11 Months

My darling, handsome boy . . . This monthly post is way way late - you are almost halfway to 12 months (eek). Daddy just returned from a two week trip overseas and I was too busy washing your bottles and making sure your cute little booty was freshly diapered to post this earlier (or I was sleeping . . . )

It is so, incredibly hard to believe that you are almost a year old. I already find myself looking at your "old baby photos" thinking, "my gosh - he really was that small once". But, like, always - you just keep getting more and more fun as I get peeks at your growing personality. And, without a doubt, I can say that you have gained my stubbornness. Lucky you :) Here is what you are up to - and I'll try to save all the developments that have occurred in the last two weeks for your 12 Month post. 

First things first - you will notice a difference in this month's photo - you are not sitting in the chair. I put you in the chair, but after 5 pictures, you went exploring at the edge and fell out. I got just enough of you to cushion your fall, but fall you did. I knew that if I put you back up there, you would fall again, so I just went with this one. You are so, so very curious - everyone mentions that you look and observe everything. You love to be around people - shops, restaurants - anywhere you can explore and observe :) (Daddy says you get this from my love of people-watching). 

Shortly after your 10-month milestone, we celebrated your Daddy's first Father's Day. You were incredibly thoughtful, getting Daddy a handsfree headset for his cell phone, and making him comic book coasters. Well, to be honest, Mama did most of the crafting, you only did the heavy lifting and decoupaging ;) 

Ooo - a new chewtoy 

You have honed your crawling skills and are now quite speedy when you want something - usually the baby gate blocking the stairs. You can pull yourself up easily and shake it in a very dramatic fashion (this flair for the dramatic obviously comes from Daddy). 

Must . . . get . . . Laptop

Freedom!!!

A major, major milestone happened for your Daddy this month - you played with a ball - no, not those balls - an actual sports ball! A baseball to be exact. I don't understand what about this makes his heart go a-flutter, but it certainly does :) You have made him quite proud. (As long as you don't hone your skills at an Iowa rival school - you know, Purdue(??)). 

And for my next trick . . . I will grab this ball . . . 

. . . and Daddy will smile. I have them trained sooo well. 

Sleep - You had an off-again-on-again sleeping month. Daddy reports he was up some nights, not others . Mama mostly slept unless Daddy didn't feed you before changing your diaper (you get a little fussy - again, the dramatic flair). 

Talking - You added 'Baba' to your vocabulary this month. I have absolutely no idea what it means, but it is so fun to listen to you - I swear you know exactly what you want to say and are so confused that we cannot understand you. 

Food - I am sure you tried new things this month - but the report is that we try to give you new foods whenever we have them, and you eat them. Really, you eat anything and everything. I especially enjoyed giving you steak and potatoes for the first time. As the children of cattle farmers, you can imagine our excitement . . . 

OMG STEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Lady - stop taking my picture when I'm eating (I mean . . . squirrelling)

One funny note - you squirrel away food in your cheeks sometimes, just like a hampster (or squirrel, I suppose). I am not sure if the pieces are too oddly shaped or small to chew, but you have been known to projectile sneeze hamburger pieces thirty minutes after dinner is over. 

You started to think of Izzers as a playmate this month. You often stick out your hand to get her to lick your fingers, and then giggle hysterically when she does. You also try to grab her hair, which she does not find endearing, and thus runs away. We are working on 'petting nicely'. Isabelle will not growl or show any meanness to you, which we adore. She may not poo outside when she's supposed to, but as long as she remains a wonderful playmate and pet of yours, we will love her :)

We took you out and about this month, first to the annual celebration our hometown puts on each year. 

Nom Nom Fingers

And, of course - how could you forget the 4th of July at the cabin? 

Is this lady ever going to leave me alone?

Nope, handsome. No I will not. 

The Last First

It hit me last week that this Fourth of July would be Justin's last 'First' holiday. *tear*. Each year we trek down to the lake at which my aunt and uncle (two sets actually) have a cabin to join in their festivities. There are boat races, golf cart parades, and really good fireworks among the normal - laying on the beach and chilling in the cabin. I spent much of my summers growing up here and it is one of my favorite places :) I was pretty excited to take Justin for his first time.

This is how we started - Mama and Baby on a sheet on the beach after we SLATHERED him with sunscreen inside. Note the sippy - gotta stay hydrated. 

The PAPA-razzi came out. He now smiles whenever he sees the camera.  

More sippy - wouldn't want to lose any water in the twenty minutes that Mama let him be outside. Seriously, the baby's skin is as fair as mine - oh, maybe he gets that from me?

Everything was all good until he realized how fun it was to drag his fingers through the sand . . . 

The water was fairly warm so I put him on the sand where the waves would wash onto his legs - he thought it was pretty cool. 

Still trying to figure out his 'good side' - I think damn handsome wins for both :)

Summertime

. . . means letting yourself go a little crazy once in awhile. Or letting your Mama go crazy. . . same thing. 

10 Months

Holy Crap Handsome, (first, do me a favor and forget that Mama used the word 'crap' right there, k?), you are ten months old already. I know I say it every month, but this past month has really, truly, been the best of my life. You have grown so much and I have fallen so in love with my little boy as your personality has started to show. I cannot look at you without smiling anymore (okay - unless you're being a really big fuss bucket). This was a very busy month, so I'll jump right in . . .

* You weigh around 24.4 pounds. You are a heavy little booger to carry around, though it is great for toning my arms :) You now wear a size 4 diaper, size 12-18 month tops, and (if we are honest) 12-18 month pants are laughing at your thighs. Oh the thighs . . .

Huckleberry Justin

* Your development has EXPLODED this month. Last month we thought you were not going to crawl, and in the course of two weeks you started to army crawl, regular crawl, clap your hands, and pull yourself up. It has been crazy to watch you learn so much. You are now into everything and I cannot leave you alone for more than ten seconds. Your favorite things to go for are the night light in your room, Izzers' dog dishes by the kitchen - I can't tell you how many time I've pulled dog food out of your chubby little hand, though none has made it to your mouth, thankfully; the caddy with your old bath supplies in it, and the safety gate at the top of the stairs. If I need to do something, I will pull your pack n play over, put some toys in it, and hope you are entertained for a few minutes.

Another option for 'Count the things wrong with this picture' game. Such trouble . . . 

* Your aunts taught you 'No No No' - whenever we say that you shake your head back and forth smiling your handsome little smile.

Thank heaven for shorts season - so much easier to fit the thighs. 

* You now eat everything. Well, apples and eggs are iffy, but other than that - everything. We gave you beef, pork, chicken, and turkey, along with some kiwi and canteloupe to gauge your readiness for table food. To explain how well that went - here is the list of food you had at daycare today: peaches, cheerios, bananas, chicken, bread, corn. Yesterday?: cereal, pears, cheerios, baked beans, bread, pineapple, ham, animal crackers.

So, it has gone well and you have yet to refuse anything. You got itchy after eating a little egg (who knew they were one of the most common food allergies?), so we're holding those back, but otherwise you are eating whatever daycare gives you.

Ahhh  - finally, linebacker food . . . 

* Last month we moved into our new home and you have done great. You are now in your own room (cue sobbing from Mama), but you have done no worse than before. You still wake up once or twice a night - why dude, why??? Mama and Dad need sleep :)

* You have gotten two more teeth in the last month and are working on another one - perhaps why you have not been sleeping well. Two of the top four are in - though not the middle two - they are both to one side, which makes me think of a vampire (I roll with Team Justin ;) ).

* Hallelujiah - We have not used the nebulizer in three weeks. Your health has been noticeably better with the warmer weather and I am all too grateful for that. It is wonderful to see you breathe easily!

You mean I'm not supposed to eat the $19 sunscreen? What? 

* You enjoy bath time even more now that you are in the big tub. We put you on a little frog bath mat and spend the rest of the bath trying to keep you on the mat. You are usually too busy chasing the floating toys to sit still, but you will manage to do so to splash the water everywhere - seriously, I had to change shirts once.

* When I pick you up from daycare, and you see me you get the biggest smile on your face and let out a little excited squeal. This is the BEST part of my day.

Bet you five dollars I can pull myself up on this ottoman (I wouldn't bet against him - have you seen his thighs?)

* You enjoy spending time outside and we have set up your little pool. You are a little fish - you love the water!

( How to fill baby pool: Step 1: Move pool on deck near kitchen window. Step 2: Open kitchen window and pass kitchen sink spout (I feel like there is a better word for that but it escapes me right now) through window. Step 3: Turn on water to warm and put a few inches of water in the pool. Step 4: Put on flannel, hunt a squirrel, and drink some cheap booze around a fire because you just entered Redneck-ville) It is official - Justin is embarrassed of his parents at age 10 months. 

* This past month you really started to correlate 'Mama' with me and 'Dada' with Daddy. You will often say 'Mama' after I pick you up - you know exactly how to make me melt :)

* You are, really, a flirt and a social baby. You smile at everyone. I have yet to find one person that you will not smile for - but you smile the most for the ladies - heaven help us. You do not yet fuss over toys or protest something being taken away as long as you have something else to do.

You can flirt all you want Handsome, but remember you can't date until you are 25 ;). 

* The curl in your hair has come out and there is no stopping it!

Just in case you were wondering if his eyes were still blue . . . 

* This month you added "Baba" to your vocabulary along with 'Mama' 'Dada' and 'Lala'.

I really feel like I have missed a lot in this post, so be prepared for edits, additions, and general blog mayhem in the next few weeks. We love you Justin - so much and hope you always know that. It sounds sooooo corny, but I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love you. I could be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder - I pray constantly for your safety. You are an amazing addition to this world and I am so grateful that I get to be your Mama. :)

Mama is going to lose it

Seriously, my little Handsome has just taken my breath away this week - he has grown up so much in a few days and I am afraid if I blink if I will miss something.

I may have nearly cried after I realized he could do this . . .

My baby is a genius. Three days ago he wasn't doing that - clapping. Two days ago he started clapping out of nowhere. Yesterday - he clapped at just the right moment in this song. I have sung it before, many times, but he's given me that 'Mama, don't sing' face - you know, the one everyone else does ;)

I am such a proud Mama :)

Pardon the poor quality - I don't know what is wrong with my Flip. 

My Baby Can Read!!

Ahhh, it's about time the Tall Ones updated my subscriptions . . . I need to know about all of the current food deals if I'm going to be a linebacker. 

Oooo, ice cream . . . 

Awwwwwwww stinky - I can't read. 

A Moment in the Hunt Household - Time To Move

(Yes, this is a post that should have happened about 4 weeks ago, but the Hunt Family has been a bit busy since the 9 month post. . . We hope we didn't lose you, dear reader, and plan to make it up to you in the next few weeks. We'll use the blog as a reason to continue to postpone the unpacking of stuff in our new home - Baby Daddy)

(Scene: Hunt Household (Apartment style living yet))

 Did you hear what the Tall Ones are doing?

 I hope the answer to that question is 'Buying Justin and Izzers more puffs.'

 No.

 Peanut Butter?

Pea-na what? (No, Justin has not peanut butter yet - Baby Daddy)

 Must not be that then. . .

 Guess not. Ever hear of Rocky Balboa?

*cricket chirps*

 The man with the Eye of The Tiger? The Italian Stallion?

 The Tall Ones bought a horse tiger hybrid pet?? Great, they don't give me enough attention as it is...

 No they didn't buy whatever it is you are trying to think of. . .

 Then why the Stallion Tiger talk...

 Forget about the nicknames. Just remember the name Balboa.

 Why? Are we going to cross the Isthmus of Panama?

 What. . .?

 According to Wikipedia. . .

 No. Stop.

 *Whimpers.*

 Balboa is our new home. Or as the one with the great toys on her face calls it 'Casa Us.'

 New home? New neighbors to bark at? New yards to run through? (Tail wags). We better get packing.

 I'm already done. . .