A Month of Firsts

Month 9 has come and gone, leaving behind many memories of firsts: first teeth, first time pulling up to standing in the crib, first time arching his back in full out defiance...all amazing feats in their own right. I love the way he observes new things-picking them up, shaking them, tasting them, seeing if they come apart, and banging them on different surfaces. At times, I think of him as my little scientist, trying to unlock the mysteries of his universe.

Things I don't love-my little perfect, smily guy is gaining autonomy. Yes, that is a good thing, but as he starts to realize that he has free will, he has started expressing opinions-sometimes very loudly. Just two days ago, he was holding the remote control and when I tried to pull a bait and switch, he caught on to me, arched his back, and hurled himself backward onto the carpet. His parents are both stubborn, so there's no way he avoid that gene, I'm afraid.

Austin's mom and stepdad have been staying with us for the past few days. They are planning to move to Kerrville soon. That will mean Reid has 3 sets of awesome grandmas and grandpas to watch him as he continues to have more and more firsts. My little man will have his first Halloween in a few short weeks, then first birthday, then first steps, then...

Favorite pics from the 9th month

First Tooth

After months of drooling and a few cry sessions, I am proud to announce the arrival of Reid's first tooth, making it's bumpy way to the surface just before Reid's 9th month. It appears the lone tooth may soon have 3 more for company. His first tooth was the classic-bottom middle.

This past month, we have transitioned back into a daycare setting and I couldn't be more pleased. Reid has a new friend, Ryan, who is a month older. They are usually the only two in his Infant III room, so he gets lots of attention. Crawling and/or walking seems on the horizon but I am sure there are still a few more blissful weeks before the non-stop action begins. Reid is happy and healthy. He will see the doctor next week and I am curious to learn how he stacks up.

Favorite pics 4-7 months

I finally had a day to catch my breath and upload Reid's pictures from the last several weeks. We had a play date this morning with Ryker Patrick, William Conklin, and Hilton Bock (briefly). Nice to spend time at home today with the little guy. Here's the website: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?&collidparam=121256827209.723439381309.1248477856921

What's New...

We moved into our new house July 3 and took a little time to relax on the 4th of July. We had lunch with my family, spent the afternoon at the Secor's river property, and went to the Richter's 4th of July party in the evening for hotdogs, homemade ice cream, and fireworks.

Reid wasn't sure how to feel about his first river experience. His daddy took him into the water...he didn't cry, but he definitely wasn't his usual bubbly self, either. I wanted to get him back in the water again as soon as possible, so Austin and his mom went with me last night to take him to the pool. Same reaction-a little uneasy. My friend Rita teaches swim lessons and she is giong to go to the pool with us next time. I'm determined my little man will love the water the way his parents do.

Pictures from the 4th...

First time in the Guadalupe

With Mimi at lunch

With Great Granddady

Happy Father's Day

Dear Daddy,

Mommy and I love you so much! You take good care of me and give me the best tummy gummers ever. You even let me make a mess when I eat and change my poopie diapers (but only when mommy isn't around). You have been working so hard to make our new house just right for us but you still find lots of time to spend with me. I can't wait until you teach me how to play golf and coach my first soccer team. Before you know it, you'll be watching me play football or basketball, too. You'll teach me to appreciate the band Wilco and many others, you'll always do something special for me on my birthday, and, when I am old enough, you'll help me pack up my room and so that I can start my own adventures. But for now...I'm just happy in your arms.

Thanks, Dad.

Love,
Your son (6.5 months old)

5 1/2 Months!

I am ashamed of the disregard I've given this site. I had such high hopes for blogging every day! Reid is growing (by the second, it seems). He is honestly the sweetest child. He puts himself to sleep and grins and smiles most of his waking hours. I do have trouble getting him to smile for pictures, though.

We bought two web cams for Mother's Day-one for Austin's Mom and one for us-so that we could Skype (the next best thing to being there, I guess). What a great tool! Hats off to whoever came up with this little gem.

Reid has started baby food. I'm the overeager parent. I was supposed to wait until he was 6 months, but he loves his food so much! Carrots are his favorite. He's not fond of peas and green beans just yet. Those are the only foods I've offered him to date.

I took care of Tana's sweet baby girl on Friday. What a cute, petite little thing! Just another reminder of how BIG our little guy is getting (I think he may have had her by 2-3 pounds).

Life is good. Every day is a blessing...

Reid and McCrae last Friday

Reid wearing his daddy's baby sweater before he outgrows it!

The boys and their caps

Another adorable sweater pic...

Another of Daddy's baby sweaters

4 months old

Reid has blessed our lives 4 months now. Since my last post, he was visited by his cousins, Austin and Bela, he started daycare, and was fed his first rice cereal.

The cereal experience was not what I expected. Reid is so interested in watching others eat and I thought that would translate to food. However, I put him in his Bumbo, put on his bib, and spooned his first bite of cereal into his mouth. At this point, he began to cry!

As far as daycare, I'm not happy. We're going to look into other options...He's just not at his "best" lately. I don't know when he's napped even though I'm supposed to get a report and he's started getting cranky because he hasn't slept enough or he's slept too much. The Babywise schedule I worked so hard on is out the window on daycare days.

Devastated after the rice cereal incident

The Other Side of Overwhelmed

We've had a lot going on the last three weeks. At one point, all I could think about was what was right in front of me. After Austin's mom went home (a wonderful help she was to us, by the way), Austin's Spring Break began...and along with that, two weeks of Daddy Daycare. The same week, Austin's brother, William, and his family came to visit from Mississippi. We had put our house on the market and had accepted an offer, so Austin wanted to move while his brother was in town. So...somehow, with the help of family and a couple of Austin's students (who also happened to be my former second grade students), we managed to move most of our things last Tuesday. We've now taken up residence in a condo my dad rents out while we get ready to start fixing up our new (old) house.


Reid has been a trooper! I really believe his Babywise routine has kept him happy. When he's on schedule, he eats, stays up for a couple of hours, and then naps. When he wakes up, we do it again.


He is drooling everywhere! I keep waiting for his bottom two teeth to break on through to the other side. I can see them, they'll be here soon. His hair is continuing to thin out-especially in the back. He's tipping the scales at over 15 pounds now. Life is good!

I love this picture even if I can't make if face the right direction!

Reid with his cousins Bela (4) and Austin (6)
Reid got his Bumbo from Grandma when she came to visit. We call him the King of Bumbo!


Reid is finally able to start using his Jumpster. It's a new favorite thing.

Austin and Reid in front of our future home.

Reid's nursery at the old house (he never actually spent the night in his first nursery!)

Little man

3 Months

Reid has started rolling over. Well...I think he has. He was on our bed, so he had the help of a soft surface, but I think it counts. He rolled over twice last night. Reid is such a good baby. I kept thinking, "He is too good to be true," but he hasn't changed my opinion of him yet. At 11 weeks, he began sleeping through the night-just like he'd always done it! Thanks to Tara for recommending and giving us a copy of the Baby Wise book-we are firm believers in its philosophy. I went back to work this month. For my first two weeks back in the saddle, my mom watched Reid. Last week, Austin's mom flew in from Hot Springs, AR, to help out. Both Grandmothers (Mimi and Granma) have been fantastic at keeping Reid on his schedule. Austin's mom will stay another week and then Austin will do Daddy duty for two weeks. Reid will start daycare in April and I am dreading that, but I know we'll survive the transition.

Daddy and Tummy Time

Photos From the First Couple of Months

I've been working on getting photos uploaded. Mom has some of the best photos on her camera but here are some sweet moments from the first two months. Thanks, Amy, for the link to your blog...it inspired me to add more pictures. Yours were so fun to look at.

Welcome to the world!

My favorite zebra suit given to Reid by Gale Alford.

Regena came to visit over Christmas holidays. She had a baby girl named Camden last weekend.

Reid being held by Sarah and Gregg's twins, Hunter and Ben

Daddy with Reid at Christmas time

Dad, Reid, and laptop

Reid meets baby Seven

Reid, William, Hilton, and Brooke at a playdate

Reid finally started enjoying his swing.

Bathtime like a big boy!

Reid no longer likes to lay in his Moses basket, but he likes sitting up in it like a big kid!

Backtracking

Okay, I am really digressing here but I forgot to put a link to Reid's adorable newborn pictures on my blog. They were taken when he was two weeks old. Jennifer Lankford took the pictures and I think she did a really nice job. I have a link to her blog on this page. To view Reid's newborn pics, enter the site and go to the client's page. The password is Clarkson. So sweet!

Video Debut

I tried uploading video from my digital camera to the blog, but it stayed on the processing page for a couple of hours and never completed the upload. So, I tried youtube and was able to upload the video with no problem. Without further delay, here is the link to Reid's first video.

Reid's first video

Two Months in the Blink of an Eye

Reid turned two months this week. We went to Dr. Perryman on Tuesday and found out that Reid is the running for future linebacker. He weighed 13 lbs., 4 ounces! He has grown to 23 1/2". This has been a busy month and, unfortunately, I will be returning to work next week. I have been blessed to spend 2 months with Reid and will be working 3 days a week at the office and one day a week at home.

Reid has had 3 playdates this past month. At his first playdate, he decided to impress everyone and roll over from his belly to his back. Show off! Of course, he has not tried that trick again. Lindsay's baby, William, Tara's baby, Hilton, and Rachel's baby, Camille, were all at Tara's house for the playdate. Then, Reid went to see Seven (Charlie Montague VII). Seven is a week older than Reid. We took Seven and Reid on a walk in their jogging strollers. A couple of weeks later, we had a playdate at Lindsay's house. Angela joined us with her three week old, beautiful Brooke. Speaking of babies, Amy Patrick is being induced today and will soon welcome Riker Liam Patrick inbto the world. When I found out, it brought back a ton of memories-the anticipation of knowing that you will soon see this tiny human that you made!

I've taken some video of Reid. He loves to "talk." I hope to upload it soon. I've had technical difficulties, though, so who knows if I'll succeed anytime soon. I'm going to do my best to blog more often. I want Reid to have a record of his babyhood.

Christmas and Beyond

Today is Reid's one month birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies! It feels like I spent a lifetime waiting for him to get here, and now I wish I could slow down our time together.

Reid had a great first Christmas-of course, he was only 16 days old. But...he was sweet as always. I have a picture of him in all of his Christmas outfits. The one I posted of him was an outfit given to him by Austin's mom. Too cute!

I've noticed that Reid's hair is starting to fall out. He looks something like an old man going bald. I think he'll be cute as a baldy. We had pictures made of him by Jennifer Lankford when he was two weeks old (when he still had a head full of hair). The pictures are online and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. To see them, go to www.portraitsbyjenn.com, click on the clients page, and enter Clarkson as the password.

Two nights ago, some friends came by and they gave us some of their favorite things. Among them were the miracle swaddle, gripe water, and saline nose drops. They are all wonderful! The last week or so, Reid has gotten a gasy tummy. He doesn't really spit up or cry, but his face turns red, and he arches his back as if he's in pain. The gripe water seems to be helping. When he sleeps, he sounds so congested! I gave him the saline nose drops and was able to help him breath much more easily. My favorite is the miracle swaddle. Reid loves to move around and he startles himself sometimes when he is sleeping. I have swaddled him from the beginning, but sometimes he is active enough to kick his way out of the swaddle. The miracle swaddle doesn't let him budge.

There is one thing I'm going to have to read up on-dirty diapers. Reid was consistantly having six dirty diapers a day, but now he is down to one or two. .He is still having plenty of wet diapers, though. It worries me a little, but he is still growing and has a healthy appetite, so I think there is probably nothing wrong with him.

I think I'll give Reid some tummy time now, and then put him down for a nap.

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