If the shoe fits...

If the shoe fits... BUY IT!

Sam and I took Robbie shoe shopping yesterday. You'd think buying shoes for an infant would be pretty easy. You find the right size. You buy a shoe. I spent several hours on Monday hitting local second-hand stores and department stores with no luck. Robbie's foot is a size 4 in length and a size 5 in height. In other words, you can't even squeeze his fat little foot into a 4, but a 5 is an inch too long and he can't walk in it.

So we spent all day Tuesday shoe shopping. We tried and tried and tried on shoes. Dozens and dozens of shoes... too long, too narrow, too short. Even the adorable baby Crocs won't fit. We ended up shelling out major moula for a cute pair of size 4 Pediped sneakers from Buy Buy Baby and found a pair of sandals that would work from WalMart.

Last night, Robbie got his first boo-boo (a badly scraped knee) while walking in the driveway. Sometimes we just can't be quick enough to catch him! So today, we made a trip to Target and got some funky Batman band-aids.

Do you think God sees me like I see Robbie? I've given Robbie the tools he needs to walk and I am so proud of him. But sometimes, he falls and gets hurt. So I wipe away his tears, kiss his knee, and bandage him up. Even though it is hard-- I'm going to put his shoes on and let him walk outside again today. God doesn't keep us from every little hurt, but he is always there to comfort us and encourage us to try again. So Velcro up your shoes, step outside, and get walking, people! LIVE!

I go a-walkin'

Yesterday Robbie and I went walking around the house... literally... we made a loop in the grass. He held my finger for balance and marched. We walked down the driveway and up the driveway. We explored grass and leaves and plants. A few of my neighbors came home so we walked across the street and he showed off for them. It was a lot of fun for both of us. He is so sweet and so proud of himself. He looks up with that silly two-tooth grin and squeals. I imagine he is saying "Look at me, mommy! See what I can do!?"

When I brought him inside, I took off his shoes (infant size 4) and saw that yes, they were really too tight. But, I thought, well he has his Robeez-style slippers (12-18 mos size) still. This morning as I got him dressed for church I saw those were too tight as well.

Did his feet grow overnight? Why is it that when he actually starts to NEED shoes, none of his shoes fit???

Christmas in July

Robbie must be wishin' for Christmas in July... all he wants is his two front teeth.

Yup. We are teething again. I say "we" instead of "he" because it feels like a family event: when he's grumpy and uncomfortable, we all feel it; when he wakes up at 2Am and refuses to go back to sleep, we all get to be awake; when he is completely covered in drool... you guessed it.. we're all slimy. So, faithful readers, pray for my sweet baby and his swollen top gums.

On the bright side, we've been having some fun the last few days. I found these super cute iron-ons at Wal-Mart that I just couldn't pass up-- One for our little rock star, one for our little pirate.

Robbie's new thing is pointing at the camera any time he sees it. Here is a funny one while he is eating and another on from our independent family holiday "Dress Like Daddy Day."

We also went to the zoo for an hour or so last week. It wasn't so busy this time. Robbie again enjoyed the aquarium and the penguins more than anything else. Although the meerkats caused a great deal of pointing and "Ooooo Ooooo"-ing.

Robbie now has four "sign" in his repertoire-- "light" (which he does in the morning when you walk into his dark room), "eat" (which he does when you put him in his high chair or when he's hungry), "hi/bye" (the adorable baby wave), and "touchdown" (which of course is not very useful, but very high up on the cuteness scale). We're working on a few more and hopefully will have some success before he goes back to daycare in a few weeks.

School is approaching so quickly! I anticipate going back to work with mixed emotions. I'm always pumped and excited at the beginning of a new year, but the lazy person in me dreads having to wake up so stinkin' early every day. I'm also looking forward to spending time with adult people and having more adult conversations, but I will miss spending so much time with my little Robbie! I'm excited that I get to teach 3 sections of a G/T math course but am a bit bummed by the low enrollment in my Discrete Math course. So, we shall see!

Gotta Run! Nap time is almost up!