Emergency Room Trip

This past weekend, on Sunday, April 25th, Logan was baptized. The weekend was wonderful overall; however, we had a major scare the day before. I was in the shower, and my sister was watching Logan. I heard Logan start to cry hysterically, and so I shouted outside the door to make sure he was ok. I thought he was just getting fussy and needing his mommy. When I got out, Zack was holding Logan, who was still crying, and I immediately sensed something was wrong. Apparently, Kristin had let my 6 year old niece, Emma, hold Logan on the basement sofa, which was fine, except that she wasn't paying attention, and Emma accidentally dropped Logan head first onto the cement tile floor below. I was scared to death for my sweet baby. All kinds of horrible thoughts were going through my mind. We called the pediatrician, who asked if Logan got more upset when we touched the spot he fell on. Although he didn't go ballistic, he did start fussing every time we touched it, and the spot was red. All I could think of was how sensitive baby's heads are, and oh God what if something was really wrong? The doctor advised us to take him immediately to Egleston Children's Hospital, where poor Logan had to have a cat scan. The doctors said they needed to check for swelling and bleeding, which could indicate if there was any brain damage. I started crying, but Zack convinced me to hold it together and be strong for Logan. All I wanted to do my hold my baby, and it was so difficult for me to hand him over to the doctors. They wrapped him up tightly and then put him in the cat scan machine for five minutes, which seemed like an eternity. He had to remain completely still. I put his little "Logan" paci in his mouth, which had been dipped in sugar water, and I softly sang to him the entire time. I was right next to him, and he kept continuous eye contact with me during the whole procedure. As scared as I was, my heart warmed to know that he recognized his mama and knew I was right there beside him. I could tell he knew how much he was loved, and he seemed calm. Zack was also in the room, right next to me. We had to wait for what seemed like an eternity for the test results. Although Zack and I were worried sick, Mr. Logan actually began to laugh and smile and coo, and he wanted to practice "standing" on the table. Such a sweet boy! We must have had an angel looking out for us, because thank God, he was ok and there were no signs of brain damage of any kind. As we were driving home, the full weight of the seriousness hit me. All sorts of things could have happened when he fell directly on his head. He could have broken his neck, or been paralyzed or permanently brain damaged. For two days afterward, Logan was not quite himself. He seemed fussy, when he is normally an exceptionally happy baby unless he is hungry, tired or needs changing. We think he was probably suffering from a headache, but of course, he can't tell us what he is feeling. Even though my baby boy has only been on this earth for a little over four months, I could not ever nor would I ever want to imagine my life without him, and if something had happened to him, I would have done anything, and I mean anything, to make him better. I certainly understand the phrase, "Don't mess with a Mama Bear's cub." I love him so much that the thought of Logan experiencing pain felt like someone was stabbing my heart repeatedly. I would have given anything for it to have happened to me instead, and for him to not feel any pain. I know it was an accident, and unintentional, but it was preventable. Whenever I had let my niece hold Logan, I was always right there next to her, tense, watching every move and ready to grab him at any time. I know I can't dwell on the past, and I feel so blessed and fortunate that he is just fine, but I am still having a difficult time moving on. I keep remembering that fear of my son being hurt, and me not being able to do anything about it beside hold him close and kiss his sweet face over and over again. That horrible experience has made me appreciate and love my son even more, which I didn't think was even possible. He is God's greatest gift to me, and I thank Him every day for watching out and protecting my Logan. We are truly blessed.

Rice Cereal

Well, it has been awhile since my last blog post! So much has happened in the meantime. Logan had his 4 month checkup on April 19th. He weighed in at 15 pounds and 5 ounces and 26 inches long. The doctor said he was extremely strong for his age, and he also told us to begin giving him a small amount (1 tbsp) of rice cereal mixed with breast milk each day. Logan exhibited all the major signs that indicate a baby is ready to begin solids. He holds his head up well, can move his tongue around without pushing food back out, and shows extreme interest watching me eat. The first day, April 20th, I made the rice cereal extra thin, and while Logan was sitting up in his Bumpo, Zack fed it to him. We used the Pottery Barn bowl that Grandmommie bought for Logan. He did so well and ate the whole thing! It was neat to watch him explore the texture with his tongue. It was perhaps a little too runny and kept dribbling down his chin, but he did keep down a good amount! The next day, and every day thereafter, I have made it much thicker, and he has not had any problems swallowing it. However, he does have to be in a good mood before I begin feeding him. If he's already really hungry, he won't take any cereal until I have nursed him for a little while. We learned that the hard way! Although he seems to somewhat enjoy the cereal, he still clearly doesn't like it as much as nursing. At this point, he still had not been introduced to the bottle! And somehow, every feeding, he manages to get rice cereal everywhere, and I do mean EVERYWHERE! How is it possible for him to get it behind his ears and up his nose? My son definitely knows how to vocalize when he doesn't like something, and he absolutely does NOT like when his mommy has to clean his face, neck, ears, hands and arms up with a wet cloth. :)

Easter

We had such a wonderful Easter with Logan. He looked absolutely precious in his blue seersucker overalls, white leather shoes and white Easter bunny hat. We started off the celebrations the day before, on Saturday, at the Druid Hills Golf Club Easter Egg Hunt with my parents. They also had a petting zoo, and Logan loved looking at all the animals. Next year, he will enjoy the animals even more, since he will be more aware and able to pet and even brush them. As it was during his morning nap time, he was very tired, and although he was good and not fussy, he was struggling to remain very attentive and even awake after a while. You could see him fighting to keep his eyes open, but there was just so much going on that he wanted to see! The Easter Egg Hunt was divided up into ages; he participated in the under 3 years. I helped him get a few eggs, basically just enough to fill his tiny basket. I must say, I was very impressed with his tight grip on his basket. He held it by himself during most of the hunt!
Then, right afterwards, during lunch, he was completely tuckered out and slept soundly in my arms the entire time.

The next day, we went to Easter Mass with my family at the Cathedral of Christ the King. I had Logan in a front carrier, and during the mass he let out a lovely "egg" of his own. Unfortunately, it went through his clothes and all over the carrier, so he wasn't able to wear his seersucker outfit over to Grandma's house, where we went next, and where, as usual, everyone continuously fought over who got to hold Logan! :) It's so wonderful to know that he has so much family that loves him to pieces! He did, however, get to wear his precious little "First Easter" onesie instead. He also got to participate in the traditional family egg hunt. The guys hid the money-filled plastic eggs all over the yard, and then the kids hunted for them. Logan and I went first, since he was the smallest, but we really didn't get much of a head start, since everyone else immediately pushed ahead. :) It's a serious hunt! Logan did very well for his first family Easter Egg Hunt- he racked up $14.86.

On Monday, one of my new favorite memories occurred. Zack and I took Logan outlet mall shopping. On the way home, after eating dinner at a bar-be-cue restaurant, I went back inside to use the restroom, and Zack put Logan in his lap on the front seat. It was fairly dark outside, and when I came back to the car, I knocked on the front door window. I wanted to see what Logan would do. He definitely noticed the noise, and as I kept knocking, he looked up and down, and all around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Then, he looked in the correct direction at the window. After a few seconds, he noticed my face pressed up against the window, and as he recognized me, he immediately let out the cutest, widest, most absolutely adorable wide-mouthed grin and started laughing gleefully. It was such a sweet moment, and he was so happy to see me, that it tugged at my heart. Also, it was neat to watch him learn that he can look out the window and see things. Our little man brings us so much joy and love, and we are thankful each and every moment of every day that God brought him into our lives. He couldn't be more perfect!

Bouncy

Today was yet another wonderful, adventure-filled day with my sweet baby boy. I love looking at the world through his eyes, and being there with him as he experiences new things on a continuous basis. Tonight, Mom and I brought out the bouncy that Jeff and Sonja gave us. The look on his face when we first put him in it was priceless. He was realizing for the first time that he could actually support himself with his legs, and we could visibly see a look of newfound independence upon his face. Then, he started laughing gleefully and cooing more than I have ever heard him. He actually used his leg strength to bounce up and down and to even turn around a little bit. He was beyond fascinated with all of the little toys around it, most notably the spinning butterfly, which he kept staring at intently for several minutes. He stayed in the bouncy for half an hour, totally amusing himself and keeping himself occupied. I've never seen him quite so excited before, and it was so neat to watch. When he would get a really good kick jump in, he would look up at us and laugh, almost like he was making sure we saw him! I will have this memory with me forever. It also made me realize how quickly my little man is growing up! When Logan was in my womb, the doctor told me to make sure he kicked at least ten times in a two hour period. We never had to worry about inactivity with him, because he would normally kick on average 120 times in a two hour period. I have noticed that his natural inclination is to reach for objects with his legs and feet. When he lays on the play mat, he does not yet swat at the hanging objects above with his hands and arms. Instead, he kicks at everything, and he even catches the toys between his legs and feet and then thrusts them away, only to catch them again. I bet he will grow up to be awesome at some type of activity pertaining to extreme leg usage... maybe an avid skier or soccer player. It was such a joy to watch his excitement and wonder of the world around him. I feel lucky to be able to share all of these moments with him. Looking forward to another great day with Baby Logan tomorrow! :) :)

"Mommy, can't you see I'm busy playing with Gramma right now?" :) :)


He loves playing with his Gramma! Zack and I got this outfit for him at Disneyland. It's a size 6 months, which we just pulled out, and it's already a little snug on him. He is growing out of his clothes faster than he can wear them!! :) :)

Gramma

Today was another great day with the Little Dude. First, he slept the longest yet--11 1/2 hours! :) And the past two nights, he slept for a solid 10 hours both nights!! This is an enormous accomplishment, especially considering how frequently he used to nurse throughout the night (his first month and a half about every 1 1/2 -2 hours). Right when he hit three months of age, he went through a huge growth spurt, and he woke up every 4-5 hours to feed. It looks like he is finally back to sleeping through the night. Now, if only we actually were smart and went to bed when he does... :) :) He was so excited to see his Gramma today. Normally, she visits once a week, but she hadn't seen him for two weeks. She thought he looked longer, but not chunkier! They practiced standing and doing "jumpies", as well as Patty-Cake. Then, Lisa, Zack, Logan and I went out to dinner at Bambinelli's. Logan slept the entire time. We are so glad that Logan gets to grow up around his family. That was a big reason why Zack decided to get out of the Navy, because we wanted to raise our son amongst our family. Right now, Logan gets to see his Grandmommie and Opa everyday, and I know he will miss them when we finally find and move into a house. It was really nice to have Lisa help out with Logan today, but towards the end, I was going through Logan withdrawal and ready to have my little munchkin back! How is it possible to love someone so much? I am watching him sleep as I type this blog, and he is the most precious thing in the whole world. He is sprawled out all over his crib, taking up as much space as he possibly can. He keeps grunting and stretching randomly. He makes more noises and facial expressions than any other baby I have ever seen. I can't wait to see what memories tomorrow brings us!

Intro

Well, I'm new to this whole blog thing, but I wanted a way to capture the everyday miracles that God has given us through our precious little baby boy, Glenn Logan Nalley. I can't believe Logan is already 14 weeks and 2 days old, yet I can barely remember my life without him. Every time I look at him, my heart just swells up, and I want to kiss him all over and hug him and never let go. I can't even begin to describe a mother's love with words; only another mother could begin to understand the overwhelming sense of love and protection that we feel towards our baby. The second I found out I was pregnant, I already had fallen in love with the little life growing inside me. I think the best feeling in the whole entire world is seeing him look me right in the eyes and give me the biggest grin ever, just for me, which is his only way right now of letting me know how much he loves me. His laugh also melts my heart! Zack and I love to watch him sleep. He stretches more than anyone I have ever seen, and he looks so adorable! He raises his eyebrows, while his eyes are still closed, and he stretches all over the place, all the while making so many different grunting sounds. We can't help but laugh every time we watch him. He gets so much enjoyment out of the simple things in life! He is such a happy baby. He only cries when he is wet or most especially, hungry, and boy can that little guy eat! Most nights he nurses for about 2 hours before bedtime. He is definitely starting to look like Mommy's chunky-monkey, but since he only gets breast milk, it's no big deal. I wish I had started this blog from the moment he was born, but I figure better late than never, right? He has had so many great adventures since he was born. Just this week, Zack and I took him to Rock City and the Tennessee Aquarium. It was amazing to me how attentive he was to all the animals and how he was able to track the fish with his eyes. He stayed awake the entire time at Rock City and only fell asleep the second half of our aquarium visit. So much more educational than any Baby Einstein video, although I must admit he loves those things!! Yesterday, Zack had Reserves training, so Logan and I went to Lake Hartwell to visit Kelly (his future Godmother) and her family. He went out on his first short boat ride, although he slept through most of it! Maddy (our Golden Retriever), on the other hand, couldn't sit still until the ride was over and she was finally able to go swimming! Another fun trip Logan took was to Helen, Georgia, when he was 6 weeks old. My parents also took me to Helen when I was the exact same age, so it was a special day trip for us as we continued the tradition. Today, Palm Sunday, Logan attended his first Mass. I've tried to take him several times, but something always came up, most notably he would spit up and need an outfit change, or he would have a leaky diaper, or he would demand to eat right then, and we couldn't leave on time. He has just recently found his thumb, and during mass, it was completely quiet when he started sucking away at his thumb. He was making such loud noises that a few people turned around to see what it was, and of course, they all smiled when they saw him contentedly sound asleep with his thumb in his mouth. I'll post some favorite pictures of his first three months soon.