June 25, 2011

The kiddo and I had fun today. We had our usual playtime and breakfast session, he took his morning nap and then we headed out the door.

We had a good time at Gymboree today, a couple of his friends moved up from his old class and it was nice to see some familiar faces. Gage was more into socializing than playing today, he spent a lot of time chatting with the other babies. There were a couple of little ones that like to yell when they say hello and it was hilarious to see G crawl up to them with a big smile and then they would yell in his face (a completely friendly greeting on their part) and it would just stop G in his tracks. So funny. They worked it out and got to laughing together, but his confused face was priceless.

After Gymboree, we made our weekly trek to the grocery store and the kiddo hung in much better this week. It was completely uneventful - we had fun, got the groceries and headed on back to the house. He actually took an afternoon nap today as well, which he's been skipping lately. It was nice - it meant a much more pleasant kiddo during dinner and before bedtime. There was more standing up today - he's getting a little less wobbly each time he tries it out. Tomorrow we got a whole lot of nothing planned, which will be nice. I have a night out planned, so J will be handling the kiddo's dinner and bedtime while I'm gone.

June 23, 2011

Here is the kiddo's surprised face. There was a lot of standing up alone today! It wasn't just pulling up and then letting go, either - he stood up all on his own from a sitting position. He can only do it for a few seconds and it's a little shaky, but he's doing it more and more. He has had a couple of great days, been in a great mood and had a lot of fun with J. He's still chattering a lot and at bedtime I think there was something that sounded like "Mama". I'm not getting my hopes up just yet, but it was nice to imagine I heard it.

Looking forward to spending some time with my little Monkey this weekend.

June 21, 2011

Couple of new pics of the Monkey and I being silly this evening. Got a little extra time with him this afternoon, since I got home a couple of hours early. We all hung out in our bedroom, watching him crawl around on the floor and talking to us about how he was doing. He and I had a great walk/run on the Katy Trail last night and he was totally ready for bed when we got home. We are going to hit the lake with a couple of friends tomorrow night. He's a great rider, he just kicks back and plays with his feet, takes in the scenery - chills out. It's fun to have him out there with us.

June 19, 2011

Happy kiddo - you can even see most of his teeth in this picture. Today started early again - 6:30a wakeup, so we watched a little Elmo and then we made breakfast for Daddy. He got pretty grumpy early, so I put him down for a morning nap and he slept for a couple of hours. We did the grocery shopping when he woke up and this was not an easy trip. There was some kicking and screaming about being in the cart today - he's ready to do his own thing and he can get pretty pissed about it when he doesn't get his way. We toughed it out, but it wasn't much better when we got home. He was just cranky and I was starting to think he might be having some tummy trouble, so I gave him a little medicine. I snuck out for a pedicure and J put him down for a nap a little while after I left - he was still asleep when I got home. He woke up in a much better mood - and with a REALLY stinky diaper, ha ha!

We ate dinner before him, so I put some cheese puffs on the coffee table next to where I ate so that he could snack a little while I ate my meal. He likes to stand at the table, but he's never really stood without holding on. Well apparently giving him enough puffs so that he could hold one in each hand was incentive enough for him to stand without support. I looked over and he as standing there with a puff in each hand, wobbling on his own two feet! It was pretty exciting.

Oh, and we officially have 8 teeth - both of the new bottoms are at least halfway in. He's gotten more interested in our food and drinks, I've been getting more brave about letting him try food from the table. It's been easier for us to eat at restaurants that way, I can just order a side that is easy for him and he snacks on crackers and bread until the food comes out. He's doing well with the sippy cup, but he actually likes to drink from our bottles and cups when we'll let him. It's so crazy how big he has gotten even in the last couple of weeks. Growing up every day. Make it stop, please...ha ha.

June 17 & 18, 2011

The kiddo and I have been pretty busy the last couple of days. I took yesterday off of work and he and I drove out to west Fort Worth to shop and have lunch with some of my cousins, their kids and one of our aunts. Gage had a pretty good time, he liked his cousin Gabriel (2.5 yrs) a lot - they were talking and laughing for a bit. He didn't pay much attention to his newest cousin Harper (3 months), but I got to hold her for a while and that was fun. She's super small compared to my big 'ol linebacker. He hung out in cousin Sharon's and Aunt Libby's laps and was being super sweet with them. He slept pretty hard in the car and by the time we got home he was up and ready to go again. He was still pretty worn out though, so he was fed, bathed and in bed by 7pm (early for him). After that, I passed out for a couple of hours myself - we were both pretty tired. He was also up pretty early yesterday morning.

Today he was up at 6AM. That's early for what he's been doing lately - even he though so, since he woke up pretty crabby. We watched a little Elmo and hung out for a bit and then he went back to bed at 7a and slept until 9:30a - at which point he was in a much better mood. We headed up to the lake and did a little 30 minute walk/run. He started to get a little cranky toward the end of the walk, there was some feet kicking and grunting, but nothing unmanageable. We got home and he stayed pretty cranky - he was just not a happy dude.

I got us cleaned up and we headed to Gymboree. I was a little nervous because of his attitude, but I figured it would at least wear him out a little. He actually did great in Gymboree - he settled in more with the big kids and was talking up a storm with a couple of them. He loves the teacher, Miss Allie and he crawled over and stood up at her legs while she blew bubbles during parachute time. He only came to check in with me a couple of times, so I knew he felt more comfortable.

He and I stopped to get my phone fixed on the way home and we probably spent about 20 minutes hanging out there. He sacked out on the 10 minute ride home from there and I managed to get him to his bed without waking him up. He took an hour long nap and when he woke up - you guessed it - still pissy. Actually he was a little worse - tears, throwing himself backwards, throwing stuff - just CRANKY. We had a big dinner planned with my family and I was a little nervous, but figured he would just pass him around until someone made him happy.

Dinner ended up being a lot of fun. He spent a lot of time in my lap - it's been a "stuck to Mama" kind of evening - but he actually hung out with a lot of people over the course of the hours we were there. He had fun sitting with my PawPaw and Doris, he hung out with my Aunt Terre and Aunt Libby and even talked to his little cousin Harper for a minute. Back to my cute little charmer - smiles, chatter, laughing. He had some sweet potato from my plate and enjoyed the bread as well. He was pretty tired when we left, but he was being really cute in the car, getting tickled and clapping along to the music - turns out he likes the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We would look back and he would be slapping his leg or clapping to the beat and cracking up. When we got home, it was bath and then bed time. I'm hoping that since he went to bed closer to 8p tonight, he may sleep in a little tomorrow - here's hoping.

Tomorrow it's just back to the normal weekend stuff - we'll clean up the house, go grocery shopping, etc.

June 14, 2011

These are a couple of pictures that J texted to me today. The first one is the face we get when the Monkey comes after the phone - it's also pretty similar to the face that comes at me when I'm about to get some slobbery kisses.

According to J, today was a good day. He's starting to let the kiddo venture around more areas of the house and it makes him pretty happy. J said Gage followed him around about 2 feet behind him this morning while he vacuumed the house. He was in a great mood when I got home and since he was running loose, he came crawling around the corner to meet me at the door. News for today: tooth #7 is here! I had a feeling we could expect one shortly - the return of the drool, the tugging on the ears, the slightly cranky disposition - and I was right. It's the tooth to the right of his bottom teeth. I'm sure #8, the matching tooth on the left is not far behind - the gum is swollen and it will show itself pretty quickly.

We all ate our dinner together tonight, which was fun, and then we hung out in the kiddo's room for a while after his bath, which was also good times. He was in a really great mood. He's chattering and talking up a storm and I SWEAR there was a "Da-da" tonight. He crawled out of his room and into the office where J was playing video games and there were a couple of "Da-das" - but we still aren't sure if we are ready to declare it. To be honest, he says a version of "kitty kitty" when he sees Nala - it's kind of a high pitched "gee gee!" - so that could very well be his first official word. Still NOTHING that sounds like "Ma-ma", but that's ok - I know he likes me best. Ha ha.

Friday and Saturday we are having some family time - lunch/shopping with cousins on Friday, dinner with even more family on Saturday - and I'm excited to get out more with the kiddo. We've also planned our first road trip for next month to visit some of J's family down south. We have a stopover in Houston and then we drive to Orange for a few days. We are both anxious to see how Gage behaves in the car for the long drive, how he sleeps somewhere else and how much he can tear up a new environment. Ha ha. It will be fun though, we all need a little vacation. Lot of fun stuff coming up!

June 12, 2011

It's been a busy weekend around here. Three of these pics are from this evening and one is from yesterday afternoon. Yesterday there was house cleaning, grocery shopping, playing and then J and I went out to dinner for our anniversary. GiGi came over and hung out with the monkey - even put him to bed. Then today the kiddo and I had a birthday party to attend and we had a lot of fun hanging out over there.

Monkey and I worked together to get the house picked up and the laundry done yesterday. Then the three of us headed out to the grocery store and we had fun there. Gage loves to people watch when we are at the store. He'll get someone in his sights and follow them around with his eyes, wherever they go, until he can't see them anymore. Yesterday afternoon/evening got a little sketchy - that little dude can get pretty ticked off when he doesn't get what he wants. I fed and bathed him so that when GiGi got here he was dressed for bed. She said he played for an hour or so after we left, but was in bed by 8p. He slept pretty good last night - there was a quick 11:15p wake-up, but after that, he slept until 8a.

When he got up this morning he was in a really good mood. He and I had some breakfast and then we played in the living room while we watched Yo Gabba Gabba and Olivia. He took a good morning nap and as soon as he got up we headed to the party. He had a lot of fun at the party, playing with the toys and staring at the ceiling fan. He loves ceiling fans - they totally hypnotize him. He crawled around and talked to a few people - he also tried to "pet" a few people. He was really cool and laid back, but after a couple of hours he was pretty tired. He didn't fall asleep until the last 15 minutes of our drive, and then once we got home, he popped right back up and was ready to play. I tried (unsuccessfully) to get him to nap for the next hour and finally gave up around the time J got home. He and J got to play for a little while and we all hung out in the living room before it was time for G to eat. It's so funny because he was his usual wild man self here at the house - tearing through his toys, laughing and being silly - but he's more mellow when there is a crowd he doesn't know. There were comments about how laid back he was and I was like, "uh, you really gotta see how he acts at home." Ha ha. But he had some ice cream and cake today and he REALLY liked that.

We had a fun time. His sleeping is changing again, but it seems like he's continuing to sleep (mostly) through the night. There's always one little minor wake-up, but I'm getting a pretty solid 6-7 hours most of the time. He's cut out his afternoon nap this week, but he's still going to bed later, which is unusual. I actually like having him up a little later, but the fact that he usually doesn't get a late nap means that he's pretty tempramental in that last hour. He's still loving bathtime and I'm going to stop by one of the rec centers over here to get him in swim lessons this week. I have some swim trunks for him, I just need to get him something to float in and then we can invade some of our friends' pools. He's also been talking a LOT the last few days - still only babble, but it's pretty constant and it's starting to sound more and more like real words. We finally got him into a convertible car seat this weekend and he liked the big boy ride on the way to the party today. He was looking out the window and having a lot of fun - mostly chattering the entire time.

Next weekend we are having lunch with some of my aunts, cousins and their kiddos and then Gage and I have to come up with something awesome for Fathers' Day. I have an idea - but since J reads this (hi babe!) - I can't disclose. Hope everyone has a great week.

June 9, 2011

Listen - don't let that big smile fool you, that is a TIRED kiddo. He was so tired that before I snapped this picture, he was laying his head on his high chair tray between bites of dinner. If you look closely you'll see the red-rimmed swollen eyes of a little dude that skipped his afternoon nap and terrorized his dad today. Cute? Yes. Capable of mental terrorism? Oh yes. I was met at the door by J and he simply said, "There's a monster in there. " So funny. He did give J some kisses and have some fun with him before bed though, so it's all good.

I got dinner in the kid's belly, gave him a quick bath and then started trying to put him to bed. It took a while and there was one false start, but he's officially snoring and has been for about 30 minutes. Poor Monkey - he's like his Mama when he gets tired - CRANKY.

June 8, 2011 - Playing with Daddy

Here are some fun photos from tonight when we were all playing and laughing together before Monkey's bedtime. They are blurry because J was being silly and cracking little man up.

June 7, 2011

I would like to point out a couple of things about this picture. #1 - you can finally see some of little man's top teeth, #2 - he has the cutest gap in his 2 front teeth, #3 - Marvin the Martian PJS! Marvin was my favorite growing up and these pjs are so freakin' cute on the Monkey.

Another good day. Monkey hung out with Grangingy for a couple of hours this afternoon while J went to the dentist. Word on the street (and the street includes J and Grangingy) is that little man stood up without support a couple of times today. I've seen him think about it a few times, but he hadn't tried it yet. Another step toward us totally pulling our hair out. Ha ha. I also hear that he had some of Grangingy's lemonade.

He was in a great mood when I got home and I knew that he would be up until at least 8p thanks to his recently changed schedule of going to bed later and waking up a little later, so we went for a long walk around the neighborhood. He was super quiet on the ride (as usual), chewing on the shoulder strap and looking around. When we got back I was nervous get got a little too warm, but he was fine. He had his dinner, his bath and then we spent some time playing on his floor. He was being so sweet tonight - I got 3 or 4 unsolicited kisses and a lot of smiles. He also enjoyed pulling every toy he owns out of the toybox - his new favorite game. I put him to bed about 7:45 and J and I ate while he babbled in bed. I ended up going in there around 8:30 to see if he would finish his bottle, which he did, and he was knocked out snoring about 1 minute later.

June 6, 2011

I didn't blog yesterday - and I'll tell you why in a moment - but here are a couple of pics from our afternoon of fun. Sunday afternoons are turning into clingy ones with that little dude up there. He just wants to be in my lap and staring at me, sweet baby. He'll be playing with his toys for a minute and then he'll walk himself (holding on to the table or couch) back over to me and pull himself into my lap. He'll just stare at me and give me big smiles and then after a minute he'll head back to his toys again. He always comes back though. Something about late Sunday afternoons - I don't know if he knows I'm going back to work the next day or what - but he turns into a little spider monkey. Most of the time it's so sweet and endearing, I take advantage and we have a sweet little afternoon of snuggly Mom-and-Gage time, but last night the clinginess turned into a fight at bedtime. He usually does not fight me when it's time to go to sleep, but last night was tough and I was pretty drained by the time he finally went to sleep. He had a restless night too, so I was pretty tired this morning.

Luckily he woke up in a great mood and J said that he had a really great day today. When I got home he was in a great mood and we had fun talking and playing in his room. I was sitting on the floor looking at my phone while he played and he walked over, stood up holding on to my shoulders and gave me a big open-mouthed kiss. *SWOON* I love that kiddo.

This weekend we have a birthday party that I'm looking forward to, some friends we haven't seen much of lately. I think Gage will have fun and he'll have fun hanging out with some kiddos in a relaxed setting.

June 4, 2011

This is a picture of the kiddo enjoying a little grilled cheese sandwich for dinner last night. I have another cute picture of him in his Marvin the Martian pjs, but it's on J's phone.

Today was a long day. Gage had a pretty good night of sleep - just a little 15 minute party around midnight, but after that he slept until 7:30a - which is actually sleeping in for him. He was only up for a little while before he was ready for a nap and then we headed off to Gymboree. Today he went to a new class, one level up from his other class. It was interesting to see him interacting with the older kids, majority of whom are already walking. To be honest, he was a little overwhelmed. He's used to being the most active and rowdy kid in the class, but these kids were VERY active and ready to party. He sat back more and just took it in. He actually stuck really close to me, coming back for hugs a lot - and that's unusual, usually I can't keep him near me in there.

There was another nap after Gymboree - poor kid was worn out - and then the three of us headed up to Floyd's Barbershop so J and I could get haircuts. Our favorite hairdresser is currently working there, so we got back to back appointments and we took turns hanging out with the Monkey. My haircut took a while since I got it cut shorter and super cute (pics later), so J had to put on a little dance to keep the kiddo occupied. When we got home, it was bathtime and then straight to bed. He was great through everything - people at the barbershop were enjoying him and kept asking me if he was always so laid back. Tomorrow we have a trip to the grocery store planned and then a whole lot of nothing. Will be fun.

June 2, 2011

One of the few tricks I have left to get this kiddo's attention when he's playing or when he's getting sleepy and that is: sing "You are My Sunshine". He was playing with his table and I couldn't get him to give me a long enough look to snap a picture. I started to sing and he immediately looks at me and starts to smile. SO cute. He's also starting to give me kisses more often (open mouthed, slobbery kisses) and I have to say that it totally makes my day. We were doing our cuddle/sing thing before I put him in bed and he pushed back from my shoulder and gave me a big smooch on the face. *swoon*

He's been a little tricky this week. He's switched up his sleeping schedule again - back to one long nap and sleeping in a little. He's also sleeping so much better at night, which has been awesome. He's been drooling a LOT and I'm pretty sure I've seen the ghost of a new tooth in there somewhere. We'll see how it comes along over the next few days. It's harder to tell now since they aren't coming in right in the front. Other than that, things are same old, same old here at our house. We had a really busy May and I'm hoping that June will be a little more laid back. We're going to a new class at Gymboree this weekend and I'm excited to see what Gage thinks about kids walking around him.