Kitty!

We have a sweet neighborhood cat that comes to visit us at our back door every once in awhile and that we often see on our walks.  It is such a friendly cat and he loves getting attention.  One of the first times we met him (last spring) he actually jumped into Ford’s stroller.  Ford giggles and smiles when he sees the cat and loves when the “kitty” comes to visit us and will actually say “kitty” a bunch when the cat is around.  When the cat visits we will go outside on the back porch to pet him and Ford gets so excited.  He laughs when he actually touches the cat’s fur and will reach his hand out to pet him, then pull his hand back, then reach it out again.  Once we go inside the cat usually gets comfy on our door mat and Ford will stay at the back door and talk to the kitty and point at him through the glass for quite awhile.  I have loved seeing how much joy animals bring our little guy!

A visit from Grandma

My mom was able to come join us for a visit starting last Tuesday evening through this morning.  It was great to have her and Ford loved having her here too, of course!  On Thursday I went to Myrtle Beach for a speech conference to get my 10 hours of yearly continuing education I need to keep my certification current.  The conference was at the Embassy Suites and was right on the water.  After classes on Thursday I took a nice walk along the beach and then got some dinner to eat while I watched TV in my room.  It was pretty chilly and windy, but I loved walking next to the ocean watching and hearing the waves crash.

Friday was a full day and I drove home that evening.  It was nice to go to the conference and sit in on whichever sessions I wanted, rather than trying to go to ones to get information I could use at work.  This year is the first time I have ever done that.  I enjoyed getting away, but really was excited to see Ford Saturday morning when I got him up.  I have always heard from parents how wonderful it is to get away, but that once you are you seem to only think about the kiddos, and then can’t wait to get back home.  That is exactly how I felt.  I was looking forward to almost 2 days in “adult” only world, a night to myself in a hotel room, and a quiet drive there and back, but wondered what Ford and my mom were up to the entire time I was gone.    Whenever I called the reports were great, of course, and Ford and his Grandma had a wonderful time together during the days, and Jeff joined them after work.  Ford was lucky enough to have his Grandma take him to his Little Gym class where he showed off a few of his skills, but apparently wasn’t too sure about the backwards roll they introduced.  My mom said his face was one of shock as she rolled him backwards.  It was nice to have my Mom stay a few more days so I could enjoy her as well.  We ran errands with Ford, shopped, relaxed, had a fun trip to the zoo, and ate a wonderful meal at Bonefish Grill.  Our zoo trip was on Sunday and some of the highlights were seeing the lion cubs, who continue to get bigger each time we go, the koala bear who was actually awake (his friend was not however), the zebras and ostriches who were eating, and the giraffes.  The one bummer was that the baby giraffe, Lewis, was not out on exhibit because of how windy it was.  All in all Ford had a great time, and so did we!  Ford definitely enjoyed showing off his new skills and toys to Grandma (who can tell he has grown and changed a bunch in the short time since she saw him last at Christmas).  It was so wonderful to have my Mom here and I am so thankful she was willing to fly here to see us and to help watch Ford so I could go to my conference.  Thanks Mom!  I appreciate you very much and love you very much!  We miss you already!

Ford loves getting kisses from Grandma!

Grandma was a good listener while Ford read all of his books to her

At the Zoo!

looking at the fish

Having fun playing on Grandma’s suitcase before she left

Kitchen helper. . .?

This month Ford has really enjoyed “helping” in the kitchen.  His help consists of trying to get into cabinets to remove any pots, pans, food, etc. that he can.  The pantry provides great fun when it is left open as he is able to take out the big bin on the bottom and then remove all the crackers, Nutri Grain bars and other food we store in the bin. 

Trying to remove the heavy mixing bowls is also fun as they make loud noise when he clanks them together.

Look at me!  I pulled out Mom’s pan from the cabinet!

Ford’s buddies

On Tuesday afternoon Ford had two of his buddies over to play for a bit.  It was fun to see the boys with each other and to watch as they explored the toys.  It even seemed that Ford was more excited about some of his toys once he saw one of the other boys interested in them.  Here is a picture of the three of them and one of Ford as he watched them leave.  While he watched them walk to their cars he waved good-bye.  It was precious!

Cliff, Ford and Tripp

No more doctors, please

It seems our family has frequented the doctor a few too many times in the last 11 days.  It all started on Thursday, February 5 with Ford’s scheduled weight check appointment (a follow-up from his 12 month well visit).  The appointment was a great one as Ford had gained 9 oz in a month!  He weighed 20 lbs and 7 oz!  The doctor was very pleased and so was I.  It all went down hill from there.  Then on Saturday at lunch I noticed Ford’s right eye was red.  There were no other symptoms of pink eye though so I was a little confused as to why it was red.  On Sunday I ended up taking him to the doctor and he had ear infections.  So, that was appointment number 2, and one that we had the pleasure of paying weekend hour pricing for.  We started Ford on his antibiotics that day and on Wednesday Ford started getting a cough.  Friday at about 1 am he woke up crying and then from 2:45-5am was up again and had a fever.  When he got up for the day his nose was runny and all day he continued to have a fever.  So, I took him in again to avoid having to take him again on weekend hours and was told that it was a virus that will run its course.  His ears looked better and the medicine was doing what it needed to.  His throat was red but the doctor said it wasn’t strep throat because the antibiotics would kill strep.  This weekend Ford was not feeling well and was pretty fussy, which is not his personality at all.  We are hoping he continues to feel better and can get back to “himself” soon.  What was the 4th appointment you are asking?  Well, that would be for me.  This morning Ford and I were at Stroller Strides, a work out group we go to three times a week with other moms and babies, and I was doing step ups (which we have done a million times) on the planters in the mall.  Somehow I ended up falling on my face, hitting my right shin and scraping it as I went down.  Hurt pretty bad but I kept going.  Then I started feeling like maybe it was bleeding and sure enough I was.  So, cleaned it up, put a band-aid on it and finished our work out.  By the time I was in the car and driving however, the pain was really bad.  Made it home and went upstairs to clean it and noticed one of my two scrapes was a deep cut.  I called Jeff to see if he could ask a trainer to look at to see whether or not I needed stitches.  Thankfully someone was able to see me so we headed to one of the training rooms, met Jeff and was told I needed stitches.  The trainer called my doctor (who is one of our team doctors) who told me to come to his office and he would fix me up.  So, Jeff, Ford and I headed to my doctor where he cleaned up my wounds (2 separate places on my shin, each about an inch long, one vertical and one horizontal, very pretty of course), and put 2 stitches in and then had to give me a tetanus shot because I couldn’t remember when the last time was that I had one.  So, there you have it.  Four doctor’s visits in 11 days and WAY over the monthly budget allotment for doctor’s visits.

Here are a couple pictures of Ford and Jeff from the last couple of days.  One thing that has consistently made him smile while he has been sick is when Jeff blows kisses on his cheek (Jeff says it’s called a “zerbert??).  Ford will actually lean into Jeff’s face to have him do it again.  It is so cute to watch.

Eating with a 13 month old

Ford has really been enjoying his meals lately.  He can get quite messy, but loves feeding himself.  So far, he is mostly still eating foods he can pick up with his fingers, but does eat with a spoon as well.  Sometimes he is fine with me feeding him when the spoon is involved, but at other times he wants complete control himself (usually results in an even messier meal).  Such a big boy!

Insisting on feeding himself yogurt

There might have been more yogurt on Ford, his bib, and tray than actually went in his mouth

Mmmmm, Spaghetti-os

Nothing like a little purple stain from frozen blueberries

A Taste of Spring!

The last few days have been gorgeous here.  It has warmed up quite a bit and the sun has been shining.  We have been able to open windows, take walks, and just enjoy the break from winter. 

On Saturday we were wishing baseball season had started because it was a perfect baseball game day.  But, since we still had 2 weeks until the season starts we all headed to the men’s basketball game against Georgia.  It was a 5:00 so Ford and I actually got to go as well!  We had a great time cheering on the Gamecocks along with the sell-out crowd.  Ford was pretty quiet and reserved with all the people around, but eventually loosened up and was more himself.  Earlier that day I had noticed his right eye was pink.  I wondered if he had pink eye but since it was only red and nothing else thought it must be something else.  When his eye was still pink/red on Sunday morning I called the doctor’s office and took him in at 10.  The doctor that was doing the weekend hours took one look in his left ear and told me she knew what it was.  When she looked in his right ear she confirmed it.  He had two ear infections, with the right ear being worse.  She said it is a bacterial infection that comes on very quickly (which is why his ears were perfect on Thursday, but three days later were horrible).  So, we picked up some antibiotics and were not able to go to Church since he was “contagious.”  Since we were all ready for church we decided we would go to the zoo to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Ford loved seeing all of the animals, pointing at the birds and squirrels and liked eating his lunch there too.  After Ford’s nap we were able to catch the last part of the women’s basketball game as well.  All in all we had a great weekend!  

 

Both yesterday and today Ford and I have gone on walks in the neighborhood as well, and have spent some time just sitting outside at the patio table listening to and watching the birds.  Ford has definitely enjoyed the pretty weather too.

Please stand by for technical difficulties

Sorry I have not posted anything all week.  Really, I am.  It has been killing me in fact.  I wrote a post on Monday but didn’t quite finish it so didn’t post it.  Then, our computer got “sick.”  It has been a mess all week and I have gone without using it since Monday afternoon.  This week Jeff bought an external hard drive and then backed up everything that is on our computer.  The most important being all of our pictures and videos of Ford.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will in fact be saved.  Jeff’s plan is to wipe out our computer and start fresh.  I really hope it works and gets things back to normal.  Today the computer is actually letting me work. . . but is extremely slow!!  But, atleast it is allowing me to get this post up.

Update on Ford’s weight.  Yesterday I took Ford back to his doctor for his weight check appointment.  I kept a log of everything he ate and drank for her to see.  He now weighs 20 lbs, 7 oz!  Dr.  Greenhouse was very pleased with the gain and the variety of things he is eating.  It was such a relief overall and made me proud of him for eating all the things he has lately.  She said we did not need to come back until his 15 month appointment in April! Overall, it was a wonderful visit!

Here is my post from Monday.  Hopefully the computer will be restored this weekend and I can get back to my usual postings.       

Another Month Gone By

February 2, 2009

Today Ford is 13 months old!  This past month just seemed to slip by somehow.  We have been having so much fun with Ford and have loved watching him continue to grow and learn.  We are also very proud of him and thankful to be his parents.  This last month Ford has gotten extremely good at turning himself around and going down the stairs by himself.  He has also gotten even more steady as he walks with his push toy.  He has started really enjoying walking with us, holding onto our fingers, heading anywhere.  He laughs and seems pretty proud of himself.  He has done a great job eating more of a variety of things and I am really proud of him for that.  Some of the new things he has been eating include veggie burgers, red beans and rice, grilled cheese sandwiches, spaghetti-os, and yogurt.  He still continues to be a cheese man, and loves his pears!  He will always eat fresh pear, always.  Meal time can been quite long sometimes, and messy too.  But, that is for another post.  Some of the toys he loves most right now include his push toy, ball popper, his shape sorter blocks which he enjoys putting up on the fireplace (does put them through the sorter yet, just likes taking the blocks out and playing with them, and his big pillowy dog, Duffy (I will try to post of picture of them together soon, but he loves it and will roll all of it and “wrestle” with the dog).  He has lots of other toys he enjoys, but those seem to captivate his time quite a bit these days.  To sum it all up, Ford continues to grow and learn in ways we are so proud of.  We have loved seeing him turn into the 13 month old he is and are so thankful he is part of our family!

On Saturday our family had pictures taken for the first time!  It was so much fun and we are so happy with how they turned out.  The main focus of course was Ford, but we did get a few family shots we love.  He did such a great job and had so much fun.  We had them taken at the Horseshoe on campus and he loved seeing and pointing out all the birds and squirrels.  He was also very friendly any time he saw someone walk by and would give them a “hi” or wave.  He saw a dog and said “woo, woo” (his version of a bark) and he has been making that sound for a dog every since.  He liked crawling on the brick, but was not wanting to put his hands down in the grass.  By the end he was quite chilly and his teeth started chattering right as we were starting to take pictures of just the two of us.  So, it is quite apparent in the pictures that he was “done” and had not a smile left in him, until he warmed up and got home.  Even though Ford and I did not get a great picture at the Horseshoe, we got a great one together once we got home (posted below).  If you would like to see our pictures you can go to www.naturallywonderful.com and click on the galleries/ordering section and click on “Ford.”