Happy Halloween - 9 months!

Van turned 9 months a couple days ago, with it was a dream come true. Years ago, I saw a couple with a baby in a pumpkin costume for Halloween and I knew that if I had a baby, I would have to have the pumpkin costume. It was just too cute and the idea stayed with me.

Well, check out our perfect pumpkin...

My heart skips a beat daily when I see his smiling face. And it's so special to celebrate all of these firsts with him. I have to say though, Halloween in the first year seems a bit more for the parents. Not too many happenings are geared for babies. We enjoyed it none the less, and I put that pumpkin costume on him as often as I could!

We took our little pumpkin down to see Great Grandma, who was also dressed up for Halloween.

At the party, spying the treats

We went to a Halloween Party for our large Issaquah Moms group, and hosted a smaller play date at our house with a few friends from the group.

It was a very full and happy Halloween.
xo

Responsibility

Making, having and caring for our sweet, happy baby seems so easy compared to our next hurdle. As 'responsible' parents (we are, most of the time... right? he, he), we need to get going on our legal documentation to care for Van in case the worst happens. I've been too lax about getting this done. We currently have nothing in place.

In case you're in a similar predicament, here's a great article about the 5 legal documents every parent/family should have... abc news article.

Our little buggers are worth protecting, just look at that face!

Stay safe.
xo

Happy birthday, grandpa!

Van loooooves his Grandpa. Grandpa gets down on the playmat and rolls around with Van, making fun noises and playing. The babe just laughs and laughs. It's the best thing in the world to watch.

We were lucky enough to host Grandpa's birthday party at our house this past weekend. Something we couldn't have done a year ago. Being close to family and sharing these special times are what make Seattle home.

We love you dad/grandpa, and we're looking forward to sharing another great year with you!

Sicko

Every time I think I know what's going on, or I get comfortable, the game changes. These last couple weeks have been a doozie!

Our sweet babe has fallen from grace... he has his first cold. Oh, what a great big germy world we live in! While he has his cranky moments at home, he's still a happy little guy. And he's almost always guaranteed to perk up if we are out in a new place with new people. The crank-a-monster seems to be reserved only for mom and dad. Which I find funny, thanks little dude! But in truth, it's not very often. We're so lucky to have such a happy baby. I think his normal tired/cranky/etc times are just a bit more magnified due to not feeling well. Plus, it's easiest to wind down and be tired when you're with people you're comfortable with - in this case, mama and daddy.

Sick, but happy

He also kept most of his appetite for food, although he lightened up on his bottle quite a bit. What do you think he's trying to say? Sucking on a bottle while you can't breath through your nose isn't a smashing good time? Pssh! Nonsense.

While he's on the mend now, his runny nose is lingering. I've tried everything to unblock it, especially at nights for him to sleep easier. I even bought the odd Nose Frieda. Nada worked. Guess we'll have to wait it out. (sigh)

Puff-monger

Gerber has one of the best products on the market: Puffs. Van was coughing and acting like he was choking on the crackers and cheerios we had tried giving him. Unlike cheerios, which everyone says disintegrate in the mouth, Puffs really do. They're a good intermediate food between purees and crackers.

Eating Puffs is a two hand experience. He's also spying the canister,
looking for his next sweet puff of goodness.

He likes them so much, I'm not sure we'll ever get him away from them. But, cheerios are a whole new frontier little man. I just know you're going to like those too! As soon as you stop coughing them up.