dangling...

so, the boy awakened early from his nap today and started whining. i wanted him to go back to sleep, so i waited a little bit to see if he would, before i finally went in to get him.

upon opening the door, this is the scene i was witness to:

 

 

he's been sticking his legs and arms out the gaps between the slats quite often lately. i didn't know if he'd get stuck or not, because he seemed pretty in control of the situations that i've observed. this, however, was a different case. he was stuck. he wasn't really mad about it. just mildly annoyed. he even let me run and get the camera and snap these pictures.

i just hope that it's not a pattern that he's going to take part in... legs stuck, short naps... crabby boy.

wagon ride vol. 3

 

 

 

 

wagon ride vol. 2 - the cute boy

 

 

 

 

merry christmas

hope everyone out there has/had a merry christmas.

we went to derek's parents last night and isaac scored this sweet wagon. he and caison (cousin) went for a few trips up and down the hill, before caison had an accident involving putting his hand too close to one of the wheels.

here's some shots of the boys. they aren't that great, due to the lighting. hopefully we'll get a bunch more today. i've started a picasa album for christmas here.

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve Day and 11 Months

Isaac is 11 months old today. I cannot believe that in one month we'll have a baby whose age can go in the years column!

He's so different every single day. Today, for example, he's taken to yelling while he plays. Not for any reason. Just to yell.

He's walking everywhere. Just to walk. With no exact destination in mind. He goes from the kitchen cabinets, to the living room, around the coffee table, to the tv, to the front door and then back to the kitchen. He's even figured out how to stand up on his own.

His current favorite sounds (besides yelling) to make are s's and t's. Occasionally, we get to hear some sweet cuss-sounding words. It's all fun. Here's a slideshow of the month in review. We weren't too great about taking pictures in the last month. He's too busy to take the time to take good pictures.



In other news, it's Christmas Eve Day. In case anyone had lost track. We're going to stay clear of the shopping meccas today. We're having lunch with Doyle and Cora and then I think we'll chill at the house until Christmas Eve Festivities at Derek's parents.

And that's that.

blog drought

i have not seen a new blog (from any of my friends on google reader) in a very very long time.

i know that a lot of you are busy and on vacations and stuff. but, i mean, seriously... how long does it take to type up a quick update.

i'm hurting.

blog soon!

The NEW best thing that Isaac does

Or so we think....

I'm walking, yes indeed...

The boy is fully mobile these days. He's all over the house (or at least the rooms we let him)...
Derek took this video last night:

Lucky Number 7

Isaac's seventh tooth has arrived on the scene today.
Actually, it's probably been on the scene for awhile, but we haven't noticed. I was clearing out an unwanted object from the boy's mouth when I noticed tooth were there normally isn't tooth. I checked for the partner tooth on the other side of his mouth and it is lagging behind. But, when it gets here, Isaac will be the proud owner of 4 top and 4 bottom teeth. And he will be much more dangerous!

Victory!!!

The Miami Dolphins won their first game of the season, today. Finally.
Now they are 1-13, and will not go down in history as the only 0-16 team ever. I'm rather elated.

Solitary Confinement

We've childproofed all the cabinets in the kitchen that contain dangerous items. We also filled one cabinet full of fun stuff for Isaac (loud metal bowls, nesting plastic bowls, measuring spoons and cups, baby food lids, plastic ramakins... you get the point). He likes to empty out said cabinet and play inside. Here's some shots.

 

 

 

Playing

 

Photo by the lovely Kristen Boone. More here.

I Guess I'm Looking For a New Dentist

This is my dentist.
He filled a cavity on Monday.

He even asked, during the procedure, "this doesn't hurt too bad, does it? I'm not killing you am I?" (emphasis is mine).

More Changes

Let me first begin by saying how fortunate I've been to have a baby who is on such a rock solid schedule. He wakes up around 6:30. Naps around 8:30 until 10:00 or so. Naps again at 1:30 or 2:00 and then goes to bed around 7:00. Like clockwork. Without much fuss.

Until the last few days.

Normally, when I put him in bed, he starts sucking his thumb and lies right down and goes to sleep. Lately, he's been taking more than an hour to get to sleep. He plays for awhile, talks to himself, throws everything overboard, and then finally dozes off. But, only for about 45 minutes to an hour.

So...
I don't know if he's trying to abandon a nap (which will make me very sad). Or if he's just fired up about his new walking skills (he's walking full tilt these days).

Last night he stayed up way past his bedtime (9:45) and he woke up later (7:45), and then he stayed up later this morning (10:45), and when I put him down, he went to sleep immediately. So, we'll see where the day takes us....

I just hope we can still squeeze in two naps. I need one for getting things done and one for getting my own nap. :)

New Territory

Up until yesterday, the boy needed an extra boost to navigate the coffee table. If a toy inadvertantly became too close, he was all over it, using it to boost him up to a new elevation.

Then, yesterday, he grabbed onto the corner and pulled (and grunted) with all of his might and managed to get his little body up onto the coffee table. Then, he crawled back and forth over and over, exploring his new discovery. Add another reason to my ever growing list of why I can't peel my eyes off of our adventure boy for a split second....

 

 

 

Unpatriotic?

Is it unpatriotic to hate the New England Patriots?

The Rest of the Week....

Isaac and I had a pretty uneventful week.

On Tuesday, we went up to Forbush so I could make some sense of last year's calculus notes for this year's calculus teacher. We made a few stops in other classrooms while there, visiting old pals.

On Wednesday, we visited Derek at work and went out to lunch at a pizza buffet. Isaac was very well behaved (which is quite unusual for him in restaurants). I think he liked the pizza.

Thursday, we tried to go to the mall and get some holiday shopping completed. However, at the register of my first attempted purchase, it came to my attention that I had arrived at the mall sans debit card. Isaac had lunch (I didn't even have enough cash to get something for me) and we headed home. Before going into any stores, we did stop to play in the little kids play area. There's a nice, thick, padded rug with various fruit themed play structures scattered about. Isaac had a wonderful time. He spent a long time perched atop a banana slice, squealing in delight at all of the passing toddlers, and showing his exuberance by alternating smacking the banana and throwing his hands up in the air wildly.

Yesterday, we only ventured out of the house for a trip to the grocery store, to purchase a few missing necessities (flavored creamer being one of those much needed items). We mostly just played. He's getting a lot of fun to play with.

He's also walking quite a bit. It's still not his preferred mode of transportation, but if the situation is right, he'll take off. That is, until he becomes somewhat uncomfortable or he turns his head around to see if I'm watching. Then, it's back to the old standby, crawling.

Today, we are headed to Brayden Love's 1st birthday party. I'm excited to see some adult friends from back in the day. And it's crazy to think that Isaac's birthday will be right around the corner. And that's the update.

Raleigh Trip Update

Isaac and I returned from Raleigh this morning.
It was an action packed adventure.

We rolled in on Saturday night, after a relatively uneventful trip. We played and got some food and Isaac went to bed. Then we watched a movie. Correction: Sarah and Jack watched a movie. I fell asleep.

On Sunday, we went to get some food and coffee and Isaac played with all of the things he could get his hands on in the non-baby-compliant environment. Then, Isaac and I headed to my old church to catch up with loads of old Bethesda Baptist folks. We had lunch at Las Palmas with Timmmm and the Dowds.

Isaac and I went back to Sarah's where he took a nap. I also dozed on and off a few times, while watching the football updates scroll across the tv screen. (Miami is 0-12). When he woke up, we went for a walk to get coffee. Isaac and myself, that is. When we got back, Sarah rolled in from work and we headed out to a reception at ye olde church. Sarah came to be an extra set of hands.

At the reception, we caught up with pretty much the same crowd as the morning, only with a bit more time for catching up, this go 'round. Isaac drank some green punch and had a chocolate cookie, but faded fast. We bid farewell and headed home. Isaac went to bed and once again, we watched a movie. Only, I slept.

Isaac woke up at 6:00 am and I packed us up and we headed out. He was very good on this ride as well, and even fell asleep at the end. He is still sleeping, after a very busy weekend.

And that's how it all went down.

Raleigh Bound.... I hope...

In an hour or so, Isaac and I will be heading out for Raleigh, North Carolina. He's taking a nap right now. Or trying to anyways.

It's like this....
It's almost as if he knows that something is going to be happening. On days when I would really really like for him to get good rest and be on his normal routine, he gets all out of whack.
This morning, he woke up an hour early.
Then he cut his morning nap short by a half hour-ish.
Now, he's having a really hard time taking his second nap. He woke up after about 45 minutes and he's been squealing and screaming on and off for a little while now.
Normally, he's a very wonderful sleeper. I don't know what the problem is today.

We're planning on leaving after his second nap and he's got me quite worried that he's going to be one ultra-crabby traveler. It makes me second guess the decision to go....

Christmas Decor + Baby =

randomness

Here are some random shots of Isaac that have been on my camera for a long time now....

How could a boy with this face ever do anything to make you mad??


Good times in the car with my feet:


Chillin' with Dad on the couch. Getting my belly scratched sometimes helps me to sit still for a brief moment in time.

TEN

Isaac is 10 months old today. He's an old man.

thanksgiving, black friday, and the long weekend...

we had a terrific thanksgiving. derek's side of the family was all in attendance except for one cousin-in-law who had to work and kristen, darren, caison and preston who stayed home due to illness. oh, and derek's dad who was in costa rica.

we ventured out yesterday to shop. it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. it was later, however, and most of the crazies were probably already done with their entire holiday shopping. we bought a candle. and that was it.

today, we've put up a modified version of our typical christmas decor, due to a certain explorer with busy hands... not sure what's on tap for the rest of the day, but it's nice to not have a plan and a schedule. we can just relax...

things

not much to report from 'round here...

isaac is working on his walking everyday. he's getting quite confident.
he's also got a bad case of teething working for him. he's not really cranky about it, but he's got some serious diapers and an accompanying serious diaper rash. yesterday, while letting him "air it out" for a little while, he used the bathroom (#2) on our living room floor. never a dull moment...

i've been on a cleaning rampage. not just dusting and vacuuming, either. i've pulled out every piece of furniture in our house to vacuum or mop what lies beneath. i've scrubbed all the baseboards and trim. it's exciting. mostly because i'm done. now, to keep it up...

we are having thanksgiving here tomorrow. as of right now, there will be a minimum of 10 adults and 3 kids/babies. there's the possibility of 2 more adults and 2 more kids, depending on the healing of sicknesses before tomorrow.

on saturday, the little man got his first official haircut. (i took to him a couple of weeks ago, to relieve the mullet). the pics are on derek's camera, so i'll get them up someday. he was pretty good (suckers aided in appeasing him) and now he looks like such a little boy. and kind of like lloyd christmas (jim carrey's character in dumb and dumber).

um, well, i think that about covers all the things that are going on here. sorry about the capitalization, or lack thereof. i'm not feeling grammatically (or punctuationally) correct right now.

Fluffer Nutter.....

....was Kernel Kustard's delicious flavor of the day that Isaac and I sampled on our way home from Target. It's still second in my heart behind Moravian Cookie.

Brains....Brains!!!!!

I think Isaac is an aspiring Zombie. See for yourself:

Haven't you always wanted a Monkey?

The boy climbs EVERYWHERE:

 

 

 

 

Staggering

That is what Isaac is up to these days. He's really getting ready to fully, all out walk soon. Here's one of the many videos we took, to document his latest skillz. The rest ended with a fall, or a detour to something that is distracting him, or with him giving up and sitting down.

NY Trip Recap

It's a little late, but I thought I would recap our exciting trip to New York. Batavia, NY that is.

Let's see. While we were there we:

1. enjoyed a very less than stellar lunch trip to the Pok-a-dot. Man, that place is going downhill fast.
2. went for several brisk walks with the monster.
3. got some use out of some winter clothes that were likely to never have been worn by the time it gets cold here. (I bought some 12 month stuff way back when and Isaac has almost outgrown most of it.)
4. got a crack in the windshield of the Toaster.
5. ate a whole lot of m&m's.
6. watched the Dolphins fall to 0-9 at the hands of our hated division rivals, the Buffalo Bills.
7. enjoyed a tasty throwback to my middleschool years - cheese soup.
8. visited the newly upgraded SUPER Wal-mart that has just reopened in Batavia.
9. stopped by Aunt Eleanor's and Uncle Ray's and Gramps and Carolyn's.
10. Had lunch at Sporto's, where the boy had a meal long meltdown. (Except for the parts where he had a french fry in his clutches).
11. Played a lot of Wii. (Jake got one for his birthday).
12. Scaled the hill at my parents house to observe the deer that Bobby shot.
13. Got Frankie up and running on Facebook.
14. Went to Jake's party at the zoo. (already documented in a previous post).
15. went to a MAMMOTH rummage sale at Saint Anthony's Church, that advertised "a million items". There really probably was a million items. It was, in fact, mammoth. We got lots of unnecessary junk.

Um, I think that's pretty much it. It really was pretty uneventful. The boy was not very chipper for most of the trip. I think winter trips might be not a very good idea for a rambunctious 9 month old. There wasn't a lot for him to do and he seemed to get bored very fast.

Safe and Sound

We're back.
The trip was uneventful. Surprisingly uneventful.
Isaac was sooooo good and it was such a relief.
Details in the morning... For now... Sleep.

Zoo pics

 

 

 

 

Busted

This was at our house a little while back.
Isaac LOVES to get into Lucy's food dish.

Brisk Walk

Here's some photos from our brisk NY afternoon walk yesterday:



And a picture of the boy, chillin' with Terry:

Brrrrrrrrrrr!!!

We're here in New York and it is chilly!

Isaac slept for nearly the entire ride, so we drove through the night. It saved us on a hotel stay and scored us some extra time with the WNY family. We also made the decision because you never know what a night in a strange place will turn out like with the monster. And, the final reason - no traffic.

Unfortunately, we're pretty tired now, so hopefully we can get some z's while the boy is doing the same.

I'll update if something good happens.

ps. I hate Pennsylvania. Why? It was construction for almost the entire state. Stupid.

In Seven Hours...

...we'll begin our journey northward to Batavia, New York.

We're going to see how far we can get this evening and then finish in the am. If the boy sleeps for the trip and we're feeling energetic, it's possible we'll drive all night like Cyndi Lauper.

We're staying until Tuesday when we'll make the drive home all in one day. I don't know what we're thinking.

In other news, Isaac is back to his old self. He has a little lump on his head and some discoloration, but all in all, I think we did alright.

Bad Mom.

This morning, Isaac and I decided to take a trip to Target to get some baby food and baby toothpaste. Isaac started out riding in the kids seat, all strapped in for safety. However, he has figured out how to squirm his way around backwards while still strapped in, so I decided to put him in the big part of the cart. I loaded up with baby food and made my way to the baby toiletries aisle.

Here's where it goes bad...

As I perused for various baby toothpastes, Isaac in a split second hurled himself overboard from the cart, landing on his head. I scooped him up, abandoned the cart, ran outside and called Derek. Derek called the doctor's office, who gave us the same things to watch for as when he traveled down the stairs at a high rate of speed.

We checked his eyes and they seemed fine.
He didn't act lethargic. Just sleepy because he was way overdue for a nap.
There was no bleeding.
He didn't throw up.

I feel like the worst mom in the universe. I don't know how he got over the side. My best guess is that he managed to squeeze his toe into the side of the cart and get a good boost to get him started. Anyhow, that's my day so far. Good times.

Funny Stuff

Plus some pictures added here.

Happy Birthday....

....to Jake.

(he's 10 today).

Dream Boy

(Photo by Kristen Boone).

I love Autumn.

I do.
I like leaves and crisp, cool weather.
I like not mowing.
I like Thanksgiving in the near future and Christmas on the horizon.
I like my birthday.
I like remembering autumns past.
I like not needing a/c OR heat. I like needing a/c AND heat in the same day.
I rather enjoy driving with my windows open (and so does Sir Isaac).
I like Christmas movies.
I like pumpkin pie.
I like apple candles.
I like the smell of spiced cider.
I like pumpkin spice lattes.
I like the fireplace.
I like wool socks.
I like "Fall Back" (but I equally dislike "Spring Ahead").
I like hats with ear flaps.
And mittens.
I like campfires. And roasted marshmallows.
I like cornucopias.

:)

9 month checkup

isaac and i just got back from his 9 month checkup. this is a no-shot appointment, thankfully. the boy weighed in at 21 lbs 3 oz and has stretched out to 30 inches in length. he's a giant.

in other news, we're going trick or treating this evening, to a couple of houses anyways. it is madness in our neighborhood on halloween. apparently, parents ship their kids over here. i guess we give good candy or something.

isaac has been getting a little bit adventurous with his walking lately. i've caught him a few times in the act of letting go of what he's holding onto and taking a couple wobbly steps before collapsing. exciting...

Tricks

We "discovered" that Isaac has two new tricks up his sleeve.

1. The other day, Derek looked over at Isaac, who had managed to climb up onto the coffee table and was quickly racing towards the other end. We suspect that a conveniently placed toy had aided in his ascent, but it was an impressive feat, nonetheless.

2. Isaac is prone to hurling himself off furniture in order to get down. He often takes head first dives off the couch and practically jumps from his high chair and car seat when he is sprung free of the restraining mechanisms. Most recently, he has learned how to hurl himself over the side of the bathtub. Fortunately, there has been an adult present and waiting to catch a wet, slippery, naked baby during these events. I wonder if he just assumes that will happen every time. I guess we probably shouldn't introduce him to tough love just yet...

In other (unrelated) news, we go to the doctor tomorrow for a 9 month check-up. That is, if our doctor doesn't have jury duty, which they called to warn us about on Thursday.
Also, after recovering quickly from my blah-sickness on Thursday and Friday, I have now found myself heading towards a cold. The runny nose began last night and is really gaining momentum as I type.

"Shalloween" Party

Derek and I took Isaac to a Halloween Party in "downtown" Lewisville. The event, located in Shallowford Square was cleverly named Shalloween. There wasn't much for a baby to do, but it was a good excuse to dress the boy up. The fact that he's a happy camper whenever he's outdoors was an added bonus.

He was a very cute Baby Chick. Or Duck. Or whatever his costume is. He even won first prize in the costume contest for 6 and under Boys.

All set to go:

Cute Chick/Duck closeup:

Playing the one and only baby friendly game:


Waiting...

Walking in the parade:


Pretty exciting....
Also.... here's a link to the picasa album of all the pictures.

Sick. :(

I'm sick.
It's miserable.
It's not a cold sick, but a sore body, headache, intestinal discomfort, clammy, not quite the flu-type sick.

Nine Months

That is how old the boy is today.
He's been on the outside for as long as he was on the inside.
He's getting quite big. I expect he'll be walking soon. I hope he walks soon, because he's getting to be a little bit heavy. He "talks" all day long, although the only thing he consistently says is "bye bye", but I'm pretty sure he has no idea what it means.
Anyhow, here's the slideshow of the last month in the life of Mr. Isaac.

As always, if you don't feel like watching it, but you'd like to see the pictures at your own speed, here's a link to the picasa album.

Pumpkins and Boys

Morning Routine

Here is a video of the first thing Isaac does every morning.

Kernel Kustard

After five visits to the newly opened Kernel Kustard restaurant, Isaac and I would like to publicly give rave reviews. This message was unsolicited.

So far, I have tried the following:
1. Vanilla Kustard with Butterfinger mixin.
2. Lick the Bowl Jumble (Vanilla w/ pb cookie dough, brownie batter, and chocolate chip cookie dough)
3. Brew Nerd's Mocha Almond something or other Kustard.
4. Turtle Cheesecake Kustard (my favorite, so far).
5. Southern Apple Pie Kustard
6. Italian Sausage sandwich.

So far, Isaac has tried all of the above Kustards, although his favorite thing about KK's isn't on the menu. He loves loves loves the fountain on the patio.

So, on top of having delicious food, it's a good escape for a stay at home mom and her adventurous baby. Kudos to the McKies. Word.

bored..........

the boy and i are very bored, lately.
if anyone has any ideas for us, we would appreciate them.

thank you.

Almost Fully Mobile

Isaac is just about ready to take off. Here's a video of his current mobility status:

Bubblehead

Special thanks to the folks at Mr. Bubble, Inc.