Gobble, Gobble

For Thanksgiving this year, Foster first started the week with a party at school and it was his "responsibility" to provide dessert for the class. I (Amy) had that handled and decided instead of messy cupcakes - I sent what John referred to as "jello shooters", but of course kid and church friendly. :)

We traveled as a family to Toxey, AL to be with the Ratliff/Speed Family. We had a blast until John and me, started suffering from cold/allergy symptoms and headed home a little early. But, not to early for Foster to enjoy a little bug catching time with his cousins, Cooper and Trinity and with the help of Uncle Nathan. It was the first time ever: Foster held a grashopper and a grandaddy longleg! He now refers to grasshoppers as ---- hop, hop!

We finished the week, trying to recooperate, after have a run in with swollen eyes, we are finally resting. Foster did get to attend Jackson's 2nd birthday and had a blast - he even painted an ornament - well make that two. We even made it to the Foster family get together - but not for too long.

On the move to Co-op

Hi all, just an update: I have accepted a position to serve as the Senior Coordinator for the Cooperative Education Program here at UA. I am excited about this opportunity for growth and will join Co-op in mid-December. I am going to miss the Career Center - I have learned so much and have great co-workers, but the good news is that I will be just across the street.

A door has opened and I am walking through. Let's hope and pray for the best.

On the move

Well, I thought I should update about Foster's current - likes and dislikes.... well, outside it still a favorite but all the sudden he is loving to push cars, really anything around! Of course, he has to haul all his animals in the back of a dump truck. He now refers to crayons as "cray cray" and is showing a little interest in Little Einsteins; however, he has yet to watch more than 15 minutes of ANYTHING. I guess that is a good thing.

He also asks to be held by saying "hol hol" and extending his arms. He has used the potty once or twice and is getting better at saying when he has poo pooed, but not completely in to real potty time, so we will leave it alone for now.

John joins UA

Just an update: John is joining The University of Alabama as an Instructor for Early College and the College of Arts and Sciences. I am so glad to have him on board and now we can share benefits, plus he is in the state retirement system. God is GREAT.

The days are long but the years are short

Alright - I know I need a lashing for being so long without posting or blogging for that matter. So much has gone on in the past several months, I will give you a speed version. Foster is now running, loves bath time, swimming - absolutely loved his first trip to the beach, and his dialogue is growing at a rapid pace. I wake each morning to hear - Momma, which thrills me regardless of how tired I am. We all went to Washington, D.C. for a week in June. It was a blast and we were fortunate to travel with Ratliff grandparents and the Lee family. John finished up the year at TA, then taught a graduate class at Gadsden Center for UA this summer. I have completed another graduate class and Foster just started preschool last week.

O.k. - for direct updates on Foster - he is so much fun now (really always has been). He loves Elmo, riding in the house on his Radio Flyer (boodin, boodin), riding the lawnmower with John countless times around the neighborhood, playing with the animals and of course, to tumble on the bed and roll on the pillows. He has just started showing a great deal of interest in puzzles - especially with animals. He loves musical books, musical stuffed animals, and his all time favorite is a BALL. He has this game he likes to play - he will push a ball under the bed, then get John or me bring us to the bedroom, point to the bed and say "ball" with a very concerned look. We then get on our hands and knees - he follows too, look under the bed and exclaim - "we found it". Then he gets extremely excited and pushes the ball back under the bed, leans over, looks in and says "BALL?". Another funny - he walks around the house calling for his shoes and his juice bottle. He will yell, Shoes, Shoes..... as he walks around looking for them.

Current - Word list...... Momma, Daddy, Gizzy, kitty, dog, tyger (tiger), Papa, Pappaw, PawPaw, Cheese, Juice, BaBa, Poo Poo, Bath, MaMaw, Gunga (I think that is any tool), car, choo choo, cow, toothbrush (not very clear), PenPen (penny), cracker, blueberry

Favorite Foods - everything, but especially: cheese, strawberries, blueberries, pretzels, applesauce, MILK, crackers - any kind, black olives, raisins, craisins, sausage, bacon, green beans, corn on the cob, - he also likes pasta with red sauce, will eat any kind of pea and has been known to drink tomato juice, eat cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

He now has a total of 12 teeth. 2 top and 2 bottom at a year old, then two more bottom at 13 months, two top two weeks later, then bottom molars at 15 months, then shortly after the top molars showed up. His teeth are VERY slow to completely surface. They break the skin and can be 2 months before being complete.

That is all for now, but I will try diligently to stay on top of the posts from here on out.....

P.S. If you haven't noticed - I plan on using this for historical documents as well :)

Spring Break

Wow! The Ratliff family was quite busy during Spring Break. At first, we thought the weather wasn't going to be good - it rained the first 3 days! But, by Tuesday, the weather was great. John, me, and Foster enjoyed being together.

John built Foster a great swing set and we have utilized it every day and even invited the neighbors over too! We were able to visit with friends and family, eat lots of home cooked meals, take naps, get organized, and of course... play, play, play. Really there wasn't much time for shopping, but we did sneak a few opportunities in.

John and I did get to catch up on some movie watching - after Foster was in bed! Foster inherited two new teeth over spring break and two more on showing signs of entering soon! He now has four on the bottom and two on top - the two coming soon with join the others on top.

John got to go on his annual Bristol trip with his friend Ed, which left me and Foster at the house from Friday until Monday all by ourselves. We had a good time and played outside a lot! We even went to a petting zoo - the barnyard in Tuscaloosa. We went with our great friends Terri and Jackson. We did get lost trying to get there, but once we were there is was loads of fun. Except------ Foster was bitten by a turkey! Foster leaned his hand on the fence and the turkey stuck his head through and tried to gobble up Foster's fingers. I had to reach in and pull him away. It was terribly scary! I was more scared than Foster. All in all, it was a load of fun, but next time we will know to stay away from the turkey. Miss Terri warned the turkey that it was turkey season and that we might have to serve some turkey at Thanksgiving :) Foster and Jackson got to pet Llama's, bunny rabbits, baby goats, sheep, and little chicks. We will certainly go back one day soon.

Walk, no Run!

Foster is quite the mover and shaker these days. His vocabulary and understanding is quite amazing. He often moves so quickly on his feet that it appears as though he is running. John and I are having such fun with Foster. He giggles all the time and loves for you to play peek-a-boo, imitate what he is saying, and play steam roller in the floor - this is where you lay in the floor and he rolls all over you and giggles. Foster now leads us where he wants to go, by grabbing our hand in his and pulling - of course he 9 times out of 10 will take you to the back door where he wants to go outside. Right now he is babbling a great deal and while doing so will hold his hand as though he is pointing to you. It is really funny and John and I say - he is "telling you about it".

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a fun day! Foster turned one on Monday, February 16th - 1:21 p.m. to be exact. For actual "birthday day" festivities, we took Foster for a fun day at Barnes and Noble and he got to pick out several new books for his collection. He even got a new Melissa and Doug toolbox, which he LOVES. Afterwards, the family went to eat at Piccadilly and then home for birthday cake and presents!

He wasn't quite sure what to think about an entire cake with icing displayed on his highchair, but he had fun nonetheless. He mostly had icing, which made he quite happy and energetic afterward.

The real birthday party occurred on Saturday, February 21st at 4 p.m. at our home. It was a grand day and we had over 30 family members in attendance. Foster was more excited to play with everyone than to pay attention to the cake and presents. He did wear his birthday crown and was fine with everyone singing Happy Birthday! He had a great time and was very excited. The next day he was still so tired from the event that he feel asleep in his highchair after breakfast - which rarely happens! He was excited to have Granna, Papaw, and Aunt Jamie spend the weekend with us.

Ha Ha Times are Here!

Well, in one week, Foster has called 9-1-1, thrown his stuffed dog into the toilet, and gotten his head and arms stuck in the cat door.

9-1-1, Foster loves to play with phones, and you can't fool him, he knows what is real and what is a play phone. When at Marthann's house he called 9-1-1 and instead of calling back, the Coaling police came to her house. They knocked on the door and asked if everything was o.k. and Marthann said, yes. Of course, Jason #1, (there are two), said a call was placed to 9-1-1. They both laughed and then Marthann invited him in, she needed to speak to him anyway:) - only in Coaling!

Foster is fascinated with the toilet, or should I say the water in the toilet. So, one morning he decided that his stuffed dog, one of the many, needed a bath and put it in the toilet and closed the lid. Thankfully, I was right behind him, so the pup was o.k. and only slightly wet!

To keep Foster and Sadie, our dog, from the laundry room where the cats litter box and food bowls are, John installed a cat door - large enough for our monster cat Gizmo to fit through. Foster often sits and looks through the door, but one afternoon he decided it would be great to go through it! Of course, he got stuck, with the door closed, and a cat on the other side - pinned in. It was quite scary and John had to help, but we were able to get him out without to much trouble!

Places to go, things to see

Amazing - Foster is really on the move now. A gradual progression over the past 6 -8 weeks, but officially he is on the move. Each passing day brings more confidence, more strength, and definitely more exploration. He has taken steps since the first of January, but now in the month of February just days before he turns one, I think he is about to run. Watch out world - here he comes!

He is a hugging little man

Foster is now 11 months and 3weeks old. For about a month now he has been giving hugs to the animals, his stuffed animals, and to his baby cousin Connor. It is absolutely the cutest and sweetest thing you have seen. For those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Gizmo, (the family cat) you know that he is not personable - really at all. John and I have a relationship with Gizzy that no one really believes - he does have a sweet side. We finally got it on camera and thought we would share.

Updates and Updates

Well, now that I am more adjusted to the blogging lifestyle - I can say, it is a great way to communicate with family and friends about the happenings in the Ratliff family. Not to be too lengthy, I thought I would update a little. John is teaching at Tuscaloosa Academy and absolutely loves his job. In addition, he is teaching graduate classes in history at the Gadsden Center - part of the U of A. Foster is growing rapidly and is such a joy to be around. He is such fun!

As noted in a previous post, Foster started making enormous strides to walking around Christmas. First he was standing on his own, then began walking by holding someone's hand, then by the first of the year he was venturing out to make a few steps. Now he is certainly on the move. It is amazing to watch him as he learns new things. Right now, he is enjoying stuffed animals, to look at books, and to push cars or really anything for that matter all over the floor. He is jabbering up a storm and I can say it looks as though we are over the bath time anxiety. I guess the floating tugboat and walrus did the trick -we hope! For about a month - around 10 and 11 months he wanted to through his arm out and lead us where he wanted to go, now it seems he is trying to tell us more than show us. He still just has four teeth - two on the bottom and two on the top (they all came in within three weeks of each other when he was 9/10 months old) - just before Thanksgiving. He is more interested in t.v., but not extremely. His favorites are Elmo and Barney. He continues to love love love the animals.

Don't do that.....

It seems as though Foster has decided that certain things are NOT his favorite. He no longer cares for the car seat and when I say that he no longer cares for it - I mean it. He screams when he sees any carseat, bucks up, stiffens all his limbs and lets you know he is not interested in that. As for bath time - well he has had enough of that too. John and I have to work together to get our little man bathed. He insists on standed up the entire time. What fun!

He is on the move

Today marks the day - Foster took his first steps! On Christmas Eve Foster stood alone for the first time and since then each day has brought more and more time on his feet. I think at first he forgot what he was doing and then when he realized he hit the deck. The same goes for the first steps - when he sees something he wants the wheels go a turnin' and the steps follow. Wow! I am completely amazed that my sweet little boy has already grown up so much. Now on to planning his first birthday party!