Bye-Bye Swing....

You served us well.

It wasn't that long ago that I posted a blog about our favorite baby things. The items we couldn't live without.

I came home from work yesterday and found the bulk of them in a pile by the back door -- Jim's staging area for eventual removal to the storage shed. It's quickly becoming full of all of Scott's outgrown "baby stuff."

Among the pile of soon-to-be-shelved gear was the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Swing.

Such a sad end for so many great pieces of baby equipment.

Scott virtually lived in it until about three weeks ago. He napped there, played there...for a couple of months it was literally the only tool we had that was guaranteed to stop his fussing and crying.

But as he's grown, he's become more destructive. One by one, we were forced to remove the toy fish that circled over his head on a mobile. He kept grabbing them, thereby stopping the whole thing from turning and prompting the entire contraption to make an ugly, grinding sound.

Dead fish

A couple of weeks ago, he figured out how to pull himself up on the housing mechanism himself. And then finally, I came into the nursery, to find him flailing, half in, half out of the swing, trying to reach a toy or a security blanket he had dropped on the ground.

I am not quite sure how Tank managed that last feat - he was strapped in, but had somehow scooted down, loosened the belt and flipped himself over on his stomach. Then he got stuck.

So the swing (along with the bouncy chair, floor mat, and various other items) are being retired for safety reasons. Our big boy is just too mobile.

I honestly wasn't sure I'd ever see the day. Ocean Wonders Swing: thank you for your many months of hard service. We salute you.

Mommy, I am on the move...and way too big for some silly baby swing.

Making a first impression, but not the kind I'd hoped

Today is Scott's first day at his new "school."

It did not start off with a bang. Rather, it began with a giant sneeze and an embarrassing glob of snot. More on that later.

Jim and I decided to switch Scott to the new daycare two weeks ago, after repeated problems getting him to nap at his old facility.

His teachers were very nice, but the school didn't have a dedicated quiet time, and we were tired of having a uber-fussy baby at dinner and bedtime every night.

We also were starting to suspect that Scott was spending a lot of time playing by himself because he's a pretty mellow and happy kid, and the caregivers always seemed to have their hands full with three or four little -- always fussy, always crying -- infants. Most of the time when I picked him up he was quietly sitting on the floor by himself.

We didn't make the decision lightly. The new place is nowhere near downtown - its northeast of our house, which means either Jim or I have to leave work at 5:15 in order to pick him up before closing time.

But we think (hope) the positives about Scottsdale Learning Center  will outweigh the negatives (mainly the commute). First, all the kids in Scott's room are between eight months and 12 months, so they are all at the same approximate place developmentally. Second, they have a very structured schedule, including two dedicated nap times. Morning nap time runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the afternoon is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m..
They dim the lights, put on soothing music, and all the babies play quietly or sleep in their cribs or the swings.

And finally, each day they work with the babies on a specific targeted skill. Learning activities include 'practicing bye-bye waves', walking, ABCs, 123s, colors, and so on.

So it was with great anticipation this morning that I greeted Scott. "Are you ready to go to your neeeww school?" I cooed, expecting a big happy smile in return.

What looked up at me instead was a snotty, rosy cheeked, warm, and unhappy looking baby.

Uh oh. 

I had hoped Scott would make a great first impression on his teachers and fellow students by wowing them with his newfound walking skills, his bang, bang, bang antics, and happy grin.

Instead, they got a fussy, teething, sick kid who looked like his world was coming to an end when I dropped him off.

Scott with Miss Kat. Rarely have I seen my son look so abjectly miserable. Welcome to your new school, buddy.

I kissed Scott's cheek and snuck guiltily away as other parents dropped off their children. I could almost hear them saying: "Nice. So you are THOSE parents who enroll at a new school and automatically shower all of our kids with snot and germs."

Trying to determine the over-under odds on Scott getting sent home from his new school on his very first day.

(Day 1 addendum: Scott did NOT get sent home, and he took a two hour afternoon nap! Yay!)

Crawling is for babies... and I am SO over it

Today we close the book on Jim (and Scott's) first Father's Day.

I can only deem it a resounding success.

First, Scott and I are monumentally grateful to have Jim home. He's been working nonstop for the past two weeks in Copenhagen. He made it home Saturday night - just in time for Father's Day.

Scott was very happy to see his daddy. After his morning swimming lesson and a marathon mid-day nap, father, son and grandpa headed over to Chase Field for a boys day at the baseball game. The Diamondbacks sadly lost, but all three appeared to have a great time. Scott ate french fries, flirted with the ladies in the stands, and even tried to cheer.

Boys day out at the ballpark!

Eating a french fry and climbing over grandpa to get a closer look at the hot girls one row over.

But Tank saved the real fireworks for late afternoon. With a captive audience consisting of grandma, grandpa, mommy and daddy, Scott pulled himself up on his (new) favorite toy, and .... wait for it... drumroll please:  took his FIRST TENTATIVE STEPS.

Um, hello? I know my child is advanced. But this borders on the ridiculous. He's nine freaking months old. He only been crawling for three-plus weeks. And standing up? That's a task he mastered a mere 8 days ago. And yet, there he was, gleefully banging his hands, clapping, and shuffling along the carpet. Proud daddy scooted on the floor with him like a true coach, encouraging, correcting, and yes, pointing out, when necessary, the flaws in his technique.

(Oh, and did I mention he's TALKING too? Ma-ma-ma-ma and buh-buh-buh-buh...he's really quite the chatterbox.)

Check out the video, and prepare to be amazed.

It was the perfect Father's Day gift for Jim, who has been telling me for weeks...err, months, 'he's not a baby anymore.'"

But I must admit, I view this latest accomplishment with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am so proud of my strong, determined boy and the pride he took in being able to shuffle along the floor. But on the other, I feel like its all happening just a bit too fast.

Jim's right: he's not a little baby anymore.

But I hope he stays my baby for just a bit longer.

P.S. Babies -- make that big kids -- who walk hard and play hard also SLEEP hard.

I am tired. I am sleeping. Leave me alone.

The Cutest Kid Contest

Anyone who is friends with me on Facebook will probably read that headline and shudder.

Yes, it was just a few short weeks ago that I asked, begged, cajoled, browbeat and threatened pretty much anyone I had ever crossed paths with in my 36-years on this earth to vote for my kid in a local "Cutest Kids Contest." The prize? A free photo session with an area photographer.

It was fun at first. After all, my kid clearly was the cutest of the bunch, and his entry photo (below) proved it!

But after three days, the whole process just became exhausting. Scott took an early lead, but a family in Gilbert hired a professional PR firm, took out ads on television, and launched a robocall campaign to get people to vote for their child.

(Okay...that last sentence is probably a SLIGHT exaggeration.)

By the end of the voting period, their little urchin had pulled ahead, I was uber-sick with the stomach flu, my mom and I had emailed everyone in our address books, and I was growing increasingly tired of having friends tell me that 'I had no shame' in my desperate pleas for votes.

(And for those who did say that: you are right. I have no shame when it comes to my kid. I am a mom. It comes with the territory.)

So Scott came in second. (BOO, HISS!!) 

But because he should have won, and because my friends were so awesome and because we worked so hard, the photographer who sponsored the contest gave us a free photo session anyway.

(Special thanks here to both of Scott's grandmas, my sister, Alia Beard Rau, Karen Brooks, Julie Barnes Stafford and Shannon Chambers, all of whom used their Facebook pages and accounts to push for extra votes.)

Beth -- the aforementioned photographer -- proved once again that she is awesome. She spent more than an hour with us, snapping candids both inside our house and in our front and backyard. (We've already booked her for Tank's first birthday celebration.) We got our prints back last week - and I think they offer all the proof needed that Scott truly IS the cutest kid around.

Here's a sampling of my favorites.

Seriously... my child looks like the Gerber baby. Clearly the cutest and the rightful winner.

More Scott adorable-ness

This is getting redundant.

I love, love LOVE this sweet shot of Scott and his daddy.

Chillin in the jumperoo...and looking oh so cool doing it.

Mommy enthralled by Scott and whatever he's doing.

Ditto. We got lucky. Scott was in a great mood for most of our photo session.

Classic family portrait by the pool.

Nine months old!!!

Happy Birthday Tank!

Three quarters of a year gone by...the countdown to the big 1.0 has begun!

Scott is a delight. He giggles and laughs, plays games and loves eating "real people" food. (Which he does with gusto now that he has 6 teeth!)

Chicken, edamame, cream of chicken soup, green beans, watermelon, cream of wheat breakfast cereal and cheese are leading favorites... and now he's not only crawling, but pulling himself up and standing upright.

This is how I found him in his crib this week...

He apparently likes his newfound perspective -- last night he tried to stand up in his bath-tub -- without holding on to anything. (Yikes.)

He's literally into everything. He crawls into the coffee table, bumps his head and keeps going. He loves anything that makes noise - the louder the better.

These Evil Knievel tendencies have already given us his first battle scar. Yesterday afternoon, daycare called to tell me Scott had (successfully) pulled himself up while holding on to a small wooden table in the room. Only problem? He tried to grab a toy, let go, lost his balance and fell forward into the table.

Then he tried to do it again, 'cause, you know, one knock to the noggin just isn't enough.

He's got a nice big puffy pink mark that will no doubt turn into an awesome bruise under his right eye.

So in honor of his first nine months on this earth, we had our requisite "birthday" photo session this morning. Here's this month's winning pic:

Model perfect pose and smile

And the outtakes:

Haven't I seen you around somewhere before?

Really, mom? Again??

That's it. I am OUTTA here.

And just because I love them: Scott's first "school" photos...taken at daycare.

The "adults only" vacation

This past weekend marked a major developmental milestone.

For mommy.

I painfully cut the apron strings for the first time, traveled out of state, and left my son behind.

Russ, Monya, me and Jim at our first stop - Truchard Vineyards.

In the tasting room at Schramsburg.

It's been a long time in the making. Last year, my husband gave me a pretty cool combo birthday/Christmas present: my first trip to California's wine country. All I had to do was pick the time, and be willing to leave Scott in Arizona with his Grandma and Grandpa for a few days.

It took me eight and a half months before I felt like I could do it.

I expected to be a basket case, but I believe I handled my first long-term separation (five nights, four days) from my little man pretty well. I only had one meltdown. It lasted about an hour, Jim talked me through it and I made it through the rest of the trip with flying colors.

It helped immensely that I knew Scott was being spoiled rotten by my parents in my absence, and the fact that my mom sent more than a dozen pictures didn't hurt either. I got to live vicariously through Scott (via my cell phone) as he giggled his way from one adventure to the other.

Tank's stay at "Camp Richardson" didn't start all that well - he was fighting an ear infection and a cold that turned him into a ginormous snot factory. And then, after two nights of keeping my parents up at odd hours, they discovered that he had sprouted a new tooth. (That's #5!)

Again, I repeat: teething is hell.

But after that sucker popped through, it was smooth sailing.

Good morning, happy baby! Post fever, post new tooth.

Scott made his first visit to the McCormick Ranch Railroad Park, where he went on a train ride, got a new rubber ducky and was apparently enthralled by the many model choo-choos.

At the carousel with Grandpa.

Train time with Grandma.

He spent time in the splash pad/fountain at Kierland Shopping Center, and then indulged Grandma and Grandpa when they decided to stop at their favorite restaurant, Zinc Bistro, for a glass of wine.

Oooh! Cold water and a ducky!

Mommy, Daddy: Feel free to leave anytime. Grandma and Grandpa are fun!

Later in the weekend, Scott entertained his great-grandmas (Nahnee and Gee-Gee) by trying to stand up and by playing his favorite game "Bang, Bang, Bang!"

(And yes, that is exactly what it sounds like: Scott takes the noisiest toy he can find and bangs it has hard as he can on whatever nearby surface yields the highest decibel impact.)

He also had dinner at Red Lobster - his first outing to a restaurant since becoming a big enough boy to sit in one of their high chairs.

Trying to play "Bang, Bang, Bang!" with a placemat doesn't work so well.

Don't worry about it Grandpa. I got this one.

Meanwhile, mommy and daddy worked their way through one end of Napa Valley to the other, and then drove over to Sonoma County with some friends from California. We had a blast - spent some time visiting with Jim's mom, eating at incredible restaurants like Bottega and Cyrus, joining wine clubs, and yes, taking out a second mortgage to pay for all the vino Jim purchased.

Another winery, another case of wine. Jim cannot be stopped!

Picnic lunch at Lambert Family vineyard

The cottage at Benovia winery. We spent two nights here. 

Last night at Sonoma; four hour dinner at Cyrus.