all fun and smiles

early morning smile

say cheese!

baby-sized recliner

crawling through the jungle

the leaning tower of rings

i wonder if it would be too much to ask mommy and grammie
for another layer?

look, i'm taller than my soft ring stacker

cold, texture, flavor, oh my!

here are a few outtakes from a little experiment mommy ran on me. for christmas, i got one of those funny mesh teethers in my stocking. a totally unnecessary item, but mommy thought it might be fun, especially since i am teething. anyway, one day she tried freezing a chunk of whole avocado and putting it in the bag to see how i reacted. at this point i still wasn't sure i even liked avocado. i don't know if it was the cold of the avocado, the texture of the bag, or the flavor, but i think the pictures speak for themselves.

baby vs. food - the avocado rematch

i was narrowly defeated last night, but i was determined to be the victor tonight!

staring down my opponent.

let the rematch begin!

here we go again

not too bad. is that all you've got avocado?

hurry, let me at it again. i've got it on the ropes.

let me help you out mommy. i'm going for the knockout.

ahh, the sweet taste of victory!

  
so, in today's rematch of baby vs. food...

baby won.

tune in next time to see me take on my next opponent.

onward christian soldier!

baby vs. food - match one

tonight, i had my first real, true battle with food. mommy and daddy helped me train with a little brown rice cereal the last few days...and that was a cinch. i mean, after all, it tastes just like milk with some chunks! so i knew tonight would be a piece of cake.

meet the challenger

mommy helped me roll up my sleeves and prepare for battle

meet the opponent

yummy, buttery, smooth avocado (well, once it's mashed!)

let the match begin!

my very first bite...i've totally got this match in the bag

um, wait a minute, this is so not what i thought it would be!

more? you've got to be joking!

ah, come on mommy...really? another spoonful?

help me, please!!

finally, a respite...a little water will wash it all away!

seeing as how i didn't take very well to the straight avocado my first time out, mommy thought she'd outsmart me and mix the mashed avocado with a little brown rice cereal, then make daddy feed me.

this is a little better

what's a boy to do? i give.

it's a much messier ordeal when daddy feeds me

ahhh, a little comfort...just what i need

no more. i'm done!

so, in today's battle of baby vs. food...

food won.

say hello to my little friends

A Word from Mommy...

Well, it's been a while since I shared a few words. Time is flying. Our house is busy. And my sweet precious baby really is becoming a little man. Our nursing sessions are really short...he has much better things to do. He rarely wants to just lay with me and cuddle...he'd much rather roll all over the floor. And his sweet sucking on his paci his now non-existent...he totally prefers sophie, his hand, or whatever he can stuff in his mouth. Although I have loved and continue to love every minute of it, I can't believe five short months has brought about so much change. I sat with a group of mommies the other day all of whom have babies 3 weeks and under and couldn't believe how far Owen has come. Each of those tiny, fragile newborns were totally content sleeping in mommy's arms and nursing whenever they were hungry. Jump to me with Owen who was bouncing all over my lap, flirting with two preteen girls, and nursing for maybe all of two minutes just so he could get back to looking at everyone else.

I miss the calm, quiet, peaceful early days that were filled with holding, carrying, rocking, singing, nursing, and sleeping. Our days now are all about cutting teeth, rolling around, learning to sit up, playing, laughing, and sometimes fitting in eating or sleeping but only if absolutely necessary!!

So I continue to look back and feel a few pangs of sadness missing those early days, but I love the interaction and connection of the days we have now, and look forward to what's to come in the next stages knowing they'll be filled with more growth and action and craziness and love.

introducing mr. tooth #2

yep, another tooth has arrived. it poked its first sharp little peaks through yesterday morning and i now have both of my bottom middle teeth. mommy's just glad i still use my tongue when nursing so i'm keepin' her protected! can't wait til some of my top ones come in...i so want to be a real live jack-o-lantern!

one of my favorite christmas gifts

mommy and grammie made me a soft ring stacker by hand. they made several trips to the fabric store and spent many, many hours on the sewing machine. i'm going to have so much fun with it. its full of fun textures, colors and shapes.

a trip to remember

here are a few highlights from my christmas trip to albuquerque. mommy and daddy decided to stay an extra day due to weather. we all had a wonderful time and made lots of special memories.

me with great grandma simma having fun with the present bows

hanging with josala...a familiar face from my last visit

ready for a walk in the cold

this thing sure does laugh a lot

i had fun with millie and richard

the envy of all babies...a roaring fire, a cozy spot
and the love of a good gampa

thanks to zoe's daddy for the pictures

arnaud balat, zoe's daddy, is a master with the camera. he was kind enough to take pictures for us at my first official playdate with zoe and we were so excited to see the photos on their facebook page. thank you arnaud, you are a talented man and both my mommy and daddy are so thankful for your pictures.

introducing mr. tooth

mommy and daddy discovered that my first tooth has come through. i have cried a lot the last few nights and this morning, everyone knew why. unfortunately, i won't stay still long enough for mommy and daddy to get a picture of it.

merry christmas!

i was so excited to celebrate my first chirstmas. grammie has made all the family stockings, but with two new grandkids this year, she hasn't had a chance. so i got to use the stocking used by mo and daddy their first year in the family. i had so much fun! i got lots of great stuff. i'm looking forward to playing...and wearing...all the gifts. thanks to all my family and friends who gave me gifts on my first christmas. i love you all.

can you guess who gave me this?

first mo, then daddy, now me

 

gift from the nashville gang

look what is stitched on the back