Boot Scootin'

Mom got new boots, so of course Miles had to get new boots! Aren't these the cutest things you have E.V.E.R.S.E.E.N???? OMG! But they are too big. Smallest size they had was 3 and BooBoo is maybe in a 2 right now - don't know - he doesn't dig shoes really so he's never in them. Plus his feet sweat too much without anything on them! So to wear them, I had to put 3 pairs of socks on just to keep them up. But he kept kicking his feet and they came off anyway. They were a great photography accessory for a while though!

This is Miles, Daddy, and Cowboy Drew hanging out before the rodeo at Aunt Shayla's "house." Neither one really digging their hats... P.S. I must make note that it was Pink Monday for breast cancer awareness. That is why Dean has on this semi-pink-looks-like-I-washed-a-red-shirt-with-a-white-one shirt on. Unfortunately, Miles doesn't have any pink garb and everything I found at the stores had hearts or butterflies on it - not for my cowboy!

This is me, Miles, and Cowboy Drew getting ready for the Grand Entry - have to steal pics from Steph when she posts them as Mama Brenda only used her camera while we were parading around. Also my shirt was PAH-INK! But look at my little cowboy standing up!!!

Our fam at the rodeo. This was right before Mr. Miles took a siesta in Daddy's arms, even with that loud music and horses galloping around!

YEE-HAW!

By Saturday I was finally feeling back to myself. Still a little sniffly, but otherwise back to normal. Finally I can leave the house – first time since Tuesday! We dropped Miles at Grammy’s house and headed out to the Pasadena Rodeo. We had a hamburger @ our friends' camp (some stay all week to work the rodeo and others have kids who show their animals) before the show. We enjoyed the saddle bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling, calf scramble, mutton bustin’ (kids ride a sheep with helmets on! Miles is so there!), and bull riding. Johnny Lee was playing afterwards. The Silver.Spur.Club was next - the hangout/bar and usually with a band playing here too. Of course when that closed down we headed to the after party! Got our drank on until 3:30 am!!! Dean was my DD so I could party like a rock star with Shay-la-la! Of course I charged my camera all day to journal the occasion and then left it at home-UGH. Will have to steal pics from Shay if she ever posts them. I did take a couple with my phone though....

And yes, I finally have a new pair of boots! My first since high school! Kind of an early birthday present I bought myself, but hopefully I'll get a real present from my honey too!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Miles has mastered sweet potatoes and bananas. LOVES the bananas! Unfortunately when I made a late Wal-Mart run last night, they were out of like, everything! You could tell it was the 1st of the month because that’s when all the welfare checks hit and people go shopping! Anyway, they didn’t have any good fruit, even frozen, so this week its peaches again, but carrots are new! Tonight he is going to his first rodeo and will be in his first grand entry parade!! Can't wait! Pics coming tomorrow!

Later Buckaroos!

Peas & Pac-Man

So this weekend, I finally made some homemade baby food - Go Mom! I made sweet peas and peaches. It really wasn't too difficult at all. Just cooked them on the stove till soft, (threw the peas in ice cold water to help soften the hulls), added a bit of water, whirred it up in the Magic.Bullet and VOILA!

I made this:

I have no idea why this picture refuses to be landscape. It is saved as landscape but weirdo blogger wants to reformat it for me.

And Miles made this:

He is doing SO good with eating. Just earlier last week, he wasn't getting the whole concept down of opening his mouth for the spoon and now, when you come at him, he "Opens BIG" (Mom repeats this over and over and over while feeding) and retains most of it in his mouth with an audible swallow. SO.CUTE! So for the next few days its oatmeal cereal for breakfast, chicken and peas (not mixed) for lunch and dinner! He is such a big boy I can't even stand it!

On Friday, for 10 hours, I made this:

It's a birthday cake for Stacey who was having a surprise 30th birthday party, 80's style. Her mom said I could do whatever, so thanks to some ideas on cakecentral, this is what I came up with. Rub.iks' cube on top, Straw.berry.Shortcake, and Pac.Man! I had made a SS figure out of fondant/gum.paste, but her head was top heavy and Thursday night fell over and broke. I was very sad because I worked several hours over several days to make her :( So I had to just print one out on card stock... Her mom really liked it and everyone was thouroughly impressed. I gave myself a good pat on the back for this one. I liked how it turned out, even though Dean said I didn't center the middle layer on the bottom one - and of course this is what I looked at all night long...that and my uneven Rub.ik's color squares...

Here's the fam rockin' to the 80's: Mom in her sideways pony, god-awful earrings, and hanging off the shoulder shirt. Dad in his AC/DC shirt ($4 Good.will find) and Miles in his...yeah supposed to look like some dude that Steph picked out from the 80's. He did have a headband on and Drew matched him...hmmm... hopefully she'll comment who they were supposed to be. What I really wish you could see is my LEGGINGS! They were so old school it was not even funny - they were white (wishing I could have found black for SO.MANY.REASONS) even with the little lace at the bottom of the legs! A good time was had by all. Stacey was truly surpised and I hope she enjoyed the party and the cake!

So I have been having milk.production issues as of late. As in, only like 2 oz per pump. Seems kind of pointless to me when I am not even making enough for one bottle....but after this weekend I am going to try even harder to get what little I am making into my little boy.

When he woke up from his morning nap on Friday, he had snot running down his face for the first time. Then he started this little hack, hack cough - like so pitiful it sounded fake. Called the pedi and the nurse said we could come in, but with him being so young, all he would suggest is home treatment anyway - humidifier at night, saline suction his nose. Call if something changes.

Saturday morning the snot was yellow. Call to on-call doc. Again, same thing. Was worried I would have to send the cake with Steph (and she was way nervous about cake travel!) and miss the party. Luckily it changed back to clear snot, so we were a go for the party. Just when I think I'm going to give up on the BF'ing, I have more reason to keep at it. We're getting into flu season around here and 9,000 people I know are sick with something. Miles needs all the antibodies and strength he can get for his little body so I will keep on truckin'.....

Labor Day Weekend = Fun Times

**I know most of you only come here to see pics of Mr. Cuteness, so please forgive me for not dumping the camera for the past.....oh week or so. Hopefully you will continue reading anyway. And make do with a pic of me and Hubster!**


Weekend Recap:
Friday was my day off so Miles and I met my sister, her 2 BFF's and one of their kids for lunch. It was the first time I'd seen both of them in quite some time. One was at my baby shower, but the other I hadn't seen in probably 10 years - post jail, post marriage, post baby. WOW times have changed. Anywho, the other lives in OK and is have fertility issues as well. Her OB recomended "the best" RE in her area. Neither her or her husband have been diagnosed with anything other than a little motility issues and she doesn't ovulate (but can on Clomi.d). They did IVF last November and got about 13 eggs that fertlized. 7 made it to blastocytes. The transferred 3 (none took) and frozed the rest. In February, they thawed the remaining, but only 1 made the thaw. They transferred that one and it didn't take either. Her doc said there's only like a 15% chance of having a previously frozen embie take. Does this seem right to you? Also, he is not recommending or even suggesting IUI for them. He said, "well it might take 3 tries and by then you're back to the cost of IVF so just do IVF again." They do have some financial strains, but why wouldn't you at least let them try to do it? Because in my opinion, the first try COULD take and that would save you 10K..... She won't push the issue with him at all. They just roll with whatever the doctor says, well because he's the doctor. I tried suggesting my RE (LOVE.HIM) but she says the cost of travel (driving or flying) from OKC to Houston for all the many appointments would eat away at their available fundage anyway. She wants kids so bad and is an awesome aunt, but it just tears me up that they won't push it any more.


Saturday we ran some errands, cleaned the house, had some seafood and went antiquing. Bought a pretty wrought iron XXX for our bouganvilla to climb on. Then we went to Haak.Winery. It's the closest winery to our house. We have been there a couple times before. They have some cool events and you can chill on the patio with a glass (or bottle!) of wine while listening to a band play. This particular day (of course) there was nothing going on, but we wanted to visit and get more wine! We did a wine tasting, bought a glass and took the winery tour. After the tour, we bought another glass and sat on the patio. It was a really pretty day. Oh and did I mention we came home with a CASE?


Note: Reason why there was no entertainment is that Alivin.High.School was having its 35 year reunion on the back patio...And you can see little man's foot sticking in bottom left of picture. He was zonked after shopping and drinking! I mean....it was nap time.

Sunday, we took the boat out to Lake.Houston with our niece (HA -she's 45!) and her husband. It was their first time on our boat, or should we call her Mrs. Thought-she-was-fixed-but-still-having-motor-issues-which-might-or-might-not-be-electrical. UGH. We still had a good time though. Just sometimes when we were driving fast, suddenly we were driving not so fast. We drove the boat to Cedar.Landing.Restaurant and had some good seafood (weird we had seafood both days!). While we were eating there was a thunderstorm coming across the lake. We started back slowly to try and miss it and then there was a thunderhead coming up behind us so then we had to hurry. Caught between 2 storms! Never fear, though Mrs. Finicky-Pants decided to work correctly on the trip back. I even got me a little sunshine! First time all summer!

Monday - Labor Day = ZERO LABOR FOR US...actually it was zero effort for anything actually. I stayed in my pj's all day long! We watched some good old HBO and Lifetime movies! Very restful. Like so restful I was praying I had one more outfit left to wear to work on Tuesday becasue we didn't even do laundry all weekend!

Now suddenly its Thursday. We're going to do our civic, ok not civic, but volunteer duties tonight and help out at the sign shop at the rodeo grounds. Our committe makes all the signs for the rodeo. Like ALL.OF.THEM - entrance, exit, cowboys here, beer tokens, sponsor signs, etc. For example, we made all of the ones shown in the background of this picture which I stole from the PLSR website.

Miles started turkey this week! It's kind of weird because its grainy but looks, smells and tastes like turkey with gravy! He is warming up to it. It's his first food other than cereal. I know some of you are GEEKING because "you're supposed to start babies on vegetables first" but not according to our American.Association.Of.Pediatrics book. There is lots more protein in meat than veggies and the recommended order is meat, veggies, fruit. Meat, however is the one category of baby food that I don't think I want to cook myself. But thanks to the great Allison with step by step instructions and pics! we are going to attempt veggies and fruit on our own. Next week - CHICKEN!

*I have taken photos of this, I promise. Again...on the camera.

Yesterday, my dear friend Steph's grandma passed away. She had been fighting for quite some time. I am sad for her because tomorrow she, Drew, and her mom were flying to Ohio to visit her as she has been in and out of several hospitals. Now, they will be attending her funeral. This makes me very sad. But it also reminds me of something my mom says about everytime God takes an angel home, he has to put another one on Earth in her place. Yesterday my friend Erin gave birth to a 6 lb 8 oz angel named Sydney. And even though they don't know each other, I know they will each hold a special place in my heart for having both graced us on that blessed day, 09/09/09.

Ketchup

It's time to ketchup or catsup or catch up...

• Here's a pic of Miles' first cereal bottle. He gobbled it right up! We attempted spoon feeding him some on Sunday afternoon. We got a video of it, but forgot to take any regular pics! DOH. Will have to see if hubby can get that video clip for me...

• We are all over the place in clothes these days. Some 0-3, some 3-6, some 6, some 6-9. Guess it just depends on the maker. I made him a t-shirt with an iron on that I got from Hob.Lob eons ago - like before he was born. It is a UPC code with "priceless" underneath. Its a 6 month t-shirt but we put it on him on Sunday and it barely goes over his fat head and is almost too small for his belly!


• Miles is laughing hyterically now. It melts my heart! I can give him kisses all over his body and he giggles at every nibble. Daddy can do the "boo" game and he squals every time and sometimes even tickling him everywhere does it. It's so awesome to hear and it brings a tear...(there's a country song in there somewhere...)


• Miles LOVES to stand up! Either in your lap or on the floor. And lately, you can stand him up holding onto the ottoman/coffee table and LET.GO and he stands there like a big boy! No wobbles! WHAT? Mom saw me do it on Sunday and was like, you're gonna have a 9 month old walker if you keep up that training...Training? I am not pushing the issue. I am just helping him in a position that he loves to be in. I think he likes to be "taller" so he can see more around him! It only has me a little worried because I have read that some babies never crawl and go straight to walking! When we were at JCP one time for his pics, there was a 10 month old there walking around. It looked so strange because he was so small - like a little mini person standing there!


• For the first time since May, we got to take the boat out! It's been having some electrical issues...the wires in that thing are daisy chained together so if one thing goes out, more than likely it will make something else go out, etc, etc. You get the picture. So first it was the gas gauge (hello, might need this when we're 10 miles down river), then the radio (Ok I can live without it cuz we can use iTunes), then the engine...ok this is enough. Anyway, Deano and his friend took it out weekend before last to tinker with it and think it's finally ready. We took it out to this river. It's a nice place to relax. And house look and people watch...I have a feeling there's some waterfront property in our future... It was just me and my boys. Miles took a nap and we took some deli sandwhiches and BEAVER.NUGGETS from Bucc.ee's!!! YUM-O! And look...Dean is already teaching Miles how to drive. I think he was more interested in how that throttle worked though...GO FASTER DADDY!

• Here's Mr. Miles weekly pic - Week 19. Holy CRAP - this means I will have a 5 month old on Friday. WHAT? This photo session was quite amusing as he kept grabbing the monkey and pulling him over on top of him!

Don't you just want to squeeze and hug and kiss and love him? I do. ALL.DAY.LONG.

Crafty McCrafter #2

I found this really cute idea on Photogrl's bloggy....so I signed up.


And now....it's your turn!


Here's how it works....The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. They say I have a year to get it to you. But I promise it will NOT take that long!
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It’s a surprise to both of us at this point.

The catch? You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

Terrific Tuesday

I read this in an email from Baby.Center today: If you're feeding your baby formula, you can expect to pay between $1,300 and $4,000 for a year's supply. YAY more money for wine!

I think Miles might be teething. I can't feel anything on his gums, but he is a drooling machine! The sitter is having to change his clothes because they are SOAKED! And his fist is constantly in his mouth.

His other new trick is whenever he is laying on his back, his legs are straight up in the air. I think this is the next step to having his feet in his mouth!

Last night we put him to bed in his crib upstairs. We have done this a few other times and they have gone smoothly. Last night he was SO restless. I had the monitor turned way up so I could hear him (his room is far enough away that without the right volume on the monitor, I wouldn't hear him at all) and all I could hear was his body moving against the sheets. I looked at the monitor and he was flopping his head from side to side and moving his arms and legs all over the place. Of course this kept us awake because of the monitor amplifying what is normally a quiet sound. Finally about 2:30 Dean went up and put him on his tummy and give him his sucker (Dean HATES the word "paci"). He naps very well on his tummy but he did the same thing this way. 3:00 we moved him back to the pack n play in our room and he was golden. So an hour and half later....I had to get up to feed him before work. UGH am I dragging this morning.

Tonight, Deano is playing in the Galveston.Beach.Band again. It is very Americana, even playing in a gazebo with buntings hanging from it. The band director is 85 years old, as are some of the players. His dad started the band in 1934. They play every Tuesday night during the summer. Check out the link. My favorite from the article: "Benches provided. Mosquito spray recommended. Admission is free."

And you know I can't leave without a pic of the little guy! He is smiles 24 x 7!!!

The Center Ring

Forgot I needed to recap our circus visit from Tuesday.... The "pre-show" was cool, although the website said doors open at 5:30, we sweated outside the gates until 6:00 - why - nobody knows. We got to walk around and see the elephants, horses, tigers, puppies, pot belly piggys, and porcupine (yes - he even had a little act!) up close and personal. On the otherside of the arena were the clowns, jugglers, etc. You could try on circus outfits, get autographs, and watch little clown acts.

We ended up leaving at intermission - 9:00! - because it was just too much for Mr. Miles. It was way loud for his baby ears and he started getting startled anytime a loud noise would happen - and with clowns falling down and throwing things - you can imagine there was a noise for all of it! The minute we got outside he wasn't figedety at all! I won't bore you with all the pics (Thanks S, stole some from your page)....but here's a few.

During the pre-show the elephants were throwing tires around like balls!

The crazy clown BFF's...
All of the clown bunch!

Circus Supplemental

The day has finally arrived....

The day I knew would come...

The day I had to send formula with Miles to the sitter. :0(

When I picked him up yesterday she told me she had ran out of milk. I have only been pumping 4-5 oz at a time and she said he's been taking that plus like 1 more oz out of another bag. The timing couldn't have been more perfect though, on Miles' part. She usually feeds him around 4:15 or so, but yesterday he was either having another growth spurt or was just extra tired from his long weekend and slept from 3:00 until I picked him up at 5:20. So that was a blessing, otherwise she would have been dealing with a screaming, starving baby.

It still makes me sad though, to know that I can't keep up with his needs anymore. But it also makes me happy to know that he is growing and is one step closer to starting solid foods. The books I've read say you can start 4-6 months. I want to wait until his 4 month checkup with the pediatrician on 8/17 to see what he thinks.

Any other BF'ing moms supplementing too? What are your thoughts?

Tonight we are going to the circus! YAY! We are going with S&J, Drew, and Fun Aunt S.I.!! It will definitely be Miles' first circus and I think Drew's too. You can go an hour and half before the show starts and get to walk on the floor of the arena meeting clowns, riding elephants. Should be lots of crazy fun!

I'll leave you with some pics from the weekend.

Week 13

Birthday Party/Girl #2

Birthday Party/Girl #1 (sitter's daughter)

I love to sleep on my face!

Grammy giving her 1st bath!