Baker Turns 7 Months!

Wow, I can't even believe that I am writing that Baker turned 7 months old on Sunday! I know, I'm late in getting his pictures up. Everyone told us that time would fly by but I guess I never really expected it to go by this fast. Baker is growing up right before our eyes and we can't stop it, though sometimes I wish I could just press the pause button on his little life and just enjoy the sweet, cuddly moments with him.

He's changed so much since last month. Just at the beginning of his 6th month, he couldn't even sit up and then day by day he started to get stronger and sitting up for longer periods of time. We still surround him with pillows because you never know when he is going to take a tumble, and trust me, he does! Since his 6 month birthday, he has also cut his first tooth and started to make more pronounced noises. And for the first time, he was stable enough to sit in a buggy child seat (buggy: southern term for shopping cart)! I took him to Whole Foods on Wednesday and used the nifty little seat cover cushion that his Nana and Papa bought him before he was even born. It's really a great invention...toys attach to it and he loved getting to see all of the action, plus I didn't have to worry about the scary germs he would be touching.

We can't wait to see how he develops and grows in the coming weeks! Just in case he starts to crawl, I bought our first baby proofing gear at Babies R Us this week - outlet covers, cabinet locks, etc. We're ready if it happens but we're not so sure we're ready for him to be mobile just yet! So, we're on to a new month! I think I may just start getting into party planning mode for his 1 year birthday...yikes!! We already have ideas...is that scary?

Looking so sweet and it seems he has developed a close friendship with his giraffe.

He's getting so long on the changing table and with his new buddy!

All giggles! Don't you love his little belly in this picture? Just look how it hangs over his diaper...so funny!

The giraffe is almost smaller than he is now!

The blocks go tumbling over as soon as Baker can get his hands on them!

He couldn't stop laughing during the 12 month onesie shot. I'm actually thinking of using the 12 mth onesies now. I can't believe he can practically fit into them now!

I have no idea what he is looking at here but he looks sweet doing it!

More Puppy Love

The other day, I sat Baker and Bleeker on the bed to take some shots of them together. I have to plan these out because there is no way that Bleeker would ever just volunteer to take a picture with him. It was really sweet to see the reactions that Baker makes towards him and then watch Bleeker act as if Baker doesn't even exist. He really loves him and gets so giggly when he comes around. And when it comes time to eat, forget about it if Bleeker shows up! Baker will just stare at him as if we're not even around. It's not just Bleeker that he likes either. All of our friends have dogs and with each one of them, Baker gets really happy and just smiles when they come around him. We're so pleased that he loves dogs and that he's not afraid of them. Hopefully he'll grow up to be an animal lover like Brad and I are!

"Say what?" "I will pet you whether you like it or not!" "You're funny Bleeker!"

Brad is Back!!

Thank God Brad returned from his long trip from LA on Friday night! He was gone for 9 days shooting commercials for his client Time Warner so I know that it must have been exciting but it just seemed eternal on my end and I am so happy he's back home with us!

Before his return home, I had a few more playdates to keep me busy the days leading up to Friday. On Wednesday, I had the playdate with my friends from church. Thursday, Baker and I had plans with my friend Molly and her baby girl Claire. We had a great time getting the kiddos together and seeing how much they'd grown since our last visit before the craziness of summer kicked in. We vowed to not let that much time pass before another playdate! And on Friday, Anna and I capped off the week with a trip to Tyson's Corner mall so that Charlie could burn some energy off at the play area there and then we could do a little shopping. As we were leaving the mall, we passed a salon and Anna made the comment that we should get a pedicure since Charlie was asleep and it was Baker's time to nap, even though he was awake! I had him in the sling so I thought maybe if I went ahead and put him down in the stroller that maybe he would doze off...it was a long shot and I doubted that the pedicure would happen. I kid you not, the moment that the sling came off, Baker still in my arms, his head fell to the side, eyes totally shut and he was out! It was totally God! God knew that I hadn't had a pedicure since the day my water broke and that after 9 days of being by myself with Baker, that I needed it! So, I had an extremely busy week and was truly exhausted by the time Brad got home Friday night. Thank God for friends to keep me busy and help pass the time!

Baker was very happy to have his dada back!
His new thing is sitting totally forward in the car seat. He thinks he's a big boy now. And please don't mind the bib...he drools so much now that I have to keep them on him and hide all of his cute clothes...ugh!
Baker and Claire getting awfully touchy...hmmm.
They seemed to really like each other. Baker would just smile at her. When we were out to lunch, they just stared at talked. It was really quite cute.
Sweet Claire sitting up. The last time we got these two together, neither was sitting up yet. So, time is definitely flying by!

Baker's 1st Tooth!

This morning (Wed) around 7:15 I woke up to Baker talking to himself in his crib but it soon turned into crying, not crazy crying but he was upset. He only cried off and on for about 10-15 minutes and eventually fell back to sleep but I thought how strange it was because he never wakes up crying. I started thinking of our friend Erin whose little girl, just a week older than Baker, got her first tooth last week and she said that she was more irritable than usual and wouldn't eat well. I knew something was up. I got up to get ready and make his breakfast and I thought I wonder if his tooth came in? So, I went to get him at 8, felt his gums and sure enough, there it was...his 1st tooth! Then, not believing what I had felt, I tried to pry his mouth open (he wasn't too fond of me trying to get in there) and there was the faintest little white ridge peaking through the gums. I couldn't believe it! Our baby's first tooth is finally making an appearance which only means one thing...he's growing up and that made me a little bit sad. It's bittersweet I guess. But I was so thrilled to see that it had come in. So I started to look back on the week's events and it all made sense to me now. His drooling had reached an all time high in excessiveness and his sleeping habits have been a bit strange this week. It's all because of the tooth!

We had already scheduled a playdate at Sara Beth's house for today. Some friends from church all met at her house in Capitol Hill with their kids and despite my hesitation to go for fear that Baker would be cranky due to the tooth, I decided to go anyway. I'm so glad I did because we had a really great time...well, Baker just naps, eats and watches all the activity but it's so nice to get out, talk about girly stuff and put singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the ABC's behind me for a bit! Plus, Baker did really well and honestly has done great all day. I haven't given him the first drop of Tylenol but whose to say I won't need to before too long. I always look forward to playdates. Not only was the playdate fun, but I conquered a major beast...driving into the District by myself and with Baker in the car...a HUGE fear of mine! For those of you that have never driven into DC, it is a bear and a bear that I have been trying to avoid for some time now but it was inevitable that I had to do it at some point. Today was the day and I did it! I am beyond proud of myself!

Sitting proudly with his new tooth that you can't see. :o) He looks so big here.

"Look, can you see my tooth?"

Lunch with friends

Baker is definitely changing more and more with the sounds he makes and experimenting with. It's as if he's really trying to tell us something...very cute indeed. I have been making every effort to video him talking for well over a week now but the minute he sees the camera come out, he just stares at it in amazement. I managed to catch a couple of videos today with bits of talking in them, so I just combined them. I hope you can get the idea! One more thing Baker has started doing that I haven't video'd yet is this funky wrist movement. He isn't just looking at his hands but he's learned he can make his wrist move back and forth so he does that a lot! Funny enough, his friend Noah is doing the same thing so I guess it's one of those things they start doing around this age! I'll try to catch it on video soon.

One more thing that I had forgotten to mention weeks ago but have to tell this story - Brad and I were invited to the same friend's house for the Olympic Opening Ceremonies but we knew that it was going to be way past Baker's bedtime. Despite freaking out that we were going to ruin Baker for the rest of his life if we stayed out past 8 pm and dared to wake him up to come home, we decided to give it a try. Since they have a 2 year old who would be going to bed early as well Carolyn would be there with baby Noah who would also do the same, we thought it was worth a shot and if it worked, we would be relieved! So, we brought our pack 'n play, set it up in her guest room and went through the same bedtime routine we do at home. We crossed our fingers, prayed really hard and hoped for the best! We weren't concerned that he wouldn't fall asleep at their house...he can sleep through the night anywhere. Our worry was waking him up, carrying him to the car, driving home, getting him out, and putting him back into the crib all without ruining his bedtime, and as I said earlier, we could be destroying in forever! Well, I knew it wouldn't be forever but I didn't want to start a terrible habit. The result of our night with friends - Baker did wake up and coo'd the whole way home (which was sweet but freaked me out that he was going to be wired!) but once we got him in his crib, within 10-15 minutes, he fell back to sleep until 8 am! Thank You Jesus!

Jumpin' Jack

This past Saturday while at Amelia's birthday party, Jamey and Sara Beth loaned us Sam's old door jumper for Baker to use and let me say a HUGE thank you to them for that! Baker absolutely loves it and therefore, I love it! He wasn't quite sure what to do in it at first and just kind of sat there and maybe did a few spins, nothing exciting. But then something clicked yesterday when we tried it a 2nd time and I think it was Bleeker - suddenly he appeared and Baker went to jumping. The light came on and he's been jumping ever since! He loves to bounce all over the place and we get the biggest kick out of watching him. If I had known how great these things are, I would have purchased one a long time ago! It's not only great fun for Baker but I am able to put him in it and wash dishes or make dinner and he's perfectly content. So the jumper is a hit on all sides!

The video below shows him bouncing around but I love how Bleeker is in the background and can't figure out how to get past the jumper! He finds a way to make his escape!

Random Pics of the Day

These are for you Brad!
He really does love his daddy!
"Can I go to work with you? I'll be good, I promise!"
Is he even real? I love this picture. Dear God, please let him keep those blue eyes!

Amelia Turns 1

This past Saturday, we attended a birthday party for one of the little girls at our church. Some friends of ours, Nicole and Matt, held a party for their little girl Amelia who turned 1 this week. This birthday was not only special because she turned the big 1 but Amelia had heart surgery when she was only a few months old and continues to do so well! So this was a celebration of her life...what a blessing! When looking at her, one would never know that she has had major surgery as she is plump, beautiful and so happy. It was an honor to share this day with their family. We can only wish the Bransons many more great birthdays to come!

The birthday girl
This was some spread that Nicole made. BTW, she is an amazing cook! I always love going to her house for food!
Nicole, Matt, Gregor (2) and Amelia (1)
Carolyn and Noah
Time for some cake!
Casey and Susan - You guys knew you were going to end up on our blog didn't you? Just look at those smiles!
Baker is clearly very excited to try out Amelia's jumperoo!

This Week in Pictures

The past week has been great as Baker continues to grow and learn while Brad and I continue to love him more and more. He turned 29 weeks on Thursday, but whose counting, right?

Our little monkey :o)

We also gave Baker his first taste of apple juice out of a real sippy cup to see what he would do. This was the first and last time we've tried it because we know it's not a source of nutrition but we did want to experiment with it since we were told it was safe. It's a fun treat! He did really well getting the spout to the mouth but he hasn't quite master how to tilt the bottle/cup to get it out. He just chews on it...equally exciting I guess!

Sippin' on apple juice - his first taste

Today, I gave him so paper to play with, cause we know the boy loves some tissue paper, and it gave him an endless amount of entertainment! The first video shows me giving it to him and the second is 10 minutes later and still going strong! Why buy toys when tissue paper is so much fun?

Puppy Love

There are 3 boys in our house...Brad, Baker and Bleeker. It's obvious that Brad and Baker really get along well but the other two, well, Bleeker doesn't act like Baker even exists. However, I think we are really making strides with this. Lately, Bleeker seems to be developing a little relationship with Baker but I think it's because Baker has really started paying Bleeker a lot of attention. He has always shown an interest in our four legged son, as we've often seen him staring or smiling at him. But in the recent week, Baker has really taken a major interest in him, giggling, squealing and just bouncing all over the place when Bleeker comes around - this can be very challenging when trying to feed him. He's constantly trying to reach out to pet him...it's very sweet. I caught a short video of him the other day getting so excited and I combined it with another video showing how well he's sitting up these days. He goes forever, like over 20 minutes, without toppling over...very impressive! The video of Bleeker is at the end, so just hang in there!

Sitting pretty
He LOVES his shovel that Nana and Papa got him for our beach trip!

Loving his Bleeker in this video

Nursery Time

Every Sunday, Baker goes to the church nursery - we drop him off around 9:45 so that we can go to Sunday School and then pick him up around noon after church. So, he goes in right about the time he should be taking a nap, which is 10. It never fails that he doesn't sleep his entire nap while he's there...too much stimulation and noise I guess. So, he is always awake and playing when we go to get him. This past Sunday, when I walked in, there was our big boy, sitting up on the floor and playing. It made me so proud and I got the biggest smile on my face seeing him look so grown up...then I got a bit sad because he IS growing up, but way too fast! My friend Carolyn was in there with her son Noah and she took some cute pics of Baker and Noah playing. She emailed them to me with a cute little story line to go with them. I love seeing pictures of him hanging out when we're not around. Anyway, they made me laugh so I thought those reading the blog might enjoy it too!

Baker, it's me, Noah.
Oooh, pretty girl.
But Baker, I'm supposed to be your best friend.
Mommy, he won't play with me!
I'm getting really upset with you!

Okay, I'll just play with your cool socks then!

Crib Happenings

Well, I've often written about how wild Baker is when he sleeps but he's also quite wild when he wakes up and is waiting for us to come get him. We have his little blanket animals (I have no idea what they're really called but it has the animal head with a blanket attached to it...that sounds quite creepy doesn't it?) sitting in two of the corners of his crib (but we make them pretty hard to reach) and Brad's afghan from when he was a baby hanging on the end. Most days, we walk in and there's at least one of them pulled down and nestled up to him. Brad watched him in the monitor on Saturday actually roll from one corner to the next, grunting while he pulled each one down. And the other day, I walked in to get him from his nap and this is what I found:

The sweetest face staring at me as I walked in the door...

with the biggest grin on his face, looking so proud of his accomplishments!
Rear view...poor animals. I love how he has the blanket trailing over the bumper

and out of the crib.
The next day - Baker often wakes up during his naps, talks a bit and falls back to sleep. That's what happened here. He found time to pull the blanket down, wrap up in it and then went back to sleep...so sweet.
Mobile watching. He realizes now that his arms are almost long enough to touch them...uh oh.
Then stupid me sat him up and let him grab them. What was I thinking? I'll be paying for this one in a few weeks/months.