Gig'em Ags...

You all know that I love A&M. I mean, I married a guy who got so excited he pushed me off a set of bleachers live on ESPN when Gameday came to Aggieland so that he could be on tv (for those of you can't remember that far back...we used to have a good football team). We bleed maroon in this house, but I think Aggies have taken it to a new level...brainwashing babies! When I was pregnant with Mac someone told me there was a new video called "Baby Aggie: Raising Tomorrow's Fan Today" that teaches your child about A&M. By now you are probably realizing that we own this video. And I can't even blame it on Eric..I bought it. It's basically a bunch of kids in Aggie apparel, playing with Aggie merchandise, and clips from various sporting events. Mac is actually watching it right now and I am laughing. It kind of has that Baby Einstein style..say a word, show the letters, and show a kid with the item....expect they are all related to A&M! So instead of hearing "ball" or "cow" I am listening to a woman (with a rather creepy voice) say "Gig'em" and "Whoop!"
This is the first time we've watched it and I can't wait to show Eric when he gets home because Mac just flipped out! They showed a picture of the Aggie Band and started playing the war hymn and Mac started screaming, jumping up and down in the bouncer and "hooting." He loved it! Maybe it's genetic.... However, the best part about this video is that it has the Red, White, and Blue Out on it!!!! Sorry Eric, but I have to brag...Eric is the guy that started it! Everytime I see pictures of that game I am just so proud...He is a pretty amazing guy =)

On a different note...Mac and I went to his music class today and he really liked it. He would "sing along" with some of the songs and just liked being with the other babies. It was fun! I went with my friend and some of the other Mom's over to Buffalo Grille for lunch and that turned out to be quite interesting. I ordered my food and went to sit down with Mac. He got really fussy all of the sudden. He didn't want food so I thought maybe he was dirty. I picked him up to head for the bathroom and got a little choked on his puff and out of no where....projectile vomit. On me, on him, all over the restaurant floor. For some reason I thought that cupping my hand under his mouth would somehow stop it from going everywhere, but I just ended up with a hand full of puke...it was not one of our prouder moments. I took him to the bathroom and tried to clean us off a little bit...and then he was fine...back to his happy self. I was ready to just go home at that point, but all the other Mom's were so sweet about it I ended up staying. I guess they've all been there before.

Best Buddies

Nothing cuter than a Little Boy and his Daddy:


Just too cute not to share =)

The Difference A Day Makes....

First off, I just want to say thank you to all of ya'll who commented, emailed, called, etc. about Mac. I am blessed with such wonderful friends and family! I am so happy that I started blogging....it seems like anytime I have a question or am having tough day someone gives me a suggestion or encouragement and it makes it so much easier! So thank you guys so much!

Mac's doctor called me this morning and after speaking with her I am pretty confident that Mac will not need a helmet. Actually, she is rather irritated that the physical therapist even recommended it. She wants to see him in a few weeks after we have been doing the stretches/exercises, but he should be fine! She said that not all kids have perfectly round heads and that his flat spot should round out if we keep doing what we are doing....

Thanks again for all your comments....

Physical Therapy...

I had to take Mac to the Physical Therapist today because he has Torticollis. In case you're curious...according to wikipedia it is "wry neck, is a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side (cervical rotation), and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side (cervical extension). It can become a real problem if it is not taken For as long as I can remember, Mac has always tilted his head to the side. I talked to his doctor about it at his last visit; it's mild enough that I had to actually point it out, and she said that it seemed to be a very simple case. You really only notice it when he is in his swing or carseat. She wrote us a script to go and see a PT, but said that if we just work with him, stretching his neck, and not letting it tilt, he would probably be fine. That was a month ago. The other day I noticed that he was getting a flat spot on the back of his head, which can be one of the symptoms so I decided to go ahead and take him in. They did head measurements and basically just watched him sit, roll around, and basically do his thing. She said there is definite muscular tightness in his neck. So I'm thinking no big deal...we'll do some stretches and be on our way, right?....wrong. She is suggesting a helmet! What? I don't know how we went from this being no big deal to needing a helmet that he would have to wear 23 hours a day!!!!

I do think that a lot of times they see patients who have the worst case scenario...and they make recommendations based on that. I'm not saying that's bad. I would much rather have them do a little extra than not enough, but I'm not sure I agree with her recommendation. I called his doctor today and left a message asking her opinion on this so hopefully I will get a call back soon. I will do whatever is best for him...but it just seems like a little bit too much.

So now I'm sitting here running through all these emotions and what if's...I'm upset with myself for not doing something sooner (especially if it ends up being a real problem), I'm mad that the doctor didn't say to go to the PT earlier, I'm worried that this may cause problems for Mac, I'm frustrated that the PT is pushing us to do things that may or may not be necessary, etc, etc...BUT...I'm taking a deep breath and I'm just going to wait for the doctor to call. There's no point in running through the what if's and stressing myself out.

Now let me just add...please don't be offended if you are holding my child and I tell you that you're doing it wrong. The PT did give me some good information on how to hold him so that he will get a good neck stretch...hopefully this will be a simple/easy fix...

Here are a few picture of him so that you can see what I'm talking about...(notice that his chin is always turned to his right shoulder)





The last picture is VERY over exaggerated. It was really just how he was standing, but my point is that he tilts his head...

Baby Books and Such...

I'm so happy that my mom and Eric's have given us our baby books. Fortunately they did a great job of writing down everything that we did so I can compare it to what Mac is doing. I was looking at mine the other day and found something I thought was worth commenting on. On the first page of the book my Mom glued a card from Similac (which happens to be the formula that Mac uses). It says:

"If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice.
If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world."

For me, that really is the summation of the house that I want my child to grow up in as well as a warning of what can happen if they are raised in a home surrounded with negativity and hate. Not that anyone would purposly raise their child to hate, condemn, etc...but it makes me more aware of the things that come out of my mouth and the way I act.

I also see that while Mac my look like his Daddy, he seems to be built more like his Mommy. Mac now weighs 19.5 lbs (at 7 months)...I weighed 18 lbs and Eric only weighed 14lbs!

At 7 months I was saying "Dada," crawling, and pulling up on things. Eric was 8 months old when he started crawling and pulling up on things and saying "Dada" at 7 months....so I'm thinking Mac isn't too far away!

Unfortunately Mac is sick right now, just a little cold, but he just acts miserable. We have to hold him down to suck the snot from his nose (lovely visual, I know), he is sleeping in an upright position, and sneezing all over me...hopefully we will be better tomorrow. We are supposed to go to music class tomorrow morning, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I don't want to be the mom that lets her kid get everyone else sick!

Here Comes Number 2....

Mac's second tooth that is =). This one is on the bottom too and his poor little gums are all puffed up around it. He has been so cranky the last few days and I'm assuming that's why. In the last 3 days I have seen a side of Mac that I didn't know even existed! Sure, every once in a while Mad Mac will come to visit, but it's gone to a whole new level. He has thrown fit after fit. He did get his flu shot on Tuesday so may be that has something to do with it...I'm ready for my happy little man to come back. The one thing that seems to resolve any tantrum is Baby Einstein. He LOVES it. His favorite seems to be Animals On The Farm. He gets so tickled by the rooster puppet. It is pretty funny to watch. Here is a shot of him when his rooster buddy was on screen:

Mac has started to do quite a few new things in the past week. I have noticed when I do the milk sign for him he actually does it back. You have to really watch his hand, but he's doing it! He has never actually done the sign to tell me he wants milk, but when I do it and bring him a bottle he starts squeezing his little hand.

He has also started raising his arms when he wants to be picked up. I noticed that if he is sitting in the floor, he will sometimes lift his arms up. I didn't really think about it until his teacher said he was doing it at school and getting really frustrated when no one came over to get him after a few times of doing it. It makes me happy that he is starting to "communicate" a little bit.

Mac now has a new treat that he gets everyday. They are called Mum-Mum's. One of the kids in his class eats them and they are great. The last time I tried to give him a solid food (Puffs) he got choked and it really freaked me out so I have only been givng him baby food. These things melt in your mouth so quickly that I feel comfortable letting him eat them. His little buddy's Mom said that her son choked on one once, but by the time she got over to him it had already dissolved. I still stand there and watch him while he eats it, but so far so good. Heisman just sits and waits for him to drop a piece...

I'm really excited that he's trying to crawl now. I know, I know; I'll miss the day when he would stay in one place, but I'm still excited. He hasn't quite got it figured out, but it provides Eric and I with free entertainment to watch him try. He can push up really well on his hands and knees...just not at the same time. He kind of switches between the two...then, when he gets tired, he lifts his arms and legs off of the floor and just rolls around on that big old belly...it's quite commical.

And finally, I don't really know how to describe this, but if you tap on his mouth with your hand he will make noise and he thinks it's funny....I know, really bad description. Just watch:

Here are some new pictures:

Mac in his Rice "MBAby" onesie:

Videos

I'm trying to upload all of Mac's videos on YouTube because they take up so much space on the computer...so here are 2 of them:

You Might Be A Mom If....

• You change your kids diaper in the middle of the mall because the restroom is really far and it really stinks
• Every time you go out in public you have spit on your shoulder
• It's no big deal if you get thrown up on
• You have ever had to hold a child on your lap while going to the bathroom because you have no where else to put them
  
• You strap a child on to your chest while vacuuming, dusting, cooking, etc.
• You find yourself singing "Old MacDonald" in your head because you've been watching Baby Einstein every day for the past month
  
• You baby talk while talking to an adult
• You are covered in baby food multiple times a day
• You can never seem to get anywhere on time
  
• Your living room has turned into a jungle gym of toys and bouncy seats

In the last week I have done/realized everyone of these things....best part is, I love it! =)

On a different note, Mac got his flu shot today. He was so good! No tears at all. He did however destroy half a role of the paper that goes on the exam table. Apparently the noise it makes when he moves was very interesting. By the time the nurse walked in Mac had basically wrapped himself in the paper and thrown quite a bit on the floor.

Maybe for Christmas I should just buy him some paper to play with. He seemed quite proud of himself.

Hannibal's New Wheels

I am now referring to my son as "Hannibal" due to the fact that he enjoys biting my face. When I go in for a kiss he thinks it is funny to grab my face and bite down on my nose (sometimes my upper lip if he has bad aim). It hurts. It really hurts! That one little tooth is like a razor blade. Oh well, I guess I should be flattered...he thinks I'm so pretty he just wants to eat me up! Here is a picture I found to be appropriate for the topic since he is such a handsome little devil:

I become quite tired of lugging around Mac's big stroller (the one that the car seat fits into). It's just so bulky and heavy. I think that there are times that it comes in handy like on walks or if Mac decides to take a nap I can just lay the seat down, but other than that it's just a bit much. I decided that I would like to get him an umbrella stroller and I really like the Maclarens. Of course, they are WAY too expensive so I got on Craigslist to see what I could find. There was a lady selling one that was barely used for $30...that's right $30. For those of you who don't know, these things run about $200. Needless to say, I was a little skeptical. I thought I would drive out to see this thing and it would have poop stains and holes all over it...I was pleasantly surprised. The stroller looks brand new! And to make it even better, the lady was not home when I got there so to be nice she sold it to me for $20! I love a good deal! Here is the stroller that I ended up getting (in black): http://www.maclarenbaby.com/us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=491

I am also very excited because Mac's Halloween costume came in today. He is going to be the cutest little monkey...I am just hoping that it is cool by then because the outfit is really thick. He will be so hot! He didn't mind putting the body part of the outfit on, but the little hat part he was not so thrilled about....as long as I can get some pictures of him on without tears I will be happy

A Day In The Life...

My name is Mac Bethea and I am 6 1/2 months old. I weigh a whopping 18.5 pounds and am 27 1/2 inches long. I am getting my first tooth and I am eating all sorts of new things. Here is my daily life in pictures =):

I wake up very happy to see my Mommy and Daddy

I have my breakfast:

Then I play with my puppy

Time to jump (or get my legs ready for football as daddy says):

Snack Time!:

Then I go outside and lay on my blanket in the sun:

Now I cuddle up with a good book!

Time to run errands with Mommy:

After lunch I take a nap...sometimes:

And now I'm awake...time to play again!

I watch my Baby Einstein DVD:

And now it's time for a diaper change...even though I toss and turn when Mommy tries to put it back on:

Since I'm on the ground I like to play with my toys for a while:

I get a change of clothes since I made a big mess in mine and play with my puppy after my snack:

And now it's off for a walk:

Then it's my bath time!

I get cleaned and combed:

I check it all out in the mirror:

And then I bounce some more!

I am so happy when my Daddy comes home

Me and my Daddy play and eat, but I get mad when it's time to go to sleep

I am so sleepy

Off to bed!

Well guys, that's my day! Tomorrow I start my first day of school so come back for more pictures of me!