Reed all about it!

Take me out to the ballgame

2011-06-26T22:11:00.001-05:00

Stephanie and I got to talking a few weeks ago and thought that taking the families to a Travs game would be fun. So after some planning and checking schedules we decided on this Saturday. The Travs were home playing the North West Arkansas Naturals.

It was warm but there was a nice breeze so it wasn't so bad. The kids were so excited. Dakota and Lily had just been to their first ballgame while on a trip to Illinois and this was Gage's first so they were keyed up.

We ended up with great seats with a view of downtown.

We had hot dog, cotton candy, and cokes. All the yummy treats at the ball park.

Our view up the 3rd base line.

The kids also got their picture taken with Shelly but it's on camera. Just pretend it's here. =)

All in all everyone had a blast. Afterwords there was a fireworks show that was great.

I thought Gage might get scared but he loved it so the 4th of July will be a blast.

And to top it off the Travs won 2-0!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T15:57:00.001-05:00

Saturday we met up with Stephanie, Bryan and the kids to go to an Eggstranvangaza at a local church. It turns out so did the rest of the city and everyone they knew. Wow! I couldn't believe how many people were there.

Not sure what face im making here. Anyway, Gage was so excited to see all of the balloons and eggs.

Gage loved the egg hunt.

But, he wasn't too excited about the 10 egg limit. We probably should have gone to the 3-5 year hunt instead of birth to 2. But the candy inside make things a little better.

From there we rode the train.

The train took us up to the other side of the church where a special guest was waiting on us.

The Easter bunny! Gage was so excited I thought he was going to jump of the train to get to him.

After the train ride we passed by a coloring area which as soon as Gage saw this he started screaming "Colors! Colors! Colors!". So of course we stopped and colored for awhile.

Gage and Dakota colored to their hearts content.

After leaving the Eggstranvangaza we went to Grandma's for Easter dinner.

Of course we hunted eggs yet again. Which had even more candy. I think Gage has eaten more than his weight in candy.

Sunday morning Kelly and I were woken up by shouts of "Monkey! Monkey". Gage had gotten up and gone in the den to get his new shoes that light up (which is a whole other story) and found his Easter basket and the Curious George that "bunny" brought him. He completely missed the basket full of item next to it in his excitement. So once it had been established that the bunny had brought him monkey we went through his basket. In my half awake state I forgot all about taking pictures. I'm sure monkey will make several appearances in photos to come.

This afternoon we headed over to Stephanie and Bryan's to let the kids play. Lily and Dakota would hide the eggs and Gage would hunt them. They had a blast playing and hunting eggs. Gage is wore out. I'm hoping he takes a good long nap

We hope everyone had a great weekend too!

It was written all over his face

2011-04-16T16:13:00.001-05:00

Just by the look on his face you can tell what he was thinking.

Dr. Gage

2011-04-14T19:45:00.001-05:00

Today was Gage's EGD at ACH and everything went well procedure wise. Attitude wise was a different story.

Since he wasn't allowed to have anything to eat or drink after midnight Gage was ready for something to drink/eat this morning. So we tried to keep his mind off of it until we left. So crisis averted....until we get to the hospital and in a room. Cranky was a nice word of how Gage was feeling. The nurses saw that he was a little edgy they gave him some "goofy juice" which comes in the form of a shot. So about 20 minutes later he finally down.

His scrubs where so cute. He looked like a dr in training.

Everything went fine. They found 4 ulcers (didn't know 2 year olds could get ulcers) but everything else looked good. They did biopsy a piece in his tummy which we will get the results back in a couple of weeks. Until then we are on medicine for the ulcers.

He slept most of the afternoon which was a good thing since when he woke up in recovery he was in a bad mood. He's up now and in a much better mood watching Curious George and acting silly.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging

2011-04-13T20:07:00.001-05:00

Well it's been a while since our last post. Sorry about the absence but life got a little busy for awhile but we are back and hopefully will continue to be back on a regular basis.

I know, I know what have we been up to for the last year and a half? Well hopefully I will get everything caught up in summary posts in the next couple of weeks.

Gage is in a new daycare/preschool and we are loving it. Gage's speech has really picked up and he loves going every morning.

Every morning when we pull up he yells "skool!".

New school is smack dab in between the house and my work which is so much better than the 30 minute twice a day drive that we were doing.

Last night grandma and I went to a fundraiser at school and had a great time. There was a silent auction to help raise money and each class put in something. Gage's class put in a canvas titled "wheels on the bus" which each child took a truck and ran the wheels through a color of paint. Each child in the classes name and color is listed on the back.

I was so excited to win! Its already on display in our hallway.

Tomorrow is Gage's EGD at ACH. We have to be there at 8:45 and little man can't eat or drink after midnight. So it will be rough without milk in the morning. Hopefully everything goes smooth. I'm sure I'll have a full report tomorrow.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T17:25:00.004-06:00

We had a blast this Christmas. Gage still isn't quite sure about Santa but he loved opening all of his presents this year. On Christmas Eve night we let Gage open one present, which were his Christmas PJs that he wore to bed that night. The next day we got up and opened presents and played for awhile. After that we headed over to Grandma Gore's house and had lunch and more presents. All in all it was a great day. Here are the pictures

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-17T19:56:00.003-05:00

Today we decided to take Gage to a pumpkin patch. We found Motley's Pumpkin Patch about 20 mins away and decided it looked like fun. Motley's originally started as a Christmas Tree farm and just recently started a pumpkin patch. They had so much to do that we thought we must check it out.

It was a great day for an outing and we had a blast. When we got there we decided to go on the hay ride first.

Gage wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first but seemed to have a great time.

Then it was time to pick out a wagon we wanted to use for the rest of the farm. Of course we had to have the red radio flyer wagon.

Next we started up to the pumpkin patch were were got to play with pumpkins and also got a chance to play in the hay.

On the way we saw a BIG spider

Daddy and Gage on the Motley wagon.

Playing in the hay

Next we went to the petting zoo where Gage was in awe of all the animals there, especially the goats.

Then we checked out some of the pumpkins up front

Then it was on to the pig races.

And before we left we had to swing

Gage had a blast doing all kinds of new things today. There was lots to see, from baby Christmas trees, to pumpkins, to all kinds of animals. He was a little afraid of the animals but still curious as to what they were. Gage tried to pick up all the pumpkins, even ones that weighed at least 3x his weight. He thought that the pigs were funny with all the noises that they made. Watching them run that track was fun. Never knew pigs could run so fast. Gage even got to pick his own pumpkin to bring home with him. He ended up with one more his size. All in all it was a great day.

First Birthday

2009-09-13T18:02:00.004-05:00

We had Gage's birthday party on Sunday. It was at his Grandma Gore's house and there were lots of people there. Gage didn't quite know what to make of all those people together at the same time. He was a little shy and cranky at first but finally came around was the life of the party.

He really wasn't into opening his presents but just wanted to play with them once they had been opened.

Gage loved his cake!

It was a good time overall and Gage definitely had fun.

Year in Review - Happy Birthday Gage!

2009-09-06T18:24:00.018-05:00

I can't believe how fast this past year has gone by. It feels like we just brought our new little baby boy home and were getting use to being new parents. Now here we are 12 months later and Gage is no longer a baby but a toddler who is walking all over the house and in to everything. It's been an amazing year and we can't wait to see what the next year brings.

We love you Gage!

Playing at the Park

2009-08-30T18:24:00.004-05:00

A few weekends ago we thought we would take Gage up to the park that is near our house, since they have a bucket swing and we thought that Gage would really like it.

As you can see he was a little indifferent to it. Kinda like he was wondering why his parents had put him in this thing and were now taking pictures. Geezz...

Kelly thought he would take him down the slide a few times and see what he thought of that

As you can see he thought about it as much as he did the swings. Hopefully in a few months he'll be more excited to go to the park.

Look Ma! No hands (sort of)

2009-08-24T20:34:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday, Kelly and I were sitting in the living room talking and noticed that Gage really wanted something that his Daddy had. So Gage after a few moments decided to finally let go of the chair he was holding onto and took his first steps. We were so excited and of course we tried and tried to repeat what had just happened.

Cupcakes

2009-08-22T16:44:00.004-05:00

Last thursday when I got to daycare to pick Gage up his teachers told me three things

1. They had cupcakes for snack that day for someones birthday

2. Gage liked the cupcakes so much that he had 2

3. They had taken pictures!!

So of course I asked for copies and am sharing them with you.......

I think that this is a prelude to what we will see at his first birthday party when he gets his own cake. Of course there will be picutres of that as well to share.

11 months - Top 11

2009-08-09T21:14:00.006-05:00

Can you believe it? This little man is 11 months old.

So here it is....a Top 11 things Gage is doing

11. loves riding in a shopping cart
10. babbles constantly
9. says mama, dada, and baba
8. still has no teeth
7. is starting to eat more and more table foods
6. loves to feed himself
5. still rubs his head will eating a bottle
4. stands on his own for a few seconds
3. loves to give kisses
2. loves music, he will stop whatever he's doing if he hears music on tv to watch and will occasionally dance for us, he even dances while eating, it's too cute

and #1 is......

he is walking all over the house while holding on to something

Just checking in....

2009-08-02T13:31:00.006-05:00

Is it already August? I can't believe how time has flown by. In a few short weeks our little man will be 1. Doesn't seem possible.

Just thought I would check in and show some of the new things Gage has been up to lately.

He's on the move now. As long as there is something to hold on to he's pulling up and walking around.

Here he is holding on to the gate we have in our hallway

He loves to stand here and rattle the gate and squeal

Now that he's all over the place he's into everything. If anything he is holding onto has anything on it he feels it's his duty to clear it off.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Doing a little light reading while he has it all out

He loves to climb under our kitchen table. He gets under there and then tries to grab at what is on top of the table through the glass.

We've been trying new foods

Spaghetti

Yummy

So much to do all in a day - wears a little boy out......

Out for a Sunday drive

2009-07-12T21:15:00.003-05:00

Today Kelly and I took Gage out for a walk in his "car". Gage loves this car and likes to just get in it and sit when it's here in the house. So today we thought we would take him out for a stroll in it and he loved it.

The entire time he was in the car he kept one hand on the wheel and one hand on the side. Too cute.

Where did I put that toy?

2009-07-11T21:53:00.004-05:00

He continued to pull out all his toys and throw them on the floor. Must be a fun game.

4th of July

2009-07-09T19:47:00.004-05:00

This 4th of July, my mom, Gage and I travel to my aunt's house in Missouri where we were having a family get together that included 3 babies under 1.

Two of my cousins had babies within months of Gage being born so there is a whole new generation of our family that needed to meet. We had a blast; ate some good food including homemade ice cream -which Gage loved-, played cards - it wouldn't be right if we didn't- and had a chance to visit and catch up.

Let the photos begin:

Gage and Brooklynn playing

Isn't she a cutie

Gage and Kyrstin

Gabbing it up

My aunt and uncle with my cousin Kim, her husband Scott and their precious little one Kyrstin.

Too cute

My mom, Gage, and me

Gage loving on his grandma

Grining

Pulling up

2009-06-13T15:26:00.001-05:00

It has been a week of firsts. I can't believe how fast Gage is learning everything.

This morning I had put Gage down for his nap. He was playing in his crib as his normally does before going to sleep. I went in to check on him and he was sitting up in his crib. Next thing I know.......

Kelly had to lower the mattress this morning so that little man doesn't flip out.

There is not telling what is next, but I'm excited to find out.

9 month checkup

2009-06-13T14:47:00.003-05:00

Gage's 9 month check up was Thursday. For the most part everything went well.

He has lost 2 lbs, now weighing only 13.8 lbs. The doctor and I discussed several things to start doing to help him gain some weight. So hopefully at his next check up he will have gained some weight.

He had another ear infection so one more and he'll get tubes. I figure it will be someone around the time he turns 1.

He is meeting all of his other milestones as he's suppose to and overall the doctor was pleased. Gage actually babbled through the whole appointment just showing his doctor how well he could "talk". She couldn't stop laughing at him and all his jabbering.

We've just got to get some weight on this baby boy.

Crawling and other tricks

2009-06-13T14:29:00.009-05:00

Gage is now fully crawling everywhere and we are constantly getting him out of things. It's now time to baby proof the house.

Here he his crawling

The next video is from a little over a month ago that Kelly caught, too funny not to share. Gage had been rolling around and got up next to our entertainment console and had opened one of the doors to it and this is what Kelly caught.

9 months old

2009-06-07T17:26:00.004-05:00

Sorry about not updating lately. I'm not sure where the time has gone.

Gage is now 9 months old and I can't believe it. In three short months my baby boy will be a year old. The time has gone by way too fast.

So cute right.

This little man is doing so many new things. He's now army crawling all over the place. He hasn't quite figured out how to get up on those knees yet but between army crawling and rolling he's keeping us on our toes.

He's babbling all the time and "ma ma", "da da", and "ba ba" are all regular sounds that we hear.

He's starting to get some golden-brown hair covering up that beautiful bald head.

I'm sure that this summer has more new things in store for us.

I 've got several videos that I need to get uploaded and will hopefully get them up soon. So until then.......

Playtime

2009-04-05T13:07:00.004-05:00

Now that Gage is sitting up on his own he's playing in the floor with his toys a lot more. He still mainly tries to eat them but hey he's still having fun.

This morning he was down in the floor playing with his new guitar and I snapped these pics of him.

Wye Mountain

2009-03-22T17:57:00.003-05:00

Today Kelly, Gage and I headed out to Wye Mountain to see the daffodils. The weather was so nice today that it felt good to get outside to do something.

Gage didn't quite know what to think. I think he's taking in everything that this big world has to offer. He's such a studier and thinker that I wonder what that means for him in the future.

Here are some pictures of Gage among the daffodils:

On the move....

2009-03-19T21:55:00.005-05:00

I can't wait to see what is next......

6 months old already?

2009-03-07T22:08:00.006-06:00

I can't believe that it has already been 6 months since Gage was born. Time really does fly. I was thinking the other day about how this time last year I was just getting over the nausea and being so sleepy and now we have a 6 month old that is rolling, babbling, and munching on toes.

Here is a video of couple of the new milestones we have hit recently

Gage's favorite food is Applesauce and bananas, he loves them both and you can't give them to him fast enough. He doesn't care for sweet potatoes. He chews on anything he can get his hands on, especially his hands. He can put his whole fist in his mouth. He is a pro at rolling over but still hates to be on his belly. He still loves to cuddle and is always up for kisses. He sits and watches everyone and everything with such curiosity. He almost always has a smile for anyone willing to look his way.

I can only imagine what the next 6 months have in store for us

Back to the hosptial

2009-03-02T09:14:00.002-06:00

Here we are again, back in the hospital for pneumonia. When I picked Gage up from daycare on Friday he was having a hard time breathing even after they had just given him his inhaler. So I took him home and watched him for a little while and decided that I would take him to the after hours clinic at big baptist. I figured all he needed was another updraft and he would be okay but by the time we got back to see the doctor he was working really hard to breathe so they decided to do another set of chest x-rays. That is when we found out that he had pneumonia again. This time it was in the part of his lung that was clear last time.

So they admitted us to big baptist and the next day when they told me it would be a few more days I asked to be transferred to Springhill since that is where we were last time and we already knew all the staff and his pediatrician was here. So about 1:00 am Sunday morning we arrived here at Springhill and immediately there was a crowd of 6 nurses and staff in here talking to Gage. They all remembered him from his first visit and of course Gage just flirted with all of them and again they were wrapped around his finger.

Today the doctor said that we may be able to go home as long as he can hold his own off the oxygen. So as I sit here typing this Gage is sleeping and is doing okay without the oxygen so far. I hope and pray that he gets better and we are able to go home soon and even though I love all of the staff and nurses up here I hope that the next time we see them is a visit when he feels much better.

Play, play and more play

2009-02-25T18:46:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to get all of these videos and pictures up but haven't had a chance so I figured I'll just put them all in one jammed packed post.

The first are pictures of Gage playing. He has really started playing with everything that he can and it's so cute.

Playing in his exersaucer

He loves his exersaucer and has figured out how to turn himself around in it and how to play with all of the toys that are on it. Here is video that Kelly took the other night of Gage playing.

Here he is playing in his bumbo.

The other night he was getting a little fussy so I would talk to him in a high pitched baby babble and he would smile instantly and when I would quit he would fuss again then repeat. We thought it was funny so Kelly grabbed the camcorder and here is what happened.

I just realized that I sound like Charlie Brown's teacher.

More to come soon.

Doctor Visit

2009-02-25T17:12:00.000-06:00

We had to take Gage back to the doctor today. Daycare called yesterday and told us that he had a fever and that we needed to come and pick him up. So we called to get him in to see the doctor this morning. He's been showing signs of another bad cold and has had a terrible cough so we wanted to go ahead and get him checked out.

He was RSV negative which is great, seems he just has a bad cold. They put him on some medicine and told us to continue his inhaler. So hopefully with the weather getting warmer cold season will be behind us soon.

Oh yeah, Gage has gained almost a pound since he left the hospital three weeks ago! Hopefully when he's feeling better we will be able to get a few more pounds on him.

Spring is on it's way

2009-02-25T17:00:00.002-06:00

Today I noticed out the kitchen window that our daffodils were in full blooms.

The first signs of spring!! I'm so ready for warmer weather and hopefully we will be able to start taking Gage for walks around the neighborhood in his stroller.

Hand + Mouth = ?

2009-02-19T20:39:00.004-06:00

Gage loves to put his hands in his mouth and chew on them. Lately he's been doing it at the same time he's talking or squealing. What fun can happen when Daddy helps out:

Playing with balloons

2009-02-19T19:55:00.004-06:00

While in the hospital Gage received several balloons. He would stare and stare at them like if he could just get up and get them he would. Now that we are back at home he's started noticing them and can't stop looking at them again. So Kelly decided to attach them to one of his wrist rattles and put the rattle around his ankle. The following is the result:

Back to the grind

2009-02-09T21:09:00.002-06:00

It's been a week since we were sprung from the hospital. Gage is doing great. We went to the doctor last tuesday and she told us that he sounded much better than he did while in the hospital and that we could do the breathing treatments as needed. Tonight is the last of antibiotic and we just pray that he doesn't get anything else during the last of these winter months.

Since being home he's been catching back up on his feedings and is eating like a champ. We are back to working on eating cereal and baby food. So far we've tried green beans and he's not huge fan of them yet.

Last night he starting trying to roll over again from back to tummy. He got over a couple of times and of course every time he got onto his belly he would get upset, he just hates being on his belly. Then tonight he's at it again. Anytime you put him down in the floor he's on his belly before you can blink. He's getting better and better at it and has started trying to roll from back to belly to back again.

He's growing up so fast. I can't believe it's been 5 months since out little man was born. Time really does fly.

Here are a couple of pics of Gage playing:

Playing is so tiring

Laughing a Momma upside down

Huh??

Monday afternoon update

2009-02-02T16:27:00.001-06:00

WE GET TO GO HOME!!!!!

I'm so excited. He's doing much better today without his oxygen and they said as long as he does fine at 5 they are going to call the doctor and they will discharge us. Thank goodness. I can't wait to get my little man home. Thank you all so much for all of the prayers and thoughts during this. Believe me it was heard and much appreciated.

I will update (with pictures hopefully) soon.

Monday Morning

2009-02-02T09:03:00.001-06:00

Today after Gage's breathing treatment they took the oxygen off all together and so far so good!!! He's holding his own and doing well.

The doctor should be here soon so we'll see where we are after that.

Sunday Night

2009-02-01T23:48:00.002-06:00

Well today wasn't the day. They tired to wean Gage off the oxygen and he just wasn't holding his own so they had to turn it back up.

Tomorrow we're asking the doctor to do another chest x-ray to see where we are in recovering.

More then.....

Sunday Morning Update

2009-02-01T07:51:00.002-06:00

Good morning everyone! I know it's early but the doctor has been in already and has said that we are going to try and wean Gage off the oxygen today!! I am praying that he does well and that we won't have any problems. If he does well today then we might possibly get to go home tomorrow.

I'll keep you updated on how it's going.

Saturday Update

2009-01-31T16:19:00.002-06:00

Sorry about not updating yesterday. We were busy most of the day.

Kelly's parents came to visit yesterday. We all enjoyed seeing them and getting to spend time with them. Then Heather and Grandma Gore came to visit yesterday afternoon. Heather got several laughes out of Gage. Just a sign that he is getting
better. Then last night Lori and Matt came by to see how we were.

It was great getting to visit with everyone.

Well the doctor came by today and said that he's still a few days from going home. He's still needing the oxygen that they are giving him. And he's still a little wheezy and needs to be watched. So we will be here until next week sometime.

We can tell that he's really start to feel better since he's smiling and laughing again. He's also moving all over the place, I'm sure he's tired of that ol' hospital bed.

Thursday Afternoon

2009-01-29T17:12:00.002-06:00

Today has been going well. Gage is getting back to feeling better. He's been smiling and talking most of the day.

And his appetite is starting to be back in full swing. He's eating 3 to 4 ounces every three hours. Now that it's not just pedialyte he's happy.

He's now wearing a hat to help with his IV so he doesn't grab at it as much and try and pull it off. He's just too cute in his hat that I had to share this picture.

Too cute, huh.

Hopefully we will know more about when we will be going home in the morning. I'll share more then.

Thursday Update

2009-01-29T12:15:00.001-06:00

Gage is doing much much better today. He's awake and alert more and we have moved to adding formula back to his diet by doing half and half with pedialyte. He's still having to work a little harder to breathe but not nearly as hard as he was a few days ago.

Also that beautiful smile is back. I've missed it so much these past few days. This morning when he got up I was talking to him and he gave me a great big smile. I think I screamed I was so excited. =)

The doctor came by today and said that we will look at possibly going home tomorrow by it still might be saturday before we get home since he has to be slowly taken off his oxygen and IV.

I've had little sleep but am in such a great mood today since my little man is feeling so much better!!

Thank you for all your prayers!

Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning

2009-01-29T04:58:00.002-06:00

Tonight has been a rough night for little man. He has woke up in coughing fits several times tonight and it takes awhile to get him calmed down and back to sleep.

I'll ask the doctor tomorrow if there is anything that we can do to help him with these. They just wear him out.

More to report after the doctor sees him.

Wednesday Update

2009-01-28T18:39:00.005-06:00

Things are starting to look up today. The doctor said that is has improved since yesterday but still needs to be watched over so we are here for at least the rest of the week.

His breathing is a little better but he is still having to work really hard at it and that's what the doctors are so concerned about. They are going to start taking him off the fluids which means that the IV can come out soon (thank goodness). They also turned down his oxygen but had to turn it back up so hopefully we will be able to slowly get off that as well.

We were told we could add back some formula to his feedings but it didn't go well and he got choked up and ended up in a coughing fit. So back to just pedialyte.

We wanted to say thank you

To everyone at my work for sending this adorable bear that doubles as a pillow (it's almost as big as Gage) and for the bag of candy, you really know the way to my hubby's heart. Thank you so much.

Also we forgot to show the balloons that Aunt Angie, Uncle Jeff, Kaley and Heather sent with the lovey pictured in the post below.

Thank you!

Afternoon update

2009-01-27T22:06:00.002-06:00

The doctor came in this afternoon to tell us about the results from the tests she ordered today. She said that his blood gas test came back with good results and that his CBC came back good as well.

The chest x-ray was worse than the one they did when he was admitted on Sunday night. He has pneumonia all in his right lung as well as in the bottom lobe of his left lung. They started him on a new antibiotic as well as doing deep suction after each breathing treatment. Hopefully we will start to see an improvement.

He's still having trouble breathing and is having a really hard time coughing up anything out of his lungs. Hopefully he will get some good sleep tonight.

A couple pictures to share:

Gage with his lovey that Uncle Jeff, Aunt Angie, Heather and Kaley sent.

The get well card that Lily made for Gage.

Update Tuesday Morning 1-27

2009-01-27T10:42:00.001-06:00

Gage slept all night last night. He even got two breathing treatments and didn't know it.

He woke up this morning with a bad cough that he couldn't quite shake after his morning breathing treatment. The nurse was concerned about how hard he is having to work at breathing so she called the doctor to go ahead and come up to see him.

The doctor is having another chest x-ray done as well as blood work and she is checking in on him after each patient she sees on the floor. Hopefully we will know something soon.

I will update again as soon as I know something.

First Hospital Visit

2009-01-26T23:08:00.003-06:00

I knew that when they told us that we were having a boy that we would be having our share of hospital visits, but I definitely didn't think it would be this early, and I figured it would be for a broken bone not pneumonia.

That's right, my precious baby boy has pneumonia. Kelly and I brought him to the ER here in town on Sunday night around 6. We walked into a crowed waiting room and I thought we would be waiting forever which worried me since Gage was having a lot of trouble breathing. But this great hospital staff took us straight back to triage and then straight back to a room. The staff has been amazing the entire time we've been here.

Sunday night they did some blood work, chest x-rays, and and RSV test. The blood work came back good and the RSV test came back negative. But the chest x-ray showed to have a little bit of pneumonia in one of his lungs. So Gage was admitted to the hospital late Sunday night.

He's still having troubling breathing. He's working really hard to breath so the doctors are wanting to keep him until at least Tuesday maybe Wednesday. He's receiving breathing treatments every 4 hours to help break up whatever is in his lungs so that he can breathe better.

We would love as many thoughts and prayers as you can give as I'm sure they will all be heard.

I will update with any news that I get.

Of course we have pictures.

His little toe lit up with the his pulse ox light

Gage playing peak-a-boo with Daddy (Isn't his tiny hospital gown so cute!)

Hugging on his Cookie Monster

Thank you to Aunt Stephanie and Mimi for coming to visit and bringing this great balloon.

Thank you Uncle Jeff, Aunt Angie, Heather and Kaley for sending these beautiful flowers!

Oh so sweet!

2009-01-18T19:10:00.005-06:00

Back in early December we had Gage's pictures done by Nicki. I met her on a local mommy message board and she's an awesome person and an amazing photographer. I asked her to take Gage's pictures at 3 months, so we got together at the house. I love all of the photos that she took they are all so cute so I thought I would share a preview of a few.

Eating Cereal

2009-01-14T22:48:00.005-06:00

Gage started eating cereal this week. He's not a big fan of it. He's starting to do better he's working on figuring out that silly spoon. But of course you guessed it, we have pictures to share.

4 Month Stats

2009-01-14T21:46:00.004-06:00

We had Gage's 4 month check up last week (I know I'm behind) and he's doing great. He is now 11.5 lbs and 25 in long. Since he only gained 1 lb since his 2 month appointment the doctor has us adding safflower oil to all of his bottles to help him gain some weight.

--side note-- I had to take him back to the doctor today and they weighed him again and he's gained almost 1 lb since we were there last Thursday! So the Safflower oil is working. He is now 12.4 lbs

Of course a few pictures to share:

Hello 2009!

2009-01-01T17:27:00.002-06:00

We want to wish everyone a happy new year and hope that 2009 is a great year for each of you.

Oh the sweet sound of laughter

2008-12-28T21:00:00.007-06:00

This is the first time that Gage has laughed for us and I don't know who was laughing harder, me or Gage.

Make sure your speakers are on.

Merry Christmas - 2008

2008-12-26T15:05:00.007-06:00

Wow, what a Christmas! We had an amazing day and I'm sure that Gage had a blast.

Wednesday Gage spent some time with me at work before we headed off to Christmas eve service at church. Then Christmas morning we got up, had breakfast and then opened our presents. Then it was off to Grandma Gore's for lunch and presents. As always we had a great time!

Catching up

2008-12-21T17:49:00.007-06:00

I am so sorry. It's been awhile since my last post. Let's see where to begin.

As of Dec 1, I started back at work and Gage started daycare. Both are going well. They love Gage at daycare and are always gushing about how he is such a good baby. Makes me smile everytime. We've been trying to get into a good routine and we are almost there.

We've been getting ready for Christmas this coming Thursday. I just made our traditional Chex Mix (3 batches for work, home, and Mom's house) and a new goody for me, cinnamon glazed pecans. They are so yummy.

All of the presents have been purchased and are now wrapped and under the tree, just waiting to be opened Thursday morning. We will be going to Christmas Eve services at church Wednesday night with mom, get up Thursday morning to open our presents, get ready and then head to my Mom's for Christmas there.

I hope to take lots of pictures (fingers crossed) to share with you all. But in the meantime here are some form the past few weeks.

The color version of the picture on our Christmas card

Daddy and Gage sleeping while I was getting ready for work

Playing in his bouncy seat

He loves to sleep with his hands on his face

He was asleep holding on to this toy

Getting ready to leave

Rolling update

2008-12-01T21:56:00.003-06:00

A couple of days ago we posted about Gage trying to roll over. Last night was the night!! Kelly and I were both watching him try to get over and then all of the sudden.......

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree.......

2008-12-01T21:46:00.005-06:00

For the first time in a very long time we got our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving (we were still too stuffed on Friday).

Here are some pictures from this weekend.

Our new Christmas Tree

Our stocking hung on the mantle

Gage sitting in his bumbo in front of the tree

Gage with his "1st Christmas" hat on

On a roll

2008-11-29T17:01:00.007-06:00

A new milestone is in our future (I'm hoping before I go back to work Monday).

Gage is trying to roll over. He has figured out how to roll up on his side and if he could just get that bottom arm out of the way he would be on his belly.

Today he has figured out how to try and get momentum by rolling from his side to his back, back to his side trying to go fast enough to just flip him self over. Here are so pictures of him on his side. He's too cute for words!

Beautiful

2008-11-29T16:52:00.006-06:00

I just have to share these pictures of the Bradford Pear tree in our front yard. Kelly and I were out doing yard work today and I just noticed how beautiful this tree has become changing colors.

Chatting with Daddy

2008-11-29T10:52:00.004-06:00

We hope that everyone had a great and happy Thanksgiving. Ours was great. I didn't take any pictures (shame on me). I took my camera and everything. I promise I will get better.

Last night Kelly and Gage where playing in the floor when they struck up a conversation. I know what you are thinking, Gage can't talk yet, but oh he can.

So much to be thankful for

2008-11-26T22:39:00.016-06:00

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect in ones life for the things that they are thankful for. Every year that I can remember at the dinner table we have gone around and said one thing that we are thankful for. So here I sit, thinking about what I'm going to say when it's my turn to speak. It seems like when it comes to my turn I always say the same thing - Family. While this is so very true, I am ever so thankful for my family, this year has been a year that has reminded me how thankful I am for my family.

I am so thankful for that little bundle of joy who is right now is next to me sleeping so peacefully. I feel so blessed that God has given Kelly and I such a beautiful, healthy, sweet, and amazing little boy. It is such an amazing gift to be a mother and the love for this child is so amazing.

My husband is such a great and loving husband and again I'm so blessed to have found him and been able to share the past 10 years together. I look back all we have gone through and think ahead to all that we still have to experience. I couldn't think of anyone else I would want to do it with.

My mother is such an amazing woman and mother, that I don't even know if words can express how thankful I am that she is my mother. I thankful for everything she has ever done for me and all the things that she has ever taught me.

My brothers and sisters, are some of the most amazing people I know and I'm glad that they are my brothers and sisters. They have been a huge support system and I'm so glad that we have each other.

Every member of my family, extended family and friends included, are all amazing wonderful people and I am so thankful for each and every one of them.

So this year as we go around the table and talk about what we are grateful for, I know that when it comes to my turn I will again say "family". Because with each year I am more and more thankful for my family.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

It's almost Christmas Time!

2008-11-26T12:10:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I can't believe that the holidays are already upon us. Amazing how fast time flies.

Last weekend Kelly and I went out and got a new Christmas Tree. I am so excited. We haven't decorated for Christmas since we've moved into this house. So we have a new tree, new ornaments, and it's our first Christmas as a family of three.

This week I got Gage's "Baby 1st Christmas" Ornament at Hallmark. I think that I'm going to try and make it a tradition to get him a new ornament each year. This one is so cute, I've just got to print the picture out for it.
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I can't wait to put the tree up. I think that I'm going to try and get it up this coming weekend. After I get it up I will post pictures.

Learning to play

2008-11-25T15:46:00.006-06:00

We received an activity gym from Gage's Aunt Angie as a shower present. It's similar to this one:This has become Gage's favorite activity. We used to put him down there an he would just look at all the colors. Now he has started hitting at the toys that are hanging down and he get so excited and starts "talking" to them. I have video of this and couldn't wait to share.

Gage is learning so many things so quickly, I just can't believe it. It hasn't even been 3 months and I could spend hours listing all the things that he's learned in such a short time. I can definitely see why they say the first year goes by so fast.

First trip and first picture with Santa

2008-11-24T21:23:00.005-06:00

Recently we went to see our family in Springfield, MO. Gage had a blast and didn't want to sleep throughout the day since there was so many new things going on. He loved meeting new family members. We had a great time, ate great food, and played cards (yes, even Kelly played). Thank you for having us Aunt Donna and Uncle Nolan, we love you!

While in Springfield, I was lucky enough to get to meet the newest member of our family, Ms. BrookLynn Faith. She is so gorgeous and I can't wait to see this little one grow up. Congratulations Kasie and Brock, she's amazing!

Kelly and I went to Bass Pro Shop since Kelly had never been. While we were there I noticed that they were doing pictures with Santa and the picture was free. You can't beat that. So the next day we bundled up Gage (it was freezing that day) and got his picture with Santa done. He's so cute and so little next to big ol' Santa. It actually snowed (flurries, but it's something) on us on the way back out the car.

2 month Stats

2008-11-11T21:06:00.005-06:00

Gage had his 2 month well child check up yesterday. He now weighs 10.5 lbs and is 23 1/4 in long. He had grown 3 1/2 inches and gained 3 1/2 lbs. The doctor said that everything looked good.

Gage was not a fan of the three shots that he got yesterday though. Poor thing didn't know what hit him until it was over.

2 months old

2008-11-06T22:23:00.003-06:00

Today Gage is 2 months old. Where has time gone. I know it's not a very long period of time but it feels like we just came home with him last week.

He's getting so big. In the past month he has starting smiling at Mommy and Daddy. And will coo at us for about 5 mins at a time. I love to hear the sounds that come out. So sweet. Sometimes he even suprises himself with the sounds that come out. He's found his hands and loves to try and get his whole hand in his mouth at once and after awhile gets upset when he can't. He has developed a love for the celing fan. Any time he is being fed or just laying around he loves to stare at the celing fan whether it's moving or not. Although tummy time is still not one of his favorite things he is getting better at holding his head up while laying on his tummy. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for us and what he will learn.

Tummy Time

Worn Out

Laughing at Daddy

Mommy and Gage

Birthday Party

2008-11-02T23:43:00.001-06:00

Today was Dakota's 8th birthday. We went to Stephanie and Bryan's house for his party. Gage had a blast seeing his cousins bouncing in the bouncy castle and seeing Aunt Steph, Uncle Bryan and his cousins Lily and Dakota.

I can't believe that Dakota is already 8 years old. I remember when he was Gage's age and loved to cuddle and wouldn't let his daddy put him down.

Here are some pics from his party

Aunt Steph with Gage

Dakota opening his present from Aunt Manna and Uncle Kelly

Hulk hands

It's the simple things in life that please them....rope

Remote control Wall*e

Man all this excitement wears a boy out

Dancing the night away

2008-11-02T22:06:00.003-06:00

Awww the sound of music. Gage is obviously a big fan as well. I came home last night from picking up some dinner to Kelly playing his accustic guitar to Gage. Below is the reaction I caught from Gage listening to Kelly's playing.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T00:46:00.007-05:00

Today is Halloween. We didn't take Gage anywhere to trick-or-treat but we did have in his trick-or-treat oneie (see attached video). We had bought him a costume but he was a little small for it, maybe he will be able to wear it next year.

This week Gage has been "talking" more and more. He's awake for longer stretches of time and he loves to look around and talk. He loves to stare at the ceiling fan whether it's moving or not. We call it his best friend.

Here is Gage in his Halloween attire talking to the camera. Sorry that it's sideways, still getting use to this camera and what I can and can't do with it.

Smiling!

2008-10-31T14:54:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share some video of Gage smiling. He starting doing this a couple of weeks ago and we just love seeing it. Sorry about the shakey camera work. I'm new at it. :)

Catch me if you can

2008-10-26T15:39:00.003-05:00

So we've been trying to capture a picture of Gage smiling but it's been a challenge. We've gotten close. We also wanted to be able to look back and remember what he was like at 6 weeks when he smiles and coos so we went out and bought a camcorder this week. So hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to get some video up on here so everyone else can hear him "talk" and see that beautiful smile as well.

Here are some pictures that we took this week in our quest to get that smile.

Baseball

2008-10-26T15:21:00.003-05:00

We had received an outfit as a gift for Gage not too long ago that is baseball themed. Since it's a summer outfit I wanted to make sure that he wore it at least once. So as our tribue to baseball and the World Series that is going on, here is Gage in his baseball outfit.

We can't wait until next summer when he will be able to wear his Cardnial gear and hopefully get to go to his first baseball game to see the Travs play!

Smiles and Colds

2008-10-17T15:04:00.008-05:00

This has been a good week although I think that we are getting colds. With the new beautiful fall weather comes crazy messed up sinuses. I started feeling sick Sunday night with a runny nose that has now progressed into a cough, sneezing and the works. Kelly now sounds like he might be getting what I have. Let's just hope that Gage doesn't get it. We are washing hands and making sure not to give kisses right now. I can't wait to get better so I can give him lots of kisses. The nurse from his Doctor's office called this week with his blood re-test results and they came back completely normal which is such an answered prayer.

This week Kelly and I got our first real smiles from Gage. It's such a great thing to see. He is also starting to coo and working on finding that voice of his. I am working on getting a picture of that beautiful simile to share.

Other than that we have just been hanging out around the house this week. Although I did get to run by Kohl's to spend the rest of a gift certificate that I got from my bosses at work for Christmas. I was proud of myself. I only spent what was left on the card and got $10 of free Kohl's cash to spend at a later time. Here is what I got for Gage for to wear at Christmas.

Daddy and Gage

2008-10-08T10:28:00.002-05:00

Last night after my birthday dinner I took some pictures of Gage and Kelly watching TV that I wanted to share. They are so cute!!

Oh yeah and these from the night before!

Happy 29th Birthday!

2008-10-07T21:42:00.003-05:00

Well today was my 29th birthday. My last year in my 20's. It feels weird, I don't feel like I am 25 most of the time. It's hard to believe that life moves so fast the older you get. You would think it would be the other way. When we are young we are so eager to get to a certain age, 13, 16, 18, 21. We wanted life to hurry up and move along faster so we could get where we thought we wanted to be. But now I wish I could slow everything down it's all moving so fast. Here I am married for 6 years, I just had my 10 year High School reunion, I just had my first child, how did we get here so fast. I hope that this year I can slow down just a little to enjoy life. Make sure that I watch Gage in his first year of life with so many new and exciting things he will be doing and experiencing.

So I woke up this morning to check on Gage and in his bed with him was a card that said To: Mom. I started to tear up (dang hormones) as I opened this card.

This is my first card from Gage. It was so sweet of my husband to think of doing this.

Today I spent the day over at my mom's with her and my sister in law Angie and my niece Heather. We had a really good time just sitting around talking. My brother showed up later that afternoon. Gage was the center of attention everyone passing him around getting to hold him. It's so great to see my family with him.

Tonight Kelly and Gage took me out to eat at Olive Garden. I have been craving Calamari since the Doctor told me I couldn't have fried foods due to my Gallbladder acting up. It was so good. For dessert I had a glass of Sangria which was great as well.

Today was a great birthday. Next year we will be celebrating Gage's 1st birthday in September and then my 30th in October. Crazy to think of.

One Month Old!

2008-10-06T16:39:00.004-05:00

Gage, It's hard to belive that you have been in our lives for a whole month. You have already changed so much in 4 short weeks. Your daddy and I feel so blessed to have you in our lives and now we are truly a family. You have already met so many people that love you so much and can't wait to watch you grow.

You are starting to stay awake longer to look at this new world around you. You are holding your head up more and more these days. You can follow mommy and daddy with your eyes and now are starting to turn your head to sounds that you hear. You learn something new each day and you also teach something new to mommy and daddy as well.

We love you Gage!

Mommy and Daddy

Bath Time

2008-09-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

Gage had his first real bath yesterday. Since the cord fell off earlier in the week it was okay to now give Gage a real bath. We didn't think that he would like it too much but he actually did really well and didn't cry through most of it.

2 Weeks Old

2008-09-24T09:42:00.000-05:00

Gage is now a little over 2 weeks old. He is changing so much. He's starting to sleep longer now and is starting to eat more as well.

He's also starting to stay awake for longer stretches now. He is so aleart and fun to just lay in the floor and talk to. He makes such adorable faces.

We are both such proud parents that we wouldn't wait to show him off so this week we took him to see both of our places of work. Everyone at both places just couldn't get enough of him.

Last Saturday was Razorback game day so we had to dress him up in his Razorback apparel.

He was so cute in this outfit. He has a Razorback pants as well but they are still a little too big for him.

Welcome Gage

2008-09-16T14:17:00.002-05:00

We wanted to start this blog so that all of our family to read about what was going on in our lives. Now that Gage is here there will be changes daily and we want everyone to be able to see and read about them.

Gage Lamar Reed made his way in this world on September 6, 2008. He was 6lbs and 13oz and 19.5 in long.

Kelly and I are so thrilled to have this beautiful baby boy come into our lives. He is truly a blessing and we can't wait to watch him grow up.

Gage did have to spend a little time in the NICU while we were in the hospital for fluid on his lungs. He was able to work it off on his own and was able to go home the same time I was discharged from the hospital.

We had his first doctors appointment the friday after we came home to check on his jaundice and just an overall first look from our peditrician. Gage gained 2oz over his birth weight, weighing in at 6lbs 15.5oz at the doctors. We were so pleased to see that he was gaining weight since he had lost 8oz in the hospital.