The world according to Kristi

kas2662 @ 2009-12-02T15:15:00

2009-12-02T21:15:07Z

So it's been a long time since I've posted anything. Usually it's because I just don't feel like spending my time blogging. Plus not much is really going on. But here's an updated on the little that did take place.

Halloween was great. Mike didn't think Stryker would do well at trick-or-treating, or really enjoy it. But Stryker had a blast. My parent and Mike's sister came around to houses with us. The first house or two Stryker was confused what to do. But after a few, we'd carry Stryker to a house, put him down on the sidewalk, and he'd run up to the door. He also loves ringing doorbells right now, so this was right up his alley. He enjoyed it so much we stayed out much longer than expected. Stryker even had his first piece of candy. Overall, much better than anticipated and I'm glad we went.

Stryker is getting better and better at Mother's Day Out. He looks like he's actually enjoying it now and is starting to play with other kids more. He brought home his first picture the other day, and it's crazy how proud I am. I mean it's nothing really special, but I love it and put it on the fridge. I'll probably wind up sticking it in his baby book. Stryker is learning things so fast it's unreal. He's finally starting to talk here and there again. He used to say a few words, then once he started walking, he stopped talking. But now he's babbling and saying a few things. But it's amazing how much he understands. One day he noticed a snowman, and I told him it was a snowman. He then went to another one and pointed at it almost as if saying "are these the same things?" The little man is even starting to jump now. It's so cute... he gets really low, and then hardly jumps off the ground. His vertical is not very high, but he thinks he's such a big boy.

Thanksgiving was good, but uneventful. We staying in town and are instead leaving for Houston to see Mike's parents tomorrow. I really hope is goes well. Traveling with the little man is not much fun. But I know Stryker and the grandparents will love it. And I love there being other people around to occupy Stryker.

We're all decorated for Christmas now. I never really decorate for holidays, but I love decorrating for Christmas... the lights, the tree, it's such a magical time of year. The tree is up, and I'm sure Mike and I are some of the last people who still have real trees each year, but I love it. This year we got a little bit bigger tree than normal, and it's almost touching the ceiling. The worst part is I apparently didn't screw the screws for the base in enough and the tree fell over yesterday... twice. I managed to get it stood back up (and it was heavy since it's so big), removed the fallen ornaments, and then it fell over again. So I had to get the tree up once more time, screw in the screws better, clean up the newly fallen ornaments, mop up the spilled water, and vacuum up the fallen needles (all while trying to keep Stryker out of the way). I'm sure from the outside it would have been hysterical. It's good and secure now, so we don't have to worry about that happening again. But it's still beautiful.

Today was the first snow. I think it was the first time it snowed since Stryker was born (I don't think it even iced much last year). We saw the snow when we got up. By the time I fed Stryker, got dressed, and bundled up Stryker the snow was turning into drizzle. But we still went outside and played for a few minutes.

Halloween Carnival

2009-10-27T23:05:33Z

The church Stryker goes to for Mother's Day Out was having a Halloween carnival last Saturday, so we took Stryker for a bit. They had a toddler zone with mini pumpkins to decorate, a small bounce house, and a little ball pit. Stryker had a great time and although he's still a little young for most of the activities, he enjoyed it. It makes me so happy to think how much more he will enjoy this stuff next year. The older he gets, the more activities we can do with him. I have lists growing in my head of all the things we can do with him when he's 2 or 3.

Stryker in the ball pit (he's trying to smile)

Stryker in the petting zoo area. He is being so gentle with the animals. Makes me proud.

I can't wait to see how he'll do on Halloween.

That night Stryker and I went over to dallastwin's house. She was having other women over with their kids. There is another little boy 2 months younger than Stryker. It's amazing how mellow this boy is. He will sit and play with toys, sit on his mother's lap and eat patiently, or will watch the other kids play. He sits!! It makes me realize how active Stryker is when I see another kid his age. I can't get Stryker to sit still unless I strap him down. Even then, he's not still. I love how smart and curious Styker is, but I get so jealous and wish he would just sit every once in a while.

Hawaii was a blast

2009-10-06T03:50:39Z

Hawaii was amazing. But really, it was so good to get back home. I loved being away and having a vacation from all my mommy duties, but I missed Stryker tons! Not too much that I drove our fellow vacationers crazy with talk about my little man (feel free to comment if I did), but every once in awhile I'd think about him and wonder how he was doing and if he missed me. I did at least talk to him every day, even with the 5 hr time difference. Stryker did great with my parents. He loves my dad!!! I got tons of comments from different people how Stryker was "Poppy's buddy" and always wanted to be around and held by his grandad. I got stories every day about what they did and how he was doing. When we finally went to pick him up, Stryker looked at Mike and I with a confused look on his face. Almost like although he knew we weren't there, he didn't realize we left him. After that he was really clingy and fussy for a day or two. But now, he's back to normal and I have my brilliant, sweet little man back. He amazes me how smart his is every day. And Stryker is trying to be really helpful now and help me with laundry or the dishes. It also panics me a bit though, because I have to grab everything from Stryker as soon as he touches it so he doesn't break it.

Although I missed Stryker, I'm so glad we didn't bring him with us. There were kids on our plane, and if traveling all day is hard for an adult, I don't how those other kids made it. Plus, we wouldn't have gotten to do any of the stuff we did if we had our kiddo. It was wonderful! We did lots of hikes, which hopefully satisfies Mike's desires for hiking for another few years. We even hiked down to a waterfall and I got to swim in the pool of the falls. That has always been a dream of mine, so it was great to come true. My favorite was that the people from above who were looking at the waterfall from the overlook would see me a wave. It looked like it gave some people a trill to see people way down there.

We did so much in Kauai that there is no way to list it all, but every day was filled. I loved it, but it kinda sucked that we were always on the go. It wasn't a typical beach relaxing vacation. However, I got to live out another dream and learned how to surf. We took surfing lessons one day and it was great! Our instructor was wonderful and I managed to get up about every other time. Some lady commented how great I was doing. Then once we were done, the lady and her husband came up and told me how I looked like I'd been surfing much longer than a first lesson and how inspirational I was. I'm not sure why they singled me out of the 4 of us learning to surf to say how great I was, but it still makes me smile even now.

Someday we will go back to Hawaii, but will try a different island since we saw almost everything we wanted to see on Kauai. But that will be many years from now when Stryker is old enough to enjoy it.

We leave for HI in the am

2009-09-23T02:42:50Z

I'm so excited to go to Hawaii and get away!!! I'm pretty proud of myself for not being stressed out. I usually get a little stressed before a trip, especially with having to pack Stryker up. So even with packing Mike and I, taking care of Stryker's packing, and gathering things for Sypz, I'm doing pretty well. I even managed to finally do my will and signed a power of attorney to give my parents authority for Stryker. I feel so prepared.

I guess I need to go finish packing now.

Mike's back

2009-09-12T19:27:10Z

Technically Mike is back in town. He was supposed to get back last night around 8, but then because of the rain they had to land somewhere an hr outside Dallas and get refueled since they must have been circling for awhile. Then finally landed, had baggage issues, and didn't get home until 1. Right now he's at work for a little while. But at least he's in town. Stryker was so excited to see him and has been very playful and babbling this morning.

Only a week and a half until Hawaii. Yipee!!!

Mike's overworked

2009-09-10T03:45:54Z

It's past 11:30 where Mike is and he's still at work. I haven't gotten to talk to him much today because he's so busy and doesn't have much access to unclass phones. It doesn't look promising that he will be coming home Friday. I thought about flying out to see him with Stryker, but I'm not sure that will happen. The prices are getting expensive now to fly. And with him working so much I doubt I'd get to see him much anyway. And then it will be more of a hassle with Stryker since I will still be alone with him in a strange place, and his routine will be totally off. Anyone want to hang out this weekend?

UGH!

This and that

2009-09-08T21:17:48Z

Here's an update on what's been going on... not much of it really exciting though.

I finished Mike's Christmas stocking. His only took me 3 months, where Stryker's took me a year and a half. It's amazing how much more I can do when Stryker takes good naps and sleeps better at night. I probably worked on it for about an hr and a half to 2 hrs a day while Stryker was sleeping. I know it's lame, but I really enjoy doing them. It's a great way for me to relax. Here's what Mike's looks like before it's made into Stocking form.

Mike left yesterday to go on a work trip and will hopefully be back Friday. He may have to stay for some of next week, though. I really hope he comes back Friday! Mike's been working so much lately that he's not home much anyway, but it's still nice to have him around though. So far it hasn't been too bad. It's just more work at night because I have to do the bath, feed Stryker, and do the whole nighttime routine myself.

On another note, today was Stryker's first day of Mother's Day Out. He seemed to do really well, like I knew he would. He loves being around other kids and having new stimuli around other than the same old at the house. The most surprising part is he actually took a nap with the other kids. It was only 50 minutes, but I'm shocked he took a nap on the little nap mat we got him with all the other kids. In fact I'm still quite amazed by this. You might be wondering what I did with my time off. I took a shower, cleaned and vacuumed the house, and relaxed a bit. It was a wonderful 5 hrs. I look forward to this weekly time to get stuff done.

So busy, yet not much going on

2009-08-28T19:03:12Z

At times there seems to be so much going on, but then at other times it seems like things are so slow and uneventful. A few weekends ago my dad rented a cabin at the lake so we could go camping. It was a really decent cabin and we had as good of a time as can be expected. Taking the little man on trips is never an easy or "fun" thing to do. It's really good we go and give Stryker new experiences, but it is so much work. I have a feeling that until he's older all vacations won't exactly be "vacation" like. Stryker had a good time and loved the boat, except for the life jacket. Whenever we put him in it he reminds me of the Staypuff Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters. He's very stiff and doesn't move much. But the boat totally relaxed him and mellowed him out. At one point it even put him to sleep and he slept for an extra hour since his nap that day wasn't very good. Overall I'm glad we went.

Here is Stryker in his life jacket. He's not really happy when it's on, but he's still cute.

Here we are boating, Stryker is just so stiff.

Mike has been working quite a bit. And now we've found out that he has to travel for work for a week. I'm sure it will be fun for him, but less fun for me doing 24 hr duty with the kiddo. Honestly I don't think it will be that different because right now Mike isn't home but for a few hours before Stryker goes to bed anyway. I guess it's just nice to have an adult to talk to at the end of the day. There's only so much toddler babble I can take without talking to another adult. I'll probably go hang out with my parents for awhile one day.

Stryker is getting really good and dancing on command and spinning in circles when we tell him to spin. He also just started clapping. It seems like it takes him awhile to do the simple things like wave and clap since he hates to have his hands held and shown what to do. But on anything athletic, he's really advanced. He's my sweet little man.

kas2662 @ 2009-08-03T09:18:00

2009-08-03T14:34:39Z

Just a few things that Stryker is doing now...

I'm starting to see Stryker's personality more and his sense of humor. Sometimes when I'm going to put him in his highchair to eat he runs toward me, then runs past me while he smiles. Stryker will then turn around and laugh while he runs past again. It's so cute because he's joking with me and thinks he's being silly. I love it and will let him do it a few times before I grab him.

Stryker is also dancing now, too. He stomps around with a big smile on his face. He'll even start dancing sometimes if we tell him to. I love that he knows what things are and what we want him to do. Not that he obeys much, but I know that will get better.

The little man is such a good eater. He loves fruit and veggies. I'm amazed when he will eat foods like asparagus. I'm trying to get him drinking more milk, so I made him his first fruit smoothie this week and he loved it. I plan to have him fully weened before we go to Hawaii in September.

I'm so excited that Stryker is showing signs of being constructive now and not just destructive. He will now help me stack blocks and build a tower before he knocks it down. He's also starting to put things back in their place. When he takes my hair brushes off the shelf, he will reach up there to put them back. It's so cute that he's putting things back in their place. It gives me hope that he will be able to clean up after himself one day and put his toys away.

I've signed Stryker up for Mother's Day Out once a week starting in September. I know it will be very good for him to socialize more around kids his age. And I can't wait for a few hours to myself once a week. How much I can get done in 5 hrs! I know he will be completely fine, and it will probably take a time to two for him to adjust to being in a classroom setting. But I'm still a bit nervous. It's weird but I'm most nervous about having to pack him a lunch. What do you pack for lunch of a 1 yr old? Let me know if you have any great ideas.

kas2662 @ 2009-07-22T14:02:00

2009-07-22T19:16:27Z

I've been back home for over a week, and I'm so glad to be home. The trip to ND went well, even though we were really in the middle of no-where. And I mean the middle of no-where. The closest town that was 5 miles away had a population of around 30. We had to drive 30 minutes just to get our nails done for the wedding. It was weird not to have cell phone coverage. I was glad I found an old calling card from college that still worked. That was the only way I could call and check in on the family and my little man. And I know dallastwin was happy I brought that phone card, too. Overall the trip was pretty good, except the bed and breakfast we stayed at. That sucked!!! It was this old house and we were all upstairs. The owner lady didn't have the AC on at night, and it was hot stale air every night. So hard to sleep! We tried to open the windows, but there wasn't enough of a breeze to make a difference and cool off the room. I feel like I hardly slept the entire time. And since the house was so old, you could hear every move the other guests made.

The wedding was nice and a lot different than the ones we're used to down here. Up there the wedding is a county affair and the whole county is invited. So the guest list was over 250, and I'm sure Karen only knew a small chunk of that. Personally I probably would have been annoyed. Weddings are not cheap, and throwing a party for tons of people who don't know you and probably don't even bring gifts would totally suck in my opinion. But the wedding and reception were really nice and classy considering. We had some townies at our table that were in the wedding and they mentioned how this one is different and nicer than others that they usually have. For example, they had some round tables reserved for family and the wedding party. They also had a big table for the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen on a stage. The chairs were those hard metal fold out kind, so each seat had a seat cover and bow on it. These are things that are usually not done, and apparently this is very classy in the eyes of ND. So kudos to Karen for making it nice, because it could have been very country.

In other news, things are going fine. Stryker is doing great at sleeping now (at least for the most part). He will sleep for about 10 hrs, then if I feed him I can sometimes get him back to sleep. And his naps are pretty good, too. Stryker finally has his 7th tooth popping out. This kid is the slowest teether know to man. For the last few days he's been cranky, so I'm wondering in #8 is on it's way in the next few weeks. Seriously it takes weeks for it to appear. The hardest part is Mike is working like a mad man and doing tons of overtime. Which I know sounds selfish, but that means I feel like I'm doing overtime, too. It's not like I have much of a life anyway, and dealing with a fussy man all day by myself feels like a lot of work.

I can't wait until September when we go to Hawaii!!!

Leaving for ND

2009-07-08T14:45:04Z

I'm leaving in about an hour for the middle of no-where North Dakota. My parents are going to watch Stryker Wednesday until Thursday night. Then Mike will take Stryker until I come home Saturday. I know Stryker will be fine, but I've never been apart from him this long before. The most I've been away is the 2 nights my parents have watched Stryker overnight for us. I have a feeling I might be emotional a time to two.

Dogs and mischief

2009-06-25T19:07:09Z

We've had a busy last 2 weeks. For 6 days we were watching Bruno for dallastwin. The first 2 days were pretty stressful, trying to play mediator between the dog, the cat, and the boy. After Sypz got used to Bruno (and stopped hissing at him), it got much easier. The main things we were trying to teach Stryker was not to pull Bruno's tail, not to hit Bruno in the face, and not to play with Bruno's water dish. After 2 days we gave up on the water dish. We'd tell him no and I even tried to make him sit in the corner, but it wasn't working. He spilled water everywhere many times and liked to splash in the water or drop object in there. Finally we gave up on the water dish and put it out of Stryker's reach, just offering it to Bruno pretty often. Other than that, it was great! Stryker loved having a dog around and he would often chase Bruno everywhere. When I'd throw the ball for Bruno to play fetch, Stryker would run after Bruno. It was like playing fetch with the both of them. We'd definitely watch Bruno again sometime, but know that Stryker is too young for a dog right now. Training one kid is enough and it will be awhile before I want to train something else.

Stryker is getting into everything! He has been for awhile, but he's getting taller now. So he's starting to pull things off the table and making more of a mess. He also loved to see things tip over. He's constantly pushing the trashcan, his highchair, and anything else that will tip over to see the effect. He's such a curios little man. And I believe he's so advanced. Not only is he walking and running around at a year, but he's walking backwards and likes to spin in circles sometimes. As much of a pain he can be, he's too cute not to love.

This is a mess Stryker made yesterday. There is cereal all over the floor

Haircuts and Hickeys

2009-06-15T17:45:35Z

On Saturday we got Stryker his first haircut. It's crazy how much hair they cut and how different he looks.

Stryker before

Stryker after

I love his new haircut, but he looks so different I can't stop looking at him. We took him to a little place that specializes in kids. In the beginning, Stryker did pretty well, but after a few minutes he really hated it! He was a little screamer, and I have no idea how stylists would want to deal with kiddos all day long.

On the other topic, Stryker has started enjoying sucking on my neck. I'm not sure why he does it. Is he giving me kisses, is it comfort, does he just love how I taste? Either way, the first few times I thought it was really funny and jokingly told Mike that Stryker was going to give me a hickey. Turns out... he did. I forgot how strong his sucking power is. Here's a picture.

At least I know my son loves me :)

Stryker's First Birthday

2009-06-08T19:48:39Z

My little man is 1 year old. The first 3 months went so slowly. The next 3 were a little better. After 9 months, the time has flown by. Stryker went to the doctor on Friday for his 1 yr checkup and everything is good as normal. We have such a healthy little man. He's had a cold a few times during the winter, but other than that he hasn't even had so much as an ear infection. He's 50% for height and 3% for weight. But the doctor said his weight is fine, he wouldn't have even thought he'd weigh so little just by looking at him. The rest of Friday was spent preparing for his birthday party. I'm sure I drove Mike crazy trying to get so much done. My Mom and I made Stryker's birthday cake. I'm really proud of it, because we did it without a pattern. It took awhile, but turned out so well!

I even made a little duckie for Stryker that he could demolish

Saturday was great! Stryker took a good nap, which is so important, and was a happy boy all day long. For awhile, Stryker played outside with his cousin Lexi and played with this big balloon you hook up the the hose and it sprays water. They had a blast.

Here's Stryker after eating his first cake

When we were opening presents, Stryker would just walk around until he saw something he liked. He liked his toys, but seemed to love his yellow bows and tissue paper. Such a cutie! After people left, some friends stayed over to play games with us. At one point Stryker sat in Shelli's lap calmly for a good 10+ minutes. (This is very unusual) We realized Stryker never really showed a sugar-high, but this was probably his sugar-low. Overall, it was a great First Birthday Party!

A few things about Stryker now that he's one. Although it drives me crazy, I love that he's active. He always keeps me guessing. Stryker loves carrying objects from one place to another. Sometimes I will find a magazine on top of the laundry bin, or a shoe in the dryer. I also think it's adorable when he drinks out of a straw... he looks so grown-up. He's gotten to be a happy little man, even when he's teething like right now. At least we're on tooth 6, so 2 more to go and then we get a break. I also love to see him running around, he's such a toddler. Stryker is so curious! He analyzes everything and wants to know just how things work. His favorite toys right now are balls of all sizes, and the roomba which he will follow around and try to pay chicken with.

I made it through the first year, yipee!

It only took a year and a half

2009-06-04T18:39:03Z

I finally finished the Christmas stocking I started for Stryker about a year and a half ago. It's all cross-stitched, but hasn't been sewn into the stocking shape yet. Here's a picture of it.

I'm quite proud because it took so long. In the beginning I didn't have much time to work on it. But I'd work on it almost every day while he took a nap. Next I have to start one for Mike. If we have more kids someday, I'll probably be working on stocking for the next 5 years at this rate.

Jury duty

2009-05-27T23:14:13Z

This is the 2nd time I got a jury duty summons sent to my parents. I wouldn't mind going, should they send it to the correct person at the correct address. They keep sending it to Kristi Stryker, and I haven't been that in 3.5 years. Sometimes when I tell people that I will not go, they think I'm being weird, or lazy, or something. But am I supposed to go every time they send one to my parents with that name and also when they send it here with the correct name? And If I didn't live in the next town over, would people be reacting the same way to me not going? If I lived in somewhere like Houston, no one would ever expect me to go.

Turns out I get out of it for 2 reasons. One, I don't live in Plano, and also I have a kiddo under 10 that requires my supervision.

But seriously, if the government can't get my name and location right, it's not my problem.

I love these days

2009-05-21T18:37:48Z

I love the days like today when things are fun and easy with Stryker. He's been sleeping so much better, so then he's happier during the day. And twice this week I got to go work out. And he's actually doing well in the kid's area... finally! He loves watching other kids and gets fascinated by them. We've been going to the park pretty often and he's getting really good with his shoes. I still have to try to keep him from eating the bark chips that are on the ground, but he's having a good time. He's even getting a bit more mellow and will sit for longer periods and enjoy being in the stroller taking walks. When you see him again, you probably won't notice a difference and still think he's constantly moving, but I can see a slight calmness forming. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking.

I can't believe Stryker will be a year old in 2 weeks! This has been one of the most challenging 12 months, but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. He's such a big boy, and I'm so proud of him. I'm amazed at how smart he is and how quickly he catches on to things. He wants to know how everything works, and I'm sure he'll be just like his dad when he grows up.

Stupid bird

2009-05-15T16:51:34Z

We've had a bird that chirps all day and night long living in our trees for a few months. It's getting really annoying at times. One night it decided to go to the tree outside Stryker's room, and I think that's what woke him up. Good thing I've trained Stryker to like the white noise of a fan in his room. I just turned it up a notch and it drowned out the sound. Last night, it was so loud we could hear it in our room. And our room doesn't even have a tree next to it. It reminds me of this movie, Failure to Launch. It wasn't a great movie, but there was a part in it where someone wanted to kill the Mockingbird outside her room because she couldn't sleep. I totally understand how she felt. Why does this stupid bird chirp during the night? Seriously, doesn't it need sleep too?

Stryker and his shoes

2009-04-28T20:01:54Z

Stryker is no longer crawling. He's pretty much determined that walking is easier and faster and does it all day long. Except, that is, when we put shoes on him. We went to a children's shoe store last weekend to get some good shoes that fit well. The second we put them on him he started crying and refused to even stand up. We tried on a few pairs, but since he didn't really seem to like any of them, we went with the lightest ones that gave the most flexibility for him.

Here's his new shoes

He's getting better though. I keep putting them on him for a bit each day so he'll get used to them. Maybe then he will try to walk with them. Right now, he refuses to even stand up if they are on his feet. He's really such a stubborn little man.

Here is a better picture of him walking. No shoes, so he's happy. Stryker loves to walk around the house carrying as much as possible. He'll have stuff in his hands and mouth while he walks. I think it's so cute!

What's wrong with people

2009-04-16T04:23:23Z

Does anyone else notice that lately people seem to be more rude and inconsiderate? I don't know why I'm really noticing it now, but it seems to be getting worse. Driving is probably the worst. In the last few weeks I've been cut-off more than ever, or people are just doing really irresponsible things. The other day a lady decided she had to make a U-turn in a place where there were 2 "no u-turn" signs and there was no inlet for her to pull into. So she had to stop traffic to do something illegal, when 10 feet in front of us it would have been more convenient and legal. I'm just so confused why people are so careless. Or why when there is obviously a line at a grocery store, do you cut in front of everyone without caring? I guess that's what gets me... people don't even care what they do anymore. I know everyone has their days, and no one can be perfect. But really... why has it gotten so bad?

PS, on a lighter note... I heard some sirens really loud kinda close to the house and I seriously thought to myself "did those neighbor kids start another lawn on fire?"

Randomness

2009-04-14T18:47:31Z

Have you ever noticed that they always have celebrities do hair and beauty commercials? I'm not sure why that is. I totally don't believe that Eva Longoria or Sarah Jessica Parker dye their hair using a box of coloring. No... they go to the most expensive salon to get it done. So why do they do the commercials? And are the celebrities really using cheap cosmetics you get in Walmart? I don't think so. I know it's random, I just think it's unbelievable and odd.

Stryker will soon be unstoppable

2009-04-01T04:51:52Z

Last night Stryker started walking. Every once in awhile I find him standing up while doing something. So I knew he could stand if he wanted to. But when we try to make him stand, he just bends his knees and goes to the ground. He's been standing so long while holding onto things, he knows how to get down very well and would never stand on command. (I see him being very stubborn as a teenager.) He's also been walking while holding onto his walker for awhile. I knew he could probably walk if he wanted to, but he was content just crawling around. Until last night that is. We were at a friend's house for our weekly get together and Stryker was holding onto a table, let go, and walked to his daddy. Then he kept doing it last night. He will take about 4 steps. I'm just so proud. He's not even 10 months old and he's already starting to walk.

Today I'm noticing that Stryker is becoming a bit more adventurous and is really working on his balance. He's trying to go from one object to another with a few steps or just standing still and rotating his body around. Stryker is a constant amazement to me. What will it be next?

My day out

2009-03-17T20:03:44Z

On Saturday I got to go out for some "me" time while Mike watched Stryker. I finally used the gift certificate I had won to the spa at Mike's Christmas party. I got a a massage, manicure, and pedicure. The last time I had a massage was when I was preggers, and then there was a lot they couldn't do because it might induce labor. The massage was really nice, but I'm so not one of those people who could ever fall asleep on the table. I have to try really hard to relax. Normally, I start to tense up and I do have to hold back the tickly feelings. Overall, very nice! But I don't like when they rub my head. I'm not sure if anyone else is like me, but I don't like my head being rubbed. The masseuse usually has lotion on their hands, and I don't want that in my hair. I also don't like my hair being messed up. Not like I'm a perfectionist and have perfect hair, but I really don't like it being all messy with tangles. Anyone else like me?

When Stryker is feeling well and not teething, he's getting more and more fun to be around. Yesterday was wonderful and probably one of the best days I've had with him. I think it was his little birthday present to me, and it was a great present. I actually got to go work out, we played a lot, and he even took a long nap. How I love those days! I can't believe I'm 29 now. Not because I feel old necessarily, but more being I still feel young. Sometimes I feel like I'm a good age to have a kiddo, but sometimes I still think I'm young. You see those first time parents who look so mature, and I'm sure I look so young in comparison. It's just a little weird. I still get carded for alcohol. I'm wondering how old I'll be when they stop carding me. Knowing me... probably 40.

9 months old

2009-03-05T05:40:20Z

Time has really started flying faster now that Stryker is getting older. He went in for his check-up today and everyone who comes in the room first says how cute he is. The next thing that comes out of their mouth is how active he is. (They have no idea!) They ask little questions, like "Is he pulling up on stuff yet?" (He's been pulling himself up since he was 6 months old.) In fact, he's doing pretty well walking with support. He's working on balance, and once he has that under control he should start walking more and more.

He got measured and is 28 3/4 inches long, 75% for height. 16 lbs, 11 oz for weight, 5%. He's shot up in height and way down in weight. But even the doctor noticed how active he is and said he probably just burns off everything he eats. He's definitely going to have Mike's figure. Thank goodness he won't have mine!

Last week, Stryker just got his 4th tooth. His mouth looks so cute, but man are those suckers sharp. I'm just hoping he takes a little break before more of his teeth come in. Every time he cuts a tooth he's fussy for almost a week and he doesn't sleep well at all. Lately they seem to be back to back coming in. With his new mouth, his smile has started to change. It's now more of a sneer where he squints his eyes, scrunches his nose, and give a little grin. Mike misses his old smile, but I think it's so cute.

Other than that, things are going well. I'm waiting for the weather to keep getting warmer so we can start going to the park.

Those pesky neighbor kids

2009-02-20T21:10:19Z

Yesterday was a very eventful day! It started out pretty normal, except for Stryker getting up too early this morning (not the best start for the day). But I did get to work out, so that's always a plus when that happens.

About 4:30, I was feeding Stryker and heard this really loud knock on the door. I went to the door, but the lady was running away. (No, it wasn't a kid pranking.) I went back to Stryker, but heard some commotion outside. Then there was another really loud knock on my door and it was my neighbor from across the street. She told me the side of my house was on fire, told me to get out and asked if there was anything I needed. I gave her Stryker to hold and went looking for Sypz, who probably hid because of the loudness. I couldn't find her, but knew she'd be OK for the time being while I surveyed the situation. As I went outside, firetrucks were already pulling up. It wasn't really the house on fire, but was the grass in between our house and the neighbor's. I knew Kitty would be OK in the house and just watched the action with some of the neighbors. The fire was really going and the firemen had to knock down our crappy fence to get to the backyard and put the rest of the fire out. Luckily it was just the yard and fence that were burning and the house was fine.

Once they put the fire out, the firemen came into the house to check the structure. Stryker's room smelled a little smoky, but the house was just fine. Only a tiny amount of smoke damage on the side of the house. Stryker did really well during it all! He got held by a few neighbors while I was talking to the firemen, and they were all impressed how he would go to someone new and not get upset at all. Mostly he loved watching all the water and the firetruck.

Here's a picture of the burned grass and fence

Here's another of how far it spreads into the backyard. No, it's not a shadow, it goes pretty far back there.

It turns out the fire got started by the next door neighbor's kids. They found some matches and wound up setting the grass on fire. They tried to put it out but couldn't, so they told their mom. She couldn't put it out either, so she called 911. Soon a bunch of neighbors were all outside watching.

On the bright side, the grass should supposedly grow back greener than it was. And that was the weedy area, so hopefully this will be good. Also, the neighbors are going to pay to replace the crappy fence. So a new fence, yipee! They even made the kids come over to apologize. We really can't be mad, kids will be kids. At least they told their mom instead of trying to hide it before it became even worse. And I know Stryker will be mischievous and get into plenty of trouble one day, too.