Catching up

Well I woke at 1 this morning with a stomach bug, so I've been able to spend the day in catching up on sleep, wrapping, and blogging. In fear that Tucker would catch my bug, we shipped him off to Ada for the day.

A week ago Sunday Tucker took his first steps. He can walk about 10-15 steps before sitting down. It's so cute to watch him walk and then cheer for himself.

We celebrated Christmas Saturday in OKC at my grandparents' apartment. We all had a great time and ate way too much. Tucker enjoyed opening gifts so much that I can hardly wait to see him over the next few days.

Saturday evening, Matt suprised me with an early Christmas gift...a new camera. I'm still learning how to use it and will post some pictures when I get some decent ones. I love it though!

Santa!

Last year, we waited for over an hour for our two month old son to see Santa. Being the great baby that he was, he smiled and we got a great picture. Fast forward to this year...I knew he didn't have the patience to stand in line to see Santa, so we went to see him at Homer this morning. Tucker got a new hairdo last night, I had his handsome outfit, and the Santa was a great one. Tucker screamed continuously the entire time he sat on Santa's sleigh. M&Ms didn't even help. The photographer suggested we just skip the picture, but I said wanted a picture so I propped him back on Santa's lap and hoped for the best. Well he is screaming in the picture, but Santa is kissing him on the head. So in my opinion, it still turned out great! Better luck next year.

Busy

As the holidays quickly approach, I'm reminded about how busy we get at this time of year. Matt took the week off last week, so we enjoyed lots of family time. We even got a little shopping trip to Tulsa in. Thanksgiving was a huge hit for Tucker. He loved the turkey and dressing. The cutest memory was he and Sam sitting next to each other in their high chairs stealing food off of each other trays and yelling "no, no" at each other.

I'm also excited about wrapping up another semester. My classes this semester seems to be consuming SO much of my time. If I ever mention getting another degree, please hit me! If everything goes as planned, I should finish at the end of this summer.

Well I have many things to finish during Tucker's nap, so a quick catch-up on his newly learned things...Tucker is almost walking. He can take a couple of steps by himself before realizing that he isn't holding on to someone. He can walk very well holding onto one hand now. He winks (blinks) at everyone as his way of telling them bye. He also has learned to climb. He got on the couch the other night and cheered for himself. This morning I found him climbing on the fireplace! Oh, boy! Another thing to block off from him.

Been a while...

Well it's been a while since our last post. We've been busy with our everyday routine plus a few other treats (but nothing really exciting enough to blog about). Yesterday was a big day in Tucker's little world. He spent the morning and early afternoon at Mother's Day Out as usual, but he was suprised when daddy got to pick him up. The machine was down yesterday, so Matt took advantage from some overtime earlier in the week and spent the afternoon with us. Tuck was playing away when we walked into his classroom, but when he saw his daddy he went crazy. We then talked daddy into a trip to the playground where Tucker went down the slide MANY times. Tuck screamed with delight each trip down. He doesn't like anything but the slide, so I think we may have to ask Santa for one. We then went home for a short nap before heading off to church. Like most Wednesdays, Tucker goes to bed early from all of the excitement that he experienced.

Tomorrow is Tucker's first dentist appointment. This should be interesting. However, he then gets to spend the night with nan and pa while we go to Tulsa for the football game. Hopefully the fun from the night away will cancel out the dreadful dentist appointment!

Halloween

Last year's Halloween was pretty low key considering Tucker was only a couple of weeks old. He slept in his stroller through the entire carnival. Well this year we pulled out all of the stops...and Tucker loved every minute of it. He went dressed as a monkey. He was absolutely cute despite sweating a lot due to the warmer weather. We began the fun on Wednesday with a trip to Ada for the Trinity carnival. Tucker loved the duck pond. He screamed when we had to let other kids have a turn, so we broke the rules and returned for a second time.

Friday was a big day for all. We passed out candy to a few trick-or-treaters before heading to the church carnival. Tucker had a ball going to the various booths and even won the cake walk a couple of times. He got lots of candy for mommy and daddy to enjoy...even though Tucker snuck a little taste Saturday morning. While washing dishes I noticed that Tucker was quiet. I peeked around the corner to see that he had found the candy bowl and was helping himself to a mini-reese's cup. He enjoyed half of it while I fished the wrapper out of his mouth. Later, we completed the weekend of Halloween fun with a trip to Ada for Ada's official trick-or-treat night where he got a mega-size bag of M&Ms. Wow, I'm thankful that we get an extra hour of sleep tonight!

Today's Accomplishment

The next time yo usee Tucker, please ask him how old he is. He will raise one finger and say "un". I'm one proud mommy!

Creative

I am so excited about Tucker growing up in that I get to use some of my stored up teaching creativeness on the little guy. I decided after waking up this morning that it was going to be a "Fun Friday". This morning we made grape flavored kool-aide play-dough. He was a little unsure of it at first, but ended up having a great time. I was shocked that he never put it near his mouth. We don't have many fun plans for this afternoon...a visit to Wal-Mart and naptime. But the fun will continue tonight with a trip to Tulsa with Gran and Papa D to watch Uncle Derick play football. I can hardly contain my excitement!

Snotty Nose Kid

Tucker has a terrible runny nose! We tried giving him some "Uncle Benny", but it hypes Tuck up too much. He has been a wild man! I think the other moms in storytime this morning were wondering when I was going to take my brat out of there. We made it though and completed the outing with lunch with daddy! I think we're going to sneak to the playground this afternoon to enjoy one last day of nice weather before the cold front arrives.

Accomplishments

Our latest accomplishment...Tucker puts himself to sleep in his crib! He doesn't want to be rocked or have "juice" before napping! We've come a long way!

A Year in Review

Wow! I was just sitting enjoying some peace (Matt's at work and Tucker's napping), and I can't believe it has been a year since Tucker was born. One year ago, at this very moment, I was in the delivery room only minutes away from meeting our sweet baby boy. Where has the year gone?

I'll never forget when sweet Tucker was born. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. My sister teased that in the first few pictures that she saw, I was crying. I never knew you could love a human being so much. I remember those first few moments so clearly...like they were yesterday. Matt showing him off to the grandmas...while they played the role of the papparazzi. He got to meet a few other family members, who had been at the hospital all day anxiously waiting, before being whisked away to the nursery. That night was a complete blur...I hadn't slept in 3 nights. I remember having to wake Tucker to feed him, and him not wanting to eat. The nurse had to strip him down and rub him with a wet cloth to wake him to eat. The next day was complete with many visitors as well as our trip home. I remember my mom asking on the trip home if he knew how to cry. I'm so thankful that Tucker has kept that sweet temperament (with a little attitude a times) over the past year.

I will always cherish his first tooth, his first bath, when he began crawling, when he began pulling up on things, his first meal, hearing his little giggle, and all of the other precious qualities that he has. Nor will I forget the fact that he didn't sleep through the night until he was 9 months old and a few other undesirable traits (his biting stage).

It's 4:36...One year ago Tucker was born at this very minute. I am so thankful that God chose us to be Tucker's parents, and I pray that we will be blessed with many more days like today!

Sharing Boy

A couple of weeks ago, we made the switch to whole milk. Everyone told me he would love it and it would be great! Not so much...Tucker HATES milk! We tried to add a couple of drops of sugar-free chocolate, and he drank that for a few days. As of this morning, he would throw his cup and yell "uice". His Aunt Wendy called shortly after, and I expressed my frustrations to her. She suggested adding a little bit of Instant Breakfast. Success! He downed a whole cup during story time this morning at the library. I was so proud when he held his cup out to the boy next to him and said "uice. Bite." The librarian stopped and thanked Tucker for being so nice to offer to share his milk. We sat and listened to the rest of the story until Tucker threw down his cup and yelled "gone". Heaven forbid we sit and listen to the story without having something in his hands...he then began diving toward his bag wanting a "bite". I dug out the snack trap of crackers, he ate and offered others "bites", and all was well.

All of this to say...Tucker is learning to share and it is so darn cute!

Tucker's Big Party!

Today we celebrated Tucker's first birthday with family and friends. We chose a monkey theme due to Tuck's love for 'nanas. He was a little unsure about the cake and everyone singing to him as well as all of the presents. (I'm not sure what's left on the toy isle at Wal-Mart to purchase him for Christmas.) After planning for months, I was shocked to see how quickly the party came and went. This week was a whirlwind of cleaning, taking care of a sick baby, and the other weekly routine. I guess I must have ran myself ragged. I was up most of the night aching and shivering, but decided to hide the fact that I wasn't feeling well to enjoy the big day. I was able to complete the party, but went to bed shortly after. I have already declared that next years birthday party will be offsite!

Not enough hours in the day!

One would think that now that I am a stay-at-home mom, that I would have loads of free time. Ha! Between working on my masters, attending storytimes and playdates with Tucker, teaching children's church, substitute teaching, and working with Usborne our days seem to be jam packed. While looking at our calendar yesterday, I realized that in a week Matt and I are leaving for Boston. Upon returning, I have 2 weeks to finish things off for Tucker's birthday. People keep telling me to relax, and that he won't remember a thing about it. I WILL THOUGH! My OCD has kicked in a bit for this little celebration. I'm stressing about getting the invitations out, getting my house clean, and preparing some cute party decorations (no one sells cute monkey decorations).

Meanwhile Tucker has discovered many new things. He now tells me "gone" when his bottle is empty. He has learned to shake his head no and tell me "no, no" as well as pound on his high chair tray to demand a "nana". His favorite play place is the bottom of the sofa table where he adores playing with and throwing a picture of his cousins. I watch and wonder what happened to that layed back, quiet kid. He's so much fun though! His nap will be wrapping up soon, so enought for now.

Mother's Day Out

Today was Tucker's first day of Mother's Day Out. It was a hit for mom and kid. The teachers said he ate a lot, never cried, and didn't nap. My anti-nap kid decided to sit in his bed and talk to the other kids instead of napping. Needless to say...he was exhausted and napped for 2 hours upon arriving home. He had a great time and his teachers were wonderful.

While I had a few hours off...I hit the house like a mad woman. I think it's the cleanest it has been in a LONG time. Now I'm sitting patiently waiting for Matt to come home and comment about what a wonderful wife he has!

Busy Boy!

My days are getting harder and harder to get things done as Tucker becomes more mobile. Yesterday he discovered that he can not scoot into the kitchen. This prompted a quick trip to Lowe's last night to purchase cabinet locks for the kitchen cabinets. He never has crawled on hands and knees, but does an inch worm type move. He gets around pretty quickly though.

He has also discovered pulling up on things. He would rather stand all day than scoot around. Maybe he will just skip the whole crawling stage.

Gotta run! He keeps telling me uh oh...not sure what he's into now!

Staying at home is great!

I have been a stay-at-home mom for just a few weeks, and I can honestly say that it is great! I love getting to watch the world go by through Tuck's eyes. He has hit the fun age where we get to do so many great things together. His new love is swimming in his little pool. That was the best $3 that I ever spent!

I have also discovered what a true blessing it is to be able to serve my husband. I'm now able to take on the many household tasks that we had to split when I worked. It's wonderful to be able to have dinner on the table for him. Now all I need is an apron and moo-moo and my life would be complete!

Not so little anymore

I've come to realize lately that my baby isn't quite so baby anymore. I was talking with a lady in church this morning who was holding her 1-month old, and I sadly realized how big my baby has gotten. I can't believe that he'll be 6-months old this week. It is so fun to watch him develop and change daily. I am looking forward to the 16th in one way though...it will be exactly one month until my last day of teaching for a few years. Even though resigning was difficult, I can't wait to spend every day with Tuck!

Time is flying by!

Where has March gone? Since the last post, we have eaten lots of cereal! Tucker loves to eat! He has never left any food in his bowls. He turned 5 months on the 16th, so he got to start on veggies. Since we were on vacation for spring break, he started a few days later. We haven't found a veggie that he dislikes so far. His favorites are carrots...which are also the messiest.

We spent the 2nd half of spring break in Ada. On Friday night, Tucker got to take his bath with his cousins. Our poor kid looks so chubby next to Stephen and Sam. He also got to go to his first birthday party. He seemed to have a great time despite he got carrots instead of cake and ice cream.

Finally, we wrapped up the break by celebrating Easter in McAlester and Ada. Tucker had a very cute Easter outfit including a tie. It was absolutely adorable despite not being able to see the top for all his chins. Everyone at church admired his outfit and then asked where his daddy's tie was. Tucker scored big from the Easter bunny getting lots of toys and veggies. Maybe next year we'll get some sweets!

We're back!

Yes I am one of those annoying people that quit posting for a very long time.

Tucker turned 4 months old last Saturday, and I do admit I was a little sad. My baby is growing up so fast. However, I am excited about all the changes that he makes daily and love his little personality. He's a pretty laid back kid.

We went yesterday for his well baby check-up. All looked great. He's up to 13 pounds and 8 ounces. He will soon be catching up with his cousin who is about 5 months older. The best news for Tucker is that he gets to start eating cereal from a bowl! I have the bowls and spoons in the dishwasher so that we can start tonight.

Enough for now...have tons of laundry and lots of lovin on my kid to do!