Sleigh Ride

Editor's Note:  (This post has nothing to do with Sleigh Rides but the song was on when I titled it, so there you go...festive, huh?  Also, I haven't proofread this so bear with me.)

So, I guess it’s time for a little update for the four people out there that still read this.



We’ve been in the Christmas spirit for the last few weeks. I read something recently (no idea where) that someone wrote about “producing Christmas” at their house and I thought it was a pretty accurate term. So much work goes into “producing Christmas”…and not even the over the top stuff (which I’m guilty of) but also into trying to make it fun for little ones and into activities that help us absorb the real meaning of Christmas…if any of that makes sense. I’m trying to make a point to slow down and enjoy my family and the season. Anyway, I know that you all tuned in to get my thoughts on Christmas but I’ll move on to the highlights of our life…bullet-point style.


-Reed has started basketball. It’s our family’s first organized sport. He’s had his first practice and games will start in January. Go Little Cheetahs! In other basketball related news, his uniform swallows him whole. I commented on how big it was only to receive a sharp reply from an unnamed member of our family that I could sign him up next time if I had a problem with it.


-Gaines has always been pretty spunky, but I constantly find myself telling him to get off of Reed. They are playing together a lot these days but mostly in a wrestling fashion. Not too long ago, I found Reed sitting on Gaines with a blanket wrapped around his head. We had a serious talk and some time-out time over that one but mostly it’s just Gaines tackling Reed when he’s not expecting it. Every time I pull him off he says the same thing, “Soddy Mobby” (that would be sorry mommy) but he says it with some sort of weird accent. Makes me laugh every time.


-Lord knows where it came from but, the phrase of the week this week is “Hey, watch it too-tall”. Reed says it to Gaines and then Gaines says it back and it goes on and on. It’s so fun to hear Gaines say it though. I forgot how funny it is to listen to a little one just learning to talk. And an update on that is that Gaines is talking ton…and we can understand most of it. He’s definitely a little mimic right now. There are something that we don’t understand but he improves every day.


-Side note, do y’all love that Christmas Canon song? It’s one of my top five favorite Christmas songs. Our church did it the other day as part of their Living Christmas Tree performance and it was so spot on. I almost cried. Ridiculous, but it was beautiful. I will tell you which Christmas song I could do without, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause”. I think it makes the mother look a bit like a harlot…for lack of a better family friendly word.


-We went to a NICU graduate Christmas party down here last weekend. It was so fun to see all the sweet nurses that took care of my littlest boy. I’m not saying that he’s a NICU superstar or anything, but there was a definite “Gaines” (think “Norm” from Cheers) when he walked in. I loved being able to show them how well he’s doing…and he is doing really, really well. Y’all keep all the families that are spending the Christmas season in the hospital in your prayers. I’m keeping up with a really sick local little girl right now and it brings back so many memories of countless doctors, scary nights, watching the numbers…just all of it, but it also reminds me of how good people are and how many people prayed Gaines home and (eventually) healthy. That will never be lost on me.


-I have recently refreshed myself on the proper times to use an apostrophe in “it’s/its”. I’m pretty pumped about this as I’ve just been guessing at it since people stopped grading my English homework. No worries though, comma splices and …’s still run rampant around here.


-We went to a Christmas Hayride last weekend where Gaines rode a horse for the first time ever. I could barely get him off. If only we had a place to keep a horse. I need a farm. Beau isn’t quite on board with my farm dream.

I think I’m just rambling now so I’ll stop. Maybe I’ll be back soon. I hope to be.


Merry Christmas and Love to All-


Brittany

My Boys

Couple of quick things about my boys that I thought were funny.

I saw a big piece of paper hanging on the wall in Reed’s class that said, “What is your family having for Thanksgiving dinner?” Apparently Reed’s family is having fish.  We don't even eat fish at our house for regular dinners.  Like ever.  Except one time when I tried to make it because Beau likes it.  He loved it.  I had pop-tarts for dinner that night.  But all that was before Reed so he's never had fish at our house.  Sue me.
Also, the other night, Reed got stuck in Gaines’ Cozy Coupe car and was yelling “Help, help!” As soon as Gaines heard him, he jumped off of his scooter and went running to Reed, “I comin, Ree, Ree…I comin”. SO sweet but hilarious at the same time.  He LOVES his big brother.

In other news, I will continue my quest of taking a picture of both of my children looking at the camera and having some sort of smile on their faces.  Although, at this point I'd probably just settle for all eyes open.  I am seriously considering a Christmas card of outtakes. 

Just wanted you all to know that we are still alive and well.  (Although my Gainesy has two ear infections..."one good one and one massive one".  Poor baby). 

Love to all,

Brittany

Bossy

This past Sunday morning (which happened to be Reed's birthday) we were all getting ready for church.  I was in the boys' bathroom barking orders...probably trying to get their teeth brushed or something when Reed said, "Mom, do you know what bossy is?"  I stopped in my tracks and stared at him.  I said, "I do, do you?"  He replied, "It means rude." 

On another note, Reed is now finally 4, but he told me last night that he just really, really needs to be 5. 

Love to all,

Brittany

Pictures

These are from the 600 pictures that I told y'all were on my camera that needed to be uploaded to the computer.  Hope you like them.  Most of them make me laugh. 

This is Reed during a "rest".  All his animals are taking a nap.

 

Actually being sweet to each other.

These are Gaines' first day of school pictures.  You can tell he was really excited for school.  In case I haven't mentioned it, he goes to a mothers' day out one half day a week.  Doctor approved.

I think this face is hilarious. 

 

These next two make me laugh.  Beau and Reed were working on something and had to wear their safety gear.  Safety first!

My mom is going to kill me for this one but it makes me laugh so hard.  This is her and Gaines having a parade.  That stick in his hand is the Irish walking whistle that she brought him back from Ireland.  Of all the things to bring back... 

These skates are from about 20 years ago or more.  Each of my cousins had a pair and we'd skate our little hearts out at my grandmama's house.  She's been saving them all this time and the boys had so much fun with them.

 

Spaghetti-Os for lunch.

This was at a pumpkin patch birthday party.  Beau and Gaines didn't get to go because Gaines ended up pretty sick after last year's pumpkin patch adventure and we didn't want to risk it.  We think its the hay.

 

 

Reed and his buddies at the pumpkin patch.

Beach Pictures

Pictures from our October beach trip.  I told y'all I'd post pictures this weekend.  I know you didn't believe me.   Excuse the captions.  They aren't doing what I want and I give up.  This is Reed in his awesome shades.  He reminds me a little of Tom Cruise here.

Matching pajamas.

Me with my sweet boys.

Gaines learned to tolerate the beach some...but this is how he felt most of the time he had an encounter with the sand.

Love this one.

This one is pretty indicative of our life most days.  Don't worry.  Reed was only hugging him.

Nonsense

The thing I forgot yesterday was to declare publicly my love for Lay’s Jalapeno Kettle Chips. They make making your own lunch worth it.


I would also like to let you all know that I found a rotten pumpkin in the boys’ bathroom yesterday. Apparently pumpkins do not last if you break their skin by sticking plastic face pieces in them. It was really gross and my hand has been stained a little orange all day. Who knew that pumpkins stain? About an hour later I found a rotten banana. We seem to have a rotting produce problem at our house these days.  I just needed y'all to know that.

Here's another human interest story for you, we’ve been going to Wednesday night church lately but I decided to let us skip last night. We’ve been going so much and just needed a night at home to be normal and it was rainy and I know that neither of those are good excuses but I talked myself into it. It's ok though because God punished me by having Gaines throw up...on me…in my work clothes. I swear He has a sense of humor.

Reed’s birthday is coming up on Sunday but he moved up classes at school on Tuesday so he thinks he’s already 4. That sweet baby just can’t wait.

In other Reed news, he made the real news yesterday. They had a fire prevention deal going on at school yesterday that involved a smoke house and fire truck. They interviewed Reed and while I’m sure he had some profound comments on fire safety, they only used the clip of him saying, “It was a little smoky”. I wish I could put a link of it on here but apparently CBS 8 doesn’t feel that cute little almost 4 year olds sharing fire prevention advice was a worthy enough story to put on their website.

I guess that’s about it for now. Two posts in two days and this is what you get. I’m trying to get better with the blogging. I really want to.

Love to all,

Brittany

Gaines' Big News

First, my apoligies for dropping the ball right after I said I was going to post pictures.  My dad ended up having pretty major surgery the next day and my little world and to do list just had to wait.  We were at the beach the next weekend and just got back on Monday.  Trying to do something like uploading pictures during the week just isn't going to happen.  So, here's hoping that I get some up this weekend.  I'm pretty sure I will but I'm just not going to promise any more. 

A few other housekeeping details, you all need to have your skin checked once a year and wear SPF sunscreen.  I had two moles "biopsied" last week and while thankfully they were ok and only "abnormal", the whole thing kind of shook me up.  I'm not sure if you all are aware but I have a bit of a vivid imagination and it is not alwasy a good thing.  Anyway, I wore sunscreen at the beach and the world did not end when I did not come back tan...weird.  I also did not come back sunburned which was a nice change of pace.  So, there is my skin care PSA.  Take care of it. 

I had something else riveting to say but I forgot it.  So moving on to Gaines' big news...

Gaines' speech therapist did his 6 month evaluation the other day and he did so well! His score was 26 out of 29 months. The test has two different pieces, one that focuses on what he’s understanding, and the other on what he’s able to articulate. The articulation piece was 27/29 and the understanding was 26/29. I am really, really pleased with that.
I kind of kept it to myself before but, at his first evaluation in speech, that understanding piece was 13 out of 24 months. I knew that part of it was Gaines not cooperating that day (he’s just not going to do what he doesn’t want to do-working on that) but honestly, it also kind of scared me and I didn’t want anyone to know about it. So…I am super excited with this result. This score means that he no longer qualifies for Early Intervention and will only have one more session.

The therapist did mention that if we were still having trouble understanding a lot of what he says (like right now “mama” sounds like “baba” which is common in all kids) around the time he turns three, that we might want to have someone look at him to see if he needed help with his sounds. She said that right now he was too young for that to be a concern. We’ll cross that bridge when and if we need to but right now I’m just so excited that he’s catching up and understanding.

There have been a lot of unknowns with Gaines that we’ve had to be patient with and watch unfold…I mean, his sats were LOW (like do you want us to call in the chaplain low) the day he was born and he had to be resuscitated his first night…that doesn’t bode well for lots of things brain-wise. But y’all…he’s getting there and overcoming all the concerns one at time. First by holding his head up and sitting, to walking and now this. I could not be more proud of my littlest boy! God is good!

Love to all,

Brittany

This, that and the other...

Hello world. Yes, we are still alive and well. Just busy living. I don’t know that I really have too much to say…but I’m getting harassed about not-blogging so here I am. I’m typing this during lunch so there will be no pictures…they are all on my home computer. Well, some are. There are about 3000 on my camera that need to make it over to the computer but who has time for foolishness such as that. My goal is to get that done this weekend. This week, I am getting ready to host a baby shower at my house. I love that I spend a week “preparing” for something that will last an hour and a half. There’s nothing like having strangers over to make you see everything that’s wrong with your house. Y’all want to see my to do list? Here it is…my goodness this is so boring. My commentary will be in italics.



To Do:


Wed church


Wed Dust-the whole house because I didn’t do the bedrooms last night.


Wed wipe down doors/walls-because my children obviously walk around with nasty hands touching things.  People with small chilren, get on your knees and check out your walls, doors, cabinets and trim.  I did this recently and oh my word.


Wed wrap gift-because when the girl offered to wrap it, I lost my brain and said, “No thanks”.


Wed Office-it just needs to be straightend up so I can open the door like we keep it open all the time.


Wed abstract, tax info (2 yrs), check-refinancing our house…rates are so low right now


Thurs TJ Maxx-got to return some sweaters I bought for the boys


Thurs Flowers-need to buy flowers for the baby shower


Thurs Decorate-this is obvious…but I hope my “vision” works out.


Thurs Wreath-with the decorating


Thurs laundry room-because people will be checking out my laundry room???


Thurs Dishes-got to pick them out and get them ready.


Thurs den arrangement-because the current greenery “arrangement” I’m keeping on the table is dead


Fri vacuum floors


Fri mop floors


Fri casserole together


Fri ice cupcakes-because according to my husband, I like to do things the hard way…instead of buying or using canned icing.


Fri cut grass


Fri kitchen clean


Fri front porch


Sat straighten up


Sat Febreeze-so people will think that my house always smells like clean linen.


Sat make beds


Sat casserole in oven


Sat light candles-because I’m anal enough to write this down.





There are a few other things like dentist appointments that didn’t make the home to do list (although I’m not sure why TJ Maxx did). Once all of that is wrapped up, I’ll move on to Reed’s birthday party. Which he was not going to have until I realized two days ago that there was not a good movie out on his birthday to take a few friends to. So, now…it looks like we are going to have a movie party at our house. I’m doing everything in my power to make it easy and simple…but I have a way of letting my mind get away from me and googling how to make popcorn cupcakes. You know, because I have so much time on my hands and Reed would really appreciate them (not).






But…I’m guessing you all aren’t here to read about the daily trials of Brittany Daniel so let me throw in a few things about my boys.






-Reed: In the car yesterday I told him I was going to a painting party and he said, “Mom, do you know how to say painting in Chinese?” Excuse me, what? I said, “No, do you?” and he popped out with something that sounded Chinese that I couldn’t begin to try and retype. So…note to self, too much Ni Hao Kailan.






That boy keeps me on my toes. He’s about to die to turn 4. He can’t wait. Lots of his friends are already 4 and its killing him. I hear regularly, “I just, really, really want to be 4!” Or, “Mom, you are not even going to believe it when I’m 4”.






Oh, we had to have a little talk 2 nights ago about letting Gaines do the wrong things is just as bad as doing the wrong things yourself. I went in the bathroom while he was in the bathtub (because the kitchen and their bedrooms are just right there and I can get that part of the house straightened up while listening to him play…not because I’m a bad mother and leave him unsupervised in the bathtub) and had to fish out a stuffed parrot, a baby pillow and a fire truck. The immediate response was “Gaines did it!” which lead to our little talk.






Gaines: Speaking of the Gaineser, that boy…I just don’t know. He is a mess, but he’s so sweet…I just don’t know how to describe him. He’s doing really well off his oxygen. I just pray that he can stay healthy this fall/winter and we can avoid a hospital visit. Gaines actually started school a few weeks ago. Just 4 hours a week that both doctors and a nurse practitioner approved. I don’t know that he loves it just yet but he’s getting there. I’ll try and post his first day of school pictures this weekend. He’s talking a lot more now and even says “I love you”. On Reed’s and my way of out the door this morning I said, “Bye Gaines, I love you” and he said, “I la you, Ree Ree”. At least he loves somebody.






Alright…I better run. I need to get back to work. Pictures this weekend!






Love to all,






Brittany

Gaines' Big News

So, we’ve got big news! Gaines officially passed his sleep study (where he was monitored sleeping without oxygen)! That was the last step in weaning him from his oxygen and we are now OXYGEN FREE! Well, not totally oxygen free as that is what we all breathe, but you know what I mean. No more tanks, no more concentrators, no more cannulas, no more tendergrips on his precious face. This is what we’ve been wanting for the last 28 months but now that its here, it’s a little scary. The oxygen has been a thorn in my side for so long, but it’s also been a life preserver of sorts (not in the way that its was literally a life preserver for Gaines but a figurative one in like something you throw someone in the water…just to be clear :). We were able to test the waters on being without oxygen knowing that we had this life preserver if we needed it. Now, little Gaines is swimming on his own with no floats. I hope and pray that he’s ready…and that we are ready for this. I worry about colds this cold/flu season and we may have a set back, but that will be ok. We’ll make it through. Can you tell I’ve given myself this little pep talk a few hundred times?
I hope all of that doesn’t sound like I’m not excited. I totally am. I mean, this is a big deal for Gaines and our family. More than anything I’m so proud of my littlest boy. That child has more spirit and spunk that any other child I know. Its sounds cliché’ but he’s really come so far. I look back at old pictures of him and I remember the ones that I thought were “good ones” because you could see his eyes through all of his tubes. My eyes are tearing up just thinking about it.

He’s making major progress (in my professional opinion) of getting caught up in other areas too. You’ll be happy to know that is talking is coming along and that he now says his version of “Excuse me” after he announces that he pooted or burped. I’ll call that progress. :)

Thank you so much for sticking with us on this journey. Your prayers and comments have meant the world to us. Please continue to keep Gaines in your prayers as we embark on this new phase of his life.

Love to all,

Brittany

Birthday List

Since Reed’s birthday is “coming up” in October, anytime he asks for something lately, I tell him that we should put that on his birthday list. I guess I’ve said it one too many times because last night he said, “Why don’t we sit on the couch and write down my birthday list”. So we did. I thought it was kind of funny.
1. batman watch


2. a star turtle that puts starts on the ceiling-his cousin had one this past weekend that he loved

 3. kid scissors- I love that he requested “kid” scissors but asked why in the world he needed scissors. “So that I can cut things”. Obviously. I took that opportunity to discuss the fact that scissors are for paper only and that we do not cut our own or each others hair. People have to go to a special school for that.


4. a batman toy that is also a spiderman toy- I’m sure they make those.


5. a green puppy-I assume stuffed since he is quite the “pet” keeper these days.


6. a man toy-like a spiderman or batman toy, but just a regular man.


7. spiderman bathtub toy letters-????????


8. a pet raccoon-I don’t even know what to say


9. sunglasses


10. a toy tree-I asked, “What do you do with a toy tree?” “You just pretend that its real”. Duh.


11. spiderman shirts and shorts that he can wear to school-all of super hero garments are pajamas or costumes. He is so mistreated. It’s sad really.


12. a toy ear-again, ?????????


13. a toy helicopter- “But Reed, you already have 4 or 5 helicopters (including a remote one that really flies-thanks Babs and Pop)”. “But I just need one more”.


Love to all,


Brittany

Random Facts

A few fun facts as of late. 

-Gaines loves fried chicken.  He doesn't totally understand the concept just yet though.  I had to fish chewed up pieces of bone out of his mouth tonight at dinner.

-Reed told Beau tonight that he should buy me a new ring.  I swear I have never said a word to Reed about rings.  Reed thinks it should be pink.  He's under the impression its my favorite color.  I like pink and all, but if I'm getting a new ring, I don't really want pink. 

-We are kind of updating our den at home right now.  I'm having two chairs recovered in green velvet and I'm really nervous about it.  I had a dream the other night that they looked like mud.  Weird.


-Gaines' speech is coming along.  His latest thing is to poot, laugh hysterically and say "Poot".  Total boy.

-I got up and ran this morning (its just too hot at night).  I wondered when I became a person that willingly gets up in the 5:00 hour to exercise. 

-Did I tell y'all that my sister had a baby?  His name is Aiden and he's precious.

















-Gaines went to Pump It Up today with Kristin.  He wore a pair of shark gloves and some frog rain boots.  These are the same shark gloves that Reed wore to church a few weeks ago.  In the dead of summer.

-I believe that I have seen every episode of The Fresh Beat Band 4000 times.  I've had their song "Here We Go" in my head all day.  I think I might start trying to learn their dances.

 -In the car the other day I was talking to Beau and I guess I was kind of animated about whatever I was saying.  Reed said, "Mom, can you just settle down?"  He was totally serious.  He had probably heard that same statement directed towards him about 700 times that afternoon.  Boy's are wild.  Did y'all know that?  Cause I had no idea. 

That picture kills me. 

I really thought I had more to say tonight but I guess that's it. 

Love to all,

Brittany

Reed's Trip Around the World

We've been on an adventure this afternoon.  While Gaines was taking his afternoon nap Reed told Beau and me that he was going on a trip around the world.  We had a fairly lengthy discussion about how he was going to get around (walk), what he was going to eat (pizza), what he'd do if he got thirsty (he was going to take a "nice, cool drink of lemonade" with him) and what he was going to pack. 

This question prompted him to get his little blue suitcase out of his closet.  With our advice of not to pack too many books because it would be too heavy, he decided on:  one book, baby jaguar (a stuffed tiger that we call a jaguar), 1 matchbox car, 4 pairs of "baseball shorts", a t-shirt and 6 pairs of underwear.  He figured he'd only be gone 5 days, so that was enough.  I asked where he planned to stay and he told me he'd just stay at the first good place he came too.

So, once he packed up I walked him to the door and kissed him goodbye.  I watched out the window to see what he would do.  When he was halfway down the driveway I grabbed the camera and ran outside.  He didn't know I was watching him as he walked up the neighbors' driveway and stood at their front door.  While he was figuring out what he was going to do, their dogs gave him away and our neighbor came out.  She talked to him for a minute or two before I went over and suggested we go home for lemonade.  He wasn't really into that...he wanted to go inside.  I mentioned their big dogs and we decided it was best that he move on.  Some how he got it in his head that we needed to visit five houses. 

So, with Reed in the lead and me following only to take pictures and keep him from getting run over, he stops at another neighbor's who is out cutting his grass.  Reed told him what he was doing and the guy was nice but went back to cutting his grass.  Reed approached him again and the guy stopped again.  This time he turned the mower off and I heard Reed say, "Aren't you going to let me in?"  Embarassed, I kind of excused us and suggested that we visit another neighbor out working in his yard. 

He got invited in at this stop and was given a little snack for his bag.  He discussed with both neighbors what he was doing for a minute or two before we moved on.  All this time Reed has not been one bit afraid to approach these people.  We know them all, but I wouldn't have thought he would be this un-shy.  Anyway, after this stop, I suggested the lemonade again as I'm trying to wrap this little trip up.  I didn't see anyone else outside and I hated to knock on someone's door.  Sunday afternoon naps and all.  So, I convinced him to go back home and take his daddy with him. 

He and Beau left and hit neighbor number 4's house.  She was in her backyard and came around and Reed filled her in on his trip and they moved on to house number 5.  This part is hard for me to believe.  He and Beau just marched up to this older couple's house who we kind of know...but not really.  Anyway, they ring the doorbell and the older lady invites them in.  They march on in and sit down.  Reed unzips his bag and proceeds to show her everything he has with him.  All this time I was at home with Gaines and kind of starting to wonder where they were.  Oh, they were just sitting in a semi-random lady's living room having a leisurely Sunday afternoon chat. 

On the way back to the house, Reed looked at Beau after visiting 5 houses and said, "Taking a trip around the world sure is a lot of hard work".

Anyway, that's about the extent of it but I had to write it all down before I forgot.  Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.  Also, there is a post from a few days ago under this one that updates you on most of our goings own as of late. 

Love to all,

Brittany

            

Catching Up

Well hello again blog-world. I know…long time no post…it’s been brought to my attention several times. Life has been pretty busy the last several weeks. I’ve been out of town for work 25 of the last 35 days. Luckily, I was able to take Beau and the boys with me a couple of times which I’m not normally able to do. I don’t know that I would have made it if not. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a nice break to be gone from time to time but I do miss them terribly when I’m gone. I imagine they tend to think it’s nice to get a break from me as well since I seem to be a little heavier on the discipline than Beau. But anyway...June is always my busiest month so I’m glad to have it behind me.

Let’s see…I guess we can start with Gaines. I can’t believe I haven’t put this on here sooner but Gaines is off oxygen all day long and only gets it at night. Last time I updated, he was still on at naps but now he goes one really long stretch without. We’ve been pretty close to having him tested through the night, but each time he’s come down with a little cold and you can tell he’s not quite ready to give it up all together. Those two sick spells he needed a little help breathing and we were able to put him back on…if we didn’t have oxygen at home, he’d have had to go to the hospital. So…while I am ready to lose it totally, we’ll do it when Gaines is good and ready. And not having it during the day makes life SO much easier. I can’t even begin to tell you how much.

He has such the little personality these days...still plenty of Gaines attitude, but I’m starting to see his sweetness more and more. He LOVES to play with/wrestle with/pick on his brother…I just wish Reed enjoyed it as much as Gaines. He walks around the house calling him all the time, “Ree, Ree, Ree”. I found them this morning with Reed whimpering on the couch and Gaines on top of him laughing. He may be little, but he’s the toughest kid I know. He has been spending a good bit of time in timeout these days. Mostly just testing his boundaries I guess. You can kind of see it in his little eyes. Like, you’ll tell him “no” and he’ll sort of look at you like, “we’ll just see about that”…right before he does whatever he’s not supposed to be doing again. Last night it was banging his head into my face. He thinks it’s funny…my cheekbone and nose will tell you that its not one bit funny.

He is currently seeing a speech therapist twice a week and I can see improvements in his talking. I’ve noticed lately that he’s starting to put two words together, like "bye Ree" or "more please". Now, when I come home in the afternoons he comes running towards me screaming “Mommy, mommy, mommy”. So sweet. He’ll give you a big hug with the tiniest little pat, pat, pat on your back. It's a lot better than him just kind of glancing at you from in front of the tv becuase he doesn't want to miss one minue of Ni Hao Kailan.  FYI...he's also learning to speak a little Chinese thanks to Kailan.  I’d say his favorite word right now is “Whoa!” He gets so excited about things.  Everything is "Whoa!" We are working on saying “Gaines” as right now, whenever he sees a picture of himself (or in a mirror for that matter) he said, “Ree”. He is a total MESS but I wouldn’t have him any other way.

Now Reed…I think it’s a good thing I didn’t type a blog there for a little spell or there might have been some not so pleasant things mentioned on here about that one. I believe that he has turned a corner but he just went through a tough testing his boundaries and my patience phase for a few weeks. Not listening, being defiant and disrespectful…things that are totally not like Reed. I can’t remember what he did but he got a spanking for something recently and he looked at Beau and said through his tears, “But I don’t normally get spankings!” Thankfully, he seems to be back to his old self, for the most part. There was a timeout episode last night for eating his corn with his hands after he’d been instructed to use his fork…but for the most part, he’s acting better.  I didn't even so much care about the corn eating u 

That little joker just has the best week of his life in Disney World. I had some work to do down there but had enough free time on this trip to take Beau and Reed with me. Gaines stayed home (well, with my parents) and while I felt SUPER guilty about it, it was the right thing. He is too little and it was too hot and crowded for him to enjoy it. Also, it let Beau and I spend some time with Reed which was so fun. He’s an awesome little boy. Disney is not quite as magical as I remember, but we had a great time and had so much fun. He and I loved the teacups the best I think…Beau not so much. He sat them out after the first time. We all loved the Thunder Mountain roller coaster that Reed was just barely big enough to ride. Reed is definitely his father’s child and asked for popcorn every time we saw it. He was really so good down there. Oh, he also loved the Pirates ride and LOVED the sword that we let him get. Luckily no one has lost an eye yet. We brought Gaines back a big Mickey Mouse to which he said, “Whoa!” He was so excited to see us…it was precious. He wouldn’t quit hugging us and when Beau went to load the car with his stuff, he climbed in the car and go in his car seat all by himself. He meant we weren’t leaving him again.

Here are a few Reed-isms of late:

“Plenty, Plenty, Please!”

“Mom, you are really pushing my buttons.” –because I was asking him to get dressed for the 400th time.

“Can I have my Silly Puddle, please?”

“Mom, why do mom’s and dad’s don’t have toy’s in their rooms?”

In a public restroom with Beau, the two urninals are being used and there are two stalls. One being used, one not. So they go in the unused stall and Reed says very loudly, “Daddy, it’s really stinky in here” (referring to the man in the next stall). Beau says something along the lines of “ok, lets hurry up” or something and Reed says, “I mean, it’s really, really stinky in here”. Beau said you could hear the guys at the urinal laughing. They got out as fast as they could. On another note, in a different public restroom on the same trip, Beau accidentally opened the restroom door on an older lady using the restroom. Apparently she forgot to lock the door. I find this hilarious and am very thankful that I have boys so that Beau has to handle most of the public bathroom mishaps.

After passing someone that was smoking. “That guy was smoking. That is SO yuck. Mom, if I ever see you smoking I am going to spank your hiney SO hard”. I guess he’s heard that a time or two.

Ok…I guess that’s about it for now. I am really, really, really going to try to keep this thing better updated.

Oh, and Beau and I are fine too.

Love to all,

Brittany

My Children Are Awesome and Other Facts

Last night Beau had a work thing so it was just me and the boys.  Earlier in the day I'd started thinking about turning off our tv in the afternoons and evenings.  I don't know that the boys watch it too much...but it seems like its always on. 

Anyway, Beau was gone and the tv was off so I made a point to not worry with getting the house straight or whatever else I "needed" to do and I just really played with the boys...it was so fun.  They are such awesome kids!  We had plenty of time because Reed begged for dinner until I finally gave in at 4:58...and to be completely honest, there wasn't much clean-up to our dinner of frozen waffles. 

Reed and I played football while Gaines brought me every single book we own...which is a lot.  Every time he's bring me a book he'd tell me "tan tu" (thank you).  Gaines can be so sweet sometimes...and that boy loves his mama.  He also loves to drive her to the brink of insanity on a regular basis but he makes up for it with his sweet smile and hugs. 

Anyway, back to my fun night...Reed and I got into a pretty good rhythm with our passing and catching and we both declared that we were awesome football players.  On the rare occasion that one of us made a bad pass or dropped one, he'd give a thumbs down and say "Wah, wah, wha"...you know what noise I'm talking about?  It was pretty funny.  After football we had a parade up and down the hallway and even had little Gaines marching with us.  I had the drum and Reed played the bells.  I can't remember what all else we did...puzzles, books...but I know we had a good time.  I always do whenever I just stop what I'm doing and give them my undivided attention.  Those boys of mine are awesome and I hope to make more of an intentional effort to soak them up while I can.

I'm going to list our other goings on in bullets.  Y'all know I love a good list.

*Gaines is spending all waking hours off oxygen.  That's pretty awesome news.  He's still on during naps and at night but we are making progress.
*Gaines' talking is improving.  He's now starting to use more words on his own and is also repeating more and more of what we ask of him.  Tonight when I gave him a bath, I poured water on his head to wash his hair.  I knew it was a little warm but he told me, "Ha, ha, ha" (hot, hot, hot).  That's big for him.
*Reed asked me the other day if I knew why he wore his flip flops so much.  I asked why and he said, "Because I look so awesome".
*Reed told my mom the other day that he and his friend got in trouble at school for spitting in the sand table (which I knew nothing about).  His defense was that they were "pretending to be dragons".
*When we order pizza, Beau likes to open the box as soon as it gets in the kitchen (and sit it under the kitchen fan) while we fix drinks, get plates, etc.  This drives me insane.  I don't know if he just wants to look at it as soon as he can or what but he obviously doesn't understand that it will stay warm if you leave the box closed.  Please pray for him.  I need God to impart some wisdom on him in this area of his life.   
*Gaines threw up tonight at dinner.  Like all over the high chair, floor and dinner table.  Luckily Beau and I were done.  Reed was not so fortunate.  I know it's because he's having to work a little harder to breathe since he's off oxygen so much right now.  Its a pattern of his.  Hopefully it won't last long.  He was mad as fire though when I took him out of his chair to put him in the bathtub.  I guess he wanted to finish his pizza.
*Gaines' favorite book right now is Brown Bear.  We read it about 46,000 times a day.
*Reed told me the other day that he had been in timeout that day.  I asked him why and he told me that he "had too much energies".
*I don't know if I was on a syrup high or what last night but this evening was not nearly as charmed as last night was.  I think the whole throw up thing threw us off.

I guess that's about it for now.

Love to all,

Brittany

How I Woke Up This Morning

Reed-Dad…dad…dad.

Dad doesn’t budge. I check the clock and see that it is 5:38 a.m.

Me-Reed go back to bed for a few more minutes.

R-I got to go potty.

Me-Well go potty and then go get back in your bed for a few more minutes.

Three or four minutes pass.

R-Mom.

Me-Yes?

R-I went potty.

Me-Ok, good…now go get back in your bed.

R-Well, I didn’t wipe my hiney very good.

Deep sigh as I rolled out of bed.

I love my children and do not want them growing up too fast, but I will be thankful when they can take care of that business on their own.

Hope this didn't gross you out.

Love to all,

Brittany

Two

Well gang...our Gaines is two.  I cannot even believe it.  The first year of his life seemed like it took 10 years (and probably took 10 years off my life) but this last one has gone by amazingly fast.  I'm starting to see him progress on a daily basis and the last several weeks and even months have been so good.  I'm not going to lie...I love that child with all my heart, but his first year was H.A.R.D. and there were times this year when I thought I was going to pull my hair out but it seems like now we might have turned a corner.  Don't get me wrong, he's two now and he has two year old fits and two year old power struggles but man...he is so enjoyable lately.  I hope that doesn't come out wrong.  Obviously I enjoy my children but the hard times with Gaines are fewer and fewer.  And I can't tell you how awesome that is.

He's gotten so "big" lately and so grown up.  I can't even really explain it.  He's just doing more grown up things.  He's been going to Gymboree this spring and is doing well there.  He's been eating better now that he's not on his appetite stimulant anymore.  He's also off his diuretics so maybe that's what it is.  Who knows?  At this point we are down to one medicine a day...well two I guess...Prevacid and Flovent (a puffer med so I don't really count it).  If things continue to go well we will start pushing for 4 hours off oxygen this weekend.  The 3 and 3 he's off now has also made such a huge difference.  Not having to haul around an oxygen tank anytime we leave the house is so nice.  I can't wait for it to be like that full time. 

Tomorrow Gaines get's assessed to see if he qualifies for Early Intervention speech therapy.  I feel pretty certain that he will.  He's making improvements but he is still behind in his speech.  I kind of think he'll end up getting it on his own...but if he qualifies for the therapy, I'll take any help he can get. 

Oh...you know how I've said before that I love seeing Gaines do things that Reed does or has done?  Well tonight Gaines was playing in the bathtub laying on his tummy...like Reed does all the time.  It just looked so "little boy playing in the tub". 

Anyway, we celebrated his birthday two weekends ago in Birmingham with Beau's side of the family and last weekend in Andalusia with mine...which was also Easter.  The pictures below are from the past weekend.

 In the swing at the Dream Park.

Loving life outside Saturday afternoon while Reed played in the sprinkler.

Not really loving life so much when the sprinkler hit him. Does it make me a bad mother that this picture makes me laugh?

Sweet brothers playing together.

Happy again.  These pictures don't even do him justice...he is such a beautiful child.

Cooling off with a Capri-Sun.

Sans cannula with Grandaddy (well my grandaddy, his great-grandaddy) at his birthday party.  I am loving seeing that whole face more and more.

Hunting eggs with cousin Sarah Anne.

My family with my grandmama.  I wish I'd gotten pictures with my other grandparents!

Cute little family of four.

Ok...this took a million years to put together.  I'm out for tonight.

Love to all,

Brittany

New Pictures

    Reed ready for his 1st Baseball Game.

                Gaines in the backseat with his shades on.

    Gaines didn't care for the Easter Egg Hunt, but loved the slide.

                                    Gaines and Beau

       Gaines chilling out in a rocking chair without his oxygen.

                                   Gaines Walking!!!

                 Brittany & Reed riding a camel at the Zoo.

                                        Reed and Beau

                         Brittany on the carousel at the Zoo.