December Failies!

Dude, you are getting SO BIG SO FAST!

I remember last year at this time, I was big as a house and reading my friends blogs. I remember thinking to myself: "I'm going to blog every little thing he does", and then reality hits - it's the middle of December. CRAP!  And then December 8th hit - I remember this date because it's the date I realized I completely forgot to do the one thing I really REALLY wanted to do this December: December Dailies. It's where you take one photo of your babe every day in December and document your day. Well, needless to say that didn't happen.   I have much respect for my mommy friends who have the discipline to do this every single day in Dec. Infact, I wasn't even in your same state most days in December, so there's that. Maybe we can do January Jailies. No, that sounds too naughty. February failies? Nope - not happening. I KNOW! Maybe tomorrow, when mommy gets her long awaited christmas present (a big girl camera), she can take one pic a day for the rest of December (especially since I know I get to spend every.single.day with you from now until January 1st - this is HUGE!!). Ok, deal.

Every 5 minutes you do something new. I always think to myself: you should totally blog about this. Take a picture, write a post. And then I take a picture, and don't quite get to the post part.

SO - here is my attempt to catch up. First, a list of things that weren't captured in iphone; Second, those that were.

-  You mimic most noises we make; your favorite noises are a 'questioning' noise, you growl at everything (God knows where you got this), and you yell in pure glee

-  You have discovered your lungs, and you are proud of it! You are learning to throw fits, and in these fits you scream AT us - you aren't simply throwing a fit, you have to make sure we can hear you. We're trying our hardest not to give in, but we both hate this noise so, so much

-  One of your favorite games is the "uh oh" game - where you drop things and watch everyone pick them up for you; we think it's pretty cute too

- You love balls - any size, shape or color - you chase them, throw them, try to chew on them (my 12 year old self can't help but laugh right now)

- You are officially walking everywhere and it's so super cool; everyone is impressed by your skillz and ability to balance; you are practically running, and no I'm not kidding

- Balloons. OMG Balloons. We've hit the jackpot with these puppies. We discovered them after a long day of errands. You were such a trooper in and out of the carseat, 4 different stores, and finally ending up at the grocery store; your big brown eyes lit up like our christmas tree when you saw it, and I just couldn't deny you. You will now ALWAYS have a balloon in the house - they just make you so freakin happy, I can't even stand the cuteness. You take it with you, literally everywhere. I actually took you to the grocery store today, WITH your balloon. Pretty stinkin cute.

-  You parkour anything possible. Over, under, in, out, you are crawling under and out of most chairs, tables, anything you can get yourself under or on top of.

totally underneath EVERYTHING:

-  You still love wrestling with daddy; no doubt you are pure boy and love to be thrown around, upside down, and all over

- You love the broom and insist on carrying it everywhere

-  Your favorite room in the house is the bathroom; you love the tile, the bath toys and toilet paper is your FAV (also, this habit is getting expensive, please knock it off)!

- You love to crawl up Grandma's stairs; I am so happy we don't have our own stairs, but it makes it even more special every time we visit Grandma's house!

-  You are hilarious. It really doesn't take much to make you laugh; it might be my favorite thing about you; you watch everything and can find just about anything fun and entertaining. Makes life sweeter for us all. high-larious

Just because

Typing with one hand, as you're napping on me. We don't do this as often anymore and since you're sickly and I'm feeling cuddly, you ended up in on my shoulder.
Here you are, 10 months old and precious as ever.
This is love.

9 Month Stats!

So, here's the deal: you feel HUGE! We could swear you are way bigger than all other babies your age. Your chubby legs, your long arms. PLUS you are way advanced, you're basically reciting Shakespeare. 

Here are a few of your latest:

- You can launch + stand from a seated position

- (at 9 months) you took 3-4 steps at a time, now that you're 10 months, you're up to 6-8 steps, on to the next one!

- You are super entertained by your daddy; the minute he walks into a room you smile and laugh

- you LOVE your mommy with all your heart, while she may not elicit the same laughing response as daddy, you do love to cuddle and hug her, which in turn melts her heart

- (I think) you have officially said your first word: Dada: you pointed at him as he walked into a room and said dada: I think that's it

- You LOVE animals, any cat/dog/squirrel, you will chase after, guaranteed + you love them licking you, which is 25% disgusting and 75% awesome

- You eat like a mad man; you still have a love affair with your bottle, but you love anything you can chew on

- You are a BITER; you have two full baby teeth on the bottom, 4 partial on the top, and you LOVE to bite. Everything + everyone. It's cute, for now.

9 month stats:

Height: 29": 70%

Weight: 20 lbs, 5 oz: 45%

CFC: 17.5: 25%

Halloween Festivities!

Remember that time I promised to update your blog ALL THE TIME?

Remember the time I counted how many weeks/months old you were and would update your blog with your stats - constantly? 

That was cute. 

Apparently, life takes over, and when I do actually have spare time, I'm either playing with you or sleeping - there is no in-between. Please forgive me. 

Here's what I do know: As of this blog post (halloween) you were just shy of 10 months. 

You had taken a several steps 3-4 at a time (which weren't documented = bad mommy).

You are eating like an adult. 

You stand every time you're supposed to be sitting (highchair)

You feel HUGE to us, far superior to every other baby your age (total unbiased opinion, clearly).

Halloween was FUN this year!! We went to the pumpkin patch twice, daddy brought you to my work party where there were ponies, reptiles, a candyland exhibit, nickelodeon GAK, and all kinds of other fun stuff for kids. 

The pumpkin patch was the best part - you seemed tired and not too into it until I let you down. This, as I'm learning, is key. While you love to be held, you really shine when we let you take in the scenery from the ground floor. This was (one of) our first experiences having other parents glare with looks of sincere disapproval - and it only fueled our fire. We let you crawl around in the pumpkins - it started with a photo opp in the patch, and you just took it from there, and took OFF. It was too cute, we just couldn't stop it, and what's a little dirt going to hurt anyone? Queue: rolling eyes, pointing, and gasps that these amateur parents let their 9 month old crawl around in dirt. Don't you know dirt kills people? Guess what judgers: it doesn't. In fact, our kid had a BLAST rolling around in the dirt, and he's still alive, so there.  Here's proof:

The Day Before Thanksgiving

Before catching up on the last 2 months (oops!), I'm going to write about today.
The day before Thanksgiving, I am so thankful to have the day off, and while I was tempted to take you to daycare (since we ARE paying for it), I couldn't help but keep you home all to myself - even if it meant compromising the hundreds of errands I had to run today. Oh well!

I miss you every day.
In some ways, it gets easier: Routine, schedule, it's good for you AND me, I have me time, it just so happens I love my job and like being there, it just so happens you love your daycare and your friends.
In some ways, it gets harder: you are clapping, walking, almost talking, waving, laughing like a mad man, you are growing like a weed, teeth are coming out of every corner of your mouth.
At the end of the day, I know our situation is right for us, but it makes me cherish these random days when it's just you and me, catching up on all that we've missed.

Today was perfect - just a chill day running errands (you love the grocery store, thank GOD!), and then we came home and just PLAYED. You are so fun these days, you love laundry baskets, the dogs are your best friends at home, books are your favorite, and you LOVE your mommy (SCORE!).

Now, to set the stage: you took your first few steps at just 8.5 months - since then, you've come to realize that the quickest way from Point A to Point B is via crawling, but you are becoming WAY more courageous. Ok, back to the story...

I had just finished the 3rd reading of your favorite book (Peek a Who?!?) and got up to run to the kitchen. You got lonely quickly (as you always do) and started yelling; not screaming, not crying, but yelling. Just a friendly reminder that you're here, waiting for more playtime. I came back into the room - your face lit up (and my heart melted, as it always does when you give me this face). I saw that you were launching off of the ottoman and I knelt down - at this point, you took an impressive 8 steps toward your mommy - arms wide open, face so happy, adorable gummy grin as you fell into my arms. You walked 8 steps and fell into my arms, and of course, I started crying, bawling, actually. You had taken a few steps before, but this was by far the longest you had traveled on those two chubby legs. Not to retrieve a toy, or chase the dogs, you walked with confidence and determination to hug your mommy. It is these moments that remind me what life is all about. In that moment, nothing else mattered. You are growing and walking and becoming more handsome by the minute, and while I am sad that I can't be here with you every minute of every day, I am SO thankful that I have the honor of witnessing these epic moments that in my heart of hearts I know are reserved just for you and me.

Just an ordinary day made extraordinary by the simple things in life. Thank God for you, baby boy.
I love you. (and yeah, I'm crying as I write this, you'll understand some day).

here's you, after you walked all the way across the living room (just taking a few steps in this vid, old news:

Sunday Morning

It's one of those unexpected, amazing days. The day brings us a chilly fall morning. Leaves cover the ground, campfire remains in the air from last night, mimosa's warm my belly while the happiest boy on Earth climbs me like a jungle gym. After daddy let me go to bed at 9p last night (even though we had friends + family over, thanks hubs), you and mommy woke up at a respectable 730am. We watched Tom and Jerry, you had milk, mommy had OJ with a kick. We had one of those mornings where everything in the world is good.
You are so fun. I wish we could do this every day. Thanks for being my light - you make it worth it, dude.

Life Lessons

It's funny the way life turns out. Having you come into my life has completely changed me - from the very instant you appeared. My heart has grown at light speed every day that I have the pleasure of getting to know you a little better. 

I was happy before, don't get me wrong, but the day you were born I knew everything had changed. My priorities, my outlook on life, and most importantly, my definition of happiness.  Last week I had to travel to LA for work for 3 days. I was nervous about leaving you for this long - I had only left you for one night before, and that was as far as I wanted it to go. Then another 3 days were tacked on for a trip to NY, and suddenly I jumped into panic mode staring down the wretched barrel of 6 whole days without my baby - Yowsa! I completely freaked. I left work, rushed home to pack and sped over to visit you at your daddy's band practice (where he was watching you) on my way to the airport. 

I was able to spend one last hour with you before I had to jet. It was absolutely heart-breaking for a billion completely selfish reasons. It was irrational but terrifying. What if he forgets me? What if he says his first word? What if I miss his first step? As I left that night, it just didn't feel right.

Days into my business trip, I began to reflect on my life, and how empty it felt without you and your daddy in it. You two complete me to the fullest. I spent much more time than any of my friends experiencing life and making sure I knew exactly what I wanted. As soon as the true meaning of "home" has fallen over you, you realize that "home" is not actually defined by a state, city, or address. It is defined by those who you choose to surround yourself with. You and your daddy, and of course our dogs, are my family. You 4 complete me, you're all I need.

As I pulled into the driveway Sunday, this amazing feeling of calm fell over me. You and your daddy were waiting for me, sitting in front of a rainy, chilly fall bonfire in the front yard. The dogs rushed my car as I pushed through to get to you. Walking around the huge tree in the front yard, you appeared. The minute you saw me your face lit up and my world was back. Those huge brown eyes, those two bitty teeth and that gummy grin. Everything was right again in the world.

I smothered you with love, and I might have even cried, just a bit - you knew exactly who I was and we immediately fell back into our routine. You looked so much bigger, and I could see a few new behaviors you had taken on (you're obsessed with laughing and smiling these days - such an awesome phase). 

So, every story has lessons learned. After 6 days without you, here are 6 very important lessons learned:

1. Don't leave both baby and daddy for 6 days - I must have at least one of you with me until you are at least 2 years old (to be reevaluated at 2 years of age)

2. I made the best decisions in my life - because they all lead me to you and your daddy

3. Someone else can take the jet-setter lifestyle, my celebrity crush is a bald 9 month old with a drooling problem

4. Do not underestimate the power of your daddy - he is amazing and has exceeded all expectations. He cooks, he cleans, he does laundry (WHAT?!?) and he loves you to pieces

5. You are the cutest baby on Earth, or at least in the US; trust me, I gawked at every baby I came in contact with from coast to coast, and yep, you were way cuter by a landslide

6. Home is where my heart is - if given the choice, 95% of the time, I will choose you and this home over any other option (the other 5% is reserved for the Sundance Film Festival, Coachella, or an otherwise music, sun or celebrity-drenched vacation that does not exceed 3 days)

I love you, dude. Thank you for changing my world and growing my heart. 

Your first camping trip

was a complete success!

You continue to be such an easy going, sweet little dude. 8 months old and so, so fun!

We packed up the dogs and everything we own and embarked on a 3 hour drive to Eastern Oregon in the pursuit of sunshine and mountain water. We landed on beautiful Jack Creek, daddy setup our epic new standing-room two-br tent, and we settled in for a weekend of campfires, dirt parties, and games. You loved the wilderness, you kept on your nap schedule, slept through the night and were so happy to be around your favorites for an entire weekend!

We'll definitely be doing that again, but this time, we'll bring more soap! 

FaceTime!

Grandpa got an iPhone, and guess what that means?!?

Upside down

You LOVE to be hung upside down. It's kinda your fav.

Writing.

I never have time to WRITE! And for that, I'm sorry. You are keeping us so busy lately, and with our first major bout with sickness, let's just say things have been better.
Good news is that even with a cough and runny nose, you still flash those two pearly whites on a regular basis. You are SO funny. You like to show off, as soon as someone walks into the room, you'll perform one of your many tricks: the first typically being CLAPPING. This is one of the cutest things you've done so far, and it's how you're communicating until you can figure out how to talk. You clap when you're happy and when we say "YAY" - your favorite is to clap WITH a big group of your friends. You're such a social little guy, I know you love me but what you really love is to be with your whole family. We've had more Humphries family events since you came into our lives, and for that we are all greatful. Your Grams and Gramps, Your uncle and his lovely girlfriend Allie, and Mom and Dad. We are your favorite crew, it's pretty adorable.
One of my favorite things lately is watching you with your Grandpa. You could not love him more - you're always smiling when he's around and he loves to play with you and crawl around on the floor wrestling with you. It is crystal clear that the two of you have a very special bond. One that I am positive will last a lifetime. You love your Grandpa so, so much. Melts my heart.
Speaking of wrestling, let's talk about trying to dress you. When I've finally got you dressed in the morning, I feel like I've just won a fight with a professional UFC fighter. You twist and turn and kick your legs. You hate laying on your back and find it so totally fun to wrestle around with me as I'm trying to dress you. My strategy of building bumpers with my legs has backfired as you now use these as leverage to pull yourself up. It's pretty entertaining and I can't help but laugh at how ridiculously difficult it is to get you to sit still. I love this about you 95% of the time, so the 5% while I dress you, guess I've just gotta make the best of it and laugh.
You continue to discover your voice. Constantly screaming and saying what sounds like itty bitty words. Daddy and I are vying for the first word. We're both constantly trying to coerce you into saying Mama or Dada. You say both of these words, but you haven't yet associated them with either of us. It's still pretty cute to hear a constant "mamamamamama".
Here are a few videos of our favorite things:

CLAPPING:

CRAWLING:

YO GABBA GABBA!!!

Here are a few pics of you recently. Sweet lil 7 month old dude.

You and Uncle Cam-0

We rarely get these sweet moments anymore. I had to capture this one. :-) it's my favorite

duck fan

Grandma's coaster at the BAR. Yep, we had a baby, in a BAR. (sort of)