On the Mend

Friday night was rough. O was coughing, running a crazy fever that wasn't phased by Tylenol, and couldn't sleep. Ick. Daddy Q and I took turns being up with him and then on Saturday, I took him to A-Cute Kids Urgent Care. Diagnosis = Bronchitis + Croup. Poor guy.

He felt terrible, but still doles out smiles...

It was Aggie game day, so O donned his A&M shirt from Paw Paw Mc. The doc thought it was the funniest thing ever when he walked into the exam room to see a mini-Aggie sucking his middle two fingers, and thus giving the hook 'em sign. Hardy har har! Oh well, at least he made our little guy feel better.

One thing that O and Tobie have in common is that they both can spend quite a bit of time looking out the front window watching people and cars go by. It is so cute to see them hanging out there together.
Saturday night, we pulled out the Halloween jammies.
And...the greatest thing to happen to us during O's home-bound stint is...Yup...Dancing with the Stars is back on! Remember how O watched the last season? He is equally as serious about this season. There must be something eye-catching about it that intrigues him. I mean, I love the show; but, I can't figure out why my infant is interested.
He was so into Rocco and Karina dancing that he didn't even want his bottle. Seriously? What is it, O? I know G-ma is probably glued since she loves the show as much as I do AND Susan Lucci is on!!

I found an AWESOME websight for up-to-the-minute updates on the show!!! If you are a fan...check out this info on wiki.

Back Home and Oh So Happy to Be Here!

Five days and four nights is a long time to be away from my sweet little boy. I cannot tell you how much I missed him and how much joy I felt to be the recipient of a huge smile. Even more rewarding--O took a break from dinner because he wanted to give me a hug and kiss. I love this mini-man!

Sure, it is nice to be able to move about a day without the worry of caring for a busy little dude. For four nights after work, I was able to go to a nice dinner and share adult conversation without having to manage a bundle of energy throwing bits of food on the floor, drinking from his sippy cut just for the fun of it only to let the water dribble it out of his mouth and all over his front, and reaching for anything and everything that is even in the vicinity of little man's hands. But, I have to admit that I truly miss the chaos that accompany time with O. Just his smile alone, the one he give me after dotting the floor with food, drenching himself with water, and finding the straw in my margarita, makes dinner time more special. I love sharing my life, and all of the everyday experiences that come with it, with my Punkadoo.

One night away is a nice break, four is a painful separation from my favorite part of me.

Daddy Q and O seem to have gotten on just fine. Amazing that Daddy Q can manage work and baby for five days--you are awesome, honey! But, boy am I glad to be back.

Sweet Boy

This week I am traveling Monday - Friday for work. I sure will miss my boys! O is getting sweeter and sweeter every single day. He has recently begun giving me hugs. He leans in and places his head on my chest or shoulder. It is the sweetest. His friend, Parker, was the recipient of one of his hugs last night...so stinkin' cute.
All that sweetness is almost forgotten when he uses my finger as a teether now. Ouch. His half-a-tooth is really sharp! Today in Target, there was a lady in the Boots (makeup--not shoes) isle demonstrating the product and talking about Boots. First, I have to note that I was absolutely shocked out of my gourd to see a make-up demonstrating lady in Target. Now, back to the dialogue. So, I let the Boots lady talk to me about the product and put some foundation on my face. O was getting fidgety, so I handed him my finger to chew on. The Boots lady was smearing foundation on me when, Ouch... I grimaced and the Boots lady startled and stopped what she was doing... I think his half-tooth could cut rope! Just look at it...

Okay, even I have to admit it doesn't look that mean; but, goodness it hurt.

O has a great sense of humor. This weekend, he took so stumbles as we had lots of activities with older kids and O was trying to keep up. He was playing in a Cozy Coupe and fell out the bottom. He looked to me to determine if he should be scared and I just said "Wow...what a neat way to escape." He smiled this cheesy grin...

This grin is also seen when:

1. I walk in his room to get him out of bed in the morning.

2. He hears a fake sneeze.

3. When he sees a camera and the person behind it tries to make him smile (seriously, even if it isn't me...Valerie got one of these, too, last night).

4. The bee on Baby Einstein's Baby's First Sounds buzzes in to view.

5. Just about anytime he does something (anything) and you laugh at him.

It is the silliest, sweetest smile.

Mommy loves you, O. I will miss you terribly this week and cannot wait to see you Friday night. Be good for your daddy and give him some of those wet, open mouth kisses I've been stealing all weekend while he was out of town.

Brushin' my Tooth!

I was in Target on Monday and remembered that I needed new toothpaste. On the toothpaste isle I saw some Baby Einstein decorated toothbrushes and thought....hum? I guess O needs to start brushin' that new tooth that's comin' in. So....he is now the proud owner of a Baby Einstein toothbrush and some bubble gum flavored 'paste.

I was gonna brush that tooth for him, but he wanted to check this new gadget out himself. So, I gave him the toothbrush loaded with some yummy 'paste...

Hmmm...this looks interesting?!?

Like everything else I touch, I'll put it in my mouth and see what happens...

Huh...these bristles sure do tickle my tongue.

Is this what you want, mommy? I think I'm doin' it....

Yay for good habits!

Girls Trip, Throwing Arm, and Teeth!

I returned last night from the 5th Annual Girl's Trip! I was happy to have gone, and really happy to come back to this smile...

Lindsey, Lindsay, Lanie, and I celebrated five years of girls trips with a visit to the wine country! We planned to rent a convertible (more on that later) and then head to Sonoma to sip wine, relax, and enjoy fun conversation. I will share a couple of the funnier, more notable stories...

Upon arrival, we gathered our luggage and carted it all out to the rental facility. I was in charge of the rental car....no worries...I do this all the time for work (in case you don't pick up on it, this is foreshadowing ;-)! We took our 10 suitcases out to the parking lot and the kind fellow pulled our convertible up for us to load and gave us a warning--these cars aren't meant for lots of bags. No worries?!? How many Aggies does it take to load a car? We can do it. Well, National Rental Guy goes to get another National Rental Guy to confer over whether this feat of engineering it would take was anywhere close to possible. The two confer and say, no. Never say no to the four of us! 20 minutes, and 10+ combinations of bags later, we got them in. The small ones are stowed behind the spot for the convertible top, three big ones are sideways, and Lindsay's is opened up and lying on top. Too funny!

So, we proceed to the check out booth.

Me: What? I don't have a car reserved?

National Car Rental Booth Lady: No, there is no reservation for you.

Me: Hmmm.

****Back up car, get out of car, go inside to talk to Patty who is supposed to fix this. Then, I return to the car***

Me: Girls...

Girls: We have no car?

Me: We have no car.

*sigh*

Me: And...they don't have any available.

Lanie: Okay. Let's get on line and see if we can get one anywhere in the Bay Area...

*shred of hope*

Lanie: Guess what? I have a car? I never canceled MY reservation since Sarah never sent a confirmation?!?

*can you beleive the rental car carma this took?!?! *

So, we back up the car, get back in line, and then learn that someone else has rented the convertible (obviously). Moments pass where we think we may have to unload all of our luggage--really? We spent so much time getting it in there? Dissapointment begins to fill the car and then, alas...

National Rental Guy: I'll let the convertible go

Yay!!! We are on our way, top up 'cause it won't go down with all of our luggage in the back...but on our way, in our car, nonetheless! Morale: Don't let me be in charge of the rental car and good packers always win in the end!

Although news of the storm was worrisome and had us glued to the tv at night (2 of us live in Houston), we couldn't help but giggle as Geraldo clung to the palm trees during the high winds. What was he thinking? Both Lanie and Lindsay chose the cheap parking this trip...unfortunately, we still don't know whether their cars are still on the lot?!? For all we know, they are floating down I-45.Four days of fun in the wine country was awesome! My favorite parts were the afternoons we shared a bottle of wine, crackers, cheese, and salami in the shade. We really had fun getting lost on the mountain roads (if we were lost elsewhere, we always looked for the mountains), finding a bottle of wine that all four of us liked, and getting to know four ladies that were on their first girls trip at age 70!
Thanks for the fun, Ladies. Here's to Key West '09.

Now...for an update on Baby O...

Before I left, when O wanted a toy out of his toy box, he would lunge over and topple in...not now! Look at this boy just reaching and grabbing for what he wants without a thought toward falling head-first into his toys! So big now.

O was just starting to rev up the ole arm and chuck his toys across the room last Tuesday. I called down to Daddy Q the first time he did it that day. Boy, did they ever practice this skill while mom was away... Just look at his face. And that arm is moving so fast it is blurry. So funny! btw, his shirt is wet from drinking out of his sippy cup. He gets carried away sometimes!
Here's a shot from behind....
It goes a pretty long way! Once O takes in the results of his maneuver, then he crawls across the room to do it again.
And...the only shot I was able to get of those front, bottom teeth coming in. Can you see them? The one on the right is further along, but you can glimpse the one on the left that isn't far behind!

What you don't see in all of the above photos is the case of hives that little man has/had today. No fun! I talked with the Pediatrician's nurse today and we got the rash under control. Now, we have to figure out what he is allergic to. Poor guy.

Now...I have to go and catch up on the blogs that I follow--its been a week since I last looked--can't wait!!

Sonic Happy Hour

During my maternity leave from work, I frequented Sonic happy hour. I am still addicted to it. Every day from 2 'til 4, they have half price drinks. What a deal. Now that Baby O knows how to drink from a straw (Stevie...did you teach him this?), he goes nuts for my drink.

Today, I shared.

Next time, I'll get him his own, small, 1/2 price beverage...maybe one with less caffeine than my Diet DP w/vanilla.

He was a pretty happy dude this afternoon ;-)

Dirt. Yummy!?

8 Months Old Tomorrow

Seriously, could O be any cuter? I have to work tomorrow, and then have book club tomorrow night, so I had to do the scale photo early. I set O on the scale for the picture, and got a good one (he weighs in at 19 pounds 10 ounces). Then, I set him off the scale and was looking through the photos taken on my digital camera and he did this.... He pulled up on the scale and smiled so big at me. This is the epitome of O at 8 months old. Pulling up on everything and smiling so big every time he gets a smile from a "spectator". So...I took creative license and photo shopped his weight into this photo as it was far better than the ones I captured that were posed!

Eight things for me to remember at eight months.

1. This boy loves to use his strong legs!
2. He has developed a very stubborn personality...why he thinks getting clean is over rated is beyond me...but, boy is it a battle these days.
3. The pride O has with every accomplishment he makes is really evident in his facial expressions and oh so fun to watch.
4. Little man loves his food. Stage 2 and 3 baby food is okay--but, what really gets him going is the stuff he gets into his mouth himself. Veggies from my pizza (onion included), Mexican rice, and strawberries top his list.
5. Bathtime schmathtime. I think I said this in 2, but really....
6. Outside. O loves to explore new things and being outside looking at crickets, grasshoppers, and our dog is top on his list of fun things to do.
7. Big, huge, open mouth kisses let me know he loves me, too.
8. This is more my current issue....I am working more than I have since I had him. I struggle with finding a balance that makes me feel like a good mom, but also keeps me productive at work. Last weekend, my mom and Larry took on the bulk of caring for O 'cause I needed sleep--I slept until 10:30 both mornings--O was up at 7. I feel so guilty, because I can't get back the time that I miss of him. Today, I didn't even see him awake. I am in town, but was at the office so long that Daddy Q dropped him at Mimi's, picked him up, fed him dinner, and put him to bed. But, when I got home, I went to tuck his blanket around him and he opened his eyes and smiled at me. Almost made me feel worse. This is really a tough battle for me right now. And, to top it off, I leave for my annual girl's vacation next week. I feel so selfish.

I can't believe that the past eight months have come and gone so quickly. Through watching O and all of his friends, I realize more and more how quickly time goes by. I love being O's mom and I love watching his little face when he is figuring out the world around him. As trying as some moments are, I wouldn't trade the give of him for the world.