Ten Months Old!

Here we are again!  No doctor's visit this month, so I'm not sure of your height and weight.  You're over 20 pounds now, I'm sure.  It's been a big month because you learned how to....

WALK!

You took your first step on Thanksgiving Day and within a few weeks, you have pretty much mastered it!  This week, you even figured out how to stand up without holding on to anything.  You impressed Daddy this evening when you walked over to your football, squatted down to pick it up, and then stood back up and kept walking.  Next thing we know, you'll be running!  It does look kind of strange to see you toddling around because you just don't look big enough yet, but we sure do love seeing you learn how to do new things.

Your favorite game is still peek a boo, and you are beginning to understand how to hide.  We play in the doorway of the front rooms, and you'll scoot back so I can't see you and then sloooooowly peek around until we say, "BOO!"  It startles you pretty good, but you laugh!  Sometimes we make it even more fun by chasing after you. :-)  You also really enjoy your rattles all of a sudden.  I think it's because you're always flapping your arms around, and you've realized that your rattles make a fun noise!

You still amaze us by how much you move.  Like all the time.  If you're sitting and your body is still, your hands are still slapping your legs.  We like to joke about how you could win the world championship in wallowing.  If your blanket is in the floor, you will flop down on it and roll all around.  When we're holding you, you are constantly flopping around, but you're kind of sweet about it like when you lay your head down for a second and a half to snuggle.  You're doing better this week about not beating me up so much when I'm rocking you to sleep.  Hopefully it's not a temporary thing!

When you are sleepy, you like for me to rub your face and chin.  A few days ago, I was trying to get you to fall asleep, and when I thought you had dozed off, I stopped rubbing your face.  Your eyes popped open, but as soon as I put my hand back on your face, your eyes closed.  I did it a few more times with the same results each time.  Pretty sweet. :-)

Daddy and I decided this month to go ahead and give you a haircut.  We were going to wait until after your birthday, but you were getting pretty shaggy.  Unfortunately, you went through a period this month when you didn't like loud things like the vacuum cleaner and mixer, so you really were not too excited about the hair clippers.  Lots of head turning back and forth and a close call when Daddy threw away the hair I set aside for your baby book, but by the time we were finished, you were quite the dapper looking fella!

You still seem to be having trouble with your pesky little (BIG) gag reflex. :-)  We've had quite a few more times lately when your baby food has made you throw up.  Not so much fun.  I bought you a can of puffs today, but since your peas made you throw up, I think we'll just leave the puffs sealed for now. :-)  You go back for your next checkup in February, so hopefully you'll be doing better by then.  If not, we'll just ask the doctor what we should do from there!

You haven't said any more words lately, but you do babble a lot.  You can say the "s" sound now.  I guess having teeth helps with that. :-)  Sometimes you can be really quiet, but other times, you growl and jabber up a storm.  You sure are fun!

We also got you a new carseat a few weeks ago.  After several trips that required washing the carseat because you got sick, we've decided that maybe you are dealing with some motion sickness.  On our way to Muskogee last weekend, we turned you around to face the front, and you did just fine.  We tried to turn you backwards again to see if we could at least make it to your birthday, but on our way to Bella Vista yesterday, you got sick again, so you are now front facing!  You seem to like being able to see Mommy and Daddy and what's going on, and you definitely seem to feel better!

We love you, Stinky Boo! :-)

Wordless Wednesday: Diaper Reading

No Santa?!?!

After reading this blog post today, I started thinking about how Christmas is going to look for our family now that we have added a kiddo.  Oddly enough, Steve said he was thinking about this very thing last week.  We both grew up believing in Santa.  Neither of us was scarred or traumatized when we found out he wasn't real.  Neither of us believe our parents were terrible for, gasp, LYING to us!  Nor did we grow into materialistic, stingy people with "gimme" attitudes.  I don't think anyway!  If you do Santa with your kids, great!  I don't think it's bad, but Christmas for our family is going to look a little different.  Not better, just different.

The statement that stuck out the most to me in the blog post was this:

"For a five-year-old, how can Jesus compete with Santa? Our children don't have spiritual perspective; when faced with the choice of allegience, they have a baby in a manger, or they can get a jolly, twinkling, flying character who will bring them presents. This is going to be an easy choice for them."

This really had not occurred to me before.  Our children aren't born with an understanding of the profound spiritual significance of that little baby in the manger, and given a choice, who wouldn't pick the flying guy who drops goodies down your chimney?!  Now, I am not naive enough to believe that just because our kids won't believe in Santa, we won't have melt downs in Walmart when we don't get them the new toy they want.  Or that they won't still focus on waking up that morning to finally rip into the presents that have been sitting under the tree for the last few weeks (yes, we've already realized that we won't have to stay up all Christmas Eve night putting together and wrapping toys!  Score!).

I honestly don't have a huge problem with Santa.  What I do have a problem with is what our culture has done with Santa and Christmas.  People trampling and hurting others so that they can get a video game for $5 less.  What a way to celebrate the birthday of our Savior.  Incorporating Santa into your family's Christmas can be done very positively and without all the yuckiness (and honestly, I DO think it's fun!), but we have decided it will just be easier to start from day one by making Christmas about Jesus.  Yes, we'll still do gifts, but we'll be following the "something I want, something I need, something to wear, something to read" philosophy. :-)  Moderation.  Gifts are wonderful, and I really like the idea of adding the "something to give" so that your children grow up experiencing the joy from being on the other, sometimes anonymous, end of presents, but we are just choosing to step away and slow down.  To celebrate the advent of our Savior, born and placed in a humble manger filled with hay.

So, if you see me dragging my screaming kid through the aisles at Walmart a few Decembers from now, have grace.  Or I'll send my kid to tell your kid the truth about Santa. :-)

Trey's New Ride

I didn't even notice until I took this picture that we kept the same color scheme.  Steve picked out both. :-)

After much angst (ok, maybe just quite a bit of internet searching and investigating), we finally decided on a new carseat for Trey.  The weight limit on his infant seat is 35 pounds, which seemed really helpful when we picked it out, but we have since realized that:

1. there's no way I can pack him around in that thing much longer without injuring myself
2.  he will be way too tall for the seat far before he reaches the weight limit.

After looking at our options, we finally decided on the Safety 1st Air Protect.  We really like the static air bags that cushion the sides of Trey's head in the event of a side-impact crash.  The odds of us being in a car accident are slim, but they will help prevent head trauma, which is definitely a good thing!  The seat was a little more expensive than some of the others we looked at, but we decided that this was one thing that was worth spending a little more money.  Plus, the air cushions will kind of act like pillows when he falls asleep. :-)

I'm waiting for him to wake up from his nap so that I can stick him in it and get everything adjusted correctly, but when we tried it out in the living room last night, he loved it!  I buckled him in, and he cut his eyes over at the air cushions and reached up to hit and poke them.  Even after I unfastened him and reached to pick him up, he didn't want me to pick him up.  He sat there chewing on his toothbrush for several more minutes before he finally climbed on out.  Obviously we haven't used it in the car yet, but the seat is incredibly cushy and comfy looking on top of making Steve and me feel better about Trey's safety in the car.  It seems impossible that it's already time to switch him over to the convertible carseat, but we're excited to try out his new ride!

58

Isaiah 58:6-7

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

A little over a month ago, we received a dvd in the mail.  It wasn't actually intended for us, but I honestly didn't even look at the actual address written on it before I threw away the outer envelope.  I just assumed it was for whoever lived here before us.  After reading the synopsis, I stuck it in the dvd player while Trey and I played in the living room.  I watched about half an hour of it, realizing as I teared up as a mother in Africa described how her children often go to bed crying because they're hungry that I needed to wait and watch it at a time when Steve and I could watch it together without getting distracted.

A few weeks ago, we finally sat down and put it in the dvd player.  It was definitely not lighthearted entertainment.  Many parts made me cry, and the rest left me feeling very unsettled.  My initial response after it was over was, "Let's watch something that will make me feel better!" but I knew that was exactly the opposite of what I needed to do.  We didn't talk a whole lot as we watched it because we didn't want to miss anything, but after it was over, we had one of the best discussions we've had in a long time.  In the video, Wes Stafford from Compassion International discusses how much of Scripture addresses the poor, the needy, the suffering.  Jesus talks about them over and over.  Wes said something along the lines of it doesn't matter what we think about the poor, what bothers us about their situation...what matters is what we DO.

That's the part that bothered me.  Made me uncomfortable.  Do I think that Christians have to take a vow of poverty or feel guilty about every dollar we spend?  No.  But do I think we are accountable for how we live?  Yes.  Even after giving up my income, I know we can be more generous than we are.  Steve and I had a really good discussion about how this needs to look for our family and came up with some things we could start to do immediately.
Fast forward a few weeks to yesterday.  While I was back putting Trey down for a nap, I got a phone call.  I didn't recognize the number, but I just sent it to voicemail anyway since Trey was almost asleep.  I googled the number while I finished feeding him, and it was the phone number for Compassion International.  When I put Trey down and listened to the voicemail, it was a message about the little boy we sponsor, Ronald.  Apparently, his mother is concerned about the gang activity in the area where the Compassion center is, so she has pulled him out of the program.  So all of a sudden, we've lost the little boy we sponsor, just as I was getting better about writing regularly.  When Steve got home, I told him about the phone call and later in the evening, we sat down at the computer and started browsing the Compassion website for a new child to sponsor.  We prayed for guidance in selecting our child, but I still don't know how you can look at picture after picture of those kids and pick just one.

The sweet man that I married asked if we were just going to sponsor one child or two.  We decided to cut out one of our bills and put that toward sponsoring a second child.  So, we are now waiting for our packets for a little boy from Rwanda and a little girl from India.  I am so excited.  We're going to write our final letter to Ronald this week, which is sad, but I am glad that God used that to bless us with an additional child to sponsor.  We still have a lot of areas to improve on in our budgeting and financial discipline, but I don't think we should cut our generosity.  There are lots of other areas we can cut and should cut!  I am excited to see how God helps us grow in our discipline so that we can be more generous with what He has given us.  I'll post pictures of our new kiddos as soon as we get them in the mail. :-)

Thanksgiving

Trey's first Thanksgiving was quite the enjoyable weekend!  We spent the holiday with my family over at my grandparents' because Steve's family was down in Texas.  We weren't able to go down with them this year but maybe next time!  Steve even got off of work on Thursday, so after sleeping in a little that morning, we got our contributions ready (peanut butter pie, cherry cheesecake, caramel apple trifle, and green bean bundles...we were NOT going for healthy!) and headed to my grandparents' house.  It was pretty laid back, so we just ate lots of food and visited.  Trey loved having other kids to play with and lots of attention from all the grandparents and great aunts and uncles!  He had napped in the morning before we left but fell asleep in Mom's lap later in the afternoon...waaaay past his normal nap time!  We took his push toy with him, but he seemed more interested in getting into things and playing with Jeremiah and Autumn's toys.  They were nice to share. :-)  I think his favorite part was whenever anyone would have a guitar out.  He loves drumming on the guitar and grabbing the strings while someone plays.  Thankfully there's no shortage of guitar players at our family gatherings!

As we were gathering up our things to leave, Peggy was talking to Trey and turned him toward me, and he took his first step by himself!  We figured it was coming soon, but it was nice of him to make it on a holiday so we could remember. :-)  We brought Jenny, Leslie, and Lydia home with us and watched some movies before they crashed on the couch/floor.  After a yummy breakfast of pancakes, we headed back to the grandparents' house.  It was fun to spend time with family, and it's even better knowing that we'll get to see everyone again at Christmas! 

Trey has continued to stand by himself and even took several more steps alone today, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he's walking.  Hopefully we'll have a while longer before he figures out how to open the baby gate!

9 months!

You're nine months old, Little Man!Today was your check up with the doctor, and everything looks great!  You weigh 19 pounds 9 ounces (40th percentile) and are 29 inches long (75th percentile).  Long and lean is how the doctor described you. :-)

Funny, huh?!

Not a whole lot has changed in the last month.  Your sleeping schedule is transitioning a little.  You seem to be trying to drop one of your naps, so most days you're down to two naps.  Thankfully they run about two hours each!  I try to grab a nap with you a few times a week.  Got to enjoy that while I can!  You've also started sleeping all night 3-4 times a week.  You go to bed at 8 and sleep until 5 or 6.  If you do wake up, it's usually just once around 2:00.  Not too bad!

An interesting after-dinner talk with Daddy.

We bought you an early Christmas present this week...a push toy.  You love it!  It's nice and noisy, and you're becoming quite the pro at walking around with it.  I got teary eyed the other day watching you toddle off into the wall.  College is just around the corner!

Crawling out of your highchair onto the counter.  Ummm, nope!

You've also sprouted FOUR teeth in the last few weeks.  Yikes!  You got your bottom right tooth, bottom left tooth, top right tooth, and your top left one juuuuust broke through a few days ago.  For all those chompers coming through your gums, you're still extremely pleasant.  I'm a proud mommy.  Daddy says I should mention that you click them together.  He says that with his teeth gritted like it bothers him or something. :-)  I'm hoping that these new teeth make it easier for you to handle Cheerios and puffs, but that seems to be more a problem with you gagging than anything else!  You are eating an entire jar of stage 2 baby food at a sitting though.  Yum!

This month has also brought your first word other than "dada" and "mama."  What was it, you ask?  "Kitty."  That's right.  Not the word Mommy would have picked, but you sure make it sound cute! :-)  You've also stood by yourself for a few seconds at a time.  There's not much that scares you, so you just go for it. :-)

Daddy's scruff bothering you.

Some things you really like:

• peek a boo
• reading books (when we get to the end, you flip the book over to read it again.  And again.  And again.)
• drumming on everything
• cruising around the furniture
• playing in your puppy tent
• going for walks
• dancing to music
• growling

The last nine months have flown by, and it's hard to remember what life was like before you were here!  You are growing and learning so fast, and we are so excited to see what comes next!  We love you, Little Man!

A hiking we will go!

This afternoon, we went with a group from church and went hiking near Lake Wedington. We had originally planned to go to Hawksbill, but between church and the time change, we were afraid we wouldn't have time to finish the hike before dark. I had never hiked out at Wedington before but really enjoyed it! We took Trey in the carrier and traded off a few times, and he even caught a bit of a nap while we toted him around. As much as I enjoy a good trip to Hawksbill, I did enjoy the much shorter drive home after today's hike! This momma is pooped!

I guess part of the reason I'm so tired is because before bed last night, we had an earthquake! It was a 5.6 centered in Oklahoma, but for us Arkies, any earthquake is a big deal! :-)  Steve and I were watching TV, and all of a sudden, everything started shaking.  A front was blowing in, so it had been really windy all evening, and at first, I thought it was the wind.  That didn't really makes sense though.  There was a smaller earthquake earlier yesterday morning that I didn't feel, but I realized that's what this was.  I hopped up and started back for Trey's room, but it stopped quickly enough.  Needless to say, we were up for a while.  My first earthquake provided a bit of an adrenaline rush!  I realize that for people who have experienced "real" earthquakes, a 5.6 is nothing, but here, earthquakes aren't something we really think about on a daily basis!

I'm off to be lazy and enjoy the evening watching some TV with my husby before the new work week starts!

The three day post.

How did it already get to be November?  It seems like everyone on Facebook is telling what they're thankful for each day, so I thought I would do that here on my blog.  So let's get caught up.

1. I am thankful for my salvation through Jesus Christ.  The most wonderful gift!
2. I am thankful for my wonderful family.  Every last one of the weirdos. :-)
3. I am thankful for the privilege of staying home with my favorite little 8 month old booger. 

 Speaking of the little booger, he seems to be switching our daily schedule up on me now that I was getting used to it.  The last week, he has been trying to drop one of his naps.  Instead of going back down for a nap an hour or so after he gets up, it's been more like 2 - 2 1/2 hours.  I actually kind of like this schedule a little more, I think.  His first nap has been from about 10-12, and then he goes down again around 3 or 4.

 

Now that I'm finishing this on Friday, he did the same thing with his naps today with a little extra cat nap this afternoon since he woke up at six dark and thirty this morning.  That wasn't so easy since I stayed up until 1:30 sewing last night!  We both went back to bed from about 8:30 until ten o'clock a little later. :-)  Everybody needs a lazy day once in a while, right?  Hopefully Steve will get one soon so I don't feel so guilty, ha!

 

 Here's my thankful for today:

 

4. I am thankful that we have such a comfortable, safe, warm home. :-)

 

Wow, I have tried to post this for three days now!  Yikes!  Here goes nothin'!

5. I'm thankful my kid has hair. :-)

A Despicable Me Halloween!

We took our little cutie patootie out for his first Halloween yesterday.  My parents' church always puts on a fun Harvest Festival, so we headed over there to show off the little minion and score some Halloween candy!

Mom made his hat from a picture I found on Pinterest.  Isn't it cute?!  I was so proud of him for actually keeping it on! :-)  Steve got done with work in time for us to catch some barbecue and soup and hang out visiting for a few hours.  At one point, I left Trey with Steve and my dad for a couple of minutes, and when I got back, Trey was eating an orange Tootsie Roll Pop.  He liked it.  A lot.  When Steve finally tried to take it away, it took quite a bit of wrestling!  The sucker residue actually kind of helped keep his ear flaps stuck down.

The poor fella started yawning, so we packed him into his carseat where he promptly fell asleep, and after getting him into jammies and fed when we got home, he slept until 9:30 this morning!  A sugar coma! :-)

I realized today we never got his pumpkin patch picture (say THAT three times fast!), so hopefully we can find someplace that still has a few pumpkins sometime this week.  I'm looking forward to celebrating the upcoming holidays with our little family!

Linkin' up!

My lovely cousin over at Jolinda sent me over to link up with Casey, so I thought I'd give it a shot!  Figuring out how to get the button on here has been my first accomplishment! :-)  My blog has been mainly to document our little family's happenings, but I would enjoy getting to know some other bloggers!  Leave me a comment so I can come check out your blog!

Pup Tent

Today, Trey got what seems to be his favorite toy ever.  We went by to visit my grandparents today, and before we left, Trey's great Pawpaw gave him a pop up tent decorated like a puppy dog.  That boy spent the ENTIRE evening going in and out of that tent.  At one point, he had even climbed up on the side and rolled it over upside down.  He's all into peek a boo lately, so we were playing with each other through the mesh window on the side, and he giggled harder than I have ever heard him before!  I have a feeling our front room will have a pup tent in it for a while!

For dinner tonight, we tried macaroni and cheese with mixed veggies, and it was a big win.  It seems to have stained his sippy cup spout, but I'm sure that would have happened eventually.  I'm amazed at how quickly he picks things up.  After finally figuring out how to suck from his sippy cup, he drank about 3 ounces of water from it today.  During dinner, he was drinking like a fish!  He had some of my apple juice from my cup and dribbled it on the counter, so he stuck his face down and started slurping it up, ha!

I also picked up my substitute pack from the admin office today.  There seems to be quite a bit left to do between TB test, background check, fingerprinting, etc.  At the earliest, I think it will take 3 or 4 weeks to get things through.  About the time I think I'm ready to try to sub, it gets bumped back again.  Can't say I mind, but I guess I can't put it off indefinitely!  Although I don't want to go back to work, I do find myself missing the classroom.  Kind of like I wish I could have the best of both worlds...being with my boy all day but still teaching.  Once Trey's a little bit bigger and we can start working on numbers, colors, and all those things, I'm sure that will help.  I know he's constantly learning and that we're already learning skills, but I just mean something a little more "schooly." :-)

I"m going to try to get another hour or two of my PD hours done this evening so that I can keep my license current.  Two hours down, 58 left to go!

Monday Randoms

I just noticed that my last post was my 100th post.  Wow.  Or not. :-)

• Steve had Saturday off, so we enjoyed some family time out at Harlan and Helen's house.  Lots of Dad's cousins, hay ride, pumpkin carving, skeet shooting, and yummy food!  Of course Steve and I were about ready for a nap when we got home, but little man had slept all the way home and was ready to play!

• Trey finally started drinking out of his sippy cup yesterday instead of just chewing on it.  Yaaaay!
• He also went up and down the steps to the stage at church by himself for the first time.
• On Thursday, he started dancing when he hears music.  He just bounces up and down.  Too cute!
• When he nurses, he rubs his blankie between his thumb and fingers.  Lately, he kicks his top leg up on top of my arm, sometimes putting his foot up on my shoulder.  It doesn't bother me unless he straightens his leg out and digs his toes into my shoulder joint.  That hurts a little.
• He's really enjoying his baby food and is extremely interested when we eat but still can't tolerate chunks of food.  This morning, he wanted to chew on my cinnamon roll and ended up with an icing mustache.

• One of the highlights of my weekend was singing along with the Monk theme song with Steve one evening on the couch.  We're dorks.
• I locked my keys in my car at the grocery store yesterday but thankfully left the windows cracked (which I never ever do) and was able to stick my arm in to unlock the door.
• I'm considering subbing some half days sometime.  Maybe.  Eventually.  Perhaps.

• It's a week until Halloween.
• It's a month until Thanksgiving.
• I'm pretty sure I'm going to put up our Christmas decor before Thanksgiving gets here.  I'm afraid if I don't, it'll be time to take it down by the time I get it all put up.
• I think that's all.

Trey should be waking up soon, and I think we'll go for a walk to return the library books we have.  We might as well enjoy the pretty weather before it gets cold!

8 months!

You're 8 months old, sweet boy!  You haven't been to the doctor in quite some time, so I'm really not sure what you weigh or how long you are these days.  You're getting big though!  I've started getting you out of the car seat in the car so that I don't have to carry you around in it.  Too heavy! :-)

We still have a pretty good schedule, and you nap really well if we're at home.  You're not so good at napping when we're out and about or visiting with anyone because you get too interested in what's going on around you to take the time to eat or sleep.  Fortunately though, it doesn't mean you get fussy.  It takes quite a bit to make you upset!  You still get three good naps through the day and only stay awake for 3-4 hours at a time.

Mommy still nurses you to sleep, and you're nursing 6-7 times throughout the day.  Between the morning and evening, you eat a whole container of the Stage 2 baby food.  Since we got your new high chair, you've enjoyed eating at the kitchen island instead of the Exersaucer.  We have still been trying the melts, puffs, and Cheerios, but they make you gag and throw up every. single. time.  It doesn't seem to bother you though because as soon as I get you cleaned up, you start sticking them in your mouth again!  I think we're going to pick you up a mesh feeder at the store tomorrow so you can work on feeding yourself since you seem to like the independence so much.  Maybe once you get some teeth, they'll help you out with the food a little.  You're still our toothless wonder!  You also are kind of stubborn about figuring out the sippy cup, so we may try one with a straw.  You chew on it but won't suck on the sippy or a bottle anymore.  Goofy boy.

This month, you have continued to crawl all over the place and cruise along the window sills and furniture.  I find you standing up somewhere most of the time, and once in a while, you take off like you're trying to walk and face plant on the floor!  You also figured out how to jump in the Jumperoo and look kind of like you're doing the Riverdance. :-)  Although you have a few toys you like to play with and chew on (purple toucan, plastic balls, books), you really would much prefer to drag things off the TV cabinet and DVD shelf, dig in Daddy's sock drawer, and tear things up!

You can be quiet sometimes but can also be very loud!  We've been working on "hi" and "bye" but you seem quite determined to do things when you want to.  Imagine that.  Overall, you are such a pleasant boy to be around.  Daddy always comments on how quiet and still other babies are, not realizing that you're a little more active than your average baby!  We enjoy every single minute with you though and can't wait to see what you get into over the next month!