First Words, Babyproofing, and New Years! 9 1/2 Months Old

After all of our company left, we took a look around our house and realized that Trey has WAY too many toys, and we can't live in a toy store anymore. So we decided to clean up... the pack n' play that has been a fixture in our Family Room for the last 12 months is now put away. We justified this by the fact that Trey naps in his bedroom most days now, and although it made me sad to see it go, our downstairs magically looks 5 times bigger now!!!! We also brought our beautiful chest that I gave Doug as a wedding gift downstairs and it is now officially a toybox for our living room. It worked out great, since it is big, and it is a gorgeous wooden color, so it looks fabulous with our furniture!

This week we have babyproofed the heck out of our house. I know so many parents that didn't have to babyproof to any major extent because their children just knew what was right and wrong. OUR CHILD, on the other hand, does not seem to get this. He crawls everywhere, opens everything, stands up and climbs on things, and puts everything in his mouth. Don't get me wrong... he knows the difference between right and wrong, he just chooses to do what is wrong, not what is right. He will actually look around to make sure I don't see him and then head over to the kitchen cabinets or dishwasher- and yes, he can get them all open. We have the big soft and wide baby gate to corral Trey in the kitchen and family room, we have baby locks on all of the cabinets (including the ones in the bathrooms), I have moved most picture frames out of his reach, we keep all toilet seats down, all outlets have covers, and I'm sure there is much more to come! Everyone tells me this is a sign of how smart he is... although that does reassure me, it is also a very real sign of the fact that he will push his limits, and that is so frustrating!

We had a wonderful New Years Eve with our friends- I couldn't have asked for a better night- and the best part of all was that we had put Trey down at the party, but he woke up around 10pm, and stayed awake with us until midnight. At around 11:45pm, Doug and I took Trey home and we rang in the New Year as a family- just the 3 of us, and it was so precious. Unfortunately, I have no pictures from that night, although I'm hoping someone will send me some so I can post them!

This week Doug joined Trey and I at Gymboree for the first time! It was so fun to have Doug there, and since it was a holiday week for everyone, a lot of the other mommies brought the daddies with them too. Having Doug there was definitely a distraction for Trey and he kept wanting to crawl to Doug and sit in his lap instead of play with the other kids and toys. I think Gymboree is more beneficial when it's just Trey and I! :)

Last of all, I am going to share something with all of you- against my better judgement. Since Trey was 6 months old (to the day, to be exact), he has been saying "Da-da-da-da". I have NOT documented this as his first word, since I wasn't 100% sure he actually associated Doug/ "Dada" with his "Da-da-da-da" rambling. Today we went to Autobell (the carwash) and Trey and I stayed in the back seat, while Doug got out of the car and let the men vacuum and clean. Trey was playing with me and he glanced out the window and saw Doug in the distance. He immediately started clapping his hands and saying (clear as a bell) DaDa. I still was hesitant to consider this a word, but the clincher for me was when he stopped clapping and POINTED to Doug saying DaDa. Ok, fine, Doug wins... Trey says DaDa! He also says "Bye" whenever I hang up or get off the phone, which cracks me up :).

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve, and I am looking forward to all that 2010 has to bring!!!!