dream feed between 9-10 and a night feeding between 2-3
• still loves the bouncy seat, but she has started to enjoy the Bumbo seat, the playmat, and simply laying on a blanket with toys
• still must be swaddled to be comfortable although she is outgrowing her current swaddles
• started acid reflux medication (Zantac). She is switching (fingers crossed) to Prevacid next week because the Zantac does not seem strong enough.
• still spits up after every feeding
• has rolled from her back to her tummy and from her tummy to her back!
• sleeps in her crib in her bouncy chair because the incline helps with the acid reflux
• loves to use the baby carrier to go on walks or do housework with Mommy. She will even fall asleep in it! :)
• enjoys "eating" her fist or holding it straight out to check out her new found arm 

 We are really starting to get to know our little girl's personality! 

We love you, Maggie Ruth!

Thanksgiving 2012 Part I

We continued our tradition this year of starting off the Thanksgiving celebration with Grandmommy and Grandaddy and the rest of the Drewry family in Madison. Aunt Peach, the kids, and I arrived Wednesday afternoon while Jay decided to come yesterday morning since he worked Wednesday.

The family agreed to a potluck this year, so I brought my tried-and-true deviled eggs and a new Pinterest dip recipe that I brought to a Halloween party last month, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Crack Dip. Yum!

I actually made a photo this year. I am usually behind the camera snapping away. I am thankful for my two babies and my always supportive husband.

Can she possibly be any cuter? I do not think so!

 The tables keep growing and growing. I think about 25 people came to chow down this year.

Like usual, we laughed a lot, ate too much, and spoiled the kids with all the attention that they could stand.

Lori Beth was so sweet to Maggie even after she spit up on her!

 

Hank, Jay, and Brooke

Tutte is 100% OBSESSED with Grandaddy. He wakes up asking for him even if it is 6am in the morning. His new favorite game is talking to Grandaddy on the house phone when Grandaddy calls him on his cell phone.

  

Wesley and Jamie

Jay and Grandmommy

Tuttle showed off with a performance on the guitar singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" while Maggie "talked" to everyone, smiled her big smile, and rolled around on the floor.

At one point, I left Tuttle outside to play with the group, and I came back to find him playing with the hose. He could not have been happier until he realized how cold and tired he actually was.

It would not be a Drewry family Thanksgiving without a game of Scrabble.

We cannot wait to see everyone again at Christmas. Happy Thanksgiving!

Kisses!

Maggie Milestone

I wanted to document another milestone by Maggie. Yesterday (November 17) she rolled over from her back to her tummy. She was determined to do it ALL DAY and got mad and frustrated while she was practicing, but she finally succeeded. :) She has tired herself out all weekend with her new accomplishment.

She had already rolled over from her tummy to her back at Grandmommy and Grandaddy's house at the beginning of the month on November 3rd. She has done this roll again several time, but she is not always in the mood when she is on her tummy.

Our little girl is on the move!

Preschool Thanksgiving Party

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Tuttle's preschool class on Thursday for a school-wide feast. I love getting a glimpse into Tuttle's school experience through the little parties throughout the year. 

I definitely had a proud mommy moment as I watched Tuttle sit with his class, listen to his teachers, and interact with his friends. I like the fact that he still participates in the activity and stays seated with the other kids even though I am there because he could easily cling to me. 

Tuttle gobbled up his plate of food. He went right for the corn muffin, chicken nuggets, and macaroni and cheese. He takes after his carb lovin' mommy!

We are looking forward to more Thanksgiving meals now with family! :)

Hooray for Tuttle!

Disclaimer: I fully realize Tuttle will kill me for posting these pictures one day.

I was going to post about Tuttle's preschool Thanksgiving party today, but we have much bigger news! Tuttle pee peed on the potty THREE TIMES today! It was his first time ever using the potty!

The babies and I stopped by Target this morning to pick up a couple things, and I found a set of Spiderman underwear and undershirt. I could not pass them up to encourage Tuttle to like the potty.

He wanted to wear the shirt, but he was less than thrilled about the underwear. I decided to move his Cars potty to the kitchen, so he would not feel isolated. I also gave him unlimited Coca Cola to increase his need to go. I found a YouTube television show about going to the potty to get him to set still longer, as well.

After watching the show one and a half times, Tuttle was ready to go play. As soon as he reached his train table, he peed on the floor. 

I decided to try the whole "no underwear" approach. Wouldn't you know it, but it TOTALLY worked! Tuttle has now told me THREE times that he needed to go, and he actually peed on the potty. I am ignoring the fact that most of the pee actually ended up on the floor! He was sitting on the potty when it happened, and each time his aim improved! :)

We immediately cheered, high-fived, and called Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Aunt Peach, Daddy, Gram, and Grumps to celebrate!

Could this be the end to diapers? All aboard the Potty Train!

P.S. Maggie is the cutest little girl alive! :)

Who Is That Baby?

This morning I let Tuttle look through some old photos while I attempted to get dressed. Most of the pictures were of Tuttle as a baby. I asked Tuttle who that baby was, and he responded with Maggie or Baby Charles (Val and Paul's son). I almost had to agree that I did not know who that baby was either. My little boy is not so little anymore. :(

Tuttle now proudly walks into his preschool classroom without looking back. I have to follow him in to get a goodbye kiss.

He lounges on the couch every morning to watch his two television shows (currently Spiderman) and looks like a miniture teenager sprawled halfway across the couch.

He frequently announces, "I'll be back...minute," when he leaves the room to get a toy.

He is starting to form complete sentences, but he is always able to communicate what he wants. He does not get frustrated if I cannot make out a word. He actually thinks it is pretty funny when I do not understand!

He likes to choose between snuggles, tickles, kisses, or hugs. I prefer snuggles. He may be the best snuggler ever! :)

He will affectionately look at his sister and tell her that she is cute. He does not have a mean bone in his body when it comes to how much he loves Maggie. (I may have a different opinion when she is able to touch his stuff!)

He LOVES his grandaddy more than anyone in the world. He thinks Grandaddy is always eating popcorn because that is his favorite activity to do with him. Yesterday he told me his Noah Little People toy had Grandaddy's haircut (bald on top, a little hair on the side).

He is very independent at the park. He climbs the tallest ladder to slide the biggest slide. He climbs onto big boy scooters and moves around the track. He does not hesitate to join a group of bigger kids when they run by him.

His imagination grows daily. One minute he is crawling out of a playground tunnel pretending to be a bear and then he is building a tower of blocks to turn it into a rocket.

He will sit for book after book for as long as you are willing to read. While he always has favorites, he sometimes allows me to choose the story, especially if I tell him reading time is over, and it is time for bed!

He can recognize his friend's houses as we drive up, and he ALWAYS points out Ellie's house when we run errands.

Tuttle has officially stolen my heart. I love my little boy so much, but I would prefer if time would slow down just a little bit.

Friendsgiving 2012

Today we hosted the second annual Friendsgiving at our house for about 25 people, including three new babies to the group. :) Jay and I provided the turkey and dressing, sweet tea and lemonade, and plates/napkins/utensils while everyone else brought a delicious side or dessert. We had every yummy option that you could imagine!

A Few Snapshots of Our Feast

We love having such special friends in our lives. Pictures say a thousand words.

Brother Sister Love

 

It was the perfect fall day, so we were able to open the house and enjoy some time on the porch and watching the kids run around in the backyard.

 A Classic All-American Boy

Maggie was worn out from all the cuddles!

 

We are so grateful to have these friends in our lives. Happy Friendsgiving!