update on the life of a 4 month old

So this Saturday Paxton will be 4 months old- crazy! Here are some things my sweet baby boy can do:

-Paxton can now reach for and pick up a toy in his hand
-He can also hold (if but for just a brief moment) his bottle between both hands
-He has recently (as in the last 2 weeks) learned to spit... he will put his tongue in between his lips and spray spit everywhere. He thinks this is funny and also does this when he is frustrated... very cute, albeit, very wet
-He smiles ALL the time
-He LOVES jumping in his doorway bouncy seat and is a hoot to watch
-I think he laughs... its more like a huge smile while he gasps with delight but it kinda sounds like a little baby laugh to me =)
-He loves to stand up while someone holds him steady... sometimes you can't get the kid to sit down!
-Brittney said he rolled over once already but we can't get him to do it again... we're working on it. I think his tooshy is holding him back =)

Over Thanksgiving, I decided I wanted to feed Paxton rice cereal for the first time. I figured that everyone else was getting to eat really good, so why not include Pax? We were at my Mom's house and Mom held him while I fed him. I don't think he liked it. We mixed in a little applesauce but I don't think he quite has the motion with his tongue yet. Everything I've read says to wait about a week and try again to see when the baby understands what to do with food in his mouth. So, the other night we tried again. We were so proud of ourselves because we rigged up Paxton's swing so that he was sitting upright (since we don't have a highchair or bumbo seat with tray yet) and once again... fail. Here are some pictures from my phone of our second attempt at rice cereal. They are quite funny... enjoy:

"Mom, not this again..."
"Dad, can't you help a brotha out here?"

"Is she really shoving this into my mouth, AGAIN?"

"Maybe if I keep spitting it out, she'll put some sugar in it"

"I might actually have to resort to crying if she doesn't get that I DON'T LIKE RICE CEREAL!"

What little Aiden made me thankful for

I thought it appropriate to write about being thankful since tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I'm thankful for this healthy, happy family I am lucky enough to call my own. The best way I can illustrate my thankfulness is through a story...

Last thursday was the annual Children's Promise Radiothon to raise money for the NC Children's Hospital. During the Radiothon, different country artists perform and visit with some of the children in the hospital. Jason Michael Carroll is an artist who comes every year and he's a fairly big name country star so I look forward to his performance each year. This year, I had been on my feet since 4:15am and his performance was at 3:00pm so when I arrived in the lobby, I looked for a seat. There was one row of 5 chairs at the back of the seating where 4 of the seats were empty, and one seat was taken by a mother holding a tiny baby boy who was hooked up to an IV pole. His wagon and IV pole were beside the mother. I sat in the chair on the far end. As I looked at her, something strange came over me and feeling like someone else had taken over my body, I scooted one chair closer and asked the mother "How old is your baby?" "Aiden is 18 months" she replied and we began to talk, me about my new baby and she, about her 18 month journey with the tiny boy who was over a year older than my son, yet the same size, and not nearly as advanced as Paxton. "How long have you been in the hospital?" I asked her. "This time..." and after a pause and thinking about her answer she replied "3 months." I felt the tears surging toward my eyes and I struggled to push them away. She told me that she found herself in NC because in Florida, where she's from, there are only 2 nephrologists in the whole state, and since Aiden is in kidney failure, she packed her life up and moved to where the best help could be found. Little Aiden has cerebal palsy and is weighed daily, because once he reaches 20 pounds, he can become eligible for a kidney transplant.

After talking with Aiden's mom for 15 minutes or so, Jason Michael Carroll made his way to the stage to sing but I could barely hear through the tears that threatened to flood my face. All I could think about was how Aiden had made me so overwhelmingly grateful for my healthy, happy baby. Not that I wasn't grateful before, but Aiden made me realize just how lucky I am and how different things could be.

Kiss your children a little more tonight and watch them while they sleep, and count yourself blessed that you spent the last 3 months at home, and not in the hospital. Pray for Aiden and his mommy, because if it were me, I know I would need showers of prayer to get through that trial.

Thank you, Aiden, and Happy Thanksgiving.