Home Visit Update

First off this morning, Reed had to check and see if that metal dinosaur was still at the top of the steps.



Much to Reed's dismay, we were quite impressed by it's wrangling ability and have decided that for sure, we will be keeping the contraption! (Note to all of you out there reading: We never even planned on taking the thing down, we just told Reed we would try it out and see if we liked it. We knew we would enjoy the peace of mind.

We also have additional peace of mind because Poppy did great in his heart cath today and the doctors think they can correct his problem is medicines. God definitely answered our prayers!

While Mommy finished getting ready for Mrs. Lisa's visit, Reed decided that he needed to push the John Deere around the Living room. He loves the tractor that Aunt Ava and Uncle Brookie gave him.



As we knew he would be, Reed was quite mesmerized by Mrs. Lisa's electric personality. He was so excited to have a visitor. The visit went really well. We passed our followup visit so we get to keep Reed. Good thing, because that baby "ain't goin nowheres if I got anything to do with it." Mrs. Lisa also gathered the information for our homestudy. She did our last homestudy with lightening speed and promises the same excellent fervor.



We had a very special treat, because Mrs. Lisa brought her beautiful daughter with her. We could just eat her up. She is darling. We've been wanting to get to meet her. Reed thought she was pretty cute too!



Reed also reached another milestone today, real milk! That's worth celebrating, because if you haven't priced formula lately, IT'S EXPENSIVE! Reed loves real milk, he sucks the bottles dry.

Sir Sleepy Eyes would not take a nap this afternoon, so he decided that he needed to go to sleep at 6:30. I put him in the bath which delayed his sleep for a while, but by 6:47 he was zonked and in bed.

Pray for Poppy

Last night, around midnight, I thought I heard the beep my phone makes when it is on "meeting" setting. I dismissed it as hearing things and then I heard it again. I fumbled to the kitchen where I thought my phone was and squinted to see that Trae was calling me. He told me that Poppy had a mild heart attack yesterday. I don't know if anyone else out there in bloggyland lives hundreds of miles from your parents, but this is just not a fun phone call to get. I kind of felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. Thankfully, Enna (my mom) took Poppy (my dad) to the hospital and he was okay. He is still in the hospital and will have a procedure to find the blockage and possibly put in a balloon or stint tomorrow. Hopefully they can do that and he won't have to have another bypass. We are still here in Tennessee worrying and praying for Poppy. We would appreciate your prayers for him as well.

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Today, after church, we headed to PF Chang's with our Small Group. It was our farewell meal for Jimmy and Meilyn. I added a link to their site under "Friends".

Reed got to see his favorite Filipino, Mrs. Grace.



Here is a picture of our group, minus a couple of couples who are unable to attend do to pregnancy bedrest.




Here we are with Jimmy and Meilyn.



Reed really enjoys spoon time after he is done eating. He will play with it for several minutes and then throws it on the floor to signify he is ready to move on to something else.



Alas, it was time to unveil the new baby gate at the top of the stairwell in the bonus room. While Reed has been completely uninterested with the stairs near his bedroom, he is enthralled with the stairs in the bonus room.



... and how did he react?



Exactly as expected!

Reed is demonstrating his attempt to fit in with current fashion trends as seen as you tour our local Wally World. He is demonstrating his successful attempt at sagging. I guess he got his daddy's bottom!



Wonder what they are looking at?



Now for a funny story.

As probably expected I have been a little preoccupied today worrying about my Dad. I was on the phone with Uncle Bill telling him about my Dad while going through the drive thru at Wendy's. I pulled to the window, got my drinks and paid for the food. I thanked them and drove off. When I was almost home and still on the phone with Bill, I realized I didn't smell any food. I drove off without getting it. I had to go back to the window where the guy smiled and said, "Decided to come and get your food?"

The answer to the question last night: Reed wore his PJs ALL day yesterday. We never put and "real" clothes on him.

Uneventful Saturday

Reed woke up around 8:00 this morning and after eating a lot of breakfast, he came upstairs to play. He has gotten into a new habit of hiding his stoppers so I had to watch him closely this morning to find out where his hiding places are.



He stays VERY busy and his other new thing is to not do anything while on his bottom or hands and knees. He feels like he must be standing.



We finally put batteries in his music table that Enna and Poppy gave Reed for Christmas. He really enjoyed playing with it today. Of course, he found one setting and played it over and over.



One rare picture of him actually sitting down.



Tonight we had a going away party to attend in honor of our friends Jimmy and Meilyn who are moving to Ireland. Ms. Candace was so kind to come over and keep Reed. Reed loves it when Ms. Candace comes over. We do too, she's an excellent babysitter. Here's a picture Ms. C took while she was keeping Reed.



So, the astute "reeder" may notice something about the pictures today. Who can see something in the pictures and know what I am talking about? I'll post the answer tomorrow.

Friday Night Guest

"Mommy, Daddy is on the phone. He says that Uncle Bill is going to come over tonight."



"Mommy, I can help you clean up. Let me see if I remember what I am supposed to do, take everything out of the cabinets and pull all of the toys out. Empty out everything in the bathroom and, what else am I supposed to do Mommy?"



"Mommy, I am not so sure about Uncle Bill today. I think I am going to be clingy to you and Daddy."



"Well, he does look kinda interesting."



"Daddy, Uncle Bill can make doggy noises. Did you know that?"



"Anybody that can make doggy sounds like you Uncle Bill, is a friend of mine."



"Okay Uncle Bill, this is my blog, could you get out of the picture please?"

The Van is Sick

Last night, we went to church and afterwards we came out and got in the van. I turned on the lights, and then we headed home. After getting past the city lights, a car started blinking his high beams at me. Abbey thought that it was just a loose light on his car and then we turned onto a dark road. NO LIGHTS!



If I held the "high beam" light switch they would work, but the otherwise, it was a DARK ride. I left a little later this morning so that it would be bright enough for me to drive the van in to take it to the dealership near my job.



After a little while, the guy called to tell me that it was a faulty switch (of course, we are 4,000 miles out of warranty), and I told him to fix it, please. He said that he would get to it quickly.

At 2:00 PM, I called to find out the status of the van. He told me that the part wasn't there and had to be brought in from a another dealership. I called again at 3:15 to see if the part was there, because my coworkers were starting to leave and it is COLD outside. I didn't want to walk to the dealership. He told me that he thought the part was there and went to check. When he came back to the line, he said that he was sorry because it was the wrong switch. Now, I am not a mechanic and I am certainly not a genius at anything especially car-oriented things, but how hard is it to say, "I need a headlight switch for a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country." If that was said, then how hard is it for the person to pull the switch for the van!

I have been continually unimpressed by this dealership's LACK of timely repairs, and yet they are ranked a 5-star service dealership. Hmmm ... The survey person needs to call me again.

Thankfully, Miss Candace was still at work and she brought me home. She would never pass up a chance to see Reed.



Tomorrow, Mrs. Trudy is going to let me ride to work with her and the switch on the van hopefully will be FIXED!

On the Reed front, the big news is that teeth numbers 5 and 6 are coming in.

The Many Faces of Reed

Welcome to the artist's studio. The following tour will show you a tiny glimpse into a masterful artist, mostly known as Reed. Enjoy the tour and please, no flash photography.



"Oh. My. Goodness."

This face is commonly seen as Reed becomes amazed at yet something else wonderful. Fortunately, Reed finds wonderful things in the smallest and unlikeliest of places.



"I Am The Champion"

In a world where children are faced with demeaning adults and low self-esteem, it is important to note that Reed seems to have an incredible self-esteem and self-concept. Of course, it does help that people are constantly oohing and aahing over him.



"Hey, Did You Know I Had a Tongue?"

The model, Reed, is quite impressed by the fact that he does in fact have a tongue and he regularly practices new moves that he can display to his fan-base.



"What Up, Dawg?"

Reed likes chillin' in his crib with surrounded by his favorite bling bling.



"Just Say No, I Dare You."

Not to be confused with the nationally known anti-drug campaign, Reed often gives cute little looks which he hopes will prevent him from hearing his least favorite word in the English language, "No."

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This concludes our tour of the artist's studio. We hope that you have enjoyed your time here today. We leave you with some candids of the artist himself.

Christmas Detox Update

Coming home from 8 days on the road, we realized that we had a big problem. Reed was going to "Grandparent Detox." Here are the issues and the update of how things are going.

Issue 1: Sleeping in his own bed.

Detoxification Process: Upon arriving home at 11:00 on Saturday evening, Reed slept very soundly until 7:00 AM. Exhausted and without any fight in us, we put him in our bed where he slept until 8:30. Day 2, Reed went to bed at normal time, but then woke up around 2:30. He cried for about 15 minutes and Abbey went upstairs and gave him his stopper. After keeping her hand on him for several minutes he was calm and went back to sleep. Reed slept until about 7:15 and I got him out of his bed and we came to the bonus room for morning playtime. Day 3, New Year's Eve, Reed went to bed in the Pack-n-play with no fight. He woke up at 11:45 and went to bed without fight when we arrived home from the party. Reed slept soundly until 7:15 this morning. Tonight, Reed fought going down, but after a few minutes, he was good to go.



Issue 2: Taking a Nap.

Detoxification Process: Reed has not had a steady nap for quite some time. Over the past few days, Reed has gone to sleep around 9:00 without fight. Unfortunately, the fight was not completely won because he slept on the sofa with one of us. The good news is, for the past two days he has sleep for 2 hours during his morning nap. The afternoon nap has been a bit of a struggle. Yesterday, the weary child went to sleep but then screamed when he was put in his bed. After a few minutes, he went to sleep. He then took a 1.5 hour nap on the sofa late yesterday afternoon. Today, we all three fell asleep on the sofa for 3 hours. Tomorrow will be the real test because mommy will be by herself.



Issue 3: Being Held Constantly.

Detoxification Process: Reed was never in the company of only one fan during the entire 8 day trip, so when he came home and sometimes had only one parent around him, he was a bit dismayed when we had something to do besides playing on the floor with him. Thankfully, the MANY, many, MANY toys he got for Christmas have helped with this process. Reed has adjusted to playing in the bonus room by himself really well while we work in the room. This has been the easiest of all of the detox issues.

Issue 4: No.

Detoxification Process: Reed heard the word, "No," very few times while we were gone. We are attempting to "not baby proof" our house by teaching Reed that some things cannot be touched or there are some places that he cannot go. Reed CERTAINLY did not hear "NO!" in past week. We are in the process of reteaching "No" and the places and things he cannot handle. This one will be an ongoing one for the next 18 or so years, I am thinking.

Happy New Year!

We had a great New Year's Eve Celebration at Britton's house. Reed was excited that he got to spend his first New Year's Eve with this best friend.

First off, yesterday morning Reed was trying to show off what a big boy he was, so he grabbed hold to the back of his new "John Deere" and started walking. See the video for a short clip.

"imagine a really cute video that won't load here."

Reed also needed to spend some time working with his puzzle, so he decided to play with this cute puzzle that his Uncle Dent, Aunt Myra, and cousins Laura and Matthew sent him. It is so cute. Hopefully you can read it in the picture, but it says, "Jesus Loves Reed." Right now, Reed thinks that it tastes delicious but I am sure one day he will understand the importance of the message.



Yesterday morning, Reed and I took a long nap. We then all went to Wal-Mart to buy a few groceries and then headed home where Abbey cleaned the kitchen and I worked on cleaning the garage. Abbey is ready to park in the garage, but the side that I cleaned out is not long enough for her van. I am going to have move the stuff to the other side of the garage where Abbey can get her van in. (Thus, the drawback to the extended van.)

Finally, after two more naps (Reed's grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles wore him out!), it was time to go to Britton's.



Britton got some great new toys for Christmas and Reed was MORE than willing to help him try them out. Reed and Britton played VERY well together.





Reed had to make sure that he touched Britton's mouth. Anyone who meets Reed gets their mouth touched by him. You can tell that Britton is teething, because you can see the string of slobber running from Britton's mouth to Reed's finger.



I was sitting on the sofa and saw a pair of nail clippers. I have been asking Reed's mommy to clip Reed's nails for a while because they were long enough for a mani and pedi. So, in the spirit of Carpe Diem, I grabbed the clippers and proceeded to trim his nails. Everyone got a real kick out of watching me trim Sir Can't Sit Still's nails.



After the kiddos were tucked in bed, the adults played some games. Pit was first, but it was too loud and Reed kept waking up. The last round was RIGGED by my darling wife, Matt, and Tamara not in my favor! It was pretty funny! Brandon was crying he was laughing so hard.

Then we played a new game "Would You Rather?" It was really neat. There were challenge questions and you sometimes had to "do" one of the challenges. The picture below is me slow dancing with a dust mop.



My next "do" challenge was to "shake my tail" to some music.



Brandon provided the music for my "shaking".



At ten minutes until midnight, Reed woke up and wanted to celebrate the entrance of the New Year.



He was very interested in our "Sparkling Grape Juice" (Yes, we kept it completely Baptist).


We had a great New Year celebration. We are so thankful for our wonderful friends!