Mama?

Barrett's vocabulary is growing like crazy. Since his first saying, "uh-oh", we have loved hearing what would come next.

He says Dada when Doug walks in the room. He very clearly says, "Ducky", when he plays with his many rubber duckies. When he wants a cookie, he says it loud and clear. He point to his bottle and say baba. He's said Gigi, which sounded like Zizi, to my mom. He points to a cow in our kitchen and moos. Actually, he points to almost every animal and moos. When you ask what a piggy says, he snorts.

He's mastered quite a few words, but there is the most important one he has yet to master, Mama. I'm not picky, I'd take mama, mommy, mom, love of my life... but he calls me the one thing that I wish he wouldn't...

Brigitte

My son calls me by my first name. When I left the other day, he said Brigitte while I was gone. When I went to get him out of bed the other day after a nap, he grinned and said, "Brigitte."

He can say Mama, but it is not in reference to me. It usually comes out when he's just playing and talking to himself.

I try to correct him. If he calls me Brigitte, I point to myself and say, "Mama," but he just giggles and says, "Brigitte."

Honestly, I think he knows that it irritates me. If he already gets a kick out of picking on me, I am in for a LONG life!

How Many Teeth Will He Get???

Sorry for the lack of posts, but things have been a little insane around here. And when I say things, I mean me.

Barrett has been less than pleasant lately. He has cut six teeth in the past eight weeks, so he has an excuse. Everything in our house he can put his mouth on has teeth marks on it. Our poor coffee table...

Here are the shiny new teeth. (The two newest on top are not really visible in the pictures. You can see them a lot better in the coffee table marks.)

I do have some great stories to blog about, but time is not on my side. Just know that I will write soon about Barrett's new love of the cell phone and our adventure at the post office.

Our Trip, Part 2

Ok, so this is a very delayed account of our trip, but things have been a little crazy since we got home. I left off with Friday of our trip, so here is the rest.

Saturday, the 23rd

All day we were lazy around the house. We ventured out a little for a brief walk, but that was it. Luckily, the altitude still hasn't affected Barrett or me.

Sunday

Barrett didn't sleep too much Saturday night, so Mommy was exhausted. Gigi took him out on the side porch in the morning to play. Barrett had lots of fun with the hose. You wouldn't believe how filthy his Gigi let him get.



We went to town to walk around and go in the stores. Barrett really enjoyed being out in the cool weather, but he mostly enjoyed pointing at all the dogs. We stopped by the river that runs through town to listen to a man playing some instrument that was really odd, but Barrett seemed to love it. I think Barrett is definitely a fan of the nice weather.


Monday

We went to lunch with a friend, Suzanna, in Breckenridge. She has two daughters, and they are adorable. Barrett was really good through the whole meal. I'm not sure if it was the fact that we were eating outside surrounded by tons of bright flowers or that he was busy flirting. Since mom plays golf with Suzanna, mom dressed Barrett up in the new outfit she bought him.

After lunch, we went to the outlet malls in Silverthorne. All I bought was a couple of shirts for Barrett and a chocolate covered pretzel for me.

Later that evening after dinner, Gigi was doing dishes. Barrett decided he would help her.

Now, I can't even open the dishwasher without him cruising to climb in it. Thanks, Gigi!

Tuesday

This was by far the best day of our vacation. We went over to Vail to walk around. Barrett was perfect the entire day. He LOVED the streams and all the bright flowers.

We even played at an amazing park they built for the kids. I know he'll really love it when he's bigger. To be honest, I'll love it too. I really wanted to play on everything, but I didn't have a big enough kid to pretend I was watching.

Wednesday

We really just hung around for the morning before heading to Denver to fly home. Barrett had lots of fun at Gigi's house. I think he had more fun playing in her house than he did seeing mountains, streams, and flowers. His favorites at Gigi's were:

Her beanie baby ark

He really liked the ark when he was in it...

He loved the stairs. The first time he saw stairs, he crawled straight up them without hesitating. He never even attempted to go down them. I guess he knew that it wouldn't be fun to fall down.

Gigi also has a shelf that he fit into perfectly. The funniest part about this is that Mom's dog, Einstein, used to love to lay on the same shelf when he was a puppy.

Overall, we did have a great time even though we were sick the majority of the trip.

The flight home was perfect. Barrett was an angel, and he slept most of the flight. When he was awake, he played peek-a-boo with the lady sitting in our aisle. It took her a while to realize she was playing, but he was having a ball.

We're Back

We're home, I'm exhausted. Sorry for the lack of updates, but mom doesn't have high speed, and I don't have the patience to wait on her internet. I'll write more on the trip after I get some much needed sleep.

Our Trip to Colorado: Book 1

Monday: The Day of Rain

When we woke up Monday morning packed and ready to go, we learned that leaving Houston might be difficult.

Apparently, Houston was flooding. Luckily, our flight wasn't until after lunchtime, so hopefully the water would subside by then. Hobby airport had suspended all flights which I am sure sucked for all those people, but we were leaving from Intercontinental. Amazingly, Intercontinental got no rain at all, and the flights were all on schedule.

When we got to the airport, check in was surprisingly smooth, and Barrett and I, along with the stroller, car seat, car seat base, and two carry ons, headed to security. We only had to wait in a short line when a man said, "Hey, lady with the baby, come over here." He took us in our own private line which turned out to be for everyone else because we had to put EVERYTHING through the scanner thing. So, I had a lot of disassembling to do. Although, he was nice enough to help me restack all our stuff after we were cleared.

All of that stuff went way too fast because Barrett and I ended up at the gate with almost an hour and a half to spare. We walked everywhere we could with our mound of crap without having to go back out security.

Barrett was amused for a long time chasing the bomb sniffing dog around. (His police man keeper was on a break and really friendly! But, his story about the dog almost biting a man's arm off once made me a little nervous about Barrett smacking the dog's head.) Once the dog had to go back to fighting crime, we still had 45 minutes to kill...

Eventually, 30 minutes later than expected, it was time to board.

Barrett and I walked down to the plane and everyone told me someone would help us. Apparently, Someone had the day off. I did manage to lug everything minus the stroller on the plane alone. I planted Barrett in an empty seat while I put his carseat in.

After it was in, a stewardess came to see if I needed assistance. I decided to let her put ice in Barrett's bottle and get me a Diet Coke since I already did the hard part alone.

Once I put Barrett in his chair, he was as happy as could be.

I am glad a got him his own seat because he was happy and the flight was packed with people that were sent from Hobby. Barrett fell asleep as we took off and woke up about an hour into the flight. He would have slept longer but the kid in front of us was screaming her head off. Geez, must people fly with screaming kids! Barrett ate a few animal crackers and watched cartoon network (Frontier airlines has Direct TV, I watched the gameshow network while he slept!).

As we began going down, Barrett got back in his seat with no complaints and went back to sleep. The landing was really rough and people were getting sick, but Barrett didn't even move. He woke up as we approached the gate.

We waited for everyone to get off the plane before I blocked the aisle with all our stuff. As I was carrying everything again, the same worthless stewardess thanked me for flying with them and smiled. I politely smiled and thanked her for all her help. I think the car seat might have bumped her a little hard as we made our way past her, oops!

Everything else went smooth, and we were in the car with my mom headed to Colorado Springs in no time.

Tuesday: Day of the Living Dead

Barrett did not sleep at all Monday night. I did not sleep at all because of Barrett and because I was still sick with the head cold thing. Mom did not sleep. We were all tired, but we managed to go shopping for a while. I decided I was too sick, and we came home. Fun vacation, right?

Wednesday: What is With This Head Cold?

Wednesday was bad. I did nothing. I barely got out bed. I coughed, sneezed, blew out more snot than I could imagine, and slept. Barrett was grumpy. Mom was grumpy. Everyone was pretty much worn out. Fun, fun, fun!

Thursday: She's Back, He's Out

Yeah for taking a day off. Mom, Barrett, and I shopped all day. We were all rested, and besides being REALLY grumpy all morning, Barrett did pretty well.

After our shopping marathon, we were all relaxing while Barrett played golf and torturing mom's dog, Einstein.

Suddenly, the mood took a major turn.

Barrett had his first REALLY bloody boo boo. He was trying to crawl out on the deck to enjoy the 60 degree weather, when he hit the door frame, with his face. More specifically, his top lip. His lip bled for about an hour. There was blood everywhere, all over him, me, mom, and our clothes.

Once we were able to stop the bleeding, we could see the damage. I have to say that when Barrett does things, he does them right. It was cut from the top of the front around to the inside top. I blame the top teeth that have given me and Barrett so many problems already. His lips looks a lot better today. :)

Friday: Thank God It's Friday

We made it to Breckenridge today since I am finally well, and so far the altitude hasn't bothered me one bit. Barrett has enjoyed crawling around and hanging out on the deck.



Now he is napping, and I am enjoying a little break. I'll hopefully be updating again soon. But, now, I am headed out to have a drink on the deck! I hope all of you back in Houston are staying cool.

I Can't Think of a Title Today

Ok, I just typed a long blog that disappeared. I don't have the time, and I am not in the mood to retype it. I'll summarize what I said:

1. I'm sick with a head cold and at least one ear infection.

2. Barrett and I are flying to Colorado tomorrow.

3. That will suck for me and my ear.

4. I originally only bought one plane ticket, but I wised up and bought Barrett his own seat earlier this week.

5. I hate the terrorists. If they would have left us alone, Doug could walk me and all the junk I have to fly with to the gate (stroller, car seat, car seat base, overloaded diaper bag, camera, camcorder, Barrett, and whatever else I think of in the next few hours). BUT, instead, he can't. I'm stuck trying to to figure it out because some foreigners hate the US.

6. I will hopefully blog while I am in Colorado, but if not, I'm sure I'll have some great stories when we return on the 28th.

Ahhh, that's the basics of what I had written.

Happy Father's Day!

The Pattern Continues

Barrett is still odd.

Most kids have a pacifier, a blanket, or their thumb, but Barrett isn't most kids.

Barrett has attached himself to a phone cord.



He started chewing on it a few months ago while Doug was trying to hold him and type on the computer. When Doug noticed it kept him occupied, he disconnected it from the phone so Barrett could play with it.

Now, there is a phone cord with us pretty much all the time.



He doesn't need it to sleep (he usually likes a burp cloth then), but he likes to have it with him when he's awake. He'll drag it all over the house. Sometimes it gets hung up on something, and he has it stretched as far as it will go. Usually that ends with the cord flying and hitting him, but he still continues to love it.

I'm really ok with the cord except when the phone is ringing and I can't find the cordless phone and the other two phones are "cordless". I also have to endure lots of women giving me looks in the store because my kid is gnawing on a phone cord, wrapping around his head like a head band and laughing, or stretching it and grunting.

He is finding something else he LOVES thanks to Daddy.



I might have to only cord carrying, Dr.Pepper addict 10 month old in the world. I am so proud!

Splish Splash

I know we haven't been posting anything lately, but our church's VBS was this week. I was so exhausted every afternoon when we got home, I was lucky to get myself organized for the next day. I do have to say that I had an amazing experience, and I was blessed with the best group of teen volunteers. Some people thought I was crazy running the games for 500 kids with no other adults, but it couldn't have been better. The only major injury, a nose that the x-ray said wasn't broken, was the result of a 3 year old jumping on one of my teen volunteers. :)

So, Barrett and I are back to our normal, slow life this week.

Today, we went to Cindy's house to swim with her two kids. It was Barrett's first swim, so I was really excited. Barrett seemed to like the water. He wasn't excited just content to sit in his chair thing.



The real excitement started when Barrett's eyes started getting red, really red. I assume that sunscreen got into his eyes, and obviously, his eyes don't like it.

We played a little longer then we came home. On the drive home, his eyes got worse. So, I called the nurse line. She told me to flush his eyes out with water, which I had already done numerous times as I was holding on the phone. She also said to put saline drops in his eyes. I called Doug, gave him my order, and waited while Barrett whined and squinted to see me.

Luckily, Doug couldn't find saline drops, (big surprise!) and he asked the pharmacist where they were. The pharmacist then told him that some other drops would work better. When Doug came home, we put the drops in, and within minutes, Barrett was laughing, talking, and climbing.

I guess we'll try swimming again one day soon. I just need to switch sunscreen or convince Barrett to leave a hat on his pale little head!

Ouch!

Barrett took his first spill of the changing table Friday morning. The worst part of the whole experience was that it happened when he was with me and not his daddy. Doug walks to the closet with Barrett on the table all the time, and I gripe that one day Barrett will fall off and get hurt. Doug always ignores me with the typical, "ok, ok, ok..."

Now... How do I say, "I told you so," when it was my fault?

I was standing right there, and I did catch him before he hit the ground. Unfortunately, I didn't catch him before he smacked his head a drawer knob.

He screamed and cried, and so did I. He actually recovered quicker than I did. (The animal cookies worked again!)

After the swelling went down, he was left with two dark red marks on his forehead that later turned to nasty bruises. After I calmed down, we left the house to run errands.

While we were out, a woman commented how cute he was, and she said that I must just kiss on him all the time. I agreed and continued shopping. A few aisles later, another woman commented how cute he was, and said something about kissing him too. To be honest, it was getting kind of weird.

When we checked out, the high school girl laughed and commented that he had lipstick on his head. It was then that I noticed how his two dark red bruises looked more like kiss marks than bruises.




(I took this picture much later in the day, so the redness had worn off a lot!)

Now those two other ladies didn't seem so weird. It all worked out for the best. Barrett was ok, and two strange women thought I loved on his too much instead of banging his head into drawers.

Ugh!

Barrett is definitely Doug's son. I don't need DNA tests or any other scientific method to prove it. Barrett looks like Doug's side of the family, but that's not why I am sure that he is his father's son.

Doug loves to pick on me to the point where I become insanely frustrated. Barrett apparently has the same love.

For three days, Barrett has entertained himself at my expense.

His new "game" is Trap Mommy in the Shower.

Ever since Barrett has been mobile, one of his bathroom hobbies is to sit at the shower door and lick the glass while I take my shower. I assume he's trying to lick the water that is on the inside. (He also gets his intelligence from Daddy!) Usually, he's moved on to other things by the time I finish like eating dental floss.

BUT, for the past three days, things have become more comical.

When I turn off the water and begin cleaning the glass shower, Barrett army crawls full speed to the shower door. He then sits right where the door will open. This might not seem like a big deal, but it leaves me trapped in the shower.

If I open the door, it will knock Barrett down backwards onto the tile. You might be thinking that he just wants to be with his mommy, but I know that's not it. I know it's not because if I crack the door a little trying to ease him out of my way, he slams it shut, looks at me, and laughs.

The first day, I tried to tell him to move, but he just didn't understand. I literally was stuck for 15 minutes when he finally was scooted back enough for me to squeeze out.

The second day, I thought about jumping over the top, but I knew the crawl to the phone to call 911, when I inevitably got hurt, would be too painful. So, I started taking handfuls of water and splashing the tile away from the shower. The puddle lured Barrett away from the door, and I was able to get out. This method wasn't good because I had a mess to clean up and Barrett was all wet.

Today, I got smart. I took a few of Barrett's blocks in with me. When I finished showering, Barrett again came to the door, sat against it, and laughed. I began throwing blocks out. At first Barrett looked at me, then the blocks, then me again. I knew he was debating which was more fun. Luckily for me, he chose the blocks.

I guess I'll be showering with blocks for a while.

When I told Doug about what Barrett has been up to, he laughed. I think he was disappointed he never thought of trapping me in there.

Where Did He Go?

That seems to be the question I keep asking myself lately.

Barrett is getting into everything! I guess it's not just getting into, it's getting onto, into, and under everything.

I have learned that if he has wandered away from me, there are a few key places to check first: the fireplace because he loves the little metal curtain thing, under the coffee table, behind the couch playing with the blinds, in the dining room climbing on the buffet, or in the study grabbing everything I haven't put at least three feet in the air.



Yesterday, he was in a great mood all day which means he was also adventurous. Doug said that he climbed into the shelf in the study and got himself stuck with his toys. (Dad didn't get pictures!)

Later in the day, he climbed into his diaper box and was happy as could be. I liked it because he was contained. In fact, I liked it so much, that I am going to leave it out in his room. It's a much better toy than the magically appearing tiny pieces of paper Barrett seems to keep finding.



Oops, I just heard the fireplace curtain rattle, I have to run...

Home Remedy

Ok, everyone I talk to seems to have a solution for the teething issue. I would try most of them, but telling me to get my kid drunk or give him "a little" vicadin, just doesn't seem right.

I decided to create my own home remedy, animal cookies.



Barrett was really unpleasant, so I put him in his high chair with the intention of soothing the pain by feeding him ice cold applesauce. He didn't think that was a good plan. So, while I cleaned the applesauce off the floor, I stuck a cookie on his tray.

Suddenly, I realized that the crying and screaming stopped.



He was having so much fun eating a whole cookie. (I usually break it in pieces for him.)



So, while I don't have a true remedy for his pain, I do for mine! Distract him with cookies!



*** I have realized something today. In a few years when Barrett is whining and complaining about his loose tooth, I will take deep satisfaction in ripping it out. Something about knowing I can get even with this tooth someday is very comforting...

Unhappy Baby

Teething sucks. I can't figure out a way to sooth Barrett when his gums hurt.



His top teeth are on the verge of cutting through, and nothing makes him feel better. I've tried teething toys, frozen washcloths, orajel, and every other thing people have suggested. I wish there was a way to cut open his gums to get the teeth out. I realize it would hurt like crazy at first, but it would be over, right?

I'm tired, I have a headache from his whining, and all I want to do is curl up and cry with him.

Ok, my five minute break is over. I have to go get him out of the crib and try again. Wish me luck!

Happy Mother's Day!

It is my first Mother's Day, and Doug definitely set a high standard for Mother's Day gifts...



(It was dark when I remembered to take pictures, so it's not the best photo!)

This is my new Honda Pilot! It is wonderful! It is a light blue metallic color with gray leather interior. It even has a six disk changer built in and a sun roof! I am so excited, and I don't have time type more because I am about to head out and drive some more.

Barrett seems to like it too!


Yea Me!

Happy Mother's Day to all the other mommies out there!

Don't Mess With Texas

Sometimes, I love my son more than I thought I could.

Sometimes, Barrett makes me so proud.

Last night, was one of those moments.

We were at the wedding of one of Doug's childhood friends. It was outside at an adorable chapel at a bed and breakfast in Glen Rose, Texas. We were all sitting in seats looking into the chapel through large open windows when Barrett started to squirm and squeak. I decided to take him for a walk instead of trying to keep him still and quiet.

We walked off a little way from the chapel, but we stayed close enough for me to still see and hear the ceremony. Another man was standing nearby smoking a cigarette.

Side note: I always wonder who still smokes knowing all that we know. I now know that everyone at this particular wedding apparently keeps tobacco companies in business. It was weird to see so many smokers. I guess you can tell I haven't been to a bar in a LONG time. :)

Ok, back to the point of the story.

Barrett has obviously never seen someone smoking. He was staring at the man and watching the smoke rise from his mouth. Even though I think it is a gross habit, I was happy that Barrett was quiet and amused.

When the man finished, he threw his cigarette on the ground.

Barrett leaned over, looked at the cigarette butt, looked at the man, and very loudly said, "Uh-oh!"

I was trying really hard not to laugh, and the man looked at me like I had a rude kid. So, being the quick witted mommy that I am, I looked right at him, hugged Barrett, and said, "Sorry, he doesn't like littering." Then we walked away.

Ok, I know my comment was probably uncalled for, but it was also hilarious!

His First Word!

Barrett has officially spoken his first word!

He's said lots of mama's, dada's, and no no's, but he never said them in context. Usually he was either mumbling or repeating our constant coaching.

So, with all of our coaching, I know you're wondering who won this momentous achievement...

Nobody won.

My son's first word used as it is intended...

Uh-oh.

Yes, you read that correctly. Barrett has mastered saying uh-oh. He's been saying it for a few days repeating us, but tonight at dinnner as he threw multiple things from the highchair, he would look at whatever object went flying to the floor and say, "Uh-oh".

I wish I could type how he says it. He says the "uh" part and then he takes a long pause and then says, "oh". The "oh" sounds like a sweet little sigh. I think the pause is him trying to reshape his mouth for the "oh" sound. You can actually see him manuevering his mouth for the next sound. It is so cute.

Doug and I were laughing so hard, and we kept giving him things to drop. I realize I am teaching a bad habit, but I can worry about that tomorrow.

My only concern now is where we go from here. What should I expect from a boy whose first word is uh-oh??


FYI:
***For those of you now saying that "uh-oh" is not a real word, here is the Webster's on-line dictionary definition:

Main Entry: uh-oh
Pronunciation: '&-"O, usually with strong glottal stops before the vowels
Function: interjection-- used to indicate dismay or concern

Granted, bling-bling is in there too, and I refuse to consider that a real word.

Too Much Information

Every day when I take my shower, Barrett plays with the assortment of toys that we keep in the bathroom for him. By the time I am showered, there are plastic toys all over the place. As he has gotten more mobile, my shower preparation time has seriously increased.

I have to close all the doors to the closets, our room, and the toilet, put the trash can and scale on the counter, wipe down the tile floor with a clorox wipe, and check the rugs for anything Barrett could eat. ( I wouldn't have to clean the floor everyday, but since I lost NO hair while I was pregnant, you could make a wig out of my sheddage now.)

Things have been going smoothly, and up until last night, I thought I was a pretty good mom at keeping him safe while I showered.

As we were getting ready for his bath last night, I was taking off his diaper in his bathroom. It took only a split second to realize that I needed some wipes, so I yelled for daddy to bring some to us. As I was wiping his hiney, there was something weird about his poop. I had to look a little closer before I could tell what was in it.

There in the middle of his sweet potato-applesauce poop was a long string of dental floss. Oops. Apparently, I don't clean the floor well enough.

I could feel guilty and wonder what else is in this kid, but it was too funny. Doug was convinced that the floss somehow got in his diaper, but it was way too entwined in the poop for that. Besides, even though I am a little obsessive about my flossing, I don't floss while I change diapers.

So, I could clean my bathroom even more and check every spot for potential white floss that misses the trash and camouflages on my white tile floors or I could be lazier...

I have added green dental floss to the grocery list.

But, I do have to say I am a little proud of my boy! After all, he's already flossing with only two teeth!

Barrett Loves Papa

When I went shopping for my dad's birthday present, I found a shirt for him I really liked. I was a little concerned that I had already bought it for him because it looked familiar, but I liked it too much not to get it for him.

When I got home and was unloading laundry, I realized why it looked familiar...




They look so cute in their matching shirts!

A Face Only a Mom Could Love

My dad and Mary are in town, and they have Mary's two dogs with them.



Barrett loves Digger and Brandy, and they seem to like him even though Digger snaps when Barrett pulls his face, tail, ears, etc.



They have had lots of fun, but Barrett seems to like one thing they do so much that he is copying them.

Barrett loves watching the dogs play. When they play, they make the typical dog noises, but the sniffing/snorting noise is what Barrett likes. Barrett thinks it is really funny. He started doing this sniffing thing of his own. It is so funny. My dad was actually in tears he was laughing so hard. I took a bunch of pictures trying to capture the look he makes, and this is the best I could get. Try to imagine the snorting noise along with the face.

No Nap?

Barrett has discovered something that he thinks is great, and that I was hoping was not going to happen for quite a while.

I put him down for his nap today, and as usual, he was complaining loudly about being put in his bed. Then I heard him laughing and talking to himself. I assumed he had gotten to the mobile again, but when I walked in, I was horrified!



Of course, I ran to get the camera before he saw me. Doesn't he looked totally guilty in this picture? I'm sure it was me mumbling, "No, please, no," that made him think he had done something wrong. I really am not ready for him to pull up on everything, and I am especially not ready for him to pull up in bed. Luckily, he's only on his knees, but I know it is just a matter of time.



So, I guess I will lower the crib to it's lowest setting because that's the stage we're at. I just don't want him to be big enough to need a "big boy" crib. I can't imagine the trauma I'll feel when he graduates to a real bed!

On another note, when I picked out his nursery furniture that was WAY more than Daddy intended on paying, the sales lady went through her reasons why this set was the best. One of the reasons was the durable plastic in the edge of the crib that supposedly isn't really hard plastic. (She put it much more eloquently than that!) Now, I get why that is important:




It was hard to get frustrated with his newest trick because he was so proud of himself.

I think he was even prouder that it got him out of his nap. The millions of flashes pretty much blew any chance of him sleeping. It's ok though, Daddy is going to have him this evening when the missed nap will really matter! ;)