It's A BOY!!!!

So, Trey and I decided to open the envelope.  I was pretty set on not opening it, but the thought of surprising our parents and families on Christmas with the gender was just too tempting.  I knew that it would be such a fun surprise and very memorable, so we decided to look.  And, we are having a BOY!  I have kind of felt that it was a boy all along, but Trey was pretty sure it was a girl.  We were so excited to find out.  After growing up with a sister and mainly girl cousins, I never imagined myself having 2 boys!  I couldn't be happier, though.  I think it will be fun to watch these two grow up together.  They will be 18 months apart and just one school grade.  I know there will be double trouble ahead :)

Here is how the surprise went down:

 Surprising the Glendye family!!!!

Surprising the Cleveland family!!!

I am actually very excited that we went ahead and found out the gender.  I LOVE surprises, but I am in no way disappointed.  It was still a surprise, and it was so much fun to surprise everyone else with the news.  Now, I am excited to start getting everything ready for this sweet, baby BOY!!!!

Jingle Bells

A Reives Christmas Season

I was not sure how much Little R would "get into" Christmas this year.  I mean, he is still too young to truly understand the meaning of Christmas (even though I tell him), and I know he won't understand Christmas morning or anything.  But, it is really fun to see him "get into" the Christmas decorations.  Every time we walk around the neighborhood, he points out every house that has a wreath, or some type of decoration in the yard.  He points at every Christmas tree wherever we go, and has a certain "word" that he says for "Christmas tree."  It sounds absolutely nothing like "Christmas tree," but he says the same thing every time.  His "word" has the same number of syllables as "Christmas tree."  Needless to say, it is really cute!

Little R has been up to a few Christmas activities.  He helped/watched me make Christmas cookies and enjoyed eating them.  He helped us pick out our Christmas tree, and he put one ornament on to decorate :)  He sat outside with us by the fire pit one night while we roasted marshmallows.  He is amazed at the fire, which he calls "ha" for "hot."  We have been to see Santa, and Little R did better than I thought.  He didn't cry or act scared of Santa, but he didn't seem to like Santa either.  He just kind of sat there and looked around like, "What are you people doing to me?"  Yesterday, we went over to my aunt and uncle's house to make Christmas cookies with my cousins.  This is an annual tradition that has been going on for years.  Little R loved walking around the kitchen, trying to pick up the dropped red hots, chocolate chips, and sprinkles.  He also enjoyed eating some of our sugar cookies :)  We also plan on pushing Little R around the neighborhood in his car one night this week so he can look at all of the lights!

I wish I had more pictures of Little R doing some of these various activities, but it seems I never have my camera right with me when the moment arises.  Getting pictures of Little R is SO DIFFICULT these days as he is constantly on the go and is one very busy, little boy.  On a different note, we had Little R's 15 month appointment yesterday.  This has definitely been our most difficult appointment so far.  Little R was so scared of the doctor and cried through the whole exam :(  He also had a meltdown after his 4 shots :(  It took me forever to calm him down....poor little guy.  But I mean, honestly, wouldn't you be sort of mad if someone unexpectedly jabbed 4 needles into your leg muscles???  He is weighing in at a whopping 26.6 lbs (79th %) and is 32.? inches (89th %) for his height.  (I left his new growth chart printout at the dr. office.)  He is definitely a growing little boy and eats a ton of food....I mean a whole lot of food!!!  If he sees anyone else eating food, he whines and fusses and begs for some too.  This has proven to be quite amusing and embarrassing at times while we are out in public :)

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some Christmas pictures this week, but here is a picture of Little R sitting with Santa:

15 Months

Well, we now have a 15 month old!  The "toddler" phase that Little R is now in, gets more and more interesting everyday.  Many of my friends who don't get to see Little R that often ask me about his personality.  It is so fun to see his little personality emerging :)  Overall, I would describe Little R as a happy little guy.  For the most part, he is pretty easy going and is not very high maintenance.  But, he is a very active and busy toddler.  He likes to stay busy and is constantly on the go!  He is getting more opinionated by the day, and he definitely lets us know when he wants something!!!  Although he has a stubborn streak, he is super sweet and cuddly, and he loves to give us hugs and kisses all throughout the day.  Playing outside still seems to be his favorite activity.  However, he also loves going for walks, going to the grocery store, and going out to eat (at relatively quick places...his favorite is Chik fil A).  He is still very into books and is constantly bringing us his favorite books for us to read to him.  His favorite toys change, but he consistently likes to play with sticks and bark in the back yard and also likes to try and eat them when I am not looking.  Speaking of eating, Little R is a true boy....hungry and wanting to eat ALL OF THE TIME these days!  He will point and whine at the pantry when he wants a snack, which is alot of the time :)

Here are some other things going on at 15 months:

-Little R has added "Gigi" (for Trey's mom), "titta" (for tickle), "huhuhu" (for Ho Ho Ho), "Nana" (my grandmother), "boomboom" (for balloon) and "Wawa or Lala" (for Aunt Laura) to his vocabury.  It is so cute to see him try to pronounce words.

-Little R is still drinking milk from his bottles because he refuses to drink it from a sippy cup...oh well :)

-When he hears music, Little R stomps one foot and sways back and forth from side to side....too cute....I'll try to get a video soon!

-He is obsessed with a singing Christmas bear that his Aunt Carolyn gave him last year for Christmas.  He constantly makes it sing and dances to the song it plays, "Jingle Bells."

-Little R is also very into snow globes.  He always points at them and wants us to make them "snow" and play.

-His favorite foods right now are pretty much any type of cracker or cookie, green beans, bananas, and cheese grits.

-We think Little R is getting either his one year molars or his eye teeth.  I don't know which it is, but the poor little guy has been fussy, fussy the past few days :(  He is constantly chomping on his hand....I hope they hurry up and come in.  He still has just 8 teeth (the front top 4 and the front bottom 4).

-Little R could really care less about TV, which I consider a good thing.  He is too busy to watch any type of cartoon or video!!!

Here are some pictures...action shots are all I can get these days:

25 Weeks...

Whew...this pregnancy is literally flying by.  In just a little over 3 months, Baby Glendye #2 is expected to make his or her appearance.  We still have not peeked in our envelope, and I think we are leaning towards not peeking.  Every time that I think about peeking, I cannot bring myself to do it.  I just LOVE surprises, and I am not ready for the surprise of the baby's gender to be over.  We'll see, though :)

Nothing too much has changed, except that my belly is finally showing.  Strangers are asking me when I am due, and the youth at church are telling me that I am getting fat!  I guess that is a good thing?!?  This baby moves around a good bit, and I am pretty sure that he or she is head down most of the time.  I feel his/her hiccups ALOT in the lower part of my belly, and I feel kicks and punches up near my ribs already.

I try to show Little R my belly and tell him that there is a baby in there.  He just touches my belly, smiles really big and cute, and then he goes on about his business.  He has no clue, but I am talking to him about it anyways.

Here is a 25 week picture:

Here is a picture of me at 26 weeks when I was pregnant with Reives....I think it is fun to compare:

I think I am definitely showing faster this time, and I definitely like summer maternity clothes better than winter ones!

Animal Sounds

For Little R's first birthday, he received alot of farm animal things....toys, books, and puzzles.  He loves reading his farm animal books, and he is trying really hard to make the animal sounds like we do.  So far, he has only mastered the sheep sound, and he constantly walks around saying "baa-baa."  The other sound he consistently tries to make is the cow sound.  However, instead of saying "moo," he says "boomba!"  It cracks us up.  Here is a little video of him making his sounds.  As you can see, he is a little preoccupied and very busy, but you can still hear him making the sounds:

Baby Thomas

Little R is blessed with two wonderful pediatricians.  We use Coastal Pediatrics in Savannah.  I said two pediatricians because he sees both of the pediatricians in the practice, Dr. Dudley Stone and Dr. Melissa Behm.  We have been so so pleased with both of them and their entire practice.  Everyone in the office is warm and friendly, and there is a Bible verse painted on the wall right when you walk in.  I feel that we have received wonderful medical care there, and I could just go on and on.

At Little R's 6 month checkup, we found out that Dr. Behm was expecting her first baby in November.  She told me that she was having a boy, and was beaming as any expectant mother would be.  A few weeks ago, however, I learned that her little boy had a severe heart defect and would have to have an emergency surgery shortly after his birth.  Dr. Behm delivered her little boy, Thomas, about 3 weeks ago in Atlanta.  He was born with hypoplastic left heart, a very serious heart condition that requires several surgeries.  Thomas passed away after the first surgery when he was 14 days old.  You can read about his journey at:

 http://weheartthomas.blogspot.com/

This blog and the story of Thomas' life has touched so many people.  A friend of mine, who attended Thomas' funeral yesterday, said that they mentioned at the service that 70,000 people have viewed the blog.  Dr. Behm has opened up her heart and life to all of us, and I am truly amazed at her faith and strength through this time.  Please continue to keep her and her husband, TJ, in your prayers.  I know that Thomas' life has touched more people in his 14 days than they could ever imagine.  Be sure to have a box of tissues ready if you take the time to read the blog.  You will be truly touched and blessed if you do.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend with "The Cleveland" family.  It was so wonderful to see all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my dad's side of the family.  Trey, Little R, and I headed to Newnan on Wednesday afternoon and spent the night with my cousin, Wayne, and his family.  On Thursday, the rest of the family came to Newnan to celebrate Thanksgiving there.  We had a delicious meal and spent the day visiting, relaxing, and having fun.  Here are some pics:

 Little R and his cousin, Clay

 4 wheeler time

 Little R LOVED the trampoline

Family photo

I am disappointed that I did not get more pictures, but that is what happens when you are chasing around a 1 year old all day:)  It would have been fun to have gotten a big group shot.

On Friday, we headed to Climax, GA (yes....the name of the town is Climax) for the weekend.  Our family has a place there called "Covey Rise" or "The Pond."  We recently added on a huge, screened in, front porch.  This was a desperately needed addition as the family has gotten so large that the cabin is very cramped with people, food, and stuff.  We spent most of our time on the porch, and it was a great place to contain a very curious little boy!

 Little R and Grammie on the swing

 Trey, Little R, and Anna Christine on the dirt hill

 All the guys before their Friday evening hunt.  The youngest boy, Hunter, is 5.  He and my dad shot at the same buck on Friday night.  The deer ran off, and they could not find it when they looked for it.

Beautiful sunset over the pines.

On Saturday, we headed to the annual "Swine Time Parade."  The parade has gotten very small, but we still attend in order to hang on to tradition.  There is a craft festival that follows.  The main thing that I look forward to each year is the Kettle Corn...yum yum!  After Swine Time, we headed back to "The Pond" and listened to the UGA vs. GT game.  It was a good one....GO DAWGS!  That night we celebrated my dad's birthday!  Happy Birthday, Daddy!

 The gang anxiously awaiting the Swine Time Parade

 Woohoo!

 The swines themselves...

 Listening to the Dawgs win...

 Trey and Shane on the roof trying to fix the TV connection

 This made me nervous...

 Daddy with his three sisters and great niece and great nephew

 Aunt Chris reading to Little R

Cuddle time!

On Sunday, we packed up to head home :)  But not without a little more play time on the porch with someone's favorite rocking chair...

Then, as we were literally about to get  in the car to leave, my cousin, Melanie came running up to the pond house.  She and her family had gone walking back in the property and found the big buck that Hunter (her son) and my dad shot at on Friday night.  It was dead in the woods.  After a careful "investigation" of the wound, it was determined that Hunter was the one who actually shot the deer.  He was one excited 5 year old!!

I am very very blessed for such a wonderful family.  Although we do not get to see each other that often, we are all very close and have such a blast when we are together.  I am so thankful to Grandmama and Grandaddy for the wonderful foundation and legacy that they left for all of us!

4 Wheeler

We spent Thanksgiving day in Newnan with "The Cleveland Family"..... my dad's side of the family.  We had such a great time visiting with family that we only get to see once every year or two.  Reives had a blast being around all of his cousins, and he especially enjoyed getting ride this:

Thanks Brad and Clay for sharing your "4 wheeler."  Little R loved learning to ride it :)

(More Thanksgiving pictures and stories coming soon....)

14 Months

On 11/11, Little R turned 14 months!  It is still so hard to believe how old he is getting.  Here are some things going on with him right now:

-We are finally back to a nap schedule...woohoo!  We have made the transition from 2 naps to 1 nap.  He usually goes down for his nap between 11:30 and 12:00 and will sleep 2-3 hours.  I miss being able to meet up with Trey or other friends for lunch, but I know in the next few months, his nap will get pushed back some.
-Little R is saying "banana," "Daddy," "Grandaddy," and "Mama" on a regular basis.  He still speaks a lot of gibberish.
-He is obsessed with the great outdoors, and would rather be playing outside than doing anything else.
-He has started clasping his hands together from time to time when we say the blessing.
-His favorite foods are currently saltine crackers, yogurt, and oatmeal.
-Little R can crawl all of the way up the stairs and can walk down the stairs while holding your hand.  (This is only done under supervision of course.  Otherwise, the gates at the top and bottom of the stairs are closed at all times!)
-His favorite game to play is "Kaboom."  I think his Grammie made this game up.  Basically, you stack things, he knocks them over, you say "Kaboom," and he laughs hysterically.  Lately, he has started to try and stack his own things to knock over.
-Little R is very into books.  The first thing he does every morning, after drinking his milk, is go grab a book for you to read him.  It is so sweet that he wants to cuddle in your lap while you read to him :)


Here are some recent pictures:

I am also going to post a video of him "playing" this morning in his Christmas PJ's:

22 Weeks

Yesterday, I hit 22 weeks!!!  The bump has grown a little bit, and this little baby is really moving around. I feel him/her moving alot when I wake up in the middle of the night, but he/she also moves all throughout the day.  I can't tell if this baby moves more or less than Reives did.  So far, the movement seems about the same.  I go back to the doctor in about 2 weeks for my next check up.

I think it is finally starting to sink in that we are going to have another little baby around here in a few short months.  One of my close friends here, Sarah, has a newborn, and being around Sarah and Claire (her baby) has gotten me really excited about this little one on the way.  There is alot to be done between now and then....move Reives into his new room, get furniture for Reives' new room, pick out a double stroller, possibly get a new car, etc. etc.  It seems overwhelming at times, but we know it will all come together!  Here is the baby bump:

1st Hair "Trim"

I am so thankful that my son has pretty hair.  I mean, if he were a girl, I'd be having some serious hair fun.  But, since God gave us a little boy with great hair, we decided to go ahead and get a "trim."  Now, I know you have all seen those precious curls on my son's head.  I have heard horror stories of hair dressers cutting them too short and them never growing back.  I think this is the reason I have put off the 1st hair cut for so long.  But since Little R's bangs were constantly in his eyes and when wet, his hair was past the top of his shoulders, we decided it was time.  I love my hair dresser, Tabitha, and I totally trusted that she would not cut the curls too short, but I still gave very specific directions.  She probably thought I was that CRAZY, CONTROL-FREAK MOTHER (probably true at times) that none of us want to be.

Little R was not too crazy about sitting still, so I ended up holding him.  He still was not crazy about sitting still, but we managed to get through it.  Tabitha saved some of his hair for me, and Trey keeps telling me that you can't even tell he got it cut.  I quickly inform him that is the way I wanted it!  His bangs are a bit shorter, but thankfully, all of the curls are still intact and cuter than ever!

Love Notes

Yesterday morning, when Little R and I went downstairs to eat breakfast, we discovered some love notes left by Daddy.  I had one on my placemat, and Little R had one on his high chair.  I told Little R what it was, and he smiled at it.  I snapped a few pics of him "playing" with it before we ate breakfast.  We love you, too, Daddy!!!

 "Hmm...Daddy left me a note..."

 "I have the best Daddy in the world!"

 "Here is a close up so you can read what it says..."

"Enough already!  Where is my breakfast?"

Up, Up, and Away...

For Little R's birthday, Trey's parents got him a swing set.  They did not go out and purchase one, however.  G-Pa built one for him, and Little R LOVES it!  Trey and his dad finally cemented it into the ground last week, and on Saturday, Trey put the swings in.  We currently have 2 swings, but there is a spot for a 3rd swing.  Little R likes LOVES, I mean LOVES, his new swing set!  We have been in the backyard swinging for long periods of time everyday this week.

On Saturday, when Trey was installing the swings, I had a major "mommy" moment.  You know, one of those moments that just melts your heart.  Little R "insisted" that he play outside in the 40 degree weather and wind on Saturday morning while Trey put the swings up.  At one point, I peeked out in the backyard from an upstairs window and witnessed such a sweet sight.  Trey was scooping the excess dirt and shoveling it into a bucket.  After each shovel of dirt went in, Little R took his plastic golf club and hit the dirt with it, like he was patting it down.  It was so cute to watch him trying to help Daddy out there!!

 Daddy's big helper

 Enjoying the swing (yes, in his footie PJ's with shoes over them)

Thank you, G-Pa and GG!  I LOVE my swing set :)