9 Months.

Time is flying. My babies are growing up! It makes me want to savor every moment more and more. Rest Area (whose code name is under currently revision) had his 9 month checkup yesterday.

We had a few things to check, including his ears. The verdict: after 40 days of antibiotics, one ear has healed, one has not. We'll check again in one month. We might be headed for tubes in a couple of months, but I'm hopeful that they will clear...and stay clear.

His eyes: After mentioning it a couple of times in the past few months, our doctor finally saw what I've been seeing in him. His left eye is sometimes lazy, sometimes doesn't appear to focus on the subject, and he sometimes looks cross-eyed. We are now on our way to an Opthamologist to have his eyes checked.

His "speech": I hadn't really thought much of it, but although he does make sounds, he doesn't really babble, can't say the double consonant sounds like mama and dada, and he doesn't imitate the sounds he hears us make. For now, we're just going to watch him over the next month and see if he starts "talking".

The Stats:

21 pounds 2.6 oz. (60%) (He lost 2 pounds since he's been on antibiotics for so long!)
27 3/4 inches (30%)
Head: 18 1/4 inches (75%)

Moving on up!

It's a rite of passage. Primary classes. It's the anticipated Primary event of the year. Who will be your new teacher? Who will be in your new class? Ah, the wait! Exciting for some, but not so much around here. Here's just a few comments we've heard over the past few weeks....

Roundabout, regarding CTR6:
--But, who will my new teachers be?
--Will there be girls in my class?
--Why can't my old teachers just be my new teachers?
--What if I am the only girl?!

Green Light, regarding Sunbeams:
--There's no candy in there? No thanks.
--Only big people go to Primary.
--Boys do not go to Primary.
--I'm still a small boy.
--Dad, I'm going to Nursery after Sacrament, right?


But alas, even after anxiety, both of them had a wonderful first day!

Roundabout:
--I loved it!
--My new teachers were funny!
--Brother Mecham said that we could call him Brother Mecham or just Brother Mech. We get to choose. Can you even believe that?!!? That is so funny!
--Sometimes, we even get to play games in my new class!

Green Light:
--(So, what'd you learn today?) We learned that I am a child of God...AND about animals...AND about DINOSAURS! ROAR! And they can eat you and STOMP you to the ground! STOMP! STOMP!
--My name starts with "D" and my teacher's name starts with "D" AND we both start with "D"! YAY!! It's "D" Power! (He was VERY excited about this. :)

All lined up.

Remember the Three Train Sets? Spoiled, I know, but you're only a kid once. Between one gift-giver or another, our family acquired three train sets for Christmas...and Green Light is ecstatic! And boy oh boy, they have been awesome! They've turned cold, rainy days into fun, creative hours for the kids. It takes quite a bit of time for them to get all of the tracks lined up. And then, each of them takes on their own roles.

Green Light: track tester.

Roundabout: civil engineer.

Rest Area: Destroyer...locked up in baby jail.

On the 4th Day of Christmas...

On the 4th Day of Christmas,

my pediatrician gave to me:
40 straight days of antibiotic
3 different prescriptions
2 severely infected ears
--and--

That's right, folks. Anyone who remembers Green Light's first year of life probably remembers that he had chronic ear infections. I would take him in for his well-child checkups only to find that he wasn't actually well. Every single time, he'd have 10/10 double ear infections with no symptoms. He was a happy baby who slept like a rock, ate like a champ, and never complained. No antibiotic would touch the infection and so he went on for months with infection and fluid clogging his ears. We began to be worried for his hearing ability. And finally after several months, more antibiotics than I care to remember, antibiotic shots, and many doctors visits...he was admitted to the hospital to receive tubes in his ears. They were wonderful and solved our problems for a full 18 months before they fell out this past July.

And now I suppose we can blame it on genetics in our little boys. Rest Area started with a stuffy nose about a month ago and had fluid in his ears, but the doctor who was treating him that morning decided against an antibiotic. Next came a severe eye infection that took 20 full days of antibiotic to treat. And just when I thought the course was clear, he developed a wet cough that went on for a week before I decided on a whim to just take him to the doctor yesterday just to avoid any emergency over the Christmas break. I felt so silly bringing him in just for a little cough since we've visited the pediatrician at least once a week over the past month. But in the end, I didn't feel so silly when he let me know that Rest Area's ears were both full of fluid, very infected, and bulging on the ear drum. Never fear though, he's still the happy baby he always is. And so...we seem to be on the track to have tubes placed after the beginning of the year. For now though, we're on two more antibiotics for 20 more days. Good morning diarrhea.

Only in Tarheel Country.

I believe it's safe to say that "Only in Tarheel Country" will you be able to set your eyes on this! Take a look!

Not only was Santa donning his Carolina Blue Santa suit tonight, but Ramses the UNC Mascot was right by his side!! I always KNEW that Santa was a Carolina Fan! Didn't you?!? There's no other way to be!

The kiddos...amazingly ALL sat there happily and cheerfully without any coercion! The girl; she asked for Barbies. The boy; three train sets. Yes, you read that correctly. Everytime he has been asked what he wants for Christmas, he responds "Three Train Sets." And the little boy; well, he didn't have much to say. He's just a happy camper with whatever comes his way.

Park it.

Kids believe that it's a rule that a family should do something fun on a day off from school. And I, as a mom, am still a kid. So yes, I believe in this rule too. To the park we go!

Never mind the fact that we passed by a dozen parks on our way there. They weren't as special as this one! And only the best would do on a day-off day! After all, would you not agree that this the span of this place is

And lay your eyes on this

It took some tears and then some convincing, but it was finally ruled that the best way to slide on topsy-turvy was

The view was absolutely

Not just for me though. Roundabout took a look at those autumn hills and just had to take part.
You see, all of this works up quite the appetite. It's a good thing we came prepared for a picnic, on the wall, in the sun, and kicked back

All in all, it was the perfect day to

and

Six months.

I've been delaying the 6 month update....because I wanted to share some so cute pictures! And now today, he is actually 7 months old!! It's unbelievable.

But without further delay, I should share the stats before he turns one day older.
Weight: 19 pounds 15 ounces (90%)
Height: 26 3/4 inches (65%)

Punkins.

Every once in a while, usually when I am in a crafty lull, I see something that catches my eye. When that happens, I can't get my mind off of it until I try it myself. Such is the case this week. And with what? These silly little Halloween shirts. You're going to love them!

Here's what you need:
1 package of Orange Rit dye (I used Sunshine Orange...doesn't that sound cheery?!)
100% cotton T-shirts for your kids (or you!)
1 package of rubber bands

1:
Pinch and gather up a portion of the T-shirt fabric, then add a rubber band 1 or 2 inches from the point of the pinch. Wrap the band around several times until it's nice and tight. Do this all over the front of the shirt.

2:
Fill your washing machine with enough
to cover your shirts. Add 2 Tablespoons of detergent. Pour dye into water. Turn washing machine onto wash for 30 full minutes of "wash" time.

3.
After 30 minutes of
turn washer to rinse. Rinse until the water runs clear. Wash, cut off the rubber bands, and then dry! (Afterwards, be sure to immediately run your washer to the max water level and add 2 cups bleach to clean the orange dye out of your washer!!)

4.
Insert cardboard inside the shirt and carefully draw jack-o-lantern faces inside of each circle. I used an "ultra fine point" Sharpie, but the instructions on FamilyFun say to use a fabric marker or fabric paint.

5.


6.
Just love 'em!

I think they're so cute that I contemplated making Straight Arrow and I one too. We could be a whole Punkin family!

Light Beamers.

Look at these eyes!
They pierce me to the very core and draw me into enchantment.
I adore them, am obsessed with them, and can't get enough of them.

Caution.

The caution sign on the Bumbo chair should read:

Those chubby thighs will and do get stuck on a daily basis. It's like prying the little guy out of the seat when it's time to get out.

On a side note though...Isn't he just the cutest?! I can't get enough of his dimples, his cheeks, his incredibly bright blue, piercing eyes, the belly rolls, his thighs, and his chubby fingers and toes. I love to smell his hair (and his feet for some reason!). I love to sink my kisses onto his slobbery lips. I love calling him nicknames. I love chanting his name and having him grin a huge grin! I love how absolutely happy and content he always is, no matter what happens to him. I love to cuddle him. I love to nurse him. And while I am nursing him, I love it when he touches my face. I love this little boy!

Solidarity.

This little guy is quickly approaching the half year mark. Amazing, huh? I am in awe at how fast the time has passed and how big he has gotten! It's quite the feat.

I remember back to when Roundabout and Green Light were little babies. Oh, how I wished the day would come that they would be 4-5 months old and I could feed them solid food. This time around, I've been in no hurry at all to give little Rest Area solids, perhaps because he hasn't seemed quite as intrigued by the feeding spoon as the other two.

But since he is now a few days away from the 6 month mark, he has now joined the ranks at the

He even has his own little spot. It's become a dash to the table and an ensuing fight breaking out over who gets to sit by him! This little boy is truly loved!

Yeehaw!

One of my favorite days of the year came along yesterday: Stake Women's Day. Our Stake puts on a phenomenal Women's Day every September. It's something I've never seen in any other stake and it's just absolutely wonderful. Each year, anyone who would like to attend can register for 3 classes for free (plus an awesome lunch and keynote speaker!) Three years ago, Sheri Dew was the scheduled keynote speaker...and this year it was Marilyn Taggart, the wife of Elder Taggart of the General Area Authorities. Like I said, it's awesome! Yesterday, I got to choose two classes and teach one! I chose Home Buying 101 and Home Haircuts. Then, I had the opportunity to teach Coupon Shopping! Around 350 sisters attended Women's Day this year.

All of this leads up to the fact that the kids had a great day with Daddy! The community we live in held it's Annual Fall-ish activity, the Rescue Rodeo! Why it was called a Rodeo; I'm not too sure. Yeehaw folks...why don't you climb right on up in the bucking

But it was a Rodeo fit for some munchkins! They had a a police car, a police mobile command center (think: a big Police RV complete with big screen tv inside!), bicycle safety station, a red fire truck, and....a blue one too! If you haven't ever visited Chapel Hill, you wouldn't understand the amount to Tar Heel pride that exists in this place. Everything revolves around the true Carolina sky blue.

Yes, even

They had a great morning and even scored brand newout of the deal!

Well hello, Hanna.

Dear Hurricane Hanna,
Thanks for sparing us your full fury. You must have had some good lessons in anger management. 50 mile per hour winds were much more manageable than 100. We do appreciate your hospitality.

In all actuality, we really needed your rain. You sure did decide to dump it on us.

And the winds: I'd say they were

The kids were more than excited to check out the damage around town. Puddle jumping was the activity of choice. But would you call this

It's more like a lake, I'd say! Roundabout and Green Light certainly agreed thatin a lake is way better than a measly puddle.

Here's tofor more rain, but not particularly in the form of hurricane or tropical storm.

Sincerely,
the Road Sign family

Rolling, rolling, rolling....

He does it when no one else is looking. I've tried to catch it on camera. In fact, I sat close by today with camera in hand for 90 minutes....waiting. Did he roll for me? Of course not! He's just like his older brother, who also was a crib roller but rarely rolled in front of a crowd. For the past two days though, every time I've gone in to get him up from a nap, he has rolled himself onto his back. And in that position, he's still a turtle on his shell!

Maybe I'm too snap happy. Or maybe he chooses to not be a circus
P.S.--How do you like his new buzz cut? We had to get rid of the former mohawk!

Take me out to the Ballgame.

When Straight Arrow called home to say that the Orthodontic residents were planning a trip to the Durham Bulls baseball game, I was so excited! There's something about it that I love:
As soon as I told the kids, the countdown began since it was 4 days away. How many more days is it? Will it ever come? Of course, you absolutely cannot go to one of these venues without tasting of the goodness. I knew exactly what my kids would choose. 'Bulls'eye style!

We had a blast! With three little ones, I knew we wouldn't make it til the end. But we lasted about halfway. This was the first time we've been out to a game when the weather was actually enjoyable. For once, we weren 't sweating bullets before we even arrived!

Today, I'd say there was no better way to mix

with a whole lotta

Those 5 fingers.

They are just so interesting.
They can pick up things.
They can grab mommy's hair.
They can go in my mouth.
They can be sucked on.
They can gag me.
They can be chewed on.
They can flail in the air.
They can attract long strands of hair to be wrapped around them.
They can play with toys.
They can hold on for dear life.
They can pinch.
They can poke.
They are always there....and I am always up for learning more about them!