Eight Months!

Weyland you are eight months old, which means only 4 more months and you will be a year old.  I could cry right now just thinking about that.  You are growing up so fast.  You are a totally different baby now.  You can sit up on your own now.  You are now able to pull up onto anything you can reach, which includes the ottoman, coffee table, you crib, the ledge of the fireplace, cabinets, the baby gate, chairs, well pretty much anything in our house.  This month you began the beginning steps to crawling, getting on all fours, rocking on all fours, moving your arms in front of you and then dragging your legs.  But about a week ago you finally figured it out.  You have instantaneously become a very mobile little guy.  Which I was totally unprepared for.   Sometimes if I look away for a few seconds you have turned the corner into the next room.  You are my little explorer now.  It's as if you can finally touch, feel and explore all those things around the house you have been looking at for months but have never been able to get to.  Needless to say we have baby proofed everything.  Oh and you have also figured out how to open cabinets, yikes!  You now have 2 teeth.  Your bottom 2 teeth came in pretty much back to back.  The first one showed up on New Years day and the second one was a few days after.  You are becoming more and more independent.  I can sit you on the floor and you can play on your own for a solid 20-30 mins.  I still like to play with you, but it's nice knowing that you can entertain your self for longer periods of time.  You love books!  Sometimes when I can tell you are getting a little bored I just sit you in my lap and we read a few books.  You love it.  Your Aunt Page gave me some sign language books for babies, with basic signs and you love to watch me sign to you.  I'm praying I can do it enough that you will catch on soon.  You also love to bang your hands or your toy on any surface you can.  I should just buy you some drums.  You also love to listen to Daddy play the guitar.  It'a a little trickier to do now, since you can crawl over to Daddy and bang on the guitar as he is playing it.  So most of your guitar listening sessions are done in your high chair now.  Or Daddy just lets you join in the fun and lets you bang away.  You are still a mama's boy, which is TOTALLY okay. :)  But thankfully it's only when you are really cranky now that you will not have anyone hold you or play with you except for mama.  For the most part you are a pretty laid back, happy go lucky guy.  You are not nearly as temperamental as you were when you were much smaller.  But you still have moments when your touchy more sensitive side comes out.  It's mostly when you are tired or when you get a little impatient waiting for your food or even when you don't get what you want, now.  Speaking of food, you are still an excellent eater.  I find that I have to make more and more baby food each week!  You are officially a meat eater now too.  You are trying to work on chewing chunkier food since you have a few teeth to work with now.  You are becoming more particular about food too.  You will eat any fruit I give you but veggies are another story.  If I mix them with fruit then you usually have no problem but on their own it's a struggle sometimes.  You like sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and spinach (only cause it's hidden).  You are still nursing, which I am very thankful for.  You weigh about 18 pounds now (according to our scale at home), you are wearing 9 month clothes and a size 3 diaper (I've been on a cloth diaper strike these days).  You still LOVE your thumb.  It's your soother, your companion, and your best friend.  :).  You are more and more vocal  now too.  Your vocabulary now consists of da da, ma ma, ba ba as well as various other syllables.  Lately your favorite thing to do is to squeal.  It's almost as if you are testing your vocal range to see how high pitched you can get it.  It's pretty funny.   Bath time is something you are not as fond of as you once were.  It's very hit or miss.  Sometimes you love it and other nights you can't wait to get out.  The evening has never been your best time of day.  Sleeping is the same as bath time, sometimes it's great and other days its a struggle.  But at least your sleep at night has become consistent.  You will have one wake up around 3 or 4 to eat but then sleep till 7 most days (thank goodness).  Happy 8 months Weyland!  We love you so very much!

Loves that thumb

My happy little guy

Probably his favorite play spot, go figure

My view of Weyland these days

You still have such an expressive face.  I love it!

 Sorry Weyland, I couldn't help myself

 We finally gave in and gave him his own remote.  

I took a lot of video this month, so here is a little Weyland movie montage 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbdIJCV1lNI

Christmas Extras

Weyland's first time on Santa's lap

Decorating the tree

Admiring the tree

Some pictures from Mimi and Big David's visit the weekend after Thanksgiving 

Happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year just the way you would expect new parents to, a night at home with friends, games and champagne.  Rachel and Jim drove up from Lewisville to hang out with us in Lawton for New Years.  We got to spend all weekend with them!  Saturday night we went to the very disappointing Holiday in the Park in Lawton.  It was very underwhelming, but entertaining at the least. I only mention it because it was about the only picture taking we did the whole weekend.  Then we went home and ate some yummy chili.  

The next day we spent a relaxing morning at home and then Rachel and I escaped for a few hours to go and see Les Miserable while the boys hung out at home.  Don't feel sorry for them, they had lots of football to watch.  Les Miserable was amazing!!  And it was the first movie I had seen since Weyland was born.  I was due.  That night we ate dinner, put Weyland to bed, cracked a bottle of Champagne then busted out the Catchphrase.  We played multiple rounds of Catchphrase and went through a few bottles of Champagne.  I'm pretty sure we ended the night in a tie, but if you ask me Rachel and I won.  The boys were cheaters ;).  We even made it to midnight.  Yay for us!

Catchphrase!!

  Happy New Year!  

Thank you Rachel and Jim for making the two hour trek up to Lawton to spend the New Year with us.  We had so much fun with y'all.  Now we owe you two a trip to Lewisville.  Love you guys!

Weyland's first snow

While we were away for Christmas we were missing quite a snow storm in Lawton.  Lawton and the surrounding areas got around 4-5 inches of snow, so there was plenty there waiting on us when we got back from our Christmas travels.  I was not gonna miss out on a perfect Kodak moment with Weyland in the snow.  But it was so chilly outside this is the only picture we managed to get.

Houston, we have a tooth

Weyland started out the New Year with a bang.  Some time new years day I had my hand in Weyland's mouth, probably for him to chew on, and I felt something jagged on his bottom gums.  I couldn't believe what I was feeling.  Weyland has been a little extra fussy these days and that probably explains why.  Rachel and Jim came up to Lawton to celebrate the New Year with us, so they were witnesses to the whole thing.  That same day, Weyland was doing his old song and dance not wanting to take a nap.  So we were all sitting around watching him on the baby monitor try to "work it out", when all of a sudden he pushes himself up to a sitting position all on his own.  He has been able to sit up for a while now, but has never been able to get there on his own.  Needless to say it was a big day in the Cook household.  Guess it's time to lower the crib...again.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  Weyland had a very successful first Christmas, even though he had no clue what was going on.  Haha.  Weyland got hooked up.  So much so that David and I had to make room in his closet to put half of the toys.  But the older he gets the more I realize he could have 50 really cool toys around him but all he want is my bracelet or the remote.  The remote never gets old.  But the toy that lights up and says all kinds of things gets old really quick.  Yet we continue to buy you toys.  Hum.  We started out the Christmas holiday with the Smith's.  We stayed a night or two the weekend before Christmas to visit with my parents and my sister!  Page had yet to meet Weyland and both her and I were very anxious for her to meet him.  At last they meet!  Weyland was mesmerized by Page and her hands.  She signed to him the whole time and he just stared at her in awe.  It was so precious.  One night Page helped me give Weyland a bath and put him to bed.  Page read Weyland his stories and I have never seen him so still during story time.  He loved her all of her animation.  Weyland got to open all his presents from the Montefusco's, Page and Nana and Pa Pa.  And he made out pretty well.  Nana and Pa Pa are already doing what grandparents are supposed to do I guess, spoil Weyland.   And he also got to go downtown Fort Worth to see Santa and all the pretty christmas lights.
I can't forget to mention that Friday night I had several babysitters so I pounced on the opportunity and went and had dinner with the girls (Tiff, Ash, Linds and Rach).  I had such a good time.  I treasured every moment of being with my girl friends, talking about what girls talk about out at dinner (men),  having some wine and remembering what life was like pre baby.  It was awesome.  Thanks girls!

"Christmas morning" at the Smith's Christmas

Weyland loves his Aunt Page!

 Time for presents

Downtown Fort Worth

Admiring the tree

Story time with Aunt Page

After our Smith Christmas we made our way southeast to Lufkin for a big Cook Christmas.  This was the first Cook Christmas I have been able to participate in also.  It all starts at Mama Cook's house on Christmas Eve Eve where we gathered with all the Cook sibilings and their families.  Lots of cousins.  I'm not sure how many people were there, but it was a lot.  Significantly more than at the Smith's house.  We had a fish fry and ate lots of yummy food.  Gator balls, fried fish, boudan balls, hush puppies, lots of good stuff.  After everyone has full bellies we all gather in the family room to open presents.  And there are tons of presents.  It's a little bit of Christmas chaos, but all the kids love it.  After gifts and more food, the late nighters end the night with dominos.  42.  I've never learned so I opted out.  It was at this point I went home to put Weyland to bed and let David stay and catch up with his Aunt, Uncles and cousins.

 Weyland with Mama Cook

 Weyland with Pop

 ALL the presents!

 The Cook cousins and their families

Cousin Will

 Uncle Mike (the lone Longhorn of the family)

 Blake and April Cook

 Uncle Don and his grandson Jacob

Mama Cook and Pop opening their gifs 

Christmas chaos!

Cousin Lauren 

The next day, Christmas eve we spent recuperating from the Cook Christmas just relaxing at home with Mimi and Big David.  We went to a candle light Christmas Eve service that night, which was really nice.  It isn't Christmas with out a Christmas Eve candlelight service.

Christmas day started off fantastic.  Weyland let me stay in bed until 7, which was a Christmas miracle. Santa came and it was cold and wintery outside.  Then the rain started, then the wind, then the hail and then the power went out.  That's right folks, Christmas day and we lost power.  That means no yummy Christmas dinner.  At least we made it through presents and breakfast.  Then Weyland started to act funny.  I had seen this song and dance before and knew fever had struck.  Great.  No power and a sick baby.  Fever I could deal with, we are experts when it came to fever.  But the vomiting, I didn't know how to handle that.  Luckily his one episode of throwing up was his only one.  And all with no power.  In and out of the bath, diaper changes and temperature checking with no lights.  Not fun.  It was around 3 pm and all the lights in the house suddenly came on.  Hallelujah.  Another Christmas miracle.  Becky rushed to get her beautiful roast in the oven so we could some how still have Christmas dinner.  She did and we finally got to have Christmas dinner, which was delicious!!  You can't beat a prime rib roast.  Weyland's fever was still up and down but it finally broke sometime the next day.  But Santa as well as Mimi and Big David were very very good to Weyland.  At the end of it all we had a whole truck bed full of presents.  Half of them are currently in still in boxes in Weyland's closet.

Santa came!

Tissue paper was much more fun for Weyland than any of his actual presents

 Weyland's first camo!

We had such a great Christmas!  We thank you for all the gifts that Weyland received.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful family that is so loving and giving.