Jan 2010

It has been awhile since I've last posted, but now I should be posting a little more since we finally have internet at the house! I'm so excited! Adam found out about the Verizon mi fi wireless internet and unlike the satellite internet it actually works out in the country!

We have been busy little bees lately in 2009 and it seems like 2010 will be just the same. My practice is growing every day and it couldn't be going any better! We are already looking at plans to expand the office this year! When I bought the practice in August I knew I wanted to host a free dental day. In December with the help with the community and lots of volunteers we were able to see 133 patients and give away 25k in dental work! Our office plans to do this every year!

Adam is some how managing to grow his business while working less (and spending lots of time with Sarah Ella!!) He spends the morning with her, takes her to daycare and then picks her up in the evenings. He cherishes his time with her and I'm just a tad jealous :) Adam just got back from snowboarding with some of his friends that he played baseball with in college. They went to Whistler, Canada. He said he's not too sore and that they had a lot of fun!

Sarah Ella is just amazing! She took her first step yesterday! She is sooo busy when she is awake. Crawling everywhere! She loves to go to the dog bowls and play in the water. She also likes taking her push behind toys and turning upside down and then sledding on them. She says dadada a lot and bababa. No mama yet. She finally started to eat baby food last month!! Since she was 4 months I've tried to introduce her to cereal and she would have nothing to do with solid food! She really likes chicken and stars soup and english peas. She tolerates the baby food in jars, but would much rather have something that a grown up is eating. Her favorite toy to play with is the box her diapers come in- she pushes it down the hall. She also likes to tear pages out of magazines. Every time I go to the store I have to make myself NOT buy baby toys b/c she would rather play with a household item.

August

Sarah Ella at ChurchSarah Ella dressed as a bible character at daycare. dont know how to flip this.

I cannot believe that I haven't posted in over a month! Sarah Ella is just great! She is 5 months old now. She likes to coo and laugh out loud when you buzz her cheek. She is loving her exersaucer and play gym. She still is very content just to stay where she it put - not rolling over much and some scooting. She is on a pretty regular schedule for eating and napping which makes us very happy. I have played with oatmeal, oatmeal w/ applesauce and just a hint of sweet potato. She told me she wasn't really excited about the whole spoon thing and would like to wait for that. I was eating the sweet potato for dinner and she was reaching for it. So I mashed up some and put it on my finger and she sucked it right off! She thought that was fun, but really wasn't interested in having that as a meal. The other day Adam brought SE home from daycare and I told him that she wasn't mine! I had a tiny, short baby and the one he brought home was very tall! It seems like she grows overnight! We are still loving daycare. She is moving to the Advanced Infant Class at the end of the month. I think that has something to do with IQ, but they insist it just has to do with the age. She will be with 3 other babies that are closer to her age so they will be doing the same activities. She did her first finger painting a few weeks ago and I thought it was beautiful- it is already in a frame and at her Daddy's office.
We will be taking a trip to Portland, OR over Labor Day Weekend to see Misha and Jason Garey. Misha was my big sis in dental school. They are expecting in December and I'm so excited that baby Garey will be so close to SE's age. We love taking vacations with The Garey's!
I am a business owner as of August 1st! It is very exciting and it couldn't be going better! I'm learning a lot about accounting and business management which I find terribly boring, but it's part of being a grown-up. I have been keeping SE at the office with me while I work late and that is so much fun! I look forward to when she can be at the daycare across the street (she has to be 2) and I can watch her play while I work!
Adam is keeping very busy with his work. He loves what he does too so he finds himself at the office late often. Luckily, we are both understanding and supportive of each others work schedules. He is also still playing tennis and softball once a week and golf when he can. I don't see how he does it!

Summer fun

This week has been full of firsts for Sarah Ella. She had her first taste of cereal yesterday. She has been sooo hungry lately that I thought I would just see if she was telling me she was ready for something else. I sat her in the Bumbo chair and mixed 1/2 ounce of mommy's milk with just a touch of rice cereal. I kinda wanted to just see how she would respond to the spoon. The first few tries she squinched up her face and moved it out with her tongue. Then she would move some of it out with her tongue and swallow the rest. I might try it again this week, but I dont think we are going to put it into our daily routine yet. Another first was to roll over! She was laying on her back and kicked her little feet around and wound up on her left side! Shes only done it that one time so far, but I was so excited! Tonight we are in Jackson, MS for Adam's mothers side family reunion (The Growers.) Sarah Ella went to Mary Beths baby shower (Adam's 2nd cousin) who is due with her little boy, AJ in October. She met some Aunts and other cousins. Now we are at a hotel and Sarah Ella is making so many different noises and laughing out loud! It is a great Friday night! Tomorrow we are going to the official family reunion where Sarah Ella will meet her Great Grandparents, Nana and Papa and her Aunt Honor and Uncle Drew! We will head back to Pulaski tomorrow. On Tuesday we will fly to Tampa, FL to meet Sarah Ella's other set of Great Grandparents, Grandmother and pops. Her Pops, Granny Mac,
Great Uncle Doug and Great Aunt Sandy will be there too! We will be there until Saturday. I'm excited for her to meet all of her family because family is so important, but I'm nervous about the traveling. I hope she doesnt get uncomfortable on the plane ride and that we are able to take all the items she needs to keep her comfortable.

June

It has been a busy and difficult couple of weeks for our family. About three weeks ago I enrolled Sarah Ella into a daycare with the intentions of taking her only about 2 days a week. I was orignally on the wait list and was told a spot would not open until August. By the Grace of God we got in early and it was perfect timing. The following week by boss passed away from a massive heart attack. Dr. Sisk was only 51! That week I worked everyday (although it wasnt always treating patients.) So at least I had a great place to take Sarah Ella during the day. That week I also became sick (found out it was Strep throat) and lost my voice. Adam and my mom were also sick. Luckily, Sarah Ella was as healthy as can be. Then towards the end of the week Adam's first dog ever, Gracie, was shot by a distant neighbor. The neighbor claimed Gracie was killing his chickens. Adam was devastated. So our four dog family is down two dogs in one year (my first little dog, Murphy, was hit by a car last June.) For a dog loving family it has been very difficult. Now I'm working 4 days a week and seeing a lot more patiens. I am paid partly on production so my paycheck likes me being busy, but I'm just exhausted. I'm having to not only work with patients, but now I'm trying to figure out how to put a price on a dental practice and deciding if I should buy Dr. Sisk's practice or build one. Adam has been working in Memphis the past 4 days. I realize how much I depend on his help with the baby when he is gone. He comes home tomorrow (he wanted to play some golf with his buddies over the weekend) and then the week will start again. Hopefully, the practice stuff will be resolved soon so that I can just focus on the dentistry.

11 weeks old!!

May 7th we went for our 2 month check-up and vaccinatons. Sarah Ella weighed 10lbs and 13oz and was 23" long. This put her in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I decided to go ahead and give Sarah Ella all the recommened vaccines but we didn't give them all in one visit. I wanted to see if she was going to have any reaction to each vaccine. She did great! She did have an elevated temp. and some fussiness, but I think anyone would after getting those shots!

We went to Florida (Grayton Beach) last weekend for my friend Sam and Jason's wedding. We took Fefe, Grandpa and Aunt KK to watch Sarah Ella while Adam and I enjoyed wedding activities. Sarah Ella did great on her first road trip. It took about 7hrs and we stopped only once each way to feed her. I had bought all this baby gear to take her on the beach and wound up not using any of it! It was too windy and hot for such a little baby. Maybe next year we will let her get some sand between her toes.

Sarah Ella is getting stronger everyday! She likes to stand up now and look around (of course while being supported!) She also can lift her head pretty far when she is on her tummy. She is smiling a lot and makes happy/squeaky/laughing noises!! It is precious. She still sticks her bottom lip out when she is unhappy which is so cute! She has been sleeping through the night since mother's day. During the day she is starting to be awake a lot more. I will put her down for a nap and when I go to check on her she is wide awake - not making a peep! She is just the best baby ever!

Visit with Taylor Rogers

Taylor Rogers came for a visit last night- she brought her Cookie and Grandpa with her. Sarah Ella looks a little sassy in this picture with Taylor and I hope it's not a indication of what to expect from her when she is older! However, being my daughter it probably is!
Sarah Ella is awake a lot more now. Last night she chose to be really awake from 9pm-1am which is not normal for her. She usually goes to sleep at 11am and then wakes up at 4am. I go to work at 7:30am and of course I give her a lot of kisses before I leave (and Adam gets one too!) Then about 8am she wakes her daddy up to feed her. Adam will watch her until 10am. Then either Fefe, Grandpa or our housekeeper, Ms. Kay, will watch her until I get done working at 5pm. I am only working about 3 days a week so I get to be with her 4 days a week! Sarah Ella has just started to notice her mobile and loves her reflection! She also loves the itsy bitsy spider song. The other day I asked Adam to sing her a song. He decided to sing the entire Vanilla Ice song Ice Ice Baby! It was so funny! Sarah Ella just stared at him!
Our big news last week is that she has graduated from new born diapers to size ones! I was a little sad, but I'm so happy she is growing well. We will got this week for our 2 months check-up and vaccinations :( I wonder how much she will weigh...we are guessing about 11lbs.

Easter Weekend

Lots of family came to church to see Sarah Ella baptized! Adam, Grandpa, Nana, Pops, Granny Mac, Godfather West , Mommy, Godmother Teresa, Aunt KK and Fefe

In the Jogging stoller - lots of room to grow!

We walked a mile and arrived at Grandpa and Fefe's house!

This is where Sarah Ella lives!

Classic baby bath in the sink!

One Month Update

I cannot believe it has been a month since Sarah Ella AKA (rah-rah or Sugar Ella) has made her debut! I was updating her baby book today and realized I hadn't posted anything on here for awhile. We are still waiting for the proofs from the photographer and I cannot wait to see all her cute pictues. We had our one month visit with the pediatrician. Sarah Ella's current stats: weight 8lbs 7oz (6lbs 10oz at birth) , length 21" (20" at birth) and head circum. 14.5" (13.5 at birth). So she is growing good! We are bapitizing Sarah Ella on Easter Sunday. We are expecting all of the grandparents to be there and we are so looking forward to it!

We are doing great!

Sarah Ella weighs 7lbs 10oz and is a very healthy little girl! She sleeps so well at night. I have to wake her up to eat! We usually wake up at 5:30am and then she naps until 10ish. When she wakes up again she usually stays alert for about an hour before she heads off to dreamland again. Late at night is when she is most alert. She really enjoys being held, having her feet and head massaged and sucking on her pacifier. She is a joy and time just flies when I'm with her! We have our newborn photo session scheduled with Mac Brown a photographer in Lawrenceburg. The website is http://www.macbrownphoto.com/.
I'm returning to work tomorrow, but only for a half day. I'm excited to get back to work. I knew it would be easier to go back sooner than later. I didn't want to forget how much I enjoyed working and be tempted to stay with Sarah Ella all the time. My sister is going to drive up from school in Florence, AL so she can help my mom watch Sarah Ella for those 4 hours!

We are home!

We just had our first Dr visit! Sarah Ella has gained 2 oz since we left the hospital. So she is up to 6 lbs 4 oz! She is doing great. I'll update and add more pictures when I have time! If you have facebook you can see more pictures there because I can upload from my cell phone.

This was RIGHT AFTER the baby was born. The thought of Peperroni Pizza is what got Momma through all the hard work!

I am here! My name is Sarah Ella Reeves. I am 6 lb, 10 oz and 20 inches long! I am in great health and so is my Momma. Momma will put up more pictures as soon as she gets out of the hospital!

38 weeks

I just got back from my appointment with Beth. Everything looks great. Sarah Ella's heart beat was in the 140 range. Beth wants me to go to the hospital Thursday evening to start the induction. If I fall into the category of average first time mom's then we can expect to see Sarah Ella Friday evening between 5pm-10pm! That is just one week away!
Here is a picture of the master bedroom and where we will keep Sarah Ella her first few weeks. The bear on the rocking chair is 'jingle bear.' My Grandparents gave the bear to me when I was 6 and I still cherish it!

Nursery Pictures!

Here are pictures of Sarah Ella's nursery. It is just about done! Judy is making really cute window treatments and I know they are going to be beautiful! Then all we need is a precious little girl to complete the nursery! Just ten more days!

37 Week Dr. Appt

Just got finished seeing Beth for our 37 week appointment. Adam is in Memphis for the week and could not be there. So he insisted he be on speaker phone during the appt! Beth let us know that I tested positive for group B strep. That was scary to hear, but after googling it I see that it is pretty common. It is just one of those things that up to 40% of healthy women have for no reason. The good thing is that we know to start IV antibiotics during labor so Sarah Ella will be protected. It will probably not affect either of us in an adverse way. Sarah Ella's heart beat was in the 150bpm range and sounded very healthy. Of course she is still head down, but has switched sides she is laying on. Her feet are now pointed at my left side. When Beth was feeling her she pushed her bottom out really far so we could see the outline very clearly! How cute?! Next week Beth will check to see if I have made any progress which will determine if I go to the hospital on Thursday night March 5th or on Friday morning March 6th. I can't believe it is just two weeks away now! Yay!

Baby Shower!

Pictures from the baby shower! What a beautiful diaper cake Robyn made!

Aunt Joy sent Sarah Ella some really pretty gifts!

Adam loved the "I love daddy" sleeper and the hairbows Robyn made!

Mom and Adam- Adam didn't think it was funny we were making fun of him!

Adam loved the idea of a hooded towel!

The beautiful bedding Judy (adam's mom) made!

Another view of the bedding! Love it!!!

Mom and Adam. Adam was soooo excited to go through all the gifts for Sarah Ella!

Krissy, Me, Adam and Grace (Adam's sister) Krissy and Grace drove all the way from Knoxville just for the day!

Judy gave Adam cigars to pass out at the hospital.

The beautiful quilts my Aunt Pat made! She is so talented!

Krissy, me, Grace and baby Grace (nikki's baby)

Aunt Katelin, Mom (Fefe), Judy (nana) and me!

Catherine, Bubba, Karen and Lisa

Opening the bedding Judy made - I just can't believe how perfect it was!

Opening the paintings my mom made for the nursery-one of the paintings is of the bunny brushing her teeth!