Tristan's Story

As per tradition, Tristan and Gunner each got to open a gift tonight. Tristan liked Gunner's best, so he stole it for a while until we managed to get it back. Then Tristan realized he really loves his new puzzle - and Gunner carried his new toy around all night to make sure that Tristan didn't get it again!

Tristan never got to see Santa this year, it just didn't work out. But apparently he saw Mrs. Claus at daycare! (It's actually Ms. Ashley, one of his teachers. :)

I've had an earache for several days now and today, it got really bad. I was in quite a bit of pain and so I was complaining to my godmother, an RN, and asking her if she had any suggestions. I guess I was whining a bit more than I realized because I suddenly noticed that Tristan (who I was holding in my arms) was just staring at me with a really concerned look on his face. I turned to him and said "Tristan, mommy feels really bad today. Her ear hurts a whole lot. Does your ear ever hurt?" He looked at me for a second, like he was taking in what I had said, and then he jumped up and put his arms around me for a HUGE hug. I told him thank you and how much I appreciated it, and then asked if I could have a baby kiss - and he gave me one!! I am so proud of and thankful for, my sweet baby boy.

Tristan is so incredible, he brings countless smiles to my face each and every day. In case you can't tell by his pictures, he's such a little ball of comedic energy... he must get that from his dad and his papa (my dad) because I certainly don't have that kind of charm. I have loved him since the moment I found out he existed, but this last few months it's gone from loving him as my son to absolutely loving the little person that he is becoming each day. He has a wonderful personality and such an insight... it's so great to be able to know him!

Example: Today after I picked Tristan up for daycare, we came into my bedroom. I put the baby gate up in the doorway (because he can open doors now) and put his big toy box in the floor. I was letting him explore while I did a little housekeeping. I saw him go over to his dad's desk and pull on a xbox controller, but it wasn't going to hurt it, so I let him. On the way down, an opened package of pop tarts fell to the ground as well. I was distracted for a moment by Oprah and when I looked back, I laughed out loud at what I saw: my tiny little boy had pulled out a pop tart and was walking around munching on it. There was already a big bite missing and telltale crumbs on his chin. So cute! I went over to give him a hug at the cuteness and he handed it to me - I guess he thought he was in trouble. I scooped him up and let him sit in my lap and watch Arthur while he enjoyed the rest of his midafternoon snack. ;)

Tristan turned 10 months old two days ago and yesterday, he gave me his first 'real' hug.

I was sad, talking about how big he's getting and how he's almost a year old. I was holding him, because we were getting ready to go out. I guess he could tell I was sad because he looked up at me, then put one arm on each side of my neck, laid his head on my shoulder, and gave me a big sweet baby hug. I almost cried it was so sweet!!

I love my handsome boy. :)

Tiff over at B&K Review is having her November Giveaway.

Leave her a comment and get an entry to win a pair of girls' or boys' soft-soled shoes from The Children's Place. Post a link to her blog on YOUR blog and get a second entry in the giveaway.

She has a TON of great info so remember to check back often!

http://babesandkids.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-giveaway-childrens-place.html

Tristan went to his first-ever pep rally yesterday. It was at Canton High School in anticipation of the football game against Mineola.

He LOVED it! When the cheerleaders did their cheers, he would jump up and down. When the band played, he yelled and clapped his hands, or snapped his fingers during the slow parts. And then during the dance competition, a hip-hop song came on and he put his "hands in the air" and yelled right along with the crowd. Hilarious and WAY cute! He got the attention of everyone in the stands!

Later, at the football game, he did the same thing.... clapped and yelled when the crowd did, and snapped his fingers to the band. Our little man is so smart! :)

Tristan had his 9 month well-baby visit today with Dr. Norris. It was his first regular check-up with his new doctor and we really liked her!! She got down in the floor to play with Tristan and talked to him the whole time. He loves her!

As for him... he is at 20.1 lbs, which puts him in the 75th percentile. A little big for his age, but he started out big for his age! haha. He's still only at 27.5 inches, which is about the 25th percentile, so he's a little on the short side, but that's okay. His head circumference is 19 in., which is the 98th percentile. Again, he's always been ahead of the game on that one, lol.

His eyes and ears and everything look great and she was really impressed that he's so active and already walking. She was also surprised that he also says words and knows their meaning, like calling me 'mama' and Brandon 'dada' and not confusing the two.

He didn't get his HIB and flu shots today, they still haven't been able to get his records from his old doctor. But they're going to call as soon as they get them so we can go in and get him caught up.

Despite my great plans during pregnancy, Tristan has been cosleeping with Brandon and I (and Gunner @@) since the day we brought him home from the hospital. There were a couple of nights when I tried to get him to sleep in his bassinet or his crib, but it never lasted more than a couple of hours.

Well, he's 9 months old now. He tosses and turns all night, not getting any sleep and keeping us up. Plus, he's started trying to dive headfirst off the bed every time he wakes up.

So, on Thursday, I changed him into his PJs, read him a few stories, gave him a bottle and rocked him to sleep. Then I laid him in his crib with his blankie and his paci and his ducky... and walked away. That night, he slept alone for about six hours. When he woke up at five, I got him up and gave him a bottle and let him come to bed with us for the last hour before school.

Friday night, I did the same routine, but he woke up at three.

Last night, I put him in his bed at about 11:00 (he had fallen asleep with me on the couch) and he stayed there until.... ::drumroll:: Eight o'clock this morning!! I woke up several times during the night and checked on him (even though we have monitors) but he was always sound asleep. He got up at eight, took a bottle, and started his day.

Hopefully this new routine sticks! :)

Tristan took his first step today! It also happens to be his 9-month birthday.

He tried to take a step this morning - on the bed, of all places - but he fell before he really went anywhere. This afternoon after school, though, he took two steps to get him from his toy box to the coffee table. And then tonight, he took another two steps to get to me. My baby boy is walking! :(

As of this week, Tristan is officially cruising. While he's been pulling up for some time now, he's had no real interested in getting anywhere that way. But yesterday, he held on to his toy box and walked around it and today, he did the same with the table. So he's moving on his feet now!

He can also stand up now without any help. He goes from a squatting or crawling position directly to a standing position, without holding on to anything. He'll be walking soon, I'm afraid! :)

Tristan has two teeth now. Actually, it's more like 1 1/2. ;0) He got one front tooth last Monday (9/29... or thereabout) and then another one popped up this weekend. He has both of his bottom front teeth now!

My tiny baby is definitely not so tiny anymore. :'(

A fellow mom in my January '08 Snowdrops group has started a blog dedicated to reviewing baby and children's products. She's putting in all the time/effort/research, all you have to do is read and shop wisely! :0)

This week, she's reviewing sippy cups and is even having a sippy cup giveaway. Be sure to check out her blog at this address: http://babesandkids.blogspot.com/

Tristan has his first-ever cold. :'( I guess for being 7 1/2 months old, that's pretty good, but I still feel so bad for him.

He woke up yesterday (Saturday) with a runny nose and sneezing. By the afternoon, he had a low-grade fever and by night, he was completely congested. We're using Vicks Baby to clear up his congestion, and Baby Tylenol to keep his fever down, but he's just miserable.

I hope my little guy feels better soon!

Here's a story from yesterday (8-14-08) which was Tristan's 7 month 'birthday'

Tristan has a little stuffed duck that he loves to play with... so the other night, I was telling him DUCK, that's a DUCK over and over... and he started repeating it back to me. Which we all went crazy over, but he was just imitating me.
Well , we were in Wal-Mart and Tristan was sitting in the buggy and all of a sudden, he said DUCK DUCK! I wasn't paying attention really but I happened to turn the way he was facing -- and there was a big toy duck sitting on the shelf. It looked NOTHING ilke the one that Tristan has, except that it was yellow and had an orange bill, lol.
Anyway, he recognized the duck and called it by its name... I was so proud, I just had to brag! :D

And here's a picture of my handsome boy:

It's amazing what a difference a baby can make. I know it's cliche, but he is such a joy and brings so much light into our everyday lives.

Today, he watched me hide a toy in the laundry hamper and not only did he pull himself up to standing, but he he then reached for the lid to try to get inside so he could retrieve his lost toy. He's so smart!

Then this evening when his dad came home from work, he was playing with my cell phone while we caught up on our day. Brandon's phone started ringing, so he handed me the baby and then started laughing - his caller ID said that *I* was calling. Tristan had called his dad on my cell phone! It was an accident, of course, but he was so excited to hear his dad on the other end! ;)

He also learned how to open the kitchen cabinets today, so it's off to the store I go and the baby-proofing officially begins!

Tristan is learning and doing so many new things every day now, it's just amazing to watch him grow.

He can now sit up independently, crawl, pull himself up into a standing position... He picks up anything and everything he wants. He loves to watch his dog play and run and I know that it won't be too long before he starts joining in.

He now eats 2 meals a day, plus table food snacks in between. Yesterday he got his first taste of a pickle - and loved it!

I got him on the waiting list for Lil' Ones Academy several weeks ago, but it looks like they might not have a spot for him before I start back to school, so on Monday, the husband and I are going to tour Pecan Ridge School. They have individualized curriculum, internet cameras, and lots of other things that I'm really interested in. They teach the babies sign language along with all the basic concepts you would expect. It's a little more pricey, but it's worth it to get him into a quality center where the staff will really care about him. :)

Tristan had his second playdate yesterday.

I met Alena through CafeMom when Tristan was first born; she lives about 15 minutes away in the next town over, and has a son that is just 2 months older than Tristan. Back in May, we met at the city park and let the boys swing, but Tristan was really too young to do much interacting with other babies.

Yesterday, we went to Alena's house and Tristan and Russ got to play together. They're both crawling now, though Russ is almost ready to start walking! They didn't really understand the concept of sharing (of course!), but I think they did great to be as young as they are.

We look forward to having lots more playdates when them in the future!

Tristan is napping at the moment... he finally got some relief from his teething tablets and was able to rest a little. The poor baby screams in agony sometimes, his gums hurt so bad. :( I ordered him an amber teething necklace. When we were in Killeen, I heard lots of good things about them, so hopefully it wasn't a waste of my money. :)

Yesterday, Tristan stood straight up on the bed, put his arms above his head, and growled. He's growing up so fast.... Of course, he can't *stay* standing up for very long, but it's cute just the same. He also rode in his 'big boy stroller' for the first time yesterday, when we tagged along to Brandon's VA appointment. He loved it, but we need to find a toy bar or something to keep him entertained.

I'm trying desperately to get in the habit of posting regularly, but Tristan is 6 1/2 months old today and it just hasn't happened yet.

The baby is cranky and grumpy most of the time now. He's teething, and miserable, and so are the rest of us. But he's started cuddling and saying words and he's so sweet that it's pretty hard to hold it against him.

He crawls now, in his own special way... he would much rather use his feet than his knees and if he could just work out that balance thing, he would be walking instead. He can pull up, too, but the same principles apply.

He's eating solid foods... he has oatmeal with fruit every morning for breakfast (his favorites are bananas and peaches) and then a veggie for dinner (likes: green beans and sweet potatoes, hates: peas). I've snuck him a taste of a few table foods, but nothing too serious.

We're still waiting on news of his daycare arrangements for the fall. I'm really looking forward to finishing my degree, but I know that after the first hour or so, I'll be missing my little boy.

Little Monkey is six months + 1 week now... today was his well-baby check-up with Nurse Rossell.

He now weighs 17 pounds, 9 oz. and is 27 inches long. He's five ounces shy of being double his birth weight and has grown by half a foot! =-0

He got 3 shots, with another due at his next visit (they were out of the vaccine). He's already eating fruits and veggies, but he got 'permission' to eat soft table foods and he can have meats at 8-9 months.

I can't believe my little man is already half a year old!

We took Tristan to see the Canton fireworks show last night to celebrate his first-ever Fourth of July. While we were waiting for the show to start, he held on to his blankie and loved just watching all the people go by. He climbed all over us so he could see what all he could see. ;0)

When he heard that first boom, he jumped... but then he looked up at the sky and his eyes just lit up. He was so mesmerized by all the bright colors. He really enjoyed them for several minutes, but then the noise started hurting his ears and he wouldn't let us cover them for him. He got a little fussy, but by that time, the wind had shifted and debris was falling right on us, so we all got back in the car. We watched the rest of the show from there and he was craning his neck to see the fireworks through the window. =)

Today was Tristan's four month check-up.

He now weighs 15 pounds, 3 oz. and is 26 inches long. He got 3 shots with 5 vaccines and is *super* cranky, but other than that he is doing okay. His dr gave the go-ahead for him to start baby foods when his cereal isn't filling enough for him, but he could take or leave the cereal right now, so I think it will still be quite a while before he moves on to veggies.

Today, Tristan is four months old.

Tristan has had quite a week... He has started holding his toys, loving his Exersaucer and laughing SO much more! He's also continuing to eat a little bit of cereal every day, and being such a big boy. Here are some pictures to prove it. :)

Late last night and then a few times today, Tristan laughed out loud for the first time. He's been squealing and cooing for weeks now, but he's just now starting to laugh like a 'big boy'. Soooo cute!! :D

We got our newborn photographs back on Friday. They're so beautiful! Thanks to the lovely Brooke at "Memories by Brooke" in Canton. They were well worth the wait!! I found some frames from storage, so we finally have our beautiful baby boy's picture on our walls here at my mom's house. Hopefully they'll be gracing our *own* walls sometime soon.

In other news, Tristan is finally starting to like his swing. This morning, he played and sang along to the music and then fell asleep... he was there over an hour before he decided he'd had enough. Then this evening, he was fussy so we put him back in it, and he fell right to sleep... He slept and swung for a good 30-45 minutes. I'm so glad he's found a way to entertain himself - and that we're getting some use out of our baby gear!

I'll update with pictures soon. :)

Tristan had his 2-month well-baby visit today.

His appointment was at 10 am, so unfortunately, I had to wake him up from his nap to take him, and he was pretty fussy the whole time we were there. He weights 11 lbs., 9 oz. now (up almost 3 pounds from birth) and is 23 inches long (up 2 from birth). He had to get 5 vaccinations in 3 shots, poor baby.

I gave him Tylenol before we went, and again after we got back, and he's been doing pretty great ever since. No fever or redness, knock on wood. What a strong little guy I have! :0)

I'm a day late, Easter was yesterday. But we had a pretty busy day and got home late, so please forgive me. :0)

Yesterday was Tristan's first major holiday. YAY! Here's what the Easter bunny brought him:

In case you can't tell, that's a race car basket with Cars plastic eggs, a "My 1st Easter" stuffed bunny, a book, a "Chicks Dig Me" onesie, a duck wrist rattle, and a plastic ball. Plus, a card, of course, for his scrapbook. ;0)

After he got his goodies, we loaded up and drove to Bedford for Easter lunch at Aunt Monica's house. Also there were Uncle Todd, Aunt Libby & Uncle Roy, Stefany & Specer with Mallorie and Makenzie, Grandpa & Melissa, G-Gma, and TJ. It was nice for Tristan to finally get to meet his extended family! There was an Easter egg hunt, plus GGma gave him a big stuffed rabbit, and Aunt M had a cozy blanket and some burp cloths. Thanks everyone!

That evening, we stopped at Aunt Lori and Uncle Steve's house to visit. Tristan just loves to play with his cousin, Ashley. They had already given him his Easter gift -a cute stuffed duck that makes noises. We had Easter dinner there, and got in lots of play time and then headed home.

Tristan was exhausted and easily slept all night once he got settled in!

Here are a couple of pics from our time at Aunt Lori's house: