Little reminders

So I'm kind of stinking at keeping up with my blog but I'm shooting for at least once a week. Hopefully I squeeze it in at least that much.

Labor day weekend was nice. Got to visit with lots of family which is truly my favorite thing to do. I would much rather have family and friends over on the weekends (or go to someone's house) and just cook and hang out rather than go to a bar and drop minimum $50. Everyday this last weekend we visiting with family. Perfect weekend! Not so perfect for getting work done that reallllly needed to get done but! That's ok. After all, it WAS Labor Day! This weekend Corey grilled fajitas and I made homemade Mexican rice and some not-so-homemade beans. I'm almost near perfecting my rice which I've come to find out is a huge accomplishment for a woman! I'm still tweaking the taste but i think I got the texture down so we're on the right path! I never thought I'd say it but I can honestly say I really enjoy cooking, especially when it's well received and enjoyed! Maybe I am a little Mexican wife after all! haha!

My baby boy is walking really well in his walker. Last week (8 months old) he started figuring out how to maneuver his way around the kitchen, even when he gets stuck facing the wall sometimes. He's getting better at alternating his feet. We've seen this when we hold him and walk with him on the floor too.

I moved his car seat straps to the tallest setting today and it made me sad! My baby is just growing and growing. I'm starting to look at big boy car seats and boy, is that a dilemma! I've spent hours (that could have been better spent!) on looking up carseats and reading reviews and so on and so forth. It's a stressful thing picking out a car seat! You want to make sure you get the safest one without spending an arm and a leg but before you know it, you're looking at 20 different ones! Gaaah!! So, if any of you reading this have any recommendations, send em my way!

He didn't fall asleep on his own tonight like he usually does so I picked him up and started rocking him. We shared one of my most favorite and most precious moments yet. I was rocking him and he was just staring at me and staring at me. He did not look at anything else. It was as if it was his own way of telling me he loved me. He didn't have to say it, I felt it with literally every ounce of my being. I even cried looking at him like that! I remembered in that moment that it's important to take time for those little moments, even in the midst of this crazy thing we call life. I hope I remember that moment forever.

One last thing and I must rest my eyes...I have to brag on how great Corey has been these first few weeks of school. He's been helping more with things around the house and playing more with Rex. He knows my job doesn't end when I get off work but has to continue at home. He understands but also asked that I make sure to find time for us, and he is absolutely right. I told him I wish I could tell him it is going to get easier over time but, this year, I don't think it is. He understood. I'm so lucky to have the him! And his birthday is coming up this weekend! woohooo!!

Working mom

So tomorrow I will end my first week back to school. It looks like I survived! Well...almost, since its only Thursday! I have one word to sum up the last couple of days: EXHAUSTED!! Yesterday and today I have been so stinking tired. I didn't even make dinner! That could also be because we don't have groceries since I never made it to the store this week. But! Either way, I was too tired to grocery shop or cook!

As I was typing this, I wrote a whole paragraph griping about the balance between work, being a mom and being a wife. Then I stopped and deleted the whole thing because I felt like it was so negative. I thought about the fact that those 3 things: my job, my son and my husband are 3 of my biggest blessings (along with my family). Those are the 3 things that I always prayed for, worked towards and wished for. So I decided to turn my frown upside down (do I sound like a teacher or what!?) and count my blessings. I'm simply going to have to learn to them all so that I make the best of my time with each one. I'm not breaking any molds here, many women have been doing it for years and years. I'm certain that I will find that balance.

My baby boy will be 8 months old tomorrow. How the time flies! Only 4 months to his birthday which means the time to start planning a birthday party is right around the corner! He's trying so hard to crawl! He pushes really high up on his hands and moves his little legs but can't get the full motion. I'm sure it's only a matter of time. This little boy loves to dance! If you hum a little song, he starts dancing. He loves when I put "Elmo's Song" on my laptop. His little eyes just light up and he looks over at me as if he's thinking "Look Momma!! Elmo!" I love it! When I picked him up at Mrs. Anna's today, she was sitting with him at the window and she said he was waving to everyone as they walked out! He's been doing that for a bit but I wasn't sure if it was involuntary or on purpose. Looks like it's on purpose! My baby is growing so fast!

I guess I will end by saying this much...never forget to recognize your blessings and always be positive. With these blessings comes work and commitment but how sweet and wonderful they are!

A tooth, puffs and baby steps!

My baby boy has officially broken his first tooth! I've been feeling and feeling his little gums everyday for what seems like months now. He's been more fussy than usual so I knew it was coming soon. Ms. Anna actually felt it for the first time. I wasn't feeling in the right spot on his gum. It seems like his little tooth is coming in a little toward the back of the gum rather than straight on top so I didn't feel. It's definitely there though! Since that one came through, he's been back to himself. I know it's only a matter of time though until more and more come through.

I tried giving him puffs today for the first time. It was cute...he's still figuring them out for sure. He would grab them all in his hands then they were trapped in his little fist and couldn't get into his mouth. He finally managed to get one in his mouth but I think that's all that actually made it of about 10 puffs! It'll be a work in progress. He still loves his num-num cracker things.

And one last Rex "first" he actually moved forward in his walker today! Woohoo!! He's still not really close to crawling at all but at least he's gotten the act of alternating his feet down in the walker. Practice makes perfect. Who knows? He may skip crawling and just jump to walking. He moves around in the kitchen while I cook. He loves when I bang the spoon on the pan!

I've been in and out of work this week getting my classroom ready. What a process! I'll post pics as soon as my room is completely ready. I'm planning on spending my last official day off with my baby tomorrow. Monday it's back to the grind! Definitely a bittersweet thing!

Rex's first haircut

First of all, thank God my baby was back to his normal self today after his yucky stomach bug! God willing, we won't experience another bout of illness for awhile.

Since he was feeling better, we decided to go ahead and take him to get his haircut. It wasn't crazy long or anything but he did have a Donald Trump hair-do and it was too long for me to spike it up or anything. When I did spike it, he looked like a Dairy Queen ice cream cone! He did great! We took him to Cool Cuts for Kids on El Dorado. I thought we were going to get to put him in one of the little cars they have but the hair lady was afraid he would be too wiggly so I held him instead. He only fussed a couple of times. Corey did a great job getting his attention to turn his head the way the lady needed him to. I was really surprised at how much she was able to cut off! There's a little spot on the side around his ears that's a little un-even because he didn't like that part. But he still looks so stinking cute! My heart melted all over again!

It's off to a workshop for me tomorrow. Sounds stinky but I'm actually looking forward to it! This is my last week "off" but there's lots and lots to do to get ready for really getting back to work!

Mommy's

So yesterday we were able to confirm Rex had a stomach bug and it got even worse today. But! By early evening, he was holding food down and was in better spirits as the day progressed. Poor boogie couldn't even hold pedialyte down this morning and at one point was throwing up bubbles because that's all that was left. I was afraid we were going to have to make a trip to the urgent care clinic but after a nap, he held pedialyte down then even banana's and apples with cereal. He's still not 100% but he's kept everything down since that last 9:30 AM episode, thank God. I hate seeing my little guy sick but I must admit, the extra snuggles have been so sweet. That's the only good thing about having a sick baby, the extra cuddly baby. Sharing those moments with Rex remind me of how amazingly blessed I am to be the mother of this beautiful child who needs me and loves me. It's really an indescribable feeling. I don't mean to get all emotional but I'm sure you mommy's out there understand the feeling.

This evening after Corey went to sleep, I was sitting hanging with Rex, trying to get him to sleep. He was laying at my arms staring at me and I started singing to him. As I started singing, he put his little hands up and touched my face. Ah! It brought tears to my eyes! And he just stared and stared then put his hands on my lips. He may have been thinking "Ok, Mom, enough with the singing!" but hopefully he was enjoying it. He usually laughs at me when I sing! That was one my most special moments with my sweet baby and I look forward to so many more.

While I'm on the Mommy kick, I have to brag on what an amazing Mom I have. It's interesting how when you're baby needs you, the baby in you comes out and wants your mommy too! After Rex threw up this morning at 7:30, my gut instinct was to call my Mom. What the heck was she supposed to do at 7:30 AM?? I'm not sure, but I just needed to tell her! Of course she offered to come over to help me but I was ok, I just needed to tell my mommy and needed a little coaching. Then Rex was super cranky this morning and was getting sick again so I called her again, this time to tell her that if she did want to come by later, she was more than welcome! (by the way, Corey was on a long awaited fishing trip which is why he wasn't home for this. They caught lots of fish and we had them for dinner already!) Of course, she did and Eli came too. They spent the afternoon with me and lended those extra hands to my cranky boy while I got a little rest myself. We just sat in the living room the whole time flipping through channels (mostly HGTV!), talking about things we want to do to our kitchens but it was so nice having them here. How lucky am I to have her. This brings tears to my eyes too! Geeze, the waterworks are turned on tonight!

Ok, enough emotions. Hopefully Rex will continue to get better tomorrow. He has only had pedialyte to drink today with a few solids. Tomorrow we will start soy milk for a couple of days then hopefully get back on his regular diet by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Oh wait! One more first today! Rex ate and loved one of those little banana rice cakes today. Woohoo!

Rex is sick for the first time...I think

I think my poor baby may be sick for the first time...but I'm not really sure, as silly as that sounds. Here's the situation: I fed him his veggies last night (sweet potatoes and corn) and usually he eats every last bit of his food but he was a little hesitant toward the end and even looked like he gagged a bit. I had a feeling he wasn't feeling well so I stopped feeding him. He got a little fussy after so I made him a bottle (which he usually has after his food). He took one drink and wasn't interested then wham! Up comes all of the sweet potatoes and corn all over him, me and the recliner! (Thank God it's leather!) But he was perfectly happy, not fussy, still smiling. I gave him a bath, then he got sleepy not much longer and he went to sleep as normal.

Fast forward to today...he woke up, ate his oatmeal and had a bottle as normal, and did fine. We got going to run some errands and boy did I have a fussy boy in his car seat! Now, anyone who has been around Rex for a few hours knows what a good baby he usually is and how he hardly cries. I accredited the fussiness to teething. Once I got him out of his car seat, he was fine though. Again, didn't think too much of it and figured it was teething. He did great during the day, was his typical happy self. Ate almost normal with the exception of not wanting his bottle with his afternoon fruit. Took a 2.5 hour nap. Fed him fine when he woke up. Fast forward to 7:30, he threw up the milk he had 2 hours prior, again, all over mommy and the recliner! And again, perfectly happy, smiling, laughing. After I got him cleaned up, he sat with me just hanging out, then he snuggled in and fell asleep on his own in my arms (it was such a sweet moment!)

So...I'm not sure what to think! It would be a strange bug to only effect him literally once every 24 hours.  Corey made a good point and was wondering if maybe he just coincidentally gagged himself both times. I'm so confused! Going to call the doc in the morning and see what they say.

I'll end (finally) by saying this: we all know the phrase "Mommy knows best." And I'm not 100% sure what's going on with boogie but I really feel like there is something really bothering him, and he's not just being fussy. It was weird because I could sort of sense it (before the obvious indication that he was sick when he threw up!) by the way he was acting. It may just be bad teething, could be his belly. I just know he's not just being fussy. Is that a mommy thing, or is everyone able to pick up on things like that with babies? Am I giving myself too much credit?? I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I want my baby to feel better soon!

Veteran Mommy's any advice is welcomed!

Rollin, rollin rollin!

Rex is rolling all over the place. He was sitting on the floor playing near the right side of the couch. Corey and I sat down to eat then Corey looked up and realized he apparently rolled from the right side of the couch to the left side, and then some! (All on the floor, not on the couch!) All of a sudden he was laying there on the floor out of nowhere! It was pretty funny! Too bad we didn't see it, I would've loved to get it on video. I'm sure it will happen again. He's working on crawling...He's trying to pull his legs up but it's still tough for him. Maybe in the next couple of weeks he'll get moving.

I went shopping today to get some clothes for work and took Rex to stay with Ms. Anna. He was so excited to see Ms. Anna! He was all smiles when he saw her and his little friends. Words can't explain what a good feeling that is when you drop of your child KNOWING without any doubt in your mind that he will be well taken care of. You can't put a price on that. We're very blessed to be able to have him with Ms. Anna. She's going to help me make a little Mexican out of Rex Robinson! I'm hoping he will learn at least some Spanish being with her. I told her she could speak as much Spanish as she wants with him then we'll speak English at home.

Found out yesterday I will be in one of the larger science rooms in the science wing at school. I'm so so excited! Then I found out we're going to have some sort of  star theme at school this year and I got even more excited because I want to have a Start Student board! Moments like this make me realize I really did find my calling and I am a true blue dorky teacher! Ashley and I are going to go take a peek at the size of our rooms tomorrow then go shopping to fill it up with stuff. Yay for shopping!