movin' on up...

to big boy food, that is!  Another milestone reached, another adventure begins! And this one's gonna be messy.  As you may already know, or have witnessed from photos, or have inferred from previous posts, our boy obviously loves to eat. He loves food so much, in fact, that he was given the okay by his doc to go ahead with solids, at four months!!  I know, I know, it's not all that uncommon these days, but he's just growing up so fast.  I swear it was yesterday that Jason and I were wishing we could make only one ounce of formula versus the standard two! Ah, those were the days... Now, he kills an entire bottle like a frat boy would in Daytona, and he eats BIG BOY food!

His first encounter with the grown up - or pseudo grown-up - food was organic rice cereal, which he surprisingly loved.  And still loves!  And even though mom and dad were a bit worried at the outcome of that first meal, he ate like he's been doing it his whole life.  Spoon? Mushy food? Swallowing without my tongue thrusting reflex? Please, I'm a natural, Mom! You know this!!! 

These days, his gourmet repertoire includes sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, applesauce, peas, beets (yes! I said BEETS), rice cereal and oatmeal. All homemade, of course! (More about my incredible Suzie Homemaking in another post!)

fun in the sun

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 was cause for much celebration at the Staggs household.  The hubsters was in Texas for a two week class, and we missed him dearly.  Two weeks doesn't seem like a long time until your best friend and other half is gone. It, in fact, sucks!  But after almost an entire day waiting in the Dallas airport, shaky landings, and frightening cab drivers, he got home late Friday night... yay!  Let the weekend of new "firsts" begin...

On Saturday, little man rode in his snazzy new bike trailer for the first time. We were a bit unsure how he'd take it... but he LOVED it!  (Even though he's still a tiny bit too small for it... I know, right?  The words "too small" and "our little man" aren't normally spoken in the same sentence.)  For now, we'll stick to rides in the jogging stroller until he can sit up on his own... then it's game on, neighborhood roads and park trails!

After our maiden voyage in the bike trailer, we took a nice drive across the water to see Nannie at work.  We ate some glorious pizza and salad while she "ooohed" and "aaahed" over Bry.  The more adventures we take, the more I realize just how PERFECT he is! And he loves his Nannie!!

The fun didn't stop there.  Did I mention that we had a very action packed weekend?!?!  On Sunday, it was off to Jason's parents' house for a cookout. We got to hang out with Russ and Laura, which was super fun... We'll miss you tons when you move up north!

Bry got his first taste, or rather feel, of cool water.  Now, we already know he LOVES bath time, but a warm bath and a cool chlorine pool are two totally different animals.  He didn't completely hate it, but he wasn't nearly as comfortable as he is in his bath.  It probably didn't help that Jason or I weren't in there with him. (He loves you, Mamaw - I'm not sure I spelled that right - but nothing quite compares to Mom and Dad!) All in all, he gave us an admirable performance.

Dinner was fantastically fresh and tasty... Marinated and grilled flank steak, veggie kabobs, salad with garden fresh veggies and basil, and homemade brownies and hot fudge.  (Confession: We ate the brownies in about two bites and proceeded to eat the cold hot fudge out the container with our fingers. Hey, we know what we like!)

Monday was going to be another fun-filled day in the sun. And boy, was it hot! I'm talking 90+!!! And our day was about to consist of an outdoor BBQ by the Willoughby Bay... for a few hours... in the middle of the day... with a 4 month old! To our surprise (not really, he's the best baby EVER), it went very smoothly.

(First off, as I peruse these photos, I must say that he doesn't really look all that happy... at all!  He really was, though. I promise!!!) He loved the attention, he loved showing off his adorably naked - except for his cute orange diaper - baby body, and he LOVED his first saltwater swim! He was so content and happy, and he didn't seem chilly at all.  Not that he should have; the bay literally feels like bath water already.  We swam, we hugged, we floated, he kicked his little legs like Michael Phelps, and we took lots of pictures. I know Jason had a blast swimming with Bry.  And I KNOW he's glad to be home.

It was a long day, but we all had a blast, and of course, Bryan was the center of attention.  Come on, how could he not be?!?! But, we were VERY glad to get home.  The weekend of fun in the sun was a success, and it was a great kickoff to our first summer as a family... we can't wait!