Jun 23, 2011

Eerily quiet ...

It has been a very long time since we've posted.

Here's a quick recap to get caught up to date and hopefully there will be posts more frequently.

My job is going fantastic. I leave in 2 weeks for Florida where I'll be in training for 3 weeks and when I'm not in training I'll probably be reading on the beach. Thankfully Mandy's family will be taking a vacation down there to visit her dad's family. I am not looking forward to only seeing her and Toby for at most 3 days out of 21.

Mandy finished her student teaching. She's currently taking a summer class and next week begins working on her Master's Exam. I'm so proud of her. Watching her do everything from being pregnant and student teaching to raising a baby and student teaching to getting her Master's - that is one busy nine months! She had a preliminary interview with a school this week and will meet with the math department next week. Hopefully everything works out ... it would be a great opportunity and we could be moving closer to the Kansas City area.

Toby is growing up so fast. Last night he decided to start crawling forward. The last couple months he's moved backwards and in circles, but now he's made the decision to becom mobile. He has also been taking baths in the bathtub. He hated taking baths in the sink and would scream at being placed in a little bit of water, but for some reason enjoyed taking showers. This had to come to an end as a growing boy gets longer, stronger, and heavier, it's not very safe to have a slippery child in your arms. Our old babysitter had to move out of state and at the new babysitter there is another baby 1 month younger than Toby. He has taken quite a liking to little Alexis and we joke around that she's his little girlfriend. It's really adorable seeing the two of them interact. I wish we knew more people close by with babies his age so he can socialize more. Last night he also started eating vegetables. I was worried because of the mess he makes with just the cereal, but he was acutally cleaner and not covered head to toe in pureed green beans.

Mandy and I have found a bedtime routine that will put Toby to sleep and currently he sleeps from about 8pm-6:30am except for waking up either around 11pm or 3am for a diaper/bottle. Around 6:30pm we feed him his dinner of vegetables and cereal, give him a bath, read a book, feed him the rest of the bottle that didn't go into the cereal and he usually drinks himself to sleep.

Tonight Mandy is working so I was home alone for the first time since we've started the routine. Needless to say I had Toby in bed sleeping by 7pm. The apartment has been eerily quiet without any baby noises.

At the beginning of June we moved to a 3 bedroom apartment about 2 blocks from where we previously lived. I don't know how we fit all of our stuff in a 1 bedroom apartment. Unfortunately the apartment has had a lot of maintenance issues and they don't seem to be a high priority to the management. We have a washer/dryer unit in our apartment that hasn't worked since we moved in, which creates a lot of laundry over 3 weeks especially with an infant. We are not very happy right now with the living situation.

Well that was not really a quick wrap up, but I'll leave it there until next time and here are a couple of pics of the little guy.


Borrowing cousin London's jumper. I love to bounce!


One night he bounced himself to sleep. He would briefly wake up and remember where he was, bounce a couple times then go back to sleep. Eventually he started doing the head bob and we decided to put him in his crib.

 Recently he's started giving people he knows "kisses" either on the mouth, cheek, or chin depending on how good his aim is at the time.

Just chilling out in the new apartment.


Mar 22, 2011

Baby Update!

Sorry we're don't update as often, but student teaching and taking care of an infant, I've been pretty busy. I've tried to get Heath to update, but he has decided its no longer his project.

Best way to update is by posting pictures. Toby is growing everyday! When I pick him up from daycare I swear sometimes it's a different baby I'm bringing home. These pictures will go from oldest to newest.


 2 months

We started taking pictures of Toby next to Larry to help show his growth. Just wish we had started earlier.

Heath kept trying to put him in a more comfortable position, but that was where he wanted to be.

We've discovered our hands now and they are fasinating!

Great Grandma's birthday was last month. Yes Toby did sign his own name to the card.

Loves rubbing noses. We've discovered it actually helps put him to sleep.

I have a new friend I love to hold.

3 months old! He's already over taking Larry!

We're almost always smiling!

Had to include a picture with him supporting his favorite team!

Taken just the other day. We're holding our body up well and have started rolling from our front to our back.


Heath and I adore our little one. If you saw my picture files you would definately believe that fact. It was hard picking out pictures to share. Things not shown Toby loves standing (with help of course), tring to fit his fist in his mouth, and batting at his toys.

Ok I should stop procrastinating and get back to my Kansas Performance Teaching Portfolio (KPTP) lesson prep for the next units lessons.

Loving life!
Mandy

Feb 6, 2011

Our first 2 months together

Two months?!?! I can't believe that two months have gone by. I've been horrible about keeping up with what's been going on so I'll do my best to catch us up.

I remember thinking before Toby arrived how I'd be able to care for such a fragile human being, and wondering if I was ready to be a mother. Those thoughts disappeared the second the doctor placed him on my chest. From that second on something snapped into place everything felt natural. Its hard for me to even think of what life was like before Toby.

Toby is adorable here are some picture to prove it.
 1 week old and he's already a ham when the camera comes out.


 Yes as his onesie says he does rule his kingdom.


 Here we are after our first true bath. (3 weeks)


 I'm a month old!!! Party Time!!


 This is how daddy and I bond, we love our naps.


 Lost in mommy's eyes


 Yep I've started laughing and I am a huge flirt!



2 months!!

He is growing everyday! Not only that but his vocabulary is getting bigger as well. Everyday he makes a new sound, it shouldn't be too long before we're hearing mama and dada. Heath and I will try to be better in reporting about our new life, but its so full now with Toby that we easily forget to share those moments with others.