Dexter, Grandma, and Chase

Just had to upload these pictures of Chase and his two best friends, Dexter and Grandma Anderson. These pictures were taken over Memorial weekend when we traveled to visit family in Staunton, VA. Chase slept a good portion of the ride there and back, and did really well throughout the trip. By the way, Chase has another tooth in since my last posting; it's the bottom left first molar. I was suprised that a molar grew in before the rest of his incisors. Maybe he'll have more teeth through by the time I post again.

Chase at 13 Months

Enjoying being in the Captain's chair of the boat

The next few pictures are from Chase's one-year portraits

Playing in his first kiddie pool

We’re over the big one-year birthday bash for Chase and well into toddling now. Chase still isn’t walking independently, but he can walk very well with his walker and holding onto someone or something. I know it’s just a matter of time before he builds up the confidence to walk on his own. Dr. Baust (Chase’s pediatrician) was surprised he wasn’t walking yet, because his motor skills seem advanced otherwise, but we’re not wishing away his crawling days just yet. At his 12-month check-up, Chase’s measurements weren’t much different than they were from his 9-month visit. He’s about 21 pounds now and 31 inches long—long and lean, but healthy. He’s still a decent eater, but his appetite has been a little more persnickety due to fighting off colds. He got another cold since his birthday; so far, turning a year old has brought on more sickness, which I blame on more exposure to germs since he’s into EVERYTHING now. If I had a motto to my life it would be, “Chasing Chase,” which sounds ironic since he’s not even walking yet.

As I’m typing this, I hear fussing in the background. Chase is still cutting teeth (the story of his life) and has 6 through the gums (3 on top, 3 on bottom). He is extremely clingy to me today. I remember last October I had to work overtime, causing me to go into work early and leave late, so Tim was dropping off and picking up Chase from my grandmother’s house in the mornings and afternoons. Chase got so excited when Tim arrived to pick him up in the afternoons. I remember feeling so sad that I couldn’t be there to experience the smiles and excitement that came with every afternoon pick-up. When I was able to start working a normal shift again and I’d go with Tim to pick up Chase in the afternoons, Chase would crawl straight to Tim and completely ignore me, which left me feeling glum. However, now he is so clingy to me at times that I can hardly get anything done without him hanging on to my leg and fussing for me to pick him up and carry him around. I almost miss the days when he ignored me (not really).

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all of the other moms out there keeping up with my blog! “You have chosen to bless my family. Let it continue before you always. Lord, you have blessed my family, so it will always be blessed. 1 Chronicles 17:27.

11-12 Months

One Year Old!

I’m awestruck Chase will be a year old on Thursday! A part of me is sad that this first year went by so fast and that my baby is transitioning into a toddler. However, another part of me is excited to see my sweet little boy learning new things and meeting new milestones. I only wish I had more time to savor each moment as he grows. To say life has been busy is an understatement. These past few months have been slam full of things to do and it has taken every ounce of energy for me to keep up with my daily routine, yet alone extra tasks. Consequently, I had to combine the 11 and 12 month blog postings since I didn’t get around to posting an update last month.

Over the past two months, Chase’s appetite has taken off like a rocket. He’s eating a wide variety of table food, drinking juice, and showing little interest in formula nowadays. He has five teeth and more to pop through in the near future. Teething has been a dramatic experience for him even with Tylenol, teething tablets, and teething toys, but we’re all surviving.

Other than the discomfort of teething, Chase got his first really bad cold last week. I had to take him to the pediatrician for the first time outside of normal check-ups. Unfortunately, he wasn’t feeling all that well for his first birthday party yesterday (Sunday, April 18th), but the party was still a go. We had my family, Tim’s family, and our next-door neighbors over for a cookout. The theme of the party was “Elmo” and we had beautiful weather for batting at an Elmo piñata outdoors. Chase dove into his first birthday cake and said, “Num, num, num” (for “yum, yum, yum.”) It was too stinking cute, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son! He’s got a smile (even when covered in chocolate) that could melt any heart.

Chase will have his 12 month check-up this Friday, so I’ll pass along his measurements afterwards. All I can say for now is that he’s getting heavy and his “high water” pants always make their way up his long legs. He’s still in size 3 diapers, but most of his clothes that fit him just right for now are size 18 months. Another thing growing….his hair….and, it’s very strawberry blonde (heavy on the red hues), which is funny because we never anticipated having a baby with such reddish hair…guess we can’t hide those Irish genes!

We’ve been chasing Chase all over the place, and he’s not even walking yet; but, he’s getting very close. He can walk with assistance and stand as long as he has something to hold onto for balance. Needless to say, we’ll have our hands full even more when he is walking. We’ll be in for lots of fun this summer as Chase loves being outdoors. We’ve already had the boat out twice this year and we look forward to going out on the water more.

Wow, there’s so much more I could say, but I think I’ve captured most of the highlights. I’m typing this as Chase is sleeping. On most nights, he sleeps from about 7 PM to 6 AM. I’m not too far behind him going to bed on most nights! With that said, until next time….good night!

10 Months

Hard to believe we are two months shy of Chase’s 1st birthday! Chase is such a busy little boy these days. Praise the Lord; other than a mild stomach virus that lasted for 24 hours, he’s still been very healthy. He weighed in at 20 lbs. at his last pediatrician appointment and he is already almost half of my height (2.5 feet). As you can see in the picture, he is almost as tall as his “big brother” Dexter.

Chase is going through somewhat of a clingy phase. He loves his Great Grandma Anderson since he spends the weekdays with her while “Mommy” and “Daddy” work. Of course, he loves us too and wants to be held very often, especially when he gets tired. He’s starting to cuddle with blankets, stuffed animals, and even Dexter. However, if he’s not tired and in a cuddly mood, he’s wide open and crawling all over the place to explore new territory. It’s tough for us to keep up with him at times.

Chase’s eating and sleeping habits haven’t changed much since last month. However, we are amazed at how much he’s grown and all of the new things he learns with each passing month. Can’t wait to share more adventures in the 11th month!

Teeth have Arrived!

I can't believe I forgot to mention in my last posting that Chase has teeth now! His front top left tooth was the first one to poke through the gums right around Christmas. Since then, he got his front bottom left tooth and the other top one. The right bottom tooth is just about through the gum too. So, Chase got a belated Christmas gift....."All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...."

9 Months Old

I can definitely say that Chase’s 9 months outside of my womb went by a lot faster than the 9 months of my pregnancy with him.

What is Chase up to these days?
-pulling himself up into the standing position
-taking baby steps while holding onto something for balance (i.e. the couch: he can walk the whole length of the couch while holding on)
-crawling everywhere and putting lots of miles on those little hands and knees
-vocalizing his emotions more (i.e. he sometimes likes to scream as loud as he can just for the mere entertainment of hearing his voice, but other times, it’s obvious that he’s frustrated when he screams)….we’re hearing lots of “dada’s and momma’s” these days.
-still sleeping on the 7-5 schedule….only wish we could stretch it a few hours longer on the weekends so we wouldn’t have to get up so early when we don’t have to work, but all in all, we can’t complain with his sleeping habits.
-loving his time with Grandma Anderson….he lights up whenever we first bring him to Grandma’s house in the mornings before work
-rolling toys across the floor and chasing after them….sometimes he takes laps around the house doing this
-experimenting with finger foods such as Cheerios and puffs….most of the time, they end up on the floor at home
-still drinking lots of formula….makes me miss the breastfeeding days, because formula is not cheap!
-mimicking actions such as when Tim and I are chewing food
-riding in a new car-seat now; enjoying looking out the windows during car-rides to observe new sights

Chase goes for his 9 month check-up in early February in which case I’ll pass along his latest weight, height, and any other interesting news. Hope everyone is having a great 2010 so far!

Merry 1st Christmas, Chase!

Chase after his bath on Christmas Eve....he looks like a grumpy elf...

...and a sleepy elf.

Chase's 1st visit with Santa was very short because Chase was afraid of the big guy in the red suit. He never cracked a smile for the picture.

Playing with a spatula on the floor with Daddy

This spatula is probably way more fun than any toy he'll get for Christmas....funny how that works.

It’s hard to believe Chase just hit the 8 month mark! As we celebrate our first Christmas with him, we are so thankful and humbled for all God has blessed us with this year. For one, we are grateful for our health. Chase hasn’t been sick at all during his 8 months of life and we pray he’ll continue to be healthy in 2010.

Our little rug-rat is crawling all over the place these days. It didn’t take him but a few days to master the art of crawling. Now, he is trying to pull himself up on things. He definitely knows his name when we say “Chase, don’t get into that.” He’ll turn around and look at us and usually proceed to get into whatever he’s not supposed to….guess that’s what having a boy is all about!

Chase has a hearty appetite and continues to grow with each passing day. He has outgrown most of his 9-month clothes and we’ve started him in some 12-month clothes. He’s not a chubby baby, just very long. He still doesn’t have any teeth to mash his food with….we keep on saying it will be any day now, but we’ve been saying that since he was 3 months old! His teeth have been hanging out just barely below the surface of his gums for several months. He still has his fussy moments when his gums bother him or when he gets really tired and fights sleep. However, he is a much happier baby now that he can crawl around and entertain himself. We just have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get into something that could harm him….for instance, he loves tugging on electrical cords.

I am in complete awe that this year has flown by so fast. I hope everyone can slow down over the holidays and reflect on the true meaning of the season. Merry Christmas and Happy 2010! Chase will be 9 months old when I post again in January!