A Record for Me

I am so ashamed that I haven't posted on the blog in almost one year. My.Goodness!

Nothing really new is going on in the White House. Bobby has been working hard and just got back from his national sales meeting in San Diego. We missed him but while he was gone, GiGi (my grandmother) came to stay with us for 3 nights. Boy am I glad she was hear because Trace had a cold and an ear infection. We are on day 5 of Omnicef, hoping for no reaction that we received (rash) from the penicillin he had last year due to an ear infection.

I am pretty much writing this blog because I have been TERR.I.BLE at writing anything down about Trace and so this is my record of the latest things. I can not tell you the date his 2 year molars came in, the first time he used the potty, etc. I am so awful! Therefore, the below is the memories I have so far but obviously are the most recent things going on (I can't remember what happened after the last post). :)

Please enjoy if you would like to read the rest - Don't judge spelling, grammar or punctuation because I typed this fast and off the top of my head.

Some of Trace's updates:

Loves eating chicken nuggets and french fries

Loves ANYTHING chocolate - still working on vegetables

Loves hiding from us and not answering when we call his name (This is NOT cool). I lost him in Dick's Sporting Goods for approximately 10 seconds that felt like 3 hours. He was just standing on the other side of the rack I was looking at but was not answering when I called his name. He was in trouble!!

He will come up to us and give us a hug and say " I love you , Mommy" or "I love you, Daddy"

He will tell us "Give me kisses" or "Give me hugs"

He can count to 20

He enjoys singing Jesus Loves Me, Old McDonald (sometimes he will sing Ole McDonald had a poopie-we did not teach him that), Jesus Loves the Little Children, Bumble Bees, "x" marks the spot, Yankee Doodle and any other song on his Fischer-Price Sing-A-Long CD.

I am still working with him on colors. Right now, every time you ask him a color-it's always blue or orange. I am trying not to freak out in thinking he may be color blind.

He is EXTREMELY bossy! (Wonder who he gets that from? ;) )

Trace is becoming very independent - wants to get in the bathtub himself, get in his highchair himself, take his clothes off himself. If we try to do something for him, he says "No, I do it myself" or "Let me do it!"

He loves apple juice (still diluting it with water because if I don't, he will chug the juice in .5 seconds)

Some funny things he has said lately:He picked up a pair of my earrings (large black and white stripe) and asked "What's these? They go on the Christmas tree?"

I was rubbing his cheek one morning and he said "No, don't pet me. I not a doggie"

If you ask him "Are you a good boy or are you big boy?" He will respond by saying "No, I Trace White."

He cheers "U-S-C, Go Gamecocks" or "Boo Tigers, Go Gamecocks." Sometimes he says "Goo Georgia" because Drew (the little boy at MiMi's house) pulls for Georgia and he hears Drew say it. It's so cute because he knows when he says it, I will say "nooooo."

He loves goin to MiMi and Chuck's (Hun's) house everyday. Zanna (4), Addy (3) and Drew (3) are his playmates and loves seeing them everyday. On the weekend, he will ask "Can I go to MiMi's?"

He also loves playing with our sweet neighbor, Peyton (9). He will ask me if we can go get Peyton sometimes and bring her to our house. Her parents will let her come play and then Trace and I walk her back to her house.

We have two small hills in our yard (one on each side) and Trace loves "running the hill." Everyday we get home from work and he will ask to go and run the hill.

His favorite toys are his styrophome letters that he plays with in the bathtub, his red and yellow coupe car, any ball, tractor or car.

He loves watching the Fresh Beat Band, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Train and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

If Bobby or I open the computer, Trace will say "I watch trains on the puter" or "I watch tractor stuck in mud on puter." He loves to watch tractors, monster trucks or trains on youtube - especially if they are stuck in the snow or mud. He is definitley ALL BOY and WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

Bobby and I are so blessed to be able to be Trace's parents and I can't wait to see what is in store for us. Don't hold your breathe for the next blog update. :)

A Visit from GiGi

Last Wednesday, Bobby left to go to New Orleans on a business trip. Since he was going to be gone, it was a good excuse to get my grandmother (Trace's GiGi) to come stay with me and Trace. When GiGi is here, we eat sooo good! On Thursday she decided to make steak and gravy, macaroni-n-cheese and green beans. Sooo YUMMY! A friend of mine from work, Neal, heard what was for dinner and decided she wanted to see just how good grandma's cooking really was. She and her boyfriend, Sammi, came over for dinner and we had a really great time! Trace really enjoyed the all the attention they gave him. He is kind of like his daddy (likes to be the center of attention...gotta love them!!)

In these pictures, Neal is holding Trace while Sammi is putting pieces of my dried plant in his face.

On Thursday, GiGi decided she wanted to keep Trace while I went to work. I understand they had a GREAT time! I took Friday off from work and we decided to go on a shopping spree. GiGi bought Trace a cute outfit for the summer that included sunglasses that he absolutely LOVES and acts so "cool" when he has them on.

GiGi wearing Trace's new hat that matches his shorts.

Notice the sunglasses in Trace's hands. GiGi had just been attacked by our cat, Willie.

Grandma was supposed to leave on Saturday because she had a hair appointment in Spartanburg and Bobby came back on Saturday. However, she decided to stay an extra night and keep Trace while Bobby and I enjoyed a date night to Outback Steakhouse. It was so nice to have a night where we didn't have to worry and just enjoy each other's company. She even kept Trace Sunday morning while we went to church. Unfortunately, she has a life at home she had to get back to and had to leave Sunday afternoon. Come back soon, GiGi! We love and miss you!!

We're Back....

Not sure for how long though. I just can't get the hang of this blog thing. So for now, I will update you on what has been going on. It will probably be a long blog because I'm not sure when you will get the next update. :)

Since the last post (almost 5 months ago!!), we have trick-or-treated, been on a hay ride and gone to a petting zoo, Bobby and I both had birthdays (turned 28), took a horse and buggy at Saluda Shoals to look at Christmas lights, celebrated Jesus' birthday, Bobby and I went to Birminghma, AL to watch the Gamecocks play in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, welcomed 2010, my sweet grandfather passed away (who I miss terribly), played in 5" of snow, all have been sick (some still are) and so here we are today.

You don't really want to hear about what me and Bobby are doing, do you? You really want to hear about Trace and what he has been up to. So, let me tell you, he is into EVERYTHING! He is AMAZING! I can't tell you how much we are enjoying this age and stage of life. He is becoming such a little man and I love it!

He is still a little runt and not even registering on the weight chart but climbing the height chart a little bit. haha Hopefully, he will be a good baseball player or golfer! Football doesn't look likes it's in his future unless he wants to be the kicker. (But really-who knows?)

Some of the things he is doing and some of the things he enjoys:

-playing with "WeWe" (Willie, our cat)

-calling out for "Bice" (Brice, our dog)

-running around the house

-flushing the toilet

-burping (when we ask him to..haha..I know we probably shouldn't teach him that..but it's fun)

-showing us his teeth

-waving at EVERYONE and saying "hi" or "hey"

-blowing kisses

-pointing out body parts (head, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, "peepee", feet, knees)

-counting (well really he can't count yet but likes it when I do and tries to move his fingers in counting motion)

-"sing" he loves Old McDonald, Jesus Loves Me, ABC's

-"books"-he loves reading and will now bring us books to read-he likes the books with the tabs that have pictures hidden in them

-"eat"-he loves to eat (goldfish, bananas ("ba" or "nana"), green beans ("bains"-so country)

-says potty as "pa-e" and knows where it is and what it means

-loves helping "hup" with everything

-loves his "mama" and "dada"

-now sometimes will say "bobby" when he sees Daddy or when I address Bobby as "Bobby'

-loves to say"ba-be" when he sees a baby

-loves "trucks" and points them out all the time riding down the road...actually anything with wheels is considered a "truck"

-loves schoolbuses "bu"

-has learned to say "peas" when he needs something from one of us

-says "up" when he wants up or down and will only say "down" when we prompt him to say it

-can tell you what a cat, duck, dog, elephant, cow and monkey say

-knows what a "bike" is and tell us when he sees one

-is doing very well at feeding himself with a fork and spoon

Here are some pictures from the last 5 months.

Happy Halloween, 2009!


PapaJohns.com Bowl (the coldest I have ever been in my life!)

Christmas 2009

Snow 2010 (sorry excuse for a snowman!..ha)

"Show me your teeth"

Eating spaghetti with his spoon and fork

One Year Old

On September 29th, Trace turned 1!! We celebrated at our house with family and a few close friends. It was a great day and Trace did so well. I was really worried about him stressing because of everyone being around him or too much lovin'. He was GREAT! He LOVES being the center of attention, so this was right up his alley. Instead of a traditional cake, we had a cupcake cake in the shape of "1."

However, Trace did have his own cake and loved it!! He got into serious mode when it came time for the cake. No smiles - strictly business. He had it all over his hands, the chair, his birthday outfit and his face. We had a great day celebrating with friends and family!


Fun Notes on Trace:

• First step on August 28th, 2009 (hasn't slowed down since)
  
• He has 8 teeth and cutting his 9th
  
• Loves sleeping with his elephant
  
• Loves his new "big boy" carseat


• Says Da-Da, Cat and Dat (when he points at EVERYTHING)


• He waves and says bye-bye


• If you ask him what a cat says or when he sees our cat, he says (2 octaves higher) "be-a, be-a" It is sooo cute!


• Our cat's name is Willie and when we call for him, Trace will also try and call him by saying "WeWe"


• He points to lights if you ask him where the light is.


• He knows where his mouth is. If you ask him where is nose is, he bangs on his head (we need to do some work there!)


• If you ask him to "love" something, he will put his head on whatever it is and cuddle with it. He especially likes to do this with Willie.

He is just such a joy to be around. I can't get over how fast he is learning new things. He got an alphabet train for this birthday and it is amazing that he knew exactly what to do with it to make it "work."

Trace is going to be a monkey and possibly a chicken for Halloween-so check back for Halloween pictures.

11 Month Old Update

Well, once again it has been awhile since the last update. Trace is now 11 months and 4 days old. Things have been great around the house since Trace's arrival almost a year ago but they are getting even better.

Trace is starting to wean himself off of baby food and loves eating "real" food. He loves shredded cheddar cheese, chicken or turkey sticks, green beans, spaghetti, fresh fruit and Gripz by Cheez-its.

Last Friday Bobby and I had the joy of witnessing his first step. YAY! We were shocked because it happened out of nowhere. We just kind of looked at each other like "did you see what I saw?" Since his first step, he has taken quite a few more steps but still not really walking. Just random steps every now and then. So exciting to watch him learn new things.

He loves sharing now. He likes to feed me now instead of himself. He thinks it is funny if I open my mouth and he gives me the food. He has also started "playing" with us. For instance, if I roll him the ball he will pick it up and give it back to me so I can do it again. I am absolutely loving this!!

It is amazing what children learn from each other. I love watching him play at Muriel with Zanna (3) and Drew (2). He will crawl right over with them and just look at them and then try to partake in whatever they are doing. His most recent trick is standing in an upside down "V" with his head on the ground like he is about to a front flip. He sees Zanna do it all the time. I normally don't mind him doing that except for when he tries to do it in the bathtub and submerges his head right in the water. He loves giving me a heart attack.

His recent babbling is starting to turn into words or as much of words as he can say. He always says "Da-da" when we get home and he looks around the corner to look for Bobby to see if he is on the couch. It's so cute. We have a cat named Willie and Trace will say "dat" when Willie is around. He loves chasing Willie around the house. Normally Willie doens't let him get too close because when he does, Trace just hits him. He has also been saying what sounds like "duck" when I say "truck" or "Chuck"(Muriel's (Trace's sitter) husband).

Hopefully it won't be too long for the next update.

Often Wondered

I have often wondered what I would have looked like back in the days. One of my friends found this website and I think it is absolutely hilarious!! Here is what I would have looked back in the day. Not quite sure I would married anyone if I really looked this. haha

Cruising Along

I know I say this everytime, but I am awful at this blogging thing. I am sooo sorry and am sorry I can't promise to do better but I will promise to try.

A lot of things have been happening since my last post. Trace is 9.5 months old and all over the place. He crawls everywhere and is now pulling up and cruising along furniture and walking behind push toys all by himself. I love wathcing him learn new skills. Check him out walking at the link below.

I am sorry it is sideways but that is the way I held the camera and I don't know how to flip it.

This past week we were able to spend a week with my family at my parents beach house in Ocean Lakes (between Myrtle and Garden City). Trace was surrounded by his family that loves him so so much (Papa Hoover and GiGi (Great Grandparents), Papa and Gammy (my parents), Uncle Robert, Aunt Autumn and me and Bobby). We loved spending the week with him and watching him on the beach. He absolutely loved the beach. He loved crawling around, trying to eat seashells, eating sand, playing in the hole Bobby had to build him everyday so we could sit down for 5 minutes. He loved his sand toys that my parents gave him for Christmas. He also loved daily golf cart rides.I really feel like he grew up a lot while we were at the beach. He started using his voice inflections when talking and babbling. He now knows how to get our attention when he wants or doesn't want something...screams loud, clinches his fist and scrunches his eyes. He has eight teeth but I am terrified to give him table food. I have given him watermelon, mashed potatoes, apple sauce and maybe a few more things. I let Muriel (his sitter) do all that. She has given him english muffin, scrambled eggs, pasta, icy pops and probably some more that I don't want to know about. I know I have to get over it. I will have the only child in America who is five years old who is still eating baby food.
I can't wait for my next update. It will probaby be a post about his one year old birthday party. :)