2 Signs in 2 Days

LR suddenly picked up two new signs yesterday and today. Yesterday he started signing "home" each time we pulled into the driveway. He touches his right hand index finger to his cheek which is close enough for me to understand. Today he learned how to sign (and almost say) "again." I was bouncing him on my knee in front of a mirror and when I stopped I asked "again?" He confirmed by touching his right hand to his left palm, "again." He also says something that sounds like "again" when he signs it. We were even able to show Daddy the new skill this evening when he got home.

Otherwise LR had a nice day. Long nap in the morning and a quick afternoon one. He woke up a little cranky from the second nap and had a hard time at practice. It may be because it's starting to get cool here in the evenings. We ended practice early because we lost light anyway.

LR seemed to like the pumpkin muffins I made this afternoon and had a baby one with his dinner. He has really started to enjoy feeding us his leftovers when he's full after dinner.
It's becoming part of his routine.

We used the last of the formula this morning, so we've been on straight milk ever since. He doesn't seem to notice a difference luckily. I gave him the bottle at bedtime and he took more than half of it. Then I bounced him to sleep and put him in the crib. I've gotten in the habit of bouncing him again and I really should try just putting him in the crib after the bottle. It used to work, but with all the developmental milestones, he's been a bit more restless at night. Got a video monitor a few days ago, so checking him when I go to bed is a breeze. No more waking him up with creaky doors!

Ice!

Q: What do you do when you drop a piece of ice and can't pick it up off the floor?
A: You lick it off the floor, silly goose.

Today started at the normal time. I was out the door just before he woke up, but I made it back at the end of his morning nap. Apparently he was ravenous at breakfast and ate a ton of yogurt. Then he took a long morning nap. After lunch we went to the big grocery store where he was pretty good, but I had to feed him grapes most of the time to keep him from launching himself out of the cart seat. After two aisles of the security lock on the wheel locking up sporadically (Look, I'm fast! Now I'm slow. I'm fast again! D'oh), I had to do a full equipment change. I dragged the cart to the door, ran through the sliding doors, grabbed a new cart, and returned to LR hoping that I hadn't looked like a woman abandoning her child. I transferred the goods and re-seated LR. Grocery shopping is more than an adventure in planning and time management. It's almost a full contact sport! (And it would have been too if I hadn't made it to the last cantaloupe before the spry-looking 80 year old did.)

At home we played chase for awhile and then he was content to pull out the majority of his toys and books while I worked on the practice plan. At practice he was entertained by an injured player for the first half and then joined us for team discussions between drills. It was tough for them to stay focused on what I was talking about while he was being adorable. He loves to tumble around on the rucking pads, using them like gymnastics equipment. And he showed them how he can force a laugh if they're going to laugh too.

Daddy was home soon after practice and helped me feed LR a huge dinner or avocado, kidney beans, waffle and milk. When he was full he stayed very entertained by feeding us sections of waffle. Mmmm... milk soaked waffle. Yum.

Apple Picking

LR is officially a New Englander. We went apple picking today in Harvard, Ma (not the school, the town). LR sat in his stroller and gnawed on a big Cameo while we walked through the orchard picking those as well as Red Delicious, Macoun, and Cortland apples. It was unseasonably warm which made it a really pleasant day. We went with our friends and their son King J. King J was a little young to enjoy the apples, but I'm sure he'll get some cooked and mushy ones later this week.

LR was up at 5 again this morning, took a full bottle, then joined us for another hour and a half of sleep. I'm pretty sure he's hit a growth spurt which is why he's waking up early and hungry. We discovered that he has 2, not 1 tooth coming through, one on the bottom left and one on the top left. He's going to be a little lopsided for awhile. After apple picking we had a large and early dinner of leftover pot roast. Then he had a nice bath until he lightly banged his eyebrow on the side of the tub after trying to stand up. It hurt enough to end the bath. Tried to put Boo-boo Bunny (a washcloth Gigi cleverly tied into the shape of a bunny with a pocket big enough to hold an ice-cube in it) on it, but he was more interested in chewing on Boo-boo Bunny. I'll have to upload a picture of the bunny soon.

After bath we played chase Daddy and then a little of chase Mommy. Still seems to be his favorite game. Then he grabbed Daddy's hand, walked him into his nursery, grabbed his blanket, and laid down on the floor with it. Guess that was a sign. I made a bottle and he indicated he wanted to skip the books and go straight to the bottle tonight. Went to sleep right as he finished it. Tonight I get a chance to try out my new video monitor. I know it's overkill, but with the way his door squeaks, it's going to come in handy.

Walking Tall

LR is really on the move now. He's walking by himself much more often during the day and staying on his feet for longer periods of time. This morning started out oddly. He woke at 5am and was hungry enough to take the majority of a bottle. Then Daddy sung him to sleep while holding him between us in bed. We all slept for another hour thankfully. Then he had a nice big breakfast of blueberry pancakes which Daddy expertly made us. LR topped off his meal with half a Kiwi fruit. Boy can he eat!

During the morning we did some housework while LR napped. Then Daddy fed him a lunch of fresh raspberries and cheese and took him off to the park while I got some general chores done. After that some friends came over and brought their son King J. King J and LR are finally starting to interact socially a bit. They passed a ball back and forth a few times with both Daddies' supervision. With the Patriots game on, the basketball wasn't the best choice, but it was the right size.

After they left, it was dinner, bath, and family play time. LR was content to walk around his room and yell at the exercise ball. The sound reveberates off the ball which he thinks is pretty cool. He's also starting to mimic words with the right number of syllables. "Bottle" comes out like "goggle." Oh and Daddy taught him a new trick! Daddy has been humming a song to LR which has a tick-tock sound in the middle of it. Daddy imitates the tick-tock with his tongue. He's only been singing it to him the last day or two, but today when Daddy absent mindedly hummed the first bar, LR chimmed in with the tongue clicking. He recognized the song in less than 5 notes. We tried other songs, but he only clicks his tongue to the tune of Orbital's "The Box." We really enjoy watching our little sponge learn.

Daddy Day

LR spent the majority of today with Daddy. I had to go to an away rugby game and we decided it would be better for the boys to stay at home. Since Daddy had so many late nights this week, he was looking forward to some quality time with LR. They started with an early morning walk to the grocery store. Then LR took a quick nap (read: not long enough). Daddy tried giving him green beans for lunch which were reportedly "smushed around." I guess the grilled cheese went over better. Then they played for the better part of two hours. When I got home mid-afternoon, Daddy said that LR was happy and whiny which made me think another nap was in order. I gave him his afternoon bottle and rocked him to sleep. He took another hour nap and woke up pretty cranky. A few minutes of Sesame Street and all was well.

We went out to dinner and LR made friends with the six year old boy sitting at the table behind us. The boy introduced himself as Zelmo. I was quietly stunned. Zelmo? Elmo with a Z? Seriously? Hope he grows up to be a baseball player...

Bath time was fun and he seemed to be trying to say "duck" while in the tub. The faucet cover is a duck and he has a rubber duck to play with. At one point it was pretty clear, so I think we can safely say "duck" is his second word. Oh, and his fifth tooth is coming through on the bottom left. Hasn't made him too fussy so far, but maybe all those fussy moments from the past few days were tooth related. It's so hard to tell.

Bye-bye Gigi

This past weekend was our last with Gigi. She had some quality time with LR on Sat and then left Sunday morning. It hasn't been the same without her and I obviously can't put into words how much having her this year has meant to us as a family. LR has already adjusted to the new nanny, but I know every time he says "doggie" (officially his first word), he is talking about going to see Gigi downstairs. Wonder when he'll figure out that there's a new family downstairs and he's not allowed to go into their apartment any old time he wants.

After Gigi left we ran some errands and then Daddy had a friend over to watch the Patriots game. They were merrily chomping on some Tostitos when our little monster decided to join in the fun. While we all were looking at the TV, LR grabbed the bag off the coffee table and dumped the entire thing on the floor. Then he did what can only be described as "Tostitos angels." He tried eating a few, but kicking them around was more fun. *sigh* It was a weird coincidence that I had just picked up a Black&Decker Dust Buster. Whoo-hoo! One of my very own. I happily dust busted the crumbs after picking up the majority of the chips. LR was very helpful in getting them back into the bag.

LR is really getting the hang of walking now. He'll walk without holding onto furniture even if it's within reach. 10 or 12 steps isn't unusual. And as I said before, he's saying "doggie" consistently. Well, for dogs and for everything else. We've also been doing a lot more dancing around the house. When Daddy puts on the XM techno channel (DirecTv channel 860 - The System), LR bounces and dances around. He just can't get enough techno. It makes for a very fun day.

Monday and Tuesday, LR had a substitute nanny since Nanny M was sick. The sub was wonderful and LR had a great time with her. Monday LR and I went to look at a house in Winchester that Daddy saw over the weekend. LR like the gas fireplace very much. Then we came home and played and went to rugby practice. He got lots of attention there, but now that we're past Homecoming, our practice field is covered in shattered glass. It appalling that the school continues to allow tailgating alums to bring glass bottles onto the field, but it happens every year. This year it's worse than most and we obviously can't do any more drills which would require the players to go to the ground. Come on... it's rugby! Anyway, LR continues to keep the players entertained with his antics. He pushes his stroller around the field and I can't keep him off the scrum sled.

Daddy took LR this evening while I ran off to a doctor appointment. Daddy fed him a good dinner and then plunked him in the bath. No hair washing though. I guess he missed the part of the day when LR smeared cheese in his hair. Oh well.

Uh-oh!

Last night LR distinctly started saying "Uh-oh" while reading his What Does Baby Say? book. It's not the first time he's mimicked sounds we make, but it's the first time he's done it repeatedly on cue. After we read last night he went down fairly easily, but woke up screaming at 1am. Must have had a nightmare. I rocked him back to sleep and he stayed asleep despite the fact that Daddy's phone rang at 4:30am. It was London calling. He got up and hopped on a conference call. I was afraid LR would wake up, but he stayed asleep until Daddy and I started our shower routines around 6.

I guess he had a good time with Nanny M, but around 10:30 the house alarm went off. Really not sure how it went off, but it spooked LR (and the nanny), so they wandered around outside for awhile. Luckily Gigi was here and called Daddy who instructed her how to turn off the alarm. I came home soon after to find none of them worse for wear. LR had a big lunch of lasagna and avocado. Then LR and I played while I tried to get some chores done around the house. He went down for an afternoon nap for the fifth day in a row. A trend!

In the late afternoon D & H and their son King J came over. King J and LR were keenly interested in one another for the first time. LR tried to chew on King J's feet. Side note: LR has a serious foot fettish. He also tried to bite one of my player's feet yesterday and got his gums on the calf of another player who was laying on her stomach while I gave instructions for a drill. I had to watch him like a hawk to keep him from... well, from being an ankle biter. Anyway, they got to see LR in action. He and I played a game where he pulled my hair and I wriggled my head against his tummy. Hys-terical. I haven't heard him laugh that hard in a few days. Made all the hair pulling worth it. He may make me bald now, but my genes will make him bald later. It's only fair.

Over the past few days I've seen a huge leap in LR's confidence while walking. He doesn't stutter step that first step anymore and he takes 5 or 6 consecutive steps regularly now. He still likes to jet if he gets both my hands for support, but he's obviously learning that he can do it by himself. Looking forward to taking him to homecoming tomorrow. The weather looks sunshiny but cool. Should be perfect rugby weather. He's going to stay at home for the game and nap while Gigi looks after him. After the game we'll come get him and take him to tailgating and then our new mom's 1 year reunion.

Rough Night

Note: The pics in this post are from yesterday, but don't really go with the text at all. LR loves to play ball, so we spend a lot of time passing the variety of balls that he has back and forth. It's also one of Daddy's favorite games.

Don't know if LR is responding to his MMR and Chickenpox shots from last week or not, but he was up often last night. I soothed him back to sleep just after midnight and Daddy tried from 4-5. I took over at 5:30 and brought him into bed. I was up a half hour later, but he and Daddy slept until 7:30. The nanny arrived to find the house quiet and both boys still in bed.

I dragged all day. When I got home from work, LR was asleep, but woke up within 20 minutes or so. He caught up on his sleep and I tried not to pass out on the play mats while we played. Going outside just wasn't appealing despite the nice weather. The past two days, LR has taken an afternoon siesta which is odd for him, so either it's the shots, a growth spurt, or he's picking up that afternoon nap again just for kicks. Either way, I was banking on him napping so that I could as well. I called off an afternoon play date, let the other coaches know I wasn't going to be at practice, and thought about not attending my book club meeting. Close to 3 I gave LR a bottle and luckily he started to get sleepy. A few bounces on the exercise ball and he was out. So was I. We both napped for an hour and a half and woke up happier.

With enough light still left, we headed off to the park. I pulled him in the wagon and he happily slurped from our shared water bottle. He especially enjoyed watching the cars and the kids practicing soccer. We played at the park until I got tired of smacking wood chips out of his hands and digging stray ones out of his mouth. I got him to push his stroller, but he lost his grip at one point, lost his balance and landed face first on one of the big plastic wheels. Boy did he scream. I probably got a lot of looks from other parents at the park. He stopped crying pretty quickly and I decided we should get some ice on his lip which was red and was already showing some bruising. No cuts, but it probably hurt a ton. After the redness went down LR was left with the wheel tread marks from his cheek to his lip. Very tough looking. All he needs is a sneer and a tattoo now.

At home we ordered pizza. I put him in his highchair and when he saw the piping-hot pizza he started to yell and reach for it. I cut up small pieces, but it took a little while for it to cool. Boy is he impatient! He ate a bunch of pizza, some avocado for balance, and a frozen banana on a stick for desert. I thought the banana might help with any swelling to his lip. He didn't seem to have any discomfort while he ate, so I think we're in the clear. After dinner he took a bath and I've solved the problem of him standing while in the bath. He thinks it's pretty funny, but all I have to do is sign and ask, "Finished?" He immediately sits down to indicate that no, the bath is not finished. Hope that works for a little while. Gave his bath seat to a friend to use, so that won't be an option.

Bedtime was pretty easy. He's been going to bed a little later because of the re-introduced afternoon nap, so I let him stay up until he took my hands and walked me into his room. We read a few of his favorite books: Doggies, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and What Does Baby Say? Then he took most of his bottle and I put him in the crib. He was pretty awake, so he cried for a few minutes, but soon he was fast asleep. I dressed him in warmer PJs just in case he was waking up last night due to the drop in temperatures at night. We still have the air conditioner kicking on during the days, but not the heat yet at night which means the house is noticeably cooler every morning. Crossing my fingers for a good night sleep... right now. Night night!

I just looked over my last post and was happy to see that we'd taken a few pictures which show how he likes to hold his tongue on the left side of his mouth. Strange, but consistent.

One of the things I brought back with me from our trip to Denver was a set of 6 Sesame Street figures that a friend gave me in high school. He loves them and can pick out Big Bird and Cookie Monster from the group which also includes Grover, Ernie, Bert, and Oscar. More than anything he likes the plastic container I brought them home in. He places the figures in the container and shakes it vigorously until the figures fly out. He closes his eyes for most of the shaking. Good thinking since you never know where those monsters will land. In the picture you can see Cookie Monster heading for adventures unknown.

He also seems to like the snail rocker we bought him for his birthday. In the picture I can't tell if he's giving it a hug, or rucking over it. It was definitely worth a picture though. It also has a secret compartment in the back of his shell where we hide, and then quickly find and throw out, the Sesame Street characters.

This past week was my first as a part-time employee. It was wonderful. LR and I went grocery shopping on Wed, to the park on Thur, and to a new park in Arlington with his friend on Fri. His friend just started walking, but looks like he's been riding a horse for 18 hours. It is terribly cute to see a baby cowboy. LR can walk, but doesn't seem to be very inspired to do it. He'll take a few steps here and a few steps there. He is happier just walking while holding our hands. While playing on the slides with his friend, LR discovered he could scoot forward by himself to initiate the slide. It was pretty cool. I'd set him up at the top of the slide and he'd wiggle forward holding the sides until he was ready. Every few slides he'd roll to his side at the start of the slide and grab onto the side, halting the slide. Not sure if he was scared or just trying out something new. I'd help him back to the top and he'd come down again.

Friday we celebrated his birthday again. Gigi baked him carrot cake cupcakes and after dinner we let him at one. To explain the photos, he had already smeared his face with mashed potatoes, so the cupcake icing was just an accent color really.





Seriously guys, who took my icing?







A real birthday boy smashes cake into his mouth with both hands.








Today we went to Jasper White's Summer Shack in Cambridge. LR loved the cornbread they set on the table before the meals came. Much like his cousin Bud, LR left a pile of cornbread crumbs beneath his high chair. Then his shells and cheese arrived. Whenever LR eats, his face gets itchy. It must since every meal he rubs his eyes and nose, but only after they're covered in food. He started the meal with just a pomade-like streak of cheese over his ear, but within minutes his eyebrows were white with cheese and his eyelashes were dotted with cornbread crumbs. The wipes they provided were nowhere near the hosing that was required to clean him off. When we got home we immediately went to the park thinking that we'd get all the dirty stuff done first. Sure enough he went straight to the sand pit where he dug around for a few minutes. Then he played a game with Daddy. It's called "I'll bet I can get the sand into my mouth faster than you can bat it away." Pretty funny game.

Happy First Birthday!

Today is LR's first birthday. I marked the occasion by starting my part-time hours today. It was wonderful. I didn't get to see LR in the morning, but Daddy says that the Nanny M showed up right on time. LR woke up right after she arrived and they did the breakfast routine together. Then Daddy got ready for work and left. Nanny M and LR played, got changed, played some more and then napped for the last hour and a half. She said LR was happy and an easy baby. He woke up right after I walked in. I fed him lunch and then he mistook my pulling his hands away from his mouth for a game, so he gagged himself until he threw up. That was a first, but I guess bound to happen at some point. After getting changed, we headed to the park using the new Radio Flyer wagon that Gigi bought him for his birthday. LR seemed to enjoy the ride and then really loved pushing it around the soccer fields. Eventually he got tired and we headed home. At home he rocked on his new snail rocker that Daddy and I bought him for his birthday. He took a bottle, played some more, and then Gigi took over while I headed to rugby practice. When I got home I fed him dinner, bathed him, and put him to bed. All-in-all a good day. Sorry for the quick rundown of the day's events, but there's so much to say about the past week!

Last Thur, we packed up and headed to the airport. We went to Denver to stay with Grandma and Grandpa H for a few days. On Sunday we had a wedding in Boulder to attend, but we spent most of the time visiting. He was okay on the flight out. He took a bottle right as we took off and slept for an hour and a half. We had 2 and a half more hours to kill when he woke up and half way through that I realized I hadn't brought enough toys to keep him entertained. By the end of the flight our arms and backs were tired from trying to keep him from crawling down the aisle, kicking the chair in front of him, or pulling the phone out of the cradle in the middle seat. Daddy made a number of laps up and down the aisle with him.

Grandma picked us up at the airport and Grandpa was there when we got home. LR quickly found all the toys they had set out for him and then went about pointing out all the non-baby-proofed items in the house. He's so helpful! Grandma was one outlet plug short, so, of course, he pulled the flashlight plug right out and tried to stick his fingers in the holes. *sigh* They had the greatest cubbys too which were just LR sized. He spent a fair amount of time crawling into and out of them. He also bumped his head a bunch, but nothing Little Rugger can't handle. He also adored the "Whack-a-mole" toy they bought. Noisy AND a hammer. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! He also loved the small red wagon that he could push around the house. LR bonded easily with both grandparents. He's so friendly and doesn't seem to mind new people very much. Although they weren't really new since they took care of him the first week of his life! Grandpa rough-housed with him and Grandma was a little more cuddly. She even helped me bake him his first birthday cake. He didn't like it very much, but he enthusiastically squished the cake and icing between his fingers. Gooey!

On Friday we made a quick visit to LR's great grandmother. He loved her walker. It ran along in front of him just like his stroller. We knew he was days away from walking, but instead of walking for Gigi who has spent an entire year with him, or for the Grandma and Grandpa we were visiting, he took his first steps at our friends' rehearsal dinner in Boulder on Sat. Sept 16th. I saw him take the first two to get to some potted flowers on the driveway. Daddy came out and saw the third step. LR had his own cheering section just inside the front door.

The next day LR took 4 steps toward me first thing in the morning. I headed off to the wedding in the afternoon. (Daddy had spent the night in Boulder.) The ceremony was lovely and the band at the reception was awesome. LR had a great time with his grandparents, but that didn't change the fact that we got a fourth night of restless sleep. We had him in a pack-n-play in the room and he could see us whenever he woke up in the night. He ended up cosleeping with us most of the time. It's been 6 months since the last time we coslept and I don't remember him being nearly so much of a thrasher. When we got back home (after a great flight back where he slept for 2 hours and 15 minutes), LR went to bed at 8pm and got up this morning at 7am. I didn't hear a peep from him all night. He must have been as exhausted as we were.

Oh and he babbles constantly now. His favority word from the past week is "golly." His variations are "doggie" and "cookie." We're not sure if he's saying the words intentionally or if they just sound similar to "golly." The grandparents got a kick out of it, so they bought him a bunny which we decided should be named "Golly the Bunny." I'll try to load a picture of him soon.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Yesterday LR was an angel at practice. He played with one of my retired players on the sidelines for most of the 2 hours. He ate his grapes and cookies which Gigi had lovingly packed for him and was content to hang out on the new blanket we got this weekend. Love the blanket so far. He happily chatted with me in the car. He was saying "Da da da da" and "Ey ey eye." I started saying "ma ma ma ma" from the drivers seat. He was quiet for a minute and then said loud a clear, "Mom!" So he can mimic now. He's been doing it for a few weeks, and I still think it's fun to get him to say "Mom."

After we got home he had a small dinner and then enjoyed his bath very much. He has made a game of standing up and me signing and saying to him "Sit down, please." Then he sits and smiles and I say "Thank you" or "Good boy!" I try to distract him, but sometimes I just have to take him out of the bath. The bedtime routine was uneventful. Daddy got home in time to put LR to bed and he was quiet right away. Must've been tired.

Around 1:30 he woke crying. I was at a weird point in my sleep cycle, so I was completely disoriented when I woke up. I thought it was 6am, so I got up and went and picked him up. I looked at his clock as I lifted him an it was then that I realized my mistake. 1:30... Crap! Usually I would've left him there to fuss back to sleep, but too late now. I tried bouncing him, but he seemed wide awake. He nuzzled in to my arms as I bounced him, but he wasn't too interested in sleeping. He just wanted to cuddle. Finally, after 25 minutes of bouncing, my back and arms exhausted, I put him back in the crib and walked out. He started to really scream. I listened for 8 minutes and as I asked Daddy to go in and give it a try we heard a loud crash. I ran into LR's room to find him sitting on the floor in front of the crib. He was screaming and scared and we were shocked. Somehow he had launched himself over the crib railing. We've seen him try to scale the gate, but I never imagined he could climb the crib railing. It was at least chest high! We checked for injuries and when we didn't find any, I took him to the living room to soothe him. I turned on Sesame Street and he quieted down to the occasional post-crying hiccup and sniffle. Feeling worried and guilty, I held him while he watched. It didn't help that 3 nights ago I had a nightmare about him having brain damage and an oddly dilating eye. As he watched TV, I checked his pupils, but didn't see any sign of concussion.

Daddy went to the basement and found the Allen wrenches. He came up and lowered LR's mattress to the lowest setting. By 3:15, I was falling back asleep, but LR was still wide awake. Daddy took him at 3:15 and ended up doing a mini bedtime routine to get him back to sleep by 4. I expected LR to sleep in, but he was awake at 6:30 like clockwork. I just called Gigi and she said he's a little grumpy this morning. I told her to expect a long nap.

So Close!

Last night LR woke just as we were going to bed and started sobbing. I went in and picked him up, but it took a good five minutes to soothe him. I tried reading, bouncing, talking to him, but nothing worked. Finally I started singing to him and that cured him. I bounced him back to sleep and he went right into the crib. I was grateful since I had to get up early today, but I think it triggered a nasty nightmare I had about LR having some sort of traumatic injury. It made me extra happy to hear him babble to himself first thing in the morning. He's such a happy little guy.

LR is just so close to walking he can taste it! Today he stood for Gigi and squatted down, then stood up over and over. She thought he might take a step, but eventually he sat down instead. I came home and took him to practice this afternoon. He stood for the crowd of rookie and vets and did the same thing for them. They cheered as he stood back up and he clapped for himself as well - very proud of himself. Again, he didn't take a step, but every day he gains confidence in standing alone. He doesn't cry immediately if you let go of his hands anymore and he's stood still for about 20 seconds now.

He was fine during practice when one of my players distracted him, but he had to be far enough away from me for that to work. As soon as I was in his sights he was whining to be with me. It was a little chilly out - fall is definitely setting in - and his little nose turned red and dribbled. I felt bad, but he was dressed in a long-sleeved, heavy cotton jumpsuit, so I wasn't too worried. His hands were cold when we got in the car though. He fell asleep for the last two minutes of the ride and then woke up when we got home. He ate a good sized dinner of tofu, string cheese, cantaloupe, and corn on the cob. Gigi was nice enough to put an ear in the microwave for him and he gnawed on the end of it for awhile. I helped him out too. :)

Because of practice, I got him into the high chair late for dinner. That threw off the evening schedule and I didn't notice when I missed his bedtime by twenty minutes. Daddy asked if I was waiting for him to get tired. I said no, and he told me it was 8:20. Eek! I fixed a bottle and put the little guy right to bed. He didn't object. What an angel.

Birthday party

Sat we went to LR's friend's birthday party. His friend is just 5 days older and his mom and I met while taking prenatal yoga together. The weather was beautiful and it was a great party. LR had corn on the cob for the very first time. I'm pretty sure he thought it was the best food ever. We had a vegetarian BBQ in their backyard and the birthday boy tore into the cake with enthusiasm. I got some pictures of the two in the sandbox together. It was LR's first sandbox experience and he ate a good 4 handfuls of sand. Not sure why the first one wasn't good enough, but whatever. Unfortunately, he had eaten a whole tomato slice and a poured a glass of water down his shirt just before climbing into the sandbox. We should've used the hose on him afterwards. What a mess!

He also had a ball pushing around his friend's new Radio Flyer pushcart. It was awesome. He pushed in up and down the grassy hill of their backyard. At one point a 2 and a half year old girl (named Arwen - parents must be LOTR fans, right?) climbed into the cart. She must have been about 30 lbs. Hudson didn't flinch, he just put his back into it and started pushing again. It took a little help from Daddy from a stopped position to get going, but once it was rolling, he could continue to push it. Another dad asked us if that was how we were training him for rugby. He's such a little ox! We were so proud.

Today we walked to the grocery store in the morning and LR helped by pushing his stroller around the store while we shopped. Then it was back into the stroller for the ride home. He barely stayed awake, but when we got home he got a second wind and played for another half hour. He didn't seem too sleepy, but I offered him milk by signing it to him. He broke into a big smile and crawled to me. I took him to his room and he fell asleep on the bottle without a problem. We grabbed a short nap while he did. Then we all got up, had lunch and headed off to the mall to get Gigi her going away present. We're sure going to miss her around here! Just a few more weeks of quality time before she goes back to Florida. We'll have to get a lot of pictures before she leaves.

Note: Added some pics to the last post as well.

Perfect Day

LR had an absolutely perfect day yesterday. He woke up chipper around 6:30. Already an improvement on Wed where he napped all of one hour the entire day. What a basket case he was! Yesterday I was out the door early since it was the first day of rugby practice. Daddy had LR for about an hour before Gigi came upstairs. Daddy reported that they had a great time and a good sized breakfast. Gigi came up and took over a little early to help out with the new schedule. She said that LR went to sleep around 11:15 and woke up at 2:30. With such a nice long nap, he was in a good mood the rest of the day.

I left work around 4, picked up LR where he was waiting for me with a packed diaper bag, snack, and water bottle courtesy of Gigi, and went to rugby practice. When we got there I put a blanket on the ground for LR and gave him his yellow ball to play with. He was more interested in the rugby balls. He walked while holding my hands for awhile and watched the players run drills. He also yelled encouragement during one drill. I held him part of the time and let him crawl around part of the time. I did run back to him a couple of times to dig grass out of his mouth.

Luckily, he didn't fuss once while we were out and really seemed to enjoy himself. I got him home just in time for dinner. He ate pineapple, strawberries, avocado, and cheese. Then it was off to the bath. I had to drain the water with him sitting in the tub. His grasp of the sign "finish" is so strong now that he crawls away from me in the tub when I sign it to him. When in the highchair he knows he'll get picked up, so he frantically signs "finished!" when he's done. The bath, he runs away. Such a cutie.

After the bath I left him in just a diaper for a little while. While Gigi and I stood and talked, he crawled around his room, opened the drawer underneath his crib, and crawled in. I ran and got the camera and he obliged by staying in the drawer for a good long time. Got some nice shots which I'll try to post tonight. After getting him into PJs and playing a little more, it was bedtime. He didn't look one bit sleepy, but he drifted off to sleep quickly on the bottle and I put him down for the night. Everyone agreed it was one of LR's best days yet!

Standing On His Own

We took so many good pictures that it's tough to pick ones to post!

Monday was fun. We went to the park and played under the trees. Daddy held LR's hands while he walked around and kicked a ball. I took a turn walking him and then let go of his hands so that he could practice standing on his own. He stood for a second before realizing I had let go. Then he started to sink down. When I brought my hands close to his, he stood up again. I moved my hands away and down he went. We tried it a few more times with similar results. He's my yo-yo with an invisible string. After exhausting his parents, LR decided to push the stroller around some. It was a little tough to move it in the grass, so he really had to put his back into it. No problem for our Little Rugger though. Grrrrrr...

There were so many kids playing in the park that LR felt we needed to go explore. We went over and spent some quality time on the swings and then moved onto the tunnel and the slides. He's really starting to get the hang of the slides and I don't have to hold his hands the whole way down anymore. I'm looking forward to when he can climb the stairs back up to the slide on his own. He could probably crawl over to the steps at the base of the slide, but he'd want to eat all the wood chips on the way there. Seriously, who thinks wood chips are going to cushion a child's fall. As Daddy pointed out while we were there, it's just a lot of splinters waiting to happen. Guess we're still used to having LR barefoot. Actually, we put him in shoes over the weekend for the first time. Went a bought a pair of size 5s at the nearest StrideRite. He's stylin' now! Not sure that he loves them, but he really hasn't put up much of a fight either. As soon as he's outside, he really doesn't care about anything else.

After the park LR helped me with the laundry, which means he pulled all the clothes out of the basket while I was trying to fold them. When he pulls out what looks like a particularly fun(ny) piece of clothing, he whirls it around as fast as he can. After helping me with that he hit a cranky spell. If we don't take him over the gate to go downstairs he'll cry and throw a baby tantrum. I say "baby" because I assume they'll get worse as he gets older. Often we give in and walk him down the stairs or take him to go see Gigi's dog Maggie. We keep him from grabbing her face hair and he giggles when she nuzzles into his stomach while she's looking to be pet.

His appetite has decreased the last two days. He was ravenous for about a week, but he seems to be slowing down. Dinner tonight was just tofu and sweet potatoes. He wasn't really that interested in anything else we put in front of him. His lunches yesterday and today were small, but he's drinking all 8 oz of the bottles we've been giving him before naps. His naps also haven't been quite as long and he woke up this morning at 6:15 instead of 7.

Last pic is for my mom. Love those OshKosh!

One nap down, one to go

(Note: I had a longer post, but blogger decided to wig out on me when I uploaded a photo and I lost the posting. So this is an abridged version.)

Looks like LR has settled into a brand new routine. With the new teeth came a growth spurt and a change in his wakeup and nap times. (You might be able to see the new top teeth in the first photo.) He has slept in until 7am each morning for the last week and then takes a long late morning nap. They range from 2-3 hours. Then he skips his second afternoon nap, although I have caught him taking a siesta around 5pm if we happen to be in the car. He gets a little cranky in the evenings because of the missed nap, but each day seems to reinforce the new schedule and he's getting accustomed to it.

The long weekend has been nice, but Saturday was overcast and misty and it rained all Sunday. Saturday we went to Costco and picked up a couple mag flashlights, one for each car. Each flashlight came with a small, LR-sized flashlight which he had a ton of fun playing with when we got home. This is the only picture that came out at all, and yes, he's eating the flashlight. Daddy had a hard time with the sound of his new teeth against the metal. This weekend he discovered he could click his top teeth together with his bottom teeth. So much fun!

Sunday we had a pre-season meeting with the rugby staff. We took LR and he was very well behaved. He kept them all entertained (and sometimes distracted). Then he took some time to explore their apartment and even wanted to be put in the bath when he found it. And by the way, college housing is the opposite of baby-proofed. Our friends without kids have nice things that we have to keep him away from so that he doesn't break them, but in college housing, we have to keep him away from the dirty and the sharp things. There is no 5 second rule in their apartments. LR dropped string cheese he had been working on and that was the end of that.

This morning we took a nice long walk using the large backpack our last tenants left us. It's perfect for carrying him in the Fells, the large reservation that abuts our neighborhood. He started out humming since the bounce of Daddy's step felt like how we sometimes bounce him to sleep. The hum turned into a song that lasted about 30 minutes out of our 40 minute walk. He's been experimenting with volume, but not by screaming. He hits a loud note "Ahhhhh" and holds it for a very long time. Daddy and I had to almost yell to talk to eachother, but it was so funny that we didn't mind. Hopefully we get to spend the rest of the day out on the deck or at the park.

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.