Holy Hummer Batman!

Christmas was quite the time this year. I started out saying I wouldn't buy them much this year and I now have toys from one end of the house to the other. They got several things they have shown little interest in and others that have become favorites for both of them AND the cat. It was a great day. We all congregated at my mother's and spent the day. Aunt Shelle dropped by with sweet Emily and Jack. My grandmother and her new husband came for the lunch feast along with my Aunt Jeanie and her hubby and they all surprisingly stayed for the larger part of the afternoon. And shortly before we called it a day, Judy and her family showed up. We were all shocked. Jer and I were only disappointed that for the 2nd holiday in a row we did not get to play a family game. It seems to be the best way for us all to bond, my brother and sister-in-law included.
But the big hit were the Hummers my parents bought for Bryan and Tristan. Tristan would ride for 10 feet, then jump out, ride for 10 feet then jump out. Not sure what he was doing, but it kept him busy. Aside from Zander having a small fever and his sinuses being plugged, he was an exceptional baby. He had a blast and rarely fussed. He actually spent a good amount of time entertaining others. Tristan took no nap and crashed before we got to the end of the street. Having to wake him when we got home was not fun and he actually stayed awake long enough for Grandma Sue to bring by even more presents. We had two duplicate presents, both came from Uncle Josh and one KIA thanks to Jer. He ran Tristan's new remote control Jeep right behind Bryan's hummer and it snapped the axle. This happened maybe 15min after T-man had opened it. Neil plans on taking it back to Walmart and exchanging it. We shall see.
All in all, a very Merry day.

G.I. Zander

Zander started to push up on all fours then realized there was no need to lift that round belly off the ground to proceed forward. Instead he has taken to a very effective military crawl. He once rolled to achieve his desire, but now can keep his eyes on the prize and propell forward in an increasingly rapid pace to mange his mischief. At first he stayed in the main rooms of the house, primarily near toys and Tristan. But as his spead and stamina has increased, so have his boundaries. I cannot do dishes or laundry without my pint size companion. In the beginning I was able to huridly switch the laundry and intercept him in the hall. Now he is down the hall and in the cat's bowl before I can unload the dryer. Because I shudder at the idea of him discovering the cat's litter box, I have now pulled out of the garage the oh so effective baby gate. Tristan and the cats can both scale it with great ease. But it is very effective at limiting little Z and working Mommy's thighs as I hurdle it repeatidly during the day.
Tristan is very busy at kicking ass at Halo. He is learning so quickly and will repeat just about anything these days. For instance just the other day Mommy said a not so appropriate word and Tristan, in true toddler form, spouted it back out at me. Luckily his pronunciation is not quite up to par so it sounded more like DUCK. Yes yes, we have lots of ducks around here. Ducks that SIT, in case you hear him say that also. I'm working on changing my vocabulary, so if he calls you a poo head, it means you are not a good driver. Better than a ducker I suppose.

One Tooth, Two Tooth...

They have erupted, finally! First one shiny, white point and then another. And now we have to bottom teeth. The sweet gummy baby grins of the past are gone. Now are the days of chunkier food, biter biscuits, and dare we say... Finger foods. I really didn't think he'd get a handle on them so quick. These Gerber fruit stars. Little rice puffs that taste like fruit flavored air. He spent a good twenty minutes learning to rangle the tiny things, but now he's got it down. Granted a few still go MIA into the high chair. But our wee- man is by no means picky. If Mommy is willing to rescue them, he is willing to eat them anyway. Next we try Cheerios.
The teeth have brought biting, particularly of the nipple. Probably good I have been playing with the idea of weaning. He takes formula well enough, I'm just not quite ready. We'll slowly taper it off and play it by ear. I did that with Tristan and he just gave it up one day. Granted he was a few months older, but this will be good. I'm just not myself and I'm a much better mommy when I'm back to myself and can have a bit more space. That and having my body all to myself, at least when I'm not holding, cuddling, swinging, wrestling, bouncing, well you get it. I know this from weaning Tristan and feeling like I hadn't felt in almost two years. Yes it is sad in a way. To be letting go of my baby in that sense. But I do feel close to him when he drinks from a bottle. No less either. We still cuddle. I talk to him and sit in awe of him. He is no less loved and he knows it.
With new teeth come new smiles for mommy to photograph. I have tons of gummy grins and soon billions more of his pearly new whites. My baby is so ever quickly growing into a tiny little man. No longer in constant need of mommy. But this is his body's way of expressing how ready he is to move on to bigger and less mushy foods. He is not my gummy newborn anymore.