Picking Apples (well kind of..)

Our visit to Skytop Orchard in NC turned into more of a farm tour than apple picking (although we did buy an apple pie that I would drive back for in a heart beat). The Grandparents were excited to spend time with the little farm hand.

Who's side are you on?

It really feels like fall this morning, and how appropriate, on the first Saturday of college football! And if you haven't guessed by the title of our blog, we're kinda excited.

As you can tell by the uniform choice Aubrey (mama's boy) has chosen sides for the season. Honestly, I think Beamer's boys have a better shot at doing something this year than Dad's Sundevils but we'll see Monday night against the higher ranked, blue-turf smurfs from Boise State.

Ahh, cool crisp mornings and Dez, Coach, & Herby on ESPN.... we love the fall!

Our Little Chatter Box

Aubrey has become quite the talker lately! Once he said "ball" for the first time a couple weeks ago, he has been on a roll (pun intended) quickly learning lots of new words. "Ball" or "a ball" is still is favorite but he also says "up," "puff," "bye bye," "bowl," "mom" or "mamma," and his newest words, "apple," "dad," and "dog." And we know he truly understands these words because he points out the correct objects. He also learned his friend Ella's name, whose 1st birthday party we went to this weekend! (Although it comes out more like "Ewwa.") And at daycare last week he was saying "Mooo" (sounding more like "oooo") when they read a farmyard book.

It's so funny to hear real words coming from that sweet little voice! He is just so proud of himself and seems to be a fast learner, so of course we are very proud of him too. Cue up the tears... he is becoming such a big boy!

Never too early...

To start helping with chores!

Conversations with Zoey

Remember that book series, "Conversations with God" ? It's written by a man who claims that God spoke directly to him to answer the questions we all have about modern life. While I can't claim that anyone in our home has spoken to God over the phone line lately, we have noticed Aubrey in "conversation" with Zoey and it's pretty amusing. Now that he is about to be a big 1 year old, he is curious about everything around him, including the dog. They have become partners in crime- they share snacks, toys and kisses. Here is how I think the conversation is going below:


Aubrey: Hey Zoey, wanna play with your green ball? We can roll it across the kitchen and you can chase me.
Zoey: Can't you see I'm trying to eat?!
Aubrey: *sigh*



Aubrey: Hey Zoey, how about now? Wanna play now?
Zoey: Dude, it's 5:30 am.. GO BACK TO SLEEP! And don't even think about climbing in my bed like you like to do.

Who doesn't love pancakes?

We have developed a new weekend ritual: pancakes for AJ. He loves them!

Piano Virtuoso

On our recent trip to see the grandparents, Aubrey discovered a musical talent (well, sort of)

Off to Work!

Here's Aubrey, aka "Business Baby," ready to go to work with Dad! Think a polo and a diaper complies with dress code?

Beach Buddy

We have returned from our first family vacation! We enjoyed a week on Edisto Island, SC with friends... fun in the sun (and record heat!) and lots of relaxation! Aubrey was a little unsure of the beach at first, but as you can see, he quickly decided he loved it. He played in the water with Dad and played under the umbrella with his beach buddy Gus. He swam in the pool in his frog floaty. He went with Mommy, Gus, and Mrs. Katie to Charleston on a lunch/shopping excursion mid-week. And he discovered that he loves local, homegrown cantelope, peaches and watermelon! It was a great week, and we can't wait to take our Beach Buddy back.

Aqua-Buddy

Sorry these pictures are a week delayed... next time we should have beach pics!

Aubrey at 9 Months

It's hard to believe that one week from today Aubrey will be 9 months old... where has this year gone?! We've hit some major milestones in the last month. Aubrey has perfected his crawl and is now mobile around the house (scary!) He can pull himself up to standing and walk independently while holding onto stable obejcts, like the couch. (Scarier!) He likes to push around his new "baby walker" that looks like a little car...he is still a little wobbly, but it only took him a couple tries to figure it out. He loves to feed himself (puff cereal is a favorite) and he knows how to use a spoon... and make a mess! (See below. YUM roasted butternut squash, homemade by Mommy!) He likes to go on shopping trips and ride in the cart like a big boy. (Also see below.) And he is figuring out how to wave and say "Bye bye" and "Hi." (Gotta love the little baby voice.)

We are going to get some video of Aubrey on the move soon, so hopefully that will be our next post, to prove it to the disbelieving granparents. (Didi and Granddaddy, you know who you are!)

And last but definitely not least, Aubrey now has 3 teeth! All are on the bottom, but it looks like we may be seeing the top two any day now. The sooner the better, so our poor child can start sleeping again!

Probably the best part of all this newfound freedom is when I go into Aubrey's room in the morning to get him out of his crib. When he hears me come in, he immediately crawls over to the rails and pulls himself up to standing and greets me with a huge smile on his face... he is so proud of this accomplishment! What a sweetie pie.

Well, hello there!

We haven't posted anything since Aubrey's surgery so just wanted to give everyone an update. We had his follow-up appointment on Monday and everything looks (and sounds) good. AJ has been sleeping through the night on a more regular basis and if it weren't for the Hoof & Mouth disease he contracted at daycare he'd be perfectly healthy.

We missed everyone who wasn't able to make it to his Baptism but in the last few weeks he has been able to see all his grandparents (thanks for making the trek).

As for Aubrey's Mom & Dad, they're counting the days until vacation on the beach at Edisto Island (18 days as of this post).

Aubrey's Big Day

Aubrey successfully had ear tube surgery yesterday... here's hoping that all those ear infections will finally be a thing of the past! The one downside of those "Garner ears"... they may be cute, but unfortunately they have been painful for him and his dad!

We had to get up extra early yesterday morning to have Aubrey at the hospital by 6:30... the little guy fell asleep in dad's arms while we were waiting for the surgery to start. They put him in a tiny hospital gown, bright yellow hospital socks with tread on the bottom (so cute), and his bar-coded ankle ID bracelet (the "Baby Lo-Jack" as Justin calls it... literally alarms go off in the hospital if you take a baby out the wrong door!) You can also see in the picture that he was cuddling his soft elephant... which turned out to be perfect considering it was Primary Day... I guess you know which team we support!

In the end, our buddy was a trooper and we are glad to have it over with. We'll be glad to have him back to his happy little self in a few days!

Bedhead

This is the hair my child woke up with this morning:







I seriously have no idea what he did in his sleep for this to happen. I just know that he comes from a long line of people who are susceptible to some crazy bedhead.


And I would also like to note the following:

Memorial Day Weekend

We ended up staying home for our long weekend and spent some quality time together as a family. Since we missed our annual Memorial Day Weekend beach trip, we decided to bring the beach to Greenville instead! So we inflated Aubrey's new baby pool (who needs an expensive pool membership?!) and Aubrey had a great time splashing around in it. He looked like quite the little man in his swim gear and sunglasses! While Zoey the Dog was not the least bit interested in swimming, she did enjoy drinking the water out of the pool later.

We also went for a stroll around the neighborhood between rain storms... Aubrey likes to prop his feet up on his snack tray and recline while we walk! Must be nice!

The little man also had a great time playing in the tissue paper from the gift Auntie Kim sent for Zoey. (I felt like a bad parent for a split second when I heard myself saying, "Aubrey, here's some paper to play with!" But he LOVES playing with paper, so I can get away with it for now! Expensive toys can wait!)

We also did a few house projects, and hibernated inside during the frequent rain storms. And we spent time with some friends and family here on Sunday. All in all, a great weekend spent at home!

I hate/love junk mail

Aubrey has a developed a unique process for shredding all of those junk mail catalogs that show up in our mailbox. It begins with an intense stare and ends with a flurry of pudgy arms flailing and tearing pages and flinging them all over the floor (and it lasts for a good 1/2 hour).

It is hilarious.

Man on the Move

Look out world, Aubrey is on the move! Ever since I felt his first kick in the womb at 13 weeks Aubrey has been in constant motion. I don't know if this is an Aubrey thing, a little boy thing, a kid thing, or some of each. He rolls, he kicks, he stands, he grabs, he jumps, he pets Zoey, he squeals at the top of his lungs just for fun, and he throws himself backward so that he can be upside down (he LOVES this!) He just can't sit still and snuggle sweetly with Mommy. (Although he does give the sweetest Aubrey kisses- he grabs your face and then licks your cheek!) He is now starting to scoot, working his way to a crawl. On his tummy, he lifts his bottom in the air and pushes off. He can't quite get the coordination down, though. I'm exhausted now, I can't imagine when he starts walking! I think I will just put him out in the backyard with Zoey and let them chase each other to burn off steam.

Here is Aubrey riding on Daddy's shoulders, another fun activity. He laughs at us from his perch way up high. In this picture, he is thinking, "Mmm, hair. I love hair." (He has been fascinated with hair from Day One.)

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

Notice any similarities? At least we now know that Aubrey isn't the mailman's kid. (Thanks, Grandaddy, for sending this pic!)

The Weekend Update

The Garner family spent the weekend enjoying the lovely spring weather (and trying to avoid the yellow pollen haze!) Aubrey, as usual, was his happy-go-lucky self, and continues to be a very active little boy! Updates on our Buddy:

1- Aubrey has become very dexterous! He intentionally reaches for objects, grasps them and picks them up. For example, if his pacifer falls out, he will bend over, pick it up and put it back in himself. While this newfound self- sufficiency is very helpful for Mommy and Daddy, it can also be a challenge. This weekend I experienced Aubrey's first nuclear meltdown not related to being hungry, having a wet diaper, or being sleepy... he has discovered the remote control and is determined to hold onto it while we watch tv. (It must be something in that Y chromosome. I seem to know someone else in our household who has the same affliction.) When he wants to play with the remote, I take the batteries out so that he doesn't accidentally order a pay-per-view movie, or re-program our tv with all the button pushing. Apparently, I wasn't doing this fast enough on Saturday, because he totally lost it. Screaming, crying, shaking, flailing, the works. The world was a good place again once he got the remote. We might have a problem on our hands.

2- This dexterity also means that he reaches for grown-up food constantly if it's within reach. (Apparently the apples and carrots just aren't cutting it. He eyes a hamburger with a passion like I have never seen.) Justin was playing with Aubrey yesterday when he spotted a bee flying around in the living room. He had to quickly pass Aubrey off to me, which happened to be while I was finishing off the last of our Easter Peeps. Aubrey spotted his "in" and right when I picked him up, he grabbed my hand and shoved a delicious yellow Peep in his mouth. Talk about opportunistic! The look of accomplishment on his face was priceless... not to mention his yellow tongue and the ring of sugar around his mouth. Again, we might have a problem on our hands.

3- Also, our favorite friend Kinsey came to visit from Atlanta on Saturday. Above are the pics she took of our little family!

I Am The Crab Man

Not because of his disposition, but because of the adorable smocked outfit Aubrey is wearing today! ( He is afterall, not crabby in the least, but rather jovial!) He finally fits into all of the 9-12 month size smocked outfits I bought him for the summer.... thank goodness, since it has been 90 degrees here all week! Doesn't the little blondie look like such a southern gentleman?!

On an entirely different note, The Crab Man's mom has been stuffing her face this morning with authentic New Jersey kosher bagels from Greenfields, courtesy of one of my authentic New Jersey co-workers. By far the BEST bagels I have ever eaten! I am going to have to check them out. Apparently the sign over their door says, "Shalom, ya'll!" Gotta love it.

Hippity-Hop Goes the Easter Buddy

Aubrey celebrates his first Easter in style.

Apparently Feltman Bros. clothes weren't made for little boys with chubby legs (can you see how purple his legs are in this photo -->?) And a nice old Lady in the street complimented Mom on what a beautiful baby girl she had, since the snaps on Aubrey's outfit had popped open causing it to look like a dress.

It's not easy having a fashionable mom!

What I Have Learned From My Son, Part 1

As a parent, it's my job to teach our son everything he needs to know to navigate this crazy life. But who would have thought, that at only 5 1/2 months old, he would already be the one teaching ME how to navigate this crazy life!

My first big lesson from Aubrey: It's always best to start every morning with a huge smile on your face, squealing in pure delight at the first face you see when you wake up.

I know this, because my son starts every day this way, and he is the most joyful soul I know.

Check me out

Updates on Our Buddy

Weeee! Hold on for the ride, Mommy and Daddy!

Life has been hectic lately, to say the least. So unfortunately, we haven't kept up with our blogging as much as we would like to. However, our little buddy has been busy growing like a weed, and learning new tricks every week! Since our last posting, Aubrey has finally rolled over! We motivated him by putting his "jingle pig" toy just far enough out of reach that he had to work to get it. Our strategy worked, and he is now a pro at rolling from his back to his tummy (for some reason, only rolling to his left at this point!) He pulls his legs up high to get some momentum, then rolls to his hip, and then works very hard to get himself the rest of the way up on his elbows. Go buddy, go!



He also loves putting his right foot in his mouth... nothing says "yummy" like a little toe jam. Apparently the right one tastes better than the left! He has also been sampling a variety of solid foods, and loves bananas, carrots, pears, and apples. (Peaches and sweet potatoes, not so much.) And, he has started sitting up by himself regularly. Such a big boy!



He has also discovered that he can make many sounds with his voice... the newest is a high pitched squeal that he is trying out. He is cranking up the volume these days too, testing out how loud he can get. He "talks" almost constantly these days. I can't wait until he is actually using words, because he seems to have a lot to say!



He now loves his jungle "jumperoo" and bounces around like crazy in it. And of course, he loves his Zoey, especially when they share kisses (which freaks out Mommy, because it usually involves Aubrey opening his mouth and Zoey licking it, or Zoey licking his hands and feet.) But he does try to pet her, which is very sweet.


It's hard to believe that our boy is now 5 months old! It's a little scary how fast it is going by, but each day is special, and only seems to be getting better as he gets older. It's also very humbling to see life through his eyes, where something like the dining room light is fascinating. If only we could be so innocent as adults!

Call me butter baby, 'cause I'm on a roll

.... well, not quite yet

but lil Aubrey is getting close. He gets all the way up on his elbows and even gets them tucked under but can't quite gather the momentum yet.

We don't think he's in a real hurry but who would be if they got carried everywhere?

Ladies Love Cool James

...Our occasional nickname for Aubrey James ('90's throwback, for those of us who grew up listening to LL Cool J.) Turns out, our son is Mr. Popular. Not surprising, considering his Dad has always been quite the extrovert himself. (We have Justin's old report cards from elementary school, courtesy of Cathy, which consistently contain comments from his teachers that Justin talked too much in class and distracted the other kids.) Anyway, the ladies at Bob Jones daycare have told us that Aubrey is quite the talker! Which we already knew, because he "talks" a lot at home. In fact, he is so happy and fun that it seems he has become the unofficial greeter at daycare. A lot of days he is the last from his room to be picked up, so they bring him out to the front desk with them, since he is such a happy-go-lucky guy. They all love him!

Today I called to find out if one of the girls from his room is available to babysit in a couple weeks. At the end of the call, I reminded the receptionist that this request was for Aubrey Garner, in Baby Room 1. Her response, " Oh I know, I'm familiar with him, he's such a cutie!" Ladies man...

I mean really, how could you not love this guy:

Justin and his "mini- me"

I suspect we might be in for it during his teenage years. Eddie Haskell anyone?

Mama's Back!

Friends, the day I feared would never come has arrived... and it is glorious! That's right, today I squeezed myself into the last remaining pair of pre-pregnancy jeans that I couldn't get past my hips a couple weeks ago! They were the only hold-outs, a snug-fitting size 2, and seemed to be mocking me from the closet every time I looked at them. Revenge is sweet. Sure, they may be cutting off the circulation to my bottom half as I type this, but I got them on, zipped up, AND buttoned, with only the slightest of muffin-tops. Thank you post-natal pilates! Next up... bikini season.

Snowed In

Thought I would share this before the boys wake up! What a great way to spend a snowy Saturday...I'm enjoying my coffee in *silence* (a rarity these days!), while the other Garners take a morning nap.

I Love Dots...Dots, Dots, Dots

Our child has a peculiar love of polka dots. I'm not sure what his obsession is, but it started with the multi-colored polka dot pattern on the cushion of his car seat handle. He fixates on it and then starts grinning, laughing, and talking to them. Case in point: We went for a walk in the stroller this weekend and he proceeded to have a 10 minute conversation of some sort with the dots. Note to Aubrey: It's okay son, as long as they're not talking back to you!

The love of all things polka dotted has now carried over to his toys, specifically, a gravitation towards giraffes. He particularly enjoys his Sophie Giraffe teether, and also really loves his stuffed giraffe, which is the trifecta of awesome baby toys: cool pattern, really soft texture, and long dangly legs to hold on to! Aubrey and his stuffed giraffe had fun hanging out in his swing last night, while he tried to cram her face in his mouth. (Hopefully a habit he will outgrow before he starts dating.) Here he is with his new love:

Awww, what a sweet boy. I really hope he doesn't have a strange complex when he grows up.

Our Shameless Social Experiment

We're not bad parents....really, we're not. But considering that Justin and I are both exhausted from the last few days of work and taking care of an extremely fussy, sick baby, we needed a bit of a rest. So we resorted to a trick Didi taught us over Christmas....we put Aubrey in his swing in front of the tv. (Insert feelings of guilt here.) Aubrey loves tv, and at this point I don't think it's a bad thing... the colors, shapes and sounds are stimulating (at least that's what I tell myself!) He has exhibited this excitement before, in particular over "Divine Design with Candice Olsen" (oooh, sparkly!) and "The Bachelor" (pretty ladies!) So when he got really excited over Disney Playhouse this morning, we entered into our first social experiment with our child.

First, here is how we quantify excitement:
1- Extreme kicking of the legs. He looks like he is riding a bike, furiously...think Tour De France through the Alps.
2- Arms in the air, to maintain balance while kicking. Think of the posture you would assume to ride a unicycle.
3- Vocalization, to include laughing and "talking" (vowel sounds and now "B" and "M" sounds).
4- Deer In The Headlights daze.

We observed this excitement over 3 different programs- Disney Playhouse with Mickey and the Gang; our regularly scheduled Sunday program, Meet the Press; and another Disney Playhouse show, Handy Manny. Here are our interpretations of Aubrey's feelings towards these shows:

Mickey and the Gang:
"Two thumbs up. That Mickey has huge ears.... I hear you grow into them. And look, Goofy has his own vegetable garden! Subsitence farming is the new rage."

Meet The Press:
On Bill Clinton- "I like his hair. Kind of looks like my Grandpa Doug's hair."
On George Bush- "That guy's funny. He has ears like Mickey."

Handy Manny (who appropriately was teaching about how not to spread germs):
"Hola amigo! Has anyone ever told you you sound like Caesar Milan? It must be cool to be friends with a talking wrench."

At least, that's what we think he was saying. But one thing's for sure, he definitely enjoyed himself. And it's not like we let him watch "Girls Next Door."

The Dog Ate My Bottle

Apparently I'm not the only one having a hard time transitioning back to work. Zoey The Dog, who has assumed the role of Aubrey's furry guardian and BFF, doesn't know what to do with herself now that we are gone all day and her baby is not around for her to keep an eye on. So in an act of boredom/ defiance/curiosty, she took it upon herself to tear into a bottle that was left in the living room and consume the remaining formula. Mmmm, tasty. I present Exhibit A, with Zoey's handiwork on the left as compared to an intact bottle on the right. Nice, huh? (Please also notice the nipple and tan peice are missing... thankfully I later found these under the furniture.)


So that is what I came home to a few nights ago, with the carnage left all over the floor. Of course this had to happen the week I returned to work, which was also the week that Aubrey came down with his first cold, ear infection, and constant diarrhea, and while Justin was working until midnight. Welcome to the life of a working mom!