Tristan's Story

Tristan has been talking more and more lately. His language exploded after he turned 18 months old, and he's been saying dozens of new words every day. He's started putting them into short sentences ("All done", "Let's go") and uses them in the right context. It's SO incredible to watch.

Anyway, today, I was standing in front of the mirror, trying to decide if my new shirt looked decent. Tristan was behind me, watching Ice Age 2 on tv, so I never thought anything of it. All of a sudden, I felt a little pat, pat on my back -- and Tristan said "Mama cute. Cute, mama." I said "What?? Did you say mama looks cute?" He looked right at me and said "Cute mama" and then threw his little arms around my neck.

This is what it's all about. He is such a sweet baby, my big boy now, and I *love* these moments.

Yesterday, Tristan had his very first haircut. I didn't want to cut much off of it; he's still my baby and I'm not ready for him to look like a big boy just yet! But it was starting to hang over his ears, and the back was long enough that his curls were getting pretty unruly.

I wanted to take him somewhere that I knew they would do what I wanted, so I let my godmother's friend Cathy have the honors. She is a former beautician-turned-nurse, so she knows what she's doing. And Tristan has known her since he was born, so it wasn't like taking him to a totally new place and letting a stranger cut his hair.

He did great! He sat up in the chair and never cried or anything. He wasn't great at sitting still, but with a little coaxing he did excellent for a one-year old. She didn't cut much off, but it's enough that you can tell the difference. Especially when he first wakes up!

Tristan went on his first-ever fishing trip today. I took him to the Mill Creek Reservoir here in Canton to meet up with his dad and grandpa. We had already bought him a Mickey Mouse fishing pole and a little red life jacket for just such an occasion. His daddy has been wanting to take him fishing since before he was born, so this was a huge day for them. I put on lots of sunscreen and dressed him appropriately - Crocs, blue jean shorts and his "Future Bass Fisherman" t-shirt that, of course, his dad bought.

He did great! He really enjoyed it for over an hour, which is much longer than I thought he would last. And he caught 3 fish! He was in awe of the fish, and even touched it - which is more than his mommy would ever do! :) I'm so proud of my little fisherman, and I know his dad and grandpa were SO excited to have today!

Yesterday, Nana and I took Tristan on his first-ever trip to McDonald's to celebrate his 16 month birthday. He enjoyed some chicken nuggets and orange soda before tackling the nice, new indoor playground. He even went down the slide on his own, for the very first time!!

Today, we found out that they moved him to the next room at daycare. He's now in with the 18 month olds, even though he's a little younger than them. We will really miss his old teacher, but hopefully things will go well in this new room.

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. :)

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! :)

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. :'(

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!

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 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.

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. =)

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. :)