"Hush Little Baby"

Randy was singing Hush Little Baby to Blake (when Blake wasn't crying I might add). He got to the verse about "if that diamond ring don't shine" and finished it up with "Daddy's gonna buy you a (pause) bottle of wine." Realizing those probably aren't the words, we got curious about how that song really goes and looked them up. Thought I'd share since I'd be surprised if anyone know all the words to this song:

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull,
Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover

And if that dog named Rover won't bark
Papa's gonna buy you a horse and cart

And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

Late Pointer

So like any type A first-time mom, with each passing month I look at “the book” to see what Blake should be doing, what he’s probably doing and what he could possibly be doing. I go down the list, such the proud parent...playing peekabook-check, pulling up to standing-check, playing pattycake-check, cruising-check…..pointing to something to get needs met…hmm, Blake isn’t pointing to stuff. I start to worry..why isn’t he pointing at stuff? I make a mental note to start pointing at things in hopes that he’ll pick up on it. I think about it off and on for a few days and then mention to Randy while we’re en route to a Christmas party tonight, “The book says Blake should be pointing at things. He’s not pointing at things.” Randy pauses for a minute and then in typical Randy fashion says, “It’s okay, I was a late pointer too.” Okay, I get it. In the grand scheme of life, the fact that Blake isn’t pointing at things probably isn’t a big deal. Then I made a mental note to chill out a little bit. Thanks to my husband for balancing things out around here and keeping ME in check.

The Train to See Santa!

Yesterday we joined some little friends to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole to visit Santa. It was Blake's first time to see Santa and sit on his lap. Of course he pulled on his beard, but he didn't cry!

Blake sees the train pulling into the station:


One of Santa's special elves...he's going to drive the train to see Santa!


Woo hoo! We're ready to go!


Thanks to Bea for capturing the mad dash to get off the train to see Santa. Blake will surely be part of this crew next year!


Nice to meet you Santa:


A private conversation:


Mom, who is this guy?


Wh..what...what's under there?

Gotcha!

Playing in the winter wilderness:

Don't forget your jingle bell:

Bye Santa! See you at Christmas!

Football & Thanksgiving

We did something a little different this year and met Randy's parents and brothers in Dallas for Thanksgiving. Mamma (Randy's mom) and Blake enjoyed some one-on-one time while the rest of us went to watch the Saints beat the Cowboys 30-27! I'm not a huge fan of watching football on TV but watching this game in person was so much fun! I forgot how much energy there is at those games. Even though Blake couldn't go, he was still cheering on the Saints from the condo:

Blake & Uncle Michael

We were REALLY high:

For his first Thanksgiving, Blake enjoyed sweet potato fries, apples, and turkey meatballs. And he ate every last bite!

This is the best picture we can get of the 3 of us these days:

Another great part of the trip was getting to see James and Mendy for a little bit. They used to live one house over from us but moved to Missouri a couple of years ago. It worked out that they would be in Dallas visiting her family at the same time so we were able to meet up with them to see handsome Logan who is already 2 1/2 and meet adorable Kinsley who is just 4 1/2 months. We REALLY miss having them in Austin but one day we'll get them back to Texas!

Of course I missed seeing my family for Thanksgiving but Christmas will be here in 4 short weeks, which means Blake is turning 1 in just 6 weeks! So much to do before then!

First Haircut!

Mr. Blake was starting to get a little shaggy around the ears so we went in for his first haircut today and $19 later I regretted it. First of all he wasn't crazy about the experience. Thanks to the 2 head colds he's had and having to hold his head to use the suction on his nose, he's not a fan of having his head held so that didn't start things out very well. Plus the lady we got wasn't exactly the cream of the crop. The front looks okay but it's shorter behind his ears than I would like. Next time I think I'll attempt it myself or try somewhere new. I hope it grows back fast!

Something about the "first haircut" was kind of sad. I know he's only 10 months old and he's still a baby but every day he's looking more and more like a little boy. I love him so much!

Before:

Bringing in Daddy's BlackBerry to help things go smoothly:

Nope, that didn't work. Not a happy boy:

Whew, all done! So handsome!

We put him back in the chair for one last pic. I love how he's holding onto the sides and has this "no, not again" look on his face.

Retiring the swing

Now that Blake is 8 1/2 months old we decided to retire the swing. He hasn't used it in months actually but we're just now getting around to storing it away. Had to get one last run in though. It's amazing to me how much he's grown! He's only 10 days old in this first picture and just looked like a little nugget...and now his head and feet hang over the edges!

Summer Fun

The newborn age I did not want to pause, but this age...this age I would LOVE to be able to pause. Blake is such a sweet, affectionate little boy and he's independent enough to be able to sit on his own and crawl but yet he can't move too fast to where he always has to be chased around. He "talks" to us and smiles and laughs all the time but isn't old enough to scream at us or talk back. :) I'm sure there's great stuff about every age ahead but we're just loving this time with him.

He's just started pulling himself up on things which stresses me out. I get so
worried about him waking up in the middle of the night and standing up in his crib. Even though we've lowered it I'm just scared he's going to lose his balance and hit his head. Typical first-time mom worries I guess. It's crazy to think he's going to be walking in just a few months!

Here's some pictures from the last several weeks (you don't have to have a Facebook account to view these). We've been busy!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090601&id=1390612057&l=d7b82c6e72

--We drove out to Hamilton Pool, which is a swimming hole about 30 minutes outside of Austin. It was a little bit of a hike and the water was a little chilly but Blake had fun splashing around and playing in the water.

--We also went to the splash pad at Pease Park and finally got to meet up with the Baker twins, Amelia & Everett. They are so adorable! It's so crazy when you haven't seen friends in a long time and then when you finally do, you're watching your kids crawl around together! Hopefully Jace and Regan will be moving back from San Francisco soon and there will be more playdates in the future!
--Blake went on his first flight and did great! They were short flights so he slept for 3 out of 4 of them and then jumped on our laps during the other one. Flying with a baby is a little harder due to all the extra gear but it really wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. It was also Blake's first trip to Tulsa to see Mamma, Pappa Joe and Uncle Michael!
--We visited the Dallas Zoo and saw the penguins, monkeys, gorillas, giraffes, elephants, hogs, and alligators. Though Blake is still too young to comprehend everything he saw of course, he enjoyed people watching and seeing new things.
--We took another road trip to Marshall to visit my family. Blake had fun playing with Nonni & Papa and aunts, uncles, and cousins that we don't get to see enough.
--We also went to the splash park in Pflugerville. Blake loved sitting in front of the smaller fountain and playing in the water.
--We've been going to infant storytime at the RR Public Library. There's about 25 other babies that go so it's fun to watch Blake start to interact with other little kids his age. He loves to sing the songs but his favorite part is playing with the huge parachute at the end. All the babies sit in the middle of the parachute and the parents flap it up and down. He just laughs and hits his hand on his knees, he loves it!

Another lesson learned...

Why did I spend hours searching online for the "perfect" crib bedding? We took the bumper off right when Blake actually started sleeping in the crib to supposedly reduce the risk of SIDS. And now that he's starting to pull up on things we've lowered his crib and the bedskirt now drapes the floor and just looks sloppy. The crib is now basically a white cell with a mattress and a little color thanks to the Breathable Bumper. Why did I even bother? Another lesson learned I guess. Who thinks I'll repeat this mistake with baby #2 and fall into the trap of buying adorable bedding? Me too....

Crawling and first teeth!

The next time I post I'm sure it will be to say that Blake has learned to crawl. Right now he's just moving his hands and then pulling his lower body along. Between that, rolling around, and scooting on his back he has no problem getting to where he needs to be...and unfortunately for Cooper, that sometimes means straight to the tail, or ear, or just grabbing a fistful of skin. Sweet Cooper is so tolerant and just lays there. Blake has definitely discovered Cooper and thinks he's hilarious! He'll just look at Cooper and start giggling so we'll hold Blake and "chase" Cooper and Blake just lets out the biggest belly laughs. Again, Cooper is so tolerant of all of this...even when we hold Blake and let him ride Cooper. :)

Blake is doing a really good job of sitting up by himself but can't do it for very long and still falls backwards or to the side. We're right there to catch him of course but it won't be long before he won't need us there. Awe, that's kind of sad to think about but at the same time it will be a nice milestone to achieve.



Blake has started saying "da da" and though he obviously doesn't associate it with Randy yet, it's still cute. We're working on "ma ma" but no luck yet. :)

And...Blake got his first 2 teeth! The excessive drooling was our first clue and then waking up screaming all night long gave us a pretty good idea too. Then sure enough, one morning we looked and two of them had popped through. Here's his new smile..you might have to click on it to blow it up and see his new teeth:

Solids and the beach!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted anything. I always say I'm going to post more often but being a working mom who also loves to sleep (although who really gets any sleep with an infant) and spend quality time with the husband keeps me busy. I think I probably say this on every post but we're having so much fun with Blake right now. He's so interactive and learning so much all the time and now he's eating new foods. We had a little setback with the solids because he caught a stomach virus that lingered for like a week and a half. We never knew what he was going to keep down and better to get milk thrown up on you than green beans! But now we're back on track and Blake has enjoyed peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, bananas, and pears. Not surprisingly, bananas and pears have been his favorite and carrots run a close second. That kid will eat 3/4ths of a banana! I'm so anxious to feed him so many foods but they have to eat the same thing for 3-4 days to test for allergies so it's taking forever to get through the menu. Next up is peaches, butternut squash, yellow squash, and apples. Yum!

Before:

After - not too bad really, considering I clean his hands along the way. Soon I'll just let him go all in and feed himself, but for now we're trying to keep it relatively clean.

Blake hit the beach for the first time! We went to Port Aransas where he played in the waves and sand and promptly stuck a fistful of muddy sand in his mouth, so we spent most of the time on the beach in the shade where we had a little pool of fresh water for him. It was a convenient time to go to the beach because he can sit up pretty well but couldn't crawl yet so I wasn't chasing him all over the sand. I try to remember that he's a boy and wants to and can get dirty but I always find myself sweeping dirt off of him and trying to keep him clean. I will be forced to let go of this soon I know.

Blake's 6 month stats:
Weight: 15 lbs 15 oz, 23rd percentile
Height: 25.5", 23rd percentile

We had a little half-birthday celebration for Blake. (We're slightly overzealous parents.) He was mesmerized by the candle. And no, I didn't let him have any cake of course, even though Randy wanted to let him play in it.


Now that Blake is 6 months old, he has has moved onto solids! He loved the rice cereal and the oatmeal but his first real food was peas. When the spoon of peas first hit his mouth, he turned his nose up but then he continued to eat. I think the new texture threw him off. His friend at daycare already started solids so he's been watching her eat - he knew exactly what to do when that spoon came towards him! He seems to have fun with this whole eating out of a spoon idea....and I had fun too because I got to use my new babycook. :) I'm planning on making all of his food because the foods he's eating are so simple and I only want him to eat organic fruits and veggies. Tonight we tried sweet potatoes and I had no problem getting him to eat them!


Blake is loving his feet right now, always pulling on his toes or his socks whether he's in the high chair, on the changing table, in the car seat, or in the stroller.

He has also figured out how to use his feet to scoot himself backwards and roll all around the floor. Gone are the days of placing him on the blanket and turning your back for a minute. He ends up in a completely different place! I know this is only the beginning...at least for now I can count on him ending up in the same room. He's so close to sitting up all by himself too. He loves his new workbench. His face lights up as soon as he sees it:


Grandma came to visit! Blake had fun playing with Mammaw and having another person to entertain him and give him lots of hugs and kisses.


He's finally grown into his exersaucer. I wish I knew what he was thinking in this first picture, so serious!

We had lots of fun celebrating Randy's first Father's Day. We enjoyed Mother's Day brunch at Z Tejas so much that we decided to make another visit for Father's Day. Blake wore his "My Dad Rocks" shirt all day until he spit up on it and we had to put on a new outfit. For his first Father's Day gift, I framed a little collage with a picture of Blake wearing the shirt in the middle and other pictures of him and Blake from the past 5 months all around it.

Daddy & Blake at Z Tejas


Opening Daddy's gift:

I think I've mentioned on here before how much we love Mrs. Rhonda, the lady that cares for Blake...well actually the whole family. Her oldest daughter is 18 and has babysat for us a couple of times. Blake loves her and she knows his personality and schedule and it's just worked out perfect. Well Rhonda's husband Dan built this awesome pergola with 2 swings, one for each of the babies, so they can be outside for a few minutes in the morning when it's not too hot. It's amazing how much they do for these babies that aren't even their own children! Here's a picture of Blake trying out the swing for the first time. He loved it!

Blake rolled over!

Blake rolled over last week! So I know that this is one of those things that no one but us, and possibly the grandparents, will care about, but this is his first real milestone! It's been so fun to watch him go from his back to his side, get so close to making it all the way to his tummy, then fall over to his back, then make it to his side again, and then over to his tummy, only to get hung up by his elbow stuck up underneath him, and then finally figure out how to get over that elbow and master the roll! This all happened over the course of a week and now he's done it! Now that he's figured it out he does it all the time. The only problem is that sometimes he gets stuck on his tummy and has to be rescued, but he's getting better every day.

Here's a video of his new trick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXIjeqC6j5g

Other firsts in Mister Blake's world: He went for his first swim. Blake's an observer in general so I think he's still taking in the whole pool environment before he really lets loose. For now he just enjoys hanging out and being in the water, kind of the same way he WAS in the tub....but no longer. Now he loves to kick and splash! Bath time has gotten messsssy. Soon it will be time to move him to the big tub!

He loved it when Randy would sway him from side to side in the water:

Not sure what to think of this fountain:

This is his second swim adventure. He's not asleep, this pic just caught him with his eyes closed:

This is also new, a constant stream of drool coming out of his mouth:

Also, Blake is no longer satisfied hanging out on our shoulder and seeing where he's been. He now wants to look forward and know where he's going and what we're doing. He's still too short and little to be a hip baby though so, ever the cuddler, he ends up resting his cheek against ours to take in the view.

We used to call this Blake's "spot"....

but it now runs a close second to this position: