Bow Therapy

Our little Payton has a very mild case of tortacolus i.e uneven neck muscles. Ms. Payton seems to favor her right side by tilting her neck that way when she is relaxed. My mom noticed it first, and so when we went to the doctor for her four month check-up we asked about it. The doctor examined her and said she does favor that side and just to be safe referred her to physical therapy. I call it bow therapy because of all the big bows I put on her (insert Mommy feeling guilty right about now).

Anyway, today was our first bow therapy appointment and the PT said she has a very, very mild case of tortacolus and was advanced in every other category for her age. We have to do some exercises with her at every diaper change and go back in two weeks. I asked if the bows had anything to do with it and she said no (insert Mommy feeling a little bit better about putting enormous bows on her daughter's head since birth).

Payton did great during bow therapy and smiled and laughed the entire time. I also got the okay to continue with the bows. I am sure Payton is grateful for that, and I will probably hear about when she is older. Oh well...... that is just one of the joys of having a baby i.e. getting to dress them how I want including a big bow to complete any outfit.

Cousin Chronicles (Cow Town Edition)

This past weekend we all went to the Stockyards to eat some good ole' food and take in the scenery.


Cooper loving on his cousin before we headed out the door.


Mommy and Payton. I love this Baby Bjorn, and so does Payton.


Grandpat and Paw Paw Sammy. Look closely at the stroller. We brought Payton's stroller because we figured she would want to go to sleep at some point. However, Cooper wanted to pushed around in it. Cooper just cracks me up sometimes.


Such a cute Buckaroo.



I don't know if I have bad posture or if my Mom just has the camera tilted, but for some reason we are leaning towards the left. Regardless, Ms. Payton just loved taking in all the scenery.



Such a cutie!!! My lips look funny because I am blowing raspberries on her head to get her to laugh.


Ummmm......... What's good to eat here Paw Paw?



Grandpat and Ms. Payton.



Back at Grandpat's house to play. Cooper just loves his little cousin Poppy June and all her toys.

Today

Today was Payton's four month check-up. I will update her stats on the side later, but here they are:

Weight: 12lb 12 oz (30% percentile)
Height: 25 inches (80% percentile)
FOC: 16 1/4 cm (61% percentile)

Daddy and Payton looking sharp this morning. Daddy is off to mediation and Payton is off to the doctor. Payton is asking her Daddy, "Why do you let Mommy put these big bows on my head?"




How many shots do I have to get today?





FOUR SHOTS!!! You must be joking.



That's it..... I got to get out of here.



Mommy, please don't let them give me a shot. Look how cute I look in this enormous bow. How can they give me a shot when I am this darn cute?





Mommy, I asked you nicely for them not to give me those darn shots. Look I am turning the same color as my dress.



Poor baby girl. She had a rough morning.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, our lives changed forever. One year ago today, we found out we were going to be parents. One year ago today, we were happy, scared and in shock. One year ago today, we experienced a miracle. One year ago today, we were truly blessed. Thank you Payton for blessing our lives. We love you.

Assembly Required

When it comes to baby toys we have been blessed. Because of Cooper, we have had all our toys that required assembly already donated to us. Chairs, swings and exersaucers have already been donated to us assembled. However, the exersaucer that Cooper used is at Grandpat's house. Therefore, when I received my 15% percent off any item at ToysRus, I rushed out and purchased an exersaucer for our house. I dropped the box off at our house and called Derek at work to let him know that he needed to put it together. His response was, "Yeah, okay. I'll get to it when I have time." Therefore, I was surprised when I came home the same day from my pedicure (thanks Mom for taking Payton) and found this.



There must have been a million (okay maybe I am overstating the amount) pieces and Daddy right in the middle of it all.



After about 45 minutes, and a few cuss words (thank goodness Pater was still with Grandpat) here is the finish product.



Daddy posing next to his accomplishment.



Payton testing out the new exersaucer. She may look a little overwhelmed, but she loved it. Especially, talking (eating) the cell phone toy.

Such A Big Girl

First of all, yes. Payton is wearing her diaper in all the pictures below where she appears naked. These pictures were taken right after her evening feeding and right before her bath. Therefore, I put her in her "chair" to play as I get the bath ready for her.

I can't believe she can sit in a high chair. Although, she is not eating any type of food yet, we can put her in there with some toys and we have about 10 minutes to eat (shovel) food in our mouth before she gets bored and needs attention. Look at that double chin.





Here is her favorite toy. I realize that it is bigger than her head, but she loves it.




Especially, when she tries to shove it in her mouth. Look at her pretty blue eyes. They are such a deep color blue.




Off to the Doctor, AGAIN. I am a first time mom and may be a little paranoid. BUT, Payton seemed to be getting over her cold until Tuesday night when she seemed more congested. I took her to the doctor, just in case, and she does still have a cold. The good news is her ears looked great and had no sign of infection.




Such a cutie!!!!

The Best Place for a Nap

I was going through some old pictures and I found this one of Daisy when she was a puppy. I can't believe how small she was and she was(and still is) such a cuddle bunny.




Then I saw this picture of Payton on her first night home. She was only two days old. She looks so small and like her big sister is such a cuddle bunny.

Should She Stay or Should She Go

Okay, I have a confession to make. Ms. Payton sleeps in our bed. I know, I know, all the books say that this is a bad idea. But I can't help it. Her nursery is upstairs and when she was first born I was too scared to let her sleep upstairs. We also tried letting her sleep in the bassinet next to our bed, but she was up so often to nurse that I just kept her in the bed with me. Plus she would only sleep on our chest, and after speaking to a good friend (hi Ashley) she said that you do whatever works.

See Exhibit "A"



Now Ms. Payton is almost four months and we (more the Hubs and I agree deep down inside) think that it is time she moves out of our bed. We agreed to start this weekend with her sleeping in the bassinet next to our bed at night. I'll admit I am still too scared (and lazy) to have her upstairs all by herself, not to mention she is such a dang cuddle bunny at night that I am going to miss her. However, I think that if she is next to our bed we (okay I) will let her fall into the habit of letting her back into the bed. I know that it is time to make the move, but my heart is breaking.

See how comfortable she looks in the big bed.


And for the record, Ms. Payton has slept in her crib ONCE. She took a 40 minute nap there one Sunday afternoon.




I know in the long run it will be better for everyone ones she makes the transition to her room. I know that there are times that I wake her when we move around in bed, and I do not want a one year old sleeping in our bed. Therefore, keep your fingers crossed for Derek and I this weekend as Payton makes the move to her bassinet and then in a month (or two or three) makes the big move to her room.

Easter Weekend

We made it back in one piece. Payton was such a trooper and did awesome on the trip.
Here she is playing (eating) her toys on the ride.




Checking out the West Texas scenery.




Of course when we arrived at Mema's house in Hereford, we had to play fashion show with all her new clothes.











Then we were off to Amarillo for Payton to meet her Aunt Casey, Uncle Shane and cousins Jackson and Addison for the first time.

Aunt Casey, Payton, Uncle Derek and Jackson.



Grannie and all her grand babies.



Addison was such a big girl and loved her cousin Payton. She even helped me change her diaper. Addison really is a pro at changing diapers. I guess she gets a lot of practice helping her Mommy change Jackson.



After all the excitement of the weekend, Payton needed a power nap.




Then we were back at Grandpat's on Sunday where we found the cutest Easter bunny.




I just love my Easter bunny.



I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Also, Derek and I decided that next time we are going to fly to West Texas. Don't get me wrong, Payton was wonderful, but it was just a long trip and I felt like we spend the entire Easter holiday in car.

West Texas or Bust

That's right folks, the Cargill Clan is hitting the road this Easter holiday. Our stops will include Hereford, Texas and Amarillo, Texas. This will be a big test for the Cargills considering how much Payton hates her car seat, and she will be forced to ride in it the entire time. We are planning on stopping a lot and hopefully, we will make it to Hereford tonight in less than 7 hours. Fingers crossed.



Derek said he would not implement the "Rule" for Payton. The Rule started on our first road trip to Amarillo several years back. Derek assumed that we would have to make a lot of stops on the trip for restroom breaks (since I am a girl)and flat out told me that I get one stop. Therefore, the hours before our road trip I was monitoring my water intake. So, we hit the road for our 5 1/2 trip and about an hour into the trip Derek asked if I needed to stop. I said, "Heck, no. I get one stop and we are only an hour out." Thirty minutes later he asked the same question, and I again said no. Then 15 minutes later he said, "Sorry, but we have to stop." He needed the restroom break not me. HA!! Before I allowed him to stop, I made it clear that this was not my 1 stop for the trip.

I doubt I'll be able to post over the weekend, but I'll be sure to post pictures from our big adventure on Monday. Have a great Easter Weekend.

And This Little Piggy went Shopping

Payton has a onesie that says, "... and this little piggy went to the mall." It is so true. Payton has been on more shopping trips and engaged in retail therapy since she was first born.

As you can tell from her expression, being loaded up in a shopping cart and having her picture taken is the norm for her.


Although, I must call my mom and tell her to tighten up those car seat straps.

Miss Matched

Only an adorable 3 1/2 month old could pull this look off.




I love her budda belly in this picture. Again, only an adorable 3 1/2 month old could pull off a budda belly.

Such a Big Girl With a Big Bow

Look at how big our Pater is getting. Her feet don't touch the ground yet, but she has fun none the less. I love this picture. She is so expressive these days. This child of mine doesn't look like she is suffering from a cold and left ear infection. I guess the forced medication is working.

Two Men and A Baby

Today is opening day for the Rangers. As usual, Derek and his Dad a.k.a. Pops go to opening day every year. This morning, I left Payton with her Dad and Pops to meet my mom so Grandpat and Payton could go to music. This was really the first time Daddy had to dress and get Payton out the door without the help of Mommy. Well, Daddy did a great job of getting Payton dressed and he met my mom right on time.

Then Grandpat sent me her usual picture and the caption read..... "Umm, what's wrong this picture?"

Watch List

Friday I had to take Payton to the doctor because she was so congested on Thursday. This is the third time I have taken Payton to the doctor for congestion and each time she is clear as a bell when the doctor sees her. Well, this time she was diagnosed with a cold and a left ear infection. I have read that ear infections are common in babies so I asked the doctor if this in fact was common. The doctor responded with yes, it is very common in babies BUT........ it doesn't normally appear until about 6 months. Therefore, Payton is on the watch list since she has an ear infection at 3 1/2 months. Meaning..... she may be prone to get lots of ear infections and have to have tubes in her ears if she continues to get ear infections.

The reason for a left ear infection is because Ms. Payton sleeps on her left side. If you lay her flat on her back she will roll over to her left side. That being said, Payton got her first prescription for antibiotics, the bubble gum flavor, Vick's vapor rub to put on her feet at night, aquifer cream to put around her face, ear drops for her left ear and she has to have her nose suctioned regularly. The doctor said she would love the medicine because it is bubble gum flavor........ WRONG!!! She hates it, and I have to invert her and squeeze her checks to get her to swallow. She also hates the nose sucker (as I call it) and gets this pitiful look on her face when I have to do. Let's just say I am not her favorite person when I force her to take her medicine and then suction out her nose. The good news is Payton has a short memory and gets over her anger pretty quickly. Especially if there is a warm bottle involved.

Counsin Chronicles

Cooper really does love his little cousin Poppy June, and Poppy loves him. She just has a strange way of showing it in the picture above. As reported on this blog, Payton really hates her car seat, which leads to blood curling screams for a majority of any car ride. At first, Cooper tried to reason with her when she would start to scream when she was getting into her car seat. He would tell her, "It's the law, Poppy June. It's the law."

Well, apparently last Tuesday as the crew (Grandpat, Cooper and Poppy June) were heading to little sluggers, Poppy June was screaming. Cooper kept telling her to be quiet. However, for some reason it didn't work. Therefore, my mom looked back to see how the troops were doing in the back, and Cooper was telling her to be quiet and was reared back with a video cover in his hand about to toss it at Poppy. My mom said, "Cooper, don't you dare throw that at Poppy June." He responded with, "Well, I asked her to be quiet." Good grief. Poor Cooper. Poor Poppy June. Poor Grandpat.

Pictures from Memaw

Memaw Linda just emailed me some pictures she took while she was watching Payton last Friday. I wasn't kidding when I said the play fashion show together.

Here is Payton in her serious shopping onesie. Unfortunately, it is so true. Little Payton went to her first mall before she was a month old.


Here is Payton modeling the latest Spring fashion. Strawberries are all the rage this Spring.


Here is........ well, I really don't know how to explain this one. I wasn't home when this picture was taken, but Daisy pulls off this cow blanket with red backing beautifully.