Chuck E Cheese

So Patty was babysitting one weekend and suggested that we take Skyler with them to Chuck E Cheese. Brendan and I were not so sure how he would like it, but we decided to go along for the adventure. We were seriously disappointed to find that there was no ball pit (although it probably would have been infested with germs). The place was packed with children and we were shocked that there are not more law suits against them. I don't know how anyone can keep up with their child in all of those tubes and things!! But Skyler had fun none-the-less. He loved all the loud noises, flashing lights and children running around. Brendan found a basketball game and impressed all the children with his B-Ball skills. We took an etch a sketch picture with Skyler and he has the most serious face on ... we joke that he was thinking how weird it was for a rat to be drawing a picture of him. We took a picture of it and have posted it below.

Crawling

Right before Brendan took the bar, While Grandma Fletcher was visiting, Skyler decided that he was going to Crawl. This was the first of many phone calls from Brendan letting me know new tricks that Skyler picked up while I was at work. It took all of my energy not to go home immediately to see the big trick. The next morning I tried to get him to recreate it for the camera. So he was 6, just shy of 7 months ... and crawling :) I look back now and wonder what it was like to be in the days when he could not move!!! After crawling came pulling up and cruising (within the next week)! Grandma was lucky to catch the event, and we could not have been more excited to host her at our house, while she helped care for Skyler as Brendan did his last minute studying and I was at work.

Bath Time and Diaper Time

Skyler loves his baths in the big boy tub! The only problem currently is getting him to stay seated. From the moment he started to crawl (at 6 months) he started to pull up and then a few days later he started to cruise. Since that time he has been a little wiggle worm and it is impossible to bath and diaper him. My mom has started to call him skouliki (which is Greek for worm). Apparently my Grandparents gave the same nickname to my brother David when he was a baby.







Here is a video of Bath Time -



Here is a slide show of Diaper Time -

Skyler's Best Friend!

I'm not sure if it's a good thing that my son's best friend is a dog, but who am I to interfere with it. Skyler has liked Bauer ever since he was able to really start observing his environment. He always smiles when he see him and if he can hear Bauer's collar then he starts looking around for him. It has come to the point that I now use Bauer when Skyler is crying or upset. I just call Bauer into the room and Skyler will stop what he is doing and give Bauer one of those killer smiles :) The funny part is (although Skyler has gotten better at this over time) that Skyler cannot track him as fast as he moves. So, sometimes he will be watching him and then look up at me and smile and then look back at Bauer, only to find that the dog is gone. He just looks around for him with a perplexed face!

Here are some pictures of the boys together -

The really funny part is the recent turn of events. Now I described how much Skyler loved Bauer, but I'm not sure that Bauer ever really returned the affection .... Until recently. Since Skyler has been more mobile and playful, Bauer has been coming up to him more and trying to kiss him. The other day I was trying to get a video of Skyler with the new blanket that Aunt Arnon made him and this is what happened.



This is the first time that Bauer has actually tried to interact with Skyler! Now we have to watch like hawks to make sure that the toys that Skyler chews on are not Bauer's toys!!!

New Quilt

I got a new quilt the other day from my wondeful Aunt Arnon ... I liked all the pretty colors so much it was hard for me to look at the camera for mommy. I Thought I would show you guys the neat quilt too :)

First Foods

My mom has slacked a little on the blog job since she has been back at work, but she wanted to let everyone know that I started eating REAL FOOD :)

I started with Rice Cereal on 6/7/08. I wasn't so sure if I liked it and my mom and dad thought I made some funny faces. But, those faces were nothing compared to the faces that came with Peas!!!

Rice Cereal is ok, but I really like Oatmeal. In fact, the only way my mom could get me to eat my peas and green beans was to mix it with oatmeal!!!

My mom was mean and made me start with vegetables, but we are starting fruits now and I like those a whole bunch ... as well as yellow/orange veggies.

So far here are my likes and dislikes:

My Likes:
Oatmeal
Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Pears

My Dislikes:
Peas
Green Beans

Here are some pictures and videos for you ...

Video 1 & 2 - First Feeding - Rice Cereal -

Here is one about the mess we made -


Here are his funny faces -


Video 3 - First Peas -

6 Month Check Up

I turned 6 months on 6/26/08 :) I think that I am set for my half-birthday ... that there will be good food, presents, fun .... and then ...my parents took me to the doctor on 6/27/08 for a check up!

Here is how I weighed in -

18.5 pounds - 75th percentile
26 1/2 inches - 50th percentile

I decided that this check up I would switch my height and weight around a little.

After I was so nice to the doctor and nurse, they still decided to poke me a few FOUR times!!! They even gave me another oral vaccination (which I spit out on mommy)!

After the appointment mommy and daddy tried to make me smile, but I was not having any of their fun ...


Later in the day I felt a little better and I let my mommy take a picture of my battle wounds :)

Baseball Game 2

So, the other day when I was on the way to the Aquarium with Skyler (we were meeting Aunt Katherine, Lauren, Lynsey, Aunt Karen, and Kayla) Brendan called me and said that sports talk radio was at the restaurant across the street from it. Not that I wasn't running late already, but I got Lynsey and Katherine to run inside and say "Launch the Astros" to win us free Rays tickets (we were playing the Astros that night). The guys said that it was the fastest that anyone has ever come to win the tickets before. When they asked Lynsey if she liked baseball she said "no" (like any little girl would say), and I am sure at that point they regretted having to give the tickets to them.

So that night Brendan and I took Skyler to his second baseball game. Brendan was right about him loving it, because there was not a peep heard from him for the entire game!!! Of course on the way home he fell asleep, but he was so happy to be at the game. Brendan swears that Skyler must be a bad luck charm b/c both of the games he has been to so far the Rays have lost, but I'm pretty sure that won't keep Brendan from taking him :)

Here are some pictures I took of him while we were there. There is one picture that makes Brendan and I laugh everytime we look at it ... Try to see if you can guess which one ...

Sitting Up

Skyler has been working on sitting up for quite some time. He started at Aunt Brie's house before mommy went back to work. He was hit or miss, but could generally sit up for about 30 seconds unassisted. Then at the very beginning of June he sat up well, but leaned forward a lot. By June 8th when we took the pictures, he had it down!!!

We contribute most of his ability to sit up to the ball train. A toy that we found at Aunt Brie's that really caught Skyler's attention. We (Brendan and I) Decided that he had to have the toy and got it for him. In no time he was sitting up and playing with the balls :)

Now it's on to crawling :|

Hockey Fan

I got Skyler his first hockey set the other day which Brendan thought I was ridiculous for getting, but non the less, thought it was cool (This is important for the rest of the story).

The boys in the house generally rule what is on our TV, so during the early evening the TV is usually set to sports ... I know you've heard this before! But, what a unique picture opportunity when I found Skyler watching the hockey game with his dad while sitting up and playing with his hockey set.

They really are too cute ... It's just unfortunate that it wasn't the Lightning in the playoffs this year :(

First Baseball Game !!!

Skyler and Daddy went to his first baseball game today! What a neat time for them ... Some real father some bonding time. I knew he would like the game since everytime the he hears the slightest hint of a sport, he turns his head to look for it and immediately calms down. Did I think that he could last through a 9 inning baseball game which was 3 hours long??? No Way! I have never been able to keep him content for three hours at a time, not matter what I am doing. So, to think that sitting in the same spot for three hours while in a noisy stadium would be something he could enjoy ... I don't think so. But when Brendan brought him home from the game he was still all smiles ... They must have had a BLAST! Brendan said that he sat in his lap or car seat the whole time. He even caught a picture of them at the game ... of course he was wearing his Gator's outfit :) I had bought him the cutest little Devil Rays cap, but we couldn't find it anywhere before he left! I guess he'll have to wear it next time :)

First Day Back ...

So today was my first day back at work ... what an interesting experience.

For those of you who don't know, Brendan graduated from Law School on Saturday and has decided to stay at home and watch Skyler while he studies for the FL Bar, while I go back to work. I joke that he must think that I sit around and eat cheezy poofs and watch soap operas all day to think that he can watch the baby and study for one of the most important (if not the most important) and definately most expensive exams he has ever taken.

The issues with going back to work started yesterday. I was supposed to pick my car up from the office, but when I called to ask about what time, they told me I needed to bring a doctor's note first. Well it was already 4:15pm and I didn't have the form for them to fill out! (For those of you who know how hard it was for me to get the FMLA paperwork and permission to be out of work, this issue is completely ironic). I didn't start to get my stuff together until last night b/c I was so busy with family and the activities of the weekend. So, last night I was frantically searching for my paperwork, uniform, phone charger - half of which I could not find, giving up around 3am. Brendan and I then had a long debate about how best to get me to work without disturbing the baby's schedule and making it to where I could get home. I ended up taking the ghetto rider against Brendan's advice ... he thought it might break down on me. I don't know what he was talking about b/c the car rides great for as old as it is and the AC is perfect.

My normal shift is from 11am - 9:30 pm 4 days a week. But today I had to be to work at 8:30 am b/c I was supposed to be in inservice training. This morning I got to work on time and headed to my training. I was so proud of myself b/c I was actually on time - 8:30 am. When I got to the training division I was told that the training actually started at 8 am ... I felt horrible that I was late on my first day. I explained that it was my first day back in 4.5 months due to my maternity leave. Seeing the frustration in my face, the woman seemed sympathetic and hesitant to tell me that the training actually started yesterday! When she called the coordinator to reschedule the training, I found out that my name had previously been taken off the list for training by my office and that I was rescheduled for another date!!! It actually worked out for me though b/c I was able to use the time to get my doctor's note and get the things together that I needed.

Going back to work was like Christmas. I got a GPS system, file cart, my car back, my fuel card and my toll card!!! Very exciting. I also got to see a lot of friends that I hadn't seen in a long time.

I worked really hard to get the baby's stuff organized and even wrote a schedule and washed bottles in the middle of the night so that the day would be smooth riding. To my excitement there were no phone calls in the middle of the day with frantic questions or hysterical crying. I got a few phone calls from Brendan during the day to tell me how the baby was doing and let me hear Skyler laugh and talk. I was pround of myself b/c I only made three phone calls home for check up's on the baby!

After a long day at work, I headed home, proud of how well we did with this big change in our lives. I went to the church to meet up with Brendan and relieve him of the baby while he continued with the meeting. I was so excited to see the baby and was sure that I would get the biggest smile ever! I was shocked to see that with all my preparation I forgot some tiny details ... I forgot to tell Brendan how much formula I had premeasured so Skyler got 7 ounces of formula to 6 ounces of water. I also forgot to show Brendan where all of Skyler's clothes were so that he could get him dressed, or even just pick out an outfit for him before I left. This made for an interesting outfit when I came to pick up my tired, hungry son. I am putting a picture up of the outfit. It would have been much cuter to see it on him, but he was so tired and was crying so hard when I got him home, there wasn't much time for taking entertaining pictures. Brendan told me that he found the shorts in the hamper upstairs (he thought that they looked cute and paid no head to the fact that it was the dirty clothes hamper). He said that once he found the shorts, he realized that he had no idea where the shirts were. I was not suprised at all to see that the shirt that the baby was wearing was a Gator shirt.

How disappointing to find that with all that preparation and thought we still missed a few things! But, all in all it was still a good day as the baby still had two arms, two legs, 10 fingers and 10 toes, Brendan was still a proud father, and the baby had all of his naps :)

So, although I didn't get that biggest smile in the world from Skyler, we still made it through one of the most difficult days of my life!!!

Thanks to all of you who have helped us along the way and that are going to help us!!!

We love you all,

Ally

Jumping Bean

We have waited for the day when we could put Skyler in his Jumperoo, b/c bounsing him in our arms all day makes for some very rubbery arms. Well for a little while he has been sitting in his jumperoo and enjoying himself, but not jumping. Finally one day he just jumped off and hasn't really stopped. I thought I would include a video of all the fun he has in this thing, he really enjoys himself :) Brendan thinks that with his height and jumping skills, that we are raising the next Michael Jordan :) You would think that it frees up some time for us to get things done around the house, but it really just keeps us watching him b/c he is so funny in it. I will say this though, dinner has been a lot easier since he started playing in it !




Here is a video of him swinging in it too ... So many fun things to do in the jumperoo :)

Busy Weekend!

Well we have had a busy weekend for sure!!! We had Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Bateman, Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher, Taylor, Eric, Granmommy and Grandpa Mitchell, David, Katherine, Aunt Patty and Uncle Adam in town to celebrate Brendan's graduation from Law School, Skyler's blessing, and Brendan's ordination/setting apart to his new calling. What a wonderful weekend and we could not think of anyone more important to celebrate with then our family who has been so loving and supportive.

Brendan's Graduation was on Saturday, May 10, 2008. It was outside in the courtyard of his school. The day was beautiful ... Hot, Humid, Muggy ... actually quite disgusting! The sun was beating on us as we all sat on chairs in the middle of the courtyard. The graduates and faculty were the only ones who got to sit under the tents. I think they were trying to cook the guests for some appetizers after the graduation. It was so neat to be at the graudation b/c Brendan and my brother, David, graduated at the same time! My father, who is an alumnis at Stetson College of Law (1980) got to hand the boys their diplomas!!! We were so far away it was hard to snap any pictures of them while they were walking, but both grandma's got some great pictures after. We will post them as soon as they send them my way. I can't believe it has been three years already! Brendan graduated with honors with an MBA and JD degree. I told Brendan now that he has four degrees it is time for him to get a real job! Right now it is time for bar exam study ... Wish him good luck!!!

After graduation we had a party over at my parent's house. We had it outside (brilliant idea with all of the heat) by the pool. We had hamburgers and hotdogs, compliments of the grillmaster Adam Altice :) We also had a yummy graduation cake and some other appetizer meals. So many of our friends and family came to help us celebrate the big day!

On Sunday, May 11, 2008, we finally blessed Skyler. Brendan was conducting the meeting and he said that he thought it was weird to announce the blessing of his own son. Skyler had Brendan, Grandpa Fletcher, Great Grandpa Bateman, Taylor, Bishop Stewart, Mike Robinson, Stake President Patrick, and Adam Williams standing in his blessing circle. Brendan gave him his name and a great blessing that I know he will continue to look to for guidance over the years to come. Skyler was great. He did not cry at all. Brendan said that Skyler was trying to sit up for some of the time that he was being blessed which was pretty interesting. Even Jesson and Kristin were able to come to the blessing :) It was the first time that they got to meet the little guy and he seemed to really like Kristin. We also got some great news that they are moving down to Tampa this summer !!! The other guests of honor were Granpa and Granmommy Mitchell, Aunt Patty and Katherine, Uncle David, Grandma Fletcher and Great Grandma Bateman. Skyler is so loved and very lucky to have such a loving and supportive extended family :) Thanks to all that were there in person and in spirit! We have some cute pictures that I will post later ...

On Sunday, May 11th, 2008, after a great sacrament meeting (on Skyler's blessing day), we were able to have Brendan ordained by his father and then set apart in his new calling by the Stake President. Brendan was given some great blessings that we will continue to use and remember as our lives move on!

After all the excitement at church, Great Grandma Bateman, made us a wonderful Sunday lunch. She made lasagna, corn, rolls and a four been salad. We had all of Bren's family and my family over to eat and say our farewells as Brendan's family prepared to leave.

We are so lucky and have been blessed so much in our lives! We just want to take a moment to thank all those members of our families and all of our friends that have helped us get to where we are and that have supported us in all the decisions that we have made. We love you ALL!

Skyler's Cold

This Wednesday Skyler was sick. We put him down to bed like usual, and then he woke up screaming in the middle of the night and wouldn't go back to sleep. Of course on the night that I need my thermometer I couldn't find it!! My heart was hurting to hear him screaming like that :( Finally around 5 am Brendan gave him a Priesthood Blessing and Skyler fell asleep immediately. The next morning I took him to the doctor and the doctor confirmed that he had his first cold. No fever, but he was suffering from the three C's - congestion, cough and crankiness. The doctor told us to watch the cold and come back if he developed a fever or severe fussiness. I looked at the doctor as he started to leave the room and thought .... "Isn't there some kind of something that I can give him to make him happier?" The doctor then told me that I could use saline drops and the bulb syringe ... I thought maybe if I want to hear him scream louder! So over the last few days Skyler has been under the weather :( Unfortunately he had to get the first cold while all the company was here! He has been a real trooper, with little to no fuss after the first few days of the cold. He even gave the photographer smiles when he had his pictures taken! Sorry there are no picture for this one, but I thought I would save you from having to see a sad looking baby!

May 2008 Portraits

Poor Skyler ... Family is in town again, so mom got the great idea to get some portraits taken! Skyler is getting blessed on Sunday, May 11, 2008, so I wanted to get some pictures of him while he still fit in his blessing outfit ... He's growing so fast, the doctor has him documented as growing 1.5 pounds in 1 week!!! So for a full week I had been trying to get the baby to the portrait studio, but ... first I had to find booties, then he got his first cold (more to come about that later), then we had to get passports, then I had to get my hair done for the big day! So, finally on Friday we took him. He was still getting over his cold and had missed two naps, but remarkably he was still smiling! The pictures would not have been this great if it had not been for the wonderful help of Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Bateman ... who definately keep Skyler smiling :)

Love to all,
Ally

4 month checkup - Ouch!

Skyler had his 4 month check up on May 1, 2008. Here are his stats:
He weighed 15lb 7oz - 50th percentile
He was 25 3/4in long - 75th percentile

Patty was anxious to hear if we could start giving the baby food and water, b/c she wants him to try new things and she thinks it will be more fun to feed him that way.... Dr says yes! The doctor gave us information on starting solid foods and said that we can start between now and 6 months (but thinks we should wait until closer to 6 months). We are really excited about that new adventure, but there is no rush for us right now b/c bottle feeding is a lot simpler. He is just starting to really eye our food and show an interest in what we are putting in our mouth (although he shows that same interest when Jack comes over to him - so either we have a dog eater on our hands or he is just getting more involved in what is going on around him)! It is really cute! The doctor said water is a go whenever we want (as long as it doesn't supplement feedings)! Of course Patty gave him his first bottle .... at this time he isn't that interested in it.

Of course by the end of the appointment the inevitable happened ... SHOTS! He had one oral immunization and 4 shots!!! By the time the first shot went in, the pacifier was gone, the face was red and there was no noise coming out of the quivering, open mouthed lips!!! The last three shots were horrible to have to watch. He's such a good baby that by the time we had him dressed, he had already calmed down.

I think the best part of the appointment was still to come ... an inevitable fact that we were going to have to face eventually ... Skyler is an ambiguous name! When the doctor came in and Skyler was only in his diaper (which I think looks like a girl diaper - the huggies ones with minnie and mickey), he called him a girl ... that is until he opened the diaper :) Then when the nurse came in to give the shots she did the same thing!!! That is until I picked him up after the shots and called him buddy! We all had a good laugh after that. That's what I get for switching from the supreme brand with winnie the pooh to the regular brand with minnie mouse! We never had any problems before .... this is just what I am telling myself b/c I don't think we can face the hard, cold fact that he will be dealing with things like that throughout his life (at least he is getting a little practice now).

I am including a picture of his sore little legs which were taken a few days later and also a picture of him in just his diaper ... that way you can determine for yourself if it is the name or the diaper! Personally, I think that he looks like an old man so who could really make that mistake?!?!

Visit with Pops and Mimi

Pops and Mimi came for a visit and Skyler had a blast (these are Uncle Adam's parents)! Skyler had met them once before and fallen in love, so this was a welcomed reunion :) Skyler could not get enough of Pops, but we are not really sure who had more fun! We joke that Pops is the baby whisperer b/c he can certainly turn Skyler's frown :( upside down :) Mimi has such a tender heart and Skyler loved being held in her arms. This trip Skyler got a treat that I think he has become a little addicted to ... a puppy dog blanket. It is the softest thing ever and he loves to hold it and pull it to his mouth. It settles him down at bedtime and he cuddles it before he goes to sleep . . . way to go Mimi and Pops!!! We even caught a video of how much Skyler laughs when he is with Pops.

Enjoy the show ...
So I have to update you about the video ... After over 30 minutes of searching my computer, watching every video that was not labeled (there are quite a few), and then watching my computer crash twice I gave up on uploading the video for now and just put the slide show on the blog. I came back to the daunting task of finding the video earlier this evening only to realize after the same routine as previously listed that the video is on my sister's computer ... So we will have to wait patiently for her to send me the video ... Sorry :(

Tax Time

So Brendan and I thought that this would be appropriate during this season ...






Not only has Skyler been a welcomed Tax Deduction, but he has also helped us increase our tax rebate!!! Since Skyler is just like his father, I believe if he could talk he would be saying "free money!" If he were like his mother he would have said, "I just made you money!" Anyways, love the onesie I got from Aunt Bridgette as it made for the perfect tax time outfit :)

UT FAN ?!?!?

So we have some very disturbing news!!! We aren't sure that Skyler is a Gator Fan after all, you decide ...

Patty's Fiance Adam is a big time UT fan, so he is always filling Skyler's head with garbage UT chatter!!! So when Adam's father, Pops, came in town he vowed to send a UT onesie to Skyler and Brendan even promised that he would have Skyler wear it.

Well when the onesie came, we held to our promise and here is the video of what followed . . .



... When we got home (Skyler still in his UT onesie) we saw something that gives us hope that he might still be a UF fan ... He had pooped through the diaper and all over the onesie!!!! The stains of that diaper explosion are still on the onesie, never to be worn again!!!

Maybe there still is hope after all :)

GO GATORS !!!