I Did It!!

No bells, no whistles, just a simple two line email to the Human Resources Director and I have now officially resigned from my teaching position of 9 years.  I know it's been something that I've "known" I was going to do but the finality of it has been really difficult to accept which is why I've been putting it off and putting it off.  The good thing is, it lightens up my mind a little from knowing it is something I'd eventually have to do.  It's done.  I don't have a job to go back to.  Kind of weird, but the right thing for me right now.  Keller agrees;)  As for the thoughts and/or worries about getting a new job when the time comes, I will be dismissing them.  No point in worrying about something in the future.  I'll deal with it when the time comes, be that 6 months, a year, or 6 years from now.  Who knows.  We'll figure it out as we go along!  

Sleep Resister

Keller went through a good few weeks of resisting falling asleep in his crib.  When he was put down after yawning, rubbing eyes, or even having been asleep for awhile in our arms, the instant he hit the crib, he would sit himself right up and cry and cry and cry.  Sometimes he'd stand up and cry, but after awhile always ended up sitting only.  Sitting and crying.  Sitting, crying, and getting a heavier and heavier head (where are his parents when this is happening???) Perhaps resting his head a little on the crib, perhaps falling asleep sitting up, head leaning against the crib, most definitely not very comfortable!!
These were in Jill's pack and play...he gets himself into the corner closest to the door to the room, begging to be rescued.  And when that doesn't happen, well, sometimes a baby just has to go to sleep anyway.  This is his famous "lawn chair" pose.
This is Keller's favorite crib corner.  He's a big fan of his bumper.  He cuddles right up to it now that he is being a better goer-to-sleeper.

Ahhh...good sleeping baby.  My cutie pie!

Status Update

Lisa is feeling another breast infection coming on...What the heck?  Is it from wearing a sports bra two days in a row???  Damned if I do and damned if I don't with the jogging...I've got to nip this in the bud because another antibiotic will make it four times in the last 6 months...can't be good for BFing or for my own health...grrrr.... 

The 8 Month Photo Shoot

And so it seems these get a bit trickier now that Magoo is Mobile:)  Not to mention that the photo is trickier to capture with the mattress all the way down.  But I've managed...He really only sat for a matter of a couple of seconds.  With me all talking as mommies talk to get their babies to smile, all he wanted to do was to come on over to me...                                                  Mr. Crawl



                                                      My Chunky Monkey!!

8 Months (a little late...again!)

Okay, so I didn't get to the official onesie-teddy bear shot just yet...maybe tomorrow;)  But what a handsome little boy he is in the above shot (recognize the shirt, Amy?)  Let's see, 8 months and rockin' and rollin'!  Keller is officially a proficient crawler.  I just love the sound of his two little chubby hands smack-smacking across the floor as he goes from point A to point B, and his little heiny following behind!  A crawling baby is just the cutest...but alas, along with cuteness comes Trouble!!  Keller mostly likes to crawl over to BoBo's gross slimy hairy toys, or his food/water bowls...yuck!  Like BoBo, he's a big fan of the bathroom trash can, but unlike BoBo he has yet to get his head stuck in it!  Keller will pull up to standing just about anywhere, even if it's not conducive to doing so.  He gets rather upset when a "stand up item" like a Fisher Price Farm at Auntie Jill's house falls over thus causing him to fall.  "Stupid Farm" his face clearly exclaims!  
This is Keller's newest expression...we call it Lips.  He tends to do this when he is frustrated or annoyed.  It's funny because it's a pout-face that he uses at appropriately pouty times.  Of course we laugh at the poor kid when he's trying to communicate his frustration to us...so cute!
Last weekend (not this just past weekend but the one before;) we visited Grandpa and Keller got to take his very first steering wheel.  How cool was that.  I guess Grandpa has the grandkids start with the tractor before they are allowed to get behind the wheel of the Corvette.
Oh, happy baby after eating his squash.  I'm really enjoying this stage of babyhood:)  He's so interactive and silly and fun!  He gets so fired up and expressive, especially when he's got a captive audience giving it right back to him.  Also to note in the eating department, he's diggin' his Cheerios now, too.  Over the course of the past week and a half or so his pincer grasp has gotten better already, although he'll still cheat and let the O stick to his wet finger sometimes, but there are increasingly fewer and fewer O bits in his chair, on his belly, or stuck in the cracks of his chunky thighs!!  (okay that never happened, but it probably could!!)  
And since this is the official documentation of where we're at at 8 months, I must also add that My Little Angel has been showing a bit of a tantrum potential particularly when it comes to changing his diaper or if something is taken from him.  And again, he's clearly expressing himself, his "but I wasn't done playing with that" or "I don't care if I have a poop in my pants" and I'm smiling away at how cute his opposition is...I know it won't stay cute for very long, but I'll enjoy it for as long as I can!  We'll have to see what 9 months brings!!

Catching Up

I love this little picture of Keller from one of our walks to the park...Note the casual foot up on the stroller tray.  He does this same move in his high chair, the cool guy that he is;)
This illustrates an example of what may happen if Keller is left alone too long with his daddy...poor BoBo got nailed, too...One of the two photos I took at Vicky's...I have to do a better job at taking more pictures sometimes:)Trav's parents and sister, brother-in-law and baby Piper came to visit on Memorial Day.This is what we've started walking in on when Keller is crying in his crib...Sometimes when it's naptime, he'll sit himself up and cry and complain and I generally leave him be or go in and lay him back down again, but the other day he was sitting up and complaining and finally went to sleep so when I went in to check on him he was still in sitting position except folded in half like a little beach chair, sound asleep.  Couldn't have been very comfortable!
A few weeks back we went to the opening day at Boothe Park where we were married.  They had the various buildings and museums open so we got a little glimpse at a small piece of our town's history.  Below, Trav show's Keller how the little man slides down the toy thing in the "nursery" of the estate's house, which according to the volunteers there is the Oldest Homestead in America...
Safety Pins...in a bushel basket...Apparently the guys who lived in this house back in the day used to "stock up" on random items so that when people came to visit they could give them a bag of goodies (if you can call safety pins and black hair combs goodies!)

And then there's the blacksmith.  He was doing a demonstration for passers-by which we've watched before.  The cool thing about this little blacksmith is that one of Trav's friends had him (or another blacksmith who uses this space) "forge" us iron hooks, one of which has a heart shape on top, at the time we were getting married.  What a thoughtful gift that was!

Here's Keller pulling one of Bo's famous "under the couch" moves.  This was taken when he was still in his backward-moving phase.  Now he's a pretty good forward-mover...
Keller playing Peek-a-Boo in his crib!

Catching my breathe because these aren't even the most recent pictures...and I just don't seem to have the time to write thoughtful posts right now...(I've been opting to sit outside and enjoy the weather when I've had a free moment or two)  Eventually, I'll post something more thoughtful.  And eventually I'll pick out a new pair of glasses.  And eventually I'll get a new bathing suit (I'm told to try Lands End, and I'm considering a stop at a JCrew to try on---they've got tons of mix and matchable separates...)  But for now, as my sister Abby would say, "It is what it is!"  And it's All Good by me!