Christmas is here!

Yeah! It is finally Christmas! This is by far my favorite time of the year, but this year it will be even better. Why you ask? Will, of course!

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Mike's family. This was the first time in a couple of years that we haven't see my dad's side of the family, we usually do lunch with Mike's family and dinner with the my family. They all went to Panama City to celebrate with my mom's side of the family. We had a great time and got to see his Uncle Billy and Aunt Rhonda and their kids. We only see them at Thanksgiving, so that was nice. We also got to spend time with Grandpa Duggan, which is always fun.
Will and Grandpa after Thanksgiving lunch.
Saturday we did our annual Christmas baking with Debbie. This is a Fessler family tradition and it seems to always bring in the Christmas season in our family. Every year Debbie, Joy, Tammy and I all get together on a Saturday and make all kinds of Christmas goodies. It takes about 6 hours for the four of us to get everything done, but it is well worth it and it makes the Fessler boys happy. This year we made buckeyes, rice kripsy treats, mini pecan pies, Martha Washington candy, haystacks, white chocolate candy, ritz bitz dipped in white chocolate, fudge, toffee and cheese cookies. Wow! I'm sure that will help the two cavities that the dentist just found. Oh well! What will it hurt now?

Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2008

Yesterday, my friend Aimee took Christmas pictures of us. They have a great wooded area behind their house. So with a few Christmas props this is how they turned out:



Thanks Aimee, we had a lot of fun!

3 Months old!

Time is flying by! Today Will turns 3 months old. I can't believe it! He is getting so big! Yesterday we bought him an early Christmas present, a Bumbo seat. He has been doing a good job over the past month of holding up his head on his own. This seat helps to teach him to sit up on his own. We tried it out yesterday and he did great! Of course he fussed after a little while, but that's ok!
Will sitting in his Bumbo seat watching football.

He is also trying to roll over from his back to his stomach. Each day he gets a little closer. He lifts his hips and his legs and tries his hardest! I don't think it will be too long, maybe even before Chirstmas. I'll post as soon as the big event happens!

I'm back at home this week, we have the entire week off for Thanksgiving. When I go back in December, Mike will be staying home with Will. But, let me clarify because there has been some confusion over this. Mike is not quitting his job. He is taking three weeks off with pay. He has vacation/sick days built up, so he is cashing those in. He is excited about this, it will be a good time for dad and son to bond. On another note, Mom helped decorate my tree on Saturday. It looks great, she did it in the same colors as my living room. I went against Fessler tradtion, they don't do anything Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Oh well, I think they'll forgive me!

Back to work

My maternity leave is offically over, so Monday I headed back to work. I had been dreading going back for the past few weeks, and it was hard. Much harder than I thought. I cried before I went to bed Sunday night, I cried when I got up and I cried when I walked out of the house. But when I got to school, my co-workers and friends gave me hugs and encouraging words. The kids were excited to see me as well, and everyone told me how much I was missed. This made my return much easier. Each day got a little easier and I became busy at work, so the week flew by. Will was well taken care of while I was at work, my Gran stayed Monday through Thursday and my dad stayed with Will today. Now I have a whole week off for Thanksgiving. Starting in December, Mike will become a stay-at-home dad. I think it will be good for him, but I can't wait to see what he thinks and how he handles things. Maybe he start posting to the blog so we can all hear about his experiecnces!

How cute am I!Hanging out in my bouncy chair!
Play ball!


Will with Abigail and Naomi Henderson. He's getting the ladies at a young age!

Will's Dedication

Will in his special dedication outfit. He is a GAP baby!

Today was a special day for our family. Will was dedicated this morning at our church, West Ridge. My whole family came from Chattanooga and Mike's family was there as well. My Gran came from Panama City and even brought a very special cake that she made. The service was special, but it was also memorable. Right in the middle of Brian's sermon on how Satan likes to distract you from growing closer to God the fire alarm went off and the several thousand people in attendance had to evacuate the building. Talk about Spiritual Warfare! This had never happened before as long as I have been going to West Ridge. Anyways, it was a day we will never forget!
Will's Dedication cake. Thanks Gran!

Tomorrow is another big day for our family. I go back to work after a 12 week maternity leave. This is going to be hard for me. Please pray for me that this transition will go well.

Pictures from our photo shoot

I know I have posted a lot of pictures recently, but here are some more. My friend Dez just gave me the cd from our picture shoot in October when she took some family shots of us. This was our third photo shoot with her, she also did our newborn pictures and my maternity pictures. I think she does such great work that I couldn't help but post some of the pictures she did. I love the candid black and whites that she did. I hope you enjoy!

Vaccines

Its a yucky word, one that has given Mike and I a little trouble sleeping at night. Do you vaccinate and on what schedule seems to be a very talked about topic among parents nowadays, which now includes us. We asked several of our friends and family members for their advice and personal stories. We also did research on the Internet and bought a book by Dr. Sears called "The Vaccine Book". I talked to Will's doctor at his 2 month check-up, but unfortunately he only recommended that I follow the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule which includes four shots at two, four and six months. For whatever reason, this did not sit right with us. We had a strange feeling about him getting so many vaccines at one time (the four shots include eight different vaccines). Yesterday we took Will and only had two shots. He got the Pediarix, which includes DTap, Hep B and Polio, and Rota virus. He did very well, he didn't cry that much and was fine for the rest of the day. We kept him on Tylenol for the rest of the day and night and this morning he woke up cheerful and happy as ever. We will go back at the beginning of December for two more shots, one for PC and one for Hib. We will then start this schedule over again when he goes for his 4 month visit.
Thank you to those of you who helped us by giving us support and resources. We feel as though we have made a good decision for our son.
The Vaccine Book by Dr. Robert Sears
It is a very informative book without the bias. As a doctor he simply states the facts about 12 different diseases and the vaccines that help prevent them. It is a very easy read, he breaks things down so that you can digest what you are reading. He also provides an alternative schedule for vaccinations.

Random pictures

I love this picture! One of Will's favorite places is on his daddy's shoulder.

I have never really been a picture person. Now that Will is here I never go without the camera. Call me camera happy, but you never know when you are going to get a really cute picture. I found some pictures on the camera that I haven't posted and thought I would share. I also want to share some of the pictures that my friend Dez took.
FYI...she took the family shot at the top of our blog. Isn't she talented!

Will in his crib, we don't spend a lot of time here, but we are learning to lay in it a little at a time.
Will and Poppy watching football together!
Will at 12 days old.
Will in his stroller before our walk yesterday.
Will and Uncle Andrew. Will is wearing his Georgia shirt, Uncle Drew is wearing his Georgia Tech shirt. Evidently Will is not much of a TECH fan!
Chilling in my diaper!
Will and his Grandma before the Georgia/Florida game.
Will at 12 days old on the couch in our living room.

Election Day!

Will after he voted. He wasn't very happy, he did get a sticker though.
This morning Will participated in his first presidential election. Well, ok, he just looked on while Mike or I held him. Luckily, there was no line and we were able to get in and out in 10 minutes. Several other families brought their children also. I thought that was cool, not only is it setting a good example for your kids but it also lets them see Democracy in action. After we voted, Will and I met some friends at a park in Hiram. Today is sunny and 75 degrees. Its beautiful, but it was hot. We had to leave early because Will started screaming. When I got him home he was soaked with sweat. I had to strip him down to his diaper to calm him down. One thing Will hates is being hot! After such an exciting morning, he is in his swing for a much needed nap.
Will napping in his bouncy seat. He started his nap here and then moved to the swing. He had a hard day!

Will's 1st Halloween

Will is ready for Halloween!
Will spent his first Halloween at home with Mike and I. We invited our friends Jay and Aimee and their girls Abigail and Naomi over for tacos and cheese dip and to watch "Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". We also watched Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go, two of Abigail's favorite shows. Evidently once you have kids you no longer watch grown-up shows. We had several trick-or-treaters and Abigail enjoyed helping me hand out the candy. Will slept in his swing for most of the evening, so he missed out on a lot of the activities. But I did get some pictures of him earlier in the day.
Will with his pumpkin full of candy-too bad he didn't get to eat it!
What a cute little boy!
A Halloween tradition! My mom always made a pumpkin brownie for us and her kids at school. This is Will's pumpkin. It was very tasty!

Earlier in the week Will went for his 2 month doctor's visit. He weighed 11 pounds 14 ounces and measured 24 inches. He is a healthy growing baby, in fact I was told that he is in the 90th percentile for his height. The doctor commented that we should have a tall kid on our hands. We are going back next week to start our 2 month vaccines. We have decided to space them out and get no more than 2 at a time.