Feeding.

Skyler hasn't really wanted a bottle for the last week or so. He'll still eat from mommy though. This has meant lots of baby food and me sitting and spoon feeding him. He loves to eat! He can eat as much as 3 of the 6oz Earths Best jars a day! You'll notice not all of it makes it into his mouth though.

It is Monday.

Wish you you could be a cat or dog at our house!

Lazy day.

Altair only had yesterday and today off from work after working nearly 60 hours last week. We haven't done much as a result. Skyler is playing and entertaining us though. Also, he's big enough for the ErgoBaby apparatus now. Off to the grocery store!

Distracted eating.

Altair is trying to feed Skyler while I play with the dog outside. It's not working...

Smart!

This kid is scary smart. See how he has figured out how to stand on a toy to look over the crib?

Sleeping.

Or lack of it. Skyler's latest trick is to not sleep. At all. Maximum of 20 minutes during the day. And since poor Altair has the equipment to feed him at night, she doesn't sleep either. We think he's either teething again, (yay) or overly tired. My dad watches him on Wednesdays from noon til four so I can have a break. Yesterday he fell asleep in the truck on the way back home and slept for 2 hours! A miracle! But, then he was up all night again. We can't win...

One of the many positions in our bed at night.  Note, this does not include pets which are also on the bed.

After spending the day with Grandpa.  So tired!

Skyler's room.

I'll admit it. I was so excited to find out last November that we were having a boy. Don't get me wrong, if he had been a girl that would have been great too. But to have a son! Everyone who knows me knows how much I love John Deere. This can be traced back to when I was 3 on our family's farm. I'll never forget the sights and sounds of the farm. It was a given then that people would give us JD stuff for baby showers and other occasions. I painted his room and my dad helped us put up the border. (a JD farm theme of course). Quilts were made in a JD theme from Grandma White and great aunt Kathy and even one of our neighbors we don't really know. Anyway, here's a few pics of his room. He seems to like it too.

Quilt from Grandma White.

Enjoying the JD farm crib set.

Wallpaper border.

Quilt from Aunt Kathy in Des Moines.

This is pretty good, Dad!

My sister Karen gave me this tin sign.  We can only hope this is duplicated in real life in a couple of years.

Bikes.

I love biking and the feeling of freedom while on a bike. I think I overdosed a bit on biking in my late teens and early twenties. I would ride every day either on my mountain bike or on my road bike. Eventually I got tired of riding all of the time. A few years ago, I bought a beach cruiser. Not just any cruiser, but a John Deere themed cruiser. It's the most fun to ride and simple bike I've ever ridden! I spent the last couple of hours cleaning, adjusting, and polishing said cruiser. I can't wait until spring so we can go riding during the day. Altair got Skyler and me a bike trailer so I can pull him around behind my bike. Did I mention I can't wait for Spring?

The moon?

First let me start to review by saying I stay home to watch our son.  All the time.  Most of it is just me talking to the pets and Bubbs.  Bubbs can't talk back yet but he's working on it.  Today must be the bizarro day of the week.  The doorbell has rang 7 times since 7 this morning.  Normally I could care less.  But, Skyler is cranky and I've spent the better part of the morning trying to get him to eat and go to sleep.  This is impossible if the f*cking doorbell keeps ringing and people are trying to sell me shit or bother me with useless services!!!!!!  I'm 35.  When is the last time someone who's still in high school came up to your house and asked you if "are your parents home" or "is this your house" at the age of 35?  IT'S MY HOUSE!! JESUS TAP DANCING CHRIST!! Now get the f*ck off the porch and quit groveling for dollars and wasting peoples time!!

The other thing, now that I'm home all the time, I can't believe how many OTHER people are home too.  Doesn't anyone work?  And I'm not just talking about retired people or other stay at home parents.  You'd be amazed at all the shit that goes on during the day.  I've seen the police cuff the neighbors, a crack whore (yes, she was high on meth) try to stumble up a 6" curb, some so-called solicitors trying out people's doors ( I called the fuzz), what would appear to be drug deals and my perma-drunk neighbor pretend to need stuff for his job so he comes home every hour or so.  He does this every day.  I hate him.

It sounds like we live in a crime area (we don't) but, it's amazing to see the shenanigans go on throughout the year.  I just wish people would leave us alone so Skyler can take a nap.  I've disconnected the door bell for the rest of today so he can sleep.  Which he is finally doing as I type this.  And I have to go to the damn dentist too this afternoon.  Thanks to my father for watching Bubbs while I'm at the dentist.  This week has to get better...

Cooking with Betty.

Betty Crocker that is. Tonight we had pizza made from a Betty Crocker recipe. It was fantastic! I can remember my mom using the cookbook when I was little. I remember flipping through all the pages and looking at all the photos of the finished recipes. It always made me happy to look at the colorful dishes. My mom gave me a Betty Crocker cookbook 10 years ago when I got married, and I've used it almost every day since. Altair made the crust and salad and I made the sauce. Delicious!

Skyler even had a taste of the sauce. :)

Wings.

Mmmm. I made home made wings and fries last night. It's a lot of stinking up the house frying, but worth it in the end. Altair even had home made ranch to go with hers.

EDIT: Skyler had a little accident earlier today. He pulled a potted plant on to his HEAD! Aside from scaring the shit out of him ( and us) he has a little raspberry on his chin. The potted plant is no longer with us. No pics of the plant or accident scene, but here's one of him helping mommy downstairs in the sewing room. Feeling much better now!

Rainy day.

Don't let the rain get you down today. Be happy like Skyler! :)

Package night.

Skyler's wagon finally made it! He even helped to assemble it. It's real high quality, a nice finish and easy to assemble. I added the pedal tractor umbrella. Even the cat approves!

EDIT:  So the damn iPhone Blogger App doesn't let you upload the photos in the order you want, so this is a little random and out of original order.  Sorry!

This umbrella rules for a standing support.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Un-packaged and waiting for assembly.

Hmm, look at this!

Can I eat these?

Hmm, what is all this?

Helping.

Spinning the tire!  (Is this normal for an 8.5 month old to have these motor skills?)

Standing.

I approve as a cat.

Loving this umbrella for hanging on!

Friday.

Not too much going on here today. Skyler can float like buddah!

Balloons.

Skyler loves balloons. He likes to tease the dog with them more than anything. His latest is to put the end of the balloon in his mouth, bite it, and flick spit out. It's a little gross but still cute enough he can get away with it.

Pork chops.

Mmm, I love pork chops! I really like them the way my grandmother and mom make them, with mushroom gravy. It's real easy, season with sage and pepper, brown on both sides, add Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and a cup of milk. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Easy! I usually make home made mashed potatoes to go with them. Enjoy!

TV.

I usually have the television on during the day. Skyler can't talk back and TV makes it feel less lonely in the house. One of my favorite shows is Tom and Jerry. I can remember my Mom not liking Tom and Jerry when I was little because it was too violent. It is. But in a great 1950's cartoon kind of way! Skyler doesn't pay too much attention to Tom and Jerry but the Looney Tunes music gets him going. Ahh, the great era of cartoons. Thank God we have DirecTV, I would have had a meltdown long ago without it.

A picture of what he's doing as we (I) watch Looney Tunes...

Brrr!!

It's currently snowing here. Not enough to get too excited over, but enough that it's plenty cold. I'm glad to be inside with Skyler today!

EDIT: Skyler found the snow falling and is slapping the window with delight!

Sunday dinner.

We'll call this a "bonus" post.

I usually try and make something special for Sunday dinner.  I don't know if it stems from my Mom or Johnny Cash songs but Sunday's seem different. Tonight it was rib eye steaks, baked Idaho potatoes, and a salad.  (The salad is for Altair).   I've been craving a good steak for a few months.  I usually barbeque year round but this year I've been lazy (and busy trying to keep up with him).  I love to barbeque.  And good old fashioned charcoal is the only way around here.  The steaks turned out a perfect medium doneness. Skyler had to ham it up as usual.  Also, notice the dog trying to get in on the picture.  Since I've quit drinking alcohol, for some reason I have started drinking Kool-Aid.  I guess I'm re-living my childhood with Skyler.

Skyler wondered what the hell I was doing outside after dark.

Blowfish!

Our steaks, guess which one is mine?

My plate.

Lime Kool Aid.

Wagons.

I've been looking all over for a wagon for Skyler since about one day after he was born.  I remember having a little red wagon when I was a kid and loving it.  It just so happens that my parents still HAVE that very same Radio Flyer wagon!  Unfortunately,  it's the size of a kids wagon.  I'm 6'4" tall, and there's no possible way I can reach down to the handle to pull him around in it. Also, all of the wagons I have seen have the silly center steer steering.  This means when you turn the handle too far, the wagon can tip.  No go.   I thought about building a custom wagon out of a garden type wagon, putting wooden sides on it and painting it John Deere green and yellow.  Imagine my delight when I found this!  It's built in Ohio by the Amish for Berlin Flyer Wagons.  Let's see, right kind of steering.  Check.  Right color. Check.  Big rubber tires.  Check.  Wooden and American made. Check.  Perfect.  It should arrive later this week.

We'll customize it with some John Deere decals and Skyler's name.  Stay tuned.