H's travel bag

With all of the holiday traveling we have been doing, I decided to complete a few projects that I'd been meaning to do once H got a little older. Hopefully they will keep him happy and occupied during our trips (most in the car, but one upcoming plane trip).

All of the projects were made using fabric and supplies that I already had on hand - which is either a good thing that I didn't need to go out an buy more supplies, or a bad thing that I have so much extra supplies! Either way, it was fun shopping in my supply closet and coming up with a few cute things!


Toddler backpack. The pattern (and many other wonderful patterns) can be purchased here. I thought this was so cute! And maybe after baby #2 comes, H's diaper bag will become the baby's diaper bag and then H can use this little backpack. It is definitely perfect toddler size, and Rae even includes suggestions on how to adjust the size bigger or smaller. I followed her pattern exactly except that I added interfacing and a lining to add sturdiness, and just because I didn't want all of the raw edges showing on the inside.

Some lacing beads. Another mama with a daughter a couple of months older than H said that her daughter loved these - so I thought we might give them a try. I had some colorful beads lying around and got a thick shoe lace for the string. We will see what he thinks!

A crayon caddy - there are places for a pad of paper, crayons and markers/colored pencils (when he is old enough for those). H is really into "coworing" and it can get a bit tedious to carry the crayon box, some paper, etc - when you are already carrying a million things, so now it is all in one compact place!

A matching game - for now we probably won't be doing too much matching, just looking, but the pictures are cute. I used the pictures from here (I love Homemade by Jill's stuff/ideas!), but put them on wooden nickles instead of baby food jar lids just to make it a little more compact and easy to travel with.

An I-Spy bag. I'd seen these on the internet and on etsy and thought they were cute. There are many tutorials out there if you are interested. I tried to use mainly bigger objects to make it a little easier for H. When he gets older I may make another with some smaller items in it. Before I filled the bag I took a picture with all of the objects in it and then labeled them all, instead of just listing everything.

Alphabet flashcards. H is really into letters these days, and can identify most of them correctly. These are again from Jill - you can find them here. I printed them up and laminated them. Hopefully with the bold letters and fun pictures, this will keep H happy for a little while.

To grandmother (and grandfather's) house we go!

We are finally here at SweetHart and PopHart's house! We have been preparing and planning for the last few days - practicing with the portable DVD player, creating new pages (pictures soon) for the quiet book, and packing and praying for a flight with not too many tears!

And we made it! Except for a few tears while he was trying to fall asleep on the plane, H was very well behaved! He slept a little, watched a couple videos (I guess the fact that he doesn't watch much at home paid off - his eyes were glued to the screen!), played with the quiet book, made friends with a few other babies on the plane, and learned the sign for plane too!

Lunch at the airport - he loved the rosemary foccacia bread from my sandwich.

H and AK (Aunt Karen) have been best buddies since we arrived. This little ledge is their "spot" where they crawl to, sit and talk on, crawl to the mirror, and then back again! He loves AK! This morning during breakfast he was bringing her all of his best toys here and telling her about them.

We walked over to the park at the greenbelt and played. We all had fun!

Reading with SweetHart (he says 'DaDurt' and calls PopHart 'Bop').

Doesn'tthis picture make you want your grandma?

He found a chair that he can climb on. Doesn't he look guilty?

Mmmm. Water (which he signs and calls 'wuget')

Good times, and I am loving having a little bit of down time - with so many playmates for H here, I am not sure quite what to do with myself!

Enthralled

We purchased a portable DVD player this week, and thought it might come in handy for the little one. We thought we would try out headphones and see if he would tolerate them (for use in planes or other need-to-be-quiet situations).

The result?

He didn't even notice them! He was so enthralled with the "Little People" video that I don't think he knew that they were on! He watches TV pretty rarely - once a week or so, if that, so maybe that is why he was so into it!

He was so enthralled he didn't notice me snapping pictures, or Mama and Daddy laughing!

Memphis, TN

We took a trip to Memphis this weekend. N had an ACDA choral conference, and my aunt, uncle and cousins live there, so we had a jam packed trip of music and family!

Our driving beverages have changed a little bit in the last year!

Our hotel was downtown, and just a trolley ride away from Beale Street

Beale Street Baby!

Sweet Dreams in the Pack-n-Play
When he wakes up, he likes to drag his fingernail along the mesh side of the crib. It makes an interesting noise at 2am!

Looking at the pond with Uncle Bubba

He and Candy made good friends! They were both about the same size, but she was a little faster than H. And, she thought that he tasted very good!

Don't you just want to go squeeze him?

He was making this face because he knew he wasn't supposed to eat the seed pods from the ground. It also give a good view of his two front teeth!

I know, he's cute!

Are we home yet???






health update: H is feeling much better! We figured that the pink eye led to the ear infection which led to the antibiotics, which led to thrush, but, I think we are finally coming out of the woods. The dr. has gotten a nice pay raise from our visits!

Army crawl no more!

H and Stella (during their visit he stole both her sock and pacifier)

H and AvaLee (He kept trying to grab her face!)

So, we are still working on our social etiquette.

We went to Alabama to visit N's brother and sister-in-law, sister, nieces, and grand niece!
We had a great time, and H reached a new milestone - crawling! We realized that it was easier to do the army crawl here on our hard wood floors because he would just slide, but there they had carpet and he would get stuck if he tried the army crawl, so.... he had to crawl! It's pretty cute! It still takes a little bit of effort, but he can get around!

While in Baton Rouge we....

Explored the hotel room while Daddy rested.

(Nathan has students in the All-State Honor Choir and normally I come for the teacher conferences, but we tagged along as family and to see family this time!)

Gnawed on lots of things!
(H is about to cut his second tooth, and everything goes into his mouth.
It also makes for a slightly cranky baby....)


Went to Chuck-E-Cheeses, although Mama and Daddy wouldn't let me play with the big kids....
(N took his students there for lunch today, and H loved watching the disco lights and the older kids.)


Helped Daddy on the computer.

Played on the floor.

(Mama keeps giving me these weird things called Cheerios.

They feel strange in my mouth, but I like making her laugh with my funny faces!)

Visited with my great aunt and uncle Bryan and Sheri and their daughters.

(They wouldn't let me out in the rain to play with their dogs...no fun...)

Uncle Bryan has fur!

All of this traveling wore me out!

(Sleeping with my new toy. Geaux Tigers!)

It has been different to come here this year with another member in our family and about three times as much luggage! I have enjoyed H's naptimes by cutting out the animal members of Noah's crew and crocheting a hippo. You can really get a lot of crafting done during naptime when there is no housework to do! N has been working hard as usual, taking care of us and his students. We got to see my aunt and uncle tonight too! I would love it if all of my family lived within 30 minutes of us...

And we're back again!

A few short days after getting back from CA, we were on the road again to Mobile, AL where we met up with Nathan at his aunt's home. She has a beautiful home, is a wonderful host, and has been nice enoug to put up with us for the past three summers. It is a halfway point between us and Tallahassee where he is working on his masters for six weeks this summer. It was so good to see him! When he picked up H, H just smiled and laughed! It has been funny to see that when I am talking to N on the phone, he will talk to H and he definitely recognizes his Daddy's voice!

Nathan noticed that H has grown a little taller and fuller, that he has grown some more hair, his mouth looks a little bigger, and he is more aware of his surroundings.
Also, somehow my milk supply was totally perfect the whole two weeks we were in CA - but, the four days we were in AL, I was producing too much! I didn't bring a pump, so I was basically leaking and uncomfortable for the whole trip. I'm not sure how that happened....
H has also become a pro at finding his feet, and can roll over from back to tummy and from tummy to back (although he doesn't do these often). We are also teaching him to sign, and while in CA he started to smile really big when I sign 'milk' to him! I have been signing to him for a couple of months now, and was getting a little discouraged because nothing seemed to be happening. Once I saw that he recognizes a sign, I am really excited to sign more! Nathan's aunt - Nanny Dawn - said that N started signing around six months - not too much older than H is now! She said it was really strange to see a baby tell you what he wants!




Taking a bath in the sink at Nanny Dawn's. He usually takes a bath in a baby tub, but there is something so much cuter about a baby in a sink!



Playing on the blanket at Nanny Dawn's that SweetHart gave H in CA. "SweetHart's Garden."


Playing with toes, looking at his daddy!


Playing with GrandMissy. She rode with us on the way there and back, and I could not have done it without her! It made it so that We could make it there without stopping all the time, she played with H, gave him his pacifier, helped him fall asleep, we traded off during bathroom breaks, and, it just would have been impossible without her!


At Nanny Dawn's boat house! It is on a lake/river near the Mobile Bay. H is an outdoor lover, so he was happy to be there all day - enjoy the breeze, seeing people go by on their boats, and being outside!


Being entertained by Daddy.


N and Nanny Dawn were 'crabbing.' This consisted of tying a string to the dock and then tying some meat to the other end of the string, throwing it in the water and waiting! We caught about seven crabs!
When we got home, she boiled them and then showed us how to eat them. The process is very similar to eating crawfish, and they are soooo delicious! I have never eaten crab, so it was a new and delicious experience!


H asleep in the pack and play on the dock.


Swinging with Nanny Dawn and being entertained by GrandMissy. After swinging in the hammock chair for a few minutes, he would look like he was in a sort of trance. This boy does not want to sit... he wants to stand! He would arch his back if he was sitting until you would let him stand! Is he going to skip crawling and go straight to standing/walking?

The happy family

Most of these photos are courtesy of Nanny Dawn - Thank you!

No, we have not fallen off the face of the earth...

We were in CA for two weeks visiting my parents, and then to AL to visit Nathan! SO, we now have a well travelled baby! And, I definately prefer flying with an infant over driving with one!
He did GREAT on the plane! Slept for about 90% of the flights, laughed at/with the seat partners for the other 10% of the time. The only iffy thing was nursing on the plane in close quarters, but I would say we were pretty successful (H got what he needed and I didn't flash anyone!). When we arrived he went right to my Mama like they were old friends - no adjustment time needed! It was great!
I will stop talking now and show some pictures!

Spending a little time with SweetHart.... She had some wonderful friends who let us use some of their grand-kids things - crib, play-mat, stroller, car seat, swing, bouncy seat, baby tub, etc... was all taken care of! We didn't need to worry about anything! I was so thankful for that!


This picture was too cute not to show! Getting his diaper changed on top of the dresser where my parents changed my diaper when I was a baby! Mama put a mirror on the wall and H loooved it! He rolled towards it every time and would smile at himself!


SweetHart tried out the Moby wrap with H while she was watering the flowers. H loves being outside - any time he cries, etc, we take him outside and he immediately stops crying, so he loved the 70ish degree weather and lack of humidity! We spent as much time out there as we could!


After supper, PopHart liked to get H to 'moonwalk.' It was funny, and H liked it!


H's first time at the pool! He was a little unsure of the situation, and kept looking at my Daddy like he was thinking 'will you stop these ladies???' He eventually calmed down and even seemed to like it a little. The next day when we went, he actually fell asleep while I was holding him in the water! The movement of the water either rocked him to sleep or he fell asleep because he wanted to block out the experience....


Daddy's and Grandfathers are good at making babies laugh!


We did a lot of rocking... in the chair that I was rocked in! Although my Daddy said that when he rocked us, we would put our toenails in his belly button. Thankfully H prefers this sleeping position.

Spending some time with AK (Aunt Karen). They had lots of good times playing and talking!


Many days of our visit, Mama and I walked around Osage park and talked a lot!
While the little guy did this:


At Peet's Cafe. He wanted some tea! There just aren't cafe's like this in Monroe, so I enjoyed making a few cafe visits.


At Union Square in SF. I needed to get my big city fix! H with SweetHart and PopHart.


In front of the Irish Bank - our favorite restaurant/pub in SF. We didn't order H a Guiness though - he was very disappointed! We had a very resourceful/inventive experience changing a stinky diaper in the pub bathroom that had no changing table and a very small triangular counter.....

Getting ready to go to the airport with a kiss from AK!

I was very glad to find that the airplanes have changing tables in their bathrooms!!!! I have ready about mothers changing diapers while their babies balance on their laps in the plane bathroom with turbulence... sounds like a bit of a nightmare! But, unfortunately we did not have to experience this!

So, from start to finish, we had a wonderful trip! SweetHart, PopHart, AK - we love and miss you, and can't wait to see you again!