Glad to be home!

Momma's home! Boy, did I miss my Matt and my Reese. I was only gone for 4 days and 3 nights, but it seemed like a long time and Reese changed so much. When I got home, she was even more bright eyed and active than before I left. It also seemed like she didn't miss me as much as I missed her. It took her a day to start smiling at me again.

I did enjoy my time in Las Vegas! On Sunday night, I went to see The Beatles Love. It was really good and really expensive. Vegas is not cheap!

The conference was good. I saw a lot of my Oracle friends and made some new contacts. And the classes were pretty good too.

I was treated to two delicious dinners at Tao in the Venetian and Table 10 in Palazzo. I also played craps one night. It bet $20 and was entertained for at least an hour before I lost it all.

After the Beatles show, we walked to the light fountain at the Bellagio. I always enjoy watching it! I must say, two things I do not like about Vegas are the dry heat and the smoke. My skin was dry and I was always thirsty. You can smoke anywhere, so the second hand smoke gets old fast.

Me, posing like a tourist, in the Mirage hotel where the conference was held and where we stayed.
I arrived back home Wednesday night. Matt and Grandma kept Reese up so I could feed her and put her down.

This is Reese on Thursday morning; now she sleeps on her side sometimes. I'm telling you she is always changing! As of last night (Saturday) she is sleeping without here swaddle. We gradually weaned her from it. We were wrapping her legs and she would usually get out of it before morning. Speaking of weaning; Reese is no longer breastfeeding. She is all formula, cereal and baby food now. I would have breastfed longer, but I was not able to pump at work anymore; the days are too busy. So I had dropped to 2 times a day and then once a day until there was no more milk. The Vegas trip helped us both to finalize the weaning process since I was gone for an extended period.

On Thursday night, we took Dad and Grandma to the Astros - Rangers game. It was Grandma's first major league ball game and Dad's first time at Minute Maid park. Mom kept Reese as we figured she wouldn't like to crowd or the noise. The Astros won! Grandma said that the Rangers had more runs over the past 6 games (they were tied 3 to 3 in the two series) so they won the Silver Boot. We had great seats on the 1st base line close to right field. We enjoyed chili cheese dogs and cotton candy.

I only managed to get one shot of Dad and Reese after the game. She was still up when we got home, so Dad got to hold her a little while. Dad left early on Friday morning at 5:30 a.m.

Reese is still enjoying her exersaucer. It's neat to watch her figure out how to spin the toys. She trys to chew everything too.

Saturday, we got up early and headed to Khol's and Target with Mom. Then we hung out at Mom's house and assembled Reese's other exersaucer which stays at Mom's house.

Sam is doing well, but is very very tired. He is anemic which doesn't help. He got an iron shot on Friday, so we are hoping that will help. He has two more weeks of summer school and then he'll have a break before the school year begins.

Saturday night, Robert and Victoria came over for dessert. They are expecting their first child in November. We are so excited for them! Right now, we have lots of friends expecting: Todd and Leslie are due in January and Amanda and Pete are due in October.

Reese is growing so much that we had to break out her big girl "ducky" bath towel.

Reese, you are the absolute cutest baby!

We think baby girl is teething (well she's been on the verge for a while now) because she's been more fussy lately and chews big time on her toys and blankets. I gave her Orajel the other night as she was so fussy and her blanket was sopping wet from her chewing on it. Today she was running a low grade fever at 100.2. We gave her some Tylenol and she seems better. Last time I checked her temperature it was down to 99.7. Poor baby!

Matt and I went to church this morning. It was the first time we have been since Christmas Mass! We found the crying room and plan to start taking Reese. We have our baptism class on Tuesday and will be scheduling her Christening soon.

Tonight, we met Todd and Leslie for dinner at Collina's. We had planned to take Reese, but decided to leave her with Grandma since she was still not feeling well. You wouldn't know she felt bad from the pictures.

Turning 5 Months (She turned 5 months on Saturday)

ADRIENNE LEAVES MATT (FOR LAS VEGAS)

You were probably thinking WOW, did Adrienne leave Matt and Reese?. . . . . the answer is YES, but she left me for a three day "work" trip to Las Vegas for an Oracle Software convention. If you haven't figured it out, this is Matt writing this here blog posting. Adrienne (the Captain), relinquished the helm to her assiduous husband. As such, a direct order was issued by the Captian to update the blog.

Since I was in DFW last weekend for Father's Day, we celebrated Father's Day on Saturday morning with my parents. We met up at the traditional Sicinski Family hangout, Empire Cafe on Westheimer, for a Saturday morning breakfast. The entire Sicinski crew was in attendance (Scott (my twin brother), Chris (my older brother), Adrienne, Reese, myself, my mom, and my Dad).

My brothers and I are very lucky to have been blessed with a Dad as good as my Dad. Happy Father's Day Pops! We don't say it enough, but we love you!

Reese was well behaved, but still doesn't like to be held by anyone except for Adrienne or myself. Everytime someone other than Adrienne or myself tried to hold her, she would go Ape Sh--t. Adrienne and I have reached the conclusion that the only way for someone to hold her, and have a successful experience, is for Reese to be held at our house. I guess she feels comfortable being held in familiar surroundings.

Here is a picture of Reese at Empire Cafe:



After breakfast, we went home to catch our breath and then we headed to Isabella's First Birthday party at Hermann Park. Isabella is the daughter of Mark and Valerie Jones (Mark is my roommate from Angelo State). We tried to stay for the duration of the party, but Reese wasn't "Feelin" the outside. As you can see from the picture, she didn't like leaving the Air Conditioning:

At about 3pm on Saturday we finally arrived back home and put Reese down for a much needed nap. Barry Goss (a former colleague from EY), stoped by and dropped of a baby bed he was no longer using. Grandma Fredda was looking for a bed to put in her guest room so Reese will have a place to stay. I am still hesitant about leaving Reese alone over night without Adrienne or myself, but my defenses are weakening and at some point I will be an appeaser just like Neville Chamberlain was with Nazi Germany in 1938.

Grandma Fredda also stoped by to see Reese. Here are some pictures of Grandma Fredda and Baby Reese:

Adrienne and I also decided to have a "Grown Up Only" dinner on Saturday night. We gave the conn to Grandma Ruth and met up with Todd and Leslie Bazin for dinner at Houstons. We had a good time catching up with the Bazin's and they brought by their house plans for a house they are in the process of building.

On Sunday morning, I woke up early and went running at Rice University and came back home and mowed the front yard. Adrienne, Grandma Ruth, Reese, and myself ate lunch and then Adrienne had to leave her baby girl for that boring place called Las Vegas. I don't know how many Oracle geeks were in Las Vegas, but I am sure it was a bunch (is a CPA calling an Oracle IT person a geek? . . . I think the pot is calling the Kettle black). Reese and I were sad to see the Baby Momma go, but Adrienne handed the conn to myself and off we went. Since taking the conn, the following has happened:

1.) She pooped twice on Sunday (all after Adrienne left H-Town)

2.) She ate an entire bowl of baby cereal

3.) She made eating motions while she ate the cereal (normally we just say a prayer and hope she swallows the cereal)

4.) She went Ape Sh---t when I tried to put her down to sleep on Monday night (I had to let her "Cry It Out" because it became clearly evident that she was happy, full, warm, and had a dry diaper . . . she kept crying when I would leave the room, but would be quiet when I got near her). I called the Captain (Adrienne), and she gave me permission to commence Operation CRY IT OUT. The mission was successful in 20 minutes (she is sound asleep right now).

Until next time, PEACE!

More things I love about Reese

Our love for Reese grows every day! She is a doll baby (Grandma Ruth's name for her).

A while back I posted things I love about Reese; here are a few more...

1. Her feet. I love to massage her with baby lotion after her bath and I massage her legs down to her toes. Her feet are so soft. I absolutely love to feel them. Matt's says I enjoy giving her a massage more that she enjoys receiving it.
2. Her cheeks; they are so round and kissable.
3. Her profile; she is just so adorable.
4. Her big brown eyes.
5. Her hair; it's getting longer and I can rub my chin on her hair.
6. The fact that she changes every day and gets bigger, stronger and better at everything.
7. Her sneezes; still so cute.
8. Her coughs.
9. Her sounds; she loves to talk and make noises. I'll miss hearing these sounds she makes at this age as I know they will change soon. I know I'll love those new sounds just as much.
10. Her demeanor; she is just a happy and content baby. Even more lately. She is learning to entertain herself and not fuss when someone leaves the room.
11. Her recent nicknames (I make them up for her on a daily basis; I have no idea where they come from): Twinkle Love, Mommas, Cuddle Bugs. I can't remember all of them as there are so many. She is not going to know what to answer to. I do call her by her name too. :)
12. Reese's hugs; she'll wrap her arms around my neck like she is giving me a hug.
13. How she laughs when we kiss her on the neck.

Here's what Reese has been up to this week...and more things to love.

Reese's tum tum (what I call tummy time).


Turning one way, but holding on to a toy the other way.

Momma, all you do is kiss me! (I love to kiss those cheeks!)

I love my momma (another song I sing to her) ... it goes "I love my momma, I love my daddy, I love my grandmas, I love my grandpas"

Reese has learned to turn all kinds of ways in her bed. The other day, Grandma said Reese turned on her mobile, most likely with her feet!

Mission Accomplished!

I just wanted to give a quick update on Reese. She did so great today.

MORNING - She slept until 5:30 a.m. at which point I fed her. I could see she was still tired so I swaddled her, turned on the mobile and started getting dressed for work. I kept checking in on her while I was getting dressed and could see she was very calm laying on her side chewing her blanket. The next time I looked in she was asleep without her paci.

AFTERNOON - She went down much better for her naps today. Grandma would go in Reese's room and give her the paci, but it didn't take her long to fall asleep. She still didn't sleep more than an hour though.

EVENING - Tonight was a great success! We bathed her around 8:00 and started her bottle at 8:15. Before we gave her a bath, Matt and I started to kiss her on the neck and she just kept on laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing. It was fun. After her bath, we fed her, she was sleepy during the entire meal. Once she finished her bottle I held her for a minute or so and rocked to make sure she was full and drowsy then I swaddled her, kissed her and headed out the door. She was fast asleep without her paci within 5 minutes and didn't make a peep.

I think she is a quick learner! ;) I hope it continues to go this well, at least for a while until she hits another growth spurt or teething phase. I know things change, but getting into this routine is the best thing for us all.

Crying it out!!!

9:04 p.m.

30 minutes ago I put Reese down after her last 8 ounce bottle and a little rock-a-bye. We cuddled until she started getting drowsy, and then I swaddled her, gave her the paci and a good night kiss and walked out of the room. The crying started exactly 1 second later and ended after 24 minutes. I've never watched the clock so closely as I paced the house trying to keep busy and tell myself this was the right thing to do. I found myself standing at her door as she screamed and belted out her mad cry. Then I'd walk back into the living room and say to Matt, "Turn down the TV, I can't hear her." "Check the blog, has anyone written me some encouragement?" (I have since checked my emails...thank you for the advice Christi and Shelli)

She started calming down after about 14 minutes and after catching her breath she'd belt 'em out again, but we could tell she was getting worn out and knew it wouldn't be much longer.

I just checked in on her and she is sound asleep, completely out of her swaddle and has wiggled her way up to the top of her bed as she started in the middle.

Whew! That was hard, but we all survived. High five Daddy! (You know, we didn't plan to do this tonight, but last night we both read an article out of Parents magazine about a couple letting their 5 month old cry it out...I guess it was what we needed,)

Let's hope she sleeps through the night. Last night, she woke up at 4:15 and fussed /talked/drifted in and out of sleep until 5:30 when I fed her. Then she passed out until 8:30 a.m.

Thanks for the encouragement Jaime and Wendy!

She did better going down for her naps, she didn't cry. However, she didn't sleep more than an hour each time. Maybe she is teething.

A BIG Weekend ~ 1st Father's Day

It was a big weekend for Reese, Matt and me. The biggest thing...Reese rolled over!

Matt spent his first Father's Day out of town. We didn't see much of him as he left for Dallas on Friday afternoon and didn't return until Sunday evening.

Grandma,Mom and I worked on getting Reese to put herself down for her naps and bedtime. Needless to say it wasn't all fun and games. Reese has gotten accustomed to Grandma holding her during her naps and Matt or me rocking her down at night. I finally decided it was time to break this cycle before she gets any older. I know it's best if she learns to fall asleep in her bed, but it's not going to be easy. Friday night was pretty bad, but she finally fell asleep after a few comforting visits from me. I'm still trying to rule out hunger as a reason for her crying (I know...she's probably not hungry; just wanting someone to give her some attention or pick her up), so I'll offer he a bottle while she is still in her bed. This seems to work pretty well, but I know it's not the final solution. She woke up hungry at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, so I fed her and then put her back down and went back to bed. I drifted in and out of sleep and heard her talking to herself every time I woke up. I had set the alarm for 6:30 to stay on schedule, and when I got up she was awake, but not too hungry. During the day on Saturday and Sunday we worked on getting her to fall asleep in her bed for naps; she had good and bad moments. However, I am happy to say that she slept all night both Saturday and Sunday night and I didn't put her in our bed like I normally do at 5:00 a.m. I would hear her give a little cry, but then she would be back to sleep. Today, she didn't sleep for more than an hour all day. Reese cried in her bed more than she slept, but Grandma stuck to her guns (and our wishes) and didn't hold/rock Reese to sleep. We are hoping Reese will get the hang of it this week or else we'll all be tired.

I have to admit that I question everything; doesn't every new mom? I wonder, How long should I let her cry? (her pediatrician says indefinitely...Yikes) Is she still hungry or just mad? How long will this take for her to start falling asleep on her own?

~ If you have any words of wisdom or encouragement, we'll take it.

Tonight, Reese was in a good mood even though I know she was super tired. When we gave her the last bottle she passed out after only 3 ounces, but proceeded to wake up multiple times. Matt gave her more bottle and her paci; as of now she is sleeping.

Here we are tonight after her bath.


Over the weekend, Mom and I put Reese's exersaucer together...she enjoyed it and was able to stand and hold her head up. My friend Marca suggested we put her in the seat backwards to give her more support until she is a little bigger.

Cuddling with Mommy after waking up from a mid-day nap on Saturday.

Reese has figured out how to use her feet and legs to push her body. She looks like a gymnast to me.

On her way to rolling over while chewing on her dress.

And...success! Reese rolled over (this picture is the second time). I am so glad I was there to watch her roll over for the first time on Saturday. She needed help getting her arm out from underneath her.

More leg workouts.

Playing in her exersaucer for the first time.

Reese is also eating more cereal. I feed her in the morning and evening. She seems to like it mixed with water instead of formula. I also tried some first bananas, but she acted like they were sour. I tasted them...not bad, but I always liked baby bananas.

Reading with Daddy last week.

On Sunday, Grandma, Reese and I went to the grocery store at 8:00 a.m. and then headed to Mom's house for Father's Day breakfast with Mom and Sam. We had waffles, pancakes, bacon and fruit. It was delicious! Afterwards, Mom and I went to see "Sex and the City" while Grandma and Sam hung out with Reese. The movie was SO good! I loved it and highly recommend it.

Since Matt was out of town for Father's Day weekend, we are celebrating with Matt's family next weekend.

Reese's first trip to West Texas

Long time no blog! We've been on the rode the past two weekends, and I have just gotten a chance to update the blog.

We headed to Abilene on May 30th for Mason's graduation from Jim Ned High School and took the entire week off so we could spend a little more time with family and friends and take care of a few errands in Houston.

Here we are after graduation which was held in the High School Gymnasium. I saw one of my favorite teachers, Mrs. Whitehurst. She took this picture of us (Maylee, Uncle Steve, Mason, Me and Reese, Matt, Mom, Aunt Jamie and Grandma Ruth). Mason plans to attend Tarleton in the Fall.

We decided to get a hotel this time since we had so much stuff for baby Reese. Here she is enjoying tummy time on Saturday morning before we headed to Taco Bueno.

Mom, Maylee, Matt, Reese and I met Tammy for lunch at Bueno. Reese was a little fussy; you can see her pouty face. She seems to have started experiencing stranger danger and gets overwhelmed by too many people being around.

I wonder if Reese will love Bueno as much as we do! :)

After lunch, we went to visit Reese's Great Grandpa Jack and Grandma Norma.

On Saturday night, the whole family met over at Jamie's to celebrate Mason's graduation.

Here is Reese with her cousins Slaton and Lexi and her Aunt Alyssa.

More posing with Slaton, Aunt Ashley, Lexi and Mason.

On Sunday, we met my brother and his family for lunch at Lytle Land and Cattle.

Here is Reese with her Uncle Joe, cousins Tyler, Riley and Kyler and Aunt Angela.

Sitting pretty with Daddy.

Reese and Riley. We gave the boys their birthday cards and Riley (7 years old) asked if Reese had helped to pick out his card. He kept saying, tell Reese thank you for helping to pick out my card. Tyler is 13 and Kyler will be 13 in September.

Later that day, we hung out at Jamie's and Mason fed Reese her bottle.

On Monday, we headed back to Houston, but stopped in San Antonio to visit Megan and Mauro and Lucinda who just had their babies.

Here is Megan, Ella, Reese and me. Don't you love Ella's hair! Reese seems to be admiring her.

Matt and I cannot imagine Reese being that small, but she was. Wow, so much can change in 4 months!

Here we are with Isaac; Mauro and Lucinda's baby boy.

After a 12 hour day, we arrived back in Houston. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday playing with Reese and getting ready to head back to West Texas on Thursday.

Matt has been working with Reese to stand up and build those leg muscles.

Reese is still trying hard to turn over!

A sleepy girl.

On Thursday, we headed back to Abilene to visit some of my high school girlfriends and their new babies. We all got together at Kelly's house. My camera died after this picture, so I'll upload some more once the girls send them to me.

Here are Carson (Marca's baby girl), Josh (Terra's baby boy) and Reese. It's neat they were born so close together.



On Friday, we headed to San Angelo for Allen and Mesha's wedding. We got to visit Beverly and Darlene at Bill's office (where Matt and I met), our friend Jill who is due with baby girl Beth any day now and Jamie, Milo, Caroline and Hayden.

We also went to lunch with Nolan and Wendy at Henry's.

We arrived back in Houston today around 4:30 and got unpacked and ready to head back to work tomorrow.

Reese can sit up better in her bumbo now.

We attempted cereal again, but she is still not too interested. I'll try again this weekend; giving her cereal before or in addition to her bottle.