Things Held Dear

Ten Months

November 27, 2013

Cullen has been 10 months old for a little over a week now. In case you don’t know, this is part of the reason I’m a little late with this month’s update. Anyway…onto the fun stuff.

I feel like Cullen is learning so much these days! He can say ‘Momma’. (He only says it when he is pulling on my leg telling me to pick him up, but I’ll take it.) He also babbles ‘Dada’, ‘hey’, and says ‘no’. I think. Some times it is difficult to discern what is an actual word and what is just babbling. Which he does a lot. Very loudly. I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard Corey say “I can’t hear you over Cullen.” I’m sure the noise level will continue to increase as he gets older. Boys are just naturally loud, right? I just wish a knew what he was saying. Sometimes, he seems to have some pretty serious conversations. I love watching all of the little conversations he has with himself, Macey, us, even his toys. It is just so cute!

He is still trying to stand on his own. He actually does pretty well sometimes. He can practically run if someone is holding at least one of his hands. My mom is convinced he will be walking within the next week. We shall see.

Some of his favorite things to do these days include unloading his diaper bag, banging coasters on the coffee table, pulling all of the diapers out of their basket, and going up the stairs (supervised of course.) Remind me again why we buy him toys?

When he is not being a little tornado, Cullen has actually started to pay attention when we read books, instead of trying to eat them. His absolute favorite is Five Little Pumpkins, but he also loves this puppet book, Goodnight Moon, and Hey! Wake Up! I love watching his face light up as he takes in the pictures on every page. We are starting to love story time in our house! Even if it is the same few stories over and over again.

Cullen is also giving lots of kisses these days. He even tries to give the dog kisses. It is the sweetest! Sure, they are open mouth slobbery kisses and can land anywhere: cheeks, nose, eyes, arm, etc. But, I absolutely love them!

I haven’t had a chance to weigh or measure Cullen this month, but based on his stats from last month he is doing okay in the weight department. Who needs the gym when you can lift this adorable chunk?

I will be back later this week with an update on Cullen’s first Thanksgiving and the start of our Christmas festivities. Until then, have a great week!

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Life with a 10 Month Old Boy

November 19, 2013

As of yesterday, Cullen is now 10 months old. I should be posting his monthly update complete with stats and pictures, but that will have to wait until later. Hopefully no later than the end of this week.

Why? Because my sweet little boy has turned into a rambunctious little boy. To keep your interest until I can get him to stay in one spot long enough to take a picture or two, I will share some of the most recent shenanigans that are keeping me from getting anything done.

1. I caught him feeding the dog. Is he supposed to know how to do that already? The other night, after eating his dinner, I left Cullen in his high chair with a teething wafer thinking it would give me a few minutes to clean up the kitchen. I’m standing at the refrigerator with Cullen in the high chair behind me, and I hear little giggles. Eating should not be that funny. I turn around to see Cullen leaning over the side of his high chair and Macey standing on two legs trying to lick the teething wafer in his hand. Then he proceeded to grin at me to try to feed it to her again after I told him NO.

2. When I came home from work last Thursday Macey’s blanket was no longer in her crate. According to Corey, it had to be washed because Cullen decided to hold a McDonald’s cup upside down over the crate and watch the drink come out through the straw. Really?

3. On at least 3 occasions, he has managed to escape the baby blockade and dump over Macey’s water bowl. Up side? That part of the floor has been mopped a few times. We have got to start making sure that gate is closed.

3. If you didn’t know already, he has figured out how to turn the cable box off. Then we turn it on again. Then he laughs and turns it off again. Best. Game. Ever.

4. Corey and I couldn’t find the remote Saturday night. After searching everywhere we would have put it, we found it in one of the cubbies in the sofa table. So now, he is also hiding things.

5. He can crawl up the back of the couch to get onto the sofa table.

6. He likes to try to unplug lamps from the wall. I was not aware that baby proofing required removing everything from the room.

This is all within the past week. Did you sense a trend? He is already blatantly defying me. I tell him NO and he does it again and laughs. How in the world am I going to survive the next 18 years?

I blame Corey for this. From what I hear he was the same way. At least we don’t have a VCR for Cullen to shove a PB&J into.

Cullen’s First Halloween

November 1, 2013

I am not usually a big fan of Halloween. It is just not my holiday of choice. But having a little one definitely makes it more fun!

Allow me to introduce Linus. Who, true to character, loves his pumpkin!

I started thinking about Cullen’s first halloween costume almost as soon as he was born, but it took me until September to actually decide on a costume. That was the difficult part…making the costume was pretty easy. He already had the shorts and shoes. I bought a blue blanket, painted black stripes on a red t-shirt, and found the perfect jack-o-lantern treat bag at Pottery Barn Kids. At the last minute, I put together a ‘Welcome Great Pumpkin’ sign; a Linus costume would not be complete without it.

Corey, Cullen, and I started the night handing out candy. Cullen had a blast! He kept reaching his hand into the bowl to take a handful of candy before we could give it to the trick-or-treaters. Sorry Cullen, no candy yet.

Once things slowed down a little, we took Cullen to about three houses. He couldn’t not trick-or-treat on his first Halloween! We really just wanted to show him off to our neighbors, but he got a few pieces of candy anyway. He had way too much fun ‘sorting’ his candy when we got home.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Doctor Appointments Feeding Baby Monthly Update

Nine Months

October 22, 2013

I know I say this every month, but I cannot believe that we have a nine month old! That seems crazy!

I didn’t know it was possible, but Cullen is becoming more independent and more clingy at the same time. He wants his freedom; wants to be able to crawl, stand, and cruise whenever and wherever he wants. Half the time he insists on feeding himself (which he is getting really good at!) Then there are times when I cannot walk to the other side of the room without tears. If i walk away from him, he crawls after me like a little puppy until he reaches the baby gate; then he pouts. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that he loves me so much, but being loved so much makes fixing dinner or picking up the house very difficult.

Let’s hope I don’t jinx this, but Cullen seems to be sleeping much better at night! Cullen’s nine month well check was a little over a week ago, and one of the things we discussed was his sleeping behavior. I got a pretty stern lecture from the pediatrician about how I was handling middle of the night wakings. (It was pretty obvious that Cullen was waking up because we I had created that habit; he didn’t need anything other than attention.) The doctor suggested that we try some kind of sleep training to get back to everyone in our house getting a full night sleep. We discussed three or four options, but he suggested trying the cry-it-out method (based on his own personal experience with his three children.) I was hesitant (what mother wants to let their child just cry alone in their crib?), but Corey really wanted to try it. So I went along with it…for two nights. Those first two nights were pretty rough. the third night was awful. Cullen cried that night like I have never heard him cry before. I cried right along with him and decided that we were going to have to try another way. This was not working. And then, he slept 10 hours in one night. I heard him wake up a few times, but no crying and he went right back to sleep on his own. The next night, he slept almost 8 hours. So far, we are all sleeping much better! I feel like a whole new person. (Let’s hope it stays this way!)

As of last Friday, this little chunk weighs 20 pounds 12.5 ounces and is 29 1/8 inches long. That puts him in the 74th percentile for weight and 84th for length! Which is not surprising because all of a sudden, this boy can eat! He is up to three meals a day. He loves any kind of fruit, yogurt, cheese, and some vegetables. Its getting to be a little more difficult to get him to eat just veggies. I have a feeling that is a battle we will be fighting forever, but mixed with fruit, he will eat just about anything. And Puffs…he would eat a whole can of Puffs in one sitting if I’d let him. We have to make sure that container is hidden until he has eaten everything else, or he will refuse to take another bite of the healthy stuff.

I love watching Cullen feed himself. (Does that sound weird?) He makes a huge mess, but seeing him use those little fingers to pick up a Puff or a piece of cheese and work to get it to his mouth has to be the cutest thing ever! Macey loves when Cullen feeds himself too. She stays camped out under his highchair at meal time. It makes for pretty easy clean up though. No need to mop after Cullen eats; Macey picks up every drop of food practically before it can hit the floor.

I am fairly certain we are going to have a walker on our hands before we know it. Cullen is cruising around furniture like it’s his job and is getting more confident on his feet. He has started trying to let go of whatever he is using to balance himself when he stands up. He very quickly sits down, or holds on again, but you can tell he really wants to stand on his own. As much as I love watching him grow and learn new things, I am not ready to chase a walking baby around! Chasing after him now wears me out!

Fall

Pumpkin Pickin’

October 12, 2013

Since it is almost the middle of October, we figured it was probably time to get some pumpkins. If you know me, you know how much I love family traditions. I love that Corey and I have brought some of our childhood traditions into our family, but I am also excited about adding in our own new traditions. I am hoping that one of those is picking out pumpkins every year.

Corey, Cullen, and I went to a local produce stand this morning to pick out some pumpkins to make our house a little more festive for fall. Going to little places like this makes me feel like we live in a small town; I love it!

Look at this wall of jams, jellies, and syrups. I picked out some pumpkin butter. I can’t wait to try it out!

I really loved all the pumpkin varieties they had. Pink pumpkins, fairy pumpkins, whatever those green pumpkins are called.

Cullen found a squash that was literally bigger than he is. How does a squash even grow that big?!

Cullen and Corey picked out a pumpkin for the front porch. It was really hard to choose!

Then Cullen got to pick out a pumpkin just his size.

He loves that little pumpkin!

I love how unique each of these pumpkins is! And how cute they are sitting together as they bring a little festiveness (is that a word?) to our home!

See? He loves that little pumpkin!

Also, it is crazy how much he looks like a little boy these days! I loved watching as he saw everything at the produce stand today. I love watching this little boy experience new things. He was definitely at least as excited as I was! I can’t wait to make pumpkin pickin’ a yearly tradition with our little family!

Now, since we are all decked out in our Clemson gear, it’s time to watch the game. Enjoy your weekend!

Fall

Apple Pickin’

October 1, 2013

Happy Fall!!! (I know it’s been fall for about a week now, but it is finally starting to feel like it!) One of my favorite things about fall is apples! Apple slices, apple pie, apple cider, caramel apples! Yum! And in recent years we have made picking apples a little tradition. We got to take Cullen on his first apple picking trip yesterday.

We had such a great time wandering through the orchard, sampling the apples, and looking for the best ones to take home.

We got to try a few new varieties that were pretty delicious!

And saw some pretty amazing mountain views. Look at this adorable mountain home!

I think Cullen really had a great time! Just look at that smile!

He wanted to eat the apples straight off the tree. Not yet sir.

We did cut off a few bites of apple for him. Apparently it was a little tart.

And what is a trip to the apple orchard without a little wagon fun?

We took home sooo many yummy apples. We are excited for all the apple pies these will make!

And we had to check out the pumpkins! It is almost October after all.

I love that this has become such a fun tradition and can’t wait for Cullen to really enjoy it as he gets older. I’m sure we will make at least one more trip to the apple orchard before the end of the season.

Instagram Friday

September 27, 2013

Here is a little glimpse of what we have been up to the past couple of weeks:

I have been teaching Cullen how to give Eskimo Kisses. He laughs and laughs!

We finally got the baby gate put up to contain this wild child. We got this gate and love it so far! It was super easy to install and extends up to 12 feet. Perfect for keeping Cullen contained safely in the den.

This was the first time he realized he could not get to me if we were on opposite sides of the gate. He is clearly not a fan of these new boundaries.

Since Cullen has been a difficult sleeper lately, I have really been enjoying my coffee. I finally figured out how to make a good iced coffee at home! (And everything tastes better from a mason jar.)

Look at that sweet face! I am so in love with this sweet boy! (I think I’m going to have to frame this one.)

He recently figured out how to dump the toy basket over. No more pulling out just a few toys for him to play with. He now likes to pull all of them out. Which is so much more fun than actually playing with the toys!

Playing with his abacus. Such a smart boy. (What you can’t see is that he was actually trying to use it to stand up…no math was being used here. Does anyone actually know how these work anyway?)

Look at those sweet baby toes! This is how he spends most of his time…standing at the coffee table.

Feeding Baby milestones Monthly Update

Eight Months

September 21, 2013

A lot has changed over the past 8 months! I looked at Cullen the other day and realized that he is definitely not my little baby anymore. He has started to look and act more like a little boy.

Cullen’s biggest milestone this month? Crawling…or his version of it. He doesn’t really move his hands and knees at the same time. He looks like a little inchworm. Or, He moves on his hands and feet with his rear-end stuck up in the air. I’m not sure that he will ever move in the traditional ‘crawl’. I have a feeling he will go from what he is doing now straight to walking. While it may look kind of funny, this little boy can move! (Especially if he spots a dog toy or something else he is not supposed to have.) There is no keeping up with him now. I was changing his diaper before bed the other night and no sooner than when I got the wet diaper off, he rolled over and crawled halfway across the room. Stark naked…and laughed the whole way. Silly little boy!

He can also get to sitting from his tummy. Yay! No more frustration from being stuck on his belly.

Cullen is also getting pretty good at pulling up and climbing. He tries to pull up using whatever he can get his hands on, and is doing pretty well with it. Every person, chair, and toy has the potential of being a jungle gym. We had to lower the mattress in his crib this week.

He is already getting into all kinds of trouble. Like I’ve said already, we have to be on the lookout to keep the dog toys away from him. (Macey does not help by bringing her toys to him to play with. Isn’t she sweet?) He is now also pulling things down on top of him. We have had to remove everything from the coffee table since he can reach it very easily. (He got his first bruise under my watch last Sunday. Mom of the year right here!)

Another new development over the past few weeks…loud noises are scary. He jumps and clings onto the nearest person when I use the blender, vacuum, or start the car.

Cullen also got his first cold this month. I thought I was having some allergy issues until Cullen started having the same runny nose and sneezes. Poor guy…he was miserable for a couple of days. I think that was when he stopped sleeping so well at night. I feel like I have a newborn again. Since he was about two months old, we were getting at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night and more recently he was sleeping about 8 hours straight. Now all of a sudden he is up at least twice every night. If I could sleep in with him in the mornings I wouldn’t mind so much…but this momma is exhausted! Any ideas? I’m hoping he will outgrow this quickly.

Right now, Cullen is eating about two ‘solid’ meals a day. Usually breakfast and dinner, but I think he is about ready to add lunch. He is still eating mostly purees. We keep trying to introduce Puffs or chunks of food but he is a little hesitant. (Anything else he finds goes right to his mouth, but for some reason he won’t put food in his mouth. Go figure.) So far he has eaten two Puffs. Macey has gotten about 20 Puffs. I have a feeling the high chair is getting ready to be her new favorite hang-out. So what is he eating? Bananas, avocado, apples, pears, peaches, plums, summer squash, zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, and green peas. Still, the only thing he refuses to eat are green beans. I think next we are going to try yogurt and hopefully start introducing more finger foods instead of purees. He will figure it out when he’s ready though.

And at 8 months, Cullen’s unofficial measurements: 19.8 pounds and a little over 28 inches long

Did you notice the pictures are a little different this time? Yeah…we tried. Twice. He was having none of it. He refuses to sit still and is convinced the chalkboard is a toy. I think someone is trying to teach me that I cannot control everything. Oh well…we still got some pretty good pictures of this cutie!

Instagram Friday

September 6, 2013

If you follow me on Instagram, you have already seen these pictures. But for those who don’t, here is a peak at what we have been up to this week.

I got to spend time snuggling with this cutie last Saturday morning. Look at that sweet face!

Cheering on the Tigers after their first touchdown! He had so much fun watching the game last weekend!

Poor thing caught my cold. We were sad that we had to miss church last Sunday, but we did get to have a lazy morning snuggling in PJs.

Hey look…a photo without Cullen! This is the yummy breakfast I got to eat while Corey and Cullen were napping early Monday morning. It was the first time in a loooong time where I got to sit down to a real breakfast (not a granola bar or oatmeal out of a coffee mug at work.) I love these bagels, and I got to use one of the coffee bowls Corey got for me before we got married. (Coffee tastes a lot better out of a cute cup than a travel mug!)

Cullen loves books. Not reading them so much yet. Mostly chewing on them. And pulling them all out so we can put them back up.

This was Wednesday night. At about 11:30. When he refused to go to bed and was trying to crawl. (He is so close!) I think he spent too much time cuddling in the nursery at church. We can thank GiGi for that. 😉

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Go Tigers!

September 1, 2013

Tonight, Cullen got to experience his first Clemson football game, and I think he is already a fan. He loved watching the game (especially the pretty cheerleaders.) And he looks pretty darn cute in Clemson orange!