He's on strike!

The Booger is posing some trouble as I return to the semi-real adult working world. Since he hit 6 months, he dropped a couple daytime feedings because his belly was big enough to fill up plus his solid foods in between were keeping him satisfied longer. This meant that even on days that I worked all day, I could nurse him on my lunch break, and he hasn't needed to have bottles. He went several weeks without any bottles at all, and had one when he spent the day with daddy at work. This past Monday I was unable to come home to nurse him, so we left a bottle.

That he adamantly refused for four hours until I got home. We didn't think much of it, I nursed him when I got home and we chalked it up to a fluke.

Until today. He refused to take it again. Let me describe to you the scene I discovered when I got lucky enough to come home early (Mind you I was excited to come home early and then I am greeted with a grouchy, incredibly displeased baby). The Booger sitting in his grandma's lap, slapping his bottle with quite an amazing amount of force, arching his back with every ounce he had, and squealing with an intense amount of displeasure. He then preceded to wiggle himself down, chew on the bottle, pull it out of his mouth, and screech some more. This went on for several minutes, all to my amazement that my generally good natured baby was throwing and all out baby tantrum! Complete with kicking feet.

The last couple times, we've offered the bottle a few times, then when he refused, gave him his usual cereal and fruit for lunch, and kept attempting to offer the bottle. But I think this is counteractive because then he's not really even hungry. After some talking with my sister, I think we've decided to not give him lunch until he takes his bottle. My rationale is that breastmilk is more important than anything else as this point, so we'll wait until he's hungry enough to take his bottle. I've also thought about offering it in a sippy cup. (Stay tuned for more ponderings about those crazy things!)

Ugh! I've barely even started getting into what will be our new situation, and am torn enough just knowing how much I will miss him from now on. Doesn't he know this is hard enough without worrying about him eating enough? Anyone have any suggestions for their own bottle strike experiences?

The naughty boy being cute as a button

Way Back Whens-day (along with some sentimental ramblings)

The Booger is 7 monhts old today! So I thought while I reminisced and got misty eyed about my baby who is already turning into a 'kid', I could play along with Way Back Whens-Day with Twinfatuation. Okay.. 7 months isn't techinically way back, but it's far enough! :-)

The Booger only minutes old! He had more hair then than he does now!

I know I said all this a month ago, but it's amazing how much changes in such a short time. Just since last month, he has (almost) 2 teeth, is sooo close to crawling, is starting to pull himself up, and is climbing all over us. He picks up on everything and is so wonderfully interactive and playful. He is obsessed with grabbing and pulling and tapping everything. He will imitate things we do, and loves to laugh at us making funny faces. For some reason he get great pleasure out of someone yawning or sneezing! He plays well on his own but loves to be tickled and play games with us too. And our favorite- he lifts up his arms to be picked up and loved, especially when he wakes up.

We are very lucky to have such a good, healthy, happy baby. I am thankful everyday, especially as I read the blogs of moms and families dealing with health issues, or when I go to work with the children and adults that I work with. We have not had to fear that we'd lose him any minute, or grieve about extra problems or difficulties we know he would have to overcome. My heart and support goes to all families who live with the worry and the wonder that comes with raising children with special needs, health or otherwise.

It's also fun to have the connection with other people that comes with being a parent. Other parents just get the crazy, all encompassing love that we have for our son, and bear with us while we gush adoringly. It takes your own parenthood to make you stop and think about everything that the other person with two kids in tow has gone through to make out of the house, or to make it out the door to work or school. You know that they've probably spent many mornings or evenings cuddling with their little ones, and countless nights up changing diapers and feeding their kids in a dark, sleepy fog. You know they've called five people just to get ahold of someone to celebrate that the baby just smiled at them, or they've argued with themselves whether or not to call the doctor about something at 4:30 on a Friday because they don't want to go the whole weekend wondering. When you think about what you've done to get through the last day or week or month with your family- you really appreciate the grumpy person you just came across, because they were probably doing the same thing with theirs!

Now that I've gushed- take a few minutes to visit Twinfatuation and enjoy some more thought-provoking moments in the form of pictures!

Two for Twosday!

Our family time this weekend made me decide to share a picture of my two favorite boys in the whole world! The Booger's daddy loves the water- being on it, near it, or in it, and I'm sure as the Booger gets older, he will log many hours at the lake (any lake will do!)

This picture if from a while ago when we spent an afternoon at one of the great parks in Portage. There are lots of great parks and trails with playgrounds and courts, we will have lots of fun visiting them all over the next few years!

Family fun

We decided a few weeks ago that we needed to do something fun just the three of us. We've done things with family, and lots of work around the house this summer, and some much enjoyed relaxing but hadn't had a chance for a family outing.

We looked into stuff and knew we couldn't stray too far or get too wild and crazy, so we chose John Ball Zoo. Only an hour away, and lots of fun things, even an aquariam and a Treasues of the Tropics building with lots of cool animals up close. This was definitely the Booger's favorite, next to the Spider Monkeys. He has little monkey feet that grip things quite amazingly. He was happy to his friends, and was trying to figure out how to set up some ropes at home so he could swing around like they were.

We enjoyed ourselves and were home in time to nap and eat before anyone was to grouchy. Check out the fun we had

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Here comes trouble

I'm only a day late for Debi's Baby Picure Sundays better late than never! But we had some family fun yesterday and didn't bother with the computer. Right in the beginning of our fun, the Booger found some trouble to get into...

So many buttons... so little time...

I could get the hang of this

C'mon, get out of the way, baby behind the wheel!

Hmmm?

The Booger loves to eat, and has always (pretty) willingly accepted new foods and chowed down like there's no tomorrow. Which has been great- we get some silly faces when he tries something new and we've tried all the 1st foods and are now beginning to move onto 2nds. I stocked up really well on 1st foods and now have been stocking up on 2nds. We've gone through most everything except for the EXORBITANT amount of applesauce and bananas I apparently bought.

So- we have at least 6 more 2 pks of bananas, which of course seems to be the one food that is not agreeing with him. Has anyone heard of a baby being allergic to bananas? We're thinking he may be. We gave him half a container at dinner on Sunday night, and Monday morning, I got a call from Daddy while I was at work, saying the Booger had some kind of rash on his forehead and cheeks. We didn't think too much, called the pediatrician and they said we could put some lotion on it, that if it changed or got worse or he seemed out of sorts we could bring him in.

So we decided to just keep an eye, it seemed to lighten up a bit throughout the day. Then he had the other half of the bananas for dinner that night and the next night. Each day it would get a bit lighter and then worse the next morning. The last two foods we introduced were bananas and green beans. Since the most recent thing was bananas we decided that could be the culprit. I gave him green beans a couple times and it didn't seem to get worse, and I can't think of anything else that has changed.

I've looked up rashes and such and it doesn't seem to sound like anything, and he hasn't been really out of sorts. Just tired because he once again can't decided when he wants to nap. Here are some pictures- not the best (why would he cooperate when I wanted him too! hehe)but there is a reddish/orangish splotch across his forehead, and his cheeks, with one kind of concentrated spot on one cheek. Let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions. Looks like we might be crossing bananas off our list of foods!

Two for Twosday!

And again, it's Twosday!

With my *one* kid, I get a little creative to play along...

Meet the Booger's favorite singing caterpillar. This was one of the first toys he ever 'asked' for. He was playing with other things and got fussy, so I gave him something else, and he still fussed, and reached out to the caterpillar in the bin next to him and tapped it, then looked at me thinking "Duh, mom- I want that!". He loves the little bug on top, it sings the alphabet and hits it over and over and over....

Be sure to check out Deanna's blog to play along and see other great pics.

Gummy Grins

I was bummed last Sunday, I couldn't play along with Baby Picture Sundays because the Booger is just getting his first tooth, and barely lets us look at it, let alone take a picture of it! So I'm excited to join in today's fun, because we have lots of Gummy Grins.

Enjoy!

This is one of the first smiles I got on camera- how funny!

Smiling big at Grandpa K

Pure enjoyment!

This is one my favorite pictures ever!

Be sure to check out Who Says 8 is enough? to see who's playing and join the fun for yourself.

Exicting news

Yesterday was a good day. Not only because it's Friday (cause who doesn't love Fridays!) Also because for once a phone call from my brother was good news. Seriously, neither one of us talks on the phone much, we keep tabs on each other through Mom and Dad and see each other when we're in town and call it good. So for some reason, any time I see he's calling, my stomach does a little flip. Well really, the reason is for a good two years nearly every time he called- something was wrong. My parents always called him, then he passed things on once he had details. Can't imagine it was fun to be the bearer of bad news, but that he was. That said- he hasn't called with bad news in a year or two, so I should get past the stomach flip every time he calls, but can't seem to manage it.

Excuse me for a moment, my son is trying to type with his toes- I think a relocation is in order...

Back to the story- Congrats are in order. After years (sorry, I don't know specifics, I was still kinda young when he started) working for the Township Fire Department, he is officially being promoted to Lieutenant. He has worked very hard, taken many classes, and been involved with a wide variety of crises and emergencies. And he loves it all. He and his wife are both EMS and firefighters, and we are proud of both of them. Way to go Big Brother!

The other exciting news you were looking forward too...


I am lucky enough to have been offered a teaching job that I will step into as soon as I graduate this December. I worked for KRESA for two years prior to my first internship, and loved the people and the kids I worked with. Many of my friends teach there and I've kept in touch, so I was able to hear about job openings, and keep in touch with one of the prinicpals. I submitted my application there and to Van Buren Intermediate School District a few weeks ago. I've also talked to the Special Education Director in Plainwell this summer. The trouble is that I do not graduate until mid year and everyone is looking for teachers for the fall. Everyone seemed happy with my experience and such, but just couldn't wait until spring. Good for boosts of confidence, not so helpful on the job front...

Recently a job opened in one of the local schools, and since the principal knows me well, she offered me an interview. I left if last week hoping to hear from her this week, as she had to decide if she should go with a new person who was able to start the year, or find a sub and wait for me. It has been a looooong week waiting! She called yesterday and offered it to me, and we'll be going through paperwork and getting things set up over the next few weeks, and I should be able to try and keep my hands in things throughout the fall a bit and be ready to step in after holiday break!

This is such a relief- I have been lucky enough to have had a lot of experience and knew I shouldn't have too much trouble finding a job, but for it to be one that I want and am excited about, and for it to be waiting for me when I graduate is just perfect. We've been doing happy dances since yesterday- and I'm not sure there's an end in sight!

My son's future...

The Booger loves to move and groove, he thinks it is super funny to wiggle and jump and shake. He loves to be tossed in the air too... I just found this video on Baby Blog Addict and couldn't stop laughing, somehow I see this in his future.. still chuckling right now!


http://view.break.com/553570

Not to say I would be near tears terrified if it really were my kid, but OMG it's funny!

The other thing I see in his future- an office job. Due to a glitch in childcare today, he went to work with Daddy. He spent his day running things from the boss's office. The girls my husband works with (and a few of the guys) love the Booger and were thrilled to play...or ...work with him all day. He hammed it up and only took a few breaks from his dedicated work ethic to eat and nap (in the boss's office- he's a manager all right!). They said he was right at home. They also confirmed our suspicions that he's the cutest baby ever.

We have more exciting news-- any guesses? Check us out tomorrow and we'll dish.

Rub a dub dub

A while ago, we moved the Booger's bathtub from the counter to the big tub for baths. I mentioned that I was looking forward to playing with toys in the tub and my oh my have we had fun since then!

First off- he loves being naked! He knows when I lay him on the bathroom rug what is about to happen, he gets so excited. He kicks he legs so hard I'm sure he's got to hurt his heels on the floor! I strip him down and let him enjoy his freedom (and his newly discovered jewels...) while I fill his tub and get around all the bathtime fixin's.

As soon as I lift him up to pop him in the tub, he kicks and wiggles and squeals the greatest squeal of joy ever. Followed up with spashes of joy once he lands in the water. This past week he discovered that there is a tub around his tub. He's been quite busy banging his toys and himself on it and thinks it is hi-lar-i-ous!

I always wait to add his toys, because it is so funny to watch him get excited when I put them in. Like he has never seen them before and I am the best mom ever for giving them to him. I took advantage of his newfound knowledge, and lined up his light up duckies along the edge of the tub, then pushed them plop, plop, plop, which he thought was wonderfully funny. I know he's thinking "Gosh, Mom, you're so fun and great, I'll think you're cool forever" Really, he is. I swear.

He precedes to splash and dunk the duckies, then he plucks them out of the water in attempts to eat their heads. For some reason, he has to stick their heads in his mouth, very tasty, I imagine. This could of course go on for hours. He's very easy to please. (I thank my lucky stars every day!)

Check out the fun...

This how you're supposed to eat duck, I'm quite sophisticated, I know.

Look, Mom, it's a kazoo!

The highlight of the weekend

The King on his throne!

We all had lots of fun with my sister and her family, the Booger's favorite spot (that he stayed awake almost the whole time for) was the museum. I've been there a lot with the kids I work with, but never really got to spend time in the Children's Playscape, so it was very fun to hang out in there and watch the Booger interact with everything. Of course, he wanted to taste test it all, and was dissappointed when he couldn't, but still had a blast.

He's starting to really clue into things around him, and has gotten into the habit of leaning around us and climbing our shoulders to see what is happening behind us when we're holding him. He's always been a wiggle worm, but all of a sudden, he's on a mission!

Playing with the see through blocks on the light table

Using the royal gardening tools his own way....

Checking out the wall o' fun

Two for Twos day

The Booger's little baby feet on a grown up horse's shoe

Guess what? It's Twos day again! I just realized how much I've been slacking, since last Twosday was only a couple posts back...





I shared a few zoo pics yesterday, but this one seemed good for today too. It's pretty rare a 6 month old poses perfectly, exactly when you want them to!

Thanks Deanna for hosting such fun times!

It's a Zoo out there

We spent a fun-filled weekend with my sister, my brother-in-law, and their twins (plus their cupcake that's still in the oven). Living in the Zoo (Kalamazoo, that is) we are pretty lucky to have lots a cool things to do of all varities, so it was hard to decide what to do when they talked about coming to visit. They decided the zoo was a must see- Binder Park is only about 20 minutes from our house, and I suggested our fun, free museum downtown, and a fun park that is just down the street.

Barb already posted some zoo pictures, which was very fun. The Booger slept through a lot of his first trip to the zoo, ....and didn't pay attention to the rest of it! Here are a few of the things he actually did pay attention to.

The camera

His feet

He did help feed the giraffe- after he tried to taste test the merchandise

The giraffe really wanted some more

We were posing with the giraffe...

Stay tuned for more weekend fun!

Lesser known milestone # 3

The Booger is learning new things... like always! One- we're pretty sure he really is cutting teeth (he's psyched us out a few times), but when I can wrestle his mouth open and have the luck to get his tongue out of the way, I see two little bitty white dots. So- we may have some cute tooth pictures soon.

Now for the lesser known milestone # 3. Scooting around in circles! Every night, he seems to end up at the opposite end of his crib, on the opposite side of his body from where he started. When I check on him during naps, I can usually count at least 3 different positions. We were playing today, and I got it on tape.

This video is great- it 'features' a ton of super cute stuff he's doing now. He is starting to rock on his knees (mental note- double check baby proofing!), squealing and gurgling, and he spends a good minute or two flirtin it up with the camera. You'd think he was a model- he combines his come hither look with a purr, then throws in some great smiles. Enjoy!

Two for Twos-day

Tuesday again! I've been slacking, I know, but I was thoroughly enjoying spending a lazy Sunday with my boys, and running around like crazy yesterday.

Deanna's Two for Twos-day had me searching again...I say this counts!

Two baby hands or (almost) two sets of hands...

The Booger was 'helping' me feed himself dinner- what you see here is a delicious mix of cereal, squash, and prunes covering me, the booger, his bib, his highchair...you get the idea... Watch the whole experience here.

New Diggs

As I mentioned a few posts ago- the Booger's crib was recalled a while ago (and I do mean a while.. this was no fast process). I was pretty bummed- we took a lot of time to pick out a set we liked and were lucky enough to get a great deal. And I loved the set- it was nice and super versatile, and could be converted to a toddler and a full size bed eventually. So, not too excited about the situation anyway.

Then, we had to disassemble it and send in parts of it before we could get the voucher for a new one. Which we did two weeks ago. He's been sleeping in his pack n play since then, so we did a happy dance yesterday when the voucher finally arrived.

Daddy picked up the new one we picked out on the way home from work today, and as soon as we put it together, the Booger tried it out. He seems to approve.

This one seems sturdy, maybe it won't get recalled...

I see you! Through my crib!

I'm soooo excited!

Getting ready to nap

No, Mom...Do it this way

A certain someone very much enjoys eating and would like to do things his way...

Notice- I gave him his own spoon, and he had food on his tray to play in- but he felt the need to take a more active role in his dinner! Apparently squash is that delicious.