Playing in the Waves

Playdate with Friends!

Justin told me it was high time that he have his friends over to play...so we did just that this morning! It was so much fun to see all the boys together and playing...here they are banging on the window at some deer that were in the backyard (however, the deer are not visible because they took off once hearing banging :) From left to right:  Sam (Kara and Brian's cutie), Justin (our cutie), Jeffrey (Jenna and Jay's cutie), and Graham (Jess and Wil's cutie)!  

Click on the blue link below to see some great 

photos!  :)

Playdate with Friends! 

Playtime!!

Here's the little guy practicing his bear walk stance (a.k.a. "downward dog" :):

And I took all of these photos of Justin in about 5-10 minutes (CLICK ON THE BLUE LINK BELOW)....he goes from toy to toy to activity to activity (bottle that energy and let me have a drink!)

Click on this link to enjoy more!

Halloween....and a sick baby :(

Yesterday was the much-anticipated Halloween Baby Parade at Justin's daycare....all the babies dress up and go next door for a parade through the EWEB building.  It was so much fun to see all the babies (I'm not sure how much fun they had, however....looking at their faces they all appeared a little dazed or confused, or both :)  Because Justin has been aptly nicknamed Jumpin Justin at daycare, we thought it would be perfect to buy him a "Tigger the Bouncing Tiger" costume last month.  Little did we realize how much he would grow in a month...so it was a little too small and little too short and a little bit funny.  He was not happy about putting it on, which made us simultaneously laugh and feel bad for him.  Once he got settled in the buggy, he mellowed out and stared at people.  

Unfortunately, I ended up picking him up later that morning from daycare because he had had...sorry...diarrhea.  And again several times this morning, which prompted us to take him into the doctor at 9 a.m.  He's got a bug, but there's nothing to give him other than encourage fluids.  His spirits are good though...which makes everyone feel better for sure! 

Click on the link below to enjoy photos of the baby parade...the little guy in the bear suit is his buddy Coren ...apparently they play and give each other hugs at daycare....awwwwww....

 Halloween Baby Parade 2008

And last but not least, last night we put him in his costume once more before bedtime so we could get him on video...here is a clip of him crawling looking very 'tiger-ish'!    

10 (and a half) months....where did our little baby go??

A month ago Justin was just starting to pull himself up on things....now he's up and down and crawling constantly....and fast!  One of his favorite things to do is crawl away from us laughing as we 'chase' him; he also loves to crawl while pushing his truck or camper and seems to like to yell while he's doing it.  Josh's parents Barbara and Pete were here visiting a week ago for Yom Kippur and Barbara's birthday (which was wonderful! :) and they got him a shopping cart to push...he's able to push that on the carpet without our help now (but we stay VERY close :).   

(Before I forget, new photos on the left entitled 9 and 10 months old...coming soon!)

He's been showing an interest in feeding himself....we let him take over yesterday and he loved it (as you can see from the photo!).  He also experimented with a sippy cup for the first time today....he seems so much older in just a months time, and although it's fun to see him grow, I am realizing that my little baby is not so little anymore. So bittersweet!   I have been appreciating rocking him to sleep even more lately because he is not wiggling out of my arms....and I have been appreciating his sweet little hugs first thing in the morning and upon picking him up from daycare.  And I give a silent thanks every day for my family....I am so blessed to get to spend my life with them!

"Mama"!!! (....and other developments...:)

First...this is a photo my dad took of us when we were in Florida this summer.  Justin was in a great mood during the photo shoot and my dad was able to get some good shots...this is one of our faves!  :)

It really is amazing what can happen in one week.....at the beginning of the week Justin began crawling, and by the end of the week he was saying "Mama".....which has been the most wonderful thing to hear!

He's also pulling himself up on everything within reach...this morning I walked into his room and he was standing in his crib.  (I'm not convinced he knows how to get back down...other than falling that is.  :)  

The other development is one that we had heard might happen at this age....he's seems to be developing both stranger and separation anxiety.  Daycare has been going great, and Friday morning he was excited as usual when we walked into the infant room, but for the first time he made a sad, "about-to-cry" face when I left.  This past week he's been clingy and has cried around both friends and strangers too....and it's been really hard to console him.  Hopefully this is a phase he'll get through soon!

Barbara's Photos August 2008 (and 9 month appt)

My mother-in-law Barbara took some amazing photos of our trip back East.....this fantastic shot is of Justin and Michaela, our friends' Richard and Kira's darling little girl. ( I believe it's safe to say that Justin was smitten......:)  Click on the link below....and Enjoy!

Barbara's Photos August 2008  

Justin had his 9 month doctor's appointment yesterday...obligatory stat posting alert:  Height:  29.5" (83rd percentile)  Weight:  21 lbs 7 ounces (60th percentile)  Head circumference: 17.75" (40th percentile).  This morning I watched him crawl across the floor to some toys at daycare....here we go folks!!  :)

New Photo Album

  Here is a link to the new photo album:  

              7 and 8 Months Old    

You may have to initially register to see them, but it's free. I had trouble loading all the photos into this blog's photo album manager, so instead, I've downloaded the photos onto Snapfish for you to see! (Thank you Jessica for the tip.....this is so much easier!! :)

I will also be downloading Barbara's photos the same way...so check back soon!

9 Months Old

Contrary to popular belief, we didn't fall off the face of the earth.....the excuse for not posting is travel, schedule adjustments, and I'll admit, laziness.  You know how when you haven't called someone in so long that you keep putting it off because, well, it's been so long?  Or maybe that's just me. I considered just saying it was a great summer and posting the photos, but I really wanted to log some special events for memory-purposes, so here goes!  

Josh and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary at Eagle Rock Lodge where we were married...we brought Justin and he loved looking at the river and the geese and going on surrounding hikes.   

We had a big trip to Florida and then up to PA this summer.  In Florida, Justin got to see his Grandma Sally and Grandpa Jim, and meet his Uncle Dave, Aunt Bek, Cousin Kristin and Cousin Alex.  He adored his cousins, who fed him and played with him and made him laugh.   We went to MOSI, the aquarium, the beach....it was a blast!  

In Boca Raton, Justin got to see his Great Grandmom Estelle, or "GG" :), and meet his Cousin Adrienne and his Great, Great, Grandmother Nana and her assistant Molly.  It was truly special for Nana and Justin to finally meet....Nana is 102 years old!  

In Allentown, PA, Justin got to visit with his Grammy and Grandpa Pete, Uncle Sam and Uncle Jon.  He got to meet his Great Aunt Janet and Great Uncle Steve and his Cousin Becky.  He also got to meet friends Jon, Iris and Harry, and Richard, Kira and Michaela. Soon I will post some adorable photos that Barbara took of Justin and Michaela...he was enamored with her and if you see her you'll know why!  Lots of Grammy's friends came to visit and meet Justin too....he was definitely a social butterfly for a few days.

We ended our trip down in Cape May, NJ, where Grammy and Grandpa Pete have a condo at the beach.  Justin got to meet his Great Aunt Nancy who mesmorized him with "litte Bunny foo-foo"  (seriously...he LOVED it!! :)  He also loved playing in the tent at the beach...it was a relaxing way to end a great trip.

Justin has been sleeping through the night for several weeks now....he started about the 3rd week of July and has been pretty consistent.  Josh and I feel like a fog has lifted.  He's logged 11 hours each night for the last 4 nights....happy, happy family.  :)

New developments:  Justin turned 9 months old last week! He's got 3 teeth and working on 2 more, and talking up a storm!  Mainly 'dadada' and 'bababa'...he's got this soft scratchy little voice and it's very sweet.  In just the last couple of days he's gone from the 'commando' army crawl on his belly to moving forward a few paces on his hands and knees.  He also has  begun trying to pull himself up on things....this morning I wasn't quick enough and he fell and bonked his head on the floor.  I used to joke that I was going to get him a helmet when he started moving around on our hard floors.....hmmmmm.....

And we started back to work a couple weeks ago....Justin started daycare at a great center and he really seems to enjoy it.  They go outside for buggy rides to the park and different community buildings, and a music instructor will be starting next week to play instruments and sing with the babies.  He also "painted" his first picture...the older babies used their fingers, but since he likes to jump, they dipped his feet into paint and let him 'jump' across the paper.  And then they entitled it"Jumpin Justin!" and hung it up in the room....we are definitely going to frame this one!  :)

I apologize for the long entry....but I'm really glad I logged these special events.    I am in the process of posting an album called "7 and 8 months old" on the sidebar that will have some great photos...including one of Justin meeting his cousin Danny last week...so be sure to check them out.  And I'll be posting more soon!

Olympic Trials Track and Field 2008

The Olympic Trials for Track and Field were held here in Eugene over the last few days.  Josh, Justin and I went down to the festival on Day 1, and then Josh and I got tickets to get into the meet on the Day 10.  It was incredible!  Because it was the last day, we got to see the finals for the following events: Discus Throw, 110  men's and 100 women's hurdles, women's pole vault, men's triple jump, men's and women's 1500 meter, javelin throw, and the men's and women's 200 meter dash.  We also got to see the boys and girls 400 dash exhibition.  

We saw American records broken by pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski and 100 meter hurdles Lolo Jones, and Hayward Field records broken by the 200 meter dash Walter Dix,  110 men's hurdles David Oliver, and triple jump Aarick Wilson.  And the climatic 1500 men's run ended the day with Bernard Lagat winning.  I had goosebumps the whole day.....these athletes are truly inspiring!  

Here are a few photos from the event, which you can click on to see the close-ups!:  (from left to right: pole vault, men's 1500 meter run, medals for the 200 meter dash, the start of the women's 1500 meter run, winners of the 110 men's hurdles, and another shot of the men's 1500.

 

 

 

You can bet we will be getting tickets for the Trials again in 2012.....and bringing Justin along next time! It really would have been too much for him to handle this year...instead, Louisa and he hung out and reportedly had a great time!  Thank you again Louisa....you rock!

Here is the latest Justin photo from the park the other day...he has been doing a funny smile where he wrinkles up his nose and seemingly sucks on his tooth...in this one he's also doing some funny hand gestures (wait....unless he is practicing waving to the crowd for the 2028 Olympic Trials??!!!  :)

7 Months Old: Who is this laughing baby?

Gone are the days of Fussy McFusserson....I write that with absolute pure delight as we have watched Justin laugh and smile more this last month than ever before.  We had no idea we were so hillarious....but apparently we are.  :)  Don't get me wrong, he still fusses occasionally, but he spends a good part of his day excited about the silly faces we make or songs we make up or the seemingly daily diaper blow-out...all of which are insanely funny to him.   

We've had some great adventures over the last week.  A trip to Alton Baker park to watch the ducks, a trip to the coast with the new backpack, sitting in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time and sitting in a shopping cart for the first time (both with the help of a cool liner that Barbara and Pete got him!), swim lessons, visiting the Olympic Trials festival, and a playdate with a new friend.  Josh and I also had a date last Saturday night and Lori came to babysit for Justin!! Be sure to check out the new photo album entitled "6 Months Old" that document some of these adventures!

Here's a couple photos of Justin in the backpack...he was laughing nearly the entire time we were on the beach...which of course made us laugh:

Upcoming adventures include  a BBQ today at Nick and Sally and soon-to-be Baby Moore's house (Happy fourth of July!!), tomorrow Kent and Debra are visiting, and Sunday Josh and I will be attending the Olympic Trials while Louisa babysits for Justin....woo hoo!  :) 

Last week we also went 'cold turkey' on removing Justin's swaddle from naps and nighttime...he actually did much better than we thought he would.  In one week, he's had 2 great nights of sleep....one 9.5 hour night and one 7 hour night....of course to keep us on our toes he's thrown in a few 3-4 hour nights as well.  (Ahhh but one hurdle at a time.  :)  

Obligatory stat posting:  At the doctor's appointment last week, he had nicely gained 3 pounds in 3 weeks, putting him at 19 pounds 9 ounces for weight (69th percentile).  His height is 28 inches (82nd percentile), and what seemed to be a giant head actually measured at almost 18 inches, or 37th percentile.  At this visit he also received a vaccination and didn't cry...which amazed us, until we realized that he was purely saving it for that night....for the duration between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.  Roughly of course. :0

I leave you with another laughing baby shot....here he is in his swing which he has completely outgrown (notice the blurry foot at the bottom from happy-kicking) and in his cute tye-dye onesie from his GG (great grandmom Estelle!)  Since this is most likely the last photo of him in his swing before we put it away, I wanted to post a photo of him in the same swing taken during his first week of life...so much has changed in 7 months, and we are so excited about all the adventures ahead!