Constant Quest

Over the last couple of months, Sage and Amy have been on a quest to go to every park in Cary that has a playground. Of the seventeen parks that have playgrounds, we have been to ten. So far there are three forms of ground cover underneath the playground equipment in Cary. Unlike the days of asphalt and concrete under the super high metal slide, monkey bars and swings that were secured at least fifteen feet off the ground, now its either sand, mulch or squishy stuff (probably recycled tires of some sort) under stuff that isn't much over eight feet off the ground. Of the three, the man-child can't pick up and eat the squishy stuff. We have expanded our playing past the end of the blue squishy stuff at our local park to explore at least one new playground a week.

One of our favorites is MacDonald park. It is a playground for all ages (really, it has equipment, other than swings, for age 6 months and up) that has squishy stuff of all colors.

Sage on the Rocking Dino:

Fun with gears:

On the swings with multi-colored squishy stuff in the background:

Not a Cary Park, but swinging with Kieran:
Kids Together Park Dragon:
Making Tracks (See the messed up sand in the shadow - you just make out his trail from bottom left to where he sits): That was the first time I let him in the sand and let him go out into the big world on his own - mostly because the only thing with squishy stuff at this park was near the dragon. He wasn't interested in eating the sand, only getting through it - so he could explore more interesting stuff like plants:

Here's a different sand pit at Annie Jones Park:
Ten Down, Seven to Go! Next post, back at the ranch.

New and Improved - Now with 200% more teeth!*

*200% more teeth calculated from Jan 2009.
More posts to follow, going through the pictures!

March in Bullet List Form

I'm so far behind and want to get it all out there.

March to-date:

3rd - Lunch with Mary Catherine. Little Dude into everything and especially enjoying throwing things from high chair.

5th- Lunch with Alli and Mer, critter eating well and wandering all over the place getting into everything (fireplace tools?!?), still low crawling.

Later that night - real crawling.

6th - Rebeca's Baby Shower - she got lots of nice things, little man met some of the Martin Marietta family/continues obsession for obtaining tissue paper.7th - Sandra's Baby Shower - Sage meets Ava - both born within a couple of weeks of each other - they are cute together and try to figure out this whole "wow, another little person" thing.

Later that night - Dinner with Alli, Mer, Geoff, Kent and Finn. Learns from the big kid.

8th - Paul and Heather's to pick up Backpack carrier (and bonus! Tunnel) for visit to Celebrity Diary - Sage meets goats, pigs, chickens and peacocks up close. One of those great days where the weather is unbelievable (after snowing 6 days earlier is actually in the 70's) and the company is even better. Thanks Jackie for letting us share in the experience! 10th - Tried out Kindermusik class. Sage loved it and seemed to wander away from the Mommy part of Mommy and Me - will be going to the class that starts at the end of March.

11th - Lunch with Pattie.

13th - Grandmel and Grandpa Bill visit. Bring 4 days of solid rain.

19th - 8 Months old. Playing peekaboo actively.

The Week After Baltimore

Where were we?!? Mid-to-End of Feb - So the next week, Kel was back in the Baltimore/DC area and we decided not to tag along.

We are still trying new foods and finally came across the first food that Sage wanted nothing to do with: Millet. For those who aren't familiar - Millet is a grain. It is small and round and yellow and is a primary component in bird seed.

The boy has officially requested that millet remain for the birds.

After having lunch with Kristy on Tuesday, we went to New Bern to hang with the Walling-Side Greats. Great Aunt Jeannen, Granny and Grandpa Doug. Including a visit from Otto and Irene.

We went for a stroll with Jeannen when we arrived and then went to the aquarium the next day with Granny Suz. It was on this trip that Sage started pulling up on items other than Mommy or Daddy bars (index fingers held out for that very purpose).

On Friday, we went to visit Rebeca (the person formerly known as Rebecca) and Alex. Kel came back in town. Low crawling continued. February was over.

8 Months Today!

We received the strangest comment while at the park today. It took a whole eight months, but here goes:

"What a gorgeous round head. Has his head always been so wonderfully round?"

Top that! random people of the world.

I, personally, like his round tooshie. But I can't let his adoring public down, so a round noggin shot it is:

More on the tot-travels soon.

Time Flies - mid-feb

Excuse the non-posting. It has been a crazy month. Kel has been in DC/Baltimore/Philly during the weeks and coming home on the weekends. Amy and Sage have been all over the map and the little man is mobile in a big way.

So Sage endured the pink stuff for 10 days, and we endured the antics involved with administering the pink stuff for 10 days. In the mean time, it wasn't like we were twiddling our thumbs. Samantha and I had time for a President's day lunch, Kel and Dave tagged along. Somehow lunch turned into lunch and dinner, so we headed to Wake Forest to have dinner with the lunch crew plus the doggies. What could have very easily turned into child overloaded, was actually kind of fun and cute. Every time the dogs barked, Sage started giggling. There is a video that just doesn't want to load onto Blogger, so here is a pic instead:

They very next day Kel was headed to DC/Baltimore. The other part of the family decided to mooch off the hotel room and see the Richmond/DC/Baltimore area while he was working. On the way to DC, we stopped to see Leila - which was the perfect place to wake up from a nap if you are a kid, and to catch up with a good friend if you are a chauffer. Sage low crawled for more than a couple of steps while we were there. This is the first low crawling that we experienced that involve a change of rooms.

After lunch and visiting, Sage and I headed to DC. We hit at rush hour, but the timing couldn't be more perfect. Kel was finishing his day in the city and we were able to meet at Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant - IT WAS SO GOOD. Best Kitfo EVER. The kid was a little squirmy, but after being in the car from NC to DC, I would be too.

The next morning, Sage and I were headed to see the fine folks of Baltimore (Baltimorons?) while Kel was off to work. We went to a local diner for breakfast and then on to the Geppi Entertainment Museum to see a huge collection of movie, comic book, commerical, comic strip, and pop culture artifacts. It was fun for Mom, but Sage REALLY REALLY loved the Aquarium. You have to check your stroller at the door and trade it in for either a front carrier or a back carrier. We haven't had much luck with the front carrier, so we opted for the back carrier. He had a blast and was in that thing for almost two hours while we toured the whole museum.

We met up with Kel for dinner, stayed overnight and then headed back to Raleigh. Kel stayed on for a couple more days, but we were able to go to the park with him when he was back over the weekend. More later, if I want any sleep tonight, I have to take it now - but mobility has it's privileges (especially during diaper changes):

Dr. Destructo, In the Pink, and Peas, Please!

There are so many things a parent will try when getting their child to maintain or return to a state of not cranky. SO many things. You find out that your son likes the theme song to Rocky and the William Tell Overture. Or that he does not discriminate between vertical blinds or horizontal blinds as a toy. Or that he is a one-man demo crew. These blocks are continuously set up so they can be knocked down. Ahhh, Instant happy.
Dr. Destructo on the loose:

After a month of being unhealthy (give or take a couple of days), the sprout showed signs of getting worse. When we went to his first sick baby visit in January, we were told to look for the following signs: getting less sleep, refusing meals, and fever among others. He hasn't had a fever, and look at him, you think he has ever given up a meal?!?! But during a weekend of waking up every other hour and taking 15 minute naps (normal is anywhere from 40 minutes to 3.5 hours) we took the hint. Which brings us to two more firsts that I could deal without - Baby's First Ear Infection and Baby's First Scrip. I have to say that his pediatrician has the neatest writing of any doctor that I have ever seen:

Too bad the medication doesn't go in as easy (anything pink on the bib didn't quite make it down into the belly):
A couple of side notes here....
1) This is the same pink fowl smelling, bad tasting, almost gritty amoxicillin that they had when I was a kid. You'd think that after 30+ years they would find a way to make it either taste better or administer more easily.
2) For a kid that eats everything (see below), he knows when this stuff is coming and dislikes it immensely. We practically have to wedge his little cheeks and force the dropper in. Believe me, it isn't the dropper (he will take liquid Motrin and play with that dropper), it isn't that it is medication (he helps administer vitamins), he just doesn't like it.
3) I have never thought of a teaspoon as big. When it comes to medication and the under one set this amount is HUGE.
4) I hope that he is getting enough. Actually I hope that 1 teaspoon in Pediatrician language means 1/4 teaspoon if you can get it, and the rest is just a bonus. I really don't want to know what happens if the ear infection isn't wiped out from the first round of antibiotics.

On the food front, we have been introducing a new food every four days. The so far list is on the side of the screen. Latest intro was something that mom doesn't like, but the kiddo seems to get along with just fine (Peas). It isn't Avocado, the kid will lean forward and open his mouth like a baby bird for avocado, but peas have been accepted. You have no idea how much of a relief that is. There is only so much acting a mother can do, and I'm not wasting it on peas. Here's a little leaning for the baby guac:


Crawling update: Kelly claims that Sage has crawled 3-4 steps. Amy didn't see it and will not confirm. She has seen all of the pull ups onto furniture and has witnessed the baby version of downward facing dog yoga pose. We are this close people *thumb and pointer finger held very closely together* This Close.

What we have here is failure to masticate

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been attempting many feats, and conquering few. Luckily Mom doesn't expect everything to happen overnight and has been enjoying every minute. Since the 6 month doctor's appointment, we have been working on the introduction of food. A new form of pureed goodness has been introduced every 3-4 days. To date we have introduced rice cereal, bananas, avocado, and zucchini. Other than the extreme fondness for holding multiple spoons, we can't really report a favorite. At this point everything is just all over the place. By looking at the kid you don't really think any of it ends up on the inside, until diaper time (whew-eee!). Here is a battle with avocado (note the white knuckled grasp on the spoon):

Also on the grand master super checklist of things to do: Mobility.
Crawling seems to be just out of range and every day there is a new stunt that makes it seem like he will be on the go in no time. What do I mean by that? Well, today he pulled himself up to kneeling on the side of the crib and increased crawling position (not crawling itself, but on all fours) time. Yesterday, he performed a downward facing dog while going after a toy, pulled himself to standing on the outside of the exersaucer, and maintained the crawling position longer than a couple of seconds. The day before that he was walking with help, released a grasp on one hand and picked up a small toy, then resumed walking. He is pulling up on the side of the changing table, pulling up on our fingers and balancing with wobble support on furniture, rolling, pivoting, and sproinging. We are taking bets as to when crawling will be fruitful.
There were a couple of questions from the 6 month questionnaire that I wanted to look into - because before the appointment, I never really thought about those things. These included fine motor skills - during the sixth month visit we were asked if he could pick up a small item. We hadn't really tested this because he isn't eating solid foods like cheerios and everything he picks up pretty much goes to the mouth - who needs a choking hazard, right? So while supervised, I had him pick up a small clip - finger and thumb came together to pick it up and then curled into a fist, check that one off. The questions also mentioned the making of low grunting noises, which he didn't have until the day after shots when his legs were feeling tight - plenty of grunting growly noises then, check! Seems like he is working on those fine motors on his own too - while holding the spoons, or other small toys, he is rotating his wrists to see how they work.
Here we are showing off the hat mom made (yarn bought and project started in November):

And the parting shot - lately if it involves wearing something on his head, he is all over it -

This just in - SHOTS! Round 3

With a snow day earlier in the week, we went for the sixth month checkup a couple of days later than expected. Surprise, Bubba Chunk is still a bubba (stats at right).

The sixth month checkup brings shots - 4 shots (the combo DTap, Polio and Hib, Prevnar, Hep B, and Flu) plus a squeezy tube of Rotavirus vax goodness! The good news is that there are no shots at the next major appointment (9 months), the bad news is that the Flu shot has a booster in 1 month.

Helping us through the journey today were Sponge Bob, Spiderman and Scooby-doo (side note: your mother isn't a fan of Scooby-doo. The shows were too scary for her, yes, she is a wuss).

The child wailed until he was fed immediately following (aka: a long time for those who have eardrums and any semblance of a heart). Then it was back to being a happy little boy.

Normal activity resumed shortly after the appointment - playing, napping and sproinging the day away!

..and since the tenth

While recovering from the cold that didn't go away (2 solid weeks of phlegm, coughing and what not), we have been hanging around the house. The thing that amazed me most is that he was happy even though he would hack and was congested:

Kel and I have discovered that our son has all the makings of a great plumber. We found that the kid likes crack from his graduation of just sitting in place to reaching for things and coming back to sitting position. This phase is likely to be short lived due to the latest and greatest mode of transport - what I like to call Sproinging. Sproinging is an interesting endeavor that involves leaning forward out of sitting position into an almost crawling posture. Instead of full crawl, one of the legs remains under the body. The kid then rocks back and forth a couple of times and then SPROING! Head first dives into the direction of something interesting. Quite eye opening - in a 1)what direction is he going to Sproing next and 2)how can the landing be safer!

In addition to movement during this time frame, there has been a lot going on: Grandmel had a birthday, Grandma Suz and Grandpa Doug came for a visit, we went to the park, visited with Jackie, Jason, the Critter and Denise, had four inches of snowfall and a new President has taken the oath of office.

Here is what sixth months looks like (yes, those are 18 month pajamas):This toy is a walker/rider combo thing. He hasn't been doing either. Instead it stands flipped on it's side and he plays with the bells and whistles. In this pic he is strongarming it on an angle, picking up half of it:Stock park footage (actually from 1/3, but I forgot to post it):
And his first real snowfall (there were flurries back in November that didn't stick). He didn't really know what to think. Everything was white and cold and it was still snowing at this point:

Since he wasn't entirely enthused in the last couple of pictures here is a recent jumper photo. He has taken to jumping with the bear. He has been known to screech like a bird while doing this:

2009, First Ten Days

Even though we are only 10 days in to the New Year (for the sake of this post, pretend it is the 10th), we've already had some firsts.

1-1-9: First New Year's Brunch with the South Dakota Contingent. An almost annual event that has blossomed in the last few years, where three RSVPs render a whopping 14 people, and Paul keeps an eye out for the person who hands off their mimosa (last year that was a not yet showing pregnant Amy). Here are the majority of the kids enjoying what Dylan refers to as the playground:

Nikko hiding in plain sight:Kel and Sage watching the big kids demonstrate how its done:
1-2-9: First Hockey Game. Alli, Kent and Finn invited us along for a Carolina Hurricanes game. The Canes won and a good time was had by all. Leave it to my child to block out Finn and not look at the camera at the same time:A little bit of shock while taking it all in:

1-3-9: First Full Teaspoon of Rice Cereal in One Sitting. Editor's note: This has since been voided. Seems that when you give Daddy the duty of feeding the child, everything must be explained. Everything. Including the part that when the kid does something silly like blow a raspberry while dining on a spoonful of cereal that you can not reinforce the behavior by laughing with/at the child. He is even blowing raspberries when we give him his vitamins. One step forward, two steps back.

1-5-9: First Second Tooth (okay, that is stretching it - but his second tooth is now coming in).

1-6-9: First Common Cold. You don't want pictures. Really.

1-7-9: Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'. Back to Front came pretty early, Front to Back came soon after and with dread in my typing, he has put both of them together to maneuver around small tracks o' land. Normally the movements include a back arch or two for good measure - providing access to stuff on the diagonal. Not to mention the belly pivot for a little bit of spinning action.

And in closing, although I like to attach dates and times to everything (type A strikes again), there are some skills that you have to attach a time frame to, instead of a pinpointed moment.

For example - after we got back from the trip to see Cort in New Bern, Sage started getting proficient in sitting. He would lump there and not fall over, until he lunged for something and then it was more of a diving faceplant in any given direction (normally toward something to grab). But then over the next couple of weeks, he has become even more proficient, being able to grab at stuff and not topple over (most of the time) as well as balancing while we nudge him in different directions.