He just keeps on Growin! -

I think that every parent gets to a point where they pick a nick name for their child. The day that Tristan was born I started calling him Poppy and Pops, but now we call him Tootie . . . for the obvious reason. Seriously, I know that gas is not the most flattering thing and there is nothing more unnerving than flatulence, but when a three month old child can rival anyone's grandfather on a Tuesday morning, you have to be proud. It's really quite funny and one of the most human things he does. I think that he genuinely enjoys the experience and at times it can be the sound of relief for a fussy baby at 4:00 in the morning. While we were on vacation in July, my brother in law, Luis, said that if we keep calling him Tootie, then he's going to be Tootie from that point on. I guess at some point a young boy is not going to want to hear his dad yell "GO GETTEM TOOTIE" across the playing field. Actually the complete nick name is Tootie CaPootie, just because it sound so darn cute. We are going to have to come up with another nick name other than the obvious TJ . . . I mean we could call him Tristan, but I'm a big fan of the nick name and I'm not sure I have a single close friend that I haven't given a nick name to.

I have to admit rather sheepishly (NOT!) that Tristan is the cutest darn kid that ever graced this earth. (next to all the other 3 month old babies that are not mine) Amber has started back to work and our daycare experience has been really great. I get to drop Tristan off in the morning around 9:00 and he stays at daycare until around 2:00 in the afternoon. It gives me just enough time in the day to get most of my outbound calls taken care of and when we get back to the house, Tristan is usually ready for a long nap before Amber gets home from work around 5:30.

Tristan's experience at daycare has been very positive. He seems pretty content to be around other babies and other care givers and he's always very peaceful when I pick him up in the afternoon. He's gets great reviews from all the teachers at the daycare. It really is a blessing to have Tristan take to the daycare as well as he does and Amber and I talk a lot about hitting the baby lottery (knock on wood). But honestly Tristan is a pretty easy baby to care for and the only issues we have are when he gets a little gassy. Road trips and family outings are never an issue and even afternoons at the lake are fun for all. It's teething and the introduction of solid food that we have too look forward to. Another thing to cry about and the next step in diaper duty!

Amber had a chance to catch up with some of the other mothers from our Bradley Method class last Friday. It was a mother's play group day and one of the last before some of the other mothers had to return to work. I was really excited that Amber had a chance to attend and also excited to hear about how the other families were doing. I really enjoyed the Bradley class and I would strongly recommend it to any new parent. After the class I felt very empowered and very secure about the birth process and being a new parent. I think that it really helped me and Amber welcome Tristan into the world and helped us deal with the trials and tribulations of being new parents. If you know some expecting parents out there, I would highly recommend this class for anyone regardless of their preferred birthing method. It's a very open minded class that gives everyone an opportunity to get all the facts and all the fun about the miracle of birth.

A lot has happened since the last time that I was able to write a post and I need to try to make more time to post more frequently. There are little things that are exciting that get lost in the shuffle of life and it isn't until after I've finished the post that I remember as I'm drifting off to sleep. But one of the things that comes to mind that we have been very excited about lately is Tristan's smiles . . . they are so sweet and kind and full of life. They are a little random at this point, but always welcome when you see them. The pictures that I included are pretty random, but include sitting around the house, going to the lake and my uncle Karl's Birthday at The Salt Lick. Any pictures of meat and meat cooking devices are so that my uncle can show his friends out in California that Texan cook great meat and play great football, GO HORN!