It's Friday...

TGIF OH NO IT'S FRIDAY!!! :(
Normally people are thrilled when Friday rolls around, myself included, but not this Friday because it's my last day of maternity leave...and who would want to leave this sweet little face all day long???

NOT ME!!!

And what better way to be thrown back into the working world then with a week full of meetings?!? Bleh! But luckily my mother-in-law is keeping Mills next week (Lulu!), my mom is coming to keep him the following week (Gammy!), and then he's gonna be bouncing around with friends the next week, because once April comes around I'm taking an additional 4-6 weeks off with him (long story, but I've been with my current company for a year in April, so that's when I'm eligible for {unpaid} FMLA leave, so instead of taking my leave all at once, I have to break it up).  But the good news is as hard as it's gonna be to go back next week, at least I have that light at the end of the tunnel - more time with my sweet little love in April! :)

Nicholas had the day off yesterday, so after I fed Mills early in the morning, I laid Mills next to Nicholas and went downstairs to pump. When I came back up, this is what I saw:

sweetest sight in the whole wide world!

we enjoyed some good ole family time, and went to dinner (thanks to the camera timer and our mantle we actually have a family pic!). I should also note that on a day off, we got up at 8:30 AM and when we got in bed, I looked at the clock and it was 9:30!!! Umm, have you met me??? I *used to be able to* sleep til noon and stay up til 2 or 3 am! Welcome to the "new normal." We're now like an 80 year old couple, haha!

Today we enjoyed lunch with Calee and Finley downtown, and Mills and I took a nap together this afternoon. And we played lots.

And evidently he was exhausted because after I fed him again I sat him on the pillow for two seconds and he fell asleep on my leg, haha. 

Oh how I LOVE spending days with him! I hope this weekend goes by
v e r y s l o w!

Milk-a-what?!?

(First of all, happy one month birthday to my sweet nephew, Gray!!! :) We love you and can't wait to see you again soon!)
I love commercials with cute babies - my current favorites are the Huggies commercial where the guy is changing the baby boy's diaper and his pee sprays up and hits the ceiling like a fire hydrant, and the coupon commercial where the lady is eating all of the samples at the grocery store to save money and the baby is just screaming, haha! And I also think the ETrade commercials are funny. But did you see where Lindsay Lohan is suing ETrade for ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS because of the reference to the name "Lindsay" as a "milkaholic" in their newest commercial? Like there aren't eleventy billion other people in the world named Lindsay (and, is that really such a slam considering the fact that she has openly gone to rehab how many times for all kinds of drugs)?? Evidently she claims that she is "one name famous" like Madonna, Oprah, or Cher. Seriously, Lindsay?

And speaking of "milkaholics," I happen to know a pretty cute one:

He throws back bottles of milk like nobody's business! :)

And he always nurses responsibly. :)

Randomness galore!

Happy Hump Day!
What have we been up to today??? A whole bunch of nothing...fabulous nothing all day long! :) This morning we had some fun time - a little music lesson (more on that later), and then some playtime with this little cutie patootie!

I LOVE watching this little guy learn new things!!!

And I love this girl, too!

(and I promise I wasn't neglecting Mills, he was just getting a little worn out from tummy time!)

So I didn't post my menu monday this week, but I've still been sticking to it! Last night we had Sweet-Spicy Glazed Salmon (from Cooking Light via myrecipes.com - I would attach the link but for some reason it's not working!) with sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli, tonight we had light penne a la vodka with grilled chicken and salad, and later this week we're having chicken and summer vegetable tostadas! The salmon was A-MAZING! Sadly, I had never cooked salmon at home before and I was muy proud of myself! (And it was soooo easy, but if you cook it don't tell anyone that!) :) And Nicholas said the meal tonight was his very favorite that I've cooked, so a thumbs up on that one, too! A few people have e-mailed me asking for the recipes, and if you want them just shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll send them to you! Maybe one day I'll be a fancy blogger and start a site for all my recipes, too... just call me Susie! :)  ha!
{Also, I have had a few people ask me about how to follow the blog or comment - the easiest way to do both is probably just to start a gmail (google) email - it's free and super easy - and then it will let you know whenever I update the blog!}

In other random news, we just got our house exterminated again (which we do religiously every three months because we live in coastal SC) last week.  And if you live in, or have visited this area, then you know all about these notorious "palmetto bugs," which we Southerners like to call them to make it sound a little less disgusting then what they actually are...cockroaches.  Thankfully (I'm knocking on wood right now), we have not had a problem with them at our house here in Charleston. Thank you, Lord. I say that again because if you knew me when I lived in Hilton Head one summer in college, you would know that I had a nice, neat apartment and still had a horrible roach bug (ahem, excuse me, "palmetto bug") problem. As in they would always conspire to come out when it was only me there, and I would have to call my mom on the phone for moral support so that I could run really close to it, spray it, and then run back. And repeat. Until it was so stiff with bug spray that it resembled a plastic, toy bug.  But then of course I still would have to wait on someone to come over who would pick it up...probably because I was raised in a house where we put a cup over a bug until my dad got home to take care of it, hahaha! (I won't even start on the story of when I lived in NYC and a bat flew into my apartment, right mom? haha) These suckers fly, too, by the way.  So anywho, back to the task at hand...so every time we have our house exterminated, I always find these yucky things dead in the house. And I'm not complaining because they're dead. But they're still there. And have you noticed that even though those things may be lying on their back, they're actually still alive - yes, they play dead - but they're actually like the energizer bunny, they can last for hours...heck, days! There was this one in our living room today, on its back, completely looking dead, but every time I walked past it it would wiggle its legs and those long creepy antenna..EWWWWWWWWWW!!! I get goosebumps just THINKING about it! Luckily, Nicholas does not have a fear of bugs (good thing, or we probably wouldn't be together, ha!), and he took care of it when he got home from work!  

Okay, enough about gross things, I'll leave you with some more pics of someone that's stinkin' CUTE!

2 month checkup!

I can't believe how much Mills has grown! 

Here are his stats from his one week appt:

Weight: 8.1 - 28th percentile

Height: 20 - 22nd percentile

Head: 14 - 19th percentile

And at TWO months:

Weight: 13.4 - 67th percentile

Height: 23.5 - 41st percentile

Head: 15.5 - 20th percentile

And he was such a good boy! He smiled for the resident the entire time he examined him, and was good for his doctor, too. His only issue is reflux (aka he spits up like a waterfall), but if that's the worst thing, I think we can manage! ;) The dr. did give us a prescription for Zantac but I haven't decided whether to fill it or not yet...we shall see.  

Anywho, it was all fun and games until it was time for the shots!!! :(  The  nurse came in and pinned him down while she gave him the oral immunization, and then a SHOT in each thigh...poor little guy! He screamed like he had never screamed before, but then I got to scoop him up and hold him and he calmed down. I promised him it was for his own good - to keep him safe and healthy. He was a little fussy when we got home, but it didn't seem to bother him too much and he was fine by Saturday morning. AND, he still managed to sleep 8 hours Friday night, which I wasn't expecting. Haha, I also told the dr. that he had slept 11.5 hours the night before, and should I wake him up to feed him...he laughed and said NO WAY, and to consider myself blessed....which I do anyway, even if he didn't sleep through the night! :)

Poor little thing sleeping on me after we got home...

Love this boy!

Sweet little close up of a sweet little guy...

Mommy and me!

It was nice to have mom and MaMa here for a long weekend! We, as usual, did lots of baby staring, and we enjoyed lunch at Magnolia's and some shopping on Saturday. Mom and MaMa were nice enough to keep the Millsy-bear on Saturday night so Nicholas and I could meet up with Katie & Richard and Calee & Robert for dinner at Zia Taqueria - which was SO GOOD!!! 

{Note to Katie: If you would start your blog as we all discussed on Sat. night, I could link to your blog, too, haha!}  :)

We enjoyed a girls brunch on Sunday while Mills hung out with dad!

And then we enjoyed a little family time in the beautiful sunshine! It was so nice out that I scarily put on a bathing suit top and sat out to take in a little vitamin D!

Here's hoping this warm weather is here to stay!

Who Is Two Months Old???

THIS GUY!!! :)

(I couldn't pick just one!)

Sweet two month old baby boy...what are you up to?

-You have only outgrown ONE newborn outfit (b/c you're kinda short and chunky) :) but you fit nicely into all of your 0-3 month clothes now!

-You smile like crazy now, mainly in the mornings and early afternoon. I can't believe you're actually a morning person with your daddy and I as parents...at least it's not too early morning!

-With that said, you are not a fan of nighttime...it's your fussiest time of the day, but that's okay.  We've started putting you to bed a little earlier and that seems to help.

-You have been really sweet to us with your sleeping habits at night...over the past week you've slept 10 hrs, 8 hrs, 10.5 hrs, 11 hrs, 9 hrs, 8.5 hrs - glorious!! :) If you keep this up we may try you out in your own room over the weekend!

-You've started sleeping less during the day as a result - you keep me very busy, but I love it! You just kind of doze in and out a few times, and usually take one or two longer naps.

-You went shopping with me for a few hours today and you didn't sleep OR fuss... you just looked around at everything! I usually have your paci on hand to pop in your mouth, but you didn't need it. It was fun for your mommy and you seemed to really enjoy being out and about.

-Yesterday you gave me the first consistent laughing/babble when you were in your little travel swing. I was telling you how both you and Harley needed a bath...I said "Shoooweee Harley" every time you came towards me and waved my hand in front of my face. You smiled and made loud sounds TEN TIMES IN A ROW when I did that! :)  It was awesome!! Unfortunately the minute I grabbed the camera  you just looked at me like I was crazy, haha. You're definitely making lots of new noises though, and I enjoy our little "conversations."

-You have a very healthy little appetite, and as you can tell by the pictures, no one is worried about you being too thin. :)  You're chunky and adorable. 

-You now like to grab handfuls of my hair whenever you can get it, especially when you're nursing or I'm carrying you on my shoulder.  Good thing I haven't been wearing my usual dangly earrings (since daddy bought me such a gorgeous "push present")!

-You are so strong and can hold your head up like a champ. You can sit in your bumbo seat with no problem and when we hold your hands to help you sit up you just look all around.

Gammy and MaMa came down tonight to go with us to your 2 month appointment tomorrow - where we'll get your official stats and you'll sadly get some shots! :(  I'll post tomorrow about how everything goes. We love you so very much and sometimes I could just burst with joy because of your sweet addition to our lives!

Ahh, I could eat you up with a spoon!!!

Menu Monday, Play Day, and the Sweetest 8 Week Old!

So yesterday Mills and I headed to the grocery store and I spent $78 and bought enough groceries to cook dinner for the entire week - I was pretty proud of myself. :) I decided that on Mondays I'll do my menu planning for the week and grocery shopping. I mean, hey, at least while I'm on maternity leave I've gotta make a good case for why I would make such a good housewife/stay at home mom, right?!?!? ;) I've found lots of fabulous (and low cholesterol) recipes.  Last night we had salad and shrimp and wild rice casserole, and tonight we had roasted tomato, honey, and balsamic Chicken with sauteed spinach and pearled garlic and olive oil couscous - Mmmmmm, it was delicious!

Of course, with an infant around it's not so easy to cook dinner, so this is how I've been multi-tasking...

The evening hours are not Mills' favorite, as he is quite the little fussy bear, but he does like to snuggle with his dad when he gets home.

This morning Mills and I (after he slept ELEVEN hours straight last night) had a little playtime. We named all of his stuffed animals and he was so stinkin' cute that I had to take his picture with all of his new friends. :)

I can't believe he turned 8 weeks old yesterday - I'm kind of a fan of this little face:

But can you blame me???? :)

whirlwind trip

Sorry for the delay in posting - we've been busy little bees the past few days! My friend from home, Kristen, lost her dad to lung cancer last Saturday, and had her first precious baby boy on TUESDAY!!! What an emotionally-draining week! But Baby Thurman is absolutely adorable and of course Kristen is just smitten with him, as is the whole family! :) Please keep them in your prayers.

...So Mills and I hopped in the car on Thursday and made the 4 hour trip up to Seneca to attend the visitation and funeral. It really was a whirlwind trip, as we came back Saturday morning, but we managed to spend a little time with family while we were home. Mills got to hang out with Gammy, of course, and here he is with GREAT Aunt MyMy, MaMa, and Peyton!

Look what a big help Peyton is!!! She sang for Mills, too, and he loved it! :)

MaMa kept Mills during the funeral and she said he was very well-behaved and gave her lots of smiles and lovin'.  :)

Mills also got to meet his Great Uncle George:

(And no, we don't harbor extensive weaponry at our house, haha...we stopped by my uncle's shop on our way out of town, hence the large display of guns!)

After the funeral, Mills also got to meet my friend Nikki, and see Sara again, too!

He really wanted to love on auntie say-say a little more, but he was obsessed with the light coming out of the kitchen, as evidenced here:

and here:

AND here:

He literally could not take his eyes off of it, haha. And I know, I know, feet on the table, but #1 - we weren't at a fine dining establishment, it was mexicano, and #2 - his feet are sweet, clean, baby feet.  :)

If you're in the upstate and we didn't get a chance to visit, I promise I'll know a little more in advance for the next trip and we'll try to make our rounds! :)

I had a dr appt this morning and Mills got to stay with his first "babysitters" (outside of grandparents) - our neighbors and great friends - Richard and Katie! I told them that leaving your baby with a doctor and  a neonatal nurse isn't your typical first babysitter experience, haha, as I knew Mills was in good (and extremely well-qualified) hands! Although Richard brought up a good point - the doctor part doesn't exactly carry much weight in newborn care, and I'm sure Nicholas would agree, haha! Mills was asleep when I picked him up and we all had lunch together (yes, they take payment in Chick-fil-a sandwiches!), and he's still asleep now!

More pictures to come of my SWEET 8 WEEK OLD (today!) later...

Nighty night!

I put Mills down at 10:00 tonight and it's almost midnight but I thought I'd post a quick little blurb (he slept 8 hours again last night so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!). We enjoyed a fun lunch today with Calee and Finley at the Mustard Seed, yum!

And do you remember this outfit???

That's right, the precious little outfit that he wore home from the hospital (thanks to Leah and Matt)! Well it had been a few weeks since I'd put it on him (b/c it's been so cold and we've been out and about!), so I decided to put in on him this afternoon and take a few pictures to compare...so what do you think??? Do you think he has grown at all??? :)

Haha, but time flies when you're having fun! :)

And after lunch Mills was a bit tired, so he napped and of course I, being me, photographed...

Good thing for him he won't forget his name, haha

And I'll leave ya with two little videos I took tonight of our bedtime routine.

Warning: These videos are not exciting at all...he does most of his smiling and talking earlier in the day and I got nothing but a sweet baby boy sitting there on camera (that and my annoying baby voice, haha), but it's a sweet baby boy nonetheless. So this is really for the grandparents/family. :)

Bathtime

(this is my first time adding videos so i hope they work!)

Nighty night!