Fun Pics

Here are some new, fun pics of AJ!

AJ and cousin Heidi jawing it up. They just love talking to each other, and AJ is very good about taking Heidi's abuse (she kept patting/hitting him on the head, it was really quite cute, but Heidi, I think your turn is coming). Look out, they are trouble just waiting to happen!

Okay, so when I lay AJ down to play on his mat, I always lay him in the center underneath the beach ball so he can reach it with his hands. The pictures speak for themselves when I say he no longer stays where I put him. He's very good as scooting himself backwards, and more recently turning in a circle. And so it begins...

And now AJ has discovered he can reach his toes and that they are always around to play with. It makes diaper changing time quite fun!

Visit to Cleveland

Well, AJ made his first trip to Cleveland to hang out with all of the pretty girls who came for cousin Nicole's bridal shower. We both had a GREAT time, and AJ was absolutely perfect! Nicole and Laura - it was wonderful seeing you both, and I know AJ loved meeting you! Can't wait to see you at the wedding!

AJ with cousin Nicole - the bride-to-be!

AJ sat with one of Nicole's friends so he could get a good look at all of the presents.

So many pretty cousins to hang out with - AJ with Christine and Emma.

AJ vs. The Rice Cereal

AJ had his first taste of FOOD today - rice cereal, YUM! He actually was very good at opening his mouth for the spoon, but then he would push most of it back out before swallowing. He thought it was pretty tasty stuff at first, but then after he ate about 1/2 of a tablespoon he decided he'd had enough. More rice adventures to follow tomorrow!

4 Months Old

My little baby boy is getting SO big! We went to the Dr.'s yesterday and he weighed 16 lb. 5 oz., and is 26 inches tall. That's the 85th percentile for his height, and 79th percentile for his weight. His head measures in the 72nd percentile. He had some more shots, but mommy was smart this time and gave him Tylenol BEFORE we left the Dr.'s, so he was just a little whiny last night and today. AJ has mastered the skills the Dr. asked us about, and the nurse giving him the shots commented on how strong he is when he wouldn't let her hold both legs down at once with one hand. Needless to say, she ended up having to do one leg at a time (AJ and I were planning our escape before she came in). AJ is improving upon the skills he learned last month, and we continue to practice rolling over. Everything goes in his mouth and he drools all over the place. It is a true delight to hear one of his still rare belly laughs. Brian and I have to be careful when we watch T.V. as AJ becomes glued to it when it's in his view (see picture below).

I wish Grandpa Bill could see this - he would be so proud (Yes, AJ is watching The Price is Right. I swear he only watched a couple of minutes before I turned it off). The exersaucer is just the perfect place to hang out and watch his favorite shows (I think I need to move it).

This has become AJ's finger-sucking style of choice. We need to teach him and his cousin Megan a little lesson about sporting the Texas Longhorn sign!

4th of July and a Few Extras

AJ's first 4th of July was spent helping Daddy campaign for his City Council race followed by his first fireworks show!

Here's the Sauer campaign gang just before the parade.

Dave, Grandma Rose, Aimee, Heidi and AJ marching in the parade. AJ slept through the whole thing.

Here we are at the fireworks with Natalie. AJ loved the fireworks and actually watched the first ten minutes of them. He then fell asleep, as it was already way past his bedtime, only to be briefly startled during the finale.

AJ got to meet his Great-uncle Ken and Great-Aunt Sue for the first time this past weekend. Apparently, Ken entertained him with some new rhymes. Here's the fam hanging out at Uncle Mark's after the Kriebel reunion.

AJ is really starting to get into his toys. He can grab them and occasionally chew on them as shown in the picture.

This one's for you Aunt Beth (even though I think he is bound to be a Red's fan). He does look really cute in it!

Cousin Heidi no longer enjoys being in her exersaucer, so she let AJ borrow it. He can't quite reach the bottom to really bear weight on his legs, but he did play in it for awhile.

Camp Bountiful Reunion

AJ and I got to spend a whole week at Camp Bountiful with Grandma Bonnie last week! It's been a long time since I've been there for an entire week, and it felt good to be back and share the experience with my own child. I hope he has just as many wonderful memories of camp as I do! We connected with old friends and made some new ones. There were lots of other little babies for AJ to play with, and he was perfect all week! He even stayed up late and partied in the cabin with us a couple of nights, and never got cranky. We can't wait to go back next year!

AJ practicing rolling over from his back to his tummy on the downhill slope by our cabin (makes it a little easier :) ).

Here we are hanging out with Ruth, Tommy, Haun, Sokjang, Grandma Bonnie, and Daddy during rest period. AJ even hung out with us as we played cards.

AJ was so happy that Daddy was able to spend the weekend with us, even though he had to go back to work on Monday.

AJ's first time in a swing. It put him right to sleep.

AJ didn't want to be left out of Children's ministry, so Grandma took him up so he could get his pin each night for his hat.

AJ Rolls Over

AJ rolled over all by himself today! He was having tummy time on his playmat and just rolled right off! It was so exciting. It seems like he is learning something new every minute. He also grabbed one of the legs of his toy giraffe that I have hanging on the playmat and was pulling on it! I just can't take my eyes off of him.

One more cute thing... When AJ and I were giving Nuge a belly rub, Nuge sneezed and AJ laughed right on cue. It was actually a real belly laugh this time, and not just one of those squealy noises he makes when he smiles big. Having AJ has certainly brought more laughter into our lives!

3 Months Old

AJ turned 3 months old yesterday, so we had a little photo shoot at home today. We picked the background in honor of July 4th and Daddy's upcoming city council campaign! AJ has become quite expressive!

Oh mom, I love you!

I think I need to poop.

Whoa, what's going on?

Look out world, here I come!

Break time - I need a little comfort.

Hello girls, want to come to my crib tonight?

Where have 3 months gone?! I can't believe how big my little man is getting. Since, he didn't have a 3 month Dr. visit, we took Grandma Bonnie to work yesterday (at Children's Hospital) to get him weighed and measured. He weighed 14 and 3/4 pounds with his clothes on, and still measured at 24 inches, although I know he's grown because he's continuously growing out of his clothes. He measured wrong somewhere!

AJ is really starting to become so much fun to watch. He is constantly looking around, and he's loving the fact that he has good head control now, and his back is definitely stronger too! He has discovered his feet, and thinks they are quite interesting. He finally grabbed onto them yesterday. He has realized that he can control his hands, and you can see him concentrating now when he hits and tries to grab objects hanging from his play-gym. He has a little beach ball that he uses to practice his boxing moves! He is also sucking his thumb on a consistent basis. He loves to blow bubbles and has become quite the drool king. He pushes to a stand when you hold his hands, and he is definitely beginning to experiment more with his voice. We have quite the conversations, and every now and then he makes his voice as loud as possible with a little screech/laugh/squeal. Oh, he also loves ceiling fans! Do they get any cuter than this?!

I knew I forgot to mention a couple of things that he does now. He makes this noise that sounds like he's saying "Hi." It comes out more like ah-I, but it's so sweet. He also makes a pouty face that reminds me of what I used to do - he sticks out his lower lip. Brian says it's exactly what I do. It absolutely turns me into putty.

1st Father's Day

Okay, so I feel bad that I didn't take any pictures on the actual day of Brian's 1st Father's Day, but as he puts it he got a whole week of Father's Day on vacation (we were trying to get out of the condo by 8:00 AM that morning as well). I promise to do better next year. I love you Brian and you are a wonderful father!

Here's the card that AJ and I made for Brian. We surprised him with it first thing Father's Day morning. My favorite part is the picture of Brian changing one of his first diapers. He always said he would never change one until it was for his own child.

Just a couple more pictures of Daddy and his little man hanging out together in Florida. They had so much fun bonding!

West Palm Beach

We just got back from AJ's first vacation to the beach (West Palm Beach)! The nicest part about the trip was being able to spend a relaxing week with my two favorite guys. We enjoyed every moment and can't wait to do it again next year! Below are some highlights from the week.

Here we are at Port Columbus Airport with Grandma Rose, Aunt Aimee and cousin Heidi. AJ and Heidi were preparing themselves for their first airplane ride!


Here's me and my little man on the airplane (it took about ten tries to get this picture to come out right). AJ was perfect on the plane. He either slept, ate, or played. The only time he really screamed was when I bonked his head on the ultra-low airplane ceiling (I felt terrible). He had a red mark for the rest of the day, but luckily he calmed right down with his pacifier. On the way home, he actually grabbed and played with my snack napkin and empty bag of potato chips (he's really starting to find his hands useful).

Here's AJ hanging out in the cabana at the pool. See his cute little swim trunks? This was a daily occurance and AJ often passed the hot afternoons with a nap while mommy and daddy read.

Here's daddy helping AJ dip his toes in the Atlantic Ocean. AJ didn't seem to mind too much.

Mommy and AJ enjoying the view!

AJ has learned how to do crunches in his carseat - he wants to have a 6-pack like his dad, and he wanted to look good for all of the beach babes :) !

AJ thought the waves were pretty cool! He didn't even mind when a big one splashed him in the face. He's definitely my little beach baby!

As long as AJ had a full belly and wasn't tired (which is hard to have both at the same time when you eat every two hours and take several cat naps throughout the day), he really enjoyed the pool. Here he is in Mr. Turtle floating around with Dad. AJ even learned how to make the water splash - once again those hands are becoming quite useful.

AJ giving Grandpa Al some love on his birthday.

Heidi and AJ had a great time playing in the sand together. The Bumbo chair was awesome to have at the beach. We built the sand up around AJ's chair so that he could feel the sand with his hands (see the picture below). He loved it!

Here's AJ being his charming self at the Tiki Bar, while the men were at a baseball game, and the girls were having a drink by the pool. He fell asleep about five minutes after this was taken (you can see he's in his pajama's). He's such a good baby!

Okay, so I am 26 years old and have never watched the sunrise before this vacation. I made it my mission to see it rise at least once, and had the fortunate opportunity to see it twice. This is a picture from the second time I saw it, which wasn't quite as beautiful as the first time (I forgot the camera in my haste to get down to the ocean in time), but still pretty amazing. The first time I saw it, I actully got to see the sun emerge above the horizon, which was completely awesome. It was somewhat cloudy the second time, so I didn't get to see that initial appearance, but could see parts of the sun through the clouds as it rose. Thank you AJ for waking up at 5:30 AM to eat, so I could make it to the beach to see this gorgeous event.

We had a little twister - see it in the sky? I can't remember what they're called when they form over water. It actually touched down in the water and then disappeared once it was over land. It was pretty cool.

All in all, we had a wonderful week full of laughs and smiles. I learned a new mom lesson - cheap diapers are cheap for a reason (will stick with the Pampers). I had to wash one too many outfits this week. AJ can and will burn in the sun at 8:30 AM - ah, my little redhead. Are redheads still a novelty? I can't tell you how many people comment about it. AJ also peed on me three times before I could get a new diaper on while we were waiting to board our plane in Atlanta - this was the one time I decided to just change him on one of the seats instead of taking him into the bathroom. Brian also got to celebrate his first Father's Day while we were there, which made it all the more special!

AJ in the Bumbo

AJ just loves to sit up so that he can see what's going on around him. Now that he has decent control of his head he can sit in his Bumbo, which he absolutely loves! He laughs, and plays, and looks around. He also loves to watch his feet now that he has discovered them. It's the cutest thing! AJ makes us laugh and smile so much, and it's the best feeling in the world!