miles had the opportunity to video chat with his MomMom and big papi this afternoon. it was one sided as their web cam was not working, but they were able to see and hear miles playing and we were able to hear them. he seems to enjoy listening but was pretty mellow. he was happy to eat a mum mum and play with his blocks though. but he was most interested in typing on my laptop. he loves to type. instead of hitting at the keyboard in the office like he does most toys, he will put his little chubby fingers on the keys and move them like he is typing, staring at the screen (he has learned a lot from his bumbo time watching his daddy in the office!!) today was no different and he had a lot to type to his grandparents! thought you would enjoy this message from miles....
5:25 PM
xxx;l ljresbm v cx,cbn
lcz zxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
5:26 PM
?>P[o
x yxuxxk.k
5:27 PM
j
mv m,v
vnmkv
cfytbv g
5:28 PM
gggf bv
m, nx cxx cxxfxvf
5:29 PM
CVVVVVVV
g? FVBGVcgf
5:30 PM
v.g kv , vkm.,., m n ';/ .6;0
5:31 PM
bb B bnb bn?
5:32 PM
b ; :LV
"B BV? GH
5:33 PM
xc
5:34 PM
9\
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
8 months old!
dear miles,
today you are 8 months old! this month has been super busy and i think this has been one of the months you have changed the most. i was also just thinking yesterday that no matter what is going on, whenever i look at your sweet face i can't help but smile. i am so glad to have you! here's a look at what you are up to these days.
sleep
you sleep in your crib on your tummy. 2 fingers from your right hand go into your mouth, your left hand you stick straight out behind you. just about all the time. sometimes you still scrunch up into a ball, bum up in the air, hands under your tummy, ankles crossed. so cute. you are doing a great job of falling asleep on your own when we place you in your crib. unless you are super tired or have just had a bath, you burst into tears when i lay you down, then abruptly stop, suck on your fingers, and fall asleep. sometimes you take awhile to fall asleep and we will hear you in there talking and wriggling around. you are rarely in the same place as where i left you when you wake up, but i find it so cute that as you inch around your crib, your blanket travels with you.
you wake up in the mornings usually around 8am and take a good morning nap or two short ones. in the afternoons when i am home with you, you usually are still napping every other hour for an hour, though sometimes you stretch it to every 2 hours. lately you've been taking a nap from 5.30 or 6pm to 7.30pm which i would like to remove and just move your bedtime earlier. but for right now you've been going to bed around 8.30-9.30pm. you still are waking up a couple times per night but go right back to sleep after i feed you.
you did struggle some this month with sleeping because you had a super nasty cold and because we were traveling. when we returned home we put a pillow under your mattress to elevate your head and that seemed to work well. i was pleased with how you settled back into your routines after two weeks of travel.
eat
you are nursing at 5.30am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, and 1am...or around those times most days. in the mornings you eat baby food and occasionally a bottle of formula. at lunch and dinner time i have been offering you baby food and snacks. your favorite baby foods are bananas, strawberries & bananas, and chicken noodle dinner. though recently you have been very interested in feeding yourself. once you mastered cheerios, you decided you don't really want me to feed you baby food (though your babysitter reports that you eat well for her). so i bought a variety of baby snacks from the grocery store so you wouldn't be eating only cheerios. you LOVE them and can't get enough of them. i was worried you would struggle to eat them, but you grab them up, some in each hand and chomp them. right now you are eating banana puffs, sweet potato puffs, mixed berry yogurt bites, mum mums, and veggie dip corn snacks. this month we are going to continue to try baby food, but also i am going to buy some frozen veggies for you to try and some diced fresh fruits. you also enjoyed chewing on celery and tangerines over the christmas break.
i offer you water while you are snacking. your favorite sippy cup is one that has a straw. recently you have wanted to drink out of anyone's cup who happens to be holding you and a cup! especially if the "cup" is a water bottle or gatorade bottle, etc with a crinkly wrapper. so this week you have been working on drinking a 20oz dasani water bottle through a straw. it is hilarious to watch! i think you think you are so big, feeding yourself and drinking from a water bottle. yesterday you got your first taste of apple juice...i think you are a fan.
skills
your biggest achievement this month was learning to sit up. it seemed to happen overnite while we were traveling for christmas, but you have definitely got it down. but now that you can sit, you don't really like to be on your tummy. you don't really seem interested in crawling, but i know it will come soon, whether we are ready or not!
you have been saying "dada" a lot, sometimes it seems like you are saying it right to your dad. you also have "baba" sound down and you seem to say "nehnehneh" in relation to food or in relation to me or just randomly, i'm not sure.
you have been blowing lots of raspberries this month.
you love to look at yourself and other people in the mirror and smile.
you have graduated to the last section of your infant bathtub. you've gone from the hammock, to reclined, and now you are in the sitting up section. you love baths just as much as ever. you have moved to splashing with your hands rather than your feet. you sit there and hit the water with both hands, splashing water everywhere, looking startled when it hits your face!
play time
we moved the office into the old guest room so that the back bedroom would be emptied out as a playroom for you. we moved the guest bed out and bought a futon to have in the playroom. we loaded up the cabinets with all your christmas toys and moved your jumper and other gear into the playroom. the plan is to paint the walls and do some decorating and baby-proofing so we will have a safe place in the house for you to explore and play with your toys. the closet doors in that room are mirrored and you love to jump and look at yourself in the mirror.
you also are pretty happy to lay in bed with us or on the couch and play with remote controls, cellphones, or laptops...anything with tiny buttons to stare at.
your aunt m and uncle m gave you a sailboat quilt that was hand made just for you for christmas. we usually spread that out on the floor and you sit on it and play with your toys. you take blocks in and out of buckets and chew on them and bang them together. you still love to read books. at the beginning of the month the touch and feel books were your favorites, but this past week i have noticed you are learning to like the lift-the-flap books more and more. the two books you are most interested in right now (though i think 'that's not my puppy' is still your overall fave) are called "Ears Nose & Toes" and a Little People Farm book...both are lift the flaps. you stretch forward and lift each flap after i do...i love it!
the weather has been really cold, but one day this week i was able to take you to the park (we also took you to the park in graham over the christmas break). you enjoyed the swings and watched the other kids running around playing. a 16month old girl came and was in the swing next to you, and you really stared at her while she laughed and talked.
what we did
you spent the mornings i was working with your babysitter. it's obvious you are getting to know and recognize her and enjoy your times with her. your dad and i both had 2 weeks off work and we spent them traveling to graham and missouri to celebrate christmas. auntie jen babysat you, you hung out with your dad while i had bball tournaments, we rang in the new year with friends, played in snow, went shopping, had a cold, got your first stomach bug, celebrated mawmaw's 80th birthday, and celebrated your first christmas!
i wonder if this time next month we will have a mobile miles??? scary thought!!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
christmas video
i almost forgot! click on the video below to watch a slideshow of some of the christmas pictures.
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| Movies |
two teeth & sitting like a pro
it was on dec 17th that i first felt a little tooth poking thru miles' gums. over the 2wk christmas break, miles has grown two little teeth...the two front bottom teeth. he enjoys rubbing his tongue over them. they are quite sharp! and he also enjoys practicing his bite...so beware! he now enjoys chomping bites of mum mum rice cakes, gnawing on celery stalks, and most recently eating cheerios. the first time i gave him some cheerios he was struggling to pick them up and i needed to break them in half for him to eat. today i put him in his high chair and he was picking up handfuls of cheerios in each hand and stuffing them in his face...he's a fan. i like watching him practice picking up tiny things. and i like that they entertain him. today he also grabbed his cup with a straw and drank some water, without any help from me.
it seems like overnight on our christmas travels he could suddenly sit unassisted. it's way more fun for him to sit on a blanket and play with all his new toys. i just put his buckets of blocks on either side of him and he happily takes blocks in and out and bangs them around everywhere, it is so cute! he also likes to dump the entire box out...how does he learn this already? he also likes to sit next to his dad and "play playstation", though ross informed me yesterday he has already figured out which controller ross is using and only wants to play with that one, rather than the one that is turned off. again, how do they learn this stuff so soon?!?
perhaps the most significant thing about miles sitting so far is that today he and i were able to do a full week's worth of grocery shopping with him strapped in the cart! he had grown too big to ride in his sling while i shopped, but usually would get tired of sitting up before i was done shopping. but today i strapped him in and he happily sat the whole time and played with a packet of cheese, making it crinkle in his hands. he did great, even while checking out and loading the car. no less than 7 people mentioned how cute he was, and one lady told whoever she was o the phone that she had just seen the most beautiful baby in the world at the grocery store. i certainly don't disagree and i am blessed to be holding that baby right now! (yes, really right now...i have sacrificed my cell phone to him so i can have sole use of my laptop, even if it is just to type left-handed only).
it seems like overnight on our christmas travels he could suddenly sit unassisted. it's way more fun for him to sit on a blanket and play with all his new toys. i just put his buckets of blocks on either side of him and he happily takes blocks in and out and bangs them around everywhere, it is so cute! he also likes to dump the entire box out...how does he learn this already? he also likes to sit next to his dad and "play playstation", though ross informed me yesterday he has already figured out which controller ross is using and only wants to play with that one, rather than the one that is turned off. again, how do they learn this stuff so soon?!?
perhaps the most significant thing about miles sitting so far is that today he and i were able to do a full week's worth of grocery shopping with him strapped in the cart! he had grown too big to ride in his sling while i shopped, but usually would get tired of sitting up before i was done shopping. but today i strapped him in and he happily sat the whole time and played with a packet of cheese, making it crinkle in his hands. he did great, even while checking out and loading the car. no less than 7 people mentioned how cute he was, and one lady told whoever she was o the phone that she had just seen the most beautiful baby in the world at the grocery store. i certainly don't disagree and i am blessed to be holding that baby right now! (yes, really right now...i have sacrificed my cell phone to him so i can have sole use of my laptop, even if it is just to type left-handed only).
ringing in the new year for the first time
after being gone for a week, we returned home around 2pm on the 31st. miles was so glad to see his jumper and especially his crib. he took a long nap in it. i went to the grocery store and cooked dinner. brittany, brian, and jennifer- a friend i coach with at school- came over to celebrate new years eve with us. we ate dinner together (i made enchiladas using a recipe from friend), played an intense game of scattergories, and then played ticket to ride before ringing in the new year. miles hung out with us during dinner and then made an appearance during scattergories before going down for the night. maybe next year he stay up until midnite, who knows?
miles' first christmas
this year miles celebrated his very first christmas...3 times! ross and i both had 2 weeks off work and we spent all but 4 days of that traveling with a baby, 2 dogs, and snow-covered roads. perhaps it was a little crazy, but we wanted our families to be able to spend this special time with miles.
christmas...graham style
after our last day of work on the 18th, we got up early the next morning and drove to graham just in time for mawmaw's 80th birthday party. All of my dad's family made the trip and it was no small affair! i was glad we could be a part of the special day, though i'm not sure anyone noticed us because they were so glad to meet miles! nana and delbert also joined us for the celebration, and they could not believe how much miles had grown since the last time they had seen him! on sunday miles went to the park with his cousins and nana and then celebrated christmas with my cousins. we had declared monday as "christmas day" in graham. we did our traditional stockings, breakfast, presents combo with my parents, mawmaw, and all of us siblings. my mom bought miles a huuuge stocking and he enjoyed holding each item i took out of it. he also loved to crinkle the wrapping paper and of course tried to eat it. he got some clothes (some for when he's older), lots of books...his fave, blocks, and lots of other little goodies. it was a lot of fun to be with the complete family.
christmas...austin style
we left the next day (22nd) and came back home. miles was perfect in the car (for the record, so were the dogs). we unpacked everything and relaxed. auntie jen came over on the 23rd and babysat miles while ross and i went to san antonio for a spurs game (our christmas present from my parents). i think we calculated it was the longest spurt i had been away from miles and i definitely missed him. we demanded jennifer keep texting us pics of him while we were at the game. we ate at saltgrass before the game and had a really great evening together. jennifer did a great job with miles, even though he was getting sick and was a super crankpot that day. christmas eve day auntie jen took care of miles allll day while i cleaned the house and ross took care of all the leaves in the yard and did some other work outside. then we went to church and afterwards ate brisket and had a game night with 2 new games ross had purchased as his christmas gift from mawmaw. we wanted to stay up all night playing but we had a busy day the next day. we were super glad jfer came and helped us out while she was cramming in as much miles time as she could before she left for her semester in wales. christmas morning we ate cinnamon rolls and packed up everything again, then we all headed out.
christmas...missouri style
we drove back to graham and spent the night with my parents there before heading up to missouri the next day. the roads were very icy and we saw more than 60 cars that had driven off the road between graham and wichita falls, but ross did a great job and 8hrs later eventually drove us safely to his parents house. ross' nephew, brother, and sister-in-law were also there. miles' grandma was so glad to see him again, the first time since he was more than a week old, and it was his grandpa's first time to get to meet him. right away he got to work opening more presents. already he seemed better at it. he started ripping at the paper right away and found a musical train and a set of shape blocks with a bucket which is turning out to be his favorite toy. miles had a great time receiving lots of love and playing with his new toys...he even got to play the piano! his uncle mike took lots of pictures of him that turned out so cute! one evening miles hung out with his grandma while ross and i went to see a movie and did some shopping at the mall...it was quite the treat for me, only the 2nd time we've gone out to the movies since miles was born. we also watched the a&m bowl game and some movies at the house. also, i read a book...a novel concept! i really enjoyed having so much help with miles. we left missouri on the 30th and made it to graham, once again spending the night there before finally heading home to austin on the 31st.
i think miles really enjoyed seeing all his family. out of nowhere, on the 19th, he decided he would smile and laugh at everyone...previously he had been very stoic when he was not at home. i was so glad that everyone got to see his personality and his beautiful smile. also, while were in missouri he started sitting up more for longer periods of time, and over the break he also began to eat cheerios he had gotten in his stocking. unfortunately he had a cold from the 23rd onward so he had a lot of difficulty sleeping, which made for a very tired ross and me. he did great riding in the car ( i think i calculated 1700+ miles), if he got bored i just rode in the back to talk to him, feed him baby food, or hand him toys/read him books. all in all, it was a great first christmas for our sweet baby boy!
christmas...graham style
after our last day of work on the 18th, we got up early the next morning and drove to graham just in time for mawmaw's 80th birthday party. All of my dad's family made the trip and it was no small affair! i was glad we could be a part of the special day, though i'm not sure anyone noticed us because they were so glad to meet miles! nana and delbert also joined us for the celebration, and they could not believe how much miles had grown since the last time they had seen him! on sunday miles went to the park with his cousins and nana and then celebrated christmas with my cousins. we had declared monday as "christmas day" in graham. we did our traditional stockings, breakfast, presents combo with my parents, mawmaw, and all of us siblings. my mom bought miles a huuuge stocking and he enjoyed holding each item i took out of it. he also loved to crinkle the wrapping paper and of course tried to eat it. he got some clothes (some for when he's older), lots of books...his fave, blocks, and lots of other little goodies. it was a lot of fun to be with the complete family.
christmas...austin style
we left the next day (22nd) and came back home. miles was perfect in the car (for the record, so were the dogs). we unpacked everything and relaxed. auntie jen came over on the 23rd and babysat miles while ross and i went to san antonio for a spurs game (our christmas present from my parents). i think we calculated it was the longest spurt i had been away from miles and i definitely missed him. we demanded jennifer keep texting us pics of him while we were at the game. we ate at saltgrass before the game and had a really great evening together. jennifer did a great job with miles, even though he was getting sick and was a super crankpot that day. christmas eve day auntie jen took care of miles allll day while i cleaned the house and ross took care of all the leaves in the yard and did some other work outside. then we went to church and afterwards ate brisket and had a game night with 2 new games ross had purchased as his christmas gift from mawmaw. we wanted to stay up all night playing but we had a busy day the next day. we were super glad jfer came and helped us out while she was cramming in as much miles time as she could before she left for her semester in wales. christmas morning we ate cinnamon rolls and packed up everything again, then we all headed out.
christmas...missouri style
we drove back to graham and spent the night with my parents there before heading up to missouri the next day. the roads were very icy and we saw more than 60 cars that had driven off the road between graham and wichita falls, but ross did a great job and 8hrs later eventually drove us safely to his parents house. ross' nephew, brother, and sister-in-law were also there. miles' grandma was so glad to see him again, the first time since he was more than a week old, and it was his grandpa's first time to get to meet him. right away he got to work opening more presents. already he seemed better at it. he started ripping at the paper right away and found a musical train and a set of shape blocks with a bucket which is turning out to be his favorite toy. miles had a great time receiving lots of love and playing with his new toys...he even got to play the piano! his uncle mike took lots of pictures of him that turned out so cute! one evening miles hung out with his grandma while ross and i went to see a movie and did some shopping at the mall...it was quite the treat for me, only the 2nd time we've gone out to the movies since miles was born. we also watched the a&m bowl game and some movies at the house. also, i read a book...a novel concept! i really enjoyed having so much help with miles. we left missouri on the 30th and made it to graham, once again spending the night there before finally heading home to austin on the 31st.
i think miles really enjoyed seeing all his family. out of nowhere, on the 19th, he decided he would smile and laugh at everyone...previously he had been very stoic when he was not at home. i was so glad that everyone got to see his personality and his beautiful smile. also, while were in missouri he started sitting up more for longer periods of time, and over the break he also began to eat cheerios he had gotten in his stocking. unfortunately he had a cold from the 23rd onward so he had a lot of difficulty sleeping, which made for a very tired ross and me. he did great riding in the car ( i think i calculated 1700+ miles), if he got bored i just rode in the back to talk to him, feed him baby food, or hand him toys/read him books. all in all, it was a great first christmas for our sweet baby boy!
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