I had to sneak one in

Just wanted to sneak in an update. Work went well last week, doing part time help for the BIL's (brother in law) insurance business. I felt good because I was making calls to people and several were interested and even called back when I left a message to get a quote from him. So, I felt like it was successful, in drumming up some possible business for him. Also, Gage sleeps well at their house because it's family. He naps in the P 'n' P (pack 'n' play) after lunch and I can't believe how much he doesn't need me anymore. I DO sneak in the cuddles occasionally.

Guys, you KNOW how crazy I am about his naps and 7pm bedtime. So, you'll be shocked to know that I let him stay up til 8:30 last night because we were at a friends house, and another couple we're friends with had their 2 year old daughter there and Gage is all social, so we let him stay up and play. But, here's the kicker. We set up the P 'n' P in their bedroom and I took him up there, cuddled and said prayers with him like always, and decided to lay him down awake like we do at home. And, I literally RAN downstairs to see if he would cry - because I figured he would. Guess what? He DIDN'T. I heard him rolling around for a few mins, never a peep, and he went to sleep. He's also working on the first few chapters of his second novel.

When we left, of course he woke up, but I rocked him again at home and put him down. When he woke up at 2:30am, I just got him and brought him to bed with us, since I felt bad for waking him up to leave our friends' house. (also, this is where I sneak in cuddling these days) Can you believe the world did not cave in when I woke him up? I know! I won't do that but every couple of months at the most because I don't want to wreck his sleep. Who likes being woken up in the middle of the night? Not me....oh wait, Gage, that's called payback! No, not really. But, we put him to bed at 6:20 tonight because he was tired, and he's all sleeping in his diaper so cute and sweet right now.

I will be helping out as the 3 year old class teacher at MDO starting in 2 weeks. I am excited about this final decision, because as much as I would have enjoyed being the music teacher, it would have meant going into Gage's class, and I don't want him to see me come and go, and develop some annoying issue right now. He's in such a state of development, I don't want to foster or develop any bad habits for him. So, I am thrilled to have a part time schedule where I can BRING my son to work every day, and have a little extra money to set aside for us.

By the way, this kid is like 2 sounds away from talking. He's started all these new sounds in the past week. Like he's trying out the letters to see how they feel. He's got the "b" and the hard "c" sound, he's always had the hard "g" sound - probably from hearing his own name so much. Sometimes I swear he's about to say "puppy". He has recognition of words and things, but hasn't repeatedly applied the same sounds to a thing, so I can't say he's said his first word yet. If you want to get technical, about 2 1/2 months ago, he repeated "hello" back to a stranger at the grocery store, and all three of us (my mother was there as well) were surprised and agreed it sure as heck sounded like he said hello right back to that lady in the green dress. He also said "baaa" today when I took him into the bathroom to put him in the already full bathtub. So, I am just going to wait until it's super obvious he says something before I write it in his baby book. I just love hearing him babble, and since the evolution of these new sounds in his vocab, we've started obsessively naming everything around him like Rain Man in order to fill his giant head with options for words. Don't get me wrong, we've been talking to him and explaining the world around him since he popped out (more like squeezed out of an exit the size of a grape), it's just this mad dash to get him to repeat us. I'm still half rooting for him to say "dada" first, just so when he wakes up at 5:15am, he's asking for Curtis, not me!

And, of course, we move this Saturday! We have til Sept 2nd to be out of this apartment, so it gives us a little time if we need it. But, we are spoiled and have hired movers (the cheapest we could find, AND they came with a glowing recommendation from a previous, repeat customer of theirs) because who in their right mind wants to move all their crap in August in Texas? Curtis works too hard in the heat all day to have to move our couch and boxes in the heat on his ONE weekend of this month.

So, things are changing, and we are excited to get moved and settled and have a YARD. A backyard to PLAY in. And let the dogs poop in.