291 days old

I just got curious today and thought I'd do some simple math.  Or... google a website that could do this simple math for me.

It's official.... Obi has been out of the womb longer than he was in it.  So that pretty much means he's a big kid now.  291 days since this kid has been out in the real world!!

But really, he's eating pretty much anything now and sleeping like a champ (most of the time).  Half the time he cries when he wakes up and half the time he bangs his pacifier on his crib or tosses it out and I can hear it hit the hardwood floor.
He finally has two tiny bottom teeth that make his smile more mature.
He's crawling faster everyday and finding new things to pull himself up on everyday as well.
He loves his mom and sometimes gets nervous when she's not around.
He likes things that are attached to strings (sweatshirt/coat strings, pacifier clip, a drum toy that we have).
He also likes things that are like sticks that he can hold and swing around like  my his soup ladle and whisk.  We had a paint-stir stick out and (of course) he managed to find it and then crawled around poking and prodding his toys and furniture.
He claps puzzle pieces together like cymbals and enjoys making any noise.
He crawls around my feet in the kitchen everyday and is thrilled with each new tupperware or utensil (or occasional food scrap) that I'll toss down to him. I love it when he crawls while grasping a toy in his hand.
He's so funny to watch explore and learn through playing.
"Baby Signing Time" is his favorite show but we're still working on those concepts to click.  He knows how to sign "milk," "more," and "all done."  He just doesn't know when to do them and which one gets him which thing.
He claps, all the time.
He is a master beat boxer and can make so many noises with his lips and mouth.  He can imitate a ton! He's pretty good as his "da-da-das" and his "bowbowbow" (rhymes with wow) and can make an "mmmmm" sound but not quite "ma" yet!
He turning into quite a flirt when he turns his head sideways and gives a sly smile.  He can only turn his head to the right, though.

Oh Obster.... You are truly a joy!!

January

[This was one of those scheduled draft posts that apparently didn't post on schedule...  It's about January, which I know was like 2 weeks ago, but I'm still going to post it.  It was rather therapeutic to type this out. So, let's reflect on January.] 

I feel bad for January sometimes-- it gets a bad rap.  Not many people say they like the month of January in the Midwest. November/December are busy celebrating holidays and with family...February is short and therefore seems to go fast. March gives us more hints of sunshine and spring.  April and May are just the best.  And poor January... people just seem to endure January.

January gave me lots of tears and lots of joy.

January brought us into beginning year 4 of our marriage and caused my thankfulness for my husband to grow.
January brought me the flu for a day :(
January gave us some sunshine in Florida!! And the packing, traveling, and plane ride with a baby.

In January, I watched my grandma hold her great grandson and play and talk with him, and then only a week later I watched as her weak body was only able to give a slight smile when Obi squealed. I watched her spirit grow strong as her body grew weak. January was the last month my grandma saw on this Earth.

January was when my baby started crawling. And when he got his first tooth (just yesterday!! A tiny little razor sharp tooth cutting through). January made my baby Obi so much fun! He can clap, nod/shake his head, babble, wrestle, and growl. January made him 9 MONTHS OLD. (wow).

January had me busy at home (when we were home) preparing our house for two people to live with us for a few weeks.  They are here from China through an exchange program with our church. They cook, they clean, they watch babies while I shower... it's been fun!! :)

January overwhelmed me.  The last Monday morning in January I spent at the only enjoyable place outside the house in Iowa in January.... the mall.  It was just me and my baby-- we walked, we ate food, we played peek-a-boo, we looked at Target clearance, and we bought bigger baby clothes. It was so refreshing and I had no idea how bad I needed that morning. It also confirmed that I am an introvert.  I felt like it was the first time I was able to truly breathe in January.  Part of that was because it's exhausting waiting for someone to die. Its hard watching family grieve. Even though my grandma gained Heaven when she died, its still hard for us here.

Sometimes, I wished it was January forever.  But that's only because of the fact that babies grow fast.  I love this baby stage so much and I know it's the only time where I'll ever have just one child this age.

So here's to February... may it bring me many chances to truly breathe.