Playing Catch-Up

It's been a while since I've posted so now I'm playing catch-up...sorry! We've been busy and Steven's been teething (i.e. fussy, clingy, and not taking long naps); I've decided that I don't like Steven getting teeth, but he'll probably look cute with top ones. I can't tell how many he's getting but the whole front part of his top gums have red indention's where I hope teeth are about to pop through. All these pics are from last week.

Hilary and Reese came out to visit us and Ashley & Jackson last Wednesday. We went to the playground because the weather was beautiful and then went back to Ashley and Jackson's for some very delicious chicken salad that Ashley made. We were laughing about how funny we must look walking down to the park all in a line. Who says that suburban moms are all alike...just look at this first picture...our jogging strollers are totally different! Mammaw comes over once a week to play with Steven so that I can get out to run errands and have some alone time. It is lifesaver for me and Steven loves time with his Mammaw! We were trying to get a picture with Mammaw and her Mother's Day corsage but Steven was too interested in the corsage to look at the camera. He also promptly tore the orchid out of the ribbon- thankfully we took these a few days after Mother's Day and she had already worn it to church.
Jackson and his mom, Ashley, live across the street; their pic has been up before (and above in this post). Steven and Jackson really like playing together now. Steven watches every move Jackson makes- I am convinced that this is why he worked so hard to crawl and now wants to walk. He wants to be able to keep up with Jackson (he's 13 months). Jackson likes to pat Steven's hair and stick his fingers in Steven's mouth. We play together a lot and are at the playground again. [Will someone please tell Charlton that this hat is cute for a boy. He says it looks like a bonnet; I told him it has to have a strap or Steven won't leave it on and I like that it comes down further because it shades his eyes. For the record, I did not purposefully match his hat and shirt that day- it was a coincidence, I promise. Steven wears this hat every time we go to the park- Charlton doesn't like that. =) ]

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day with Steven was very nice. Charlton and I celebrated last year since I was a mom then too, but you could say that this year motherhood is more of a reality! We had a quiet Mother's Day weekend at home and took these pictures in our dining room before church on Sunday.

We celebrated with my mom last weekend when Lindsay and Kyle were in town, and we went to dinner with the Wimberlys last night.

Not to change the subject but....everyone's been commenting on how light Steven's hair has gotten, but I didn't realize until I looked at these pictures that his is about the color of mine now . I had very dark, crazy hair when I was a baby like he did so I guess there is no surprise that he has my hair.

Motherhood Poll

With Mother's Day this weekend, I thought that it would be fun to post a motherhood poll that a friend sent me months ago. It's one of those forwards that you get; I always love reading what everyone else writes but rarely do it myself.

MOTHERHOOD POLL
1) age of child: 8 months
2) your age at birth: 26
3) years married when 1st born: 6
4) ultimate desired number of kids: 3, max 4 (we’ll have to reevaluate after every kid because this is harder than I thought!)
5) how long was your labor: 16 hours
6) labor: easy, hard, soso: epidurals are a blessing from the Lord so it was not as bad as I expected but they do call it "labor" for a reason
7) most shocking thing about motherhood: how hard it is and how most women don’t talk about it
8) favorite part of motherhood: watching Steven grow and playing a major role in that, the three of us spending time together, laughing and playing, taking pictures of milestones and happy times
9) least favorite part of motherhood: lack of sleep, not getting a break, clipping Steven’s fingernails and sucking out his nose, Steven being sick
10) how are you finding yourself like your mom: enjoying staying at home and focusing on Steven
11) how are you different from your mom: I don’t think I’m as sweet; I definitely have more attitude (that’s where Steven gets it) =)
12) your short term mommy goals: that I would learn how to discipline and react to Steven constantly changing behavior (this is a long-term goal too)
13) your long term mommy goals: to be a Godly mother who looks for wisdom in the Bible and not in parenting books; to diligently hold my child(ren) up in prayer; that I wouldn’t have or push my own agenda on my child(ren) but be supportive of who or whatever it is they are and God wants them to be in life.
14) scariest mommy moment so far: 1)Steven choking on a cracker. 2)In the first 6 weeks after S was born, I would wake up in the middle of the night suddenly and panic because I had dreamed that I had put him in the bed with us and he was tangled in all the bedsheets or I had rolled over on him. Thankfully after a few seconds of sheer terror I would walk over and see him peacefully and safely sleeping in the pack and play bassinet. I never put him in bed with us for that reason- I'm a very deep and fitful sleeper. Sleep deprivation was rough especially for me- I like my sleep and don't function very well without it.
15) best part of a typical day: playing with Steven and making him laugh, helping him learn and discover new things, S getting excited when C gets home
16) worst part of a typical day: 3:30 to 6 is hard, he won’t sleep again until he goes to bed so is cranky sometimes and it’s hard to find new things to do that we haven’t already done that day. Thank goodness for friends and the playground (and baths- always a good distraction and necessary now that he’s so active)!

Extras:
Favorite grocery store: HEB, but I frequent Kroger a lot too because it’s closer. I’m also a big fan of Wal-Mart and can’t wait until they finish our new one across the highway because it will take me 5 min door to door.
Favorite techie things: Amazon.com is a lifesaver during Christmas time and for anything you need during the year. We just signed up to Blockbuster Online since we don’t get to go to many movies anymore- a big change for us. It lets us watch all the movies we want to see without having to go to the nearest store (12 min), and it only takes two days to get them in the mail after they receive our last one, so we always have something to watch that we picked out (ingenious and a little dangerous). Also, you can go into the store if you have a problem with the DVD and they switch it for you so you don’t have to wait for it in the mail to see how your movie ends (brilliant).
Favorite places to shop: Ann Taylor Loft; Macy’s; Target; Bed, Bath & Beyond (kitchen/cooking stuff); Kohl’s (home dept); Hobby Lobby
Forgotten Confession #4 (from last post): Steven was not teething a couple of weeks ago. He just wanted to find out what goes on at 3:00 am and if he is missing out on anything. If I can't figure out why he's acting strange, I usually think he's teething.

Confessions of an 8 Month Old's Mom

Steven is 8 months old today. He has changed so much in the last few weeks. It's not just that he is getting physically bigger but he really is getting more mature (I feel funny saying that about an 8 month old). He's very expressive and uses his hands while he talks- I wonder where he's seen that. He used to enjoy nursing as "mommy time" and gaze adoringly into my face, but now he wants to get down on the floor as soon as he's done. Hmmm...maybe he'll wean himself- that would be nice because when that time comes I'm expecting a real battle. He is constantly on the move. It's exhausting because he's getting fast and he always finds stuff to get into. Like yesterday when he crawled to the back door, got grease on his hands from the hinges and then tried to pull up on the wall beside him. I was watching the whole time and trying to get there but it took about 5 sec. to happen. One more thing to add to the house to-do list: paint over greasy mini hand prints. He loves crawling but now that he has that under his belt, he is working on walking. He likes to try to walk around the ottoman or his exersaucer and is not very interested in his toys anymore. He's becoming pretty good at pulling himself up and was standing in his crib (that has already been lower once) when I went to get him from a nap yesterday.

Also, I have a few confessions:

1) Steven has not had a haircut. His hair just looks differently because he's getting some wave on the top and it's getting long. It falls to the front now and gives him kind of that bowl haircut. I swear that yesterday his hair looked just like Jim's on The Office. We are going to try to go a few more weeks before getting him another haircut.
2) Everyone keeps commenting on Steven's great tan. While it's true that he does have more color than me and his Mimi does have a little Native American blood in her family, we do not think that his coloring is permanent. I had heard that some babies can turn a little orange if they eat a lot of orangy vegetables, but for some reason I didn't think that this could ever happen to my child. I mean, I rotate his foods to make sure that he's getting a balanced diet, but my delusion was shattered last week when a nurse at the ped.'s office asked me if he ate a lot of carrots and sweet potatoes. So there you go! The doctor said that some babies can't absorb all the keratin from the veggies and so the extra shows up in their skin. He said that it just means he's very healthy. Ah ha...one point for neurotic mommies.

3) Steven's cool onesies (Chick Magnet and This Is How I Roll) are from Aunt Jenn. She made them especially for Steven because, well, our family has a lot of attitude and Steven is showing signs that he is no exception.

Mom with Steven

Just wanted to post these pics that Charlton took of Steven and I on Saturday before we walked over to a friend's birthday party. Steven seems so old now that he is crawling and going to birthday parties. The three of us are tired today; we think that Steven's working on some more teeth. He's been waking a couple of times during the night for the last two nights- Charlton and I hope they come in soon. It's funny how quickly you get accustomed to eight hours of consecutive sleep again.

Crawling!

That's right...Steven crawled this morning for the first time. It has been a slow, hard, frustrating process for him; he's been working on it for over a month, but slow and steady wins the race, right?! Charlton and I have been trying to help him move his knees forward- that was the last piece of the puzzle. This morning we were playing on the floor; I was talking to him and he was staring down an out-of-reach toy he wanted, when he slowly crawled about a foot to it. It took me a minute because there was no celebration on his end, but then I just went crazy and Steven grinned sheepishly like, "Mom, you don't have to get SO excited"; but I knew he was proud of himself. I wasn't anxious for him to crawl since I know that this will change everything- no more sitting him with his toys in the middle of the floor and knowing that he's safe. Although, he's been so frustrated that he can't go anywhere or play with the older boys at bible study and playgroups, that I'm happy for his new accomplishment. Oh, and please excuse our bedhead. =)

He understands so much more than you would think. He decided that he would crawl over to an end table and chew on it- I guess with his new freedom he decided he could do whatever he wanted. I was right there (he's bold, huh?) so I told him "no" and lightly pushed his mouth off the table so he would understand. He grinned, then got serious when I didn't smile (that is SO hard), and I thought I saw a flicker of understanding shadow his cute little face. He didn't try it again so I told him that he was a good boy and he got a kiss. I doubt that this is the way it will go every time, but a mom can dream, can't she? =)

Friends

A picture with our friends the Rublis who live across the street (and we go to the same church-crazy, right?). Jackson was baptized on Sunday- congrats to the three of you! We're are so glad that we are neighbors and friends.

Crackers

Here's the promised picture post (say that three times fast). Steven started eating crackers this week which I love because giving him a cracker instantly fixes any situation and holds his attention indefinitely. The last two weeks he's had a weird thing with his highchair- he would scream like he's in pain whenever I put him in it. I think he just wants me to hold him while I feed him (which I have resorted to a few desperate times) but I absolutely refuse to do anymore because I know it's a bad habit for us to get into.

It's that darn separation anxiety/mommy fascination that is he has right now. And it's not that he wasn't hungry because I would offer him a bit out of the highchair and he wanted it. So, last week I put him in the highchair and gave him a cracker before the wailing got too loud...problem solved. Now, he's fine with the highchair even without a cracker and just eats he's food like he use to. Interesting, huh? He does make a mess with it, though, which is pretty funny. My dustbuster is getting a lot of use.

Sometimes a piece even gets lost between his toes.

Harry Potter Predictions

Many of you will not be interested in this post because you're not into Harry Potter. Feel free to skip it knowing that I will soon post more pictures of Steven. I have finished reading through all the Harry Potter books for the second time and can now make my predictions. Charlton has already posted his predictions on his blog.

• Hogwarts will be closed or very few students will return in book 7. It will not be a fully functioning school as it has been in the last 6 books.
• The Order of the Phoenix will set up headquarters at Hogwarts. They need a new place since Sirius' house was left to Bellatrix through the family's will (even though Sirius left it to Harry); Rowling has said in almost every book that Hogwarts is the safest place for Voldemort's enemies. Also in book 6, we hear of how Voldemort wants to be in Hogwarts not to teach but to find out more about its mysterious magic and protective powers. I think this will play a large role in book 7, and it makes sense for the "good guys" to be there.
• Dumbledore is dead and will remain so. However, he will still play a major role in Book 7 by conversing with the Order and Harry through his portrait in the headmistress's office.
• Harry will continue to hunt the Horcruxes and finally Voldemort. Hogwarts will also be his headquarters to be able to discuss info with Dumbledore and members of the Order.
• Snape is a good guy. I can't elaborate here because I just can't wrap my mind around it...but he is.
• Harry and Ginny will survive and end up together, as will Ron and Hermoine.
• Neville will be one of the main characters to die--thus living up to his parents' sacrifice in their attempt to kill Voldemort during the First War. One of the Weasleys will also die as well as many others- it is a war after all.
• Harry will succeed in destroying all the Horcruxes and killing Voldemort.
• By killing Voldemort, Harry will undo an ancient form of magic that will bring back to life those who Voldemort killed to separate his soul. This will bring Harry's parents back to life.

Charlton's blog

Charlton started his own blog. He will have fewer pictures but many more thought-provoking posts. So it won't be nearly as entertaining as mine but you can still check it out! =)

Happy Easter!

What strange Easter weather we are having- it was in the 30's yesterday morning!! Thankfully, Steven had a white long-sleeve onesie to wear under his shirt so he could still wear his Easter outfit. He would have been very upset if he couldn't wear it (ok, mommy would have been upset, especially after having to hem his pants). =)

We had a quiet Easter at home recovering from our trip. We took pictures (inside) of Steven with his Easter basket- no candy this year but he got a couple of small toys and Baby Enstein CDs. He wasn't as interested in the plastic Easter eggs as I thought he would be; maybe it's because he knew they were empty!

Texas Vacation

We returned from our first family vacation yesterday. We decided to take a trip to San Antonio since we hadn't been in years. It was far enough that we felt like we were getting away, but not too far in case Steven wouldn't sleep in the car or in the hotel. He did very well (in both), though, so those three hours in the car went by pretty quickly. Although, Steven was very happy to get out of his car seat when we got to the hotel. We stayed for 3 nights and this is what we did.

Playing after a "long" drive Steven's a real Texan now...he's been to the Alamo.

We spent a lot of time walking on the Riverwalk.

Steven got his first taste of ice cream: Haagen Dazs Vanilla (Daddy's favorite). He initially wanted some, as you can see in the first picture, but I guess was disappointed (too cold, maybe?) by the look on his face. We decided that was a good thing and that he'll like it soon enough. Plus, that leaves more for us.

We visited San Antonio's Botanical Gardens.

Steven 's souvenir from our trip is his first cowboy hat. There's a new sheriff in town! We had a great time!