Gallery Wall

Remember this picture?

It's from this post.  That is my husband on a very tall ladder, putting up the photo gallery that I had to have in time for the housewarming party.  I think it turned out nicely.

As you can see, we also got the roman shades that I wanted.  I am starting to like my family room.  It needs more color, but I'm working on it little by little.  As soon as I get my sewing machine fixed, I will be making pillows for the couch and love seat.  

 The laundry room is also on my mind, but it will have to wait. 

Making Plans

I am a planner.  I may never follow through with the plan, but I make them.  Right now, I have three things on my mind: Halloween, Micah's first birthday, and Christmas.  This will be Micah's first Halloween.  For some reason, in my mind, his costume has to be perfect.  I have no idea what he's going to be dressed as, but I plan for it to be pretty awesome.  I don't know if he'll be walking by then, or still crawling.  I don't know if that will matter, but I'm taking it into consideration.  Any ideas? Leave a comment.

Before Micah was even born, Mikey and I decided that we were not throwing an elaborate first birthday party.  He won't remember his first birthday.  So now I am deciding how much effort I want to put into a very small party.  It will probably consist of his three cousins who live in the area, and the neighborhood kids.  That will be less than ten children including the birthday boy.  I am debating whether I want it to be themed. Probably.  What would the theme be? When? His birthday is on a Tuesday, but maybe on the Saturday following his birthday.  So many decisions to make.  I have three months.

Christmas! I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. This will be Micah's second Christmas, but he was only a few weeks old for his first Christmas. We didn't even buy him any gifts.  There was no need, since he wouldn't remember it even if we had.  This year he'll be one year old.  He won't remember this Christmas either, but he's old enough to play with toys.  Mikey and I have agreed that we will only gift our child(ren) with three gifts from Santa. The wise men gave the baby Jesus three gifts.  We plan for our children to understand that Jesus is the reason for the season.  This will also be our first Christmas in our own home.  I will get to decorate!  I haven't quite decided on our Christmas colors. But I have ideas. There will be a big Christmas tree and lots of lights, Christmas wreaths and bows, candy canes and ornaments.  I can't wait.

Happy Birthday MiMi!

Today is my mom's birthday. I won't say how old she is.  

We love you and wish you the happiest day you can imagine!

Stair Climber

Usually, I can run upstairs and grab stuff, and come right back with no problem.  On occasion, Micah will fuss because I am out of his sight, but not often. Well yesterday everything changed! Someone's father has taught him to climb the stairs.  I went upstairs to grab a couple things.  I really can't remember what I went to get. I came back downstairs to find him on the fourth step, and headed up.  I am proud of myself, because I didn't freak out and startle him.  I immediately dropped the cup that I had in my hand, and went to offer him support (that should be read that I went to catch him).  I let him keep climbing, and he actually made it all the way to the top.

Later, after I had calmed down, I called Mikey and ranted at him for a few minutes.  Then I decided to take pictures. So I grabbed my camera, took Micah back to the stairs, and snapped a couple pictures.  I probably reinforced that it's okay for him to play on the stairs, but I couldn't resist.

I know that I said (back at the beginning of August) that Mikey and I would be purchasing baby gates ASAP, but things happened, and we got side-tracked.  We were actually looking for baby gates that could be installed at the top of the steps without drilling into the bannisters. Well that doesn't matter right now.  At least not as much as keeping Micah safe.  We might just have to patch the holes later, and paint everything white.

Cousins Play Date

Micah had a play date with his cousin Sierra yesterday.  The two of them together are so entertaining, and my sister-in-law and I enjoy talking about our babies.  Their personalities are already starting to show. With just four months difference in age, they are bound to get into lots of trouble together. 

My beautiful niece.

Micah crawling circles around Sierra.

Interesting conversation.

Happy babies!

Finally being still.

Micah was not happy about Sierra being on top of him.

Nine Month Well Baby Visit

Micah before we left for his appointment.

Micah had his nine month old well baby visit yesterday with his new pediatrician.  I will admit that I was worried.  We loved our pediatrician in South Carolina.  He was great with Micah, and he made me feel like my concerns were important to him.  He took the time to answer all my questions (even the silly ones), and he never rushed me (even with a waiting room that was always full of other patients).  We drove almost an hour to get to his office.  That's how great he was.  When we moved to Atlanta, I wasn't sure that any other doctor could live up to my expectations.  She totally did.

The nurses were kind.  The nurse that checked us in picked Micah up from the examination table, and he refused to come to me when I reached for him.  He even laid his head on her shoulder.  The doctor checked him out thoroughly, answered all my questions, gave me recommendations, and loved on my baby.  She talked to him.  She was gentle, and kind, and everything that I could hope for in a new doctor.  I know that I am lucky to have found two great pediatricians.  She also gave us a referral to an eye doctor.  Micah has what appears to be a clogged tear duct.  According to information that I have found, it is a condition that typically fixes itself between seven and eight months of age.  Micah continues to have trouble with it, so we are scheduling an appointment with a pediatric eye doctor to see how serious his case is, and what needs to be done to correct it.

Eye goop that is a result of the clogged tear duct. Sorry for the blurry picture.

After receiving a vaccination, we packed up and checked out.  Micah did not appreciate the surprise from the needle stick, but he got over it very quickly.  Over all the doctor's visit was a success.

Micah @ 9 Months Old

Micah is nine months old today.  He is also thirty-nine weeks old.  At nine months old, Micah...

... is going to the doctor on Wednesday.  I'll update with his weight and height then.  UPDATE: Micah is 21 pounds, 2 ounces, and 28 inches long.

... is still in size 3 diapers. He is in size 18 month clothes primarily, but can still wear some 12 month.

... is a crawling machine.  He has gotten fast, and doesn't make nearly as much noise as he used to when he first started crawling.

... pulls up on everything.  He can even cruise along the furniture, but doesn't do this very often. 

... still only has two teeth.  He looks to be getting more soon.  He chews on his fingers all the time, and constantly drools.  He will bite others also.  I think he thinks his grandmother is a chew toy.

... does not stay still to eat.  He eats enough so that he doesn't feel hungry anymore, then he wants to play.  His highchair is being refinished, and we can't wait until he has someplace to sit to eat.

... fights sleep when it's time to nap.  I think he believes he's going to miss something while he's asleep.  He actually sleeps relatively well during the night.  The last week or so, he has slept through the night.  I pray it continues.

... does not trust the vacuum.  He watches it the entire time it is running.

... wants to eat anything that we are eating.  He also likes drinking out of our cup or bottle.  However, he refuses to use a sippy cup.  I don't understand.

... does not like riding in his carseat.  He wants to see what is going on around him, and he can't do that with his  carseat rear-facing.

... sometimes cries when you walk away from him.  He does this especially if it's his father walking away from him.

... has words.  He says mama and dada, and associates the correct word with Mikey and I.  We don't know which he said first.  It's like all of a sudden, he started saying both.

... goes by the nicknames Gus-Gus, Chubba, MicahMan, Maine, Junior Junior, and Sugar Bear.

House Update: Micah's Room

We had our housewarming. The house has come a long way since we purchased it in April.  We still have a lot of work to do, but we're making it.  I love Micah's room. Here is what we started out with.  It was very blah.

  Here's the room as we were moving in, but after the walls were painted.

Here it is today.

This picture came from Mikey's room at home.  It's the only thing he asked to be in the room.

The gallery consists of pictures of Micah, his silhouette, his name, our family name initial, his dedication outfit, his birth announcement, and a clock set at the time he was born.

The lamp was given to me by Mikey's mom when she left work because she was sick.

It still needs some work, but I like it so far.  The bathroom hasn't been touched. It needs lots of work. The lighting fixture/fan still needs to be replaced.  The wall over Micah's crib needs something.  The windows need curtains.  The closet needs organization. Our work is cut out for us, but I'm loving every minute of it.

Slack Blogger! Weekly Photos

July 18 - Thirty-Five Weeks

July 25 - Thirty-Six Weeks

August 1 - Thirty-Seven Weeks

August 8 - Thirty-Eight Weeks

Slack Blogger! Photo Dump

So I haven't quite gotten around to blogging like I should.  But here's a photo dump to show you a little of what Micah has been getting up to. Here he is with Mikey's cap on.  He did really well, and let me take lots of pictures before he pulled it off.  He's so cute.

I love the smile!

My new desktop picture.

 Here he is helping me with laundry.  I put him in the basket to contain him while I folded clothes.  He didn't fuss, and actually seemed to enjoy himself.

 Here he is riding his daddy's arm like a little monkey.  I have no idea how Mikey managed to pick him up that way.  All I know is I'm happy I had my camera close at hand.

 Here he is emptying his diaper bag.  There is never a dull moment around here.