Mommy moments

Today was a busy day for us, so Hayden took a late nap. I woke him up after 2.5 hours and we played for a bit before his dinner. He ate veggies and puffs and was his usual cheerful self, feeding Oscar when he could and making lots of fun noises. Then it was bath time, Hayden's favorite time of day. He loves to play with his toys and the water, and it's such a happy time for both of us. When he was done I picked him up and wrapped him in a big towel and just held him for a minute and thought about how much he's grown. He's such a squirmer and a wiggler and hates to be confined, but tonight he let me just hold him a minute in that towel with his wet hair and drops of water on his eyelashes. He looked up at me with that unmistakably-Jay smile, and just let me be his mommy. I know these moments are few and far between as he gets older and gets too cool for mom, so for now I'm soaking up as many as I can!

Hayden and Oscar

Hayden has been dying to play with Oscar, and they're finally starting to work together. Hayden has a very distinct laugh when he's playing with Oscar; it's this very excited squeal laugh. Today I dropped some Cheerios on the high chair and walked over to pick something up off of the floor. I heard the "Oscar laugh" and turned around. Hayden has figured out that if he shares food with Oscar, Oscar will lick his hands and play with him. He thinks it's funny now, but wait until he starts stealing his chicken tenders like he did with the Fleming girls!

Last night I dropped Hayden off for our girls night. Normally he does really well but I've never dropped him off at night. As soon as I put him down, another little girl stepped on his fingers so I picked him up to calm him down. After that he didn't want me to leave, but mom needed some girl time! When I left his had two big tears rolling down his cheeks, so I was definitely worried about him. When my phone didn't ring at dinner, I figured he was fine. We had a great dinner and played a LONG round of Uno that was cut short when we realized it was time to pick up the kids! Hayden was STILL awake at 11:30 but they said he did great. He was very curious about all the toys and the other kids, and was happy just a few minutes after we left. He fell asleep in the car on the way home and even slept through me unbuckling him; he woke up long enough to get inside the house and get a diaper change, but then went right to sleep. He had a long day!

Wildpark

Last night we visited the Schweinfurt Wildpark for a dinner and some animals! It's a really awesome place to take kids because there are tons of animals they can see and even feed, and there are several playgrounds and even a few kiddie pools. It was definitely too cold for the pool at 7 last night, but we had a great time walking around, checking out the animals and Hayden even got a little swing time in. The food was great, basic german fare, and Hayden got his usual stash of french fries. He is eating so much lately! He must be growing because in addition to his normal routine of bottles and baby food, he's added an additional bottle and a veggie, plus snacks! I think he's going to give Jay a run for his money in the "eat me out of house and home" category.

We're doing lots of fun planning for the fall, with events here and travel abroad. Right now we're just waiting for Jay to get back to finalize some plans and get the details worked out. Hayden's halloween costume is on its way here, as is mine. Jay hasn't made up his mind yet so he's on his own. But I'm very excited for Hayden's first Halloween and trick-or-treating experience. Too bad he can't eat his candy...but we can!

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!

9 month check up

On Thursday, we packed up and headed out to Hayden's doctor's appointment. I hadn't been in three months and was going by myself, and downtown parking can be tricky so I left 30 minutes early. I figured that would give me time to get there, find a spot and get upstairs with a few minutes to spare before our appointment. Usually we have little development questionnaires to answer, and I thought I'd get there a few minutes early to speed things up. When I started driving, I realized since I've been doing some exploring downtown I thought I knew a faster way so I took it. My new way, plus the road construction downtown actually had us out front of the doctor's office in less than ten minutes! And as luck should have it, there was a FREE parking spot right in front of the door waiting for me. That never happens, you never get free parking in Germany! We got out and headed in.

Normally I make his appointments in the morning to avoid the eventual backup doctors have by the end of the day, but they had to change his appointment at the last minute to an afternoon one. Imagine my surprise when we walked in to a nearly empty office! This time there was no paperwork to fill out, and Hayden was big enough to actually play in the toy room. We were called back shortly and Hayden was measured...19.2 lbs and 28.7 inches long. He's growing and developing well! He met with the other pediatrician, who is male, and the difference was noticeable. He's very nice, but Hayden definitely took a few minutes to warm up to him. He just stared while the doctor was listening to his heartbeat, and after a few minutes (and some toy bribery) he was just fine.

The doctor was very impressed with Hayden's motor skills and verbal abilities. It should go without saying that I do a lot of talking to Hayden, and apparently it's paying off! This time we didn't need shots, and Hayden was rewarded with a pretzel (which he enjoyed). Our next appointment isn't until after his birthday, but I can't believe how old he is already!

The sweetest baby

Today I had a wisdom tooth taken out on the left side of my mouth. My top two aren't down far enough to remove, and I had the bottom right one removed in 2007. In Schweinfurt at our dental clinic they don't have the capabilities to put me out for oral surgery, so basically I get a local and they get to work. I've never had a cavity or anything done to my mouth (except the other wisdom tooth surgery) so I'm a big ol' baby when it comes to it. I hate needles, and the noise of the digging and cutting is enough to curl me up in a ball, but I think I handled it like a big girl this time.

After my surgery I picked Hayden up from daycare and we came home. He went right to sleep for his normal nap time, and I relaxed. As my novocaine was wearing off I took a pain pill to ease the throbbing, and ate my mashed potatoes quickly so it wouldn't hurt. When Hayden woke up from his nap he was super excited to see me. I got him out of the crib and he gave me a huge baby hug and tons of sloppy kisses. Jay is in the field doing training for three weeks (he left today) so I definitely needed a little extra love. He's proven to be a super sweet little fellow today, with extra smiles and snuggles for mom. I'm pretty sure we'll get through this together, and I'm patting myself on the back for giving him a morning bath to make it easier on me tonight. I'll catch up on our blogging when he goes to bed. Lately he's been sleeping a solid 12-13 hours at night, so I should have lots of time!

Copycat!

Lately, Hayden has taken to talking just like Daddy. You'll hear some of it in this short video; he also chimes in with "yeah yeah yeah" when dad does it, and tries really hard with "bub bub bub" when Jay tries to get him to say "pup" for Oscar.