Hi Y'all. Remember me?

Hi there, Happy Thanksgiving! I've been super busy with school lately and haven't done a very good job blogging. I'm actually on vacation in Deanburg, TN right now, but wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know I'm still alive & kickin' :) Stay tuned for some much needed updates....

WEEK 5 - LITTLE MONSTER

Though the pictures below show it, the stats we received at today's 1 month appt confirm that I'm truly a Little Monster!

Birth 6 Lbs, 5 oz and 19 3/4 in.

5 Weeks 9 Lbs and 20 3/4 in.

The doctor was proud of my good eating habits and told Mommy and Daddy it's ok to increase my intake by another ounce if I'm hungry enough. Yippee! I got my 2nd Hepatitis B shot today, and was such a brave boy that the nurse gave me a bright orange BandAid. I think it might glow in the dark compared to my pale little thigh.

LITTLE MONSTER

BRAVE LITTLE BOY

WEEK 5 MILESTONES: I can follow Mom & Dad's voices with my head and my eyes. I am also starting to reach for my bottle and WubbaNub, and am spending longer stretches of time on my activity mat. No more mittens!! I've gone 2 entire days without mittens and haven't scratched my face. It's amazing what all I can do with my fingers now, such as grab Mommy's hair. The biggest milestone is probably sleeping in my big boy crib at night. At first I wasn't sure what to think of it, but now that I'm older and wiser I realize I'm lucky to have some independence and freedom from Mom and Dad. They don't need to hover over me all during the night...plus, between Daddy talking in his sleep and Mommy's occasional snore, it's awfully hard to get a good night's sleep.

WEEK 5 FUNNIES: I'm laughing more! I laugh at Daddy more than Mommy, but perhaps that's because my hair is falling out like Daddy's. I've lost most of the hair on top of my head, but still have the wrap around. It no longer looks red, for which Daddy is delighted.

WEEK 5 LESSONS: No lessons for Mom & Dad this week! They are getting the hang of parenthood, and I didn't have the heart to introduce any new lessons to them. Maybe I'll wait until the week after next when Mommy goes back to work and Daddy's away on his hunting trip. Yep, they'll be stress-free that week, so it'll be a super time to teach them another Reed Lesson, hee hee! I do want to thank Miss Christina for a tasty lunch this week. She's my WubbaNub angel!

STAY TUNED: Next week is Mommy's last week at home with me, and boy are we busy. I get to meet some of the good folks at her office, and I get to go have lunch with another of Mommy's friends. I'm also hoping to meet Baby Ella. I've tried to be patient, but it's been 5 whole weeks...and that's a long time for a little squirt like me to wait. I think I'll pray extra hard this week because I'm so excited for cousin Ella Jane's arrival! (plus, that means I might get to see my other set of Grandparents and Aunt & Uncle too!)

GETTING READY FOR HALLOWEEN

4 Weeks - One Month Old!

WEEK 4 MILESTONES: I slept through the night for the first time! Mommy says if I can do it once, I can do it again. I also began taking naps in my crib (located in my room, not Mom and Dad's room) for the first time this week. Boy, am I growing up fast or what?!

WEEK 4 MISC:

H1N1: I'm too little to get the H1N1 vaccine (I have to be at least 6 mo's old), but I'm soooooo thankful that Daddy and Mommy are doing their best to protect me from it. They both got their H1N1 shots this week. Daddy only shed one or two tears when he got the shot, and Mommy was excited about the cool glitter bandaid they put on her arm. Thank you Daddy & Mommy for getting the H1N1 vaccine and doing what you can to protect me!

FAMILY: Grandma & Grandpa Hessel and the Rife family came to visit me last weekend, and I got to meet Aunt Heidi, Uncle Mike, and my cousins MaKenzie and Madison. What a fun day, I'm glad they were able to come visit. Now I just need to meet Great Gaga (my only great-grandparent) - only one more month! And cousin Ella Jane will be here too soon. We're all very anxious to meet her (especially Aunt Emmy and Uncle Keith Cromwell)!

PHOTOS: Check out these new photos: my infant bouncy seat has become my bed (not for too much longer, according to Dad and Mom) and is also good entertainment during the day when I'm awake. See me playing with the animals?

Week 3

Week 3 Milestones: I finally got my first real bath! While Mommy was filling the tub w/ suds and warm water, I thought it would be funny to pee on Daddy and the kitchen floor, and also spit-up on Daddy. Guess I wanted to reiterate to them that I needed a good scrubbin'!

Week 3 Funnies: Alas, I have started fighting sleep. This entails fussing, shaking my head back and forth (similar to Jackie's actions when she's playing with one of her dog toys), and continually spitting out my pacifier....even though I really do want the pacifier. Mom & Dad are highly amused during this fussy time. I'll bet you 10 diapers that they wouldn't be as entertained if the episodes lasted longer than the usual 10-15 minutes before I'm out like a light! Here's a picture of me, being my usual angelic self. I'm sure Daddy would be thrilled if he knew the dreams that consistently put smiles on my face and elicit laughter from me in my sleep mostly pertain to deer and turkey hunting - these dreams will just have to suffice for a few more years until I can join Daddy on his numerous hunting trips.

Week 3 Misc: A hodge-podge for your reading enjoyment.

-Night Routine: I am still only getting up once at night to eat, and Mommy & Daddy have fallen into a good routine with me now that Daddy's back at work. Thank goodness for the infant bouncy seat - I sleep so much better if I'm not flat on my back, and the vibrations and awesome music / white noise are a tremendous help too. Do they make these for grown-ups? Maybe I'll get one for Mom & Dad for Christmas....

-Visitors: We've had lots of great visitors lately - thanks to Julie, the Dixons, and John Easter for coming to meet me! Also, a special thanks to Wendy for the super fun outing yesterday! I get to meet my cousins MaKenzie and Madison this weekend, as well as Aunt Heidi & Uncle Mike. I'm so excited!

-Eats & Treats: In other exciting news, I'm eating a full 3 ounces at every meal time and have become a pro at bottle feeding. Thank you Mommy & Daddy for investing in Dr. Brown's bottles for me!

-Tummy Time: I've been getting lots of tummy time, and this morning I not only held myself up for a long time (10-12 seconds), but I then gently rolled onto my back. I did this several times! Of course, by the time Mommy could grab the camera, I was too tired to do it one more time. Mom did manage to sneak in a couple of photos...

-Activity Mat: Mom and Dad think I'm super smart because the first time they put me down on the floor activity mat (Baby Einstein Ocean), I was able to swing my arms and play with the Octopus and rattles on my own after they showed me how to do it. Truthfully, I was just Mr. Ants in My Pants (as usual) and needed to expend some energy, but I didn't want to bust Mom & Dad's bubble, so I let them think I was purposely swatting at the dangling toys above me. Ok, I concede - after a couple more days of trying out the Activity Mat, I am swatting the toys on my own. Go me!!

-Foot Scars: I'm 3 weeks old, and already have battle wounds! I got pricked 3 times on each heel before I was even a week old, and as you can see, one heel still has some healing to do (no pun intended). Don't worry, my legs aren't as hairy as they appear...I'm still getting my Big Boy Skin!

A Final Note: Mom and Dad are so impressed with how fast I'm learning, that they've decided the next task is teaching me Pig Latin. I'm hoping to learn it soon so that I can communicate with my soon-to-arrive baby cousin Ella Jane. We can have our own secret language! In the meantime, I'll leave you with one last photo. This seems to sum up my life at home with Mom & Dad...Ruff!

Week 2 - Goodbye Dad, Hello Mom

Week 2 has been a big one for us, from our first mall appearance to Daddy returning to work. I will miss Daddy, but will be waiting with sloppy kisses when he comes home from work! I've also been getting more tummy time this week (see my Big Boy photo) and love it.

WEEK 2 MILESTONES: lots of smiles, lots of baby laughs, first trip to the mall (Mom & Dad got stir crazy), pulling Mommy's hair (she was impressed that I did so with my mittens on), blowing spit bubbles (fortunately it's not spit-up bubbles).

WEEK 2 FUNNIES: looks like I inherited Daddy's trait of talking in my sleep. I frequently jabber, wimper, and cry out when I'm dreaming, and Mommy and Daddy are highly amused by my animations. This happens several times daily, and Mom & Dad hope to get it on video soon.

WEEK 2 MISC: I'm still eating well, burping well, and sleeping well. Daddy thinks my face has really filled out, while Mommy thinks I'm growing all over. One thing is for sure - I have lots and lots of energy (a.k.a. I have ants in my pants) and enjoy expending it through stretching and squirming. I like to play a game with Mommy & Daddy where I'm Mr. Squirmy Wormy for a couple of minutes then will close my eyes and go limp like I'm asleep...a few seconds later I'll wake back up and squirm for them some more, then back to pretending to be asleep, etc. I love this game - especially the way it makes Mommy and Daddy laugh at me!

Like Father, Like Son

When asked who Reed looks like, Jeremy and I both reply that he looks like a baby. However, when presented with a baby photo of Jeremy (thanks, Karen!), it's clear that Reed definitely possesses some of Jeremy's physical traits. What do ya'll think?

Happy 1st Week, Reed Austin!

Although today was Reed's original due date, we're thrilled he's now 7 days old!

WEEK 1 MILESTONES: getting off the bili blanket, using my neck muscles to lift my head and turn it from side to side, reacting to Daddy's tickling, following Mommy & Daddy's gaze, first sponge bath, first stroller ride

WEEK 1 FUNNIES: peeing on Mommy & Daddy and the walls (during diaper changes, of course); being startled by Daddy's cough (my arms and legs stick straight out, and if I had more hair on my head I'm sure it would stick out too)

WEEK 1 CRIES: wimpering like a motor, then eventually crying when my diaper is changed (brr, it's cold!); wimpering when I'm hungry or want to be held by Mommy or Daddy

WEEK 1 SLEEP: I'm letting Mommy and Daddy sleep for fairly long stretches during the night. For instance, last night I got to eat at 1:30am, then decided to let Mommy and Daddy sleep until 6:15am before announcing I was hungry again. Good thing my Pediatrician encourages parents to let babies like me sleep through the night (so long as we don't skip meals during the day).

LESSONS FROM REED: Beware, I will pee on anything and anyone when my diaper is being changed. I find it especially amusing to wait until Mommy and Daddy have cleaned me up and almost have the fresh new diaper in place before I pee everywhere. Hee hee!