Merry Christmas!

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=218922&cdate=20061225&ctime=090005

Augh!

Unfortunately, we have been a bit down and out. Ryan came down with a nasty cold last week and despite his best efforts, even sleeping a few nights out on the couch, passed it on to me. So this week has been a struggle for both of us. Luckily, Chase hasn't shown any symptoms yet. I did some reading on colds and found out that it isn't uncommon for everyone in the household to get sick and a nursing baby to stay well. Apparently, as I fight the cold I am passing antibodies on to Chase so it is possible for him to stay healthy even with a sneezing, feverish mother around him all day. We certainly hope so, since Christmas is only a few short days away and then our trip to Florida follows.
Chase turned 8 Months this week! Can you believe how fast it has gone?
Chase is so close to crawling. Now, he moves has hands and knees and then lurchs forward, so the end result is forward movement. He still likes to do the downward dog yoga pose, with his butt in the air, but he is realizing that he can't really move without his knees down on the ground.
He also has two beautiful white teeth. This week I started giving him these Gerber puffs to try eating as finger food. The good thing is they dissolve in his mouth so there is no risk of real choking only gagging but so far so good. He has trouble getting them in his mouth so for every 5 tries he manages to get one in. Once he gets one in there he moves it to the front where he uses those little teeth to crunch it up. It is pretty funny.

APPLAUSE-- APPLAUSE

Chase is growing and changing by leaps and bounds these days. You can see in his eyes how much more he understands and absorbs. Recently, one of our playmates began clapping his hands so I started working more intensely with Chase on watching me and copying the movement. He loved watching but he only wanted to clap if he could hold my hands. Then finally this week during our play time I started singing this clapping song I made up and he clapped his own hands together! It was really cute. The first few days he was clapping he would look down at his hands in amazement that he was actually do it by himself, smiling and giggling. Even this morning we woke up and immediately he started clapping his hands, as if to check that he could still do it.
It is so amazing to watch as your child learns new things and does things for the first time. Ryan said that someday when Chase is grown he is going to be clapping at something and you can turn and say I taught you that. What a privledge to be able to help my son grow and develop and to bear witness to so many amazing moments in his life. I am so lucky!

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=218922&cdate=20061217&ctime=112340

Voice Lessons

Chase, like every child, has been testing out his voice and its various ranges. A few weeks ago he started growling. It was so funny. He growled at us and strangers for no real reason that we could figure out.
Now he has moved on to high pitch screams, which can be painful and embarrassing. He especially likes to practice his screams when we are entering and exiting our building which utilizes the building stone acoustics to really showcase his ability- fun! The other day we went to say good-bye to Ryan at the door and as soon as the door opened he seized the moment to wake up everyone in the building, so much for long sweet departures.
The attached video is not screaming (your welcome) but the funniest video to date of my son growling at me. Keep in mind that he really isn't even mad about anything and watch his fists :)

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=218922&cdate=20061214&ctime=165753

Monkeying Around

No big news to report. Chase is still working on his crawl. He is able to get up on all fours and can move his arms and knees but he hasn't quite got the whole thing coordinated enough to actually create forward movement yet (without my help). He does manage to get around by scooting or rolling.
He is getting his second bottom tooth in. It just broke the surface yesterday. Other than a very restless night he seems to be taking it pretty well. You can now really see his first tooth. This is the first picture it has appeared in (without me pulling his lip down).
We have decided to join Gymboree. We will start our new class when we get back from Florida. The class is like a gym class but for crawlers. Last week we did a trial, Chase got to roll around and play on various foam pieces. He really liked it. Gymboree also allows you to come play on the equipment during "open gym" time, so Ryan can take him on Saturday and just play around. Can you believe Chase will be 8 months next week? It has really gone fast. I remember when I started the blog writing that I couldn't keep up with household chores but now that he is older and can not only entertain himself but enjoys watching everything that I do, it is remarkable how much easier life is.

Papa, can you hear me?

Last night, I was feeding Chase when Ryan called to tell us he was heading home. I always put Ryan on speaker phone so Chase can hear him and talk to him. When we hung up the strangest thing happened- Chase started babbling Da, Da over and over. It was almost like he was anticipating Ryan's return, which remains the highlight of our day. I grabbed the camera and recorded a few moments of it because he looks so cute when he talks (please excuse the green beans and sweet potatoes smeared on his face).

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=130613&cdate=20061208&ctime=053525

Pearly Whites

Right on schedule, our son has begun truly teething. For months everyone has seen his drool and said, "Oh, he must be teething." but we had no evidence of future teeth. Then suddenly, a white line appeared in his gums- A TOOTH! Over the past few days the tips of the tooth have erupted along with a grumpy version of my son. He just has not been himself. He has been very demanding of my attention and quick to yell and cry. Last night he was up every 45 minutes-hour tossing and whining. Hopefully it will come all the way through soon and then I will only have to worry about him biting me :(
We have also put up our Christmas tree. We went out and got it together but actually put it in the stand after Chase was in bed. The next morning he couldn't stop staring it. It must be strange to all of the sudden have a tree in your living room. The next evening I strung the lights up and Chase was mezmorized by them. Fortunately, he hasn't wanted to go to the tree and attempt to eat it very often- he kind of lost interest (and I am glad). Instead he is in love with the vacuum cleaner. He is obsessed with getting to it and feeling the tubing. When we practice walking around the house he always heads in that direction. It is funny!
We finished our last music class and I am in the middle of negotiations with my mommy friends about what our next class will be. I would like to get Chase into a class that will give him some physical exercise.

Ready for Take Off

I am sure some of you have been wondering how our little guy is doing in the area of crawling and you will be pleased to know he is making good progress. We started putting him on all fours a few weeks ago and he was building up his strength and stamina- although we had no real movement. Over the Thanksgiving vacation, my family really encouraged Chase and even though we still had no movement he was able to stay up on all fours for a lot longer. And then finally last Sunday, when we got home he was on the floor practicing when we saw him start to push himself backwards. He went across the carpet, under a chair and around to the back of our dining room table. He desperately wants to move forward because he sees something he wants and the more he tries the further away the object gets (because he moves backwards). We did see him move his knee forward but he hasn't gotten the idea of moving his hands forward. We expect him to be crawling in no time though.

Scooting Video- http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=130613&cdate=20061201&ctime=065521

Christmas- Take One

We have returned safely from a wonderful week in the Rigby home. There were presents, hunting (although no killing- thank goodness), shopping trips, and lots and lots of ping pong games (my father treated himself to a ping-pong table for his birthday).
Chase did really well! I think he enjoys all of the activity at my mom's, always a new face to stare at and new toys to play with. If you saw all of my mom's baby supplies you would think she had an infant herself, but it makes visiting so easy and relaxing. Before Thanksgiving dinner we had our Christmas celebration. Chase fell in love with each gift and was reluctant to move on to the next one. And of course his favorite toy was a clump of ribbon my mom had tied to one of his gifts.
The biggest hit of the trip was Ping-Pong. I have never seen grown men act so serious and competitive over ping-pong before. Ryan was eager to show off his skills and my Dad was just as excited to meet the challenge. All day and night, wherever you were in their 3,000 sq ft house you could hear- bdunk, bunk, bdunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bdunk- Oh man! My brother and Luke are also strong competitors. Luke even developed a Ping-Pong tournament, where sadly I was eliminated by my heartless sister.

Mommy, Music, and Me

My saving grace- music class. Not that the class is so amazing, it is fun and I know Chase enjoys it, but because we have a scheduled activity every week to look forward to and because I have made some new mommy friends. During the class we dance, play with instruments (including big drums), twirl scarves and even bounce big colorful balls to the rhythm. Our teacher is very boisterous (and can even be a bit bossy- I got yelled at last week for shaking both of my egg shakers instead of just one- oops!) Chase loves looking at the other kids mostly he tries to touch their hands but I have to watch him carefully because he also has a fascination with touching eye balls. More importantly we have met lots of kids Chase's age with nice Mommies. We have been out to lunch several times, had playdates and been shopping. Our class is almost over so I have been researching some new options for the winter.
We are really looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. We will be traveling up to my parents house for the weekend. After Thanksgiving dinner we are also going to "celebrate Christmas" since we will not see them Christmas day. Ryan will probably do some hunting with Jason. And the girls will be going on our annual shopping trip :)

Fall Fun

Here we are enjoying a wonderful fall weekend! Chase is very curious about the falling leaves. Everywhere we go the leaves are blowing around. We set him on the ground to play with the leaves and he actually got a little dirt under his nails. It was really cute, although I had to scrub him carefully before the hands went into his mouth. The weather here has been great- cool but not cold. I am very nervous about what we will do when winter actually sets in :(

New Video- http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=130613&cdate=20061113&ctime=100141

Grammy Love

We just finished up the most wonderful week. My mother decided to come for a visit- alone. Not that I don't love my Dad, because I do- deeply, but it is nice to have some girl time. We got to shop and visit my Aunt Christy and a museum in the city. She even made it in time to come to music class with us. Chase loves his Grammy very much. They play and laugh at each other so much that it is impossible to feed him when she is around. He will settle in to eat and then fling back to see what she is doing. He can't stand to take his eyes off of her for more than a minute for fear he will miss something exciting. The real problem is my mom can't resist him, whenever he looks her way she can't help but do something silly to make him laugh. It is pretty funny! The second picture is my mom participating in our evening mail activity, where Chase rips apart a magazine. He gets so wound up that he screams as he grabs handfuls of paper trying to shove everything into his mouth. He is quite excitable!

Show Mommy How The Piggies Eat

It all started so innocently. Ryan made it home early for dinner and we were sitting peacefully feeding the baby peas and carrots. I remembered this article I had just read that said you should let your baby experiment with their food. So I put some food on his tray. It was so cute, he was just pushing it around, making a mess. We got pictures and then I grabbed the video camera. As I flick the on button I hear a choking noise and turn to see Chase with his fingers down his throat. I pulled them out, but it was too late. He started puking, throw up was going everywhere. I started screaming for Ryan, who was in the bathroom. We finally got him out of the highchair and he just looks up at us like, "woo, what just happened" then smiles.
I have been teasing that Chase is battling bulemia.
Other than that, this week has been busy with music class, playdates, and friends from college. We have been practicing how to crawl but so far we can just get up on our hands and knees. I can't wait to see him crawl but the idea of having to chase him around all day is a bit scary.

Happy Halloween!

Here he is- our ferocious lion! Isn't this costume so funny. When I first put it on to show Ryan both of us laughed so hard. Chase's face is priceless with that lion mane on. We went to our first Halloween party- it was pretty crazy. There were lots of kids running around with grown ups chasing after them, not quite what I am used to.
All is well- no big news. We have just been busy staying afloat.

New Mom Truths

Recently my Baby Talk magazine featured "71 New Mom Truths", I wanted to share a few of my favorites.
1. You will be able to shower, wash and dry your hair (or in my case pull it up) and get dressed in less than 10 minutes.
2. You will fantasize about what you would swap for a good eight hours of sleep.
3. You will wonder if it possible to get all of the crud out of your baby's skin folds.
4. You will forget all about your difficult day with your baby when you see him sleeping peacefully at night.
5. You will pretend you don't smell your child's dirty diaper as you hand him to Dad.
6. You will feel naked when you walk outside alone.
7. You will pack everything your baby could possibly need for a weekend and forget you own toothbrush or eyeglasses (or pajamas).
8. You will marvel at the volumes of unconditional love you have for your most wonderful achievement- your baby.

Moving on, we are doing great! Recovering from a month full of birthdays (and a half-birthday)! Some of you may already know, but for others who didn't realize, someone in the household has hit the big 3-0 (I can't say who). We made it through the day without any tears, YEAH! Actually it wasn't that bad. We are excited about all of the new challenges and life experiences that the next decade of life will bring. Chase did have his 6 month shots but I have a great method that makes them virtually tear free (if you need my secret recipe send me an email). Chase has almost mastered the roll over. He does really good from back to front and can (when encouraged) go from front to back. We are looking forward to our first Halloween party next week. We have the cutest costume.

Bring It On

For weeks now I have been reading that soon my child will start showing a preference for certain toys. He would start reaching for one toy and pass another up another one, showing he likes one more than the other. But up until this week it seemed he liked anything that you would shake in his face. Then like a switch was turned on- Free Will appeared. He has started purposely leaning to reach certain toys. Then yesterday, Chase was eating in his high chair everything is going great and then he reached for a rattle. Of course I had to take the rattle away because we were in the middle of eating and Whoa BIG MISTAKE- he started screaming and thrashing about. He has also taken to throwing his body backwards (sometimes for fun and other times in protest). I just keep thinking - Here we go :) This is where it gets really interesting. I know you are looking at that picture thinking that sweet face could do no wrong and for the most part you are right. He is still so sweet and snuggly. He just wants to test the water and see who is really in charge- I think it's me- Right?

Sweet Smooches

Our little man is passing on the love- it is so cute! He loves to feel our faces so he will reach up and rub our cheeks (he also pulls hair, pokes eyes and picks noses but we won't highlight those). This fascination with faces coupled with his obsession with putting everything in his mouth has led to giving kisses. Chase will grab each side of our head and pull us down to his waiting open mouth. It is so adorable (and sloppy)!
Kissing aside, Chase is the sweetest, smiliest baby! He gives a smile to everyone he sees even when they are not smiling at him. It is so fun to watch his personality come out :)
My parents have come for another round with our home renovations. Our house may someday be fully updated- we still have hope :) We will forever be indebted to them for all of the work they have done for us. Chase is loving the new faces to explore and excitement of company.

Show and Tell

Here are our lastest videos. One has Chase talking and playing with his feet and the other is in the exersaucer. We really love the excersaucer. Chase is able to play with almost all of the toys now. He has even figured out to lean and turn himself to get a new toy. I think he likes being able to stand up by himself for a while, too. Enjoy!

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=130613&cdate=20061007&ctime=140118

Our Daddy

All is well in the Cortner home this week. Chase has been making great strides in the sleeping department. He was having trouble staying in his own bed for a few weeks but has gone back to sleeping most of the night in there. He even slept for 5 hours straight on Tuesday!! He might have slept longer but when I woke up and realized that he had slept that long already I panicked and got up to check on him, all the floor squeaks woke him up. I have also made some new friends, women from my music class, and have been out social a few times. It has been really fun to get to know other moms.
Ryan has made it home before bedtime several times this week and I have to say it is the best part of the day. Chase loves getting in some Daddy playtime before bed and I get to make dinner in peace. It is so wonderful to see how much Ryan has taken to being a Daddy and how much Chase loves him. Chase's face just lights up when Ryan smiles at him, and no one gets more giggles than Ryan.

Chase's First Blog

=7YUUUUUUU MNNMRYG87MNYN
mmmmmmm
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mmmmmmmmmmmb9ijuyvvnf u8jm,u7k7k7kugbmm vfgnyhunmhnmgmn..
//1eeeeeeeesi,iji,l,7kjh bn h vub
nhhhh yu u vb ttt 8jm0yhnmyuyjhk8uyyhn
/.;'/--;[ ikmyuhjjnmmmmn

Chase watches very intently as I type my blog and has even composed a few of his own emails. He sits on my lap and pounds away. I have to watch very carefully because he always finds these strange keys and short cuts for turning the computer off or deleting programs. Anyway, I would like to provide a translation for his typing. I believe it says- I would like to send love out to my many wonderful family members who continue to be part of my fan club. I am very grateful for your support. I would like to send out a special thanks to my Uncle Randy and Aunt Jeanine for the funny t-shirts and of course my good looks.

The Big Apple

Chase has finally gotten a taste for the Big Apple. We have ventured into the city several times now and each time he has been excellent. He loves checking out the new sites and manages to take pretty good naps despite the noise. Kara came in late Friday night and then Saturday we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. The weather was perfect and the city view was amazing. We spent a few hours downtown before coming back to watch our victory over Alabama.
We are still battling problems with excessive drool despite having no teeth or prospects of teeth yet. Chase's hair is starting to grow back but we think it is much more blond than red- sorry. That is probably a good thing knowing what a handful a red head can be.

A New Discovery

Now that we have mastered our hands (i.e. their location and basic use) we have moved on to finding our feet! I can just see the wheels turning-" Hey, what are these pudgy little stubs at the end of my legs?" "When I grab my feet a little toot comes out- cool!" "Wow, look how much fun Mom has trying to change my dirty diaper while I refuse to let go of my feet."
Anyway, we are having a fun week. Chase took his first trip on the Long Island Rail Road and then on the NYC Subway. Some friends of ours were visiting from Paris and Chase and I took a trip in to meet them (and Ryan) for dinner. The child who has trouble staying asleep when the phone rings found it possible to sleep in his umbrella stroller through the streets of Manhattan- go figure. We have a busy weekend planned including a visit from Kara, a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge and whatever else we can come up with to keep the greatest little baby in the world entertained.

To Grammy's House We Go

We are just getting back from spending a few days upstate with my folks. We hitched a ride up with my Aunt Christy to celebrate Luke's 11th birthday. While we were there we took Chase apple picking. He loves being outside, so going to Grammy and Poppy's house is great- since it's in the sticks. Not to mention that Poppy likes to entertain by making chicken noises, which is quite entertaining for us too. I also enjoy these trips because there are always extra hands to lighten my load. I can take long showers, blow dry my hair, and eat dinner with two hands- the simple pleasures! My sister is quite into the "Auntie" role. She always showers us with baby supplies and toys when we visit. Although, I have to be careful asking her to change Chase's diaper as she has so much fun tickling and blowing on his big belly that a single diaper change takes 20 minutes. Needless to say, my family is really excited about having a wee one around.

A Major Milestone

We have very exciting news!! Yesterday, Chase and I were settling down to play with a new toy from Aunt Na. I was sitting behind Chase with my legs on either side. After a few minutes I realized that he was sitting up and not leaning on me for support so I backed away and... HE SAT ALONE!! I could not believe that he was sitting there by himself. Of course like a good mother I grabbed the camera to video tape this big moment and then called Ryan.
It is so exciting to see Chase grow and develop new skills. I am so thankful I can be home to witness them!
We also found a Mommy, Music and Me class to take this semester. The teacher is very enthusiastic and Chase loves to sing and dance. This particular class is only for babies so it is a much better fit for us.

My Life as a Mother

When I first saw this picture I was struck by how it captures my new role in life. I have these two wonderful men to care for, sometimes they come at me so fast it is all just a blur. They are loving and fun (and demanding!) Becoming a "stay-at-home-Mom" has been more challenging than I expected (it always looks easier when someone else does it). We are slowly working out the kinks. If I manage to keep everyone happy, clothed, and fed I feel pretty successful. I am sure things will smooth out as Chase becomes more independent to sleep and play. For right now, I am trying to just relax and enjoy being needed and cuddled so much- before we know it Chase will be a man.

PwC Picnic

Yesterday was the annual TS Family Picnic. This year we actually had a little one to show off. Most of Ryan's friends had only seen Chase in pictures, so it was fun to parade him around. The picnic was downtown on a garden rooftop. Chase did really well, which is surprising considering 50 strangers were smiling and poking at him (not to mention the poor napping conditions). The other guy in the picture is Joe who is one of Ryan's closest friends at work. His daughter is 10 months and so beautiful. They are always swapping baby pictures in the office.

Early Morning Sports Center

This morning Chase and I continued our Father/Son tradition of starting at about 5am, playtime from about 5:10 to 5:45 and then SportsCenter until Erica convinces us to give the remote back. I think he has baseball pretty much down and we're working on football now that the season is in full swing. Looking forward to the UF/UT game tonight.

Toddler Time a Bust

On Thursday, we went to a "Toddler Time" class which is offered right around the corner. Most of the kids were much older than Chase (crawling or walking) although Chase was one of the biggest kids in the class. It makes me wonder if I am feeding him too much or if other people aren't feeding their kids enough. We aren't ready for that class though because it really required mobility, maybe we will try again next session. I need to get working on another class we can attend though because we need at least one scheduled activity per week!

Slow to Start

I know we probably should have started this blog earlier- since Chase is almost 5 months now, but better late than never. I hope you all will enjoy having this small glimpse into our daily lives.