Water for me, water for you!

LR was up at 6:30, but only because Daddy's cell phone rang. The morning routine was normal, but he's definitely eating more than he used to. Because he's started sleeping in, I've stopped giving him a morning bottle. He was only taking a couple ounces and he doesn't seem to miss it. LR decided he needed a big nap yesterday, so he slept from 10am-1pm. A 3 hour nap! Gigi barely knew what to do with herself. When I got home he was zoning in front of Sesame Street and looked like he could use a nap.

Instead of napping, we played until dinner time. He showed me how he now likes to spin in a circle while sitting on the hardwood floor. I needed some water, so I carried him to the sink and put a small amount of water into a glass for me. I got a sip, then he took it from me and took a very careful sip himself. It's a huge improvement over the pour-water-on-myself-and-then-choke-on-the-gushing-water type of sip he used to take. Then he did something I haven't seen before. He carefully held the cup to my lips and tipped the glass for me to take a turn. Then he gave himself more, then it was my turn and I guess I didn't open my mouth fast enough because I got water dumped down my shirt. Very funny, little guy. Then he washed his hands in the water remaining in the cup.

For both lunch and dinner, he ate like a horse. Lunch consisted of watermelon, avocado, half a grilled cheese sandwich, and tomatoes. Dinner was an all white affair: spaghetti squash, tofu, pasta, and cottage cheese. I actually cut him off before he made himself sick. Bath routine was fun as always and then Daddy put him to bed without a whimper.

Little Things

LR was up at 6:15 on Tuesday morning. I heard him, but let him talk to himself until 6:45. Maybe his schedule actually is adjusting. He had wet through a touch, so we changed him and got him into his day clothes. (Usually Gigi does that.) Then we played and got ready for work. Gigi reported that during the day he was very adventurous. At one point she was at the kitchen sink and when she turned around, LR was kneeling in his old bouncy seat, which we keep around for his friend King J, and vigorously bouncing it with his hands on the back of the seat. Scary, sure, but a ton of fun! Right before I came home, he found the bottle we had lost a little while ago and took a few swigs of some nasty formula only to have it come right back up on him. Surprise!

I got home and played with him until dinner time. We had a ton of fun despite the fact that he'd skipped his afternoon nap. We played a lot of peek-a-boo around the couch and his jumperoo. He bounced his soccer ball on a string and we read a few books. I have to get him bouncing his soccer ball on video. Because he does it with such determination, it's entertaining. Sometimes I forget to write the little things he does that are so amazing to me. He still loves to kick a ball along as he practices walking. He now knows that he can be picked up if he lets go of your hands while walking and turns and clings onto your legs. This means, "take me over the gate" or "I want to go outside." Every once it awhile it just means, "pick me up!" In the bath he loves it when I fill a large cup full of water and pour it out in front of him. He smiles and tries to grab the water as it streams out of the cup. He can see it and touch it, but not grab it. It baffles him. He babbles non-stop now. He loves to talk and I'm curious what his first word will be.

His eyes were at half mast at dinner, but he dutifully crammed mashed potatoes, meatballs, and watermelon in his mouth. I finally took him out and put him in the bath to wake him up. It worked, but he was pretty sedate the rest of the evening. Daddy got home in time to say good night to LR. He fell asleep on the bottle and went into the crib without a problem. He cried out at midnight in his sleep. I went in and picked him up and comforted him for a few minutes then put him back in his crib. He cried when he saw me walk out, but face planted right afterward and was fast asleep.

Sleepy Day

LR woke up close to 7am this morning. What a change! I couldn't believe that Daddy and I woke up before him. We went through the normal morning routine except that we skipped the morning bottle since we were already so close to breakfast time. Daddy fed him yogurt, blueberries and watermelon while I got ready for work. Gigi came up before I had him dressed for the day. She picked out his clothes and unknowingly dressed them in matching outfits. So cute! We snapped this pic on our way out the door. I told Gigi about his adjusted schedule and when I talked to her in the evening, she said he fell asleep a little late for his morning nap (10:15am), but didn't wake for 2 and a half hours! She didn't expect he'd take an afternoon nap after that, but he got really fussy late afternoon and ended up falling asleep just before I got home. He slept for an hour and I woke him so that he'd go back to sleep at bed time.

To wake him I picked him up out of the crib and let him rest on my shoulder until he was really awake. He woke up very happy. I guess I would too if I'd had 15 hours of sleep. I'm thinking he's having a growth spurt, thus, the two new teeth and the increasing number of hours spent sleeping. We played the rest of the evening, had a dinner of mashed potatoes and meatballs, and then took a bath. We tried a quick video conference call with the grandparents and Aunt K, but the video froze on both ends and after another attempt, we called it a night. LR was starting to rub his eyes and I took it as a sign to put him to bed. We went to his room and read a book. Then he took some of his bottle, but instead of falling asleep, he sat up and pushed the half empty bottle away. I put him in his crib and he protested only briefly. After I walked out I listened to him talk to himself for almost a half hour before falling asleep. We'll see if he sleeps later into the morning because of it.

Two Front Teeth

Unlike his Uncle Swingdaddy, LR will not have to wish for his two front teeth for 2 years. Well, at least not his baby teeth. Sunday morning we saw the right top one coming through as well. Little guy was beside himself Sunday night, but he only had 2 45 minute naps, so I wasn't surprised. Adding insult to injury, I made the mistake of adding too much soap to his bath (he's been enjoying bubble baths recently) and his hands slipped off the wall of the tub causing him to hit just under his right eye on the tub. I lifted him out of the bath to comfort him and he cried on my shoulder. As he calmed down he peed all over my shirt. Guess I deserved it. He got a little welt under his eye, but this morning it was just a small pink spot.

His discovery of freewill has us all pulling out hair out. He doesn't want to be changed and knows that he wants to go over the gate, up to the third floor, down the front stairs, and onto the deck: all things I don't want him to do. Poor Gigi will have her hands full today. She returned yesterday after a relaxing 4 day trip and commented how much he'd changed and grown in just that small amount of time.

New Nanny, New Tooth

Gigi went away for a long weekend, so I got our soon-to-be part time nanny (we'll call her Nanny M) to try a full day with LR. I was planning to work from home all day Thur, so after Nanny M arrived we went through a bit of the morning routine and then put him down for his nap. When he woke up he showed Nanny M how much he liked mashed potatoes. So much so that we had to change his whole outfit afterwards. LR seemed to like her well enough and I got an email saying we were having an emergency company meeting, so I put on some office clothes (read jeans and a t-shirt) and headed into the office for the afternoon. Turns out our CEO resigned which is a good/great thing. Apparently he was unwilling to give me part-time and our new management team didn't have a problem with it. Hooray for part-time starting mid-Sept!

Nanny M reported that they went for a walk and then played most of the day. No afternoon nap, so I guess he was a little cranky towards the end of the day. She did comment on how much he does not like to be changed. I hear ya, sister. We often tag team him to keep him entertained while we change him. Daddy put him to bed as I ran off to a Discovery Toys party which is much like a Tupperware party, but we got to demo toys! I was too tired to really get into it, but I found a few toys for LR for his upcoming birthday which I'll probably give him during our flight to Denver.

LR was up around 6 on Friday and Nanny M arrived early. LR gave her a smile from his highchair, so I felt comfortable leaving him for the day. Right before Daddy and I left, Daddy discovered that his left top tooth was close to breaking through. We gave Nanny M the news with a grin and a "have fun!" Initiation by fire, no? It was a rainy day, so they didn't get to go outside and unfortunately his first nap was for 2 hours, so he decided to skip that afternoon nap again. Daddy arrived home 5 minutes before I did and was playing with LR on the mats when I walked in. He crawled to me and I picked him up. Within a minute he started to cry and I thought it was just because he wanted to go over the gate that I was standing next to. (He often cries if I don't take him "over the wall.") I said goodbye to Nanny M and took LR up to the third floor for him to explore and to distract him. After a few minutes I noticed that his mouth was unusually red and I thought he must have just eaten strawberries. Then I realized his mouth was full of blood. I came running downstairs to show Daddy and we determined that he had cried a few minutes earlier because the gum over the tooth had torn open. It stopped bleeding a few minutes later although he really wouldn't let me near his mouth. I got a look at the gum later in the evening and it was a mess. The gum was jagged and multi-colored. His bottom teeth didn't look anything like that when they broke through. We thought maybe he accidentally bit the spot with his lower teeth and that's why it bled. Anyway, it looks better today and I can see a white spot and feel the new tooth.

This morning he woke at 5 but put himself back to sleep. He woke for good at 6 and we all got up to play. After breakfast, where he got frozen bananas to help that gum line, we got dressed and walked to Wild Oats, our organic/healthy/expensive grocery store. LR seemed entertained, but I knew he wouldn't make it back awake. Sure enough he passed out in the stroller and I was able to transfer him to the crib without any problems. He's there now and I expect down for awhile.

Mashed Heaven

Monday was my company outing, so I packed LR up after a lunch of mashed potatoes, meatloaf and cantaloupe. I forgot to mention that the birthday dinner that Gigi prepared for Daddy was a huge hit with LR. He went to bed before it was ready, so he didn't get it until Monday. I spoon fed him during lunch so that he would stay clean before the outing, but I let him have at a little mountain of it on his tray for dinner. I mixed in some black beans (for ) and apparently it was a little slice of heaven for him. He could not shovel it in fast enough. I caught some of it on video luckily. Each hand helped the other cram as much mashed potato-y goodness into his mouth as possible. Needless to say, potatoes everywhere. There was serious cleaning going on in the bath afterward.

Anyway, back to the outing. We drove a half hour west to an entertainment center with mini-golf, bumper boats, a driving range, beach volleyball courts, and all-you-can-eat ice cream. It would have been great if there had been someone to hand LR to or if LR were 4 or 5 years old. It wasn't really a place for babies though. I let him crawl around on the grass a little and he played with balls and hula-hoops they had set out. Between the strawberries I brought for him, the watermelon and ice cream he had while we were there, and the exercise on the lawn, he was tuckered out. He fell asleep on the way home. He woke when I tried to get him out of the car, but didn't get fussy during the evening, so I guess it was enough.

Tues I was back to work. Gigi reported that LR skipped his afternoon nap, so he was starting to get a little cranky when I got home. I fed him dinner and he alternated between eating and crying. I was trying to get a bite to eat before getting him into the bath and he almost fell asleep in the high chair. Once in the bath he perked up and managed to stay awake until bedtime.

On Wed morning I heard him at 4:45, but he went back to sleep and didn't get up again until 5:45. Not bad, but I was exhausted. I took him to the living room and turned on Sesame Street. Feeling proportionately guilty, I dozed on the couch while he played.

When I got home tonight he crawled right over to the gate to greet me with a big smile. I scooped him up and took him to the park where he went on the swings and then crawled around some of the play equipment. I put some sandals on him to keep him from hurting his feet on the wood chips as he practiced walking while holding my hands. Then it was back into the stroller and home. Gigi reported that today he wanted to see her dog, Maggie, the sweet but deaf, indoor-only terrier she has. LR crawled to the clear gate and got nose to nose with Maggie. She spontaneously yipped and LR looked shocked and then broke into tears. I don't think it'll keep him from wanting to see her though.

To the Aquarium

LR woke up nice and late today. Since Daddy and I went to sleep around 9:30 on Sat, we got in a whole 9 hours! I don't remember the last time that happened. Since Daddy missed out on the zoo yesterday and since Gigi will be leaving all too soon, we decided we should go to the aquarium downtown. It was indoors, so I expected it to be cooler than the zoo. I was shocked to see the snaking line to get tickets to go in! Daddy stood in line while we watched the seals and then LR decided it was time to chase some pigeons. We could have saved some money on the tickets and just let him chase birds! We went in and found that it was almost as warm inside and completely packed full of people.

We managed to view a bunch of fish and LR even got to touch a starfish. He seemed to enjoy, but was just as happy when we got out and spent some time hanging out in a shady spot on the wharf. Each of us took turns walking him. Then he sat down to share some grapes with me. I guess a few of them were sour.

When we got home it was definitely time for his second nap and he went down quickly. Then we relaxed for the next 45 minutes or so. Then he was up again and ready to play about 20 minutes after that. Apparently he takes after his mother since he doesn't want to talk to anyone for the first 20 minutes after waking up. A quick game of peekaboo solved the problem. We let him watch a few minutes of Sesame Street and then it was time to walk again. He played behind Gigi as she made Daddy a special birthday dinner and then had a dinner of avocado, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and waffle. The bath was fun as always and he got his very first haircut just after. His bangs had started to get in his eyes, so I took off a little less than an inch while Daddy distracted him. I'll try to get the hair over his ears tomorrow. After the haircut and a little more Sesame Street he went to bed without a fuss. It was quite the wild animal weekend!

To the Zoo

Thur night Grandad Y and Grandma C came in from Chicago to visit. They gave Gigi the day off on Friday and they took care of LR on their own while Daddy and I went to work. They went to the park in the afternoon and they put him in the swing first thing. Then they spent some time playing around the tunnel on the jungle-gym. They had a great time, but the heat had him dragging, so they came home to put him down for his afternoon nap. He surprised them by perking up as soon as they hit the air conditioning. He didn't nap for another few hours. Then LR surprised them again with how difficult he could be on the changing table. Otherwise I came home to a happy little rugger. The reported that he took a long morning nap and a short afternoon one. He ate more than they thought he would and he pretty much kept them busy all day.

On Saturday LR took a short morning nap and then we headed off to the zoo! Unfortunately, Daddy had to work, so he missed out. LR got a chance to see the flamingos, a reindeer, and sleeping jaguar cubs. So cute! It was pretty hot out, so LR faded quickly, but it was a small zoo, so we pretty much got to see everything. Grandad Y carried LR most of the way since the stroller was too low for him to see much. He napped as soon as we got home and then had a hearty dinner followed by a great bath - mohawk and all!

Nothing Like a Good Gag

LR had just woken up from a nice long nap when I got home last night, so he was in a great mood. We played and I saw a few minutes of the 37th anniversary episode of Sesame Street where they introduced a new female character, Abby Cadabby. Lots of bloggers have been tearing into this new character, but I'm waiting to see more of her before passing judgment.

LR discovered a new trick at dinner last night. First he tried his first slice of pizza - he ate half of one and threw the other pieces over the edge of the tray. Then he had a good helping of tofu and a bunch of strawberries. Then he decided to gag himself. "Gee... that was fun. I'll do it again!" He must have gagged himself half a dozen times before I caught on and held his hands. He's wily though (read: he had slippery hands from the tofu and strawberries) and managed to gag himself again. I whipped him out of the chair and quickly started a bath to distract him. He loves the bath so much that he completely forgot about how fun it was to gag himself. Thank goodness... with a full belly, I was concerned that continual gagging could really only lead us one place.

The bath proved to be a ton of fun. Daddy came home mid-bath and captured LR vigorously splashing on video. It's like a sport to him... splashing takes endurance, concentration, and strong core muscles. I was worn out from laughing before he was done. I'll have to try to get a clip posted soon. Because he was wound up from the bath, LR didn't go to sleep until a little after 8. Daddy read him a bunch of books before bed and then I gave him a bottle and put him in the crib. He wasn't really sleepy at that point, but he talked to himself until he did fall asleep. I went in around 10 and unwrapped him a bit. He managed to wind the blanket around himself cocoon-like. It wasn't covering his head, but I took it off him regardless.

This morning I heard him at 3:45 and then again at 4:30. Daddy and I listened for a little while and luckily he went back to sleep on his own. He finally woke up again at 6:15 which was perfect for us! We all got up and played a little while. Then while I showered Daddy fed him. I was getting dressed when I heard Daddy call my name. When I came into the dining room I found Daddy was restraining LR to keep him from gagging himself. Looks like it wasn't a one time thing.

Blueberry Finger Hats

Monday started out well. LR woke at 6:15 and we all got a nice start to the day. He had a breakfast of yogurt, blueberries and watermelon. He has a new technique for eating his blueberries. We cut them in half for fear of him choking on the perfectly air hole-sized fruit. When I put a handful of them on his tray, some land face up and others face down. The ones face down tend to adhere to the plastic tray which may be why he's developed this new tactic. He puts his index finger on the top of the blueberry half and applies pressure until the blueberry squishes onto the tray. Often the blueberry shell inverts and creates a perfect little cap on his tiny finger. Then the inside-out treat is ready to eat. Sometimes the shell does not stick to his finger and then it's just a squished half blueberry. Not to fear, he just moves onto the next one.

I came home early so that Gigi could make it to a doctor's appointment and expected a long afternoon of entertaining him. He took a 2 and a half hour morning nap, so I didn't think he'd take another one. At 3 I realized it was time for a bottle even though he wasn't acting tired. I made 8 ounces and went to his bedroom. He fell asleep right as he finished it and I put him in the crib. 2 hours later I went in to make sure he was still breathing. He woke up 15 minutes later. I was shocked. Unfortunately I think he slept so well during the day that he didn't need as much sleep last night. He woke up at 3:45 and talked to himself until 4:15. Then Daddy gave him a bottle and bounced him back to sleep. Put him in the crib, but LR woke up and cried. Daddy went through the routine again with the same result. I then bounced him to sleep and then sat in the glider with him for an extra 5 minutes before putting him back into the crib. Success! He slept until 6:45, so at least we got to sleep in.

It's raining today, so I cleaned off a toy that our last tenants left. It's a keyboard with large colored buttons and it sings nursery rhymes in a spooky narrator-of-Disney's-Haunted-Mansion-Ride sort of way. He seemed to like it though and I hope it keeps him from getting stir crazy today.

Animals and picnics

Weekend wrap up:

Friday night I came home to a happy (and rested) LR. He finally caught an afternoon nap. I sat with him on the playmat and sang 'Old MacDonald' to him using the adorable hand puppet / book that someone gave us. (Don't ask me to remember, it was a baby ago.) The thumb is a cow, the index a pig, middle dog, ring cat, and pinky duck. In the palm of the mitt is a little cardboard book with pictures and a few of the words to the song. LR likes to turn the pages as I sing and then try to bite the heads of the finger puppets in turn. After I sang I asked him, "Where's the duck?" He grabbed the duck. I congratulated him, but was curious if it was just a lucky gesture. "Where's the cat?" I asked. He looked and pointed to the cat. I decided to skip dog and pig since I recently switched the dog sign to the ASL version and the pig is similar to frog. I asked, "Where's the cow" and he pointed to the cow. Gigi and I were amazed and clapped for him. He took that as approval to put the cow head in his mouth. Hooray!

Saturday LR woke up just after 5. It was my morning so I got up and rested on the couch as he played. Daddy joined us a little later and was going to run a few errands on his own while LR napped, but LR's nap turned out to be a short one, so we all headed out together. On our way back we decided it was too beautiful to stay indoors. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to the trees in the park. Daddy put down a blanket and LR proceeded to eat his first grilled cheese sandwich. He ate almost the whole thing! Then he had some tomatoes and watermelon for good measure. His tummy was tight as a drum. Daddy was curious and figured that he ate more than 1000 calories on Saturday.

After we cleaned up from lunch, LR experimented with crawling off the blanket. Like a cat dipping its paws into water, LR would tentatively reach out to the grass and then lift and shake his hand. He did that a few times before he felt brave enough to venture onto the grass. Daddy lured him out with a big yellow ball. Then Daddy held his hands while they kicked the ball for awhile. LR was pretty thrilled. A 5 year old girl, her mom and dad stopped by to play. The girl knew the sign for play and asked LR if he wanted to play. She had a doll which he refused, but her dad had a bright blue ball which LR asked for by taking and then slobbering on. The dad was amused and LR's smile was disarming.

After the picnic we pressed our luck by going to the playground and trying out the swings. We then hit the jungle gym tunnel and I set LR inside while Daddy called to him from the other side. It would have been fine if a boy behind my hadn't screamed as loud as he could into a sort of toy megaphone. It scared LR and he was tired enough that he just couldn't recover. He screamed and cried and Daddy scooped him out of the tunnel. I came around the jungle gym and took LR and walked him until he calmed down. We headed home and put him down for a nap as soon as we got there. He only slept for a half hour and then was up again. Definitely not enough time. He stayed pleasant enough, but he had that glazed look off and on until bedtime.

Did I forget to mention that he's trying to climb the gate? He grips the top and pulls himself up until both feet are on the bottom part of the gate. Scary... and yet so familiar.

This morning he woke at 4:40 and talked to himself until 5. Then Daddy got up with him and let me sleep until just before 7. I was just starting to hope that his wakeup time had pushed out another half hour or so, but I guess that was wishful thinking. Luckily he had a nice long morning nap and joined us for another big lunch. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a hit! Then we ran out to a few open houses just north of us. Those were a bust, so we came home and had a few friends over for a BBQ. It was a little on the warm side, so LR spent some of the afternoon in his pool. Then he had an early dinner of avocado, tomatoes, and green beans. His afternoon nap had been short, so he got a little fussy in the evening if we didn't walk him, but he also spent some time just playing by himself on the play mats. All-in-all, a good weekend.

Rough Day

Came home yesterday to a worn out LR. He again managed to miss his afternoon nap. He took a quick half hour snooze right before I got home, but that was it. Daddy beat me home, so we both got the daily report from Gigi. She told us that he took a digger in the afternoon. He was standing at the coffee table and lost his balance hitting his chin on the table and biting his tongue. I guess there was a lot of blood and he was pretty unhappy for awhile. Gigi had him suck on an ice cube and that made it better. I held him as soon as I came home since it seemed like one of those days he just didn't want to be put down. Then the rainstorm we were having outside cleared and we took a quick walk before dinner. LR was happy for the change of scenery and laughed when I showed him the flowers outside. He knows the signs for tree and flower but hasn't done them himself yet.

After our quick walk he had a smallish dinner. He was too tired to be very enthusiastic about it and apparently lunch was such a feast that he ended up vomiting a little. We kept dinner light with sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and peaches. Right after dinner it was into the bath and I left him in there for almost 20 minutes. He was having such a good time that I felt bad taking him out. He experimented with putting his face in the water again which was good to see. He also tries to see how far up the tile walls he can get the foam letters to stick despite the amount of clear space he has around the tub walls. Oh well. As long as he doesn't try to stand up, I leave him alone. The bath took so long that Daddy and I took shifts. Then it was time for bed and Daddy gave him his bottle. He took the majority of it because of the small dinner and then Daddy put him into the crib where we heard him talk to himself for 5 minutes. Then it was off to sleep.

He woke at 5:15 this morning. I made a bottle for Daddy to give him. Daddy came back to bed within 10 minutes and said that LR had fallen back asleep and was in the crib. LR didn't wake again until 7am which put us behind on our morning routine, but everyone had such a nice night's sleep that no one minded.

Soccer Player in Training

Tues night I came home to find a happy baby who had napped sufficiently during the day. Gigi said he'd had a snack recently, so I was confused when he got fussy within a half hour. We were in the kitchen and he crawled up my legs to ask me to pick him up. I did and he went for the bowl of fresh tomatoes that Gigi has grown this summer on the deck. I cut up half a plum tomato for him, but since it was 6 I thought I still had half an hour before dinner time. I took him into the living room where he started to cry. He grabbed my hands and I thought that he was crying because he wanted to walk. So, I stood up and walked behind him. He made a B-line for the kitchen and when we got to the fridge, he let go of my hands and turned around to be picked up. I guess I wasn't smart enough to pick up on the first cues he gave me, so he brought me to the fridge. "Here, Mommy. I want what's in here. Geez..."

So I fed him dinner. He was ravenous. He ate the other half of the tomato, half an avocado, pasta, tofu, a waffle, and some cherries. It was a sight to see. He was stuffed, but enjoyed his bath regardless. I've stopped using the bath seat and now he splashes all over the place. It makes Daddy nervous, but no problems so far. He likes to play with the water coming out of the faucet, suck the water out of the washcloth, rearrange the foam letters all over the tile walls, and use a washcloth as a splashing device. After the bath I went off to the gym and Daddy put LR to bed. I guess it was a little tough because he was so full from dinner he didn't want much of his bottle. He went to sleep a little later than normal that night.

Wednesday we all got up just before 6. LR didn't wake up in the middle of the night, so we all slept well. He got his usual yogurt and blueberries for breakfast although Daddy has started mixing the vanilla and the plain yogurt to reduce the amount of sugar he's consuming. LR, of course, wanted to walk from the moment he woke up. His favorite game while walking is to kick a ball in front of him as he goes. I've mentioned it before, but he's getting so much better at it that I thought it was worth mentioning again. The run up to the ball even makes him giggle.

When I got home last night, LR was reclining on Gigi and watching Sesame Street. Apparently he had been trying to tear apart the kitchen, so she was trying to distract him. That and he had missed his afternoon nap, so he was kind of cranky too. He almost fell asleep during a very small dinner, but he perked up during the bath and then we played with Daddy until 7:45. Then he took a bottle and was fast asleep in no time. He woke up this morning at 6:15. How nice!

Off Schedule?

LR continues to be a little off schedule. Last night he woke up just after midnight and then again at 4am. I rocked him back to sleep the first time and Daddy gave him a bottle the second time. He woke for good just after 6. Daddy played with him while I got another half hour of sleep. Then it was time to get ready for work. I'll played with him and he picked up his big plastic cell phone for the first time in awhile. He used to play with it non-stop, but it hasn't been a recent favorite. Despite the drop in enthusiasm for it, he hadn't forgotten that his favorite button makes the bee buzzing sound. The phone has to be displaying a particular screen for the yellow button to make that noise and he figured that out quickly. Gigi makes the buzzing sound and then stings/tickles him. She said they played that game a lot today. Daddy played a quick game of chase around the couch which makes him giggle and then we were off to work.

Gigi said he had a long first nap, but only 20 minutes in the afternoon. He was pretty cranky when I got home. He was watching Sesame Street in Gigi's lap and was subdued momentarily. Gigi went downstairs and since Daddy was at a sales dinner, I was on my own. We played for a little while. I tried getting a good look at his ankle which I nicked while changing him a day or two ago with my thumb nail. (In my defense, he was kicking really hard at the time.) It got infected today and Gigi had soaked it, put Neosporin on it, and put a band-aid on. I was pretty mortified when I saw the quarter size red swelling around the tiny cut. Nothing like a little guilt to end the day... and then it was time for dinner.

He ate some pasta, a little tofu, a few spoonfuls of carrot - he's really rejected jarred food for the most part - and we ended with a waffle. I need to spend some time with a baby food book. I haven't been very creative with his food despite the fact that he can eat a wide variety now. I put him to sleep with a bottle and a goodnight kiss. He talked to himself for awhile, cried out once and then passed out face first. Hoping he doesn't wake again tonight.

New wake up time

On both Friday and Sunday mornings, LR was up at 4:30 screaming. I don't know if he's teething, hungry or having nightmares. Daddy made a bottle for us both times and I sat and rocked him while he drank the majority of the bottle. He drifted back to sleep and I put him back in the crib. Both mornings he slept until 7! Now I can't decide which I like better, up at 4:30 but back to sleep until 7, or up at 5:45 for good. Friday it didn't mess with his schedule. Gigi reported that he took his normal naps and ate regularly. This morning I had some trouble getting him to go down for his morning nap. He also seems to have ramped up on his food intake. His face has gotten a little rounder and Gigi speculated that he might be headed for another growth spurt. I wouldn't be surprised.

Friday evening I took LR to the park where he spent some quality time on the swings. There was another mom there with her one year old who said her daughter just moved to the one handed walking a week ago after needing both of her hands for about 2 months. I had hoped that walking stooped over with him wasn't going to last quite that long, but oh well. I let him explore some of the playground equipment, but finally tired of fishing wood chips out of his mouth, so we called it a day and headed home.

Saturday we went through our normal routine. Daddy left late morning to go golfing with some coworkers. I tried to feed him a lunch of cereal and applesauce, but he rejected the mix. Gigi had seen the same behavior during the week, so I wasn't too surprised. I was surprised, however, that he proceeded to eat half of my bean a cheese burrito. Hey! That was my lunch! Guess I'll be saying a lot of that from now on...

LR, Gigi, and I went shopping for a little while in the afternoon. We stayed out a little past his 2nd nap time and he got a little screamy in the mall. I ended up carrying him part of the time. It may be time to order the wheeled board from Bugaboo that attaches to the stroller. He fell asleep on the drive home and slept for another hour in his crib after we got home. For dinner he ate half an avocado, but when he seemed unimpressed with the pasta and tofu, I took a page from my brother's SwingDaddy's blog and gave him a waffle. He ate the whole thing! Good tip!

Today we're off to the first of a series of 1 year birthday parties. I'm excited about this one. It's being held at a Gymboree and it's only and hour and a half. Should be a ton of fun for LR. Daddy is at sales training this morning, but is going to meet us there. I'll try to get some pictures while we're there.

Soaring Temps

Yesterday and today it's hit the 100 degree mark. Apparently California sent their heat wave this way. LR and Gigi have been staying indoors for the most part. Daddy was up with him yesterday morning. They went out to the deck to play first thing. I woke up to find LR wearing some pretty grubby PJs. *sigh* Daddies...

This morning I took LR first thing, but when Daddy woke up he got ready then read to LR for awhile. LR was really enjoying the "Daddy and Me" book when I snapped this picture. Then he ate his yogurt and blueberries and we dressed him in a t-shirt shorty. Gigi came up and took over. He cried for 10 seconds when I walked away, but was distracted pretty easily.

I came home to find him well rested and enjoying a little Sesame Street. He always has a smile for me when I come home which I love. He wanted to walk first thing, so we did that for awhile while kicking along a ball. Sometimes he kicks it out in front of him, sometimes he steps on it, sometimes he steps over it and then wonders where it went.

For dinner he had pasta, broccoli and pinto beans. He had almost finished his broccoli when Gigi came in carrying a quarter of a watermelon. Boy did he start to yell! He made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to eat another thing until he got some watermelon. I couldn't cut it fast enough. By the time he finished his face, arms and clothes were soaked with watermelon juice. Straight into the tub! I'm testing out letting him sit in the tub without the tub chair. He likes playing with the foam letters I stick on the wall of the tub, but I have to discourage him from standing. I put him in while the water runs in and he always wants to play with the rush of water coming from the spout. He splits his time between touching the waterfall and rubbing the water out of his eyes.