serif's blog

The Godby Blog

2009-11-15T13:23:00.001-08:00

In order for us to print this blog to book, we are ending "Serif's blog" with this post. Please go to the link below for all your new leisurely reading!

http://thegodbys.blogspot.com/

In effort to catch up on my long lost blogging, I have created some incomplete or blank posts. I will be updating these as I get time. Time is a funny thing, it is much more valued these days . . . and much less free.

One Year Photos - by Julee Duwe

2009-11-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

We just got the photos back today and are aw-struck at the beauty. I have posted only some of the photos, but here is the link to the slideshow of photos so you can see the others. To many too good to post everything!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/osj/sets/72157622835461846/show/

One week before Serif's birthday, Julee took us out to Watertown, TN to photograph's Serif's 1 year photos. Watertown is about 30-40 minutes East of Nashville and is all beautiful county. Julee was able to gain access to a prop warehouse where they film all kinds of music videos and photo shoots. This was perfect for capturing photos that are more like artwork. These first ones are the more "artsy" ones. They're not the ones that we'll be handing out to Grandma, but ones that will be going on our walls. =)

We were also welcomed to the owner's beautiful property where the skies were blue and the hills were rolling.

We had to get photos of Serif in his vampire Halloween costume.
The old chairs in this warehouse couldn't have been more perfect.

More outside photos, taken later in the evening. A nip in the air and a beautiful sunset,

Thanks Julee for making these photos so beautiful. You are a wonderful talent that we are forever grateful for!

One Year Check-up

2009-11-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

We had another good visit to the doctor this time. Serif is developing very well and everything is looking good! Mommy had a breakdown over the vaccine dilemma this time, but is since feeling better about the decisions made and can wait 3 more months before thinking about it again. =)
I think this is the last photo I am going to take of him getting his shots. Since having the Seasonal flu shot for myself, I realize how much it hurts him and am feeling bad for taking the photos. The nurse that gave me my shot said that the 1 year shots are 10 times more painful. For me, it wasn't so much the shot itself being painful as it was the next 2 days feeling like someone punched me in the arm. Poor Serif!
We are good at consoling him and his crying never lasts for very long afterwards. Thank goodness!

See! Feeling better already!

He got his 'stickers' too and that always helps.

The stats:
Weight: 24 lbs 7 oz (75%)
Height: 30-3/4" (75%)
Head Circumference: 18" (45%)

Serif's First Birthday!

2009-11-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

We took Serif to Chattanooga for his birthday. In order to make the trip, we had to take Helmut to Pop's house for the day so he could watch him for us. On the way out we had to stop and get gas and put air in one our tires. I think Serif enjoyed having Helmut in the car with us for that short amount of time.Once we got to Pop's house, Serif was able to get out and stretch and play before making the 2 hour trip. He loves playing with the cat, In The Way, here they are in looking out the den door. Then, Pops went back to the bedroom and came back with something special for Serif . . . MONEY! A big stack of ones! Thanks Grandpa! Serif loved it! (This photo blurred, but I can't not post it!)

When Serif started to eat the money Grandpa gave him, we decided it was time to go to IHOP for breakfast. We were seated right away and Serif got some crayons and a fun little placemat to color. Since Serif has never really colored before, Daddy had to help show him the ropes.Daddy also had to show Serif that crayons weren't for writing on pants, but should only be used on paper.
Once we finished our art and breakfast, we hit the road for our 2 hour tour to Chattanooga. The drive was beautiful with fall leaves and the 2 hours passed very quickly. It was the perfect time for Serif to take his morning nap so he would wake up fresh and ready to tour the Aquarium!
We arrived at the hotel and Serif was all rested up, just as we hoped. He was in a great mood and loved the lighting in the elevator lobby.

Once we got checked in we strolled down the street a few blocks to the Aquarium. We didn't realize before this before arriving, but there are actually 2 buildings that make up the aquarium out there. One is ocean life and the other is river life. We decided to hit the ocean life first.

We got there had had to go up the escalator to the 4th floor to start the tour. Once we got up there it opened up to this rain forest type space. Serif's head immediately faced up to the sky. We love it when he does this. We so rarely look up in life anymore and it's cool that he reminds us that there are things going on all around us, not just at eye level or down at our feet.

The butterfly garden was beautiful! He loved watching them fly everywhere while daddy photographed. He was mesmerized!

Serif was starting to get tired and it was also past time for lunch. So we walked a block up to the Redriver restaurant where we all ate lunch. We ordered a slice of carrot cake for Serif for dessert so we could celbrate with sugar! Our server was kind enough to serve it with a candle on top especially for Serif. He also volunteered to take a family photo. He was so nice.
Serif was glued to the flame (as you can see) and was so curious. Once we blew it out for him, we let him dig in. Serif always handles things very delicately when they're new and unfamiliar. It was the same with the cake at first. One fingertip at a time to begin with, then the next thing you know he's squishing in to his mouth.

After lunch we knew Serif would need a nap before seeing the river life aquarium so we went walking through the sculpture garden and across the bridge to the art district.
Just before we headed back across the bridge, Serif woke up from his nap. There was a river boat that started the Mighty Wurlitzer organ and played the most beautiful music. It was one of those things that helped make our trip memorable. It was so classic and reminded us of Cincinnati. Funny too because we later found out that the boat is based out of Cincinnati. Hmm. Do you see the guy at the front of the boat playing the organ? Look between the 2 red circles.
Once we got back across the river, we whirled through the river life aquarium. Serif enjoyed that just as much as the ocean one. It was so sweet to see him so content with these enormous fish tanks.

His favorite part of the aquarium was the stingrays. He tried really hard to touch one, but the one chance he had he was looking the other way. Shoot. Oh well, maybe next time. He also loved the octopus sculpture in the center of the pool.

The aquarium closes at 6:00pm so we pretty much stayed until they were closing their doors. Actually, we think they were having a Halloween party and show for kids because as we were leaving there were lots of kids in costume and the fish tanks were beginning to cover in spider webs. Looked like fun, but it was time for dinner. So, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up and figure out a place to go for dinner. What a fun time we've had!
Once we got back to the hotel, we realized that the drive out to Chattanooga wasn't so bad, so we checked out and headed home. We stopped at the Cracker Barrel just outside the city and had dinner. Serif and Daddy had lots of fun.

Once we got home, we were able to show Serif his new book that he got in the art district. It's The Night Before Christmas Shadow Book! Each page has an image on transparent paper that you shine a light through to the wall. The image is then reflected on the wall for story time! How fun! Look closely at the photo and you'll see Santa!
The we all went to bed and had a great nights sleep. Happy Birthday Serif! What a wonderful day! We love you!!!!

Serif's Dedication

2009-11-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I had talked about doing a baby dedication for Serif all year and finally contacted the church to schedule a date. It felt good to finally do it. Most all of our family and friends came out to support us which made the day that much more special.

Dad took the only photos we have of the dedication so I'll post these when I get them from him . . . Dad? =)

At 11 Months, Serif loves . . .

2009-11-14T11:50:00.001-08:00

his activity table,

walking, kitchen cabinets,anything in the cabinets,

getting in to the bathroom drawers,

the vacuum cleaner,shopping,

blocks from Pops (aka Grandpa)

Watching for Helmut (& wearing matching shirts with Daddy)Playing with Daddy, 'cause he puts funny things on my head,

Daddy,

Mommy's new washing machine,

eating coasters,
wearing Mommy's headband, playing in my room and with Helmut,

Mommy (& the Predators)

walking downtown with Dad,

sippy cup,

eating lots of real food,

swinging in the back yard,

being greeted by Mom and Helmut from a nap,

A Season with Jack Skellington

2009-11-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

Jeff loves lights. Whether it's Christmas or not he would have lights up all year round. These Jack Skellington lights (from 'Nightmare Before Christmas') have been some of his favorite lights and he finally gets to share them with someone other then myself. Jeff was excited when he discovered they would fit perfectly around Serif's bedroom window. The became perfect entertainment for the season and gave a nice warm glow to his room.

Bath Time Fun - 11 months

2009-11-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

A birthday gift from Fox.

2009-11-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It's been 2 weeks since I've posted and I'm feeling horrible about it! I've had good intentions, but have been quite busy lately. Lot's going on in the Godby house lately.

Anyways, here are a few photos from the Sunday before Serif's birthday. He got 3 gifts from his buddy Fox that morning at church but didn't have the chance to open them until he got home. As you can see they were a hit! What I don't have captured here, is that since getting this toy, he uses it as a walker and pushes it through the whole house! He loves it! He can stop and break and play where ever he goes!

Loving the paper as he opens the gifts.

A block puzzle!

A car puzzle (to the bottom left) and hey, you can stack the block puzzle! . . . and knock it down.

What's this? A Fun Cube!

Daddy showing Serif his new toy.

Thanks Fox! . . . and Thanks Gladstones - all three! We love you guys!

Outside at 11 months

2009-10-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sitting in the front doorway, waiting for Mommy to get home.In the front flower bed, checking out the flowers.
Daddy and Serif just hanging out.

Jeff put Serif a swing in the backyard a few weeks ago.
The nice Fall weather is perfect to enjoy it in.When Serif discovers something new, he handles it very gently.
He will normally only use his thumb and first finger to touch or hold it with.
We love seeing him react like this.

A birthday gift from GrandDaddy

2009-10-28T20:20:00.001-07:00

Serif, opening his birthday gift from GrandDaddy and Barbara.What's this?
(Look how well he's standing up!)A hat!
A super soft and warm coat.Uncle Bubba helped with the mittens.

2 outfits.

. . . and a yummy card.
Thank you Grand Daddy and Barbara. We love them!

The back door.

2009-10-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Serif loves looking out the back door.

He'll stand there for good while. His favorite thing is to look for leaves that have been tracked in on the rug. He somehow finds them quite tasty.

What Serif doesn't like is for you to go out and not take him.

An evening with Fox

2009-10-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of keeping Serif's buddy Fox on Tuesday night. They had so much fun. Fox was already here when I got home from work and picking up Serif. When I walked in the door, there stood Jeff holding Fox. Serif was so funny because he just kept staring at Fox and couldn't seem to wipe this grin off his face. I wish we had captured it on camera, but we sort of had our hands full at the moment. Here are a few photos from the evening.

The boys hanging out together in my lap.

Not sure what these guys are up to, but Serif must be scheming something.

Fox loved the TV armoire and was fascinated with the knobs on the drawer.

Not sure what exactly happened here. Nagwa, one of Serif's daycare workers says, "He's just so sensitive."

They loved playing with this playmat that we covered the ottoman with.

I grabbed a yogurt for dinner and both boys immediately swarmed my knees like flies on a watermelon. What you don't see in the photo is Helmut standing behind Serif. It was hilarious!

As we got the boys ready for bed, Fox discovered the mirrored closet doors in Serif's room. He immediately crawled over there and pulled up on the door. He absolutely loved it!

Serif . . . walking?

2009-10-18T19:57:00.001-07:00

So for those of you who aren't on facebook, let me bring you up to speed. This morning we left Serif in the nursery at church. When I went to pick him up, the lady says to me, "I didn't know he was walking!". I looked at her with bugged eyes and said, "What!?! I didn't know that either!". It was mixed emotion for both of us. I was sad that I missed it and she was sad that she told me I missed it!

Well, we've spent the entire afternoon trying to get a good video, only to realize he's still not taking off quite yet. He's doing the same thing he was doing yesterday. Let me back up just a little bit more.

Month 10 was great and I thought for sure he was going to walk. He never did, but when month 11 hit, he began standing up by himself and would do squats like he was preparing his little legs for a big run. He would push his walker toy on the rug, but as soon as hit the hardwood it would get away from him. This past week, he took off with the walker toy even on hardwood! He also started standing up and teetering with one foot like he was going to walk. I think it was Monday that he took one step towards me and then on Wednesday, I took him to my work to see people and he took 3 quick steps! The past couple of days, he's been taking these little steps and then lunging himself towards us. It's amazing to watch his balance progress in just the matter of a few hours!

Anyways, I guess this morning at church, he was standing by the crib when he decided to let go and take some steps. She said he was slow and payed close attention to his balance at each step. We've been working with him all day to see how far he would go, but a few steps are all we're getting right now. Sorry to those of you who have been waiting and waiting for this post. I really thought I was going to get to share a video of him walking across the entire living room. Oh well, this what you get . . . for now. I'm sure you'll be getting that video shortly! Yay Serif! We love you! You are SO much fun to watch grow!

A birthday gift from Evan.

2009-10-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Serif got this fabulous birthday package in the mail last week from his friend Evan. He had so much fun discovering all the little things one box could hold. Thank you Evan! (and Lila and Michael!)

All the fun little things inside this box were party favors from Evan's birthday party. Sadly, Serif could not attend his party due to other plans that were already scheduled. So sorry we couldn't be there Evan!

A fun and crazy straw.

Bubbles that Serif kept wanting to eat!

A little blue dinosaur that he absolutely loves!

What's this big, fun, white thing Daddy?

So much fun I think I want to eat it!

Daddy showing Serif a bit of science.

Magic!

The actual birthday gift and card.

He even enjoyed the ribbon.

A book!

Read it to me Daddy!

This book was specially and wonderfully made by Evan's mommy, Lila, just for Serif. It's the first of it's kind and will be available for custom order on Lila's website, www.mulhollanddrivecrafts.blogspot.com. It's a genius idea and so cute! It will be cherished and enjoyed for a long time. Thank you Stuteville's!!!

A Boy and His Dog.

2009-10-13T19:27:00.001-07:00

Helmut's really come along in his relationship with Serif. He's learned that there's more to Serif than competition for attention and that really yummy things come from him. A couple of days ago, Serif was enjoying his afternoon snack when Helmut became quite interested in what Serif had to share. One of Serif's latest things has been learning to reach out his hands to share. Well, he happened to do this to Helmut with his graham cracker and learned very quickly that Helmut isn't the best one to share with.

Now Helmut did only eat half of his graham cracker, so technically he was sharing by only eating his half. Unfortunately for Serif, we wouldn't let him eat the other half of the cracker. The tears actually came as soon as he realized Helmut ate his cracker. He was NOT happy! We did give Serif another cracker after this one and he was much better about keeping that one to himself. All part of lessons learned. Poor guy.

Opening Night Predator's!

2009-10-10T14:35:00.001-07:00

We went to see the Predator's opening game on Friday night. Here's a little video of Serif enjoying the game. Let's Go Predator's!

You're Invited.

2009-10-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

Serif is going to 1 year old at the end of this month! One thing we have wanted to do, but have been slacking in doing, is to do a baby dedication. We have finally set a date with our church and have everything in place. So here's the information:

Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009
Service Time: 9:00 AM
Location: The Village Chapel, Hillsboro Village
Church Website (for address and information): http://thevillagechapel.com/tvc/index.php

We'd love to have everyone join us for this special day. Our pastor encourages family and friends to be present and we'd love to have all immediate family members who are interested join us on stage for the dedication. Our service typically ends around 10:30 and we would like to invite everyone over to our house for some yummy Taco Soup and Chili for lunch. We will be having Serif's 1 year photos taken later that afternoon so it's going to be a full fun-filled day!

Yay!

2009-10-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

I got home from the grocery tonight and Jeff met me at the door to show me this video. Serif's been clapping a lot and will mimic a few things, but this is the first that I've seen him be this interactive and intentional. This is so sweet. It just makes me melt.

Serif's First Haircut

2009-10-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

We took Serif to Lila's Chop Shop Friday night to get his his first haircut. Jeff went to Lila for years while we lived in Murfreesboro, but the drive from Nashville made it difficult to continue going out there. We miss her terribly and couldn't see anyone else doing Serif's first haircut but her. So here are our photos to document the night.

First time in the 'barber' chair.

Mom giving Serif a pep talk as Lila gets everything ready.

Dad taking care of Evan (Lila's boy, and Serif's friend) while Mom and Serif are in the chair.

The first snip of hair. Lila put it in a homemade envelope for us to put in his book, so sweet.

Serif kept trying to get to the little monster toy, but couldn't quite grab it because of the cape.

All of the sudden he burst in to tears. We think it was the sound of the scissors.

Mom consoling and encouraging Serif as he questions the girl behind the chair.

Dad thought he'd take a shot at consoling as Lila cut the other side.

He was doing great again . . .

but just couldn't get it together.

Meanwhile, Evan is being Mr. Cool as he hangs out in his seat and observes the crazy kid in the chair.

Despite this fact that Serif was done with this process, Lila was able to complete the cut.

She even styled it for him.

Serif and Dad at the end of his first haircut.

Serif and Evan playing after the haircut was all finished.

They were loving this little table. Neither of them can quite walk on their own yet, so this was great fun to stand and bounce as they hung on to the table. They were loving it! Do you see those smiles?

The real reason we went to see Lila was because we are unable to come to Evan's first birthday party next week. We haven't seen them in forever (since Dave Macon Days) so we thought we'd go see them . . . and add the haircut to the visit. Serif recently got his first sock monkey and loves it so much, he wanted to get a special one for Evan. It's 'Mr. Mischief' from etsy.com. He had so much personality that we just couldn't pass him up. We hope Evan enjoys him.

Welcome Fall.

2009-09-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

The weather is cooling down and all the leaves are beginning to fall. Just 1 day away from Serif turning 11 months old and only 1 month away from Halloween! All of these changes in the air got me in the spirit of fall this morning, so I photographed my feelings through the outdoors and Serif's newest fall outfit. Welcome Fall.

Bye Bye 10 Months

2009-09-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

This was taken at dinner time Sunday night. He started waving while he was eating, so what else is a mother to do besides grab a camera?

2 Things

2009-09-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

There are only 2 things I remember asking for growing up and those were my mother's wedding ring and this stereo.I got my mom's ring 10 years ago when she passed away (way too soon - I could have waiting MUCH longer for that). Then my dad brought me this stereo last year when he was re-situating the house. He just decided it was time to pass it down to me. It's a piece that he bought when he was stationed in Germany in the 1960's. It's the one piece that he's managed to hang on to over the years.

I've always LOVED this peice of furniture. My sister, brother and I would play so many records (& 8-track tapes) from this thing. We'd sit for hours with this being center of our entertainment. Even growing up, I admired the look of this peice and how cool it always looked to me. There's something about the 1930's to 1960's era that is just inherent in me. I often say I was born a little late for my time. It's all worked out though of course.

I caught Serif finding interest in the stereo just this past week. It's amazing how much I feel inside when I see him over there playing with it. It's just weird that that's my son over there playing with something that I've always admired so much. I can't look at this stereo without the recollection of all the times we'd sit there and play with it. My head just spins with all the thoughts and memories this thing holds for me.

Serif: 10 months, Stereo: 50+ years

Thank you Dad for remembering me with this piece of furniture. I will always take good care of it and will treasure it a lifetime! Maybe one day Serif will get to take it with him. How cool that would be if he could write about it as I have. I'm sure we'll build many more memories with it . . . together. I love you too!

2009 Pre-Season Predators

2009-09-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Jeff took Serif to the morning practice game Saturday and met up with his brother Don, Shannon, Corbin, Anelia and Annie. I took the opportunity to get out and do a little shopping but had the chance to meet up with them for lunch. Jeff called me after the game and said that Serif got a new teether. When I asked what it was he said he got a hockey puck from the #24 off the ice! How awesome!!!

#24 Ben Guite. (Photo of Serif and his puck still to come.)

After the game they saw that you could get free tickets to the pre-season game that night by donating blood. So, we all ate lunch at Jack's barbque and then went back to give blood. We were shocked when they gave us tickets that were only 5 rows off the ice!
Jeff dropped me and the boy off at the front of the Sommet while he went to park the car. As we got out of the car, the downtown horse and buggy was passing by. Serif just watched it until it was out of sight (no photo sorry). When that was gone, he focused straight up to the sky where he was even more amazed by the swarm of birds flying around the buildings spire. He wouldn't look anywhere but up. He was glued to these birds.

Let's Go Predators!

We got to see a great fight, by Tootoo. He ended up knocking the guy out cold by knocking him down and busting his head on the ice. Ouch! It put a pause in the game for them to clean it all up and to get the guy off the ice. Wow, they get pretty rough out there (coming from a hockey new-be).

What a great game. Serif got to spend a little time with everyone. He did really well the entire day. He just loves his Uncle Don and Aunt Shannon. They certainly take care of him. Uncle Don even shares his hat with him!

Uncle Don, Aunt Shannon, Serif, Annie (hidden behind Serif), Anelia and Corbin (Serif's cousins)

Thank you Uncle Don for sharing your hat!

Aunt Shannon and Serif playing with their hats.

After the game Serif got to get his picture with the ice girls. He really liked their pom-poms!

My First Sock Monkey!

2009-09-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

My best friend at work, Ruby, got Serif this little sock monkey for his birthday. Birthday you say? Yes, I know, it's still a month and half away. She gave it to me early because she couldn't wait. I was suppose to wait to give it to him, but I couldn't resist last night! We're both bad. He LOVES it! He went straight for the eye! THANK YOU RUBY!!!!

Look what I can do!

2009-09-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Seaside to Nashville

2009-09-10T18:41:00.001-07:00

Our last morning at Seaside. We had to check out of the cottage by 10am so we packed last night and loaded the car this morning. We did one final walk along the beach and then headed for breakfast at the Red Bar Restaurant. We then hit the road for the long trip home. Here are a few photos from our day.

This was the portal at the end of our street that led us to the beach everyday. When you get to the top of the steps the view opens up to a beautiful view and stairway down to the beach.

Serif loving his daddy's shoulders as we walk along the beach.

Soaking up our last moments on the beach.

The boys and the bird. (Serif was fascinated with these and the seagulls the entire trip!)

One last time of getting Serif's feet in the sand . . . and yep still the same pose.

One last family photo of the Godby Florida Vacation 2009.

Walking back to the cottage.

Bye bye sweet cottage. We will miss you!

The boy's eating breakfast at the Red Bar.

Serif fell asleep within the first 5 minutes in the car and slept for 2 hours! He did really great on the trip home with minimal fussiness. Thanks to a friend of ours, we had a dvd player with Baby Einstein videos for him. In general he didn't only focus on that, but it helped with the breaks of boredom between toys.

Watching 'Baby Noah' and chewing on his foot.

We got home around 4:30 this afternoon and unloaded the car. Serif was glad to be out of his seat and able to stretch out but seemed pretty bored. I made the comment of our house being boring to him because he was in to everything while we were down there. i guess having all new surroundings made him more curious and made his atmosphere more fun. He would play in short spurts then want one of us to pick him up. (He did not do this at the cottage). So Jeff took him out on the deck while he took down his pool and swept. He always loves it outside.

Jeff went on to his dad's and brothers to pick up the pets and I stayed home finish unpacking and to put Serif to bed. As I was in the kitchen I suddenly heard the splashing of water. I walked around the counter and here's what I found. I guess our house isn't boring after all. This is first that he's actually decided to explore the dog bowl!

Seaside - Day 4

2009-09-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

We've had a wonderful vacation but we are pooped out tonight and are going to bed. We have about an 8-1/2 hour drive back home tomorrow and need to call it a day. A brief note about our last day is: sun, beach, naps, showers, eats and lots of last minute soaking it all in.

Our happy family enjoying the ocean.

The super fun float.

My two handsome boys.

Going for the camera.

An attempt at wearing sunglasses, at least for a photo.

Who needs sunglasses, besides Mommy?

The new found toy, travel tissues.

Sandy hands.

Feeling a little in the mood for a cuddle.

Nap time.

A stroll along the beach.

Our little flamingo.

A footprint to remember our flamingo's first beach vacation.

Capturing the end of a spectacular day.

The little so-called 'flamingo' would strike this pose any time we'd try to put him down in the sand or water. He even started doing it in the house when we'd come back from the beach. I think there was lots of newness and discovery for him this trip. He's done SO well and we're so proud of him.

Some personal notes (more for me and my record keeping): His coughing and breathing has gotten worse over the trip and his nose has been crazy! We're hoping it's not a big deal and perhaps due to the fact that he lapsed his Singular for a week before deciding to put him back on it to get him through the vacation (doctor approved). He also has had a bit of an upset tummy, a bit of a mess for the diaper, but his mood has been fantastic! His tummy did seem to do better this afternoon and evening. Hopefully we're at the end of that deal. He's been trying lots of new grown-up foods along with his regular meals of babyfood. We're thinking his tummy just can't handle it all yet, so we've slowed it down a bit to allow the sensitivity to calm down.

Seaside - Day 3

2009-09-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

Today we decided to have breakfast and walk 'Watercolor' (a neighboring community to Seaside). There's a lake, lots of amazing houses and small little pausing places that makes you stop and enjoy the moment. We totally missed this area last year when we came and are glad that we had the chance to roam and explore this year. A very beautiful place. Serif took his morning nap as we strolled the paths and bridges that abounded the area.

When we got back to the house we all lathered up and went to the pool where we all had lots of fun. We got to watch the local school kids take their P.E. class that consisted of swim lessons. Pretty cool to see. We then went back to the house where enjoyed a little down time and Serif took another morning nap (we're wearing him out). When Serif woke up we went and had lunch at 'Pickles', a great local hamburger joint, and then strolled the local shops surrounding the beachfront. Later, we went to dinner at Bud and Alley's and then watched the sunset from the beach. We then grabbed dessert at the local ice cream shop and took a stroll back to Watercolor where we wanted to see how things looked at night. Here are our photos of the day.

Morning Walk on the beach.

Exploring 'Watercolor' (the neighboring community next to Seaside).
Amazing hand-blown glass cattails lined this bridge; absolutely beautiful and so inspiring.

Lathering up for our morning swim. We went to the pool today.

A loving kiss from Mom.

Serif making monkey noises at Bud and Alley's, where we ate dinner.

Mom and Serif at dinner.

The boy trying out the lawn chairs as we watch the sun set.

Dad joining the boy in the chair to watch the sun set.

The cattails at night at the Watercolor bridge.

Coming in from our nightly walk.

Our super tired and exhausted boy that skipped his afternoon nap and is very ready for bed.

Seaside Day 2

2009-09-07T19:08:00.001-07:00

admiring the seagulls

(me) admiring the boy

admiring the camera

admiring the fence

admiring the sunset

admiring the sunset II

(me) admiring his smile

admiring italian food

admiring cupcakes for dessert

at the end of a long day of admiring.

His First trip to the Beach!

2009-09-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

Good grief. I tried to narrow the photos down, but am having a really hard time picking out the 'best'. So . . . you're getting a slew of photos from our vacation - day one.

We left the house at 10:00 pm last night headed to Seaside Florida. We got to our cottage at about 5:30 am this morning. He slept the ENTIRE way without a peep. The day has been long, but really fun. Serif did great at the beach and got use to the sand and ocean very quickly. He had a ball in his float and enjoyed eating his snacks under the umbrella too. We went out twice today, never made it to the pool. We've had 2 short naps and are ready for a good nights sleep tonight.

Oh, and around the house today he's been a spaz. He's in to absolutely everything!!! I've tried to 'baby-proof' the best as possible but we're still after him constantly. At least he's relaxed more at the beach (for day one anyways). Here's a shot of him climbing the stairs. He made it all the way up them, 17 of them to be exact.

Shoes Like Daddy

2009-09-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

These photos are from 9 months, but I just couldn't pass up posting them. Serif has only worn shoes 2 other times. One was for a few hours on our first venture out (he was only a few weeks old) and the other time was around that same time. They were so cute but wouldn't stay on his feet so he just never really wore them.

Last week Jeff pulled out the little chucks we've had in the closet since right after he was born. We decided to try them and see if they fit yet. Until this time they have just seemed so big! Serif wasn't too sure of them. They fit him pretty good but it's going to take a little bit of getting use to. He's good at walking around barefoot (with support from holding our hands or something stable such as the ottoman or couch), but the shoes put a new spin on things. When I put him down he would keep one foot up because it just felt so weird to him. He reminded me of cat with tape on it's feet! He was hilarious! He was very unsteady on his feet and kept putting his foot down sideways as if he were walking on his ankles. Here's a few photos capturing the moments.

Month 9

2009-08-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'm noticing a pattern as of late and that is that I am not keeping up with the blog like I was a few months ago. I guess life's just continuing to get busier and busier. Anyways, I'm going to try to catch up a little and post some of our favorite photos that depict what's been going on this month. Here they are . . .Things he's doing:
- Pulling up on anything that will allow him to do so. Up and down, up and down. Especially likes pulling the dishtowel from the oven door. (I'll have to photograph that one).-Will walk completely around the ottoman, along the couch, in between the two (back and forth) and likes to stand and play with his toy. If it isn't wedged up against something, it will slide out from under him. Fisher price should consider better grippy feet! - Is in to everything and has the scratches scrapes and bruises to prove it. He scratched under each eye with his fingernails (that he will not let me clip unless he's asleep). He got a good bruise under his chin that I have no idea what happened. I'm assuming that one came from pulling up at daycare. He continues to get eaten up with mosquitoes. He burned his finger on the bottom oven drawer this week. I'm hoping it won't leave a scar. The drawer and handle don't get hot, but apparently there's strip just above that does get hot. Yep, he found it. Darn.- Loves the dryer and dishwasher. - He prefers to walk with you rather than crawl, but atleast he can crawl and has been quite efficient with it. - He loves snacks! Sweet potato, peach/mango and banana puffs and strawberry yogurt snacks (his favorite).
- He's eating more solids and is getting better with mashing it up with his gums. He has 8 teeth now. (4 top and 4 bottom).
- He finally likes peas! He just ate both baby food ones and real ones tonight.
-He has toy boxes/baskets in every room almost. He's to the point of pulling them over and dumping everything out. It's fun to see what it is he goes for once his choices are all laid out in front of him; In this particular case, to see what it is he's digging for. - Obviously he still enjoys his toys, however, he seems to prefer bowls, wooden spoons, pans, the bathroom scale, air vents, toilet paper and anything that is NOT a toy.-Loves sitting outside in his little rocking chair that his daddy so lovingly painted for him.- Still loves it outside and it will always calm him if he's upset. He'll head straight for it, if he sees it opening. - He's been having a tough time going down at night. Since the last post he's going down a LOT better. Not a peep the past few nights. It started working after only 2 nights! Amazing how quickly he picked up on it.
-He's starting to wake up between 1:30 a 3:30. He's starting to go back to sleep after a few minutes, but we're still learning how to deal with that one. He's also starting to wake up at 5:30 instead of his normal 6:00-6:30. This photo was from an early wake-up. - He's starting to make lots of sweet noises. It's like he's wanting to talk, but doesn't really know what to say. Gibberish I guess.
- He still loves his books (favorites are the same as last post).
- Enjoys his glow worm and it's only given to him when he's tired or on the changing table. It calms him and it almost always guarantees a smile. It's very intriguing to him.
- He's been enjoying his vintage lamp that Aunt Shannon bought him while I was pregnant with him. You wind the little carousel that's in the center and it spins and plays a tune. - Loves the little wind-up chick next to the lamp. We wind it up and it waddles in circles.

10 Months Today!

2009-08-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

The boy's 10 months old today! I mentioned this earlier in the week, that he would be 10 months on Sunday, but once today hit, it totally escaped me! Jeff told me this afternoon and it shocked me how quickly this week went! Once I realized today was the day, I had to take a few pictures. These were the best of the bunch.

Serif enjoys Helmut most of the time. He also loves the outdoors. He will crawl to the back door, pull up and stand gazing out the back. This time he got to welcome Helmut back to the door. He was so funny. He kept banging the glass with his hands with an occasional squawk of excitement. A little while later we packed him up in the stroller and went for a stroll. It was SO nice out today. There was even a little coolness in the air tonight that I almost grabbed a light sweater. It makes us look forward to fall.

We've discovered that a lot of month 9 has been fussy. We're not sure all the reasons, but it's been a little tough. He was actually in a great mood today and the fussiness was minimal. Perhaps this is a forward look for month 10 . . . hopefully.

testing mobile blogging

2009-08-29T00:46:00.001-07:00

9 month photos

2009-08-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

so our good friend, Nick, and his darling wife, Ashton, came over a couple of weekends ago to take some 9 month shots of the boy. one thing we forgot to ask Nick about when he shot the boy at 3 months was to get a few of the three of us. we made sure to this time so we hogged the camera. my favorite being the one below. if you need some great photography, Nick's the MAN!

he loves this toy flashlight and will sit/crawl with it in his mouth. must be a teething thing?

these last two were taken at the Engine 14 firehouse down the road from our house. it's the second oldest in the city and was renovated/re-opened when we moved into the neighborhood. we were asked later if the 14 meant anything to us. we didn't think about it at the time, but it's cool that we were married 14 years when we had him. these photos were taken 1 week before our 15th wedding anniversary. so yeah, i guess it sort of does mean something to us.

Bed or Prison?

2009-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is what we've been dealing with every night for the past week. I called the doctor today to find out why we're having such a hard time with Serif going to bed lately. About a week ago (really bad the past few days) Serif will be asleep when I go to put him in his bed. As soon as he hits the mattress, or even just before then, his eyes immediately open and he starts screaming. I don't mean whining or whimpering, he literally screams . . . like super mad!

We're fine with letting him cry it out if that's what he needs to do, but we also don't want to just leave him if he needs reassurance and comforting. I've read that babies at this age realize they aren't attached to their parents and that they are their own being. This scares them and they don't understand that when you leave you're coming back. That being said, we couldn't take the uncertainty anymore and so we called the doctor to find out the best way to deal with this and what exactly is going on.

As soon as I started to explain the situation, the nurse says, 'Ahh, 9 months right? It's a classic case of Separation Anxiety'. Boy, that was easy but what do we do? She said it's fine to let him cry. She suggested maybe checking on him after 15-20 minutes. If he's still upset, we can go in and check on him, but don't talk to him, just make sure he's okay. Hopefully after several nights of routine, he'll get the idea of 'it's bedtime' and time to lay down and go to sleep. We'll see. I do know that I can't hold him all night (he's fine as long as I'm holding him) and he's not going to bed with us. He's always gone down pretty well by himself and just needs to relearn that he can do it on his own without our help.
Tonight was night one. He screamed for 15 minutes when Jeff went in to check on him. He was standing at the end of the crib crying. Jeff laid him down and kept his hand on his back (partly to keep him down and partly to comfort him). Within minutes he was asleep. Every time Jeff would raise his hand from him he would start to cry. After several times of this, Jeff left the room and shut the door. Serif cried briefly but then calmed down and fell asleep. May I add that I was in the living room praying that God would just give Serif a big squeeze and let him know it's okay to fall asleep.

Just when you think you've got things down, things change. The nurse laughed a little today and said, 'Wait till he's 2!'. Good grief.

Swim Lesson: Session 2, Week 1

2009-08-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Serif started his second session of swim lessons today. After a 2 week break of not getting in a pool, we weren't real sure how today would go. He did great and acted like he wasn't away for even a day. The water was cold today and it didn't bother him at all. To our biggest surprise, the instructor used Serif to show the other parents and babies what to do. Yay Serif! We certainly didn't see that coming.

The little boy next to us was having a hard time coming to grips with it all and his mom kept bringing him to Serif so he could see a smiling face. It was a great idea and it did help him, atleast temporarily. Better than what we could say for Serif in his first few classes. I did encourage her with telling about Serif's first session. He continues to amaze us with each lesson. We're so glad he's enjoying it and doing so well with everything.

The photo was on the trip back home. Swimming wears him out.

Eating it Up!

2009-08-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

I was trying to get ready for work this morning and this is what I find. Sweet little Serif.

Teething Biscuit

2009-08-13T05:51:00.001-07:00

Isn't he looking so grown up?

Fever

2009-08-12T05:43:00.001-07:00

Dad and the boy spent the whole day together yesterday due to Serif's fever coming back. We're not sure what's going on at this point. Perhaps it's the illness from the weekend lingering or he did just get shots and he seems to be chewing pretty hard on his fingers to the back of his mouth, more teeth? At any rate, the boy's been a real fuss-pot the past week now and I'm hoping this fever will finally kick. Even the 2:30AM wake-up sessions are becoming difficult to deal with. I'm not sure where to draw the line of 'you've just got to cry it out' and 'maybe he's not feeling well so I should comfort him'. I'm trying to find a balance. Hopefully I'm doing okay. The below photos show what I walk in to at 2:30AM. I'm not sure if he can get down yet or not. Sometimes he's more graceful about it than others.

9 Month Check-Up

2009-08-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today was Serif's 9 month well visit to Dr. Ladd. Things went really well, but Serif had a hard time clearing his tears from the 2 shots and finger prick. I guess the main thing that would clear him up for a minute was the shiny silver band-aid the nurse put on his finger. He did really like that.

According to the doctor, Serif's developing very well. His weight and height are starting to level out and the crazy growth spurts are starting to slow down. He's been able to wear his summer clothes really well without requiring a second wardrobe, which has been nice. Here's the stats:

Weight: 22lbs 13 oz (60th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17-1/2 inches (25th percentile)

The finger prick today was to check his iron level. Since it checked out nicely, the doctor said that we can take him off of vitamins! He would be fine to continue to take them if we want, but it's not necessary and whatever his body doesn't use, will . . . well just come out and not be absorbed. He also okayed him to start on milk if we choose. Since his iron level was okay, he said 2% or whole milk would be fine for him and he's okaying it since neither of us have had family history of food allergies. Water and juice are fine too, but juice should be limited. All foods are fine except honey, shellfish and nuts. He also said to be careful with 'choke-able's' such as steak or gummy bears. He shouldn't have that stuff quite yet. He should continue eating more than 3 times a day (typical at this age is 4-6 times a day). He said it should stay that way for a while yet.

We're going to finish out this round of Singulair that we have for him. He's got another week or so left in the pantry. We'll see how he does without it and see if he can stop the medication. If things flare up again, it may give us a better idea of what is causing his cough and labored breathing and may even look at other medication options if that's what we need to do. We should know more in September of how that's panning out.

Here are a few more photos from the morning.

This was right when we sat him up from his shots and finger pricking.
He was NOT happy! It just broke his heart that the nurse did this to him.

Playing with the band-aid and watching it sparkle!

Serif's 1st sticker.

More tears in the car as we leave.

Such a sad face. He was so tired and worn out.

The Many Ways of Riding a Skateboard

2009-08-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is one last post from 8 months. I tried to get it in, but was trying to catch up on everything else, that I just didn't do it. I really wanted to post a video, but well, this is the best you get right now. I'm promising another video of him crawling too. I'll have to catch up over the weekend. I have deadlines at work this week and I'm sure will be just too busy to it until then. Enjoy the photos for now and hang in there with me as I get the others posted. The video is super cute, so you'll have to check back.

Happy Retirement Granddaddy!

2009-08-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Today we hosted a Retirement party for my Dad (Serif's Granddaddy). I was amazed at how well the turn out was and how excited everyone was to come out to Nashville and help celebrate this special occasion. Most people drove 40 minutes or more just to be there and it really meant a lot to me and my Dad. Thanks to all who came out and celebrated with us!!!

Serif was a bit under the weather for the occasion. He started running a fever Friday night and by this morning it was up to 101.4. He stayed pretty fussy all morning. You could see it in his eyes that he just didn't feel well. Jeff stayed in Serif's room with him during the majority of the party. He finally fell asleep (after hours of fighting it) and he slept for a good hour or so. He finally got to come and see everyone before they all left. We had to get atleast one photo of him with Granddaddy!

The above photo is Serif, me, my Dad (Granddaddy) and my sister Gerrie. Brother where were you in this one? We got a lot of photos of the party, but they didn't all turn out that well. I'm the amateur with Jeff's camera and mine died on me after the first 4 photos were taken. Many of the photos blurred, but I'll still post them to snapfish and email them out so everyone can view all the fun. Thanks again to everyone that came and Happy Retirement Dad!!!! We love you!!!

Grandpa's Birthday Balloon

2009-08-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Murfreesboro to celebrate the birthday of Jeff's dad (aka - Pops/Grandpa). We went to Longhorn Steakhouse in the Avenue's and Jeff's brother Don and his family went with us (Shannon, Anelia and Annie). We had a really nice dinner and decided to stop in to Michael's afterwards since we were out that way. As we're walking through the store, Uncle Don kept tugging on these wonderful green balloons, trying to get one to come loose so he could give one to Serif. I think he finally asked the staff if he could have one and so he gave it Serif as Grandpa's birthday balloon. He loved it! We tied it to the changing table when we got home and he stayed so content and would play with it for a long time. So, thank you Uncle Don for Grandpa's birthday balloon! Serif wore his (one and only) camoflage shirt to bed just for you. Oh - and Happy Birthday (again) Pops!

"I'll be outside in the garden."

2009-08-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

This is what Jeff said as I heard footsteps through the living room and the back door close. I had just gotten home from work a few minutes earlier and was putting away my bags and picking up the kitchen. A couple minutes later, I decide to walk around the counter to play with Serif. As I face the living room I see Serif standing at the ottoman, just as you see in the above photo. I think to myself, 'Why in the world would Jeff leave him standing up by himself like this?'. I got a little upset about it as I tried to figure it out, but of course had to grab the camera and take pictures since he was doing so well at it. Up to this point we would always stand right beside him when he wanted to stand like this. (He isn't too gracious with his falls and tends to stiffen up like a can of starch on a freshly ironed shirt.) As I made my way to the couch, continuing to take photos of course, Jeff comes in the back door and says, 'Look at you! Are you standing up buddy?'. I ask him, 'Did you leave him like this?'. With a puzzled look on his face, he says to me, 'No.' I look at him as my eyes get big and say, 'Oh my gosh he just pulled up and did this on his own and we missed it!'.

All of this newness at once, can I stand it?

P.S. Serif is always wanting the controller. It's the one 'toy' he never gets to play with, but always wants. I guess that gave him extra boost to get up there.

9 Months and 1 Day

2009-08-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Serif turned 9 months on Thursday. Lately, our routine has been that I will take Serif to daycare in the mornings and Jeff will pick him up. I've been really busy at work again lately and have been working some over-time hours to meet some deadlines. Friday was the normal routine as Jeff picked up the boy. I received a call about 30 minutes or so later and could hear Serif in the background fussing . . . not happy. Jeff didn't know what was going on and he noticed a bottle was missing from his diaper bag. (They usually put his empty bottles in the diaper bag as soon as they're finished with them.) He asked if I would call daycare to confirm that he had taken his last bottle for the day because he couldn't quite figure out what all this fuss was about. I called and they had put the bottle in the wrong bag and Serif had eaten fine . . . that was not the problem. About 45 minutes later, I get another call from Jeff. He says, 'Guess what your son just did?' I said, 'What?' He says, 'He just crawled! He took 6 little 'crawls/steps' straight towards Helmut.' Hahaha - of course he would chase the dog right off the bat! YAY he's finally done it! All weekend he has been crawling like mad. If you're not in the same room with him you can tell his crawling because you hear a 'hu-uh-hu-uh-hu-uh' as his excitement climbs and confidence builds. He can't crawl without making that noise and it's so funny!

Sorry to keep this from you for almost a week now. I've wanted to keep the posts in order, but it's getting hard as of late. The above photo was taken today (almost a week later). I'll have to post the video from Saturday when I get more time. So come back later.

Capturing Month 8

2009-08-05T20:18:00.001-07:00

Looking outside with Dad.

'Hey Mom!'

Playing with Mom in the carseat.

'Where's my puff?'

Learning about pots and pans.

First taste of sour cream.

'Mom, what is Helmut doing?'

Serif and Helmut. They love each other . . . and sour cream.

Mom and Serif, hanging out.

Cutting grass with Dad.

Frustrated as he tries to crawl.

Pulling up.

Walking with Dad.

A Look Back at Month 8

2009-08-04T19:12:00.001-07:00

Good grief, is it really over? Where is all this time going? It's so weird that he's growing so quickly!

A few notes about Month 8:

1. He would stay frustrated a lot because he wanted to stand up and walk, but couldn't on his own.

2. He wanted to crawl, but could't quite get the gusto to do it.

3. He would spend a lot of time in the floor with toys and on all fours with the hopes that he would go somewhere.

4. He's gained 4 more teeth - yes 4! Two more on top and two on the bottom.

5. He eats 4 times a day and started getting little puff snacks at the end of month 8.

6. He still doesn't like peas or anything with meat in it (baby food that is).

7. He's done well with most other foods, but would make faces at mashed potatoes.

8. He's loved swim lessons, baths, showers, the 'red-neck' blow-up kiddie pool on the deck and all things water.

9. He tried a sippy cup with water, but didn't know what to do with all the water he got in his mouth so it would just run down his shirt. He basically would just chew on it.

10. He continues to love the outdoors - the porch swing, the rockers, stroller, etc.

11. He loves books and has a few favorites: 'Hatch' by Charles Reasoner, 'Goodnight Moon' by Margret Wise Brown (both being favorites since 5 months.) and a new book he got, 'Bee and Me' by Elle J. Mcguinness (an Animotion book).

12. A new night time routine started with his 'slug' night lights and Egg night light (it creates little bird reflections around the room). He will play with them a little when the lights go out and then we tell them good night as they go on their stand and lights go out . . . one at time.

13. He has still enjoyed his musical sun on his crib and we still play it just before we lay him down for the night.

14. He often falls asleep at his last feeding at night, but will wake up as soon as he hits the mattress and will let out this cry that is just heart breaking. He literally runs out of breath and you have to wait to hear him inhale. A few of those and then sudden silence as quickly falls asleep.

15. He plays 'peek-a-boo' with Mom in the mornings when Dad would go get him out of his crib and bring him to me to eat.

The Real Truth

2009-07-30T07:43:00.001-07:00

For those of you who can't tell, this is a squishy, bloody eyeball. Jeff brought it home from his work especially for Serif. Dad's got quite the collection of toys that he's super excited to share with Serif. Another reason why he's glad Serif's a boy. Hmmm, me too for that matter. (smile)

He's 9 months old today!!! Yikes! I need to post his 8 month developments! Soon, very soon. Promise.

the boy got a new toy!

2009-07-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

so Michelle sent me a link to a baby newsletter she gets that said around this time the boy might start developing an attachment to toys, objects, etc. what better time to introduce him to some of daddy's tacky stuff?

mommy got a new hat

2009-07-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

now when someone asks "what's his name?" mommy can just point to her noggin.

and i think the boy likes it too

oh, and the boy joined a gang too.

Weeeeeee!!!

2009-07-28T20:28:00.001-07:00

Serif and Bessie (Grandpa's dog)

2009-07-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Swim Lesson's 4 & 5

2009-07-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on posting this. I've been a wee bit busy lately. Serif's lessons are continuing to go very well. Lesson 4 he started swimming underwater! The best part of all is the fact that he did it with no tears and loved it! We love Wednesday's now and love taking him to his lessons! We look forward to his progression and love seeing him have fun in the water! We're doing more and more dunks, turns, grabbing the wall and now swimming to each other. It's awesome! We have one last lesson in this session, which will happen this Wednesday. We will then take a short break and resume mid-August. We'll definitely be hitting the pool during the break to keep 'warmed up' to everything.

Sorry we don't have many photos or video. We may try to get one for his last lesson. It's tough getting video when you're suppose to be in the pool teaching him!

Dave Macon Days - 2009

2009-07-19T15:17:00.001-07:00

This year was a bit different for us at the Dave Macon Days. Everyone we normally go with canceled at the last minute, but we still went anyways and had a lot of fun. The weather was rainy across Nashville, but seemed to hold off in Cannonsburg. It was gorgeous out and the perfect weather to hang out on a quilt and listen to some great music . . . or to enjoy carnival food and funnel cakes!

We met up with some friends that we haven't seen a while, Lila, Michael and Evan. Evan is 2 weeks older than Serif and is so much fun! Lila use to cut Jeff's hair before we made the move to Nashville. We miss her dearly, but that drive gets a little crazy these days. Sorry Lila! It was so great seeing her again and having the opportunity to catch up with the boys. (Evan is the one that introduced Serif to the bouncer/jumperoo). Thanks Evan!

Serif and his friend Evan.

Evan, befriending Serif.

Serif befriending Evan right back. =)

After catching up with the Stuteville's, we met up with my neice, Lindsay and her boyfriend Matt. We laid out the quilt, grabbed some grub and enjoyed some time in the grass in the beautiful weather. Serif got to enjoy his first tastes of lemonade and funnel cake. He especially loved the lemonade. Once the sun started going down, we walked the craft boothes and headed home. Serif seemed to enjoy the evening and did so well. He fell asleep on the way home and had a great nights sleep. We'll be back next year and hopefully more people will be able to join us again!

Serif's first tastes of lemonade.

Serif and his cousin Lindsay.

Serif playing with grass and Daddy in the background making funny faces at the camera. heehee.

He's Standing Up!

2009-07-10T18:34:00.001-07:00

Jeff discovered the other day that Serif would grab on to Jeff's hands and pull himself up from a sitting position. Tonight, I decided to put together a toy that my sister got him for Christmas. I put him in his crib with a couple of toys and the next thing I knew he was pulling himself up. Needless to say I ran in the living room to grab the camera so I could show everyone how much fun standing up is! Below are a few photos of him playing with his new toy. He loves it!

Thank you Aunt Gerrie, Uncle Bubba, Lindsay, Brandon and Hunter for the super fun toy Mommy just put together for me! I love it!

Swim Lesson #3

2009-07-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

I started to title this one 'What! No Crying?', but thought I'd stick with the numerical order.

Serif was awesome this lesson! He certainly impressed us with how well he did and we were shocked that he did it all without fussing! The only time he cried was when we were getting in to the pool. It took Jeff and I both a few minutes to get in the water because it was so cold! I think Serif was feeling the same way and when we finally just plunked in, he screamed. After some snuggling and walking around to get use to it, we started on the laps. He cried a little during the first lap, but after that we only saw a pleasant little face and even got some smiles! After 15 minutes of laps I thought for sure when it came time to jump in he would cry, but no. He didn't even act like he was going to! Amazing!

We got to take this little frog bath toy with us for this lesson to help him with the 'this is fun!' idea. He didn't play with it when we were in the water, but he did enjoy it's encouraging hops and 'Yay Serif!'. =)

I didn't know this until this lesson but Jeff gets so nervous and worked up every Wednesday from the time he gets up in the morning until lessons are over. He hates to see Serif so upset and just stresses over it. Hopefully after the encouragement of such a great lesson his stress will be much lighter next week. Here are a few photos of Jeff and Serif when we first got to the pool before we started getting in to gear. I love Serif's expression in each of these and couldn't pass up posting all 3 photos. Can you see Jeff's stress in the 3rd picture below? hehehe.

Here's a video of the last jump-in and lap. His jump-in was a little bit of flop, he normally goes a little deeper than this, but he still did great!!!

Serif, we're so proud of you buddy!

An Afternoon with Dad

2009-07-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

I love it when the boys do things together and it's hard for me not to grab the camera and photograph the moment. It was such a nice weekend that we were able to do quite a bit in the yard and with Serif sitting up so well (but not running around) it made it easy to include him and still get things done. These were actually taken a few weeks ago when he was 7 months, but I thought I could go ahead and post it before I start posting too much in to his 8th month!

Serif and Dad. Heading to the back yard to mulch.

What's all this stuff in the bags Daddy?

This is a lot of mulch Daddy.

Just hanging out.
(We've discovered lately that this is Serif's look 90% of the time.)

Can I help Daddy?

This mulch sure is pretty Daddy.

I like watching you Daddy.

Are you coming to get me Daddy?

Yay! Daddy's getting me! I love you Daddy!

Serif's first time 'driving' as they take the car back to driveway.

Swim Lesson #2

2009-07-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

Although we don't have a photo from today's lesson, I'd still to post how things went. The lesson went a lot better today. We slowed down a bit and spent the entire 30 minute lesson in repetition, encouragement and praise. He cried the majority of the time, but the more we repeated swimming the more he began to calm down. The instructor's goal was to get him more comfortable and to get rid of some of his anxiety. We did lots of swim laps where we just pull him along in a frontward motion and then about half way through the lesson we began jumping in. We would do 3 laps of swim to one jump-in to ease him in to it and make him comfortable with it. After the second or third time he would stop crying before jumping in and we saw him holding his breath. It was nice to see him picking up on what he's suppose to be doing and to know we're serious when we say 3 he's going in.

Jeff and I were both a little nervous for today's lesson since he screamed so much last time. We both felt bad for him, but also know it's the best thing for him. It was so nice to see some relief with his anxiety and see him do so much better today. Yes it was still a lot of screaming and crying, but with that came calmness, a couple splashes of water from him playing and we even almost got a full smile from him. All that made it worth it and has made us look forward to next week to see how the progression continues. Next week will be more of the same repetition but we get to bring bath toys and he might start back with a few back float laps.

Yay Serif! We're so proud of you!

Aaahhhh Video

2009-06-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

Here's video of the latest and greatest! Thought I'd follow up from the earlier 'photo only' post.

First Chunky Food

2009-06-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

Serif will be 8 months old on Tuesday so we decided to go ahead and try him on his first Stage 3 chunky food tonight, Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce with Beef. This was the reaction I got to about every bite. He kept eating it though so I think he liked it. Normally if he doesn't like something he'll cringe, tense up, make a loud 'gghhhmmm' noise and is now getting to the point he'll spit it out. I think with this he was just discovering all the little chunks of pasta in there and trying to figure out what exactly he's suppose to do with them. He did get pretty intense with gritting those teeth so I think he was getting the concept of learning to chew. The little guy only has 4 little teeth but they sure can make some awful noise! We cringe every time he does that!

Swim Lesson #1

2009-06-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Serif started swim lessons on Wednesday and this photo pretty much sums up how it went. He cried, or should I rephrase that to say he screamed, the whole time! Despite the drama he did well. He's learning to hold his breath under water, front swim, grab the side of the pool and back float. They start teaching lessons at 6 months but Serif was the youngest in his class (he's 7 months now). I'd say the other kids were 1-2 years old. Everyone did great and some had more 'moments' than others (hehehe Serif taking top notch in that category).

In Serif's defense I will say he was woken up twice from his nap to get to the swim lesson not to mention he's been a little under the weather this week. Once we arrived at swim school we all got in our swim attire and immediately got in the pool. One of the first things he learned was to sit on the side of the pool while holding our hands, then we'd have to pull him off the side and let him fall in the water. He would fall, go under and naturally come back up and gasp for breath. We then pulled him around the surface of the water to make it like he were swimming. This is so he gets use to the idea of a frontward swim motion. (this was actually our warm up when we got in the pool too). We would end at the edge of the pool where we would pull him up and put his hands on the side of the pool so he can learn to grab on. We then would turn him over to his back and pull him around the pool so he could learn to back float. The trick with this move is to only hold the back of his head with one hand so he would learn to not have any other support there. He did well with this but did tend to pull his knees up to guard himself. The instructor said this was very normal and just natural instinct to protect oneself from danger. He will learn to relax as he picks this up better.

Jeff and I went to Target this week in preparation for swim classes and we purchased our first kiddie pool. We filled it up only about a foot deep so we could play with Serif in there and get him more use to the water. We got him in there on Thursday night and he loved it! We played more like it was a bath but then we also worked with him to get use to floating on his back. Here are a few more photos.

Here, he's not too sure about this.

He's beginning to gain confidence and trust.

Finally relaxing and doing very well!Finished with pool time and all smiles. He had so much fun!

His new trick from month 7 . . . stretching upside down.

Mom and Serif Time

2009-06-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I've been working so much overtime lately that I've actually been able to take the week off (with the exception of Monday). It's been so nice and it's made me realize how much I miss him. Working that much overtime has left me with some days of only spending maybe an hour with him. Yuk! I'm super appreciative of the work, but am ready for things to slow down . . . just a little.

Generation to Generation

2009-06-26T12:54:00.001-07:00

The week that my Mom (Serif's Mimi) died I noticed she would lay with her feet crossed all the time, even to sleep. I asked her if she'd always done that or if it was just comfortable right now. She said she's always done it and that it's just comfortable and just comes naturally to do it. I found it a little amusing because I did the same thing but didn't realize I may have picked it up from her until then. I noticed early on that Serif had a tendency to cross his little feet like this too. I catch him doing it when he's just laying around, napping or even asleep at night. It doesn't matter if he's on his stomach or back, they just cross. It's funny how things work like that. It's one of those things that makes me stop and think of Mom everytime I notice either of us doing it. It makes me miss her.

Aaahhhh

2009-06-26T12:47:00.001-07:00

I was riding in the back seat with Serif the other day and he kept making different noises (like 'AH, AAAH' from the back of the throat - how do you spell that?) What perfect opportunity for me to get a good photo of those new top teeth! Of course coming from Mom here, too cute to pass up posting.

Fish Lips

2009-06-26T12:35:00.001-07:00

I was feeding Serif his lunch yesterday and he kept making funny faces and making all kinds of noises. He was eating squash, of which he loves, so I know it wasn't a reaction to the food. It's just been his thing lately. So I showed him how to do fish lips. Well, would you believe that this photo was taken this morning when i was feeding him his cereal and pears for breakfast? Ha ha ha. It was hilarious! I did not expect him to pick it up so quickly, but there you go. A fast learner I guess . . . or maybe not in the mood for pears? Nah - he likes those too. Just being funny I think. He's so much fun.

Serif's Poster Part II (finally)

2009-06-15T17:34:00.001-07:00

we finally got Serif's Hatch Show Print poster framed. i'm not sure how much we explained back then but this is one of Jim Sherraden's monoprints. he's taken four blocks from other individual pieces/posters to create this unique one.

it's divided into quadrants with the Hatch logo in the middle.

the amazon woman,

the panther woman,

dancing girls,

and 15¢

it's so big we had to hang it sideways - for now.

the coolest part was even though Jim couldn't create us a custom piece, he customized it by adding "To Serif" and signing and dating it again. thanks Jim!

and Serif seemed to like it!

i like daddy's car

2009-06-09T06:18:00.001-07:00

i got the privilege of taking the boy to daycare today so this was his first ride in the beetle. he seemed to enjoy it.

Heaven On Earth

2009-06-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Jeff posted this and then told me I could write something if I wanted to. Well, you know me I have to record everything.

Sunday night we went to see Riders In The Sky. They were kicking off a summer concert series at a little amphitheatre in Crockett Park in Brentwood. We met up with our friends William, Karla and Fox and brought a picnic dinner and blankets. It was perfect weather and felt so nice to be able to take Serif to his first concert (with the exception of all those I went to while I was pregnant with him. hehehe). Anyways, the concert was a lot of fun and there were lots of kids there in their cowboy boots, hats and 'get-up'. It was so fun to watch the kids go down the hill and to the stage where they would all dance around foot loose and fancy free. It made us look forward to getting to watch Serif run down the hill to enjoy a little dance with the band. He's already got his boots, we'll have to get him a hat! HeeHeeHee, he'll be our little Buckaroo!

About half way through the show Jeff looks at me and says, 'This is what heaven's going to be like'. I smiled and laughed a little and thought how cool of a thought that is. He always makes me think and always has these clever little thoughts to share . . . one of the things I love about him most.

Nice Fauxhawk - Part II

2009-06-05T19:29:00.001-07:00

If you'll remember, there was an earlier post that we did the day after Serif was born titled 'Nice Fauxhawk'. A lot has changed since then but he's really never been able to wear his hair like this because it's too fine and fuzzy. Well, his hair's finally growing thicker and longer so we decided to play with it a little after his bath. We realized we could get it to stand up but the real kicker was the fact that it falls right back down as the hair dries. So . . . I guess it will still be little bit before he really gets to wear it like this. That's okay though, I enjoy the crazy fuzz right now. Everything's going so fast that I don't get too anxious for stuff to change. I just soak up what I can every day.

The other top tooth is here!

2009-06-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

This tooth has been making Serif's gum swell for the past couple weeks. Early this week we had a few fussy days as the tooth has made it's way through the gum. It amazes me how quickly it shows up once it breaks through. What you couldn't see last weekend, you can see really well this weekend!

7 Months!

2009-06-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that Serif is now 7 months? Hmmmm. So crazy fast! This is one our favorite photos that Jeff took on Sunday (a day after he turned 7 months).

Another update - We took him back to the doctor on Monday because we noticed the 'Croupy' cough coming back and his breathing was getting bad again. Here's what we found out:

The doctor thinks he has a 'reactive cough' which basically means a mild case of Asthma. He said if that's what it is then it typically goes away by the age of 2. So that's good news. We have to monitor him for the next week and see if the cough is gone by next Monday. If it's not, we have to put him on Singulair for a couple weeks and see how he does with that. Perhaps this could be allery related. By the end of those 2 weeks it will be Summer and all of the 'allergy season' stuff should be gone. Hopefully his coughing and breathing will be better by that point. If it's still not better then we will have to resort to breathing treatments. We're praying for a good report soon and that we won't have to go that far with all of this. Keep Serif in your prayers that this will all clear up soon!

The Godby Boys and NASCAR

2009-06-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Enough said.

Memorable Video

2009-05-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

Serif was laughing a lot last night so I decided to get the camera and try to record this cute little moment. By the time I found the camera and got back to the living room he was starting to settle down and the laughing was slowly turning in to a fuss (tired and hungry). I decided to video it anyways and to my pleasant surprise I captured something extra special. Watch this . . .

A Quilt from Great Grandma Musser

2009-05-29T19:43:00.001-07:00

This is my Grandma Musser. She is my mom's mom. This is Serif's Great Grandma and the one and only Grandma he has. Her name is Lena Mae Musser and she lives in a hollow in Grayson, KY. She comes to visit all the family here in TN periodically. The past few years it hits in May because so many of her great grand kids are graduating and she's yet to miss a one! I didn't get to see her much this time and she was leaving to go back home at 5:00 this afternoon. I was fortunate enough to leave work a little early today so I could take Serif to see her and to also get their picture together. Since Serif's going through a phase of 'I want mommy', I had to be the one holding him.
This past Christmas (2008), Grandma made Serif a quilt. It never made it to us until today, when Grandma was able to give it to him directly. How special. She made it all by herself and she even drew the little animals herself, cut them out and hand stitched them on to the quilt. There's a mouse, a bunny, a cat and a dog. So cute Grandma and how special this will be to all of us. You always amaze me with how much you get done and how special you make people feel. We love you!!!

Serif says, 'Thank you Grandma! I love you!'

Shopping Fun

2009-05-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

I took Serif shopping with me today while Jeff returned some stuff to his dad's. Serif stayed in his carseat in Target, but by the time we hit Babies R Us he was ready to get out of there. I carried him in the store with me and decided to see how he would do in the front of the cart. He LOVED it! I think he thought it was a game or something at first. As I would push him rather quickly to get through the store he would do this hmmmhmm-like laugh and just grin at me. He was really enjoying looking at everything from this new perspective. He just kept checking everything out. I was really proud of him for doing so well. Only once did he try to eat he cart (yuck!), but I caught him. He was in a really good mood today and I think it must have felt good to him to get out for a little bit.

It's so amazing to see how much he's growing. It's times like this when I go to record something that I realize that much more how quickly this is all going. I'm enjoying every minute of it though and absorbing as much as I can.

Boy's got the Croup!

2009-05-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

Serif woke up Friday morning with this horrible cough. When he would get excited his breathing became very labored and his voice was sounding horse. We called the doctor yesterday morning and they said it sounded like the Croup and that maybe we should bring him in to be checked out. Well . . . sure enough. We took him to see Dr. Ladd and he diagnosed it right away. He said it should go away within a week and not be contagious after 3-4 days. He told us to watch for signs of ear infection because often that will follow. He said that would probably happen on Monday if it's going to. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll dodge that one.
We went to see Pops last night and fixed some Shepard's Pie. Jeff and I have been researching new recipes online and this one's doing pretty well. Serif's spirits have been pretty high despite the illness. I think his top tooth is bothering him more than the croup! Friday he went down for a nap around 1:00 and I woke him up to eat at 5:00 (he was due to eat around 2 or 3). He's sleeping a lot. I guess so he can get over this thing. He even took a nap at Pops last night (a time that he is normally not so tired). Poor guy. It should be over soon.
(more photos to come)

Watching T.V.

2009-05-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday night 'Lost'. Dad can't miss it, Serif needs entertaining and Mom needs to clean the kitchen. This is a typical shot from my perspective for Monday night Wrestling, Wednesday night 'Lost' and Thursday night '30 Rock'. My boys are quite amusing to me. . . and quite cute too I might add.

This was actually taken 2 weeks ago. I've been very busy lately and trying to catch up with some of my posts! Sorry to bombard you all at once with so many! Soak it up while you can, it may be a little bit before the next one too. It's getting harder to find time! I'm trying though. . . really!

Thumb Sucking and Teething

2009-05-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

When 6 months hit, Serif would rarely take a pacifier without just chewing on it . He began spitting it out and plugging up with his thumb. Previously he would suck on the pacifier for a couple minutes to help sooth him to sleep, then spit it out and doze off. Lately, he's been preferring his thumb over anything else when it comes time to sleep. When I finally caught it on camera he was actually asleep and had it in for a while. You can see he's got it in his mouth pretty well.

I really think it's due to the whole teething thing. I think it just feels good to him to have something soft to rub those gums on. His 2 bottom teeth are in pretty good and we're starting to see them now when he smiles. His top 2 teeth have been working their way in. His gums have been white and puffy for a couple weeks now. We just noticed his top right tooth breaking the surface yesterday. Today you can see it even better! Do you see it? Yay Serif!

A New Toy

2009-05-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

When Serif turned 6 months we had to break down and get more toys. He's been getting a little bored with the ones he has and the jumperoo is slowing down a little. He'll still go in there, but there's less bouncing and more chewing on the toys. He's started sitting up really well, to the point that we can sit him on the couch or floor and he will play with toys by himself. He still topples over sometimes, but he's gotten really strong. That mostly happens when he reaches for something he can't quite reach and ends up on his side, back or flipped forward so far he looks like a sandwich. It's a new world . . . again.

This particular toy is a 'Laugh and Learn'. He seems to really like it. It has 3 different settings (music, play and learn Spanish) so it should last him a while. It lights up, talks and plays music. Pretty great stuff. Here are a few photos of Dad introducing him to it.
This last one is with the legs on it, which will obviously have to come at a later date. Poor guy can't see the top! Helmut's still doing great with Serif. We just had to take him to the vet last week because we noticed he wasn't eating and he never ate his 2 treats we gave him before we left for work that morning. That NEVER happens. Obviously concerned, we had it checked out. We're still not sure what all was going on, but they think it was a high content of bacteria in his system. We're wondering if he ate a mole or something. We've been noticing him digging in the soft spots in the back yard lately. We also wondered if it wasn't adjustment to having to share (or give up) time for Serif. A little pampering with walks, car rides, medicine and canned dog food seemed to help bring things back to normal. It's been a much better week.

Learning Colors

2009-05-20T19:42:00.001-07:00

No Colors.

Green!

Blue!

Red!

Yellow!

Hey. What happened to the colors?

6 Month Check-Ups

2009-05-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

Serif had 2 doctor's appointments this week. Monday he went back to the Cardiologist for a check-up on his heart murmur. The visit went very well. The doctor said he sounded normal and he was not hearing the murmur at all. That being said, he said that it has healed and no more visits or tests are necessary. He proceeded to tell us that if he ever gets another murmur it would be totally unrelated to this first one. Apparently once they're healed they can not re-open.

Tuesday Serif had his regular well visit check-up. All went well and he was in a really great mood. Not sleepy at all this time. He did great with the 'squirt in the mouth' medicine this time. The nurse said it tastes like sugar water. Not sure why he wigged out on it in the past unless he just didn't like the idea of being made to take it. He wanted to hold it and suck on it this time. Everything's going to the mouth these days.He only got 3 shots this time. Of course he didn't like those and yes, he cried. Once we got him up his cry just sounded like he was sad and like it hurt his feelings (as well as his leg). I felt really bad for him, but Jeff and I stay upbeat with him to keep his spirits high. We've been noticing a difference in his cries lately and some of them are getting really sad sounding. It sort of melts you and makes you just want to cuddle him up. He really doesn't cry much though so that's a good thing. If he does start getting fussy, the front porch swing seems to always be a nice cure. He loves it out there! (These photos are of Shot 1 and Shot 3. You can see how it escalates.)
Now, what you've all been waiting for . . . the stats:
Weight: 21 lbs 9 oz (97th percentile)
Height: 27 - 1/2" (80th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17" (25th percentile)

Most of our questions this visit was on the subject of food. Last week I called the Doctor to see what the next step would be on feeding him because 2 servings of cereal at bedtime (plus milk) just didn't seem to fill him up completely. He said to go ahead and start him on food 3 times a day. Now up that point I was only giving him milk during the day and cereal at night. This was a big adjustment, but Serif LOVED the food and took to it like a charm. I was very proud of him. He started with squash then carrots then sweet potatoes. The doctor said to start with yellow, then orange then green then fruit. All the change sortof of made it a little tougher on his digestive system so we ended up starting the fruit before the greens. I guess he'll try some peas this weekend.

During the visit he continued to tell us that stage 1 and 2 babyfoods are fine for him. He even told us that our food is okay as long as it's not a 'choke-able'. I asked him what to expect within the next 3 months before we come back for his 9 month check-up. He described it as follows:

6 months - (food like canned vegetables) - smash 3 times with the bottom of a skillet. (and Stage 2 food)
7 months - smash 2 times . . . (and Stage 3 food)
8 months - smash 1 time . . . (and Stage 3 chunky food)
9 months - he should be able to eat whole peas!

Jeff was very excited about this. He's always trying to feed him our food and I've been much more reserved with all of that. The doctor said the things NOT to give him are nuts, honey and things like steak that he could potentially choke on. The only time we should give juice is if he's, hmmm . . . a good way to put this . . . a little backed up? He also said that eating 4-6 times a day will continue to be normal through the next visit. Since starting food, he's been eating every 4 hours rather than 3. It's amazing the difference in your day when you're not tied to that tight of a schedule. I guess he's eating 4-5 times a day now.

Here's the photo of Jeff and Serif at the end of the visit.
We tried to get some 'family' shots with the iphone. You can see how they turned out. So, here's our 'photo-booth' shots from the end of Serif's visit.

Mommy, my mouth hurts

2009-05-07T09:48:00.001-07:00

Lounging at 5 months

2009-05-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

I posted this because I just love the photos AND because you can really see how much Serif is growing. I've been looking back at photos from 1, 2 and 3 months and it's amazing how different things are already. It's crazy! Anyways, the boys still like to lounge a bit and catch an episode or two of Andy Griffeth. Serif still likes the television, but we're really trying to entertain him without that being the focus. Even if you put him in the jumperoo, he'll turn to face that thing. We really have gotten to the point that we'll just turn it off. Probably better for everyone (Jeff may say differently on that though).

Serif, Pops and Their Rockers

2009-05-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

Serif got his first rocker yesterday. We bought 2 adult rockers for me and Jeff about a month ago, but they didn't have Serif's size in stock. A few days ago we got the call that his rocker was finally in! So yesterday Pops (Jeff's Dad) went to Murfreesboro to pick it. So here's Serif trying out his new rocker with Pops.
I think Bessie (Pop's dog) enjoyed their rockers too. She never gets to be that close to Serif, so this was quite a treat! Serif didn't really seem to mind either.

Laughter

2009-05-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Serif turned 6 months old on Thursday. How strange to say that already! He's been laughing since 4 months I guess, but I've never gotten it on video. Jeff was playing with him Thursday night and I found it was the perfect time to get in on camera. He's so funny how he just stares at the camera. I think he could spot one across the house. Anyways, just thought I'd share the moment.