Snow Day

Saturday was the first big snow storm of the winter... and it didn't really end up being all that big! But we took advantage of the blizzard-like morning and sent Eddie out to play in the snow. Eddie still does not own a coat, but we did borrow a fabulous blue fleece suit from one of Dave's sisters. It is almost too small, but it does keep him nice and warm, so I didn't feel bad about plunking him down in the snow for a photo-op.

Here is Eddie with his smiley Mama (that's me). I tried setting him down to sit in the snow, but he was like the kid off A Christmas Story -- his outfit was too bulky to allow him to sit, so he tipped over with his arms straight out, like this:

It was really windy and when snowflakes would blow into his face, he would make this face.

Eddie's first snow angel.

Eddie Claus

Dave's sister Cheryl found a baby-sized Santa suit somewhere a few years ago and it has been making the rounds in the Barton family ever since. Whichever baby happens to be appropriately sized during the holidays gets a chance to wear it. Since Eddie's cousin Trevor would probably bust it at the seams and his other cousin Sarah would drown in it, this year was Eddie's year. So, we dressed him up and took some photos in front of our Christmas tree. Here are a few of our favorites:

Eddie's big cheesy grin

Holding his favorite holiday decoration -- a sock reindeer

The "are you talking to me?" face

If you zoom in on these last two, you can see Ed's reflection in the ornament. Nice touch, Dave.

After that, he got sick of wearing the hat and tried to pull it off, but only succeeded it pulling it down over his face. Sorry... no photos of that.

Seven Months Old

Today is Ed's 7-month birthday! In honor of his birthday, Eddie got to have a flu shot!

Eddie seems to be getting friendlier every day. He likes to yell at other babies, but it's a nice yell, not a mean one. This morning while waiting outside the library for the doors to open, Ed was entertained by a little girl who ran around in circles just to make him laugh. My visiting teacher has twins that are just older than Eddie, so we hang out a lot. Eddie likes spending time with Stella and Luca... especially Stella because she is currently a bit more active and tries to steam-roller him. I'm hoping that hanging out with Stella will inspire Eddie to learn to roll.

That's right, Eddie still doesn't roll. He rolled over twice (once in the video that made the blog and once a couple of months later). He still hates tummy time and I think he could roll if he wanted to, but he doesn't even try. He just lays there and screams until I pick him up. He prefers to sit.


He is very good at sitting now. There is the occasional mishap. For instance, one day, Eddie was sitting on the floor just wearing a onesie. All his toys had gotten away from him, so he discovered his thigh. After squeezing it and looking at it for a minute, he decided it was time to put it in his mouth. So he bent in half and was concentrating so hard on getting his thigh in his mouth, that he tumbled right onto his face and ended up on his tummy. You can imagine his confusion, but not even he can resist those chunky thighs. He also enjoys using his feet to play with toys, even if his hands are available. This is usually how his toys get away from him because he just can't quite grip them as well with his toes.

He's now eating baby food three times a day. He seems to like all kinds of fruit and most of the veggies. He's not too sure about mangoes yet. I've even given him some pureed chicken, which he loved. That's what he had for Thanksgiving. It looks disgusting and smells disgusting, but I guess it tastes good (no, I didn't give it a try). I have tried giving him things that are a bit more solid, but they make him gag a lot.

One thing Eddie dislikes is the vitamin that I have to give him every day. At first, I tried mixing it in with his morning cereal, but then he stopped eating the cereal. So now I give it to him before he eats his breakfast. I use the full dropper, but I bet about half of it oozes back out of his mouth when he grimaces because of the nasty flavor. Then his breakfast helps to get the icky taste out of his mouth.

He is one funny kid who likes to yell and blow raspberries and contort his tongue. He says "mamama" and "dada," but I'm not sure if he means it.

Family Photo Shoot Outtakes

If you're a follower of The Dave & Kristen Show, you know that in October, we had some family photos taken in Cedar City with the Andrews clan. At the time of that post, we only had seen what the photographer had re-touched and posted to her website. When we saw my parents again for Thanksgiving, they gave us a copy of all the photos. Here are a few of the particularly funny ones of Eddie. Enjoy!

Eddie was in a remarkably good mood considering his lack of nap that day, but we did push our luck a bit.

Ed's excited face.

Eddie's true personality.

The results of telling a 3-year old to "put your arms around them." Clearly, not the best idea. Luckily, the babies didn't get mad and we got a good shot of them.

Whiz Kid

WARNING: If you are made uncomfortable by diaper changing stories, skip this post. That's all it is... one, big diaper changing story.

A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I had an appointment late in the afternoon, so I had been trying to keep Eddie awake as long as possible so that he would fall asleep in the car and stay asleep while we were out. I had determined that I needed to leave the house at 3:45 to pick Dave up from work and get to our appointment on time. So I distracted Eddie every way that I could until finally at 3:30, I could distract him no longer. Of course, as soon as I started feeding him, I caught a whiff and knew I'd have to change him before we left.

So he ate and ate. He'd fall asleep and I'd prod him back awake so that he'd keep eating until just a couple of minutes before we needed to leave. Finally, it was diaper-changing time.

What you must understand is that when Eddie is rudely awakened, a lot of times, he won't cry because he's too confused. Instead, he'll stick his arms and legs completely straight and shake them like crazy... all with a horrified look on his face. That is what happened this time as I began changing his diaper.

I calmed him down a bit and then pulled the old diaper off. I turned to roll it up and when I turned back to put the new diaper in place, I saw his arms and legs shaking like crazy once again. I look at his face to offer some comforting words, only to find...

Pee.

All over. Apparently while I was looking the other way, he had managed to pee in such a perfect arc that he soaked down his head and nothing else. Sure, there was a bit splashed on the changing pad and maybe a drop on his shirt, but the majority was on his face. I can still see his horrified, confused eyes peering at me through tiny pools of urine. That's right... he had peed right in his eyes.

It took a second for my brain to process what had just happened, then I quickly sat him up to drain his eye sockets and wiped his face down with a wipe. Unfortunately, I had timed it all so well that we had to leave. Luckily, Eddie was not permanently traumatized and was well hydrated that day. Eddie and I can now fully understand why someone would actually buy something like a "Wee Block."

Eddie Versus Bulb Syringe

I know we are very, very lucky to have such a healthy baby and I'm extremely grateful for that. Eddie has made it 6 months without getting sick (if you don't count that unfortunate jaundice episode in his first week of life). Today, however, that all changed. Eddie has his first cold.

For months I have dreaded the inevitable sickness that is guaranteed to come to every kid, and now it has struck in the form of a runny/stuffy nose. I think a stuffy nose is one of the worst things for a baby like Ed. After all, it makes it impossible for him to breathe while eating. That means that the snot-sucker is essential, no matter how hated it is.

This morning I discovered the wonders that saline can work on a stuffy nose. I didn't have any on hand that is safe for a baby, so I made some with water, salt, and baking soda. Eddie has quite the aversion for any foreign objects coming in contact with his nostrils, and he has now learned how to thwart my efforts by pushing my hands out the way. I'm working on devising a system to pin both arms down, hold his head straight and still have at least one hand left for the saline squirting and snot-sucking. Sounds like a three person job, doesn't it?

I'm hoping that with the help of the saline, bulb syringe, and humidifier, that Eddie will manage to not snort himself awake 5 times tonight like he did last night. I think he just needs to learn to breathe through his mouth. But what do I know?

Baby on Board

Riding in the car is one of Eddie's least favorite things. Now that he no longer falls asleep every time the car starts moving, longer rides have become quite problematic. We are often faced with the dilemma of whether we should pull over so one of us can get in the back seat and attempt to comfort him (usually in vain), or if we should just reach our destination as quickly as legally possible. Through some unpleasant experience, here are a few ironclad rules we have learned to live by:

5. All car rides are 20 minutes too long.

4. Once baby begins to scream, you will to hit every red light...

3. ...and they last twice as long.

2. The car in front of you will drive at least five under the speed limit, no matter how much you flash your brights at them, or how close you tailgate.

1. After screaming for the last 19 minutes, baby will finally wear himself out and fall asleep five blocks from home.

Six Months Old

Today is Eddie's half birthday! It baffles me to think that he has really been with us for six whole months. In honor of his six-month birthday, here are a couple fun facts about Ed:

1. He can now sit up unsupported... but I never go far (more than a foot away) because he tends to topple sideways onto his face or backwards. He gets better at it every day and really doesn't seem to mind toppling. I'm just a worrier and don't want him bonking his head as long as I can reasonably prevent it.

2. He is learning to clap this week. He loves it when I bang his hands together, but usually they are fists. I have tried to convince him to open them up, but he never went for it. Now he seems to be learning it on his own. Today at the doctor's office, he gave a good clap for the nurse.

3. His favorite thing to say is "mmmboo." It worked out great for Halloween, but I'm hoping for more new noises. Maybe by Christmas we'll get him saying, "ho ho ho."

At his appointment with the pediatrician today, we found out that he now weighs 17 pounds 15 ounces. He is 26.8 inches long. That means he's pretty much right in the middle of the range.

What a Swinger

This past weekend, we traveled to Cedar City to visit with my family. On Saturday, we had family pictures taken up Cedar Canyon and then we went to the park so the kids could play.

Riley and Eddie when we first arrived at the park.

Eddie looking tiny in the park swing.

As you can see, he liked it a lot. He got quite angry when we took him out.

Mmm... Prunes Are Good!

We recently discovered Eddie's love for prunes. He gets so excited when we give him some that he waves his arms around and kicks his legs like crazy. Here is today's prune feeding, for example:

He happily awaits the next bite.

He gobbles it down with only half squishing back out for another try.

But all good things must come to an end.

(For the record, Eddie was wearing a diaper under that bib...)