Great first Christmas!

We had a wonderful first Christmas as a little family. It's always a little hectic this time of year for us but this year it was a little more hectic than usual. We decided to make most of our Christmas gifts this year in the hopes of it being cheaper and take less time....HA! It was neither! But it all turned out fine. Scout got soooooo much awesome stuff.Jason and I made him a Build-a-Bear this year since he wouldn't really care about much;we wanted his present to be more nostalgic than practical. It turned out so cute and sooooo soft; and believe it or not, he actually likes it. His name is Bubba and he wears a UT t-shirt. I think Mommy and Daddy have definitely had a better time playing with all his toys than he has. We won't have to buy him anymore clothes at all for a very long time either!!! That kid has more clothes and shoes than I do!!!He was sooo good during all our many stops too. He loves being passed around (good thing) and he handles all of the loudness and chaos wonderfully!:) He is such an awesome baby I just cannot get over it! He travels well, he sleeps in his own bed, he only cries when he's hungry and even at that it's usually no more than a whimper. He smiles all day long at everyone and is so happy. It's kind of scary cause I know we may not get that lucky twice in a row if we have another one.We are in constant awe of what a blessing God has given us. He is truly the light of our lives and we are both in complete love with this little boy.

We also got to go to Pikeville to my dads familys Christmas. It was great because my Granny got to meet Scout as well as the rest of my family. We had a really good time.Along with so many other firsts, we had another one,too. No biggie to anyone else but his Mommy, but he sat in his Bumbo seat for the first time. He seemed to really like it too. He's still working on holding his head up but that will come in time.:) I just cannot get over how fast he his growing!!!

We all had a great Christmas!! Mommy got all brand new Rachel Ray Stainless Steel Cookware, clothes and money (thank the Lord). So we were very blessed this year. In fact, this has by far been the best year of my life. I was pregnant (almost all year) and then was blessed with the most beautiful and perfect little boy ALL IN THE SAME YEAR!!!!It doesn't get much better than that. I'm looking forward to a new year and all that it will bring but the ONLY problem with a new year comes going back to work. I am having the hardest time accepting it and wrapping my head around it. I want so badly to be at home with him, but financially, it's just not in the cards right now.I'm trying so hard to pep talk myself daily but next Tuesday if fast approaching and I am dreading it with all my heart!He will be in good hands; that's not the problem. I just want to be with him during the day; not just on nights and weekends. UGH!!!! Watch the news for "Mommy Gone Berserk At Local Salon Due To Child In Daycare"!Ha!I keep telling my sister-in-law(also my boss) that I'm just gonna bring him and his pack-n-play and put it in the corner!!! She doesn't like that idea too very much!!!:)Woe is me!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!Have a safe New Years and God bless you all in 2009!!

'tis the season to be a JOLLEY!!!!!!

Wow! Christmas with an infant is rather difficult! Not to mention the lack of income on my part, the little bit of shopping I have managed to do is fast and furious! I try to get in and get out before any meltdowns occur! No window shopping for this mama anymore! But it has already proved to be the best Christmas ever. After all, I DO have the most beautiful baby in the wide world! We are so blessed and I realize that now more than ever. We don't even have our tree up people! Yet I am very much in the Christmas spirit!!!! I have used having a child as an excuse to watch every single Christmas inspired cartoon/movie this year (not that I ever needed an excuse in the past) and have had a mug of homemade hot chocolate (with marshmallows) while watching every one!! I have Christmas cards ready to go, just waiting on our pics to be ready.My sweet husband decorated the outside of the house,we had our annual Christmas ornament made, and made Scout a Build-a-Bear for his Christmas present. So I am not really behind on anything yet! I just lack the tree, indoor decorations and wrapping the gifts! So not bad for a new mom!!I am quite proud of myself actually! I guess since I have been put on a "budget" due to not working right now, I have become obsessed with discounts, coupons, and free samples! It's pretty funny actually! I have always been the bargain shopper, but I have gone off the deep end!!!! I got online one day and discovered all these websites to get all kinds of freebies!! You heard me....FREE! I LOVE IT!!! I anxiously await the papers with coupons in them and print every coupon I can get my hands on!!And most recently, I have discovered the world of "bargaining with salespeople"! It's amazing how much you can get taken off the price with just a little persuasion!!! I am beginning to get really good at it!You have to know something about my personality....I used to not be able to stand hearing people "bargain" with people. I, myself, would walk into the store, pick up my item, pay and leave.I wouldn't even do it at a yard sale!!!I'm sure certain sales associates have enjoyed many a chuckle and hefty commission at my expense in the past. But my husband is the worlds best wheeler and dealer! He even does it at WALMART!!! So he has finally worn off on me! And it's awesome!!!I shutter to think of all the money I have essentially wasted in the past!!!So, this is a personal achievement and I am proud of myself...I'm a big girl!

So Scout is growing like a weed! He is hilarious! He knows if he pretends to cry you'll either pick him up or at the very least, pay attention to him. So he'll let out this pitiful whimper,stick his lower lip out and when you look at him the biggest, toothless grin spreads across his chubby little face! And so the game continues indefinitely! He is so precious though! I am really enjoying being at home with him and I am beginning to really dread going back to work. He's already enrolled in day care, but it doesn't make it any easier at all. Now I see what so many people mean when they say "I didn't have children so other people could raise them." But you do what you have to do.I wish I could afford to only work 2 days a week! That would be great!!!!But, alas, I cannot! :) OK, I have to quit talking about it or I'll start crying!!

What a long blog I am writing today! I have had way toooo much coffee and Scout isn't awake yet....go figure!

So with all my spare time (yeah right) I have finally decided to compile my cookbook. I have wanted to do this for a long time, but I am working on it now. They won't all be my recipes though; mainly a collection of my favorites, family recipes, and some I use alot; the real tried and true ones!!! How many times have you bought or looked through a cookbook and only a handful of recipes seemed good or possible? These will all be easy and most will require ingredients you already have at home! So here's the name I have decided on....

THE JOLLEY MAMA'S BOOK OF

GOOD EATS& SWEET TREATS

(Get it? Jolley Mama? Sounds like Dahli Lama?)I'll let you know when it's finished!!! If I don't get around to blogging again before Christmas....I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New year!!!

Scout's 2 month check-up

We went to the Dr. today and she said everything looked great....he weighs 14lbs. and is 24 in. long!All that is great except for his breathing. He makes these weird little noises sometimes; almost like he's having trouble getting a breath.She says it could be something he'll grow out of but if he keeps doing it or it gets worse, then we have to take him to a specialist. It doesn't seem to bother him at all when he does it, but I guess we need to be on the safe side.So I guess we'll just wait and see. He also got two shots and his Rotovirus vaccine today,too. He had just eaten so he puked all over the place when they gave him the oral one.Then with the two shots...he was MAD AT US!!!

He is laughing smiling and cooing all the time now.It is the sweetest thing and we are just eating it up!!!!I enrolled him in daycare last week...still not thrilled about that, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.I'm sure I'll be fine.....eventually.

Poop and the Happy Baby!

Sounds like a good title for a childrens book, huh? Well, it's the theme for this week at our house ,that's for sure!! Saturday all day, Scout was soooo gassy and just unhappy.So I researched formulas and from what I read, a lot of people said this particular one made their child gassy/constipated or both. Which was our case!So we switched him and as you can see, he is much happier and in such a better mood!!He's even pooping all by himself!!!We had been having to help him for a couple of weeks on the old formula. But he pooped all on his own last night and mommy did a victory dance!!!!So glad we finally found one that agrees with him; it was so sad seeing him in pain and just plain grumpy! Happy days are here again!

On a sadder note......I must return to work this Saturday! Even though it will only be on Saturdays until January 8th, I still dread it!!! Can't people do their OWN hair?!!They can; I just wouldn't get paid for it and with Christmas nipping at our heels, it's back to work I go! :(

He's a bruiser!!!!

Well, we went to the pediatrician today for Scouts 1 month check up and, big suprise, he's huge! He weighs 12 lbs.,is 21 1/2 inches long and that puts him in the 90th percentile!! He's growing so fast I hate it!!I want him to be little forever!!! This could have something to do with the fact that I started him on cereal last week!!:)He also got a shot,too. He cried for about 10 seconds and then went to sleep for four hours! But he's completely healthy! Thank the Lord!

Date Night with Daddy

Jason and I went on a date last night! It was so nice to get out of the house and just hang out with an adult for a change. Don't get me wrong; I love my sweet baby, but Mommy needed to have adult conversation instead of baby talk. We got a bit of a late start so because every restaurant had 40+minute wait and I was starving, we ended up a Piccadilly! We had missed the 7pm movie and the 9:45 movie would put us getting home way too late, so we ended up going to Starbucks, went to the Red Bank football game, and to Wal-Mart to buy formula! Whoo-hoo! We know how to have fun!It's funny how much your life really does change once that baby gets here. Your life is not your own anymore. My schedule is his schedule, my concerns are his needs and this house is definitely HIS house!:) But we wouldn't have it any other way!

You asked for it!!!

Ok, so I have had several people ask me for all the details of my labor and delivery so like I said...you asked for it!

We had been at the Dr.'s office for our last check up on Monday October 6th and she said my fluid was low and he was definitely on the large side so rather than wait 2 more days (my original induction date) she wanted to go ahead and admit me that evening. So we showed up at 5pm at the hospital and they wasted no time at all. They got the ball rolling! However, a STUDENT started my IV and I was so freaked out! The good news: it didn't hurt at all! The bad news: It didn't work and had to be taken out and redone....it hurt that time around! Anyway, within an hour, they had me all situated and started my Cervadil (a cervix ripener). At about 4 am, they took the Cervadil out and started my Pitocin drip. At 7am, my Dr. came in and checked me and broke my water! Ok, word to the wise and mental note to self......GET YOUR EPIDURAL BEFORE THIS EVER HAPPENS AGAIN!!! That was probably one of the most painful parts of the entire process! Apparantly, when they say that the Cervadil "ripens" the cervix, they mean makes it incredibly sensitive and raw!!!! Because I was clawing my way backwards off the bed away from the Dr.!!Ugh! Anyway, after that I noticed my contractions were getting worse and much closer together, however I couldn't feel them.I just saw them on the monitor. Once I started to feel them, I got up out of bed and rocked in the rocker for a while and that really helped. I was still trying to put off getting the epidural for as long as possible because I had heard horror stories of it wearing off before the actual delivery and I did NOT want that to happen! So I asked for Stadol. This,by the way,doesn't really relieve pain it just makes you so loopy that you don't care. So I was talking out of my head and getting to actually relax for a while. But it only lasted about an hour and by then my contractions were so bad I thought I was going to die. Instead, I threw up the cherry popsicle I had just eaten!But apparantly, my poor husband forgot it was a CHERRY popsicle and flipped out when he saw red vomit, thinking it was blood! Awww, bless his heart. Anyway, once I finally decided to quit playing Superwoman, I begged my nurse to send the anesthesiologist in IMMEDIATELY! Problem was he had like 2 people in line ahead of me!! So I had to wait it out in excruciating pain and horrible back labor! When he finally came in, I was so blinded by pain, I couldn't tell you what the man looked like, what his name was, what time it was, nothing! All I know was that one moment I was wanting to die and the next I was numb from the bottom of my ribs to my toes!!! LOVELY! That was the best feeling in the world! In fact, there is really no words to describe the feeling of relief that comes from the almighty epidural! I don't know how people do it without it! Anyway, so after that, time seemed to fly by! I progressed very fast,too!By 4:30pm, I was completely dilated and ready to push! The Dr. checked me and said he was still high up and that I could go ahead and start pushing. He was turned around (meaning I delivered him face up instead of face down) so that meant it would be a little harder to get him out. I ended up pushing for 3 1/2 hrs. I kept waiting for her to say "C-section!!", but he was in an awkward position and the best thing would be to keep pushing instead of doing a c-section. I don't know where I got the energy to push each time. I thought I was going to give myself an anuerism or that my eyeballs were going to pop out of my head. I have never been that exhausted in all my life. She had to use the vacuum a few times, but it didn't work because it kept slipping off because he had so much hair and she couldn't get good suction. So I had to do it all by myself! I felt like I wasn't making progress and that I wasn't really doing anything, but apparantly I was because at 8:18pm, Joseph "Scout" Jolley was born!!! I swear I heard angels sing, but I think it was actually my loud family out in the hall cheering!:) I was so out of breath and exhausted that for about a minute or so, I don't think I had actually realized he had been born. But when they moved him over to the incubator, I remember looking over at him and saying "Hi baby" and he craned his head all the way around to look at me and he just stared at me. I will never forget that. He was so so calm and at ease. He only cried for about 10 seconds. He just looked around at everyone; so intent on each individual voice. I had 3rd degree tears (thanks buddy!) and episiotomies so she had to work on me for quite a while, but I could have cared less! It was all worth it! Labor isn't meant to be painless and completely pleasant, but I feel very blessed because I feel like it went really,really well. So that's the battle story!! Don't know if we'll ever do that again though; jury's still out on that one! We're quite happy with our one little miracle baby though. He's enough for now!:)

Glad to be here!

Well, we had another website we were using but after I PAID for three months, it mysteriously went offline and I haven't been able to stay in touch with anyone like I had been. As you know, we just had a baby 4 weeks ago and as fast as babies grow and change, I figured it was time to find a site that was a little more reliable so friends and family can keep up with him. So here we are! So far, I am winging this whole set up process. I really have had no idea what I am doing but I must be somewhat technically inclined... I haven't crashed the computer yet!:)

So in Scout News.... He is such a sweet baby! He just stares at me sometimes and I just want to cry!! We've been having nursing/formula issues here lately but we're trying to work it out. He is so fussy sometimes when I am trying to feed him and then just like that,he's out! It all comes out of nowhere,too! I hate that his tummy is obviously hurting him, but I am doing all I can do when he gets that way. He is growing and changing so much it's sad! I want him to stay this little forever! He is such a cuddlebug!!:) I am just enjoying being his mommy! God has really blessed us with this little boy! He is definitely our whole world!