2 for 1 Friday

Frightening Friday - These are just a few pictures from our photo shoot Wednesday night! I have started experimenting with my camera more. Maybe by the time he is 15 I will have figured out how to work it, but I will have to say he is one cute kid no matter the camera setting! Our second outfit is our 'Doctors and Nurses Swap' Frat look since it is Halloween!

Look for us on TV when the Rebels (and yes are are still the Rebels. The bear is our on field mascot. Just like Alabama is not the Elephants, they are the Crimson tide) play Auburn this weekend because we are going! It will be J man's first trip to Oxford and The Grove!!! I am so excited I can't stand it!!!

Mover and a Shaker

I debate blogging about many of my posts because I do not want y'all to think I am a bad mother. This post is no exception, but after much internal debate here goes nothing. Jackson has gotten into a great routine each night. He eats at 5:30 and we hang out until around 7:00 then he goes down for a nap until 8:30. At 8:30 he wakes up and I feed him again (that is an hour ahead of his 4 hour schedule throughout the day, but it works) and put him back in bed for the night. He has not really ever moved around in bed unless he is awake, but when Matt and I looked at the video monitor Monday this is what we saw. He just rolled over - right? Um, no. He is facing the opposite direction of how we put him down AND he has rolled over on his side. See where that paci is? That is where his head was. We have no idea how or why he did this. I was going to move him, but Matt said he was fine. Had he been down for the night I would have moved him, but since he was about to get back up I just left him alone. I should also note that we have a motion sensor that goes off if he stops breathing. So please don't think we are bad parents for letting our baby sleep like this. He is getting so big and I guess moving more comes with the territory. He has not done it since, but who knows!

Lazy Sunday

I took a nap on Sunday for the first time in 4 months!!! It felt amazing!!!! While I was sleeping Matt and Jackson hung out and Matt snapped some pics of the little man napping in his "Naps are for Whimps" onesie!! He has gotten back in his sleep routine for the most part. Thanks God!!!

When I woke up Matt and I went to the movies and left Jackson with a non-family member for the first time. We were only gone for a few hours and he did great!! A girl from Matt's class Jenna and her husband Zach live around the corner from us and were sweet enough to come over and keep him. They said he was good - and I am sure he was because he has been the happiest baby lately! We went to see Wall Street. It was so nice to go to the movies just the two of us, but I was ready to get back and see my Jacksie man!

We went home and picked up the little man and headed to dinner with Jason and Kaitlyn! It was a perfect ending to an almost perfect weekend. A Rebel win would have made it perfect, but I am not upset. Our household has reached apathy when it comes to this football season.

Happy Monday!

Did Someone Call a Doctor?

Mrs. Shelia got Jackson these real scrubs with his name on them! How CUTE??? This is his 5th outfit of the day and it's only 3:00! He keeps blowing out of his diaper. I think it is because of his antibiotic. We have spent ALL DAY watching the Rebels. They are in their 2nd weather delay due to lightening.

2 for 1 Friday

This morning was our best photo shoot EVER! Jackson was well rested since he SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT last light (WAHOO!!!), and because Matt was still home so he was able to get Jackson to smile while I snapped some shots. So that is why Jackson is looking above the camera in all of these pictures. And lastly I think this is the frattiest outfit we've done yet.

I call this one "raise the roof" Just kickin it!

Just kickin it 2! Look at those thighs!! I could eat them up!!

What what!!! He looks like he is hard core dancing!

Aww and wonder......

Last, but not least Frightening Friday!! Jackson in his pumpkin shirt! I know I have already posted this picture, but Jackson has been falling asleep so early I have not been able to take pictures of his Halloween PJ's and I don't have time to do wardrobe changes in the morning. Well, unless he blows up his diaper - like he has done twice this week. He didn't make it to day care today with his fratty outfit on because he made a mess all over it before we got out the door this morning!

Happy Friday!

Afternoon Play Time

Before Jackson was born I was a routine freak! And since he has come along that has not changed. He throws a kink into our routine sometimes, but for the most part we have gotten a pretty good routine down especially since he is feeling better. It has taken me about 4 months, but I feel like we have hit our stride. When we get home at night I can lay him down to play for about 30 min while I unpack his diaper bag and change. He likes his play mat even though he is not 100% sure about the toys. He still likes to entertain himself by making noises and throwing his feet in the air! These are just a few pictures from yesterday. And if you will notice the dogs are no where around. They actually leave him alone. But if the play mat and the toys are down there and he is not they go straight for it! They think it is a play mat for them too. Sorry pups! Oh and please don't think I am a terrible mom for leaving his burb cloth over his face. That is how he likes it. I can move it, but he will move it right back.

4 Months - Eating Cereal

He ate so well - as if we had any doubt!

All Systems Go

The doctor gave us a great report this morning! His white blood cell count was back down to normal and his cultures were still negative. We can resume normal life!! WAHOO! You can tell Jackson feels much better because he laughs so much. Since he feels so much better we decided to start eating with a spoon today. 2 ounces of milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of cereal was just what the doctor ordered. Jackson was not sure about the spoon at first, but once he discovered it had food in it he was attacking it. I have said the last 4 months that he would drink milk out of a Newk's cup if I'd let him. Whether I feed him or he gets a bottle, as long as food comes out that's all he cares about.

And this is what a full, fat, happy, and healthy baby looks like................

Where Do I Begin

I received the dreaded, but inevitable phone call from day care at 9:30 Friday morning, "Jackson has a fever." WHAT?? A fever? It's Fratty Friday, he can't be sick. I hung up the phone and did what any first time mother would do, I called my husband and asked "what am I suppose to do now?" I couldn't find that section in my owners manual. When I got to day care they had taken Jackson into another room and were feeding him. Sick or not this kid won't miss a meal. When I picked him up he was burning up. They said he had a 101.3 fever. By the time I got to the doctor's office his temperature measured 103. The doctor pricked his finger to take a little blood, that would turn out to be one of many pricks. That blood test showed his white blood cell count was really high. This coupled with the fever made Jackson's doctor nervous so he sent us UMC for overnight observation. I was so scared and to top it off could not get back in touch with Matt. He had been working nights on OB and had turned his phone on silent by accident in his state of exhaustion. After 20 missed calls from me he woke up for some reason and called me back. He grabbed some of our stuff and headed back to the hospital after only 2 hours of sleep. Before we left the clinic they pricked Jackson, drew blood, did a catheter, and gave him a shot. It was pitiful. Then it was on to the hospital for more tests! I had checked in and was on the elevator when the doors opened up on the 2nd floor and there Matt stood with Jackson's bag. I have never been so relieved to see him!

We got settled in and the stream of nurses, techs, and doctors began. Even though we were at UMC the only short coats allowed in the room were visitors and we had plenty of those. It is so good to have such great friends! All of Matt's short coat friends were getting off of work on a Friday afternoon and took time to come check on us. They could have bolted from the hospital after a long week but they came to see us. By the time they took his temp at the hospital it had broken and stayed away for the rest of our stay!

They gave Jackson an IV which is not an easy task on a little person. That was SO hard to watch, but they finally got it done after 3 tries. I cried as much as he did. Once they got the IV in he wanted to suck on it so that's why he has a monkey tapped to it. He sucked on the monkey instead of his IV! He was such a little trooper. He stayed happy as long as they were not poking him. I lost count of how many times he was pricked or they drew blood. I guess it helps to block it out. My mom came down and stayed with us while Matt went to work for his last night on OB delivery. We decided that was the best thing for him to do since he would be close and could walk back over if we needed him. So he was operating on no sleep. There was one uncomfortable chair that turned into a bed and a crib. I slept in the crib with Jackson. Well I shouldn't say slept, I sat in it through the night. Every time I got him to sleep they would come in and mess with him. By 6:00 a.m. Matt was back and we were up for the day. After more poking and blood taking we finally got the word that all, but one test was good and we could go home!! Thank God. One of his test still showed cause for concern, but they will check it out tomorrow when we go back to the clinic. The final conclusion was Jackson's 4 month shots on Thursday coupled with his cough medicine from his cold made his white blood cell count spike. We are just glad our little man is better.

Once we got home it was time for baths and laundry! I wanted the hospital germs washed off everything! This is Jackson watching football, he was not interested in me!
I finally got his attention - look how happy he was! Like I said he stayed so happy as long as no one was poking him! His shirt says "shhhh I'm watching football with my Daddy" Mrs. Shelia bought this onesie before I was ever pregnant! HA! And look at those football socks!

Last - and most importantly my little guy is 4 months old today!!! He is SO big!!

He weighs 14 pounds and is 25 inches long.

He loves to talk, laugh and kick

He can roll over, but you have to bribe him with flashing toys.

He has started to show a preference in who takes him - he's partial to his mama :)

He is no longer sleeping through the night, but I think it is because he has been sick. He wakes up 1 or 2 or more times now, he has reverted to being 3 weeks old again.

He still fights sleep at times

He has begun to notice Elle and Knox

He eats 7 ounces ever 4 hours, but I still feed him snacks between there if he cries. I am sure I shouldn't, but it stops him from crying.

Matt and I have come to the realization we will not get any sleep until he is 15

I had planned on feeding him cereal in a spoon today, but didn't with everything else going on. I will tomorrow though. I have already started trying out medium flow nipples on his bottles and of course he loves that b/c he gets food faster!! He has started trying to hold his bottle on his own.

He sits up in his car seat and looks around.

He wears 3-6 months clothes except in Ralph Lauren and Gerber and he wears 9 months in them. He must be long for his age because if clothes are too small it is in the length.

We are so blessed and thank God every day for Jackson. Many many prayers went up for him yesterday and today and we thank everyone for that. He is a loved little boy!

2 for 1 Friday

You are in luck today because it is 2 for 1 on The Miller Blog and will be every Friday for the remainder of the month. You get Fratty Friday as usual, but we are also implementing Frightening Friday for Halloween!

We took the Fratty Friday picture in Jackson's car seat right before we left because he was a sleepy head this morning and I could not be more grateful!! He has reverted to being 3 weeks old again and not sleeping. But last night he made progress!! Thank goodness because I was going crazy on no sleep! And thank goodness for my mom and Mrs. Shelia or I would have gone crazy! They came to stay with us because Matt worked nights this week. Thank goodness that it was only for one week. I would not have made it any longer. Now I am just worried about residency. AHHHH! I have a year and a half before that happens though. I never knew the sacrifices doctors went through, not to mention their families, but that is another post for another day! Oh and thanks Sheshe for the fratastic outfit!And here is Frightening Friday!! He is SO cute! He looks like he is showing off his outfit with those arms stuck out. We would like to thank Aunt Lisha for the outfit. I searched high and low for a skeleton sleeper and could not find one. Luckily there is a Carter's outlet near Lisha's house in Houston and she found one! It's a 6 month, he's getting so big! If you go over to their blog - "Life with the Luphers" you will see Elle's pink skeleton outfit!!

Happy Friday

Another Busy Weekend

Another weekend, another wedding. My cousin Carrie got married right outside of Birmingham this weekend. If you half way keep up with football you already noticed by the second sentence that her wedding was in Alabama on an Alabama football weekend, but believe it or not people actually showed up and enjoyed themselves. Now that does not mean the game was ignored, oh no. There were no less than 10 men streaming the game on their phones. And as a wireless industry employee I cannot imagine the strain these wedding guest were putting on the closest tower. So enough about work and football, the wedding was beautiful! You could tell Carrie put a lot of thought into each detail. Below is the tent where the ceremony was held - good looking tent huh? Courtesy of Lisa and Rex and I don't have a picture here, but the linens looked great too Gran and Paw :)!! Carrie and her new husband Rory! Carrie was a beatutiful bride!!This is my grandad (Paw) and his brother, my Uncle Ronnie! How cute are they?

And here is a rare picture of my family all dressed up, but NOT in the Grove! I think this should be my parents' Christmas card.

These are my 3rd cousins - Paw's brother's grand-daughters. Did you get all that? They were the flower girls in the wedding, how adorable are they? They loved Jackson! They had to get their hands on him at the hotel. So sweet!!Look at these handsome men!! Uncle Buster is so good with Jackson.And of course we stayed with Nana and Papa since we were in Birmingham! Look at Jackson looking at Nana.... so cute!
And lastly -Jackson laying in our bed when we made it home. The little man was worn slap out! But after that weekend who wouldn't be? And yes, he wears the pumpkin shirt his She-She got him every time it's clean! I just love it and he can only wear it this month so we are trying to get good use out of it!

Just Hanging Out

Just a few pictures of Jackson to get the week started. Jackson makes this face all the time and it's hysterical. He thinks we are crazy I guess.

Matt was giving him his breathing treatment (which he HATES) and he wore himself out crying. You would never know by this picture that he was screaming 2 minutes before this. He looks SO peaceful.

Here is a normal picture of Jackson. And by normal I mean he is not looking at me like I am crazy.

And finally a picture of Matt and Jackson discussing fantasy football starts. Matt - "Who should I start this week bud?" Jackson - "Let me see....."

Fratty Friday and Happy Birthday Uncle Buster

Make sure your sound is on because Geroge Jones has a message for you!! My camera has not been downloading pictures lately so we decided to do a video of Fratty Friday! Enjoy!!

Going to Grandmaw's

So Jackson made his first trip to Caledonia this last weekend and we are still trying to recover! We are worn out! He met so many new people! I did pretty well taking pictures on Saturday and Sunday, but Friday was a bust! Sorry!

We rolled into town Friday night at about 6:30 and headed straight to the Mexican Kitchen for dinner. We met my parents, Gran and Paw, Kevin and Kayla, Mike, Abby, Emma, and Aunt Nancy. It was the first time Jackson met Mike, Abby, Emma, and Aunt Nancy!

On Saturday it was off to Mrs. Jackie's for breakfast! We saw her, Mr. Charlie, Lynn, and even Thomas!! From there it was on to our next stop - CJ's Pizza (if you have not noticed already we ate our way through the Golden Triangle). Charlie met us there and Jackson met him for the first time, we watched the Rebels and had some of the best food!! We spent the rest of the afternoon at Gran's watching the game and meeting even more new people. Aunt Mimi, Mrs. Karen, and Mr. Steve! Notice the picture of Jackson and Mrs. Karen - she has on her maroon MSU shirt and he has on his Rebel smocked outfit!! Matt and I went to a wedding Saturday night, but before the wedding we hit up Anthony's (more eating) for a date night! John Russell McPherson is a guy in Matt's med school class and he was the one getting married!

On Sunday we went to New Salem and I cannot even begin to name all the people Jackson met! After church and some of Munchkin's chili (YUM) we headed to the Pumpkin Patch for pictures. It was really really windy so we did not stay long. We got some really cute pics, but next year Jackson will be reeking havoc on the hay maze!

What a weekend!! This weekend we are headed out of town again for my cousin Carrie's wedding! We are nuts, but I can't wait!

Fratty Friday

I realized a few weeks ago that not everyone knew how or why Fratty Friday was started. So here is a quick history lesson for the new comers - Fratty Friday is not my original idea as much as I would like to take credit for it. One of my best friends from college, Lisha has a 16 month old Elle and she started Animal Print Friday when Elle was a baby. Even though she has not done Animal Print Friday in a LONG time!!! I need some Elle Belle in my life so come in Leeesh..... So any way, when I was pregnant with Jackson I wanted to start something similar, but couldn't come up with anything. While brainstorming with Matt I mentioned Camo Friday and he vetoed it because he said he didn't hunt. Then he came up with the idea of Country Club Monday. It sounded good so we were going to stick with that until one weekend Uncle Buster was in town. When we told him about our idea he laughed and said "What about Fratty Friday?" So there you have it, how Fratty Friday was born. Now for the star of the show....... Jackson Miller or as I like to call him Booger Man!

I It's formal weekend in Memphis so he is sporting his bow tie onesie. He of course asked a beautiful Phi Mu to attend formal with him and they will be eating at the Butcher Shop before the event! HA HA!! And in true Frat Boy fashion he was a little sleepy this morning since nights are his thing. He is falling asleep in the picture on top. A big thank you to Aunt Shay for making him the bow tie onesie!!

His real weekend (not his frat star weekend) will be spent in Caledonia!! We are going home this weekend and taking Jackson to visit for the first time. Is he ready for Cali? Better yet is Cali ready for him? Happy Friday!