A Gathering of Gentrys..Oh My!

I'm ready to go play!

The annual Gentry Family Reunion was held this past weekend at Lake Dalewood in Toomsuba MS. We were very excited for everyone to meet John Huston for the first time. This was his first trip out of state and longest car ride. He did good and slept half the way there and half the way back home. JH did more than his fair share of socializing. He loves being around other people and babies. He also loved to see his cousin Halle and they even shared a kiss.

John Huston & Halle sharing a kiss

Then it was off to meeting his other relative Riley who is 1 month older than him. He was just a grabbing at her and "talking to her." So much, that he scared her and made her cry.

John Huston & Riley

I really need to start some playdates soon. We enjoyed some delicious BBQ and homemade ice cream. JH was so good during the meal and let us eat while he played in his Bumbo seat. He got to swing in the baby swing for the first time and loved it.

Next year he will be running around and heading straight out to the water. We will have our hands full!

Another Year Older

I just celebrated a birthday this past week. Wow, I can't believe I am another year older. It is getting depressing knowing that I am that much closer to the big 3-0! I had to work on my birthday and it wasn't fun, especially since we are very busy and I hardly got a lunch break. Does eating in the side room for 5 minutes count? But after I got off, we went to my parent's house and ate some delicious vegetables and had a chocolate cake. John Huston even got to try the icing. The next day my co-workers surprised me with bringing food for lunch, a cookie cake (my fav) and some nice gifts. My family gave me money since I had a few things in magazines that I rather order and I am in desperate need of some retail therapy! Then on Friday, my aunt kept John Huston for us to go out to eat. I was so tired from work that we decided to go locally to Miss Melissa's Cafe in Moundville instead of heading to Tuscaloosa. My favorite is the Crab Cake. I would highly recommend it if you go there for supper. So hopefully this year turning 27 will be just as good as being 26...having a wonderful pregnancy, a healthy and beautiful baby boy, going to dayshift...what more could a girl ask for?!?

And the rockets red glare..

We had a great 4th of July! We spent Independence Day at my parents house with family, eating good BBQ and swimming. The weather was perfect and John Huston loves to swim, especially now that the water is warmer. I will have to post another blog about him in the pool. My parents are almost finished with the addition to their house, the sunroom, and we were able to eat inside there and relax before heading out to the pool. We didn't get to see any fireworks and didn't know how John Huston would act during the show but we ended the night with roasting marshmellows and making smores. Yum! I know next year we will have a little firecracker on our hands!!

My first 4th!

I survived it & love it!

I just got off my first pattern of dayshift and survived! It went really well and I'm glad I made the change. I leave work the same time as Lloyd does in the morning and get home the same time also (except for my 2 12hr days). My babysitter is working out well with working the same hours as before. I am not a morning person and I am a little fuzzy until about 9 am then my day takes off and it goes by quickly. Before I know it, it is time to take a little break to pump, eat lunch and then wrap up my daily duties and it is quitting time. My days are mixed up right now because I am used to getting up in the morning with John Huston on the Thursday that I am off and today is Wednesday. I love being there when the parents come visit, during procedures, doctor rounds and orders. I know I am going to get a lot more experience and will be a better nurse. More importantly, I am going to be a better mommy & wife to my family :)

Can you believe our little man is 5 months old?

Where has the time gone?? It is going by so fast, especially since I work 2 weeks out of the month and all I wish is for those 2 weeks to hurry up and go so I can be off again. John Huston has gotten to be a little ham. His legs are nothing but chubby rolls. He was a supportive sitter until yesterday. He starting sitting up on Tuesday and loves it! He will stay up a good 5 minutes before falling over. Last week he started pulling on both feet and loves to suck his toes.

He especially likes to help me change his diaper while pulling his legs up and holding them there. His eyes have still stayed the same with that gorgeous blue color. He doesn't like sitting in his bouncey seat anymore since he can sit up on his own. He rather have you hold him while he is standing while he plays with it. He is becoming much more vocal as he is beginning to make two-syllable sounds, including some vowel-consonant combinations. John Huston will go to anyone and is very trusting, but every now and then he will look at me and let out a little fuss like "Why aren't you holding me Mommy?". He is eating cereal twice a day when I am off up to 2 tbsp. Lloyd bought him some fruit mixed flavored cereal and he loves that. I am still nursing him when I am home and pumping at work. I am going to try to start weaning him at 6 months. Also at 6 months, we will start with the real baby food. Here is a video of him when he sleeps. He has been doing this since he was born and I just now got a chance to video him. I guess we know what he dreams about....

Happy Father's Day Lloyd

I am up early as I just got finished laying John Huston back down after he woke up rolling over and with a wet diaper. I couldn't go back to sleep right away so I figured I would get on here and type what's on my mind. Today is Father's Day and it means a lot to me, just as much as Mother's Day did. It is Lloyd's first, my dad's first as a grandfather and would have been my Papa's first as a great-grandfather. A year ago yesterday was Papa's 78th birthday, and I gave him a frame with John Huston's ultrasound photo and a great-grandfather poem in it with a "your going to be a great-grandfather" card. I will never forget that big grin and look on his face when he saw it.

I know he is watching down on us today with that same smile on his face. For Father's Day last year I gave my dad a card in it with Buster's picture of him wearing a shirt saying "I'm going to be a big brother" and that is how we broke the news to my family about me being pregnant (at 9 weeks). Lloyd got a frame that said "Your going to be a Daddy" engraved on it with words of "fishing pal," "tractor rider," "hero," "father," etc. engraved on the side and a picture of JH's latest ultrasound in it.

I am so lucky to have Lloyd as my husband and John Huston's daddy. He was so wonderful to us at the hospital after JH was born with changing diapers, feeding him his bottle while I pumped, and washing my nursing supplies every time. I was so sore and sick after the c-section and wanted him to be in the room with us the whole time, that he just took over taking care of JH so that could happen. He continued with helping me after we came home from the hospital by letting me get rest and alone time by taking care of him after he got home from work until bedtime. Then we would split up feeding times at night on the weekends. Even though things have changed after I went back to work, Lloyd is still the best daddy I could ever hope for our family. I knew while we were dating that he would be a great daddy and that was one of the reasons I married him. I just wanted to share a few thoughts I had while they were on my mind and now I am going to head back to a warm bed with the best husband and daddy ever.

I'm Movin' On Up!

Well yesterday I got a call from the hospital asking if I wanted to go to dayshift. I had put in a request to go to the 3pm-11pm shift when I was on maternity leave to help with babysitting issues and only needing someone 3 hrs a day when I worked. Lloyd really wanted me to go to 3-11 so I would be home with John Huston at night and help him not getting up so early before he has to go to work at 6am. It was going to take a little longer to go to 3-11, so Lloyd and I talked about it, and decided that I better take it now because there is no way of knowing when it will come around again, went over budget stuff (yes, a big pay cut with no shift diff), and discussed it with our babysitter, so I decided to go with it. Plus it will be better having me home at night. There are others that have waited 10 years before they were able to get day shift since we have a low turnover rate and it's based on seniority. I was lucky to have been offered it after 5 years. It's a busier shift with scheduled procedures, more visitors, doctor rounds/orders, and I will have to get up early, but I think it will be well worth it. My sweet little boy needs his mom home at night and I think I will feel like I will have more of a life the week I work. There is actually time to still do things. The Lord knew I needed it now more so than before. I start next Wednesday and still will be doing 7 on, 7 off with 2 12 hr shifts. I am going to be able to be home with John Huston at night and sleep when he sleeps. He hasn't been waking up to eat until 6-6:30 am lately and that is after our babysitter gets here. I will be getting home around 4 pm, the same time Lloyd gets home, and I will feel so much better having a normal schedule. I am going to miss working with my friends at night as we got really close and we have had some crazy times together. My babysitter will keep him the same as she was when I was working nights, just a day sooner so that worked out good.
By the way, we found the best babysitter! She comes to our house by the time Lloyd leaves for work and then keeps him all day until Lloyd gets home (while I slept working nights). She is so wonderful with JH by getting him to take long naps, takes his whole bottle, plays with him and he is a happy baby when we get home. I knew we would find the right one eventually! God has been so good to us and has answered our prayers! So please keep your fingers crossed that everything continues to work out and we adjust well to my new schedule.