We just noticed Houston’s first tooth this morning. Stephen and I were eating breakfast and we saw that he was doing something funky with his tongue. So we investigated, and lo and behold, you can see the top tip of a tooth popping through his bottom gums. It’s so cute! January really is the month of many firsts.
January has been a big month for Houston. He sat up alone for the first time on January 6. He still needs some coaching to get started, but he’s getting better all time, and has also become great at standing with assistance. He self-fed for the first time on January 7. He especially loves eating Mum Mums, Gerber Puffs and toast.
Houston experienced snow for the first time on January 17. It didn’t last for long, but I think he thought it was okay. He said his first “big-boy talk” on January 19. Just out of the blue, he began stringing babbles together in “sentence” form with different inflections and intonations. And then on January 20, his conversations featured his first audible word: Dada. Although his sentences also include plenty of “baa baa” and “blah blah,” Stephen is still pretty proud about the whole thing. His favorite toy at the moment is his Jump-n-Go. You should see that boy go … he’s like a blur of wild motion, happy screeches and flying drool. It is quite the sight. Houston will be 7 months old this coming Saturday. It is truly incredible how fast his first year is going!
Stephen and I are still working diligently on installing laminate. Granny and Grumps visited a few weekends ago, so that Stephen and I could do the office. Then Gramsey and Papa are heading to town tomorrow, so that we can do the nursery. Then all we have left after that is our bedroom … thank goodness! It has been such a huge undertaking, but I must admit, it looks awesome.
Stephen and I embarked on a new lifestyle as of January 2. And already Stephen has lost 9 pounds and I have lost 1 1/2 pounds. We have not veered off course in the least: that includes having absolutely no alcohol, no sweet cheats and no dinners out of the house. We did go out to lunch yesterday after church, but we both ate very responsibly. We have also been reading a lot more and getting in bed early, although that still hasn’t helped my sense of wakefulness in the morning. I guess when a kid wakes up around 6 a.m. each day and his mom ain’t a morning person, that’s still a hard thing for mama to get used to. Hopefully, it will get easier with time … as will our new lifestyle of breaking old bad habits and pursuing healthier living. I know lots of people have these types of resolutions in the New Year, but I really feel as if Stephen and I will succeed, not only because we want to, but also because we have to physically, mentally, spiritually, parentally and economically. Plus, 8 is my lucky number, so I can just sense that 2008 is going to kick butt!
You may have guessed that we were unable to take the Mac in to the shop over the weekend (we forgot to make an appointment), so I’m taking advantage of this extra time with the computer and putting some of our old, not-yet-published photos into gallery. The top picture is from August 2007 and the above picture is from September 2007. There are also some additional old photos that don’t fall exactly into the “Houston Lee” category; I hope to post all of those later in the week.
Well, here’s to 2008. Hope y’all are having a wondering New Year!
