Monday is here already

This weekend was such a good one. Owen, Andrew, Ralphie and I had fun just being in town and enjoyed the weather. I helped host a baby shower for a good friend of mine on Saturday. After the shower I went home picked up Andrew and Owen and went to an early dinner. Sunday I met up with my cousin Nellie and her two sweet little girls for lunch. This was the first time they met Andrew. I really wanted to get a picture of the kids, but Andrew feel asleep and a picture opportunity didn't show up, so no picture :( Sunday afternoon we went on a little walk in the neighborhood. Andrew loved being outside. He smiled and talked the whole time. He would smile super big when the wind hit is face. We are so blessed to have a happy child.

All in all it was a great, relaxing weekend. This week is going to be fun filled. We have three Easter Egg "hunts" and then Andrew's first Easter!

Listening to the oldies

One of my childhood memories that sticks out the most to me is my dad driving my brother and me to school in the mornings. My dad always listened to the oldies station on the radio. If my memory is correct, I don't remember complaining about the oldies, because there were some good songs that would come on the radio. We would even sing along to some, especially if it was "My Boyfriend's Back", "It's My Party, I'll Cry if I Want To", or "Chantilly Lace". These are songs that I think of as the "oldies". Fast forward 20 years and I am now in a car with my husband and child coming home from the beach listening to the 80's and singing at the top of our lungs "Love Shack". All of a sudden Owen looks at me and says, "You know we are now those people that listen to the "oldies" with our kid in the back seat"! Wow! Talk about a wake up call! Is the music from the 80's and 90's now the "oldies"??? What a funny thought? Somehow I don't think our generations "oldies" will be as classic as my dad's. Anyways, just one more reminder that life is different, but different in the best way possible!

Andrew at the Beach

We went to the beach this weekend with Owen's parents. We had a great time! It was too cold to play in the sand or to go swimming. However, we did manage to get a few pictures to remember Andrew's first trip to the beach.

Andrew traveled so well. I was worried that he wouldn't sleep well in his pack and play or that he would be confused by the new surroundings. The opposite was true...he went with the flow and enjoyed himself so much.

Enjoy the pictures!!!

Ralphie being pushed in the beach cart! He loved it but was scared to death at the same time.


Andrew playing...










The wind hitting Andrew's face

All Smiles

Every day we get a "report card" from Andrew's day care. It basically tells us when he ate, slept, and went to the bathroom, which is very important information for an infant. Well this past Tuesday Andrew had a great day! Both of his teachers told me what a joy he is. Andrew has found his voice and loves to "talk" to us and to his teachers. He coos and growls all day long. I love it! I scanned in his report card b/c it is one I want to remember. The note for the day says "he smiled and talked to us all day"! One of his teachers made the comment that Andrew will be saying words before he crawls. I actually believe that maybe true. He "says" (meaning he is putting sounds together) hi and ma...I think mama is coming :)

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day (one day late). This is my favorite day b/c it is my SPECIAL DAY!!! I have blogged about this before but everyone in my family picked a day that was special to them when we were growing up. I picked St. Patrick's Day. Owen surprised me with a digital frame to put in my office and we went to a Hibachi restaurant for dinner. I know Hibachi isn't a typical Irish meal, ok nothing that resembles an Irish meal...but it is one of my favorites so it was nice. Andrew hung out with his Gramps and Grandy while we went to eat. Overall it was a great day!!!



This picture makes me laugh b/c both Andrew and Ralphie are looking away from the camera. So funny

Play time and Aunt Abby

Andrew is starting to understand the Excersaucer. We put him in this a few weeks ago and he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Now he bats at the objects. There is a "book" on one side that has a picture of a dog who looks just like Ralphie. Andrew pulls at it and tries to "flip" the page. Here is a picture of Andrew playing and Ralphie sitting very close to be apart of the action.



Aunt Abby came into town over the weekend. We had a fun family weekend with her being in Hattiesburg. We took Andrew on his first outlet mall shopping trip. He was absolutely perfect (he slept the whole time). Andrew also got quality time with his Aunt Abby, Gramps, and Grandy. Here is a picture of Abby, Andrew and Annie (Abby's puppy). I love this picture...even though I am not sure Abby will...I love that it is a fun and light-hearted moment.

First Mass with Andrew

Hey, I just found this picture in my email. I had my Dad send it to me, but forgot all about it. This was taken when my parents came to town a month or so ago. This was the first time Andrew went to church with me.

I didn't intend for this be a long post, but it is...

2010 is proving to be a year of difficulties for the Munton Family. Not huge difficulties, but life just isn't as "easy" as it once was. Here are some examples of life in the Munton house since 2010:

1. Our roof...it has leaked since Hurricane Katrina. The bucket we put in the attic to catch the water came crashing down our bedroom ceiling over Christmas. We had to call not one, not two, but three roofers to come fix it. This is also after Owen and my Dad worked on it as well. One of the roofers ripped us off so badly that Owen reported him to the Better Business Bureau (yes, we were that upset). However, three months and gallons of rain later our roof is fixed.

2. Well our illnesses...but I am tired of complaining about that one. At the moment we are well. Andrew is still on his antibiotic, which he takes very well. I am so glad they make baby medicine taste good. He loves it.

3. I don't think I blogged about this one but two weeks ago as I was driving home from getting Andrew a golf ball hit my windshield. We do live in a neighborhood with a golf course, so a golf ball hitting a window may not be that out of the norm...but it scared me to death. It was loud and it "shattered" my windshield. OK, by shatter I mean it was a big enough crack for me to insist we get it fixed. The crack on was the driver's side and was bad enough that the crack would spread over time. I didn't see who hit the golf ball, because the golfers weren't close enough to me. Owen thought I should have stopped, but what was I going to do if I stopped??? I just kept driving. Well the saga doesn't end there b/c nothing is "easy" anymore. We went to a local glass company who promised to put in the correct windshield. We got my car back the same day but realized there is now wind noise and they tore the inside fabric while they were getting the cracked windshield out. Today (2 weeks later) they are fixing my car. The fabric part is fixed and now they are trying to find and seal the hole causing the wind noise. I am 80% confident that my car will be returned to me without any more problems.

4. Last but not least...my tooth!!!! It has hurt since I got this temporary crown. I have had to take so much Motrin just to relieve the pain. I wake up in the middle of night b/c my tooth was hurting. I could feel this foreign object in my mouth. It felt like I had a concrete rock in my mouth. This weekend I had enough and called my dentist yesterday. The hygienist filed the temp crown and now my bite is better. I no longer feel the concrete rock in my mouth. They said they way I was biting was like me hitting my finger with a hammer (which would hurt). The dentist said we made my tooth mad and the nerve endings are reacting to the trauma of the crown. He said it could take months for those nerves to calm down. Again...life just isn't "easy". I thought getting a crown was going to eliminate pain, but I have more pain now than I did before.

On the upside, our sweet baby is just growing and learning so much every day. I miss him terribly during the day and love cuddling with him when we get home at night. I love weekends more now b/c we get to plan fun things for Andrew to do with us. It is amazing how a child can bring such joy and happiness to our lives. Andrew wakes up with a smile and goes to sleep with a smile. Even though life has its troubles and things don't work out easily, we have a good life. I feel blessed every day! You know we are in the Lenten Season and I usually try to do something during lent that will better my life and me spiritually. This year I have had a hard time concentrating on Lent but this past Sunday at Mass I realized that my life would not be where it is with out the love of Jesus Christ. This is another area of my life that I have felt very blessed because I feel like I have always had a great relationship with Jesus. I pray to him every day and thank him for the good things in my life. I know I have this positive relationship because of my parents. Growing up I didn't understand why we went to church every Sunday and I didn't like memorizing prayers. But it was that foundation that helped me get involved in youth groups as a high school student and volunteer with the youth group as a college student which in turn taught me the reasons why having Jesus and church in your life is a priority. There is a point to all of this...as I was sitting in church realizing that this Lenten Season is ending before I have done anything to prepare for Easter it hits me...I may not have given anything up for Lent and I didn't promise myself to do something better with my life, but I am introducing Church and Jesus to my son and I felt really good about that on Sunday.

Yes, life isn't "easy" anymore, but you know I have more now in my life than I ever had when it was easy. I wouldn't change a thing!

A Mother's Intuition

I can't believe it...I actually have mother's intuition. Well it did take me a couple of days to really figure out why my baby wasn't sleeping well at night. He may have been going through a growth spurt b/c he isn't turning down the extra calories, but the real problem was his ear. Owen and I took him to the pediatrician's office last night and the doctor said "yes, this would cause anyone to loose sleep". Our sweet Andrew had an ear infection. The moment we put the drops in his ear and I fed him he went to sleep. I put him in his crib at 10:00 and he slept until 6:30. Actually I woke him up at 6:30 am. What I learned is our little man is not a complainer. He did not "act" sick or hurt during the day. It was just at night when he could not settle himself down.

While at the doctor's they weighed him and Andrew is 14 lbs and 13 oz.

Sweet Picture

There is something sweet about a baby sleeping. Here is Andrew hugging his new lovie and sucking his thumb.

We had Mommy and Me today. It was great. There was a new mom in the group and then I got to see the other mom's from last week. This time the instructor had us ask a question that had been on our minds so all the moms could give advice. I asked about giving rice cereal at 3 months in order to help with sleeping. Andrew has had some rough nights and I think it is b/c he is hungry. I have to say I felt a little judged today by my question. Maybe I am being very sensitive, but I got a gasp and a big NO. I wasn't expecting that reaction. Most of the moms exclusively breast feed and do so in the room. I am breast feeding, but am very cautious about it and do it at home only. I don't care that they breast feed during the class but I should have taken into account my audience before asking my question. Oh well!

Actually I think Andrew has a mild ear infection. I noticed Monday that his right ear had some crust around it and I have noticed some wax build up in that ear. I didn't think much of it b/c he hasn't acted sick and doesn't have a fever. Well today during the mommy and me class I had to wipe off some clear liquid draining from his ear. This got my attention and when I got to work I googled ear infections to see if the clear liquid was in any way related to an infection. What I discovered was fussiness at night and frequent night wakings is a sign of an ear infection along with the drainage. I called our nurse and she told me to bring him in so the doctor could look at his ear. He is congested lately so it would not surprise me if he has a mild ear infection. We will know more when I take him the doctor in a couple of hours.

Here goes another first for us...let's hope it is a mild one and clears up quickly.

I got a crown and not one that makes me a queen

Today was my first dentist visit of two to get a crown for one my molars. Yes, I am in the age bracket to get a crown (as explained by the dentist office). I put this visit in the back of my mind b/c I really didn't want to go. But I went and I was nervous. I haven't had anything done to my teeth since I was a child. I completely forgot what a cavity filling felt like. Well...this procedure was more intense that I could have imagined. The dentist numbed my mouth and then went to drilling. The smell of the burnt tooth was terrible. I saw my old filling fly off as hit my glasses. This was actually a torturous visit. I now have my temporary crown until I get my new on April 6th. So Happy Monday to me... :) Good news is...that tooth won't hurt anymore.

More Please

This weekend we discovered Andrew is hungry! I think we are in the middle of a growth spurt. I read in my "What to expect during the first year" book that babies 3-7 months need 6-8 ounces of formula/breast milk. So we are bumping up the calories for Andrew. The reason we discovered this new need of Andrew's is because he didn't sleep through the night this weekend. He woke up starving at 12 midnight and again at 3 am. This is unusual. Getting up once a night to feed him is doable, but twice is hard. I am a zombie during those feedings and am so tired the next day. Hopefully with the increase in calories he will be satisfied enough to last the night.

3 months

Andrew turned 3 months yesterday. I think I will start off every new month by saying, I can't believe 3 months ago, I was in the hospital delivering Andrew. That day will always stick out as one of the most monumental days of my life. I became a mother 3 months ago. Me, a mom! A dream that became a reality.

Here are some Andrew facts.

* He has good head control
* He is a good sleeper. On average (some nights don't go like this, but for the most part they do) he sleeps in his crib from 9:30 pm until 5 or 5:30 am. He usually falls asleep while we hold him around 7:30 or 8:00 pm.
* He is cooing and we can hear vowels. I swear sometimes it sounds like he says "hi".
* He has the best smile, that melts our hearts
* He doesn't love tummy time
* He flips positions in his crib. I will put him facing one way and then when I get him in the morning he is facing the other way.
* He is a great eater. He eats on average 4 ounces every 2 to 3 hours. At day care he goes 3 hours between meals, but at night he eats every 2. We are still breastfeeding, but he does get a bottle or two of formula at day care.
* He has discovered he can hold things and snuggle with them.
* He has be best facial expressions.

Well I could go on...but those are the highlights. Here are some recent pictures.



Tummy Time...this lasts for 5 minutes and then he gets fussy



3 month picture. I think next month I am just going to prop him up with out pillows...the pillows look terrible in the picture. I thought putting a blanket over them would help, but it didn't :)



Hugging his lovie that rattles.

Sip and See

This past weekend two of my neighbors hosted a Sip and See for everyone on our street to meet Andrew. A friend of mine who also lives on Robins Nest had a little girl 3 weeks after Andrew. Her name is Caroline so the Sip and See was for both of us. We had a great time. My mom and dad came into for it and Mrs. Wanda came as well.



Caroline and Andrew (the guests of honor)
They are both wearing dresses Ms. Phyllis had made for them.



Mommy and Andrew



Phyllis (one of the hostess) and a sleepy Andrew

Mommy and Me

Today was a big day for Andrew and me. He came to work with me this morning so we were off our routine and were able to leave the house a little later than usual. That was a nice treat. He got to meet Uncle Mike (my boss) and see where Mommy works. He took a nap the hour we were at work. Then we were off to Mommy and Me. There were 8 moms in the class. There was one other 3 month old and the rest were b/ 6-12 months. I can't believe the difference in a 3 month old and a 6 month old baby. We started off the class singing welcome songs, then we sang other songs with motions, we danced, we clapped, and we sang some more. I think all the excitement wore my sweet little man out, because he fell asleep half way through the class. The teacher then gives the moms 20 minutes or so to chit chat. After that we closed the class with another song and story time. It was so great to be able to do that with Andrew. I feel very blessed that I am able to go with him. Wednesdays are definitely going to be the highlight of my week.

One another good note...I feel normal today!!! YIPPEE...hopefully I am well and will stay that way!

High and Low

Have you ever played the high and lows game? It is when you tell a high of the day and a low of the day. This is what this post is about. My high and my low.

Well...I am still sick. That is my low. Finished taking the antibiotic for the mastitis on Sunday. Also on Sunday I couldn't keep any food down. I was miserable and I was so tired. Owen convinced me to go to the doctor on Monday in case I did have an illness, I could get it treated and not pass it onto Andrew. So I went. And discovered I have a stomach virus...REALLY!!! I got a shot and more medicine and off I went. I decided not to go back to work so I went home and slept. It felt good to sleep. But I still can't keep any food down - not good. I need to mention Owen is also sick, but he hasn't gone to the doctor. Not sure why, but he hasn't. Luckily the only person not sick is Andrew (THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT). I am praying now that the people in my house get well...that is all I want at the moment.

My high for this post is that parents came to visit on Saturday. My neighborhood hosted a Sip and See for Andrew and for another little girl born 3 weeks after Andrew. It was so much fun. I got to know the neighbors a little more and realized that they are very fun people. I do have pictures, but haven't uploaded them to my computer.

Tomorrow is the first day of Mommy and Me. I hope I feel better to really appreciate the time with Andrew. I am so excited and blessed to be able to participate in this program with Andrew.

What is your high and low for the week?