“Gock, Gock, Gock!”

That’s Houston’s favorite word these days. He’s loving the “G” sound and will add variations, such as “gack,” “geck” and an elongated “guh” or “gah.” It’s a pretty versatile word, considering he uses it to express both joy or displeasure.
Here’s a breakdown of other recent highlights:

Houston after a walk in his Kelty backpack carrier.

*We bought a backpack carrier in mid-March and he enjoys taking walks in it, rather than in the stroller. Once I get the car back, I plan on taking him hiking on the nearby lake trails.
*March 26, Houston pulls himself into a sitting position in his crib.
*March 27, Houston has his 9-month pediatric appointment. His stats were as follows: he weighs 22 lbs., 13 1/2 oz.; he is 30 1/4″ long; and his head is 18 1/2″ around. He is in the 75 percentile for both height and weight.

Houston cruising in his crib.

*By March 31, Houston can cruise in both his crib and playpen when propped into a standing position by Mommy or Daddy.
*April 1, Houston gets good news at has his eye appointment: his astigmatism has improved and the doc says he is pleased with Houston’s Horner’s eye. Yay! Houston also crawls backwards quite easily, but forwards with funky legs. It’s like his arms are ready to crawl, but his legs aren’t quite sure what to do yet.
*April 2, Gramsey and Papa visit. By the end of the day, Houston can pull himself into a standing position in crib and playpen, and also improves on his forward crawling.
*April 4, Houston has a play date with Mason (the son of Nora, my old co-worker). The day ends with Daddy moving Houston’s crib to its lowest setting, so that he won’t be tempted to jump out.

Having fun with Mason & Nora in April 2008.

*April 5, that’s Daddy’s 30th birthday! Granny and Grumps babysit so that Mommy and Daddy can go to Charlotte to see Dale Watson with Adam. It’s the first time Mommy has spent the night away, but both Houston and Mommy do fine. In fact, Houston had a ball hangin’ out at home with Granny, Grumps and Duke.
*Since 4/6, not really a highlight, but Houston has had diarrhea with no fever. The nurse says she thinks it’s a stomach virus that’s going around and that it should clear up within a week. In the meantime, Houston is staying hydrated with Pedia-lyte, which he thinks is quite delicious.
*April 8, Houston’s two teeth finally pop through his upper gums. They’re coming through quite nicely, although I haven’t been able to capture a shot of them yet. He is pretty protective of the new additions to his mouth.
*Other randoms … Houston is really into sniffing fabric. Hand him a burp rag, a onesie or a sock, and he immediately takes a whiff of it. Perhaps he likes the smell of his detergent or maybe it just feels good on his nose. Either way, whatta weirdo!

Houston pointing with his index finger -- a favorite thing to do as of late.

*Another favorite thing for him to do is to constantly point with his index fingers. He uses them to poke at himself or at anything of interest to him, like people’s faces, buttons, tags, etc. Granny even taught him how to touch index fingers with another person’s extended finger, to which the person should say, “ET, phone home.”
*Also, Houston’s crawling greatly improves daily. He went through a stage where he would use his left leg to crawl, but would sort of drag his right. Then he was crawling with his right, while trying to stand with his left during the crawl. I suppose his left leg is his strong, dominant leg, but Houston’s unique style of crawling is surely something to see!
*Obviously, he’s very mobile now, crawling off the mat as quickly as I can place him down on it. He also keeps trying to cruise on moveable things like the recliner, the ottoman or his racer, so I have to keep a close eye on him.
To see all the late March pics, click here. And for the few early April pics, click here.

Every Day is Different

Houston attacking Lanky the monkey in March 2008.

Just when I think I have things down pat, Houston ups and changes, challenging in me in new and exciting ways. He is extremely physically active, enjoying things like playing in his crib. It is sometimes difficult to get him to fall asleep for his nap now that he can roll around in his crib, get on his knees and grab all the toys that were at one time just decoration. He’ll be standing in the crib soon enough, I’m sure.
Houston absolutely loves to play outside. We have been chilling outdoors on some recent warm days, soaking in the vitamin D and the cool breezes. He’s content to play by himself so that I can get a few things done in the yard, but most of the time, I will sit in my camping chair (since it’s much easier than sitting Indian-style for long periods of time) and take part in the fun. Sure, I’m not getting any housework done, but these are the wonderful memories that I’ll cherish forever.
Houston kind of has a fetish with his Daddy’s work badge. Every time Stephen puts it on, the kid goes zany. Not sure if it’s because it’s shiny or has Daddy’s photo or is hanging from a lanyard, but it’s one of his favorite “toys” these days.
To see Houston doing the above-mentioned activities, click here.

Houston exploring the use of his tongue in March 2008.

Houston has recently discovered his tongue. He is constantly sticking it out and rolling it around in his mouth. It’s quite the sight.
He’s still not crawling, but his butt scooching and belly waddling seems to get him from point A to B quite easily. He prefers butt scooching, since he can usually make it farther with this method, and also because his belly waddles usually take him backwards and not forward.
Houston can also stand in his playpen quite well with only one hand. Sometimes he dares to go the distance and even does hands-free. His balance is increasing by leaps and bounds by the day.
The playpen gets to be a tad confining to him after about 20 minutes; we just keep it in the kitchen these days, so that I can keep an eye on him while I cook, eat, make coffee, clean up dishes and the like. What he really digs is being able to scooch, waddle and reach for toys to his heart’s content while on the great expanse of the floor. His head had taken one too many bonks, so we got him an activity mat. It’s only 4-by-4, so I usually break out the camping chair and hang down on the floor with him, or at least have him very close as to keep him within the cushioned perimeter.
To see Houston in action on the mat and doing some other cool things, click here.

Houston having fun on his activity mat in March 2008.

I’m still trying to figure out his feeding. I think I was overfeeding him for a while, but it’s so hard to tell since he never turns away the spoon. And I can’t really judge what to feed him by what the typical near 9-month old eats, since he’s so darn big for his age. So, I’ve been giving him a couple extra breastfeedings and a few extras snacks. I’m also sometimes breaking up his breakfast, lunch and dinner into two feedings each that are spaced closely together. This usually works. And then other times, I can do exactly what I did the previous day and yet he still pukes. Could just be the teething, my neighbor Shawn says. Houston is pretty consistent with the “eat” sign, so that has helped out tremendously.
The family had a great Easter. Church service was nice and Stephen even got to play Jesus in a drama put on by the choir. Then Houston went to Donni’s birthday party that afternoon (she’s Dixie’s big sister).
Stephen has been working diligently on fixing his motorcycle. We think (and hope) it’s finally fixed, but it has been too slick and icy to ride the past couple of days. I am beginning to lose it without having access to the car during the day, so keep your fingers crossed that it’s ready to ride.
Lastly, I have launched into an endeavor that I’ve been wanting and needing to do for a long time: I’m finally writing a book. I have been working on it an hour a day for almost a week now. It feels good to put my journalistic skills to work again. Plus, since we plan on having another kid and I plan on homeschooling the tikes, I figure I better get ‘er done now or else I’ll have to wait about 18 years to make it happen. Of course, the house and yard will suffer in the process, but if it’s a NYT bestseller, it’ll surely be worth it!

“I’m Exhausted,” Reports Mother of 8-Month Old

Not a shocker to all you other stay-at-home moms out there. He’s just at that stage where he wants to explore and test his independence, yet he cannot walk or crawl. Moreover, he is extremely strong and, my guess is, probably weighs around 23 pounds. Therefore, Mommy has to be there at almost every turn or else Houston will get his grubby paws into something that’s off limits and/or bonk his head on our hard floors. Gramsey promises that his head is durable and that he won’t get brain damage, but I’m still looking into purchasing an activity mat that can cushion his frequent falls.

Houston sporting his cowboy boots in November 2007.

In the meantime, I’m getting very little done around the house, which is a major source of frustration for me, since that is also part of my job. I’m so desperate that Stephen threw out the option of getting a house cleaner to visit every week or two. Ain’t he a sweetie?! We shall see; maybe I’ll have a bit more free time once he can walk, but from everyone tells me, I doubt it. Like I’ve said before, I simply question what planet people are from when they ask me, “Aren’t you bored?”

Houston during his first professional pics in November 2007.

Anyway, you can now view Houston’s first round of professional photos, which were taken back in November 2007. It’s so funny to look at these old photos and see just how much my big, crazy boy has grown since then. It really is amazing!