Walking

The milestone has been achieved, and this little guy took his first steps yesterday, August 29, at 10 1/2 months old. Yes, he has taken a step here, and a step there, but this was actual foot in front of the other is succession, walking. Granted he may be stopped for Walking Under the Influence, but I assure you, his wobbly steps are strong and purposeful. "No officer, I only had 2 bottles."

Over the past week his standing has gotten longer and longer. So last night, during dinner, he was being very good and standing well. He had already eaten, and dinner usually consists of me sitting on the floor with him getting every other bite in my mouth. I decided we should probably get out the good video camera (surprise, surprise) and film this achievement. After turning it on and getting him standing it seemed like he was trying to go somewhere and that's when mommy and daddy learned a valuable lesson. Connor responds well to bribery, especially of the food persuasion. He loves food, and we had the perfect morsel of temptation, macaroni and cheese. One single piece of macaroni on the end of a fork got his little feet in motion and the rest is history. His longest run so far is about 6 swaggering feet. He leans with it, he rocks with it. After he was tired out we got one little clip on our cell phones to send to Uncle Casey, and I'm so glad because I used that clip to show just about anyone who wanted to see it again today!!! The kid is amazing if you ask me!!

Parties and Standing

Connor's best playmate, Nathaniel, turned 1 this past weekend. I can't believe how fast the boys are growing. I still very clearly remember Sarah and I pregnant together. She was due the day of Connor's baby shower, and she still came, uncomfortable and all. I'm glad these two little boys have someone so close in age to play with. I'm glad these two mama's have someone so close to relate to. Sharing stories over Panera while the boys make a mess of their snacks is priceless.

Nathaniel's birthday party was at a beautiful little park in Boca Raton that happened to have a great little splash area. Connor and the rest of the kids couldn't get enough. On a hot August day nothing could be better than cool water being splashed on your face. Connor "dove" right in, and didn't want to stop. He played so hard he gave himself road rash on his little feet. He drags the tops of his feet when he crawls, and the rubber was just too much for his baby skin. We don't think he ever noticed. He never once complained or cried, he just kept splashing. Sadie, Nathaniel, and Connor along with the other little ones squealed with delight with every squirt, splash, and sprinkle. The party was a hit!

Speaking of babies turning one, I can't believe I have already started ordering things for Connor's. With each box that arrives I'm reminded of how big he is getting. My newborn is an infant, who will soon be a toddler. He doesn't realize it but he is ready to walk. He will let go of things while he is cruising, take a step, hold back on and continue in the direction he was going, never realizing what he did. He'll take steps back and forth between mommy and daddy, but nothing on his own accord. He is starting to stand on his own, and I love seeing how controlled he is and I watch in amazement and he slowly lowers to the ground to crawl to his next adventure. He hates being boxed in, and wants to go everywhere and do everything. He loves to throw his baseball, and is very interested in books. He also has a tooth coming in, top gum, in the back, I'm guessing something that chomps. This explains the runny nose he had a few days ago. Connor is such a big boy, now if he would only sleep through the night...

I am choosing not to mention how traumatic is was going back to school this week after having a glorious summer with Connor. I will mention that the first time I came to pick him up,after a long day away from him, he created the most beautiful and extreme squeals of delight and excitement of which I have never heard. That alone makes it worth it!

Guise Lane

Guise Lane, Matterhorn Lane, Swiss Lane; welcome to Little Switzerland. This is the land of hummingbirds, wildflowers, waterfalls, and Guise's. Haha. Located in Cashiers, North Carolina, our little development is near and dear to me. I have countless memories of wandering these woods, and I couldn't wait to take Connor. Of course he won't truly be able to appreciate it until he's well into his boyhood, the introduction this summer was still priceless.

On the way to Great Grandma and Grandpa's house. I know the path well. When we were little we took this path countless times a day to go play with the Davidson's. Now that we are all getting older, I can't wait until Connor's taking the trip to play with the Davidson's offspring. I love that each generation can appreciate it.

Connor and my Grandpa Ernie are 90 years apart. It is always wonderful to spend time with him and listen to his stories. Of course some are repeated (like knocking down the trees and building the roads himself through our woods, or how he got his education on the GI bill), but we are always excited to hear a new one, and you know, the repeats are good too. He truly wants us to take advantage of what the world has to offer us, and look for ways to use what is available. He told us over and over again on this trip to find a career that we enjoy, and then "work, save, and invest". We have control of what we put our effort towards. Go after our dreams..."We live in the great country, America". I hope to share his stories and wisdom with Connor as he grows older. I think Tim is hoping Connor inherits the Guise love of flying.

We have certain staples of every NC trip. The "Bear Picture" started much before my time. There are pictures of Aunt Kim and Uncle Scott sitting atop this very bear. This infamous bear was pretty stationary for most of our yearly shots, but in the most recent summers it has become somewhat of an adventure trying to find it. It originally was built into the side of a mountain next to a wigwam, and a local "Chief". We have many many shots in this location. One year while on our way into Cherokee to find our bear, we found it wasn't there. We asked as many people as we could and found it in front of the Drama Inn next to the pool. No longer in it's original place of prestige we pressed on with our tradition. Last summer the bear was missing again. More sluething and we located our illusive carnivore in front of a newer Inn in the pouring rain. This year she was in the same spot and Connor was ceremonially inducted into this amazing bear club.

Another staple is Silver Run. When we were little no one knew about this beautiful spot, now there is a parking lot and a bridge. I say the bridge is for wimps, so we maintained our course via a fallen tree that has been there forever. When we got there it was just us. In the 30 min we were there a half a dozen families were swarming the place. No worries, I got pictures of Connor in the very same spot we have of Uncle Casey and I over the years. We even got his little toes in the water, and he had so much fun splashing around in the cold stream.




We made it up to Trillium and even into town for some music. We had a full circle moment when we took Connor to the very playground Tim and I discovered last year. While I was pregnant, Tim and I stood in front of this grand set and dreamed about our little boy. This year, although a little wet, Connor got to play, swing, slide, drive, and crawl all over this fun play yard.

Speaking of playing, Connor got to spend great quality time with Grandpa Gary. Grandpa Gary had cleared a play area for him and even had some of our old toys out and waiting for Connor's arrival. He spent time down on the floor endearing himself to our little boy and it worked. They took walks to look out over the porch, and Connor liked to show Grandpa Gary his toys. It was very cute. Dad couldn't get used to being called "grandpa", I guess he needs to hear it more!


North Carolina never lets me down. There are hikes like Whiteside, and waterfalls like Dry Falls. The temperatures are always pleasant, the people are kind, and there is always something to do. We took Connor down to the lake where he played on the beach and enjoyed the waves the passing boats made. Eventually we will take him to Klingman's Dome, Dollywood, and countless other favorites. I cannot wait for the mountains to unfold before him as the years go by.

We left NC Sunday morning and before our flight enjoyed some time in Atlanta by visiting the Georgia Aquarium and the Coke Factory. We truly had fun in both places, but the aquarium was just incredible. Connor of course loved the fish. He would reach out and try to touch them, and then was in awe by the huge whale sharks, rays, and grouper. The World of Coke was fun, and we left with a belly ache after sampling the many different flavors from around the world. We eventually planted ourselves in front of the Diet Coke and we were happy clams. The highlight for Tim was seeing the 2004 and 2007 Boston Series World Series Championship rings that Coke was given by the team to celebrate their longtime partnership.
It seems to us that Connor found his big boy look in North Carolina. Even after only 2 days Tim thought he looked different. Grandma Glenda and Aunt Kaitlyn both think he looks extremely different and cannot get over the change. He turned 10 months old while we were away and I want to slow time down just a tad. No new teeth yet, but he his crawling like he in a race, cruising like it's in style, and can take a few unsteady steps towards where he wants to go. Not walking yet, but certainly mobile and fast. The sound of heads bumping on things is a regular sound around here. It will prepare him for boyhood and sports. Good thing he loves baseballs and footballs.

Roseola Blues

Roseola is an acute disease of infants and young children in which a high fever and skin rash occur.

Symptoms
A fever usually occurs before the rash appears. It lasts for 3 (sometimes up to 7) days. The fever may be as high as 105° Fahrenheit, and it generally responds well to acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Between the second and fourth day of the illness, the fever drops and a rash appears (often as the fever falls).
The rash starts on the trunk and spreads to the limbs, neck, and face. The rash is pink or rose-colored, and has fairly small sores that are slightly raised.
The rash lasts from a few hours to 2 - 3 days. It usually does not itch.

Other symptoms include:Irritability; High fever that comes on quickly

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The fever started Thursday. Grandma had picked Connor and I up from home, and as we drove Connor screamed the entire way. We couldn't figure out what was making him so irritable. Once arriving at grandma's house Connor was still not right and that's when we discovered it. He was certainly hot to the touch, now to see what the thermometer would say. The first reading was 99.8, we waited a few minutes, gave him some baby tylenol and tried again. 100.6 came across the little screen. It was climbing even after the medicine. I called the pediatrician, made an appointment and then called daddy. They fit us in late in the day and daddy was able to be there. We did not see Connor's pediatrician, but it didn't matter. The doctor checked him over thoroughly and found nothing else. Dr. Gallego then informed us that Connor may have roseola, but we won't know for a couple of days because it manifests in a rash after the fever goes away. He also told us that there happens to be an outbreak right now in our area of roseola and that there was nothing to worry about.(Nothing to worry about? How did this happen? Where in the world could he have gotten this? We go from our home to grandma's and very few places in between. Then we started the math of figuring out the incubation period and we are pretty sure he got it in the nursery at church.) The doctor said to monitor the fever, continue with the tylenol, and if anything changes to bring him back in.

Connor's fever continued to hover around 100 degrees on Friday, and by Saturday it was a thing of the past. No fever, and no rash. Could the doctor have been wrong? Sunday, still nothing. I was a little confused, but I wasn't asking questions. I would continue to quietly observe. Monday morning came the manifestation. Not bad mind you, but a little speckle of red dots behind his ears and the back of his head. There were a few patches on his neck as well. It almost looked like heat rash, just tiny little dots. He also was very irritable and clingy, each nap time was a nightmare. He wanted to be held all of the time. Playtime held no luster; toys meant nothing. He wanted to be up, and even then he wasn't happy. I called my pediatrician and after speaking with her about all of this, and filling her in on our visit with the other doctor, she confirmed that it was roseola and that it was not anything to worry about. The fevers were over, and she was impressed that they didn't get as high as they typically do. She chalked it up to the fact that I still nurse Connor. She said the rash would spread over the next few days, and then it would all be over. Interestingly enough, the rash never really spread. It is now gone from his head/neck, but never traveled anywhere else. That is fine by me. It was only a very mild case. The irritability and clingy-ness is still there, but daddy seems to think Connor does it because he knows I'll appease him. Sick babies need their mommies, and I'm a sucker for arms up. Praise the Lord Connor is ok, and we came through this without any battle wounds. I know many people were praying for him, and I'm sure that is the main reason he relatively coasted through this. Now for the clingy behavior to cease, and we'll be flying high.

Connor is still trying his best to walk. He took a few steps away from the table and towards daddy last night, but I'm not sure he knew what he was doing. It was adorable though. He stood for a few seconds holding onto nothing, and then step, step, fall into daddy's arms. He's picked up trying to say "bye-bye" now, and all of his words light up my day. So far we are up to Mama, Dada, Rara (Roxy), Ah-ah (grandma), Eh-oh (hello), baaaa (bye). Also another new activity comes in the form of piercing, high-pitched, shrieks to entertain mommy and daddy. He loves to hear how loud he can get. He also loves our reaction to him. He's a performer for sure!

We did family night at the beach this week. It was a farewell of sorts for Uncle Casey who left this week to make his way back up to school via North Carolina. It was a beautiful evening and a great time to reflect on the wonderful memories we made this summer. It is amazing to see how similar Uncle Casey and Connor are. I love the bond that they have, and that was only strengthened by the time they had together the past few months. Good thing we're heading up to NC next week to savor the last little bits of summer there.

Cruisin Through Summer

It is the end of July and it is only just now feeling like the lazy, care-free, days of summer. Connor has spent most of this past week near the water. We've done a dinner picnic at the beach, we had a swim play date with Nathaniel, and we've gone down to grandma's multiple times to enjoy her pool. Why is it I can hear the school bell so clearly already? It makes me sad (and gives me a twitch). I love these wonderful moments with Connor and I do not take them for granted. It is all passing by much too quickly and the ride seems to be gaining momentum. We're already planning his first birthday party. WOW!

When I say cruising through summer, I mean just that. He is in the cruising stage. He goes everywhere he wants "walking" by holding on to anything he can...including the dog. I thought I was golden having a drop down living room. Nope, the step up didn't phase him one bit. He wants to go everywhere, and throws a fit when he's corralled back into his play area in the living room. There happens to be a gate at grandma's and he will stand there shaking it hoping to escape to whatever adventure he can find. He is a dare devil for sure, and there have been some harrowing examples of his fearlessness recently where someone has been there to scoop him up in the last second before he reaches the floor. He sees the edge of something and heads straight for it. Boy, oh boy- takes on a whole new meaning.

Now that we are enjoying these easy days of summer we were able to go visit daddy at his new job. Same building, different floor, new office, and a fancy name placard. I love that the Broward Sheriff's Office really is one big family. He can still connect with his old office, and yet be welcomed so nicely into this new one. We are so proud of his hard work and effort. It is no question to see where his priorities lay when you walk into his office and see Connor plastered everywhere.

A few more weeks of summer are left and we still have one more trip planned. I am greatly looking forward to taking Connor to North Carolina. No summer is complete without a trip up, and last summer I was preggo. This summer we are passing down the tradition to a new generation. I am so excited for the mountains, the cool air, the birds singing, and the tranquil lake. Grandpa Gary has already asked for a grocery list....I say s'mores for dinner every night!

If you can't tell from the pictures I think we're expecting more teeth soon. Below is a good shot of the 8 he has already!

The First Game

What a crazy, busy, and tiring few weeks it has been in the Petersen household. We have just returned from an amazing trip to Alaska and while the memories we have from that trip are some of the best memories of recent time, it was our adventure this past weekend that will go down as one of the most special for me. To say that I am obsessed with the Red Sox might very well be an understatement. We named our dog Roxy, our cat Fenway and I own enough Red Sox shirts to wear one every day for a month and never duplicate. This is a passion that I intend to share with my Son. It is this passion that drove us to drive 4.5 hours to Tampa after a work day, 28.5 hours after we returned from Alaska. We drove to Tampa so we could take Connor to his first ever Boston Red Sox Baseball game.

The Red Sox rarely make it this far south but, thanks to playing in the AL East, make the trip to Tampa to play the Rays several times a year. Every season, I try my hardest to attend at least one game and often Tampa is the easiest due to proximity. However, having a baby is a new factor to consider. Anyway, several months ago, prior to the season even starting, I happened to mention to a family friend, Darlene, that I wanted to come to Tampa to see the Sox. Darlene is the President of the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce and a few days after mentioning this, she sent me an email kindly informing me that she had tickets, as well as accommodations, if we were still interested in coming to a game. Being the die hard fan that I am, nothing was going to keep me from this unexpected treat. Of course, at that time, I failed to realize that we would need to drive the 4 hours to Tampa the day after catching the Red Eye from Anchorage to Chicago, then to Fort Lauderdale…but like I said, Die Hard!

Well, Alaska came and went, and was awesome. I went to work and we were on the road by 6pm. We arrived at our hotel at around 10:30pm and got settled in. Our hotel was nice and we had a balcony that faced the ocean. After breakfast the next morning with Darlene we met with 2 gentlemen who were helping her film a promotion for Clearwater Beach. Darlene had previously asked if Kristin and Connor would mind being in a portion of this video. Of course, they didn’t mind but much to my surprise, the wanted to use all of us. It turned out to be a lot of fun. The shot consisted of Kristin, Connor and I walking along the beach and after a few feet looking up at a parasailer flying over the beach (which will be added at a later date) and wave. It could not have been more perfect. Our little future Oscar winner waved on cue every time. They even filmed a little portion of just Connor sitting in the surf playing with the sand.

After wrapping up the shoot, we returned to the hotel to get ready for the game. Kristin had asked if we could head over early to try and get some autographs. I was skeptical because every stadium handles this differently. I figured it wouldn’t hurt so we packed up and left. The game was scheduled for 4:10 and we arrived at the stadium around 1:50. As we walked towards the stadium doors, it became obvious that the doors were not open yet. This concerned me since it was 95 degrees and extremely humid thanks to recent rain in the area. Thankfully, we only had to wait about 20 minutes for them to open the gates and we immediately walked to the other side of the stadium to the Red Sox dugout. It was amazing. We were able to walk right up behind their dugout and Connor even got to sit on top for a few minutes. As we stood there, we were able to watch the Sox take batting/fielding practice which was a treat. We got to see all our favorites hit. At one point, Connor was playing with his stuffed Red Sox baseball. At this stage, Connor’s favorite game is the throw game. This game basically consists of him throwing anything he can get a hold of and waiting for mommy or daddy to pick it up. Fun for him, annoying for us. Well, at one point, Connor was doing this with his baseball and like the future Shortstop he is, he nicely threw it towards the field resulting in it falling over the edge and into the Sox dugout. Of course, no one on the field saw this happen and we could not get anyone’s attention. We stood there for about 5 minutes or so before several of my favorite players came running into the dugout. Moments later, all we see is Jason Veritek’s (who happens to be one of my all time favorites) hand pop up over the dugout roof and toss our ball. We were so excited. Shortly after, Terry Francona (Red Sox Manager) walked over to the dugout and started telling people to toss their balls, shirts, programs down for him to sign. He looked over at us, saw Connor and asked for his ball which he proudly signed.

About this time, the players finished warm-ups and returned to the clubhouse to finish preparing for the game. We went to our seats which were 4 rows from the field out in right field. These seats were amazing. The game was great. The Red Sox ended up winning 9-5 and hit 3 home runs into our section including one that flew directly over our heads, hit the wall behind us and bounced back over our heads to someone sitting a few rows in front of us.

All in all, I could not have asked for a better weekend. Although I know Connor will not remember any of it, I am excited that one day I will be able to show him his ball and tell him all about his first (hopefully of many) Red Sox games!

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In 9 month news "dada" was finally said and it happened on the way home from the game. He is 29 inches long (90th percentile) and 19.8 lbs (25-50th percentile). His noggin is right on track with his height as well. The doctor couldn't get over how advanced he was, and enjoyed interacting with him while he talked to her, and waved, and clapped, and pulled up, and did just about every trick he knows.

Moose, and Caribou, and Bears. Oh My!

Our Alaskan adventure has come to a close. We got off of the ship in Seward and went to the Aquarium in town while we waited for our train to get to the station that would take us to Anchorage. The Aquarium was wonderful, and we made friends with this curious sea lion who loved to interact with visitors. Our train left at 6pm and 4 hours later we arrived to Anchorage. We saw the beautiful vistas of Alaska along our way and never once had to worry about losing our view due to the sun setting. From Anchorage we visited Talkeetna, and then on to Denali to see Mt. McKinley. Along the way we ate some of the best food of our lives. It's amazing coming off of a cruise ship, but those Alaskans know how to make some food! In Talkeetna at the Wildflower Cafe we had the most amazing sea food chowder that will be talked about for years. Chunks of creamy crab stick out in my mind the most. In Denali we ate at the Salmon Bake twice because we wanted to try more. We shared everything and we can't decide who scored with the best meal, that's how great everything was. Speaking of food we saw so many animals. The count came out to 5 Moose, 4 Grizzly Bears, 6 Caribou, 1 Wolf, 1 Hair, 1 Willow Ptarmigan, countless squirrels, and one too many state birds-I mean mosquito. We went white water rafting on the Nenana and got soaking wet as well as extremely cold. Cat 3 and 4 rapids, freezing cold water, and glacial facials will lend to a great memory. We took an 8 hour tour on a school bus into the park in Denali and surprisingly loved it. At first we were skeptical...a school bus? 8 hours? no way. But it was great, and our eyes couldn't take in everything we were seeing. It was the picture perfect day, and Mt. McKinley decided to come out and show herself. That puts us in the 30% club. Connor was a trooper and it also happened to be his 9 month birthday. He spent it on a bus seeing amazing wildlife and being rocked to sleep on a gravel road with the hum of the engine as his soundtrack. We headed back to Anchorage the next day and that is where we celebrated Tim's birthday. What a great trip to celebrate your birthday on. Another year old, amazing new experiences, and being a daddy. Connor of course remembered to bring daddy's birthday card along, and it was all very special. Our last stop of the trip was Connor's Lake right there in Anchorage, and beautiful little dog park. A nice spot to reflect on the wonderful time we had. I took over 1600 pictures and only added about 300 to facebook. I think we all decided we took more pictures of Connor than of anyone or anything else. What a precious boy he is, and a great traveler.
Here is Connor showing us his new trick. On the trip he discovered how to wave back at all the little old ladies who fawned all over him, and he also learned that he likes to stick out his tongue. All 8 teeth are in and I'm sure there is another one on the way. He's still pulling up on everything and likes to be on the floor playing more than anything else. He's figured out how to bring his knees under him to crawl, and is getting braver at only holding on to things with one hand. His balance gets better every day. He says Mama easily, he has his own way of saying hello and hi, and now is trying his best to say Roxy. We're trying our best to learn Dada....soon we hope!