When you have the WHOLE HOUSE to yourself?  I’m not exactly sure.  Now Dade has been gone before, however not like this WITHOUT Clint being here.  Clint’s gone to Indy for the week (In fact this blog was interrupted by a phone call from him).  He’s already having a good time, and he’s informed me that he has met ALOT of important awesome people in the gaming industry (Thumbs up!!!) Empire of Dust (EoD) is going to be released tomorrow.  I have a good feeling about all this!!! It’s the most expensive game that he has ever done, let alone the biggest.  But it’s awesome!!

I found myself coloring this evening and it was a nice relaxing end to a long day.

I’ve decieded that I need to start gaming more often.  I really want to, but I’ve been using Dade has an excuse not to.  We usually don’t start until after Dade goes to bed, so there’s no real reason why I can’t. We shall see.

Slinky and I are going to hand out upstairs here in a few minutes. I feel bad because he was alone all day.  Aaron is going to come over tomorrow for a bit to let him out.  He’ll enjoy that.

I think I hear Taladaga Nights calling my name from the bedroom. Slinky looks on the tired side, and I’m sure if I look in the mirror I’ll see a tired Cassie.

Dade has recently starting sitting up on his own for longer than 20 seconds.  He sat up for about an hour yesterday with out PAT (Parents As Teachers) person playing.  He doesn’t like lying on his back as much anymore.  He prefers to be on his tummy, or sitting up. I’ve spend most of the afternoon loading videos to our YouTube Account of the little guy.  The first one is Dade playing with a kitchen towel.  Of all his toys that he has, when he gets ahold of a towel or blanket this is what he does:

This one is just a typical play time with Dade:

He’s getting so big, so fast!

I signed Dade up for the Gymboree Play and Learn 1 Class today.  The first class is free.  It’s geared towards babies that are 0-6 months old. I’m super excited.  I got a postcard in the mail that other day about it.   I wasn’t sure if there was a location close to us, but low and behold there’s on over by Sylvan!

I’m going to wait and see what the class is like, before I make any decisions, but they have music classes starting at 6 months old.  I think it would be good for Clint and Dade to do something like that during the week, and then I can go the Play and Learn classes with him on the weekends.

Our PAT person is coming Wednesday morning, and then at noon Dade and I will go to our Play and Learn Class.

Mom and Dad have Dade until Monday afternoon.  I love my kid to death, but I needed a small break to do some homework and relax before I go back to work in two weeks.

My timer just went off for the laundry, so I better go check it!

I’ve been HORRIBLE at blogging lately.  Even now I’ve got some stuff that I need/want to get done, but I’m forcing myself to do a blog.  I shouldn’t say forcing, but you parents know how it is, once the little one is down for the night you can get some stuff done.

Dade’s front bottom two teeth are coming in, and it’s creating an uncomfortable baby. He’s still being his normal awesome self, just a little bit more fussy than normal.  I noticed early this week that he was pulling his ear.  At first I thought he had just found his ear, but he continued to do it.  He’s been running a low fever because of the teething, but I thought maybe he had an ear infection. This morning his normal routine did a huge change when he didn’t want to play, and just wanted to be held and sleep. When Clint got home we took him to see his doctor. I LOVE our doctor’s office because they have urgent care EVERYDAY!!!  So even though it was  a Sunday, we still could take him in.  The doc said that he doesn’t have an ear infection, it’s just the pain from the teething moving up his jaw line to his ear.  When he pulls his ear he relieves some of the pressure.  The doctor said we are doing everything right, meaning Baby Orajel and Tylenol about every 6 hours of so to help with the teething.  He seemed to think that Dade’s front bottom teeth will break through the gum line very very soon.

Dade is a rolling machine.  I rearranged the living room yesterday and we gave a friend of ours, our coffee table. Dade has a ton of room now to move around in the living room without getting hurt. He’s starting to get his legs underneath him to crawl, but can’t seem to get the front half up at the same time.  It’s very cute to watch.  I’ll have to video tape it sometime.

Alrighty. Now I don’t feel so bad about blogging.  If you want an update, shoot me a comment and beg for a blog, then it will get me going.

OH YEAH! Before I forget, I’ve already found one of Dade’s Christmas presents. Check this out!

That would be me.  I was informed earlier this week, by my mother, that she was having a garage sale later this month, and that if I had anything to sell, I needed to bring it to there house, and help work the sale.  I guess that’s a fair price. So today I tackled the downstairs closet. I should have taken a before and after picture of what it looked like.  Let’s just say that now I have a location that all my scrapbooking supplies are now accessible. I actually want to scrapbook now.  The main reason why I haven’t been is because all of my things were piled in Dade’s closet and getting to them would have been a nightmare.  Not anymore!

My crazy cleaning didn’t stop there.  For some reason I decided to move a huge cabinet across the room, and rearrange my cooking things.  Again I should have taken pictures.  But I didn’t.  Those that come over to my house a lot will notice a big difference in the dining room.  I believe Clint and I can now eat off of our pub table instead of the sofas.

Dade is rolling from tummy to back, and back to tummy now!  He’s a crazy rolling machine. I need to seriously get the baby gates installed as soon as possible.  I want to get the ones that you screw into the wall and that have a latch.  Safety never hurt no body.

Dade’s tummy has had the tastes of sweet potatoes, sweet peas, carrots, and green beans.  Plus we have introduced apple juice. He gets a veggie in place of his noon time bottle, plus 4 oz juice.  I’ve found that if he gets a sip of juice before he’s finished his veggie, he won’t go back to the veggie.  He throws a huge fit until he gets the juice.  So today he didn’t get his bottle with apple juice until he ate all his carrots.  It worked very nicely.

Tomorrow I’m going to tackle more random things that will be sold, plus a doctor’s appointment. Now I’m going to relax and watch some Harry Potter.

I just got back from my first motorcycle ride. WOW!!! CRAZY SCARY!!! 

My friend Danielle’s dad, Gene took me.  I got neverous on the s-curve just past my parent’s house, but I was better on the return trip.  I’m super exhausted.  Dade was up several times last night, and I was on the go all day today.

We are going to try and leave about 8 tomorrow morning.  We’ll see how that goes.  I’m going to miss Clint, and I’m sure that he’s going to miss Dadey more than me. LOL!  But it will be nice to get away.  We are staying at a hotel in Oklahoma because my Aunt’s AC went out.  Bright side is that it has a pool, so Dade will get to try swimming!  He loves his bathes, so I’m hoping that he’s going to like the pool.

He got Sweet Peas and Apple Juice today for the first time today.  He seemed to like it.  I tasted the Sweet Peas before I gave it to him.  They were bland compared to the Sweet Potatoes, but still yummy!

I’m super tired, but Chad and Dad are downstairs playing the Wii.  Dade is sleeping in his pack-n-play down there too. I’m going to have to boot them out so I can go to sleep.

I’m driving to Oklahoma, Dade first long road trip.  I’m excited!

I’m sitting here at my parent’s house, using my dad’s computer. Dade is passed out on the floor asleep. I was looking up a milestone chart to see how Dade’s doing compared to other kiddos. Here’s the chart (curtosity of Baby Center)

Child’s Age	Mastered Skills (most kids can do)	Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)	Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
1 month	• Lifts head when lying on tummy • Responds to sound • Stares at faces	• Follows objects briefly with eyes • Vocalizes: oohs and aahs • Can see black-and-white patterns	• Smiles, laughs • Holds head at 45-degree angle
2 months	• Vocalizes: gurgles and coos • Follows objects across field of vision • Notices his hands • Holds head up for short periods	• Smiles, laughs • Holds head at 45-degree angle • Makes smoother movements	• Holds head steady • Can bear weight on legs • Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (mini-pushup)
3 months	• Recognizes your face and scent • Holds head steady • Visually tracks moving objects	• Squeals, gurgles, coos • Blows bubbles • Recognizes your voice • Does mini-pushup	• Rolls over, from tummy to back • Turns toward loud sounds • Can bring hands together, bats at toys
4 months	• Smiles, laughs • Can bear weight on legs • Coos when you talk to him	• Can grasp a toy • Rolls over, from tummy to back	• Imitates sounds: “baba,” “dada” • Cuts first tooth • May be ready for solid foods

So I did this up till 4 months, since that’s what we are getting ready to head into. I can’t help but say this, but Dade falls into the last column. That makes me happy.

Here’s the rest of the chart for months 5 and 6

5 months	• Distinguishes between bold colors • Plays with his hands and feet	• Recognizes own name • Turns toward new sounds • Rolls over in both directions	• Sits momentarily without support • Mouths objects • Separation anxiety may begin
6 months	• Turns toward sounds and voices • Imitates sounds • Rolls over in both directions	• Is ready for solid foods • Sits without support • Mouths objects • Passes objects from hand to hand	• Lunges forward or starts crawling • Jabbers or combines syllables • Drags objects toward himself

I can see some things in month 5 that he is already doing. He LOVES his hands and toes already. We’ll see how everything goes!

Sweet Potatoes

Dade loved his sweet potatoes if you couldn’t tell. Our new daily routine is now getting veggies in the afternoon with a bottle, and then cereal and a bottle right before bed.  We’ll see if that helps him sleep all night. He only gets up once in the night, but it would be nice if he’d sleep all the way through. He feel asleep earlier than I would have liked, but he had a long day, with little naps.

I’m going to Oklahoma at the end of this month, and I can’t wait!  I’m super duper excited!  I’ve got two more weeks of work left. 8 days with students!  Next Wednesday I’m going to World’s of Fun with my students so that will be fun.

I can tell that my medicine is running out of steam, I better go take some. I’m going to try very very very hard to post more.  We will see if that works.

So many things are running through my head right now, and I have a possible billion titles for this post.  Okay maybe not a billion, but here’s a few:

My Parents, Gamers? or Dadey Super Baby or Sickness Becomes Her or Two Weeks Till Freedom or Graphic Novel Nerd In The Making

How’s that.  Well I’ll start with the first title possibilty.

My Parents, Gamers?

While on our way to Sedalia, my mother promptly tells me that she and my father had purchased a Wii! Yes, my parents, after playing my brother’s Wii, have gone and purchased one for themselves. They don’t physically have it in their hands, my brother does.  But they will next weekend.  I was floored, but excited at the same time.  I want a Wii very badly, and my parents now have one. Oh well!  That just means I’ll get to play it when I come home, and the week that I’m house sitting in July while they are in Chicago. 

Dadey Super Baby!

What’s this about?  How nothing, except the fact that he rolled from tummy to back today, not once, not twice, but three times.  He had a blast doing it.  I grabed the digital of course after the first two times and started recording.  I’m uploading the video to YouTube right now.  I’ll post it when it’s uploaded.  He’s amazing.  He’s easting cereal now, and I got him sweet potatoes, and sweet peas to start on here in the next few weeks. He’s getting so big, so fast!  Our next appointment in on June 26th.

Sickness Becomes Her

My raspy voice offical turned into a sickness between Thursday night and Friday Morning.  My voice has been raspy for two weeks or so.  Thursday night I started coughing, and when I woke up Friday morning I felt icky. My 11:30, my lead sent me home, saying I looked awful.  I slept from noon until 4:30. I got up because I was feeling better, but by 7:00 it hit me again like a big truck. I went back to bed and didn’t wake up until 6 or so this morning.  I’m feeling better. I’m back on stuff for my sinus problems, which helps a lot believe it or not. All this silly pollen is really messing me up.

Two Weeks Till Freedom

I have two more weeks of summer school and then I’m free until July.  6 weeks of glorious freedom.  What will I be doing in those 6 weeks you ask?  Hanging out with Dadey, house sitting for my parents, and oh yeah getting ready for my third graders. I’m teaching third grade this summer, and this fall, and I’m super excited.  I LOVE my new team, and can’t wait to get to work with my kids everyday!

Graphic Novel Nerd In The Making

I’m loving my gradute class right now.  I’m enjoying reading comic books for class, even if they take me a while to read.  I’ve got a list of ones that I want to get, and I’m sure that Clint does too! It’s awesome to back in a physical class instead of it being online.  Plus it’s awesome to have class with Clint again.  I’m thinking about starting another Master’s in January.  Liberal Arts.  We’ll see.

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Okay, now I think I have everything out that I want.  But who knows, there might be more later.  Tomorrow is Clint’s first Father’s Day afterall.  Time to go read.