Just got back...

Well, we just got back from the neurologist office, and we got some good news. Harrison's flat head is purely cosmetic! Thank God! We figured that there wasn't anything wrong with him developmentally because he's doing so good, he's grabbing at everything, almost crawling, etc. So, the doctor was great and said that he sees these cases all the time, because of SIDS everyone is putting their babies on their back, as they should, and it's just that some babies get a flat head, and some have worse than others. So, Harrison is going to have to wear a helmet for a few months, which I see as a blessing because seeing all of these kid's pictures, it could be so much worse, so I am very happy. Unfortunately, the helmet is $1600.00, which we are not sure if the insurance is going to pay for it, but either way, it will be worth it. So I just wanted to give an update, that everything is cool. And, when we get the helmet, we are going to decorate it, so he looks cool :) I figure all you can do is when life gives you lemons, make lemonade :)

Trying to stay stress free.

Okay, so I'm having a really rough time right now so I'm just going to vent. It feels as if I have just about everything on my shoulders right now, Harrison, work, Kenney, normal day to day stuff, money, you name it. I was back to work 2 weeks after Harrison was born, and it's just been go go go ever since. I went back to work so early because I didn't really have anything to do at home, Harrison was just sleeping all day, and I figured that it would help me get a routine going. I only worked for 3 hours a day for the first 5 weeks or so, then went up to 6 1/2 hours a day, to now, working until I get everything done. There is drama going on at work right now and I never feel as if I have enough time to get everything done that I need to get done. I'm constantly being pulled away because of Harrison, not that I'm complaining at all, it's just hard to get everything done that I'd like. On the other side of it, I feel as if I'm not actually working at all. I am out greeting customers every morning from 6:3o-9:30, then from the rest of the time, I'm in the office, doing bookwork, writing the newsletter, answering emails, etc., while everyone else is out with the dogs and is physically working. I feel like crap about that most of the time because everyone is working their ass off, and all I can do is just sit in the office. I'm trying to get over it, and my boss (God bless her) keeps telling me that what I am doing is important, but it's still hard to come to terms with. On top of that, Harrison is getting a lot more mobile, (he's almost crawling!) and I'm afraid of what is going to happen after he starts crawling. 1., I do NOT want him to crawl around on that floor, eww, and 2. he's not going to be happy being stuck in a pack and play for 6 1/2 hours at a time, frankly, I'm suprised he's not going crazy now. I LOVE my job, I mean, every morning, I'm so excited to get to come to a job that I love, and I'm so afraid that I'm going to have to soon give it up. Which I would for Harrison, I'd do anything for him, but it's still going to break my heart when it comes to that point. Plus, I don't want to let anyone down. My boss is just awesome, and if something happened where I'd have to quit, she'd have to pick up the slack and I don't want her to have to do that. It's just hard, but I'm sure everything will work out as it should.
Today, was especially a hard day for me. We went to the doctor for Harrison's check up, and the doctor looked at his head and said that he needs to go to a neurologist. He has had a flat back to his head for a few months now, and the doctor before said that it was just from being on his back all the time and not to worry about it. Well, then she looks at it today and says that it looks not just flat, but lopsided and she'd make an appointment asap. I was freaking out. She was telling me about sutures and how they can get fused together, and blah blah, but all I was thinking was "What if there is something wrong with Harrison". Every developmental question they have ever asked me, the answer has always been yes, and this appt was no different. Yes, he's almost crawling, Yes he can stick his feet in his mouth, Yes he is grabbing at everything, etc., so how could he have something wrong with his brain? Luckily, I work with a lot of doctors, and my favorite pediatrician brings her dogs everyday and is probably the most awesome person ever. I called her, crying, asking her what this all meant and she didn't hesistate to call me back and tell me that everything was going to be okay. She is sure that Harrison doesn't have what the doctor was talking about...cranios...something, that it's probably just positional phy..something because he is on his back when he sleeps and he's in his car seat a lot (he's in it for 3 hours every morning while we are at work). She told me not to freak out, and told me a lot about the neurologist that we are going to see, and exactly what's going to happen. I'm still freaking out a little because of course I am worried about Harrison, but he's such a happy kid, always smiling, and is acheiving all of his milestones on track, so I'm not worried about his development and neither is the peditrician. It's just a scary thing when a doctor says that you have to go see a specialist. Thank God for the wonderful network of friends I have. If it wasn't for this doctor, I'd probably be in the fetal position in a corner somewhere freaking out even more. I'll keep everyone posted on what's going on, and when we have our appointment, but since this pediatrician works for Riley and has seen lots of different cases, I'm feeling assured that Harrison just has "flat head syndrome". Sorry this is such a long post, I just had a lot to get off my chest. Whew. Off to bed.

Harrison is 7 months today!

I can't believe that it's been 7 months to the day that Harrison was born. It's really crazy how fast time flies! He's such a good little guy, and he's such a happy baby! When I go in his room at 5:00 am each morning, he greets me with a great big smile. I love it. I love that even if I have the crappiest day ever, I can look at him and feel a sense of accomplishment. I also LOVE seeing Kenney with him, it just melts my heart. Last week he bought Harrison like $200 worth of hiking gear, it's adorable. He got him a SPF onesie, a hat, and a backpack that Kenney can carry him in. It's so cute!
Here's a little of what Harrison is doing...it seems to change everyday though!!

• Eats baby food twice a day. He LOVES carrots, squash and bananas.
• Is rolling everywhere!
• He's trying to crawl. He gets his booty in the air, but then doesn't know what to do next.
• He grabs at everything! My hair, my phone, anything that lights up.
• I can see his two bottom teeth, but they haven't broken through the gums yet.
• I tried those bitter biscuits the other day...he's not a fan.
• LOVES his sippy cup, and he loves water better than apple juice.
• Sleeps on his side in his crib, and starts out vertical, and ends up horizontal.
• Says "mama" only when he's crying.
• He loves the dogs, Gladys is his favorite because he can pull on her ears, and she doesn't care.

He's just the best guy ever, I couldn't ask for a better child. I am so blessed it's ridiculous! Well, that's it for now, I hope everyone is doing well :)

Arf! Arf! Arf!! I'm sorry, I'm used to dogs :)

Okay, so I'm an amateur at parenting, everyone knows this. In my last post I said that I could see Harrison's bottom teeth coming in, but I guess I was mistaken because they haven't come in yet. I can see the tops of them, but they haven't actually broken through his gums yet, poor guy. He's chewing on everything!

This past weekend (Valentine's Day), Kenney, Harrison and I went up to Minnesota for Kenney's brother's wedding. It was a blast! It was really cold, but it was a lot of fun, and we got to dance a little before he knocked out :) The only part that sucked was being in the car for 13 hours, I was so ready to get there and Harrison was awake the entire time. He wasn't crying or anything, he was just playing, so thank God for that. The wedding was great, Harrison was all decked out in a button down shirt and cords and looked adorable as you can tell. He's getting so big, he looks like a little boy now, no longer a baby! It's amazing how fast time flies. I remember cradling him like a baby, and now he can't stand that. He just wants to go go go, and he's so close to crawling, I'm just counting down the days.

Here are some pictures of him in Minnesota, and a picture of him and his daddy on our first hiking trip a few weeks ago. That is the first of many because Kenney just ordered $200 worth of hiking/camping gear for Harrison, including some shades :)

Right now he has a little bit of a cold, I think. He sounds a little congested and has been coughing a lot. He usually "play coughs" all the time, but it sounds like something is behind it now. So, I was freaking out there for a bit, but the doctor at work told me everything I needed to do. So, I've been sucking down the oj, hoping that all the Vitamin C I'm drinking will get to him since I'm still nursing. He's not acting any differently though! He's still the same happy little boy. He's doing good on baby food, I try not to give him too much because it seems to constipate him, but now he's getting a little fussy more often, so I'm going to have to bump it up. Woo hoo! More yummy smelling poop to look forward to! Ahhh the joys of parenthood :)

We have toofers!!

Well, last week we got snowed in, we stayed home for a snow day, since it was so bad out. So, we had some fun! I got some snow out and put it on his high chair tray, needless to say, he didn't like it much :) Earl, Daisy and Gladys LOVED it though! They were running all around our backyard, they looked like little dolphins diving in and out of the snow :) It was hilarious!!

Harrison is doing great, as usual! He's got 2 teeth coming in, finally! Hopefully this will make it easier for the other ones to come in. I read somewhere that the first ones are always the hardest, and boy were they hard! He's been teething for about 3 months now, and I was nervous because Kenney didn't get his teeth in until he was after 1, so I didn't know when it was going to happen :)

He's rolling around everywhere now, before he would just roll over to his belly and stay there, now he's rolling to get places, soon we are going to have to child proof this place, I have a feeling once he gets moving, he won't stop! It's adorable though. Like right now, he's on his little mat (it's those puzzle peice things for the floor), and he's gone from horizontal in front of me, to doing a total 180. I am typing on my coffee table, and when I peer over the front, his little head goes all the way up to look at me and he instantly starts smiling. He has that crooked little smile that just melts your heart.

Other than that, we are all just doing great at the Smith household. Kenney is great, dogs are great, family is great, nothing new to report! Oh, except that next week we are taking our 2nd road trip as a family to Minnesota for Kenney's brother's wedding. I'm excited because I'm getting Harrison a onesie tux :) Maybe I'll get him some chuck taylor high tops too :)

Always amazed

It's the day before the Inauguration and I'm super thrilled. My parents are having a little get together, and Kenney and I took the day off to go over and watch the whole thing on their huge tv. What an exciting time to be alive! I'm so happy that an African American is going to be president while I'm alive. This past weekend, I was over at my parents house watching the "Obama Express", it was really cool. He took the same route as Abraham Lincoln, and stopped at the same stops, used a train like he did, AND he is going to use Lincoln's bible to be swarn in on. How cool is that?? I have to say, I am not into history whatsoever, but I'm really interested in being part of it. Plus, Harrison I'm sure is going to ask me what we did when he was swarn in, and I think that's pretty awesome. I look at all of these people at his speeches, and people are crying their eyes out, you can't help but feel moved.
So far, nothing is really different, Harrison is doing great, rolling around everywhere now, and giggling now. It's hilarious, he is so funny, it doesn't take much to get him to smile. I wake up in the morning, and go to wake him up and instantly he smiles. I love it, it's such a great way to start my day, and even if I'm feeling like crap, he always makes me feel better. He's just an awesome kid. I always wonder, what the heck did I do before he was born? It seems I'm always busy now, always something to do, and I feel that my time before he was born, though I enjoyed it, I didn't really do much. Yes we went on vacations and weekend trips, but even the week nights, I should have been out doing something. I'm so looking forward to this spring, to go take Harrison on walks at Eagle Creek, and on hikes, to the zoo, etc. I just can't wait!! Spring....get here already!!
I must say, that this past week I did have a dissappointment. I'm not going to name names or anything like that, but I am going to vent about it. A certain person, really disappointed me. I have done nothing bad at all to this person, ever. My motto is definitely the golden rule. If I were this person and treated not only me, but other people the way she does, I couldn't sleep at night. How can someone be so mean and inconsiderate to someone else? I just don't understand it, and I'm one of those people, I HATE when people are upset with me, I stress myself out over it, like what did I do wrong, but in this situation, I know I didn't do anything wrong. Kenney tells me to get over it, and I'm slowly getting to that point. I just know that this person must be so unhappy with her life that she has to be a bitch to everyone just to get through it. I feel pity when before I just felt hurt. It's hard to let go, I'll tell you that because I just want to know why this person was so mean, but it's not worth it to me anymore. Her loss, not mine. Whew...I feel alot better. Thank you oh void that is blogspot for relieving my stress. :)
Have a good one if anyone reads this! :)
Peace and much love.

Christmas with the Smiths :)

Harrison's first Christmas was soo awesome! On Christmas Eve, I had to work, but then we went over to my Mom and Dad's (here in Indiana!), and had dinner and visited with all of my family. It was great, Harrison did really well, and my brother Jason got to feed him his favorite thing...carrots. I swear, this kid lives for carrots, he gets so excited when he gets to have them. Jason did really well feeding him. I think he's trying to practice since he and Mandy are expecting a baby in July of this year. He did really good, he only missed his mouth a few times :)

Anyway, Christmas Eve was great, then Christmas morning we all woke up, even the doggies, had some breakfast and then opened our gifts. Harrison had so much fun with the wrapping paper, and by the end of the day, he was a pro a ripping it. He got SO much stuff! He got a horsey bouncer from his Grandma, a Rocking horse/bouncer from Jason and Mandy, a Learning Puppy from his Grammy and Papi and a bunch of other stuff from us, and other people.

I think my mother once told me , when I was pregnant, that having kids is like reliving your childhood all over again. I can see now what she was talking about. I was so excited for Christmas morning, which hasn't happened since I was a kid. Harrison was looking at our tree, and his little face just lit up when he saw all of his toys, especially the ones that lit up. :) It was great.

Unfortunately, I had to work Christmas night for a few hours, but then we went over to our friend Chucks and ate Christmas dinner which was so yummy! Then, since I had to work the next morning as well, we went home early to catch some zzz's, and by that time Harrison was WELL overdue to go to bed. I tell ya, if you get that boy's routine off, he is NOT a happy camper. If he's not in his bed, he wants to sleep in his car seat, you have to give up trying to hold him or rocking him to sleep. All in all, it was a great holiday, I couldn't have asked for more, by far, the best Christmas ever. And to top it all off, Harrison rolled over on that day! He was on his back at his grandma's and he kept trying and trying, then he finally got so frustrated and he did it! It was awesome!! Here's a picture of it! :)

On to New Years! We actually had a pretty eventful New Years. We went out to dinner with some family and friends, to Lotus Garden. It was good, but since I'm still breastfeeding I couldn't eat what I wanted to, but it was still good :) I just keep counting down, when Harrison is 1, I'm off to PF Chang's and La Hacienda to make up for lost time :) Then after dinner, we went over to one of Kenney's running buddies houses and hung out. It was fun, I had never met them before and I felt a little out of my element. I was surrounded by teachers and people who read books, and run, and paddle all the time, so I kind of kept to myself, but I had Harrison to keep me entertained. We rang in the New Year and since it was well past my bedtime, we headed home, and went to bed. I actually made it to 2 am, I'm usually in bed by 8, so for me to be up that late was a pretty big accomplishment :)

Well, speaking of my bed time, it's officially here, I'm off to bed. I hope everyone had a great holiday!