16 Months-Old

You turned 16 months-old today. You just keep getting bigger and more amazing everyday. Your growth has finally slowed down a bit so you have been wearing the same sizes for a couple of months. You have begun to say some new words, car being your favorite. I must hear that word at least fifty times a day.

Your most amazing achievement is that on April 5th you began reading about 16 words. That's right you can now read words that you can't even say yet. I know you're wondering if you're not talking how do I know that your reading. Well, about four months ago I made some flash cards for you and we started watching a video that shows common words and their corresponding pictures. You love your videos and often point for me to get your flashcards when we are sitting at the table. I try to update the cards with words or things you are currently interested in. About a week or so ago I added car to those words because of your fascination with saying it. I think that one word made everything click for you.

On April 5th you pointed for your cards while Daddy was feeding you a snack. He pulled out the card that said car and asked you what it said and lo and behold you said car! Initially, we thought it was a fluke until he held up the next card. The card said nose. When Daddy pointed to the card and asked, " Do you know where this is?" you pointed to your nose. Amazing! Some of the cards you didn't know but you got a whopping 16 of them. Even more crazy was that when you recognized the word you immediately pointed to the body part or did the sign (we use some sign language) or acted out the card without any prompting. When the card said "arms up" you immediately put your arms up in the air. When the card said "Elmo" you pointed to Elmo. When the card said "goodbye" you waved. Actually that was funny because you didn't get the word wave. I was also surprised that you didn't get the word clap because it is one of your favorites but, to my astonishment, you did the sign for all done when we showed you that card. Your not reading books or anything crazy like that but you have learned 16 sight words. An awe inspiring feat at 16 months old. Another milestone you achieved this month is sleeping without your binky. You are still getting used to the idea. We have had a couple of rough nights but everyday is a little better.

You have also started to eat with a fork with help and you enjoy many finger foods. We rarely feed you anymore unless we are having soup or cereal.

Unfortunately I didn't post for your birthday last month. We were settling into our new place and you got a nasty cold right before the big day. I have posted some pictures from the last two months to catch us up.



Yup, you're still a ham.This monkey is one of your new best friends. While visiting with Ava you wore one of her backpacks the whole time you guys were playing together. I just knew we had to get you one of your own.
You are still a daredevil. In this picture you are standing on top of your old bassinet. It was filled with toys and stuffed animals so it must have taken some muscle for you to turn it over.

You love playing in our new yard. It has lots of space for you to run and drive your cars.

Again daredevil. Especially because you are messing with Mommy's coffee. Is nothing sacred in this house? ;)
I had to move all your window gels up after this fiasco. One thing I have learned is that a quiet house is a scary one. If you are content and quiet I better run to see what you are up to. The only exception to this is when you are looking at your books. You will sit quietly and flip through them for awhile. In general you are either running or sleeping. There is no middle ground.

Here is a perfect example of you chillin' with some books. This pile is from the library. I think we've taken out just about every board book they have.

Happy birthday little boy. And never forget, We love you through and through.

Happy Valentine's Day.

We had a very special Valentine's.
We got you two balloons and a book, I Love You Through and Through. Daddy got Mommy a popcorn Maker. (we will get a lot of use out of it). You and I got Daddy a Lego Star Wars game for the wii.

You had your first ever piece of chocolate. You weren't terribly impressed.

We had blueberry waffles and eggs for breakfast.

We had Asparagus soup and jalapeno and corn muffins for lunch. You weren't as excited about the asparagus soup as you were the last time you had it so we also gave you some leftover pizza.

We also went clothes shopping for you. All of your pants were too short. Some of the outfits you got for Christmas and your birthday are already too small. We bought you clothes in size 2T. I can't believe the pants fit you. You pretty much skipped right over the 18 months clothes. They only fit you for about 2 months. Slow down boy, you have plenty of time to grow!

To end the night we went out for Mexican.

You loved it!

And you were very well-behaved.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Dreaming of Spring Cont...

Since it hasn't been nice enough to go out again I will post the rest of the pics from our "nice day". After playing the morning away you were ready for a nap.You are usually very happy when you wake up from your naps.

And very cute.

You were wondering why I was laying on the floor snapping pictures of you. I do all kinds of crazy things to get the best angles.

You helped me get a snack ready for us.

Then we went on the porch to enjoy our snack in the sunshine.
Your favorite. Popcorn!

Then you tried to help cleanup all the popcorn we dropped on the floor.

We had fun!

I can't wait for our next nice day.

Dreaming of Spring

It is 55 and sunny here to day. I wish it would stay this way. I know it won't so we got out and enjoyed the weather today. No coats necessary, yay!The hyacinth on the kitchen windowsill brings a bit of color to the gray scene outside.

We hit the park and got reacquainted with the swings. Teige was a little leery at first but as soon as we started swinging he quickly remembered how much fun it is.

Ugh, walking in the snow is hard work. He even tried to crawl in it a couple of times. We really weren't dressed for that.

Already giving me panic attacks about the possible injuries stemming from his increased mobility and independence.

Oh boy, maybe spring can wait a little longer. I don't think I'm ready for this. Let's go back to the swings!

Ahhh, that's better :)

Our New Place

We moved to a new apartment last weekend. It is just around the corner from our old place.This is the place. We live on the first floor. I am loving the big screened porch.Another chair will join this one soon. And some plants after the last frost. (Not soon enough!)You enter from our front hall into the living room. The living room opens into the Dining room. See the beautiful light we have. We have wonderful exposure all day. Lots of great big windows in this place. The house is old but the windows are new.More amazing windows in our dining room/ playroom/ office. It all fits beautifully. This is the biggest room in the house.
Office/ craft/ sewing area. The hallway to the bedrooms and bathroom is on the right in this picture.More amazing windows in the Kitchen. One curtain completed and hung before the move in. I need to sew it's mate.Plenty of room for all the cooks in this place!Teige's room is at the end of the hall. The other door in his room (on the right) leads into the kitchen. We have opted to leave it permanently closed so he doesn't run around the house in circles all day and so we can keep better tabs on his whereabouts. As if he leaves my side for more than a minute ;)

Plenty of floor space, for an active boy, in here. Thankfully those mats work wonderfully at cushioning his tumbles.

More beautiful windows and wonderful light. Lucky boy. We gave him the best room in the house.

View of the backyard out his window. We plan to hang a swing, from the big tree, when the weather gets nicer.

A closet with a door, yay! A huge closet at that. (Bigger than ours!)Yeah, I couldn't resist bringing in the slide. We need to practice for the upcoming playground season. Well, this concludes our tour. I forgot to get a picture of the huge clawfoot tub (I can stretch my legs all the way in it) and the big window in the bathroom. Oh, and our room. Truly it isn't exciting enough to get photographed.

p.s. I have to apologize I tried to uplaod a video for the last two hours and now I am giving up. Oh, blogger why must you mock me?

p.p.s. this is why I don't upload videos that often

14 Months-old

You can walk backwards like nobody's business.

You say popcorn, peek-a-boo, and hello.
You still refuse to say Mommy or Daddy. I say refuse because you babble mamama and you will look for Mommy and Daddy when we ask you where we are. I mean, c'mon, you can say peek-a-boo but not Mommy?

You love to sing-a-long to music, bah-ba-ba.

You still love to bust-a-move, too.

You can climb onto both couches by yourself.

You love to open and close things; containers, doors, really anything you can get your hands on.

Your favorite toys are your airplane, broom & dustpan, cars, spin-a-letter, and monkey drums.

You still love to bring us books and make us read them to you over and over and...

People often ask if you are two years-old when we are out together. You have grown 2.25" since your first birthday. You are 2' 9.5" tall. You were a size 6 shoe and size 18 months clothes. ( you have just started to wear some 2T shirts this week.

And guess what? You're still my little boy. I love you baby!

13 Months-old

You turned 13 months-old on Thursday. This is a piture of you, on that day, with your drum on your head. You walk around with it on your head for longer than I would expect you to tolerate it. You look like a little spaceman. This last month you have been very interested in bringing daddy and me books to read to you. Sometimes when I give you back a book, I have just read you, you hand it back to me to read to you again. Other times you bring me book after book until I have read most everything on your bookshelf. You also bring me toys to play with and things you want opened. You still love to climb and I need to rearrange the furniture, almost daily, to keep you safe. You still love bathtime and reading with Daddy before bed. You are growing so fast. Please slow down. I don't want to miss a thing!The holidays had been so crazy I realized I hadn't even put any pictures up. Although I am glad the holidays are over it was so nice to catch up with all of our family. Here you are with Auntie Val. We had a family party at your Aunt Erin and Uncle Mark's house. You can see Aunt Erin in the background here.

Your Nana came to visit and brought Joey and Brianna with her. It was so nice to see the three of you together. The last time you saw them you weren't even crawling yet.

Here is a picture of you and Daddy in front of the big fish tank at Bass Pro shops. You look so little. You loved watching the fish swim around. You had your picture taken with Santa on this day. You weren't scared of him at all. You were content to sit on his lap. We were the only ones there, due to a big snowstorm, so you got to visit with him for quite some time.

Here you and Daddy are at Aunt Meg and Uncle Frank's open house on Christmas Eve. You didn't last long. It was our second party of the day and you were ready for bed.

Now that the holidays are over we will add some new excitement to our lives. At the end of this month we are moving to a new, bigger apartment. There will be more room for you to play and a bigger yard to explore. Your bedroom window looks over the backyard, actually there are a ton of windows to look out. I think you are going to love it there!
Here are a couple more pics to sum up you at 13 months.

The Birthday Party

We celebrated your birthday on Sunday with our family. What a production it was. Your father and I were busy little bees the past two weeks planning this party and making all of your special birthday decorations. We made two buntings out of coordinating fabrics. We put your name on the bunting for your highchair and left the longer one blank to hang up above your chair. We also made a "Happy Birthday" sign out of fabric circles. We made a birthday crown for you out of felt and ribbon because every boy is a prince on there birthday, nevermind that you only wore the crown for a nanosecond before you ripped it off your head. We also made you a birthday shirt with a big 1 on the front that matched your birthday banners. You looked so handsome. We greeted our guests with a "Welcome to Teige's birthday bash" sign on the chalkboard by our front door. Oh, and balloons. We had lots of balloons in red, dark blue and light blue. You also had a Sesame street babies mylar balloon. Everything looked beautiful.

Uncle Noel recorded everyone singing happy birthday to you. You weren't sure what all the excitement was about but you sure enjoyed it.

In attendance for your party were; your father and I (of course), your Grandma Daniels and Grampa Steve, Your Grampy Daniels and Nana Daniels, Auntie Emily Uncle Noel, and cousin Kiera, Your Great Grandma Corliss (Grammy), Auntie Val and Uncle Todd, and Uncle Mark and Auntie Erin. I made you your own Devil's food cake with cream cheese frosting. It said Happy Birthday Teige in red and had a sparkly blue 1 candle. I made red velvet cupcakes for our guests with cream cheese frosting. Some of the cupcakes had red, blue, and green sparkles.

For food we had 7-later dip and chips and empanadas. All homemade. The house was packed with people who love you. You got lots of wonderful gifts.

Your father and I got you Fisher Price zoo animals set, a fabric growth chart with a rocket ship on it, two nursery rhyme books with audio cds, a Kevin Stays Overnight book, and a "big boy" upholstered rocking chair with matching ottoman.

Your Grammy C got you an alphabet inchworm pull toy. It sins songs and teaches you letters and colors. My favorite part of this toy is that it has a phonics mode. In phonics mode when you press a letter it tells you the sound the letter makes.

Your Grandma D and Grandpa Steve gave you a ride on horse that hooks up to the t.v. like a video game. You can also bounce and spin on the horse and it plays songs and makes horse noises. They also got you a cute little pinstripe suit with a tie. It matches one that your daddy has. They also got you a cute yellow t-shirt that says little monster on it and alien pj's with rocket ships that match your bedroom. And a drum with other instruments stored inside and a music cd to jam along with.

Your Nana and Grandpa S. sent gifts for you. Your Nana will be up to see you in two weeks with your cousins Joey and Brianna. I think great minds think alike because Nana also got you the ride on horse that hooks up to the t.v.. Both Nana and Grandma knew you would have great fun with this toy. Nana and Grandpa also sent a cute hat with earflaps that you seem to love (you keep it on). Cousins Joey and Brianna sent beautiful handmade cards. You can tell that they spent alot of time drawing pictures for you. They both sent there love and miss you very much.

Grampy and Nana D. got you two cute little track sweatsuits. One is blue and gold and the other was black and red. Auntie Val and Uncle Todd got you an elmo guitar. Auntie Emily, Uncle Noel and Kiera got you a book set with hide-n-seek flashcards and a set of mirror cards that let you look at your face in an airplane, or monkey or other cute scene. I love the learning activities they provide and the parent guides that came with the set give me different ideas of how to play with you and teach you knew things. They also gave you a set of Nick Jr. shape books that are stored in a shape sorter box and The Boys Book, How to Be the Best at everything. Again, great mind... Kiera made you a sparkly card that she decorated and drew a picture for you. Uncle Mark and Aunt Erin gave you a plush three little pigs set with soft houses that plastic pigs and the big bad wolf hide inside.

Woo, think that was everything. I hope I didn't forget anyone. You had so many wonderful presents it was hard to keep track of them all.

This video was the aftermath of your cake. You got a hang of smashing it pretty quickly and made a fine mess. We had to give you a quick rinse in the shower before opening your presents.

This movie was taken after all the guests had left and you were able to have a nice refreshing nap. When you woke you were able to check out your balloons and decorations a little better without all the excitement. Grandma D. and Grandpa S. stuck around to see you play with all of your new toys. It was a very fun day for everyone!

The next video was taken on your birthday, the day after your party. Daddy had taken the day off. We all got to do some more exploring with your new toys. Best of all Nana finally gets to see you walk.

It was a happy birthday baby boy.

A Letter for Teige

One year ago today you delighted me and your father, at 9:34 a.m., by making your first appearance in this world. Today I am experiencing a mix of joy and sorrow as we celebrate this milestone. I am sad because this first year has gone by so fast and technically you are no longer my baby. I am overjoyed because I am so proud of all that you have accomplished and deep down I know that you will always be my baby.

The nine months I was pregnant with you were some of the best of my life. I loved being pregnant. Even though you are a separate person, you were part of me. I feel feel you swimming around when I woke in the morning and gleefully kicking when your daddy read to us at night. You were always with me and I knew I could keep you safe.

When you first came home with us you gave us a little scare. You were very tired from your journey into the world. You recovered very quickly and thrived thereafter. You are a very happy and healthy boy. You are also loved very much. Your family visited in those first weeks to get a glimpse of your beautiful eyes, your button nose, and your flash of thick dark hair. Your Nana, Grampa, and Auntie Belinda traveled far, from North Carolina, to visit. You Grandma, Great Grandma, Auntie Val, Uncle Todd, Great Aunt Theresa, and Great Uncle Bob had the great honor of meeting you in the hospital. So many other friends and family came to meet you in those first weeks and continue to visit with you whenever they get a chance. Like I said, you are LOVED.

You have been a happy and personable baby since day one. You were rarely shy and greeted everyone with coos and smiles early on. You have grown so fast. Nowadays you greet your visitors with a laugh and a wave. Eager to show of your newest tricks. You have boundless energy and are very curious about the world around you. You are fearless, climbing and laughing and loving with reckless abandon. You walk, run, and play all day and sleep soundly at night. You have a hearty appetite and have yet to meet a food that you don't like.

Some of your favorite things are; bouncing on your knees like tigger (this cracks everybody up), dancing and singing with Mommy, swimming, bathtime and reading books with Daddy, and playing with your playgroup friends. You have grown like a weed. At birth you were 21.5 inches long. We measured you on your new growth chart today and you are 2 ft. and 7.25 inches tall!

I love you so much and I can't wait to see you grow everyday. Your father and I will always be here for you. We are so proud of you today. We will be proud of you always.

Love,
Mommy

MILK

You had real milk, for the first time, today.You really...

... really enjoyed it!

Happy Thanksgiving

We hosted our very first Thanksgiving this year. It was a huge success! We really celebrated in style. Everything was homemade right down to the cornbread I made the stuffing with. We also brined our first turkey an boy, was it ever good. Neither your father nor I had ever had a brined turkey before. It made for some very moist meat. Grammy and Grampy joined us. I begged your Grammy to bring her famous candied yams and she was nice enough to humor me. We had turkey, stuffing, a turnip galette, pureed squash, rolls, peas, cranberry sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and the aforementioned candied yams all smothered in gravy. We had a chocolate cream pie and caramel pumpkin cheesecake. The only things we didn't make where the peas and cranberry sauce. (I happen to prefer canned cranberry sauce and I love Lesueur peas with mushrooms and onions) You tasted most everything and loved it all!

I regret that I have gotten pretty behind on posting here lately, again. We have been extremely busy. I have a little notebook where I have been writing down our stories but have not had the discipline to post lately. So, I will try to relay some of those stories now. First I want to announce the biggest changes in you. YOU ARE WALKING! You had been taking some steps here and there but this last week you have started walking across rooms and have become much more steady. You are so proud of your new found independence. We are also very proud of you. Also we decided to finally call your first word. Sad that it has taken this long. You have been saying hello since about nine months-old. I was hesitant to call it because you didn't say it all the time, but you definitely use it in context. The first thing we do in the morning is look in the mirror next to your crib. Often you will wave at us in the mirror and call out "huwwo". Sometimes you grace others with your greeting but often you say it just for us. You called out hello to Grammy one day and she was so excited saying, "Did you here that? He just said hello!". I told her you had been saying this for awhile while waving and I thought maybe I was imaging it or being a crazy mother. She immediately dubbed your first word was definitely hello. You also say Hi and have started using the phrase "Oh wow" this last week.

In other news. We had been on a real house hunting tear for awhile. We were looking at houses almost every weekend. Unfortunately we did not find anything suitable in our price range. We did put in one offer which was rejected. We are taking a little break for the holidays. More than anything we would love to have our own house to call home. A yard for you to play in and a playroom for all your toys. I know this dream will be realized someday. It will be that much sweeter because we worked so hard for it.

We also celebrated a first birthday party for one of your playgroups. We did a gift exchange and had lots of fun with the other kids. We got a bubble lawnmower for one of the boys and the lone girl ( there's always one) got you a Touch and Teach Turtle Book. It sings songs, counts and teaches you about animals you love it! That same afternoon we met up at Grammy's for an early Thanksgiving. Yes, we had two. Your Aunt Belinda and cousins Meri and Brady were up visiting from North Carolina. Your Aunt Emily, Uncle Noel, and cousin Kiera also joined us. It was a very long day and by the end of it you had your very first cold. You finally got over this cold today. You also got a flu shot the day before all this excitement. Daddy and I got shots too.

If all the above excitement wasn't enough, we are celebrating your first birthday next Sunday. We will be having a small party with family at our house. We are so excited! We have had your birthday gifts, as well as most of your Christmas gifts, tucked away already wrapped for a couple of weeks now. Your Father and I have been hard at work making some pretty decorations for the big day. I, of course, will be making you a special cake and making cupcakes for all of our guests. I can't wait.

So I guess I am all caught up on big news. I do have some video and pics to share later. (it takes awhile to sort and upload) I really just wanted to make sure I got on here to give an update. Sometimes I procrastinate posting because the prospect of uploading is a little overwhelming sometimes when things are crazy. I promise to get some new pics up this weekend. Really.

Election "08"

Your first election! We went to the polls today after our playgroup. Thankfully there weren't any long lines. You were very excited to get the "I voted" sticker on your sweater.

Yet Another Reason to Vote

As if you needed another reason to get out to the polls. Ben & Jerry's is getting in on the action by offering free scoops on November 4th.

If you didn't already think it was important enough to vote, now you have caffeine as a perk. Starbucks is giving away free coffee to voters. Check it out.

Halloween

Yay, it's finally here. Your first Halloween! You have been practicing for the last two months by dressing up in your costume and getting a look at yourself in the mirror. Boy, am I gonna miss this costume when you outgrow it. You really get a kick out of it.Grandpa got you a great ride which we borrowed for Trick-or-Treating. This is the two of you going for a test drive.

You're checking with him to make sure this thing is safe.

We went trick-or-treating with a large group including Auntie Beth, Uncle Rick, and their girls. We keep there pics off of here for their privacy at their Mom's request.

You and me babe. Sadly, we forgot to get pics of Daddy. Who'dya think was holding the camera, silly?

Oh, how you love rattling Sammy's cage.

I had to include a closeup of those beautiful baby blues.

And another one. Vroom...vroom... look at you manning that wheel. A pro already!

Eventually, you ended up in the stroller. I should mention that Daddy had to run back a couple of blocks to get it.
And then you fell asleep. This was your first big outing, way past your bedtime. It was worth it!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Prelude to Halloween

On Wednesday we went to a Halloween party for your playgroup. It was so much fun watching all you "creatures" play in your costumes. There were two monkeys, a zebra, a dog, a dragon, a penguin, Winne-the-Pooh, the lone girl was a dalmation, and of course you were my little monster.

Another Sunday at the Park

This will be my last catching up post of the night. I am pretty tired and I am happy with the progress I have made. This is an important lesson I hope to learn so I can teach you: progress not perfection. I've already explained how I feel about Sundays here, so let's get on with the pics.

Goodnight.

A Vist with Aunt Ellen

I am quite ashamed that during a visit with a good portion of the family your father and I managed to miss any opportunity of taking their photos for you. We are so used to shooting you we really missed the boat on this one.
Your Aunt (o.k. she's your Dad's aunt but, I don't think she'd appreciate the "great" title) was up from North Carolina visiting and the best shot we managed to get was this one with her foot in the background. Nice, huh?

You were really enjoying this rocking chair. It is your Uncle Bob's (another "great" guy), he's a little big for it nowadays so you got the honors.

You were having a ton of fun rocking.

We did manage to get a picture of you with Grammy. Oh, and the back of Uncle Mark's head. And that's why I have this blog, to celebrate everyday with you and fill in all the little details I missed.

More fun feeding the Animals

When we go to the park to feed the animals I never seem to get any good pictures of you interacting with the animals. I guess this is because they only care about us when we are feeding them and I have not figured out a good technique for feeding the animals, making sure you are seeing what's going on, and snapping pictures.
This time I figured you were old enough to feed the animals while I snapped away.

Yeah, right. This is you tormenting the animals by snacking on the carrots we have brought for them. I am pretty sure you know what you are doing because you have the hugest smile on your face and you aren't looking at the carrot you are chowing on, you are looking right in to the eyes of the horse or goat or llama. Maybe in a couple more months.
Poor Donkey, please accept my apology. My baby may or may not know any better. I promise to give you the carrot after he's had his fun.
Really he is a sweet boy. I am sure he'll give it up any minute now.

It was cold on this particular day (seriously it was in the mid-thirties). This is what it took to get you out of the house comfortably: onesie, turtleneck, sweater, puffy vest, leggings, pants, socks, sneakers, and hat. It is quite a struggle getting you to cooperate but so worth it. We are New Englanders darn it! Nothing short of a blizzard will keep us crammed in the house for too long.

By the way, that dumbfounded look on your face was in reaction to the events in the next picture.

Yep, we had a blast! Next time I think I'll bring a snack for you. I'll man the carrots.

Catching Up

Technical difficulties have stalled my blogging. To make a long, boring story short, Karl had to back up all of our files to another hard drive, wipe this computer clean, and reinstall everything. Not fun. I am back up and running now. I did realize as I started to post that I had to reinstall CS3 and our camera software first. So now I will do my best to catch up before something else distracts me.

These pictures were taken after returning home from Auntie Beth's birthday party. You were so well-behaved. I thought the loud and large crowd would scare you but you were quite the personality. You were crawling up to complete strangers and climbing up their pant legs, flashing your best, aren't I adorable?, smile. I think you are just very comfortable there. You love playing with Sammy ( the dog) and all the attention Auntie Beth and her girls shower on you.





I sometimes wonder where you get the Evil Knievel streak from. I don't think I was that much of a daredevil. You have been scaling the couch for sometime. And now this....

Suddenly all of your toys have become step stools or climbing structures. Actually I have become an obstacle course for you, you love climbing over me when I lay on the floor.

I am not looking forward to the days when you start climbing trees!

Comments Made Easier.

Sorry about the problems leaving comments. I have changed my comments settings. You do not need to have a blog or Google account to comment here anymore. Just click on name/url tab and enter your name, you do not need to enter a url. You can also post anonymously if you want to be all sneaky like. Hope this helps because I just love seeing your comments here!

Free Class!

I found this class through Jessica's blog. I recently found her site while looking for some photoshop help. Can I just say what a generous woman, offering tons of free advice and now a free class.
I am excited about this class because I am constantly struggling to document memories for Teige. As a child I always wanted more in the way of stories and memories. I can't wait!

Your First Haircut

This weekend your Daddy and I brought you to get your first haircut. What an adventure! There was an hour wait. During which we: went shopping, fed you lunch, and hoped you wouldn't get cranky. You were such a trooper.

Evidence of how badly I needed to let go and sacrifice your baby locks.Despite the boy that screamed bloody murder throughout his haircut, you were happy to get up into the chair. Just look at how excited you were.You waited patiently for the excitement to begin.

The hairdresser loved cutting your hair. She was very impressed by how laid back you were. You giggled and scrunched up your face every timee she worked on the back of your head. It must have tickled you.

Ahhh... I can see those beautiful baby blues. You get those from me you know.

So handsome! I am a little sad because you look like such a big boy.

Don't worry about me I'll get over it.

Perfect

I don't know what else to say. This is, by far, the best shot of you I have ever captured.

10 Months Old!

Today you turned ten months old. I cannot beleive how fast these months have flown by. It seems like just yesterday you were the little baby that depended on us for everything. Now look at you riding on that plane all by yourself. (sniff)

You've come a long way, baby.

Nosey Parker

nosey
Originally uploaded by teigesmom

Who? You. You love looking out the window to see what is going on out in the world. The window behind your father and my bed is your favorite. It is the perfect vantage point for you to see the cars driving by. If we let you play in our bed at night, after the shades are closed, you lift up the shade and peek out.

Sundays are for Family

I miss the old Blue Collar laws. Once upon a time Sundays were for rest, relaxation, and reconnecting with loved ones. Stores were not open to lure one with retail therapy. We are making a conscious effort to revive the tradition.

To spend one sacred day with the ones we love.

To slow down and cacth our breath.
To enjoy the moment

To have fun.

To be together.

Quite Possibly the Most Important Election of Our Lives

Are you registered to vote?
You can find the deadlines to register to vote right here. Better yet, I included info for my family below. You know, in case you were too busy to click there.

NORTH CAROLINA
You must:
Be a citizen of the United States
Be a resident North Carolina and the county in which your live for at least 30 days prior to the election
Be 18 years of age by the day of the next general election
Have your rights of citizenship restored if you have been convicted of a felony
Not be registered to vote in any other county or state
Registration Deadline: 25 days before the election
Date of Primary: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Primary Registration Deadline: Saturday, April 11, 2008 (30 days prior)
State Election Website: www.sboe.state.nc.us/SOS Website:www.secstate.state.nc.us/

MASSACHUSETTS
You must:
Be a citizen of the United States
Be a resident of Massachusetts
Be 18 years old
Not have been convicted of corrupt practices in respect to elections
Not be under guardianship with respect to voting
Registration Deadline: 20 days before the election
State Election Website:www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleidx.htmSOS Website:www.sec.state.ma.us/

10 Reasons to Love Fall

1) The colors are amazing

2) You can smell the fireplaces burning when you go for a walk

3) Cooler weather = drier walks

4) Hot Chocolate

5) Halloween

6) Apple picking and baking your bounty

7) Thanksgiving, Mmmm... stuffing

8) the stuffed pumpkin we had for supper last week (notice the food associations)

9)The sounds of; rustling leaves, crackling fires, and family coming together for the holidays

10) Most importantly, how stinkin' cute you look bundled up in fleece outfits

I got these outfits at Kohl's Saturday night while Daddy got you ready for bed.
I also got you this cute little guy.

I could't resist!

Funny Face

I would love to know. . .
what you are thinking . . .
when you make faces . . .
like these.

Separation Anxiety

noun- the normal fear and apprehension expressed by infants when removed from their mothers or approached by strangers.

You have been very affectionate (that's clingy, nicely stated) lately.
You want to be with me (or daddy) at all times.

You wake up in the middle of the night looking for us.

Even when I am in the room, you need more.

And that's o.k.
because you're so darn cute...and we love you very much..and well, heck sleep is overated anyway.

Good Morning

Yesterday, We went to the indoor gym at the Y. It was fun to see how differently you played compared to our last visit a couple of months ago.Now, you would much rather play with me and have me by your side. In contrast, the last time we came here you were all about exploring on your own.
Still a daredevil. You tried scaling the sides of the ball-pit. You would have tumbled right in were it not for my protective hover.

You loved exploring the tunnels.
And peeking through their portholes.

You were not interested or able to climb these steps last time.

Wow, look how you've grown.

Humanity

Because this is a blog about my son, I try to keep my political views and problems of the world off of it. But, I think he should know a little bit about those ideals. Trying to figure out what to include or exclude has been a challenge for me. How will he learn how to live in the future if he doesn't understand the failures of our world's past?



http://www.girleffect.org

Playhouse Playdate

Yesterday Teige and I went to Itz My Party with one of my mommy groups. He had a blast!A great place for toddlers to play. Not overly crowded like other places I have been to.
Actually our group had the place to ourselves.
Notice the cutie with her face smushed against the netting?
Immobilized by the balls. Literally, he couldn't move a muscle. I thought he would get frustrated by not being able to move but he just laughed and tried to eat the balls. Ready for a nap after all that running around.

See ya next time!

Teige runs and jumps (with help)

But He stands alone.

Last night Teige stood alone. He has done this before for one or two seconds but last night he stood for a good ten seconds. He realized after a second what he was doing and the joy and pride that was on his face, wow. Priceless!

Sadly, Daddy missed witnessing this event by mere minutes. I know he was bummed.

Here a couple of videos from Monday night that I have been meaning to upload.



This is Teige with his new walker. Karl and I had been thinking about getting him one for a while, after seeing how much he enjoyed using the one at my mom's house on Sunday I bought one immediately.

Here are a couple more cute ones for you.

Yup, he's still a shrieker.

Safety First

When we moved into this apartment we knew we had a very important project to deal with ASAP. Our uncovered radiators were hot! Now that Teige is pulling up on things, including the radiators, this become a very urgent problem. We needed some radiator covers STAT.

We started looking around online and found that radiator covers start at around $150. With 5 radiators in our place this was not an option, especially in a rental. We found some plans to construct covers online. Sadly, our tool supply is pretty limited.

Thankfully, we have a very handy man in our family. Grandpa (a.k.a Steve, a.k.a mom's better half ) spent the better half of last week constructing these covers for us. (Karl helped a little)

Aren't they beautiful. Such an improvement not only to Teige's environment but also the entire aesthetic of our place. I wish I wasn't too lazy to search for a before picture for you... but I am. We are so pleased with the end result. Thank you Steve, thank you for selflessly offering your expertise, time, and resources, thank you for giving us peace of mind for our child's safety, can't say it enough thank you.

So Hard to Say Goodbye

Last night Karl and I worked on a very sad project. Fall is coming and we needed to pack up the clothes that no longer fit Teige to make room for some warmer clothes. He is wearing size 12-18 months and we still had 6-9 months things in his closet. I know, I just need to let go.
Notice the rather large pile next to the baseball cap? These are newborn caps I just couldn't bear to get rid of the last time we packed up the tiny items.
Space bags are just an amazing thing. How would we go on without them?
Whoops forgot to flip this one. Well, you get the idea.

Apple Picking

Last weekend we went apple picking with Grandma, Grandpa, and cousin Kiera. It was alot of fun. This weekend we will be making apple crisp with our pickings. If you have any good apple recipes please send them my way.

If you want to see more pics of Teige please visit my mom's blog here. She has some great pics and videos through Grandma's eyes.

Recent Videos

Here are a couple of recent videos of Teige. I know it has been over a week but I really am trying to keep this up to date. I spend more time trying to figure out how to post here than I actually do posting. Please bear with me.

This video was taken last Sunday. The tire swing seemed to lull Teige to sleep more than it excited him. We are lucky to have so many great parks near our apartment. We have no trouble finding a place to play.

This video was taken on 9/19. Look at what a daredevil Teige is turning into. He has an adventurus spirit and has a very hands-on approach to problem solving. He is always trying to figure out how things work.

Finally, this video is pretty representative of how Teige pretends to read books. He will do this for about an hour on a good day. These are the days I am able to get supper on the table by the time Karl gets home. Which is not how things have been going lately. This video was taken on 9/12/08.

I hope you have enjoyed the videos. I will continue to try to update this blog more frequently. Of course, this depends on Teiges nap schedule which is when I get some computer time.

All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go

On our way to meetup with some moms and tots today we had car trouble. Sadly, we never made it to our destination. We were stranded at a Dunkin' Donuts in the middle of nowhere. Now, I love D+D as much as the next girl but Teige is not a huge fan.

Thankfully, I was well prepared. We were able to enjoy lunch at a nearby picnic table while waiting for Karl to rescue us.
Since Karl takes the train to work we were stuck for awhile. We did our best to make the most of the situation. Teige loves watching cars speed down the road (and yes, because of this, I fear the day I can no longer restrain, I mean contain him with a stroller). Since we were near a main street we happily watched the traffic.
After awhile Teige grew tired of this.
So, we decided to go on an adventure.

I told you we were in the middle of nowhere!Finally, Karl came and rescued us. And they lived.....

Okay, we only made it about 2 miles before we had to pull back over.
In the end we made it home safely. This very long day got me thinking. I used to consider myself pretty prepared for disaster. I always have a backup outfit for the baby and a decent stash of diapers on hand. We have jumper cables and the charger for my cell in the car. Because I am a nurse I have a ridiculously well stocked fist aid kit in my trunk. Now that I have Teige I realize this is not enough. This weekend I plan to add a gallon of water , spare can of formula, and a heavy blanket to my arsenal.

How are you prepared for the unexpected?

What a Wonderful World

Yesterday, after returning from playgroup, I was reminded of what an amazing father my husband is. While dumping sand out of my son's shoes, pants, and diaper it became obvious that a bath was in order. Then it hit me, I haven't given this cherub a bath since he was about four-months old.
You see, in our house, bathtime ( for that matter any activity after 6 pm) is sacred "Daddy Time". NO MOMS ALLOWED! Although I have witnessed, occasionally participated in it, this ritual, I have not actually bathed my son since he took the leap into the "big tub".
Karl finally got to hear that sweet ringing today. The call from me; Honey, where do you put the dial on the faucet to get the water to the right temperature for the baby's bath?
So yeah, I'm pretty lucky. And grateful. And overjoyed. My husband is top banana in my book.

Over the River . . .

Frequently, as CEO of Teige Corp, travel is required. Today was one of those days.

My boss, Teige, and I attended an important conference.........

Okay.. okay, we went to a playgroup in Somerset.


This plaground was great! It overlooked the water. With school back in session, our group had the place all to ourselves.


Buried treasure was the theme for the day.

We dug for pirate money and redeemed our "gold" for treasure.

Here is a good pic of Teige with his booty.

With the help of a loaned GPS (thanks Mom!), I was able to enjoy a serene drive home. I love cruising through the winding backroads of the boonies. Especially when I don't have to worry about looking for street signs.


The wonderful scene when we arrived home.






I Love playing with my boy.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Welcome to my blog.
I am often trying to find the time (o.k. willpower) to document my life, our life, for my son. As this last year has whizzed by I realize it is all slipping by so fast. So, I am setting a goal for myself to document at least weekly the wondrous, the mundane, the happy, the sad, the stolen moments that will make up our history. It is a task I am afraid to write down here. An actual commitment, in black and white, for all too see. I hope you will all enjoy watching this little boy, this little family, grow. This is my mission statement, if you will. The reason I am here:

To document for you, sweet boy, the moments that will define who you are. You may not know where you are going but you will always know where you came from. I love you Teige.