Houston has been enjoying his first fall. (Click here for recent pics.) The weather had been unseasonably warm (70s), so we had been still been spending quite a bit of time outdoors during the daylight hours, taking walks, exploring the back part of our property, watering some of our very thirsty plants (yes, the drought rages on), rocking on the front porch, etc. It finally turned cold today, but we still went for a walk. I bought this cool fleece cover that goes over Houston’s baby carrier, car seat and stroller. It’s kind of like a sack with a large opening in the back, so that you can easily fit it over whatever mode of transportation you happen to have him in, and then it has an adjustable belt around the top, so that it doesn’t slip off. There’s plenty of room inside of it, so he can still kick and move about, but it wraps up under him, keeping him nice and toasty warm without slipping off. I tell ya, there’s a lot of crap out there for kids, but this was an excellent purchase — worth every penny! Plus, now I don’t have to go out and buy Houston a coat or a bunch of other winter clothes that he’ll wear for all of a month or two before growing out of them. Speaking of which, that wild boy is pretty much wearing 6-9 month clothes; anything smaller just won’t cut it anymore (note to Gramsey and Granny, if y’all are planning on getting him any clothes for Christmas).
I decided to cut Houston back down to one solid feeding a day ’cause his poops were just not coming out as easily as they had been. I guess I overloaded his teeny digestive system. Poor thing has his first case of diaper rash ’cause he almost always has a little turd in his diaper, even soon after a change. I’m anal (pardon the pun) about checking and changing, but sometimes I just cannot keep up, and then those little bastards sit in there, making his bum all red and sore. I seems like he just can’t get it all out when he needs to. I feel so horrible, but hopfeully tweaking things will fix the problem. He did, however, love his one and only dose of fruit: prunes! I may still squeeze those in on occasion till he gets his poop back under control. I suppose this won’t be the last mistake I make … being a mom is tough, ain’t it?!
On a totally random note, I was in the Taco Bell drive-through line tonight and as I pulled up to the window to pay for my grub, the cashier says, “The man in front of you paid for your food and said to to wish you a Merry Christmas!” I was taken aback by the stranger’s kindness. I think the Taco Bell chick was touched, as well. It made my night and also made me the bullet-proof happy chick during my errands. I hope my smiles and joy made somebody else feel good. Just goes to show that the Christmas spirit is still alive and well!