Houston has had a lot going on these days. First, he overcame his fear of the wind, which always took his breath away and caused him a little anxiety. So, we began working through the fear during his walks on March 1 and 2. And by his walk on March 3, Houston was completely cured — a very good thing, since it always seems to be gusty in our neck of the woods.
Then on March 6, Houston sat solo in a restaurant high chair for the first time. He loved the new perspective at our favorite Mexican joint and also liked when Daddy let him taste a dab of the guacamole.

The next day, Houston and I spent the entire day at Aunt Meredith’s house, helping her prepare for a baby shower the two of us were throwing that night for our friend, Beth. He enjoyed the change of scenery and had a ball playing with two little boys, who gave life-like performances of various wild animals. Many of the guests were entertained by Houston’s “no” shaking of the head, his hardy chuckle and his all-around spastic nature. Whenever he’s around children, it’s like “wind him up and watch him go!” — very cute to witness.
Yesterday, we headed back over to Meredith’s, so she and her hubby, Greg, could babysit Houston, while Stephen and I went to an evening wedding. This was only the second time Houston had been babysat by anyone other than grandparents, but he handled it like a pro. Greg and Meredith said that once he woke up from his nap and got his bearings straight, he played with his blocks, practiced walking with assistance, tried feeding himself with a spoon and went to bed for the night without a hitch. See, he’s not a momma’s boy!
Today, Houston had another successful Sunday in the church nursery, where he was also introduced to animal crackers and apparently went nuts, covering both himself and the nursery volunteer, Cindy, in the delicious edibles.

We retired the exer-saucer a couple of weeks ago, so all of Houston’s around-the-house play now takes place either on a flat surface (i.e., the floor, the bed, the deck, the yard, the playpen), in the jump-n-go or in his walking wings. He’s quite the independent boy, rolling from point A to B, scooting around on his bum, playing with his toys by himself, talking up a storm, reaching for and actually getting anything he sets his mind to, hanging out with his best play-date pal, Dixie, feeding himself, using his sippy cup, standing up solo, banging on his new drum, making himself heard on our daily walks with the girls in the neighborhood, etc. (You can check out all the late February and early March fun in gallery.) I’m so proud to be his mother and thank God (and Stephen) every day that my job is to take care of my amazing boy, teach him new things and help him to grow into a happy and healthy young man. Being a mom is best the career ever!

On that note, I will conclude with this cool quote: “I think every boy can be persuaded and led to do what is right by an affectionate and judicious mother.” — Robert E. Lee