Bryson: Month Seven

Weight: As of 1/23/13, you weighed 20 pounds and 12 ounces.  I think your weight gain is finally slowing some.  You've gained an average of close to 2 pounds a month since birth!

Height: At your appointment on 1/23, you were 29 inches.  You grew a whole inch in a month!  We bought a new 6-9 month wardrobe and two weeks later, had to buy longer pants!

Eating Habits: 
You went down to 4 bottles a day, but decided that wasn't enough, so we're up to 4.5 now.  You also get applesauce, fruit or yogurt in the morning and some kind of veggie or veggie and meat puree at night.  We also give you finger foods at random times.  You don't really eat much of them, but are learning to get them to your mouth and to chew.

I have waited to give you eggs for awhile, but after talking to your doctor and finding out you can have them now, I was excited to let you try them.  On January 21, my work and your school were closed, so we were home for the day.  I decided to make you scrambled eggs and toast (okay, plain bread).  You were excited when I laid the plate on your highchair, but that excitement quickly faded away at first touch.

When you touch something that's squishy, you make the same "Eww" face.  You usually give most things another shot, but not eggs.  You prefer to play with the "toast."



Milestones:

You have taken a few crawling steps, but aren't really interested in it.  You prefer to stand up.  You began to pull  yourself up and stand stick straight with no rolled feet or bent knees at about 6.5 months.  This picture is from the first weekend that you did it.  I held you up and you grabbed the crib rails and held on for dear life.  You couldn't figure out how to get down and grunted until I helped.

Now you can hold on to something, like the ottoman, your crib or our thumbs, and stand for minutes at a time and are able to figure out how to sit back down.  I think you may end up walking before you crawl.  I may need to invest in a helmet!

Your first tooth (bottom front left) appeared on January 8.  It was barely through the gum when we dropped you off with Grandmommy on January 11.  When I picked you up the next day, you had another one!  You've been awesome with teething for the most part.  Even with Tylenol or Motrin and teething tablets, you occasionally have wakeful nights.  I think you've discovered the best medicine is mommy snuggles... in her bed.
   

When you spent the night with Grandmommy, Maw Maw Kimbrell started teaching you "Bye bye."  You haven't mastered it yet, but will bend the tips of your fingers when we make the motion with our hands.  When we start saying "Byyyye bye," you laugh like it's the funniest thing you've ever heard.

On January 20, 2013, you had your first haircut.  Your hair was past your ears and halfway down your forehead.  Daddy has been trying to get me to let him do it for weeks, but I resisted.  Finally, when your hair went completely curly after a bath and wouldn't lay down, I decided we better take the plunge.  Your daddy started the cut, but gapped it above your ears, so I took over.  You were very curious about what we were doing and tried to grab everything.  If a piece of hair fell that we missed, you found it and quickly pulled it to your mouth.  You tried to grab the scissors multiple times and eventually had to be entertained with your hairbrush sword.  When we were done, you looked like a big boy and I wanted to glue it back on!

Favorite Things: 
You started blowing raspberries with your tongue a few months ago, but you've suddenly become obsessed.  You'll blow and blow and crack yourself up, especially if you happen to do it in someone's face.

In the last two weeks, you have started growling.  I don't know where it came from, but I think it's probably a spin-off of the noises we make when we play with you.  Before Daddy blows on your belly or tickles you, and when I try to make you laugh, we make a growling noise.  Your noise starts out very throaty and gets louder, then suddenly, you're laughing at yourself.  Last week, your teacher greeted you upon arrival to school and you responded with a growl and a hearty laugh.

Since you came home from the hospital, Jenna has been very protective of you, but still very hesitant.  As you get bigger, she is getting more comfortable with you and has to be wherever you are.  She lies next to your exersaucer while you jump, and if you get down in the floor, she's right next to you.  When we practice crawling, she gets next to you like she's trying to show you how to do it.

Bailey is a little more standoffish and likes to be the one to approach you.  She will let you grab her, but isn't quite as patient as Jenna and walks away pretty quickly.  She has to be in the same room as you most of the time, but would rather keep her distance.  When she sees a chance, she will sneak in a lick and get away quickly.  She won't give me enough time to get a picture of the two of you together.

You are very aware of where the dogs are and love to touch them.  Jenna doesn't care of you tug on her ears or tail, and even lets you pull her hair when you "pet" her.  We sit down together each day and have Bailey or Jenna sit next to you so I can guide your hand easily over their heads and backs.  You're learning to pet gently, but of course, like any boy has to do to his sister, you still like to pull her hair on occasion. :)

You pucker your lips a lot.  You started doing it to mimic me when I would give you kisses.  Now you do it at random times.  Last weekend, we were at a restaurant when we noticed you were doing it a lot.  We call it your Zoolander look (it's from a movie featuring Ben Stiller).  You usually follow a lip pucker by rapidly shaking your head no and laughing or giving Mommy kisses.  While the first is hilarious, I prefer the second. :)

Not-So-Favorite Things:
You were diagnosed with bronchiolitis on December 26, 2012.  Your symptoms are finally starting to subside, but in the last month, we have had to suction your nose and use saline drops before each feeding and sleep.  You can see the bulb syringe in a drawer and start shaking your head.  I think I've finally mastered the one-hand grab, but you still fight with everything you have to keep us from doing it!


Other Bryson News:
On Wednesday, January 2, your teacher in Infant 1 had to leave because she was sick.  You spent the day in Infant 2 and as we were leaving, the Director asked me if it was okay for you to move up because you had a blast.  I thought babies had to be crawling to move up since the crawlers typically bug the ones who don't, but they said you were Mr. Popular.  When I got there to get you the first day, you were sitting on a play mat with a little boy named John Weston, playing a trumpet.  They said you had a blast and played with everyone really well.

Since you sit up so well by yourself, you sit in your own big boy seat when we go out to eat.  The first time you tried the highchair, you hated it.  Now you realize you have some independence and are able to people watch.

You love to kick your legs back and forth sitting in a highchair and if you make contact with my leg, you keep doing it for fun.  You've discovered in the last week that the new angle and height gives you access to grab my food.  When we went to eat with Heather last week, I gave you my pickle to keep you entertained.  It was a hit!

You had your first business meeting this month. :)  We were at home for a holiday and Daddy had to work, so we went to visit him.  You had some pretty serious matters to discuss.  You even went on a business lunch in the break room and discussed matters with Daddy's coworkers.  Your crunchy book that makes kissy noises was the first thing on the agenda.

On January 7, 2013, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide won its 15th national championship.  You, Grandmama and I went to Tuscaloosa for the celebration parade and got to go inside the stadium.  You were enthralled by the parade and the number of people, but when we walked in the stadium, you stared in awe.  You were amazed by everything.  The first time you ever touched grass was in the Alabama endzone.  Remember that. :)

Bryson, you are seriously the most amazing little boy.  I have lived my life knowing God was in the miracle business and you are living proof.  Each day, you grow a little taller, learn something that blows my mind and capture my heart a little more.  Your daddy and I are completely head over heels in love with you.  We thought we were a great little family before, but on June 28, 2012, we realized we were missing a piece of the puzzle and only you could fill it.  We love you so much!

The Deadliest Day

On the morning of Wednesday, April 27, I awoke with a start. There was a loud BANG outside my window that startled me from sleep and suddenly I was aware of the incessant clinking of the wind chime on the patio. I jerked the cord on the blinds, expecting to see someone in our back yard. Instead, I was unable to see anything. The wind and rain outside my window are so intense that not even the big weeping willow tree 20 feet from the house is visible. When it finally comes in sight, the top branches are bent at such a sharp angle that they're almost parallel to the ground.

A mere 10 minutes later, the wind died down and the rain calmed. Clay and I rushed outside to see if there's any damage from the winds. What we see is astounding. The heavy patio furniture was tossed like rag dolls all over the yard and the entire neighborhood is littered with wood from broken fences, shingles, and even stray garbage cans. We discovered the loud bang in our back yard was our 5' long, super heavy grill being tossed across the yard.

After securing our belongings and inspecting our house, we drove around the neighborhood. Just thinking about the things we saw brings tears to my eyes. There were gaping holes in roofs, windows blown out, fences completely missing, doors blown off their hinges, and houses missing siding and brick. We were very fortunate because our only loss was a grill. None of the shingles littering our subdivision belonged to us.

Within the hour, we learned that a EF-1 tornado had torn through our tiny little town. The path was evident- it had gone down our side of the neighborhood, missing only our house. One man in Moody had been killed.

At the time, I didn't really blog. I want to take the time now, on the six-month anniversary of the tornadoes, to recount that day.

Thinking it was safe, Clay and I went to work. He got to work pretty easily, but the Cahaba Heights area had been hit by a tornado at the same time as the Moody tornado, so they had no power or phones (and to top it off, his iPhone was broken, so communication was impossible). As I neared downtown, my boss called me and told me to go home. She was unable to get out of her house in Cahaba Heights and didn't want to risk me being out with the threat of worse weather.

James Spann, a very popular meteorologist in our area, warned that this was just the tip of the iceberg and to expect "a very bad day." Still now, 6 months later, I can hear those words ringing in my ears and the thought sends chills down my spine.

I went home and began working on wedding favors. Shortly thereafter, Clay arrived, safe and sound. He immediately turned on the news and there is no talk of local news or sports. Where anchormen typically sit, meteorologists are everywhere, warning people to seek shelter and secure their belongings. Being that we live in tornado alley, we're used to these warnings and usually brush them off. The urgency in their voices and actions caught my attention. I tried to occupy my time keeping busy, but then I heard the name of my hometown on the news.

I sat in front of the TV watching a camera that was posted on the water tower in Cullman. I am very familiar with the area, as my uncle has worked in the water tower for more than a decade. I watched the horizon turn from a calm, ugly, gray to a disastrous, gray funnel. As the tornado formed, James Spann commented on where the tornado was going. As he spoke, I was able to determine what it was hitting... and destroying. The first picture of the destruction was my home church, First United Methodist Church of Cullman. The church was built in 1923 and was constructed of stone. Beautiful stained glass windows encompassed the church.
BEFORE

AFTER



Cullman had a ton of damage from sustaining the winds of 6+ tornadoes, including one EF-5. Many decades old business were destroyed and hundreds of people were forced to rebuild their homes and piece together their lives. Fortunately, God's hand was over the county because no one lost their life. Buildings can be rebuilt and vehicles replaced.

This is the back of the house I grew up in. It stood in the historic district as it was built in the early 1900's. The building to the right is the garage and garage apartment, which was my playroom. The house was torn down after slipping from its foundation.

Roughly three hours later, they cut to a shot of Tuscaloosa, where I went to college. The town is another one that is dear to my heart. Clay and I hear Spann say there's a tornado on the horizon and think it must be a small one because we can't see it. That's when they zoom the camera out and it's obvious the entire horizon is a tornado. They estimated this tornado was a mile and a half wide when it came into Tuscaloosa.



This video will show a little of what we saw.


The tornado ripped through heavy commercial and residential areas. Thousands of people lost everything they had. Forty-one people were killed, including 6 students at the University of Alabama. While the damage is terrible, it would have been much greater had the EF-4 tornado hit the University of Alabama, where many students live or had sought shelter from the storm.

Driving through Tuscaloosa is almost unbearable. Where buildings once housed businesses I frequented in college, there is now piles of wood and brick. It's hard to even remember what stood where. Clay's best friends from high school lost their house, but were protected by a parking deck at the hospital. A member of our football team huddled in a closet with his girlfriend, his arms wrapped tightly around her. The house was picked up and rolled over half a mile, throwing everyone out. He suffered broken bones and his girlfriend was killed. Clay's college roommate's best friend lost her life.

This site has satellite images of before and after pictures. You can drag the blue bar between the two sides to see the full picture before and after.


Krispy Kreme was destroyed.


15th Street, before and after


A better view of 15th Street, which used to be a thriving area, full of buildings. These buildings blocked the view from McFarland Blvd to DCH Hospital. Now you can see the hospital as soon as you get on McFarland.


A small shopping center at the corner of McFarland and 15th. Everything was destroyed (including the tux shop that we ordered the tuxes for part of wedding party at. Eep!)

The tornado moved out of Tuscaloosa after what seemed like an eternity and headed toward Birmingham. Meteorologists warned that it would hit downtown, which would have been a major hit to our city. At the last minute, it turned and hit Pleasant Grove and surrounding areas. These areas were completely destroyed. The path continued East, where Clay and I were. James Spann warned it was either going to hit Trussville or Moody.

With no underground shelter to go to, we reverted to the lesson that you get in a closet in the innermost part of your house. We began stacking pillows in our guest bathroom. We practiced getting ourselves and the girls in the linen closet so if we had to do it, we'd know how to position ourselves and wouldn't freak Jenna out too bad. We put our shoes on and put all important papers in my purse, which stayed on my shoulder. We put harnesses on the girls and leashes were in the closet so they could be attached quickly. Fortunately, the tornado headed toward Trussville, where it lifted off the ground. After moving past Trussville, it hit the ground again and stayed there as it passed through northern Georgia.

The 2011 Super Outbreak, which spanned from April 25 to April 28, affected the Southern, Midwestern and Northeastern parts of the country. Over 336 tornadoes touched down in 21 states. An estimated 346 people were killed nationwide. April 27 was the deadliest tornado day since 1925 with 292 tornadoes on the ground in 16 states.

Like I said, we live in tornado alley in north/west Alabama. We hear a lot of tornado warnings but are very accustomed to thinking meteorologists are crying wolf. Now, many Alabamians shudder at the sound of thunder and get nervous when wind swirls leaves in the street. The thought of a thunderstorm sending blood pressure through the roof.

I had always had empathy for those affected by nature's devastation, but you don't understand the real impact until it happens to you. Fortunately, my family and friends were not included in the loss of life statistic.

April 27, 2011 is a day that will live with me forever. I saw mass destruction and felt so many emotions. I cried... a lot. I still cry when I see pictures or discuss the events of the day. My tears come for many reasons: the destruction is heartbreaking and I feel for those who lost so much.

Most of all, I cry because of the blessings that came in disguise. God spared my family and friends and for that, I am eternally grateful. Our communities have banded together in such a way that many towns have been completely cleared of debris and rebuilding efforts have begun. FEMA came into Tuscaloosa two weeks after the disaster and were blown away by the progress. They stated that in two weeks, more had been done in Alabama than was done in 6 months after Katrina. Good ol' boys got to work and got things going!

My emotions go into overload when fences come down. Auburn and Kent State football players have come down to help with cleanup and rebuilding. Auburn fans actually built a website, Toomer's for Tuscaloosa, that connected thousands of volunteers from all over the country to our cities in need. They have been responsible for organizing one of the largest efforts and been so much help.

Six months have passed since that terrible day and so much progress has been made, but there is still so much to be done. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

One lesson so many of us have learned- don't ever take anything for granted. Enjoy your possessions, but don't forget they're just things and are fleeting. Instead of holding material possessions dear, make those things that matter, like friends and family, a priority. You could wake up on any given day without them.

Thank you, Lord, for your protection, for keeping my friends and family safe. Thank you for the lessons learned and for the people who have unselfishly given their time and resources to help complete strangers in need. You're in control of rebuilding- of lives and buildings- and I can't wait to see what you have in store!