The Reservoir

Greer had his first lake experience this weekend. We went out on the Reservoir with our friends, the Waespe's. It was so relaxing. The weather was perfect. Greer was definitely relaxed. In fact, he slept almost the entire time!

Don't you love the matching hat and bathing suit?! Thanks to the Edelmans!

mama and Greer!

the rocking put him to sleep...he was out!

daddy and greer!

This weekend, Geoff also finished building our new dining room table! He built, sanded, and stained it himself. I love it! It is perfect. Below are some pictures of the process...I am a bad wife though and did not get before pictures or pictures of him building it...so sorry. Now that we have a table and somewhere for you to eat, we would love some dinner guests!! You are welcome anytime!

this is the only picture I have of any of the raw materials...I apologize because it is so amazing to see what Geoff did and I didn't get in on film. My apologies.

the table is built...first coat of stain is drying

first coat of polyurethane

look at that technique...beautiful

the finished project!

Rice cereal and laughter

4 month check up

greer had his 4 month check up yesterday. here are his newest stats...

weight: 16 lbs, 9 oz (71%)
height: 26 inches (76%)
head circumference: 43.7 cm (78%)

we are starting rice cereal today. more posts to come.

here are some pictures from a couple weeks ago. greer loves playing in his exersaucer. his onsie is from Central BBQ, the "slow smoked memphis style" is a shout out to all our memphians who we get to see in less than 2 weeks!

a stoll down memory lane

This past weekend, we went on a trip to Knoxville to help Geoff's sister, Dani move into her college dorm! The dorm that I, just 8 short years ago, was moving myself into. Humes Hall is just one of the many dorms on UT's campus but is near and dear to my heart. Ah, Presidential Courtyard! Geoff and I both started off our time at UT in the courtyard and have only fond memories of our time. The dorms haven't changed one bit. Dani and her roommate moved in without a hitch. She was able to move her stuff in the night before thanks to her suite mate who had the key. Does anyone remember how to get into one room from the other? You are correct! Push the drawers out and crawl through. Haha! The memories! Geoff and I got to stroll around campus as well, showing Greer all our old stomping grounds. If he was able to talk, I'm sure he would have rolled his eyes and said "boring". Luckily for us all he does is smile and laugh, especially when you sing Rocky Top. I don't see him doing that in 18 years when we are moving him into the dorms. It was a wonderful trip and always a blast seeing Geoff's family. We can't wait to hear all of Dani's stories and live vicariously through her. College is the best!

Humes Hall

Dani and her roommate, Erin

their dorm...lofted beds and all!

chillin under the loft

605...elevator was key

The Watson Family

Greer is so ready for college

4 months!

Happy 1/3 of a year!

Greer at 4 months--- he looks so much more like a little boy now and not quite as chubby.

here's a look back.......

From newborn to.......... 1 week to........... 2 1/2 months to.............
3 months.........quite a journey.

too cute for words

The Great Debate: Cloth vs Disposable

Recently, I have had several inquiries about my use of cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are the popular choice among parents today. Most moms opt for the convenience of disposable diapers. I was on the same page when a dear friend of mine told me the devastating facts about them. For example, do you know what the number one filler of land fills are? You guessed it, DIAPERS! So after much thought and research I decided to do my part to help the environment and maybe save a little cash. According to Consumer Reports, you can expect to spend $1,500 to $2,000 or more on disposables by the time your baby is out of them. Wow, that is a lot of money on something you throw away. Plus, babies who use cloth have less diaper rash and potty train quicker.

Now there are numerous types and brands of cloth diapers these days which is both exciting and very overwhelming. Cloth diapers are not the same as when our parents used them. You remember the prefold with safety pins...which to veer off for a second, I have a new respect for all the moms out there who endured the multiple sticks of a safety pin to protect their little one while changing diapers. No more of those days. Cloth diapers now come with snaps and elastic! Major brands of cloth diapers, all-in-ones, and cloth diapering systems are Bum Genius, Bumkins, Fuzzi Bunz, Gerber, Kushies, and Swaddlebees. I liked several brands but ended up going with Fuzzi Bunz (www.fuzzibunz.com). I have loved mine. There are more work than disposable but it's like anything in life, the more the work for it the more you love it.

Mine are known as "All in one" (a diaper and a protective cover as one unit). The are fleece lined and like I said have adjustable snaps that fit your baby just right. And they grow with the baby! I do about an extra load of laundry a day, although recently I have been able to stretch it about 2 days. I have 12 diapers total in a variety of colors. Initially, 12 diapers was just barely enough but as Greer has gotten older they are the perfect number.

Now I know most of you are wondering exactly how the wash process goes...do I have to "scrape" poop off? If you are breastfeeding, the poop dissolves in water. So this means you do an extra rinse cycle initially and then continue with the normal wash routine. Each company has it's own wash instructions so make sure to read the way they want you to wash. Now the other question I get is...do you wash your laundry in the same washer as the poopy diapers? Yes, I do. It doesn't gross me out or my husband but I do throw bleach through the wash every so often just to make everyone feel better. I am not a squeamish person and bodily function does not gross me out so the cloth diapers have been wonderful for me.

Overall, I think we have definitely saved money, helped the environment a little, and found a new appreciation for what people did prior to the invention of disposable diapers. Greer loves them and I would recommend them to anyone! Below are just some pictures of Greer in his diaper and one close up. I tried to take some more pictures of the insert and the diaper itself but they didn't come out very good so use the website instead. I hope this was informative and maybe opened your eyes to a new way of diapering.

Lounging...in my cloth diaper

Look at that pot belly!

Mississippi Braves

Geoff, Greer, and I went to the Mississippi Braves game this past Saturday night with a bunch of Geoff's fellow residents. It was the most beautiful night and so much fun to meet the people Geoff spends his days with. Pictured below are just a couple snapshots of Greer in his swing. So far Jackson is wonderful. The hospitality state definitely lives up to it's name. I really can't say enough about all the people we have met and immediately taken us under their wings. I look forward to the years ahead with you all!

PS. Pardon the mess behind the swing, we are still unpacking!

3 months old

Greer turned 3 months on July 3rd!

Here are some of his newest tricks and some really cute photos:

sucking his thumb
rolling onto his side
sleeping 10-11 hours a night! (i love this one!)
talking up a storm...or at least trying to
loves his hands, loves staring at his hands
and
smiling constantly
(unless a camera is in front of him)

do you like my forth of july outfit? it was the only one mama could find that was red and blue!

3 month picture next to "the pillow" vs. 1 week old picture

Daddy's first post call picture! And he is still awake!


a few of his serious faces and one happy face


I love my thumb!

Welcome to Jackson

We officially residents of Jackson, Mississippi! We absolutely love the house we are renting and feel so blessed to live here. The move went unbelievably smooth and we were lucky enough to recruit so help from Geoff's fellow interns and the Lowry boys. Webster is in heaven with so much room to run and stairs to climb! The heat has been intense but we are getting used to it. I just found the camera cord to upload pictures, so I will post some more pictures as soon as I can.

Below are some pictures taken before we moved. We put Greer in his bumbo seat for the first time and as you can see he is not exactly sure what to think of it! So hilarious. He looks so big.