Teaguer McGooter Pants

Yesterday was my little big man's 9 month milestone! He has grown so much and is still my little angel baby. His doctor's check-up was great and confirmed that our healthy little man is growing strong. He was 23 lbs and 14 oz and was 30 1/2 inches long. I think it was something like 80th percentile for weight and head circumference and still off the charts for height. His ears were beautiful and we've only had one ear infection since he was born. I'm so grateful after dealing with countless ear infections with Colton.

Teague has pretty blonde hair and he still has his Grammy's blue eyes. He popped out six teeth at once (all four top teeth and two bottom). He started crawling around 7 months and never looked back. At 8 months he started pulling up and walking along furniture and is now standing on his own for a few seconds and working on his balance. Walking is definitely not far off now. I definitely attribute all of this to Colton - he sees his big brother and wants so badly to take off after him. Speaking of his brother, I realized that I may have been a little overzealous with the nicknames. A few of my favorites are Teaguers, Teaguer the Tiger, Teaguer McGooter Pants, T and Teaguerdoodle. Well, one day I asked Colton what his full name was to which he replied Colton Ray Highlander. Then I asked him what his brother's name was to which he replied Teaguer McGooter Pants. I tried again and said, "what's Teague's last name?" His answer? "Pants."

Teague is really good at his ma-ma-ma-mas and his da-da-da-das. He loves all types of food and I can't even think of one thing he hasn't liked yet. So far there have been no signs of allergy which is such a relief. He doesn't have eczema like Colton did which is an indicator of future allergies so I'm hopeful that he won't have any.

Teague is such a great sleeper. He goes to bed around 7 p.m. (working on getting this later in preparation for the time change) and wakes around 6:30 or 7, sometimes sleeping until 7:30 a.m. He naps at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and the first nap is usually an hour and the second is typically an hour and a half. I think there have probably only been a few times he's woken at night since we sleep trained at 7 months and both were times when he was sick and he easily went back to bed with little rocking and a bottle. Such a far cry from our sleepless nights with Colton.

Smiles - I can't write a post about my little man without describing the cutest smile you've ever seen. Teague reserves his smiles for special occasions and his favorite people. Much of the time he assesses and watches and explores. When he does smile though, it comes from his pure little heart. He tilts his head forward and squints his eyes and sticks his little chin up with the biggest grin. It melts my heart.

We are so blessed to have this beautiful, happy boy in our lives. Teaguer McGooter Pants is perfect in every way and reminds us daily that we are so, so blessed.

Teague loves his Darby.

The start of a big grin...

He loves the balls and gets so excited when we take them out.

Breakfast in bed with daddy.

Checking out Thomas on Mommy's new Kindle Fire HD (thanks daddy for the birthday present!).

You better watch out Mr. Lion, the only big cat around here is Teaguer the Tiger!!

Love,
Jenny

Cabins don't always mean camping

This past January I was randomly dreaming about warm weather and beaches and went online to look and see what great beach deal I might be able to find for a summer 2012 vacation. I had heard from a few different people that we should check out the state parks. Now, let me just state for the record, I am not a camper. I did it for years as a Girl Scout and while I loved the idea of it...I hated most everything other than the smores, campfire and swimming. Bugs, dirt and pottying in strange places are all things I can do without. As I started to look online at the cabins at some of our state parks I realized that "camping" was not really the right way to describe it - some of these cabins are nicer than hotels I've stayed in before!

We decided on the state park at Grayton Beach in the panhandle. It was already a place we're familiar with and love to visit and the cabins there were some of the nicest. Even better, they were $100 a night when most places at the beach were $300 and up! Can't beat that! We settled on labor day weekend since we knew we would have three full days and it's right around my birthday so it was a perfect time to get away.

The trip up was pretty pleasant. Both boys are great nappers in the car and Teague only got a little fussy right before we arrived. We checked in at the entrance to the state park and then got our cabin key and headed to the cabin entrance. It was unbelievable. The cabins were literally right on the beach. We could hear the waves crashing and smell the salt water. The cabins were little duplexes and each had two bedrooms, a nice size bathroom, full kitchen, fireplace, screened porch and all were fully furnished with fresh linens and fully stocked kitchen.

After we arrived Josh and Colton went to Publix (a few minutes down the road) and stocked up for our long weekend. Teague and I got the bedrooms ready. Teague had his pack and play in the master room and we put both twin mattresses on the floor of the other room for Colton. He is still happily in his crib at home so this was a real test and it went perfectly!! We made him a giant bed on the floor and he was a great sleeper all weekend. Josh and I slept on a mattress in the family room which worked great.

Sunday morning we ate a yummy breakfast and then packed up everything but the kitchen sink and headed to the beach. It was about 5 minutes walking from our cabin door to the sand. PERFECT! We set up our tent and spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing and enjoying the beautiful gulf. Josh's best friend Daniel and his wife Stephanie (who were married at this beach in May) came to visit also. After an exhausting day both boys crashed and Josh and I grilled some steaks and just relaxed on the porch with a glass of wine - not something we get to do often enough.

I realized a few things about Colton on this trip - he is pretty much obsessed with anything and everything outdoors. He would rather be dirty, sweaty and covered in bugs than clean and sitting in air conditioning (obviously doesn't get that from me, see above). He absolutely loved picking up sticks, looking for bugs and lizards, digging in the dirt and sand and chasing birds. He also has developed quite the little personality. He had several intense meltdowns but the majority of the time he was creating his own elaborate little stories and adventures. He loves to build forts and hide in caves. He fights monsters and bad guys daily and the other day he referred to Teague and Jonah as "his babies." He loves when they follow him around :)

Unbeknownst to us Teague had a little virus. He had a fever the Thursday before we left and it went away but during our trip he ended up covered in a rash. I'm pretty sure it was roseola which Colton had before. You hardly know when he's sick though because he slept great and never complained. He thoroughly enjoyed eating sand, splashing in the water and hanging with mommy in the tent.

It was a quick trip but just the right amount of days. With kids so little I really only like to be gone from home a few nights at the most. More than that and we're all a little cranky. It was the perfect getaway just before the craziness of fall.

We will definitely be heading back to this beautiful little piece of paradise next year and hopefully for years to come.

Grayton Beach State Park - September 2012

Love,
Jenny