Off we go

So lately Anson has perfected and mastered what all the baby books deem "army crawling," a technique made altogether easier by our wood floors. He's been doing this for a few months now and I feared he would be content to continue on with it, as it enables him to quickly and accurately get anything that has the misfortune of gaining his attention. The poor dvd player has no idea what it did to offend Anson, but it continually gets abuse from him. Pippin has learned to fear for his life when Anson gets that gleam in his eye. However, the one thing that the army crawl did not afford Anson is height. So, after a combination of sitting, pulling up, rocking, and yelling, Anson has finally graduated to crawling on all fours. He's been teasing us with it for a couple of days- soaking up all of that mommy praise- and decided to just let it all out this morning. He took a tentative few "steps" for lack of a better term- towards me- and then tried to take off after a toy. Well, he's not quite that coordinated yet and bit it face first. But after a few seconds of frustrated screaming he decided he'd give it another go. I can literally see the cogs working in his brain as he realizes what his body will now allow him to do. He immediately starts looking around at all the places I scoop him up from when he gets too near (fireplace, outlets, poor abused dvd player) and that pippin-dreaded gleam alights his eyes! It is eerily similar to a look Ben gives me when he does things like driving through mud or randomly throwing food at me. 

So here we are- at possibly the biggest milestone yet- and what do I do? Naturally. Cry. I guess it's one of those moments that will happen with frightening frequency as I grow older- the realization that I'm not the 17 year old that I am in my mind- the realization that I have a beautiful and perfect child who is changing as rapidly as life. 

But the changes are fun and Ben and I are embracing each new thing. He now has four teeth- two on bottom and two on top. He's extremely vocal and has started the "mmmm" sound when he's mad. Ha! He wants mama more often now and won't sit with others as long- which of course is fine with me ;-) He's pitching royal tantrums when he doesn't get his way and Ben and I laugh until it hurts at his mad face. I'm sure we are psychologically scarring him. Last doctor's visit had him checking it at 21 lbs. 8 oz. So that's all for now- I fully expect for him to be a procrawler by next week, chasing me and the animals all over the house. I can't wait!

First Christmas

So I keep waiting for that inevitable holiday blues to start...the period of time when I'm sick of decorations, family, sitting in the house, and am just ready to get back to the routine. However, I think that I can safely say that the days of longing for work to start back are officially over. Anson and I are throughly enjoying our new routine: wake up at 6, get in bed with mom and dad, sleep till 8, and play ALL day! Tuesday is going to be a rough day for me- that I'm sure of! But enough about that, recap of the holidays:

Holidays 2009 officially began at 1:15 on Friday, December 18. I gave my last final and high tailed it outta there! I had mixed feelings about what the night was to hold--it was mine and Ben's five year anniversary, and he had reserved a room at the Ocean Lodge. Of course, I was very excited about that, but it meant my first night away from my other man....BIG DEAL for mom. Luckily we are blessed with two sets of amazing grandparents and Grandma Jo Jo and Papa were certainly up to entertaining Anson for the night. I surprised myself by letting go of the worry and had a great time with Ben. We had dinner at Nazarro's and he gave me a stunning pair of topaz and diamond earrings. It was really nice to have some time just to focus on the two of us- and surprisingly- both Anson and I were OK! Of course I woke at 5 the next morning and wanted to rush to get Anson!

The next week was a blur of food, family, friends, presents, and anticipation. We did manage to host our annual Soiree--something I was not too keen on at the time. But I have to hand it to my friends- they were fanastically understanding and we all had a great, if shortened time. Anson stayed with Grandma and Grandpa G until about 9:30 and then made an appearance at the party. He was showered with gifts by his godparents- a bop penguin and some *cough, hideous, cough* UGA apparel. But I will keep my feelings about that to myself!

Christmas Eve was definitely different this year. Normally we go to midnight mass, which is my favorite part of Christmas. Obviously that wasn't going to be an option this year, so we went to the five o'clock service. It was very nice and Anson even behaved up until communion, but I really did miss the magic of midnight mass. There's simply something special that is only present at midnight in church on Christmas. Although it was nice to be in bed by 9! Here are some pics before church:

After church we had dinner at mom and dad's house and then got in bed to start an annual tradition--reading The Night Before Christmas and the Christmas story from Luke.

Ben was the most excited for Christmas morning in our family. He woke up hourly and then decided to wake us all at 5:30. Even Anson was mad and went back to sleep by 7. Here we are ready for presents!

Anson was showered with many gifts- clothes and toys mostly. His favorite toy is the pop-n-pals. My favorite new toy is the Wii! I love playing Mario and working out on the wii fit. I'm really excited to have this now as I'm not able to get to the gym much anymore. Christmas day was a whirlwind of presents at both grandparents houses, lunch at Aunt Joy's, and dinner at grandma and grandpa G's. Lunch was the traditional fried turkey, dressing, and all the fixings. Dinner was filets and lobster tails. Yum! Anson was mad that the best he got was sweet potatoes.

For New Year's Eve Ben had to shoot the party at the Jekyll Island Club hotel, so we got a room and stayed the night. We stayed in the Sans Souci, which is the green cottage to the right of the main hotel. The room was so beautiful--I love to imagine that I'm one of the old money folks who used to summer there. I told Ben I think I could get used to the wealthy lifestyle. We ate dinner at the Rah Bar, which I must say, has the absolute best seafood I've ever had. Sorry St. Simons, but Jekyll has you way beat. Their shrimp taste like they have been cooked in sugar. They are so sweet and delicious! My favorite part of the evening was when we took a nighttime stroll on an impromptu ghost hunt. We definitely had some orb action through the camera at the Hollybourne cottage. I'm such a sucker for history and anything old...I'm just fascinated with the whole place.

So as for the new things Anson is doing....well he's learned how to get around. He's army crawling all over the place. This, of course, means I never get to sit down anymore! He gets up on all fours and rocks away, but he still hasn't learned how to take off. He sits up well now and can ride in the buggy at the store, which is very nice for me! He's very, very vocal and gets in talking and shouting moods. He will just shout for hours- not mad or anything- he just likes to hear his voice. Last night he was doing a call and response with me and Ben- his version of Hi! He's into EVERYTHING. Literally. It's no longer enjoyable to take him to a restaurant. I spend the entire time moving anything reachable out of his vicinity. He's also extremely persistent when he wants something. I've read that this is a sign of intelligence, so I'm going to just view it as a positive. He still loves, loves his thumb and really loves to tear up paper. I'm watching him destroy my new Rachael Ray magazine right now.

This certainly has been the best Christmas we've ever had. Ben and I both find ourselves just sitting and marveling at all the blessings in our lives. We don't take it foregranted for one minute. We hope you and yours have a blessed 2010.

Half a year old

Wow...so my little boy will turn six months old tomorrow. Six months of the best part of my life so far. It's so weird to think that it's only been six months- but then again it feels like yesterday that he was born. It seems that I fall more in love with him each and every day. I keep waiting for it to get routine- but it doesn't. My first thought in the morning is still, "Yay! Anson!" 

I know that many moms get sad with every size bigger they buy their little one, and that part is sad- to think how quickly they grow up- but he just keeps getting more fun with every stage. 

He's so animated and engaging now. He's also an attention hog. Literally, he will look all around a room and start smiling and cooing complete strangers. We cannot go anywhere without people stopping and talking to him. I didn't realize how much he thrived on this attention until we were at the doctor's office yesterday. Dr. Cooper was examining him and Anson simply couldn't stand the fact that Dr. Cooper wasn't smiling and talking to him. He intently stared at him and started cooing, smiling, and doing all his tricks. Dr. C wasn't deterred from his mission of listening to his lungs. Anson simply did not understand. What was wrong with this man? Finally, after the examination, Dr. C smiled at Anson and he was pacified...but it was kind of scary how intent he was on getting that attention. Do I have a future Broadway star? 

He now has two big teeth on the bottom row. Teething has been surprisingly easy so far. He gets a tiny bit fussy, but hardly anything anyone would even notice. He still sleeps well during the whole process and just wants something to chew. He's very strong and can stand up if he's holding onto something. He can sit up unsupported, but tends to fall over quickly because he lunges for some toy. He gets bored easily and has to be entertained all the time--a trait certainly inherited from Ben. I can already tell he's super intelligent--he notices EVERYTHING and is so curious. I anticipate he'll be a Rhodes Scholar. Weight is currently 20 lbs. 3 oz. and we need a new car seat. He's comfortably wearing 12 mo. clothing and rapidly outgrowing everything. His favorite foods are bananas and carrots. Here are some pics from our trip to Orlando- Anson got some new clothes!

We also had a great time during Halloween! We went over to the Zak's house and went trick-or-treating. We also took Anson and Leighton to the pumpkin patch. Here are some of those pics

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Sick baby, sick mommy

So Anson had been working on a cold for about two weeks and it finally arrived in full force this week. He's had horrible congestion that's making him have a 90 year old man smoker cough. I swear, that's exactly what it sounds like- poor guy. He started throwing up last Sunday as we were walking into church, right on his beautiful Feltman outfit. Apparently Ben already has him trained. The puking has continued throughout the week. I never thought I could be so blasé about getting covered in puke...but I digress. We took him to the doctor who said "Yep. Congestion. Use saline and the aspirator. He's fine." This was not my normal doctor, btw. Ben took him, which was nice, but that also meant he couldn't answer my litany of medical questions. By Wednesday, 90 yr. old smoker was sounding like he was on the road to emphysema, so we went back. Different doctor and she prescribed amoxicillin and an inhaler but basically told me the snot has got to work itself out. So here we are on Saturday with no improvement and I'm about at the end of my rope. We've done the cool mist humidifier, we've done the warm vaporizer-nothing makes a difference. So, brilliant and experienced mothers out there- what is going to help my angel? We will try anything at this point. It absolutely breaks my heart when he gets in the coughing fits. He gives me this look that clearly states "Mom, please fix it!" Oh it kills me.

So Murphy has been following me around like my poor, neglected Pip and decided that one sicky wasn't enough. By Thursday night I was up puking. Hard headed me thinks I can push through and go to school, but that didn't last long. Thankfully, Murphy gave me a break and I seem to have made a recovery, but I'd gladly take puking if it meant Anson would get well. Please say prayers for a speedy recovery for him. Update: I'm finishing this post on Sunday now and he's doing better today. Much less coughing and a lot of gunk is coming out of his nose, so I'm praying we're on the mend!

I knew sickness was a big part of having a baby, but I never imagined how hard it would make every aspect of life. Welcome to working motherhood, right?

But in other news, even with being sick little man is doing new and exciting things! This week he's really discovered that those things attached to his shoulders are his arms and those peculiar protrusions are fingers! He's absolutely fascinated with his hands and uses one to investigate the other. He's grabbing everything in sight and putting it to his mouth. He loves playing with his little blankey animals. See below :-)

Now when I hold him over my shoulder he puts his hand in my hair and rubs my neck. It might be the best feeling in the whole world. Yep, it definitely is! He's rolling over even more fluidly and has decided he prefers to sleep on his stomach. That's fine except for the fact that he's somehow forgotten how to suck his thumb and is waking up looking for something to pacify him. His preference seems to be mom's chest...all night long. So much for thinking we've got this sleeping thing down! But I'm determined to be positive and banish Murphy back to hell. This week has got to be better, right? 

P.S. Thank you so much to my wonderful family for helping this week. We are truly, truly blessed to be surrounded with so much love and help. We love you guys. 

P.S.S. He weighs 16 pounds. What a chub-o!

Baby mobile

So the whole time I was pregnant I was adamant that I could defy the odds and make my beloved two door Acura the new trend in soccer mom rides. That delusion finally came to a grinding halt after a month of taking Anson to daycare. I knew what would happen the moment I admitted defeat to Ben and, sure enough, within the hour I had six new emails in my inbox with links to Jeeps on Autotrader.  I'll save all the gory details and just state that I (Oh, excuse me; "We," as Ben keeps reminding me) are the proud new owners of a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

I must admit, the navigation system and ten disc CD changer are big bonuses, not to mention the seemingly infinite amount of space (which I'm sure will not be enough quite soon), but big fat tears were shed as I drove it down the road. This meant goodbye to my beloved...the sleek beauty that responded effortlessly to my every touch or thought...hugged turns, flew by unsuspecting tourists, and positively beamed when I used her tiptronic shifting to pass someone in the dust. I shed another tear as I drove the new Jeep down Lawrence road and remembered taking the Acura for the same cruise and marveling at the raw power that was now mine, all mine. Sure, the Jeep has all the power of a V-8 engine, but if I took turns the same way as I do in the Acura, the Jeep's tires would have a nice view of the sky. 

Ben's face fell as he saw my tears fall. "What? You don't like it? Look, it's got a place where we can hook up a DVD player and I'll get the plug so your ipod can work with the radio. What's wrong? You got a new car!" But once I expressed that giving up the Acura for me was like him giving up the Scrambler, he was quick to sympathize. I know it's selfish, but the Acura was the last vestige of my pre-baby days. I've gladly traded my cute purses for a bulky diaper bag and accepted my new size in pants. I feel no shame in the extraordinary amount of pleasure I feel at the sight of Bailey Boys, Carter's outlet, Baby Gap, the baby aisle at Target. Ann Taylor who? Babies R Us sale?! We're there. But my beloved car--that one just isn't easy. 

So goodbye my friend, my first car that was completely of my choosing. Take your lustrous curves and raw muscle to some other lucky driver, but don't forget our good times together. I'll miss you. 

Almost four months old

So Anson turns 4 months old on the 15th! We can't wait to see how much he weighs now...he certainly feels extremely heavy! He talks so much--his favorites are "a-goo" and "wuv you!" He can push up onto his elbows and holds his head up really well when he's on his stomach. Last weekend he got his legs up underneath his hips and started propelling himself forward. He really wishes he could crawl, but thankfully he's still got awhile! He's starting to reach and grab, especially in his play gym. However, his obsession continues to be his thumb....any moment that it's not in his mouth is a wasted moment in his opinion. He smiles and goos at everyone- especially Ben. He's already associated Ben with playtime. He's doing great sleeping. He hasn't woken up (during the night) in four weeks. He also likes to sleep in--I have to hold back from waking him up on Saturday morning when I'm ready to play! All his teachers at daycare report that he's such an easy baby and only cries when he's hungry. He really seems to like daycare and is always happy when I drop him off and pick him up. We're really lucky to have such a great place to take him. The following are pictures that I took last weekend:

Beginnings

So the cliche about how quickly it all goes by is certainly true in the Galland household. I've taken roughly two million pictures and videos of Anson, but I rarely find time to sit down and write in the beautiful leather-bound journal I bought. Oh yes, I had high hopes of sitting in the nursery journaling his every move...well it's not hard to imagine how that went. So as I find myself checking several of my friends blogs about their pregnancies and wishing I created one for mine, I have the brilliant idea of creating a blog about all the things Anson is doing. So here it goes....my valiant effort at chronicling every move he makes! Enjoy!