11 months

While it feels like just yesterday I was sitting here feeling bloated, tired,like I was carrying a watermelon and getting kicked at all hours of the day AND night it also feels like Tian has been with us forever. I can't remember what it was like when he wasn't here in my life.

11 months have flown and at times maybe dragged a bit (like the days I chase him all over the house from 7am - 7pm.........very minimal naps). But every minute has been wonderful and everday brings a new highlight and momentous occasion i.e. saying mama and dada or taking that first step or wanting to feed himself.

Some of the highlights from the past month have been the following.
1. Tian is now walking like a pro. His balance is excellent and he has very few falls throughout the day. He is constantly on the go!
2. While still only 1 tooth is visible there are signs of about 3 more teeth coming in soon........no more snaggle tooth:(
3. Tian loves finger foods and feeding himself. Usually this includes bananas, peaches and other types of soft fruits and more recently scrambled eggs. He is also wanting to try and use the spoon more by himself so we are trying to suck it up and let him even though the mess isn't always fun.
4. It is evident that Tian is expanding his vocabulary and understanding a lot of words. He knows bathtime because every night when we start singing the bathtime song he crawls up the steps and pulls open the shower curtain. Just the other day for Troy he crawled up the steps and went to his potty when Troy told him to go potty.

In just a little over 30 days Tian will turn 1. Somedays I sit back (when I get a moment) and think about how quickly he was a baby and how I will miss it. But then he comes waddling over to me with his arms out and a big smile to give me a kiss and I think why would I want anything but this. And I have a feeling I will feel like that when he is 2 and talking my ear off and when he is 3 and wanting to show me his latest drawing or when he is 8 waving at me from the soccer field. I don't know about those teenage years though:) we will wait to see when those come!

Playing at the beach

Happy 4th of July

Walking....Climbing.....What Next?

10 months

Where do the months go. I can't believe 10 months ago I was delivering a tiny baby and today I have a small child starting to take steps without any help. My baby is growing up! I think this is one thing I never thought of - how fast the time goes and how quickly they go from babies to toddlers to kids and OH NO! teens!:) All I can do is sit here in the moment and enjoy every new day I get with my boy. I am finding that every moment and every day is just as special as the last with much to look forward to and much to look back on and feel blessed.

Tian is up to his usual tricks lately. Trying to be a big boy before I am ready for it. He has taken 4-5 steps on his own and seems to want to try and walk places now more than crawl. He continues to talk to and try and pet the cats to no avail. They continue to run away as soon as he starts reaching his hand out and screaming at them. (We are working on soft talk and being gentle with them.) One of Tian's new favorite things is finger foods and SNACKS! He seems to know the words Puffs and Snacks and starts opening and shutting his mouth when he hears these words. He loves Puffs, freeze dried yogurt, watermelon, pear pieces, raspberries, etc. He is quite the eater. Tian has also learned how to say both dada and mama now and seems to know who is who:) When he is tired or hungry = MAMA. When he wants to play and when he wakes up first thing in the morning = DADA. While he still is not doing and sign language back to us we continue to try and teach him words this way. I am hoping one of these days he will wake up and all day long just sign this and that like he has been storing it up in there or something. But regardless.....he seems to know the words kitty, food, juice, and potty too. And my favorite is now when he has to go poo poo on the potty he starts to grunt, stops, looks at me to make sure he has my attention, grunts again and when I say poo poo or potty he gets all excited. Good enough communication to me that he needs to go:)
One of our favorite things to do lately is go to the pool. It is so neat to have an infant in the summertime and try to find things to do with them outside. It is like being a kid all over again. Tian loves the kiddy pool and even more the big pool when I take him in with me or in his floaty. No matter how cold the water is he is smiling and splashing. I think he will have lots of days at the pool in the future - and me too! We have also been having a great time teaching an infant music class together. A way I have been able to use my music education degree and a way for Tian to get out and meet other infants, socialize and play some shakers too! It has been a blast and we look forward to teaching some more classes together in the future!
So with 10 months here all I can say once again is what a wonderful thing to be a mom!

The final season for Oprah

With the final season of the Oprah Winfrey show this spring it was only fitting that Oprah (the guinea pig) decided to make this her final season as well. Today June 6, 2011 around 6:00pm Oprah took her last breath and was buried in our backyard.
Oprah came to live with me almost 5 years ago - not intentionally - but more out of duty. After brainstorming with my younger sister for many days as to what to get our brother for his birthday my sister said "I got it. The perfect gift would be a guinea pig. A soft, furry pet that Adam can hold and pet but would not be much work to care for." So after agreeing with her that maybe it was an ok idea we contacted my mom who found a "guinea pig breeder" and off we went to pick her up. When we picked her up I have to admit she was pretty cute and I was excited for my brother. It seemed like we had gotten him the perfect gift. We loaded the cage in my car, told him we were coming over for a birtday celebration and knocked on the door. Needless to say we pretty much knew right away how excited he was by the look on his face when we shouted Happy Birthday and showed him his new birthday gift. A mixture of shock, diappointment and maybe a little bit of disgust towards this furry little creature. He decided to try it out for a week or two (probably just to make us feel a little better about getting him such a crappy gift) but after she chewed several tv wires, computer wires and he found out he was allergic to her she became my new pet. But not without Adam giving her a name that I decided to stick with Oprah.
While I would have never gotten a guinea pig for myself the experience of having one for a pet was special. It was really cool to just go to the fridge and pull out some fresh fruit and lettuce and watch her chow down. Her vocalizations (that really sounded like a squelling pig) were very amusing and comical. When I was still single and living alone her squelling was nice to hear in a quiet house. And the times she raced around her cage full speed either because she had too many blueberries or to get excercise always caused me to smile. She also provided much amusement for my 2 cats and more recently my 9 month old infant.
So Oprah thank you for bringing laughter and amusement into my life in an unplanned, unexpected way. You were a great pet and will always be remembered.
P.S. Thank you Troy (my husband) for the many cage changes and feedings over these past several years Oprah lived with us.