Next phase: Sippy Cup and Finger Foods

Today River finally started sipping from his sippy cup. We have tried 3 different kinds and been working with the straw kind most recently. He has never shown any interest in "sipping" just chewing. Today, I handed him the straw sippy cup just to let him play with it and see if he would drink from it. Well, as always, he wanted to chew on the straw. I decided to sip from it while he watched to see if he would mimic me (he has been doing a lot of mimicking lately!). I was shocked when I handed him the cup back and he went to sucking on the straw instead of chewing! Then he drank from it several more times. I am so proud of him!

We have also upgraded to the high chair at restaurants and he loves it! He feels like he is part of the group sitting at the table. Last Saturday night we went to Logan's Roadhouse with MaMa and PaPa. River sat in the high chair and had the best time. We tied a toy to his high chair cover because he likes to play the game of "I drop it and you pick it up". He couldn't figure out why when he dropped his toy it didn't hit the ground and it just dangled from his chair. He would lean over and look at it and pick it up and try to drop it again. Then he would just stare at it and look at us. He is so cute! I also bought some puffs cereal that he can eat at the table. He liked playing with them and could pick them up. He couldn't quite figure out how to open up his hand to place it in his mouth. The puffs we placed in his mouth though he really liked.

My baby boy is growing fast.

4 day weekends are wonderful!

I have enjoyed a 4 weekend and head back to work tomorrow.  River spent the night with Nana and Pap on Thursday night.  Friday I was off and I ran some errands and got some things done that are hard to do with River.  I took Callie and Bobbie to the vet, washed the car, went to Walmart, AND got a hot stone massage!  The massage was wonderful.  Nick gave it to me for Christmas.  I really enjoyed it.  Friday night we ate in Palestine with Nick's family for Kathy's birthday.  Friday was also Dad's birthday.  Saturday we just stayed around the house and I worked on cleaning out River's closet.  It's crazy how fast he outgrows things.  I put a large tote in the attic with things he has outgrown.  Crazy how fast time goes! Saturday night we went to the Neeley's for pizza and a movie.  We enjoy spending time with them so much!  Sunday we went to Waco to see Jeremy and Meredith's new house.  Tyson and Jenna also came to visit for the weekend from Big Spring.  It was great to see all of them!  Today was a "get back to normal" day for River and I.  I wanted him to get back in routine from being out late every night this weekend and catch up on his sleep.  And he did.  He slept until 9 this morning and took a 2 hour nap and 1.5 hour nap. 

River

River ran a fever on Saturday and Sunday, but really didn't have any other symptoms besides a stuffy nose.  He felt good today and didn't run a fever.  The last couple of nights we have had to give him a bottle at night.  He hasn't really eaten good during the day, so I guess he is waking up hungry.  I hope we are not starting a bad habit of feedings at night.  He hasn't had feedings at night in a long time.  He is so fun and Nick and I feel so blessed every time we look at him.  Tonight we took the middle insert out of his bathtub.  So instead of leaning back, he can sit up and play in the water with his toys.  He loved it! 

Nick

Nick is getting geared up for stock show season.  Nick loves the stock shows, but it does pull him away for several nights from now through then end of March.  He is usually extremely exhausted by the end of it.  Usually I try to go as much as I can, but this year it will be a little more difficult with River.  River and I are planning to spend a couple of days with Nick in Fort Worth, 4 days in San Antonio visiting Angie, and I don't think it is going to work out for us to go to Houston this year.  

Nick and I have also started budgeting.  We feel like we need to be saving more than what we are.  We have started using mint.com, which is awesome.   We just started this month, so we are still tweaking it some.  Hopefully, it will help us to save up better than what we have been and to be more conscious of where our money is going.

This morning, while River was napping, Nick and I went outside and took pictures of all of calves from this year.  Hopefully, we will be able to sell some of them.  He posted the pictures on facebook to "advertise".  

Pictures of River

River playing in his crib while I clean out his closet

River just woke up from a nap!  Check out his hair part! haha!

Smiling and playing in his bouncer

Eating lunch at Rachel's house

Bath time!

River is growing fast!

River turned 8 months old a couple of days ago!  Wow!  Where did the time go!  He is so much fun! 

Christmas was awesome this year!  We had 7 Christmases between mine and Nick's family.  I was able to make every one of them, which doesn't usually happen because of work.  Have I mentioned how much I love working only 30 hours a week??  I had a week off for Christmas and it was so great!  River was loved on so much everywhere we went and also very spoiled being the only baby.  He even started fake coughing to get more attention!  River loved the Christmas tree.  He didn't try to go after the tree until the very end.  Our Christmas card this year was the best yet!  Rachel took our pictures and they turned out so good.  You can see some of the pictures at the bottom of this blog.

The week before Christmas he got sick with RSV.  He was wheezing, coughing, and having difficulty breathing.  We took him to the doctor and got a nebulizer for breathing treatments and an oral steroid.  He hated the steroid and vomited a lot the first time we gave it to him.  The first time he took a full dose, Aunt Sa Sa went crazy in front of him to distract him from the awful taste.  She had rattles, toys, and was singing!  It was very funny, but he took his medicine and didn't gag!  Yay!  From them on it became easier and easier to give it to him.  It was only 6 doses, but seemed like much more.  He is feeling much better now, but is still coughing some.

He is not sleeping through the whole night, since he has been sick.  We had many nights of staying up while he was sick and taking the steroid.  Hopefully, he will start sleeping through the night again very soon!

River got so many toys and cool things.  He loves anything that lights up and makes noise.  He also loves anything he can shake that will rattle.  He received lots of books and some clothes, too.  He has really enjoyed playing with his farm from Auntie C and Uncle Bo Bo, his rocking horse from Aunt Barbara, a horse that sings Old MacDonald from MaMa and PaPa, a choo choo train from Aunt Sa Sa and Cassie, a sit-to-stand toy table from Nana and Pap, a basketball goal from Gran and Grandaddy, a singing dog from Memaw and Grangy, and much much more!! 

He still doesn't have any teeth, but he drools and chews all the time.  He also still isn't crawling, but is rolling EVERYWHERE.  He tries to get up on all fours, but doesn't go anywhere.  He sits up by himself really good.  His favorite word is still Da Da and Nick loves that!  He has starting resting his head on my shoulder before naps and at bedtime and I think that's the best thing ever!  He smiles all the time and laughs at almost everything.  He is starting to wave bye bye, but sometimes it's more of a "hello."  He loves playing peek-a-boo and sitting in the floor playing with all his toys.  He studies each one and seems to really work on his toys.  Nana and Pap said that watching him is just like watching Nick as a baby all over again becasue they act so much alike.  He has started throwing "mini fits" when you take something away from him that he isn't supposed to have (like my iPhone) and when he you lay him down for a nap and he's not ready.  He throws his feet up in the air and hits the bed as hard as he can.  :)  He loves his paci and cow blankie at nap time and bedtime.  He loves trying to get Nick's pen out of his shirt pocket and then gets upset when Nick takes the pen away.  He loves riding the bucking bull and horsie (Nick's knee) and spurs and kicks then the horsie/bull stops bucking. 

He started formula a few days ago and takes it as good as breastmilk.  I was afraid that he might not like the taste after having only breastmilk for 8 months and was hesitant because of the reflux and spitting up issues that he has had.  He is just taking one bottle of formula a day right now.  I wanted to be sure he liked and tolerated it before I started decreasing my pumping.  He hasn't breastfed in over 3 weeks, but I am still pumping.  He also isn't taking his Prevacid anymore for reflux. 

Nick and I are doing great and enjoying life with River.  Nick's busy time of year will be here in a few weeks.  I am not looking forward to him being gone so much.  I don't think I will go to the Stock Shows as much this year because of River.  River and I are planning to go to San Antonio with him, so we can visit Angie.  We will also probably go to Fort Worth for a couple of days.  After the Fort Worth Stock Show we are going to Great Wolf Lodge with my family for Dad's, Cassie's, and Nick's birthdays.  Another trip we have planned will be in April.  We are going to Fort Worth to get together with all of my friends from pharmacy school.  In May, we will be going back to Lubbock for Chelsey and Kinsey's graduation from Texas Tech.  That will be a fun weekend.

I am headed to play Bunco tonight with a group of girl friends.  Nick and River will have the night to themselves.  I'm sure they will have fun!

We will be planning River's first birthday party before long...

River's first book of prayers

River's new over night bag

River is 8 months old!

Picture on the front of our Christmas card

Mommy and River

Daddy and River

He is so cute!!

Our Christmas tree

Christmas time is here!

Well, it's been quite a while.  I have been telling myself I need to blog, but it seems I get too tired at night to do it! :)  Mom told me today that she noticed I haven't updated my blog in a while, so I decided to update everyone on what has been going on!  

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Canton with some girls with the Mommy and Me group.  We had a wonderful time!  We stayed at a house in Ben Wheeler, which is about 10 miles from Canton.  I really enjoyed spending time with the ladies and of course shopping.  River stayed with Nick the night I was gone.  This was Nick's first night to keep River by himself.  They did great and I knew they would.  Nick is such a wonderful daddy and River loves him so much!  

Nick and I took our annual trip to College Station last week.  Every year since we have been in Teague, Nick has gone to a 2 day conference there and I go with him to do my Christmas shopping.  This year River came with us.  I was a little nervous about taking him shopping for 2 days.  We didn't end up leaving quite as early as we had planned on Monday, so the shopping on Monday was only a few hours.  River loves to watch people and ride in his stroller, so the shopping ended up going great.  Before we left for the trip, I made a very detailed Christmas list to be sure I knew who I had left to buy for.  Then, I made a list of where I needed to go and who I was shopping for.  I got everything done while we were there!  Nick couldn't believe how efficient I was! ha!

We had Christmas 1 of 7 last weekend at Granny's.  It was a wonderful time of eating and enjoying each other.  We gave Granny a canvas picture of the whole family.  She loved it!  She was so happy to have such a good picture of her whole family.  I admire my Granny so much.  She is so loving and sweet all the time.  She has been through so much in her life, but she never complains.  She has taught me alot about what it means to be a Christian and to trust in Him.  She has set such a wonderful example for us all to follow.  I love her!

This week, Rachel and Benjamin, are in New York for vacation.  They have been looking forward to this trip for a long time!  Mom and Dad are keeping River while I work this week.  He spent Sunday night with them and then he will spend tomorrow night with them.  This is the first week that he has stayed away 2 nights.  I am so glad he gets to spend time with family, but I do miss him when he's gone.  River is so blessed to have 2 sets of grandparents that love him soooooo much.  They love to keep him and spend time with him.  

Pictures at Ma Ma and Pa Pa's house

River also met Santa for the first time.  At first, it was great!  River was smiling and Rachel got some great pictures.  Then Santa spoke!  River stared up at him for about 30 seconds and then starting crying!  That was his first time to cry with someone he didn't know.  I felt so sorry for him, but Rachel did get some good pictures. 

River has also started sleeping on his tummy with his knees tucked under him and and his bottom in the air.  So cute!

River and Nick watching football on a rainy Sunday afternoon. 

River playing with his new toy.  The balls pop up in the air and he thinks it is so fun!

It's been awhile...

Well, it has been awhile since I have posted, but several things have happened.  We put up our Christmas tree last Wednesday.  That was nice.  Nick came home early from work and we started decorating.  I love Christmas.  At first, River really stared at the tree and the lights, but he really hasn't payed much attention to it since the first day we put it up.  Nick said last night he rolled over to it and started pulling on one of the branches.

 

Thanksgiving was last week.  We spent the day with the Hoffman's.  It was a nice day of eating and relaxing.  River gets soooo much love from both sides of the family.  He is definitely very loved!  The tie onesie I made for River turned out great and it looked so good on him!  Everyone thought it was really cute!

I worked Friday-Sunday after Thanksgiving.  They were nice slow days at work.  I always enjoy those days because the rest of the time work is pretty hectic.  River spent Friday and Saturday at Ma Ma and Pa Pa's and they had a great time.  He was very spoiled when he came home on Saturday night. :)  Ma Ma and Pa Pa said he enjoyed playing in the floor, looking outside, and watching Gracie.

About 2 weeks ago I stopped DVRing my soap opera General Hospital.  This was a pretty big deal.  I started watching General Hospital when I was little and I stayed with my Great Grandma, Grandma Heath.  She watched it everyday, so I did too.  I recorded it all through high school, college, pharmacy school, and the last few years.  When I had about 15 of them recorded on my DVR, I decided that it was time to stop watching.  I haven't had any withdrawals and am glad I decided to stop spending my time watching soaps.  :)

A few things about River...

• He is still teething, but no teeth.  He is chewing on everything!
• He enjoys rolling all over the floor, sitting up and playing with his toys, sitting in his high chair and looking outside, and watching Callie.
• He really thinks I am funny when I act goofy and when I dance.  He loves my hair in a pulled through ponytail on top of my head and has laughed at that since he was very little. 
• He always smiles at his daddy no matter what.
• He loves his paci and his cow lovey blanket.
• He really likes to "work" on things and figure out his toys
• He still doesn't really like to cuddle or be cradled
• His favorite foods are applesauce (we have a very clean bib after eating applesauce because he doesn't let any of it fall from his mouth!) and sweet peas.  
• He enjoys music and when his Daddy sings to him
• He smiles often and wakes up talking and playing in his crib when he's had enough rest
• He is very ticklish and has recently started using his hands to push you away when you tickle him 
• He loves for you to play peek-a-boo with him
• His favorite songs are pat-a-cake and the Wheels on the Bus.

Well, that is all for now.  River is waking up from his nap and is talking in his crib.  I love him so much!

What I love most about my home is the people I share it with...

Well, let's see what all has happened since the last time I posted.  Saturday, Nick and I had a day where neither of us had to work.  It was so nice!  Nick did a few things around the house that have needed to be done for a while now and I took care of River and also mowed.  Saturday night we went to Waco to eat at Red Lobster with my parents to celebrate Brian's 31st birthday.  

Then, on Sunday, Nick's dad was installed as an elder at LaPoynor Church of Christ.  We attended church there on Sunday morning and then spent the rest of the day with them.  It seemed as though River's gums/teeth were hurting him.  He has been teething for a long time now, but still no teeth.  

Yesterday I had to work from 2-7, so I was able to spend the morning with River.  On most of the days that I am off, Nick comes home for lunch.  It's so nice to see him in the middle of the day and have lunch together.  River gives his Daddy the biggest smiles of anyone.  He smiles at his Daddy every time he sees him.  I am so thankful for Nick and the dad that he is to River and the relationship that they have.

This morning, the Mommy and Me group had a Thanksgiving Feast.  I went to that and it was nice.  I really enjoy the ladies in the group.  The group meets every Wednesday for a couple of hours.  Rachel takes River on the days that she has him.  

Rachel and I designed our Hoffman Family Christmas card today.  I am so excited to get them in.  The pictures Rachel took are so good.  Tonight we got down all of our Christmas decorations from the attic.  We plan to decorate tomorrow night.  I love this time of year and am looking forward to seeing River's reaction to the tree and all the lights!

Today I made River a "Tie Onesie".  I saw the idea on Pinterest and it was a link to someone's Etsy website.  They were selling it for $23.50.  I ended up making it for about $5.00.  It felt great to get my sewing machine out again.  River's nursery used to be my sewing room.  I had to move the sewing machine to the closet when we turned the room into the nursery.  It took me about 45 minutes to make it and I am so happy with the way it turned out.  I will post a picture of River wearing it after Thanksgiving.  

Things River has been doing since the last time I posted...

This morning I turned on some cartoons and he was very interested in watching it on the TV.  I think he liked the bright colors.  

Playing in his jumper and watching cartoons for the first time

 

Nick put together his high chair.  He loves to sit in it and he does really well eating his solids in it.  Nick also put together and hung the "Johnny Jump Up".  We put River in it, but he didn't really know what to think about it and didn't really know what to do.  I'm sure before long, he will really be jumping high!  

When he is on his tummy, he is really trying to pull his knees up under him and go somewhere!  When Rachel kept him yesterday, she said he was really trying to crawl.   

Thankful

November 18th:  I am thankful for pets.  Growing up I have always had a dog.  Millie was our dog when I was at home and she was part of the family.  She always protected us and was really the perfect pet.  Nick and I got Callie a few months after we were married.  She is a "pound hound" and she has been a wonderful dog.  She has been excellent with River.  Pets can brighten your day when it's been bad, let you know when someone is outside of your house, protect you, and provide an unwavering companionship.  I think River will grow up liking animals and I think that he will have a great relationship with Callie.

November 19th:  I am thankful for rain.  We got a pouring rain last night at about 3am.  I love hearing the rain hit our metal roof.  We have been in a severe drought, so any rain has been nice.  I love cloudy days and cooler weather!

November 20th:  I am thankful for nights at home with my family.  I love staying in with my 2 guys.  I am so blessed to have them!

November 21st:  I am thankful for my health.  

November 22nd:  I am thankful for the holidays.  I love getting together with family and am blessed to have 2 wonderful families. 

Love my days with River

Today was an excellent day.  I love my days off with River, especially when I have worked for a few days in a row.  He changes so much everyday!  

Here are a few things I noticed about him while we were playing today:  

Aunt Patty, Kinsey, and Kayla gave him a motorized car that travels in a wide circle.  River was sitting up and the car was going around him today.  He knew that when the car went behind him, he needed to turn his head to see it come around the other side!  This may be something so simple, but it is so fun to watch him learn new things.  

We took a trip to Wal-Mart today and I wanted to get him a cheap toy that made sounds. he is starting to outgrow the toys that we have here.  We mainly have rattles, teethers, and small toys.  He still likes them, but he does get bored with them.  Rachel has a lot of toys for him to play with at her house and I want to keep him stimulated here, too.  So today I bought him a small toy that is very bright and makes sounds. I got it out of the bag as soon as we got home and I sat him in the floor.  He played and played and played with it!  He loved it!  He wouldn't even look up when I was talking to him.  I enjoyed watching him learn how to play with the new toy. 

River's new toy

I worked a little more on my Christmas list today.  I really want to make a trip to Waco to go to Hobby Lobby and look for wrapping paper.  I always like my packages to coordinate and I love to look at them under the Christmas tree.  I am getting very excited to put up our tree!

For the first time in a while, both Nick and I are off this weekend and we have nowhere to go!  I can't remember the last time we had a weekend like this!  We are planning to get a lot of things done around the house that have needed to be done for a LONG time.  I am also looking forward to just spending time as a family.  

Thankful:

November 17th:  I am thankful for contacts and glasses.  My eyes are so bad and without contacts and glasses I wouldn't be able to see anything.  I would not be able to work, drive, or do anything but sit at home.  VERY thankful for contacts!