The Roar of March and April's Blessings

I can't believe it's April. And I'm so glad it's April. March was a tough month.... Campbell was teething . In the baby book it said some babes cut their first tooth with ease and for others it's a miserable process. Campbell fell in the miserable category - poor thing was a wreck, and we tried everything to ease his pain and discomfort. Add to that a cold that seemed to last the entire month and his first ear infection. I had a massive sinus infection which did not help the situation. Luckily Brad came to our rescue! And by the end of March things were looking up!

And just in time for Campbell's Baptism. We waited till Spring because with Brad in Biloxi it was not easy finding a weekend when we were all together. So, Sunday, April 10th Campbell was baptized. It was a very special occasion for our family, and we celebrated the weekend with family and friends. Our dear friends, Kathleen and Durrell, flew all across the country to be part of the ceremony.

The next day, April 11th, was Campbell's 9 month check-up - on his 9 month birthday! It should have been a day worth celebrating, but instead it was a day filled with stress. Campbell is still not on the growth curve. My little man is too little according to the growth charts. So yesterday I spent the afternoon at Children's Hospital getting tests done. Our prayer is that there is absolutely nothing wrong; that Campbell is just slow to grow. Considering that he started at 5 lb. 11 oz., weighing almost 15 lbs. seems big to Brad and I. Teething didn't help the situation. Most nights in March he refused to eat or would eat very little. Now he's eating great and filling out. He's still the happiest kid I know and looks healthy to me, and yet every visit to the pediatrician's office results in panic phone calls to Brad and feeling like I am doing something terribly wrong. Everyone tells me, "when he's taller and bigger than Brad, you'll look back at all this and laugh." I really hope they're right!

Lots of pictures from March and April - keep scrolling!

Campbell's new favorite sleeping position. Love that duck butt sticking up in the air!

Use #101 for a boppy pillow... well at least he's comfortable...

Campbell helping us address his baptism invitations. We had return address labels covering the office, and some got on the envelopes... great job son!

Mom and Whitney, Dinner at Bourbon House, April 9th

Paw paw and Campbell discussing paw paw's golf strategy for the afternoon...

Family at Bourbon House. Campbell was out late before his big day in church, which actually worked out well because he slept through the rest of the church service after his baptism.

After the wonderful service at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church. Campbell did great during his baptism. Then drank a full bottle at the beginning of the sermon, burped loudly during the middle of the sermon, and then fell asleep for the rest of the service.

Campbell and his godmother, "Auntie" Kathleen!

Campbell received so many beautiful gifts to celebrate his baptism. And of course his favorite was the ribbons used to wrap the gifts.

Maria?

When we moved into our New Orleans home, for awhile it felt like we were living in someone else's house. The events that transpired post-Katrina were surreal to say the least. We were not here for that event, but have heard amazing stories from friends. After settling in to "our" new house for a few weeks, Brad finally decided to tackle the attic. The attic was filled with the previous home-owners belongings. Tax records, personal files, baby crib, guitar case... Once we started to receive mail at our house, our box was flooded with mail for Maria and Paul.

I asked our neighbor because I was curious about the family that had lived here before us. Our neighbor Linda was all to happy to tell us about the wonderful family that had lived here - Maria and Paul and their son. Over the past three years, we have received financial statements, W4 forms, and countless solicitations addressed to Maria and Paul. And every time, I wrote Return to Sender, this person no longer lives here, and returned the mail to my mailman.

In some bizarre way, I felt connected to these people. Well, Friday I was working in the office (like every Friday), and I saw a car drive super slow in front of our house and stop in the middle of the street. The driver was starring at our house. I kept working and then realized that she was walking up to our house. I jumped up to open the door (because the doorbell always sends Maggie into a barking frenzy).

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Maria!"

OMG! You're kidding.

I smiled and said, "Maria, so nice to finally meet you. I receive all your mail!"

Next thing I know I'm giving Maria a full tour of our house. Thank goodness it had just been cleaned. With cellphone camera in hand, she took several pictures of every room. She squealed at our fountain in the backyard... was shocked by all the improvements that had been made and told me her Katrina story. We talked about the neighbors and the neighborhood. And she shared her memories of raising her son in this house.

As we said goodbye, she gave me her card and home address. I now know where to send her mail!