Edmund Rides Again

Daddy Can I Have a Pony?

Last Saturday Edmund, Steven, and I attended the 28th annual Piedmont Farm Tour. I planned on posting about this trek much sooner, but Edmund was diagnosed with his first ear infection this past Monday. Edmund was a very crabby baby for several days, though he had good reason. Edmund's crabbiness in turn made for a slightly crabby mommy. To avoid accidentally writing about being kicked by horses and chased by wild turkeys (this did not actually occur), I decided to wait to write until Edmund was on the mend. I am happy to report that Edmund has now returned to his regular, jovial self.

Now let's head to the farms. The Farm Tour is something I've had on my "ideas for outings" list for years. Something has always prevented us from going. This year I started searching for the tour early and marked the calendar. I was determined Edmund have some face time with animals. Since I spent the majority of my summers playing on my great-grandparents Kentucky farm, it is important to me Edmund have similar experiences. He may never get to walk a goat on a leash as I did, but at least this way he can do more than simply read about farm animals in picture books. There were forty farms to choose from. Steven and I decided to tour two nearby, kid-friendly farms. Any more farms and Edmund might have faced animal overload.

We began with Maple View Farm, known for their fabulous homemade ice cream. I confess, the previous week this "no sugar for my kid" mom let her baby have a small taste of vanilla ice cream. Edmund enjoyed it, but was a bit taken aback by the cold. Maple View Farms recently opened an Agricultural Center. It is amazing. They have several rooms chock full of farm toys and games. It looks like a farm-themed preschool. Outside there is an area that houses several animals. This was my favorite part. We first stopped to show Edmund the miniature goats. I wondered if he would mistake them for dogs. They are the right size and have four legs. The goats had several ramps to climb, but as the weather approached 90 degrees the goats decided to head for the shade. We moved on to pigs, who to keep cool, rolled about in the mud, chickens, rabbits, and a llama. You read that correctly. A llama! If you know me well, you will know that I have an unexplainable fascination with llamas. I had no idea that I would have an opportunity to introduce Edmund to his very first llama. Edmund was not quite as interested as his mother. Edmund is fascinated with trucks, buses, and the like, and kept turning to see the tractor returning from its hayride. Maybe next year the llama will hold more appeal for Edmund. Edmund also took his third hay ride, but the first he stayed awake for. This was probably the longest hayride I have been on. Steven and I entertained ourselves making up stories about the cows we passed along the way. Edmund found hay to be his form of entertainment. After a sampling of some delicious chocolate milk, we decided to pack up the car and head to a new farm.

The next farm on our tour was Spence's Farm. This farm has an afterschool program for local elementary school children. The philosophy behind the farm is that children learn to be a member of a community by working the farm. The children grow a garden, ride horses, pull weeds, do pottery, collect eggs, feed animals, and even run their own farm store. Several children were on hand that Saturday to show us around the farm. They offered us fresh eggs several times. It's quite hard to turn down kids, but since we had 3 cartons of unused eggs in our refrigerator we had to pass. Steven and I first took Edmund to see the horses. I knew we had to get a picture of Edmund encountering his first horse, as my Kentucky family are true horse people. After Edmund posed for his picture we moved on to the chicken enclosure. There we saw a rooster who frequently made himself known by "cock-a-doodle-dooing". Edmund thought this was hilarious. What could be more funny than a rooster you ask? Edmund would tell you, a silly turkey that goes "gobble gobble." The day grew hotter, and since we spent so much time at Maple View Farm, we quickly looked around Spence's Farm and decided to head home. Several children were offering pony rides to visitors. I had to ask if Edmund could simply sit on a pony. "Of course." Edmund concluded his farm tour with the ultimate up-close and personal animal experience. I couldn't have planned a better way to end the day.

I am attempting to post links to Edmund's Snapfish pictures in a link on the right sidebar. Please let me know if you are able to access the pictures by leaving a comment. By the way, Edmund, Steven, and I enjoy reading the comments you all leave. We do read them.

Edmund Loves Bubbles

Edmund with His Bubbles

Last Sunday Edmund celebrated his first Easter. As was the case with his first Christmas he had no inkling as to what this whole Easter celebration entailed. Steven, Edmund, and I traveled to Virginia to see my parents for the holiday, since it had been quite some time since they had seen Edmund. While in Virginia Edmund perfected his wave, waving at anyone, (and anything), in his sight. He practiced his piano skills, all the while becoming more proficient at banging the keys to create a cacophony of noise. During our last visit to Virginia during the Christmas holidays, Edmund barely had the strength to tickle the ivories. This is definitely not the case anymore. However, I must admit Edmund is more of a “clunker” than a “tickler.” Edmund was also thrilled to see Paw Paw, my sister’s dog. Edmund has more or less ignored Paw Paw up until this point, but as you will recall, Edmund is now enamored with dogs. I’m not sure Paw Paw was as thrilled to see Edmund, but she at least tolerated him.

On Easter morning Steven and I took Edmund downstairs to see his Easter basket. Steven videotaped as Grandma Kay Kay took photo after photo. I was thrilled to see the adorable Carolina blue outfit the Easter Bunny had brought for Edmund, but Edmund could take it or leave it. He wanted to get to the good stuff. I brought the Easter basket over to the ottoman and sat down with Edmund. Since Edmund was distracted by the Easter grass, I brought it upon myself to pull out the items for him one by one. As I pulled out the first present I said “Look Edmund, bubbles.” Without hesitation, in a voice as clear as a Carolina blue sky, Edmund said “bubbles.” You may be thinking, “Tabitha, you just misheard.” But remember, Steven was videotaping this momentous event. There aren’t many parents who get their baby's first word on tape, but we have hard evidence. Of course Edmund has yet to say “bubbles” since last Sunday, but he’s already got that one mastered. Give him time. In a few weeks he’ll be following us around asking “why?”

Dogs at Duke Gardens

Dogs Are Silly

Those who know me well, know I am not the outdoorsy type. By outdoorsy I mean I don't enjoy roughing it in the woods for a week away from the luxury of indoor plumbing. When spring arrives, however, I am all about spending time outside. I love taking long strolls around the neighborhood, exploring nature, going to parks, and anything else that gets me out of the house and away from a busy, "plugged in" life. Thus, I couldn't wait for warm weather to arrive so I could spend time introducing Edmund to the wonders of the great outside world.

The past three years Steven and I have made it a tradition to visit Duke Gardens when the weather turns mild. The last few weekends have brought much rain. This weekend was sunny and clear, so we decided to head to Durham to see what was in bloom at the gardens.

Duke Gardens has several mini pagodas "hidden" along its paths. Last year I found a stuffed bunny peering out from one of the pagodas. So taken was I with this bunny that I had Steven take a picture to preserve the memory. For me, the bunny which I named "secret bunny," invoked images of the final scene from The Velveteen Rabbit, a favorite story of mine from childhood. Though improbable, I hoped the toy would be there upon our return this year. No such luck. Edmund did not get to witness "secret bunny." Perhaps next year we will have to hide a small stuffed bunny for him to find.

After spending a few minutes at "secret bunny" pagoda we commenced our walk around the gardens, stopping here and there to point out the sights to Edmund. I'm not sure what kind of reaction I expect from Edmund. He is still at the point where he takes everything in at once. Soon will be the days where he stops to examine the minutiae of life, but we're not quite there yet. I stooped to point out some large tadpoles near the edge of a pond, and Edmund's eyes wandered to some trees. I pointed out a large, goldfish. Edmund followed the swimming fish with his eyes for a few seconds, then began gazing at the dog next to us. Now Edmund was in heaven. In the last few weeks Edmund has fallen in love with the furry, four legged creatures. He has gone from ignoring dogs, to watching them briefly, to beyond smitten with them. A dog can invoke a laugh in Edmund, that no one, not even his mom or dad, is capable of. Steven's family dog Sparky, though he has little interest in Edmund, is truly Edmund's best pal. I've done little to encourage this dog infatuation, other than casually pointing out a dog when we see one. Perhaps this love of dogs is a trait inherited from me. My first word did just so happen to be "dog." For now we'll simply play to Edmund's love of dogs. An interest that causes my baby to laugh like that is worthy of further explanation.

As we continued our stroll around the gardens we became ever more aware of dogs, enthusiastically pointing them out to Edmund any time one came in view. Towards the end of our stroll three beagles happened to walk out in front of us. Edmund went into hysterics. People who passed us "oohed" and "awwed" at the "adorable laughing baby." Little did they know the dogs in front of us were producing the giggle fits coming out of our son. Eventually the dogs veered off our path. Edmund turned his head as far as he could trying to catch one more glimpse of his beloved dogs. "But mommy and daddy, why can't we go with them?" he seemed to plead. We were headed to find a nice spot to snap a few garden pictures of Edmund. We lucked out when the spot we chose had an adorable Scottie dog in Edmund's line of vision. Despite Edmund not facing the camera, because he was lovingly gazing at the dog, the pictures turned out great. Steven and I now know where we'll be spending our spring weekends. As per suggestion of Grandma Nancy, dog park here we come!

Edmund: Pirate in Training

Pirate in Training

Edmund is 10 months old! My how time flies. On Saturday Edmund attended his first baby birthday bash. His playgroup friend Logan turned 1. This birthday was the first of many to come as Edmund and his friends inch ever closer to the big one year milestone.

I can already tell Edmund is going to be a big fan of birthdays. Logan's birthday was little more than playgroup with a theme, yet somehow Edmund knew the party was quite the event. I must add that the pirate theme Logan's mom Nan put together was quite impressive. She made the most adorable invitations, t-shirts, picture frames, goody bags, and more all in keeping with the pirate theme. Nan also did a great job of making the drop-in party enjoyable for Logan, his friends, and the parents. No over the top party here. Everyone truly enjoyed themselves.

During the party Edmund enjoyed spending time with his buddies and playing with Logan's toys. Several of the dads built block towers which were promptly knocked down by the babyzillas. The kids all loved the red and black pirate balloons. Edmund hadn't seen a balloon since Valentine's Day, but he certainly hadn't forgotten how to play with one. Then there was Logan's little metal shopping cart. Once Edmund had a taste of playing with the cart, he couldn't let it go. At one point Edmund was sitting hanging onto the bottom rung of the cart. Logan came over and began pushing the handle while standing up. Edmund began moving along the floor. It somewhat reminded me of a dog being dragged along by a mop. Both boys thought this was quite amusing, as did the parents. This little scenario played out for about a minute. Logan got bored and moved on. Edmund clung to the shopping cart. Then we showed Edmund how to stand while holding the cart. Perhaps not the best idea, as Edmund refused to move from this new found position. This meant his mother had to stand behind him holding him up for what seemed like and eternity. Eventually another child wanted to play with the cart. This called for an early lesson in sharing, as up until this point Edmund really could care less if another child took his toy.

After an hour at the party Edmund showed signs of tiredness. Having witnessed Logan and his friends devour the pirate cupcakes, a sight to behold, we decided to make our exit. I hope we were able to express to Nan and her husband Scott how much fun we had at the party. Edmund certainly partied hard, as within a minute into our car ride home we looked back into the rear view mirror to see our little guy passed out in the backseat. And so the countdown to Edmund's big day has begun. Less than 2 months to go!

Edmund is on the Move--Well, Almost

Edmund Sets Sail

There are so many things I enjoy about being a mom, but I must admit I occasionally get frustrated. I swore I would never compare my baby to his peers, but that's near impossible since I am around children his age all the time. I am with children at school during the week, at playgroup on Saturdays, and during nursery on Sundays. So when I see babies Edmund's age crawling around the playground or chasing their parents I can't say that I'm not a tad envious. Edmund is an easygoing guy, and for that I am beyond thankful. However, his easygoing personality means he is simply content to just sit and watch the world go by. Edmund is of the mindset "the world will come to me so why should I go get the world."

I have pushed tummy time since the day we brought Edmund home from the hospital. He has tummy time toys galore, but shuns them in favor of toys of the upright or dangling variety. Edmund has also rolled from his tummy to back since he was 8 days old. I used to think this meant my baby would excel at gross motor activities. Now I know it was his way of foiling his parents best attempts at tummy time.

We have a wonderful substitute at the preschool who fills in when my co-teacher is out. She has made it her mission to give Edmund plenty of tummy time on the days she enters the classroom. Edmund also refuses her efforts. When the sub is in the room she will ask if I have tried this or tried that to make sure Edmund strengthens his muscles. I have tried it all, as I could write a book on tummy time activities. My director has asked me if the sub's interest in pushing tummy time gets to me. Last week I said it didn't, but as Edmund approaches 10 months of age with no signs of crawling, the sub's constant "reminders" that Edmund has yet to crawl are starting to wear on my nerves. I know she means well, but unfortunately she has hit my "hot button" issue. I have come to the realization that most parents have these "hot buttons". One of my mom friends was jealous that Edmund could clap his hands and give high fives, while I was coveting the fact that her baby could crawl. We all must deal with this in life. There is always someone out there with the "better job, bigger house," etc. You know where I'm going with this. My hope is that I try to model for Edmund how to graciously accept this fact of life. I know I'm still working on it.

Deep down I know Edmund is just fine. I know the average ranges of development and have been reassured by doctors and new and old mothers alike. It just so happens that this year all of Edmund's playmates seem to be advanced in the gross motor area. If I transported him back to last year's infant class he would be right on par with the rest of them. I simply felt it was time to express my normal mom frustrations. I find it amazing that this is my only big frustration this year. Edmund really is a wonderful baby. I have to remember that he is trying out new sounds everyday, has made several attempts at waving, can feed himself, is an expert at pushing buttons to play annoying electronic music, can play a simple game of catch and throw...the list goes on and on. Crawling will come. For now I'll marvel at all my little boy CAN do.

Toddlerhood Here We Come

Edmund Eats/Plays with Avocado

Each day Edmund inches his way closer to toddlerhood. In the past few days he has made leaps and bounds in the area of self help. On Sunday afternoon he held his bottle for an entire feeding. Edmund has been capable of holding his bottle for several months, but has chosen not to. Steven and I have debated as to the reason. While we often joke he is lazy, in actuality he probably just doesn't want a good situation to end. Why should Edmund hold his bottle when his mommy and daddy are so willing? Then a few days ago Edmund took close to a full feeding from his sippy cup, and has done so several times since. Originally I had grand plans of my baby being a sippy cup champion at 6 months. Edmund had other plans. Until this past week he would turn and whine whenever I brought the dreaded cup near his mouth. Suddenly something clicked, and Edmund was able to sip away. Now we have simply to combine the holding skill with the sipping skill and Edmund will be a sippy cup pro.

In the evenings I will often try to mash a little bit of the fruits and vegetables Steven and I are eating for Edmund, so he gets used to the family foods. One of my favorite foods is avocado. Interestingly enough my first taste of avocado was in college when I was asked to feed it to several of the children for which I nannied. Avocado is supposed to be a perfect baby food. Edmund seems to disagree with that statement as my last few attempts at feeding him avocado have failed miserably. A few weeks ago I decided maybe Edmund would at least get some of the avocado in his mouth if I let him "explore" it. None of the avocado you see around his mouth in the picture was actually eaten or swallowed that evening. Last night we had a Cobb salad to which we added avocado. I stole a few bites of avocado from the cutting board and Edmund seemed intrigued. I decided to cut him some small pieces instead of mashing it, and to my surprise he ate several pieces. I couldn't give it to him fast enough. Today at school the older children were eating papaya. I cut some up into minuscule pieces and Edmund had a baby sized bowl. At 9 months Edmund has yet to cut a tooth, but can eat diced food. Go Edmund!

Edmund has also started picking up Cheerios and Gerber Puffs and feeding them to himself in the last few days as well. For those of you who don't know, Gerber has a line of fruit and vegetable flavored finger food shaped like stars. I swore Edmund would never eat them as sugar is a minor ingredient and they aren't all natural. However, since Edmund eats better than most babies I know and probably totals 6 tiny puffs in a week, I have reasoned they won't turn him into a processed food junkie. Puffs explanation aside, Edmund has done remarkably well with self-feeding in a matter of days. I have offered Cheerios to Edmund for the past month, but he merely played with them. Fortunately not all was lost as Edmund perfected his pincer grasp during his play sessions. When I would try to put a Cheerio in his mouth Edmund would whine and turn away. Steven and I didn't push the issue, but kept offering the "play" opportunities. Then on Monday while I was talking to Edmund during his Cheerio playtime, he picked up one and brought it to his mouth. I had to cheer and clap, though according to child development experts this will probably set my child up for a life filled with "food issues." Who cares? My baby actually ate a Cheerio!

On Monday Edmund had a pediatrician's appointment during which we discussed all the self help skills he should be working on at this point. At the time of the appointment I mentioned I was trying the sippy cup and trying the finger foods, but Edmund simply thought I was crazy. The doctor said at this point introduction is all that is important, and that Edmund would get it eventually. At that point I felt the doctor might be crazy. With the lack of interest Edmund was showing I felt he would probably enter elementary school drinking from a bottle. Lo and behold the next day Edmund actually figured it out. Again I am reminded that children have their own time frames despite their parents' best wishes, and Edmund certainly has his own way of doing things.

Here are Edmund's 9 month stats for those of you who requested them. He currently weighs 18 lbs 13 oz and is between the 25th and 50th percentile for weight. He is 27 1/2 inches tall and is between the 25th and 50th percentile for height. His head is 47 cm which puts him in the 90th percentile for head size. His doctor assures me that everything with his head is fine. He also mentioned big heads run in families, so I'm afraid the Mercer side of the family is to blame--you know who you are :)

I'm A Tarheel Born

Tarheel Family

Yesterday was an exciting day for our family. Edmund attended his first Carolina basketball game. Early in the week we found out we had an opportunity to go attend a UNC-Georgia Tech match-up . We were unsure how Edmund would handle the loud noises. Then there was the unfortunate forecast of rain all day Saturday to contend with. After talking to the mother of one of Edmund's classmates about how her son did at a game, Steven and I made the decision to take Edmund. After all, we knew this was probably Edmund's final opportunity to attend a basketball game in his first year of life.

Steven, Edmund, and I braved the rain and met up with Grandpa Ed at the park and ride. Edmund was taken aback by his first true bus ride. He took a bus ride up a hill when he was six weeks old, but that doesn't count. Edmund loved the close quarters. He smiled and "talked" to anyone and everyone who would pay attention. And who wouldn't pay attention to such an adorable baby?

When we arrived at the Dean Dome, Steven shielded Edmund from the rain. We had to do a bag check for the diaper bag which meant a few extra minutes of wetness. Once Steven mentioned it was a diaper bag, however, they motioned us through. I'm not quite sure what that says about the security at the Dean Dome, but at least it saved me from getting drenched. As we made our way to our seats Edmund turned in all directions trying to gain some understanding of what was going on around him. We had excellent seats. They were up high enough so that we wouldn't have to stand the entire game, but low enough to get an excellent view of the court. Before the game started one of the security guards walked by our seats and rubbed Edmund's hair. He exclaimed, "that baby has more hair than me." For those of you who don't know, Edmund is currently known for his "do." His hair has been referred to as duck fuzz, a rocker do, crazy, wild, you get the picture. Whatever you call it, it definitely gives him personality.

The game began with a nice rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" accompanied by UNC's current chancellor, Holden Thorp. Finally it was game time. Edmund sat back and enjoyed the game. He was captivated. He watched the court, he watched the giant TVs, he turned to watch the people around us, and then he did it all over again. While sudden cheering caused him to jump, it didn't faze him one bit. Carolina basketball put Edmund in Tarheel Heaven.

It was midway through the second half and Edmund had yet to show signs of growing tired of the game. We thought surely he was going to lose it, but with UNC up by 30 points Edmund decided to doze off. He knew there was no contest and a snooze would do him good. The elderly woman next to us who had been keeping an eye on Edmund the entire game leaned over and asked, "Are you sure you didn't give that baby tranquilizers?" Steven replied "he's just a happy baby." Edmund awoke with about two minutes remaining in the second half. He got to see UNC break 100 (Bojangles biscuits for all). Carolina won 104-74. Look out! In about 17 years we may have another Hansbrough in our midst.