Pictures

Warning: lots of pictures.

I am aware that using a slideshow would probably be better, but I'm just not that savvy and this seemed quicker to me. Reid had his 1-year pictures, and the session DID NOT go well! The photographer was wonderful, but Reid was not himself. Turns out he was getting a tooth, and this one was hardest on him yet.


This is how Reid was for about 55% of the pictures. For 40%, he was crawling away from the photographer and banging on the backdrop. She had to be thinking, "if he breaks that, you are going to pay for it..." I was at a loss as to what to do.


Turns out a little Mommy-love went a long way. I know it looks like we're Frenching, but I assure you he is the only one using tongue. Very slobbery, but it's such a sweet phase!

Somehow, Kim Maye was able to get some great pictures out of a horrible photo session, so here are the rest (the other 5% for you math geeks):

#1

Happy First Birthday, Reid!

It's hard to believe he's a year old already. He's such a comedian, always smiling and trying to make you laugh. He's so sweet, even though he's such a mess. Just today, he broke a vase, spilled a drink, emptied my pots/pans drawer, threw his food all over the floor twice (after saying "Uh-oh!"), dumped brother's toy basket out, got in the garbage, emptied an almost-full box of Kleenex, and I can't remember what else... I guess he's just really curious!


Last year at 7:20 in the morning, he wasn't very happy. I thought I was going to have a really serious/whiny baby on my hands. Turns out he's extremely happy, just has a "bit" of a temper!



After he finally settled down, he showed his true nature: content.


Big brother has loved him from the beginning, and Reid has completely returned that love. They are so sweet together--except when John hits him in the head with a wooden spoon, or Reid whacks John across the back and yells, "Noo--ooooo!" (Um, yes, we are from the south, and No is a 2-syllable word)

Right now, I am wondering how in the world I will get this bottle away from him. But, of course, I know I will in time--just 3 months ago I was wondering how on earth I was going to wean him to the bottle because I was running out of milk. (Poor little guy is already getting the middle-kid treatment because baby sister took his milk away!) At least he has his trusty blanket--no beddy-by without that!

I was wondering when he would walk, because he has been standing on his own for weeks now. John walked at 10 months, and I just knew Reid would too, if for no other reason than to keep up with big brother. And a week and a half ago, he took his first steps!

I had to put this pic in here, because I want to remember that Reid was Chicken Little. No, I don't make his hair do that. There's no goop in his hair, and it's not cut that way. It's not static. I really don't know why it does this, but I have very recently come up with a theory. When Rob bathes him, he poors the water right over his head, many times from front to back. Since it grows toward the front, and he has a double-crown, I think that's what makes it stand up. But hey--no complaints, because John didn't have much hair at all on his first birthday! And only a little more--mostly in the back--on his second!

Sweet little smiley-boy! I love you so much and can't imagine life without you!!!

It's a...

GIRL!!! Haha! Who would have guessed? Apparently not very many readers of this blog. I sort of had an inkling (I promise--ask Rob). But I refused to tell anyone, because so many people had said things like, "Awww..maybe it's a girl this time" or "I hope it's a girl...for your sake." And I was so afraid that if I shared my gut-feeling, and then it turned out to be a boy, I would have a whole load of sympathizers who would think I was in mourning.


I wouldn't have mourned, but Rob and I are both excited that we have a new challenge. And John is beside himself--ready to buy pink. Poor child wants someone in this house to be girly. Know what he wanted Reid to wear for Halloween? A flower costume. Next October, I won't have to say no to him. Yay!

Just in case anyone is wondering, my friend Amber was totally right about how to conceive a girl. I looked for her post, but it is apparently so old that it is archived away. It's called the Shettles method--the further before ovulation, the greater chance it is a girl. I tried that method with Reid, and never could get pregnant. So, I quit the planning and scheming--and got pregnant the first month. At the time, I just figured God didn't want me to have a girl. Now, I know He just wanted me to have Reid first, and then a girl! If anyone is wondering how far before ovulation you need to do the deed, try my way--so far away that you actually shouldn't get pregnant. That's right. We weren't trying. There was a 0% chance. Oh, I'm sure it's 0.000_something, but it's a really low chance. We were trying NOT to, but I wasn't on the pill because I had such a problem keeping my milk. Yeah, so there's another thing--I was nursing. SOOoooooo. My suggestion is to try NOT to conceive, and nurse a baby, and then you'll get a girl! It's called the God-method.