Happy 4 Months MG

That's right, our baby is 4 months old today!!! Boy, how time flies with a newborn.  I copied everyone else in the blogging world and tried to capture a few pictures of MG to commemorate the day!! Here's what I got:

Trying to read the sign.

Thinking about putting my hands in my mouth.

Ha! I found them!!!

Hands still in the mouth.

Finally!

 

 So, I guess you can tell what we've been doing this month!  That's right, you guessed it...we've found our hands!!! And they are always in her mouth. There are no big highlights developmentally this month.  No...we have still not turned over.  But, MG sleeps on her tummy and I think she associates tummy time with sleeping, so we will have to work on rolling over more this month.  She has developed a VERY VERY VERY loud shrill of a scream.  So loud, in fact, I had to leave Wal-Mart last week because I was so embarrassed!!!  Mary Grayson is also drooling a ton!!! Marvin is better and quicker than me about putting pictures on facebook so if you see a million pics of MG with a bib on...you'll know why!! Bibs are the only way for us to salvage an outfit. MG has been sleeping through the night (7 hours) since she was about 10-12 weeks old.  But this month we have made the hump and she is sleeping almost 12 hours at a time!! YAY!!!! We are still nursing.  I think that's more of an accomplishment for mom than MG.  We had a very rough start with the breastfeeding thing, but are doing great now. I can't believe four months have come and go so quickly, but we have enjoyed every minute.  Marvin and I are learning so much about ourselves through Mary Grayson.  She is truly a blessing.  We love you MG!!

Cousin Ben

A few weekends ago we got the chance to make a quick trip to Dallas for MG to meet her Great Grandma Waggoner and a few of her cousins.  Marvin's 1st cousin Kelly had her THIRD child, Ben, three days before Mary Grayson.  So we were super excited to see the two of them together. Mary Grayson was also going to meet Uncle Kelvin , Aunt Kathy, Cousin Kate and Maggie Butler, and Cousin Elyse. Here are a few snapshots from our trip.

MG (Nov 26) and Ben (Nov 23) playing!

Me and MG and Kelly and Ben 

Playing with cousins Kate and Maggie(Ben's older sisters)

 

 Marvin and I thought we had a pretty laid back child!  Ummm....Have you met Ben Butler??? The child is an angel, never made a sound the entire time we visited!  He has to be pretty relaxed with two older sisters who run the show!!! Kate and Maggie were so sweet to MG, like two little mothers!!!

Uncle Kelvin (Pop Pop) and Kate after her appointment at Sweet and Sassy.

 Don't you just love Kate and Maggie's hairdo?! Sweet and Sassy did such a great job and even gave them a glitter tattoo on their cheek!  Needless to say, MG had glitter on her for days. (Marvin has sooo much to look forward to with a little girl!!! He can hardly wait!!)

MG and Elyse

Marvin and I always enjoy our time with family and we are really looking forward to seeing all the Waggoner's again at Thanksgiving and celebrating not one but two VERY important 1st Birthdays!!!

Its Rodeo Time!

It wouldn't be Texas without a rodeo, right? The Rodeo comes to Houston every March.  Since Marvin and I have been living here, we look forward to it every year.  We have even started putting money away throughout the year in anticipation for those three weeks in March.  Reliant Stadium, where the Texans play, is turned into a huge rodeo arena, making the Houston Rodeo the biggest in the country.  Each night for three weeks a different Country Music star takes the stage after the rodeo events.  Over the past three years we have seen: Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Clint Black, Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Brooks and Dunn, Sugarland, Martina McBride, and Brad Paisley.  We are still holding out for George Straight and are hoping he will make an apperance next year.
Next door to the stadium, The Reliant Center is filled with different "Rodeo" vendors from across the country. They sell everything from cowhide rugs to rustic western wear!  On the far end of the center they have a "birthing center," where you can watch cows, pigs, sheep, and goats have their babies!! Last year Marvin and I watch 12 little piglets enter the world.  It was so neat!
Needless to say we were more than thrilled to get to bring Mary Grayson to her first rodeo. I can assure you it won't be her last.  Here are a few pictures from our March at the Houston Rodeo.

Mommy and MG at the petting zoo!

MG=4 mo old & Baby Sheep=4 hours old!! Who looks happier??

Our future barrel racer!!

Daddy and MG waiting for some cowboy autographs!

MG and rodeo announcer, Patti.

MG with a real cowboy. (one of the tie down ropers)

One sleepy cowgirl!

 

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our family to yours!!!

3/17/11 @ the Rodeo!

 

Great Grandmothers

Not many of us now-a-days can say they got to meet their great grandparents. I remember visiting one of my great grandmothers in a nursing home shortly before she passed away.  Marvin can recall many memories with his great grandparents. So...we thought it was very important for our MG to meet her THREE great grandmothers!

She first met my Meme, my mother's mother, when she was exactly 1 month old. MG is the first great grandchild on my side of the family.  For those of you who do not know, my Meme has been battling Alzheimer's for the past few years and was recently put in a nursing home.  Of all the things that have left her memory, how to hold a baby was NOT one of them.  When she saw Mary Grayson for the first time she cradled her arms like she'd been doing it for years!!! It was so neat to see them together. Alzheimer's is a terribly sad disease, one that is most difficult for the family members, watching their loved one slowly deteriorate, than for the patient them self.  I know my Meme did not know who I was that day. Nor could she comprehend the fact that I now have a daughter. BUT...we were there and Mary Grayson will know what a wonderful grandmother she was to her momma.

Meme and MG

Next order of business was to meet my dad's mother, Grandmother McKey!  She was able to come down to Baton Rouge from Centerville, Mississippi for MG's Sip 'N See at my parents house. Grandmother was able to get some good lovin' while Marvin and I got ready for the party.  MG is Grandmother's 5th great grandchild.  She will become a great grandmother for the 7th time this summer.  We are so blessed that she was able to make it to the party and I cannot wait to tell MG stories of my adventures with Grandmother and Grandaddy.

Grandmother and MG

Last but certainly not least, MG got to meet Marvin's Grandma, Grandma Waggoner.  Grandma flew from Illinois to Dallas to attend her brother's memorial service.  So, Marvin, MG and I packed up and made the quick trip to Dallas so they could meet!  Grandma Waggoner has 8 great grandchildren, and we are looking forward to them all being together this November for the Waggoner Family Thanksgiving!

Grandma and MG

Mary Grayson's fourth great grandmother, Grandma Saums, passed away in January 2009.  I know she would have loved to meet MG and we would have loved to see the two of them together.  The beautiful purple quilt Mary Grayson was playing on in a picture on Our February post was quilted by Grandma Saums and given to Mary Grayson's Grammy.  We love that quilt and think of her often when MG is playing on it!

Marvin and I are so blessed to have such wonderful role models for our little girl.  We know she is spoiled already.  Grandparents are special people.  They are the ones who will tell our little girl about us when we were her age!! MG has one living great grandfather and it will be a special day when she gets to meet her Grandpa Waggoner.

Our 2nd Child

Before you all jump to conclusions about the title of this post...no, we are not pregnant!!! I guess the title should really be "Our First Child," because Sarge did become part of our family before Mary Grayson.  After Marvin joined the Police force, we decided to start looking for a puppy.  After working with some of the HPD K-9 Units, we knew we wanted a German Shepherd, and so the search began.  One afternoon we came upon a sign at an intersection advertising full blooded German Shepherd puppies.  We immediately called the number on the sign and the breeder sent us two absolutely adorable pictures of his puppies.  The next day we went to look and fell in love with the only Sable colored one in the pack!  Sargent Waggoner became part of our family as an early Valentine's present in the beginning of February 2010. 

Baby Sarge on the day we brought him home.

Sarge and Marvin before he left for work.

Sarge and I after his first bath in our big garden tub.

 The breeder had Sarge's mother, father and grandmother on site and it was awesome to get to see him interact with his 90lb and 110lb parents!  Sarge was going to be a giant.  You could tell from his feet!!!! Sarge started out spending his nights in a kennel in our living room, but quickly out grew his home.  And ever since he has spent his nights at the foot of our bed. 

On his special bed!

Last April, just a few short months after getting Sarge, we found out we were expecting a baby.  Sarge spends most of his days outside roaming our yard...or should I say digging up our yard?  I think he knew is world was about to be rocked with a new addition to our family and he acted out by trying to dig to China!!!
Marvin has filled Sarge's craters with cement on several occasions.  Luckily we are pretty tight with our neighbors, and they don't give us a hard time about Sarge trying to dig under the fence to their yard!
 

Sarge enjoying his hole!

We did the best we could to prepare Sarge for Mary Grayson's arrival and overall he has really accepted her into our family. When we brought MG home from the hospital we tried keeping her in a bedside cradle in our room.  Sarge didn't care for that too much, and every time she cried, he would peer into her cradle.

Not so sure of MG in Mommy & Daddy's room

When MG and I are home alone on nights when Marvin works, Sarge keeps vigil outside her nursery until her daddy gets home in the morning.  They are adjusting to each other quite well and even try to play together on some occasions.

Brother & sister playing together.

Sarge turned one shortly after MG was born. SO..yes...we have two children under two years old!!! We are delighted to have them both in our lives and are looking forward to them growing up together.

Sweet sibling kisses!!!

RSV

Three weeks after our little miracle was born, Mary Grayson was diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). RSV is a very common virus that leads to cold-like symptoms in adults and older healthy children, but can be much more serious in young infants. Talk about scary!!! I started to notice MG sneezing and couhing a lot one morning after she ate. This went on all day.  She just didn't seem like her usual happy self and her coughing and conjestion became harder and harder to bear.  I called our pediatrician and spoke with his nurse who advised me to sit her in front of a steamy shower and to use saline nose drops for the congestion.  NOTHING helped!!! In fact,  it seemed to be getting worse. After a long sleepless night, Marvin and I decided to take her to the doctor.  Upon seeing her, he immediately sent us downtown to the Emergency Room at Texas Children's Hospital.  For those of you who have never been inside a children's hospital, it can be a very sobering place.  Little one's are not supposed to be sick.  After taking little MG's temperature, we were told she would be admitted and would have to stay for at least 48 hours, as is the protocol for infants with a temperature over 100.4 (MG's was 100.8).  We were also educated on what was going to happen in the ER while the hospital found a bed for our baby.  They had to find the source of Mary Grayson's fever, and it could be found in three places: her urine, her spinal fluid, and her blood.  Needless to say a sample of each was needed, eliciting a catheter, a spinal tap, and several blood draws.  Our little girl was poked and prodded for three hours!  Marvin was a real tropper and stayed with our baby the whole time.  Her mommy, on the other hand, was a basketcase, and had to leave the room so her sobs did not disrupt the staff treating her.  I can honestly say December 18th will go down as one of the toughest days of my life.  I was helpless. There was nothing I could do to help her.  We were admitted and spent 48 hours watching our little munchkin receive antibiotics and breathing treatments.

In the ER at Texas Children's.

Getting her "mini facial" (breathing treatment).

Feeling much better and ready to go home.

Something in your heart changes when you have children. Life is no longer about you, its about them; protecting them, providing for them, and constantly loving them.  No...it didn't take Mary Grayson getting sick for me to come to all these realizations, it just brought them to my attention.  Our little girl was surrounded by prayers that weekend in December; prayers for protection, prayers for strength, prayers for  healing.  We learned so much about ourselves over Mary Grayson's stay at TCH.  We are stronger people and stronger parents because of it. We realize everyday is a learning opportunity with a child and we are looking forward to learning more about ourselves through the process.