I.N.T.E.R.V.E.N.T.I.O.N

Preface: If you know me in the SLIGHTEST you know that I’m not only a fast-food JUNKIE, but I HEART Mexican- cheap Mexican at that. I’m talking where the quesadillas are like $2.50. Don’t take me to some fancy schmancy Mexican place, I want NONE of that. Also, don’t judge while reading this. You do what it takes to keep a babe happy, ESPECIALLY when it’s an hour past her bed time. Lastly, we love Jesus, but I will drink a margarita. Just saying.

Moving on.

Early detection is key in children. I always hear, “stay on top of them” or “know where they are at all times” or, most importantly, “know who they are hanging out with”……. WELL, in this case, who knew it would be her AUNTIE K?! GUILTY AS CHARGED!

I would like to think that I’m a responsible mom and that I usually have it all together. HOWEVER, there are those moments late into the night (8:15 p.m.) when the babe is not in bed and things get a little hairy. So, my kind aunt, uncle AND HUSBAND (note: I said HUSBAND) escorted the babe outside while I gathered an SUV’s (thank goodness) worth of entertainment off the table, floor, high chair, rafters, etc. You can imagine my entertainment when this was her entertainment…..

I guess this is what I get for never getting the child a mobile.

Child, please refrain from looking so excited. It doesn't say a whole lot about our parenting for you to be giddy over a beer bottle.

No. You're high maintenance, remember?! You require soy, not barley and hops.

Adios amigos.

disclaimer: [mom] no babies chugged during this photo extravaganza. She likes inflatable things that whimsically float in the summer breeze. Note: all crying ceased when the libation floated in front of her face.

Dads

What would we do without dads that love us and mean the world to us? Especially for us daddy’s girls out there.

I’m a bit behind on posting. Looking back through pics, I CANNOT believe I did not get ONE pic of JB and EB on his FIRST Father’s Day (in my defense, he had to leave after lunch and go to work and I had planned to get pics that evening. Well, by the time he got home she was sporting her 102.5 temp and things went downhill from there. still, no excuse!). Wow, I feel like a horrible documenter (especially since I have pics of my dad and g’dad). Geeez! Well, this will have to do:

The first time JB held EB. Sweet moment. His life was forever changed and I'm REAL confident he wouldn't change this moment for anything...ever! I, personally, wouldn't trade this picture!

What a fun and OFTEN entertaining six months it has been watching Jason become a sweet daddy to EB. NOTHING... I REPEAT….NOTHING makes Evie Black smile bigger than when JB either walks into a room or just looks over and acknowledges her.

Sure, he said he would never change a dirty diaper, but you know….. don’t ever say “never.” You might as well forget the smocked dresses and ruffled outfits if Jason's around. He wants her in a white onesie. It melts his heart and cracks me up. If he’s ever left in charge, she is stripped down and redressed in a onesie WITHOUT FAIL. In fact, he is on “doctor duty” today and I feel quite sure that she sported a onesie to the doc, while having some belief that it is better in fever reducing methods over the outfit I had her in. Jason also has a strong aversion to infants in pools. So, EB very well may not see a pool until she’s like 5…or 20. See, entertaining.

We’ve had lots of fun, funny and insane moments and moments that made me so mad I could have cussed, but at the end of the day Jason is a sweet daddy to EB. As much as I hate how the time flies, I look forward to watching them mature their relationship and seeing her waddle out in the yard behind him. There will also be inevitable moments when she says something that she overheard him say and lots of damage control will take place on my end…fun times ahead. However, JB is far wiser than me and I look very forward to watching him raise and teach her. CHEERS TO FUTURE YEARS!

Moving on in pics….

Happy FIRST Grandfather's Day, Dad. We love you so much.

Happy FIRST GREAT Grandfather's Day, G'daddy. If EB is around no one is allowed to have her EXCEPT for him. He will straight up walk over and take her from anyone holding her. That's ok... I LOVE that he loves her so much...ahem..and thinks he's the only one capable of handling her-until she starts crying!

The world stops when DADADADADA walks in....

Do you think she is spoiled? Perhaps?

This is the second time I've looked back at pictures and realized I should have seen how puny her eyes looked. This is RIGHT before THIS week's sickness kicked in. It changes weekly, evidently (just heard from the gang. ANOTHER double ear infection. Sigh). Regardless, such a sweet sweet, happy baby. EB, is your hair turning red or is it just the chair?!

We love all of the men in our family and appreciate them more than they know.

A good Saturday spoiling...

As far as I’m concerned ALL of my weekends could start out like last Saturday….

So, my cell rings at 7:30 (I would have gasped at this hour pre-EB) and I’m informed that the OL girls are about to pull up and we needed to let them in. I wouldn’t greet my worst enemy at that hour without brushing my teeth. So, after a few personal hygiene matters were taken care of, I opened the door and in they marched with groceries galore. They made us breakfast and I got to just sit there and watch. WHAT A TREAT!! Isn’t that so sweet?!?! I truly love them so much and have enjoyed getting to know them/know them better. They are remarkable ladies, in my HUMBLE opinion. So, they cooked. We dined. We enjoyed our time with them and there ya have it. It was a special treat. Sign me up for this Saturday too, ladies! Kidding. Kidding.

So sweet! Erica, what did your shorts say again??

They even cleaned my kitchen...BLESS THEM!

And entertained the teething-coming-down-with-another-virus babe.

My my EB. That sure is a big ol' snack.

EB and her "ride" run a tight ship. Keep 'em straight, EB! Although, you probably shouldn't be so bossy with your company.

Dadadadadada

Until I can get caught up with all of my other posts (yep, the babe is sick AGAIN with a fever virus, I think, of sorts or sorta. ha)…. This will have to do. Is it ironic that just in the past week EB has started "saying" dadadada?! I think not.

I love my daddy to the moon and back!! Maybe I’ll be as smart as him when I grow up (one could only hope, EB).

What we love….

So, this really is a random post and probably only helpful for those in the world of drool, spit up, formula eating creatures and diapers. I get asked a lot about stuff that we’ve liked, not liked, what brands we use, etc. So, what better way to expound than on the blog.

Let me start by saying that people are/were SO generous to us. EB came into this world spoiled rotten, and, well, some things haven’t changed. What a blessing to look around our house at the baby land I’m surrounded by and realize how much we are all loved.

So, let’s begin and let me see how I can narrow this down to a decent post.

It all began in the early days of EB’s life, yet not soon enough, when we realized that she was allergic to milk-based formula. I nursed for a wee bit and would supplement at night with formula. Before we started her on soy, I would go through BOTTLES of……. Literally there would be a bottle in every diaper bag and room in my house!

She comes by it honestly, but she not only struggles with eczema, but with sensitive skin in general. So, for all of that we use LOTS of (I have a daily regimen for the eczema, so those that are familiar with the lovely skin patches don’t freak out. I was told this is ok too)…. We are always outside, as aforementioned a million times, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my stroller. IT WAS A GIFT from a sweet and generous family and we are forever grateful. The whole stroller debacle stressed me out more than ANYTHING. Yes, I know that makes me sound utterly ridiculous, but I wanted an all-purpose stroller, yet one that I could drop my infant carrier into, but one I could take outside and to the lake and to the mall and “off roading”…you get my point. SO, we went with this a City Elite by Baby Jogger: My undying love for this stroller is just that- UN-DY-ING. I kiss it daily (kidding). Most importantly, EB LOVES it and it solves all of her “witching hour” problems. PUH-LEASE don’t roll your eyes or balk… Did you know I pull one strap and the whole thing collapses? Bet you didn’t. It’s FABULOUS and it goes EVERY where I go (kinda like the My Buddy dolls when I was growing up). As I type this I can hear my uncle laughing, am I right, Bill?! I bet so.

Moving on….

I decided to pay the piper and invest in these: Pretty much hate them! So, one day Jason was out and bought these:
See, that yellow halo around them? It's there for a reason!! Yes, I realize they are a little pricier, but can I tell you how much we love these bottles. Is it bad that we save these for ourselves and send the blasted Dr. Brown ones to daycare? I think not. You know, it wasn’t even all the pieces that made me mad with Dr. Brown, it was just the fact that it was a WASTE of my hard earned (or gift card) money. BOO! I have a friend that also uses the Born Free bottles and we share a love for them. They are just great. Again, don’t judge, just saying this is what we like and admitting that I was the fool that fell for Dr. Brown. Just saying. This is just one of those preference thingies just like…

PACIES. Of course the lactation folks at the hospital about died when they walked in and EB was going to town on a paci. At least, upon further review by them, it was one that they “approved” (I’ll spare you the details of “why”). We went with the Avent ones. I have no idea why. I gave JB the gun and told him to fire away as we were registering and we all know how that goes down. So, Avent it is-lactation specialist approved- and all is well.

Really, this probably isn’t helping anyone.

On a side note, I loved our boppy, but it wasn’t the life-saver I was told it would be. I kept it close by, but it never really changed my life. It was used for a prop for pictures such as these in the early days:

A bouncy seat may just be a bouncy seat. HOWEVER, I do love my bouncy seat! EB did/does too. After all, it was her bed for the first 2 months of her life. A little on the pricier side (again, generous, sweet friends) of bouncy seats, but it’s awesome and we still use it occasionally.
Another life saver came in her later months because she wasn’t so much a fan in the beginning (maybe b/c I had it too high, but that’s neither here nor there) and that was her swing. OH HOW WE LOVE OUR SWING. Since EB refused (I love that I can say that past tense since she’s been doing it all for a WHOLE week now) to take naps in her crib, she napped in this lovely contraption. Who knew you didn’t have to wind up swings anymore AND that they vibrate AND have sound machines included. THEY DO! She’ll swing forever. LOVE THE SWING. I think we may have like 5 more pounds left in the swing. THANK GOODNESS! Let me preface this before going ANY further… If you know me, you know I spent my life baby sitting, right?! Well, I was never one for movies and cartoons. Kids need to be outside playing. I mean, they can play inside too..JUST PLAY! So, I’m really not a fan of any of that business, but SOMETIMES I just need to cook (that’s laughable) or change clothes or do laundry or SOMETHING. EB is quite enamored by the TV, so I have to watch it (no pun intended). HOWEVER, I was introduced to the PraiseBaby (nope, not a typo) collection. OH MY GOODNESS. WONDERFUL! Baby Einstein is ok and EB will watch it, but NOTHING like the PB collection. The child will not move, utter a noise, divert her eyes, NOTHING. It’s awesome. AND…. all the while I have praise music floating through my house and that’s ALWAYS an attitude lifter. LOVE PRAISEBABY! Even Jason is a fan and ready to invest in more. They are awesome and I HIGHLY recommend them. Ok, this is getting boring. So, while there are a ton of things that make our little world go ‘round and keep everyone in their happy place, these are just a few. Love her highchair and bumbo seat. Our pack n’ play saved the day when we came home from the hospital and now when we head to the lake. Love her infant carrier, but it’s as heavy as lead, yet her next car seat will likely be the same company (Britax):

As we grow and more things change my life, I’ll let you know. If you’re bored, this won’t happen again for a while.

12/8

So, I have nothing for you people today. Nope, no cute pics of the babe, although she was deliciously cute this weekend with her new ‘tude that’s coming right along with her teeth (two of them to be exact. sigh). So, thanks to my lovely assistant, Erin (she’s not really my assistant, just in this fun game we played. she’s way smarter than me), we picked two random numbers- it only took like 20 tries- and I pulled a picture from my files that matched up and now I have to tell you about it. I.E. the 8th photo in folder 12. Let's see......Who do we have here……….

Our first children. George Keith, Dorsey, JB and HB. This was taken clearly many years ago when we were young and in shape (ha). I wonder if we were married or engaged? I think not. I’m sure this was taken on one of our thrilling, wild and crazy adventures with this brother/sister duo (they look so tiny...this wasn't meant to be sad..geez). A little background, I knew their dad before he ever even met their mom (I think I was in the 4th grade and had a crush on their dad, but I digress). So, fast forward a few years, they get married have GK and then low and behold then came Diva Dorsey. There ya have it. They used to be like our children (or so it felt), but everyone is older now and they are like our brother and sister. Sadly, they LITERALLY live 2 miles from us now and we NEVER see them. I think it’s a sign that they are way too cool for a married couple and their baby. GK is 15 and D will soon be 13 and I could cry typing it. So…there ya have it, the 8th photo in album 12. We love them dearly!

B.O.S.S.

Look who we went to see at work yesterday. The sweet OL’s cooked us dinner and to SU my car went…and went quickly. We don’t turn that down in the Black household. Do you know us at all?
AND.. that meant we got to hang out with the OLs! We love them and love spending time with them (I’ll never get a picture of everybody and I’m coming to terms with it). EB felt so big hanging with the gang- must have been the teething rings.

EB got some dinner too...

LOOK! Look really close…. A TOOTH. There’s another one down there, but HEAVEN FORBID we try and get a picture of it.


WOO HOO FOR FRIDAYS!

What if the peaches were free?

It wouldn’t matter if we moved to the country AND had free peaches AND peach pie…SHE JUST DOESN’T LIKE THEM (did you savvy readers catch my drift with The Presidents of the United States of America? This song gets in my head ALLLLL the time).

This poor child has been whopped with a DOUBLE ear infection…story of my life. If she wasn’t so darn sweet [and cute] and I wasn’t head over heels in LOVE with her, she may have been “up for rent” last night. Whew! She’ll be on the road to recovery soon…Ahem.... even without the $166 ear numbing drops. Yeah, I don’t kid about stuff such as this!

I really need to learn how to upload from my video camera. Oh well.

P.S. Sister-friend weighs 20lbs (GASP). Two tiny pounds from outgrowing the infant carrier!! The carrier wears me down (12lbs + 20lbs = 32 lbs..whew).

Just another yard dog?

I was going through my pictures from the weekend to see what I could possibly tell you folks about and it was a bit eye opening. I have three different days of pictures all of EB in some kind of grass (I told you we like to be outside) with a dog in the background on two. I don’t remember leaving her for the dogs to baby sit, but it sure appears that way.

(I wish I was a funny person b/c so much could be said...) Gus looks furious and EB looks completely appalled. Looks like he did a good job. He needs a raise.

Evidently Grandy and Pappa Ron wore out the babe and they left her in the custody of Dudley.

This is the first week of orientation which also means we will be without JB for what feels like all summer. Good luck guys! Let the FUN begin!! I know you’ve worked hard and it’s all about to pay off. Ya’ll deserve a special treat…I’ll tell JB to work on that.

Anyway, I realize I’m not alone when I say that I LOVE THE WEEKENDS, but I really really love the weekends.

We had special company and EB was FIRED up...

Grass and more grass...

It's been a blast...

...see ya!

Friday fun

I’m void of creative titles, creative posts and just creativity in general. Maybe my caffeine just hasn’t kicked in yet.

Anyway, we are told endlessly through laughter, mind you, that EB looks just like Jason. Yes, I am VERY aware. However, we’ve had a few comments surface from different folks saying that she looks a lot like my mom. So, while creativity and new pictures seem to have escaped me, I thought I would scrounge up these photos and let you take a look.

So, what do ya think? Maybe a little, huh?!

Ok. Ok... stop begging and twisting my arm. Here I am back in the day (the only reason I have these scanned in and at my finger tips is for a project I did for Big Lynn).

(yes, I, too, was a replica of my dad in my tiny days)

No, do not look again, you did not happen to overlook the scanned baby pic of JB…. if I had done that then it would TOTALLY make this post null and void and you would wonder why I even wasted my time.