Earlier this month, it was just you and Daddy as Mommy was in DC. Today, it was just you and Mommy as Daddy had to fly to Las Cruces for the inspection of our house. We went to Tot Spot at the Children’s Museum where you showed Mommy all of the cool toys to play with, objects to climb on, and baby-toddler activities sprinkled everywhere. For you, this was old hat: you and Daddy are regulars at Tot Spot and at using the light rail. For Mommy, this was new and she wishes she could do this with you more often. The afternoon was all about napping (another thing Mommy wishes she could do more often), taking Jamie on walks, and cooking as you supervised Mommy making your next week’s worth of baby food.

You were fast asleep when Daddy got home, but you woke up just long enough to give him a hug, snuggle, and go back to sleep.

Watching someone else learn by making their own mistakes is not easy to do. Mommy has had an especially hard time with your adventures in pulling yourself up to standing and cruising while holding on to things. Sometimes you stand up on uneven surfaces, or on unsturdy supports, or you don’t have a good grip, or…and you end up tipping over and bonking your head. Daddy has been much better of letting you try new things and not making a big deal out of the bonks. The end result…just about one month of practice, Mommy watched you test standing up on an unsturdy support (your bouncy chair seat), sway a little bit, and decide that it would be safer to lean back and fall unharmed on your bottom. Then you headed off in search of a better support as Mommy unclenched her white knuckles.

Moving to New Mexico hasn’t felt real until today when Mommy and Daddy had their offer accepted on the house we hope you will grow up in. We saw many houses yesterday before picking this one. It’s located about 2 miles southeast of campus on a quiet street. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, with 1-story stucco southwest architecture and an attached 1 bed, 1 bath casita that Grandpa Don and Grandma Lois are going to fix up for coming to stay with us several months of the year. There is a small fenced in backyard for Jamie and open ground on the rest of the lot’s one acre…so you will have some wilderness to explore.

As we make the long drive back to Houston, it feels as if the trip was worth it. The house will officially be ours once the building inspection, termite inspection, septic system inspection, survey, appraisal, and repair negotiations are complete.

Today you added a new state to your list of places you have been: Iowa, Minnesota & Wisconsin (visit to Sloans); Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas (move to Houston); Florida (Thanksgiving); Washington (Christmas); and now New Mexico.

Mommy and Daddy have been looking at houses for several months now in preparation for the move to Las Cruces this summer. On Tuesday, an awesome house came on the market and so we decided to make the 800 mile drive there for the weekend. You were a trooper on the trip: playing with your toys, napping, and testing Mommy’s spoon-feeding-baby-in-moving-car skills. Our only complaint was that after you finally were allowed out of your car seat in the hotel room…you didn’t want to go to sleep.

The next three days are just you and Daddy as Mommy is at a conference in Washington DC. So far so good and prayers all around that no teething incidents or digestive issues arise while she is gone, as you and Daddy have lots of outings planned and you (both) need your rest.

Standing while holding on to things is getting easier for you…as it should be given how often you want to practice. Mommy and Daddy have seen you crawl over otherwise interesting toys to reach the side of your crib (now at its lowest setting) to walk your hands up the sides and pull yourself up. From there, you chatter at the view, the dog, anyone who will listen. Sometimes, you “cruise” around your crib. It took a few head bonks, but you have also now learned to sit down from standing. Another habit you have started is holding out your arms when you want to be picked up and leaning over in our arms to be set down. For now, such moves are endearing.

As the sleeping/teething situation continues to improve, we thought it worth celebrating so we have been working on teaching you how to clap. We clap our hands together three times, then hold yours and do the same. You think this is awesome. When you are sitting by yourself on the floor or in your crib and get excited about something, you try to clap in delight…even if it looks more like a butterfly stroke (up to down) than clapping.

Nothing gets more clapping than our dog, Jamie.

A happy note as you gradually get over your cold and inability to sleep: you can push yourself from crawling into a sitting position and back easily now, and just today, from sitting to standing by pushing/pulling up on your crib rail. Mommy and Daddy were quite surprised to see you looking at us over the top of your crib while we made dinner. You seem to like the view because you have now done it several times. We guess the moment for lowering your crib down one more notch has come.

The last two weeks have been hard between teething (past that now) and the never-ending cold that keeps you and Daddy sniffling and coughing. During the long evenings and frequent night awakenings, your parents have discovered the magic of the outdoors. For some reason, maybe the noise combinations, you calm down as soon as we step outside of the apartment. Mommy has spent several hours holding you on our back porch and Daddy has taken you around the block in the stroller a few times in the wee hours.

A mixed blessing from this cold has been that you have partially lost your voice. This makes your cries far less loud and piercing, but quite pitiful sounding. We hope and don’t hope that it comes back soon.