Knee Walker

Tate has started to want to walk behind his toys only they usually move faster than his legs.  He has started to push them around while on his knees.

Knee Walker

Tip toes to look out!

Say Cheese

Roar!

Tate got a tub of dinosaurs to play with.  He liked them, especially the teeth on the T-Rex.  He also has some foam dinosaurs he plays with in the tub.  Often he will repeat after me when I say "Roar" only his is more of just a growl.  It was BEAUTIFUL yesterday!!  We spent a lot of the afternoon outside.  Tate braved the crunchy grass and crawled around.  He was kind enough to put grass all over Duke's belly while the dog was getting a good rub.

Free Lunch

I have not been keeping up with new pictures so here is an old one.  What a difference a year makes! 

I took Tate to the doctor yesterday and his ears were a little red.  We are holding off on antibiotics for now to see if they get better on their own.  Then we went and got our groceries.  Tate was pretty crabby by the time we were done and cried most of the way home until he finally fell asleep.  Later we took Tate to his first bull sale.  Ok, so I only went to get some free lunch but I don't feel too bad because the boys bought a couple new bulls.  Tate thought it was the best food ever and ate like a horse.  We didn't actually stay for the sale because Tate got crabby again because he wanted down.  It was an exhausting day!

To get on my soapbox for a moment...Antibiotic resistance is scary so I don't want to give them to Tate unless they are absoultely necessary.  You should be afraid of it too.  There are only so many known antibiotics and bacteria are figuring out how to mutate and be stronger than them.  What is Tate to do in 50 years from now when none of them work?  People could be back to dying from simple illnesses again.  To help prevent this, only take antibiotics if absolutely necessary.  Make sure to always take ALL of your antibiotics prescribed instead of stopping when you feel better.  Do you think I took a few too many microbiology classes?

Frog Love

I was putting away some things this morning and pulled out my old frog for Tate to see.  He liked it!  He even gave him a kiss!  Isn't he cute in his new shirt?  He finally got his tooth but it left him all congested with a runny nose and watery eyes.  He only wants to eat oatmeal again too.  We had potatoes and gravy for him last night but he didn't want anything to do with it.  Any child of mine that rejects gravy must be sick!! 

Stubborn Tooth

Tate is still working on his tooth.  It refuses to come in.  Today Tate is crabby and has a runny nose.  He is still super gassy.  Poor little buddy!  We are still getting very little sleep.  Brett is done checking cattle at night so he gets a turn with Tate.  Thank goodness because I was struggling to survive off of 3 hours of sleep a night.

We have been busy!  On Thursday we had a play date and Tate got to hang out with his friends.  Most of the babies are crawling now so it was fun to watch them interact.  On Friday I took advantage of my mom being off of work and went and got a pedicure with my friend.  It was some much needed pampering!  Tate had fun with grandma and grandpa. 

We did some painting last week and Tate did not want to sit in the chair so I could snap a picture of the paint on his face. 

10 Months

Eek!  Another month has already passed!  Tate is 10 months old.

Your favorite toys are your balls, big barn, and your books.  You have recently started putting objects into containers and handing things to mom and dad.  You are so proud of yourself when you do it.  You have also started to "talk" on the phone and put many things up to your ear like a phone.  Your most favorite thing to do right now is dance.  You have just found out how to move your head and arms to music.  You are finally starting to mimic and will do raspberries and other sound effects and the BA sound.  You are chattering away but still prefer sound effects to letter sounds.  Just yesterday you started to wave to yourself in the mirror but have yet to wave to anyone else.  You have 5 teeth and are cutting your top tooth today.  You still do not sleep well.  You still will only sleep in the recliner and even then some nights it is a major struggle to get you to settle down and sleep.  You nap about 2 hours in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.  You have been super gassy lately, especially at night.  You are still not eating well.  Somedays you seem hungry and interested in food and somedays you could care less.  You are eating 3-5 6 to 8 oz. bottles a day.  You are sometimes eating baby food but still prefer baby oatmeal to anything else.  You like to eat table food and your favorites are broccoli, pizza, and french fries.  I think you are a picky eater!  You are still picky about what you feed yourself.  You still will not hold your bottle but are doing okay with a sippy cup at meal times.  You are having a little trouble learning that you have to tip it up to get a drink.  You are wearing 12 and 18 month clothes and are in size 4 diapers.  You love to crawl and get into everything in the house.  You have started to think that "no" does not apply to you, especially when you are near the trash can.  You like to crawl over things like pillows and people.  You are developing such a silly personality and we love it!

Mr. Handsome

I got Tate all ready for church on Saturday and it was as if he knew that he looked super handsome.  I sat him down and grabbed my camera and he posed away for the pictures!

He cracked me up all day yesterday.  All he wanted to do was dance.  His dancing has progressed from a little shimmy to swinging his arms and moving his head back and forth.  It is too funny to watch.  His front tooth has finally started to peek through the gums.

St. Patrick's Day

We wore our green on St. Patrick's Day.  Tate looked cuter than I did!

We had a fun day yesterday.  We went shopping with my mom.  We found some good bargains at Kohl's.  Then we had lunch at Freddy's.  Tate thought it was delicious and liked grooving to the oldies.  He was also flirting with a little girl at the next table.  After that we went to the play area at the mall so Tate could crawl around.  He loved playing with all of the kids.  He even had two little girls swooning over him by the time we left.  The Easter Bunny made an apperance and Tate thought he was pretty fun.  Finally we went to Sam's where I spent a small fortune on baby stuff.  Tate is worth every penny! 

Martina

Today I am sure there is an angel celebrating her birthday up in Heaven.  My grandma Martina was born on this day in 1918.  She loved having a birthday on St. Patrick's Day and although she had no bit of Irish heritage you would have never guessed it the way she dressed and celebrated the day!  We had a very special relationship.  I took good care of her and she took good care of me.  I cherish all the time I got to spend with her, from her reading to me when I was little to watching her blossom in the nursing home.  I am overjoyed that she got to watch me get married.  She admitted once that she didn't like Brett at first but then she decided that it was only because no man would be good enough for me.  He won her over and she loved him like her own grandson.  I still miss her every single day!  The Lord knew I always needed her in my life so he gave my son her beautiful smile.  :) 

Ball Fun

Tate got a new tub.  This one was filled with all types of balls.  He loves balls! 

I am not sure what was going on in Tate's little body but last night he had GAS, GAS, and MORE GAS!  Poor little guy was miserable!  I massaged him over and over, used the Windi, used his Levsin drops, and finally gave him another nice hot bath before he was able to go to sleep.  He did not eat any new foods so I am not sure of the culprit.  Perhaps it is from that stubborn front tooth that refuses to make its appearance. 

We had so much fun yesterday!  Tate was a busy boy!  I put together a new toy that I had got on clearance after Christmas.  It is a big interactive barn with a swinging gate.  It was a hit!  He also climbed up the stairs.  He had done it once before but this time he really took off.  He only makes it up a couple before he doesn't want to do it anymore.  We also enjoyed the beautiful weather.  Tate didn't like the feel of the crunchy grass on his hands so he just sat out in the front yard taking in nature.  We needed a good dose of fresh air!

Helper

This little guy is so much help around the house.  Notice the nice neat pile of clothes ready to go into the washer.  Tate officially has 5 teeth and is working on number 6.  He is having a tough time with his 2nd front tooth.  He did not sleep well at all last night.  He could not shut off his little legs.

Cows

Tate is cutting 2 teeth today and is pretty grouchy.  To pass the time we went to see the cows.  The guys were sorting and moving some catting while we were there so there was a lot to see and hear.  Brett even brought over a baby for Tate to pet.  We love farm life!  (Well, perhaps Brett might beg to differ today after working with calves in the mud all afternoon!)

SNOW Much Fun

Tate finally got to play in the snow for the very first time! He was always sick before when it snowed so he missed out. He didn't seem to even notice the snow. I think he was more excited about being able to crawl outside for the first time.