Roly Poly

Since the last post Clinton has started rolling over from his stomach to his back. So now, he can roll across the floor to get somewhere. While this is exciting, Rodney and I now realize we've lost another piece of our freedom. Clinton needs to be watched much more closely when being changed, laying on the bed, even just laying on the floor.

I'd also like to note what a good dog Gracie Mae is. She stood very still and quiet yesterday as Clinton reached up and grabbed two fists full of hair on her face. As soon as I saw what Clinton was doing, I immediately went to work on freeing the poor dog...but she never growled, barked, snapped, or even whimpered. She loves this little boy as much as we do...maybe more, we whimper when he pulls our hair!

Clinton tried a banana today. The pictures are a bit deceiving because you would think by the look on his face he didn't like it, but he kept reaching for more...so I kept putting it in his mouth. Anything's got to taste better than that formula and rice!

You also might notice I put Clinton through another round of pictures today....I know, poor kid.

A Little More Cowboy

Another photo shoot...I wish I could promise to pull myself together and stop doing this, but I can't...or won't.

I forgot to mention on the last post that Clinton has achieved a couple of milestones recently. During the monkey photo shoot, he finally discovered his thumb. I have seen him sucking on it just a time or two, though. He still seems to prefer chewing on his left pointer finger. And on June 27, Clinton rolled over! We were so excited because we had been told he could be a bit delayed due to his larger size...but no real delays here. Rodney and I were both sitting there watching when he did it...and it was precious. First he would lift his feet high in the air, then drop them over to his right side. There he laid for a few minutes pondering what to do next. It's a bit tricky for a baby because that right arm is laying between their body and the floor just getting in the way. He tried a couple of times to just roll easily as if the arm wasn't there, but each time the arm rolled him back to his side where he would sigh a little and then ponder again. After a few tries, Clinton threw his left leg back to the floor behind him and then threw it back across his body. Enough momentum was created to pull his entire body over his arm and he was on his stomach. You would have thought he had just scored the winning touchdown of a National Championship game (like Vince Young did) the way Rodney and I went to cheering him on. Clinton was so happy. He pushed up as high as he could on his arms and just grinned from ear to ear. Then he began working on his next feat...crawling. This resulted in about 90 seconds of swimming motion and then wailing. Now, everytime we lay him down he rolls over, swims and then screams...but I'm still proud of him. A couple of things I should note...if Gracie is around Clinton loves laying on his stomach watching her....and Clinton can't roll from his stomach to his back (which is supposed to be easier), but we'll continue to work on it.

Cowboy Clinton

Well, it's possible that Clinton is going to grow up thinking he is a model like his Aunt Zsazsie, because he has to endure so many photo shoots. Of course, if he's as pretty as his dad (which he's sure to be), he just might be a real model. Clinton, please sign a deal with Mr. Lauren--and see if you can get me a discount! Anyway, below are a number of pictures of Clinton in his cowboy jeans and his pearl snap shirt. He is accompanied by his horse, Pinto, that Bebe and Pop brought him from Houston. A real Texas horse for a "real" Texas boy. See if you can find the picture where Clinton is signaling for me to stop and just let him be??

I've also included one of our four 4-generation pictures. The one below is Clinton, Rodney, Rodney's mom Cathy, and her mother Emma.

Hope everyone has a happy 4th! Believe it or not, Clinton has a new outfit for our party this evening!

Gettin' Crazy with the Camera...

Chelsea makes fun of me because I take millions of pictures of Clinton...don't worry, Samantha, she makes fun of you, too. However, I think Clinton is going to thank me one day for capturing almost every moment of his life on film...ha ha. Today I decided to take advantage of my free Saturday and put my fancy new camera to use. I still don't know how to use everything on it, but between that and the software on my computer I was able to come up with a few shots I was really happy with. Check out my work below...and don't forget to notice how adorable my model was!

Just Hangin' with Clinton...

Amarillo by Mornin'...

Clinton had his four month appointment today...it wasn't pretty. As soon as we got to our room to wait for the doctor, Clinton started getting fussy and kind of panicky. When I laid him down on the scales he went completely hysterical...and continued that attitude everytime I laid him down. My parenting book says that babies at his age have about a 7 second memory...I'm convinced my son remembered this same event two months before...and didn't remember it fondly. As long as I was holding him he was fine...but as soon as he was out of my arms, he was out of control. Crying very loud, turning bright red, tears streaming down his face, gasping for air...this for the weigh in, the measurement, the physical exam with the doctor, and then, of course, for the shots. Once he had the shots I couldn't even set him down again. So I fed him a bottle which put him to sleep and then I slipped him into this carseat and was on my way. ...and my son loves to "talk" with other people, but he didn't want anything to do with his nurse and doctor today.

Despite the terrible experience, we got some "fun" news. Clinton weighed in just slightly under 17 lbs and measured 26 1/4 inches long and 44 1/2 cm around his head. This puts him in the 90th percentile for all three areas. My four month check up information sheet said my son should be rolling over...but he's not. The doctor said larger babies, such as our "little" Clinton, tend to be a little more delayed with mobility because they have more mass to deal with...so we'll see how long this takes...wish us luck! We also found out we can start Clinton on solid food, which I'm thinking about starting tomorrow....we'll see.

With each day that passes, I see more and more personality coming from Clinton...and I love noticing all his little quirks and preferences. Below are a few I thought were worth sharing...

ENJOYING THE GOOD LIFE. When Clinton eats, he usually leans his head back a little and throws his LEFT arm behind his head and plays with his hair as he guzzles his milk. He looks as if he's kicked back just enjoying a good drink.

TASTY. Clinton isn't a thumb sucker (yet) and just won't take a pacifier...however, he chews on his pointer finger all the time...and always his LEFT one. He usually chews it on the LEFT side of his mouth and then every once in a while he'll run it across his gums a few times.

JUMPIN' BEAN. Clinton loves his Johnny Jump Up, but I've noticed he often jumps on one leg...his LEFT one. (Seeing a pattern here?) He'll lift up his right knee and then just go to town on his left leg...it's really quite amusing. Of course, as a mother, I'm starting to worry I'm going to have a lop sided child...one strong leg, one favored arm...as an ambidextrous person this kind of bothers me....but I'm sure it will all be fine....who says he has to be just like me anyway?

AMARILLO BY MORNIN'. The other day I had George Strait's "Amarillo by Mornin'" stuck in my head and was singing it. I noticed every time I sang it Clinton would just get really happy and laugh at me. So I've been singing it to him a lot to see that beautiful smiling face...I've discovered it cures almost all of his bad attitudes...hmmm, maybe I should have sang it at the doctor's office. Today he was screaming in the back seat so I started singing it...by the second line he was quiet, by the second verse he was asleep. Not sure why my little boy loves it...but thank you, Mr. Strait...it's been a life saver.

Oh, the glamour!

Okay...all my girls who are new mothers (or about to be)...remember what it was like to have a "glamorous" life? The whole dating and newly wed phase was full of parties, nice dinners, and a little travel here and there. I remember buying new outfits just for the perfect date or spending more time on my hair than was ever needed. Hmmm...that was then. Now, I still make half an attempt to look cute but find myself wearing the same things over and over because at the end of everyday I find I've been hit with several loads of spit up, unending amounts of slobber, the occasional pee, and every once in a while I get a little poop on my hand while trying to change the worst diaper ever!! This makes me gag and requires immediate attention to myself so I don't spit up.

Maybe one day I'll have a glamorous life again...or an occasional glamorous day...but for now I'm just going to enjoy smelling like a mom...however that may be.

Clinton's face and my shoulder after one of his lovely spit ups.