Jonah: 5 Months

I’ve had a lot of “mommy brain moments” since I started working full time again.  Two memorable ones include throwing Jonah’s bib away instead of putting it in the laundry and pouring gatorade on my cereal instead of milk!  Ugh - haha!  

I can’t believe how quickly Jonah is growing up.  He can hold a bottle by himself sometimes!

At the end of August, we had the unpleasant and horrible task of dealing with a RAT infestation.  

:(((  I was breastfeeding Jonah on the couch when a giant rat just nonchalantly walked past me, looked at me, and then proceeded to walk into our dining room and pantry!!  I freaked out.  I called our landlord, where I found out I had to submit a maintenance request online.  They took OVER A WEEK to respond to our need, which I viewed as very urgent because of Jonah!  All I could keep picturing was that scene from “Lady and the Tramp” with the baby in the crib and the rat standing on the edge and lightning flashing.  It was terrifying!  We set out traps and finally killed one after 5 days.  It was probably (no exaggeration) 10 inches long.  I was so disgusted.  We killed the second rat after 8 days.  After we killed all the rats, the pest control people finally came.  Talk about poor management!!!  As far as cleaning up after an infestation, the CDC website said you had to wait a few WEEKS to clean out so that you’re sure all the rodents are dead.  Ugh.  So we finally deep cleaned the pantry, closets, and dining room out 2 weeks after the last rat was killed.  It took all day!

Jonah’s four month appointment went very well.  Height: 26 inches, weight: 16 pounds 7 ounces, head circumference: 41.5 cm! He is 75th percentile for height and weight!  The doctor said he is “perfect!”  That made me happy! :)

Teething has been a nightmare.  Jonah soaks a few bibs a day with drool, is pretty fussy, is getting a rash around his mouth from all the drool, and has had a low grade temp.  One night I had to give him Motrin and swaddled him, which helped him to sleep 8.5 hours straight!  

Jonah’s first laugh was awesome - we were just sitting at dinner and he was watching us eat and all of the sudden let out a laugh!  It wasn’t long, but it was what it was.  I was SO happy because I’d been looking forward to a laugh forever!

Jordan had the majority of August and the first week of September off, so he was able to watch Jonah when I worked!  It was so nice to have him home.  When he started school again, our new nanny, Olivia, worked out excellently!  She plays with Jonah, takes him on walks, and helps me out around the house.  I love her!  The first full day she watched him, Jonah wouldn’t eat from a bottle from her.  I was worried, but suggested to Olivia to feed him from a syringe.  That, along with feeding him on our bed (where he could smell me and Jordan) worked.  After that day, he didn’t have a problem with Olivia feeding him.

Once in church, Jonah had a major blowout, and of course I had only brought an extra pair of pants to church...so he showed off all his muscles to the Young Women!  

My mom came into town September 16 and stayed with us for a week!  It was awesome.  Jonah was all smiles and she was so excited to see him! We had so much fun!  We got pedicures, went apple picking at Carter Mountain in Charlottesville (SO FUN!!!) and made apple turnovers and apple pie, and went to North Carolina to stay with the Bethers!  We had a great time!  While we were in North Carolina, Jenae taught Jonah how to suck on a binkie for longer than 2 seconds. ;)

A New Approach to Flashback Friday

Just found the best idea on Pinterest.  Sometimes I wish that I had been clever enough to come up with these ideas, however, I'm totally willing to use other peoples ideas.  I found this, and want to start using it for Flashback Fridays!  Not only will this help me to start writing my personal history, but it will help you all to get to know me better.  Yay!


So, here goes.


Question number one: What is your full name and how did you get that name?  Do you have any nicknames?


My full name is Melyn Arlene Henderson, nee Cuthbert.  Melyn was my mom's friend's name, and Arlene is my maternal grandmother's name.  I have TONS of nicknames, not all of them nice.  People obviously can't pronounce my name so I've been called: Melon, Maylynn, Merlin (??), Mulan, Mushu (from Mulan - get it?), Melon-head, Melon the Felon, Watermelon, Mel, and I'm sure there are more I can't remember.  Basically, I'll answer to anything!


These nicknames bring back the multiple memories from middle school, junior high, and high school.  I was teased so bad because of my name!  But I love my name because it's so unique.  I've never met another Melyn.  One time a boy in middle school called me Maylynn, and I got so mad at him and everyone else for calling me the wrong name, that I actually grabbed his arm.  Granted, I was only 11 at the time.  I've since grown more mature (haha) and just let people call me anything.

Haircut

Melyn has been dying for a haircut for quite some time. As beautiful as her long hair is, it's quite a lot to maintain. It takes a lot of washing, a lot of drying, and it gets in the way from time to time. Plus it's a lot of weight to carry on her head! So it was time for a haircut. I went along to document the adventure.

Before

During

Tadaa!

As you can see, the hairstylist did a wonderful job. I was a little sad to see her long hair go (then again, I'm not the one who has to take care of it every day), but Melyn assures me that her hair can always grow back very quickly. All in all, they cut over 14 inches off and donated it to Locks of Love! The new length does look very very good. We celebrated by getting 5 Guys and an eclair afterwards at the local pastry shop.