New fun with Hayden

We have a lot of fun in the Rogers house, and Hayden is usually the source of that! He's learning to wave, but he prefers to wave to himself in the mirror as opposed to actual people! He did wave bye-bye to dad the night before he left, so that was a fun treat. We tried a few cheerios the other day and Hayden loves them! I was a little nervous about a new, small food but he gobbles them right up. It's fun to watch how his motor skills have progressed. When we started the Lil' Crunchies he was using his whole hand to pick them up; with the cheerios he uses his little baby fingers. His vocal abilities continue to develop, and lately he's been doing lots of squealing to test out his pipes. Hayden really likes playing with the doors lately, and unfortunately has learned how to unfasten his diaper! As a result, he doesn't spend much time without his pants!

He has also discovered Oscar's basket of toys, which seem to be more entertaining than all of his own toys. He and Oscar are learning to play together and it's a ton of fun to watch. Hayden is dying to play with him, but Oscar is skittish now that he is mobile. He looks to us for permission first, and is very gentle. Since Jay is gone this week, Oscar has become very protective of us. He gave a tall flower a good barking-to yesterday and stays very close to us when we go outside for walks. He is also sure to alert every one of our neighbors to his presence when they come in the front door to go to their own apartments. It's nice to know we have a furry bodyguard to look after us.

Last weekend we went to Anessa's birthday party and had a blast! Hayden is getting really good at the parties, especially the cake part. We let him have a little bit of ours, and Anesssa's Sponge Bob cake was blue so his mouth was pretty funny looking. The babies all played together and Hayden napped in the middle of the party in his stroller, with Oscar guarding him. We also opened Flag Football season for Jay with two games. Hayden had a lot of fun watching his dad score three touchdowns in the first game! The second game got a little heated and Oscar was concerned but it was diffused pretty quickly.

This weekend we're having a girls' game night, thanks to our Child Development Center's "Parents Night Out". We're going out to dinner to celebrate two grown-up birthdays and then playing some card and board games while the kids enjoy an extended playdate. We have another 1st birthday party to go to on Saturday, and our friends Sam and Carson are coming over for dinner on Sunday. That will end our first week of Jay being gone, and it's gone by fast! My mouth is healing much faster from this wisdom tooth surgery than the last, and Hayden and Oscar have been very cooperative. I take advantage of Hayden's naps and early bedtime when I can, and the weather has been gloomy so we haven't had much outside time. But today is a beautiful day and we have a date at the Wildpark with some fun ladies tonight, and my boys deserve a little treat for being so helpful!