These two are going to be best buddies. I just know it.
This bear serves as the perfect cozy reading corner.
Sage seems to be growing out of his oral fixation stage....slowly but surely. I can now let him hold a book without it going directly into his mouth. He likes to open them and turn the pages. With a little encouragement from his parents, hopefully Sage will spend many hours in the comfort of his bear's arms exploring the world and his imagination through books.
A trip down memory lane.... August 2012.
Sage received this bear from his Carter grandparents when he was only 2 weeks old. Look how tiny he was!
Yippee for snow days!!
I think we should make snow days mandatory. One per year. They are good for the soul!
On Wednesday, the University shut down campus and ordered us all to go home. It had been snowing for three days straight and the roads were looking bad. I left work at noon and picked up my little boy from daycare.The bank let Matt go too. We had a whole afternoon to ourselves! So we popped open a bottle of wine, baked a chocolate cake, and decided to take Sage sledding! It can't get better than wine, chocolate, and snow.
Here we are preparing for Sage's first snow adventure.
Trying to put boots on Sage's feet. This was a challenge!!
The first pair of boots we tried (hand-me downs) just didn't fit right. His legs looked incredibly long....because I couldn't get his feet all the way to the bottom.
And so we tried a different set of boots (also hand-me-downs). Success!
It took Sage a couple minutes to get used to the boots. I'm sure it felt strange to him. Sage has never actually worn any kind of shoes. We are unable to find any that fit him. His feet are too wide and round. Like those of a swollen pregnant woman. Little sausages. Or should I say "snausages"?
We thought the ski goggles were a great idea! Sage thought differently.
After a half hour of preparation, the snow adventure began.
I was nervous Sage would hate being outside in the cold and snow. But I was wrong!!! He LOVED it! No question about it. He enjoyed every minute of it. He clapped his hands and rocked back and forth as Matt pulled him around and around in the yard.
You can see the big sledding track Matt created in the backyard. The snow was about 15 inches deep!
I didn't have any baby-sized mittens for Sage, and so I put adult-sized ones on his hands.They worked perfectly! And looked pretty funny on him. One pair of mittens (we went through two sets) went all the way up to his shoulders. Perfect snow protection! At first...I didn't put any mittens on him, but he was quite persistent about sticking his little bare hand in the snow and dragging it next to the sled. That was a stupid decision on my part. Terrified of frostbite, I ran inside for more snow gear.
Sage went sledding twice on Wednesday!
He cried when we brought him inside after his first run. He sat by the window and watched dad continue to play outside. So after a nap, we took Sage out for round #2. This time mom pulled Sage around the backyard.
On Saturday, Sage saw his good buddy Sam. Both the boys are mobile now and it was cute to watch them snatch toys from each other. They interacted with each other more on Saturday than ever before.
Two mobile babies running over each other.
Places to go, things to do, and no time to crawl around obstacles.
Sage is such a showoff. He was excited to show Sam his newly acquired standing skills.
Look at those chompers! Still only two teeth. Not sure when the others will come in.
A Sunday walk to the complex.
Sage was very good about wearing his sunglasses on the walk home. It was bright outside on Sunday and I thought he would be more comfortable with some shades on. I was so proud of him for not removing the glasses from his face, but then came to realize...he had fallen fast asleep.
Later in the evening on Sunday I began to prepare for my work trip to California. I depart tomorrow (Wednesday) and am so nervous about leaving my baby behind for two nights and three days. I have never been away from him for more than 10 hours. I am going to miss him!! And thank goodness I have a large supply of frozen milk for him to drink while I am gone. I carefully labeled each bag, so Matt knows the order to defrost them in.
While I would much rather stay put in Fort Collins, I am trying to look at the bright side. I will get a full 8 hours of sleep for the first time in a long time... and I will indulge in the wonderful flavors of In N' Out Burger. I can't wait to sink my teeth into their delicious grilled cheese sandwich and fries. However, I am not sure these perks make up for the nuisance of travelling as a nursing mother. I will be returning home with about 100 ounces of frozen milk in my carry-on luggage. I have borrowed coolers and ice packs from my colleagues. And, I've packed a printout of my TSA passenger rights, just in case someone gives me trouble for flying with frozen liquid above the standard ounce limitation. I think I'm ready to take on the challenge. I am certainly not planning to leave behind any of the liquid gold.
