Throwing Rocks!

Reed was in an incredible mood yesterday when I got home from work.



His mood was boosted when he saw that I had brought him his very own drink from Sonic. He was even happier when I told him it was a Coke with a double shot of chocolate. Of course, I had my fingers crossed when I told him that because it was really Sprite.



While Abbey prepared supper, Reed and I went down to a developing street in our subdivision to throw some rocks.



Reed had a blast!



He was especially impressed when I threw rocks into a big puddle of water. He seemed mesmerized by the splashes.



Today, Reed went to MDO and had another great time. He colored another picture.



So far this week, Reed has the following new words: Juice, Cracker, Bubbles, and Mine.



Reed is also getting over his need to cause complete destruction and is now actually helping put clothes in the dryer, he is helping pick up things, and even stacked three blocks the other day.



Tonight we went for a walk after supper. Abbey tried a recipe that she made up and it was really yummy. It was like a ham, hashbrown and corn casserole.



Reed has his first diaper rash right now. It was really strange, but Tamara told us it is common when babies are teething. I changed his diaper and nothing was out of the ordinary. About 1.5 hours later, I changed his diaper again and there was a bad rash.



After several changes using A & D ointment, Reed's rash has really started to go away.





... and now, as promised, the video of us karaoking the other night at Brandon's party. We dedicated this one to our wives. Megan dedicated her portion of the song to Britton. Enjoy. Volume should be low if you don't want hearing problems!

The Garage Is Done!

First of all, this is the only picture of his highness for today, so just look at it a lot. We were really busy today and forgot to take more pictures of him. We worked on the garage today and before Miss Candace (Thank Goodness for Friends!) got there we had to put Reed in the pack-n-play. That was okay with him because we gave him sand!

BEFORE:





DURING:





AFTER:





Thanks to Uncle Bill, we were able to get the garage done in a very neat and quick way! He was a huge help! Don't you wish you had an Uncle Bill?

It was HOT!!! All three of us were soaking wet with sweat, but we are really pleased with the end product.

The only let down was that we were really hoping to be able to both park in the garage. While our garage is a good size, it was obviously not meant for a minivan and an SUV. I got both Abbey's van and my Jeep in the garage, but it was tight, so unless the forecast is calling for ice or something, I doubt I will be parking in the garage.

Now, I want to talk about something a little different tonight than just an update of our day.

You know those times when your little one is completely attached to you? Well, for the past couple of days, that has been Reed with me. Now, there have certainly been times when Reed really wanted to be with Abbey, but today it was all me. Now, that can be both really neat and really annoying. But, I began to think about how awesome it was that Reed wanted me! How many times in your life are you the exact person that can "fix" any hurt, soothe any tear, or be the best friend? Not very often. I try not to get preachy on the blog, but I think that's the way God wants to be for us.

I also think about how some people refer to Reed as my adopted son. Now, I have many soapboxes, but I think this is going to be one of my new ones. Reed is not my adopted son. Reed is my son, who happens to be adopted. I cannot tell you how much Reed feels like he is a part of us. In the past 10 months that Reed has been in our lives, he has become an extension of us. Truly, he was planned by God to be our son.

I wondered how our families would react to our son who was not a biological extension but an extension through the miracle of adoption. I got to experience this first-hand last week as I saw Reed run with open arms to his Lola (Mrs. Linda when she came home from work). I saw it when I saw my mom beam with excitement about getting to take her grandson to Wal-Mart and pick him out some balloons. I saw it in my Daddy giving Reed a bath and how Reed wanted to be under his feet while he cooked breakfast. It was in my father-in-law's face as he beamingly introduced Reed to everyone in his office. It was in my big brother's voice as he asked "Where's Reed?" It was in my little brother's early arrival on Monday morning ready to spend the day with Reed. It was in Aunt Ava's glow as she drove through traffic just to meet us at Sonic for a few minutes to see her "blood" nephew. It was in my grandfather's reaction to seeing us by saying, "Hey Reed" even though sometimes he can be a little confused. Reed is us. He is our family. We are so blessed.

______________________

Now for number 3 in the 7 days of Abbey.

Her Heart. I had planned on this being on day 1, but I chose to change it due to the information I posted above. It was Abbey's heart that I fell in love with on our first date. Her practical, yet optimistic outlook on life. Her openness, yet reserved wisdom. She's an amazing, amazing woman. Most people don't know that on the day we found out we were infertile, Abbey didn't cry as we left the doctor's office. I did. All of my hopes for a baby seemed dash. Abbey said, "We'll just adopt." God had opened Abbey's heart to adoption long before we even went to the fertility clinic, yet it was mine that had been closed. I was not against adoption, but I wanted "one of my own" first. I firmly believe that it was Abbey's gentle spirit, her fervent prayer, and wise counseling that lead me to adoption openness. So, where does that leave me? You read the above post, do you realize what Reed means to us? To Abbey? To me? He is our gift, he is God's plan for us in live motion. Abbey's heart extends in so many ways. It's so beautiful, I hope you've had a chance to see it or experience it. As for me, I wake up amazed each day that I can experience her amazing love and her amazing heart. Can you believe we're only on day three? There are still more things to love about this woman!

Did Someone Say Sonic?

We readily admit that we are Sonicaholics, but what we weren't prepared for is what that has taught our son. He always thinks he needs some of our drink whenever we go there during happy hour.



Abbey eventually gave in and let Reed have some of her drink.



I quickly put a stop to it when I reminded her that at 3:30 this morning Reed woke up and decided that he was ready to get up for the day. We, on the other hand, were not even the slightest bit amused by him wanting to get up so early.



Reed was not thrilled with our decision to let him occupy himself in his bed until he fell asleep again.



I had to go to Jackson, TN for work today, so I didn't get home until after my family was home from church. Reed was thrilled to see me, which you know did a good thing for the daddego.



Can you guess what was making Reed so silly?



If you guessed, Jeff's belly, you would be right. Reed decided that he wanted to bounce on my belly tonight and then he thought it was really funny to touch my belly button.



Even with a half-funny face, he's still super-cute, eh?



I wish that you could see the amount of drool that he left on my face after the picture. There was a time that it would have made me sick at my stomach, now it is just sweet baby spit!



Reed's happy faces are my absolute favorite!



Partly because he smiles with his mouth wide open, just like me!





In case you didn't know it, WE ARE SO BLESSED!

Home Again, Home Again ...

Before Reed and Abbey left Memphis, they had to have lunch with the fam. I think Lola was holding onto Reed pretty tight.



Reed saw an airplane in the sky, so he was pointing up towards me. He knew that it was time to get back home to see his daddy. (Note: I really have no clue what he was pointing at, but I think that it is fair to assume that he was pointing at a plane that I was in. Don't you? I mean, he is above average intelligence.)

Thanks to American Airlines and our illustrious airport, it took about 45 minutes for my luggage to come out on the carousel. That meant that Abbey and Reed were only a few miles behind me when I got to our exit off the interstate. I called Abbey and asked her to meet me at Sonic, because I WAS READY TO SEE MY FAMILY!

Reed was about as thrilled to see me as I was to see him! After Abbey and I talked for a few minutes, I got Reed out of the mommy van and put him in my Jeep. We went to the car wash, where Reed was amazed. He pointed at every different part of the car wash.

After we got home, we decided to invite the Oliver's to go with us to Cracker Barrel to eat supper.



Apparently Reed was zonked, because he fell asleep on the way home, well before his new bedtime. I am so glad that my family is home! I think we're better together than we are apart!

Tomorrow, we're planning on seeing if Reed has the same affinity for lawn mowers as he does for vacuums.

Reed's Doctor Visit

Reed woke up this morning before Mommy had a chance to get her shower, so what was she to do?



She pulled the high chair into our bedroom and put Reed in it.



Now most people would think that this would not be the best idea in the world, because a baby in a high chair with nothing to do could get pretty angry.

Problem solved: Just give the baby a biter biscuit and it's all GOOD!



As previously posted, you all must know that Reed LOVES biter biscuits and he loves to make a mess with them.



A big, big mess!



But a cute mess if I do say so myself!



After the mess was cleaned off the high chair and the baby, it was time for Reed to go to his nine month checkup. Reed was having a great time until it was time for his shot.



He didn't do that bad though and to reward him for his good behavior, Mommy stopped at Sonic.

Now, some of you may think that Mommy rewarded herself with this stop, but that is simply not the case.



Reed got the straw! He LOVES, hear me, LOVES! straws!



Tonight, we went to buy fabric for curtains for the bonus room. We're sending it soon Enna, so get the machine ready, we're dying to get them up!

Reed was so excited to see me, but he was a little unsure of why I was in Hobby Lobby. Reed has learned really well that his voice can get REALLY loud, so he loves to talk with a very loud voice. He was having fun in HL using that voice.

Next, we went to Jo-Ann to get card stock and scrapbooking paper. Abbey and I make our Christmas cards and have been planning them out. As we were thinking about how to do thm and choosing paper, we began to gather up the supplies we needed. Reed was getting a little restless and we both kind of looked at each other and immediately knew what the other person was thinking, "There's no way we can do this, this year!" So, I put away the supplies and Abbey was supposed to call Aunt Ava and request a "Christmas themed" birth announcement. We'll also include a family Christmas picture, but that's going to be it, this year!

Now, you all have been so good lately, that we wanted to give you all something to smile about. A nice Reed video!

Mommy and Daddy's Date

Tonight Mommy and Daddy went on a date. Don't worry, Jane stayed at home with me. But before they could go out, Mommy and Jane took me to the doctor. I have a little place on my eye that everyone was worried about. As you can see I handled the whole ordeal very well.


Dr. Crawford even looked in my eye and I never woke up. She gave me a prescription to help my eye get all better. She also told Mommy that I can start eating stage 2 Gerber foods and some table foods liked mashed potatoes, which I am very excited about. When I woke up I was a very happy baby boy.


Then that other woman came in with my flu shot! I wasn't happy after she got done with me, but she did give me a yellow band-aid.


We stopped Sonic on the way home, but I didn't get anything. Apparently Sonic isn't considered part of stage 2. Jane did offer to let me have some of hers.


When we got home from the doctor, Daddy was already here. Not long after that someone pulled up in the driveway. Daddy was holding me so he made Mommy answer the door. He is the best daddy in the whole wide world! (My mommy is also the best!) It was the flower delivery guy, Daddy sent Mommy flowers! They are so pretty.


Jane and I played for a while, but eventually I got hungry. Tonight I had green beans and peaches. I like peaches better than green beans. I also like to hold the spoon, but no one lets me.


I did get a hold of it once tonight...I am very strong and thought I was going to win, but Jane just wouldn't give up. However, I showed her and when I finally let go she ended up with peaches on her face and in her hair. When I finally finished my dinner, she let me have the spoon.


It has been a very busy day and I am so tired. I think I will turn in early tonight. That will help Jane get things cleaned up downstairs and pack her suitcase. She has to go back to Florida tomorrow. I sure hope Mommy and Daddy have a good time tonight.