Bring your child to work day

Usually on Fridays I work from home but seeing as I'm going to be gone all next week I needed to make sure everything was in order before I left............sooooo little buddy came to work with mommy! We were there for MAYBE an hour and a half and I think he smoked his face a good 5 times trying to open the file cabinets, tried to eat 4 used products that I'm sending back to the manufacturer (yes used and FOUL.........), chewed up 3 important pieces of paper, pulled out 2 cords and had ONE FUN TIME ;)

GA-ROSS

"mom, are my legs seriously this chubby - usually I can't see them because of my big belly but wow, I have cankles...." - yes you do buddy, yes you do.

just being a big boy at mommy's desk. nothing to see here........

MOOOOOOVER

and a pretty sharp one ;) check out these problem solving skills!

fine - if I'm stuck that one way I'll just turn around and go the other.............just try to stop me mom ;)

In a span of 30 minutes.....

Declan ate a handful of little gerber veggie sticks, half a banana, a jar of chicken noodle soup and a bowl of edamame and peas...................and he still had his bottle before bed. I mean seriously!!!!!

So proud of his little piggy self :)

Our little candy corn

How cute is this hat?!?!?! One of my little girl's, TK, her grandmother made all these awesome little hats for Deco and its finally getting cold enough to wear them! Yesterday the Buffs had a game in the morning and it was pretty chilly, as well as on and off raining so we bundled up and headed to the field!

Little buddy is one popular dude, as the minute we get there everyone wants a turn so I hand him off and let him play with all the girls. Yesterday he spent the majority of the game (overtimes included) with Nikki Marshall - we LOVE Nik and are sooooooo glad she's back in Colorado! The Marshall family has been one of the biggest supporters of Paul and I as a couple and now the three of us as a family and we just love them. Nikki played for Paul at CU for 4 years and now is in the pro league playing for the Washington Freedom (and she's kicking ass, excuse my French) but its her off season so she's back - YAY! And Declan was in love.......

atta baby

Buddy's other favorite Nikki! He was most interested in the strings on her hoody. I was so proud of his sharing abilities though...he would try to eat them and then give them to Nik to see if she wanted to eat them as well - how sweet ;)

 diving save. good form.

little buddy was spent, big morning 

Confessions of a first time father.

1. I am a very lucky man to have married such a great woman and mother.

2. I am very lucky that my wife absolutely loves our boy.

3. I am very lucky that Alli puts up with me and my s**t.

4. I take the "Cliff Notes" approach to parenting....just read some of the important things and let Alli do the significant research. She tells me what to do, how to feed him, etc... In my defense I must say that I can really change a diaper. I go with the NASCAR pit crew approach. Lots of wipes and as fast as I can go.

5. Did I say I am a very lucky man!

Love you dear

Mommy's little chef

I had a lot of cooking to do today so had to keep the little man in there with me and he did pretty well with his bowl and spatula!! He's like a puppy who's chasing his tail with that bowl though - hilarious - he crawls to it, tries to pick it up but it slips to another part of the kitchen, he crawls again, pushes it again and the game continues.................round and round and round and rounddd.................

he's got that mischevious little smile that I love. :)

This is what I see most days now....

Declan has gotten verrrrrry clingy recently and no matter where I am he crawls on over, pulls up on my leg and just looks up at me until I pick him up and snuggle. I must admit, I kinda like it - I know there will come a day where I have to beg for even a "hi" so right now, I'll take all the snuggles and clingy I can get.

Confessions of a first time mother........

There's a commercial on TV, or maybe its just on TLC when I'm watching "A Baby Story" but whatever............either way, its so spot on. More or less, the sentiment is "just when you think you've mastered a challenge, a new challenge comes along.....welcome to Parenthood" AHHHH - could not be more in tune with my thoughts.
   This challenge of parenthood has been, easily, the biggest challenge of my life but its the little things, every day that change, that drive me crazy! I work SO hard (obsessively hard) at keeping Declan on a schedule, working on his naps, making sure he has a good diet, that he's eating not too much, not too little, but just enough, that he's reaching and working on his developmental skills etc etc etc etc...........I could go on but you get the jist and it drives me bananas that as hard as I try and the minute I think we're finally getting in a rhythm, something changes. It's shocking actually, and I'm sure it shouldn't be and I need to adjust my mindset to be a little more "go with the flow" but holy smokes!
   The biggest thing that I worry about and I know I've written about it before, is his sleep. Not so much at night because he's a phenomenal night sleeper, but his naps and day schedule are a constant source of stress for me and truly, the minute I think we're finallllllllly getting it - something happens. Whether he goes thru a growth spurt and he needs to eat every single hour or he's teething or he's adjusting to a new daycare provider or whatever it is, if we've had a good 2 weeks, I know its about time for something to throw it off :) I don't know if the books just make it sound so easy or I have too high of unrealistic expectations of a baby or people just don't tell you the real deal or WHAT but it's so frustrating and I'm not sure how to handle it. I thought, before having a baby of my own, that you get on a schedule and it stays that way for a good long while. Turns out, every day is a little different......every single day :) And that's tough for me to handle.
   But what if I simmer down and don't worry about a schedule for him, will I be short changing him and will he get what he needs if I don't guide him there? Will he think he rules the roost if I don't set boundaries or let him know, even this early, that I'm the mom and he's the child? Or should I just relax? Will there ever be a time to actually relax????????
    Don't get me wrong, I love, cherish and enjoy every single second of being Declan's mom. I worry and stress, yes, but I love him with every ounce of my being so I want to do what's best for him and its just so hard, this being my first one and not having any sort of frame of reference. I know I'm also making Declan sound super difficult and he really isn't. The truth is, he has an awesome schedule, he takes a good nap in the morning and his afternoon nap/s are very hit or miss but for the most part he at least naps for 45 mins in the afternoon - haven't had one of those 3-4 hour afternoon naps I keep hearing and reading about but hey. He's unbelievably happy, super social and developing at a rate that even surprises my doctor but still - I worry. And I stress. These are the things I think about on a Friday night.........................how wild and crazy am I?!

The evolution of the smile

We are now doing the thin lipped straight across weird smile :) makes him look older I'm not really ready for that so please go back to your crazy baby smile would ya???!!?!?!!!!!

Mr Cheese Pot!

Couldn't love these two more :)

BIG BOY BOTTLE!

He thinks everything that is mine is also his.......................

Good try fella :)

brown bear, brown bear

This book is genius, in my opinion. It's got animals, colors, rhythm and repetition and Declan LOOOOVES it. Holy smokes. He gets so daggom excited if you even say "brown bear, brown bear" and when he gets the book in front of him he literally starts shaking :) He's getting pretty good at turning the pages himself and we read it every day so he knows when its time to turn to go the the yellow duck yellow duck.......... ;)

Hogan fam!!

We were extremely extremely lucky and had the Hogan/Henson clan out here for about 2.5 weeks!! :) Nana came out for a visit and ended up staying an extra week because our neighbor who's watching Declan for us right now came down with Pneumonia and was contagious for 10 days..........................................SOOOO she obviously couldn't watch Declan and Nana helped us out huge and stayed to watch little buddy for us :) At the end of that second week Aunt Nancy and Uncle Scott flew out for a visit and the CU/Georgia football game.
   I've gotten very used to kind of "doing it on my own" out here, especially now that Paul's back in season and gone every other weekend and you almost forget what it's like to have help and people to share in the little things with. I can't say enough how wonderful it was to be able to share those beautiful smiles and laughs that Declan blesses us with every day. I take 94302489320 pics and videos per day and send those out but its a much different story to experience it with your family TOGETHER.
   Thank you Nana, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Scott for sharing your time with us. Time is the most precious thing we have and we're so lucky that you gave so much of yours to us. It was absolutely wonderful and we miss you tons!!!!!!

******ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDD the best news ever - Aunt Nancy and Uncle Scott are expecting TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!! We are over the moon for them and can't wait to get all the little cousins together playing. Congrats Nan and Scott - enjoy every second of the next 6-7 months of this pregnancy together. You deserve it :)

MMMM delicious

Dirt anyone?????

Oh yea......that's good stuff.

VIDS!

Little buddy just chatting away! He's even starting to put consonants together..............like for example, his favorite, "MAMA" hahahahah - DUH!! 

this was amazing. he has the best laugh on the planet and Paul can get him going like no one else :)

When Paul's gone we try to make oh, say, 45 videos a day to send to him :) This is easily his favorite part of the day..........when you go in in the morning to get him and he's just bouncing up and down, chatting away with a big smile on his face. Doesn't get much better than that! Pretty good way to start your day.......

Obstacle course

I'm not sure what it is, but cords are full-on magnets for this child. Probably not the best idea that I tape (most likely encouraging this activity) but he's a nut and he'll do anything to get to his beloved cords :) I promise I got him right after turning off this video :) More babyproofing needed asap!

Just a cute picture

Because I can't help myself :) He is one well-documented child..........

I love his face.

more standing pics

I joke about his thighs but he is a strong stinker - if you feel them, its all muscle - no lie! Its just too funny I can't even handle it......................our doctor didn't believe me when I told her he was crawling at 6 months and I know she won't believe me when I tell her he's almost walking at 9 months (if not walking) but he is strong and determined. WATCH OUT! That's my boy!

Hardly holding on anymore - he lets go and stands for a quick second then grabs again - getting close!

Eating like a big boy!

Declan literally eats everything, but the fact that he's now eating like a big boy is just too much for me! I give him anything and he'll bite, chew, swallow - WHAT?!?! Supposedly he should only be eating pureed carrots and peas right about now but PSH - we're advanced over here ;) Recently he is just beyond interested in all things food and at first I would have to hide (literally one time I went into the bathroom) when I was eating so he wouldn't freak out but we've given that up and just give him whatever we are having. Earlier I made some salsa (kinda spicy but apparently he doesn't care) and he was eating chips and salsa, right along with mommy watching some college football. My little 15 year old, trapped in an almost 8 month's old body. He is such a sweet chunky mess :)

Wanted some of mommy's apple so there ya go bud!

Ate half of this banana, just like so - BIG STINKIN' BOY!!!

PS - still no teeth, serious gums though ;)

The kid has a front wedgie!!!

AHHH!!! I mean to tell ya, his thighs are work of art :) I'm so proud! 

PS - DB I feel your pain brother-man. This is the story of my life - hence why I do not wear shorts whilst running :)