Spreading the Good Word

Here I am modeling my new onesie! My good friend Margaret is off to Kathmandu to help out MercyCorps in their continuing effort to provide aid around the world... For more information check out their website!


 

8 Months and Counting

Hi Everyone, I hit the 8 month mark! Hard to believe that I am that old!! I have been spending a lot of time with my Uncle Greg, Dad, and honing my crawling/bouncing/standing skills. In this picture I am hanging out with Dad in my pen. Mom swears it is going to be the key to her getting through grad school! I like it because I can push it along the floor and it is big enough for me to crawl around in it.
I am eating more and more real food. Here I am trying to get some cheerios into my mouth! Spaghetti is one of my new favorites. Ice cream is pretty good too. My bottom two teeth are almost all the way in and my top two are just starting to show! This is going to help expand my food selection a bunch!!

Other cool new thing is how much air I can get in my johnny jump-up! I look kind of like a little river dancer bouncing ALL OVER!! I even bounce while holding onto the table.... It is soooooooo much fun! I can get the jump-up to swing around and around too. Dad tried to help me one morning but it made me a little woozie.

I crawl, climb, and get into everything!! I am getting to be pretty fast too. I can walk all around the coffee table and really enjoy climbing on the tv. My new game is to see how fast I can get up before Mom or Dad picks me up. This is me on the go! Speaking of which Mom is looking the other way, gotta run.... 

The Zoo Rocks!

Here are some pictures from my first trip to the zoo!! Mom just bought a membership, so we can go all the time! We went with Danika and Ben on Saturday. The weather was perfect zoo weather and we saw so many animals. My favorite was by far the Orangutan....

 

My New Milestone

So, it has been awhile and I have not been keeping up with my blog because it is BUSY around here!!! I have been to Eastern Oregon, several parties, a board meeting, and visiting all sorts of friends from here and afar!

I think my biggest news is that I can pull myself up to standing!!!!! Once I get to that point I like to let go and try to stand up all by myself... this part is still in need of lots of practice. I use the coffee table, the dining room chairs, Darwin's coat, and friends pant legs. I have had a couple spills and a few bruises to show for my efforts but all in all it seems to be going pretty well.

I am enjoying more and more solid food. Tofu is super yummy! Today I had a bowl of tofu with miso broth at lunch because we went to sushi with Grandma Pam. Mom dumped some water on the table for me to splash, it is probably one of my favorite things to do.

Mom and Dad have been very busy trying to baby proof the house. There was a lot of stuff that was just right for my height, so they had their work cut out for them. They keep saying the house hasn't been this clean in months.

Well, I will try to do a better job keeping updates coming and in the meantime back to crawling and climbing for me... I think I see some stuff they missed :-)

 

I almost forgot......

What is this you ask??? The emergence of my first teeth!!!!!! My appearance is about to change because I am getting my two bottom front teeth. It is very exciting and painful all at the same time. It makes me kind of cranky. I am really excited to be able to chew real food though....
 

How I Love the Beach!

The beach is simply a blast. I just got back from five days down at Lincoln City and it was gorgeous. The weather was perfect! Mom and I packed up the car on Wednesday after lunch with Margaret. She let me pull her hair and play with her bracelet, so so so fun!!! Gina was going to come too but she had a fever and didn't feel well, I really hope she is better!

The drive down south was pretty quick, I fell asleep as we were pulling away from the house and I woke up at the beach! It is like magic , poof there I am in a new spot.

Darwin and I played a lot this weekend. I have also been practicing doing the worm..... up on my knees, lurching forward on my tummy and back up to my knees! It looks really funny but it gets me where I need to go.

Some of the biggest highlights from the weekend were our morning walks with Darwin running around like a silly puppy, hanging out with Aunt Lindsey, playing with Grandpa Rick and Grandma Pam, visiting my great grandfathers highschool, and getting to spend so much time with my Dad!! I love my Dad so much!

I fell asleep this afternoon and woke up back at home... where it was 30 degrees warmer and bathtime was waiting. I am just loving summer time! 

Dog Days of Summer

I've got a lot to share about the last couple of weeks. I apologize for not writing sooner, but Mom has been hogging the laptop to finish up her summer classes. I kept reminding her that I want ALL of her attention but she insisted on squeezing in some time for a few papers and lots of reading. She did so well that she gets a month of vacation. Good job, Mom!
I have been busy learning to crawl this month. I shocked the 'rents by getting up on all fours the other day and somehow I fell into a sitting position. I'll be damned if I can't make that happen more often. I am so excited to do some exploring on my own. There is a ton of new stuff that looks like it is within reach and I plan on investigating in all in the coming weeks.
The picture of me crying was caught while Dad and Uncle Greg were having a little fun at my expense. Dad has this awful mooing sound that gets me all worked up. I am not sure if I hate cows or feel so bad for their plight, but I can't help crying my head off. At least I am entertaining.
On Sunday I was hanging out with Grandma Pam in my new Ergo. I swear it is hard to find a comfortable adult saddle. I've been in the Baby Bjorn, but my ride complains of a sore back after a little while. I get in the Hip Hammock every now and again, but that's a one trick pony. I tried a Sotemi briefly and that doesn't really allow me the freedom to look around too much, but it was comfortable. I get into a simple cloth sling once in a while but only briefly. I've got Mom sporting the oh-so-trendy Ergo and I think I like it. I can ride in front, in back, and even on the side, but not facing outwards. Nonetheless, I am gonna stick it out in this one for a while.

In the next few weeks I'll try to give Mom or Dad a chance to take a photo of me really crawling and post it up here. I'll be headed to the beach, to the Gorge, and back to the beach for some fishing before Mom heads back to school in late September. And, before I sign off... congratulations to Ginny and Sam! Also, good luck in Seattle, DF! (posted by Ed)

The Story is in the Pictures

Here I am trying to feed myself for the very first time ever! Bananas are YUMMY!!!! Although most of the food ended up on the floor rather than in my mouth, it sure was fun.

A Six Month Old Well Baby

Hi everyone, let me tell you - I have been busy! It was my Dad's 29th birthday, so we celebrated by going to Yale Park. I didn't go swimming this time because it was cold outside, it even rained! I think all those that braved the weather had fun.

I had my well baby check-up today, which included the dreaded shots. This time being my third experience, I knew what was coming and didn't cry!! I am still growing bigger all the time... I am 26.75" tall, 20 lbs 2.5 ozs in weight, and my head (still with its own orbit) is 18.5" around. I am going to need a big hat when I grow up!! Dr Lydia was very happy with my progress. She says I am acting like a 9 month old, although she always says I am advanced.

I am getting really good at the scooting, Dr Lydia told my parent they better get to work baby proofing the house because I am going to be into everything before long. I am getting closer and closer to having my knees up under me and I can sit up all by myself for 15 minutes at a stretch! My other new trick is pulling myself up. I have also added some fun facial expressions to my repertoire. It is so great getting big!

I have been spending a lot of time with my Uncle Greg and all my grandparents. Last week Danika came over and we played and played. I also got to see my Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle Kevin! She brought me back the nicest thing from Scotland.... a Scottish national kilt!!!! I can not wait until I am big enough to run around in my kilt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It even came with a pouch and flares for my socks. This week it is my Aunt Lindsey's birthday and we are going to have everyone over for cake. On Thursday Devaki is coming to watch me while Mom sleeps through public budgeting and Dad works on a new stone pathway for the front yard. Whhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Never a dull moment in the life of a baby!

Honeypa and Me

Here I am with my great grandpa, Honeypa! My Mom named him that a long time ago. He makes me laugh and I always have a good time when I go to his house.

I am one week away from my 6mos birthday and I have started to crawl!!! It is amazing being able to get myself around the floor with out the help of a big person. I am not the most graceful mover but between using my head and pushing with my feet, it seems to work. My Dad calls the action "tripoding". I get to go see Dr. Lydia next week for my well baby check up! Any guesses as to how big I am now???

 

Auntie Rachel and Uncle Greg Trying to Help Me Beat the Heat

I have been SUPER busy lately!!! One of Mom's very best friends came to visit from Sweden! Her name is Rachel and she was fabulous. I loved spending time with her, she even babysat me while she was here. I can't wait until she comes back.

I have been getting to hang out with all sorts of people lately... Mom has had class all week long and Dad has been working long hours, so everyone from Devaki to Margaret to Mary to Uncle Greg has been watching me. It has been great. I have so much fun with my uncle, even if I cry sometimes, I love every minute of it. It is going to be great when I am old enough to have him teach me to skateboard.

In other news, it has been HOT! I am not a fan of this weather. As you can see, Darwin and I are soooooooooooooooooo warm. Darwin pants to stay cool and I have to rely on others to dump water on my head. I will have lots of blog postings this week because there are so many pictures to share!

Bizness

This little post has no Liam updates just cyber business. First, I took Liam off of MySpace because it is owned by Mr. Murdoch of FOX News infamy. Second, the blog got spammed this morning by some loan company, so you now have to do a word verification before it will let you post comments. Sorry for any inconvenience, I just HATE spammers!! Be well and try to survive the heat wave!

Scoot, Scoot, Skeeter

So here I am scooting along the floor!!! This is my new trick.... I plant my head in the floor, push up with my legs, and push myself along. It is so fun! I can now roll over on to my back from my stomach, being this mobile is fantastic. When I want to play with something, I can grab it. Mom and Dad are coming to terms with the fact that it is time to Liam proof the house.

I have now made it through the entire Gerber and Earths Best line of 1st step baby food! The pureed stuff is ok, but I REALLY want to eat is all the real food I see everyone else with. When I see other people eating I lunge for the table!

I have learned two other new things this last week. I figured out than I can reach for people and they will pick me up. It is really cool. When I get tired of my chair, I reach out my arms and Mommy picks me up. I can also use this to move from person to person, kind of like a baby version of leap frog. The second game is called "bam bam". It all started the other night when we were playing with my rattle. Mom showed me how to bang the rattle and say "bam bam"..... So now, bam bam means it is time to beat my hands. When I do it, my parents clap their hands and cheer. They are so funny!