Tag Archives: Mason

He’ll Be 1 Before You Know It

Posted on by
1

Houston’s first birthday is a week from today! Can you believe it? I cannot wrap my head around the fact that it was nearly a year ago when, after 32 painful hours of labor and 4 of pushing, our beloved Houston came into this world. The first year is such an amazing time, with our boy going from such a helpless little creature to independent boy in such a seemingly short period. We couldn’t imagine life without him … and soon we’ll feel the same way about the twins. It’s difficult to comprehend that we could love any other child as much as we love Houston, but by this November, our house will be filled with triple the love and joy!

Playing in the pool with Daddy in June 2008.  

On the pregnancy front, I had my last check-up on June 11. I had only gained a pound, but I was 10 pounds heavier at the beginning of this pregnancy than I was with Houston, so that’s no big deal; there’s plenty of fat to go around. Plus, now that I’m over my first-trimester nauseousness, I’m back to my old eating habits — quite healthy, to say the least. My uterus, however, was measuring large, which the doc says is totally normal with twins. Baby A (I suppose that would be Lefty, since he/she is located on my left side) had a heartbeat of 160 beats per minute and Baby B (Pancho) came in at a whopping 164. We will find out the gender of the twins on July 8 and my Clan Dillingham readers will be the first to know the news, so keep posted.

Also, I officially felt Pancho move on June 15 (he/she was saying, “Happy Father’s Day!” to Stephen) and Lefty move on June 16. There has been much activity since then, especially at night, as well as more cervical and uterine twinges than there were this early on in my last pregnancy. Again, the doc says this is to be expected with multiples. 

Hangin' with Adam (and the gun safe) in June 2008.

Here’s the lowdown on Houston’s recent happenings: 

  • Mommy and Daddy finally saw Houston take steps on June 1. He still isn’t walking per se, but he is taking 2-3 steps many times throughout the day, cruising like a champ, and of course, crawling around like a mad man. 
  • His pal, Gracie, taught him to clap his hands on June 4. Now he voluntarily claps to music and to some of his own stellar accomplishments — humble he is not.
  • Houston is obsessed with water! We bought a kiddie pool and have been playing in that on some of the hotter days. We have also been to a public pool on a couple of occasions with our neighbor, Heather, and her kids. There’s an area there that features geysers, sprinklers, trickles and lots of other aquatic-based fun for the kids. Houston thinks it’s great! 

Playing with Aunt Lisa in June 2008.  

  • “Uncle” Adam visited the family for a few days late last week. He helped out with feeding and playing with Houston, so that Mommy could run some errands.
  • On June 13, Houston had a play date at his friend Mason’s house. They frolicked inside and then headed outdoors to tackle Mason’s sandbox. Houston also slid down Mason’s sliding board with Mommy’s help. He was cautiously intrigued by the new activity. Check out the pics of that outing by clicking here.
  • Then Aunt Lisa visited over the weekend, so that Mommy could accomplish some long-standing items on her to-do list. Houston instantly bonded with his auntie, who constantly entertained him outdoors and taught him about leaves, plants, acorns, bees and ants. Houston got a weird poison ivy-looking rash that day, although it wasn’t the dreaded weed, thankfully. The rash never seemed to bother him and it’s almost totally healed. Click here to see pics of Lisa’s visit.
  • And yesterday, Houston and I babysat his pal, Jamie. He thinks she is one of the coolest things since sliced bread. So, he had a ball hanging out with her, exploring every nook and cranny of her house and drawing outside with her sidewalk chalk.

Playing in Mason's sandbox in June 2008.

We’ll have many fun and sunny pictures to share with you once we return from the beach. Till then, you can check out all the June photos.

“Gock, Gock, Gock!”

Posted on by
1

That’s Houston’s favorite word these days. He’s loving the “G” sound and will add variations, such as “gack,” “geck” and an elongated “guh” or “gah.” It’s a pretty versatile word, considering he uses it to express both joy or displeasure.
Here’s a breakdown of other recent highlights:

Houston after a walk in his Kelty backpack carrier.

*We bought a backpack carrier in mid-March and he enjoys taking walks in it, rather than in the stroller. Once I get the car back, I plan on taking him hiking on the nearby lake trails.
*March 26, Houston pulls himself into a sitting position in his crib.
*March 27, Houston has his 9-month pediatric appointment. His stats were as follows: he weighs 22 lbs., 13 1/2 oz.; he is 30 1/4″ long; and his head is 18 1/2″ around. He is in the 75 percentile for both height and weight.

Houston cruising in his crib.

*By March 31, Houston can cruise in both his crib and playpen when propped into a standing position by Mommy or Daddy.
*April 1, Houston gets good news at has his eye appointment: his astigmatism has improved and the doc says he is pleased with Houston’s Horner’s eye. Yay! Houston also crawls backwards quite easily, but forwards with funky legs. It’s like his arms are ready to crawl, but his legs aren’t quite sure what to do yet.
*April 2, Gramsey and Papa visit. By the end of the day, Houston can pull himself into a standing position in crib and playpen, and also improves on his forward crawling.
*April 4, Houston has a play date with Mason (the son of Nora, my old co-worker). The day ends with Daddy moving Houston’s crib to its lowest setting, so that he won’t be tempted to jump out.

Having fun with Mason & Nora in April 2008.

*April 5, that’s Daddy’s 30th birthday! Granny and Grumps babysit so that Mommy and Daddy can go to Charlotte to see Dale Watson with Adam. It’s the first time Mommy has spent the night away, but both Houston and Mommy do fine. In fact, Houston had a ball hangin’ out at home with Granny, Grumps and Duke.
*Since 4/6, not really a highlight, but Houston has had diarrhea with no fever. The nurse says she thinks it’s a stomach virus that’s going around and that it should clear up within a week. In the meantime, Houston is staying hydrated with Pedia-lyte, which he thinks is quite delicious.
*April 8, Houston’s two teeth finally pop through his upper gums. They’re coming through quite nicely, although I haven’t been able to capture a shot of them yet. He is pretty protective of the new additions to his mouth.
*Other randoms … Houston is really into sniffing fabric. Hand him a burp rag, a onesie or a sock, and he immediately takes a whiff of it. Perhaps he likes the smell of his detergent or maybe it just feels good on his nose. Either way, whatta weirdo!

Houston pointing with his index finger -- a favorite thing to do as of late.

*Another favorite thing for him to do is to constantly point with his index fingers. He uses them to poke at himself or at anything of interest to him, like people’s faces, buttons, tags, etc. Granny even taught him how to touch index fingers with another person’s extended finger, to which the person should say, “ET, phone home.”
*Also, Houston’s crawling greatly improves daily. He went through a stage where he would use his left leg to crawl, but would sort of drag his right. Then he was crawling with his right, while trying to stand with his left during the crawl. I suppose his left leg is his strong, dominant leg, but Houston’s unique style of crawling is surely something to see!
*Obviously, he’s very mobile now, crawling off the mat as quickly as I can place him down on it. He also keeps trying to cruise on moveable things like the recliner, the ottoman or his racer, so I have to keep a close eye on him.
To see all the late March pics, click here. And for the few early April pics, click here.