The Booger's first Halloween!

I took a break from the school day and came home to dress the Booger and bring him to school for the parade. He was Captain Adorable for the festivities. I made a cape, but his mask was a no-go. He loved seeing all the kids during the parade, smiling, laughing, and kicking his feet the whole time. We visited some of the classroom parties, which he enjoyed too. Then he played in our classroom until the day ended. He explored and played with lots of things. His signature move of pulling books off the shelf was of course displayed! Then he decided to make a break for it. Right out the door and down the hall. Maybe he was looking for one of the cute babies he saw during the parade? Or he heard the dismissal bell? We'll never know...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Tired baby

I've been so busy lately, that I haven't blogged about the Booger's first experiences in day care. (Or kept up with the meme's I've been tagged for, they're coming, promise!) He started going to the Oakland Child Development Center last week. My mother in law had been watching him two days a week, but was offered a full time position in a surgeon's office. We are very happy for her, but bummed that he didn't get to hang out with her anymore.

When we were pregnant, we had looked into a variety of centers and kept eyes and ears out for information and feedback. I also had some insight from having worked in a center for a few years. My work with kids and families around here that use daycare also helped. I knew a few I did not want to send him to, so that was easy! We had narrowed things down, but needed to check into openings, last minute details, etc. It was a busy few days, but after picking up paperwork and visiting, we were all set to start last Tuesday.

He is just starting to have some intense seperation anxiety, so my poor husband has had to leave a screaming baby each day. His first day was described as 'rough' by one of the care-givers, with barely an hour of napping all together. I had to wake him up when I got there to take him home, and he barely even realized that I was lifting him out of his crib. The second day he refused to eat anything but his bottle. Today, he napped for almost a whole hour, plus a few catnaps, and ate most of what they offered. Progress!

But it caught up with him, he was so tired last night he could barely eat dinner. He fell asleep immediately upon entering his car seat. He hardly sat up or kept his eyes open while he ate, and was so tired he stopped eating before his dinner was gone- which is quite a rarity. He was even falling asleep on his changing table. I tried to capture the look of tired desparation, but I don't think this does it justice...

Geez my head is heavy

Keep...my....eyes...open....

Trying to get comfy on his changing table, who needs a crib?

9 month check up

The Booger also celebrated his 9 months with a doctor's visit and a flu shot. :-( On the bright side, it is confirmed that he is growing like a week. He is 30 1/2 inches tall (95th percentile) and 22 pounds 1 oz. (75th percentile). Conveniently- the doctor also checked his ears and throat to make sure his cold was just that, and examined the (yet another) rash he has had for the past couple weeks. He recommended Lotrimin for his rash because it is like a baby yeast infection from all his drooling.

So- last night's bedtime routine included a vast amount of lubrication! First- lotion for the little dry patches on his ankles. Then, Vaseline on his nose because it so raw from being wiped 10 times a day for the past few days. And finally, lotrimin under his neck and chin. Poor baby was shiny from head to toe!

I'll try and snap a picture tomorrow- it's quite a sight.

The 'out' day

Today, the Booger has officially been out as long as he was in!

Yep, he's 9 months old! I know, technically it was 10 months... we'll celebrate next month too.

Holy cow. What do all you moms with 'big' kids do? This is crazy! It all amazes me so much, everything he can do and how much personality comes out of that little boy. It is also wonderful to be able to share it all with my terrific husband. The Booger has grown and changed unbelievably, but so have we. We are doing pretty good, if I do say so myself. We share the good and the bad- including wrestling matches involving snotty baby nose and tissues, as of late. He picks up where I leave off, and it works pretty seamlessly. (If only I could say the same about the laundry!) He takes great care of him and loves him so much (almost as much as me!) It's so fun to watch them. They just exude love and happiness.

As for the Booger's 9 month old abilities-he is becoming a pro at feeding himself and evading diaper changes. He loves pictures, especially of himself. He torments the cat to no avail, and will chase down a water bottle before it knows what hit it. He loves to read and eat books. He is 'talking' tons and moving everywhere without fear. He thinks it is really funny when I sign 'more', but has yet to attempt it on his own. He can, and occasionally chooses to, wave bye-bye. There are sooo many things, I can barely tell you! Especially when I think about what he could do when he was born, which was pretty much limited to: eat, sleep, dirty a diaper or 10, cry, yawn, and stretch.

Happy 9 month birthday baby boy!

9 month rewind:

Disclaimer- this was ready to be posted yesterday, but I was having troubles with technology.

Bbbbb

Working with children and being lucky enough to be educated and know what to expect developmentally can be very helpful as a parent. However, having worked with children with special needs and knowing the importance of early intervention, can make a parent a little overly sensitive. And by parent, yes, I mean me. A few months ago, I was having mini mommy panic attacks because the Booger wasn't babbling quite the way I thought he should be.

After sharing my craziness with his dad, Daddy decided to start his own early intervention with the Booger. They had an elaborate ba/da routine that has been recited one-sidely for the past several weeks. But...last week, the da's came pouring out of the Booger's mouth. What a happy Mommy.

And this week, came the ba's. Craziness ceased.

Relief

The last two days have just felt better. Yep. Better- not sure exactly why, but they felt less stressful and as though I've accomplished something. Lots of somethings, really. It's a good feeling.

Plus, I actually got to play with my beautiful boy (who is growing up waayyy to fast) this evening. Most nights it's rush to fill his belly, run up to work for a bit, then rush home to put him to bed, make dinner, clean up the house, and get ready for the next day. But tonight, once I got home, we stayed home. We got to play and I give him a bath, then cuddled up with his little sweet smell before bed.

It just makes it worth it.

*Sigh*

Two for Twosday

My two favorite boys in the whole world!

Head to Deanna's to check out everyone else's two for twoday contributions!

Fall Fun

We finally made it to the Gull Meadow Farms this weekend! I have been looking forward to going, but oddly enough, I love to go when it cool and crisp and fall-like outside, and it has actually been unseasonably warm the last few weekends.
I think just about anyone in Michigan will agree that despite the disgusting snow we deal with in the winter (which seems to be more like half the year than just a 'season'), the fall is wonderful. Lots of beautiful colors, crispy apples, pumpkins, hay rides... cider mills being one of my favorites.
We just got small pumpkins- we know we won't actually sit down and carve them and the Booger is too little to have fun with it yet (unless you consider eating slimy-ness a good time...). But we stopped to take a few cute pictures.

Two for Twosday

Getting creative again...

Double fistin' it...

The Booger's ode to his food. He loves it.
(Had to include this too, it was too cute not to.)

Head to Deanna's to check out everyone else's "two's"

Photo Shoot 2

If you recall, we have yet to take the Booger to 'get' his pictures taken. I have opted instead to take an afternoon and take them myself. Then I get to pick a time when he's in a good mood, and get him being himself. And then I get to take advantage of Snapfish sales to order tons of prints. I love replacing pictures around the house with new ones. I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas when I order pictures.

I had been planning to take some pictures soon, as it's been a while. Then I found out there was a sale- so I kicked my butt into gear so I would have something to order. Last time around, he was not mobile. To my surprise- he didn't choose to sit still for many pictures. Ha! I had to crop my hand holding him in place out of a few shots, but they still turned out well.

MOMMM! I WILL NOT SMILE ANYMORE!

Talking to yourself...

We all talk to ourselves, sometimes even out loud. I admit it, and I've been known to answer myself as well. Although, I don't believe I have ever gotten quite the kick out of it that the Booger does.

*** In case you didn't notice- he's talking and waving to a picture of himself.***

Dirty little secrets

So while doing a bit (okay, a lot) of lurking around the blogosphere lately, and a little introspective thought, I have come to the general consensus that we are all a bit overwhelmed. Or frustrated. Or annoyed. Or tired. Or something is just getting under our skin. So I thought we needed to take some things off our chests.

My inspirtation: the wonderfully relieving book I happened upon during my last trip to the library... Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile Some of it gave me a few chuckles, some made me feel like a little less of a slacker, some parts made me feel pretty darn great compared to what I was reading. The general premise (taken from the book jacket)



"...Every good mom has a few Dirty Little Secrets that help her...get by....the indulgences we rely on in times of need, the shortcuts we take when no one's looking (showers are overrated!), and our real, honest thoughts about motherhood and family... know you're not alone."



My proposal: We all unload a few of our own dirty little secrets.


Me first:

1) Kitty hair tumbleweeds... every so often, I leave them just to see if someone else will chase them down.





2) I am secretly jealous of mothers of multiples-no matter what I do, they're still working harder than me! Plus they get double (or more!) of all the fun stuff.

3) The Booger seems to be lucky to get 1 or 2 baths a week lately. Poor dirty baby.

4) I eat really healthy, except for the medium size bag of M&M's or Reese's cups that I can't seem to make it out of almost any grocery trip without.

5) I keep waiting for my son to turn into a terribly naughty child because of the kharma from all the naughty kids I've worked with. (I work with children with special needs, many of whom have severe behavior problems. I love them all, but am waiting for it to bite me in the butt.)

Your turn: I am tagging a few of you, but please feel free to join in and unload a few of your own little secrets. Leave a comment if you're playing along, so we can stop on over and all relax a bit. If nothing else, check out the book- you'll feel better. I promise.

Barb
Deanna
Cheryl
Debi
Julie

Two for Twosday

Finally, a Tuesday I am prepared for! The Booger's newfound crawling abilities have put the cat at a great disadvantage- gone are the days of watching without fear of lunging, grabbing, and fur-pulling.

Do you see that look of pure glee in his eyes?

Here kitty, kitty, kitty.. Nevermind, I'll come to you!

Don't forget to stop by Deanna's and see who else is playing along!

The baby's way

This weekend was particuarly lazy, but did give me some time to catch up on some much needed laundry and house cleaning... the Booger helped out any way he could. I vote he does the folding from now on, whaddya think?

Make a Smilebox photobook

Not wasting any time

The Booger has been non-stop movement since he discovered his abilities. Really since the day he was born, but now he's more mobile. Although, despite his ability to follow us around, he has instead decided to display his tearful-self whenever we are not within sight or at times within reach. For example- he is currently cuddling with daddy because he has refused to nap since we got home from running around two hours ago.

Since he loves crawling, he decided not to wait long to master the next skill. He is pulling himself to standing on anything and everything that allows him to (and a few things that aren't so willing).

Hey mom- this thing is awesome!

I can stand up here too! Who knew?

This is his famous move to avoid naps!

Notice he is semi-clothed in every picture? It's getting colder out!

I have yet to capture Party Pictures to play along with Baby Picture Sunday, but don't let that stop you from stopping by Debi's to see the adorable babies who have been partyin' it up. Happy birthday Will and Emma!

Just some cuteness

The Booger took his first bath sans infant tub last week, but since I've been crazy (not so) super mom, this is the first time I've had to share.

Here he is in all his cute slipperiness!

Make a Smilebox slideshow