10 months and Counting....

This is the first month that it was extremely difficult to take pictures of Zander staying in one position.  I included all the pictures for humor sake! ;)  As you can tell, we have a son on the move!  At the 10 month mark, he continues to use the army crawl to get around.  He is also pulling up on furniture and people so he can stand.  He can move from one side of the couch to the other while standing/"walking".  If he runs out of space, he will go to his bottom so he can crawl to the next object he can pull up on.  Needless to say, mommy and daddy aren't sitting anymore... we are constantly following our little man around!  Zander continues to eat food....his favorites are chicken, mac-n-cheese, green beans, cheerios, and any type of fruit!  He is getting better with his sippy cup.  By next month, we are planning to stop using bottles at "school" and plan to use his cup for all liquids.....including mommy's milk!  This week, he started wearing shoes to school so he can get around a little easier (see above....pulling up on everything!).  Zander's teachers call him "Mr. Giggles" as he has developed this super cute laugh that he does throughout the day.  Zander continues to wear size 3 diapers.  He is wearing 9 and 12 month clothes.  

In other news.....I am including our favorite picture from the week.... he pulled up at the stairs as I was taking the clothes out of the dryer.  We will be investing in more gates soon!

And... we will need to do something about our cabinets.... he got the griddle cord out while I was putting his car seat in the other room!  He is FAST!

We hung out with some of our best friends last weekend.  Chris took these two pictures of the boys watching t.v. while Bri and I were working on homemade chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen (we might have been talking more than baking)!

Grannie and GranDan visited us on Tuesday.  We were able to grab some Chickfila for dinner!  That is the best restaurant to take a little one!

Bath time is still one of our favorite parts of the day.  Zander loves it and we love the time we get to spend with him! He is almost ready for the adult tub.

More Snow Days!

We had a few more days to enjoy the snow as a family this past week.  We received 7-10 inches on Wednesday and Thursday (you can see a picture of a ruler I used to document the snow accumulation..... I didn't wait until it stopped snowing so that picture was taken somewhere in the middle of the precipitation).  This snow was a lot better than the snow we received a few weeks ago!  Zack actually got to stay home one day and that truly made it feel like we were "snowed in".  We were able to take walks as a family and test out the sled in our backyard.  Zack still had to pull Zander and me on the sled to give us some momentum.  I was too nervous to take 'lil Z on the sled down the road where the snow was packed better for sledding... maybe next year!  Zander was able touch, taste, sit and stand on the snow.... all which made for a memorable first winter!  Now.... we are ready for spring! (I think I might have mentioned this in a couple other blog posts!) ;)

 

 

 

In these pictures of Burke, you can see how deep the snow was on our back porch.... and still coming down!  There was a layer of sleet that came through Wednesday night.... so it made it difficult to actually find the ground underneath when walking. ;)

 

Zack surprised me with a dozen of my favorite roses on Valentine's Day!  He somehow picked them up on Wednesday before the snow started and handed them to me before heading out the door to work on Friday morning.  (He didn't go to work on Thursday since it took him two hours to get home Wednesday with the snowy conditions!)  He received major bonus points for this surprise! 

Grammy and Grandpa stopped by for a few minutes on their way to visit some friends in Virginia for the weekend.  I thought they color-coordinated themselves nicely for this picture!

And finally..... our boy had his crib moved down this weekend.  Basically, I put him down for a nap on Saturday and he decided he would rather sit up and then stand up instead of taking his afternoon nap.  I watched this happen on his video monitor because I could hear happy baby sounds coming from his room rather than sleeping sounds!  When I came into the room, he was holding onto the crib and bouncing up and down!  So where the top of the crib once came to his waist.... it now safely reaches the top of his head.  Here are some pictures of us testing out the height. ;)  Zander is also sleeping with a blanket now (our pediatrician said at the nine month check up that he would be okay to do this... even though I check the monitor quite frequently during the night to make sure it isn't over his head).  He looks like such a big boy now in the crib that once seemed so huge with him in it!



To My New Valentine

Dear Zander,

You will have many valentines through the years.  This first year will be family members (mommy, daddy, grandparents, aunts, and uncles).  Over time, there will be friends, girlfriends, and one day...your wife.  Already I am praying for the person that God has picked out for you to spend the rest of your life with.  My parents prayed for your daddy when I was a little girl.  It is so exciting to see how God works...... I knew your daddy all through high school but it wasn't until the end of college that we decided to start dating.  I knew your daddy would one day be my husband and your father (even though we hadn't met you yet) a few months after we started dating.  Your daddy has a way of making me laugh when I want to cry or scream! ;)  He has a look that he gives me to help me calm down when I am not being as patient as I could be.  We also can have the best conversations on a long car ride or sitting in bed before we fall asleep.  I pray that one day you will find that person that makes you smile the way daddy can make me smile and can talk (or listen) to you for hours whether in the car, in your house, or over the phone (your daddy and I did this a lot the first year we were dating since he lived in Charlotte and I was in Greensboro).  I pray that when you find the person God has intended for you that you will feel comfortable being yourself.  I pray that you will keep God in the center of your relationship, and that as the "man of the house" (crazy to think about since you are nine months old!), you will be an encourager for each family member just as your daddy is in our household.  You are lucky to have your daddy as a role model for you as you grow up.  He will show you how to do a lot of projects around our house, how to participate in different sports, how to be patient and kind, how to be a leader, how to get into trouble, and how to get out of said mischief.  (You may team up against your mom from time to time!)  You should see the way your daddy picks you up and sometimes holds you upside down or tickles you under your arm just to get a smile to appear on your precious little face or a little laugh to be heard.  I know there will be more moments like this between your daddy and you.  The phrase "like father, like son" comes to mind as I type this.  I hope you get a lot of your daddy's qualities because he is such an awesome man to follow as an example.  Now.... as for being your mom... so far... it has been the most amazing and the most challenging experience of my life.  I love you so very much!  I love when I wake you up on a Saturday morning and see a bright smile cross your face when I say "good morning".  I love that we can read a story together every day (usually in the morning and other moments that we can grab a book and read).  I love the way you are pulling up on furniture and are always looking back at me to make sure I am close by.  I love the smile you give when I pick you up from "school" that lets me know you recognize who I am.  I love the way you laugh when I make silly noises.  I love the way you sometimes fall asleep on my shoulder at bedtime and then as I put you in your crib you will slowly roll from your back to your left side.  I love your chubby legs and your blue eyes.  I love that your hair is getting thicker (especially in the back... which is where my hair is the thickest).  I love that you look like your daddy.  I love your hands and your toes.  I love wrapping you up in a towel (aka "baby burrito") after a bath.  I love your cute little baby butt! ;)  Basically, I love everything about you and that is why being your mother is one of the most awesome experiences of my life.  The challenging part I was referring to... is when you will sometimes refuse the food I am offering you for dinner.  You will keep your mouth shut tight as if to say, "no green beans or corn for me today, mom!"  It is also sometimes challenging when you will cry if I am not holding you because I am trying to get dinner ready or clean the bottles from that day and label the bottles for the next day.  It is equally challenging to put a diaper and clothes on you at this age.  You are so wiggly and would rather crawl or stand than just be still!  I say all this... so that one day... when you have a child of your own.... you will know how exciting and hard it is to be a parent.  I don't want you to think that this "job" comes easy!  I have a new appreciation for all of your grandparents for helping your daddy and I grow into the adults we have become.  I know each stage of your life will bring more exciting moments and tough times.  Regardless of how things are.... just know that I love you very much!  I hope that each year on Valentine's Day you will continue to feel loved by the people in your life.  Please don't ever question the love that your daddy and I have for you.  We love you, son!

Love,

Mommy



 

Eating and Standing

A summary of our last couple weeks.... basically we have a baby that is eating real foods and pulling up from a seated position to stand on his own.  Zander still hasn't made it past the army crawl stage but he is advancing in other areas.  You will set him down on the floor, and one minute he will go from sitting to standing.  The next minute he will be back on his bottom.  After that, he will go to his belly and then change to a seated position again.  I told Zack that it is time to move his crib down so that he can't pull himself right out of his bed during the night!  Also, Zander is eating "people" food.  We have been introducing him to cheerios, veggies, fruits, and even some meat (like chicken and beef).  Basically, I will try to think about what I am cooking for dinner (which is not often enough!) or what I am ordering when I am out to eat so I know Zander can eat some of the food we are eating.  We went to KFC on Friday night for dinner.  I ordered mashed potatoes and mac-n-cheese for my sides, and he enjoyed both! We are trying to become more confident in Zander's eating abilities which makes it easier to have him participate in meal time.  I am including pictures of him eating food at the daycare.  He does a great job sitting at a table with his friends.  Zander's teacher sent me these pictures.  Zander is also learning how to use a sippy cup.  He can hold it quite well on his own and even gets some liquid out!  Also, you can see how Zander has been pulling up on his toys in some of the pictures as well. We wrapped up our swimming lessons at the beginning of February.  Zander is a natural in the water.... he is kicking, splashing, blowing bubbles, and going under without taking in any water.  Zack (a.k.a. daddy) is trying to hold us both up in the picture I included......you can tell we are ready for summer! ;)