The Little Football Fan

It's been a little tough watching football this season with Jayden. Of course, he always wants a nap or to be fed at crucial moments in the game. Then, on top of that, he cries when we cheer. He's getting better about that, but the first couple of weeks of the season were rough. Every time we would cheer, clap, or yell, he would get upset. We would have to smile and tell him it was okay so he would realize we weren't angry.

When the Bengals had an interception last night, Brian started screaming. We realized that Jayden was getting upset, so Brian started doing the riverdance which was funny even for an adult. Jayden started laughing so hard, his little shoulders were shaking. He even snorted! Brian kept dancing throughout the game, and Jayden kept cracking up. We're hopeful we don't have to be the entertainment next year.

Weekend With Daddy

Jayden has spent most of the weekend playing with Brian. I had to work on accounting, which requires my full concentration, so Brian kept Jayden occupied. That's no easy task. He's so busy that he can zoom through the house in no time making a mess. They played upstairs a lot so that the noise doesn't filter down to my office as much. I really appreciate it, and I'm glad Jayden has us both here so that he doesn't get tossed aside while one of us is working.

A Marathon's Next, Baby!

Jayden's walking now! He's been walking with support from me to Brian and back for a while. Tonight, he let go and started walking on his own! He took two steps with his right foot and fell, and then he got up and took four steps! We're so excited! It's so much fun watching someone try to determine how to make his legs move as he wants them to. I'm so happy, and I'm hoping that he progresses along quickly to taking a larger number of steps.

He's 10 months old today.

A Little Ham

Jayden loves attention. I read that all babies crave attention but that we learn to drop that part of ourselves as we age. He's at the point where he knows exactly what to do to get other people to talk to him. He flashes his little grin and giggles. He knows that gets them. Then he'll yell. It's his version of talking really, and people love it, especially when he changes his voice from a low roar to a high-pitched sigh. They're amazed that he knows how to alter his voice. Ha, ha. Little do they know he's been doing that for months.

I'm very proud of him. I read that by the end of December, he should be able to recognize one command accompanied by a hand gesture. He already knows several without hand gestures: "no," "come here," "we're done," and "go to Mommy/Daddy." It's a small accomplishment, yes, but at nine months, it's all I have.

Cali

Cali is a cat. She's also Jayden's best friend. She's loved him since the moment we brought him home from the hospital. Yesterday, she almost found herself homeless.

She has developed a habit of sleeping in Jayden's crib. I know that makes a lot of people cringe, but we feel okay with it. He's big enough to move around now, and she doesn't lie down on him, so we figure they're okay.

Yesterday afternoon, he wanted to take a nap. I put him in bed, and Cali woke him up. I thought, "okay, he must not have been that tired." About 20 minutes later, he kept fussing and acting like he was sleepy. So I put him down again. Cali did the same thing again!

He was crying because he really was sleepy, and she kept flopping on him and purring. I was so mad at her! Getting Jayden to sleep can be a chore, and if you miss your one opportunity, then it's gone. He's not tired anymore, but he's cranky.

I told Brian that I'm going to start locking her in the bathroom when I put him down. She keeps doing it. At night, she'll come in and meow at his crib and wake him up. That cat's driving me nuts!

Good Boy

When I get frustrated with Jayden, I try to remember that he really is a good little guy. He's very well-behaved for a nine-month-old. I am afraid that if we had more children, which looks less and less like a possibility, that I would be overwhelmed by a baby who may not be as well-behaved as Jayden. He rarely cries, and when he does, there's a reason. I still don't quite get the parents who say, "she was crying for no reason at all."

Maybe our kids are just different, but Jayden doesn't do that. It may be hard to determine why he's crying, but there's always a reason for it. He doesn't even cry when he has a dirty diaper or wants a nap. He will grunt about his diapers, and when he wants a nap during the day, he just comes over and climbs in my lap. He'll put his precious little head on my shoulder, and I can take him upstairs and put him in his crib. He'll go to sleep on his own.

He fights Brian more at night. I don't know if it's because Brian will let him get up or because he knows that night-time sleep is longer. Still, he doesn't like the go down for the night. I dread it everyday and am secretly glad that it's usually one of Brian's jobs.

Am I A Good Mommy?

Nobody really prepared me for all the questions that would come with being a Mommy. I look at Jayden everyday and wonder whether or not I'm good enough for him.

I got up late today. I was sick during the night and up for an hour, so when 5:00 rolled around, I wasn't ready to get up. I slept until 6:45. Now Jayden is up in the kitchen playing with Brian. There's no way I'll get enough work done. Then I'll try to work while Jayden's up, and he'll cling to me. Then I'll start questioning myself all over again. Working at home is difficult, but they don't tell you that. It's hard because there's so much guilt. I hope I'm making good decisions for him.

Joy

Jayden is so amazing! I love watching him learn so much. Brian watched him most of the day yesterday so that I could work, but we had a good time reading books together last night. He just watches the book very intently and then touches each picture. It's really funny to watch.

He's up now. I know that he's been up a bit. I heard him playing in his crib about 6:30. I was tired, so I didn't get up. He was babbling away to his stuffed animals, so I let him go. Even when I went to pick him up at 7, I don't think he was ready to hang out with me. He still wanted to linger and play with his friends. I hope that someone gets him a doll for Christmas because he really likes to pretend that he's talking to his animals. He had two bottles the other day pretending they were talking to each other. He would shake one when it was talking and then let the other one talk. Then he would poke one with the nipple from the other and go back and forth. I'm so glad that he has a wonderful imagination. So many children today don't seem to have any at all.

Echoes

Jayden loves to hear himself echo. It's so funny. He will yell into a bucket or bowl and then laugh when he hears his voice come back. We were in a building with a strong echo, and he kept squealing at himself. It's so fun to watch him get joy from something that simple. He gets the most precious little smile on his face and just giggles and giggles. I love those moments.

Teeth and Sleeping

Jayden's getting his second tooth. It's peaking through! We're really excited about it, but he's having trouble sleeping. He does that little thing where he's shaking his head and biting down during the night. He's not even awake, but if we give him a little Orajel, everything's better, and he settles down.

He fell asleep at the Christmas celebration we went to last night. They had a Christmas tree lighting and some other stuff, but he was completely uninterested. He did like the horses drawing the carriages, so he watched for them. It was too cold out for him. We need to get him one of those wooly hats with the straps under it so that his little ears will stay warm.

Little Path of Destruction

I'm surprised at how much Jayden can get into. Like right now, he's pulling pens out of my pen holder while simultaneously helping me type. Everyday I feel like I'm running after a tornado trying to clean up. I've given up on picking up things as he takes them out. I just wait until he goes to bed at night and spend 15 minutes clearing the day's disaster zone. Now I know how FEMA must feel.

Jayden's Tooth

Jayden has one tooth now. It's on the bottom in the front. The other front bottom tooth looks like it's trying to come in, too. He's so cute. He keeps clacking his tongue now that he has his teeth. He just sits and does that - trying out his new tooth.

He can eat a few things now - Cheerios mainly. He has a Club cracker here and there, too. We're trying to move him to more table food even though I know the AAP says you shouldn't do it until they're one. He's ready to eat people-food, though, and besides that, it's expensive to buy baby food! I'll be glad when he moves to regular food so we can cut down the cost.

Tired

I'm exhausted. Jayden is a handful. Keeping up with him gets so difficult. He doesn't sleep that much - especially for a baby. Just yesterday, someone said, "Nine months. So he's just eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom?" Oh, no. We have to hog-tie so he'll eat. Changing his diaper is a wrestling match. According to the books, he should be sleeping about 6-7 hours more everyday than he does.

I love him so much. When he gives me a little smile or giggle, I forget that I'm a walking zombie because of the frustration of his schedule. I love to watch him learn new things, but he does that so quickly. He looks at something for a minute, turns it over, and then figures out how to open it, play with it, etc. Then he's off to the next task.

Right now, he's playing in my day planner, which will mean a disaster. It's just that he's done looking at the picture of himself sitting on my desk. So he's just opening and closing the planner and then turning a couple of pages. Oh, well, maybe it'll teach him organization.