A Night in the Neighborhood

We recently made new friends in the neighborhood, and they are expecting their first child in November. They first met us when we were trying to calm Barrett this summer by taking him for a late afternoon walk around the block. Needless to say, I think we kind of traumatized them because Barrett was in the stroller screaming and crying! I can remember how tired Matt and I were, yet we were trying to put on a fake smile for the poor couple that stood in front of us.
Over the past few months, Barrett has totally changed and now we can honestly explain to Mark and Melissa that it will get better with time. It's all worth it in the end and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. While we were at the baby shower talking with friends and sharing stories about having our first child...I struck up a converstation (imagine that) with this girl that seemed really quite and shy. I went on to ask if she had any children, and her reply was no...but that she was pregnant...with four. WHAT???? You should have heard how stupid I sounded. I said, "Four babies???" ha ha
I just couldn't believe I was sitting there telling story after story about how hard it was to have ONE child, and this poor girl beside me was about to have 4!
I guess the Lord gives what he knows you can handle. He knew I just needed one at a time.
I had to leave my number for her! They closest family they have near here is in Michigan. She's definetly going to need some close friends to help her out. I'm already going to start sending a few prayers her way. To all the new moms...I ask that you do the same.

Morning Walk

This morning, Barrett decided to get up at the usual time that we tend to wake him up during the week (although it was the weekend...and we were hoping to sleep in a bit). Granted, he did make it to 6:30 and had some pretty good naps today...allowing me to "catch some zzzzz".
Since we were awake before 7:00, Matt decided to grab his mountain bike and head for the hills, while Barrett and I decide to go for a morning stroll around the neighborhood.
I opened the door, and to my surprise, it was pretty chilly (around 52 degrees)! So back inside we went to bundle up before hitting the streets.

Baby Spider

Yesterday I bought Barrett his very first Halloween costume. Stopping in at Babies R Us to get a new bath chair, I decided to detour over to the costumes to see what was in store. There was a cute little giraffe suit, penguin suit, and even a polar bear costume...but then I SPIED it.......the most adorable little spider outfit! I had to get it.Barrett loves it too! I tried it on him this afternoon (clothes and tags still intact)! Luckily, he seemed pretty content in it and so I grabbed a few shots of him with it on!!!!! I don't know about you...but I've never in my life, seen such a precious little baby spider!!!

Sneezzzy Laughs

We tried rice cereal for the first time tonight, but I decided to not show the video because you would only see a very UNhappy Barrett. He wasn't a big fan of the cereal at all. He cried throughout most of the feeding, wanted to know where his bottle was, and didn't like the fact that the use of spoon slowed down his eating process.
Needless to say, I felt bad for making him so mad, that I did my best to cheer him up. We took him for a long stroll, gave him a warm bath (in which he splashed more water OUT of the tub than in it) and had some play time on the floor.
Matt really had Barrett in great spirits when he started playing the "fake sneeze game" with him. Barrett couldn't stop laughing. He loves his daddy so much, and thinks he hung the moon!!!!
(By the way...Matt was in the middle of watching the Dallas Cowboys. Ignore it when he says, "Go Tony". He DOES know his own son's name.)

Ahhhhh mushrooms

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little boy. Last night my taste buds were craving some good fried mushrooms from Snuffer's (I know, not exactly on my diet). We popped Barrett into his car seat and heading out to Rockwall. There wasn't much convincing Matt because he is as big of a fan of eating out as I am. The whole time we were there, Barrett was smiling, playing, and enjoying the scenery! Good times and a full belly!

4 Month Check-Up

This past Monday, Barrett had his 4 month check-up. I can't believe he is already that old! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. After talking to a good friend of mine from college about becoming new parents, he made the comment, "I can't believe the hopital actually let us leave on our own with a baby". How true is that. Matt and I just THOUGHT we knew what to expect. Oh my... how your life changes, but only for the better. So many wonderful memories have been made.

Barrett weighed in at 16 lbs. 3.5 oz! (That's a huge gain from little old 6 lbs. 10 oz.)
Length 26.5 inches

He's a happy baby and learning new things every day. I can't wait to see what he will do next.

(Check out the outfit...our friends brought it back from the Bay area)

Rolling Around

Yep, he's rolling at night and during the day! I can't put him down without him rolling over. It's getting harder and harder to change his diapers!!! We wake up in the mornings, only to find that he has rolled all around in his crib! Last night, he stuck his arm underneath the bumper pad and had it wedged through the slats of the crib! Oh my!!!

Hemangioma

Most of you have probably noticed the small red "dot" on Barrett's forehead. At birth, it wasn't much of anything and appeared to be a tiny speck of red. For the first few weeks, he was hardly noticeable and everyone thought it was simply a scratch.
At our 2 month check-up, our pediatrician told us that it was actually a birth mark. The medical term is, hemangioma, but we call it a strawberry. Within the first 6 months, it will grow in size and begin to puff out. Up to 70% of babies have one, and in most cases, they disappear on their own (most by 2 or 3 yrs. of age)
I can't help but laugh at the location of it though...right between his eyes. But it is what it is, and Barrett wouldn't be the same without it. It definitely gives him character.

Funny story...
A few weeks ago (just when his hemangioma began to grow) I went to Walgreens to develop some pictures. As I was scanning through the different pictures, I began to edit them (zooming, cropping, and adjusting the color) I guess I was in such a hurry, that I opted to automatically remove all "red eye" from photos, clicked the processing button, and waited on my photos to be printed.
Shortly after I got home, I began adding the recent photos into a family album when I ran across a "close up" picture of Barrett. There was a tiny black dot right between his eyes. I took my finger and wiped furiously, then began to scratch at it with my fingernail. Only to realize, that the choice of "automatically removing all red eye", the printer must have caught the red in the hemangioma and zapped it out...coloring it dark black.
I found myself laughing at the fact that Barrett now appeared to be part of another culture! Even one of my students at school who is of the Hindu faith, said to me, "Mrs. Barner, don't worry about it. My mom has a mark like that too on her forehead". Thanks Omar ;)

Ready for the weekend...

We settled in last night, ready for a fun-filled weekend with Barrett (knowing rainfall was in the forecast and we would probably be indoors).
I read Barrett some of his favorite books and we played all Friday afternoon. He even let us sleep in until 8:30 Saturday morning! Way to go little man (and thank you very much)!!!!

Me and Cam

Barrett and Camdyn are starting to notice one another a little more every day. Ms. Sherry just bought a new stroller for the two of them. She took them for their first walk and they seemed to really enjoy it.
After their ride in the sunshine, they went back to Ms. Sherry's to watch a little cartoon network and take their afternoon naps! They look so cute together. Whether boyfriend and girlfriend or just plain buddies, I know Camdyn and Barrett will be life long friends.

Finally

Well...we finally did it. After lots of practice and a ton of "almost did its"...Barrett rolled over on to his tummy today! Ms. Sherry emailed me at school this morning and said that Barrett was really trying to roll over. The only mishap was that he couldn't quiet figure out how to pull his arm out of the way.

After school, I brought Barrett home and laid him down on his little blanket. By the time I walked into the other room and back again, Barrett had rolled over to his right side, then on to his tummy and removed his arm so that both were completely out of his way!

I was so excited for him!

Can't believe it!

I'm amazed at how much Barrett is growing. I thought I would put some pictures up to show you the dramatic change (that can sometimes go unoticed right before your eyes).
I've had a little sleeper that I've been wanting to put him in, but just assummed that it was way too big. We tried it on tonight, and WOW...it actually fit. To be honest, it's a little short in the inseam. I can't believe my little boy is getting so big!!!
2 weeks old...... / past



3 months / present
(and very, very, sleepy after his night-night bottle)


ducky slippers...that he is memorized with!!!!

My friend Camdyn

So we're on our 2nd week at Miss Sherry's house and Barrett is adjusting well. She is a great sitter and we feel very blessed to have her watch Barrett. I love that fact that when I go to get Barrett, Sherry is usually in the floor with the babies reading, playing or just talking to them. Barrett is learning new stuff every day and I have Sherry to thank for that.

Barrett also has the pleasure of hanging out with his best girl friend, Camdyn. They are so cute together. I know eventually they will be talking and laughing at one another...and hopefully dating one day (if Coach Toth allows it). Might as well...they've shared the same changing table and seen it other in nothing but their diapers ;)

Here is a picture of the two of them just relaxing in front of the television. They were watching Barrett's Baby Faith video. Camdyn was so excited that Barrett brought it for the two of them to watch.

Weekend Get-away

Since it was a "long weekend", Matt and I decided to take a trip to my parent's in Throckmorton. When we first planned the weekend get-away, Matt thought he might be able to go dove hunting with my brother-in-law, Corey, but "opening day" fell on a Monday, and we were already in route back to Wylie.
The ride there was painless. I must admit that traveling with another person (Matt) makes things so much easier. I never really thought about it before, but when you have a baby in the car and it's just YOU...stopping for something as simple as a Coke or restroom break... is a major pain. You begin to think that you can survive withOUT liquids to avoid any stops later on down the road.
At least this time, I didn't have to haul Barrett in and out of nasty old bathrooms!!! Trust me...I've learned to appreciate clean changing tables, "family size" restrooms and that "extra pair of hands" helping me out!!!

My parents seriously have withdrawls from Barrett. My daddy just can't get enough of him. He thinks he is the only one that can really get Barrett to laugh.
Mom spoils him rotten. She even volunteered to take care of Barrett all through the night and into the morning (that means early morning feedings and all). On top of that, Matt and I had a night on the town and were able to sleep in until 9:00 am. Wow...I felt like a NEW person!!!

Barrett soaked up all the attention over the weekend. Once we got home, he was a tired little man and confused on what had happened to all the entertainment.