Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Here's a little video of Toby and our little snowman singing thingie. He loves it! And of course, his cute faces :) This are good here - busy, but good! THere's an awful lot to do, but I think we will finish most, if not all of it.

Well, it's past my bedtime, but I was working overtime to get this up. Enjoy!

Love, Chel

A Genius?

Thought you all would get a kick out of this one...

He's not solving it...yet :) But he is making sure it tastes good.

He is his daddy's boy.

It sure is cold here! But it should warm up by next week! Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season!

More pics of my cutie...

Someone is exploring the Christmas tree...


And he gets a little peeved when you take him away...

But Lex always makes him feel better!

It is getting chilly here - down in the 20's last night! Brrrrr! I got the apartment cleaned out today...blech, glad that's over! Anyway, just wanted to share some pictures!

Love,

Chel

Just hear those sleigh bells ringing...

It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas! At least in this little nook of the county. Oh, all right, the tree's not up yet but barring any unforseen disasters, we'll be pulling it out tomorrow and decorating the heck out of our HOUSE! Or at least a strand of lights on the front porch :)

We even visited Santa at the mall today. And learned an important lesson - Go early in the season, before school lets out. We WALKED RIGHT UP - yes, that's right, no waiting! Now THAT is the way to meet Santa, LOL!

And to prove that we did go...

As you can see, my kiddo is in short sleeves...because it's been in the 70's this week! From what I hear, that will be ending tomorrow, but it was nice while it lasted! Gotta love NC in the winter!

The house is great! We are slowly but surely unpacking (but don't peek in the spare bedroom!). I have one last box in the kitchen full of things I'm just not sure where to put...so the box keeps on sitting in the kitchen and we just keep walking around it!

Toby is into EVERYTHING!!! That kid sure is curious! And he loves to help us out. He's such a sweetheart. I have some cute video of him crawling that I'm hoping to post later this weekend...we'll see when I get around to it.

I hope you all are having a wonderful December (it IS my favorite month, you know!) and take some time to enjoy the Christmas lights! I think that is my favorite part - driving around looking at lights!

Love to all,

Chel

We've Moved

We are officially into our new house! We moved in last Saturday and it already feels like home! Life has been incredibly hectic lately and I haven't had time to take many pics but I thought I'd usher in the Holiday Season...

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! We ended up going out to eat...my dishes aren't all unpacked yet. But they shall be soon! Anyway, it's past my bedtime so I need to get off, but I wanted to touch base!

Love to all,
Chel

Has it been that long?

I offer my profound apologies on my lack of recent posts. We have been out of town and it takes me awhile to get back in the swing of things! I have lots of pictures to share though, so I hope that will earn back your forgiveness ;)

Here is Toby in the leaves in my parents backyard. It was quite chilly so he is decked out in his winter wear! The leaves were so pretty though.

Happy family! We don't get many pictures of the three of us so it was nice to get some family shots.

Toby was a giraffe for Halloween. He was the cutest giraffe ever! Everyone thought so, not just me, lol! He was quite the little trooper for a whole afternoon in costume!

We spent one afternoon at out alma mater and got some shots of Toby on campus. We joked that we now have his campus tour out of the way, so all he has to do is fill out his application! Go Tigers!
He does tend to get tired of the camera though ;)
We had a wonderful trip home, but now that we're back we're full swing in Moving Mode! We're hoping to close on our house middle of this month...which is less than 2 weeks away! We tried to do our walk through today, but no one left the keys so we're trying again tomorrow. We did get our washer and dryer and fridge ordered today...can't wait to use that brand spankin new gorgeous washer and dryer...especially after the cheapo I've been using the last 3 years! We also had to get an entertainment unit since right now there is one built in to the wall so we ordered a beautiful armoire that should be in before we move. There is just so much going on right now, and I have tons of packing to do! And somewhere in there I have to start Christmas cards so I can send out our new address...which means I need to take pictures of Toby for Christmas cards...oh yeah, and Christmas shopping...head spinning...too much to do...and here I am online, lol! I will try to keep the updates coming but if I go MIA for awhile, just assume we are very very busy!

Love,

Chel

A Breath of Fall

A rainy day has brought a change in temperature and it definitely smells like Autumn now! It's supposed to be nice and cool all weekend. Our Autumnfest is tomorrow and we're heading downtown to check that out, provided it doesn't rain too much!

Toby has figured out how to make jsut about anything into a teether:
















He's just about cruising...I dread the day he really figures out how to pull himself up on the furniture...the dog...his toys...I think there are a lot more falls in our future!

There's not a whole lot going on around here...we've been watching the news about the nearby chemical fire...how scary! I'm glad we don't live any closer than we do!

Will post more later,
Chel

Picture Overload

We have been busy little bees lately! The house is coming along - they were in the process of laying carpet when we were there this week. The porch has been screened in and the concrete is down! Can't wait...

Here are some pics from recently...Toby is the master of the funny face, as you shall see!





Curtis was in Arkansas recently, but is home again...and hopefully he will stay here until we move! I am NOT moving this place by myself with a 6.5 month old underfoot...no way, no how. Fall is settling in across the Carolinas...but as I say this we're supposed to have highs in the 80's this week, so maybe a brief trek back into summer before we fall back into autumn.

Toby and I have been busy with Playgroup and the different activities that involves! It is so nice getting out of the house and meeting with different moms. Helps me keep my sanity anyway...if you believe I ever had sanity to begin with.

We shall be seeing some of you shortly! Can't wait!

Chel

Trying out a video

Alrighty, we're going to try to share a video...

Cutie-Patootie!

How could a mother not love this face? Such a cutie!!! Toby has been busy this week - rolling like crazy, learning to blow raspberries, and pushing up off his belly! Everything I told his pediatrician on Monday he couldn't do yet, lol! He did this after his 4 month appointment too!

By the way, the little man is 21 lbs, 4 ozs and 29.5 inches long! I can't believe how big he is! I started buying up on 18 month clothes this week - he'll be in them before long!

We've been super busy this week - great for eating up time when Curtis is gone. This week has literally flown by! One more to go and he'll be home. Hurray!

The weather is turning cooler - a little. Highs in the lower 80's, anyway! We've enjoyed it with a few trips to the park. Hope the fall is finding you all healthy and happy!

6 Month Pics

We took Toby's 6 month pics over the weekend and wanted to share! It's been pretty quiet around here and now my husband is gone again...I hope the time will go quickly! ENjoy the pics!



Chel

Happy Half Birthday Toby!

Today Toby is 6 months old - it is so hard to believe! He is celebrating by cutting through his first set of teeth! They are small, but they are definitely there!



















Here he is in his exersaucer earlier today...my big 6 month old!


















Last night he had peas for dinner - yummy! He really enjoyed them! Tonight I made peaches and rice for him, and he liked that too! I love making his baby food for him, and I think he likes it too! We've also had sweet potatoes and pears.

He's in his 3rd onesie of the day - spit up all over the first one, peed all over the second, and so far so good on the 3rd! We're planning to take his 6 month photos this weekend and his pediatrician appointment is next week.

Today was absolutely beautiful - fall is just around the corner. Toby and I went to the park with a friend of his and he enjoyed the swings a lot! I hope you all are having beautiful weather as well!

Love,

Chel

Happy baptism!

Toby was baptised yesterday morning at the early service at church!
Here is a better view of his outfit (I have no idea what's up with the weird expression on his face!):
He is really learning to sit up! He still falls backwards when he's tired of sitting but he can balance for pretty much as long as he wants to. We went to the NC Zoo this week - family pic! I actually got some great shots while we were there - I'll try to post some later!

And finally those baby blues...(check out those eyelashes!)

He turns 6 months tomorrow - I can't believe he is so old already! He just keeps growing and growing - at times I can't wait for him to start crawling and walking and talking...but at other times I just want to keep him little forever! He is such a sweetheart - unless he's being a stinker ;)

Sorry it's been a while since my last update...things have been crazy lately! I can't believe we're into September already...fall will be upon us before we know it! I'm looking foward to some fall weather, but at the same time another year is slowly drawing to a close...and soon it will be 2007...and then 2008...time just flies anymore. Is it too much to ask it to standstill for just a bit longer? I like being 25 - it's a good age!

Cheers!
Chel

Prune-Faces

Well we tried prunes this week, and although Toby kept opening for more, he made the funniest faces between bites! It was really too cute. And how could a mother not love this face?
It is incredibly hot and muggy here - August always is though. We are looking foward to a cooldown in September. Fall is more than welcome to make an early appearance!

I guess there's not too much else new here - just sticking close to the nice cool AC!

Love,
Chel

5 Months!

The T-Man is 5 months old today! Time flies by so quickly! We took pictures of him this morning and I thought we caught some good ones. The little man refused to smile much - guess his teeth are still hurting him :( I took some close-ups of his eyes and you can really see some green flecks in them - I'm really wondering whether they'll turn completely green or not. They've definitely been looking more green in the last couple weeks!





We stopped by the house today - my counters and cabinets are in! Yay! They look really nice! Things are progressing so fast - hooray!

Catch you later,
Chel

First Foods!

Toby has entered a new phase in the life of a baby: Food! He started rice cereal last weekend and loved it! And even better - it's helping him sleep better at night (at least so far, knock on wood)





We're sticking to cereal for now, but soon I hope to branch out into the world of homemade babyfood! It may be a few weeks yet - cereal is fairly easy to prepare and clean up, and this Mama loves her Easy Button!









Last weekend we all dressed up and went out to dinner with some of Curtis' coworkers. Since I don't dress up often anymore, we commemorated the occasion with a picture!




















This one I just entitle "The Look". Curtis likes to interpret this as "Not Another Picture?!?" but I like to believe my little one just LOVES having his photo taken. Let me have my delusions ;)





The house is coming along. The siding is on now and we both really like it. I can't wait until its finished and we can finally move in! I'm definitely looking foward to that day!












An Ode To Our Departed Neighbors:

You clomp, you tromp
You make our walls shake
All hours of the night
What a ruckus you make.

2am, 3am
Don't you ever sleep?
We hear singing and shouting,
In those odd hours you keep.

But now all is silence,
You've finally moved out!
I'm doing my happy dance,
That I'll miss you I doubt!


Lol, I hope no one else moves in before we leave! Or someone quiet. Knowing our luck they'll have a St. Bernard or some other gigantic animal!

Stay cool,
Chel

Picture Mania :)

Lex loves playing with Toby and as you can see, Toby loves it as well. I'm not real fond of "kisses" on the face, but when it makes Toby squeal it's hard to resist!



Toby loves his Exersaucer!!!



Here's Toby in his Bumbo seat - after a little spit-up incident, but the smile was so cute I had to post it!


We have a new highchair! We're not using it yet, but its here as soon as we need it. I also went a little nutso with my new camera so there are lots of new pictures to share!

Middle of the Month already

Wow, it seems like the 4th was just days ago! How time flies... There's not much going on here except the heat...when it's hot like this you just want to stay in the nice AC so we haven't gotten out much. Between that and gas prices, there's real incentive to stay home!

Toby is doing well. He "talks" all the time...to us, to his toys, to Lex. I swear there's times he's talking to the lights in the ceiling! He can be quite the chatterbox! He's teething like mad, but no teeth popping through yet. He wants to gnaw anything that fits in his mouth though. He loves to practice sitting up (propped, of course) and loves to roll on his side.

Here's a picture of him "sitting" today

He's such a cutie (I'm not biased at all!!!!)

It's late, I know, but I can't sleep and I'd rather play online than toss and turn, watching the clock numbers change. And Tobes will be up in an hour or so anyway so I might as well wait on him.

Hope you are all doing well! Love to you all,

Chel

My Big Boy!

We had our 4 month check up yesterday and the little giant (henceforth refered to as LG) weighed in at 18lbs, 1 oz and 27.5"!!! His weight is right on the curve where he's always been but his height really shot up. The funny thing is there really is no way to know yet how big he'll be...his growth could slow dramatically and he could end up being a rather short adult. But as far as babies go, he's a tall'un! Everything else looks good. Poor LG had his shots and cried and pouted, but he really did well with them overall...heck I'd be complaining if I had to go in for 4 shots at once! Ugh! He's pretty sleepy today, but that's how he was last time too.

The weather is steamy and hot here. We did get out for a walk this morning before it was too awful to leave. I love AC! LG is napping right now but I'm sure he'll be up again soon!

Chel

Little Swimmer

Or maybe not... We took Toby to the pool for the first time today and he wasn't particularly thrilled. But the water was on the cool side so that probably didn't help things along! We'll keep trying and see if we can get him used to the idea of a really deep bathtub!

We went shopping for a big boy carseat and a high chair today...and came home with neither. It can be so frustrating shopping for baby things...we knew what we wanted and no one carried them. So it's either change our mind or wait for things to come in. We're waiting on the car seat, but not sure which route to take with the high chair yet. Grrrrr. I think we're both just frustrated that we wasted an entire trip to Fayetteville with nothing to show but a tired, cranky baby. Oh well. Se la vie.

Chel

4 Months

Yesterday was Toby's 4 month birthday! Next week is our check up (and shots, yikes!) so we'll post stats then. C is working overtime this weekend so although it's Friday I'm home alone...with the Fourth and all this is making for a very strange week! We have gorgeous weather...cool, dry, and sunny! Not something we usually see much of in July down here...usually muggy is the more operative word.

Chel

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

I meant to post this yesterday but time got away from me with the water heater smoking and all...long story, but suffice it to say maitenence 'thinks' the problem is fixed and my utility closet smells like burnt plastic. Above is a picture of the Little Prince in his Fourth of July get-up; he's getting so big! He goes in next week for his 4 month check-up and shots and we'll get an update on exactly how big he is then. Tomorrow he turns 4 months...definitely not a "newborn" anymore!

Things are moving on our new house...this is a pic from last weekend. We picked out colors last week and I'll share when you can see them...that way if my judgement is completely off and it looks horrible no one has to know unless you come visit!

It's a beautiful day today although there is a chance of rain later...I can't believe we're into July already. The summer is moving along so quickly. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the 4th!

Chel

Yes it really is 12:35am

Ah the dreaded insomnia. I can't sleep so rather than toss and turn for hours I decided to surf the net for awhile in hopes it will make me sleep. No luck yet. I'm sure I will regret this tomorrow when Toby is raring to go and I am a walking zombie but if I have to nap when he does, oh well. In the meantime, here I am...

Other than the state of my sleeping there's not much new here. It rained most of the day...in fact it's been raining most of the last week, but there's sunnier skies ahead. Maybe we'll get down to the pool this weekend...it sure sounds refreshing.

Still trying to figure out what to do for the Fourth. I'd love to see fireworks, but I'm not sure how stinker will handle them...plus with the mosquitos I'm not sure it's worth the risk of him being ate up. Not to keen on the bites myself.

Well, I hope I get sleepy soon!!! Else we're in for a LONG night! (Toby will be up soon to eat anyway...or knowing my luck this will be his first night to sleep all the way through!)

Chel

Howdy!

Just wanted to share some new pictures with you all! We went to a church picnic tonight, which ended up being a carry-in since it's been raining all day...yuch! In fact, it's been raining most the weekend. Curtis is making a quick trip to Indy this week, but I think it's the shortest trip he's ever made, so I can't complain about that at all!





I can't believe we're into summer already...and June is nearly gone. Time flies by so quickly anymore! Toby is getting huge; we have a pediatrician appointment in two weeks so we'll get to see just how huge he is!