kids in sunglasses

slowly, slowly, very slowly...

Thomas is on the move! Well, he's been on the move, but now he's actually inching forward! He's been pulling himself forward on his tummy for the last few days. He tries to get up on his knees, but isn't always successful. While standing and leaning against furniture, he's also beginning to "cruise" or pull himself along. There's alot of verbalization that accompanies these forward movements, but he's moving! Hooray for you, baby!

baby with a mohawk?

happy boy

We spent a little time outdoors today watching the girls chase squirrels. There are three trees and two garage rooftops that the squirrels run back and forth on. It drives the girls absolutely bonkers. Thomas loves every minute of it.

Greta

Like Bela, Greta also thinks she is too good to sit on the floor...

10 months

My Top Five Favorite Places to Kiss You...

1. middle of your forehead
2. bottom of your bare feet
3. top of your head/ your hair
4. inside of your hands
5. on the cheek, esp. when you are smiling

Check-up: nine months

Thomas is growing strong and steady. No shots today, but he did get a big prick on his finger for some lead and iron tests.

weight - 22 pounds, 15.25 ounces (75th percentile)
length - 30.75" (97th percentile)

California wine country trip

Thomas and a lemon tree. Photo taken in the backyard of the Calistoga vacation property where we recently stayed.

Quick synopsis of our trip to Napa Valley... We had a nice time on a much needed vacation. Thomas did great on both of the flights and with all the driving around we did. The baby is a real trooper. He slept and napped just as he does at home, even when the naps just happened to be in the rented minivan. The only downside for him was the cold he has, but even that didn't seem to bother him too much. His cousin also has a cold so the two of them made quite a pair. Thomas was mesmerized by his cousin J the whole time. Watching J run around really made Thomas also want to run around. He couldn't get enough of going up and down the two carpeted stairs inside the house. Up and down, up and down. Thomas could do it all day long. The two babies did a great job accompanying us to a dozen or so vineyards and everyone braved the rain and cold to watch me finish the Napa Marathon. The weather was beautiful 4 of the 6 six days. The vacation rental could not have been better for two families to share and the Calistoga location couldn't be beat. The backyard, patio and pool were also beautiful, but we were not able to enjoy it due to the weather. For the adults, lots of good food and great wine on this vacation. In all, a wonderful trip!

waking from a nap

Greta loves to go in with me when Thomas wakes from his naps. He's always happy to see her, too. You wouldn't know it from his smile (photo taken this morning), but the poor baby has another cold. He coughed several times last night and has a really runny nose again today. He just looks miserable which makes me miserable.

new tricks: high five & waving

high five
Thomas has been giving us high fives for the last two weeks. He really caught onto this one quickly. If he's in his exersaucer, he'll high five you and turn to run, laughing the whole time. I'm not sure why he finds it funny, but he does.

waving
Last night I first noticed Thomas waving (at the ceiling light fixture in his bedroom) and today his dad saw him waving at the flickering flames of the fireplace. It was almost as if he were reaching and trying to grab something. A few hours later, he waved out the window so we practiced his new trick this afternoon. Again, this isn't the "parade wave" with the hand waving back and forth, but the "opening and closing of his fist" sort of wave. It seems like a difficult movement for his age, but it sure is fun watching him do it. Now I just need to get him to say "bye bye" while waving.

favorite item of the week: the aspirator

Thomas seems to go through one week periods where one particular item becomes his favorite thing. Other items will be played with (usually while firmly gripping the favored item), but he always returns to his favorite of the week. He wants to take it everywhere. This past week his favorite item has been the aspirator (pictured above, it's your standard blue bulb syringe used to suction out their noses). It has taken naps with him, slept with him, bathed with him, joined us on a trip to the mall, went to the swimming pool with us yesterday (it stayed in the locker room), comes along in the jogging stroller... Wherever Thomas happens to be, you can be sure this is with him. I wonder what it'll be next week?

feeding self

I have a love/hate relationship with the whole concept of "baby feeding himself". I love seeing his joy in accomplishing what seems to us as a simple task. I love watching him hold the teething biscuit in his chubby little hands as he studies it and eventually brings it up to his little mouth. Seeing all the nooks and crannies where food ends up is always a fun surprise, both in and around him as well as everywhere else. But the messiness of it all I could do without. And this is just a teething biscuit. It's going to be an entirely new ballgame when he's using utensils and food is flying around the room. That's how I picture it anyway. Food all over him, us, the dogs, the kitchen...

first swim

Yesterday I took Thomas for his first swim at the local community center. He didn't know what to make of it initially, but he grew more comfortable once we moved around and warmed up. He enjoyed holding onto the pool's tile edge with his feet pressed flat up against the side. He also enjoyed watching the swimmers in the adjacent lap pool. It must have looked strange to see arms flying, water splashing, and the occassional capped head bobbing up and down across the pool's length. He didn't like being splashed when a young boy jumped into the pool beside us, nor did he care for the rinsing shower before and after swimming. Overall, I thought it went really well for his first swim. Maybe next time I'll remember to put his swim trunks on... hey, at least I remembered the swim diapers!

For about the last two weeks, Thomas has been biting. It's usually on the shoulder while you are holding him. We've been pulling him away and saying No Biting! but at 9 months, does he really get it? Tonight he got his own fingers while eating a teething biscuit. He even drew blood! Of course he cried but only for a few seconds. I wish he could put two and two together and understand that biting hurts everyone.

love is in the air

Thomas got an even bigger and better balloon today from his daddy.

9 months

Likes: avocado, couscous, hummus, rice crackers, oatmeal, apples, pears, mangoes, cottage cheese, water, corn, bananas, toast, anything orange (vegetable, fruit or otherwise) and wants whatever we are eating

Dislikes: nothing

Bela... always in need of extra love

blue balloon

Thomas got this balloon tonight and refused to part with it...

Greta

Greta and Thomas are pals. She brings him stuffed animals. She won't flinch when he pulls her ears, slaps her tummy, or pokes at her nose and eyes. They love to stand and look out the living room window together. She loves to sniff him when they greet and he always smiles back at her. She looks worried when he is upset. She gives up anything that he tries to take from her. He loves to watch her wrestle Bela. He loves to watch them both eat and drink water. He tries to say Greta's name. She looks mean in this photo, but anyone who knows her would say she's far from mean. They are both lucky to have each other.

sunny day

It's still a cool 50-something degrees this week, but the sun is out and the whole world is suddenly a happier place. We needed some fresh air and the sun was irresistable so we walked over to the park where Thomas enjoyed his first swing.

Interest in crawling forward?

The cold is still hanging around but Thomas appears to be feeling better and is on the move. He's enjoying tummy time (finally!) and almost seems to prefer it so he's been hanging out on his belly quite a bit. He pushes himself around in a 360 degree circle and pushes himself backward, but hasn't gone forward yet. He like to rock forward when sitting and enjoys throwing himself forward, esp. when we are holding him. I still think he may just start walking before crawling, but only time will tell.