A Quick Trip to Georgia

Last week I was able to make a quick trip back to Georgia to spend some time with my family, including my nephew, Hayden. He has grown so much since I saw him at Christmas. When Dave and I were home then, Hayden didn't particularly care for me, which was OK, I knew he'd outgrow that. He kept checking me out across the dining room table at dinner. Whenever I spoke, he would crane around Mama to look at me in an attempt to figure out who this strange lady was.

While I was there, Matthew and Cindy took their first overnight trip since Hayden was born. He spent one night with my parents and the second night with Cindy's parents. He and I had plenty of quality time the two mornings Mama and Daddy were in the chicken houses. Hayden and I sat in the floor and played with his box of toys; we sat on a blanket on the front porch and watched in rain. We played "pat-a-cake" and "peek-a-boo". He has such a cute smile, and such sharp little teeth, coupled with a strong bite. I have a mark on my index finger that he gave me when I tried to retrieve a piece of paper from his mouth. He may be about to cut a jaw tooth to add to the 8 others he already has; he was a little slobber box; we went through 3 bibs in a day. A bib is much easier to change than a shirt.

He isn't crawling, but he can scoot himself around when he wants another toy or to pull on a handle. He leans forward when he sits on the floor. With one leg behind him, he can't figure out how to get his other foot past his knee. But he will soon enough, and then he'll be constantly on the move. He likes to open and close cabinet doors when he's wheelin' around in his walker; thankfully, the walker blocks the doors and prohibits his free entry into the cabinets.

Hayden wants to be an independent eater. He's eating some soft foods. He loves bananas and Vienna sausages. He stuffed an entire "viennie weinnie" into his mouth at lunch, storing part in his cheeks like a chipmunk; then like a cow, he slowly chewed small pieces until he ate the entire thing. And, he wants to drink out of a cup like a big boy. He latches on to your glass, if you'll let him, but when you give him a sippy cup, he doesn't quite grasp the concept of drinking from it. However, if he saw everyone else drinking from sippy cups, he'd figure it out.

And, I would be remiss if I didn't comment on his size. He is big. At nine months, he's approximately 26 pounds. (Matthew will give me an official weight after he goes to the doctor for his nine-month appointment this week.) He's wearing 18 month clothes, and 24-month aren't that big. The outfit he has on in the picture below, which Cindy bought in Florida, is a 3T. With parents both over 6' tall; he's bound to be tall.

Below is a picture of Matthew (who has shaved his goatee for the first time in I couldn't say), Hayden, and me.