Grow, baby, grow!

This is another post I've been avoiding for a while, because I don't even know where to begin. It feels like my blob cherub of a baby has turned into a big, strong, boy overnight! Here are a just a few of the milestones that he is racing through at the speed of light: (is he shaving yet????)

First of all, my almost-eight-month-old is already cutting his fourth tooth. You can see his first two tiny chompers in this photo taken last month, but the top teeth coming in now must be doozies because he is clearly in much more pain. Which means less sleep for mommy and daddy. There was one glorious night of ten hours in a row last week, but we can't seem to duplicate it.

Believe it or not, he started crawling almost two months ago. He got so quick that I could barely stop him before he got a fist full of cat food in the kitchen. Yum-O. In a matter of days, Zoe was trained to jump up on a desk to eat and drink.

He is pulling up on anything and everything. The crib, the piano bench, the toilet (ew), the crib. (which we recently lowered... aaaaaaand, backache.) He can also stand just by pushing on flat surfaces, like the dishwasher. I have actually seen him let go and remain standing for a few wobbly seconds before he lands on that squishy diaper butt. He will also try to climb up our legs and reach to be held. I admit, I love it. I know our days of holding him are numbered, so I'm trying to make the best of the clinginess. However, it makes it that much more difficult for him to be "entertained" when I am attempting to do anything remotely useful, like cooking. Or putting away laundry. Or trying to get him to go down for a nap. Oh, how I miss the beautiful 2-3 hour naps.

My very favorite new development is his ability to really PLAY! He chased me around the ottoman of the rocker in his nursery the other day, laughing his little head off. Peekaboo and other general hiding games are a blast. Since I'm not so much of a baby person, this is what I've been waiting for! I mean, there are definitely some things I miss about those newborn days. Again, with the naps. I hear from most veteran experienced parents that it doesn't really get easier as they get older - just different challenges to face. For me, I really DO think it's easier. Every day that I learn more about his little personality makes it easier and more fun to be his mom.

Baby over cat

This post has been looming over me for quite some time. Yes, I have the normal excuse that we've been busy. Of course, Graeme is growing like a weed and I'll post more about that soon. The real reason I have been avoiding this post is my cat. If you've heard some of my funny cat stories, you might expect some silly reason, like my cat has herpes or something like that. (no joke!) I'm not sure how to turn this car around... but this isn't silly at all.

Last week, Rufus attacked Graeme. Let me start by saying that Graeme is fine. He had a large scratch across one cheek and some pretty deep punctures from being bitten on the back of the neck/head. I probably overreacted at the time, but I was terrified. It was totally unprovoked. I figured one of the cats would nip or swat at Graeme when he pulled their tails or grabbed handfuls of their fur. This was totally random and I was sitting right there within arms reach of both of them and I couldn't stop it or see it coming.

After lots of tears (mostly mine) and one night's sleep to really think about it, I decided I had to give Rufus up. I adopted him TEN years ago. Isn't that crazy? I got him when I was waiting tables at Ganache my senior year of undergrad. He's been with me through two UNCG graduations, my first teaching job, my marriage, my first baby... He was my first baby boy, in a way. I'm heartbroken. But when I thought about the possibility that next time, he might swipe Graeme in the eye or bite him and cause an infection, I couldn't see any other way. You should have seen the look the volunteer gave me when I walked out of the shelter with an empty cat carrier. No judgement at all, just like his heart was breaking for me.

Good-bye, Rufio. I loved you a lot and I will miss you. Even your snot. (No, I didn't mean for that to rhyme but it's good to be able to laugh in times of sorrow, right?)

Christmas Cutie

This is one of my favorite photo sessions with G so far. When I was snapping these, I kept wishing I could get his fingers and taggie dog AND shirt (etc!) out of his mouth and that the gobs of drool wouldn't show so much on his gray shirt and then... he cut his first tooth yesterday!!! Hindsight is 20/20. And he has been remarkably calm and happy, despite teething pain. Sweet boy.

Mess

Our lives are messy. Especially with an infant, but on a deeper level, too. I watched an awesome TED talk about vulnerability by Brene Brown and this quote hit me hard:

"When you hold those perfect little babies in your hands, our job is not to say, 'Look at her -- she's perfect! My job is just to keep her perfect and make sure she makes the tennis team by fifth grade and Yale by seventh grade.' That's not our job! Our job is to look and say,

'You know what? You are imperfect and you're wired for struggle but you are worthy of love and belonging.'"

I think that's so important to remember for our babies and for us as parents. It's okay to make a mess. Speaking of mess, we started solids! We gave Graeme oatmeal mixed with breastmilk and it was like... MIND BLOWN! There is a whole new world of sensation and it's awesome. And no, he's not wearing a bib in these photos. We were just so excited to feed him, we forgot. Like I said, it's okay to make a mess.

To add a little more mess to this week, we got Graeme's first Christmas tree! It's a baby-sized tree, much smaller than what we usually get. Simple is better right now. We took an awfully cute little snowman with us to choose the perfect one. 

Olaf ain't got nothin' on him!

Funny (creepy?) photobomber!

Mischief

Favorite moment of the day: Going in the nursery to get Graeme when he wakes up.

Not-so-favorite moment: Seeing him propped up on all fours, rocking back and forth... we are so NOT ready for a crawler yet. (Santa, can you baby-proof our house for Christmas?)

New favorite moment: His giant, proud smile, followed by the most mischievous little eyebrow raise. Just one eyebrow, cocked up like "Hey Mom, you're in for it!" I'd pay money to go back in time and have a camera in my hands at that moment but alas, I have no proof of his adorable expression. 

I think his sneaky smile was really trying to tell me that we had an interesting day ahead. He generally refused to nap, but I was determined to get things done around the house. I never managed to get the Christmas decorations down from the attic, but I succeeded (yes, I'm playing it fast and loose with the word "succeeded") at making some yummy apple muffins. 

I started the recipe during one of his naps, but he woke up an hour earlier than expected. After he made it clear that spending more than a few minutes in his exersaucer would be torture, I strapped him to my chest in the Baby Bjorn. (Commence laughing at silly new mom now.)

In my haste, I decided that having him facing out would be a good idea to keep him entertained. Ha. Attempting to reach the mixing bowls, muffin tin, etc. with him on my chest made me feel like I had tiny T-Rex arms. Not a strong moment for mommy logic, I know. Putting the baby within easy reach of flour, eggs, and all the other ingredients -- maybe I have a tiny T-Rex brain to complete the package?!

Or maybe I'm just sleep deprived. It was wonderful seeing so much family over Thanksgiving, but getting the baby back in some semblance of a sleep schedule is a joke. In fact, I feel like I'm somehow jinxing myself right now by posting about this as he naps peacefully. I'm going to take advantage of any time I can get and put my T-Rex butt in gear.

Just so I don't anger the sleep gods, I'm going to post this photo of him sleeping like an angel during Trent's Veteran's Day gig. I never let him sleep on me anymore, so I was totally blissed out that day. And thrilled that my child slept silently through the entire church service. 

Reading and laughing

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." -Emilie Buchwald

... and grandparents! Here is Gigi reading with Graeme, although he seems more interested in eating the book than listening to the words.

He is growing and changing so much that he seems like a different little boy every time I go to pick him up out of his crib. I can't even keep track of the milestones. Just a couple of days ago, he started grabbing his toes... goodbye, cute baby socks. He loves to pull up to a standing position while holding our hands and has the most infectious laugh. Or maybe he's laughing because his mom sounds like a weirdo.

Photo blog

Not much time to type. Photos are cuter anyway.

A Walk in the Woods...

Soaring at the beach... (I did not add any effects to these photos! Awesome job, iPhone 4! Yes, I know my phone is old, but clearly it still works just fine.)

Grouchy at the beach...

Stylin' in mommy's sunglasses...

Beautiful sunset.