9 Months

I have had more trouble with this blog entry than nearly any other I've ever done. Videos won't upload, pics took forever to upload, fonts are all tricked out...you get the drift. If it looks funny, you'll know why ;) I can't type above this for some reason, but the pic above is one I've been hoping to get for weeks. Reid will do the cutest things...and I'll think, "Oh, I'll get a picture some day" and then before I know it, he quits! So I have been determined to get him sucking his thumb (see how it's all funny, with his fingers sticking up?), but as soon as you turn around to snap a pic, he'll usually smile. I was ecstatic to get this one! He does suck his thumb the "normal" way more lately, but this still cracks me up. Our happy 9 month old (yes, he's actually 10 mo. as of yesterday, but it's taken me awhile to blog this month!).

Silly boy!

We had Grumpy in mind with this outfit:

Reid's First Picnic

We had the most gorgeous weather this weekend, so it was time for Reid to experience his first picnic. Jason and I like to visit Towne Lake because they have ducks, geese, paddle boats, tons of trees, and of course a lake with a large, paved walking trail (translation--easy to maneuver stroller) around it.




He wasn't too sure about just being plopped down in the middle of the grass on a quilt.



Ooh...camera!!

Once he realized all the fun stuff there was to look at and that the breeze was whipping his hair around, we had one happy camper.

And a happy, sun-loving mommy, too. After not seeing the sun last summer since he was so little, my Casper-like skin needs a good tinting :)

He didn't eat much as he discovered more and more to watch (namely, Mommy and Daddy's food...which he apparently wanted to eat waaaay more than his own). Even more interesting than the food? All the ladybug larvae that skittered about on our blanket. I was really glad I knew what they were or it would've grossed me out. (Which happened anyway once I realized all the little spots that magically appeared were poo. Ew!) We also had a ton of teeny little inchworms on the other side of the blanket once Jason picked it up. You forget what lurks in the grass...which makes me wonder what kind of "protein" Reid will be ingesting once he's crawling!

He was not a big fan of his hat (that will have to change!), but we discovered that if you distract him for a second once it's on...and then don't touch it again...he'll put up with it.

Surprisingly, the water bottle was a bigger hit than any of the fish, geese, or ducks.

Second fave? A plastic spoon. You never know what kids will like!

He loved riding on Daddy's shoulders just as we left. Hopefully, we will have many more fun-filled picnics like this one :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Our little leprechaun would like to wish you a happy St. Patrick's Day!

"Hmm...how does this thing work?"

"What?? I have to wear it?"

"Not so sure about this, Mom..."

"Ah! They're always after me lucky charms." ;)

Spring Break in Houston

Reid and I left for Houston right after church on Sunday. I expected a relatively easy trip, hoping he would nap a lot with all the highway hypnosis. Boy, was I ever wrong on both! Let's just say the first hour of our trip was the opposite of Heaven. Some genius decided, "Let's close ALL 5 lanes of I-35 the Sunday of most people's spring breaks!" So everyone came to a screeching halt, had to exit the freeway (after going 2 mph for 15 minutes), and sat...and sat...and sat. I ventured out on my own and nearly made it onto 75, but thanks to another bright guy (I'm thinking the same one who decided to close 35), the sign telling you which way goes north or south on 75 comes AFTER you've already picked. Thanks. So Reid and I wandered around Fair Park and other ghettoey places, saw all the homeless people and saw our lives flash before our eyes. Thankfully, Jason was home by then to direct us around downtown. I was very surprised that Reid only catnapped here and there. He preferred playing peekaboo with me in the rear view mirror (but don't tell him I was watching the road and pretending ;) or looking out the window once his toys had fallen out of the carseat. Oddly enough, as we waited like 30 minutes in line for the McDonald's restroom in Fairfield, I ran into a student, too. Small world. So we made it to Grammy and Grumpy's, caught up, and went for a nice walk to the park. Here's the happy guy:

And fun times with cousin Alex (Ben and Uncle Matt are in AL right now). Poor Alex had just taken a spill out of the stroller and you can see the goose egg beginning on the right side of his forehead.

This morning, all the boys were playing...

Alex's cute rain boots in honor of the little thunder storm...

This afternoon, Mamere and Aunt Kristen came by to visit (Reid was thankful to not be cooped up in the car again!). We are also hoping to see Papa tomorrow since he had to work today. SOMEone was a little fussy toward the end (time change?) but at least smiled for some pics.

Aunt Kristen, getting some great grins :)

Playgroup

I hosted playgroup at my house for the first time this month. We had so much fun that I forgot to get our new Canon camera out until the very end. So these few were of the little cuties who stuck around to chat a bit longer...

Reid was a great little guy (actually napped in his crib and made a late appearance, which so kindly allowed me to throw all the goodies out that I'd prepared the day before in the 45 minutes between picking him up and everyone coming over). He finally petered out near the end and just wanted to be held.

But this was by FAR the funniest thing of the whole afternoon... As soon as sweet little Kate hit the ground, she crawled right over to Reid for a little kiss. We were all so shocked (and laughing so hard!), but I was bummed I didn't capture it on video. Thankfully, she did the same thing several more times so that you can see for yourself ;) Priceless!

Eating

Reid is unfortunately cursed with my "eye squint" when taking pictures...only it's his right eye (mine is my left). Poor guy. We started noticing it when we put on the red eye reduction setting, which gives an extra flash before the actual picture flash.






Still has the oompa-loompa nose, but at least it's not as bad as it was. I did realize, in his defense, that just about every baby food (aside from fruits) is orange/yellow.

Our little goofy ham. He has quite the talent for closing his eyes in pictures, but this one was really funny since it looks like he has teeth.

"What mess? Moi?"

"Puhleeeease? Can I feed myself?"

And now to view him in action...

And here's what he does when we need a little distraction...

Skinnybones

That's my boy. Skinnybones. We just got back from Reid's 9 month appointment...good news is that he has no more blisters in the back of his throat from the herpangina he had last week (awful stuff!! Thanks so much for the prayers!). Bad news? He's 90% in height, but only 5% in weight!! We really do feed him, I promise! He's a picky eater so far (which is odd since Jason and I are not), but sure enjoys his food when it is something he likes. I'm also concerned because he seems to be "behind" (according to doc) since he is not attempting to crawl or pull up on things. I wasn't too extremely worried at first since all babies have their own timelines, but when he mentioned "physical therapy" and how I need to call back in a month if Reid isn't doing those things, I started to get worried...eek!

So here's Mr. Skinny:



Last week was just awful...Reid screamed much of the time and was fussy nonstop (can't blame him--it sounded awful!). I became an entertainer and tried to keep him distracted so he wouldn't think about his hurting throat. So it seemed like a great time to get out a fun new toy, the piano from Grammy and Grumpy.

"Hmmm...what is this?"

"What?? I can hit it and sounds come out? Sweeeeet."

"R-E-I-D-O...R-E-I-D-O...R-E-I-D-O and Reeeeeeeid was his name-o."

Despite being in the 5th percentile, he somehow sports a double chin.

Cute baby feet :) I love that he can go sockless more often now that the weather is getting warmer!

And sorry this is sideways...you had to get the whole body (I love how he sits, now!) to fully appreciate how his babbling comes from that little body.

Never got around to posting the 8 month shots...and it was quite a challenge this time because SOMEone just wanted to play with the card!

To illustrate how long he's gotten...

And one more video...Reid's favorite interactive book (thanks, Aunt Kristen!) about kittens and puppies. He's always liked it, but now he can reach out and touch the textured parts all by himself, which makes him quite proud.