A Boy and a Dog

I'm having a difficult time sleeping. Rob is snoring, Preston is scratching the side of his pack-n-play, Holly is passing horrible gas and my mind is going 100 mph. Sometimes that's what happens at slumber parties. Since I can't get my mind to stop, the best way for me to cure it is to get my thoughts out on "paper".
As I laid awake in the darkness of the night, my mind kept wandering to a dog and a boy. There's an unbreakable bond that has formed in the Herrington household, a bond between Preston and Holly. There have been several times recently that I wished our camera was within reach. Times that if I could capture it on film, it would be obvious to all the love between a boy and a dog. Since getting rid of Duke, Holly has fallen head over heals in love with Preston and the feeling is very much mutual.
If I take Preston into the nursery, Holly follows me there and lays down while I change his diaper or his clothes. If Preston is crying, all we have to say is, "Look at Holly" and his tears fade away. When he takes his naps, she will lay by his swing, waiting for him to wake up. Every night Holly starts out the night sleeping close to Preston, whether it be in the nursery or in our room.
Yesterday Preston was finally getting some much needed tummy time. He was fighting me tooth and nail on it....until Holly came over. She knows she's not allowed on his tummy time blanket so she gets as close as possible, sometimes crossing the line. But, yesterday, she laid right along the edge and Preston put his feet on her back. He laid there, moving his feet around on Holly, while she happily accepted the back scratch. Today he was sitting on my lap, playing, when Holly came over and put her head on his lap. He excitedly put his hand on her head and she began moving her head around, once again accepting his affection. When I told her to go lay down she stood up, licked his face as if to say "Thank you" then moved a few feet away from us. That's the thing about Holly. She is never far from him! She has become quite the babysitter and I believe with all my heart that she would let us know if he was in some kind of danger. She not only loves him, but would protect him in a heartbeat~
Although we think Preston is allergic to her, it's a small price to pay for the love they share. Holly is getting old but I pray that we don't have to put her down before Preston can form some memories of his own with her. Because, in my opinion, there's nothing like the love between a boy and his dog!

Family Slumber Party

After passing out last week and being doped up on pain meds after my surgery, I've been leery about going to the nursery for Preston's 3am feeding. So, after my parents left on Saturday we decided to bring the pack-n-play in our room so it'd be easier to tend to Preston. Last night I was going to move him back to the nursery and overcome my fears of falling down the stairs again, but right before bed we got an email that his crib is faulty. I don't want to take any chances so we left him in our room. It's pretty cute to be honest. I get him ready for bed, say his prayers and put him down. Then Holly comes in and lays down right next to the pack-n-play. Preston looks at her until he falls asleep. The fire is going in the fireplace so Holly eventually goes out there to stay warm. I don't blame her as we woke up to -4 this morning and about a foot of snow on the ground. I know Preston needs to go back to the nursery once his crib is fixed because he's a big boy. But, I've really been enjoying our family slumber parties the past few nights.

Winter Wonderland

It started snowing yesterday.....and is still going! We went to bed with snow on the ground and woke up to almost a foot of snow. In the year and half we've lived here I don't remember it snowing this much at one time. That being said, Preston and I declared it a "Pajama Day". We both took our individual baths then got re-dressed in comfy PJs. We laid down for a long winter's nap and have generally been lazy. I'm glad I don't have to go down the hill for anything today and can enjoy the view from the warm indoors. It makes it that much more beautiful!

Our Lil Man

It's hard to believe that Preston was still in me, in the 1st trimester, last year at this time. Now he's becoming quite the little human being. He entertains himself with his toys, has learned how to turn the pages in his books and likes to hold his bottle when eating. Today when I put him down for a nap his paci fell out. I went in to check on him and he was sucking his thumb. Rob and I are not really into the thumb sucking thing but it was cute! He also likes to watch us eat and let's us know if he wants some as well. He talks a lot and is starting to mimic us. Today Rob was waving at him and Preston lifted his arm, trying to wave back. Parenthood is absolutely amazing! It's so fun to watch him grow and change! What a blessing Preston has been in our lives!!!!!

And the Hits Keep Coming!

We survived Thursday...barely...and my parents came to town because I had a minor surgical procedure yesterday (I didn't heal right after Preston was born). They came to help since Rob had to work today. It was a good thing they made the trip because I seriously think I would've had a breakdown had they not! Yesterday I was in and out of a fog when Rob came in to tell me there was a problem paying for the pump. So, I came to long enough to deal with that. This morning I was taking a nap, but woke up chilled. I came out of the room to find out that our propane ran out and we were without heat.....just as it started snowing! Luckily my dad took over and got someone out here to fill the tank so we'd have heat for Preston and hot water for me. I tell ya- I REALLY can't wait for this week to be over because I've been pushed to the limit with what I can handle! We are blessed to have such great parents, family and friends that have offered help and wisdom this past week. Please pray that nothing else happens for awhile!

Can you say CRAZY??

When we got off the plane I knew it was back to reality. Little did I know, however, that reality was going to punch us in the face! This week has not been stressful. It's been downright CRAZY!! The weirdest things have happened in the past couple days to add to the already fun let's-deal-with-a-sick-baby-for-the-first-time. Not last night but the night before Preston woke up crying. I jumped up to take care of him and in the process of walking to the nursery, I blacked out at just the right spot. Just the right spot meaning the top of the staircase. I did a somersault down them, landing with my head mind you, against the door. Between the thud and me calling for Rob he was able to wake up out of a sound sleep to find me sprawled on the landing. The rest of the night I drifted in and out of sleep due to Preston crying and a horrible headache. Yesterday I was worn out to say the least so I took it easy all day. I went to bed with the intent of getting everything done around the house today. WRONG! I went to wash dishes this morning only to find that we were without water. When calling the water filtration company they told me it was pump problem. The first thing that came to mind was a huge dollar sign...$$$$$$$$$. A dry well eluded my thoughts as I waited for the fix it guy to get here. After running tests we were told that there was an electrical short 220 feet down the well. A minor problem compared to a dry well. Through all this craziness this week I am reminded of God's goodness. Things could've been a lot worse with my fall and with the well but God provided, just like He always does. That being said, I will be extremely grateful when this week is over!!!!!

Have I Told You Lately?

You thought I was going to say, "That I love you" but you're wrong. I was going to say, "Have I told you lately that we have an amazing son??" Yesterday he had to get blood drawn to make sure his medicine wasn't messing up his liver and kidneys. I knew he didn't feel well and had already been to the doctor's but the hospital is far from our house. So, it was the easiest option for getting it done. The phlebotomist went to draw his blood and Preston just laid there, smiling. She was absolutely floored! She mentioned several times that she couldn't believe he didn't even fuss. I told her he was a strong cowboy and she agreed wholeheartedly. Then today we could tell Preston wasn't feeling well. I kept taking his temp and it kept going up each time. Finally, it had hit the magic 101 degrees so we called the on-call doctor. We were told to come in and by that time Preston's fever was almost 102. When the doctor checked him out he kept smiling and sticking his tongue out. The real test was when she went to check his ears. He had wax buildup despite the fact that I had just cleaned out his ears this morning. She had to use this "pic" to clean out the excess wax. She said that babies usually cried because it was uncomfortable. Not our amazing baby! He just sat there, waiting for her to finish. She, too, commented on how surprised she was that he didn't fuss especially since he has a double ear infection. He is so sick but you couldn't tell with all his smiles and his happy personality. I found it ironic that when we were picking up his prescription "his" song "Amazing" came on the radio. Have I told you lately that Robert Preston Herrington V is absolutely amazing????? We are so blessed to have such a perfect baby!