Happy Halloween!

Barrett seemed to like Halloween, but mainly because it involved suckers.




We only went to a few houses on our street because even though the weather wasn't too hot like I was worried about, but the mosquitos were TERRIBLE! So, we made a quick trip then we came back in to give out candy instead.

Barrett liked the trick or treaters when they came to the door, but he cried and screamed when they left. Hopefully, we are done for the night because I can only handle so many mini fits.

Ok, now we are having a fit because Daddy turned off Wee Wees (Wiggles).

Ahhhh!!

Happy Halloween!

The First Real Haircut

Yesterday was a big day for Daddy!

Doug finally really won the battle for the official haircut.

I had really wanted to take Barrett to a place where he sat in a cool little car with all the cute little kiddo decor, but Doug insisted he go to the barber shop.

I am only going to say this once, and please don't ever tell Doug. Daddy was right. It was a great experience.

Larry, the man who cut Barrett's hair, also gave Doug his first haircut on November 18th, 1978. How do I know this? Dorothy, Doug's mom, kept the best baby book ever, so I know EVERYTHING about Doug's childhood. (That is a whole other blog I could write.)

Larry had cut Doug's hair earlier in the week, and he knew we were coming. He was so sweet to Barrett, and he was excited because Barrett was the 5th generation that Larry had given haircuts to. It's hard to compare the experience at Kids Cuts to that!

Barrett was great for most of the haircut.


He got a little irritated after a while, but he never screamed, cried, or tried to get away. Larry solved all the squirming issues with a lollipop.



After it was all finished, Larry gave Barrett a certificate that said he was officially out of babyhood.

(sidenote: The certificate had a copyright of 1972 which means Doug should of had one, BUT it is not in his baby book! So, I will actually have one thing for Barrett that Dorothy didn't keep! :) Although, either Allen had taken Doug and threw it out or Dorothy will read this, dig through filing cabinets, and deliver it to me in the next few days.)

He looks like such a big boy with his new haircut!

Please Let the Weather Man Be Right!

I love cold fronts!

I love when the weather starts getting cold for so many reasons.

When it gets cold, I know Christmas is getting closer, I have so much more energy, I don't have to change twice a day because I got all sweaty just walking into Target, but mostly, it is because I love pajamas.

I know I can wear jammies all year, but for some reason, they are better with cold weather.

Now that I have a child, cold weather is even better.

Since we are having a cold front tonight and my house might be chilly in the morning, Barrett HAD to wear jammies tonight.

He always wears jammies, but long pants and sleeves are so much cuter. I mean, seriously, how cute is he?


He loves these new jammies because there are broom-brooms, aka cars, all over them. He kept pointing at the legs and saying, "broom, broom!" You can somewhat tell in this picture that is what he is saying.



Ok, so maybe I am getting ahead of the weather here, but I couldn't wait anymore. Don't worry, he won't melt. The AC is on in case the front doesn't happen, and we put him to bed with the fan on.

I realize this is a lot of trouble for a pair of pajamas, but he is SO cute in them. :)

Partying All Night?

I have no proof of what I am about to say, but I am pretty sure Barrett snuck out last night.

I'm not sure where he went, how he got there, who was with him, or any other details, but he had to of done something.

How do I know?

1. He went to bed, without argument, at 9:30 which is somewhat early for him.

2. I heard talking in the middle of the night. I assumed it was someone outside, and I ignored it. Obviously, it was a group of Barrett's friends.

3. The real proof: It is 11:03 a.m., and Barrett is still asleep. He NEVER sleeps for 13+ hours.

So, my kid must have snuck out. When I was young, the only reason I would sleep until 11:00 is because I was out all night.

Ok, he might also be getting sick, but to be honest, I'd rather think he was out partying than think he's coming down with something.

I am going to get back to the laundry while I can...

We Love Texas Children's!

We survived the appointment, and by we, I mean me.

The assortment of doctors were nothing but wonderful. They obviously know what they are doing. They all came in at once and asked some initial questions, and then they took turns coming in one at a time. Overall, it was a great experience, and I think they will help skinny man gain some weight.

The only scare came with the MD doctor. After talking about all of Barrett's eating, pooping, playing, and sleeping habits, she said she wanted to do a test for cystic fibrosis because apparently he has a number of the indicators. I'm not sure I heard much else she said. It's a good thing Doug was with me.

Luckily, when I got home, I called my OB and she said that I had the CF test with all the fertility genetic testing. I am not a carrier, so Barrett can't have it. I called the doctor, and she canceled the test. :)

They inquired about everything Barrett has ever eaten, and they didn't act like we had done anything wrong. The nutritionist was my favorite, and she had some great ideas. I don't know what will work, but we're willing to try anything.

The main change has already gotten Barrett's stamp of approval. All of his bottles now must have carnation instant breakfast in them which doubles the calories.

I gave him his first bottle this afternoon. He immediately sucked down the whole thing, and then came the real entertainment.

I asked him if he wanted more, and he said and signed, "more". When I reached for the bottle, he screamed! He then turned away with the bottle, took it over to his Mater truck, put it in the seat's compartment, and ran away pushing Mater.

I think he liked it so much that he was scared to give up the magic bottle. So, I got a different bottle, and made more. When I gave it to him, he tasted it, laughed, and drank the whole thing. I think it is safe to say that the first weight gain plan is going well.

We'll see how he adjusts to the meal time changes suggested by the behavioral lady. I don't think he'll be as thrilled.

So, for now, we'll make the suggested changes, keep a food log, drop off a poopy diaper at the med center for evaluation, and hope Barrett gains some weight before his next appointment in December or they will have to do lots of yucky tests. :(

I'll Be Honest, I'm Worried

Barrett started off a big baby at 9 pounds. He remained in the 95th percentile until he was 9 months old. Somehow, he went from the 95th percentile at 6 months to the 5th at 9 months old.

The doctors were mildly concerned until recently when he actually started losing weight. Apparently it is now a much bigger deal because tomorrow we are headed to a special grow clinic at Texas Children's Hospital that he had to be accepted into.

At first I thought it was a great idea because Texas Children's is the best, but I am worried about so many things. Will they blame Doug and I? Will they find something really wrong? Will I be able to figure out where to park?

I hate feeling like I am constantly being interrogated about how I feed my child. Do people really think we haven't tried to feed him anything and everything? It seems like everyone has an opinion on how we could be better parents if we just did what they've come up with. I know people mean well, but I've had enough. So, obviously I am dreading an appointment with all the experts.

Ok, with that said, I am sure the pregnancy hormones aren't helping here not to mention being scared something real could be wrong. I really do want to go tomorrow, but it's hard to admit something is wrong with your child.

He'll see a nutritionist, speech therapist, behavioral psychologist, and a real MD doctor, and I know we're lucky to have such an assortment of experts to work with.

Hopefully we'll get some info tomorrow, but I really have no idea what to expect. I'll update as soon as I can.

I Need a Maid

Ok, I'm not the worst house keeper in the world, and a lot of my friends laugh when I say my house is a wreck. I realize in comparison to most the world, my house is actually really clean, but most the world didn't grow up with my mom.

Our house growing up was always spotless. I didn't even know what dust was until I went off to college, seriously, I didn't. I have no idea how my mom managed to get it all done, especially laundry.

Laundry never piled up in our hampers. It never sat in the utility room for more than a day. I'm sure my mom never had to wash a load twice (or more) because it mildewed in the washer before she got around to drying it.

Last night, I thought of my clean-crazy mom. I washed and dried something I'm sure she never did.

I was unloading a load of Barrett's stuff (yes, it has been washed twice!)including his amazing nap mat cover that ironically my mom bought for him. I noticed that on his mat was this weird clear jelly looking stuff. I was panicked that somehow I had ruined the nap mat that Barrett loves and that mom spent too much money on.

I called Doug in and he was inspecting the odd jelly that we realized was all over everything in the load. He sniffed it, mushed it, and almost tastedit before he told me to not put the nap mat in the dryer in case this jelly stuff could ruin it. I put the rest of the load in the dryer and put the nap mat over a chair in the kitchen.

As I was trying to go to sleep, I was trying to figure out what could have been in with his clothes. It's not like Barrett keeps things in his pockets, and even if he did, they are too small for this much jelly stuff. I finally gave up and went to sleep.

This morning as Doug was getting ready for work with Barrett at his feet, I went to make breakfast and unload the dryer. It was then that the great mystery was solved.

I washed and dried a diaper.

I have no idea how I put a diaper in the washer and transferred it to the dryer without noticing. Especially since I had inspected the clothes in the dryer for jelly before I ran it.

I almost didn't tell Doug because I knew he'd make fun of me. His only comment when I went to tell him was that I should use the diaper again since it's clean. I was so happy he didn't make fun of me because it was way too early to deal with it.

So, I learned that diapers make a big mess in the washer, but they have enough jelly stuff to cover everything in the washer so they obviously can absorb a ton of pee.

As Doug left this morning, Barrett was screaming for Dada to stay. Doug turned to him and said, "Don't worry Buster you'll live through the day as long as Mommy doesn't accidently put you in the washer."

So much for not being made fun of.

This never would have happened if I had a maid...

Help Me!

Our neighbor Sydney was over today to play with Barrett, and it seemed like she was constantly yelling, "Help me!" Barrett was trying to run her over pushing Mater, and he was being quite successful. I'm sure the bruises on her legs will pop up tomorrow.

In an attempt to distract him, she had me turn on Wiggles. They danced and laughed for a while, but then Sydney made a big mistake. She sprawled out on the floor, which to Barrett means an open invitation to attack.

Her second attempt at distraction was to ask him where his nose is. He quickly stuck his finger up his nose and pulled out a booger. She laughed until he used the same booger covered finger to show her where her own nose was.

Sydney then decided that reading together on the couch would be the best, least painful option.

Barrett had her read him the same book over and over again. He would use his sign language for "more" everytime she tried to close the book. Barrett is really getting into reading books even though he doesn't have the patience to wait on all the words to be read.

After reading to him for what seemed like forever to a four year old, Sydney informed me that she was sure he was ready for a nap.

He sure loves his NeeNee as he calls her, and I love her too because she can wear him out!