Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parent's 36th wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I know that they are getting excited because Mark and Darbi will by flying into Houston tomorrow afternoon! Yea!

On another note, you may notice something new when you make a comment on my website. I had NINETEEN comments on my post yesterday. That would normally make me giddy with joy. The only problem is that all but one of them were comment SPAM, automated messages from people trying to drum up visits to their blogs to sell their products and other such craziness. Lorne went in and deleted all but the comment made by an actual person. Anyway, the comment process is the same, the only difference is that you'll be prompted to type a word verification which should curtail that spam being automatically added to my site.

I hope to hear from you all soon!

A Restful Weekend

We had a really good weekend. Lorne's parents came Thursday evening and stayed until yesterday afternoon. We didn't do much, but it was fun to see them with Sawyer and watch how much they enjoy spending time with him. He was loving them too I think. He smiled at them every chance he got! He really is a ham!

I got so much rest. It was wonderful! I would feed Sawyer and then Velma would hold him while I took a nap. It really came in handy in the mornings. She was a great help! I also got help in the kitchen. We got Dickey's BBQ one night, I cooked one night, Lorne and Larry barbecued Saturday, and Velma made chicken and dumplings. Food was definitely a group effort. It was also wonderful to eat meals on time and to turn around and notice that my dishwasher had been emptied! Thanks Velma! :)

We went to Kohl's so that I could get something to wear to Brandon and Deanna's wedding next weekend. I knew going in that it would be depressing, but I wasn't quite prepared. I can't wait to get this weight off so that I can wear my size eight pants again! It's hard to believe that I was really that size once. I am determined for it to happen again.

We're going back Wednesday to get weighed again. I'll go to Weight Watchers where I will hopefully have lost and then it will be Sawyer's turn to brave the scale. My hope is that he is continuing to gain! :) We were able to stay on a great feeding schedule this weekend so I am hoping that will be the case in the weekends to come too. We're having company for the next three weekends! I am really excited to see so much family at once!

I can't wait for Thursday!! Matthew, Jackie, Mark, and Darbi will be here! I can't believe that it has been almost eight months since I've seen my little brother and new sister-in-law! I can't wait for Mark and Darbi to see Sawyer. I KNOW that they're going to love him! The boys are going to have a busy weekend since they're in Brandon and Deanna's wedding, but hopefully we'll have some time together on Sunday and Monday until they have to go back home. I will cherish any time that we have since I don't know when we'll all be together again. Mom and Dad will be here in time for the wedding and are staying Saturday night too.

I took some pictures of Sawyer in his bouncer seat. We added the little attachment that plays music and makes noises and blows bubbles. It has a neat setting that makes the sound effects when the baby kicks the seahorse and fish that hang down from it. I don't think Sawyer has any idea that he's making it happen, but he will in a matter of time I'm sure.

Here are those pictures:


He loves to look at the yellow star. The bubbles rise and spin the star and make the fish kiss.


Sawyer takes his bouncing time very seriously!

It's Working Again...Keep Your Fingers Crossed!

Sawyer weighs 11 lbs 5 ozs! He gained ten ounces in six days which means he's ahead of the curve! That's really good news! I am really happy that he is still gaining and that the breastfeeding is "working." Candy said that I could cut back on the herbs that I'm taking, but I think that I'm too afraid to do that just yet. They aren't doing any harm so I might as well keep taking them. The Fenugreek makes me smell like maple syrup which is kind of weird, but it's a small price to pay if you ask me. It's actually a component of the syrup that we all eat. I have two new bottles of the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle so I may finish those and then see what happens. I just hate the idea of my supply dropping again. I don't think that I can pump after each feeding and all of that again. I just don't have it in me!

Sawyer went to the mall for the first time today. He wasn't too happy with me while I was looking at cards at Hallmark. He got pretty impatient! He probably takes after his daddy when it comes to shopping I'm guessing!

Long Night=Long Day

I wanted to post earlier today but we have had a doozie of a day. We actually had a long night and that kind of went into the day. He didn't want to sleep last night for some reason, who knows why. Lorne rocked him for an hour after he fed him his bottle and I nursed him three times, all by 6:00 this morning. Did I mention that it was a long night? A few times yesterday and today he started crying and pulled away while I was nursing him. I'm not sure what to make of that other than what I've read about a change in the taste, but who knows? I'm afraid that it means that he's not getting enough. It always goes back to that when it comes to breastfeeding.

I'm still on the fence by the way. Lorne and I talked about it and think that Sawyer wouldn't even miss it, especially since he's already taking a bottle so well. It would be toughest for me. I would have to wean seven feedings give or take since Lorne is already feeding him once a day. It would probably take a few weeks. I was feeling confident about weaning Friday after talking to Lorie for an hour about it. She is such a great support for me. Then I called A Mother's Gift to ask them about weaning. Hayley called me back and told me that it was still early. I kept thinking that it may seem early to her but not to me. She also said that we've come so far and been through so much. I feel like we can look at that two ways. Sure we've been through so much, but WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH!! She suggested that I pump every other feeding so as to see how much he's getting during at least half of the feedings. That's all fine and good but I have to do something with Sawyer for the fifteen minutes it takes to pump and he gets very irritated when I have to put him down for that long. Yes he's rotten but that's a whole other story. She called back while I was at Curves and left a message about me renting a scale so that I could do pre and post and weigh him at home, but I never called to check on the rates. It seems silly to go through all that each time. I've just been nursing normally for the past couple of days. We're going to go back and weigh either tomorrow or Wednesday after Weight Watchers. Maybe I will finally be strong enough to make a decision then.

We had a restful weekend. Saturday we went to Posado's which is a Mexican food place. Sawyer was awake while we were eating this time. He usually sleeps through lunch. It wasn't a big deal; we just had to trade off holding him while the other person ate. I ran into Wal-Mart and bought groceries while Lorne sat in the car with Sawyer. We've done that the past few weekends too. It works out really well.

Yesterday I did laundry while Lorne played on the laptop and took care of Sawyer. I wanted to get some cleaning done but I'm sure that I will just wait until the last minute like I always do.

I can't wait for all of our company to get here so that they can see Sawyer these days. He's so much more alert and aware of his surroundings. He's smiling so much more and making lots of cute noises. He really is a ham of a little man. Here are some pictures that we took this weekend. Lorne was trying to get him to hold a rattle that we got from Courtney's parents Barbara and Charles. It's a silver rattle with a giraffe wrapped around it. It is very cute and slim enough that he's able to hold it.


There's that grin again!


Like father like son.


He loves to be held!


Daddy FINALLY got him to hold his rattle.

Where Did the Week Go?

Time is really flying by. Sawyer is ten weeks old today! The pedi that we saw Saturday said that the days go by slowly and the years fly by. I am starting to believe that. We went back to the pedi yesterday because Sawyer had some diarrhea Tuesday afternoon and evening. They told me to get some acidophilus granules and put them in a bottle that Lorne feeds him. I charted his diaper activity for the past day and called this morning. They said that I could stop giving him the granules but to call them if the diarrhea returns. They couldn't tell me for sure what caused it, but they think it may be a result of his cold.

I also asked them to calculate his percentiles according to him being six weeks old instead of two months at his two month visit. I had the date wrong and actually brought him to his appointment a week early. He was only six weeks old at the time. That moved him from the tenth percentile to the twenty-fifth percentile for weight and from the twenty-fifth to fiftieth for height. That makes me feel a little bit better I guess.

I went to Weight Watchers yesterday too but didn't get to stay for the meeting because the pedi's office called while I was there and said they could get us right in. I was only a few minutes away so we went straight to the pedi. I lost six pounds by the way! I am very excited. Loyette (the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner) asked me if I have changed my diet so I told her about WW. I told her that I'm eating exactly the same foods but just fewer of them. She asked me if I'm eating lots of fiber, fruit, or sugar free foods because that could affect him but I'm not eating any of that. I told her that I'm eating around 2,000 calories per day so she seemed okay with that. I'm trying to get to Curves three times per week, but I'm drinking plenty of water so that shouldn't be a factor either. Losing weight releases ketones and exercising releases lactic acid and those can all be present in the milk if I'm not careful.

We left the pedi's office and went for the pre and post. He got 104 cc this time, down from the 118 cc on Friday but Candy said that wasn't a big enough amount to be alarmed. I stopped taking the Reglan as of Monday but I'm still taking the herbs. He weighs 10 lbs 11 ozs so he's gained five ounces in the past five days so he's right on track. I'm starting to get frustrated, though, because I'm getting e-mails from moms from my Lamaze class and their babies weighed eleven pounds plus at two months. One baby who was born a day after Sawyer already weighs thirteen pounds!! I know, I know, he started out small and has some catching up to do, but I want him to get bigger!! I think that's why I've really been questioning the whole breastfeeding thing. Lorne and I had a long talk about it last night and I still don't know for sure what to do. I think that I want to quit until I think about actually doing it and I cringe at the thought and I don't know why. I think it's because it seems like all my friends have either breastfed or are breastfeeding. I'm afraid of what people will think of me. I also think that it would be silly to quit now after we've come so far and been through so much to get to this point. I just wish we wouldn't have had to go through all this and I could have just breastfed "normally" from the beginning. I just have no self confidence when it comes to this. I'm planning on taking him back to A Mother's Gift next Wednesday for another weight check. I think that I will stick with it until then and hope for the best. The hardest thing for me is that I don't know how much he is getting, but if I gave him formula I would know for sure how much he is getting at each feeding. A stupid reason to quit? Maybe, but that's just how I'm feeling. I have so much anxiety surrounding breastfeeding that I start to wonder if it truly is what's best for Sawyer since he can pick up on my moods. I just want to be able to enjoy being a mommy and not be stressed all the time, but I LOVE the bonding opportunity that breastfeeding allows. I'm really a wreck over this let me tell ya!

I'll try to get some pictures posted this weekend. I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday! Have a good weekend everyone!

Good News All Around!!

I'd like to begin today's post with some of the best news I have heard in a long time: GAT is in remission!! For those of you who don't know, my Aunt Tisha has been battling liver cancer and she had a doctor's visit this week and she is cancer free!!!! We couldn't be happier! Now she and Uncle Larry get to come up for a visit! YIPPEE!!

We went for another pre and post on Friday. He weighs 10 lbs 6 ozs!! Sawyer got 118 cc which is more than the 100 cc that he needs right now so that's good news too! It was way up from the 80 cc last Friday. Now we're back to where we were with no supplements and bottles other than one three ounce bottle at night that Lorne gives him so that I can get some sleep. I pump to replace that feeding and that's what he gets the next night so it works out really well. I'm in the process of tapering off on the Reglan. I take my last pill tomorrow so everyone keep your fingers crossed that my supply will remain strong. I'm still taking the herbs. I'm meeting with Candy again Wednesday and we'll see then if I need to keep taking those or not. I'm hoping and praying that we can get back to normal and I won't have to take those every eight hours around the clock.

I took Sawyer to the pediatrician yesterday. The office is open from 8:30-noon on Saturdays and sees sick kids only. The six pediatricians in the practice rotate as to who is there. We saw Dr. Stanton. We've only seen his actually pedi once, twice if you count her seeing him in the hospital. We're scheduled to see her at his four-month visit so that's good. Anyway, he was sneezing more than usual Friday and yesterday morning he was coughing and I noticed that his nose seemed kind of congested. I think that the pedi and his nurse were making fun of me for bringing him in but I didn't care. I felt that I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially on a weekend. The pedi said that he would get ten colds his first year and to write it in his baby book because this is his first. He has no fever so that's good. He said that he could give him medicine and he would be better in five to seven days or he would just be better in five to seven days. I went and got some saline nose drops and a humidifier but I fell asleep without plugging in the humidifier. Bad Mommy! I think it's okay though because he already sounds better today. The pedi was talking to Sawyer and telling him what a cool name his parents gave him. Sawyer was just smiling away at this total stranger. I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I took some pictures over the last couple of days. This first outfit is from Baby Gap. His cousin Tracy wanted him to have a "preppie" outfit. :) I can't believe how tight its gotten on him in just the past couple of weeks so I thought I'd take some pictures of him in it before he outgrows it! The cap is still too big so he still has some time to wear it. I also wanted to show how big he has gotten since we took pictures of him at the hospital in his A&M onesie.


See what I mean about the hat? :)


I can't get enough of that smile!


Isn't he a cutie? Check out the double chin!


I can't believe how tight this outift has gotten.


This is his half-grin.


I can't wait until he really starts to laugh.


Here's a full-body shot.


What a difference eight weeks makes!


Lorne really fixed up this picture. We both have it on our desktops. He has it on his at work.


Velma sent me this picture. He DOES look like his daddy!

Wake Up Calls

Today was very eye-opening for me. I returned to Weight Watchers to discover that I have...are you ready for this...sixty-two pounds to lose!!! I want to let everyone know that so that I can own up to it and move on. Since I'm a Lifetime member I have until October 9th (Dad's birthday) to get within two pounds of my goal weight. After that I'll have to start paying again. Needless to say I'll have to start paying in October. I went to the Mommy and Me class which Lori leads, but I was kind of hoping to just blend into the background. Lori has been my Leader the whole time. So much for that! Lori told everyone that I was back and reminded them that I was in a Weight Watchers magazine, book, and was literally a poster child. They did an 8x11 poster of me with my before and after pictures and a quote. They sent me a copy. It's really neat. The receptionist told me today that it is still hanging at the Meeting in Arlington. I never got to see it in Plano as I was already pregnant when it came out and was no longer going to meetings. She also had me tell everyone how much weight I lost and the story behind it. I was very embarrassed and all I could think about was how huge I must have looked to everyone there!

Weigh-in is so much different now. Before I wouldn't eat or drink anything until after the noon meeting. I would wear the same exact clothes to weigh-in and bring others to change into. None of that is going to work with Sawyer with me. Not to mention I have to be sure to eat breakfast and drink plenty of fluids while I'm nursing.

I can see how I have that much to lose, though, because I get ten extra points since I'm nursing and even with that I was eight points over today. It's going to be kind of tough since I'm not eating artificial sweeteners. It pretty much adds two or three points to most foods when that isn't included. That's where Flex points come into play. I get thirty-five of those per week. I also returned to Curves today and I get two Activity points for that.

Speaking of Curves, I went for the second time this week. I try and nurse right before I go so that Sawyer will be in good shape while I'm gone. Today I weighed and measured and I weigh just two pounds less than I did when I first joined in March of 2003. I have two more inches to lose as compared to 2003. It took me one year to get to where I was before I got pregnant so I figure that it will take me a year to get back there again. I am discouraged yet encouraged at the same time. I am encouraged and KNOW that I WILL get his weight off, but I am discouraged to think that I have half the weight to lose again. I think that I enjoyed my pregnancy a little too much. It's tough to go to Curves because my before and after pictures are on a poster D'Anna made. She also has a copy of my article in the Weight Watchers book. I'm choosing to use that as inspiration instead of desperation. I'm planning on going to Curves three times a week. It's not like the five or six times I was going, but my priorities have changed somewhat to say the least.


BEFORE: 222 pounds :(


It seems like yesterday I was standing here taking my pregnancy pictures.

I went to a La Leche meeting yesterday. It was quite an experience. I don't want to offend anyone so please don't take my experience the wrong way. There was only one stereotypical "vegetables only eating-hemp wearing-homeschooling-co-sleeping-nursing her three-year-old" mom there. I was expecting that there would be more so I was glad that wasn't the case. There were some moms nursing during the meeting and that was awkward for me too. I'm just still not comfortable enough to do that I don't think. The topic was weaning so I didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked. I may go back next month, though, as they are discussing "The Benefits of Breastmilk." I did talk with a mom named Deanna and she was really nice. I may go back next month to talk with her again. She mentioned that she isn't wanting to nurse her son forever either and that she understood not wanting to nurse in front of strangers. I had to chuckle at a couple of kids who were running around and talking during the meeting and then they would jump up on their mom's laps and nurse for a while and then take off again. It's such a marked contrast from the forty-minute sessions we're having right now. I just feel like if they can ask to nurse they're too old but that is my opinion and my opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Blogger.com. :) I did feel better when two moms were discussing stopping and how emotional that can be. They both began to cry and I could relate to that since we came so close to stopping so soon. One mom mentioned that there is a need for "mourning" when the nursing relationship comes to an end. I'm just hoping to make it to four months at this point since that's probably when we'll be able to start solid foods.

I called to speak with Candy today to schedule my pre and post for tomorrow. She wasn't there but Hayley called back and said that Candy had four consults scheduled and could I come Friday and meet with her. I was frustrated because when I spoke with Candy Monday she didn't have anyone scheduled and said to give her a call Thursday morning. I think I'll call tomorrow morning and see if she can fit me in tomorrow. When I saw Hayley last week she said that she didn't want to tell me anything different and for me to wait and talk with Candy. I think it would make more sense to just wait and meet with Candy again. I'll call tomorrow and see what happens. All I know is that I'm ready to give back the Lactina pump and get back to only pumping twice a day instead of eight.

I'm posting a couple of pics of the little man. I thought I'd play around with the black and white feature:


Here's the grin again for those of you who just can't get enough (myself included!)


Please leave a comment of who you think he looks like...I'm curious about what everyone thinks!

Monday, Monday

It's Monday again. I find it hard to believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. Sawyer is wearing size one diapers now. I commented to Lorne this weekend that they're still kind of big and he needs to hurry up and grow up into them. Lorne replied, "Let him be little, Momma." I am constantly reminded of how precious he is and how he won't be this size for long. I don't know how many of you read the comments, but apparently Mom actually sewed that saying "Cleaning and scrubbing..." and had it in my nursery when I was little. How funny is that? I'm hoping to get it from her, frame it, and put it in his nursery too as a sort of legacy.

I'm typing with Sawyer in his Snugli carrier. The thing really is magic. It knocks him right out! The only problem is now I have almost ten pounds of dead weight to haul around! :)

I talked with Candy my LC today. She said that I could cut back the supplement to half an ounce since he gained eleven ounces in seven days which is above the half ounce to one ounce per day. She also said to increase his nighttime bottle from three ounces to four which I don't understand. We're going back for another pre and post on Thursday. I think that I'm going to stick to what we're doing until Thursday, though, because I don't want him to lose weight. I'm sure she told me that I could cut back because he's getting all but about half an ounce from me. I'm going to be hardheaded and keep doing what we're doing I think.

She told me that it would be okay to return to Curves and Weight Watchers. I can't wait to start doing those things again. I know that Sawyer has caused us to redefine what we consider "normal" around here, but I think that if I can return to those two things it will be good for me. I can bring him to the "Mommy and Me" meeting at WW, but I'll have to leave him with Lorne when I go to Curves, but it will work out fine.

I'm thinking about going to a La Leche League meeting in Plano tomorrow. I don't think that I'll join tomorrow but I thought that I would go and check it out. I'm really wishing that I'd gone to one while I was pregnant. I guess that I just thought that this breastfeeding would be a lot easier than it is. I'm kind of nervous that it's going to be a bunch of women sitting around with their boobs hanging out. If that's the case I'll run to the closest door, but I don't think that will be the case! :) I'll let you know...

I'm posting some pictures from Sawyer's "tummy time" yesterday. They told us at the pediatrician that we needed to do it more because he wasn't holding his head up high enough. I'm not quite sure how they measure that, but whatever! :)


He almost got the smile again!


He is constantly chewing on his arms, hands, and pretty much anything that gets within his grasp these days!


Looks like he's quickly tiring of "tummy time." :)

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!

Now that I have your attention... :)

Sawyer weighs 9 lbs 14.5 ozs! I'm really excited! We went and did another pre and post yesterday. He got 80 cc total. There are 30 cc in one ounce, so he's still shy of the three ounces that he should be getting right now according to his weight. He only got 30 cc total on Wednesday July 27 right after my supply dropped and 70 cc a week ago Friday so things are definitely looking up. Candy had a family emergency so she wasn't there and the consultant that I worked with didn't want to tell me to change anything. She told me to keep doing what I'm doing and wait for Candy to get back and review my chart with me. Long story short we're still nursing, bottle feeding, and pumping after each feeding. This weekend has been nice because Lorne's been here to do the bottle while I pump.

We've kind of changed up the nighttime feeding schedule a bit. Now I'm nursing him around 10:30-midnight and putting him to bed. I was napping from 10:00-12:00 and Lorne was staying up with him until then and feeding him his bottle downstairs. He's waking up around 3:00-4:00 and Lorne's giving him a bottle of formula. Lorne is "on duty" from 9:00-3:00 roughly so the joke around here is that Lorne's been coaching Sawyer on sleeping solidly during his shift because that's what he's been doing. Once my shift starts he's up pretty much every hour from 5:00 until 8:00 when I bring him downstairs. :( At least he's sleeping more in the night; I just wish it was during my shift! :)

We went car shopping yesterday. We went to Blue Goose for lunch and then stopped at a Pontiac dealership in Plano. Lorne wanted to look at and price the G6. He test drove it and I think that he liked it but he wanted to comparison shop with the Camry and the Accord. I nursed for the first time in public while we were there, well, sort of anyway. There were two chairs in the restroom so I took one into the handicap stall and nursed him there while Lorne test drove. It actually worked out really well.

We came home and Lorne went by himself to a Honda dealership in McKinney. I told him not to come home until he had a new car and he just laughed, but he took me seriously because he came home in an Accord! They kept the Camry because they're thinking that they can get more for the trade if someone inspects it on Monday. He looked over the lease of the Camry though and realized that it is a sixty month and not thirty-six like we thought. We're also still okay on the mileage so I'm not sure what he'll do. I told him it's up to him since it's the car he will be driving. I think he's going to return tomorrow and see if they can get the payments where he wants them and if they do he'll keep the Accord. I told him I was sad because I didn't get to tell Miss Camry goodbye. I get really attached to our cars. I get that from my mom! :)

I found this really neat quote in one of my parenting magazines the other day. It was on a needlepoint that a woman's great-grandmother made: "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." It really spoke to me because that's what I have been trying to do. Case in point: last night Lorne noticed that he'd had a pair of socks by the patio door for the last week. He commented that would have never happened before Sawyer was born. I'm taking stuff like that as a good sign. Now that I've said all that I DID finally clean our bathroom today. I hadn't cleaned it since before Sawyer was born and it was DRIVING ME CRAZY!!! It's taking more than one attempt at the shower to get it all clean. Oh well, I do have different priorities now and that is what I am continuing to keep in mind.

Now on to the pictures I promised. I'm going to do separate posts of the Pass the Baby Party, Matthew and Jackie's Housewarming, the Baptism, and the BBQ so that you can peruse them more easily according to event. Have fun!

Pass the Baby Party

I don't know the "official" name of the gathering at Godmother Tammy's house, but we had lots of fun nonetheless!


Sawyer getting cleaned up for his big day. I wanted a picture of him being able to fit into Velma's bathroom sink!


The proud Godmother! She didn't even give me a chance to put down in his carrier before she was getting at him to hold him. Her first words to him were, "I LOVE him!" This was her first time to meet him!


This was such a cute idea! I love seeing his name because we were able to keep it a secret for so long! Aunt Net gave him the blocks as a gift too!


GAT waited so long to see Mr. Sawyer!


What a great couple!


Sawyer loves his bottles!


Aunt Net, Tammy, and Tracy outdid themselves on the menu as usual. We had chicken salad, spinach salad, fruit salad, and garlic toast. It was delish! We took a picture of the table just for you Matthew!


Rachael, GAT, and Mom. I was so glad that Rachael came!


Tracy had this T-shirt made for Mom.


This is my cousin Lorie who has given me invaluable advice throughout my pregnancy and any time I have needed it since then!


The hostesses with the mostesses (is that even a word? :) )

Housewarming Party

Matthew and Jackie had their Housewarming Party Saturday night so that Lorne and I could be there since we were already in town. They bought a very nice house in Needville. It's hard for me to believe that my little brother is old enough to be buying a house. Makes me feel really old... :)



This is a picture Matthew sent me before they moved in.


Sawyer was knocked out for the entire party. Here he is with cousin Brittany. Lorne and I laugh because he slept through all the noise of the party, but he and I whisper to each other when we're alone at home and he wakes up. Go figure!


Jackie's sisters had this cake made for them.


Jackie serving the cake.


Here's where your money for dental bills went Mom! :)


I was having too much fun with my camera at the party, can you tell?

Baptism

Sawyer's baptism was held after the 10:30 mass. He did so well in church. He slept through the entire mass which was surprising because he used to kick me like crazy when I would go to church while I was pregnant with him. Lorne took him during communion and fed him a bottle to tide him over during the baptism. He did great during the baptism too. He did cry when Father Casey poured the Holy Water on his head but I kind of figured that he would do that because he doesn't like to get a shampoo!


Jackie got a great shot of the sprinkling of the Holy Water. See what I mean about him crying?


Lorne and I were married at Holy Cross six years ago to the day. Father Casey even married us so it was such a special day and pretty surreal to be standing at the same altar six years later but now with our son!


What a crew!


The crew plus Nanny and Poppo. We had the baptism in Bay City instead of Wylie so that my grandparents would be able to be there as they don't travel much anymore.


Sawyer, Father Casey, and the Godparents.


Missy got to meet and hold Sawyer for the first time.

Barbecue

The barbecue was the icing on the cake for the weekend so to speak. It was going to be held at Larry and Velma's, but we had such a great turnout that Lorne and I offered to rent the Community Center next door. That worked out really well and I think that everyone had a good time. Larry barbecued the brisket, Mrs. Ellen made the beans, Mom brought the potato salad and barbecue sauce, and Aunt Faye made the cake. It was all so delicious!


Aunt Faye made a half chocolate, half vanilla cake. It was so good! I ate way more than I should have but I just couldn't help myself!


Aunt Faye and the little man.


Velma had her kids at church decorate the tablecloths. They did a great job!


Sawyer and The Godfather. :)


Sawyer with The Godmother.


Lorie spent an entire weekend away from her family so that she could spend it with us. That means a lot to me! It was also her third weekend to travel in the month of July!


Lorne's cousins Darve, Trask, and Shawn. Darve's website is Dad's Cavern which I have a link to on Aggiefamily. Check it out sometime!


Jason, Tara, and their son Nolan. Tara is due any day now. Lorne and Jason worked together at A&M and Tara and I are both Class of 1999 from A&M. We've all kept in touch over the years.


The sixth anniversary gift is iron so I bought the supplies and Dad made Lorne this golf club. Lorne bought me a really nice set of Kitchen Aid knives.


Great Aunt Net was very patient and it finally paid off. She got some well-deserved Sawyer time.


I didn't get a picture of Great Uncle Greg when they came to the house so I wanted to post one here.


The happy couple Matthew and Jackie. We all love Jackie. It's like she's been in our family for years!


Tyron, Lorne, and the cousins with Trask's son Hayden in the Smith's backyard. There's no mistaking that this group is closely related; they're all equally GOOFY!! :)