11 Months

 He's 11 months old!

Here I thought he was going to be my baby boy forever...

It's getting harder and harder to take this stuffed animal picture.

I had to bribe him with some milk in this one to keep him still.

He's crawling like a maniac. I have to keep one eye on him at all times or else he'll get into something I won't like.

He knows exactly who his dad is. All I have to say is "Dada", and he looks straight at his dad.

He has it all figured out what we're each good for. His dad is for playing/rough housing.  His mom is for cuddling/making ouchies better.
He's very inquisitive.  He'll stare at in adamant objects for long periods of time like he's trying to figure them out.  As I type this Baby J is sitting in his highchair not eating just staring silently at his food, fingers, and harness straps.
He loves to talk and try out different syllables.
He changes so quickly from one day to the next; it's hard to keep up with him! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 We spent our November holiday in Salt Lake with LOTS of T's relatives.

Lots of firsts for us this year.

First time we spent Thanksgiving with T's family as a couple.

First time we celebrated the holiday with our little youngster.

First time I've had Thanksgiving dinner served to me!

We had a great time, and what about that snow?

Wonderful!

 We did it again.

We went to another restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

It was featured right there in SLC.

Red Iguana.

T and I weren't all that impressed due to maybe a couple of things:

We both dislike mole. (the main thing featured on the show)

We had to eat in the car in the restaurant parking lot because Baby J was taking a nap, we didn't want to wake him with his irregular sleeping patterns that entire trip, but maybe the ambiance made up for the mediocre food?

The food was unnecessarily greasy.

I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

 

What a great mini vacation!

It's a First

 I am mad.

I don't like this one bit.

I guess I'll have to learn to live with it.

Baby J's hair was getting a little stringy.

(I refuse to stop calling him Baby J until he's a year, that gives me a month)

That, and almost everyday I take him out in pubic, someone confuses him for a girl.

I guess it was time for his first haircut.

Tired/annoyed boy. He did pretty good considering we made him sit pretty still, while we moved his head around from side to side. Good thing we had some yogurt pretzels we could bribe him with)

Here's the end result.

It's on the short side.

I've never cut a baby's hair before.

So cut me some slack.

I'm toying with the idea of taking all of the hair I saved (yes, I saved it all) 

and keeping it in my purse at all times.

Kind of like a security blanket.

Creepy or caring?

I'm hoping it grows back curly and blond (like his dad).

A girl can dream, right?

 I HATE that he looks like a little boy in this picture.

I've decided I'm going to pout about it until he stops growing.

Baby J's So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

 

My baby has split personalities.

When he's just with me, he's quiet, inquisitive, and reflective.

When his dad comes home, he's wild, rambunctious, just plain comes alive. 

He's a good boy, either way.

And I LOVE that he only wants me when he gets hurt

but...

As much as I love watching them play and wrestle together, I wish Baby J thought I was as cool as he thinks his dad is.

Poor Little Guy

This is the first time Baby J has been sick.

We were worried because T JUST got over strep.

Fortunately, our little boy didn't get strep, but he had a fever and was very much not himself.

He just wanted me to hold him all day long.

As bad as I feel for him, I also enjoyed this time together.

It made me feel needed.

Those moments of feeling needed are getting fewer and fewer as the days go by.

Halloween Weekend '10

Since it was Baby J's first Halloween, we tried our best to do it right.

 We tattooed Baby J's face.

 We went to the Big Piney pumpkin walk. 

(aka: 20 or so intricately carved pumpkins along with free hot chocolate and cookies)

 Our ward Halloween party. 

(One more perk of marriage: wear each other's clothes and it's automatically a costume!)

 I think Baby J enjoyed being a dinosaur.

Even if he didn't enjoy the hood.

 Linkon was the cutest ooomp loompa I've ever seen!

 Grandma Carol and Marti came to visit.

They got lots of loves in with the kids.

 

Jenny told us if you stick your neck out, you look thinner.

That's what we're all trying here.

T got many compliments on his curlers.

We took them out to see if his hair held any of the curl.

This is the result.

The actual day of Halloween?

We snuggled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn while we watched Hocus Pocus and Nightmare Before Christmas, along with a trip to John and Jenny's for dinner and handing out candy.

It was the best Halloween I've had in years.

For us, having a child participate in Halloween made it is soo much more fun.

Why is that?

New Experiences Which Require Documentation

T was looking extra foxy.

(not to say he doesn't normally look foxy; it just has been awhile since he hasn't been covered in grease).

Baby J's first time sitting on one of those rides in the Rock Springs mall.

Our first time going to a Catholic Baby blessing.

Plus, eating some AMAZING brisket tacos!

Literally being the only white people among 300+ persons. 

(At least I can pull off a lighter skinned non-white person, T didn't stand a chance)

Once the other white couple showed up, they sat them next to us!

Us white people have to stick together huh?

 

 Baby J's first time eating rice.

I think he really enjoyed it.

3 Possible Captions

a.) Hey Mom!  Look at my new trick!

b.) I know I should be sleeping, but I think I've surprised myself at the things I can do.

c.) I know if I smile at you and do something you've never seen than you'll take me out of here.

All three of these would work.

Something Strange is Happening Here

The leaves are falling off the trees.

I actually wear a sweater to stay warm instead of wearing one primarily for decoration/trying to get myself in the fall mood.

This is the first time in our marriage we've turned the heat on in the winter.

I love being able to actually SEE the seasons change versus watching them in holiday movies.

For me, it is much easier to get into the Halloween spirit when the weather cooperates.

Along with the fact that both of us have kids, Jenny and I decided to do some festive things to feel more Halloween-y.

The first one: making Halloween cookies.

Confessions:

The kids were little to no help.

It was more fun watching Linkon 'help' us with the cookie making than Baby J (He just wanted to put all the dough in his mouth).

I'm excited to put Baby J in his Halloween costume; he's going to look adorable!

I'm excited to see Linkon actually have some understanding of what's going on.

 

It's going to be a good Halloween.

10 Months

 He's ten months!

 I tried to get a picture of him sitting up with his stuffed animal, but he kept flinging it across the room.  

He was easier to manage if I laid him down.  

Baby J has recently developed a wide range of interests.

 We've basically given him free range to eat anything (within reason) he can gum or chew with his two teeth.

He's a pretty good eater!

He basically eats the things T and I eat (cereal, yogurt, popcorn, bananas, here he is eating pancakes).

Many times a day, I will be eating something and Baby J will crawl over to me, climb on me, and whine until I give him a little something.  It's funny.  He hates us feeding him baby food, but loves when I feed him food I'm eating.  Quite the observer!

 He finds unique ways to fall asleep. How can this be comfortable?

 I fear this stage is ending.  The moments are few and far between when he will let me just hold him.  If he's on my lap, he certainly isn't sitting there.  He's climbing all over me trying to get to something better. Along with his new found mobility, he's discovered this independence which makes me jump for joy and sob all at the same time. 

He recognizes his mom and dad.  He goes to people he doesn't know that well easily, but if I put my hands out, he'll want to go back to me.  The only time this is not true is when his dad is around.  Then I am old news.  He comes alive around his dad.  I guess I'm just boring.

 He's become a raccoon! I think he has some sort of radar.  I have all sorts of things around the house he's allowed to get into and I've blocked off everything else.  He seems to only he interested in the things that he can't.

 I now have to be more careful about what I leave on the floor now.  This means extra cleaning.

He's learned this only recently.  It took him a few days to figure out how to do it, and now he's doing it all the time.  He doesn't understand the concept of gravity quite yet however.  My day now consists of loving him after he falls and bonks his head. It hasn't deterred him though.  He gets right back up! 

He's really a good baby.  Very observant, very quiet (most of the time, almost like he's lost in thought), and very much the charmer.  People love his laid back, relaxed attitude. 

Very rarely have I heard him laugh, but he smiles, coos, and talks all the time.  He cries only when he's really ticked off.  I would say he's a happy baby.

I fear our Baby J is getting closer and closer to Toddler J.  Which doesn't have the same ring to it.

Any new nickname ideas?

He's Mobile!

It's taken him awhile to get interested...

If something was out of reach, Baby J didn't care.

T has been trying to get him to crawl for about two months.

Every night, T would get home and say, "tonight is the night you are going to crawl."

He'd put Baby J in position.

He'd place something out in front of him that he might want.

Every night, he'd topple over. 

Every night, Baby J didn't care. 

We either have a very stubborn or a very laid back baby.

Or both.

I haven't decided yet.

All I know for certain is he was going to learn to crawl on his time.

Now, he gets everywhere (especially where he shouldn't).

He loves to do this.

I love watching him experiment with his own legs.

Awww...

I'm glad Baby J is getting some play time in with his grandparents.

Not to mention, it's super cute!

Phoenix Happenings

T had to go back to work, so I decided to hold on to Baby J and stay down in Phoenix for a few more days.

Things have been great so far.  

I really missed the city/my family. 

While we are here, we got the opportunity to go to a memorial for my Great Uncle Tony.

Technically, he hasn't been my uncle for a long time.

He was married to my great aunt, and when she died, we kept in contact with him.

He was a great man, with a wonderful heart.

I was lucky to have known him.

 

Baby J got reacquainted with his own great aunts.

 

It got pretty hot out (it's funny how easily acclimated I've become to Wyoming weather).

We decided to strip Baby J down to his diaper.

If only we all could have done that...

 It was fun getting to see everyone again.

I miss Phoenix. 

I also miss T.