11 months...and a big surprise!

Yes, you read the shirt correctly. Dexter (my now 11 month old baby!) is going to be a BIG BROTHER. It was a very big surprise to mommy and daddy! We have an appointment on Wednesday, Sept 1, to find out our due date. We are nervous and excited...we were planning to wait a little bit longer before trying to have another baby! =)

This weekend, we went to Clay County to take Dexter to stay with my parents and sisters...wearing the shirt that announced the big news. It didn't take any of our relatives very long to guess the meaning of the shirt. Needless to say, there were hugs and squeals and tears all around. This new baby is going to be very loved and spoiled by all.

My sweet little 11-month-old is such a happy and well-behaved baby! He wakes most mornings with a smile, bouncing up and down in his crib...and even throwing his cuddly stuffed animal friends overboard to entertain himself until mommy comes into the room to get him out of bed. He is taking 2 or 3 naps a day, and sleeping through the nights most nights. If he does wake up in the night, all I have to do is give him his pacifier back, and he will go right back to sleep. (I dread having to take that little lifesaver away...we only use it at bedtime, so I am not in a huge hurry, especially with the new little one on the way!) He has 8 teeth, and knows how to use them! He is eating more and more table foods and less baby food and bottles. We will be trying to wean him from the bottle in one month! Wish me luck! He loves to play with his truck and tractor that make noise, and he likes for mommy to build towers of blocks so that he can knock them over. He says "Mama" and "Dada", although I am not sure he has realized what that means just yet. He is wearing 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers...big boy! The "big brother" t-shirt is actually 2T, and I was sad to realize that it wasn't really all that much too big. He is growing up so fast...I am loving every second of it.

10 months, Dallas, and summer in general

Turns out I am not so great at this blogging business. Being a wife and a mommy (and having a part-time job) keeps me very busy! I somehow forgot to post that Dexter is now TEN MONTHS OLD! (and will actually be 11 months old in about a week and a half...since this post is extremely late. Whoops!)

My sweet ten-month-old is not at all shy. He loves people, loves to smile, loves the cat...I can think of thousands of things that he loves! The list of things that he doesn't love is much shorter: mashed potatoes, having his face wiped off after eating, wearing shoes, shopping, sitting still in the stroller or car, and having his nose cleaned. He is sleeping through the night most nights, from 7pm to 7am pretty consistantly. He takes around 3 naps a day. He is drinking juice, water, (and sometimes diluted sweet tea when he is with his grandparents!) from a sippy cup now, and he can feed himself with his hands very well! He is growing so fast. He hasn't been to the doctor in 2 months (he is due for a checkup soon) but I estimate that he weighs around 25-27 lbs. Big boy! He's wearing 18 month clothes. Mommy is already planning his first birthday party, and I can't believe how quickly it is approaching!

Our summer has been kind of low-key, because Adam and I are both working, and we work opposite shifts so that we can avoid using childcare and keep Dexter at home with us! Luckily this allows for lots of good quality mommy and daddy time! Earlier in the summer, we took a road trip to Dallas to see Adam's dad's side of the family. For most of them, it was their first time meeting Dexter. Everyone loved him, and he handled the trip really well!

Adam and I have also taken time to do some 'couple things', taking advantage of our parents' offers to babysit. We have gone on a few date nights, went to Florida for Memorial Day, and just last weekend went to Atlanta to see Kathy Griffin perform comedy at the Fox Theatre.

I was going to post more photos, but Blogger is not wanting to cooperate with me! I will be back for our 11 month update...hopefully on time! =)

4th of July

Adam, Dexter and I went home to the Clay County area for the 4th of July. We hung out with some of Adam's friends that evening and cooked out and watched fireworks. Dexter was so good! He wasn't even scared of the loud noises that all the fireworks and bottle rockets and firecrackers were making. He just watched them, wide-eyed and intrigued.

The day after the 4th, we cooked out and swam and enjoyed spending time with my parents and sisters, and we also got to see Adam's mom as well. Dexter's cousin Braden had his first birthday on the 5th, and we were able to attend his party. It's hard to believe that in just a few short months it will be time to celebrate Dexter's first birthday!

This week is going to be a very busy week for us, because we are preparing to leave next Tuesday (the 13th) to make the drive out to Dallas for Adam's little brother's graduation. I am a little nervous about making such a long drive with Dexter, but he is always such a good baby that I probably am more nervous than I should be. There is lots of do to prepare though. We have never made such a long trip with baby on board! The car needs to be serviced, new toys need to be bought, and there is lots of laundry, cleaning, and packing to be done. We also have to take Max to be groomed, and then make the drive to my grandmother's house with him, because she is going to keep him for us while we're gone. I am so thankful that she is only 2 hours away, and that she loves kitties as much as I do. It is nice to know that he is safe with family rather than boarded in a kennel with strangers. He will be much happier this way...and I will rest much easier and be able to enjoy my trip without worrying how my fur-baby is doing.

Off to accomplish some of my to-do list. Wish me luck...

nine months

i just can't believe that dexter is already 9 months old. these months have passed SO quickly.

at nine months, dexter is:

-pulling to stand, and 'cruising' side to side when holding himself up.

-using his walker and loving it! he likes to go fast, especially when he's on the hardwood floors at his nana and paw-paw's house.

-eating lots of solid foods. he likes biter biscuits and pretty much anything he can feed to himself. he grabs the spoon and tries to feed himself when mommy and daddy are feeding him...he's trying to gain his independence already.

-starting to babble a lot more. i don't think it will be long before he is saying actual words. i am crossing my fingers for "mama!"

-getting even more teeth. he has 2 on top and 2 on bottom, but i see 2 more coming in on bottom and 1 more poking through on top, for a total of 7!

-starting to enjoy tv shows, such as 'the backyardigans' and 'blue's clues'. mommy sometimes lets him watch 2 shows a day. they usually only keep his attention for a few minutes at a time.

-loving max (the cat) and wanting to pull his tail. mommy has to watch him very carefully to make sure that nobody gets scratched!

it's time to (tear!) start planning his first birthday party. we are going to keep it pretty low-key, just family and a few friends at nana's house. i am undecided about a theme. i do know that we are going to be keeping it very simple! i don't want him to be overwhelmed.

how time flies...

i can't believe how quickly time passes. dexter is almost nine months old! he's getting so big now...crawling, and pulling up to stand. he is eating solid foods and wants to try everything that mommy and daddy eats too. the only food that he has not liked so far is mashed potatoes. i think it was the texture that bothered him. i don't think it will be long before he is talking and walking. he says "da da da da da da" which doesn't seem to mean anything at all...although adam would like to believe that he's saying 'dada'.

this week he's had a bit of a cold, but no fever. i've been giving him children's benadryl to help with the coughing and sneezing. he's also cutting a third tooth on bottom and possibly a third one on top, and his gums seemed to really hurt last night.

last night was a rough night. we were up all night long, but i didn't really mind. i was more upset that dexter was feeling bad, and that we were possibly keeping adam awake. (he had to get up very early today.) dex is going to clay county to stay with adam's mom this weekend, so i hope that there won't be any repeats of last night for her this weekend. if she calls to say he's feeling bad, i will want to go get him! i miss him so much when he's gone...

i just downloaded picasa. i've always liked taking and editing photos. this is a cute one i snapped of max the other day.

so, i started a blog. mostly to post things that i would like to remember about dexter's growing up. i am not good at keeping up with the baby book, so perhaps i will be better at this. hmm...