12 month stats and life as normal

We finally had our 12 month checkup today at the peds. Here's the new stats:

Weight: 22 lbs 10 oz
Height: 31 inches

Some things that we're into lately....He is walking everywhere! Which means he is into everything as well. Childproofing has clearly not been perfected in our house, it's a work in progress. We have gotten completely off of formula and bottles, and now Steven drinks just whole milk from a sippy cup! I honestly thought that this day would never come, but I was a little sad when I was putting the bottles away. Steven is one of the funniest and happiest kids I think I know (I'm his mother, of course I'd say that :-)). He has been sleeping through the night and still taking two naps a day. He loves to play peekaboo, clap his hands, and he is starting to "hi-five"(which he thinks is pretty hilarious). He says "uh-oh" VERY clearly, and is now starting to say "thank you," mostly when you give him food. He'll say Mama sometimes, but usually only when he cries. He wakes up every morning in the best mood, playful and ready to go. He truly is a joy in our lives and  I cannot imagine life without him in it!

Steven and his cousin Lila checking out the digital picture frame. It's all pictures of Steven, and they LOVE to look at them!

Haha, Steven chasing his birthday balloons around. It was entertainment, but I'm not sure if it was more for my benefit or his.

Thanks for my sippy cup of juice, mom! I would like to note, this was the first and only time I opted to give him red juice, and the lid was not on correctly, and you know where this is going. :-(

He loves to climb into the wagon and just hang out, watch tv, or whatever. It's hilarious.

Cousin love. This was actually a very gentle touch, for once!

 Love this face!!!

Guess we should mention Gator...he is the major stressor in our lives! this is how he chooses to nap since we took the divider out of his crate.

MMMmm carrots! He was so funny eating these carrots!!

Life has been pretty normal lately. Same schedules, same old thing. Sounds pretty perfect to me!!!

Beach bums, motherhood, and milestones

 It has been waaaayyyyy too long. I miss blogging. Sometimes life just gets the better of you...and I decided if I didn't continue with my blogging now, when would I? So here we are.

Steven will be 11 months tomorrow. 11. I spend my days now planning his birthday. He is so much fun, but sometimes it hurts thinking about how fast the time has gone. What does life with an 11 month old (and don't forget, our crazy 5 month old puppy Gator) look like? It is chaos! Steven is walking more and more each day (he just took his first steps about two weeks ago), and can take as many as 10 at a time. Last week he started standing on his own without any assistance, and prefers to not have any help (he is a little bit stubborn!). He is really starting to eat a lot of table food, and as of now, has refused to eat baby food in the last week. He learned how to clap, so that is now his new favorite thing to do! I didn't think this kid could get much happier than he already was, but clapping at everything just makes him giggle! He is truly such a joy beyond words. Did I mention that he says "mama?" We are trying to teach him other words, but he seems to be content with this one for now. :-)

We just got back from a wonderful beach vacation with my husbands family, and despite yucky weather for part of the time, we had an awesome time. It was so great to be at the beach, but my husband and I both agreed that the best part by far was being able to share family time with the three of us, without someone being at work (like we usually live with me working on weekends). Steven had the BEST time on the beach, which was a huge relief to his parents who love the beach and wanted to spend time on the beach.

Vacation with a child is soooo much different than before we had a child. Whew, it is exhausting! I miss the days of being able to just lay on the beach, read my book, and not move or talk to anyone. Sadly, those days have ended....but wonderfully, I have this little life that I am introducing to the world and that is so much more than the life I used to lead.

First day on the beach...he is still unsure here, but quickly learned to love that sand!

A little too much of the sand. It was pretty hot, also, and that heat got to all of us pretty quickly.

Playing guitar "with" daddy is always a favorite. When the boys were hanging out, playing around, he would dance and get a kick out of it. I think he'll definitely play some sort of instrument when he's older.

He was always trying to get at the stuff on the table from underneath, it was too funny! Here he was playing with the boys again, this time cards.

Best view of the ocean is clearly from standing on a chair

Steven and his cousins (Steve's cousin's kids). The four girls didn't know what to make of this little boy!

Us with all the grandkids and great grandkids

Grandma and Grandpa in front, and just a few of the kids, grandkids, greatgrandkids that were along for the vacation.

Family portrait

Uh, mom, can you put me down? I'd rather be on the sand.

Steven's first clap that we were able to get on film. He was sooooo proud of himself!

Our amazing beach view....we will miss you!

No longer just gums!

Attempting to capture his new teeth on film is ironically like pulling teeth

The one on the right has been working its way out for about a week now, and just yesterday in this picture (you may not be able to see) his second tooth is popping up right next to it!

Where's the laundry? I want to help!

Best containment ever! Especially after the accident last week where he fell off our bed. Mother of the Year, right here.

New sippy cup, inspired by his love for drinking out of cups. We'll figure it out eventually, but he does love to chew on it. Easy to please!

6 months!

Wow...6 months. This month has been so exciting! Every stage we hit I think that it's my favorite. We are having so much fun! He can now sit on his own, with some light supervision. He rolls all over the floor, and has been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking....hopefully crawling any day now! He has started pulling his socks off his feet and eating the socks, so we don't do socks much anymore. He loves to talk, squeal, blow raspberries, and play. He also loves to eat! He can eat sweet potatoes, green beans, and our new fave....prunes! Of course he still loves his oatmeal, too.

New stats from the peds appt this morning : 18 lbs 3 oz, 27.5 inches long. Both of these are 75th percentile, which is where he has consistently been! Gotta love my growing boy!

My dad also came to visit for a day...we had fun with Grandad! He got to come to the peds appt and have fun watching him getting his shots. :(

Showing off his new tricks

Loves to roll until he can't anymore

Grandad came to visit!