The Ginkgo Tree and Rubber Band Wrists

Our church has a beautiful ginkgo tree right out front.  Every year around the first of November the leaves change to a beautiful yellow color and everyone in town flocks to take pictures there.  I am among one of the people who waits patiently all year for the special week.

 

My chances of winning the lottery are greater than getting a cute picture of my boys BOTH looking at the camera and smiling.  Oh well.  We had fun trying!

Ford has grown taller lately.  It’s one of those things that I don’t notice until we put on his pants and it looks like he is ready for the flood.  I am a bargain shopper and like to buy clothes on sale or at the end of a season for my children.  Well, apparently I will be buying Ford a lot of pants this year or his ankles will be a bit chilly!

Ford is seriously one of the wittiest little kids I know.  I laugh at him all the time.  A lot of the stuff he does reminds me of myself!  The other night he asked if he could look at one of my blog books.  I take pride in printing my blogs out yearly and having them made into hardback books.  He has ripped a page out of one of them and I was very upset.  I told him he could look at it, but I said, “Ford if you tear my blue blog book up again I will tear your bottom up.”  Well, without missing a beat he responds with, “If you tear my bottom up I’ll put it back together.”  All I could do was laugh!  He had no idea what I meant.  I love the innocence of a child!

Ever since we went to the beach in July bedtime has been difficult.  He wants to lie down in our bed to go to sleep.  I didn’t think it was a great idea, but then again it really doesn’t hurt anything because we move him to his bed after he goes to sleep.  The other night I was lying down with Ford and I said it was time for me to get up because I had some stuff I needed to do before I could go to bed.  Ford says, “Im sick of you leaving me in here by myself.”  Again, all I could do was laugh!!!

He is constantly trying to stall the bedtime process.  We got in bed the other night and he started complaining about a scratch on his stomach.   He said, “My bo bo hurts.  I think it’s telling me to get some milk.”  He thinks he’s slick.  And yes, he got some milk!

 

I “think” I am moving in the right direction with John Brantley.  Two weeks ago I threw in the towel and cried about things being difficult with naptime.  After a 2 hour battle I was tired and frustrated.  I have since started putting him in his bed after I feed him at 8:00 and 1:00 and letting him cry it out during naptime.  The last 2 days he hasn’t cried at all!!!!!!!  He is sleeping better and longer too.  I know I should have tried this earlier, but I just HATE to hear a baby cry.

I have changed his schedule a bit.  He still wakes up at a different time each morning so I can’t exactly predict when that will be… sometime during the 5:00 hour.  His new schedule is….

Feed when he wakes up in the morning. 
About 7:00 oatmeal
8:00 milk and nap
10:30 milk… he doesn’t eat much at this feeding
1:00 milk and nap
4:00 milk
6:30  ½ a vegetable and ½ a fruit mixed with rice cereal followed by a bath
7:00 milk and bedtime

His is still a chunky monkey.  He is developing those fat rubber band wrists.  I think they complement his large kissable cheeks!!!

I am still breast feeding him.  He hates a bottle.  I love our special time cuddled up in the rocking chair.  He reaches for my hands and holds my fingers and won’t let them go.  It’s such a sweet time and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

We can’t sit in the Nap Nanny anymore because he flips all around like a cheerleader in there.  While I am getting ready I have to strap him down in the bouncy seat.  He is such a good companion to have every morning.  Forget alone time or privacy…. I get NONE!

On Tuesday we took a field trip to play with BoomPa while Gran was away in Jackson taking care of my grandparents.  Ford needed to go to the park and feed the geese.  When one of them got after Ford he threw and entire piece of bread at it!

 

And it’s hard for me to go see Gran and BoomPa without going by Target.  I do love the junk at the Dollar Spot.  I found these lovely reindeer antlers!

My baby boy was 3 ½ on November 1.  He is so precious and I am thankful God has allowed me to be his momma.