The way to a little boy's heart

Xander has always been a very happy boy when we go out. He's also been more than happy to take off exploring and saying 'Hi!' to everyone. He's still like that while we're in the store and he's sitting in a cart. But we've definitely turned a corner when it comes to exploring.

Chris and I noticed it a couple of weeks ago when we went to a party in the evening. It was 7:30, when we usually start getting Xander ready for bed. So when Xander started acting shy and hugging our legs, we chalked it up to being tired.

Yesterday I was able to take Xander to the library for Baby Book Time. And once again he was shy! Oh, he wasn't afraid. He smiled up a storm. But he would stray about 5 steps away and then would turn and come barreling back to me to either hug my legs and peek out or curl up in my lap and look around. It was actually very cute. It's just totally different from when I was there a month ago and Xander was everywhere.

Xander did pull himself away from me for one thing - the girl next to us was eating pretzel Goldfish. He looked at her and her mother prompted her to share. And then Xander would start saying "mo" at increasingly loud levels to get more. I fed him before we went! Fortunately the little girl was very nice about sharing. But when she went to play, Xander tried to get her Goldfish container. Then he found a Cheerios container another mother left sitting out.

So I did end up chasing Xander around at the end, trying to keep him out of other people's food.

recent photos

Xander's first spaghetti dinner...which was immediately followed by bath time!




We had some fun in the snow last weekend before Aunt Ikkin's housewarming party.





Right now I'm trying to teach him to get my slippers out of the closet when I come home. He's almost got it. Today he grabbed my running shoes...maybe next time.

Previously on this blog...

I did write two little blog entries previous to announcing Enchilada and I just posted them. I wasn't sure how to go about it, so I just left them under the date they were written and I'll link them here.

Enter Enchilada

Hello Morning Sickness

I have had a rough time getting over the stomach bug that the family has had. I was sick Thursday afternoon and spent Friday trying to recover. It took until Sunday to finally get enough fluids in me that I wasn't constantly feeling weak. But I've had a swollen throat since Thursday and combining that with the pregnancy gag reflex, most meals aren't sitting too well. I'm not getting sick but I'm constantly feeling like I have something in my throat. Yuck.

Introducing Enchilada!

Number 2 is due this 4th of July. We are referring to this baby as Enchilada!

Xander shares too much

On Wednesday I noticed that Xander was acting a little funny. It looked like he'd spit up in bed, but I didn't think too much on it. He was so tired he actually fell back asleep less than two hours after he woke up. I had to wake him up to get him fed and to the sitter's house on time. I explained to the sitter that he was acting a little off and headed off to work.

When I picked him up, the sitter agreed he was a little lethargic and also noticed he was passing a lot of gas.

Ah, well, that's ok because my brother and his girlfriend decided to visit. We had pizza and sat around and chatted. Meanwhile, Xander added to the atmosphere by passing a lot of smelly gas and then having a blow out so bad there was a clothes change involved. After they left, I put him down for a late nap.

Then my friend and her boyfriend come by to babysit in the late afternoon and evening. When X woke up from his nap, there was more spit up in the crib. And before I left, there was another clothes changing.

As Chris and I were eating dinner I received a call that Xander had projectile vomited on my friend while he was eating his dinner. And my friend had to also change his clothes twice and just asked if it were ok to put Xander in his pajamas. Heck, if you're still there and not begging me to get home to my sick kid, you can dress him in whatever you'd like!

When I arrived home, it was Xander's regular bedtime of 8 but he was way overdue for sleep. So I rocked him for about a minute and put him to bed. The next morning I found him still asleep in the corner of the crib with a puddle of vomit in the center. Yeah. There was a lot of laundry to do on Thursday. Fortunately, I was able to do it all in the morning.

What did all of this add up to? The stomach flu that is going around the area. How did he get it? Probably while we were at the doctor's office on Monday. How do I know it was the stomach bug? Because I got it Thursday afternoon. Chris got it Thursday night. My brother got it Thursday night. My friend and her boyfriend also got it Thursday night. Fortunately, my brother's girlfriend and the sitter's household have all taken a big skip.

So Friday was really rough with both Chris and I weak and tired. I was hoping my brother would come help out and then found out he was also sick. Luckily, my sitter is my neighbor and is way too nice and took Xander for four hours so Chris and I could nap without Xander (who was back to his usual bouncing self) crawling all over us or whining to be put up on the couch.

I'm sure it's the first of many

With walking comes falling down. A lot. Xander has had many bruises the past few weeks. So yesterday when I set him down and he took one step and tumbled over, I didn't freak out. He bumped his head on the glider footstool and cried. So I sat down and cuddled him and told him it'll be ok.

Then I pulled him back to look where he bumped his head to find a nice little gash over his right eye, just above his eyebrow. Blood was slowly welling up. And my heart dropped into my stomach. I cleaned it off and a little more blood seeped out. Of course Xander calmed down and became wiggly while I'm trying to get a good look at his head.

This all happened five minutes before I would walked Xander to the sitter's and headed to work. So I'm silently freaking out that he needs stitches and what do I do about school? Augh! But it wasn't bleeding badly and he was acting normal, so I stuck a band-aid on and explained what happened to the sitter.

When I arrived home a couple of hours later, Xander was tired and had gone through a couple of band-aids. So it wasn't a bad gash, but it wasn't closing up due to where it was. So I called and made an appointment with the doctor.

Doc decided to use medical glue on the gash. There is now a bright shiny spot over the gash, but at least it isn't bleeding. And we also had to check Xander during the night to make sure he didn't have a concussion. I was sure he didn't but that is not something you want to be wrong about.

So today I am feeling pretty drained both mentally and physically.

haircut #2

Xander insisted on having a professional stylist called in for his second haircut, recalling the embarrassing friar-like look he ended up being stuck with this past summer. Being the loving parents that we are, we obliged him and called in the *world renowned* stylist Grandpa.



The results were much more satisfactory, even though he had to deal with the paparazzi and their camera phones.

real food

Enough with that jar food! It's time for some real eats!


Yes, that's Ainsley jumping over the baby gate in the background.

Hello morning sickness

Well, this pregnancy will be a little bit of a trial.

The sickness has kicked my butt the past two weekends. Mostly it is nausea, especially when I look at food. It made grocery shopping not fun. This past weekend I made my friend pull over (in the dark, on a curvy road, in the rain) because I had to get sick. That was after barely eating all day. Fortunately, I've been fine during the week.

And the emotional roller coaster is so much worse and hitting me earlier than last time. I turned on the news to find out a news caster had died and tears just started rolling. A few other things have set off the waterworks too.

I can't seem to stop yawning either. Even though I have gotten enough sleep and I don't feel too tired, I just seem to yawn all day.

Maybe I'm just getting it out of the way now so the end of the pregnancy will be easier.

The little faker

Today was another trip to the doctor. Xander has had a cold for almost two weeks. He's pretty happy and hasn't had trouble sleeping or eating, so I wasn't worried. But the babysitter took her daughter in and was told to get on antibiotics. My doctor did give me a prescription, but said to give it a couple more days.

In other news, he's walking a lot. Everywhere.

And Xander has finally figured out how to put toys back together. For instance, stacking rings on a post. He is fantastic at dumping it over, no problem there. Now Xander will put them on, dump them off, put them on, dump them off, put two on, take one off, put a different one on. It's great for keeping him entertained.

These socks were made for walking

May the Force be with you

This year for Halloween I made Xander a Yoda costume. It wasn't all that fancy, but people knew who he was. It was just a robe made of broadcloth with a belt and ears on a headband. I bought him a light saber (I don't know how we've gone so long without one).

Xander didn't do a good job posing for me, but here are some shots.



Ok, this last shot is a good one of the ears, but I took away the light saber and Xander started breaking down. He throws a full-on screaming, tears, throw-himself-on-the-floor-and-thrash temper tantrum when someone takes away his light saber. If that is what he throws a tantrum about, then we're doing something right.

Enter Enchilada

Chris arrived home from a business trip last Saturday (October 25) and I took a test. I received two pink lines without even studying.

We smiled and laughed. And since Chris had surprised me by hiring a babysitter and taking me out to eat at a nice restaurant. I chose to go to Eddie Merlot's which turned out to be even fancier than I expected. But I ordered fillet mignon and it was fabulous. And we discussed Xander's little sibling Enchilada.

Of course we discussed names (which, like last time, will remain confidential). We discussed how to rearrange rooms. And that was that. Mostly, we enjoyed the evening out and even received free cheesecake!

Of course the next day we visit Ikkin and see her house and go out to eat. And Xander is mostly good but a little rowdy. Then we visit Ukie and go out to eat. And Xander is much more rowdy. By the end of the evening, Chris and I look at each other and say "We're going to have two of them?!?"

And since then I've had moments where I just sort of freeze up and think, "How are we going to handle this?" Like Xander waking up at 5:30 yelling. He'll wake up Enchilada. Then Enchilada will yell and keep Xander up. And I will never sleep again.

Anyway, we've told close family but are waiting until the first doctor's appointment to spill the news. So hopefully I'll hit the "save" button and not the "publish" button when I finish this post. Then we'll post it later.

Unfortunately, I seem to be making up for having a good first pregnancy. My appetite will suddenly drop or I'll feel nauseous. And I'm cleaning and organizing weird things (like fixing an old picture album). So we'll keep you posted on the pregnancy.

And so it begins...

It's been coming for a couple of months. There has been cruising along the furniture and pushing his toys around. There's been hanging on gates and leaning away from what he's hold just to drop and crawl. There has been clinging to your fingers and pulling /steering you around the house.

Yesterday Xander started walking.

He was pushing his truck and it ran into the couch. I said "Hey Xander, come here" and held out my arms. He took three steps to me with no signs of wavering or falling. I proceeded to pick him up and cuddle him and kiss him until he yelled.

Ikkin visited later and we spent a good 20 minutes of sitting on the floor playing "Walk to Mommy" and "Walk to Aunt Ikkin." And Xander did.

People kept saying "Just wait till he starts walking, you'll be so busy trying to keep up." It was hard enough trying to keep up when he crawled, so I'm a little nervous now.

Xander's Uncle's Wedding

Xander handled the excitement and bedlam of the wedding weekend fairly well for a one year old. He was watched most of Saturday by my youngest brother's girlfriend (thank you!) and various relatives since Chris and I were both part of the wedding party. Here's a few quick notes.

1) Hotel rooms are not babyproofed. I had to use a coffee table turned on it's side and the pack'n'play to block of the desk and it's cable and outlets. And I had to move the luggage rack and luggage in front of the mirror. That took care of the worst of it.

2) One year olds do not understand sleeping in. Xander was up at 6 am on Saturday. I took him in the bathroom and let him play in the bathtub while trying to let Chris sleep in a little. Fortunately, he was so tuckered out Sunday morning that we were up before him.


3) After the clock strikes 8, only Mom and Dad may hold the little guy. Everyone else causes crying. A great uncle and cousin will even cause cringing away. It got to be a running gag that my cousin would sneak up behind Xander and pluck him out of my arms to try to catch him off guard, but Xander would always start crying.


4) Guys of any age look good dressed up.

Recent Pictures

Breakfast of Champions

Practicing Walking

Getting Dressed Up

After Partying Hard

thank God for Cheerios

I took the day off of work on friday and was playing around the house. At some point during the day the wife was getting ready to feed Xander. I came in the back door from working in the yard and he's ready and waiting in his high chair. Amanda gives me a bit of a guilt trip to get me to feed him, so I grab the Cheerios, open up the box and pour some on his high chair tabletop. At which point I stop and proclaim "Look at me, I'm feeding Xander. I'm a great Dad!"

So that's my new trick now. If Xander is hungry I put him in his high chair with Cheerios in front of him and let him go to work.

At some point I hope he learns that when he feeds himself he doesn't have to stick his entire hand (along with the Cheerio) in his mouth when eats. He's just a bit gross. But hey, he's quiet and getting fed, I'm not going to complain.

And we just went to a wedding yesterday and Xander was all dressed up in a little tux outfit (minus the jacket) and looked real sharp. We'll put some pictures up eventually.

One Year Doctor Visit and a Couple of Firsts

Xander and I trekked to the doctor's office for his one year wellness visit. The nurses all remember him and like to comment on how happy he always is, even when he comes in sick. I'll say that's a good thing to be remembered for (as opposed the the kid who falls down throwing a temper tantrum)(and I hope I didn't just jinx myself).

His measurements seem to be running on the small side.
Weight: 20 lbs, 14 oz (15th percentile)
Height: 28.75 inches (30th percentile)
Head: 16.75 inches
Height vs. Weight is in the 50th percentile, so that's nice.

I felt the need to ask about toothpaste, since Xander definitely has a full dozen teeth. And I asked about getting vaccinations, since I'm always nervous about that. I was finally given a statistic to make me feel better: it's more likely to get sick from not getting a vaccination than to get autism. I know research has some contradicting information and I respect the decisions parents make about getting shots or not, but that little tidbit made me feel better. And Xander screamed during the shot but was smiling and waving at the nurse by the time I had him dressed.

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About a week before Xander turned one, Chris finally had enough and declared it hair cutting day for The Boy. And, ok, he had been referred to as a girl a few times in the weeks before that. But he has such cute curls. Chris declared we will do this ourselves. I cringed inside thinking about how Xander does not sit still. But we head outside and I hold him in my lap, attempting to pin his arms to his side.

Chris snips some curls from above one ear. Xander turns his head to see what's going on.
Chris snips some curls from above the other ear. Xander turns his head to the other direction to see what's going on.
Xander gets one arm free and feels his head to see what's going on.
Amanda re-pins arm.
Chris goes for a curl along the back of the neck. Some hair drifts down and Xander leans over to see it. Chris tries to hold his head down and just cuts across the back. Xander squeals.
And we quit. The back is too high and crooked and we laugh.
I carefully tuck away a curl of hair in Xander's scrapbook.

We totally took pictures, but I can't find where they are saved at the moment.

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We went to the county fair on the day after X's birthday. I love going to the fair :) You see a huge array of people, eat food that is oh-so-good and yet oh-so-bad, get sick on the rides and waste money on silly games. We only did the first two though.

I was frustrated because I wanted to find where all of the animals were. It was the first time we'd been to this fair and the first time really exploring the fairgrounds, and there were just too many barns. Most were empty. We did find some alpacas and goats. We pulled up the the goats and one stuck out it's head. Xander reached out and touched it's nose. He started saying "Guh!" (which is what he says when he sees a cat or, apparently, any animal) and waving his hands excitedly. If only we'd found the horses.

Chris and I splurged on matching, airbrushed tatoos. We had an 'X' put on the inside of our right wrists. We tried to convince people that they were real and we had gotten them to celebrate Xander's first birthday. But people didn't believe us. I guess we're just not crazy enough to get tatoos.

birthday party!

BIRTHDAY BOY!


We had ourselves a little birthday party yesterday, complete with friends, family and a giant monkey cake.


And now Xander has a boatload of new toys to play with and clothes for his momma to dress him in.

Birthday Boy!

Xander turned One Year Old yesterday! Chris was away at work, but called me in the morning to ask if I was crying yet. I said no, but I was reminiscing about how I was stuck in the bathroom the morning of X's birth.

We didn't do a whole lot to celebrate as the big celebration is coming up this weekend. I did randomly sang "Happy Birthday" to Xander. After dinner we took a bike ride to get ice cream. But our ice cream place was closed due to the fair. So we made it into an extra long ride to find ice cream during which Xander needed a diaper change but we didn't think to bring the diaper bag. Hey, it was supposed to be a short ride!

I feel like I should be writing some inspiring and touching letter to Xander about how he's changed our lives and how much we love him. But I think the blog in general does that. And anyone who knows us can see that.

So here are a couple of new things Xander has learned:

Clapping - he started out banging two toys together but it has progressed to saying 'Clap' and he puts his hands together a few times while grinning. Particularly fun is if he holds a finger on each of your hands because he'll clap your hands together.

Almost walking - he loves to push his Retro Rocket around. He's not too comfortable sitting on it just yet. But he will get one hand on the handle and one on the back fin and push it around. But it's really annoying when he gets it stuck and he starts screaming.

Stairs - Xander has been going up the stairs ok (with close parental supervision). We had to teach him how to go down a couple of times, but now he's pretty much got it. If we're upstairs and he sees the gate 0pen, he will rush over to the stairs. Then he'll stop and, keeping his hands in place, scoot his butt and legs around until he hits the edge. Then he'll tentatively stretch his foot down to the next step. After that, it's pretty much one leg back at a time. And lots of excited panting.

Splashing - he's ok with baths, but gets tired of them pretty quickly. Now he understands when I say 'Splash' and he gets water everywhere. He also does this thing where he tries to lay flat and put his face in the water. It freaks me out.

Things we are working on include, but are not limited to: hugs, kisses, high fives, peek-a-boo (which he can do with a blanket but not with his hands yet) and pointing.

retro rocket

Xander got an early birthday present. It is a Radio Flyer Retro Rocket. It's this little cylindrical piece of plastic shaped like a rocket that has wheels and lights and sounds. He could sit on it while I pushed him, but he didn't understand the concept of pushing with his feet. Maybe in another month or so.

Oh, and standing up is getting to be lots of fun. He's able to stand up now unassisted for 10+ seconds. It's pretty funny to watch....he gets so excited he starts flapping his arms and falls down, or he sees something he wants to get to and falls gracefully forward to his knees and starts crawling.

We may be Whooped

I started tutoring again!

"Hold up," you say, "this belongs on your other blog, Hugs."

Wait for it.

I started tutoring again! A family that we are friends with has three kids and the oldest is their daughter in 7th grade. I'm actually tutoring her to challenge her with new things and hopefully get her into 8th grade Algebra next year.

So I met with her Friday after school while her younger sister and mother played with Xander.

Sunday I received a call that the oldest daughter has been diagnosed with whooping cough despite receiving a vaccination last year. So they were calling classmates, friends, sportsmates and pretty much anyone she has been in contact with the past week (such as us). Oh, and since her sister (who was holding Xander while we tutored) and brother could be carriers they had to do the same thing for those kids too.

Monday I woke up and realized that I should probably let the few people we saw on Saturday know, so I was also making a few phone calls. Then Xander developed a runny nose and the cough he'd had for the past month (probably due to more molars and drool) suddenly kicked up a notch. He had received the vaccination, but that obviously is not always effective.

And there was the added fun of Xander puking three times. Which was likely due to eating something in the backyard when we weren't looking. Yeah, I dug something gross out of his mouth, so I'm pretty sure that puking wasn't related to possible whooping.

Sigh.

So today I had to call off school (second week, yikes that doesn't look good) and took Xander in to the doctor. Doctor says it looks like a cold but keep an eye on it. I kind of wish I was pushier and demanded a test, because the timing of this 'cold' is too coincidental. But he said the test wouldn't be conclusive at this point anyway. His lungs sound clear and no 'whoop'ing noise when Xander coughs.

The part that I am finding the a hard time dealing with is that the babysitter has a two year old daughter who is not vaccinated. I have no problem that she isn't vaccinated. And the babysitter said if Xander has a cold, no problem. But if this turns into whooping cough and it gets passed onto her daughter too, I am going to feel awful.

The Boy Without Fear

Xander's main purpose in moving seems to be to move up. He's happiest when we put him on the bed or couch to roam around. He loves the stairs. Unfortunately, he doesn't understand gravity. Or the need to have something under his butt when he tries to sit.

So here are a couple of bins of my school supplies. He climbed right up and had a ball (while I eyeballed the butt-to-floor falling distance).

Muah-ah-ah-ah-ah!

1 tooth!
2 teeth!
3 teeth!
4 teeth!
5 teeth!
6 teeth!
7 teeth!
8 teeth!
9 teeth!
10!
10 teeth!

Yesterday, Xander and I made our weekly Target trip. This week he discovered that it's more fun to face forward in the cart than to sit quietly facing Mom. And what's more fun than that? Standing up while facing forward!

Well, he was so cute and excited about this that I undid the safety belt and walked around pushing the cart with one hand and holding onto his pants with the other. Xander stood in the seat with his hands on the back of the cart seat and just bounced away with a huge grin.

Of course when I actually needed both hands and tried to get him sitting and buckled, he threw a high pitched fit. And still managed to turn around (despite tightening the safety belt). And continued the fit when he couldn't stand up. Suddenly, grocery trips with him aren't looking quite as fun.

Do the Wave

Pray that you don't run into me with Xander. Because I will repeatedly make him wave at you. Oh, sometimes I have to help him get started. But then he smiles and flaps his arm away. And when he gets really excited about you waving and saying "Hi!" he'll add in his own "Iii!"

Last night at dinner I would tilt my head to the side and he would tilt his too.

I feel like I should be giving Xander some Scooby snacks.

Busted

Xander had his first split lip yesterday. He was cruising along the couch one handed, the other hand having a death grip on his elephant. I was sitting right there, but he just toppled over and landed face first on his little chair then toppled some more to the ground.

I picked him up and he stopped crying within 30 seconds. But there was a little blood in his mouth. It wasn't enough to make me freak out (Ohmigosh, he's going to bleed to death! Quickly, to Maxwell the Malibu!) but enough to completely puzzle me (Is it his lip? Tooth? Tongue? Gums? Tonsils?). And with his cold, he is tired of me messing with his face, so he kept pushing me away while I was looking (Geez Mom, I'm tough and you're making me look bad in front of Elephant). After cleaning away the blood and seeing the lip swelling, I figured it out.

Here's a lovely picture of it. Plus there's the added bonus of snot!

Wow, that's a lot of snot

Xander's had a cold for the past couple of weeks. It was just a snotty nose for the first week, then it cleared up for a few days. Then it came back with a vengeance. There has been runny nose, coughing, sneezing, wheezing and sadness. The worst is he isn't smiling. It's so sad when I go out and people notice him and he doesn't smile. It makes me want to hug and squeeze him.

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This weekend we found a Leapfrog table at a garage sale. I guess it's just as good as a Learning Home. He loves the music on it and turning the 'page' on the book. His favorite thing to do is dance to the alphabet. Xander is also figuring out how to look under things and to crawl under and/or through things. It started with realizing that Ainsley was hiding under his crib. I pointed her out and he slowly lowered himself down and turned his head to lay on the ground. Now he's going under chairs and yelling when he hits his head. We also have to keep hauling out from under the end table in the back room (he tries to crawl through it to get the the cords behind it).

Here he is yesterday getting stuck crawling though the book shelf. He was wearing a cloth diaper, so I guess he didn't realize how big his butt was. I had to turn him sideways and push him the rest of the way through.

The PlayArea

This weekend our friend Sarah stopped by. And while she was here she spiffed up a corner of the basement for Xander.



This is to be Xander's playarea. Now we just need to find some rubber matting and/or carpet and some long gate to keep him in his place.

Xander is constantly on the move anymore. His favorite activity is to make sure every door is properly shut. Sometimes he spends a few minutes swinging the door first to make sure it works properly. Seriously, if you set him down he will make a beeline to any door to check it. So I'm keeping an eye out for a used Learning Home for him. Then we can spend hours of me opening the door and Xander shutting it.

But there are no doors in the back room. So Xander has to content himself with playing with my fancy Longaberger basket.


Once he's bored with that, he goes for that cord you can see behind him. We're working on fixing that.

Camping Trip

We just returned from our first camping trip as a family of 3. When we told people we were going camping they then immediately asked what we were doing with Xander. Well, taking him with us, of course. We learned that camping for the first time with a baby is just like anything else with a baby for the first time, rough. But then, you figure some things out, make some adjustments and it gets much easier.

One thing that I don't fully appreciate is the convenience of just letting him loose in our house. That just doesn't work at a campsite. Don't put that in your mouth, don't put that in your mouth, don't put that in your mouth was repeated endlessly when he wasn't in the pack in play or in the baby bookbag.

I also would like to apologize to the folks that we woke up at 4:40am this morning with our screaming baby. Our poor kid has been cutting teeth since April and hasn't slept through the night since then. Now he decided to start cutting a molar and it looks red and swollen and painful. So at 4:40am when he woke up screaming, Amanda soothed him and said "I have to pee!". Okay, I do too, let's make it a family event and walk up to the bathrooms. Amanda's carrying him and all is well, then I say, hey, I'll carry him because I know he's heavy. So she hands him off to me and Xander promptly says "Dad, get your hands off me give me back to Mom RIGHT NOW. NO, RIGHT NOW. I'm serious, Mom, NOW." Which translates to "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA - WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH". All this as we walk by snoring campers. Who, of course, stop snoring and wake up. I really am sorry.

So what did we do on our fun camping trip? Well, we went swimming, biking and hiking. Xander didn't take to biking too well. We went with another couple whose daughter is a day younger than Xander and they have a bike trailer. Well, we put the babies in there and the screaming starting. I think they didn't like it because the seat support wasn't too great and they were leaning against one another and they weren't happy.

Of course Xander liked hiking, because that means he's in the baby backpack and gets carried around all day long. Whatever the activity, if he's in the backpack he's a happy camper.

We have a ton of pictures, but here are a few...

Sleeping

You wouldn't know it some nights, with Xander waking up three or four times, but that boy can sleep with the best of them. When house shaking wind and thunder sweep through, there is nary a peep. When fireworks alarm and astound, he ignores and snores.

My parents came to visit this weekend. They showed up at noon just after I put Xander down for a nap. The kid was out before I even lay him down in his crib. We all chatted, Mom and I went to the nursery and bought plants, we all had lunch. No peeps from The Boy. And you know my parents didn't drive all the way here to visit Chris or me. So despite our usual 'let sleeping babies lay' mentality, after two hours we decided to try to gently wake him up.



Yeah, Chris tried poking, bouncing, talking and rubbing his nose. And Xander was totally comfortable in that position. X also slept through us laughing and chatting. We gave up. After another fifteen minutes Chris just went and picked him up. Xander was not pleased.

Get Up, Stand Up

As you can see, Xander is pulling himself up on everything. Slowly, but surely, he is standing flat-footed instead of tippy-toe, holding on with one hand, and cruising along the couches and gates. In fact, this has become a problem in the crib. When he pulls himself up, his mouth is even the top of the brand new crib. He spends most of his time at the end of the crib next to the door. Lo-and-behold there are teeth marks all along the edge there.

I have to admit, I've been tempted to spray Bitter-Yuck on the edges which we already have for the cats. Would that make me a bad mom? Yeah, I think it just might.


Xander and I have taken a couple of road trips this week, despite the ever-rising gas prices (grrr). Monday we visited Dandy and her dog Barkley. Xander was delighted with a new space to roam and a new pet to chase. Xander didn't cry when Barkley was barking and even laughed when Barkley growled.

We visited my sister on Tuesday. He had lots of fun crawling over her futon mattress, pillows and blankets. Have I mentioned Xander has developed a thing for doors? If I put him down in his bedroom he will immediately crawl to the door and swing it back and forth, eventually closing it. Same thing with bathroom doors and the front door. Well, he found a cat carrier at my sister's and repeatedly sat and played with the door to it.

And right now he is throwing a temper tantrum because he can't get under the desk. There is a box in the way and he can't figure out how to push it out of the way.

Family values

We hope to teach our son good family values.

Minime and me

I don't believe how often strangers take note of how much Xander looks like me. Except for the eyes, he has his mother's eyes (just like Harry Potter!!). So here is a historical photo analysis....

Me at my baptism (6 months or younger):


Xander and 4 months or so:



I guess we look alike....I can't tell.

Nine Month Check-up

Xander was off to the doctor today for his check-up. He is waking up early so was in need of a nap when we went in for his appointment, but that didn't stop him from smiling at everyone. It did make him entirely squirmy when we were waiting. Ah well, on to the details:

Weight: 18.1 lbs (though we had him at 19.1 when we weighed him this weekend), this is on the low end of 25% percentile
Height: 27.5 inches, average at 50% percentile
Head Circumference: 17 inches, I forget what percentile and don't feel like looking it up
Weight to Height: Xander is in the 75% percentile which is good

He was pronounced in good health and I was told to keep up the good work. That made my day. And the fact that there were no shots this time helped.

Not good enough

Crawling is for babies, not for little Xander. No, he's moving on and moving up pretty quickly. He likes standing so much better and he is pulling himself up on everything. The couch is the most difficult since there are no hand holds.

Nine months old today!

First Father's Day...

...and what a day it was! Amanda and Xander took me to Lowe's to buy me gifts, more or less. I'm too practical for my own good and consider my honey-do list a fun hobby, so my gifts consisted of drill bits, a ladder and an exhaust fan light combo for our master bathroom. Awesome!

I spent the rest of the day having fun around the house, weeding all of the beds, trimming some bushes, building a new screen for the front door and installing baby gates.

And sunday morning at mass the elderly gentleman behind me inquired about my right pinky ring, if it was an Order of the Engineer ring. Why, yes, is sure is!

Safety Alert

Now that the little guy is crawling, baby-proofing the house has climbed the list of Things To Do.

Done
- Baby gate is installed in the back room, but needs tightened some more as I can open it without using the latch and Xander likes to hang on it and rattle it.
- Most outlets are covered.
- The new fancy car seat is installed since Xander has almost outgrown the old baby carrier car seat. He was getting too heavy for the carrier anyway. It's an adjustment to me though as I have to carry him places now (note to self: put sling in car). X is dealing very well with sitting in carts at stores, he loves being able to look around.
- I moved most things off the the lower shelves in the back room, including DVDs, photos and the marble chess set.

To Do
- Install the baby gate at the top of the stairs. I know, I know, we need one at the bottom too. One step at a time people.
- Install cabinet looks in the kitchen. He pretty regularly is crawling into the kitchen, I think he likes the floor. And he likes play to play with his bedroom door, so you'd better believe that once he figures out that the cabinets are doors he won't stay away.
- Lower the crib. Three times last night we had to go in while he was crying and he had pulled himself up and was hanging on the edge yelling at the door.
- Crawl through the entire house looking for other dangers

Any suggestions on things to look out for?

I know you didn't believe me...

... so I tried to get it on video. That didn't work too well the first time. What a cheese ball.



But then he did. And you'll see why at the end. Told ya so.



That's right, he won't crawl to his mom, but he'll crawl to the cat.

"Where you lead, I will follow..."

Guess who is crawling? Yup, he's finally gotten it figured out. And, as previously mentioned, this is due to Xander's need to pet Ainsley. She came in and flopped down on the floor. Xander saw her and got up, moved the arms, scootched up the knees and kept on going all the way across the floor. Not very coordinated yet, but he'll work on it.

And when he got to her, Aisnley promptly moved. Xander followed her some more and this time scored a fist full of fur for his efforts. Ainsley then sought the safety of the couch.

Xander also is mastering sitting up. We could set him down in a sitting position, but he would never stay very long because he wants to move and touch. So now he has figured out how to get from his hands and knees to back up onto his rump.

I remember when I was pregnant and my side was all sore and crampy from him kicking me just below the right ribs and I wondered "Is this a sign of how active he'll be?" Yeah. He is even not liking the jumperoo because he can't move as much as he'd like.

In other news, more baby proofing is in order. At least he has good taste in videos.

Two Cats and a Baby

Roughly a year ago we began preparing Ainsley and Min for the bundle of joy that would join us. When we moved into the new house, we made Peanut's room off limit by shutting the door. When we began assembling and arranging furniture, there were mouse traps and rebukes to steer them away. Heck, I've read several places that we should have put up a screen door to the baby's room so that they could see and smell, but wouldn't go in and try to suck his soul out by sitting on him. Yeah, we didn't do the screen door.

For their part, Ainsley and Min have dealt pretty well. There was sniffing and avoidance for the first few months. There was glaring and stalking away the next few months when Xander would cry. Occasionally there would be some turf issues when I had found a cat snuggled into the bassinet. Min maintains this path, but Ainsley is more enlightened.

Ainsley likes Xander. She sits in the glider in his room. When she walks into a room, she'll walk by him and let him pet her. If Xander is in my lap, she will jump up too and rub against him.

Xander loves both of the cats. Wherever he is and whatever he is doing, he will stop and watch when one of them walks by. He leans forward or sideways if he is stuck in the high chair. And despite not crawling, last night he made every effort to move to Ainsley while we hung out on the living room floor. He will talk to them with simple sounds, excited but not quite yelling. He reaches out to 'pet' Ainsley by grabbing whatever he can, be it fur, ear or tail. And Ainsley has had no problem with this at all.

In fact, one day I accidentally closed Ainsley in Xander's room when I put him down for a nap, since she was already sleeping on the floor in there. When I heard him squacking over the monitor an hour later I went up to find Ainsley in the crib letting Xander pet her as she walked around. While I don't encourage it, it was pretty darned cute.

As a side note, Ainsley has easily figured out how to jump over the baby gate I set up to the back room. Min has not and will sit there suffering silently until someone opens it for her.

Feed Me

So if you have read Chris's blog or my blog then you know there has been a case of gross rash in our house that is being treated with medication of the steroid variety. Luckily, Xander has not gotten it. But he is still being affected by it because I can't nurse him.

Suddenly, eight months of breastfeeding came to a screeching halt. I know it doesn't make me a bad mom and I've done nothing wrong. But it was just going so well! And to have to abruptly stop is just like a quick punch to the gut.

So here is how it is playing out. Xander was already up to two solids a day. I was going to up it to three, but that hasn't actually happened yet. I kept two sample tins of formula I received in the mail, so I'm covered in that area. I had some frozen milk, but after barely using any I just let the stock deplete. I'd give him a bottle of milk before bed and we ran out of that last night. For my own sanity and to keep up the supply, I am pumping a couple of times a day and then dumping it.

I've got to say I don't like formula. It smells funny and I have to clean bottles. Every day. Xander did not take to it at first but he's better about it now. He knows what the bottle means and grabs for it.

The hardest part has been bedtime. Nursing was part of the routine and apparently a bottle, even if it is milk, does not fit into the routine. So we've had a couple of rough bedtimes. And I'll admit that when he wakes up at 4 am, I'll still nurse him. The medicine should have been mostly pumped and watered down and I'm too tired to get another darned bottle. I'll probably blame every problem he has in the next year on doing this though.


Yesterday I was able to feed Xander homemade pureed peas by mixing them with some cereal and water. He still tried to make raspberries, so sprayed green goo everywhere. One big splat landed on his tray. X saw it and tentatively reached for it. He wrapped his fingers around the spot, slowly closed his hand and raised his hand up to eye level. And looked thoroughly confused as to where the spot went.

Pavlov's Mom

What? You'd like to see the yoga positions Xander does?

Cobra


Downward facing dog



I couldn't get the Tabletop pose or Plank because he would see me and roll over to smile.



Xander is conditioning me to get him up out of the crib in the morning or after a nap. His crib is pretty sparse, there is only a blanket, pacifier, aquarium mobile and a frog that hangs in that you pull to play a lullaby. Instead of yelling or crying when he wakes up, Xander will roll around and play. And the only toy in reach is the frog. So in the morning I know it is time to get up if I hear that lullaby going. Or if I'm downstairs I'll suddenly hear it being played over the monitor. And I know if I don't get him soon there will be crying.

The little guy is getting very vocal as well. He will sometimes go on sprees of 'da-da-ada' (like on Mother's Day - thanks for the love, kid). The past few days there are more high pitched squeals that make you want to cover your ears. But the best is when Xander sighs and it turns into a rolling 'r' sound.

Mmm, tastes like Chicken

So we are slowly advancing on the solid foods front. For a few days Xander declined all solids due to teething and having a cold. When he felt better we started up again but he suddenly hated cereal. Well, no child of mine will hate cereal. It's taken a few tries, but he is downing it like a champ again. I'm also mixing prune puree into it to ease the constipation.

Xander is loving the green veggies. Really, he can't get enough peas. He likes the green beans except for last night when he choked on them. I guess he was trying to eat too fast.

He tried applesauce over the weekend and that did not go over well. He ate it and looked concerned and started hacking and coughing. Something about the cold and the texture he just did not like.

Yesterday Xander tried peach puree for the first time. With every bite he'd lean forward and open his mouth and gobble it. But then he'd get this look of concentration like he was trying to decide if he really liked it or not. Then he'd lean forward again.

I'd like to make some purees myself. I tried with peas, but the food processor I have is a cheap version that came with the blender. It took forever to get it even remotely pureed. Then the peas had such a strong taste that Xander completely refused them. I'm hoping to make potato puree to mix with it in order to tame the flavor.

Xander is working hard to crawl. Or stand up. Mostly he just accomplishes downward facing dog. Then he lays down and gets into cobra. Then he wiggles his head and his legs. Then he laughs and rolls around for a while.

As a side note, Xander has fallen asleep in his jumperoo twice today. It's hard being a baby.