Baby David Update

Wow, I guess it was quite the busy summer since I haven't updated David's blog since then. Well things are quieting down a little, just a wee little bit so I will give you a quick glimpse into the life of David.

In September, he was one of three ring bearers in my sister's wedding. Due to the fact that he can't walk, he and Jozie (my neice) were pulled in a wagon by the two older ring bearers. During rehearsal everything was fine, but the day of the wedding David was a little ansty. Gpa Wetzel gave him his car keys which distracted him thoroughly as he made his little journey. It was just the sweetest thing. My sister-in-law, Kelly (Jozie's mom), metioned that she felt as if she was at Jozie's funeral as she laid her in the wagon. We were all giggling at her comment, but it really did sort of resemble a coffin especially with the black blanket and not to mention Jozie was totally out-sleeping like a lamb. And then, I nearly peed my pants as the two boys pulled the wagon down the aisle. Little Dillan was laughing so hard, he was nearly bent in half and Little Gene'o wasn't watching where he was going and they ran into one of the pews. Hilarious! I wish I had had a better vantage point.

Let's see what else is new...David has four teeth: 2 bottom, 2 top. I think he may even be sprouting his 3rd top incisor. He eats like a little carnivor, but he almost always uses his thumb and index finger. Such manners. I swear he eats as much as I do. I don't seem to keep enough on the plate. He definitely loves fruit especially bananas and mandarin oranges. Sometimes I feel like he is ahead of the game when it comes to eating table food, but the little guy just prefers to feed himself. If I attempt to feed him he will try to intercept it so he can do it himself.

He is 'walking' around like crazy. Of course, not without assistance, yet. Whether it's you, the couch, a box-whatever-he must be touching something. He can stand perfectly well so I don't know what he is waiting for to take those first steps. He loves pushing around boxes. I think Dave thought he was deprived so we bought him a little shopping cart to push around. I'm pretty sure he still prefers the boxes! Oh well, Christmas gift buying should be easy--just give him the leftover paper and boxes :)

David is also babbling away. He doesn't have any 'real' words as of right now. He still says dadada a lot and mum here and there, but I don't think he is associating them with us or anything else for that matter. Before I know it he will be yelling 'mmmmmaaaaaaaammmmm!'

The other day I received a letter from Babies r Us informing me on "How to Plan Your Child's First Birthday". I admit I was tearing up as I read this silly checklist. I can't believe David is going to ONE next month. A year seems to go by so much faster when you are checking off baby milestones month after month. This has been one of the most challenging and doubly rewarding years of my life...if I could only push pause every once in awhile to fully enjoy each and every moment.

A race to the finish

A few weeks ago we made our first family trip which didn't involve driving to North Dakota! Dave made plans to run a 1/2 marathon in Mora, MN. For those of you that are just as clueless as I was-it is about an 1 1/2 hours drive northeast of Maple Grove. Since David and I didn't want to just sit and wait for daddy, I decided (a few days earlier) that we were going to participate in the 5K. So this would be David's 2nd 5k with mama, the first being when I was about 6 months pregnant.

Dave took off a little early to get a pre-race run in and David and I got to hang out at the cabin a little longer. I have to admit I was getting butterflies. We got all packed up, race gear on and we hit the road. Mind you, it was a 2 minute drive from the cabin to the race starting line! So convenient.

We spotted Dave at the starting line, gave him a quick good luck wish and waited for the gun to go off. Soon the runners were off and running in a very humid and sunny morning.

David and I then made our way to our starting line, just a block over. I was checking out our competition and there were 2 other mom's with kids in joggers and 1 man with a jogger and a dog. My plan was to walk the race, but as we started no one else was walking. Now what?! I'm not much of a runner to begin with and haven't done it since long before I was pregnant. Well, I decided to just pick up the pace and see what happens. I didn't want to be the only loser walking. I felt really good right away and before we knew it we were jogging right passed the other 2 moms. I figured this would come back to bite me and it did, I just didn't realize how soon.

I think I made it about a mile and then the lactic acid began to build. One mom/child combo passed us, then the other. So at this point, I decide to walk. At first, I pretended to just check on David, but I couldn't make myself run once I started walking. We were still ahead of the dog so that's a plus. After about a half mile or so I start running again. The wind is at my back, but it doesn't seem to help at all. We continue trucking along with intervals of running and walking. In that next half mile or so the dog passes us. Are you kidding? We are getting passed by this hefty 60+ year old man pushing a dog! So now my goal was to not lose to the dog. I picked up the pace and we managed to stay with him for a bit, but we soon fell back. Now came the last turn with 1/2 mile to go. The dog wasn't too far ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

By the time we arrived at the cones directing us to the finish line we were just a step behind. I became one of those people that sprint to the finish, but I didn't care we had to beat the dog. I think the man slowed up a bit to make be feel better and said "Go mama, you gotta get under 40". I crossed that finish line with a huge smile on my face (even though it took nearly 40 minutes-how sad) because it was over and we beat the dog! Woohoo!! Finish Line Photo I'm glad we did it, but uh-probably won't do that again. I'll save David's running experiences for his Dad.

This was David's first outing in the jogger and he did great, entertaining himself with the belt strap during the entire race.

David and I enjoyed some of the post-race goodies and waited for Dave. He had a great time of 1:22 and finishing in 4th, however, missing out on the great handmade wooden trophies (replica of town clock) they presented to the first 3 finishers. Dave said he would have run a little harder had he known the prize at the end. I guess there is always next year!

Someone on the street asked how David did (since he was wearing Dave’s medal). We told him “1st place”. The guy’s response “That’s pretty good with those short little legs!”

Long time and nothing to read

I'm sorry for not keeping everyone updating with David's progress. Honestly, I'd rather be playing with him than on the computer and when he goes to bed-I eat dinner and go to bed myself. So I left off at the end of June and it's now almost the middle of August-yeesh, where do I begin....

David has had a lot of firsts over the last month and a half. So I will just fill you in as best I can.
JULY
1. First ride in the baby swing. Dave and I went out to dinner while a coworker friend watched David and she had him outside in their swing while her son blew bubbles at David. Apparently, he just giggled and giggled. Wish I could have been there to see it. It was nice to 'get out', but I just kept thinking of my little guy.
2.Uncle Tim finally held David. He was now of a substantial weight for Tim to bounce him on his knee. I feel for Ruth if Tim waits 6 months to hold Baby Stine ;)
3.David 'jumped' on the trampoline at my aunt's house. He was too tired to enjoy it..he nearly fell asleep while my sister and I bounced him. We may have to try that again.
4. He began getting up on his hands and knees. He isn't crawling, but I think he really wants to get moving. He keeps one leg bent at the knee so his foot is in front of other knee. As soon as he stretches out-he goes DOWN! He just hasn't quite figured it out.
5. Daddy and Mommy decided it was time for him to start sleeping through the night. He is 7 months old for goodness sakes. We did the 'cry-it-out' method. I think I did just as much crying. The first night he cried for 30 minutes straight and we then went in his room every 15 minutes there after. We picked him up, patted his back, did not say a word and put him back in his crib. I think this first night was harder on me than it was on him. When I laid him back in the crib he gave me the saddest face I've ever seen and began screaming again. Of course, then I started bawling again and ran out to Dave in the hallway where he was waiting to give me a hug and some encouragement. Luckily, just after an hour he fell asleep. Each subsequent night the length of crying diminished by 20 minutes. So by the 4th night-no crying. For the most part if he wakes up now he is able to put himself back to sleep. It sure feels great to sleep 8+ hours a night. It definitely was not a fun process, but worth it in the end for all of us.
6. I took David to the park and decided to take my chances with sitting him in the sand. I thought he might enjoy feeling the sand in his little puffy hands. He did and to my amazement never once tried to eat it! What is wrong with this kid-don't they all eat dirt? Not that I want him to, I was just so surprised and so were the other mom's at the park. It doesn't appear to be a fluke either--we have gone back multiple times and no sand-eating. What a smart baby!
7. We had a family dinner at a local Indian restaurant where David sat in the restaurant-provided high chair. He looked so darn cute. My baby is not such a baby anymore. He also enjoyed some mashed carrots from my plate and some other Indian food I don't know the name of.
AUGUST
8. David had is first OREO cookie all thanks to his Aunts, Krystal and Kelly. It was terribly cute to see chocolate all over his chubby cheeks, but seriously. He is going to have a hard enough time with sweets if he is anything like me, do we really need to start this early?! I really don't mind, but I'm not going to make a habit out of it.
9. David was invited to his first birthday party for our neighbor girl and had a caricature done of himself. The resemblance is a little off, but the artist definitely got the ears right!
10. David loves kids and bouncy balls. He is so entertained by other kids. I hope that means he will be an easy going guy and have lots of buddies. David squeals whenever a ball is bounced in front of him. We finally purchased 2 for him this weekend. Poor guy had to chew on tennis balls-that's all we had!
11. David is now feeding himself. Not cereal, but little puffs that dissolve quickly in his mouth. It's so cute to watch him maneuver those tiny fingers and the concentration! He generally puts 4 fingers in his mouth too, but he gets the food in there.

Dave and I are expecting our little guy to skip crawling. As I said before, he has a hard time keeping both knees under himself. He scoots around in circles on his tush or if he is on his tummy he will push himself backwards. I discovered this new trick by leaving him in his bedroom for a moment and when I returned, he had backed himself into the closet! He has recently started pulling himself up on furniture too. Not quite to standing, but up on his knees. He loves to stand if we prop him up on something and would hang out like that all day if we let him. Any way you look at it-David is a mover. I liked it when he was in the same place as when I left the room, now it's always a surprise. He is such a special little guy and SO happy. He is always smiling. Every day I feel so blessed. I am both excited and sad that he is almost 8 months old. The time has gone by too quickly, but I look forward to the other 'firsts' David has yet to conquer.

Lions and tigers and bears..Oh My!

Another month has come and gone. Wow! Time is just flying by. Another Minnesota summer will be in the books before we know it. David and I have been busy as usual. We began getting together with other mom's and their children on Thursday mornings. There are just 4 of us moms and a total of 5 kids ranging in age from 3 months to 3 years old. The smallness of our group in nice because we can actually have a conversation with one another and not be overcome by an overwhelming number of children. For our first playdate we went to a nature center and walked around a pond that was completely full of lily pads. We looked for frogs and turtles, but didn't find any.


The following week we went to the Como Zoo. I hadn't realized that I had been there as a kid until I saw the Giraffe exhibit. I loved seeing the animals. Como is a really great zoo. Can't wait to go back for another visit and see more animals. We only made it through the monkeys, zebra, giraffe, and lions.Oh I guess the Bison too.


Earlier in the month when it was hot and dry, I decided to take David to the Maple Grove swimming pond. It is a chlorinated swimming 'hole' with a natural bottom. It feels like you are at the lake, but without the moss and fish. There are great big umbrellas to keep us in the shade, and concessions for those hungry tummies. They allow flotation devices (banned at the lakes) which is nice so I can wade into the water with David and not be beached on the sand in 4 inches of water. No one likes cleaning sand out of their bathing suit-ew!


The three of us went to the Hennepin County Fair recently. What a bust. Maple Grove Days is way better-better food and it's free to get in. However, we did get to see a 1000 lb pig and many other animals at the petting zoo. I could have taken one of those little piglets home with me. It was a great day together as a family.

Enjoy the little things, for one day you MAY look back and realize they were the big things

Our little guy has kept me so busy I haven't had time to update his blog. We were quite busy during the month of May to say the least.

We had a wonderful lunch with some of my friends who I do not get to see often enough. Both Kim and Lindsay are expecting! It was great to catch up. We definitely don't get together often enough.

We then went to Fargo for the Fargo Half Marathon which Dave, Aaron, Ruth and Kate participated in. It was super cold the day of the race, but Lil David was a trooper. Here he is all bundled up. That same weekend was my first Mother's Day. I was sure glad that I wasn't working and was able to spend time with my family.

Pre race photo of Daddy and David.

That same week David and I drove to Bismarck to spend the week with my family. David travels really well. He slept nearly the whole way to Fargo. We stopped at the truck stop for a pit break and then back into the van for another nap for the complete drive to Bismarck. It made it so much easier for me due to the fact that I was traveling alone. Here is David playing with Gpa Jeff or maybe I should say Gpa Jeff playing with David. We spent a lot of the week trying to get David to roll over again, but he just wouldn't cooperate.

The following weekend we went to Sartell to visit my Aunt Kimberly's family. Dave also ran a Duatholon that Saturday and I think it may be his last-I guess it was not his cup of tea. Turned out to be a biker's race (not a runner's).

Here we are at the Twin's game. Shortly after we got there a camera guy came up to us "get ready to take a picture of the big screen" I barely got the photo of us up there as I fiddled with my camera to zoom in on the screen. But I got it, that's all that matters! David was so in awe of everything around him, he didn't make a peep. Too much to look at. He eventually feel asleep during the 8th inning. It was a great family day.

The next day I decided to take David for a walk to the grocery store. It's about a 2 mile jaunt. Not a big deal right? Well we made it to within a block or two of the store and David wanted O-U-T! Ok, so I picked him up and carried him the rest of the way. When we got to the grocery store I put him back in the stoller so I could shop. He did just fine. Maybe because it was cool in there, I don't really know. Well we left the store and made it to the same spot where he threw his first fit. The community center is right there so we popped a-squat in the lawn. This is where he practiced and nearly mastered sitting all by himself. I was quite impressed. Time to leave-we had to get some items into the fridge. Well he was having none of it. I managed to keep him in the stoller long enough to cross a busy intersection. He had his arms up..."pick me up maaaammmm!" How could I say no?...I carried him the 2 miles home.

Milestone...

David J has been so close to rolling over from his back to his front so I thought we would try it the other way and sure enough...over he went!! His 'big' head serves another purpose-acting as the momentum. Dave and I were both there to witness this feat. This morning I captured it on my phone. My pride is very evident in the video :)

Bless You!