So for Patrick's first Father's Day I won no awards for greatness, or doing anything special for that matter. I let him sleep in until about noon (which got me out of cooking breakfast). I did offer to cook, or go out for Bojangles (his personal fave) but he opted for 2 mini bags of Cheetos. After his tasty brunch, he opened his one little present - a mug with pictures of him with Gunnar and the dogs.
After all that excitement, we hit up Onslow Beach (on base) because it's supposed to be good shelling (aka lots of shark teeth - and big ones!). We did come home with 16, no giants though. And Pat was disappointed in their quality. They were pretty old and worn down. But it was fun, and we found out a lot about the base beach: that it's really nice, and not crowded and there are lots of pet friendly ocean front cabins to rent!
After that, it was time for an incredibly classy impromptu lunch at Subway, then a trip to the grocery store. The day ended when Pat cooked dinner, and then didn't even eat it because he wasn't feeling well.
Pretty stellar day for him, huh? I feel pretty bad that we didn't do anything spectacular... I'll have to figure out something to make it up to him. Perhaps kayak rentals or a fishing trip?
Honey, I hope you don't hold it against me that I didn't make your Father's Day as awesome as you made my Mother's Day. But there will be many more to celebrate, and look at it this way - it can only get better! I love you so much, and I'm so glad that our Gunny gets to call you "dada" (well he will... eventually).
Our little Guns has hit the nine month mark. We just got home from his check up, and his measurements never cease to surprise me. This time, after 4 check ups where he had grown 3 inches and gained 3 lbs each time, I was fully expecting the same results. He did gain his standard 3 lbs (topping out at 22 lbs 10 oz) but he only grew an inch. Making him a solid 31 inches tall. Which is still of the charts, but he seems to be leveling out. No doubt he'll still be a giant (just look at Dad), and he is still bigger than the average 1 year old. Just that much more of him to love!
This month has been extra work fun because he has been SO much more mobile. He is crawling everywhere, and it's all he ever wants to do. I can't hold him out in public anymore without a carrier, he just wants down. He is cruising (for a bruising), and for those of you non-parents out there that means he pulls himself up and walks around holding on to things like the couch, chairs, tables, etc. Which is especially fun with his height since as we speak he is ripping things down from the dining room table. Just the other day he discovered the stairs and decided to climb them. He did pretty well too! But clearly we will need to ge a gate up soon, it's only a matter of time until he figures out he can crawl under the coffee table to get to them.
We have retired the walker, since they say you shouldn't have them in it once they can crawl. And we are retiring the jumper any day now since he tries to launch himself out of it. Which is a shame, because out of it he seems to be quite the path of destruction. But we love him for it. SO much so that we got him a super fun baby pool! Complete with palm tree, and sprinkler elephant slide! Although he didn't like the slide too much the first time...
He still says "mama" all the time. Along with lots of "b" and "g" sounds, and the occaisional "da" thrown in there. He also took a break from blowing raspberries, but he's back on that. Especially in the car, and at dinner time. A new noise he has been making is a lip smacking sound. He cracks himself up doing it. It melts my heart.
Other big things include: His third tooth has broken through the surface of his upper gums, but there's not much of it yet to do much damage, chewing (food) or biting (me). That will change as the fourth one is not close behind it. He has stood up completely unsupported on his own a handful of times now. It only lasts a few seconds, but he knows he's pretty hot stuff because of it.
And now that I've bored you with all of these updates I'm sure you care so much about (really it's my way of keeping up with what he's been up to - so thanks for indulging me)... enjoy these photos of our goof:
This memorial day we had a fun group of guests come stay with us... Gunnar's Auntie Kelly and 6 of his cousins! They were kind enough to put up with our less than impressive accommodations, and they crashed on the couch and on the floor. We had a blast! We hit the beach as soon as they got here on Saturday, and then after dinner we walked down to our favorite ice cream shop and then out to the fishing pier. While we were out there it started to rain, but the kids didn't care, and Gunnar just slept. The next morning we took a trip down the road to the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium where we got to pet sting rays and see the new penguins get a snack! The otters put on a good show, and we got to see divers in the shark tank! After the aquarium it was a quick lunch and back to the beach. And that was followed with a trip to the best mini golf place on the island, and some go karting.
We hope that the Markland crew had as much fun as we did! When the kiddos are around, Pat gets to be one again, and he appreciates that. And thanks to my big sis for these photos of the trip:
It was 8 months ago today that I brought my little man home from the hospital. With each month that passes I am more and more shocked at how quickly they go! I don't think I'll ever stop saying that...
Guns has been SO much fun this month. He is totally his own person now, and boy do I see some trouble in his future. He wants to get into everything. He says "mama" all the time now (hooray! I'm the winner!) along with a ton of other vowel-consonant combos that sound adorable all strung together. He laughs like a real person now, and even though I miss his little baby giggles, the big laugh he has sounds even more funny coming from his little self. He has also taken to roaring, singing, and grunting. Love it! He usually gets his shoulders involved, just like Dad.
My most favorite thing that he's doing now is reaching for me when he wants to be picked up. Oh how it warms my heart! It's like he's saying "Mama I need you NOW"!
He's still working on crawling. He will do it the conventional way sometimes, but he seems to like scooting on his belly best. He also does this mountain climber variation where he will walk with his feet and his hands. Quite interesting. Just goes to show he's getting stronger by the day... he's even pulling himself up in his crib now (we dropped the mattress not a minute too soon)...
I have a feeling he's going to be the sweetest little terror. I'm really going to have to work on my poker face since he's just so cute when he's being "bad". He loves banging things, anything, even just his hands, on the table, floor, your face, whatever. And just the other night he started telling us "no" by shaking his head, and Patrick and I couldn't stop laughing, so of course he did it more, and more, and more, and well you get the picture... So now I'm trying extra hard to work on positive motions like waving, blowing kisses and clapping. We'll see how that goes...
He is getting taller by the second, and we already have a toddler seat waiting for him to hop into when his infant seat is outgrown... I know they recommend babies to stay rear facing for the first 2 years, but there's no way that can happen for us. First of all, his legs have been scrunched up against the back of the seat since he was 6 months old. And second, and most important of all, his seat is only safe as long as the top of his head is more than an inch from the top. He has maybe an inch or two of wiggle room before it is no longer safe. Hopefully we can wait it out until he is a full year before we turn him around, which worked for people for a long time before this recent adjustment in "recommendations". Hopefully no one judges us, but seriously, we have a giant son. What can we do? I'd rather him fit the requirements of the seat and be early on the recommendation of the Dr. than be in a seat that is unsafe by being too small for him by the manufacturer's standards. Plus, he loves the new seat already...
So for now, we will enjoy our little Goliath. Which is a pretty easy thing to do... I mean, just look at that 8 month old tush!
