Fall time

I just want you guys to know that Fall is my favorite time of year - the change in weather, leaves changing colors, the State Fair, the Balloon Fiesta, Pumpkin Patches, Thanksgiving. I love it all. So now you know. Consider yourselves informed.

Yesterday the baby turned 7 months old! I can't believe that time has gone by so quickly. As the days go by, this boy fills our hearts with more and more love. I LOVE this little guy - but I do admit that sometimes he makes me want to pull out my hair. Life is busy. He is crawling these days. I've baby-proofed the house and he loves his new found freedom. My life has recently gotten so much easier because of his new found mobility. Such a relief. He is also getting his first tooth! It has taken forever to come out, but I can finally see a little white dot on his lower gum where his little tooth is breaking through! He was such a little booger a couple of weeks ago when this tooth first started working its way up. He's not nearly as fussy now as he was a couple of weeks ago...except yesterday. Yesterday he was stubborn when it came to napping. (I'm pretty sure it was due to teething) He was SOOO tired but he refused to take any naps, despite all my efforts to get him to sleep. Eventually I got him to take a couple small naps yesterday. He also went to bed really early last night. And got up late this morning. That's what happens when you refuse to sleep. You know what else he's doing these days? Pulling himself up to the standing position. He's been doing this for about two weeks. It's so exciting, yet so nerve wracking - at least the falling part is for me. He also walks like a little speed machine when we hold his hands and walk with him. It's hysterical to watch how fast his little legs go.

Last weekend we took him to a pumpkin patch. It was such a fun thing to do with him. He totally had a blast, even though he had no clue what was going on. We took him from place to place at the farm showing him the goats (that tried to eat me), and the bunnies, walking through the corn maze, watching the pumpkin cannon (which scared him to death...poor kid), on the hayride. He even got to play in the dirt for the first time. It was so funny to watch him. (our backyard is landscaped with rocks) Next year will be even more fun when he's older. I'm looking forward to it.

I have a confession. My dog, Brody, is driving me nuts. Absolutely nuts. This dog has an excitement level larger than I can handle. He makes me crazy when I walk him. I've read books, I've watched videos, I've read articles all on dog training. I've yet to find anything to work to keep him under control. And in the process I am going crazy. So we've decided that desperate measures must now be taken. We are going to take Brody to private dog training lessons. Seriously. We've got to figure out how to deal with him or else he will have to find a new home. I'm very optimistic about these lessons.

You know, it's kind of weird. Now that I've had a kid, it seems like he is the only thing I have to talk about. When someone asks how I'm doing, the answer always depends on my child and how he is doing. If he's doing good, then I am too. If he's having a hard time, I am definitely having a hard time. Now I understand why parents talk about their kids so much - because that's usually the most interesting thing to talk about.