Taming the crazy hair

I finally caved.

Today, after weeks of prodding, cajoling, and then finally, outright threats from my husband, I agreed to take Scott in for his first haircut.

I resisted the trimming of his beautiful blonde curly hair, even though I know his first birthday is tomorrow, and despite the fact he needs to look dapper in a tux next weekend for my cousin's wedding.

No...what finally drove me to the barber was one too many mornings when he woke up looking like this:

No amount of product can tame that 'do, by the way. Believe me, I tried.

So we made an excursion of it. Me, my mom, Jim's mom and Jim all trekked in to the nearby Cool Cuts for Kids this afternoon. Scott eyed the place with a bit of trepidation, but managed to put his initial qualms aside when he saw the cool yellow "car" barber chair. (The kid is obsessed with steering wheels.) And the fun singing Elmo video proved to be a good initial distraction as well.

But my Tank is smart -- and within seconds, he realized what was happening. Let's just say he was less than thrilled.

Turns out the smartest decision we made was bringing Daddy along. Every time Scott got anxious or nervous or edgy, he turned and sought out Jim. Daddy made faces that made him relax and giggle, and got him through his first haircut with relative ease (though I should mention that Scott maintained a death grip on the car steering wheel through the entire process.)

Not feeling this...where is Daddy?

Oh...THERE he is. Okay, I am okay.

I knew Scott had a LOT of hair, but I didn't realize how much it had grown until I saw the remnants on the floor. We had enough for a keepsake lock not only for me and Jim, but BOTH grandmas.

Let it be known: today is the day my Tank went from being a ragamuffin baby to a little man//mini-executive. Handsome, no?

The before photo...

I'm a handsome devil!

And yes, mommy cried. Again.

Scott's first year -- in pictures

What a difference a year makes!

Newborn Scott

October 10, 2010 - ONE MONTH OLD

November 10, 2010 - TWO MONTHS OLD

December 10, 2010 - THREE MONTHS OLD

January 10, 2011 - FOUR MONTHS OLD

February 10, 2011 - FIVE MONTHS OLD

March 10, 2011 - SIX MONTHS OLD

April 10, 2011 - SEVEN MONTHS OLD

May 10, 2011 - EIGHT MONTHS OLD

June 10, 2011 - NINE MONTHS OLD

July 10, 2011 - TEN MONTHS OLD

August 10, 2011 - ELEVEN MONTHS OLD

Whoo Hoo! TWELVE MONTHS OLD!! I made it (despite all mommy and daddy's "oopsies")!!!

We've got spirit!

Yes we do! That's 'cause Jim and I are big joiners.
Well, I am anyway.

So when Scott's daycare announced that they had organized a week long "Spirit Week," I was eager to participate...or rather, have Scott participate.

Each day featured a different theme, and Scott was decked out in grand fashion. See for yourself:

MONDAY: Sports Team Day (He looked so cute, representing both Mommy and Daddy's alma mater, I had to post two pics!)

TUESDAY: Hawaiian Day

(Scott wasn't feeling particularly cooperative.)

WEDNESDAY: Crazy Hair/Hat Day. (Seriously, this one was my absolute favorite. There was no way I was putting a hat on Scott when I had such beautiful natural curls to work with.)

THURSDAY: Decade Day. (No picture of this one, sadly. But Scott was sporting his "Wingman" shirt - an ode to one of my all time 80s movies - Top Gun!)


FRIDAY: Pajama Day. (This shot was taken after Tank came home...while he was "helping" me make my husband's birthday cake. And yes, I did remember to put the pajama bottoms on him when I brought him to school.)

Embracing the sippy

Sadly, I have neglected my poor little blog these past weeks.
August has been crazy - and being in the final days of the big countdown to Scott's 1st Birthday hasn't helped. For those keeping track...we're one week away. It's crunch time people.

But lest you all think Scott has failed to provide me with material for a new post...here's a brief update:

About three months ago Jim and I took the big step of introducing our Tank to the sippy cup, based on our pediatrician's recommendation. She warned he might not take to it right away, but said giving it to him early -- with a bit of water at meal and snack times -- might allow him to get used to it slowly.

Slowly, as it turned out, was an understatement. Turtles grasp new tasks more quickly. Of course, in Tank's case, I think it was pure stubborness.

Scott was quick to drink out of the cup, but only if Jim or I held it up to his mouth. If left to his own devices, he flung the sippy over his head, across the room, or used it as a makeshift drum/noisemaker on his high chair tray.

Weeks passed. We spent a small fortune on learner cups, cups with straws, cups with handles, cups without straws and without handles, cups shaped like bottles. At one point I think we had seven different sippys in the house.

If one didn't work, I put it in the back of the cabinet, and tried another - usually to no avail.

As Scott approached his first birthday, our desire to get him to even TRY to use the sippy cup increased. With daycare moving him to the toddler room, it became even more urgent to make some marked progress - Tank is the youngest one there, and the only one still using the bottle.

So like all good mommies these days, I turned to social networking. The general consensus on Facebook was to either switch him cold turkey or try a sippy with a soft/silicone spout, since that is most similar to the bottle.

As luck would have it, we had one - back from when we first bought out the sippy cup store. I gave it to Scott, and he instantly threw his head back and drank -- like a natural.
Fast forward a week, and he now routinely downs 5 oz of milk or water from one of three or four rotating cups with ease.

Yay Scott!

Of course...he still reverts occasionally.

Eleven Months Old!!!

Really?
How in the hell did that happen?

I am counting down to Scott's first birthday with a mixture of unbridled excitement and, yes...if I am honest, just a little bit of dread.

How is my baby so big already? He's talking nonstop (not that we can always understand him); he's learning to point and follows our lead when we point at something; he's trying to pull himself up without holding on to something and he loves making a mess at mealtime.

(Although, I could live without his new habit of constantly changing what he likes to eat. He'll enjoy it one week and then, a week later, reject what we thought was his a favorite food. (The one exception: soup. He will always eat that!!!)

Scott's oddly strong, he's growing like a weed, he is apparently loving being with the big kids in the toddler room at the daycare...and I think he looks like a little man.

I have an old friend in Fort Worth who once told me, "you will never know your capacity to love until you have a child."

On a purely logical level, what he said made sense, but I didn't really understand how true that statement was until I was blessed enough to have Scott enter my life.

He makes a bad day better, and puts a smile on my face whenever I see him, and I burst with pride over all of his accomplishments - great and small.

Happy 11 month birthday Tank!! Mommy and Daddy love you!!

This month's winning photo:

And a couple of my favorite outtakes:

Hello Dear Mr. Bear, I will lure you into my good graces with my soft touch and sweet whisperings.

Word. Two old pals, chillaxin and hanging out.

Step back, Mr. Bear. This photo shoot is all about me!!

Those things on your feet are called "shoes"

What do you mean I can't walk around barefoot for the rest of my life?

That was how I interpreted the look Scott gave me this afternoon when I took him to Stride-Rite to purchase his first pair of shoes.

He's technically "owned" footwear prior to this point - we got a couple of pairs of sandals as gifts, but he refused to let me even put them on.

But he now HAS to have shoes, because the big kids in his daycare toddler room go outside to play. Can't run around on the playground in socks or bare feet.  So for about 15 minutes, twice a day, he needs shoes.

I spent some time researching the whole "baby first shoe" thing on the internet this past week, asking my sister and a couple of friends about the best brands for the "early-walker" set.

I ended up at Stride Rite based on its reputation and the fact that it was a mere three minutes from my house (especially key given it was close to Scott's nap time when we went.)

I rolled Scott in in his stroller, and told the clerk we needed a pair of shoes. She takes one look at my Tank and goes, "How old is he? I assume he's walking?"

Me: "10 1/2 months, and no."

Her: "Oh, he's a big boy - and wow, he's got wide feet!"

Me: "Yes, I know - and okay then."

With that discourse out of the way, we then had the fun task of coaxing Scott on to the foot measuring plate - a process he did not enjoy.

The verdict? A size 5W.

The store had about six pair to choose from. I narrowed it to two, automatically eliminating anything with laces. No way he was going to sit still long enough for me to actually tie something on to his feet. I was prepared to buy both -- until I saw the prices, and learned that this wonderful new accessory was going to last maybe 2-3 months before he outgrew them.

You've got to be kidding me. 

These prices ARE ridiculous mommy, but I am worth it, right?

Where is that sales woman? Doesn't she know its considered "bad form" to keep her pint-sized customers waiting?

Anyway, with some more coaxing and nudging we got the darned things on Scott's feet, although he was none too happy about wearing them at first.

These things feel like blocks. Me no like.

Take it easy, would ya lady? I am still mastering this whole "walking" skill!

But moments later he spied a toy on a wall (that a three or four year old was playing with, mind you), and he was off. He crawled right over to it, and pulled himself up directly in front of it, effectively knocking the bigger (and most surprised) interloper out of the way.

Then he gave me a big grin. Shoes good!

And so we have Tank's first pair of footwear. Brown, with red and blue on them. (Yes, mommy was trying to cover all colors in Scott's wardrobe, because, at these prices, we were only getting ONE PAIR.)

We can talk about expanding our collection once the kid is actually walking.

Scott's first shoes!!!

Scott the Bruiser

So I went to pick up Scott from daycare today, and was greeted with this note on the infant classroom bulletin board:

Moving to Room 2 (Toddler):
Scott Rough - 8/15 (parent notification letter not yet sent)

Umm...whaat?

How could my Tank possibly be headed to the big kid toddler room in a mere two weeks? It was my understanding the babies didn't "graduate" until they were at least 12-13 months old AND walking.

Scott is neither, though he tries - a lot - on the walking part. And he will be only 11-months-old when he moves up.

I said as much to Scott's teacher when I saw the note. She tactfully and kindly explained to me that Scott was now one of the older babies in his classroom. There are, she admitted, a couple who are older, but his teachers thought "he was more ready than they are" to head next door.

Hmmm. I called Jim, and not surprisingly, he was thrilled with this news. I believe his exact response went something like "hahahahahahaha. That's MY boy!"

Okay then.

I took this unexpected development a little harder.

I think it's because (and I am blatantly stealing from my friend Meghan's blog here, because frankly she expressed it perfectly in a recent post) I still mentally picture Scott like this:

In mommy's mind, I am still a two month old with a binky. Seriously mom?!?!?

But in reality, he looks like this:

Yes. This is me. The big kid. Get used to it.

And even though Scott has lately been exhibiting all the signs of early onset toddler behavior, I still wondered if he would be able to keep up with a group of kids mostly between 14 and 18 months of age.

I expressed this concern out loud to Miss Hannah.

Her response?

"Don't worry. He's a tough kid. He can definitely hold his own."

Hmmm... Is it me, or does that sound like my Tank might be a non-stop force of destruction who is climbing over or knocking aside anything and anyone in his path?

For the record, Miss Hannah also didn't contradict me when I (somewhat jokingly) said, "So basically you're saying my kid is the diesel engine in the infant room?"

She just laughed and handed me Scott and then my diaper bag.

And so to the toddler room we go.

Some advice: 'Crawl quickly, pull things off shelves and bang a big wooden spoon as loud as you can, and you too can leave those little babies behind."