My 1st Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

James has deployed

James left yesterday and has arrived safely in Kuwait. He was suppose to leave 2 days ago and we had dropped him off, said our goodbyes only to pick him up a few hours later when they cancelled his flight due to the ice storm. So we got another night with him and then had to say goodbyes again. I will email a mailing address for him in a few weeks once he is where he's going to be. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

WE MISS YOU

We miss you in the morning,

we miss you late at night,

But we know what you are doing

Is good and just and right.

You’re always in our thoughts;

I hope that you can see

we are proud of you for serving

Our country, God, and us.

And when you’re home again

We won’t miss you anymore,

But we’ll always admire your courage

For fighting in this war.

7 months old

Macen spent this month mastering his crawling, sitting up and pulling up. Now he is trying to get to a standing position without holding onto anything, only pushing up from the floor. He hasn't quite figured it out yet though. He has taken steps on his own by moving along the coffee table. We'll see how long it is before he is walking.

Macen started on solid foods half way through the month. He has had green beans, sweet potatoes (pictured above) and peaches.

He got his first cold and just started his second one of the month - must be from all the traveling we just did.

Be sure to check out the social butterfly post to see all of the people he has visited with this month. We just got back from MO where Macen picked up his toybox that Grandpa Scrogin made him. We couldn't resist putting him in it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Macen attended his first Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game. James and I started this tradition 9 years ago and we were so excited to include Macen. Typically we tailgate prior to the game but it was a little chilly to have Macen out there for that long so we skipped that (instead he spent time in the hotel pool and enjoyed kicking his legs in the water) and headed straight for the game. He was dressed in a 'I wanna play quarterback' Cowboys romper and a huge hit with everyone who noticed him. We had great seats - 10 rows from the field on the 40 yd line. Macen slept through most of the 1st quarter and soaked everything in for the rest of the game. The lady behind us even commented that he was so well behaved. In all the previous years, we've had fairly decent to great weather, not this time. We had some wind, a little rain and a little snow so he didn't get to show off his romper too long before he was bundled in a 3rd layer of clothing. We had a great time and can't wait to take him next year.

6 months

6 months of tiny fingers and toes, 6 months of a beautiful smile!

It's really been half a year since Macen came into our lives. And it has been amazing! Macen has had a busy 30 plus days developmentally.

*He mastered sitting up within a few days of first doing it

*He got his first tooth at 5 months, 9 days and the second one arrived last week - both on the bottom. Both have come with fussiness

*He had a short stint on rice cereal a few weeks ago but that didn't sit well with him so we stopped until he was 6 months. Last week, I started him on oatmeal and he is doing much better. We'll be experimenting with fruits and veggies soon.

*He loves the itsy, bitsy spider rhyme and does the spider climbing up the wall. He started doing it during diaper changes and now if I forget to start singing it to him he just starts the spider without me.

*He started rolling all over the place - the first time he did it, he came upon Mo and got a 'what are you going to do to me?' stare from the cat

*He started crawling on Halloween

*And finally, he can now pull himself into a sitting position from his tummy and pull himself to a standing postion from his tummy or sitting.

He had his 6 month check up today and the doctor told him he was an overachiever. He came in at 15lbs, 11oz and 26.25 inches long - both in the 25th percentile. He has become quite the social butterfly when we are out and about. He smiles and squeals at everyone. Hopefully that lasts for awhile but we'll see. He has gotten pretty spunky in his Bumbo and has even fallen out once and that was under supervision (I'm not sure what took them so long to recall the item but we may have a rather active baby). He doesn't like it as much now since it keeps him contained. Macen still thinks Maggie, Mo and Myles are the greatest entertainment ever and is starting to chase them down with his limited mobility. He still isn't sleeping thru the night which isn't that big of a deal since I get up in the middle of the night to pump his milk. He has previously slept thru the night off and on until his teeth came in so I know its possible for him to make it all night without a feeding - all in all it's a work in progress and we'll get there soon. Macen has been very busy and I'm sure he's going to keep us on our toes from this point on.

My 1st Halloween

Macen is a giraffe for his 1st Halloween. He is just the right size to get in a pumpkin so I couldn't resist. Hope everyone has a safe and spooky day!

5 months old

We have had our first bout of illness with Macen. He got bronchitis last month right after he had his shots. He wasn't too fussy while he was sick - he still played and smiled alot. He was put on an antibiotic for 10 days and we mastered it on day 8. He ended up getting James and I sick as well so we had a rough 2 weeks last month. I did take him back to the doctor to make sure he had gotten rid of the virus and he had gained 3 oz. That was almost 2 wks ago so I would say he is right around 14lbs.

Macen is now rolling over back to front - to his right and left side. His first time was in the middle of the night and now he automatically rolls onto his tummy when we put him to bed or down for a nap. Macen is also sitting up pretty well by himself. He does well until reaching for something and then he topples over. I think once he really goes mobile, there will be little to stop him. He doesn't sit still for long now.

He loves his exersaucer now. There are so many toys on it that I think it was overwhelming for him at first. He likes to drink out of cups so we have one for him to play with. And he has become more aware of Maggie, Mo and Myles. He loves watching them walk around and often 'talks' and laughs at them. The picture of him hanging off the side of the couch is a fave activity for him. Usually Mo is sitting across from him and he starts chattering to him. And my favorite development is that Macen gives kisses. They are wide open, slobbery kisses but it is just so adorable!

4 months old

Another month has passed by us! Macen is now 13 lbs 7 oz (25th percentile) and 24 3/4 inches (50th percentile). He got another set of shots and was amazing with them. He cried when she poked him, stopped as soon as I picked him up, gave her a smile and preceded to 'talk' to her. All this when he was an hour and half overdue for a nap.

Macen is active and alert more than ever which is alot of fun for us. He enjoys reading time and has taken to holding the corners of the books or wildly kicking them with his feet showing how excited he is. He loves listening to daddy tell him stories regardless of the subject. He will just smile and laugh the whole time. He just got a Bumbo which he absolutely loves and an exersaucer which he is getting more use to. We can not get enough of making him laugh or him making us laugh.

Naptime has drastically improved. At 3 1/2 months he just started going to his crib for naps instead of me holding him or falling asleep in the swing. This was a big step for us. Bath time is more fun as well. He can now fit into his puppy robe and play with his army ducks.

Cowboy Fans!!

What a pair! Just getting Macen ready for the football season and his first Cowboys game.

3 months old

It's hard to believe he is already 3 months old. My baby no longer thinks he is a baby - he won't just lay in your arms. If you attempt to lay him that way, he thinks he needs to be sitting up and will try to pull himself up. He is now rolling from tummy to back. And he wants to roll over so badly some days. It's fun to watch him try so hard. He is a pretty happy little guy often giving us squeals of delight and lots of smiles. Macen loves to stand on our laps. He has quite the leg muscles. He is already a fan of Baby Beethoven, particularly the dog puppet. It makes sound affects like mommy does and pops up from the bottom of the screen.And he is a serious eater - he wants it quickly and don't even think of taking it away until he is completely done. Once he is done, dessert follows with some loud sucking on his fist. Macen made his first of many trips to the zoo. He slept thru most of it and spent the other part in the stroller, it was so hot!

We didn't have a doctors appt this month but he continues to grow. He is starting to fit into the 0-3 month clothes a little better. Most of them are still pretty big on him though. He is still sleeping great at night and I am only getting up once with him..

2 months old

Macen is growing so much and so fast.He is now 10lbs 14 oz and 22 inches. He did great with his shots, only crying for a short bit afterwards. Mom and dad did well also with no shedding of tears.

1 month old

It's already been a month?!

Birth

April 30, 2007 we were blessed with a beautiful little boy. 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches. Our first picture as a family!