Thanks Dad!

Before:

After:
My dad used two weeks of his vacation time to come down and build us a bathroom. He did a pretty good job, didn't he? Dan and I helped a little bit, but mostly it was just dad. I'm not embarassed to say that this is the nicest room in the house. Thanks Dad!

Funny Face

Near Death Experiences...

As many of you know, I frequently have near death experiences. And, as I have previously posted, P had his first near death experience while in the womb (when I was nearly exposed to the infamous Fifth's Disease). And now, within a matter of a week, he has had two more. Last week P was playing in a kiddy pool at TT's house when suddenly he flipped in the deep water. I stood and watched him for a second, expecting him to be able to correct himself in the pool. Good think AJ was there to scoop him up and "save" his life. Then, less than a week later, we were at Temple Square in SLC, and "someone" thought it would be a good idea to hold P upside down near one of the fountains...and "accidentally" dipped his head under. P actually thought that was pretty fun, and wanted another go. Too bad his mom is so paranoid.

10 months...

Over the past month, P has finally started to snuggle...

and he has learned to love shoulder rides.

P is still:

-climbing on everything

-walking while holding things with one hand

-sleeping from 7pm ish to 7am ish

-waving

-very social (he loves people)

-babbling with the cutest noises ever

P has started to:

-stand up without holding onto anything

-hate being fed, but love to feed himself

-love trying new "adult" foods

-try to feed himself with a spoon
-try to talk

-crawl down the stairs like a pro

P's current tooth count: 5 (3 on top, 2 on bottom)

Birthday Week!

It's official...I am 30. And, not only am I "over the hill" (according to some), but I am also a cougar (according to my boy toy). About a month prior to my birthday, Dan asked me to take my birthday week off from work, but he would not tell me what we would be doing. So, of course, I speculated and observed his every move for a month trying to decipher what the surprise might be. All I knew for sure was that both he and I would not be working, and the boy would not be going to the sitter. The day of my birthday finally came, and as Dan left to "meet with one of his bosses", he told me to pack a bag for two days. But when he got home at lunch time, he brought me a present that was a million times better than any trip...

Yeah! Sho came for a visit! It was so fun to see her, and to have her spend the entire week with us. The first thing I wanted to do was take her to one of my favorite cupcakeries, The Cocoa Bean. When we arrived home...

there were tons of people in my house! Surprise! Dan had put together a surprise party for me...what a sweet guy. He usually doesn't like things like that, but he knows I do...and he did a great job putting it all together. And I am REALLY impressed that, over the course of a month, not one of the people at the party let the surprise slip. I guess there were a few close calls, but I didn't have any idea. P was NOT a fan of the surprise, but he did enjoy playing with all our friends, and helping me blow out my candles.

Such a fun day. We spent the rest of the week enjoying the delicious foods of Utah (Cafe Rio, Cocoa Bean, Communal, Cocoa Bean, Rooster, Cocoa Bean, Blue Plate Diner, Thaiphoon, The Chocolate, Cafe Rio, and Cocoa Bean...yum). We also took P to the zoo for the first time. He enjoyed Natures Nightmares...

and watching the elephants...

and playing in the mister.

We had a super fun week, and we were all sad to see Sho return to her vacation home in Chicago. I anticipate her return to the Beehive State soon...hopefully around Christmas, or maybe for my birthday again next year. We miss you Auntie Shoshi!

Petting Zoo

Nana took P to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point while she was here. He got to pet the horses...

and ride a pony...



and spend some time in the slammer.

What a fun day!

Visit from Nana, Papa and Auntie Jen!

Nana, Papa, and Auntie Jen came to visit for two whole weeks! P loved having them here, and is still trying to adjust to such an empty (and boring) house. We hope you come back to visit again soon!

Got Milk?

9 months...

This month, P had his first play date with someone his own age! Lil D came over for a little bit and they had so much fun!

P also celebrated his first 4th of July. He was pretty scared of the loud fireworks, but he liked the bright ones.
We had another full weekend of teething this past month, bringing the total tooth count up to 4.

P has had a great time feeding himself this month. Here he is enjoying a delicious french toast breakfast.

P also started becoming obsessed with putting things on his head...hats, buckets, bins, mommy's underwear...you name it, it's been on there!

We have been desperate for P to start falling asleep when he is tired, no matter where he is. He has only been able to fall asleep in his crib, swing, or car seat...until this month when he fell asleep in the middle of a meal...

P's personality has really started to explode this month. He has become so playful and fun. He recently started initiating peek-a-boo with me using his towel or washcloth (I hope to get a good video of this soon).

But this is my favorite thing that P has started to do this month...

So cute.

Happy 4th of July!

The similarities are astounding...

Do these shorts make my butt look big?

8 months

Our little man is 8 months old! He is doing many of the same things that he was doing last month, such as sticking anything and everything into his mouth. Here, he is eating grass...

pink chalk...

and the television remote.

P has continued to climb like a little monkey all over everything. In fact, his dad thought he was being wise when he put all the electronic devices on the top shelf, thinking they would be out of reach. However, that just makes P climb even more, and he has no trouble reaching that top shelf.

P has been standing up on his own for a while now, but his balance is definitely improving. He has been working on balancing between two objects.

P is a great eater, enjoying pretty much whatever we give him. Now his mom just has to figure out how to not make such a mess while she is feeding him...

Recently P has started to suck on his fingers...and sometimes one hand just isn't enough.

P also got his third tooth this month...on the top. He has such a goofy smile now.

P also...

-weighs 20 lbs 1oz and is about 28 inches tall.

-throws tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants right when he wants it.
-sleeps like a champ. He usually goes to bed between 7pm and 8pm and wakes up around 6am. we have tried putting him to sleep later to see if he will sleep later into the morning, but that has not worked. Even if he goes to bed at 10pm, he is up by 6am.

-has little conversations with us every day and is starting to distinguish who responds to "ma ma ma" and who responds to "da da da". He is talking all the time, so it is difficult to say whether or not he has said his first words, and I don't know if we will ever be able to say that there has been a first word because it has been a gradual process...but when dad comes home from work, he says "da da da" and when he is reaching for me he says "ma ma ma".

-is a super fast crawler. He has been crawling on his knees for several months, and he keeps getting faster and faster... if I look away for just a second, he could be across the room from where he was.

-walks along furniture and walls, often using only one hand to balance himself.

-LOVES other kids and can not get enough of them.

-can walk across the room while holding on to our fingers.

-pulled himself up on a couch at the sitter's house (our couches are taller, so he hasn't done this at home yet, but it's only a matter of time...he has learned that he can put pillows on the ground and stand on them to reach everything on the couch).

-crawls up the stairs like he has been doing it his entire life.

We love our little guy! It seems like he is growing up so fast, I just want to stop him so he will be my baby forever.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

P has become more difficult to manage in the bath...so he got a new tub.

Unfortunately, it can't contain him either.
But he sure loves it.