52 Weeks: Week 21

Awesome weather for an awesome holiday weekend! My in-laws came by to finish up painting the shed/carport and it's looking great. We only have the back left to finish, but it's not like I can see it...

We also had some friends visit and a Friday night off with Papa! The top middle picture would be of Whit enjoying his first piece of sushi that night. We don't always do baby led weaning, but we definitely have to when we go out to eat with little man. He gets jealous if he sees other people eating. So now I have a place mat (thank you Citrus Lane!) in my purse just in case. We usually just pick off a little from our plates that isn't too salty or spicy and let him go to town. That night he got carrot slivers, sticky rice, edamame, and salmon. He wolfed down that salmon like a pro!

Top right is Ben being silly and my flight of beers from our night out with the guys. Who knew milk stout was so tasty? Bottom right is Foster and Whit enjoying some sunshine. And the pictures on the left are the best! My friend, Amanda, her husband and her baby, Pierce stopped by for a visit on their way through town. Whit and Pierce are only a few days apart, even though they were supposed to be a month apart. Not that you can tell now! We were all thrilled to see how happy the babies were to play with another baby. It was way too cute. I hope Amanda doesn't kick my butt for posting pictures of her son, but I had to share! For the record, I tried to post ones that didn't show much of his face so I didn't get in too much trouble.

We had such a good time, we're going to try to make it a monthly thing. Although, this month is looking shaky thanks to weddings and showers. But I guess we can make it up in August when it's both our boys' birthdays!

Dear Whit,

Thank you for falling asleep on me tonight. And allowing me to witness your little lion yawn and a smile in your sleep. Those things haven't happened in a while and I missed them. That part of the night always made the rough times of the day worth it.

52 Weeks: Week 20

It was strawberry time at our house! My mother in law got a giant amount of strawberries which had me scrambling for ways to use them. I made a few jars of strawberry jam with the intention of giving them out at work. Except it was way too tasty, so we *may* have kept them for ourselves. Turns out Whit also enjoys strawberries. He should like almost all fruits since that was one of the few things I could keep down during my pregnancy. Top right is Whit learning to fist bump while making our friend Anthony look super creepy. I didn't notice until just now that their fists block out his eyes!

And the bottom left is Ben attempting to clean out our gutters. Y'all.

I. hate. maple. trees.

We have a big one in our backyard and every spring our gutters sprout tiny ecosystems. And the tiny trees are everywhere, not just in the gutters! They're in every potted plant, the flowerbeds, the cracks in the sidewalk, our driveway. And the ones that don't sprout are still rotting in the driveway months from now. Not to mention the ones that get into the house that Whit finds and tries to eat. There just better not be a maple tree at our next house!

Happy Nine Months!

(I'm featuring two pictures this month since I'm not in love with any one in particular. Someone is getting way too mobile for these!)

At nine months, Whit...

...is apparently only 21 lbs. And 28.5" tall. Someone has decided to slow down a bit, but the doctor thinks it could be since someone has become such a speed demon at crawling. (That same someone is trying desperately to give up solids, but that could have just been the incoming tooth talking.) 

...is still wearing size 4 Swaddlers, though we're about to try the Cruisers. The Swaddlers just aren't fitting right, even though he's not yet in the weight range for the ones he's wearing. It's just kinda weird. Still in 12 month shirts and 9-12 month pants in most brands. I'm just glad we've graduated to wearing tee shirts now!

...has stood up on his own a few times the past two days. I think tonight is the first time he's realized when he's doing it. 

...LOVES to jump... with Mama's help, of course. Though last night he was bouncing while holding on to me and I *think* his feet might have left the ground for a second! (PS- if you're kid likes bouncing, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll like a Johnny Jump-Up. Bought him one tonight and he cried the entire time he was in it.)

...has stopped saying words in favor of his pterodactyl screech again. Except the word "hey". He says that A LOT. Even told a random lady "hey" last night on our walk.

...has settled on a sleeping position. Ben calls it "the race car". He sleeps on his belly with his arms and legs tucked underneath him with his butt in the air. It's the cutest damn thing!

...had one tiny episode of separation anxiety a couple of weeks ago. I keep reading in apps and books that it's coming, but so far so good. ::fingers crossed::

...has become a little slow to warm up to strangers. I brought Whit by work one day and he just stared at my co-workers. But he'll let them hold him, he just takes a little while before he'll smile at anyone. Unless you're the weird bagger at Publix. Whit loves that dude!

...can crawl up stairs. And open drawers. Life is starting to get dangerous! 

...may have tried a few weird things that he's not supposed to. Like he may have tried cheese, some cookie, Asian pork, and salmon.

...got the green light for proteins. The jury is still out about if he likes eating proteins.

...loves having his picture made. We've had a couple of meltdowns the past week. And when he does this I pull out my camera or phone and start taking pictures. So Whit will look confused, smile and bam, the red face is gone. And honestly? I kind of like my pictures of his meltdowns, he still looks cute.

...is no longer a fan of riding in the car. Well, apparently just my car. And he's not always a fan of being in the stroller anymore. A couple of night walks have ended with Ben walking home with Whit in his arms.

...has eight teeth now!

...you know when you move your finger up and down on your lips it can make a funny sound? Does that even have a name? Anyway, Whit almost has the hang of it. With us doing it to him and him doing it to us. And it cracks him up! One night he sat in my lap and we were doing it to each other giggling. Oh how I wish I had video of that night.

F*%& the "Mommy Wars"

I don't know if this has already made the rounds of Facebook, but I wanted to share it in case someone hasn't seen it.

Courtesy of Jill Smith:

To the mom who's breastfeeding: Way to go! It really is an amazing gift to give your baby, for any amount of time that you can manage! You're a good mom. 

To the mom who's formula feeding: Isn't science amazing? To think there was a time when a baby with a mother who couldn't produce enough would suffer, but now? Better living through chemistry! You're a good mom.

To the cloth diapering mom: Fluffy bums are the cutest, and so friendly on the bank account. You're a good mom.

To the disposable diapering mom: Damn those things hold a lot, and it's excellent to not worry about leakage and laundry! You're a good mom.

To the mom who stays home: I can imagine it isn't easy doing what you do, but to spend those precious years with your babies must be amazing. You're a good mom.

To the mom who works: It's wonderful that you're sticking to your career, you're a positive role model for your children in so many ways, it's fantastic. You're a good mom.

To the mom who had to feed her kids from the drive thru all week because you're too worn out to cook or go grocery shopping: You're feeding your kids, and hey, I bet they aren't complaining! Sometimes sanity can indeed be found in a red box with a big yellow M on it. You're a good mom.

To the mom who gave her kids a homecooked breakfast lunch and dinner for the past week: Excellent! Good nutrition is important, and they're learning to enjoy healthy foods at an early age, a boon for the rest of their lives. You're a good mom.

To the mom with the kids who are sitting quietly and using their manners in the fancy restaurant: Kudos, it takes a lot to maintain order with children in a place where they can't run around. You're a good mom.

To the mom with the toddler having a meltdown in the cereal aisle: they always seem to pick the most embarrassing places to lose their minds don't they? We've all been through it. You're a good mom.

To the moms who judge other moms for ANY of the above? Glass houses, friend. Glass houses.

52 Weeks: Week 19

I can finally make a proper shampoo-mohawk of Whit's hair! And I guess to celebrate Whit picked up a few new tricks this past week: climbing up the stairs (with a spotter, of course), unrolling the toilet paper, and climbing in the dishwasher. That last one has really made doing the dishes during the day impossible. (Whoa, alliteration, much?) The bottom two on the right are just a freebies that made me smile: Whit's smile when he wakes up and an invitation to my cousin's graduation. When he brother met Whit for the first time he exclaimed, "That baby's legit!". Honestly, one of the funniest things I've ever heard. And quite the compliment!

52 Weeks: Week 18

This past week had a little more Papa time than normal, which I was stoked about. And it was pretty busy, which was nice for a change. The top left is Whit's first Geocache find! If you don't know what geocaching is, and you like the outdoors or treasure hunts or awesome free things to do, you should check it out! I've been doing it for years and I just love the idea that there's all these hidden caches everywhere. You probably pass a couple on your way to work every day.

The top middle picture is Whit clapping Ben's hand for him, it tickled Ben pink. The door is from a local coffee shop where Whit and I met up with a mommies group. It was nice meeting other moms in the area, even if there was only one other baby there. But it was also a little stressful having that many moms, kids, and coffee in one little area. I can't wait to go to more of these meetups, if only they happened when I wasn't working! The bottom left is just before Whit fell asleep in my arms from me scratching his head. I adore all the hair he has.

Speaking of hair, that would be my new hair cut... and a terrible picture of me, I'm so not photogenic. I finally bit the bullet and got bangs and I love them. Usually I wear them to the side like that, but sometimes I rock them hipster style and they actually look good. That last picture is of Whit at my work. Ben and I got eye exams Wednesday and of course brought Whit along to show off. And I promise I hope Whit gets Ben's perfect vision, but kids glasses are sooooo cute. I die every time I have to help moms pick out glasses.

52 Weeks: Week 17

This past week gave us some nice weather, lots of speedy crawling and a visit from some grandparents! Top left would be Whit's latest weirdness. I can't decide if he's giving kisses to the appliances or he's trying to eat them, but the dishwasher, washer and dryer all get these slobbery fish-mouth action now. Next pic over is Ben playing a game of beeminton (badminton + carpenter bees = beeminton). It's been the only efficient, non-toxic way I've found to get rid of them!

Bottom left is Ben's dad and step-mom getting as much Whit time as they could muster. Ben's dad does landscaping work and is driving through town every couple of months on his way to his suppliers, so it's nice getting to see them so often.

Yup, that says "Fried Chicken Day!"... we do live in the South. And bottom right is our cat, Ceti, enjoying a little outside time. If you knew our cat, you'd be nervous about that last sentence. Every time we let him out for more than two minutes he tries to go feral. Last time he accidentally got out on my watch, Ben had to come home from work to get him back in the house. The noise that cat made... he sounded like a panther screaming!