Thanksgiving

We decided for Holden's first Thanksgiving to spend it at home ... just the 3 of us.  Turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, wassail, fudge, Chex Mix, and pumpkin pie all donned our table. 

I mushed up all of the dinner items so Holden could participate.  He loved all of it and ate most of what was on his plate.  In true Stogsdill fashion, all the binge eating was followed with long and loud belches.  So gross ... so cute.

This is Holden signing "MORE" ... or at least his version of it.

Some of Jordan's out-of-town relatives were at Aunt T's and wanted see Holden so we stopped by so they could love on him.

A little slow to react from stuffing myself at lunch, I only took a few pictures of Holden with Nanaw ... Jordan's grandma.

We hope everyone had a very special day with their loved ones.

-Carmen

Waiting for that Turkey Coma

Happy Thanksgiving!

Go thank somebody.

-The Stogsdills

New Kicks

With the onset of winter, we thought it prudent to begin covering junior's chubby feet. 

I have been trying to put socks on him lately only to remember why I never put socks on him ... he takes them off and sucks on them.  

We don't put shoes on him because his Jet-Puffed Marshmallow feet don't allow it.

The dropping temperatures have caused more than one grandma-type person to scold us out in public when they see Holden's bare feet.  

I feel bad, I really do, but I can't seem to find a baby garter belt to secure his socks!

On Mrs. B's suggestion, I went to Stride Rite today and with the helpful staff person's assistance (her last name was HOLDEN!)  found the PERFECT pair of shoes for Holden's puffy feet.

They are so cute and they actually fit him.  He seems very interested in his new shoes, but hasn't tried removing them.

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In other Holden news.... He thoughtfully stacks the toys in the corner of his cage (pack 'n play) and stands on top of them.  I think he is planning LIBERATION!

Holden has been more and more helpful while dressing.  He likes to unfasten his diaper, and he is a pro at pulling his shirt over his head and pushing his arms through the sleeves with no assistance.

Last week I sat him down in the pack 'n play to ready his diaper bag.  When I returned to fetch him, Holden had removed his socks, his pants, and his shirt.  He was standing on the crumpled clothes and stomping on them. "Libération!" he yelled in a French accent.

-Carmen

Email from Santa

We were recently contacted by Mr. and Mrs. Claus who have asked Jordan and I to help them with a new project. They are trying to be a little more eco-friendly and going "cyber!"

They would like very much to send out personalized emails to the kiddos. So we created this form to help the BIG guy with the enormous task.

If you would like your child to receive an email from Santa, fill out the form below and click SUBMIT. The form should clear on its own when your information is successfully submitted.

This is something "just for fun" we recently started doing for the kids in our family. Your information will be discarded once your email is sent.

Your child's email will be addressed from Santa's email address, eighttinyreindeer@gmail.com.

Emails will be sent December 1 - 23rd-ish.

To expedite the process, please fill out the form completely. Everything in the email will appear as you have spelled it here.

If you are looking for this form at a later time, check the sidebar, I have included a link to this form below the About Us section.

Enjoy!

-Carmen

First Boogie

The pictures are unrelated to this post, I just thought they were cute.

Holden was strutting his stuff for the first time tonight.

Have you ever seen that show Yo Gabba Gabba!?  Well it is atrocious, but Holden LOVES it!  

It is the only show other than Baby Einstein he will sit all the way through.

Tonight there was a lot of dancing, and for the first time Holden very obviously was dancing along.  He hoisted himself up on a box and bounced, swayed, and giggled while looking back and forth between the brightly colored characters and mommy.

It cracked me up!  He has never danced before!

Holden was also waving HI to that pink-tear-drop-shaped female thing on the show.

So cute!

-Carmen

 

Are you SICK of this KID yet?

I wish I could make myself talk about something other than my son.  We do actually have OTHER things going on in our lives, but who cares?

Holden started signing MILK without prompt over the weekend!

He was hungry, it was time to eat, and he told me ... er uh ... showed me.  We praised him profusely now he is using the sign every few meals.

He has also started waving when people say "bye" even if they aren't waving.

Holden showed the very first signs of shyness yesterday.  He usually will go to anyone that outstretches her arms.  

Jordan took him to physical therapy yesterday and then brought him by work to say HI.  During the standard meet-and-greet with co-workers and center participants, he buried his head in my chest!  He has never done that before.

Later I mentioned to Jordan that he must have been around too many people at once, but Jordan said he did the same thing at therapy with the ONE therapist.  Go figure.

Holden has been a lot more clingy over the past few weeks.  He plays in the floor for a few minutes and then wants to sit in our laps and cuddle.  I certainly don't mind.

-Carmen

Happy 10 Months!

My favorite thing about life with Holden this month is that he has started mimicking us.

I was sitting on the couch looking at a magazine with Holden next to me.  He saw a magazine on the other end of the sofa, crawled over to it, sat up with magazine in hand like he was scanning its pages.  He looked over at me to see if he was doing it right.

Holden has also become very fascinated by water.  He likes to dive face first into his bath from a seated position.  Apparently, he is comfortable holding his breath!  Holden also sits at the faucet while I fill the tub and likes to stick his hands and HEAD under it.  It makes me kind of nervous, but like I said he is holding his breath.

-Carmen

Cure for a Bad Day

If you have spent much time with Holden you know he is one happy kid.  I haven't been able to really capture his hypnotizing laugh on film.

Jordan was successful, today.

So turn on your ears.

WARNING!

May cause audible giggling.

-Carmen

Turtle Turvy

As mentioned previously, Holden chills in his boppy chair, strapped in of course while I get ready in the morning.  Picture a little blue papasan for babies.  

Holden has developed a new game of picking up toys and tossing them.  Pick up the rattle .... throw the rattle ... pick up the teddy bear .... throw the teddy bear.

This morning while I was covered in shampoo, I peered through the foggy glass of the shower wall to see Holden leaning forward reaching for a toy he hurled .... just out of reach.  

Leaning ....

Leaning ...

Leaning some more ...

OH!  Too far!

He toppled over onto the floor still strapped in the boppy chair.  

As I scrambled to rinse the dripping shampoo from my face and hands, I saw his left leg pop out from under the chair, then the right .... a hand, another hand .... and then his head.

Still determined to get that toy, now pushed to the other side of the bathroom in the midst of the commotion, Holden popped up and scurried on all fours with boppy still attached.

He looked just like a turtle scooching across the tile!

Even as I tried to extract him from the grips of the chair, he couldn't stop reaching for that toy!

So what does one do with their suddenly mobile and very curious child when they are too big to be strapped down to a boppy chair?  Mommy has to take a shower sometime and baby boy gets up at 5:30 a.m. ready to go.

-Carmen

  

When in Gnome

Holden seemed to really enjoy his first Halloween.  We went to four houses trick or treating and baby was worn out.

Mommy and daddy were worn out, too.

To see the pictures, please click on the trio of pictures below and you will be redirected to the album.

We hope everyone had a great time begging for goodies last night!

-Carmen

Sippin with Nana and Rowdy

I had to work late so Nana and Rowdy very courteously agreed to pick up Holden from Mrs. B's, bring him home, and play with him until he passed out.

Nana took this sweet picture of Holden at dinner hamming it up.

-Carmen

Trick or Treat!

I just finished assembling baby boy's first Halloween costume.

Can you guess who/what he is?

-Carmen

Half the Length of Mom

The only upside to Holden being sick ... yes there is an upside ... is that he wants to cuddle with me all the time!  I've held him more this last week than I have since the first weeks he arrived.

Last night I was standing in the kitchen holding him, his forehead to my forehead and we were rubbing snotty noses.  Jordan examined the length of our offspring, head to toe and said he is almost half the length of ME. 

He is starting to look like a little boy and less and less like a baby.  

I look back at his "baby baby" pictures and think, "ewww, he was kind of funny looking."  At the time, though I thought he was the most gorgeous angel on earth.

Holden is all over the place.  He is walking back and forth on the rug with the aid of the sofa.  He is banging blocks together, and he has figured out how to play his toy bongos with the blocks, the palms of his hands, and of course ..... his head!

He claps his hands, but instead of hitting palm to palm, he smacks the back of his left hand with the palm of his right.

It is so creepy that now he can grab the top of the side tables, pull himself up, and clear off said table with one broad sweep of his arm.

He even climbed 4 steps on our staircase last night (I was right there, don't panic Mimi.)

.... argh .... coughing fit ....  gotta call it a night.

-Carmen

Nyquil, anyone?

Now, I'm sick.  Poor Jordan.  Two sickies to deal with.

Ugh.

So, so, tired.

-c

You Give Me Fever

Holden was super restless last night. I checked in on him frequently and it seemed he just couldn't snuggle into his bed with his blankie deep enough.

This morning I put him in his boppy chair and gave him his sippy cup while I readied myself for the day. He quit drinking 3/4 of the way through - very unusual for him. When I got out of the shower I noticed he was soaked in milk. I assumed he spilled it from the spill-proof sippy cup, but later realized he puked.

Holden was very lethargic and looked like he would drift off into sleep at any second.

I had already dressed him for the day and since I needed to change him out of his milk-soaked duds and he seemed so sleepy, I put him in PJs and decided to pack clothes for Mrs. B.

Poor baby started crying. I noticed he felt warm, but thought it was due to his frustration and need for extended sleep.

I sat Holden on the living room berber so I could put on my shoes .... and then he hurled ... and proceeded to crawl through it.

I scooped him up to strip him down and took his temperature "the hard way."

101.9

I start flashing to all the things that may have made him sick.

Was it the flu shot? No, that was too long ago.

Was it the shopping cart strap I extracted from his mouth that he was so diligently sucking the life out of over the weekend?

Maybe it is the FOUR teeth on top trying to come in all at once!

Jordan stayed with him and when I returned home this evening, he said that this was the first time in 9 months that Holden fell asleep in his lap.

Holden slept most of the day .... on his daddy's chest or in his lap.

Jordan is staying with Holden tomorrow, too and if he is still running a fever they will go see Dr. Frank.

I want to take care of him. I SHOULD be taking care of him.

Mommy guilt ... this stuff sucks.

-Carmen

Water, Water, Everywhere

Holden pee peed on the bathroom rug.

I normally wait until I've run some water in the tub before stripping him down so he can "go" one more time if the mood strikes upon hearing the rushing water.  

Tonight I got ahead of myself and sat naked baby on the rug before filling the tub.

I turned on the water .... Holden turned on the water.

Then I forgot about it.

Ever step on a tinkle soaked rug ............... in socks?

-Carmen

Sweet K's Shower

Last week I had the great pleasure of attending one of Mrs. B's granddaughter's wedding shower.  Mrs. B's whole family is absolutely gorgeous and I was granted the special task of documenting the occasion.  K, the bride-to-be was so sweet and so much fun.  I have tried all week to keep this picture on the "hush," but I just can't resist any longer.  

This is K with her momma.  Click to enlarge. 

(K - I hope it is ok, I'm posting this ... you made a big impression on me!  Thank you for letting me "stalk" you at your shower!)

-Carmen

Now You Go, Muhmuh

I can hardly keep up with the new stuff Holden does each day!

Holden thinks Da-da was made to wrestle with and Muh-muh was made to fix stuff.

When Jordan tries to help me out and take the "getting ready for bed" shift with Holden, the bath, pajamas, and/or evening bottle usually result in a screaming baby that refuses to go to bed.

Holden still fights me a little, but he seems certain that daddy is there to play ... momma is all business.

Last night I bathed Holden and asked Jordan to take care of the magical task of stuffing squirmy wormy baby into footie pjs. Under much distress from them both, Holden was eventually clothed. I stepped back in for the last bottle, and Holden discovered a new game.

Holden would take a few gulps from his bottle and then hold the bottle up to my mouth so I could have some milk, too. I pretended to "slurp, slurp, slurp," and "gulp, gulp, gulp." He smiled and giggled and put the bottle back in his mouth. Over and over again he took a few drags and offered it to me. My heart absolutely melted.

He remembered the game tonight, too. "Here, Ma. You look vitamin deficient. Take a swig of this!"

I say it all the time, but who IS this kid? He's half me and half Jordan. How did we get so lucky?

-Carmen

First Day at New Job

Well, I survived! I am exhausted. I met a lot of the other staff members and got a crash course in my daily responsibilities.

I also met several of the seniors that I will be working with. One sweetie could not hear me when I told her my name, no matter how loud I was. She kept calling me "Carpet." Another woman leaned in right against her ear and said, "you know, like Carmen Miranda?" She still thought my name was a popular form of floor covering, calling me "Carpet," again. So, I wrote it down, C-A-R-M-E-N. "Oh," she said, "who's that?"

Too cute!

I wish I could say more about my first day on the job, but I am beat. I got home just before time to put baby boy in bed and he did not want to lay down. So he won and played a while longer.

Holden has been running his tiny fingers through my hair at the nape of my neck when I hold him. It is the sweetest thing. He lays his head on my shoulder and gently combs my hair. It seems to soothe him ... and me.


-Carmen

There's a Rumbly in my Tumbly

Tomorrow is my first day at my new job.

Gulp...

Double gulp....

I'm kind of nervous.

So far everything is too good to be true. I'm waiting for a piano to drop on my head.

Glass half full...

Repeat after me ... GLASS HALF FULL!

-Carmen

He’s Up! He’s Down…

Last night Holden figured out how to go from crawling and lying down into a sitting position. He was so impressed with himself he repeated the actions over and over, and each time looking at Da-da for approval.

Holden has also started pulling up into a standing position this week. Again, very impressed with his new trick he looks to his parents for affirmation.

We lowered the crib mattress about a week ago, and yesterday I removed the bumper pad since he can easily pull up. Poor baby likes to snuggle up against the plush padding while sleeping and last night when I checked in on him, his face was smashed against the crib slats. Ouchers!

-Carmen

Visit with Dr. Frank

Holden and I went to see Dr. Frank this week for his 9 month checkup.

Holden weighs over 21 pounds and he is now 29” long. Holden has officially graduated from his infant car seat. Jordan is installing his new seat, today.

A neighbor that repairs cars gave it to us. A customer of his forgot to take it out when he dropped his car off for repairs, and bought a new one. This one looks brand new. We are very lucky to have it, it is very nice and not the kind of seat we could go out and get ourselves.

Holden had a little blood drawn by one of those devil sticks to the finger. I would have passed out, but he seemed fascinated. No tears and no screams … just a little squirming.

Then came the flu shot! After the nurse stuck his chunky thigh I could see him winding up for the wail …. eyes wide, mouth open, and shoulders drawn up. And wail, he did! For a whole 10 seconds, and then he was over it … just like that, he was done. He was just clingy the rest of the day … I didn’t mind.

Only one bit of bad news, but we will get through it. Holden’s head is tilted left and his shoulder is drawn up. Not a really big deal, just something that needs to be corrected before it gets worse. When Dr. Frank pointed out the leftward lean, I immediately said, “it’s my fault. I know it’s my fault," while trying to force my head upright. I tilt my head to the right most of the time and he is mirroring. I tilt my head to the right so much it actually strains my neck to tilt left! Holden will be starting physical therapy soon and mommy will be stretching and making more of an effort not to LEAN with him.

-Carmen

A Little More of the Orange Stuff

Just a few more pumpkin pictures.

This is what the opposite of camouflage looks like ..... where DID that kid go?

I've said it before, but why is this kid so pale ... see-through, even?  Oh, wait!  I'm see-through, too.

Anyone remember that movie, Flowers in the Attic?  Holden looks like he has NEVER been outside.

-Carmen

Punkin and Pumpkins

We went to the Arboretum this afternoon. I had grand plans to get there early to catch some early morning light and shadow, but I overslept ... by a lot.

Our little family had a great time. The gardens were stunning. I wished we lived closer.

We visited the pumpkin patch for fun fall pictures of Holden. I resized them on my Mac and they looked great, but loaded them to this post on my PC ... for some reason my Mac and Google don't always play well together. They looked great on the Mac, but are very washed out here. I don't know why. Try clicking on them to enlarge ... maybe the color is better????

Holden loved the pumpkins and was VERY interested in the hay....

I took the cute hat my friend J made Holden ... I thought it would be cute and fall like, but who am I kidding - we all know it is summer here until November. Poor baby was too sweaty anyway.

-Carmen

Happy 9 Months!

Ok, so I missed it by a couple of hours.

Bad mommy.

My favorite thing about life with Holden this month is how determined he is.  He sees something on the other side of the room and he quasi-hauls after it.  Yes, it is usually something he isn't suppose to touch like the cord on the fan, but the look of will and concentration exhibited by his furrowed brow is priceless.

-Carmen

Twelve Boxes

I have officially packed my office and for all intensive purposes ... moved out.

Jordan came by work to get my things, yesterday.

There it all was, packed into boxes labeled "work" and "home," wheeled out on a cart, then divided between our vehicles.

I'm sad :(

Today is the last day.

-Carmen

Last Day Countdown

For the last several years I have made the morning crawl from my house to work, and I have noticed the crawl get a little slower with each passing year.

It has never really bothered me.  I NEVER LIKED the commute, but it was just part of the day.  Not my favorite part.  It ranks right up there with abandoning my pillow and doing dishes.  Just an unfortunate necessity.

Now that my countdown has begun I CAN'T STAND IT!!!!  

Last week .... probably around Wednesday morning, it hit me, "I only have to sit here in my car hoping that guy in the red pickup truck I see every morning doesn't bump my bumper 7 more times!!!!!  Eat it, suckers!!!"

Yesterday and today I felt very rushed and frustrated ... like getting there faster will mean I only have to make the trek 1 more time instead of 3.

____________________

Three more days.  

Three more days and then I'm off on another path.  

I have made a lot of really good friends at work.  They are good people.

I've avoided thinking about the leaving part too much because it doesn't really feel like it is happening.

Tonight I FORCED myself to sit and ponder things.

When something out of the ordinary happens at work, we joke, "that's going in the book!"  I started thinking about all the stories in that book and realized how much I am going to miss my friends.  Sure, I'll still see a lot of them and talk to them, but it will be different now.  They will have all the inside jokes that I am oblivious to.  I won't be readily available to help them and vice versa.  We will have to plan visits in advance and somebody is going to have a long drive.  

Just different.

So, to Lamby, Anni Ruth, The Puffy Hair Club for Men, Trudy, Mateo, Lil' Jules, Feisty D, Alberto, and Dougie Fresh.... thanks for everything! 

I did my crying tonight, so no tears at the party, ok?

-Carmen

Holden Crawled!!!!

He did it!  Holden crawled ... the real deal ... about 8 steps .... or shuffles ... or whatever you call them.

He was wedged under his swing and grunting.

I said, "Come here, Punkin'" and he started crawling toward me one knee and one hand at a time.  

When he realized what he was doing, he stopped, his eyes glazed over, and he fell flat to his belly.

He was done.

I'm so proud of him!!!!!!

-Carmen

Fried Pickles and Turkey Legs

I'm almost embarrassed to say it .... I went to the state fair for the first time ever, last night.

What?  How can that be?  What kind of citizen am I?

I know.  I know.  Shame on me.

Jordan suggested on a whim that we go to opening night and eat something fried.

It was a great night to be there.  It was fairly quiet and easy to get around.

I love, love, love the teeny tiny miniature Zebus.  I am a sucker for cows anyway because of their beautiful eyes and lashes, but shrink them down to pocket-size (not quite that small) and Jordan had to restrain me from running up and hugging one ... or two ... or all of them.  I must have said, "hi, pretty baby" a hundred times.

One of the ranches represented, TK Ranch is located in a nearby town (small world) and we talked to the husband and wife team for a few minutes about their precious cargo.

We made our way to the food and shared a turkey leg, but I could have devoured the whole thing myself ... side note ... when I was preggers last fall, I insisted we hit as many carnival/fair type venues as possible.  I was on a mission and HAD TO HAVE turkey legs, kettle corn, and corn dogs ... HAD TO!  Last night I also ate the best fried pickles with their special secret sauce from Gigi's Fried Green Tomatoes.  D-LISH!

The best part of the trip was just being together.  Little Bit was with his Nana and Rowdy.  Jordan and I talked and laughed more last night than we have in weeks.  

I get to see my girls, tonight!  Well not exactly tonight.  We are having dinner at 4pm.  Tee hee hee.  

-Carmen

PS

State fair = good people watching!

No News, just cute

Dollars and Sense

Jordan and I are working on the house in preparation to sell it. This week we downsized the clutter and hauled it to my mom’s for a garage sale. We made a little dough to put toward our final projects around the house.

Maybe mom will pay out my portion in cookies. Not especially useful in glamming up the house, but they ARE yummy!

____________________

Holden had a rough night. He has been a little snotty and congested recently and breathing proves difficult when laying flat.

I didn’t sleep at all the night before (too excited about the new job) so I slept across the hall in the room formerly known as “Carmen’s room,” but now more commonly referred to as “the office.” (sniff sniff)

Holden tossed and whimpered for hours.

Jordan was thinking, “if only I had a way to strap him into something on an incline.”

Around 2:30 a.m. it dawned on him that the “something” did in fact exist … in the form of Holden’s car seat.

Holden immediately fell asleep when Jordan placed him in it.

____________________

Holden has been waving “hi” for a while, but yesterday he switched up his welcome.

Holden noticed that when you wave “hi,” the palm of your hand faces him. So now Holden also turns his palm to his face. At first we thought he was beckoning us, but soon realized he thinks that waving “hi” means waving at Holden!

____________________

We ditched the baby bathtub completely a few weeks ago and haven’t looked back.

Baby boy loves splish splashing until most of the water is on mommy.

Since he concentrates pretty hard to stay upright in the tub and maintain his grip on his dolphin squirt toy, I decided to take advantage of the stillness.

Tonight, I attempted to trim some of the hair starting to grow over his ears. He was still quite wiggly so I’m sure he looks like he cut it himself with preschool safety scissors.

I’ll examine it tomorrow and maybe during a nap clean it up a tad … his nap … not mine.

____________________

I’m off to watch House. The premiere was this week and I haven’t watched it, yet.

-Carmen

Giddy as a Schoolgirl

Let’s see, do I announce this professionally or......

WWWWWOOOOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!

Picture me doing the Carlton from Fresh Prince (click for montage) .... you Gen Xers know what I’m talkin’ about!

Ok, so flash back many weeks. I applied for a job. There I said it ... finally ... I said it on the blog!

____________________

I was helping paint at one of our facilities and I get a phone call ... an impromptu interview ... picture me at work in my pajamas (my standard painting attire) with hands covered in lime green paint, crouched in the storage closet explaining why I would be the perfect candidate.

____________________

Then I was called in for a sit down interview ....

____________________

Me, my gigantic portfolio, and my clicky “important shoes” sit down for an interview .... 2 1/2 hours later I leave said interview going, “huh....” I am really not sure what to make of it.

Now completely drained, I decide to treat myself to sushi while pondering the morning (and early afternoon) events before heading to work.

I sat there ... and sat there .... and sat there. I looked out the window. I looked at the floor. I looked at the light fixture that suddenly went very dim. I watched the moms and dads and kids and the chef. Huh.....

The waitress, who has waited on me a couple of times before approaches and says, “you, very pretty lady. Your face is very ... pretty. Your hair ...” and she slides her hand from the top of her head down to her shoulder as though her hair (bobbed above her ear) tumbled to her waist.

“Oh, thank you. That’s sweet,” I said.

I was surprised at the unexpected comment from waitress K, so I missed the next several sentences still trying to process the first three ... I think she asked if I have kids.

“In my country the women are all beautiful and I see all these movies and Americans are all so beautiful. Then I get to America ... and they’re NOT!”

A piece of sticky rice shot out of my nose. How’s that for pretty?

I laughed with waitress K, and we talked a while longer. Then she gave me a hug and took off toward the door to greet a husband and wife.

Too funny.

What a weird and wonderful day.

____________________

Flash forward ...... today.

After much thought and heartache, I decided to call and ask that my name be taken off the list of possible candidates for the job. The salary was going to be a significant cut ... we aren’t talking weekend date night, but mortgage payments.

As I am relaying this to R with their HR department, I am met with deafening silence. All I could think was “how do I salvage this?” I planned to apply with them again in the future when something more financially feasible opened up and I feared I was not leaving a very good impression.

“What do you mean the salary isn’t where you need it to be?” R said.

I started to explain, again.

“Carmen, has no one called you this week?”

“No.”

Apparently, they had done a little number crunching of their own and decided they should go ahead and get the range bumped up so it fit more in line with the bread I’m bringing home, now.

I was floored. I absolutely didn’t see this coming.

I asked R to forget all that stuff I said and let’s start over. She kept saying I almost gave her a heart attack.

Both admittedly sweaty and shaky, we started over and I was offered the job.

____________________

I have had only one grown up job and I’ve been there for 7 1/2 years. I have made many friends and learned so much.

I am very excited about the “new” headed my way, but sad, too. I thought I would retire from my current place of employment, but there are other plans for me and my family.

Now we are on a different path.

I am so very grateful for this life of mine.

When I finally decided to let go ... realizing I’m not the one steering this “thing,” something better came along.

And exhale.........

-Carmen

ah-uh-oooooo

This morning when I dropped Holden off .... I hate the way "dropped" sounds ... this morning when I deposited the package ..... 

Side note ... Jordan and I refer to Holden as the "package" when determining who is picking him up.  "Do you have the PACKAGE?"  "Affirmative, the PACKAGE has been received."  I don't know why, just one of those weird things we do, I guess.

.... I leaned in and said, "I love you."  To which Holden replied, "ah-uh-oooo."  

I whipped around to Mrs. B.  "Did you hear that?"  He said, "I love you!"  She told me to say it, again.

"I love you," I said.  And Holden replied, "clee, clee, clee, clee, clee."

Close enough.

-Carmen

Stop and Smell ... anything

My dearest Holden, today you and I went for a walk near our house.

Along the way we saw the bright green blades of grass, the rows and rows and rows of "sometimes corn," and the bright sky scattered with bouncing puffs of blue and gray.  

We could smell the damp dark clay earth and the sharp soothing sweet scent of wildflowers.

We visited with the neighbor's cows ... though they were not interested in sitting for one of our pictures.

When we made our way back home, we stopped to admire daddy's handiwork ... part of the maple tree that once stood in the backyard of Mimi's and Pawpaw's house .... where I grew up.  Did you know that the tree outside of mommy's and daddy's room is a baby maple that came from that tree?  And that momma tree came from your Pawpaw's home way up north ... where he grew up.

Thank you for taking a walk with me ... you napped through most of it, but that's ok.

We will go for a walk, again ... soon.

Love, 

Mommy

  

New Features

I added gadgets for followers and subscription feeds.  

They are in the right hand menu bar.

Followers - if you are blogging, updates should drop automatically into your dashboard.

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Excluding followers, I recommend adding the subscription to your primary email, either Outlook or Mac's Mail instead of using the subscription links provided, here.  

Since adding feed varies greatly depending on if you use Mac's email or PC's Outlook and then it differs by how crusty (old) your version of said email application is ... you may need to search for help.  I found help for adding it to our pc on Microsoft's site (look up RSS feed) and there is also help on Apple's site.  

On our Mac, I opened email and went to file, "add rss feeds."  Our Mac is new so I don't know how far back this feature is available.

On our PC I had to download some software (found through searching MS's online help and the download is free.)  The download was necessary because our version of Outlook is not only crusty, but starting to smell a little bit.

When I update our blog, the stork drops a little notice in your inbox that links to this site.  Once you get it figured out, it is super convenient and you won't have to check back only to see that we have posted absolutely nothing ... 

Join us!  You know you want to.  

-Carmen

Who's Your Da Da

I said Momma ...

Holden said Muh muh.

I said Da Da ...

Holden said Daddy!

I said Momma ...

Holden said Muh muh!

I said Da Da ...

Holden said Da Da!

He was actually repeating me.

And then he was done.

He is also army crawling all over the place. I turn my head for a second and he scuttles off to gnaw on one of Jordan's dirty socks on the floor or to steal the remote for the TV.

Note to self ... must slither around on belly to see what other things Holden may feel compelled to make friends with.

-Carmen

Fun with Food

Watch Holden's shoulders.  He gets the "shivers."

Happy 8 Months!

My favorite thing about life with Holden this month has been watching him "problem solve."  He watches what we do intently and does his best to mimic.  

It's blowing my mind.  Over the Labor Day weekend, Holden watched Sawyer put his little race cars on the toy race track and hit a lever to make them go.  Within minutes Holden was hitting the lever to make the cars go and trying to put them back on the start line when they were done.  

We were having a tough time getting an 8 month picture.  I tried yesterday and again today.  Holden was all over the place and very annoyed with me by the whole process.  I couldn't resist using the grumpy shot for the slideshow.  This is how I'll remember the occasion!

-Carmen

Labor Day of LOVE (ahhhhh)

We have an annual meeting of the mindless at our house over the Labor Day weekend.  My mom, dad, sis, brother-in-law, nephew, husband, and now baby ... sit around eating (a lot,) watching TV (a lot,) and laughing (a lot.)  

I was very excited that my sister and her clan made it to the festivities this year, they thought they may have to work the whole weekend.

Can you believe Holden weighs about the same as his sweet little 2 1/2 year old cousin, Sawyer????  I was afraid Holden would roll over and "squarsh" him while playing on the floor.

The highlight for me was when Sawyer saw that Holden had a blob of slob forming on his bottom lip, picked up Holden's burp cloth, and dabbed away the damp followed by a soft, " 'der ya go."

The picture at top is of my brother-in-law, Sawyer, my sis Sara, and Holden.  Aren't they cute?  I don't know why the color looks washed out here, click to enlarge ... the color is better, too.

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Holden wants so badly to crawl.  He becomes quite (comically) frustrated when he really wants to do something and can't ... he must get that from his daddy.  He will now get up on hands and knees and spend several seconds grunting in frustration which is sometimes followed by a long screech ... picture, if you will a full-grown lion in miniature scale roaring.  He rocks steadily front, back, front, back, 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... GO! and falls flat on his face.  Is it wrong that I laugh?

-Carmen

 

We Have a Da Da!

Holden has started "sharing."  I think his friend, Baby E taught him how.  Holden will pick up something (usually a block,) touch it to his nose (not sure what that's about ... is he smelling it?) and reach his arm out to hand it to you.  We praise him and say "thank you."  He smiles back.

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Holden likes it when you blow gently on his face and has started blowing back ... sort of.  He puckers up his lips, scrunches his eyebrows, and starts spitting on you.

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At the grocery store today, Holden sat in the shopping cart like a big-little boy .... no carrier .... for the first time.  He was beside himself with joy.  He greeted people with a very loud "hi" and tried to help mommy by touching everything in the cart ... in an effort to move items to make more room, I'm sure.  

Riddle me this, Batman ... why is it that the ONLY parts of the cart he touched were the parts NOT covered by the shopping cart cover I brought with us?  The cover has dangly toys all over it, but that did not hold his attention like the shiny cold metal.  Holden also repeatedly leaned over to eat the rail at the top of the cart.  NASTY!

Jordan has "complained" that Holden says "Muh Muh" all the time and never calls for his daddy.  The last time Jordan watched Holden for several hours, Jordan repeated "Da Da" over and over which was answered with "Muh Muh."  While shopping today, Holden said, "Da Da" several times while in the beef section.  I scrambled to call Jordan, but Holden was done before daddy answered and was then more interested in eating the phone.

As we were leaving the checkout, a female associate waved at Holden and said, "bye."  Holden waved back.  I melted.

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Holden now has one and a half teeth poking through his bottom gum.  He looks so different with just a couple of new white ridges in his mouth.  I can't imagine what he will look like with a mouth full of them.

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One last bit for the day - while dressing Holden for bed, I slid his PJ shirt over the top of his head and HE pulled it down over his face by himself.  He seemed very impressed by the accomplishment and giggled.

-Carmen

 

Leche .... Good

Eureka!!! Holden made his first sign!!! He signed "MILK" this evening!!! I realize I am using a lot of exclamation points, but this is very!!! very!!!! exciting to me!!!!!! ........... !!!!!!!!!!

He watched me make the sign for milk for the umpteenth time, lifted his hand and very thoughtfully repeated the action. I did it, again ... he did it, again.

In case you are curious this is what it looks like, I'm a little less "loose" with my hands than deomnstrated .... and NO this is not me.

-Carmen

Healthy, you say?

Our little family made the weekly trip to get bulk formula and dog food on Sunday. It was so stinkin' hot we dressed Holden in a onesie and no shorts. We wheeled him around in his umbrella stroller which is less insulated than the carrier so the little guy sweats less.

In the checkout line a woman approached Holden, as women do with the "ooooos" and the "ahhhhhs" followed by a good squeeze of his leg and a "my he's a healthy one, isn't he?"

Jordan and I stopped breathing for a second. Did she just call him the "f" word? After she scurried away, Jordan looked at me wide-eyed void of blinking, he looked down at Holden's pink Michelin Man appendages, then back at me and said, "I think we should have put pants on him."

Holden is frequently referred to as "HEALTHY" and I never gave it much thought, but pinching an inch on his thigh was too much.

I get it ... he's VERY HEALTHY!

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Holden now plays peek-a-boo with his blanket. He covers his face and mommy says, "Wheeerrreee'sss HOLDEN?" He pulls the blanket back revealing his big blue eyes and smiles ear to ear. Mommy says, "ThErE HE is!" Holden giggles at his success, and he repeats the process of pulling the blanket back over his face. What's funny about this to me is that he has to be in control of the blanket. HE wants to cover and uncover his face. If mommy does it ... it's just not the same.

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Check out the Popeye onesie we found for our little muscle man.










-Carmen

Mr. Independent

The picture is of my Aunt N's cat and Holden wrapping up a very intense staring contest. Holden won. He started off petting the kitty, which turned into grabbing ... which turned into yanking her hair. She decided to watch him from afar.

I wanted to post something Sunday, but our internet service out here in the far reaches of civilization is questionable at best.

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My gorgeous cousin H is getting married and the family was invited to one of her showers over the weekend. I took a ton a pictures that at this very moment I am waiting oh so patiently (as I have been for the last 3 hours) for them to conclude their upload to picasa ... out here... in the far ... far .... oh so far reaches of civilization....

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Holden news.... He was a perfect angel over the weekend. We are doomed with the next kid (whenever that happens.) Holden is so happy! I don't think it gets any better than this.

Who wakes up every morning smiling and cooing and greeting the world with warm gestures and pleasantries? Not I! "Hello sheets .... hello bumper pad ... nice to see you zoo animal mobile ... big plans for the day, Mr. Teddy Bear?" I just stare at him in the wee hours of the morning when I would give anything for another hour of sleep, thinking, "where did YOU come from? You can't possibly be my child." I HATE getting up in the morning. I miss my pillow ...

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Holden is done with his white noise during the night. I stopped turning on "Rain on a Roof" about a week ago. He is doing fine without it. However, Jordan and I were sleeping better with that static coming over the baby monitor. I don't even know how high to turn up the volume on the monitor now. I gauged the level by the sound of this static.

Last night, I mentioned my dilemma to Jordan who suggested I turn on Holden's "baby t.v." (waterfall crib soother) and listen for it on the monitor. Holden was completely zonked out when I crept into his room and reached in his crib to tune in the baby t.v.

Back in my room, I began adjusting the volume on the monitor listening for the soothing sounds of water and tree frogs, but I heard nothing. Great! The monitor is broken! I turned on the video part of the monitor to see if the screen was working. It was. Sneaky VonSneaky Pants turned off the baby t.v. all by himself. I guess it was interfering with his dreams of chasing rabbits.

-Carmen

Daddy's Office

We visited Jordan this afternoon.  Click on the image below to view our album.  Once you get to the album you can click on slideshow, if you like.


-Carmen

Play Ball!

Check this out!  Best toy ever!  The last frame is the best part ... Holden's pronunciation of "momma."

-Carmen

7 Months ... again

I couldn't resist.  Just one more 7 month pic.

-Carmen

Happy 7 Months!

My favorite thing about Holden this month is his curiosity and concentration.  I love watching him scrunch his eyebrows together thoughtfully as he is working something out.  Put anything ... anything at all new and different in arm's reach and he must have it .... and put it in his mouth.  

Holden has also started reaching up for someone to pick him up and you can tell he wants to crawl/walk oh so very much.

For the first time today, I put Holden on my hip and he wrapped his chunky legs around my waist to hang on.  

We also had to upgrade to size 12 month onesies, today.

-Carmen