Today is my last official day off Spring Break (not counting the weekend). So while I still have some time I'll fill you in on what's going on around here.
Ben is still working his tail off, as usual. He did a cooking class in a client's home last week. It was a lot of work for him, but I think he liked it. It was on egg breads. He literally stayed up ALL NIGHT the night before the class getting the breads and doughs ready. He is such a hard worker. I hope his employers realize what a steal they've got!
I'm getting ready for Spring term, and REALLY looking forward to Summer break. This term's course is called "Leadership", and they have told us next to nothing about what to expect. I will be in the mother-baby unit at OHSU for my clinicals. After this term I will have one year left (three terms!!). I'm really looking forward to being done, and my confidence about being a nurse is starting to solidify.
Elliot is a crazy little bucket of energy. He is non-stop ALL THE TIME. Luckily, he sleeps hard. We recently kicked him out of our bed and he now sleeps in the crib. Co-sleeping is excellent for a tiny baby, but it gets difficuly with a big boy. We thought the transition would be hard, but it went amazingly smooth and now we are all getting more sleep!! Yay!
He is learning things so quickly now! He has learned how to clap and is always ready, he doesn't want to miss out on an opportunity to clap along with something, or miss an event that was clap-worthy. You can really see how his dexterity is improving. He uses his hands in new ways and is trying out new moves with his arms. He looks like he's doing some hip-hop moves or something. He has also learned how to go DOWN the stairs. It just clicked one day, just like going up did. He can now get off things like our bed and the couch using the same skills.
He's working on standing unassisted. I know he can do it, he's definitely strong enough-he us just a little unsure about letting go. He's done it a few times but sits down as soon as he realizes he's not holding on to anything. He's a REALLY fast crawler, too, so he hasn't been that interested in walking these days.
It is SO COOL to see him learning things.
He is ten months now, and at his nine month well-baby checkup he weighed almost 24 pounds and is 31 inches tall! He's huge. He is wearing 12-18 month clothing (and of course is more on the 18 month side every day). We went to the shoe store and had his feet measured-he's a size 6!!!! Unfortunately we didn't buy any shoes because they're RIDICULOUSLY priced. :( Thankfully yard-sale season is coming.
Speaking of seasons, the weather here has been NUTS. It's been so cold. We finally got a day that was about 56 degrees and when I went to check the weather for the next day they said "Oh, sorry, today was a fluke, get ready for more cold." It's been in the 30s at night most of the time, which is REALLY cold for nearly April. I put a ton of flower seeds in the ground and I'm wondering what they're going to do. Hopefully SOMEthing will come up! :) The cool thing about this Spring is that I'm not pregnant so I actually have some energy to invest in a decent garden in our new home!! I'm so excited.
OK, enough blabber, here's the goods:
These next 6 pictures were part of the shoot Austin did in December but they were stuck on his laptop which we thought was dead. It miraculously came back to life and we were able to pull these off of it. We're SO HAPPY!!
I know, it's not a posed shot, but I really like this one anyway.
GORGEOUS!!!!!!
Elliot is a really happy boy. He smiles and laughs at everyone. He's so cheerful. Such a good baby.
Recharching his batteries for more playing.
Elliot's first Oreo. (Ok, it was a Joe-Joe from Trader Joes, but close enough and without any hydrogenated oils!)
We had some plumbing issues, he we had to call Plumber Ben.
"Poupon U" bib courtesy of Gramps (Doug).
Enjoying some Sesame Street just like daddy did.
First experience with noodles. He pulled them all the way out of his throat. It was hilarious!!!
This is one of the new facial expressions he's making these days. What a little weirdo! :)
Learning to use a sippy cup.
Another one of his funny faces.
Just chillin' on the steps.
Eating is kind of tricky. Sometimes things end up in unexpected places. :)
