Relaxing Saturday

John Harrison has started to give us things. Sometimes it's his pacifier, or a cheerio, or a toy. And sometimes, he takes it back. We have had success with asking him to drop his pacifier back into his crib after we leave his room when he wakes up. He might offer it to us and then finally drop it into his crib. A couple of days ago, I discovered two numbers (5 and 0, I think), in the box that was delivered earlier in the week. I asked John Nolan if he had placed them there and nope he didn't. That left JHP. Later that day, John H. dumped out some MegaBlocks and found just the right one. Then he carried it over to the box and dropped it in. No less than a minute later, he took it back out. So, I've started working on asking him to put things in places. Like picking up his toys. We do that every night before bed. And tonight, he took a whole bunch of plastic bags out of another bag and strewn them everywhere. He and I picked them all up and he put them as best he could back in the big bag.

It's really neat to see that he is finally comprehending what we are saying and providing feedback to show that he understands. And it's a relief, too. But, it's still frustrating (and I know it may get worse) when it seems we are at an impasse for understanding. We've taught him some signs, but he uses them infrequently and only when prompted by one of us saying the word. He hasn't learned to ask (or demand) what it is he wants. I suppose I should work harder on introducing more signs and showing him how to use them to communicate.

John will drink milk straight. For a while we were mixing it with formula because I don't think he liked the taste. And he is doing better with milk in a sippy cup. He won't down it like a bottle, but he will drink several ounces if hungry enough. And he's getting more ancy about having to sit still for a bottle, which I've read is a sign to get the transition to cup started.

Here's a cute show of John's backside. I'd like to point out the only identifying mark I've noticed so far: a mole on his left calf. For the longest time, I kept trying to wash it off in the bath before I finally realized that it was a mole.

-EBP-

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New shoes!

Check out John's new shoes! Aren't they adorable! They weren't cheap, but I had a coupon. So, I couldn't resist. These have a tad more shape than his other pair, but he moves around in them just fine. I tried some walkers on him and they were heavy. He acted almost like he was glued to the ground. So, I went with these.

Since he's walking a lot more around the house without really reaching out for a wall to hold on to, when Daddy got home we tried walking to the mailbox. JHP got a kick out of walking across the grass, as you can see from the picture below.

But he only made it to our driveway and then made Daddy pick him up. Then he hugged Daddy and tried to kiss him. You know - the big open mouth maybe some tongue kinda baby kiss. This was John's reaction! He tries not to react like this, but sometimes, he can't help himself. He still isn't used to baby slobber!

JHP and I continue to have a cough and my nose has begun to stuff up. Not fun! At least Daddy will be around to help me out. Hopefully I'll get over this before Monday.

JHP has been very talkative today. He's babbling a lot, making sounds like dadee, mom-a, hobin-gobin, and a few others that I can't remember. He hasn't really associated things with words that I can tell, ot at least not consistently. His teacher said that yesterday he tried to repeat "fishies" after she had said it and it turned out like "ishies", but when I tried, he wouldn't do it for me. He usually has a lot to say when I have the radio on in the car. I guess he's singing along!

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Tales from the Red Chair

This afternoon I decided to takes some pics in the Red Chair. It's been a while since I've done so. This is my favorite from today's lot. But there are a few others that are ranking a close second, third, etc. John always has fun climbing on the furniture. So, I can always get some good smiles and some serious looks as well. The next picture is a case in point.

I would love to know what he was thinking about as he stared out the window...

Today was a pretty good day. John went to MDO. I hung out with friends, under the guise of scrapping. I never seem to get much done, which is not lost on my friends. I really just suffer from analysis paralysis. I need to plan better, I think.

-EBP-

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Up, Up and away!

Did I mention that John really likes his balloons? Of course, I did! We've tied the two remaining ones to his push toys. Today he decided to sit backwards on his dumptruck. He played and played and played. In this picture, he's just released the balloon. I love the look of joy!

Later JHP received a belated birthday gift in the mail from our friends Amy, Brad, Meredith, and Russ (BTW - Thanks a bunch!). John and I opened the box and discovered a BIG book of animals and a dinosaur dish set. When Daddy got home, John enjoyed discussing the book with Daddy.

-EBP-

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How high does it need to be to make it over the edge?

John's testing his skills at climbing at every opportunity. Today, he got over the threshold at the playground. And later he decided he wanted to be closer to Mommy which required climbing back down. He's gotten quite good at stairs, but this was a little different. I was talking and one of the girls said, "Oh - that's a new move!" or something to that effect. He'd lifted his leg as you see here, teetered, and put it back down, only to try it again (as seen above). He was trying to get his leg over the threshold to climb over it down to the ground. Now the mulch is only about 3-4 inches below the threshold, but John felt like he needed MUCH more clearance than that to be safely over it. He did manage to get straddled over it and then, was not so graceful at dismounting. He was OK - just a little dirt, and a hug made it all better.

Daddy was working late again today. So it was just John and I at the pool tonight. Thankfully, it was in the mid-70's here. So, it wasn't freezing when we got out of the pool, which would have required a mad dash to get changed before we froze to death. I should not the pool is heated, but not much! I put John in this cute little hoodie to get him warmed up after class. I couldn't resist sitting him in the kitchen chair for a photo when we got home.

The last two days have made me thankful I'm not a single mother. I'm really beat! I hope JHP sleeps in past what he did today (625a)!
-EBP-

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Sleep! Sleep! I couldn't go to sleep!

Here's how John fell asleep this morning for this nap. This was after lying/playing around in the crib for almost an hour and two trips by me to try to get him to sleep (really I should have learned by now NOT to go back into the room - But, noooooooo!). The last trip I gave him the bear he's sleeping on. It usually rests on the bed/changing area. But I was willing to try anything. Now I should tell you that he wasn't really fussy this morning and in need of a nap, but he'd been up for almost 3 hours when I first laid him down. And I like to try to keep some form a schedule most days. He ended up sleeping almost an hour, only to be awakened bu the sound of the shutter (camera shutter, folks - what was I thinking? He looked like I needed to capture the moment...) Anyway, he wasn't happy when he woke up, but check out his hair!!!!!!!!

I know that someday, he will either find it extremely funny that I HAD to document every nap-head he had or he will spend years in therapy. I'm hoping it's the former. Anyway, after calming him, he was good to go! It was actually a pretty good day, albeit a long one, since I was all by myself tonight. Daddy was working late (real late). John had very little of the constant whine we have experienced the last few days. And when he did, I tried to comfort when needed and hold firm when it was obvious the whine related to not getting his way. We went to the grocery and when we came home, I tried to lay him down for a nap and we had a repeat performance from this morning, more or less. Anyway, when he work up after a short 1/2 hour nap, we went down the street to get the mail and ran into our neighbor who has twins that are four month younger than John. We had never met them before and John wasn't shy about introducing himself. I'm happy that there are some boys his age (more or less) in the immediate vicinity. It will be fun to watch them all grow up playing together!
-EBP-

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A day of rest

We didn't do much today. JHP got up real early (610a) and refused to go back to sleep. I don't think he was feeling great today. His nose didn't run as much as yesterday, but he was more cranky today than yesterday. Even the ladies at the nursery in church didn't think he was feeling like himself. After lunch and a good 2 hour nap, we played outside a bit and then inside. John really likes the balloons he got for his birthday. When he sees then he points and says, "ooh!" Wicket chewed through the ribbon last night and today (I'm surprised it took her almost a week to get around to it). So, we tied them to his push toys, making them easier for him to reach. He's almost gotten a handle on how to reach hand over hand to bring them down to his level. In this picture he was making some funny noise as he played with one of his balloons.

John has been very clingy. And while it's been mostly for me, he did follow John as he walked out of the room and spent several minutes waiting for him to return.

Tonight SNBNA came over for pizza. The boys were playing around on the sofa. John usually tries to got get in the middle of what Andrew is doing, but tonight it was Andrew doing that and trying to keep John from falling off the couch. A little while later, we were watching television and Andrew came a sat in my lap. Then along came John and squeezed his way in. I'm not sure if he was jealous of the fact that Andrew was in my lap, but I know he didn't want to miss whatever was going on. And while he was there he decided to stick his hand in Andrew's face. Funny thing was, A took it in stride and was actually letting John feel his tongue. Of course, A still puts lots of things in his mouth and John loves to stick his fingers IN your nose, mouth, hair, or wherever else you'll let him. (His favorite thing to do to me while we are rocking is to stick his thumb up my nose. His thumb just about fills the hole up! It hurts. So, I make him stop.)

Before SNBNA left, JHP was playing with this red balloon. And he held on to this red balloon while he was getting ready for a bath (seen here in this picture), DURING his bath (it got one, too), and after his bath as we were dressing him for bed. He discovered that the balloon got slippery when wet. But he also discovered that he could hold the ribbon that was tied to the balloon and it wouldn't get away from him as easily. Pretty smart, huh?

-EBP-

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An apple a day...

So this morning I decided that I was going to slice some apple for John and I'd eat the rest. Well, John helped me get it from the fridge and then waited impatiently while I washed it. It was a petite Honeycrisp - much smaller than you normally see at the store. John was dying to get his hands on it. So, I handed it over. It occupied him for most of my bowl of cereal. This was the first time I'd given him the whole apple. The last time it was just slices and that quickly grew BORING! You can see from the picture he made a little progress at biting through the skin and might have eaten a few bites. I sliced a piece off for him and he played with it, but didn't eat much. Oh and he did drop the apple off the tray (imagine that - at this age! of course!) and it rolled way across the kitchen. But Dad washed it off and I finished eating that well-used apple.

I've changed my approach to lunch and dinner feeding. I've started giving him some finger foods while I feed him the strained stuff. He seems to enjoy the independence and it buys me some time to eat, too. Yesterday, he couldn't get enough turkey lunchmeat. Today, it was cheese. I did try those chicken sticks, but he wasn't so thrilled with them. They smelled OK, but didn't look so appetizing.

He did sleep until 715a or so today, which I did not complain about. And he took a 2 hour nap this morning and a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon, waking at 500p. And he was still Mr. Whiny Butt this evening and ready for bath at 700p sharp, followed by bed at 740p, with NO complaints! I guess he's needing the sleep.

-EBP-

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Hallelujah - Momma saved me some Birthday Cake (until I was ready)!

So as we were finishing lunch this afternoon, I put some Birthday Cake on the tray. I had decided that it wasn't worth a fight earlier in the meal. So, after getting some pushback on the yogurt, I didn't want to push my luck with a veggie. John was consistently picking up his little snacks off the tray all during the meal, so I decided I'd just put some other stuff out and see what he'd eat. He had some turkey lunch meat and some cojack cheese, some goldfish (minus the tails - I thought they were a bit large) and some cracker. He readily ate at his own pace most of what I put on the tray. For kicks, I put some BD cake on the tray after serving myself a small slice of what is left of the small chocolate cake we got especially for JHP. Daddy had suggested I try some cake at a time when JHP wasn't already close to melt down - which means breakfast or lunch. At first, he just picked at the icing, then he actually grabbed a bite of frosting and put it in his mouth. Mmmmm! So then I gave him a bite of cake from my fork. Mmmm! Then he continued to pick at what was left on his tray and hamming it up for the camera.

After much washing up, including washing his hands in the sink like a big boy, using his new stool he got for his birthday (he thought it was cool that he could see the sink), we headed off to the park since the weather was really great. He took a turn in the swing and then on the little play equipment. Next we went down the big slide and John decided, much to my dismay, that he wanted to play in the sand. There were too many things to look at there (mostly trash!). Now, for those of you who don't know me very well, I don't like sand. It gets everywhere! So I proceeded to chase John around the park trying to encourage him to enjoy the grass and leave the sand alone. I was marginally successful...

When Daddy got home, he and John played a tickle game on the couch. They both had fun!

I should note that John has mastered the art of going down stairs for the most part. It was probably 2 weeks or so ago that he should us that he got the concept one night at SNBNA's on their stairs. He has since showed me this skill on the playground equipment that we frequent. And he's even used it to "back off" of furniture.

And would you believe that my son slept for over 12 hours last night! He must have been really tired. Unfortunately, he rarely sleeps late on the weekend. One can only hope that tonight is one of those rare instances!
-EBP-

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Hmm - now what does this do?

John's really enjoying the new toys he got for his birthday. Here he's playing with a little electronic book that his Grandma & Grandpa got him. He likes to push the red nose button on the worm. It changes the page recitation (right or left).

Today was a good day (not perfect but not horrible, either). John enjoyed his time at MDO with only a minor meltdown when I arrived to pick him up and I enjoyed my massage that I got today courtesy of J3 (they gave me a gift card for Christmas). After MDO, we went to the playground and enjoyed the mild weather. It was beautiful out and tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. We'll try to get outside again.

-EBP-

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Mobility BooBoo #1

Today didn't start so hot! JHP got up early, and by 830, I had to put him down for a little nap. It was a short one. We had to be out of the house at 900a because of an obligation. I was feeding him breakfast and he didn't get his way and when I tried to console him, he was just beside himself. I asked him if he wanted a nap and he ended up going down without a fuss. I just don't understand his absolute meltdown as of late. It's like he can't control his emotions at all. He can be fine one minute and not the next. And it's definitely more than just trying to get attention or get his way.

After going to Bible study where he did fine in the nursery, we came home and he made it through most of lunch before the meltdown happened again. It was near 100p. So down he went for his second nap, which lasted 3 hrs 20 minutes minus 10-15 minutes at the 2 hr mark. He was in a much better mood this evening compared to days past. We played with his balloons and new toys until Daddy got home. And then we all played. John is really enjoying his new truck, pushing it around, backing it up, taking the blocks off that Daddy insists on putting on it. He even got on and rode it today pushing himself a few feet, but mostly playing with the buttons.

We went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner (wow, it had been awhile!). And John was good throughout the meal. I took him into the play area and he was scared at first , but warmed up quickly. He especially enjoyed watching the older kids scamper around. After we got home, Daddy put him down in the living room to stretch his legs before we started the nighttime routine. I was in the kitchen. John was fine and then let out a yelp, a silent cry and them a scream. He evidently had fallen and hit the corner of the ottoman. He's gotten pretty confident the last couple of days and is being a little more adventurous about just taking off walking where he wants to go. I guess he just lost his balance and fell. There is a little gash and a lump on his cheek. Hopefully, his eye doesn't bruise up, too. He wouldn't let me put ice on it for very long because he decided that he would rather lick the ice (and I think the would was tender - duh!). Only one lick at a time with breaks in between, though. It was cold! I caught this picture of his wound only because I gave him my lens cap as a distraction.

His other tender spot today was his right thigh where he received two shots yesterday. There is a little knot under the skin and he doesn't want you to touch it. Make pulling his pants up after a diaper change difficult!

-EBP-

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Desperate Picture #2 and JHP's latest stats

It always seems that on Tuesdays when we have MDO, swim class, and I have a meeting at church that I don't get pictures of John. So today you get a picture of the flowers that my dear hubby gave me for Valentine's Day. Quite lovely, huh?

JHP did fine at MDO until I showed up and then he fell to pieces - gotta love separation anxiety! His teacher's said he was walking quite a bit today. After MDO we went to the doctor for his one year check up. He was not happy at all in the car and cried and moaned the whole way there. He was better once we got inside until I wouldn't let him down on the ground to move around. We had a longer wait that usual since our appointment had been rescheduled from tomorrow (Dr. T was not going to be in). After we got into the room, John was fine. We stripped him to down to get all his one-year stats. Here they are:

Weight: 24 lbs 14 oz 75%
Height: 29 1/4 in 25-50%
Head Circumference: 47 1/2 cm 75-90%

The summary: He doesn't miss many meals, he's a bit on the short side, and he has a big head (surprise, surprise!). Dr. T was pleased with his progress and kindly reminded me that most great men were Momma's boys when I complained about John's latest phase. Then John got shots and he was not happy again. But I was able to calm him and we traveled home, after stopping by the checkout desk so that his favorite receptionist could give him a squeeze, albeit from a distance. She was a little disappointed that John held so tightly to his mommy. In times past, he would gladly go to her, but not today.

This evening we went back to swim class and Daddy got in the pool again. From where I sat, John seemed like he had fun, but Daddy thought otherwise. So, I'll get back in the pool next week and see how it goes.
-EBP-

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Happy Birthday, John Harrison!

So, today is JHP's birthday. We spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa. Tonight after dinner, we sang Happy Birthday again, including Great Aunt Susan's voicemail she left earlier in the day where she sang to John. And we put the cake with the candle in front of him, again. And again, he was less than impressed. Here he is picking at the frosting before I blew out the candle for him. Afterwards I cut him a piece of cake and he was even less impressed. In fact, he was more interested in the plate it rested on, turning the cake onto the tray to play with the plate which he then dumped on the floor. The cake was chocolate/chocolate. So, I cut him a piece of white cake that we had left from the large one I bought for the party. No dice. John tried to feed JHP some and it was not popular, resulting in lots of protest and the need to insert the pacifier, which was a regular fixture today for some reason. I'm not sure if this is the Momma's boy phase or if he's teething. I just wish it would pass...I'm really getting tired of the need of me!

Earlier in the day, we'd gone to Kemah to eat some seafood and JHP made a liar out of me. I had told Bev that usually, John is really good when we go out to eat. Well, today, he started to protest about half way through his meal - this was definitely unusual. I'm thinking he was just tired because he fell asleep on the way home and had a good long nap. We had to get the paci out, but later when offered a lemon, he perked up. We weren't sure how he'd react to the tart, but he really liked it and the attention it brought as you can see from the following two pictures.

And here is everyone at the table. Notice my smiling son is holding up his lemon. He's so proud of it!

Tomorrow, it's back to work for John, back to a routine for me, and back to MDO for JHP. And Tom & Bev travel home. Hopefully, we all survive the day without too much angst.

In some respects I can't believe it's been a year since John was born. In other ways, it seems like forever (especially when the weeks seems to drag on and blur into one another). I can honestly say I don't think I knew what I was getting into. Motherhood wasn't something that I grew up thinking about, dreaming about the day I'd become a mother. It was only in the last couple of years, when I felt my clock ticking, that I felt like this was something I wanted to do. And then we had setbacks, which I firmly believe were meant to remind me that it wasn't time yet. Things weren't in order. I was still working and John wasn't convinced that he wanted kids (Scared would be one way to describe it, I think. Now, whether he'd admit that or not, I'm not sure..) By the time I conceived JHP, we were both ready.

But, we weren't ready for the new baby and the first 6 months (and we weren't ready for the birth either...no bags packed). Oh, those were tough months. We struggled with lots and lots of crying before I gave up drinking milk, which did improve things some. Looking back, I think JHP just wasn't getting enough to eat. Breastfeeding wasn't a problem and early on I made enough milk, but then I think my supply dropped off and we really should have supplemented more. I think it would have saved us a lot of headaches. It took him until he was 6 months old to make it to the 50 percentile in weight. I remember the pediatrician at one of more recent visits saying, "And to think I was once worried about him gaining weight!" And now, he's breaking my back some days!

He really is a good baby. I should really say toddler because he's going everywhere these days. (He practiced lots last week and showed it all off this weekend for the family.) But I'm beginning to miss those days where he is content to sit and snuggle with me. As much as I complain about the neediness, I do cherish those times when it's quiet and I'm rocking him and all he wants is for me to hold him. I used to really cherish the middle of the night feedings (once I could stay awake through them!) because it allowed me the quiet time to really enjoy John Harrison. I though of that last night when he woke about 2am and I rocked him a bit before putting him back in his crib. I can't remember how many times early on that he slept in my arms because that was the only place he would, especially late in the day or at night. Or when he and I would nap together, all snuggled up on the couch or chair or even in the bed. Sometimes it was hard and sometimes I didn't appreciate the time enough. Because it has gone so fast. WOW - one year old! I love you, John Harrison Pitcher, Momma's baby boy!

Sorry, I rambled a bit and got all sentimental on you!

-EBP-

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A Special Sunday

Today John Harrison Pitcher was baptized! I was a little emotional as you can tell from the picture above. My husband tried his best to hold it together, but as you can see, he teared up a bit. But it wasn't near as bad as our wedding! (For those of you who weren't there, our preacher in Lake Charles said it was the crying-est wedding he'd ever seen! There wasn't a dry eye in the house.) John said that we shouldn't have to cry in church again at least until confirmation - giving us a good 9-10 years. Little does he know that on any given day, I'll boohoo in church just because. In the picture above Rev. Jim was performing the baptism. John did really well. I was so afraid he wouldn't go to the preacher, especially since he'd been so clingy this week. But I guess he was so interested in all the new stuff that the crowd and the new person really didn't bother him. The only funny moment was that after he'd been baptised JHP decided to take the preacher's ear piece out. "Hey - what's that thing on your ear?"

Here is Rev. Rosemary saying a blessing after the baptism. Our parents got a good view of the whole thing. Jimmy took these pictures for me and Jane videoed it. Our friends SNBNA also were there, as well as, the rest of the congregation at the 1115 service. Afterwards, all the family and friends except for J3 came back to that house for some lunch. JHP ate his and then was happy to get a good long nap.

He woke refreshed and to a much quieter house with only Tom & Bev in residence for the afternoon. Everyone else had headed home. Here John is enjoying some Peek-A-Boo with Grandma behind his big frog balloon. He was real enamored with the balloons yesterday when I first brought them home, but later in the day they scared him. Today he had fun playing with the deflated latex balloons. Thankfully, none popped, which would have put an end to that fun rather quickly. But from time to time, he's still not so sure about the big frog. It seems that John's thinking, "He's nice to look at, but let him get too close!"

Tomorrow, we'll all (Daddy's off - YEAH!) lay low and enjoy the time with Tom & Bev before they go home on Tuesday.

-EBP-

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It's my Birthday Party and I'll Cry if I want to!

*****This will be short for tonight because I'm exhausted. I'll edit this in the next couple of days to include more details. Please check back for the edited version! I've got lots of pics so it will take me a few days to get them up to the WebAlbums as well.*****

This is the toy that John and I got John Harrison for his birthday. We set it up early so that he could enjoy it without interruption for a little while. He seemed to like it and immediately tried to get on it himself. Here is John helping him up for the first time. JHP took a really long nap this afternoon, which I guess he really needed. But he was still clingy, but was content to be held by someone other than me most of the time. We had a full house for an early dinner and then we proceeded with the festivities.

Here we are before the opening of presents. John wasn't quite sure what the think of all the attention and was quite stoic throughout the whole ordeal. And if he wasn't stoic, he was whining. He did show interest in a few of the toys he got, though. I think his favorite was the $1.79 ball we gave him. He held on to it for a long time! Here he and I are with his new toys afterwards!

And here are his birthday cakes!

And when it came time to blow out the candles, I decided to strip him down to his diaper and put him in his high chair. He was fine and even folded his arms as he waited. We put a party hat on, which he didn't like, and then lit the candle on his small cake and sang. It was at this point that he got upset. And then he refused to even touch his cake. And started to cry harder. So, there is not a baby eating cake picture from his party, but, never fear, we'll try again tomorrow. -EBP-

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