Few Words Wednesday

Reed played in the dirt in the bottom of one of Granna's ficus trees. He's got the, "Busted" look going here.


In an effort to make it up to us, he decided to help Dad with the vacuuming.

Happy 10 Months Sweet Boy!

Reed is 10 months old now! I can't believe it. I know I say it every time, and probably will continue to in the future, but I just can't believe how fast he's growing. We've had a really busy month. Selling our old house, buying a new one (closing this Thursday). Planning all the remodels. And Reed has been a trooper through it all.

We've had a few major milestones. The first one, we'll introduce in a short clip:



What fun times! He loved to chase his monkey (one that his Grumpy and Gramma bought him before he was born, one that is really his favorite) around. It was some serious motivation. A week ago he would take a few steps if we coaxed him on. Today, it's all he wants to do. I'm sure by next week he'll be running around like he's been doing it forever. Way to go, little man!

Our second milestone was staying in the church nursery two weeks in a row, getting good reports both times. I must admit, the first Sunday I didn't hear a word the preacher said. All I wanted to do was peak in and make sure he was okay. Make sure he wasn't crying for his Mommy. But I resisted, and sat impatiently watching the clock for the minute church would be over. When we went to get him, he was just fine. Hadn't cried. Was sitting with one of the nursery workers smiling and gobbling up his Cheerios - which I'm sure he dug in my bag to find and handed to her to get them out. And today, he did great again. And today, I actually listened to the sermon.

Reed is also eating table food like crazy now. He loves spaghetti, roast, potatoes and carrots. And beans. His crazy Granna and Papa T fed him beans for lunch today, because, "He just wouldn't eat his baby food." Although it's true - he'd rather eat what we are eating - they sure did cause a stinky day!

Finally, Reed has discovered the piano. And loves it. And realized the other day that he can reach it without our help.


Can't wait to see what the coming month brings!

Playing

Notice where his feet are.

Home Sweet [almost] Home

Well, it's official. We're buying a house, closing the 28th! It'll probably be a few weeks before we move in, as we're going to rip out all the green/blue/pink carpet that's everywhere (including the bathrooms) and redo all the flooring. We'll also repaint everything. Figured it would be a lot easier to do before we move in. It's on Signal Mountain, right behind the elementary school Reed will go to. Walking distance.

Reed and Michael running through the sprinkler. Reed loves to get wet!

Reed really loves swimming! He usually swims in the lake, like this, but this week we went to Stuart Heights with Ada and Brittany, and Reed loved the freedom of swimming without the life jacket! Thanks guys, for inviting us to come with! We had a great time!
Reed also loves playing in Granna's cabinets.


And also loves playing with Ms. Kitty, the neighbor's cat who has adopted my parents.

Today we went to the park with Brittany and Ada, and some new friends, Amy and Anna Kate, and Ashley and Jackson. We had such a good time! Hope to do it again soon! I didn't get too many pictures, but I'm sure the other girls will add photos to their blogs soon, too. The kiddos seemed to have a good time!

Anna Kate giving Reed some sweet kisses. Reed didn't mind, because she shared her graham crackers with him.
Anna Kate: Reed, you lick Ada's stroller, I'll chew on your pacifier clip.
Aren't they cuties! Sorry I missed photos of the other kiddos, I'll have to take more next time!!

Chew Toys, Tongues and First Steps

Reed has a new fascination with using his mouth as a third hand. I think he thinks he's Harley (the dog). I've captured it a few times.



Reed also has a fascination with his tongue. It is usually sticking out, blowing bubbles, spitting, or saying "ba ba ba" with it hanging out. Papa T thinks it's funny to get him to do it while he's eating.

On another note, Reed stayed with his Gramma last Thursday while we tied up some loose ends on the house, and then we took him to get photos done. She's been wanting to get one of him with a boat so she can match some photos that she has of the other grandkids, and this was a perfect opportunity. All the photos turned out great! You can check them out here.

One last note - Reed has almost reached a new milestone! He's starting to take his first steps. He's determined to take off at full speed, so I think it will be a while still before he gets the hang of it completely. He doesn't want to take up any time trying to get balanced before he takes off!

Moving Day and Other Tidbits of a Busy [tired] Family

Sorry for the absence from the blog. But, we've been busy. Really busy. In the past two weeks we've gotten an offer on our house, negotiated back and forth several times, signed a contract, and close tomorrow. Moved all of our stuff out over the past weekend, thanks to the help of family and friends. Whew! Didn't think it would happen so quickly! So now I've finally had a moment to breath, and to sit down and blog. Also taking me longer to blog, since, also in the past two weeks, my computer decided to quit charging and I had to send it in for service. Finally got it back and EVERYTHING is a wreck. New hard drive, wrong operating system, so now I have to spend several hours getting it back to normal. Needless to say, it's been a crazy two weeks.

But we've had some interesting times, too. Reed turned 9 months, visited his new Pediatrician here in Chattanooga and has adjusted nicely to life at Granna and Papa T's (we're crashing here until we find a house). Here's a few photos to recap since it would take entirely too long to write it all out. And face it, that would be a little boring.


The biggest feat of our ninth month - sleeping through the night. We really liked his new doctor, and she told us he was just perfect. He's finally slowed down on his growth, coming in at 18 lbs 13 ozs and 28" long. He's now in the 40th percentile for height (at 6 months was in the 90th) and the 20th percentile for weight (was in the 50th).


Reed's using a sippy cup like a pro now. And he LOVES ice water.


Reed, just like his Papa T, loves the vacuum cleaner. I hear most babies are scared of it. Oh no, not Reed. He loves for it to suck on his toes, and chases it all around as I clean.


This is what Reed thinks about moving day. Barely made it through his dinner.

Dad securing the load. We had a 24-foot truck, a trailer, and two truck beds loaded down. And I thought we didn't have much junk! Big thanks to Dad for driving the truck even though it had zero air conditioning. Piece of junk.

Finally done. Don't we look exhausted? Even Reed, who fought a nap all day with all the commotion.

Reed LOVES riding Harley-dog. And Harley doesn't even mind! He's so gentle and sweet with Reed.

For more photos, be sure to check out the album on the right.

Fun Friday

Reed got a package in the mail today. His very own sock monkey. And it was love at first site! He even took a nap with him today. My two little monkeys.

Reed is so playful lately! His new favorite game (especially in the tub) is to hand me things. And then get really excited when I say, "Thank you!" Then he wants me to hand the [insert object here] back. Foam numbers, cheerios, toys, pacifiers, diapers. You name it, he hands it to me. He's even learned to hand me things that I ask for and point to. I was folding diapers the other day and Reed was playing in the laundry basket. I asked, "Reed, can you hand Mommy a diaper?" And he reached in, grabbed one and brought it to me. "Thank you!" And he clapped and giggled. I thought it was coincidence, so I tried it a few more times. Same thing. It sure made folding diapers much more fun!!