Mommy and Daddy Hit The Slopes...

...while Miles spent some quality time with Honey, JoPa, Meemaw, and Papaw.


He did all sorts of things while he was on his own little vacation...

He played with Mardi Gras beads JoPa brought him back from Louisiana...





Honey and JoPa also bought him an inflatable toy equipped with plastic balls to play in. Mom said he had a lot of fun with it.

He even went to the park for the very first time with one of his favorites....Sunnie.

It was Matt and I's first weekend away from our little man since he was born. Despite the fact that we missed our Miles terribly, we had the time of our lives.

Elaine and Darrell have a cabin at Beech Mountain, NC, so we treked the 8.5 hours in the car (need I mention in the very, very back seat of the Sequoia) on Friday afternoon. We didn't go alone. Trey, Jeff, Shawn, and Clarkie (the Graham's) went with us.

We didn't arrive until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. I'm talking like 2 am! The last time I saw 2 am was when Miles was still nursing. Here's the kicker...it was snowing!!

That morning (later that day) we rented our ski stuff and hit the slopes. It was snowing cats and dogs. I'm talking blizzard-like conditions with wind chills in the teens. It didn't stop us from skiing our little hearts out, though.

It was snowing so hard that you could barely see.

That night we took a break and ate some dinner. Then, all of the guys decided to go night skiing, but since the wind chills were in the negatives, Clarkie and I opted for an evening on the couches in the warmth.

The next day it was still cold, but it was sunny out instead of snowy. We hit the slopes for the afternoon ski, which is apparently the same idea everyone else on the mountain had that day. It was so crowded that we waited in line for a lift to the semi top of the mountain for 1 hour!! The main lift (the quad that carries 4 people to the top of the mountain) was broken.

The skiers--Shawn, Clarkie, Trey, Me, Jeff and Matt (so proud of Clarkie for giving it her all on her first go-round at skiing)

Having fun in the snow and sun!

Later on that day, Matt and I were tired of waiting in line so we hit the bunny slopes because the line was much quicker. It was almost quitting time when the quads opened back up, so we skied down to get on and headed to the very top of the mountain. We should have stayed at the bottom! Trey fell off the lift while trying to get off, but the lift wouldn't stop. Matt had to scream at the workers to get them to stop it. Well, it wouldn't start back up. To add to that whammy, Shawn and Jeff were four chairs back. Needless to say, they got stuck on the lift for 30 minutes in the cold, wind. We tried to wait on them, but it was just too cold.

I was FREEZING and I am literally speaking here! My toes were icicles. Matt and I ventured down the mountain and Trey, Shawn and Jeff eventually followed.

Despite our escapades on Sunday, we had a really great time with some awesome friends. We were very ready to get back to Miles though. Those 8.5 hours weren't as fun on the way back as they were on the way there.

Mom and Dad met us at the Memphis airport with Miles and all of his loot. We picked up Mimi who came in from Naples and headed back to Jackson.



A few of my favorite videos...

I thoroughly enjoy the time Miles and I get to spend together. I don't know if it is because he is so precious or that he is so much fun.

Lately, he has been an extreme busy body. I'm talking into EVERYTHING!!

Here are a few videos I took that are my favorites:

This first video is of Miles eating some of his favorite crackers, but I didn't give them to him...

This next video is one I took tonight. We were trying to FaceTime with Mimi, but she was at the opera. Well, when we called her I let Miles see himself on the phone. He was fascinated. So, after Mimi didn't answer us, I decided to turn on my phone's video camera so he could continue to enjoy it.

As you can very well see....he is such a treasure to be around. I do not know what in the world I would do without his sweet little guy in my life. I am truly blessed with this incredible human being and I pray that he will continue to bless us and give us even more joy.

Super Bowl Sunday

We had a great time watching the Super Bowl with friends this past Sunday night. Miles seemed to enjoy himself despite not having much of a nap during the day. We ventured over to Uncle Todd and Aunt Julie's house for some tasty bbq and chicken. Due to the 30 minute or so blackout, we had to leave early because Miles was so sleepy. A huge thanks to Todd and Julie for an amazing super bowl party!!

Miles and I at his very first super bowl party.

He didn't care much for the game, but did enjoy getting into everything he could at Aunt Julie's house.

We did teach Miles how to do the touchdown motion.

Eleven Months Old

Our sweet baby almost isn't a baby anymore!! (Tear...tear) Even though I am sad that he is growing quickly, I am so grateful for our little Miles and the little man he has become.

This month he has lost a few pounds, which more than likely stems from all of the walking he has been doing lately. Miles is 25 pounds and 31" long. He is lovable, sweet, and a MESS!!

Here are this months MILEStones:

• I am walking everywhere when I want to.
• I am starting to make sounds that are similar to words-like "Bye, Bye" and "DaDa"
• I LOVE juice and go through about 3 cups of it a day.
• I am still taking bottles-8 oz in the morning, 8 oz before naptime, and 8-10 oz at night
• I am still wearing 18-24 month clothes.
• I am in size 4 diapers, but I am beginning to leak out of them on occasion.


I enjoy feeding myself.
I have separation anxiety when mommy or daddy leave me.
I can give kisses. (Thanks to Honey teaching me!)
I love to play with my toys, especially if I can drag them all out.
I cry when I don't get my way.
I am still in love with ELMO.
I am very curious.
My favorite game is still hide and seek.
I can recognize people I know in photos.
I can help mommy and daddy dress me.

He couldn't get out of his wagon, so, he cried until I helped him get out!!



 

Typical Miles....walking around the living room and trying to play with things that aren't his toys!!











He is getting so BIG!

Walk It Out

So...since my last post, it happened! Miles decided to walk on his own. He has been practicing this newest thing for weeks. I guess practice makes perfect because here's what we caught last night...

(sorry this video is sideways...Matt took it with his phone)

...and he did it again in the same night!!

After this walk, Miles and I went up stairs so we could play in his room. I was sitting in the rocking chair in his room and he walked from the chair ottoman to the closet by himself. He saw a toy he wanted to play with and instead of crawling to play with it, he walked.

I can't believe he is 10.5 months and he is walking. Look out world, Miles is up and ready to explore!

Walking?....Already?

Time needs to slow down, quickly! Sometimes I just want to stop time altogether because Miles is growing up too fast.

Lately, he has been trying to walk. He is becoming a pro at manuvering around the coffee table in the living room. Last night, he even took a few steps from the recliner to the wall all by himself. Miles also loves for us to hold on to his hand, with one finger, so he can navigate around the house.

We actually caught some steps on camera the other day at Honey's house....

It is a work in progress, but he is getting better at walking day by day. He just needs to convince himself that he can do it. We are so proud of our little guy! I guess it is going to be extremely busy around the Cleek house from now on.

Sniffling, Sneezing, and Coughing...Oh My!

Last week was tough for us. Miles caught his first head cold!! He would get sick the week I went back to work. He started getting a cough on Sunday night. Monday it got worse, so, we took him in on Tuesday to see the doctor. Dr. Blake was off on Tuesday, but we got to see Dr. Maley.

Dr. Maley listened to Miles' lungs and heart. He also looked in his ears and mouth. Dr. Maley said Miles didn't have any signs of wheezing or pneumonia, which was music to our ears for sure. He gave us a sample of some cough medicine and told us to get some Baby Vicks Vapor Rub to put on Miles' chest and underneath his nose.

Later Tuesday night, Miles started getting a fever. I gave him some Tylenol and snuggle time. Needless to say, on Thursday the fever was still hit or miss, but his cough was getting significantly better. He was also able to breathe easier (even though I had to sneak in with the bulb every once in a while to squeeze the congestion out of his nose!) Poor fella! I felt so sorry for him. He was sick during his first Christmas and then he got sick again.

Despite being sick, Miles was somewhat his smiling, active self.

He loves playing hide and seek!!

He even learned a new trick....

It is now a week since we went to the doctor. He still has a cough, but he can breathe a lot better. He just gets mad at me now when I try to wipe his snotty nose. Oh, and, he got Matt and I both sick!! We are fighting this yucky cold now.