Happy Baptism...

at least that's what Anniston called yesterday. It involved cake, so it was definitely a happy day! We had Treyson baptised at our church yesterday. It was such a great day! Treyson did so well. I did take him out during the middle of the sermon because he was starting to make some sad noises!!

Anniston did great! She watched her bubby "get water on his head" and was nice and quiet during the service (she normally attends Sunday school while we go to church). She was overwhelmed by all 4 of her grandparents sitting in a row. I think she spent time with each one throughout the service.

So many friends and family were there to witness the baptism. We are so blessed. Thank you to everybody who was able to make it! For those of you who couldn't make it, here are some pictures from the service:

With Jerry's parents, brother, and grandmother:With my parents and grandmother:Another amazing detail I wanted to throw in is that the gown Treyson is wearing has been in the family for 3 generations. Jerry's mother was baptised in this as a baby. Her grandmother had bought it in Chicago after she was born. I'm sure it was very expensive then. It is the finest material, and shows its age in places....but isn't that amazing? We figured out that Treyson is the 18th child to be baptised in this gown. It has been through Nanny, Don, Diane, Laura, Susan, Leah, Jerry, Meredith, Matt, Spencer, Trent, Shelby, Jake, Sheradon, Lexi, Kinley, Anniston, and now Treyson!! So cool! After church, several members of our congregation came up to congratulate Treyson and to also get a closer look at the gown. It really is beautiful.

We had everybody over to our house after church to have lunch and cake. We had brisket sandwiches, party potatoes, salad, and cake. It was so nice being able to visit with everybody and play "pass the Treyson". He was such a good sport, too!

Here's a picture of Treyson's cake from Rick's (yummmm). Thank goodness there was only about 4 pieces left (or my attempt at weight loss would be over!)

Anniston helped Dadoo open some of Treyson's baptism gifts.....while wearing her tiara!

Great Grandma (jerry's grandmother)MeMaMa (my grandmother)MaMa and PaPa Nanny and PawPaw

Again, thank you everybody for driving up here to witness Treyson's baptism. We are blessed to have such loving friends and family. We will always remember his special day!

Add-On

Here are a couple of pictures that I found from Anniston's baptism. I thought I would throw these in for fun, especially since I didn't blog then!Nice roots there, Amy....and I'm pretty sure Jerry's sporting the exact same tie as he did for Treyson's baptism!.....Maybe he planned that one!

4 Months Old!!

Treyson hit the 4 month mark on Sunday. Time is flying by so fast, and I wish I could stop it to savor these precious moments a little bit longer. Sometimes I think his cheeks will get raw from all of my kissing...he's just so sweet! I catch myself pacing sometimes outside of his nursery waiting for him to wake up so I can sweet talk him and get that humongous smile to take over his face.....I know I'm slightly partial, but I just can't help it!

So we took Treyson to the doctor today. His head was in the 75%. He measured in at 25.59 inches (90%), and weighed in at 15.19 lb (75%).

He didn't tee-tee all over his Dadoo and the wall this time when he was weighed, so that's definitely progress! He sat in Dadoo's lap like a champ the entire time Dr. Ball was checking him over. Everything was healthy, healthy, healthy---exactly what we expected to hear!

Treyson did fail on one developmental question...."Is he rolling over yet?" ummmm....not regularly. I've seen him do it once. His babysitter has seen him do it at her house. But it's not a regular thing for him. Dr. Ball says the "healthy" babies tend to be later rolling over due to their "healthiness"!! haha

Treyson has an appointment for his vaccinations on Friday morning....please pray for me--I boo-hoo like a baby taking my kiddos to get these awful stabs in their thighs. We take him to the health department. At least I got smart with Treyson. I make appointments, and am out of there within 20 minutes. With Anniston, I showed up about 10 minutes before the place opened and waited my turn....sometimes 2 hours for her shots. (Our insurance doesn't cover vaccinations; so I have the option to pay out of pocket--uh, no--or pay $5 for all of them at the health department. The health department has some pretty interesting folks lingering around....but I'm not an idiot--paying for shots out of pocket would be insane! When I took Anniston for the first time, I didn't know how much to expect to pay. I felt guilty for only writing a $5 check--what a deal!)

Ok, so back to Treyson. We decided to try Rice Cereal last Thursday (We cheated by 4 days....don't tell!). We're only feeding him this at night for the time being. He's already a good sleeper (which our doctor actually says that cereal doesn't help them sleep better...sleeping is moreso about habit vs. fullness). So Jerry fed him the first night, and it was hysterical seeing the look on his face for the first time. I'll let the pictures tell it:

It started with a smile....

And ended with a smile!

By the end, he was eating like a champ. But every night is the same type of struggle. The first bite puts a look on his face that makes you think you just fed him a lemon. Then he gets a little bit better and is wolfing it down by the end of the bowl. However, his hands seem to be a South Pole in relation to his North pole mouth....truly a magnetic attraction that requires you to keep both of his hands pinned down while feeding him; otherwise, there will be rice cereal spit out onto his hands which then find his cheeks, eyes, ears, etc. Quite funny.

Treyson at 4 months:

• Is getting better in the car. I actually ran errands last Friday and he was content and "whine-less" for an entire hour!!

• Sleeps on average 11 hours straight at a time. He's been known to go 13 hours, but still sometimes does 9-10. Mostly 11 though.

• Still sleeps swaddled....we love that swaddle blanket!

• Smiles at the drop of a hat...such a happy boy! Sometimes it's hard to nurse him, because he'll make eye contact with me and smile so much.

• Giggles more frequently.

• Loves being walked around in the baby carrier facing forward. I can clean the entire house with him there...doesn't make one peep!

• Loves to hear Anniston's voice. She starts talking and he turns his head and smiles.

• Loves his hands in his mouth.

• Drools like it's going out of style.

• Wears 3-6, but mostly 6 month clothes.

• Can't wear a size 1 shoe yet.

• Really likes his walker (feet obviously don't even touch the floor yet), except when Anniston crashes him into objects like the couch or coffee table!!

He is such a blessing. He has Jerry and i wrapped around his finger, just as his big sister does.

Anniston wanted to hold him this afternoon. So I had her sit down and do a straddle. Then I lay him in between her and she wraps her arms around him (like a hug). Anyway, she leaned around to the side of his face, kissed his cheek, and said "I love you buddy". I tear up right now thinking about it. She just loves him to pieces. Beyond not getting all attention from grandparents, she has exhibited no signs of jealousy with us and Treyson. If we're loving on him, she wants to love on him too. It is so sweet, and we know we are so blessed.

Treyson, we love you. You are so amazing, and we have enjoyed every moment you've been with us.....

Please don't grow up on us too fast! :(

2008 Wrap-Up

I've been inspired by several other friends who've done a "year in review" posting, so here's my attempt at it!

Let me back up into the last day of December, 2007 by saying that that was the day Jerry and I had confirmation that I was pregnant with Treyson. We woke up that morning, and the test was positive. We were elated, but decided to wait until the first trimester was over to tell anybody....that's one of the hardest things we've EVER done!

So January brought 2 very exciting things. First, we traveled with my parents and Todd, Melissa, Taylor, and Michael to Disneyworld in late January. We hit the Magic Kingdom, MGM/Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Anniston was able to ride so many things, and loved every minute of it! We can't wait until Treyson's old enough and we can go back and stay even longer. (PS...we got clearance from my OB/GYN to ride anything I wanted to at Disney....so Treyson had a ball, technically!)

Also, Anniston started gymnastics in January. She's actually very good at it. She loves to jump on the trampoline. She's very close to mastering a seat drop. The hardest part is getting her momentum up to land on her feet after she jumps onto her bottom. She walks the balance beam easily, does somersaults, swings on the bars, etc. We love gymnastics!

We finally told our family, and then friends that we were pregnant on my birthday! They couldn't believe we'd kept it in for so long, so it made my pregnancy go by fast for them. We started to talk to ANniston about being a big sister at this point....definitely over her head. She later decided that she was carrying a baby too. Also, she told people most of the time she was having a baby sister (since we didn't find out the sex)....thank goodness she's not holding anything against her Bubby now! She loves him so much.

March brought about some springtime weather which meant we needed "pretty piggies"! So Anniston had her first pedicure! She loved it. It lasted about 5 minutes, but she sat so still and thought she was hot stuff sitting up in the big chair getting her toes washed, clipped, filed, and painted!

April was Easter. We take Anniston to Bedfords in Fayetteville to get her bunny pictures made each year. She liked the bunny for awhile, but then she was ready for Ms. Tina to put her away. The following 3 times we went to Bedfords, ANniston asked about the bunny. We also started potty training in April. Anniston did so well with it. It really helped that we had a babysitter who worked really hard with Anniston while Mommy worked. She is now to a point where she'll take herself to the potty, wipe (tee tee only!), and flush the potty. We're so proud of our big girl! (she's modeling her big girl panties for the first time in the picture here)

May was Uncle Mark and Aunt Tracey's wedding, our first cardinals game, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day Weekend. Mark and Tracey were married in St. Louis. The wedding was beautiful, and we are so happy for them. Kinley looked beautiful in her Cinderella "flower girl" dress. We partied alot and were exhausted by the end of the weekend. Mother's Day was spent in Fort Smith by visiting my mom for church and lunch, then heading to Julie's for the afternoon and dinner. Memorial Day was FOR SURE at the lake. We hit the lake every weekend we could during May and June, knowing the 4th of July was our last trip down to Lake Ouachita due to my pregnancy. Dadoo also made Anniston a playground in our backyard. There's Railroad ties on the outside, filled with river rock on the inside. It's got her trampoline, Slide, Clubhouse climber, picnic table, and sand/water table inside of it. She loves going out to her playground. Dadoo worked very hard on it, and the sweat was definitely worth it! ( I can say that since I was 6 months pregnant and didn't lift a finger!!)

June was marked by the lake every weekend. We spent alot of money on gas (upper $3 per gallon) but it was totally worth every penny! We also put Anniston into a "big girl bed" for the first time. She did great. She fell out of her bed a handful of times between June and July, but hasn't done that since. She also went fishing with her PaPa for the first time in June. PaPa loves to fish. When he's not fishing, he's golfing. When he's not golfing, he's fishing! So he and MaMa got Anniston and Michael their first fishing poles. Anniston was catching fish left and right. She loved it, and even touched the fish while PaPa held it! Anniston also had her first dental visit in June. Mommy and Dadoo took her and let Mrs. Julia clean her teeth. Anniston sat by herself in the chair and opened up like it was nobody's business. We were so proud of her. She got her teeth counted, polished, and rinsed off and suctioned by Mr. Thirsty! Then Dado Hemi came in and counted her teeth--NO CAVITIES!! YAY!!

July was the 4th of July. Our last trip to the lake....so sad! But it was fun getting to watch the fireworks on the lake. We hit the Aquatic center quite a bit since it was so hot. Also, July was our 2nd birthday! Anniston woke up on her birthday to a new trampoline in her backyard. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES it! We can't wait for the weather to get nice again so we can jump more! We had her birthday party with all of her friends at Gymboree Play and Music in Bentonville. It was really cute, and Anniston had a ball! We also hit Chuck E. Cheese on her actual birthday with our cousins Michael and Kinley.

August was HOT HOT HOT! And I was HUGE HUGE HUGE, which equaled MISERABLE!! But we all made it! We focused on lots of Anniston time. GOing to the water park, the park, jumping on the trampoline, etc. We also attended the Fan Day and Anniston got to see Big Red (we LOVE big Red around here!). We also started Big Girl School. Anniston loves her school, and we love it to. We know it's where she's meant to be.

September was marked by Labor Day! YAY! Jerome Joseph "Treyson", III was born on the 4th. He was 8 lb, 8 oz, and 20 1/2 inches. He was perfect and we were so excited to have a son. Anniston was also excited to have a brother (despite telling everybody she was having a sister).

We took Treyson to his first Hog football game in October (start em out young, right?). He slept through most of it. Anniston had a blast....she loves Razorback games, and really watches the ballgame and cheers. We also joined Dadoo on a business trip to San Antonio. We shopped, hit Seaworld, the Alamo, and the River Market. That was wild with an 8 week old, but we made it! We also celebrated Halloween. Anniston was Snow White, and Treyson was a pumpkin.

November was another Razorback football game and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was strange this year, because Treyson was napping through almost every meal we were supposed to be at. I suppose things will be much different next year! Anniston got her first haircut in November, and we also attended Winnie the Pooh Live in Little Rock.

December was all about getting ready for the holidays: parties, pictures, and presents! We had a wonderful Christmas, and were exhausted when it was all over with!