The Road to Being Mischievous

This is the beginning of Stryker's mischievous side. Logan dropped Stryker off this morning at daycare. He told the teacher to allow Stryker to use his sippy cup of water at lunch. When I came to pick Stryker up that afternoon, the teacher was laughing hysterically as she told me the story of why he was wearing a different shirt. She proceeded to tell me that Stryker must love water but it may not be a good idea for future lunches. His sippy cup was given to him while in the high chair. The teacher said Stryker quickly (but still to her wonder on how) poured the water on his tray & began playing in it. She said he had his little hands splashing all in the water. There was a boy sitting in another high chair next to Stryker. That little boy kept looking at Stryker like he was crazy. The teacher had to move the other boy because Stryker was splashing him in the face! She said Stryker was having a blast! She allowed him to play a few more minutes & then cleaned him up. Thank you for having a good sense of humor. Oh the joys of having a very active little boy!!!

Bye Bye

You surprise us all the time little man. Today, your daddy was holding you when I walked in the room. Daddy & I began talking when you did something making us speechless. You lifted your little right hand, waved, & said "bye bye"!!! What a special moment. Both of us getting to experience a first. Excited, we both started jumping up & down clapping. I think our celebration scared you because your face began looking startled followed by crying. Sorry, Stryker. We'll tone our future celebrations down a little!

Thanksgiving at the Green's (2010)

Stryker made this at daycare (look at his precious handprint)

yummy food

Happy Thanksgiving!!! God has truly blessed my life in so many ways. I am thankful for...

1. God - You are my saving grace. To you, I owe all things in my life. April 25, 2005 will always remind me that I am still here for a purpose. Thank you for eternal life.
   
2. Logan - He is such a good friend, Christian man, loving husband, wonderful father, & awesome coach!!! Thank you for being a stable man in my life. I look forward to many more years of marriage.


3. Stryker - Oh how you changed my life from the first kick in my tummy to the first time I held you in my arms. You amaze both your daddy & I all the time. Miracle is definitely what you are. With a tough last trimester of pregnancy to the growing little boy that you are, you are a tough little dude! Thank you for being our son.


4. Coco - You have been a great mom & best friend throughout my childhood. You have continued being a wonderful mother-in-law to Logan, amazing Coco, & still a best friend. You are always there no matter what. Thank you for being such a perfect example of what to be as a woman, mom, wife, & person.


5. Fletch - My mom has not been this happy in a long time. Thank you for being a steady rock & wonderful man in her life. We've enjoyed having you around (even if you are from Texas)! Can't wait until you teach Stryker how to box.


6. Grandmomma & Buddy - You have raised a good, moral son who I am proud to say is my husband & a father to my son. Thank you for bringing my husband into this world.


7. Close friends & family - You all know who you are. Each & every one of you have touched my life in a special way. Thank you.

This year, we spent Thanksgiving at our home. We had a relaxing day of eating random finger foods while watching football. Stryker loved having family around & playing with his toys.

9 months old!!!

Is this really happening? Our little boy is already 9 months?! That means only 3 months until his big first birthday! That's exciting but sad thinking he's actually growing up so fast. Nowadays, it seems as though he discovers a new trick each day. There's no relaxing at our house unless Stryker is sleeping!

1. crawling up the stairs: He knows where his room is upstairs & will climb both flights as fast as he can to get to all his toys.






2. discovered power outlets: Oh yes, we spent the weekend baby-proofing the house with outlet covers. Never realized how many outlets we have in our home until I had to cover them all!






3. still loves bath time: If Stryker is playing in his room & hears the bath water running, he'll make a bee line crawling for the bathtub. It's hilarious when he started pulling up on the tub & hiked his leg trying to figure out how he could climb into the tub.






4. learning the word "no": This was a new experience that he is not fond of. The first time I said "no", he sat back on his bottom & stared at me with his little bottom lip poked out. How pitiful :( Now that he's crawling around & discovering everything in sight, we have to use the word "no" several times a day.






5. hates to sleep during the day: Stryker will now talk (well, babble), scream, arch his back, rub his eyes, etc in order to keep himself awake.






6. doesn't want to be in crib if awake: Now that he can pull up, he'll stand in his crib & then cry for us to come get him.






7. loves to eat real food: Stryker is not a picky eater. Thank goodness. He use to eat whenever, but now wants to eat food when we're eating. Guess he thinks that he'll miss out on something yummy if we feed him before.






8. loves to be outside: Outside is the most relaxing place for Stryker. He could be having a fit or just restless but the minute we take him outside, he calms down. Amazing! We have enjoyed playing on the blanket in the yard (by the way, he doesn't like being put on his tummy in the grass - he will keep one hand up off the ground; not sure but maybe something to do with the texture), strolling, swinging in his swing or on our front porch swing.






9. saying "momma" & "dadda": He doesn't call our names on a regular basis. Guess he thinks if does something, then he doesn't need to do it again for us!

On Tuesday (November 16th), we spent the late afternoon & night in Children's after hours clinic. Stryker developed a cough Monday afternoon with a runny nose & watery eyes Tuesday morning. It got worse as the day progressed with Stryker spitting up after every bottle or eating food. He was picked up from daycare early & taken straight to the after hours clinic for an appointment at 6:30pm. Poor guy. You could just tell by looking into his little eyes that he felt horrible. Even feeling this bad, he still tried to give you a smile. Priceless. Stryker stayed clamly in my arms while Logan registered him. The nurse took his temperature (yes unfortunately, it was a rectal temp) which was a 100.4. This was shocking to us b/c it was 98.2 rectally at 12:30pm. His temperature had increased in this short amount of time despite the Advil that he had taken. The doctor came in to examine him. She was very nice & Stryker enjoyed grabbing all of her instruments (stethoscope, light, etc). She ordered a chest x-ray which Stryker hated to be held down. I am sure that Logan & I hated it more since we were the ones who held him down. The x-ray was normal. The nurse suctioned his nose out & gave us a prescription for an antibiotic. The doctor informed us to take the medicine twice a day for 10 days & signs to watch out for if an ear infection develops.

The next day, Stryker had his 9 month check-up. Logan & Stryker's grandmomma took him to his appointment. It was a good feeling to know that he would be examined again since he has been so sick. During this visit, they checked his height, weight, vision, iron level, & gave him a flu shot. He weighed 18 lbs (25th percentile) & 28 1/2 in long (55th percentile). His vision is normal as well as his iron level. Baby's flu shots are given in 2 different doses; therefore, his next flu shot will be given after December 17th. Almost forgot to mention the best part about this visit...Stryker said "dadda" for the first time! Hate I missed it b/c I was working, but Logan caught it on video & sent me the clip on my phone.

Galleria Christmas Lighting Ceremony

What you talking about Fletch?!

Now that's the good stuff...ice cream!

My handsome boys

Coco always laughs at me :)

Like mother, like son. Stryker participated in something that I enjoyed as a child. Coco use to bring me to the Galleria every year for the annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony. Now, it was Stryker's turn. Coco & Fletch reserved a table in the food court. Logan & I met them to watch the lights turn on. While the music was playing, Stryker nibbled on a few french fries & watched the carousel go around. Santa Claus coming down the elevator prompted us to grab Stryker & race towards the stage. There was a crowd full of people all around the stage making it difficult for us to get close enough for Stryker to get a glimpse of Santa. We'll just wait until Stryker can sit in his lap (fearing our child will be the one to scream or pull his beard!).

Early Intervention

Today was Stryker's first EI appointment at our home. It went well. The physical therapist got the opportunity to look through Stryker's toys & make suggestions on interventions using what we have already. She spent about an hour treating ("playing") with Stryker. He loved having an audience. The physical therapist was amazed at the progression Stryker has made in the last couple of weeks. He impressed her by pulling to stand, crawling on the floor, crawling up the stairs, & picking toys up with thumbs out! Great job Stryker! Your hard work has paid off.

Christmas Village 2010

Coco, Logan, Stryker, & I had a morning filled with shopping at Christmas Village. Me, shopping...shocking, right?! We had a great time! Our stomachs were filled with samples of hot chocolate (purchased some), fudge, soups (purchased some), coke products, & dips. Yummy :) A baseball-themed tooth pillow would have been a perfect gift until Logan reminded me that Stryker would not be losing teeth anytime soon. Stryker kept his eyes open as long as he could before falling fast asleep in our arms. It was a bit overwhelming with all the action! Can't wait until next year, but one suggestion...have more boy stuff please!