Sea legs.

Today was Torin's first Memorial Day, and we spent most of it Andrew, Jennifer, and Preston's house, along with our friend Sarah C. and her lovely daughter, Hannah. Andrew and Jennifer set up the kiddie pool for Preston and Hannah, and we thought this would be a good opportunity for Torin to get in his first swim.

He did very well, merrily kicking his legs like he does in the bathtub! Of course, he was only in the water for a couple of minutes, but he was mesmerized by the moving water and the splashes his pals were making. More than anything, he wanted to put the pool toys in his mouth--after all, he is teething.

Our Pookie has so many more firsts in store for himself in the coming months. I'm sure this will be one of our best summers ever!

Another milestone!

As of tonight, it is finally official: We have a crawler!

We knew it was coming. Torin had been "army crawling" for a couple of weeks, and within the past few days, he had been working on coordinating his leg movements with his arm movements.

I'd post some pictures or a video, but my phone was stolen today while we were at the Dallas Comic Con, so I couldn't capture any media that is easy to upload. I did catch the first crawling episode with our real camcorder, so I hope to upload that footage soon.

Oh, and Torin is still pulling himself up to standing and is very proud of himself every time he does it. But of course, his mommy and daddy are quite proud, too.

This parenting thing brings with it a certain type of pride I've never before experienced. Here's to many, many more days--and years--filled with such pride.

The first stand.

Well, it happened tonight. At just over 7 months of age, Torin has skipped crawling and has pulled himself to standing:

I was trying to upload the video here, but it doesn't seem to be working. Nonetheless, Joey and I are two proud parents tonight. Not that we ever aren't!

My first Mother's Day.

To commemorate the big day, Torin and his daddy got me this adorable card shaped like a bib:

The inside reads, "Happiest Mother's Day wishes to a very special new mom. Enjoy every minute of it!"

Unfortunately, beyond that, we didn't end up doing anything for my first Mother's Day. Although I didn't receive a gift or a nice meal or some other such gesture, I will always appreciate my sweet boy. I see him grow up just a little bit more each day. In fact, we installed his big-boy car seats in each of our cars today:

Yep, that's a Recaro seat--the same company that makes awesome race car seats! Torin loves his new seats and is ready to rule the road. I'm ready for the ride--I think.

If I can be a loving, caring mother to my Pookie, that's the best Mother's Day gift I could ever give myself.

Stranger Danger!

Well, it has officially begun. Torin is now scared of people he doesn't know. Gone are the halcyon days in which he would beam while anyone held him. Now he sticks out his bottom lip and wails until Mommy or Daddy takes him back. Our poor friend Sarah C. was the first to experience this, last night. It's unfortunate that it started with her; she's been one of Torin's biggest admirers, although she rarely sees him.

In better news, our Pookie is finally sitting up unassisted (if only for a few seconds or a minute or so at a time). Once we hone this skill a bit more, we can finally introduce him to his convertible car seat and the world of shopping cart seats and restaurant highchairs.

Everything is happening so slowly, it seems, but I know I'll reflect upon this time later on and realize just how quickly Pookie is growing up.

And a happy first Easter it was!

As you can see, the Easter Bunny spoiled Torin on his first Easter. And just what did that big, lovable rabbit leave for our dear boy?

• Bath toys
• A toy that makes lots of bubbles
• Soft blocks
• A Leap Frog "My Pal Scout"
• Several teether toys
• A pair of sunglasses
• A khaki summer hat
• A car seat/stroller toy
• A couple of small Fisher-Price cars
• A toy cell phone

How can we parents ever top that sort of gift giving? Looks like we'll have to overboard on his birthday!

After getting some good pictures of Torin and his loot, we headed out for lunch at Loose Wheels, Texas--a biker bar near the Oklahoma border (but don't worry, they're very kid friendly during the day). Afterward, we took a leisurely drive through the country in northeast Texas, visiting Paris and Cooper Lake along the way. It was nice to get away from the city and leave our troubles back at home for a little while.

In all, it was a terrific Easter Sunday, full of the merriment I've always imagined possible for a family of my own.

Edited: Just now, Pookie sat up unassisted for a couple of minutes in his crib. He just began sitting on his own last night, but only for a few seconds at a time. I guess his lengthy sitting spell tonight--a major milestone--was his Easter gift to us!

Overboard?

Uh-oh. Don't tell Torin, but I've been conspiring with the Easter Bunny concerning Torin's Easter basket. It looks like our eyes were bigger than the basket...

Anyway, we're looking forward to showering Pookie with gifts tomorrow. He's going to have so many new things to gnaw on--I can't wait!