Tame the Mane

These two look eerily similar; and that makes me sad. I really don't want my son to look like a treasure troll. Cute as they may be, I would like something resembling a gentlemen, not an action figure/doll/bad fad.

So...Does anybody have ideas to tame the mane?

A certain little person is getting his baby blessing this fast Sunday and I am hoping for a new look by then.

2 Month Check-Up (Warning: Mommy Rant/ Brag)

This post will include all the information about his two month check up. It is dull and boring and his grandparents probably won't even finish the whole thing. Continue if you please, but you have been warned:)

Today was Travis' two month check-up. I was so proud of my little man. We were at the doctors office for 2 1/2 hours and he only threw one fit, and it was completely justified. At two months Travis weighs 12 pounds and 8 ounces, putting him in the 70th percentile. Wow, no wonder my arms hurt after carrying him up three flights of stairs. This puts him up 5 pounds since he was born. This confirmed my suspicions that he is in fact eating A LOT! We also found out he is 23 inches long. This was a huge suprise because it puts him in the 70th percentile for height. WHAT?!?!!?!?!?!? Brian and I have a child in the 70th percentile for height. I did a little happy dance in the doctor's office when she told me this. I'm sure next time he'll be back in the 25th, but a mommy can hope, can't she? Anyways this explained why he wasn't fitting into his clothes for 0-3 months since most of them stop at 23 inches.

My big boy was great during his appointment today. He was awake for the whole exam and didn't make a fuss until the very end when he got the much dreaded shots. Shudder. I have to give the nurse a lot of credit, she was amazing. She did all three pricks within a matter of seconds. Unfortunantly doing it fast did not take away the pain and Travis erupted with horrible cries of pain. I almost did too. I am so glad we do not have to do that again for another 2 months.

On a happier note, Travis is starting to do even more new things everyday. A couple of weeks ago he started blowing spit bubbles. Lovely. Luckily this is few and far between. One of his newest tricks is sitting by himself in his Bumbo chair. He is still really wobbly and his head will sway side to side but he gets more control each day.


With picture you get a really good look at his crazy hair.

He was getting really sturdy...

then not so much.

Travis' "social smile"...

and his creepy smile. We basically just need to get video of his smiling. It is so much better in person.

This is his "I hate this camera, especially when I'm hungry" face

Followed by his "I really hate my Sunday outfit" face.

As you can see he is getting really good at expressing his emotions. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Each day we see a little more of his personality. He is a total hoot. Last night he after I fed I tried to put him back down at 4:00. I swaddled him up, plopped his binki in his mouth, and kissed him good night. As soon as I turned towards the door he started cooing. So I went back to his crib and said good night. Then he started smiling and cooing. I explained to him that it was adorable and I was glad he can coo and smile, but that it was not cute this early in the morning. I was mid-sentence when he broke out in the biggest, cheesiest smile of all. I had to turn and laugh. It's like he's already practicing his evil little grins for when he does naughty things. I am really excited for the next several months for when his personality develops even further. Here's to hoping he continues to be sweet with just a touch of naughty.

Photo Journal

I can't believe that my baby is almost 7 weeks old. He has changed so much during the past couple of weeks. He is starting to do new things everyday. One of the things he has started doing more consistently is rolling over. He was kind enough to let me show you how he does this.

Step One: Drop one arm and look over at mom to see if she will help. When mom denies help step two begins.

Step Two: Rock body to one side and stick your tongue out for style.

Step Three: Finish on your back and then scream to make your mom feel bad for leaving you to fend for yourself.


Travis has discovered that he has a voice. He mostly sticks to the regular cries and grunts but has begun to venture into cooing. It is SO cute.


Travis has also started to smile. He started doing it only when I changed dirty diapers. I swear he just thought it was funny that I had to change him. He now does it several times a day and it completely melts my heart. I haven't caught it on camera but I catch him right after he does it.

We enjoy a good snuggle now and then.

I took this just to show that he does in fact have a million fat rolls. I love that he has back fat.

Being parents has been a huge change but we are really starting to enjoy our new life. He has been a great blessing and we love him so much.

Still Just Pictures

Okay and maybe just a quick sentence or two. Life for the past 3+ weeks with a newborn has been crazy. We are so in love with our little man but we are still adjusting to this HUGE change. I would like to say I'll post again soon but I am still in survival mode. Hopefully I'll do this again before he is 3 months old.

Picture Overload

I am too lazy to write what we've been up to. Pictures are the best I can do. Enjoy!

I had to make a comment about the bear. Yesterday we FINALLY installed the car seat. I am so glad that we did it because it took forever and had we waited we would have had one very upset infant. Anyways, after installing the car seat I wanted to make sure that we could actually put our child in the car seat without making him scream. I looked for a doll, and quickly realized that I didn't have one (why would I have one, seriously?). I did however find this poor bear who quickly was used as our baby boy. I figured out a great way to strap him in with minimal tossing about. I practiced a couple of times and then wanted Brian to try. After some grumbling (not saying it wasn't warranted, because what grown man wants to play daddy with a teddy bear?) I finally convinced him, or possibly nagged him into giving it a try. He did great, much to my relief. He was a little bit of a smart-aleck at the end when he decided to pull the strap in one swoop as hard as he could (like you would rope a calf hard), nearly crushing our poor stand-in. Happily the bear is alive and even smiling. Can you tell we need this baby to come soon?!?!?!?!

It's beginning to feel a lot like...fall

Today when I left school I realized the most beautiful thing had happened. The weather actually corresponded with the correct season!?!?!?!?! We live in Texas, Houston no less, and it felt like fall. What a beautiful day. It made me want to go to a football game and cheer for the home team. I was seriously on cloud nine. Usually I don't care if we have seasons, but being twice my regular size, I have a new appreciation for cool weather. Whether it feels like it or not, fall is in full force. We are 5 weeks into school, football season is underway, and the sick kids are already creating a symphony of coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. Speaking of which, I have had sooo many kids out sick, it's just plain ridiculous.
Although 1/4 of my class is gone, I am grateful to be teaching. Here are just a few of the things that I love:

Seeing a kid understand something for the first time.
Getting hugs from Kindergarteners you've never met just because you were standing there.
Watching a student gleam with pride when you had back a fast facts test when they realize they went up by 20 points
Having discreet 5th graders ask in the most polite way if you are pregnant
Having a not so discreet 1st grader ask what was up with your belly
Having blatantly obvious Kindergarteners do a double take and stare at you as you walk down the hallway
Joking with the boys about how they annoy me
Joking with the girls that I shouldn't have a boy because they annoy me
Seeing a sliver of hope when your most disorganized student manages to find a paper that has been missing for days
Having the kids ask you where you were like they actually cared
Watching boys and girls become more mature pre-teens

Today we (me and baby) hit a great mark. The 24 week mark! woohoo. At this point, babies are considered viable and are able to survive with serious medical intervention and a few miracles. At this point our baby is supposed to be about a foot long and weigh 1.32 pounds. I do not believe that this kid only weighs just over a pound; it feels like I'm carrying a watermelon around all day. Also for your viewing pleasure (mostly Vanessa's) here is a picture of me, with and without the shirt covering the belly. It just looks so much different I couldn't not post it.

Pictures

This is the crib that we bought. Its a Delta crib, and had awesome ratings. I love the wood color and should be able to find other furniture that matches.




This is me at 21 weeks pregnant. This T-shirt used to be loose fitting and now it is skin tight.

I can't believe how much I have grown already. Here's to another 41/2 months.