Moles!!!!!!

Since I have met my deductible (thanks Baby B) I decided to go to the dermatologist to have him look at a few moles. I knew that the Doctor was knife happy thanks to a warning from a few of my co-workers, but I went anyways. I knew what I was walking into, but I was still so blown away when he marked all three places that I showed him with a maker so that he could take them off.

Wait, let me back up for a moment.....
I wasn't exactly running late for the appointment, but I wasn't exactly on time. I walked through the office doors right at 2:30P, my appointment time. I choose that time so that I could make it out of Green Hills and off of I-440 before rush hour hit. I stayed in the waiting room for an hour before they called me back to wait in the exam room for an additional 40 minutes.

My waiting room experience was definitely something to write about. When babies (especially cute babies like Braxton) are around everybody wants to talk to you about the baby. I have no problem talking about Braxton (see previous seven weeks worth of the blog), but there are just somethings that shouldn't be talked about, especially with strangers. When I first sat down a woman (and obvious Grandmother) started asking me the basic questions like how old, is he our first, name, etc.

After that conversation was over another Grandmother came over to sit beside me. Right there is where the red flag started waving. In a waiting room if you are able the common courtesy is for there to be a chair between you and the closest person. Right?! Well, this women didn't get that memo. Anyways, this women also asked the same basic questions, she showed me photos of her grandkids, told me how much she hates one of the kids name, she talked about how she is a nanny and would love to keep a baby. (Yes, I know that was a run on sentence, but the woman never stopped talking.) I politely told her that Braxton had a good daycare center that he was going to. I was thinking, just because I am in Green Hills and just because I have a Coach diaper bag doesn't mean that I can afford a personal nanny. Then she lend over and said, "Can I ask you a personal question?" I thought, "Great, here comes the breastfeeding question." God, how I wish that was the question, but it wasn't. The question was about another body part. "Is he circumcised?" was what came out of her mouth. I guess that she could see the shock on my face so she went on to explain that she knows there is a debate about getting it done "these days." Then she went silent for the first time in 30 minutes and she stared at me waiting on the answer. I am usually so good at giving good comebacks. However, when I am just stunned by someones rudeness I stutter out an answer. Thank God the receptionist called me back like two minutes after I gave my answer, otherwise who knows what else that woman would have asked. I can only imagine!

cj Visit

I had a doctor's appointment today (more on that later) so I went and visited my friends up at work. During Braxton's third tour of the office Byron wanted to hold him. They two boys then proceeded to have a staring contest... and Braxton won. I guess boys will be boys, right?!

An Old Friend Meets A New Friend

The last time that I saw Jasmine was almost 3 years ago. The last time that I saw her before that was on our last day of the Walt Disney World College Program in early January 2005. When she told me that she was going to be in Nashville with her Upper Bound group I got so excited! I wasn't only going to get to see Jasmine, but she was going to get to meet Braxton!

Since she was only in town for a day and she had to be with her students we decided to meet up at Opry Mills where they would be for a few hours. (I do believe that was the one mall in Middle Tennessee that Braxton had not visited yet.) I started taking pictures of her holding Braxton and I told her that she was going to be apart of our blog. Jasmine's comment was "Girl, you know I don't have time to read that thing. I'm just going to call you if I want to know what is going on in your life." Jasmine, call me anytime you feel like it!!

Too Much Shopping

A few days ago Braxton and I went out shopping. Gasp, I know, you can't believe it. :)After being out and about with Mommy (oh how I love calling myself that word) Braxton passed out during the car ride home from Murfreesboro. When I went to get him out of his car seat once we were home the car seat had left a mark on his face.

Babies By The Numbers

In the August issue of Parents magazine there was this little article called Babies by the Numbers that I loved and wanted to share with you all.
In your kid's first year get ready to tally up:
122 hours reading to your newbie
10 inches grown
1,440 hours of sleep lost
3,120 diapers changed
156 baths given
503 miles strolled with baby
61,000 smiles flashed by you sweetie
2,460 bottles filled
and an unlimited amount of happiness that your baby will give you.

I wonder how many extra loads of laundry that you do in the first year. That would have been a great statistic as well.

*Reprinted without the permission of Parents magazine. At least I gave them credit for the information, so hopefully they won't sue me.

Be Careful What You Ask For

When I was looking through all of Braxton's pictures from his first month of life I started seeing a pattern...I wasn't in them. Well, that's not completely true. I was in several pictures from the hospital, but after that they were all just Baby B or Baby B and Daddy. After I told Jeremy about my revelation he said that he would be more than willing to take more pictures of Braxton and I. So this is what I got....

A warning to ALL women: Be more specific in what you ask your boyfriend/husband/sidekick to do. Remember, men interrupt things A LOT different then we mean for them to.

Jeremy, Please take pictures of Braxton and I when we are
A) awake
B) clean
C) looking or doing something cute
Or
D) whenever I tell you to grab them camera
Thanks for your cooperation with this! :)

"Paging Lauren Head"

Jeremy and I believe that Sunday is a day to spend with God and your family (and sometimes shopping and golf). Today The Head Family and Bee Bee visited yet another church in our quest to find a church family. When we were walking into St. Mark's Methodist Church Jeremy saw a fraternity brother of his so already this church is WAY better then other ones that we have visited. The service was very nice and it looks like that have several different opportunities to get involved in at the church and a great kids program. This could be a winner! If you think that church was the most eventful part of our day keep reading.

After we went to lunch at Demo's we needed to make a quick visit to Sam's Club for some groceries. Bee Bee decided to stay in the car with Braxton so that we could make a quick trip. Jeremy asked if she wanted him to keep the car running and the answer was no. (Mistake #1 if you are counting.) Jeremy decided to leave the keys with her in case she changed her mind. When I got out of the car I decided to lock them in, just to be on the safe side. (Mistake #2. Can you see where this story is going?!) We went into Sam's for hamburger meat and chicken breasts. So the first place that we stopped at was a display case with an iPod for less then $50. (No, it didn't make it into our shopping cart.) "Paging Lauren Head, please come to the Service Desk." Jeremy asks if I heard that. Of course I was to intrigued with the iPod and I didn't pay attention to the page. I said, "Why would I have been paged? If my mom needed me she would have just called me on the cell phone." Jeremy being Jeremy decided to call my mom and check in. There was no answer so we continued shopping. (Mistake #3) Our next stop was by a 32 inch flat panel TV that was less then $500. Gosh I LOVE Sam's Club, but no we didn't buy the TV either. Now onto the Meat Department to get what we actually went to the store for.

Before we got to the check out counter we heard the page again. I didn't think that they said "Head" it really sounded more like "Ned." Jeremy decided to go to the counter to just make sure, but before he could do that a Sam's Club employee came up to him and pointed to me and asked what my name was. Then the employee said, "The baby is fine, but your mom locked herself out of the car." WHAT?! What did this man just say?! Jeremy rushes out to the car and I continue to check out.

As I am walking out to the car with five pounds of meat in my arms I see Jeremy standing on the back tire reaching in the back window that was slightly cracked. I also see about five other people standing around the car and one of those people was my mother. Yes, my mother who was suppose to be sitting beside Braxton INSIDE the car was on the outside. About that time I hear police sirens. Sam's Club had called the police and told them that a one month old was locked inside of a car. When the officer pulled up he pulled out this really cool gadget that used and air pup to crack open the door and another tool was used to unlock the door. Well, that was how it was suppose to go, but they couldn't get enough pressure on the unlock button. So I'm still standing there with the meat in my arms and I made the brilliant (if I do say so myself) idea to just have the officer use the tool to grab the keys that were still sitting on the middle console. The officer was able to hook the tool around the keys and pull them through the opened window. We unlocked the door and quickly turned on the air for Baby B. Jeremy told the officer that he had left Braxton in "responsible" hands and asked the officer if there was some paperwork that he needed to fill out. Jeremy just knew that we were going to be reported to child services because of this incident.

*Bee Bee is now on administrative leave and her case is being reviewed. Remember, Bee Bee is presumed innocent. :)

UPDATE: Bee Bee's record has been expunged because she has signed up to go to a Grandparents class at a local hospital. She has also been instructed to re-read the grandparenting magazine that I highlighted for her a few months back.

How Can A Monitor Now Rule My Life?!

What did parents do before the invention of baby monitors? Did they have their children by their sides 24/7? Did they just not care if the child woke up in the middle of the night? Or is it some where in the middle? It's just amazing that I can stare at the monitor and wish that it would make a sound just so I would know that Braxton was still breathing. However, I also find myself staring at the same monitor when it blares and wishing/praying that the cries would stop and Braxton would go back to sleep at 2AM.

Speaking of Braxton and breathing... I find myself waking up in the middle of the night and thinking that it sounds too quite in the house. I get out of bed (or off the couch) and go into Braxton's room and put my hand on his chest just to make sure. As soon as my worst fear is not realized I creep back out of his room hoping that I didn't wake him. When does a parent stop going in and checking to make sure that their child is still breathing? Or is this something that you do until they move out of the house? Anyone want to answer that one?

Braxton sleeping in his Boppy. Yes, I can read and I know that on the tag of the Boppy it has the word "Sleep" with a big line through it.

A few days ago Braxton was taking a nap in his crib. He had been sleeping for a while and so had I. When I woke up I thought that if I wanted to take a shower before Jeremy came home that I better jump in quick. Otherwise, Braxton was going to wake up and want/need to eat. I had been in the shower for just a few minutes when of course Braxton decided to wake up. The monitor would go off with Braxton's cries then Bruiser would start whining, then Braxton's cries, then Bruiser's whining. This continued on for a little bit (I had to finish getting the conditioner out of my hair). When I stepped out of the shower Bruiser was sitting in front of the monitor staring at it. He looked at me and pratically said, "Are you going to get him to stop crying or do I need to go see what he needs?"

Date Nights, Not What They Use To Be

If I put on my thinking cap I can remember what date night use to be. The girl would get all dressed ready for a BIG night out on the town. This would mean that we would take extra time to fix our hair just so, make sure that we didn't accidentally miss a spot while shaving and then we would find the perfect outfit to accentuate all of our "assets." As I have said before, things have changed a little (actually a lot) since the birth of Braxton. Keep reading to find out what date night consisted of tonight.

I think that my mom wants Braxton all to herself when she comes into town so she tells Jeremy and I that we need date night as an excuse to get us out of the house. Here are some of the recent dates that Jeremy and I have been on.

When Braxton was less then a week old Jeremy and I needed to go to Target and pick up a few things. Gi Gi was already at our house helping me out with Braxton so she got to babysit him first. Jeremy decided that he need to fill up the truck with gas and get it washed before we went to Target. We made it to the gas station, but by the time we had finished with the car wash I was in the middle of a breakdown. Jeremy told me that my hysterical crying was just "hormone related" and that it would be okay.

Side note to new fathers: this is NOT the thing to say to your child's mother while she is crying. Yes, we know that our hormones are out of whack, but we are still truly sad that our baby isn't with us at that very moment.

Now back to the story...I went on to try to explain to Jeremy that my heart actually hurt since I was missing Braxton so so so much. Needless to say our trip to Target didn't last that long. (Please also note that I am the type of person who can wonder aimlessly in Target for several hours looking at the same stuff that I saw there the previous week.) When I got back to Braxton I just rocked him while I finished crying and secretly vowing to never leave his side again.

Our next attempt at a date night was the Saturday before Jeremy's birthday while Bee Bee was in town (again). We did make it to the restaurant, but I had my crying fit (and I do me fit) before we even left the house.

The Friday after that meltdown we were able to have a date night without crying. (Okay, there might have been some sniffling, but no hysterical crying episodes occurred.) We went to see the newest Harry Potter movie and our wonderful neighbors across the street watched over Braxton. (They did a great job and they will be recruited again!)

After a day of golfing for Jeremy and a day of shopping for me our date night tonight consisted of us going to McDonald's by ourselves. I made Jeremy change out of the pair of Nike pants that he sometimes wears to bed. However, I got to keep on the sweatshirt that I was wearing and my hair was pulled back in a messy (non-sexy) ponytail. How romantic?!

Bee Bee and Gi Gi

I can't deny the grandma's their right to see Braxton. So...another weekend, another visit from Bee Bee (my mom). Also, Gi Gi (Jeremy's mom) called yesterday and said that she was having Braxton withdrawals (who can blame her) since she has been in Michigan for the past week and she hasn't seen him. That means only one thing...a trip to Cool Springs to meet up.

We got together to eat lunch and then do a little shopping. Before we left the restaurant we did a little photo taking.


Braxton getting tired of getting his picture taken

Bee Bee, Gi Gi and Braxton

The Goat Mom and Her Mom

After my mom read mine and Braxton's compatibility post she asked me to see how compatible she and I were(are). Ummmmm, this is going to be interesting to see what the stars have held for us over the past 26 years. I bet that I could tell you what Parents.com is going to say. It is going to be something like, "Your daughter is very strong willed/hard headed and there is going to be no controlling her so just give up now and take cover!" :)

What Parents.com says of my mom as a mother:
Aries moms are courageous and intensely protective -- there's nothing you wouldn't do to ensure the safety and happiness of that gorgeous child of yours. And your poise and self-assurance equip you to deal with mommy-challenges (like a willful babe) head-on. But it's also easy for you to become impatient and quick to snap when irritated, so remember to count to 10 before acting when frustration seeps in.
Aries moms tend to be naturally athletic and to enjoy the outdoors, which is a big bonus when it comes to running around after an active tot. You will likely be a great role model for your child to stay active and fit, but know that he or she may not always be able to keep up with your boundless energy. The good news is that you're also a great motivator, so you'll have no problem encouraging your child to try new activities and engage in new kinds of play. Aries moms are also adventure-loving, but as a result, the daily routine of parenting can sometimes wear on you. Remember to carve out some "me-time" away from baby, partner, and your household responsibilities for something fun.

So where do I begin with how wrong most of the above statements are?!
1-My mom is so NOT athletic!
2-The staying fit thing was a lie as well.

There were a few points that were true...my mom did do a good job (yes, I just said that) at encouraging me to try new things. And I am sure that being a single parent did wear on her since I was a "willful" child.

What Parents.com says about me:
Conscientious, responsible, and sensitive, Capricorn babies care a great deal what others think about them. They're ambitious, and need positive reassurance from the start. Set your little one up for the big success they crave by helping them master new skills in private before having him show them off to your friends. If she stumbles when trying to take her first steps, fend off frustration by teaching her the old adage: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And don't hesitate to praise her.

I do need positive reassurance! A pat on the back goes a LONG way with me.

What Parents.com says of my mom and me:
Well, I couldn't get that information because it wouldn't let me put in my birth year of 1982. I guess that Parents.com thinks that if a child was born in 1982 that both the parent and child already know if they are compatible or not. So here is a recap of the years of compatibility for my mom and I:
0-7 years = compatible
8-25 years = NOT compatible, barely able to be in the same room for longer then 30 minutes at a time.
26 years-present = compatible again thanks to the understanding the I now have gained since having a child of my own.

One of my favorite photos of June 24th.

The Goat Mom

Braxton and I don't have any place to go today, so while he is taking another nap I am playing on the Internet. On Parents.com they had a place where you could see how compatible you are with your baby based on your astrological signs. So of course I had to take the test. Go ahead and make fun of me, but if you are interested my results are below. I am a Capricorn (Birthday: December 31st) and Braxton is a Cancer (Birthday: June 24th).

What Parents.com says of me as a mother:
"Capricorn moms make wonderful parents because they take the job so seriously -- you're responsible, conscientious, and supremely patient (a trait most moms wish they had more of). Your natural ability to allow your child to grow and learn at his own pace is a testament to your maturity and innate understanding that everyone develops on their own timeline -- no need to obsess about hitting every single milestone marker on time. And smart, practical Capricorn moms are instinctively more focused on their child's overall well-being than on pushing for outward signs of perfection in specific areas. One big trap for you to avoid is a nagging sense of self-doubt -- were you too quick to correct your child in music class today? Was it wrong to let him cry it out at nap time? Learn to trust that you're doing a great job. Look into your child's eyes, see him smile, and you'll find all the reassurance you need."

What Parents.com says about Braxton:
"Your sweet, tender, sensitive Cancer baby will develop a strong bond with Mommy and may well up with tears at the first sign of separation. A warm embrace and some gentle back-patting will help ease his anxiety. Give him toys that let him feel like he's helping out (such as a mini broom-and-dustpan set). And bring out his inherent kindness by showing him how to share with his peers and teaching him good table manners at a young age."

I think that Jeremy will want to give Braxton a mini lawn mower instead of a dustpan.

What Parents.com says of Braxton and I:
"You and sensitive baby Cancer might seem mismatched at first, but you're absolutely meant for each other. Cancers are highly emotional creatures prone to spells of whining when they feel insecure. But with you in the house, constantly making sure everyone is taken care of, this child won't have a single worry! Your protective manner will allow your tyke's wonderful attributes to shine. Loving, caring Cancer is a born nurturer, so provide cuddly toys or a doll that your child can take care of. Let your little one help with cooking and cleaning, too. Boy or girl, Cancer loves tending to home and hearth. You'll also take great joy in teaching this kid how to be self-sufficient. Include your youngster when you go to the bank, shop for groceries, or run other errands. Your child will grow up more sure of himself -- and very sure that Mama's always got his back."

Jeremy may not approve of me giving Braxton a doll. Instead, we will let him take care of Bruiser. I know that I will for sure let Braxton help with the cooking and cleaning! (I'll be grooming him to be a great husband for some lucky girl one day!) And I'm sure that Braxton will be self-sufficient since I already take him shopping and running errands.

Gross!!!

Jeremy and I had an eventful night...Braxton gave us our first glimpse of projectile vomit. I swear it was totally like the famous scene from The Exorcist with the pea soup, except that it was white instead of green. I know, too much info.

Side Note: Pictures of this event will NOT be posted in order to protect our readers.

Update: July 18th at 5:15PM
And it just happened again; this time the victim was Winnie. She had held him for less than a minute when the ENTIRE last feeding came up. I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to do. Then I remembered that I should probably get her something to wipe the formula off with. So sorry Winnie!

BeBe's Visit

BeBe (my mom) came for a short visit this weekend. BeBe said that Jeremy and I needed to get a good night sleep and that is exactly what she gave us...a night of uninterrupted sleep. With her she brought a book to read to Braxton, The Perfect Grandma! Rules of the Game. Let me give some tidbits from the book:
-Listen politely, then do what you want. Just as your kids did to you.
-Becoming a grandma is like getting a subpoena. You don't expect it and you don't know how to respond.
-Never, ever, ever let anything bad happen to the kids on your watch. But as we all know bad things can happen to good grandmas. So, if it's just you and the child, lie about it.

7-11

July 11, 2009...I remember looking at that date on my calendar for the past several months longing for that day to be here. July 11th was Braxton's original due date. Well, as everyone knows by now Braxton made his arrival 2 1/2 weeks ago. Even the most well planned things happen when they are suppose to and all that matters now is that Braxton is here with us and that he is healthy!

Bath Time!

Here are a few pics from bath time.

Doctor's Visit

Braxton went back to the Doctor today for a weight check. At last week's appointment he had only gained 1 ounce since leaving the hospital and the Doc wanted to check on him. Well, this week Braxton showed them that he has been chowing down on the formula. Yes, I said formula. The breastfeeding thing didn't pan out that I had wanted it to. However, I am now at peace with the idea of formula.

Now onto Braxton's Stats...
At Birth
Weight: 7 pounds and 6 1/2 ounces
Length: 19 1/2 inches

Week One
Weight: 6 pounds and 14 ounces
Length: 20 inches

Week Two
Weight: 7 pounds and 8 ounces
Length: 20 inches


Braxton just waiting on the Doctor. He was getting a little fussy so I gave him the paci. The paci worked well for about five minutes and then he decided that he was hungry. The bottle helped a lot more then the paci!

Rate My Space

I just posted pictures of Braxton's Non-Nursery to HGTV's Rate My Space website. Please go to HGTV's website and rate Braxton's room. Thanks!

Ice Age 3 and Hormones

I got an email from my mom that said, "Dewayne and I saw Ice Age 3 and I must be hormonal too. There were the births of triplet dinosaurs and the birth of Ray Romano's animal baby (whatever animal he & Queen Latifa are) and it reminded me of Braxton and I wanted to cry because I miss him already."

Very sweet note from my mom, until I remembered what animal Ray played....a Woolly Mammoth! As most everybody knows by now, I call Braxton Wolverine or Wolfy because of the amount of hair that the boy has on top of his head, ears, arms, legs and YES his back. (I know Braxton will one day find this post and need therapy because of me.)

vs.

vs.

Now BeBe, just because Braxton is a little hairy and I call him Wolfy, doesn't mean that you have to call him a woolly mammoth. Maybe I should come up with a better nickname for Braxton; a nickname that he won't feel embarrassed about when he brings home a girlfriend for me to meet.

Three Years and Two Days Ago....

Three years and two days ago Jeremy got down on one knee and proposed to me in front of several of my friends and family. I remember calling Ashley the day before we were suppose to go to Murray and telling her that I thought that Jeremy was going to propose. She completely talked me out of that idea and I felt really stupid for even thinking that we was going to propose.

Well, less then 24 hours later I remember seeing Jeremy go down on one knee and I grabbed Ashley's hand and squeezed it! I really have no idea what came out of Jeremy's mouth. For all that I know he said "Blah, Blah, Blah. Will you marry me?"

After we got done with dinner at Tom's Grill with my mom and Dewayne. Jeremy and I met back up with my Murray friends at the Big Apple. Allysia had to check out the ring to make sure that it wasn't fake. Jeremy assured her that it wasn't. Jeremy being Jeremy asked the waitress at the Big Apple for a piece of paper and a pen and we started planning the wedding right then and there. Can you believe it that our wedding plans started out on the back of a food receipt?! On Jeremy's cell phone we looked at the calendar and picked out a couple of weekends that would be good. One of the weekends that we choose was Mule Day in Columbia, TN so we choose not to go with that weekend. It's amazing what you schedule your wedding around! :)

Here is a picture of Bruiser, Jeremy and I at The Bark in the Park the day after we got engaged.
Here is to the past...without the past we would not be where we are today!

Here Comes The Paparazzi

Our paparazzi, ummmm I mean our friend Sarah, was ready for Braxton's first photo shoot on Thursday. Below you will find another set of AMAZING photos courtesy of Sarah B. Gilliam Photography.

A photo collage of Braxton's professional pictures.

Jeremy looking overjoyed at Baby Braxton.

Braxton's Birth Day

June 24th started off like a normal Wednesday for us. We got up around 5AM, took showers and got ready for the day. We climbed into the car together, like we usually do since we carpool together most days, and then we turned and looked into the backseat. There we saw staring back at us an empty car seat and we knew that it wouldn't be empty for long!

Our trip to the hospital.

I called my mom as we were leaving the house to see if they were on the road yet. Much to my surprise my mom and Dewayne were closer to Baptist Hospital than we were! Dewayne had said that he didn't know how traffic was going to be that morning so he wanted to leave early. Mission accomplished Dewayne! :)

I had already faxed over my admission paperwork, so check-in didn’t take that much time at all. (Side Note: A few weeks prior when I had been filling out the paperwork one of the questions was, “Do you have a living will?” This made me stop and think. Jeremy and my mom both knew that I wanted to be an organ donor and that I did not want life support, but I didn’t have any formal documentation of my wishes. I found a form online that you could customize for your wishes and for your state’s requirements so I filled it out.)

Now back to the story…we then waited in the waiting area for my prep-room. Soon the nurse came and got me and we were ready to go. (God how I hoped we were ready for everything that was about to come our way!!)


A little bit before 9:30AM they moved me into the operating/delivery room. Jeremy had to wait outside until the spinal tap was over (which wasn’t bad at all). When Jeremy came into the room I knew that it was only going to be a matter of minutes before we met Braxton. WOW, just minutes away from holding our son!! (Jeremy and I had talked the night before and it seems that just the other day I was telling him that we were pregnant.) They gave me oxygen while the surgery was going on in order to make sure that Braxton had enough air supply. I felt like it was a little too much oxygen and I started breathing funny and I freaked Jeremy out a bit. Then the incisions were made and at 9:59 AM after three pushes on my abdomen from the doctor we heard the best scream that you could ever here, Braxton’s first breath.

The next few minutes while they cleaned Braxton up were filled with anticipation, to say the very least! Then the moment came when I got to hold him for the first time.
For those of you who have experienced that moment for yourself you will understand why I can’t describe in words how I felt. For those of you who have not experienced that emotion for yourself I will try to explain the feeling…it was amazing (no not the right word), incredible (still not the right word), it felt like time had stood still just so that I could take in everything around us.