B-Boy rides on his first train

Choo-Choo!

B-Boy rode his first train, and was not very happy about it. But since he is the type of kid who has to try things at least 3 times before he is comfortable, we will continue to take him until he finds it fun. It will happen, he loves trains.

He sat on my lap the entire time, but I give him credit- he stopped crying as soon as we exited the tunnel, which is as the start of the ride.

Then we headed over to the carousel, for the second try. B-Boy was not going to let me plop him on the kitty cat, nope- he wanted to be held.

And did he hold! He grabbed on to me like a monkey, and would not let go! So up I climbed onto the kitty cat, and sat down.

Look B-Boy, there's Daddy!

Look B-Boy! No Hands!

I am laughing here because I am not holding him....

He is holding on to me!

Eventually, B-Boy relaxed and I was able to turn him around. He was not very happy with it, but eventually we got a smile!

I just kept repeating the mantra- "Up, Down, Up, Down." There is a segment on Elmo's World where a little girl talks about going up and down, and when she flies a toy airplane, she says this mantra over and over. Yep, I will use the little red guy if I can!

B-Boy's first State Fair!

Neb and I adore the NC State Fair. We have been to other state fairs, but none of them compare to the NC State Fair - they do it up right.

And Neb and I have gone EVERY year except for the year B-Boy was born (he was two weeks old when it came)... we just love it that much. If you haven't been to the NC State Fair but have been to others, you still have  no clue. They just do it up that well. Trust me.

Neb and I have our set path and agenda for the fair too.

First, we hit the old grist mill, and get a free hushpuppy- and watch how water is harnessed to grind the cornmeal into flour for the hushpuppy.

We then hit the grilled corn dipped in butter. YUM!

When that is done, off to get the giant turkey leg, which has been really salty the last two years, so will probably come out of rotation.

Then we head to the exhibits... first to see the antique police cars, and then the other art exhibits in the hall. One game we play is how many stickers can we have on us at the end of the day.

Then we head to the other exhibit hall to see the quilts, get a pickle, get some chocolate covered peanuts, get some political stickers and to see the decorated cakes. At this point, I uually go get a fried snickers bar. YUM. But i was "sweeted" out, so I decided to forgo it this year.

We check out the giant produce, the animals and then go get some hot apple cider to warm us up before we leave.

This year, we did all that while B-Boy was at daycare, and then we went to get him. We ate dinner first, and then headed to the fair. Since Neb and I got all we wanted to see out of our system, it was all about what B-Boy would enjoy.

When we got to the fair, we took him to the animal barn for kids. The animals were in pens, but at a height that would be easy for kids to see the animals. The look on B-Boy's face when he realized there were GOATS next to him was priceless.

Hey, there's goats in there!

Then B-Boy saw the CHICKENS!

Then we headed to B-Boy's favorite part of the fair... the WUNC TV tent. They had lots of activities for the kids, and cutouts of the characters that are on the channel. B-Boy could not wait to get out of his stroller and run over to...

COOKIE MONSTER and ELMO!!!!

COOKIE!!!!

Which is when he saw...

BIG BIRD!!!!

Hi Big Bird!

Once pictures were taken, (B-Boy grinning, looking up and saying CHEESE still makes me giggle) we headed into the tent to get some stickers. They had a ring toss on rubber dinosaurs that B-Boy had a blast playing with...

and then Neb showed him how to BANG! on a hammer toy...

Finally, heading out of the tent, we see Clifford the Big Red Dog.

B-Boy enjoyed watching the other kids meet Clifford, but he got scared everytime he got too close. So, we admired him from afar... and used some photo trickery to capture a photo with Clifford.

Then we headed to see some more animals. B-Boy got to see a PIG....

and then MOO at a COW....

and finally, we stopped to watch the SHEEP judging contest. I had never seen that at the fair before, and it was really interesting to watch. B-Boy munched on his apple slices the whole time.

When we got back to the car, I asked him "B-Boy, did you have fun?".

He nodded his head and said "YES!". Me too B-Boy, me too.

Last day to be One!

Today is B-Boy's last day as a one year old. It is really hard to believe that the time has gone by this quickly, but it has!!!

I discovered that B-Boy could still fit into his shirt that I made him for his first birthday. So, we decided to let him wear it today, since it is the last official day being one. It was a lot more snug than it was last year, but it still fit.

I made a mental note to take a photo for you when we got home... but you will need to wait to see that.

B-Boy went to daycare, and actuallly get to go to visit with his new class for a while today. (He moves up officially on Monday the 10th.) His day was a pretty good one until the end of the day... when I picked him up, his teacher came out and told me he had (ten minutes before) sat in the middle of the toddler gym and cried uncontrollably. He didn't have a fever, but he hadn't been very peppy today. When they asked him if anything hurt, he pointed to his ear and said "Ear hurt". This was the first time he had articulated something like that!

But there was one large problem. It was after 5:15pm, and the doctor's office usually closes at 5!

I took a chance (and since we have onsite healthcare), and headed two buildings over to see if they could see him. B-Boy looked quite the pitiful part, and when the receptionist heard he was turning 2 tomorrow, she picked up the phone and pulled some strings to get him seen.

Poor kid. He was not feeling well, and was being poked and examined by a stranger. I should have known better to have him wear a shirt with a number one on it, because B-Boy is the proud owner of his FIRST ear infection. Sigh, no wonder he was so irritatble this morning!

After we left the doctor, we stopped for his medicine, popped into the grocery store to pick up apples for tomorrow, and then headed home. While we waited for Neb, I started to get dinner ready. B-Boy has discovered where we keep all his snacks- and opened the door to the pantry. He can't reach them (gee, I wonder why we put them there? hee hee) so he asked me for what he wanted.

The problem was I had no idea what he was asking for! It took awhile to go through the all the possibilities, but eventually I narrowed down that he wanted a cookie.

Fig Newton? No.
Gerber teething cookie? No!
Puffs? NO!

And then it hit me. He was pointing to the Oreos... Daddy's stash of cookies.

"These?" I asked.
"Yeah-yeah!", he said.

I tried to pick another one, but it didn't work. And then it clicked. "Oh, you want Daddy's cookie!"

I handed him the Oreo, and he replied "Thank you. Daddy Cookie!".

He then proceded to munch on his cookie happily.His first oreo.
And so, my friends, here is your photo... B-Boy in his 1 shirt, having his first ear infection, covered in Oreo cookie, sporting his sticker from the doctor's office. Enjoy! Next time you see him, he will be TWO!!!!

What?

That was GOOD!!!

Blowing Bubbles

B-Boy found a bottle of bubbles in one of our moving boxes, and wanted to immediately go outside to blow bubbles.

"Bubbles! Bubbles! BUB-BLES!!!!"

So off we went to the screened-in porch!

Hi folks! Mommy says we can blow BUBBLES!!!

B-Boy is at the stage where he wants to blow his own bubbles, rather than having you blow them for him. Unfortunately, he likes to press the hole of the wand on his lips while he blows, so no bubbles come out!

Once Neb got home from work, he joined us on the porch and worked with B-Boy to keep the wand in front of his face. (Happily, because at one point he started putting the wand IN his mouth.... Yuck!)

 And he was successful!!! (If you look at that last photo, you can see the bubble on the wand after Neb caught it.

Once he started to get it, B-Boy wanted to sit by himself to blow his own bubbles,  It took a few tries, which you can see by all the wet spots on his shorts, but he was eventually able to blow his own!

Look! There is a bubble starting on my wand!!!!

YAY! I blew a bubble!

Do you see it?

It is right above the bottle!

Now if we can just get him to stop eating the wand!

Two Wa-Was!

Today was a pretty big milestone, especially considering B-Boy has two math majors as parents.

This evening we went for a walk. It was a particularly good walk, with B-Boy in good spirits. I had put his stuffed Cookie Monster in his big plastic shopping cart... that way he could push Cookie Monster like \we push him. He had a blast running down the sidewalk with Cookie looking right at him.

When we came inside afterward, B-Boy picked up the straw cup filled with water that I had waiting for him. Happily drinking, he walked over to the kitchen island where a second straw cup sat filled with water. He picked it up, got a big grin on his face and said....

"Two Wa-Was!"

It took a moment for me to realize.... B-Boy has grasped the concept of TWO!!!! Yay!

I replied, "Yes B-Boy, two waters!"

B-Boy can JUMP!

B-Boy did something new this week. He learned how to JUMP!

I never gave the concept of jumping much thought... as far as I knew, I always had the task mastered. Having B-Boy has made me realize that jumping is not one of the skills we are born with. Who knew?

So I was very interested in watching B-Boy learn how to do it, and the different stages he took to get there. I'll need to remember this when he is older and frustrated with not making a free throw, solving an algebra problem or something similar.

As I said, this was not an immediate process. One day, I went to pick him up from daycare, and MusicLady was there. All the one year olds were in the atrium area and she was singing to them. Her song involved jumping up and down, and she encouraged the kids to get up to jump. It was then that I realized that B-Boy didn't know how... but he sure did try! He picked his right foot up and down while his left leg stayed straight. Up, down, up, down- all the while grinning with a "Look Mommy, I can jump!" look on his face.

The next time I noticed a change was one day he was doing the right leg up-down thing, but he started bobbing his body up and down as he did it. He seemed to have grasped the concept that your body goes up and down while your knees bend... even if he didn't get air.

The next time I noticed a change, B-Boy started to try to jump, but did not get off the ground. Instead, he would fall a bit backwards and catch himself to stand upright. Still not a jump, but getting close!

We just kept encouraging him... and then one day, BOOM! B-Boy jumped off the ground, air under his feet! Neb and I were really suprised, and kept asking him to do it again! Again B-Boy, JUMP!

And he did... he was so proud of himself that he can do it, but now just looks at us like "Mom, stop asking me to do that! I learned that a LONG time ago!". Go figure.

B-Boy goes to the Dentist

While we were on vacation, GranE expressed concern over B-Boy's front teeth. One of his big front teeth is not down as far as the other, and she was worried that it might be an issue with his future teeth. To give her peace of mind, and to be sure he was okay, I promised to take him to the dentist.

A coworker recommended her kids' dentist very highly and I scheduled an appointment for 7:30 am- so that he could keep his normal routine with daycare. (B-Boy likes his routine and we are all happier when he sticks to that routine.) I was told the woman who was going to help examine him was referred to as "The Baby Whisperer". It sounded promising,

I decided to embrace the day, and dressed him in a Shark Shirt with his shorts that have sharks embroidered on them. CHOMP!

The dentist office was quite nice, with a TV over a fireplace which was playing Finding Nemo. B-Boy liked seeing the fishies, but told me he was ready to go as soon as we sat down.

"The Baby Whisperer" came out and was very sweet with B-Boy. Unfortunately, he wasn't having any of it and kept saying he wanted to "GO!". As we started to walk back, she crouched down to a basket in a tooth shape full of toys for the kids. I spotted a sticker, and told her he really likes stickers.

He scored two, but was still looking at her with suspicion.

We sat down in the chair, and B-Boy got a bit clingy. I sat with him in the chair while "The Baby Whisperer" took a wand with a camera on it and tried to take a photo of B-Boy's front teeth.

I say "tried" because anytime she came near him with it, he would freak. To be honest, I didn't really blame him... I would have too if I didn't understand what was going on. Since he had no idea what it was, or why it was coming near him, I could understand why he was upset.

We did the best we could, and she was able to get a few snaps for the dentist. To help him calm down, I let him watch Elmo on my iPhone. It seemed to help, and "The Baby Whisperer" took some photos for you (with my camera, not the wand!) while we waited for the dentist, aka Dr. Tooth.

I am hoping if I look pathetic enough, I'll be able to leave.

Do you think that will work?

Then Dr. Tooth arrived, and it all went downhill. B-Boy freaked out, and when he needed to touch his mouth, it was not pretty. But the dentist is a dad, and he was able to finally see what he needed to see.

The good news is that there was nothing to be alarmed about. He said we were there a little early age wise, but he would like to see B-Boy back in six months. Since there had not been any trauma - like B-Boy falling and hitting his tooth, that it was most probably not a problem. If it is still like this in 6 months, he would propose further investigation and treatment.

B-Boy was happy to be leaving, and was thrilled to get two more stickers on the way out! He got a big Spiderman sticker, which he wore on his back all day.

All in all a good appointment, and I am sure GranE will be happy to hear the outcome!

Hugs for everyone!

B-Boy really enjoys giving hugs. Getting them? Not so much, but he really likes giving them!

His favorite hug to give is to run up to your legs, throw his arms open, wrap them around your legs, and then lean in to give you a quick hug.

He will even run over to you if you are at his eye level (either by sitting on the floor, or by squatting down to him). If your legs are separated, he will throw open his arms, lean into your neck and hug you. Granted, it does not last very long, but it is a hug.

And if you ask him for a hug? He knows what that means, and will run over and give you one. It's really sweet.

Today, I saw B-Boy give a different kind of hug for the first time. I picked up B-Boy from his classroom at daycare so that I could take him to the doctor (more on that later). One of his friends came over to say hello... you might remember him... his name is Kid'N and he was in B-Boy's first class. He is also in B-Boy's current class.

He grabbed my pants leg as B-Boy ran over. He grabbed Kid'N's arm, and I thought he was going to move it so that Kid'N was NOT TOUCHING HIS MOMMA.

Instead, B-Boy swung around, and then he hugged Kid'N. I was shocked, as I had not seen him hug another child before. He had recieved them, but I had not witnessed him giving one before. It was really cute... and Kid'N seemed to appreciate the affection. He is a sweet kid too... with two older sisters, so I am sure he is quite used to getting lots of hugs!

So cheers to B-Boy, he shares his love!

Here's to hoping you get to experience a B-Boy hug soon.

Bye-Bye Bath

B-Boy is practicing his sounds more and more.

On the way in to work yesterday, he started saying "Oh-Oh-Oh" quite a bit. We then practiced what cows say... "MOOOOooooo!" B-Boy liked saying that a lot!

He also mimics me with the answer to the question "B-Boy, what do ducks say?"  I pause and say "Quack-Quack-Quack". B-Boy then starts making the noise with me.

And speaking of noises, we have a book with ducks on the cover (which is what first caused me to make the noise when I read it to him). When B-Boy sees the book (no matter where it is), he makes the "Quack-Quack-Quack" noise. We also have a touch and feel board book about dogs... and one of the pages has a velvety nose. The line on the page reads "Curious puppies like to find new things!". When I read the page, I lean down to his neck and make sniffing noises. He immediately laughs, and now when he sees that book, he starts making sniffing noises. It makes me giggle every time!

But that's not what I really wanted to tell you. Tonight B-Boy said a two word phrase for the first time. (I don't count All Done because I think he thinks that is one word.) We gave B-Boy a bath and afterward, Neb emptied the tub while I dried him off. I said "Say Bye-Bye Bath! B-Boy, can you say Bye-Bye Bath?"

And then he.... waved. Which is what he normally does for bye-bye.

But tonight, he waved and said "Bye-bye Bath!"

Nicely done B-Boy.

Taking off his shoes and socks

On Monday, B-Boy did something new at school.

His teacher told me that he took off his shoes and socks! (Yes, he does this in the car, when we DON'T want him to... but this is the first time he did so when it was desired!) All the kids take off their shoes and socks right before they take a nap. B-Boy sat down with the other kids and took his own shoes and socks off.  He hasn't done it at home yet, but it's only a matter of time!

Too cool! Yay!

More.... and Milk.

We have been working with B-Boy to get him to communicate more. One way we have been doing this is to give him a snack when he asks for it. Usually, he will hand us something and say "GA!" or point to something and say "GA!" to let us know he wants it. My rule: if he asks for it, he can have it.

Eventually, that won't be the rule. But for now, we want him to know that he can trust us- and that he is being heard. That concept is so very important to help him grow up feeling loved and understood.

But I am getting off topic now, aren't I? Let's get back to the fun part...

B-Boy signed for the first time! We have been working on it for a while, mostly signing things like More and Milk. We would see that he would want "more applesauce" or "more milk" and sign it to him before giving him more. He mostly laughed at us - "Silly parents!"

Last week, I started putting his hands together to make the sign for "more" before giving him what he wanted. He thought that was HILARIOUS... or frustrating. He would either laugh or yell in response to having his hands put together.

But then we came home the other day, and he ran over to get the yogurt melts from his snack area. I gave him some by putting them on the corner of the kitchen table and then started to put his milk away. When I turned around, all the yogurt melts were gone.

B-Boy was pointing to the bag, and grunting to let me know he REALLY wanted some. I paused and said "More? You want more?". Then, he did it. B-Boy signed "More!" in his own way. He pointed to his open hand over and over. "More?", I asked.

"Yeah, yeah!" said B-Boy.

And then he got more.  He did this several more times before the night was through.

Later, he signed milk. He had just finished drinking some milk with his breakfast, and I asked him if he wanted "More Milk?". He then signed "Milk!" to me.

It was adorable, and fun to see him communicate in a new way. It looks like it is time to brush up on more signs!

Using a Straw

This weekend, B-Boy showed us that he has mastered drinking from a straw.

We tried to get him to drink from a straw cup a month ago, but he just held the straw in his mouth- with no suction. He wasn't really sure what to do with it.

We had purchased two straw cups, which are plastic cups with screw tops that have a plastic bendy straw in the cup. The cool part about these cups is that they DON'T LEAK!!! My friend Cat at work suggested we get them for our trip to Florida in December, as her kids used them and did really well with them. Great concept, but the user had issues.

So we used a sippy cup instead, which works really well... until B-Boy turns it upside down. Then water comes shooting out of the sippy part. Or, as we discovered, when B-Boy shakes it, regardless whether it is facing up, down or sideways. Sippy cups have their limits.

It's not surprising that B-Boy had some trouble. B-Boy hadn't used a bottle in months, and that sucking motion is a bit different with a straw. AuntJ distinctly remembers showing Neb how to drink from a straw when he was young. I don't remember anything about it myself...

So how did I find out he could use a straw, you ask?

Today, B-Boy walked up to the end table his is not supposed to touch and grabbed Neb's water glass which contained a red bendy straw. Normally, B-Boy enjoys playing with straws, especially letting it hit against different surfaces to see the sounds it makes. But today was different. Today, B-Boy grabbed the straw and put it in his mouth. To do so, he had to tip the glass, which then poured water all down the front of him. That's when I arrived on the scene (All that happened very quickly!).

That was when I realized B-Boy is trying to drink from that straw!!!!

To test my theory, we went into the kitchen to get him his own cup of water. I put the straw in his cup, and he started to drink. The only way I knew he succeeded was that water was in his mouth. Then we had to show Neb.

B-Boy played with his cup and straw for a while, and then started (accidentally) pouring the water on the floor. This is when I remembered those nifty straw cups we had in the cabinet. A few moments later, B-Boy was happily drinking from the straw cup. And this is when I discovered, straw cups DON'T LEAK!!! B-Boy turned it upside down pretty quickly, and nothing came out.

HA! Destructo is foiled, for now!*

And B-Boy was nice enough to help us wipe up all the water from the floor. Good job B-Boy!


* Destructo is what we call B-Boy when he goes on a tear- destroying everything in his path... or at least, knocking it down. It's his super hero\villain name. All kids should have one, don't you think?

Hmmmm... Donuts!

Yesterday, B-Boy got to eat a donut for the first time. And not just ANY donut, but a yummy, warm, North Carolina original- a Krispy Kreme donut!

We went to get a dozen donuts for his teachers. Not wanting to leave his old room out, we also picked up a half dozen for them. And, since we were there, and all those wonderful sugar soaked goodies were just sitting there so lonely, we got a half a dozen for us too.

While I waited for the order, Neb took B-Boy over to the giant viewing window... where you get to watch the donuts get made! B-Boy loved every minute of it, and had the biggest grin on his face- from ear to ear. He smiled so much that we thought it might stick on his face like that forever.

There was a woman (aka DonutLady) keeping watch on the donuts as they came off the cooking line and headed for the sugar shower. B-Boy kept flirting with her, and she kept waving at him.

We decided to eat our donuts there since we were so early. B-Boy sat so he could still look at the window. He wasn't sure about the donut at first...

Hmm... This is different... squishy and warm!

I don't know... this tastes funny.

But then the sugar hit, and B-Boy was HAVING FUN! YAY! SUGAR!

He then bounced up and down in complete happiness. He even wore his nifty Krispy Kreme hat for a few minutes... which he also wore when we delivered the donuts to his teachers. Too cute!

MOM! You know I don't like wearing hats!

Well, OK... if it means I can keep eating 

this wonderfulness... I'll wear the silly hat!

When we were getting ready to leave, B-Boy started waving bye-bye to DonutLady. It was really sweet, since B-Boy normally doesn't wave to strangers unless we show him to. Then he started blowing kisses to DonutLady through the glass.

Hi DonutLady!

Yep, he really liked those donuts!

Family is like the Zoo

While we were in Tampa, we decided to do another first.

We had arrived in Tampa on Thursday evening, and on Friday we wanted to do something to get out of the house and stretch our legs. My sister has recently started her own company and works out of her home, so we wanted to be sure she would be able to work without being disturbed. I also wanted my Dad to get some time with us, and so we proposed going to the Zoo. B-Boy had never been to the zoo, and Tampa apparently has a really nice one.

The zoo in North Carolina is in a small town that is a bit difficult to get to. I have been there once in the entire 13 years I have lived here, with MacMommy, ChiggerButt and Dash. Neb has never been there. It is just not close to where we live, and I honestly forget that it is there!

So, off to the zoo we went- Neb, B-Boy, GatorGrandpa and me.

We started our journey by receiving a cute cardboard set of antlers complete with a red nose. I find it amusing that after an entire year of making B-Boy wear costumes, he is the only one of the four of us NOT wearing the antlers.

All my relatives are crazy!

When we first arrived, we were greeted by an Alpacka. B-Boy wasn't so sure about this large creature, but was in good spirits, for the most part.

We walked all over, and saw lots of animals. Or, as B-Boy puts it, lots of Kitty Cats. We saw two really big Manatees (Kitty Cat!), some camels (Kitty Cat!), and even got to feed a giraffe! The giraffe was almost successful in licking B-Boy with his big purple tongue. Neb moved him at the last moment to prevent said licking.

Um, what was that?

B-Boy and I rode on a Merry Go Round too! He did really well for the first half of the ride, but then got a bit fussy for the last part. He rode a Zebra that went up and down and I held him in place. We had fun, but I think he was happy to get off the thing. He then got to show GatorGrandpa how he can RUN AROUND!!!!

GatorGrandpa was great company, and B-Boy enjoyed getting to know him. We even stopped to take the cutest photo EVER.

Wow GatorGrandpa, you DO love the Florida Gators, don't you?

When we had enough of the zoo, we headed back to AuntSly's house for B-Boy to take a nap. He was exhausted and fell asleep pretty quickly. When he woke, he had a visitor! GatorGirl drove down from Gainesville to see us!

What? I get my Mommy, my two aunts AND GatorGrandpa?

Sweet!

It was really good to see her, and once B-Boy went to bed, we cracked open a couple bottles of wine and played a rousing game of UNO. GatorGrandpa's wife, GrandmaG joined us for the fun, and so the six of us played an amusing game. The wine made us silly, and the game took a new turn with every hand.

AuntSly and I played UNO with my Dad a lot when we were kids. It was a game that you could play without needing to read, once you knew the rules. We had a blast especially when it was two of us- the REVERSE card and SKIP cards meant that you just kept dropping your cards.

Neb had never played with us before, so that was an interesting experience for him! He had the unfortunate position of sitting between AuntSly and I, so he got dumped on quite a bit. Heh heh.

The end of the evening was great, as the three of us sisters got to spend some time together talking, just the three of us. It was a late night, but a great night!

B-Boy goes home sick... for the first time

This week started with four kids in B-Boy's class going home with a bad cough and a fever. A fifth child had the cough without fever, and that child was B-Boy.

He has felt lousy. Coughing himself awake at night, bad sniffles, and general uncomfortableness has been the norm for him this week. Each day, we would check his temperature, which was normal. So, he would go to daycare where he can run around and play knowing he would be happier there than at home.

Today, he did not eat much for breakfast. (Not a good sign for a kid who eats so well.) When I dropped him off, I told his teacher to call me if he seemed miserable, and I would take him home. At 11am, I got the call. He was running a fever of 100.2 under his arm. At 100 degrees, kids have to go home.

And, since he has to be fever free for 24 hours, he will stay home tomorrow too. I was thinking about this yesterday, and realized he has NEVER been sent home for being sick. He has been sent to the doctor to be checked, but was always cleared to go back. This is a first. I just hope he feels better soon. Poor boy!

When we got home, B-Boy ate a decent lunch of comfort foods (yes, Teriyaki Tofu was on the menu!) and then I put him to sleep. He has been sleeping since one... I have baked chicken in the oven, and am going to go saute some eggplant for him after I post this. A boy should have his favorites when he doesn't feel well, don't you think?

Looking back at Halloween last year

Last year, B-Boy was not quite one month old on Halloween.

Neb and I were talking today about how far we have come... last Halloween, B-Boy was eating every two hours, which meant that we would get an hour of sleep at a go. Needless to say, we were EXHAUSTED last Halloween.

This Halloween, B-Boy is eating solid foods, and he is sleeping through the night. We are all so much better today than we were then. We are all hoping we can say the same next year!

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures from last year, especially since I was not blogging then. Who had the time, or the brain cells???

This one is one of my favorites, he looks so alert and curious!

Last year, B-Boy was a penguin for Halloween. The feet just make me giggle.

Another favorite photo of a sleeping B-Boy, which is probably why I liked it so much!

Do you think Neb and I look tired here? I promise not to post any more photos of me without makeup ever again!!!

This last photo was taken with B-Boy laying on my lap. His torso wouldn't fit there now... he has grown so much! The one thing I remember when I see this photo is the email GranE sent me when she saw it. In it she asked "Who said Boo!?"

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! We sure did!

First steps

Today B-Boy took his first steps... there were four in all, and then Bonk! down he went on that cute bottom of his.

This time, it wasn't the cat that motivated him. It wasn't his Daddy nor was it his Mommy. It was the TV, which hangs above the fireplace in the living room.

He was holding onto the chair, he turned around, and then he let go. Step.... step-step... step- Bonk.

His arms were outstretched upward as if reaching for whatever was on the screen. I can't recall what exactly was on the TV at the time, but whatever it was, it sure helped motivate/distract B-Boy!

So it won't be long until he is walking on his own... my guess is he just wants to show he is ready to go trick or treating... either that or wants to spook some coming here... Either way, I am sure candy will be involved, if his Daddy has anything to do with it. Heh heh.

More on Turning One!

October 4th was B-Boy's first birthday.

He sported a new shirt I made him with a "1" on it... which reminded me a little of "Thing 1" from the Cat in the Hat.

I'm 1, which Mommy says means I am no longer Zero!

Wow... I can see a lot from up here!

He went to school and had a great day. On our way home, we stopped at Neb's work and moved him to the other car so we could take one car home.

What he didn't know was that Neb had turned his car seat around in the Honda. So now, he is facing forward and he GRINNED the whole way home. One thing we didn't count on... now there is nothing for his toys to bounce off of... so they go flying when he throws them!

Oh! Now I get to kick YOUR seat. HA!

WOW! Look at all the stuff! The view is great!

When we got home, a gift from Grandpa Gator arrived! He sent the cutest dog pillow that velcros together in the middle to look like a stuffed dog. It's the same color as our cats, and B-Boy kept calling it a kitty. He hugged it a bit and then got side-tracked by the box it came in.

All in all, it was a great birthday! Before we know it, it will be time for the next one!