Beachcombers!!

Well, apparently my little guy is a fish!!  He LOVES  the water!  I already knew he loved pools, but didn't know about the beach.  I needn't have been concerned.  We went to Galveston yesterday (yes we went a few weeks ago with Aunt Lindsey, but we didn't go to the ocean, just the lame Moody Gardens Beach).  My dear friend, Susan, rented a beach house with her family and invited for a shrimp boil and all the festivities that entails!  Tate and I took off Saturday morning at 9am...he cooperated and napped the entire way there!!  (we're only about 50-60 minutes from the beach, however Susan's beach house rental was almost to California, so it took another 20 minutes to get to it!).  I took Tate down to the beach along with Susan's 4 and 7 year old to 'just take a walk'...no one was to get wet.  Well Tate took one look at Alex and Katherine skipping in the water and was all over that.  Off came his pants and he was thrilled!!  

Later after a second nap and lunch we ventured back to the ocean in the appropriate gear.  Uncle Dan took Tate waaayyy out into the Gulf!!  Tate was in heaven.  My little guy was just laughing and having a fabulous time.  This is probably one of the best parts of being a mom...seeing your child so happy and so excited.  The joy on his face was just priceless!!  And after all the fun, he wanted to just snuggle up with me...it made me reminiscent of those newborn days.  Actually even now, Tate will curl up on me when he's tired and bring those little long legs of his up under himself.  I love that feeling!!

We spent the night at the Hilton Hotel courtesy of my boss!  Our office summer party was this weekend, and she footed the bill for a night out for the entire staff.  It was Tate's first night in a hotel.  Suffice it to say, crazy rock stars trashing hotel rooms have nothing on what a 14 month old can do to a hotel room!!  

We went to brunch today at Rita's new house, and Tate fell in love with her dog!!  He was a little skittish at first, but warmed up quickly and followed Maddie all through the house!

We've also had a week of amazing things!!!

Has started calling me Mama off and on!!

Says 'Bye Vincent'

Says car, cat, what sounds like 'I did it'

Loves when singing 'The Wheels on The Bus..' hearing the lyrics 'the baby says waa-waa-waa'...he   

    cracks up when I sing that verse.

He gives great hugs!!

Loves hugging Vincent!

Tooth #I erupted!!

Allergy season is here :(  he's quite congested!!  As is his mommy!

All in all a great end to September!!!

Ramblin'

I have so much going on in my little head right now I don't know where to start!!  So if this post is all over the place, well that's just how my brain works these days :)

So, Tate surprised me tonight in the bathtub!  We have a little squirty rubber duck, that I fill up with water and squirt him with while saying over and over again the duck says quack.  Last week when we started this he immediately said his version of quack, but would never say duck and certainly didn't seem to put together the duck says quack.  Well, tonight he's in the tub, he grabs the orange duck and says 'quack' then gives it to me and makes the sign for more...my signal to play our little game with the duck and squirt him!!  I asked him what the duck says and he said 'quack'!!  I'm so excited.  I know, it's not a big deal to many people, but to me and my babe it's HUGE!!!

Driving to meet my mom shopping yesterday, I turned on some Alicia Keys and then some Sugarland and Tate just sat in the back seat just dancing and singing....I love this boy!  And when he plays with his fire truck I love hearing him make the wooo-ooo sound with those perfect little lips!!

This weekend, we changed up our sleeping situation!  I transitioned him to one nap here at home yesterday.  He's been taking one nap at daycare since August 23rd...quite successfully apparently.  He sleeps at least 2 hours there and usually 2 1/2 or a little more.  Yesterday he made it to 2 hours here with me laying down with him for the last 45 minutes.  Today he slept 1 hour 45 minutes all on his own...I couldn't get a nap extension out of him, so I went with it after 10 minutes of trying.  If you know Tate and his nap/sleep issues you know this is huge for my little guy!!

Friday night, he put himself to sleep (took about 20 minutes) and this time I didn't go to him when he fussed around 10p, nor did I go sleep in the room in my bed.  I slept on the 2nd floor on the couch...yes I have a room on the 1st floor with 2 perfectly good beds, but I can't bring myself to be that far away from him!!  In any event, he fussed at 10 put himself back to sleep,  fussed again around130 then again around 315 then one last time around 525 with about 5-7 minutes of crying off/on then out until 645!!  Woohoo!!  Last night wasn't as great...down at 650, fussing around 9, 11, 1 something then at 414 he was furious.  I felt like he was really worried about me not being in there, so after 15 minutes of him fussing, then crying a bit I went up and put him in bed with me.  And yet he still wasn't pleasant!!  :)  Into the crib went his little butt, and I sacked out on the bed and didn't hear him again until 6.  Now I just heard him fuss in the crib (956pm), but he went right back to sleep.  So, we're getting there!

Riding the carousel!!!

We went to the zoo today...for the first time.  Well I mean our first time to the Houston Zoo..we went to the Bronx Zoo this summer with my cousin and his family.  As we walked up to the entrance Tate started squealing in delight!  It was hilarious.  The 2 of us had a really nice time!  He was all about petting the goats until we went into the petting zoo...then he held onto me for dear life for a bit...so funny.  He thought the carousel was great for about the first 3-4 minutes of the ride, then he wanted down, but we followed instructions and stayed still until the ride came to a complete stop. :)  All in all, a really nice afternoon complete with elephants, bats, prairie dogs, some nasty spider, goats and cheetahs!  Oh and it as 92 degrees...a veritable cool front for us!

So on the checklist for Tate this week we have

Ham  - check
Zucchini - check
Raspberries - check...hates
Sausage - check...unsure
Grilled cheese - check...hates
Houston Zoo - check
Saying duck and quack - check...YAY!
Signing more and milk beautifully - check...he's really perfected them
First blood draw - check...Friday the 24th with minimal tears
Mommy put up some cabinet locks - check...hates
Giving Mommy kisses without being asked to - check...Mommy loves this
Lots of hugs for Mommy this week - check
Turned 14 months old!!! - check

Loving our lives together - check check check!

14 Month Celebration with Mommy and Aunt Lindsey!

Time....

Where does the time go?!  A year ago, I was cherishing my last week home with my newborn baby boy.  I realized that those nine weeks I was on maternity leave was the only time I would ever get that big of a chunk of time with my little boy ever.  I would so love to stay home with Tate.  I actually hate having to work.  As exhausting as it is to take care of him, I love it.  I can't stand that I miss 10 hours of his life every single day.  And if I'm running late from work it's more!!!!!  That's 40 hours a week I miss in my precious boy's life.  Tonight when I picked him up...after running late ugh...he ran across the gym into my arms....the best feeling in the world!!  There is no place I would rather be than in the grubby little arms of my little boy.  I think that's why I love co-sleeping...yes we co-sleep!  I get some precious time with him albeit asleep.  As I watch him in his crib right now on our video monitor I just want to go snuggle with him...that sweet soft sleepy baby smell.  He'll probably wake up in about an hour wanting to climb into bed with me, and I'm totally fine with that!  I miss him on those nights he sleeps through in his crib!  And no, I don't purposefully wake him up;  if he doesn't wake I leave him be.  My sweet sweet son.


This is a precious video of my mommy dancing with Tate ?Sunday afternoon.  You can hear the faint tune of 'Imagine' by the Beatles.  Just imagine the love I have for both of them!!

My big boy

So, I finally bought Tate some 'real' shoes today.  He's been in Robeez and Pedipeds since he started walking at 9 1/2 months.  I just didn't see the point of real shoes.  And I have been soooo resistant to going to Stride Rite to get him some shoes, but at his new wonderful daycare he plays outside every morning, and he little soft sole shoes just don't seem to be cutting it. 

But I couldn't figure out why I didn't want to get the new shoes.  Then today when he had them on and was running around the store I realized that my baby is becoming a little boy.  And I was so sad.  He's wearing little tennis shoes with hard soles and shoelaces!!  He looks sooo big.  I'm so not ready for this.  He was happy as a clam. 

We spent the hot hot day (100 degrees no less) playing outside at Discovery Green then our neighborhood park.  Tate LOVES the slide, so here's a little video of him going down the slide in his new big boy shoes.  When he gets to the bottom it looks like he's clapping, but that is also how he signs more.  If I get it wrong and he doesn't want more...sheesh.  And if he wants more and I think he's just happy double sheesh.  Mealtime is fun at our house these days!!  

I have left my mind somewhere

Ok, so how long is this pregnancy brain going to last?  Part of it I know is that during the week I get so little time with Tate, that I really can't bring myself to care about anything else when I'm home with him.  So, if you want anything from me, need anything from me it's just not going to happen more than likely.  I make to-do lists, and will eventually get around to the list, but usually not before Sunday afternoon!!  Like a friend who is also a working SMC questioned in an email post 'does anyone really care that their dishes aren't done, the grass is overgrown, the toilets aren't clean, or any other number of things'  And the answer was a resounding no.  Well I couldn't completely answer no!  I do wash dishes every night...whether the dishwasher is emptied right away....well.  Actually it has to be because if it's not I just have a stack of new stuff to go in.  I pick up the house the night before our housekeeper comes and hell no I don't clean a toilet!!

But my memory going is not helping my scatterbrainness!!  I can't remember anything anymore; or is it that I've finally prioritized my life?  Really and truly what is more important than family and friends?  I still remember birthdays, I still buy cards for said birthdays (now do I have stamps for those cards...well maybe not so much), I still call to check on those I love, I still respond to emails and my baby and I are happy.  Nothing else matters to me.  Life is good. 

Wow!! New accomplishments and making memories!

My little boy amazes me every single day!!  Two weekends ago he was near our top stairs and I raced over to stop him (reference Handy Manny posts as to why the gates were not yet installed...they are now!!).  Anywho, Tate turned around and started going down on his belly...I never taught him how to do that, nor do I go down the stairs in that manner!!  Off he went!  Last Monday, he shimmied off my bed all of his own...again I never showed him how to do this!!  How do they figure this stuff out?  He has this little toy fire truck which has little buttons that make fire engine noises.  Friday he pushes the button to make the noise and looks at me and makes the WOO OOO WOO OOO noise (you know what I mean!).  It was so cute.  Those perfect little lips of his in that little 'O.'  I love it!


As the good mom I'm supposed to be I've gotten him off all bottles save the one right before bed since last Monday as well.  Our transition to whole milk was sooooo much smoother than our horrible use of formula to supplement my breast milk.  I just love everything about this little guy.


We've had such a great weekend so far.  We've been to the park twice...he LOVES going down the slide and went to an indoor play area yesterday with Grandmommy.  He had an absolute blast.  We met Aunt Lindsey for lunch on Friday...Tate does surprisingly well at restaurants thus far.  I'm really proud of him.  He sits in his highchair and just people watches.  We stayed with my parents last night and came home late this afternoon.


We had one of those moments this afternoon that I will cherish always, and I hope when Tate is older he will as well.  I was changing the sheets on my bed and put Tate on the bed once I had the fitted sheet on.  I then floated the flat sheet up over his head and let it settle onto his head over and over!  He loved it.  He laughed and laughed...I could listen to my little boy giggle and watch him smile all day long.  His joy just made my heart full.  But what had my heart overflowing was the memory of my mom doing this with me when I was a little girl.  Whenever she changed the sheets my sister and I would climb on the bed so she could float it over our heads.  We would giggle and laugh just like Tate.  As I climbed onto the bed to cuddle my beautiful baby I had tears down my cheeks as I had that memory.  I have the best mommy ever.

Handy Manny Take Two

Well, apparently I need to start packing up my house. 

Last week, my garbage disposal went on the blitz.  Sink backed up with water, and mushy baby food plus water is soooo not appealing.  Ugh.  I am proud to say I did know that if the garbage disposal wasn't working I couldn't run the dishwasher.  This is not a good thing either as I run our dishwasher every night.  Do anyone know how many parts there are to sippy cups and straw cups?  Well I do, because I take them apart every single night and put them in my dishwasher.  As we are just coming to the end of our transition from bottles to sippy cups, I go through alot of 'choices' for Tate as he tends to throw tantrums when he doesn't want the sippy or straw cup I've chosen.  And heaven forbid he sees a bottle out of the corner of his eye...all hell breaks loose.  My wonderful mommy came over and waited for the plumber for me, and thank goodness it was just a clog and I didn't need a new garbage disposal.

So, I'm loading and unloading the dishwasher with glee these days.  So thrilled my house is on the mend!!  Monday starts off well.  Tate's at daycare :(  I'm at work :( :(  So maybe not so well.  I pick Tate up from daycare and we ease our way into the house around the mostly closed door to keep the escape artist cat in.  (this is never pleasant, as I'm carrying a filthy one year old, both his bags, my purse and pump and trying to make my cat realize he really loves us and wants to stay with us).  Well it's even more unpleasant on Monday as I'm assaulted by a humid warmth emanating from WITHIN my house!!  We have no a/c on the second and third floor.  Tate is starving, Vinnie has every right to want to escape and I just want to lay down and be waited on by Sven.  Tate gets fed and bathed and we're off to Grandmommy and Granddaddy's for the night (this was a bad idea, as I'm sure it's obvious Tate won't sleep well after falling asleep in the car on the way over...).  But we were cool, and my mom made me dinner.  Tate stayed with Grandmommy on Tuesday, and Granddaddy came over and waited for the a/c man.  Now I'm freezing as I type this and my fingertips are blue tonight!!

Do I have the most amazing parents ever or what?!?!

BUT....GUESS WHAT?!!   I may not have to move after all!!  The wonderful Bryan and Mike came over and installed our 2 gates on Sunday!!!  Of course Vincent is not pleased with the new corrals...his mad cat hour is severely limited.

Even better my housekeeper comes tomorrow, so my house will at least smell clean and I'll have smooth floors until Tate's dinnertime and my toilets will be clean until Friday morning when Tate finds an assortment of objects to throw into them.

So, reprieve on the 'For Sale' sign for now.