Fun with Junk Mail

So...I have this stack of junk mail that I need to find time to shred. Yesterday Merrick found it and the result was a good time had by all. Who knew that a stack of paper could provide forty-five minute of fun. I have yet to find an actual toy that Merrick will stay with for anywhere near that long.






My favorite part was when he was finished and just crawled away leaving mommy to clean up the mess.

Catch Me If You Can

Over the last few days Merrick's crawling has gotten a lot faster. He is able to get across a room and over to Lola's food and water dishes in half a second. He is also pulling himself up to stand on anything and everything that comes within his reach. He is fast and curious and that means one tired momma by the end of the day.

Yesterday afternoon after a long day of chasing Merrick around the house and seeing that he was much more interested in things he should not get than in the toys he had out, I decided to open the doors to the one of the toy cupboards and let him have at it. For the next several minutes I sat and watched as he pulled out each toy one by one. While he did play with a few of the toys as they came out, the game definitely centered around pulling the toys out.

By the time Jeremy got home from work it looked like a baby bomb had gone off, but I am okay with that. I won't hold my breath, but maybe one day the game will be to put toys into the cupboard.

These pictures came as the cupboard was about empty. I love that he decided to crawl in for the ball that he could not reach.

Grandparents

Over the past few weeks family has really been on my mind. It is hard for me that my parents, siblings, and all of Merrick's cousins live in Oregon and we don't get to see them very often. We are lucky, however, to have family here as well and Merrick has grandparents, uncles, and great grandparents here who really love him. My heart feels divided and I wish there was a way for all the family to be together more often.

This last weekend my sister, Emily, got her master's degree here. She and her son Kai and my parents were able to come and it has been so great to get to see them. On Mother's Day we were able to spend time with both my mom and Jeremy's mom and that really meant a lot to me. A few days later Merrick finally started officially crawling and while none of the grandparents were here at the time to see it, my mom was still in town and just knowing that three of Merrick's four grandparents were just a few minute drive away if they wanted to come see the new trick was really special.

We don't know what life has in store for us in the near future. We could end up staying here, we could end up in Oregon, or I guess it is possible that we could end up somewhere else entirely, but I know that no matter where we are I will feel torn. Merrick has such a special relationship with each of his grandparents and I want them to play a big role in his life. Helping him feel close to them will always be a priority for me no matter who we live near.

Lucky Duck

I don't know if it is because my first Mother's Day is just days away or because Merrick is 8 months old today, but I just can't help but think about how lucky I am. Each day I think I love Merrick more and more. I love to watch him learn new things and it seems like he learns something new everyday. Time is flying by and I want to treasure every second.

A few weeks ago Merrick pulled himself to stand for the first time. Now it is an everyday occurrence. Not only does he pull himself up, but he will walk along the ottoman and even occasionally make a dive for the couch. He is already taking risks, but the look on his face tells me that they are calculated risks. Even when he is being a daredevil, he is smart about it.

I feel like the journey to get here was a long one, but worth the wait. Yes I am tired, I don't get enough sleep, or any time to my self, but I am so lucky. I love my little family more than I can express.

And now Merrick is waking up from his nap...duty calls.

Future

When I did early intervention we used to try to guess what the kids we worked with would be when they grew up based on their personality and the kinds of things that interested them. Now when I look into Merrick's eyes or watch him explore a toy I can't help but wonder what the future is going to hold for him.

When most people see Merrick for the first time one of the first things they notice is how tall and thin he is. Usually it follows that they make some sort of comment about how he is going to play sports when he grows up. I could see that and I know that his daddy would be happy if developed a love for soccer...or really any sport for that matter.

I watch him explore how things work and see how fascinated he is by watching someone brush their teeth or use a Q-tip. He is so curious and smart. I could see him wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer like daddy will be some day.

One thing I do know is that I want him to be happy and safe and while I really hope he does not want to be a firefighter, he would make a really cute one. Don't you think?

The Next Generation

Ready or not world here comes the next generation of Clifford boys. This realization hit me the other day when I was making tooting noises at Merrick and he was laughing. Leave it to a boy to think that is funny. All boy through and through. Merrick also loves to eat. Even when he was having painful acid reflux, he would never turn down food. Some of my friends who have had babies recently are having a hard time getting them to eat certain foods, but Merrick will eat anything that comes near his face.

This last week we started on meats. I was reading that new research is showing that many babies are iron deficient so we started with beef. Merrick definitely has a love/hate with relationship with beef. Our first feeding was so funny. He would open so wide for each bite, but then gag a little when it actually made it into his mouth. He never gave up on it though and he seemed determined to eat it all.






I think some day, probably before I am ready, Merrick will be able to out eat his daddy. He already eats more veggies than daddy does. Maybe I can use that fact to get Jeremy to eat more veggies...just a thought.

Say Cheese

In an effort to remember all the fun times with Merrick as he grows so quickly, and also to keep the blog updated, I have tried to take more pictures lately. My favorite part about this is that Merrick has learned to recognize the camera. Each time I pull it out to take a picture he gets a big cheesy grin on his face. Unfortunately by the time I get it turned on, zoomed, and the camera flashes, he usually has stopped smiling. Luckily it is not too hard to get the smile back and we end up with some super cute, cheesy pictures. Here are a few of my favorites from the last few days.

P.S. The last one is closest to the face he makes when he first sees the camera.