Boogity Boogity Boogity...Let's Go Racing

According to Jax, "Today was a good day!" I'm pretty sure Grandfather would agree. Today, they attended Jaxon's first NASCAR event, the Nationwide Series Camping World 300. It was the "warm-up" for the big race tomorrow, the 51st running of the Daytona 500.

Jax has been anxiously awaiting this day since he missed out on the 500 last February. Grandfather was willing to take him, but I was worried that the noise would be too much for his little ears. The poor kid has been eyeing the radio headsets almost daily for an entire year! I think he might have been more excited to use the headsets than to see the race. Nah, but the headsets were definitely a close second!

For Aunt Kelly

Ask and you shall receive, Aunt Kelly. Introducing Baylor's 1st tooth!

I realize it's probably hard to see in the picture, but it's there. He's quite proud of it too, until you try to photograph it, evidently. Then, he's quite protective of it. In a relatively short amount of time, he has mastered the use of his 1 tooth. You would be amazed at what he can chew with his lone tooth. I can only imagine the damage he will do when the rest show up!

Another Milestone

He did it! Baylor took his first steps, 3 of them! I was sitting in one of the living room chairs with Baylor on the floor standing next to me. I was actually trying to examine his gums to see if any new teeth were on the verge of making an appearance. Sadly, it looks like his 1 tooth will be lonely for a bit longer.

After a thorough exam, I turned him loose. Instead of reaching for the end table to bridge the gap between the chair and the couch, he just walked right over to the couch like it was no big deal. I, of course, made a huge deal over his accomplishment. I was telling him, "Way to go, Baylor! You walked, buddy! You're such a big boy! You walked!" Baylor just looked at me like,"No biggie, Mom. What are you so excited about?"

It wasn't until Baylor did it AGAIN that he really exhibited any excitement over the milestone. He paused, looked over at me with a huge smile, and waited for me to go nuts again. I obliged, and that was it, back to crawling. For now, at least. Hopefully, he'll give a repeat performance when Daddy gets home and for Grandfather and Grandma this weekend.

Baylor better get moving, actually. In less than 2 weeks, he will be 9 months old. Jax was sprinting from one end of the house to the other by 9 months. Will he hold on to his bragging rights? We'll see!

He'll Take What's Behind Door #1

Baylor must have read the blog entry yesterday, and now, he's jealous that I called his big brother clever. That's the only explanation for why he's suddenly acting like he has something to prove. To show me just how "smart" he is, Baylor now demonstrates several times a day that he is able to open all the bathroom and kitchen cabinets/drawers. PLUS, he's able to scatter all the cabinet/drawer contents around the room in under 5 seconds! How did I end up with such talented boys?

It's Official

Baylor now eats just as much, if not more than Jax. Here is today's evidence.

Jax:

• Half an apple with chocolate peanut butter as dip for breakfast
• 1 egg, 2 sausage patties, 2 slices of toast with jelly for lunch
• A few free samples while we were at Costco as a snack
• About a cup of rice with chicken curry for dinner

Baylor:

• 8oz bottle + 1/2 cup of goldfish crackers + 1 cup of puff treats
• About a cup of grits + a couple of bites of scrambled egg for lunch
• Another 8oz bottle + another 1/2 cup of puff treats as a snack
• 1 1/2 cups of rice porridge for dinner
• Another 8oz bottle before bed

I keep telling Jax that he better start to eat more. Baylor is catching up!

Too Smart

Sometimes Jax is just too smart or maybe I should say clever. Here's an example. Today we were strolling through Costco. Jax pointed to a Wii game and asked, "Mommy, can I get that?" Now, normally I can be persuaded to get him whatever it is that he's asking for because honestly, the kid doesn't really ask for much.

Jax doesn't have to. Grandfather usually buys it long before Jax is even aware that it exists. So when Jax does ask for something it's usually 1 of 2 extremes. It's either something really small, like a treat or drink, or something really cool & expensive, like a go-cart. So my typical response is usually, "Yes." to the small items or, "Let your Dad and I talk about it." for the expensive things.

Today, when Jax asked for the Wii game, I told him, "No, we don't need any more Wii games right now. You got a couple of new games for Christmas, and we need to get our money's worth out of those games before we buy new ones." Jax seemed surprised. He looked at me and said, "Wait. Wait. Can't we talk about it?" Too funny that one!

And, We're Off

Okay, not really. Although, we could be if we wanted to. A mere 2 weeks has passed since we submitted our applications, but today the kids and I received our passports. Bring on the jet set lifestyle! Just kidding...maybe. Anh really, really hopes I'm kidding.

I'm not sure why I felt this overwhelming need for the entire family to have passports. Maybe I've watched one too many movies where a war/revolution breaks out on our soil or there's an outbreak of an incurable disease or an alien invasion forces the masses to flee the United States. Maybe I don't want to miss out on some incredible last minute deal on an international family vacation. Maybe I'm fearful of the direction this country is headed given the current economy and political climate. Whatever the reason, I was on a mission to get everyone passports.

Mission accomplished!