Crazy Pookie!

It's the little things.

I heard and saw Pookie stirring on our video monitor, so I went to his room to fetch him from his late afternoon nap. When I arrived at his crib, he was smiling so darn big, playing and cuddling with Scout while the toy played a soft lullaby. I might have cried a little. Okay, okay, I did cry for a minute or two.

Alas, I didn't get a picture of the scene that made me so uncharacteristically emotional. I was too caught up in the moment to capture a shot. But I will say, it's simple moments like this one that mean more than anything else in the world to me. I could never, ever imagine a life without Pookie now that he's here.

Strangers in a strange land.

This weekend, we took Pookie on his first out-of-state road trip. Needing desperately to get out of the city, we all headed north aimlessly, in search of nothing but a bit of bucolic peace. We found it in Oklahoma!

We didn't get out of the car much, but we enjoyed the view of the Arbuckle Mountains from the comfort of our air-conditioned truck. We drove around the Lake of the Arbuckles and cruised down many a curvy, hilly road, slowing down just enough to relish life outside the big city for a short time.

Pookie did so well--just like he did when we went down to South Texas when he was just 3 months old. He napped quite a bit and played quietly with his toys in his car seat, occasionally babbling and calling out to let us know he was hungry.

Seeing how smoothly it went, we'll be taking plenty more trips like this every chance we get!

Torin's first 4th!

For our first Independence Day as a family, we kept things pretty low key. We had lunch at Snuffer's, then we went for a peaceful drive through the East Texas countryside. Even though Pookie wasn't in the best mood today (he's either sick or teething--he has a runny nose), he still managed a few laughs and smiles, one of which we were lucky enough to capture on camera.

Pookie continues to crawl like crazy and pull up to standing. In the past couple of weeks, he has started to babble more. Also, I think he has been waving at me! I hope to post videos of his latest accomplishments very soon.

A fantastic first Father's Day!

Pookie and his daddy after bath time

Pookie had a few surprises up his stretchy little pajama sleeves for Joey's first Father's Day today. First, Pookie woke us up with smiles and laughs. Then he kissed his mommy for the first time ever. Next, after rolling around and playing on our bed for a few minutes, he and I gave Joey our greeting cards.

Afterward, Pookie presented Joey with a customized hardcover storybook about Joey himself: My SuperDad! The book features Joey's face on the body of a superhero. Of course Joey got a huge laugh out of this gift, and we could tell he was very proud of it.

Once we all finally got up and got dressed, we headed to Fogo de Chao, a churrascaria at which Pookie had made a reservation for 3. Joey and I feasted upon ginormous salads and delectable meats, while Pookie feasted upon his tabletop toy.

Having gotten more than our fill from the Brazillian steakhouse, we headed to my parents' house to give my dad a Father's Day card and hang out for a bit. My parents got each of us, including Pookie, an official Dallas Mavericks NBA championship T-shirt--score!

At the end of the day, Joey gave Pookie a nice splish-splashy bath, and then Pookie went straight to sleep. All of that gift-giving and planning must have worn him out!

Pookie and I are so lucky to have Joey for a dad and husband, and I hope we gave him a Father's Day he'll always cherish.

And our first word is...

..."edit."

That sound you hear is me sobbing with regret. The poor kid has already declared an interest in his mother's thankless, underpaying former profession. At least he's already used to the sleepless nights.

But seriously, I know it's not a "word" per se. I'm just thrilled that Torin is beginning to really babble now. This cuteness pretty makes up for the horrors of teething.

(Sorry, I can't seem to rotate the video for proper viewing.)

As a language geek, I look forward to seeing how his speech progresses. Oh, and now would be a good time for Daddy and I to start watching our own language and substituting our favorite four-letter words with a more child-friendly vocabulary.

We officially have our first tooth!

Yep, after over a week of agony, that first tooth has finally made its way through Pookie's gums. It's the bottom right central incisor. The central incisor to its left looks like it will be here in a few more days. I hope I can post a picture later--it's hard to get one because that goofy Pookie likes to stick his tongue out all the time, and we can't keep our fingers in his mouth long enough to get a snapshot.

I hope the next 19 teeth don't cause as much trouble as this first one has, but I have a feeling we're in for a few rough months.