Sweet Pea

Halloween started on Wednesday for us. Ed Sr. and I carved pumpkins and I made Ed Sr.'s costume. Ed Jr. got to enjoy chewing on a piece of pumpkin carved from one of the jack-o-lanterns. Ed Sr. made a Jr. inspired pumpkin, two big eyes and two lower razor sharp teeth.


On Halloween night itself, Jr. was SUPER tired and SUPER cranky and had to take an evening nap pushing back his trick-or-treating until pretty late. We only ended up going to see Mark and Dona, Grandpa and Straganona and Aunt Kim and Uncle Jon. Adrienne was also a sweet pea, but that sweet pea was asleep by the time we got there. It is a bummer because I really wanted to get a photo of the two sweetest peas together. You know, for their high school yearbook. . . he he he. I am sure we will have plenty of naked bath time and naked pool photos to embarrass them with.

Jr. didn't get any candy, but his Straganona bought him some DELICIOUS maple flavored teething biscuits. So yummy.

Round 2

There are babies cooking all around us. Ed Jr. and pals were Round 1 and now we are on to Round 2. No, not us. I can safely blab about one of the three buns in the oven. The two will just have to remain a mystery for now.

Jr.'s favorite aunt Jess is going to have a little one. We couldn't be more excited! The only thing we are bummed about is how far they live from us. According to mapquest they live 11 hours and 23 minutes away, or 800 miles. Too far! I told her that she could use our backup name for Jr., Roosevelt.

Baby Jess is going to be the cutest little shredder on Copper Mountain. Jess and Ben are going to be amazing parents! Yay!

Six Months, 1/2 Year, 184 days

That is right, at 10:32 last night Ed Jr. turned 6 months old. I feel like we have made it, I mean really made it. Ed Jr. has gone from being a sweet sleepy smooshy newborn baby to a little man with a loud and boisterous personality who loves to play and be outside. He loves the jumparoo, bath time and his babysitter Cissie. I mean, who wouldn't love Cissie, she plays with him and calls him Ed.

A lifetime ago I was pregnant. I can remember every detail of his birth, but now it seems like I watched it on TV. I have tried several times to write about that day, and the subsequent days, but every time I do, I go back to the moment they took him to the NICU, and I can't write. I tell people it was the best worst day of my life. Best because we had this amazing baby, worst because he was born a little sick, whisked away immediately after he was born and had to spend 3 days hooked up to machines, wires and oxygen. I know it was all for the best, and he is now so healthy it is amazing, but no words can ever describe the heartache of holding your newborn's hand while their head is under a plastic bubble supplying him oxygen. We didn't even have it that bad, there are people who have their babies in the NICU for months. We are lucky. So lucky.

Enjoy a little trip down memory lane. Three days old and just off of the oxygen.

A few more days old and all smooshy, sleepy and cute. Best of all, he was at home.

About one month old. Pretty unsure of these two characters. I mean really, who let these two have a kid?
Two months old, on the day. The day of his shots, again, wondering why he didn't stay in his nice warm womb just a little longer.

Glorious three months old and all smiles.
Four months and his parents bust out the excercauser, or as his Auntie Liesel calls it, his office.

Five months old, and all about snuggling his momma.

At six months, his dad puts him to work helping folding laundry.
With his two bottom teeth firmly established he has started to work on his top two teeth. Oh joy. It seems like we just got over the heartache of the first two.

He is sitting up by himself. He is ALMOST able to go from laying flat on his back to sitting on his own, but sits alone when he forgets he is distracted by a toy. When he knows you have let go, he topples over.

He looks around for Selma all of the time, he can hear her walking through the house, her claws clicking on the floor and her tags jingling. He yells for her when he sits in his exersaucer. When she ventures close enough to him, he tries to grab her face and bring it to his mouth, presumably to give her a smooch or to get just one teeny tiny little taste. . .

When I tell people that I have a six-month old, the first question they ask, "is he sleeping through the night?" To this I lie. It is so much easier than explaining what really happens at night. "Oh yes, he sleeps a solid 10 - 12 hours a night." It saves so much conversation and much unneeded advice. There has been a great breakthrough on the sleeping front lately, he is napping in his crib. That is all Cissie. She put him there to sleep and he is all about it. Maybe someday soon he will start spending his nights in there. . . maybe.

CUZ

Ed Jr.'s beautiful spitfire cousin Faith came to visit last weekend. It was a snowy and cold weekend, but it was warm and tosty inside.

Daddy was gone antelope hunting so Nanna came to help out with Jr. Uncle Ian and Faith came along for the ride. Thanks guys! What a fabulous way to spend a 3 day weekend.

Feet

The other night I took off Jr.'s shoes to put him in the tub and his feet were stinky! I couldn't believe my nose! Stinky baby feet - what in the world? It was the sweetest stink I have ever smelled. He had been wearing his smartwool socks all day and it was kind of warm, but I was still rather shocked.

When he was born, my mom called them hobbit feet.

Now a days they are pretty plump little potatoes with little nubbin toes. The best thing about them, is that when he is thinking, he thinks with his feet. His feet wiggle and his toes twist while he does everything. It is pretty cool to watch.

Baby Poll

WARNING FIL - AVERT YOUR EYES!

Everyone else, enjoy this Obama loving baby!

Thanks Aunt Kim and Uncle Jon for the awesome t-shirt!

Time Flys

Jr. is almost 6 months old. He has two teeth. He is SOOOO close to sitting up on his own. The babysitter was gone for a week and she noticed a huge change in him, she said that he is talking more and he is a lot bigger. It is crazy to me that he can grow noticeably in a week.

Everything is so positive with him, it is unfortunate that the *women* I work for are giving me such a hard time about working part time. Even after we agreed that I could work part time for a year, they apparently have changed their minds. It is really hard to have a crappy day at work and come home to this BEAUTIFUL baby and be consumed with thoughts about work. I feel like I am stealing from him.

I was griping to Ed Sr. about the crap at my work today while out for a walk when we ran into my ex-boss. This man was by far the worst boss I have EVER had, including the meth head that managed the golf course restaurant. Seeing him reminded me that it can be and frankly has been worse.

I am going to work amazingly hard to put this negativity at work behind me and focus on the two most important things in my life, Ed Jr. and Ed Sr.

Vids

I was nervous about the new camera's ability to shoot videos.

shhh - he's sleepin.

New Camera!

Thanks mom for the awesome birthday gift! We got a new camera. Hopefully that will help everyone enjoy the photos more!

Auntie Liesel came to visit this weekend. We usually spend the weekend between our birthdays together cruising around Missoula, shopping, partying, and carying on. Last week when she called to say that she was coming over, I hadn't the foggiest. . . I didn't get her a present! I have until this Wednesday to get myself sorted out.

Happy birthday Auntie Liesel! On the same day as Liesel's birthday is Uncle Neil's birthday! Happy birthday uncle Neil!

I blew it.

I met this beautiful pregnant woman tonight and I had my first chance to not be one of those people, but I totally blew it. I asked her when she was due. DAMN IT! I hated that question. I have to practice NOT asking that. I did tell her that she looked amazing first, so I get some brownie points for that, right?

Oh and Jr. got his second tooth today. It wasn't there in the morning, but tonight it was there. We noticed it at the Holter pARTy. There was so many beautiful babies attending the Holter event. It was actually pretty cool to attend a social event with tons of other babies.