All things BRUCE

While 2009 has kicked our collective ass more than any year should be able to... I'm still alive. So, it's mid-December... and my son is turning ONE in only 10 days. I think I'm going to have a heart attack - and that IS something that will likely carry me to the grave.





I plan on posting my traditional 'Year in Review' blog here in a couple of days, but wanted to give a quick Bruce-update!






1. WORDS:
"Dada", "Mama", "Dung" (yes... "dung"), "Down", "Uh-Oh!", "Shoe", "Cat", and a mix of whatever it is he's saying when he babbles.

2. WALKING:
Yep. He does it! Bruce started walking a couple weeks ago, right around Thanksgiving, and has a pretty good grasp on it. The only time he tumbles is when he gets too excited, or is overly tired. He can stand, stoop, squat AND walk backwards! I'm so impressed by my little man!

3. TEETH:
The Squish is now the proud owner of 6 baby teeth! He's still cutting them, though, and it seems pretty painful this go-round. He has two more coming in on the top, bringing the total to 8... and I'm sure he's going to practice sinking them into my hand any day now. Oy.

4. OTHER:
He's awesome. That is all. :)

More that CAN'T be said than can...!

Life is funny. Like hysterically, roll-on-the-floor-until-your-sides-feel-like-they're-going-to-burst hilarious. Unfortunately, that is also the kind of hilarity that brings on nausea after it has had its way with you.

That's where I am right now.

Between people breaking things (father-in-law: neck, grandfather-in-law: hip and/or leg), traveling for work, the insanely fast progression of my son from 'little baby' to 'ginormo', and a few other things I'm not entirely ready to share just yet, this has been one craaaaazy year.

But I am here to focus on the good!

Bruce had his 9-month check up yesterday morning, and is doing very well! He weighed in at a nice 23.75 lbs, with a 19.5'' head, and 30.5'' body. He's definitely a big guy, but not only is he proportionate, he is also extremely active! That ensures that his cute baby rolls stay "cute", and don't morph into "cankles" down the line. He has four teeth now (two on top have broken through, plus two on bottom), and is able to wave his arms and say "Eahhhh!" for "Yay!", clap his hands on command, and shake his head 'no' when asked a question... regardless of the real answer!

He is now a crawling machine, not content to stay put longer than about 1.3 seconds! I love watching him figure out what toy or book he wants to go after, because you can really see the thought process play out on his face. He has mastered pulling himself to standing, and has recently decided that he's ready to walk; he's not, of course (the poor guy keeps falling down...!), but it's still adorable to watch and help him waddle across the room by holding his hands. Cruising (walking along the edge of the couch for support) has also begun, slowly but surely.

As for food... he's a machine there as well! Not content to suffer through regular canned baby food, our little man prefers finger foods - prepackaged and not. Last night, he ate herbed chicken in wine sauce right along with us!

I'm loving my job, and may be up for a promotion (so to speak). We need someone to start doing some hardcore marketing to our members and potential members... and that's where I may come in! I'll find out more about that in a month or so, so stay tuned.

Steve is still considering a career in Radiology. After two years, he could be an Ultrasound Technician, and make some serious money... serious money that we could really use to pay for Bruce's ever-shrinking wardrobe, my coffee habit, and a house of our own!

Finally, we're in the early planning stages of an early-December trip to Florida to visit my Papa and step-grandma. They have yet to meet Bruce, and are in no condition to be flying across the country to do so. I hope to hear back from them soon about this, as there are some killer deals on tickets right now...!

Good things come in pairs, apparently!

I spoke about a week too soon; Bruce has TWO teeth! *Squeeeeee!*

Both his bottom right and bottom left middle teeth are coming in and, while it renders him completely miserable and fussy, I couldn't be more proud. How silly does that sound, by the way... being proud of my child's emerging teeth? It's not like he or I have any say over it, or the rate that they come in. I guess I'm just so amazed by how quickly he's growing. He's my little giant.

Next topic up for discussion?





Yep... I'm going to look into Roller Derby!!!!!

Things that go CHOMP!

We have been fairly certain that Bruce has been teething for a while now (try since he was 3 months old and started drooling like a freaking faucet), but - drumroll, please...

His first tooth is coming in!

Steve called to inform me that he felt something a little sharp in Bruce's mouth (sounds terrifying, right?) and, after obtaining visual confirmation, we have tooth! The coolest part about this is that Bruce turns 6 months old tomorrow. Talk about milestones! What an awesome story this is going to make for him when he's older and wants to know about his milestones with growth and all that fun stuff.

Our little man - on top of producing his first tooth - has also been going through his 6-month growth spurt. We noticed very quickly that, when it comes to the 'typical' growth spurts, Bruce is about a week or two... or four... ahead of the actual date they should be occuring on. It just goes to show that, once again, BABIES GROW AT THEIR OWN PACE. While he normally takes roughly 32 oz of formula every day (on top of whatever pureed food we offer), these last two weeks have seen him consuming anywhere between 28 and 50 oz in a 24-hour period. *GULP* Big guy!

On a slightly sour note, we go in on Monday for Bruce's 6-month Well Child check-up mean - you guessed it - more shots. They put off giving him one round of shots at his 4-month visit, so he will be getting stuck THREE times. I can't stand seeing the look in his eyes while they hold him down and he's screaming... *shudder* I just want to snuggle him and slap the nurses!

Anyway, that's the newest on our not-so-little guy. I'll definitely post more after Monday when we have the latest growth/weight stats!