Afternoon Sparkles

One of the things I like best about children is their sense of wonderment about everything.  To a child, life does not yet have the "film of familiarity," and things as simple as dust particles in the air become objects of attraction.

Here, Little Ted chases dust that has caught the light of the afternoon sun.  While his mommy would view the dust as an annoyance at best, he sees it as a "companionable form," a playmate of sorts.  And in that moment, nothing could make him happier than chasing the sparkles in the room.

Winter Gear

Little Ted sports his new winter jamies and daddy's beanie.

The Gonzablogger's Christmas

This Christmas tree went up the day after Thanksgiving.  The baby was napping while mommy assembled it, and he didn't pay much attention to it at first.  As the days passed, he took notice of the ornaments and touches at least one every day.  They're so shiny, he just can't help himself.  More recently, he's become fascinated by the lights.  I think his favorite part of the morning is when I plug in the lights - it always puts a big smile on his face.

Christmas on Campus

Grandma and Grandpa are in town for Christmas.  Below are some photos from a recent walk on campus.

Early Mornings

Now that the semester is over, mommy doesn't do too well with early mornings.  On this particular morning, I dozed off for a few minutes while Little Ted entertained himself.  When I awoke, I found him sitting in a pile of toilet paper that he had unraveled from the roll.  He was quite proud of his handiwork.

The Boy and his Balloon

The only thing that makes a long grocery store trip, where the little boy has to be confined to a cart for longer than he wants, worthwhile is the free balloon!

Businessman in the Making

Little Ted with a recent edition of Bloomsberg Business Week

End of the Semester Blues

This post is geared especially towards those who are finishing up their semesters and are faced with a pile of grading.  These test answers come from actual student exams, and they’re pretty entertaining:

How True!

Christmas Pictures

We also took Christmas pictures while the grandparents were in town.  Click on the link below and take a look:

http://www.SearsPhotos.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=3d3e979d-f102-4da7-891e-1b2de93fe9da

Favorite Things

One of Little Ted's favorite things is playing outside.  Here are some photos of him enjoying campus.

What Little Ted did on Thanksgiving

Little Ted slept through his second Thanksgiving dinner.  He was up in time to decorate cookies with his cousin, Matthew, though.  Here are some pictures of the two of them during Grandma and Grandpa Gonzalez's Thanksgiving visit.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE

Because people have been asking . . .

. . . here's Little Ted's Christmas list.

http://amzn.com/w/2HM7LMCDN7ULR

Our Sock Monkey in the News

http://www.mclennan.edu/faculty/mccopa/photos/newsletter/MCCOPA_News_1110.pdf

Click on the link to see our sock monkey featured in a recent work newsletter.

Trick or Treat!

Isn't this sock monkey a cutie???

Below are some pictures of our little sock monkey enjoying the courtyard on Halloween afternoon.  This was the bulk of our Halloween activities because the monkey was ready to go to bed before the sun had set. 

 

Happy Birthday Hubby

Ted's birthday was this past Wednesday.  We celebrated on Friday with dinner from Uncle Dan's and cupcakes from What about Cupcakes?  In the words of Little Ted, yum yum!

  

Swiper

If you have an ice cream cone and are trying to share it with Little Ted, beware.  He's a big fan of ice cream and is not above claiming a cone for himself.  Don't believe me?  Watch the video below.

Who Needs Toys?

 

Here, Little Ted is pictured with two of his favorite toys, a rubber scrapper and a Swiffer.  He generally prefers entertaining himself with these household items more than he enjoys playing with his toys.  I'm half tempted to clean out my kitchen and cleaning supplies and give him the child safe ones - if he uses them enough, he might accidentally clean the house while he's having fun.

Halloween Preview

This year, Little Ted has two Halloween costumes.  Here's the first, courtesy of Grandma Gonzalez.  The second will be unveiled after Halloween.

 Can you tell what I am?

I have a long neck and legs. . . 

. . . that's right, I'm a giraffe!

Texas State Fair

We were lucky enough to make it out to the State Fair this year to see Baylor play Texas Tech at the Cotton Bowl.  Ted's brother and his brother's finance joined us for the weekend.  Below are some pictures from the game and the hotel, where Little Ted enjoyed making Shelby dizzy in an office chair and climbing into the bedroom furniture.

How 'bout them Bears!

Last Saturday, we became bowl eligible.  This Saturday, we beat UT 30-22.  Sic 'em!

If you give a baby ice cream . . .

. . . he gets very excited!

Cool Fort

Please, no photos.

Little Ted is trying to block the view of his cool fort.  When I came home last week on Friday, the baby gate that had once blocked off the T.V. had been converted into a fort.  By the time Little Ted woke up from his nap, it had grown considerably.  It could accommodate one adult and one child, and it had two entrances.  Here are some pictures of Little Ted enjoying his new play area.

Fashion Statement

When we first put in Little Ted's foam playmat, he didn't pay much attention to it.  Every now and them, he'd pull off a piece of the border, but that was generally the extent of his interest.  More recently, he decided that it is fun to take it apart.  It's an easy way to tell mom and dad that he's tired and frustrated, and perhaps more importantly, it's a fun game to play.

One of the games that has resulted from this demolition is using the squares as accessories.  The "O" square, for example, makes a perfect scarf.

Alumni Festival

 On Labor Day weekend, we went to the 2010 Baylor Rugby Association's Alumni Festival.  Ted played in the match, and I chased Little Ted around the field.  The event was a chance for Ted to introduce his college friends to his son and future member of the Baylor Men's Rugby Club.

(By the way, the 2010 festival was also the 5th anniversary of our first date - what better way to celebrate than to show off our son!)

New to You Photos

Even though we have been very busy since the start of the fall semester, we've taken plenty of pictures to document Little Ted's growth.  Here are a few from the month of August that are new to you. 



The pictures of Little Ted were taken by daddy during the first week of classes.  As you can see, they had a much easier time transitioning into our new schedule than they did at the start of last spring (thank goodness!).  Little Ted does well with daddy in the mornings, though sometimes he has a hard time letting mommy leave.  One morning, he knew I was getting ready for work and was pretty upset about it.  He grabbed my nightgown and carried it with him when we all went downstairs.  Later that morning, Ted said the baby managed to put on my nightgown and sat quietly in the corner to rummage through the diaper bag.  Guess he decided that if he couldn't have mommy, he could at least have her clothes and bag. 

You can see that Little Ted likes to bite his stuffed animals.  He always bites them in the same place - their noses - and when he gets really excited,  he bites down as hard as he can and pulls.  Sometimes he tries to do the same to mommy, but I think he's finally outgrown that.

I can hardly believe how big he looks in these pictures.  He's starting to look less like a baby and more like a little boy. 

Little Ted usually blinks when his picture is taken.  He gets that from mommy's side of the family (we have the worst time taking family photos - at least one person blinks in each photo!).

There are also a couple of photos of my birthday in the mix.  Notice the age that is printed on the cake. That's my husband's idea of a little joke . . . ha ha.  :-)

Go Figure

Last weekend, we had Lord of the Rings on the T.V.  It was late afternoon, and Little Ted was playing with his toys while the movie played in the background.  He mostly ignored the television, until Gollum spoke.  Then he went wild!  He squealed in delight and imitated Gollum's scratchy voice.  What about the character is so appealing to Little Ted, I cannot say, but we have all been using our deep, scratchy voices around here since them.  Little Ted can even manage a pretty good imitation of "My Precious."  Creepy, I know, but it entertains, so we go with it.

Little Ted and the Boy in the Mirror

Little Ted has a regular playmate, the little boy in the mirror.  For a long time, Little Ted was only brave enough to smile at the little boy.  Without fail, the little boy would smile back.  Recently, Little Ted mustered up the courage to approach the little boy.  The little boy responded and approached him as well.  They bumped heads.  Little Ted thought that was funny, and so he tried it again.  The little boy was happy to comply, and they bumped heads again.  The third time, the little boy in the mirror (or maybe Little Ted, I'm not quite sure) was a bit too enthusiastic when he approached, and they bumped heads hard.  Little Ted backed away as fast as he could and began to cry.  After mommy comforted him, he made up with the little boy, and they continued to play.

(It may interest you to know that a "head bump" is the way Little Ted typically offers kisses.  So it looks like he is infatuated with his reflection.)

Grandpa Gonzalez,

I'm ready to shoot cans at the ranch!

Stroller Envy

Have you seen this stroller???  It's a stroller/bike/shopping cart all in one - genius!

Baby Gear

Here's one of the promised photos of Little Ted in our backyard pool, and it serves a dual purpose in also allowing me to discuss baby gear.  The day this photo was taken was our last pool day; on that day, we discovered that the sides would no longer hold air, meaning that we lost all the water in the pool - sad!  This was one of several baby-related items we own that just didn't survive for very long.

Another was our baby monitor.  We picked this particular model because it had a video feed and, according to its advertising, you could also monitor your baby via the web.  We quickly learned, however, that the monitor had to be connected to a desktop computer (not a laptop) to view your baby on the web.  Since we don't use a desktop, there went that idea.  Without the web viewing capability, we ended up with a plain jane video baby monitor, which served its purpose and worked well, but picked up a lot of interference and kept us up at night.  Not fun.  Last month, the monitor broke, so we resorted to using Skype and our laptops to keep an eye on Little Ted.  If we were smart, we could have just gotten an inexpensive netbook with a web cam and had the monitor we thought we were getting.  Oh well, now we know. 

We also have a mini-fridge in Little Ted's room, and it died this summer, too.  It was really convenient while it lasted, though, and kept me from having to march up and down stairs when he woke up in the middle of the night for feedings.  Thankfully, he sleeps much better now, so the fridge isn't really a necessity any more.

In addition to the failing baby gear, our A/C died twice this summer, and our wireless router went out today.  I guess what they say is true - when it rains, it pours!

Updates

For those of you who frequent this blog, you know that posts have been less than frequent lately.  Simply put, August is upon us - and so is the start of the semester (the first day is Monday!).  In other words, the Gonzabloggers have been occupied by other tasks.  Nevertheless, much has happened over the course of the month.  Here's a quick update:

Little Ted is changing fast these days.  He is learning to communicate in new ways.  While he can only say a handful of words (mama, dada, papa, uh oh, ow, eh?), he can get his point across pretty well.  He points at the things he wants, licks his lips when you eat a food that he wants to try, and pushes away his spoon when he's had enough. 

He is walking more these days, but crawling is still the preferred mode of movement.  It seems like he has to muster up the courage to walk from point A to point B, but when he decides to, he can get pretty far.

Little Ted has a molar coming in.  For the most part, he has handled it well, but this afternoon was rough.  It took a dose of ibuprofen and some cuddling to help him calm down. 

On Thursday, he had his second hair cut.  Unlike the first hair cut, which he handled well, Little Ted cried - loudly - through this one.  He only stopped when he realized a couple of little boys were watching him.  Once they left, the tears started again.  Apparently, he didn't like the sound of the scissors next to his ears - go figure.

At the beginning of the month, Little Ted went in for his one year check up.  He weighed in at 21.6 lbs (on the big kid scale!) and is 29 inches tall, putting him in the 16th and 22nd percentiles, respectively.  His head, on the other hand, measured in the 95th percentile! - might explain why the walking seems to cause him a bit of trouble.

We took Little Ted for his very first visit to the park.  He enjoyed the swings, but the slide was too hot for him to try out.  He also spent a little time walking while holding mommy's hands, but that turned out to be a frustrating process.  More than anything, he wanted to roam around the park freely like the rest of the kids there.  But the concrete sidewalk does not make for a good crawling surface, and it was a hot afternoon, so we decide to leave, much to the frustration of the child.  Maybe more frequent visits to the park will encourage Little Ted to try to walk more often. 

We've got more pictures and videos to post and will work to get them up this weekend, before the madness begins again . . .

Summer Music

This is Little Ted's favorite song right now.  He especially likes to see the sun rise; it puts a big smile on his face.

Lacking Sleep

A new study shows just how much sleep new parents lose during the first two years.  Read all about it by clicking here.

Farewell

Grandma and Grandpa Robles headed back home today, and we were sorry to see them go.  Little Ted is not going to know what to do without his two favorite playmates around.

First Birthday Pictures

While we were less than successful at putting together a “formal” first birthday party for Little Ted, he still had lots of fun the day of.  And we were happy with the outcome as well; we never really wanted it to be “formal.”  We just wanted those present (mommy, daddy, grandma, and grandpa) to be able to relax and commemorate his birth, and on this front, it was a smashing success.

The “present” Little Ted appreciated most was having his grandparents over to visit.  We had not seen them since December, and Little Ted has changed a lot since then.  Here he is enjoying their company. 

He also liked mommy and daddy’s present, a bouquet of balloons.  As soon as we brought it into the house, he began to squeal and point.  In fact, he is still having fun playing with the balloons today, even though they don’t look this nice anymore.

When we pulled out all the birthday decorations and presents, Little Ted was excited.  He definitely knew that all the fuss was for him and that he was the V.I.P. on that day.

He opened all his presents but was particularly interested in his singing card.  He opened and closed it several times to hear the Winnie the Pooh song play.

 

But all too soon, all the presents were opened, and it was time to clean up.  This was not his favorite part.

Luckily, there was still the cake. 

Let me insert some explanation here.  It is supposed to be Legos, and it is supposed to look like this.  As you can see, something isn’t quite right here.  I substituted two different cakes from a mix for the pound cake.  They baked fine, but by the time I was ready to decorate, the kitchen was really warm, and the icing was almost liquid.  The orange colored blocks (lemon cake) were much easier to ice than the red colored blocks (butter fudge cake), which ended up making lots of crumbs.  Also, I had lots of trouble locating the right candies for the tops of the blocks.  My suspicion is that the candies may have changed since this recipe was posted, but I can’t verify that.  My situation was not helped by the fact that I live in middle-of-the-state, TX, where we are very limited in the places to purchase food items, and I waited too long to shop around.

At least I learned some very important lessons that day for future reference.  A trial run for a cake you have never done before is a good idea.  At the very least, make the cake a day in advance so that you aren’t rushed and so that you have a little more time to doctor it so that it looks like it should.

If I ever make this cake again, I will most definitely spend more time looking for the right candies for the tops of the blocks.  I will also purchase icing in the colors I need (i.e. the primary colors).  And I will take one of two approaches when it comes to icing.  I will start with a “dirty ice” layer, and then follow that up either with another layer of regular frosting or fondant (which I’ve never used, but which would make a much more attractive cake than what you see above). 

For those of you who are wondering, it tasted much better than it looked.  Little Ted enjoyed the frosting most of all.

For more pictures, check out the slideshow below.  I’ve also got some videos that I need to post, but that will take more time.  Look for them the next time you visit the blog.

First Birthday Saga

The story of Little Ted’s first birthday reminds me of the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  As I have already mentioned on this blog, we had originally planned having his birthday party on Friday the 16th.  But that morning, we woke to find that the condo was 80+ degrees inside, and the a/c unit outside was puffing out smoke.  Uh oh – not quite the ideal situation for birthday celebrations, especially considering the birthday meal we planned and his cake would have to be baked in the oven.

So we tried again on Saturday.  I had not had enough time to make the cake ahead (like I now know I need to do for future birthdays), and I didn’t get started until after 1 p.m.  This delayed everything because the cake had to bake before our dinner could go into the oven.  On top of everything, Little Ted hadn’t had an adequate nap that afternoon, so he was ready to go to bed by 5 p.m. (an hour before his usual bedtime).  Since things were not ready and we did not feel like torturing him, we pushed back the birthday related events (opening presents, cake) to Sunday.

Sunday came, and the plan was to start the “birthday events” after Little Ted’s nap.  But we had taken a drive that morning to show Grandma and Grandpa Robles Cameron Park and mommy’s office, and during the drive, Little Ted fell asleep.  As a result, a regular nap did not happen.  I waited, hoping he would get tired enough to take his nap, but he refused.  So, sometime around 2, we dragged out all his presents, helped him open them, brought out the cake, sang happy birthday, and let him have at it.  After that, Little Ted decided it was naptime, so the festivities were over as abruptly as they had begun.  I think it was Little Ted’s way of reminding us who is in charge.

First Steps

On Sunday, July 18th, Little Ted took his first "official" steps.  We don't have any video proof that it happened; we can only offer you our testimony.  For some reason, he would not sleep that evening.  I spent a good deal of time in his room trying to get him to sleep but had no luck.  So, back downstairs we went so he could play and burn off energy.  At some point, he ended up with daddy's PlayStation contoller in his hands.  He stood up, held it out in front of him, and focused his attention on it.  Then, he stepped forward, slowly and steadily, his attention still focused on the controller.  He continued to walk until he realized what he was doing, at which point he sat down.  He hasn't walked on his own since, but today, he did make a couple of attempts to do so after walking mommy in circles around the living room.  Each time, he fell forward, caught himself, crawled away, sat down, and let out a frustrated grunt while he reached up to mommy, indicating that he wanted to give it another go.  It appears that "full-time" walking (and running) are just around the corner!

Sears Birthday Photos

Little Ted had a photo shoot at Sears this afternoon.  He was a little cranky and cried each time he changed poses, so there are several pictures where he has teardrops in his eyes.  But he did take some really good pictures - take a look by clicking on the link below:

http://www.SearsPhotos.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=6aefff24-2bc7-4693-87d8-5312af94853f

Birthday Wishes

A few days ago, while the Gonzabloggers lounged in the pool, Little Ted pondered his birthday wish list.  He knew the big day was coming up, and he wanted to wish for just the right gift.

As he pondered, he enjoyed his pool in the typical manner: he stood up, gripped his baby float, and proceeded to walk around the pool.  In fact, he walks in the pool much more often than he walks on dry land.  When he grew tired of this activity, he moved on to his second favorite activity - floating.  Floating gives him the chance to observe the sky, the trees, and the birds.  More importantly, it's very relaxing - at least when he's not bumping into mommy or daddy.  When that happens - and it happens often because the pool isn't that big - he pushes the guilty party out of the way to get to where he wants to go.  Usually, mommy is the one who ends up doing most of the moving, and sometimes it becomes a game, with mommy doing more moving and less relaxing than she had in mind.

Getting back to our story, Little Ted thought long and hard about what he wanted.  He wanted to make sure he asked for just the right gift.  After all, you only turn one once. 

Of course, mommy and daddy were not privvy to the musings of their little boy.  But they could observe his actions and saw that he continued to cross his fingers.  It was as if he was making the birthday wish over and over in his head.  For now, the Gonzablogger trio can only hope that the birthday wishes are met and that Little Ted's first birthday party is a success.