8 Months

And I thought last month was busy...

AJ isn't quite crawling, but he sure gets around. He also LOVES to stand. He even pulls the stiff leg move when you try to sit him down. His favorite place to stand is at the coffee table so he can pound his hands on it (sorry, I don't have a picture of this yet). Just recently, he has started to take a few steps while holding someone's hands. He can get up on his knees when trying to pull himself up, but I don't think he has really mastered the concept of "holding on" yet. He's so funny to watch. It's almost as if he thinks he should be able to stand and walk without holding on as he flings himself towards something. AJ's other favorite activity right now is to pull all of his toys out of his toy basket. One day he tried to stand up by holding onto the basket, and they both fell over. AJ has also started to eat small bits of real food: cheese, bread, mashed potatoes, and even a fortune cookie. He has become almost impossible to change and dress as he rolls and twists all over the place. He makes me laugh every day!

Here's AJ with Grandma Bonnie and Great-Aunt Beth at Uncle Eric's for the big BUCKEYE game against Michigan. The Bucks won of course, and AJ had a blast cheering for them!


AJ getting computer lessons from Uncle Eric. What is it about keyboards?

As mentioned, here's AJ emptying out his toy basket. I love how he's wearing his bib like a cape in the picture below!

This is the best picture I could get of AJ up on his knees.

AJ crawls backwards better than forward at the moment, which ofter leads to him getting stuck under the exersaucer.

AJ's new trick in the bathtub is to go "swimming." He goes from sitting to his belly quite well, and loves playing around like this!

The first video shows AJ going crazy with the Buckeye balloon (sorry the video is sideways halfway through, I turned my camera and didn't realize the video would come out like that). The second one is AJ "swimming" in the tub.

7 Month Photos

AJ takes way too many cute pictures to pick from (I usually just get the Wal-Mart introductory special for about $7), so this time I had them put a collage together, now that they have gone digital, for about $10. If you click on the picture you can see it better!

Pumpkin Pie

We had Thanksgiving with Brian's extended family yesterday. Here's a picture of AJ having his first bite of pumpkin pie - with whip cream of course! He loved it!

Happy 1st Halloween

Even though we didn't take AJ door-to-door, he absolutely LOVED watching all the other kids come and get their candy. We actually spent most of the night putting labels on Brian's postcards for his campaign.

AJ's shirt says, "Daddy's little monster!"

AJ gearing up for the trick-or-treaters.

My little froggy..ribbit, ribbit!

AJ says, "High-five the froggy!"

Yes, I too dressed up. My kindergartners were allowed to wear costumes to school, so I dressed as the mouse from "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff. The mouse wears overalls in the story and I also had a tail. I even baked cookies for my students. They knew who I was right away!

Thank goodness Grandma Bonnie and Granpa Joe came over to help us! Here we are outside eating, passing out candy, entertaining the froggy (he was enjoying Grandma's ice water), and labeling postcards.

Okay, so these pictures were actually taken on Halloween Eve, but his Halloween PJ's are soooooo cute! Here he is after dinner hanging out in his chair.

Welcome Gabriella

One of my absolute best friends had her first baby girl this past Saturday. Brian, AJ and I were lucky enough to visit them in the hospital and meet Gabriella. I can't believe how quickly you forget how small they are when they are born. AJ looks HUGE next to her, but he was excited to meet little Gabby and can't wait to play with her. Congratulations Megan and Jeff! We love you and she is absolutely beautiful!

AJ and "The" Nuge

AJ loves his doggy, and fortunately Nuge loves AJ too! Here are a couple pics and a video to show how they bond! "Let me have that ear."
"How about letting me have your nose?"

The Bigger the Better

Size is of no matter to AJ. In fact, the bigger the item, the more intent he becomes on trying to get it in his mouth!

7 Months Old

I can't believe my baby is closer to his first birthday than to the day he was born! He has been fighting his first rotten cold this weekend, so he's been a little clingy, which I don't mind since he normally wants to be free to move around instead of being cuddled. Everything has become a drum to AJ. He has discovered his ears, sleeps on his tummy with his butt in the air, and now eats three full meals a day!

We had a 7 month home photo shoot this afternoon, but as you will notice in the pictures, AJ wasn't too into giving the camera a good smile. He was either pooping, sucking his fingers, or watching the cars go up and down the street!

This was the only smile I got!

AJ would follow each car until it was out of sight.

AJ sleeping with his mouth open because he couldn't breathe through his nose. By the way, his daddy is WAY worse than me when it comes to worrying about our sick child.

AJ continues to practice feeding himself. We have to take turns with the spoon.

The Pumpkin Patch

Last Sunday, Brian and I took AJ to the pumpkin patch with cousin Heidi, Aunt Aimee, Uncle Dave, Grandma and Grandpa Sauer, and Great Aunt and Uncle Cindy and John.

AJ LOVED the pumpkins. We got him one his own size, which he instantly tried to put in his mouth.

We only had to take this family photo six times!

Queen Heidi and AJ as the Indian.

"I wonder how tall I'll be next year?"

3 B's: Baths, Buckeyes, and a Birthday Party

AJ and Heidi were being so nice to each other during the Buckeye game last week by sharing their juice cups with one another. Heidi kept trying to put it in AJ's mouth for him to drink (AJ isn't really a big fan of the juice yet - or maybe he's not a big fan of the sippy cup).
Here is "cousin" Kaylee at her first birthday party. Once again the bear has been decapitated. Okay, AJ and Kaylee's mom are second cousins, so would that make Kaylee AJ's second cousin once removed?

AJ was hanging out with Grandma Rose while Kaylee opened her presents. His bib says, "Too cute to spook!"

After the birthday party we threw AJ and Heidi in the double sink for their baths. You can certainly tell these two are related!

Okay, so a couple days before this last picture was taken, we had a little incident during AJ's bath at home. I always but him in his infant tub (it has a side where AJ can sit upright), and put the infant tub in the big tub. AJ is so cute and fun to watch during his baths, so I decided to take some video. During the video however, he became so excited that he basically dove out of the front end of the baby tub and fell into the big tub. The video suddenly goes blank as I am throwing it down to try and grab him. AJ did have a little goose egg on his forehead and a scratch on his back, but no lasting proof of the incident remained the next day. He hollered at me for a few minutes and then was laughing about it. I am still deciding about whether or not to post the video (it's a little scary). Needless to say, I went out and bought a tub mat and AJ now takes his baths in the big tub!

AJ's New Tricks

Brian and I are amazed at how quickly AJ is learning to move around, and do new things. Everyday is different! Here are a few new pictures to show off his new moves.

AJ's saying, "I know there's a way off this thing!" Here he is trying to escape from the changing table (don't worry - Brian was standing close by as I was taking the picture). We can't leave him anywhere anymore!

AJ sits so good now! I can just plop him on the floor and not worry about him instantly falling over. He's much better at balancing himself, and has learned how to get down on his belly a little more gently.

AJ loves this toy candy corn (it crinkles). He now gets what he wants by rolling and then using his arms to pivot/scoot around.

"I almost got it!"

AJ tuckered out after playing hard with Dad.

Proof that AJ can hold his bottle (he finished it on his own), although he usually wants it held for him.

The first video shows AJ giving high-fives (he does it almost every time you ask), and the second is of him banging his legs on the floor.

6 Months Old

WOW! What a busy month, and I guess that's the best way to describe AJ now... BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! He's suddenly a very active baby who just isn't a teeny infant anymore. He's explores everything and Nuge has become one of his favorite explorations. Good thing Nuge doesn't mind having a lip or ear tugged on. AJ is much more vocal. He has "raspberry" conversations, and squeals and screams with you. He is also very aware of music now. Everytime a song or jingle comes on the TV he stops in his tracks and just listens. He also sings along with you. He can pretty much sit on his own as long as he doesn't lean too far back. He is constantly rolling over and has learned that he can get to objects by rolling. He is also starting to get his knees up under himself and scoot a teeny bit. This new discovery has him sleeping in different positions now too. We often find him on his side or tummy. He knows how to deliberately shake a rattle, or pound on objects. This new trick has been fun in the bathtub as he splashes us both and gets water everywhere! He doesn't seem to mind the water in his face though. AJ has also been trying lots of new foods and loves to make a big mess!

Here's AJ practicing how to play while sitting up.

AJ loves his popsicles, just like Grandpa Al. He gets so excited and constantly reaches for it!

After I feed AJ, I let him play with the cup and the spoon so he can learn how to feed himself.

The mat is pretty much pointless now as AJ only stays on it for about 30 seconds, but he still enjoys the toys.

AJ absolutely loves his baths now, and loves to make BIG splashes.

If you listen carefully to the vidoes where AJ is wearing the orange shirt, you can hear him doing "raspberries."

Buckeye Football

This was AJ's first Buckeye football game that he actually got to watch (we were on top of a mountain during the very first game of the season). Here he is cheering on the BUCKS with cousin Heidi, Grandpa Al and Daddy!