Teeth, teeth, and more teeth

So, at the end of my last post I was SO EXCITED about Spencer finally cutting his first tooth! Little did I know that little tooth was going to bring along so many friends. In the past month, he's cut six teeth. SIX TEETH. He's cutting two right now as I type. It's INSANE. They just keep coming! We'll have a chaotic day or two of inconsolable screaming, then a day of calm...calm before the next storm. There has been little rest in the Bolt house lately. And this latest round of teething has brought with it a nasty little cold, which we have to get rid of before Friday, when we embark on an 8-hour cross-country journey to Los Angeles to get on a boat and sail away to the Mexican Riviera! From what I've been told, babies with stuffy heads and airplanes do not mix, so I'm praying that spencer will have all of that out of his system by then. We took him to the doctor, and he's so big that even though he's only 8 months old, he can now take Benadryl, which is GREAT because it dries him up AND helps him sleep, which means Daddy gets to sleep too. And yes, I only said Daddy on purpose. Why, you may ask? Because Spencer so graciously gave his cold to Daddy, and Daddy refuses to use nasal spray to open up his nose, so Mommy gets to be serenaded by what sounds like the nighttime song of a grizzly bear. Yes, the loudest snoring I've ever heard. So over the course of two days, I accumulated a grand total of 7 hours of sleep. And if you know me at all, you know that's not even CLOSE to being enough for me to function at full capacity. So I've been a walking zombie for two days. Thankfully, my mom came over the first day and took Spencer to the doctor and let me sleep, and then my dad came and got him yesterday and took him to their house so I could try to get some more sleep. Try being the key word. For some reason, I guess my energy reserves kicked in, because I was WIRED. My mind was racing, but my body was still so exhausted. I refused to get off of the couch. Spencer ended up spending the night at my parents house, so knowing that, I immediately took some pm meds and went to bed at 9:30. I can't remember the last time I went to bed that early. I tried to wait for Ray to get off of work at 10, but it wasn't happening. The meds kicked in and I don't remember a thing until I woke up at 11 o'clock this morning. I don't think I've ever slept that hard. It was AWESOME. Now I feel energized and ready to go! Kind of...when I woke up this morning my head was stuffy and my nose was running like a faucet. So I loaded up on Zicam and Vitamins, and hopefully I'll kick this thing before it even gets started. What a fun week it's been!

T-minus 6 days and counting until the warm sunshine and Pacific waters of the west coast! I'm SOOOOOO excited! I've never been any further west than Texas, so this will be all new for me, and for Spencer too! Prayers for traveling mercies and a calm baby on the plane are greatly appreciated. I can't wait to tell you all about our vacation! See ya on the flip side!

Aaaaaaannnnnnnnd GO!

Ok, so it's been a hot minute since I blogged last, partly because there's been so much going on, and partly because I've just been lazy and it's faster to update a Facebook status than it is to write out a blog. But Spencer is asleep and I have a few minutes to spare right now, so I figured I would give an overview of December and January.

My last blog told you all about our very unwelcome visitor...the flu. That ended about a week and a half before Christmas (Merry Christmas to us!) and we got to enjoy our first Christmas with Spencer and some much needed family time. First up on Christmas Eve we did the Bolt/Burns/Monie/Aunt Nancy Christmas at Mo and Papa's house. We had a GREAT time! Spencer got to see everybody, and got lots of presents. He got so many clothes, which was awesome because he's growing out of everything so fast. He also got tons of toys to play with...and by play, I mean put in his mouth. He also got a new book from cousins Kate and Nancy, which he also puts in his mouth. Ray got a lot of clothes too, and NEW DRESS SHOES!!! YAY!!! The soles of his old ones flapped with every step he took, so the new ones were much needed and MUCH appreciated. He does NOT put those in his mouth. I think I got the best of the night though. I got TWO COATS!!! One from Chuck and Emily, and one from Monie...one yellow and one pink! I was so excited! I asked for both, thinking they would pick one, but they picked both! I could not have been more thrilled. I also got a beautiful dress and some other knick knacks, none of which I put in my mouth. It was GREAT! But better than the gifts was spending time with the family. We had so much fun, and it was great for Spencer to experience that tradition for the first time. By the time we got home he was soooo tired he went right to sleep. It's a good thing too, because the next day held more fun!

Daddy had the camera.

Spencer playing with one of his many new toys!

Christmas day was so special. Spencer slept all night and woke up at about 8am. I went and got the camera, and Ray went in and got Spencer and brought him into the living room. We were much more excited than Spencer was at first. Eyes half open and looking like a zombie, Ray brought him to the tree to see all of his gifts. First were the ones from Santa! He got a gumball machine that when you push the handle down, balls roll down the inside and come out of the hole at the bottom, all while playing music. He LOVED it! He didn't want to stop playing with it. And by playing with it, I again mean putting it in his mouth. Next was his phone, which lights up and teaches letters and numbers. He loved this one too, and again, 'played' with it. Then came his presents from Mommy and Daddy, which were wrapped. He started 'playing' with them before they were even unwrapped! His first present was a bunch of links which were PERFECT for the way he likes to 'play' with his toys, yet not so perfect for Mommy who gets to clean up his toys. He also got a 'tool box' with blocks inside in different shapes and matching holes on the top for him to put them through. He hasn't 'played' with that one yet, but it's in our arsenal for when he gets tired of his old toys.

Spencer coming into the living room on his first Christmas!


Face plant!



He likes his phone!


He REALLY likes his phone!

Spencer opening his first present...sort of...

After everything was open and we played for a while, we had breakfast, and then Ray had to go to work...I know, BOO! Spencer and I headed over to my parents house to spend Christmas day with them. Much to our delight, Ray ended up getting off early, and we all got to spend most of the day together. That night we had dinner with my family and opened stockings and presents. For Christmas from my parents we all got a super awesome gift, a CRUISE!!! We set sail in March to the Mexican Riviera, and we couldn't be more excited! Spencer also got some clothes, a walker, and one of his favorite toys, a crinkle book. We ate, played games, and had a great time. Christmas was busy and fun, and it went by way too fast, but Spencer loved it. His first Christmas was perfect, and I can't wait until next year!

The cutest little boy in the world playing in his new walker!

After Christmas came what we thought was going to be a quiet New Years, but it just so happened that New Years Day was the day my dad came home from the hospital. He went in two days earlier with chest pains. The day after he was admitted they did a heart cath and found some blockages, one of which was 100%. We were blessed that he went in when he did, otherwise he would've suffered a likely fatal heart attack, and that's just not acceptable. Instead, they put in another stint, cleared the blockages, and now he's home and doing just fine. God is SO GOOD!

Soon after my dad came home, my mom decided she wanted some of the attention. She hasn't been feeling well for a while, so they finally decided to do a test on her gall bladder, and discovered that it needed to come out. The surgeon didn't have an opening for a consultation for two weeks, so she was going to have to wait to even SCHEDULE the surgery. By the end of that week, she had declined so rapidly that they decided to squeeze her in for a consultation the following Tuesday. They consulted, and scheduled the surgery for the following Monday, which was yesterday. The surgery went well, and she is now at home recovering.

As for the Bolt house, Spencer FINALLY cut his first tooth! He's been teething for what seems like the entirety of his life, and he finally broke one through his gum! His bottom left tooth made its debut Sunday January 24th after two very long days of screaming and chaos. Late Friday afternoon he started to get super fussy and refused to go to sleep. By nine o'clock, mommy was about to lose her mind. I decided to put out an S.O.S. on Facebook since many of my friends are mommies and daddies and have been through this before, or are going through it now. I got a few suggestions, but the one that worked was to lay him in his crib and turn on the hair dryer. I was skeptical at first because he already has a sound machine that plays white noise, so I didn't think the hairdryer would make any difference, but boy was I wrong. It took a few minutes, but he finally went to sleep. For two straight days, this was the only thing that would calm him enough to let him sleep...that and a Motrin drip. Now that the tooth is through, the screaming is done and life is back to normal, whatever that is!

We've had a rough couple of months, but the next few promise to be much better. First February, which brings a trip to Ohio to see my aunt and uncle. Next is March, which brings our second anniversary (WOW time flies) AND our CRUISE!!! April brings my birthday, and May hopefully brings my new niece or NEPHEW. Spencer wants a boy to play with...no pressure Molls!

2010 promises to be a GREAT year, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds!