"to do"...done.

the first thing on my very long "to do" list is this:

• mail presents to bevan & claire and frank & danielle

i can proudly say that it's done. the embarrassing part is that the presents i mailed are christmas presents.

yes, i am aware that christmas is in december and that it is now almost may.

whatever.

bucket o' fun

sometimes the toy box is just way more fun than the toys.

so fun, in fact, that when michael does finally decide to reach for a toy (a plastic egg his aunt mush put in his easter basket) he keeps a hold of the bucket with his leg.

"try and take it. see what happens."

8 months old

well, today you are 8, EIGHT!, months old. i can't believe it. i think each new month with you is my favorite.

right now you are so super duper fun! you laugh a lot. you smile all the time. you sit so well and are in the beginning stages of crawling. if you see a toy you want, or your mama, you lean over and reach as far as you can without falling over. sometimes, you go all the way to your belly and finally kick your legs out behind you. ah! so sweet. sometimes i sit you in a certain spot only to return and find you a foot or two away. hmmm...wonder how you do that you little scooter you.

although you've loved it for some time, you've finally figured out what your jumparoo is for. well, almost. you're not full out jumping yet, but you finally have some leg bounce and sway going.

you got a new highchair from our friends, mike and angela, just a couple of weeks ago. you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there. you're most favorite thing to do in that chair though, is throw things to the floor and then look for them. fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, a fruit/veggie mix for lunch, and a meat/veggie dinner with a veggie side for dinner. you can eat. plus-you love to sample what we're eating or eat your puffs all by yourself. when you're hungry and whiny you say, "mama...mama...."

you've been waving bye-bye for a while now and it's just so stinkin' awesome! of course, you never do it when i'm trying to show you off. you pooter.

if you want someone special, you reach your little arms towards them as far as you can. melts my heart into a big ol' puddle, i'll tell you what.

your sleep schedule seems to change quite a bit and that drives me crazy. don't you know i thrive on schedules and consistency?! geez. for now, you have returned to napping twice a day. 10:30am and 2:30pm each for 1.5-2 hours. unless, of course, your dad is watching you. then you sleep for like...oh, i don't know...a year. seriously, if you're gonna nap for 3.5 hours for your second nap of the day, do it when i'm home and can nap with you. don't let daddy think i have the easiest day on the planet. i thought you were supposed to be on my side. anyway, you still have a bath before bed each night unless something totally messes with the schedule and you're up really late. i put you down at 8pm and you sleep until about 8am, still waking at 5am to eat. i think i could probably train you to cut out that feeding, but it's my favorite. you nurse longer than you do during the day and then you cuddle with me while i hold you in the rocking chair. gosh, i love you son.

you show excitement by clenching your fists, tightening your whole body and letting go with a ...war cry?...low, belly shriek?...grunt...i don't even know what to call it. it's great! you're great! :)

i almost forgot your kiss! for a couple of months now you kiss on request. aunt sarah compares it to a little birdie asking for food from it's mama. it's open mouth but oh so sweet. occasionally you'll kiss me without me asking for it. sigh...be still my heart.

happy 8 months baby, i love you!

proud of your new "elevated" position in the house.

and tonight, in honor of your 8 month bday, some birthday suit pics of your first independent sitting bath in the kitchen sink.

look at those arm muscles. seriously, what baby has muscles like that?!

the money shot.

8 months in your rocker. gettin' big!

you're so cute when you're excited!

mommy...the tower on which to crawl.

michael is getting closer and closer to crawling. when put on all fours he does that cute little rocking thing. his little hiney is so sweet bouncing in the air. just in the past few days, though, if i'm sitting near him, he leans over to me, grabs my leg and starts crawling until he's nearly in my lap. it's exciting and scary both to know that he's so close to being mobile! yikes!


more exciting than scary for both of us, i think.

this little piggie went...

straight into michael's mouth!

he eats his feet at every opportunity right now. so cute!

simmering on the stove...

sauce.

our friends mike and angela (an italian girl from new york) are here for a visit. they're moving to san antonio soon and are staying with us while looking for a house. as "payment" for staying with us, angela is cooking for us.

in this pot? a bunch of sauce along with sausage and meatballs. i can't help but think of my littlest sister right now. she'd die for this stuff! i'm gonna freeze some for later, mandy. you should come for a visit!

joining our meal will be a delicious salad and homemade garlic bread. dinner cannot come soon enough. yumm...

play hard...crash hard

michael and i had a good time at our play date yesterday. he played and talked and ate and laughed. he loves watching his friends. every time one of the other babies makes a noise, he turns quickly to check it out. well, as hard as he played yesterday, he crashed just as hard on the way home. poor guy!

workin' on holding his own bottle. he doesn't get a bottle very often so practice times are few and far between! good job, md!

oh! hey, mom! didn't realize you were here!

i love how he holds onto the side of his carseat. so tired his sassy was half out of his mouth, but you better believe he wasn't lettin' go of that ring!

easter cookies

i made sugar cookies for my son, nieces and nephew (brothers, sisters, mom and dad) for easter. they were a big hit. of course, i arrive in san angelo for md's first easter and only then realize that i've forgotten my camera. at least i got some pictures of the cookies before i left. it was so fun to decorate them.

high hopes for my future

with a positive attitude, i stand firm believing that some day, one day while i'm hopefully still in my twenties, i will make it through the entire day without baby spit up all over me.

one day....sigh...