Dallas Firsts

Okay, I'm going to do my blog entry while this video uploads. I really hope it works, because if it does, I'm very excited to post a video of Paxton clapping. I haven't actually filmed it yet, but I will tomorrow. He just started getting the real technical aspects of clapping down this weekend. Previously, I mentioned that he would hold one hand against his tummy and hit it with his other hand. That was his way of clapping. Now he actually holds both hands out in front of him and gently touches his curled hands together, over and over. He loves it when I clap. He grins this giant grin and then he starts to copy me. I thought my heart couldn't get any bigger with love. What did I know?!

Paxton has a couple of firsts this weekend. On Friday, he got up on his hands and knees and rocked a bit, a known precursor to crawling. I realize that I don't give him enough floor time, so I am going to make an effort to let him have more floor freedom from now on. We only have one small carpet in the living room, and I have the vacuum out next to it, to clean it every day. It gets furry fast thanks to the pets.

Paxton also waved this weekend. We were at my Grandma Betty's retirement home and as we toured the building, we were stopped every few minutes by admiring seniors. He was cooed over extensively. It was very sweet. When one woman waved goodbye to him, he already had his hand in the air, so he began to wave at her. When he makes these steps, I want to stop everyone and shout that this is his first time doing this or that. But strangers generally don't get the importance of the moment. I remember when he smiled at me for the first time at a La Leche League meeting and I said excitedly, "Oh! He just smiled for the first time!", everyone was very polite but a bit dismissive. Unless it's your own child, it's not really that exciting, I guess.

By the way, all these firsts happened during our weekend trip to Dallas. Chris had tickets to the Black Sabbath concert, so Paxton and I made our own plans to visit family and friends. We're not metal fans, so we let Daddy have his own fun while we ventured off on our own. We spent the night with Sarah Friday night. I'm so glad we did. We always have a great time when we aren't rushed in our time together. I loves me some Sarah. I've had a few best friends in my life and Sarah is one of them. I was reminded this weekend of how much we have in common when I used her shower. The shampoo I brought in with me is the same shampoo she had on the shelf. The razor I brought was the same as the one she has. And then when I went to brush my teeth, I saw that not only do we have the same brand of toothbrush, but the same color!! They are small things, but they are just indicators of the bigger bonds we share. Sarah is one of those friends I've made sure to keep in my life over the years, even when our lives are moving in different directions. Sitting in her living room, with our children (her daughter is exactly one month younger than Paxton, and her son is 2-1/2), I just thanked God that we've been able to stay in each other's lives. I love her.

One last thing about the visit to Dallas...Paxton was a trouper to endure the lack of naps. He was so out of his element. At Sarah's he slept in a room near where Sarah and I stayed up late talking. There wasn't a door on the room, so he could hear us chatting away. He did pretty well, though. He only woke up once. Sarah's kids wake up around 7, which is like the middle of the night for me and Pax. We might wake up at 6 so he can grab a bite, but we're never up for more than a half-hour, then we sleep for another two hours or so. When he heard us all getting up at seven, he was a little confused, but rolled with it. He laid back down around 9 for a short nap before we left to visit my sister-in-law. He had just fallen asleep in the car when we arrived at our destination. Same with the next trip. He got maybe 10 minutes of sleep in the car. And then we went back to my brother-in-law's house, where we always stay when we're in Dallas. I think until Paxton gets a little older, we might have to start staying in a hotel. With four dogs (not including Jelly), and the bedroom just next to the living room, Paxton just couldn't get to sleep. He was miserable, which made me miserable. I was sleepy, too, so I was a little bitchy. When we drove home on Sunday, he slept for three hours straight without so much as stirring once. I'm glad to be home and back to our usual routine. I have a couple of jobs tomorrow and then we're going to a play group after that. Hopefully he has caught up on his sleep by then!

Okay, in the future, I'll post shorter blogs. This one took forever to upload. Hope it's worth it. Check back soon and I'll post more.