"Mama" - He said it...or did he?!

First, let me say how much I have LOVED being able to spend more time with Sage since school is out for the summer! It's true that I'm still working, but only two or three days a week. It's been so fun to be with Sage all day.

Yesterday, though, I did have to work - all day. About half way through the afternoon of the dreadful data training I was attending, Jared sent me a text message saying, "Sage said his first word." So, of course, I had to know what Sage said. Jared and I traded text messages, but he wouldn't tell me what Sage said saying, "I'd rather say it." I stepped out of the training because I had to know!

I called Jared and he said Sage said, "Mama." Can you believe it?! The first time he says "mama" and I'm not even around to hear it. I wouldn't have believed Jared at all except for that fact that Jared's dad was at the house playing with Sage and verified that Sage really said it.

So, of course, I rushed home as soon I finished the training and tried all night to get Sage to say "mama" again. But, to no avail. =( He hasn't said it since either. Guess I'll keep trying!

9 month stats

Sage had his nine-month check up at the doctor's office this morning. Dr. Ortiz said he's a "happy, healthy baby." She also said he "has a look" that she thinks he is going to be a climber. Based on our experiences, we're in agreement.

Sage weighed 20 pounds, 12 ounces and was 29 inches tall. He is in the 75th percentile for height and the 55th for weight. Sage was brave today - he didn't cry at all when they pricked his finger and barely cried when they gave him his shot. He does have an iron deficiency - so he's on iron drops twice a day for six weeks to see if that corrects itself.

Other than that, Sage is growing and developing as expected. He's crawling on all fours instead of on his tummy pretty consistently now. He pulls himself up with ease and even attempts a few steps standing.

Baby #2 and mom had a check-up last Friday. The heartbeat was at 155. The nurse was "waiting for the baby to settle down" to get a good heart rate. I don't think baby #2 ever settles down! It is one active baby - always kicking, punching, rocking and rolling. Jared got his first feel of the baby moving the other night. He said he came to bed and put his hand on my stomach and "whap!" a swift kick to his hand. Only a few more months and baby will be here!

Backyard Summer Fun

Here's Sage enjoying his baby pool and some water from the hose. Sage loves water!!!

Summer Fun

Sage enjoyed an afternoon with mom and Grandma at the Botanical Gardens. The children's area there is spectacular! Sage particularly loved the sand, music and movement area, and water play.

Sleeping Angel...

We love to take naps together!

snuggling with mommy and baby #2...

Daddy's turn for some snuggles.

Sayonara Swimming Pool!

Yesterday, we said sayonara to our swimming pool. Jared never wanted the pool in the first place. I loved it last year, but knew that it wouldn't get used as much this year being pregnant and having a nine month old. There are many other reasons we decided to get rid of the pool - the insurance liability, the maintenance, the yard space it took up, etc. Mostly, though, we decided having a pool wasn't the most practical thing with two young babies/toddlers. By the time the kids are old enough to really enjoy the pool, we will probably be moved into a new home.

So, I put the pool on craigslist with the stipulation that the buyer come take down the pool with all the accessories and take it away. Within thirty minutes of posting, I had over 30 e-mails and by the end of the day close to 50. The first person who responded actually ended up being the person who came and got the pool.

Yesterday, the new buyers showed up just after it finished storming at 9:00 in the morning. With the help of Jared, my father-in-law, and Justin, the pool demo was complete by 12:30. The pool was actually relatively easy to take down. The deck attached to the pool turned out to be a monster and lots of sawing was required. Anyway, the pool is gone! Now, we have a giant sand/mud pit. It would be perfect for mud wrestling if anyone's interested. We're waiting for the ground to dry and then we are going to re-do our backyard.

Before and after pictures...

Who is this monster?

Sage has shown his first signs of defiance in the last week or so. It started with him refusing to eat his cereal and fruit or veggies. He only wants to eat if he can feed himself or only wants his bottle. So, to show his defiance, he will tighten his lips or stick out his tongue and say, "MMMMM!" as in, "no, I'm not eating that!" At first it was funny.

Then, on Monday, when I picked him up from the babysitter's house, Julie had been trying to get him down for a nap. She was unsuccessful and Sage was screaming in the back room when I got there. Julie went to get him and as she was walking back towards me with said screaming child - Sage started shaking his head "no." It was very clear he was shaking his head in protest. I said, "who are you and what did you do with my sweet baby boy?" I was very surprised and wondered where he learned such a thing!

For right now, Sage's defiance is cute and we have to stop ourselves from laughing out loud. I imagine that in the near future, it won't be so cute...

Presenting Baby Kelly #2

Thursday, May 21st, Jared, Sage, and I trekked to the doctor's office to get a look at the newest Kelly family member. After a grueling, two hour wait, we finally had our turn in the ultrasound room.

We saw the baby all curled up and not cooperating! The ultrasound tech and doctor kept trying to get the baby to uncurl so they could get a good look at the heart. But, baby was quite cozy and apparently sleeping. We saw a good profile shot - and of course, this baby looks just like daddy too. There were long arms and legs and gigantic feet! All the baby's organs look great and baby is growing as expected, still measuring for a due date of October 5, 2009.

Yes, Jared did see the sex. Unfortunately, so did mom. I REALLY wanted it to be a surprise this time. But, when the ultrasound tech was trying to get the baby to move positions so she could see the heart, I caught a glimpse of the gender parts. I wasn't sure what I saw, so I kept my eyes closed when the ultrasound tech did the actual gender identification. The gender pictures went into a sealed envelope that Jared put in his pocket. I didn't even want to know...yesterday.

Overnight, I thought and dreamt about what I saw more and more. I even had a small panic attack about what the sex was and thinking about what it really means to parent/raise that sex! So, this morning, I made Jared confirm what I saw. He tried to lie at first, but I knew. So, Jared and I both know the sex and...

WE'RE NOT TELLING!!!

Everyone else will find out the baby's sex on baby's birthday.

Warning...this 3-D picture looks a little frightening. The baby looks like a goblin in the picture, but trust me, it's cute!

And over he goes...

Tuesday morning, I was getting ready for work. As I was making my breakfast in the kitchen, I heard Sage wake up and start playing in his crib. I started to make him a bottle, and the next thing I hear is Sage rattling the side of his crib. Then, "Tumble, Tumble, THUD!"

I run into Sage's room to see him lying on his stomach, on the floor, outside of his crib, looking like a fish out of water and just starting to cry. Sage managed to climb over the railing and flip over out of his crib! Oh my gosh!

I swooped him up off the ground to comfort him and he quickly quit crying. Luckily, I think he was more scared than hurt. I could not believe he could climb over the side of crib like that already!!! We have quite the risk-taker on our hands.

Here's what Sage looks like before he's awake and flipping himself out of his crib...sleeping peacefully with his little booty in the air. Too cute!

Watch out world, here I come!

Sage has mastered the art of the commando crawl and even pulls himself to a standing position. He is so fast at crawling that he can get across the living room, through the kitchen (including over the support bars at the bottom of the kitchen chairs), and to Rosco's food and water bowls in record time! Luckily, Rosco rarely leaves anything in the bowl for Sage to dump.

Checking out Rosco's toys!

When Sage isn't exploring previously unknown territory, he loves to make music on his new piano, drum, and banjo set. He also has discovered the joy of looking out the living room window. He will pull himself up and hold onto the back of the couch to look out the window that overlooks our front yard and the street. Sage loves it when the window is open and the breeze blows on his face. Watching big trucks, lawn mowers, and motorcycles go by also make for a happy baby.