Babyproof

Oh, the joys of a crawling baby! I love this stage! I've loved every stage but when I look back I'm really liking this stage. The more he does the more I think he just gets cuter and cuter. He gets more expressive and he is able to do more and more things. I love watching him struggle as he figures out how to get into things. I had bought him a set of books and they are still wrapped and he will just sit there for quite a long time and try to open it. I can hear him grunting as he turns it in every direction and chew on it, he'll hold it one way and then another. I love the look of concentration. He has that look when he plays with his favorite toy, a waterbottle. That will keep him busy for a very long time. Which reminds me... I also love his busy look. He will be fully engaged in conversation, or should I say, babble, with us and all of a sudden he gets really quiet and looks like he's really working on something. We try to get his attention but nothing will do, and we just know, "He's very busy".

So now that he is crawling everywhere I had to babyproof the house, which turned into a major spring cleaning. I must say, it took me a few weeks! And we're still not done I still need to put those clamps on the cabinets. I feel at ease though that there's nothing laying around that could really hurt him. But not even the best babyproofing will keep him away from everything. He does have pen writing on his kneck and face right now. Whether that was mine or Matt's fault we are both much more aware of keeping things clear. I make sure I put my bobby pins where they belong after washing my face. We don't leave scissors or screwdrivers lying around.

First Foods

I finally decided to start Evan on real food! Just about a week before he turned 9 months I gave him banana and avocado mashed. He was quite interested in grabbing the spoon and putting it in his mouth. I haven't been consistant about feeding him real food though. I want to make sure he gets the best nutrition and mother's milk is supposed to be just that. Plus its way easier not to worry about packing food for him and all the extras, like a spoon and a bib on top of all the other things in his diaper bag.

My goal is to make most of his baby food myself and to keep him away from junk food for as long as possible. This means I have to eat better too!

The Perfect Day

Do you ever have one of those perfect days, where everything seems picture perfect and it just makes you think how great life is? Sunday was that day for me. There was nothing grand about it. In fact, it was a simple day. We woke up with baby by our side. He was all smiles (as usual) when he woke up and we played happy family until about 8:30. Then we started to get ready for church. We weren't rushed, we didn't get frustrated with each other, we didn't forget our Bible, we didn't skip our protein shakes and we were on time! We found a parking spot with no problems, we found perfect seats in the back where Matt likes to sit. The message was encouraging. Then we came home. Baby took a long nap. Matt watched golf and I did a little shopping and found everything I was looking for. Family had come to town so we visited with them at my in-laws and went to The Prado at Balboa Park for dinner. The park was beautiful. I started with a mojito that was just right, sugar and lime with the perfect infusion of mint. I tried a new dish and liked it and finished it off with a Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Flan. mmm... And baby was sooo good all day. Everyone commented. Then we came home and played with baby in bed for a little bit, put him in his crib and then Matt and I cuddled and we went to bed early.

Then Monday came and I thought about how perfect Sunday had been.

8-Month Milestones

It looks like 8 months was a big month for little Evan. This month was full of firsts for him and we had so much fun watching. He finally started crawling... and I mean finally not because I was in any hurry, but it seemed like he was going to start at 6 months. That's when he was on all fours. I really didn't want him to crawl too early because it gave me peace of mind to know that if I set him somewhere, he wasn't going to go anywhere. But after seeing how frustrated he was becoming by his attempts to go forward only to go backwards, I started to feel for the little guy.

Then, the day after we got back from Michigan I noticed he had a tooth coming in. The bottom right. No wonder he had been so fussy the past few days.

So after his first big conquest of mobility, he quickly graduated to standing up. As long as he has something to hold on to, he pulls himself right up. Needless to say, I cannot leave him for a second now and babyproofing is way overdue! He has put so many things in his mouth. And here Matt was so worried about people passing on germs... If he only knew all the things that have gone into his mouth.

Ahhhh (sigh). But its a joy. Really, I'm not being sarcastic. I love having a little baby. Listening to him babble and laugh. Its the greatest.

I was sad to leave but it was also good to be home. Evan and I went to visit my cousin, Roxy, in Michigan for a week. It was great spending time with her family and getting to know all 8 kids. Yep, 8! I can't even begin to describe them. They are all such wonderful kids and I'm really amazed at how well they behave and interact with each other.

Jazmin, the oldest, is very outgoing, has a lot of talent and is beautiful. Not only that, she has such a pure heart. Most 16-year-old teenagers are annoyed by younger siblings but she plays with them and helps her mom out with them as well.

The 13-year-old reminds me a little of my brother. He's good at sports but he is really humble. Him and Isaiah, 10, are best buds and they're like little grown men who help thier dad chop wood and help thier mom carry heavy things. They also help clear the table and sweep up the floor after dinner.

Jared is really funny. He's the one that stuck a grape up his nose and couldn't get it out because he had shoved it up too far. He cracks everybody up. You can just see he is so full of life and you just don't know what he's going to do next.

Nathan, who is 6, not only looks just like his dad, he also has the same personality. He's a self-starter who wants to know the task at hand so he can quickly finish it. Levi on the other hand, who will be turning 5 in just a few days, puts off his chores as long as he can. He is the typical kid, full of questions and can't wait to play. He's actually quite smart and really beat me at the memory game. Which proves what I poor memory I have even a 4 year old can beat me.

And then there is Bella... What can I say about Bella? I say, "She is sooo cute!" a hundred times a day. She's a beauty, but she also has the cutest little personality. She flutters around keeping herself busy. Its funny when she acts like a miniuture mommy. She's full of expression and she just cracks me up.

The youngest is almost 4 months and her name is Natalia but we all call her Talia. She is soo sweet and tender but poor baby she cried a lot until she got back on her schedule. As soon as I got there we were off and busy.