Pickle Face

I gave PJ a pickle tonight while I finished making dinner. The pickle was a great distraction buying me some valuable time for dinner preparation.I know PJ liked it because he was eating it, but this face says otherwise...

Signing Cards

This afternoon we signed and sent off our Mother's Day cards so both of our moms could be reminded that they are loved.  We are going to see G-Ma Hammell on Mother's Day but decided it would be fun to send a card too.  Who doesn't like getting a letter in the mail?  Especially when the one and only adorbale grandson has signed the card!

PJ signing Ome's card

Beautiful Seattle Day

Today was a perfect May day in the Northwest.  We stayed in the city to go to a friend's orchestra show at the Mukilteo Community Center.  This is the nicest community center I have ever seen inside and out.  A great place for a symphony and to gather with friends afterwards.

During intermission we had a little photo shoot with PJ.  Check out the great pictures we got of him.

 Ry also got some great pictures of PJ walking towards the camera and away from the camera. Selecting PICASA will take you to all the photos we took.

Real Shoes

Today PJ got his first pair of real shoes. Now that he is walking real shoes are needed. The first pair he tried on were a little too big but fun for us to watch PJ feel real shoes for the first time. The video below reminds us of the time we put booties on Lily dog to prevent ice from cutting her paws when we snowshoed.

 

-K

 

 

Applesauce

I haven't posted any eating pictures in awhile because all has been pretty normal for the last few months.  PJ can pick up and eat finger food quite successfully, and he is still a little birdie for me to scoop non finger foods into his mouth.  But things at the dinner table are changing, now that we have to improve PJ's utensil wielding skills in order for him to move onto the Toddler room at daycare. 
Tonight was the first night for that learning experience.  The highlights of the meal were that PJ properly held the spoon as seen in the picture below, and no applesauce was flung during this production.  Unfortunately also seen in the picture, PJ used his left hand for a majority of actual applesauce consumption. 
 

Doesn't everyone eat applesauce with their hands?  The spoon is just an ironic accessory.

A cute video of our little man in action.

11.5 Month Videos

Last night PJ accomplished two new milestones and we got both on video.  The first video shows PJ walking, like its no big deal. In fact he went from tentatively taking one to three steps and then falling on his bum, to last night, full blown walking.  He can now pivot, change direction, bob his head hilariously while walking, and stay upright even when he loses his balance a little a little.  We caught most of this on video but I am sure a few more will follow.  Right now he is looking a little zombie like with his movements so we will post another when walking looks more natural.  The second video shows PJ feeding his Momma.  He wasn't into eating much last night and instead wanted a hug. So while I was holding him, I continued to eat my dinner.  Dinner included some raw snap peas that PJ likes to hold and munch on but not actually eat.  So he got a kick out of watching me eat them.  He thought it was even more fun to take it out of my hand and put it in my mouth.  He figured it out so quickly.  Once he started it, it was hard to stop.  Enjoy the videos.

Helping Make Dinner

Well I am not sure how much you would call this help, but he sure is cute. PJ has decided to take the condiments off the door and then put it back. Rinse and repeat. Here he is putting a condiment back. He is getting so tall.

Toddler Room Transition

We recently met with PJ's teacher at daycare to talk about moving up to the new class.  Somewhere between 12 months and 15 months PJ will have to be at the following milestones!

• One nap, which starts shortly after lunch, noonish.
• Currently PJ takes two naps.  In fact at home his naps last two hour each.  The morning nap is going to be hard to give up, but 'they' say it just happens so we(actually just me) will try not to worry.  
• Eat with utensils off of a plate and handle a spill-able sippy cup. 
• Currently PJ does use a sippy cup, but has a tendency to shake it and swing it around when he has had enough.  PJ is not allowed to have a plate without complete hovering supervision because he likes the sound it makes when he smacks it against the table.  He is so excited about the noisemaker I don't even think the food is noticed before its all over the place.  As for utensils, well we will have to start letting him use them.  With the cup and plate flying around we hadn't thought adding a spoon or fork was a good addition, but we will try. 
•  No more bottles. 
• Actually this is just a preference, but we would like to be done with bottles at 12 months too.  I don't look forward to the parenting experience but we will both be better when its all done. 
• Real shoes, so that he is prepared to go outside.  
• Finally, something we can do today.
• Be bored in the infant room. 
• A majority of the babies in the infant class are PJ's age so they are busier and more active than the normal infant room.  We were told the infant room usually has more age variety range from 3- 12 months.  The plus to this is that we have time to accomplish the first two bullet items that seem so far away for our son who will be 1 year old in just two weeks!

So PJ isn't ready for the Toddler room yet, but I am surprisingly in no rush.  I love his current teacher, and she adores him.  That will be hard for both of us to transition from.  I thought for sure I would be frustrated and a nervous wreck if PJ wasn't meeting milestones soon enough; I am super competitive after all.  Instead I am enjoying PJ becoming his own little person as a supporting momma.  I do very little comparing to other children and thoroughly enjoy watching him discover life at his own pace.  I know that he will reach all these milestones, some early some later compared to other kids, but all perfectly on time for PJ!

-K

Hike to Mt. Washington

Today we went hiking with Tash, Jake, and Amy to Mt. Washington, an hours drive from home in the Snoqualmie area.  The weather was not perfect, the views were totally fogged in, we even had to add layers of clothing while we ate lunch but it was nice to be together on the trail.  We are so blessed to have such great friends.  PJ did awesome in his carrier backpack.  He babbled most of the way up the mountain.  At lunch he devoured a nutri-grain bar so quickly you would have thought he was doing the work.  The for most of the bouncy ride back down the mountain he slept.  A perfect Sunday for us!

PJ, K, Amy, Tash and Jake

PJ, K, Ry, Amy, Sammi dog, and Tash

'Younk-O-Fun' Family

Daddy's Ears

We were out getting groceries today and PJ got to hangout on Daddy's shoulders. He has done this several times before but today he realized Daddy's ears are the perfect handles!