Name Game

So, our little lady has a name, well, almost. We have decided on Bailynn Kennedy. But, we do not know what she will go by, Bailynn or Kennedy. We are asking everyone's opinion. Which one do you think is the cutest??? Help us pick!

Paige vs. Democrats

This election has really pulled me in different ways. You know, like I said before, I absolutely love politics and I have a pretty conservative background of views on life and country. But, I am also really open-minded to see the good in a change that even I might not have come up with (shocker!).

I am not easily torn from what I hold dear to me, but I am really trying to grow as a citizen this election. I REALLY want to know what is going on. I am not just going to vote for someone because he is the new Nike, or the Republican choice. I want you to convince me, with facts, that you will change a broken America. I really want to know what the plan is, and what needs to be changed. To say "I am going to change this and that" is different than me finding out the truth in what these men have really voted for in past decisions. And, boy have I been shocked. I am not going to get into who or what was said or done, but I am just excited to share something I have recently learned.

I'm not sure if you know this, but John McCain's grandfather and father have all been highly ranked, prestigious military officials in our government. And, with that comes an enormous amount of pride, as well as pressure for him, I am sure. I have recently started to read his family memoir Faith of my Fathers. I was sitting at home last week, and on MSNnews there was a church in L.A. that had an open debate for both candidates. They did not sit together, but were asked questions alone. After watching that, totally open-minded and practically begging for someone to pull my mind in a certain way, I was left with a real pride in John McCain. This lead me to buy his book. This book was written a while back, way before he ever thought of running for President of the United States. And my favorite line so far is this one:

Glory is not an end in itself, but rather a reward for valor and faith. And the greatest freedom and human fulfillment comes from engaging in a noble enterprise larger than oneself.

Hello, how awesome is that? He really wasn't the person I thought I wanted to win the Republican nominee, and I am not saying that this one quote about winning a fight is why I changed my mind, but his entire life has been about this country, for generations past. And, I honestly can say that I have a nervous stomach about electing a man into the White House that has never served for our country.

Another point that McCain made was when he was a prisoner of war....on Christmas the guards were to let the prisoners outside for one minute to experience the worship of that day, and his guard, one that had beaten him time and time again, drew a cross in the sand and they both stared at it. Together. He said that day he realized for one moment they were just two Christians standing there together, worshiping.

His has undeniably lived for our country and fought hard to defend it. I know he has not always made the best choice the first time around, and that is one thing I do not overlook. BUT, the way his face changes when asked a question that hits a soft place, and the way he geniunly answers a question....It's real. I think he really does want the best for America. But that is just me.

I still have to finish his books and do more research on Barack, but for now, I am in a happy place knowing that there is one candidate that understands this war, and knows what it feels like to have a soldier not come home with him.

I encourage you to get the book. It is totally not a political swaying book. It is all a factual family memoir. And it's great.

This time around I was really going to watch every primary, and every state speech. I was and am determined to pick the best man for this job. I did not know these things about McCain, and I am glad that I now have something in common with him.

Baby is a little lady!

Today we had our structural ultrasound at the OB office. I am loving the midwifes, and the nursing staff there. They are doing good with us. I have been a bit hesitant about the entire experience because in the end I will not know who will deliver...it will be who is on call. YIKES! Sorry, that slipped out. I am dealing with it now, but it still makes me nauseated when I stop to think about it. "Hi, who are you? And you're here to do what?" Like I said, I'm dealing.

So we were sitting in the room with Stacey, our ultrasound tech, and Russ and I were talking to little H while she filled in some data on the screen. All of a sudden she randomly asks us, in dead silence, if we have seen a penis. First off, I'm thinking "Is that even a relevant question. I'm pregnant, twice." Then I realized where I was, pants down, and sitting in the ultrasound chair. Silly/Crazy Me.

I guess that was the way she thought of telling us that we were having a child without a penis. Naturally, that took me a second to get it all together in my head. (I think maybe Stacey should of had better word choice for that suprise...just a thought).

Me and Russ just kind of looked at each other in a state of shock, and then we were so happy for the rest of the day.
Yay! A little girl!

Who knew? I DID, with all the sickness (and hormones)...what else could it be?

I immediately started craving a Whopper Jr with cheese, no onions. So off we went to Burger King, and then TJMaxx (duh!) to buy our first pink outfit for our little lady! And let me just say it is the most precious little outfit I have ever seen!

Our goal this week: H gets a haircut. tears.

Socks taste good!

This weeks new toy creation: SOCKS off of my feet! H now loves to take his socks off and put them in his mouth. He doesn't like to chew on them, thank the good Lord, but he just likes for the sock to sit in his mouth (see picture below). I think he is teething again, the top teeth now, and this is his marketing gimic of a new teether. Hey, it's cheap! And, they are clean, pretty clean anyway :) Well, at least they are new.

Today, when Russ was off, we both got him up from his naps...and when we went in to get him he had his pacifier in in his mouth in a very unique position. Our child is very eccentric, and loves to try new things daily. Below is a picture of this hilarious moment. We laughed for a good five minutes, which was the amount of time he held onto it in the same way. Too funny for words, maybe the picture will help.

About a week ago, we got H a new toy. It is like an all around band-in-one. He loves all of the noises it makes. Mommy, on the other hand wishes there was a silent play button. There is not even an off button, but he plays with it for a while which is always a nice thing. He is now playing with his feet, as you can tell in his Rock Star picture.


Here we are playing in our snuggle fort again. This day it was rainy and he was wanting to see out. So, I opened up the blinds, and the window is his new favorite place to sit. There are a bunch of pretty trees that are right outside the window, and when the rain was coming down, it was a beautiful picture. Of course, I could not figure out my fancy pro camera to get the shot to not be dark or shadowed, but here he is playing.

What are Eyebrows, Mommy?

So yesterday H was enjoying his morning bottle when he kept staring up at me rather suspiciously. I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about so intently. Then, he reached up and grabbed a hold of my eyebrow and would not let it go. What a suprise for me at 8 a.m. All day long he would just look up at my face and stare at them. He was really suprised whenI would move them up and down! Maybe I need to tweeze them down a bit if they are showing up that much? Hmm.... Oh, the funny things the little bear does.

Go Green Diapers

Granola, Crunchy, frunchy. What do these words mean??? Apparently when you recycle, have reusable grocery bags, use a front carrier for baby, have cloth diapers, make your own baby food, or anything else Earth conscious...this is what you are called. I have learned these terms from my sister and my cousin Laura. We all fit into this category, I assume. And, I am proud to say that we are all making a conscious effort to be Green.

I never even thought about many of these things until I had a child, or lived in Los Angeles. I do have a conservative political background, but now I can see what the Democrats mean when they talk about such liberal views in respect of global warming and recycling, and so on. Let me be clear, my stance on LIFE will not ever be shaken, in any case, but I do agree that things need to change here for the greater good...for our children and a greater America. I love politics, and I would have loved to have been some type of Washington big deal, but of course that is a dream too far away for many to reach. I am just glad that when I left the South, I actually grew as a person, and as a parent I can see the other side of different views. This is something I never would have seen if I had not lived in a large city. I love the South for it's moral value and such, but I feel that there are limits to open-mindedness and any sort of change there.

I realize I will not have any comments to this post, but I'm just proud of me and my sister, and cousin because of the changes we have all made in our lives to better our families. It really is important to understnad our changing economy...and to actually participate in making a difference. I'm pretty sure you can still leave a comment under the "Anonymous" name is you really want to respond! Ha! :)


This is the biggest mess we have had yet! He actually got prunes on his forehead! I laughed so hard, we had to post this! Enjoy!

6 Month Appointment

Other than the fact that we will never return to this Pediatrician's office, his measurements were all right on, for him anyway. He is 18 pounds (50%) and he is 29 inches long (98%). So for H, we are right on track! He has been at these percentiles since birth, so that is perfect for him. Hoorah!

The doctor, if you could call her that, helped me zero. She answered not one question for me, and I was so not impressed. Pretty sure if me and Alyssa put our minds together we would know 5 times more about babies than this cat. I want my co-pay back! But, I think me and Russ actually figured out what we needed to do on our own anyway.

There is a bunch of construction going on outside of H's windows, and he keeps waking up at 5, EVERY DAY!!! Which is fun and fabulous and everything, but the pregnant lady needs her sleep. About a week ago Russ said we should put some blankets up over the windows, and of course I said NO WAY! How Cheesy! But I read in my baby books that it was a good way to cut out early risers' noise. So last night while I finished getting H to bed, Russ hung the blankets. I know, I gave in. H slept until 7:30 this morning! Woohoo! I am trying not to get too excited about it, but hopefully he has gone back to his regular morning schedule!!!

Here are just a few new fun shots we did this week. They are starting to all look the same, sorry!

Curious Little George

It's a good thing our Toby isn't a little spoiled, huh?

This is not BBQ sauce, apparently prunes have the same look. He looks happy though, right?

Take my picture!

Where is Baby Harrison?

Playing in the blinds, Oops!

Sweet face!

How we enjoy laundry time

Harrison Cayde is too funy! He is alot like I was as a child, at least this part. Whenever I do the laundry, we always fold it together, and by together I mean I fold and refold what he has rolled around on. He absolutely loves to put his face in warm laundry. My mother used to come into the living room and dump the whole load on top of me and I would just sit there and snuggle until it all got room temp. I loved it, and now Harr-bear is doing it. He knows when the dryer buzzes, it is time to play. So cute. I tried to get a picture but my camera's battery is on strike....so it is for your imagination to come up with a mental note of just how adorable this is!

We have a "Snuggle Fort"...this is what I call it anyway. He loves to hug and roll around on the pillows as well. So, I lay out all of the couch toss pillows in a big group, and H crawls over to them and starts to just face plant into them. This is entertainment for me and Toby, for about ten minutes. The best part is when he catches us watchin ghim and he smiles and giggles...and then keeps going in the fort. I'm not sure were he came up with this, but it is priceless to watch! Again, no pictures, not yet anyway. I will add them as they come.

4 days with Daddy

This week Russ had 4 whole days off! Woohoo! I know, I was sure they accidentally messed up his schedule. So, during our time together as a family we decided to go to Cape Cod, Sandwich and Plymouth, MA. Yes, there is an actual place called Sandwich, and everytime we saw a sign that said "Sandwich" on it, it made the pregnant girl want one.

It was so hot, only because any time we decide to do anything outdoors it is the hottest day of the year on that day. It is nice how that works out for us :) So, I almost passed out, but made it to a few places first....the ice cream stand included (Duh!)

The East Coast is fun, but I feel like I am on a school day trip everytime we go anywhere. I guess because I feel so ill-educated (Louisiana schools). I did not know about Plymouth, MA??? Which is where Columbus landed the Mayflower on our soil. And, apparently there is a rock that symbolizes this New Land, and it was there. We saw the rock. Happy to say that I don't feel bad about not being impressed, because Russ (the history buff) was neither impressed. I think a water slide would have made all of us pretty happy though.

Poor little bear was sweating, we had to take off his Hampton attire. He had on white slacks and a green & white plaid dress shirt (sleeves rolled up). I was so proud of our little dude, but the outfit only lasted a little while. I could not stand for him to be hot just to please Mommy.



Random: I love when our neighbors look at us funny when we get out of the truck. Somehow, H always seems to lose his pants in the car on the way home. (Which is how we arrived home this day). It is either too hot in his carseat, or Daddy doesn't have the patience to put them back on after diaper changes, my favorite thing :) What is it with Daddys' and their choices. I can only imagine, if our new little baby is a lady, what he will come up with. Oh, how the thoughts run wild in my head! Somehow Russ always seems to find the most random attire for our child. I buy the tops to go with the shorts, and he is there with me, how does he get confused? So glad I'm a lady...but I'm pretty sure I would be the most metro guy ever. Anyway, he cracks me up when he tries so hard to find H a cute outfit, and I have to go and change him. Gotta love Russ!

Back to the story...
Apparently MA is also known for Cranberries...something I have yet to see. We were told by a park ranger lady that there is an actual Ocean Spray Factory where you can see and get in the water with them...so naturally, my ignorance was really wanting to find this place. We drove for about 30 minutes, and got out ready for cranberries in action. They closed 5 years ago. Really, 5 years and the woman at the Massachusetts Visitor Center did not know, hmmmm??? Maybe MA should invest in the internet for these lovely rangers??

We also got to see the Cape Cod Canal. When we arrived everyone was sitting on the bank in their chairs, alone for the most part, reading, and they had binocculars. I'm not sure how far away they thought they might want to look, seeing that they were two steps from falling in, and the ships are huge and the canal is not even as wide as the Red River, but we found it interesting to watch them! We did see some really nice sailboats go by. We didn't need any special eye gear. Thank goodness, we had left ours at home.

Anyway, our day was smoking hot, and we came home to a nice air conditioned home :)

We took lots of pictures of the rock and the Mayflower and the scenery, so I will load them soon. All together, it was a fun time to spend with Daddy.