Phone Pictures

I realized I hadn't downloaded quite a few pictures from my phone recently. So I thought I better catch up. I just saved about 45 more pictures. So I guess I will be busy for the next few days blogging them. Here is just a few to start. This bunch is more the climbing/getting into things selection. Before I got gates I would block the stairs with a laundry basket. It was effective for awhile. Here he is going into the basket. Notice the flying feet.
And here he is over the basket and going up the stairs. Gonna have to get a new plan.
Climbing into the bookcase again. Now he knows how to climb back out so he doesn't get stuck.
The Hitler Stash.

Boston snagged the lid to a jar of food and tried to lick it.
looking for trouble.
Boston can stare out the window forever and ever and ever........
Just cruisin.
Practicing for the Xgames.
Trying to climb his new gate. Thanks Janet!

Flintstone Feet

Ever since Boston was born I have struggled to get his little shoes on him. I just thought it was because baby shoes are hard to get on their little feet.

A couple of weeks ago we got Andy some new shoes for work. He usually wears a 14, but this is only because we can rarely find a 13W. Wide ladies and gentleman. So we found him a wide and it was a happy day. This got me thinking. Everything about the shape of Boston is just like his papa. So that would mean Boston just might wear a wide as well. What an idea.

So the next time we went out we tried a 3W on my little guy, and guess what, it slipped right on. I was torn by being so excited to find a shoe that fit, and feeling so bad for forcing his feet into shoes that were too little. I have had to bend his leg and push from the knee sometimes. These little buggers just glide on like they were made for him. They fit so well I spent $15 bucks on them. I don't even spend that much on shoes for me. They were buy get one half of so we also got him some little black Sunday shoes that match his papa.

So now I know, little square feet require little square shoes.

Women and Children First

This year, Andy talked me into going shopping on black Friday. I am not a real fan of large unorganized crowds, but I went. We went to Target, Kohls and Burlington in search of a coat for Boston. With no luck, which is another soap box. We were walking through Gurnee Mills Mall and I was getting more and more annoyed. People were rude and would walk right over you. We had forgotten our stroller and were using the huge store one that cost $5.

We had decided it was just time to leave. Boston was a mess, (cutting four teeth at once) had now missed a nap, and I was gonna lose it. As we went past the food court I told Andy we had better feed Boston before we get back on the road to Kenosha. He agreed. He got in line at TacoBell to fetch some refried beans. Randy and I began the hunt for a table. The entire place was totally packed. We walked all the way around and through the seating area. No available table. So we start back around still looking. Randy sees a family starting to get up and bee lines it over there to wait. We get there before they even stand up and just wait. Another guy had the same idea and was standing to the other side of us. I knew he wanted the table and wasn't about to get it. Andy was walking towards us with the food by this point. The family stood up and Randy and I immediately sat down. This 20 something punk kid with his sunglasses on backwards says, "I was here first". I said, "no you weren't, and my child needs to eat." He said it again. I said "I don't care if you were here first my baby needs to eat and I am taking this table." When he finally turned to leave he found Andy towering over him. I just thought, go ahead fight me for the table. The guy was obviously trying to find a table while someone else went after food. I am pretty sure Boston was done eating before he even got food and he could have had the table. He kept throwing glares at me as he walked around.

I couldn't believe it. Whatever happened to manners? He is an adult, he could wait to eat. Boston is 10 months, there is no waiting. I'm standing there crying child in arm and he is willing to take a table from me. I almost wished he would have said something else so I could have cracked him across the face and yelled DIDN'T YO MAMA TEACH YOU NO MANNERS?

I have discovered on my road through pregnancy and motherhood, that there are only manners during gestation. I never had to stand and wait, I never opened my own door. But the second you cut the cord all bets are off. As I stood in Gurnee Mills Mall while Andy ran to grab a present I couldn't see, I stood by a huge area of taken chairs. Boston wiggling out of my arms and fighting the huge stroller. Everyone sat and watched me while I looked pleadingly at their seats. Needless to say, I never got a chair. Never once as I fight the wind and a heavy door to push Boston's stroller into a store has someone offered to hold the door. They will however go around you to pull open the door next to you for themselves. I was starting to think that it was just me, until I starting comparing notes with other mothers with stroller aged children.

I do have to give credit to the one or two that have held a door for me. Thank you so much for your help.

The only thing that I can figure is that when you are pregnant it evokes the "Ooooo" emotion. But as soon as the baby is out in the open everyone is just annoyed by your little noisy brat that is in the way.

I will now and forever always open a door for strollers and offer my seat to a women (or man) with a wiggly child.

As a final note on the food court. We were leaving and Andy was a little ahead of us because Randy and I were picking up the mess. We had just taken one step away when Andy yells, save the table. Without question Randy and I stepped back and put our hands on it, while noticing two 20 something guys with food in there hand behind us. Andy then tells a couple with a huge stroller and a baby looking for a table to take ours. Randy and I didn't move until they got there. The two guys just watched and then wandered off. I wonder if they were mad or impressed by our kindness to a little family.

Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for. A nice home, a great job, my lovely little family, an amazing calling....and so on and so forth. But I have one thing I am really excited for.

Our new Video Recorder!

We have wanted one since we found out that we were pregnant with Boston. Alas, we just couldn't afford one. We have been so sad that we have lost so many memories.
Well last week I was being much less then grateful for all that I have and started to cry because we can't do anything for Christmas this year. Andy looked at me with a very disappointed face and said, I got some extra money from the relocation package that I wasn't going to tell you about. I think we should get a video recorder. I wanted it to be a surprise.

That was surprise enough for me. We decided not to wait until Christmas to get it because we want to tape Christmas and Thanksgiving. So the very next night Andy went to Target and bought us one. I'm am so excited. We also had enough to get Boston some presents for his birthday and for Christmas. He will get a push and ride lion, a ball popper, some foam bath letters, and three foam balls. Happy days for Boston.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Dirty Mama

Yesterday while I was frantically pulling on my shoes for work and Boston was wailing and pulling at the knees of my jeans, I discovered a slobbery almond slice glued to my ankle.

Breakfast was several hours earlier.

Cold and Flu Season

Boston has his first cold. I feel so bad for him. I hate that I can't make it better. When I clean his little nose he just screams. He has been taking it like a trooper. He is totally miserable but is still Mister Smiley. When he came into work last night he was droopy and bleary-eyed and started a tiny little cough. You could tell just by looking at him he was sick. But he still found the personality to flirt with my co-workers, though lacking his usual gusto. :(

More Halloween Fun

Tammy sent me her pictures, which are ever so much better than mine, because she took some. I think Andy's eyes are closed.

Mandy is eating a finger sugar cookie. I made the web bean dip.
Chad's brain.
Stew you cook in the pumpkin by Janet the Iron Chef.
Look at the camera Boston

A nice shot of my sailor.
I think my socks are tooooo short.
Sister Missionary is hungry.
Just a little bite.

My new coif
Donut eating contest. Don't I look like a giant next to the other girls.

Geez.
Tammy is saying a prayer before she goes in for it.
Andy chasing the bite that got away.
Chew chew chew

I just went for the last bite, you can see my string flying through the air and the last piece of my donut soaring towards Mandy's head. It's the dot up and to the right of the blue picture on the wall
Chadwick's M&M spider cake.
Deb and the cake.
A sweet picture.
Tammy's handy work.

Teddy Graham Flip Book

My mom sent Boston some Teddy Grahams and he LOVES them. So here is about a million pictures of him enjoying them and attacking Andy when he is too slow. Scroll fast and it will be like a video and you can feel like you were here live.

One of the few times I could distract him enough to take a picture.
Dad, hurry.
Gimme
Dad, don't tease.
I only have eyes, for, food.
Mama, you're making way to much noise, I'm busy.
Oooooo
Learning to self feed.
Empty? It can't be empty.
Where's some more?

Teddy drool
Check out that lefty pincer grasp.
I think I heard a noise.
And a random picture of Boston getting stuck in the bookcase. Climbing down is so much harder than climbing up.

Happy Halloween

This year Andy finally agreed to be Raggedy Ann and Andy, though now he remembers no such comment, and so I went crazy. I hit the thrift store and found a perfect costume for Andy and an ok one for me. We spent Halloween in Peoria, IL for Chad's birthday. We had a big party and with tons and tons of food and played all sorts of crazy games. We laughed our butts off. Little Raggedy Andy.
Yes, I painted his face and sprayed his hair. It all wiped off with a bummy wiper.
I wish the was a full body shot. Andy has short blue "sailor" pants on and we are both sporting red socks and black shoes. Andy couldn't have look and more authentic. I even made his hat!
One of the games we played. Like my hideous blue dress?
Mandy, Tammy and Chad's cousin, the other teams victim.
We finally carved out pumpkins last night. So instead of doing scary pictures we did Thanksgiving pictures. Mine is a turkey that actually look pretty dang good in person.

The pictures doesn't do it justice. It has feather details in the tail and wing, an eye, a beak and legs which has light shining through.