20 plus 10

What a busy and fantastic last couple of weeks!! On August 14, my best friend, Melissa, flew in from Minneapolis to spend the weekend with Kendrick, Greg, and me. Kendrick wasn't too sure of Melissa at first but they quickly bonded when Melissa taught him how to buzz his lips. It's pretty darn cute...until there are carrots in his mouth. Melissa and her husband are expecting their first baby at the end of January and I can't wait to teach Baby Smith the same trick!

That Saturday night, we went out with a group of people to celebrate Erin's, Brianna's, Melissa's, and my 30th birthdays. Prior to dinner, we stopped at our very good friend's house for a pre-dinner celebration and conversation. Trevor and Amber are expecting their first baby, a girl, at the end of November so, while the guys caught up on sports, we ladies talked babies!! We had a great dinner that night at a Greek restaurant, Taverna Plaka. As it turns out, the craziness of my 20's has quickly faded as I had no desire to dance on the tables or, essentially, act as foolish as I may have, say, a year ago. ;-)

I definitely felt the love from MN, too, for my birthday. When Greg returned home on the 16th from running errands and getting us lunch, he had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake for me that was from he and my mom. Ever since I can remember, I've always had a DQ cake for my birthday; it's the best part of my year.

On my actual 20 plus 10 birthday (thank you to Shannon for reminding me that I'm not 30 but rather 20 plus 10), Kendrick had his 6 month appointment. He is a healthy, growing boy, weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces, and 26 3/4 inches long. He's perfectly proportionate and growing at a great rate. He and I spent the rest of the day together, he mostly recovering from his vaccinations, and me enjoying a day at home with him. Greg had to leave for NC on my birthday so my good friends all rallied and joined me for dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant close to home. Amber even made me my own birthday cake!!

This past weekend, Grandpa and Grandma Seever came to visit. Kendrick stayed home with them on Thursday and spent good, quality time with them reading books and playing. Unfortunately, on Friday, Kendrick was back at the pediatrician's office and was diagnosed with another ear infection. His fever rose to over 103 and he was completely miserable on Friday. But, by Saturday evening, he was almost back to himself. It amazes and delights me how quicly he gets over an illness; it's like the ear infections never happened.

Labor Day weekend will be spent in Destin, FL and we cannot wait!! We are going with 8 other people and have rented a house on the beach with a private pool. I can't wait to see Kendrick in his little swim trunks in the pool splashing around!

6 Months Old

Call it what you will, blame it on what you want, but I am feeling a bit nostalgic today. Maybe it's the fact that Kendrick is now 6 months old (point 5, if you will... thank you, Anna...), maybe it's the fact that I'm going to be 30 years old on Monday, maybe it's a combination of the two and other outside factors. No matter what, I'm so happy--and so sad--about the time that has quickly passed before my eyes.

As I have been doing every 13th of the month since March 13th, I took Kendrick's picture tonight on the recliner in our living room. I remember the first time I adopted Amy's fabulous idea of monthly pictures: I propped a burp cloth behind Kendrick's head and hoped he would keep his eyes open long enough for me to take his picture.






Tonight, not only was there a sunshine-filled expression on his face (how else would you describe it??), he also held himself up and reached across the chair for the paper. I feel like I blinked and he's on his way to becoming a boy. His independence is starting to become more evident, his personality is developing so quickly, he's showing signs of being incredibly ticklish like his daddy, and his laugh truly is contagious. He really is an absolute joy to be around (I think he gets that from me ;-).)







Before bath time tonight, I was showing Kendrick Mama and Daddy's wedding pictures, pointing out the two of us and Grandma Sharon, Grandpa, Grandma Peggy, Uncle Todd, Auntie Heather, and Myranda. It really seemed as if he was studying the pictures and taking in what I was telling him. He was so interested. He followed my fingers as I pointed to the pictures, looked at me as I was talking. I have no idea when his brain reached the point of being able to digest and retain the information I'm giving him in such a non-baby manner. It's bizarre.

As I've said in other posts and will most likely say in future posts, I can't get over how quickly he's growing. It's hard to fathom how much he's grown, learned, and developed in just 6 short months. I think my nostalgia this evening is just this overwhelming joy I have of being his mama. As much as I miss him being the tiny baby that curls up on my belly to nap, I am so excited to watch him grow.

Mmmm... sweet potatoes!!

The Saturday before Kendrick was diagnosed with two ear infections and herpeangina, we fed him pears for the very first time. His reaction to this new taste was actually quite boring; his face didn't scrunch or react, really, at all. Because of the blisters on his throat from the herpeangina, we held off on feeding him solid foods for the week. This past Monday, we went back at it and this time, sweet potatoes were on the menu. Much to my surprise, Kendrick absolutely loved the sweet potatoes!! He finshed half of the package on Monday, the other half Tuesday, and then easily polished off an entire container last night. He was so excited about eating them and even went so far as to give me a little attitude if I wasn't feeding him fast enough.




While feeding him bananas tonight (which he also loved!), I noticed that he seems to be learning to pull my hand towards his mouth as I'm feeding him. I'm not sure that he's doing it on purpose necessarily but I can see his eyes watching what he's doing and what reaction it creates. It's becoming apparent every day that he's learning something new or acting out some behavior that he's been trying to master for the last few weeks. He's now standing in his Exersaucer as he plays, he grabs toys with both hands, he seems to recognize certain toys and is beginning to recognize the camera, and has developed quite the affection for dancing and singing, especially when both are done by Daddy. If you ever want to hear Kendrick laugh (and laugh and laugh), come over while Greg and he are dancing to ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man". It's classic.

What a Week and Weekend!

Last Monday, I received the call that every parent dreads. Daycare called and Kendrick was running a fever and had thrown up his bottle. I rushed to pick him up and got him into the pediatrician that afternoon. Poor pumpkin had 2 ear infections. ;( For good measure, he also had a virus called "herpeangina", a virus that causes blisters on the back of his throat. The two are totally unrelated but of course he had to get them at the same time. However, the best part of him being sick was that he was super snuggly and only wanted to sleep on my shoulder. It has been a long time since he's fallen asleep on me and I loved every minute of it.

By Friday, Kendrick was feeling good again and was headed back to daycare. That same day, Greg flew to MN for a quick trip to see family and celebrate his mom's birthday (it's today... Happy Birthday, Sharon!) On Friday night, Greg, Greg's friend Justin, and Greg's parents went to the Twins game at the Metrodome. Before he left Atlanta, I had to be sure to dress Kendrick for the upcoming game (thanks for the outfit Grandpa and Grandma Seever!) Kendrick and Daddy looked so good together that morning!

While Greg was in MN, I definitely kept myself busy. Kendrick and I hung out together all day, taking Kirby for a couple of walks and running errands. While Kendrick napped that afternoon and then after he went to bed that night, I painted the bathroom.

Here's the bathroom before...

And after...

This coming weekend, as my birthday gift, Greg and I are painting the living room. I know Greg is thrilled to help with painting but I think the results will be worth it. I think one project at a time for the next 30 years will get us to where we want to be with the house. ;-)