Your First Holidays!

Hi love!!!

You had your first Thanksgiving!!! We went to your Great Grandma Pat's house and ate lunch there... There is always so much food - it's impossible to not leave miserable. You just had baby food and then we gave you some jello with mashed marshmallows Stephen made. You loves it. Afterwards, we went to GG's and just visited. Everyone absolutely loves to shower you with attention and lots of hugs and kisses! It was a great day! Ma was feeling good, Uncle Dave was in town for the weekend...it was just as perfect as it gets! Even the weather! 70 degrees!!! Mama and you went out and shopped Friday morning around ten! I just wanted to get you a Fisher Price basketball hoop and I figured the Black Friday craziness would be over by then. Daddy was working so we just hung out all day...we shopped, met David and Sheena for lunch, and then just relaxed at home! The rest of the weekend was spent Christmas decorating! We did Ma and Poppy's tree... It is so incredibly wonderful Ma is doing as great as she is doing! I thank God everyday that we get to spend Christmas as a family and I hope and pray there will be plenty more after this. I pray this chemo is our miracle!!! We decorated our house today...in a Lathan-proof fashion! :) Ornaments half way up the tree, garland places out of reach, no glass ANYTHING anywhere you can reach it. It still looks great. Our Christmas lights light up the entire block....none of our neighbors put up lights so we really stand out. I love it though. So do you!!! You are in such awe of everything...you just stare out the window at the lights, you run up to the tree and "pat" it, you love the Santa window clings, etc etc. You're just so much fun!!!

Your back molars have popped through. You continue to drool like crazy though... Everything goes in your mouth. I am not sure when you will walk; you love crawling a lot and crawl super fast! I'm not sure if you are going to give it up anytime soon. Four nights in a row you have slept all night!!! (You're currently fighting sleep though so we will see if that streak continues tonight.) Once we have mastered that, we will work on your crib. Mama really would like her own pillow back!!! You won't even think about sleeping in your own bed though, you just want to cuddle with us...and boy do you cuddle!!! As much as I love it and I love you...it would be nice to have you sleep in your own bed.

I've had four days off with you and I am already getting depressed about going back to work. I hate working and sending you to daycare. I miss you all day and I think about you all the time - I wonder what you're doing, if they're being nice to you, if they're giving you the love and attention that you deserve. I would do anything to stay home with you everyday. I cherish all my nights and weekends with you and envy every mother that gets to stay home with their bundles of joy.

I love you Lathan Rush!

You are almost ten months!!  I wish I could slow the time down...I am not ready for my baby to be such a big boy! :( 

Your first Thanksgiving will be this Thursday...I am super excited for the holidays this year.  Your daddy  has been working hard on putting up all the Christmas lights; we know that you are going to be in awe of all the bright colors and everything that Christmas brings with it.  I am kind of worried what you will do to our Christmas tree though... :)

As I explained in the last post...you were on Amoxicillin for the double ear infection you were diagnosed with.  You had completed six days worth and we came home Friday evening after daycare and you had a few spots on your face and under your chin.  Within a few hours your poor little body was COVERED!  It was horrible looking.  We immediately gave you Benadryl and called into the Ask A Nurse - they directed us to take you to the Express Care so we did.  The doctor there explained that some kids break out in a rash just because of the Amoxicillin; he wasn't sure if that were the case or if this was an actual allergic reaction the medicine.  He directed us to stop it immediately and prescribed you Prednisone (steroids) to clear up the reaction.  Let me tell you something...Prednisone is not the ideal drug for babies you want to sleep.  It has made you so incredibly hyper! You will be so tired and just crying because you are exhausted but your poor little body will just not slow down.  Today was your 4th dose of steroids and the spots still have not cleared up; Lance took you back to the pediatrician to have you looked at.  Dr. Parr thinks that it is the virus itself that was allergic to the Amoxicillin and until the mini-virus you have clears up...the spots willl not go away.  Poor poor baby.  You had your second Flu Shot and then he took you back to daycare! 

Your auntie is having her third little girl the end of March!  I am so excited for another little niece - your Uncle David says he feels so sorry for you though! :) (He was raised with two girls and no boys and he knows that you will be tortured by these three little blondies.  Haha.)  Kassidy keeps telling Rebecca how she already has a baby (you) and she doesn't want another one.  Talk about love! Kendalyn and Kassidy just absolutely adore you!!!  You just lose your little mind too when you see them...you try your hardest to get to them and the smile on your face is priceless.

Mickey Mouse is your absolutely favorite thing in the whole world!  You are completely and totally obsessed!!! We put that show on for you in the mornings and that allows us a few minutes to finish getting ready...you just sit so perfect and still and very intentely watch Mickey!  We have bought you lots of Mickey stuff for Christmas... you are going to LOVE it!

You are doing a lot better with textured foods...FINALLY!  You are understanding chewing and you ate a whole graham cracker the other day without a problem at all.  I am excited to let you try some sweet potatoes and mashed vegetables from our Thanksgiving dinner! Maybe even a soft cookie! :) Really spoil ya!  Milk is still your number one choice though...you are kind of wearing mama out.  Ok, I'll be honest...you're EXHAUSTING me!! You want to eat it as soon as you see me and at least once or twice in the middle of the night.  I really do not want to give you formula to hold you over through the night but the purple circles and bags under my eyes are telling me that I am in need of sleep.  Your daddy tries his hardest to stay awake with me too so I know that he is tired as well. 

You still torture the dogs, specifically Rocky, all the time.  The poor guy can not even lay there without being jumped on, you pull his ears, you pat him over and over, and just can not keep your little hands off of him.  He is super patient with you though!  MaCoy is a lot faster than you so he usually gets away before you get to him...Rocky just tolerates it! haha.  Poor doggies!

Love you Lathan!

You are home sick with mama today. Don't even get me started!!! I am SO annoyed with you always being sick and I know the reason is daycare. I feel absolutely horrible for you! This is your 4th cold!!!! I hate working more and more every single day! Nancy's daughter was home sick with "allergies" and was carrying you all over the place and now my baby is sick. Your daddy will be talking to her tomorrow when he drops you off there. You are our entire world and the daycare lady needs to be considering what's best for you a little more...I'm over it! Ok...enough ranting! It very well could have been someone else that shared that cold with you!

Anyhow, you were pretty miserable this morning so mama called into work and let you sleep. You were trying to have milk and ended up coughing so hard you threw everything up; You laid on me and just said, "Mama..." It was so sad...no way was I leaving you!!! Your daddy laid on the couch with you most of the night bc you can not lie flat...after I called into work, we came out on the couch and you slept for three more hours! My little man was TIRED!!!

Despite you feeling yucky, your Ma had me bring you by yesterday...she had bought you a present! Let me back up...during one of her hospital stays she bought Brahms Lullaby on her phone....we found out that you absolutely loved that song. No matter what you were doing, you would always freeze as soon as that song would come on. Ma always jokes it "calms the savage beast." Anyhow, so she has been looking everywhere for a soft toy that plays that song for you. She FINALLY found one! It's a little zebra with pink accents. We were teasing because it looks like its girly but it is the only one she could find!! Soooo in the future, if you're trying to figure out why you have a girl toy...you will know its the only animal she could find that played you and her's special song! :)

11/9
We just got home from Express Care! Double ear infection!!!! My poor poor baby!!!! We are snuggled up watching Mickey right now! I knew you would probably have one with as fussy as you have been lately! Last night you slept maybe three hours! Hopefully the amoxicillin will help and them you will not get sick Ahsin got a long time!!!!

First Halloween!

Well my little monkey! You went trick or treating this past Wednesday! Of course by trick or treating I mean going to a few families houses to show off your costume. We did let you try a sucker and you absolutely loved it. You fussed and fussed when we finally took it away from you. We do not usually give you sugar or sweets (YET) so it was something special for you that night!

I only worked half a day on Halloween so I met your Auntie Rebecca and we went to your Great Aunt Theresa's job to walk around with KassKass. You did great with your costume...I was ready for you to completely refuse to wear it, but you left it on the entire time. After there, we went to Daddy's job so he could show you off to all your co-workers! Of course they all LOVED you! He said everyone was talking about you after we left. It was naptime after your two outings so we went to Ma's and you slept while I got to visit with her and Kassidy. THEN we went with them to Kendalyn's Halloween parade... You loved all the costumes so much. You sat on Mama's lap and just clapped and clapped!  Kassidy was a kitty cat and Kendalyn was Rapunzel.  After the parade, we just waited until it was time to go "trick or treating."  We basically just went to a few houses and then went home...nothing too crazy!  You were pretty tired by the end of your long day - but I would say that your first Halloween was a success.  You had a sucker, kept on your costume, got to trick or treat with your cousins, and had some valuable family time as well. 

Earlier in the week, your daycare was closed.  I was unable to take off work due to a co-worker already being off; thankfully, your daddy switched his week day shift for a weekend shift...so it all worked out!  He was looking forward to his special time with you!  That morning he sent me pictures of you watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (your favorite show!)  We have a little Mickey chair for you that you just love to sit in and watch your show...you look like such a little man!  Haha.  Anyhow, he sent me several pictures of you within a thirty second time-frame...you are such a boy of many expressions. When I got the pictures at work, I just CRACKED UP!  You are hilarious, Lathan! Absolutely HILARIOUS!!!! 

You and him came and visited mama at work that day for lunch...everyone in my office loved you too.  (surprise, surprise.)  We went downstairs to the cafeteria and we had a nice long lunch break together... it was great.  Nothing makes the workday better then seeing my favorite guys right in the middle of it!  :)
After you left, I guess you and him drove to Memorial Stadium. He said since you are already a little Jayhawk, you needed to see the KU Football Stadium. It does not matter that they are completely horrible...once a fan, always a fan! :)

Other little facts...You continue to sleep in our bed...usually on my pillow with me!  Your daddy always tries to steal you from me...but you love cuddling with your mama! I love it....but sometimes I miss my pillow :) I am trying to ween you from multiple night time feedings...but you love your milk. You still wake up at least once a night...usually twice. My fat kid. In all honesty though, you are far from fat. The doctor says we need to push the calories since you have not gained weight, soooo go ahead and eat away! You crawl like a little maniac, pull up on everything, walk around furniture, let go and just stand there. You haven't taken any steps without holding onto something yet, but I know it is only a matter of time! The poor doggies think they have it bad now! :) You chase after them, lay on them, try and ride them, crawl over them, and so on and so on. They just sigh. :) They are great with you. You eat milk about four to five times a day, and you eat between 5 and 6 jars of baby food a day as well. (Second foods, of course. You can not handle any texturized foods.) You wear 9-12 month clothes...it depends on the store whether you can still fit in nines. It's because you are super tall!!!

We let you ride in your Power Wheels today! First time! You loved it... You do not quite understand how to drive it yourself so we stand behind you and push the pedal. Our backs just LOVE that! :)