Five, Six, Seven, Eight!

Okay, so as most of you know I am WAY behind on my blogging, but I don't want to give it up! I feel like the past few months have just FLOWN by and we haven't had time to breathe. Things are still rocking right along at the Hall house, and we are learning how to juggle residency, work, and family time. Here are a few tidbits of Barrett for the last few months.

Five Months Old!!
Barrett - you are now Five Months Old!! I know I say this every month, but we can hardly believe how fast you are growing. You are just the most WONDERFUL baby with such a little personality. You definitely keep us laughing - and on our toes! This was a fun and exciting month for you, as you discovered many new things about yourself. You seem to be growing and changing right before our very eyes.

- This was your second full month of daycare and you seem to have adjusted beautifully. You love your teachers and are very tired at the end of each day, which means you must be having fun!
- You are eating about seven times each day and taking a bottle at daycare. I am so thankful that it has worked out so well for us.

- Your favorite toys are Sophie, the little music box, and your ball. We also carry the bunny with us in case of emergency. You think he is just hilarious! You love to play and laugh with Mommy and Daddy

 - Sleeping gets better with time. You usually go to sleep between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. and then wake up at 1 a.m. and then again at 4 a.m. before getting up for the day at 6:30 or 7. I think you would have done a little better if not for the itchy rash on your face.

- Naptime is still one of your least favorite things - there is just so much to do!! :)

- You are a true joy. We can definitely see your budding personality with each day. You are a baby who loves action and loves to be on the move! It is a blessing to be able to spend each day with you and watch you grow.

Six Months Old!
 - You had your second trip to Texas and first trip to Oklahoma during your six month birthday!
 - We had you dedicated at God's House with all of your grandparents and aunt Nancy there to be a part of your special day. It is such a privilege to be your Mommy and Daddy and we pray that you will walk with God all the days of your life.
- You started eating veggies shortly after we returned home from Texas. So far, you have tried avocado, green beans, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Your favorite foods are Baby Mum Mum crackers, oatmeal, and peach puffs.
- You have learned to sit up all by yourself and are such a "big boy" in so many ways!
- You are scooting in circles now and it will not be long until you are moving everywhere you want to go.
- We have had a rough time sleeping lately, and I think it is largely due to all of the developmental changes that you are making. Your face is so much clearer now, so we think that is going to help tremendously with your sleeping habits. We'll keep working on it and hopefully you can add sleeping through the night to your list of accomplishments very soon!!
- You are a VERY active little guy and happy to entertain anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of your audience.
- Your favorite toys this month are definitely your bongos, Sophie the giraffe, and your spinning rattle.
- We are just so blessed to have you in our lives! It has been so much fun to watch you grow and develop into such a wonderful little baby. We are trying to soak up every minute with you and enjoy each phase because we know the time passes so quickly. Barrett - we LOVE you!

Seven Months Old
- Your sixth month was very busy with lots of growing and changing!
- You are practically crawling now and scooting almost everywhere you want to go.
- You seem to get a little frustrated when you cannot get there instantly, but you are moving so fast, that it will not be long until you figure out how to run faster than we can catch you!
- We have added new foods this month, including bananas and squash.
- You started to crawl on June 13th, and pulling up to standing the next day! I found you in your crib standing straight up - you haven't slowed down since.
- We love your sweet smile and your busy boy spirit!
- Teething has quickly a "sport" and you are cutting several at the same time! Your bottom tooth appeared and then another quickly made itself visible. It has been a little trying with your sleeping habits, but you improve with each week, so we are just going to keep on trucking!
- We celebrated the July 4th holiday with your first parade in downtown Jonesborough, a cookout with our neighbors, and then a quick dinner with our friends at Brian and Taryn's house. You and Ellie Moss enjoyed playing together and had so much fun!
- Your favorite toys are the little book from Great Grandma, your laptop, the Leap Frog Table, the bongos, and your race car

Eight Months Old
- WOW!!! We can hardly believe that you are already eight months old!!
- You are crawling and pulling up like a champ and Mommy and Daddy have a hard time keeping up with you!
- The little rash on your face is all clear! Thanks to our sweet friend Dr. Shelbi and her advice, you are a much happier baby now that we have the itching under control.
- You are eating five times a day and have cereal and fruit/veggies with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I keep trying to make some homemade baby food, but so far, it has not happened. Our schedule is pretty packed, and not getting home until 6 p.m. most nights makes that a little challenging too! Pretty soon, you will be eating solids and we won't need the "baby food."
- Your favorite foods by far are graham crackers, puffs, and little crunchies
- You LOVE your Daddy!!! Every afternoon when he comes home, you are so thrilled to see him.

- Favorite toys this month have stayed the same - the little book in the car, race car, and stacking cups seem to be the new favorites

 - One of your most recent developments is clapping!! You can clap your hands when we say "yeah" and when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know it"

- Your voice has also made its debut and you like to "talk" and "sing" to everyone we meet

March Madness

I know it is April now, but I have only one word to describe the month of March - MADNESS!! It has been a great while since my last post, and I don't even know where to begin! We are still learning how to navigate this two working parent lifestyle, but we are amazingly blessed and absolutely loving it!!

Ryan worked almost every weekend in March, so it was a pretty tough schedule for him. Barrett and I kept ourselves busy by eating and sleeping and just living life. He learned to roll over and even started eating cereal. The kid LOVES it!

I did lots of shopping at consignment sales and I think it may be my new hobby! It is such a great way to find gently used toys, clothes, and books. I picked up some great toys at GREAT prices and a few little items of clothing to round out Barrett's extensive wardrobe. :)

We are starting to see more and more of his personality every day and it is just so much fun! Barrett is definitely full of personality and so much joy. Because I don't have many other things to report, I will leave you with a few snapshots from March.

Barrett loving his Jumperoo

Wild man - turned upside down when he was sleeping!

Baby Buckaroo

Eating cereal for the first time

Happy Man!

Family pic at the March Madness party

Such a handsome little guy

Watching some basketball with Dad

My Future's So Bright...

I gotta wear shades!!

I found these sunglasses on one of my favorite websites last week - http://www.babysteals.com/ and knew that Barrett just HAD to have them! Surprisingly, he doesn't mind wearing them just yet.

Blog posting has been a bit of a challenge lately, due to our busy schedules and just trying to manage our daily life. I will post something more meaningful when I can, but for now - enjoy this pic of our little dude!

Four Months

Sweet Barrett - WOW! I can hardly believe you are Four Months Old!! Life with you seems to get better every day. We have had a really exciting month. From your first airplane trip and visit to Texas to your first experience with day care, I am just so proud of the big boy you are becoming. You have the most wonderful personality, with sweet smiles and songs to go along. Just being your mommy is a complete joy! One of my favorite moments was in the car last week when you didn't even know I was listening - you were "singing" to your bunny on the way to school. You have a very sweet disposition and you are a very active little boy! I always say that you "want to be big" but please remember to stay our baby for a little while. We are trying to soak in every minute that we can because we know that it won't be like this for long. Here are some of your monthly accomplishments:

• You wear size 3-6 month clothes and a size 2 diaper
• You are eating about 7-8 times a day, every 2.5 to 3 hours and taking a bottle at daycare. I am so proud that you are taking your bottles so well!
• Sleep has been a bit of a challenge this month, due to your little face itching - but that is getting so much better. When you feel good, you sleep all night or almost all night. You go to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. and are up for the day between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. The hours in between are variable, but I'll take it!
• Your favorite toys are your bunny, your ball, your linkys and Sophie Giraffe
• You love to chew on your hands or anyone else's hands that are in close proximity
• Singing songs in the morning is also one of your favorite activities - We always sing "Rise and Shine," "Good Morning to You," and "This is the Day" to get our day started and you just love it! 
•  Story time at night is also one of your favorite activities. So far, your favorite books are Llama Llama Red Pajama, Goodnight Moon, amd Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
• You just LOVE your Daddy!!
• Everyone comments on what a sweet and handsome boy that you are. We sure think so too! Your sweet smiles and laughter just melt our hearts.
• You are still a very strong boy and can roll over from tummy to back sometimes. It will not be long before you are rolling over both ways and we are running to catch you!

Here are your monthly growth stats:

Weight: 14 lb. 15 oz. (50th percentile)

Height: 25 in. (75th percentile)

We just love you so much little man!

Week Two

Whew!! I just completed my second week back to work. So far, it is still going well. I enjoy the interaction with my co-workers and volunteers and I think the social aspect is good for little Barrett too. There are moments when I wonder if I am doing the right thing and the best thing for our family, but for now, I feel like this is God's provision for our lives. As with everything in my life, I can see His hand guiding every step - from me having such a wonderful and understanding place to work to our day care, God has really orchestrated some wonderful things.

While things are fun right now, they are also pretty exhausting for all of us. Case in point:

My sweet boys were just wiped out after a full day at work and school!

I feel like I am learning so much in this season of life. Every day truly is a blessing! I have to be much more intentional now with my time because every minute counts! There is no such thing as procrastination anymore, it is simply a question of whether it will get accomplished or not.

All in all, it has been a wonderful two weeks. We are all loving our new routine!

However, let's keep it real - the house is a disaster, I haven't cooked in over a week, and the dogs are lucky just to get fed everyday...

Back to Work

So, this week was the return of the Big W. Work that is, for me. I really wasn't sure how to approach this new change in our lives, but have been blessed with a wonderful job and fantastic boss and co-workers, so we at least needed to try it out.

March 1st was my first day back and it turned out to be an adventure all its own. I had to take B to the doctor that morning for some skin issues and had to keep him out of day care, so he got to go to work with Mom on her first day!!

The first full day of day care was really March 2nd and he handled it like a champ!! His day care is only five minutes from my office, which is super convenient. I get to drop him off, go back a few hours later to feed him during my lunch break, and return a few hours later to drive home. Our first week has been a tremendous success. The ladies at the day care just love Barrett and he has been totally exhausted at the end of the day.

I have really enjoyed being back to work as well. My biggest surprise has been my own efficiency. I am amazed at how much I can actually accomplish during the day (and the evening too.) It seems like now every minute has a purpose! My job is very rewarding and my co-workers are some of the best people around. I also have a new appreciation for working parents everywhere!! (And stay-at-home parents too!!)

We are so very blessed that the Big W has turned out so well for us! We thank you all for your prayers and thoughts abour returning to work - and we'll keep you posted!

Barrett's First Trip

A little over two weeks ago, Barrett had one of his biggest firsts - A trip to Texas!! We are so blessed that we have such a wonderful family and friends who love him so much. Because of Ryan's work schedule, he had to stay behind this time, but Barrett and I did not want to miss out on a trip before I returned to work. So, on February 17, we loaded up and made the big trip. I will say, for at least a month prior to the trip, I was SO NERVOUS! Flying alone with a baby is not for the faint of heart. However, Barrett was an absolute champ and we made it to Texas without incident.

We started out our trip meeting this guy in the airport! These two seem to just love each other - as evidenced by many photos from the weekend. I just know this is a special relationship in the making. There are all kinds of fun memories to be made!

Barrett got to meet all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins - even little Preslee! They just loved each other right from the start. It will be so much fun to see them at Christmas time next year.

With cousin Hilary and Preslee

With Grandma and Aunt Cindy

We got to see nearly everyone from our wonderful family and a few VERY special friends too!

PeeWee and Duke just had to get in on the action

Barrett even had his first visit to Aunt Nancy's class to meet some VERY special friends!

They were all so excited  to meet the little guy they had heard so much about.



Loving on his Grammy



Can you tell he's a proud Grandpa?

Grandma just loves this baby!!

All of this visiting has worn me out!!

Cindy and Lexie

Uncle Robert

Aunt Kathy

Cousins Carly and Carson

Sweet hugs from Aunt Ade

Love from Aunt Ade and Brent

Bath Time!!

We also got to spend some wonderful time with one of my oldest best friends, Courtney and her baby girl Harper. It was SO much fun to catch up and talk about life as a new mom!! We are so blessed to have such a special friendship.

Ryan's Aunt Donna came to visit!

Visiting with his Nanna Debbie

Aunt Val 

Saying "hi" to Dad! 

Sadly, after a few days, it was time to leave some of our favorite people and return home. I think our return trip was one of our most interesting adventures. Nancy and Grandma took us to the airport. After saying our goodbyes and shedding a few tears, we learned that our flight was delayed, causing us to miss our connection back to Tri-Cities. We decided to book a later flight out of Dallas and try to get home on the 10:00 p.m. flight leaving Atlanta. I was one unhappy mama to learn that they refused to book me on a flight the following day, but it was my only option. We made a stop at Braum's - YUM! - where we could all get something to eat. Thankfully my parents have a car that is big enough for stretching out, so little Barrett could have some play time while we waited. We went back over to the airport and said our goodbyes and shed tears a SECOND time. I went through security and found my gate, only to find that this flight was...DELAYED!! I called Nancy and told her to pull over because it looked like we were going back to Mabank.  There was NO gate agent available, so I found an exit to get back to the ticket counter. The line was 25 people deep and going nowhere fast. At this point, I had a sleeping baby in my arms and was standing in line for almost 30 minutes when I realized that I too was in the wrong line. I decided to ask a mom with a stroller in the next line what she was waiting on. Fortunately, she gave me a phone number and they had us booked on a flight for the next day in about five minutes!

All in all, it wasn't too bad because we got to spend one more night with my parents, but I would have much preferred not to waste five hours in a car and the airport. We finally made it home to Tennessee and were SO grateful that we had the opportunity (and the guts) to take our first trip to Texas. We just can't wait until the next time when Ryan can go with us too!