Ahhh the life

Daddy...ahem, Paw Paw...got Beau a kiddie pool to play in while mommy is at work.  Can you tell that he likes it? 

Can't get enough of those keys!

That face says it all...

Mother's Day

Well my first Mother's Day as a mom was better than I could have imagined.  Billy and Beau both made the day so special.  They really set the bar high...now I really have my work cut out for me for Father's Day! 

Our attempt at a family photo

We spent the day at Uncle Scott and Aunt Dian's in Folsom.  Despite the fact he missed out on one of his naps, Beau was a good sport and enjoyed the time with family. 

Looks like a natural

Loving some daddy time

Endless Entertainment

I might be biased, but I think Beau is the happiest kiddo ever. Here's a little snippet of what our nights are like these days. I think he really likes his exersaucer. (Thanks for the suggestion, Mimi!)

Happy Half Birthday Beau!

On Monday Beau turned six months.  He celebrated his half birthday by going to the pediatrician and getting three shots.  Yikes...not how I'd want to spend my half birthday! 

Everyday it seems like Beau is getting stronger and learning something new.  Recently his baby babble has turned into real words...well, more or less.  So far he's picked up "B's" and "D's" and "P's."  I'm still waiting to hear him practice his "M's." 

Also, he's begun pulling himself to standing (and not just in the bathtub anymore).  He just LOVES standing like a big boy! 

And bathtime is still one of his favorite times of the day.  Little guy just loves to splash that water everywhere! 

Finally, he's really starting to crawl.  Well...scoot more than crawl.  And he's become pretty efficient about it too.  The other day he managed to scoot himself off his blanket, onto the rug, and finally all the way onto the wood floor (about 10-15 feet)!  One issue - he can only scoot BACKWARDS!  It's pretty funny to watch.  But hey, if it gets him where he wants to go... 

You've got to be kidding me...

Beau said another word today...

"Pa Pa" 

I don't even want to talk about it. 

Insult to Injury

Last night Beau didn't sleep so well. (It's either his allergies - damn pollen! - or his teething - damn teeth!)

So MOMMY got up to soothe him at 11:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. And MOMMY started her day early at 6:00 a.m. because Beau was up and at 'em. And MOMMY feed him, changed his diaper, and put on his clothes. And MOMMY brought him to grandma and grandpa's for the day. And MOMMY called to check in on him to make sure he was feeling good and napping well. And MOMMY picked him up when she was done with work.

And when MOMMY picked him up, you know what new (and first) word Beau said?

DA DA!

Sheesh.  Video to follow, I'm sure...

Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath

I think this video is self-explanatory...



Oh, one note about bath time...Recently Beau has begun trying to pull himself to standing. However, the only place he wants to practice this new trick? You guessed it - the bath tub - right when he is at his slipperest. (Not sure if that's even a word...but I like it.) This new trick has brought us much pride and even more shagrin. Really Beau, you couldn't practice on the carpet or in your crib? Sheesh.

My New Favorite Trick!

It seems like Beau learns something new and exciting everyday. Well one of his newest tricks is cute, loud, and wet. Yes, wet. All of this video was shot before lunch on one day. Notice how his shirt changes and eventually disappears. And now...Beau's new favorite trick...

Here comes Peter Cottontail!

Is this all for me?! 

I LOVE IT! 

Thanks mommy and daddy! 

We had a WONDERFUL Easter weekend...but man, are we tired.  Aunt Lizzy came in on Thursday and spent the day with Beau and I on Good Friday.  Shopping on Magazine Street; lunch at St. James Cheese Company; ice cream at The Creole Creamery on Prytania.  And if that wasn't enough, we made a trip to New Orleans East to pick up crawfish for the next day. 

Aunt Lizzy got me a stylin' new shirt on her last ski trip to Vail. 

Yo, yo, yo...waiting on those snow bunnies. 

Saturday we hosted a crawfish boil for the Brian clan (Deb and Tom came in Friday evening) and my family, plus Nanny and the boys.  The crawfish were delicious...Billy did such a great job!

Spending time with Grandma Debbie

Loving the new book Auntie M gave him. 

Easter Sunday involved mass at Our Lady of the Lake and then a big party at our place.  Beau got his first Easter basket from mom and dad.  He also received little gifts from all his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. 

Ok, this was not staged...as soon as he got the toy he immediately took off the top two rings and placed them on his feet for safe keeping.  Too cute! 

What I'd do? 

If Easter was this big of a celebration, I can't imagine what Christmas is going to be like this year!! 

The three WTBs on Easter Sunday. 

Five Months!

Such a happy kiddo

So Beau made five months today! 

Man, this time last year I was utterly exhausted, my clothes weren't fitting right and I was dealing with throwing up everyday.  Flash forward to today, well...I'm utterly exhausted, my clothes aren't fitting right and I'm dealing with spit up everyday.  Wait.  That sounds pretty similar. 

I love how expressive his eyebrows are!

Anywho...Beau is growing and growing everyday.  He's learning new tricks and having fun practicing them.  Recently all he wants to do is sit up like a big boy.  He's such a show off.  Also, he's learned to roll from his back to his belly.  Pretty cute - until he does it at 2:30am in the morning and gets "stuck" in his crib.  He's experiementing with new foods.  Bananas are, without a doubt, his favorite.  Finally, today I caught him doing his own version of the army crawl.  He had his eyes on something just out of reach and he was damned and determined to get it.  That something?  The remote control.  Figures - just like a man! 

Mmmmm....

....carrots!

"You say, 'potato.' I say, 'No, thank you.'"

I have to say I've been looking forward to the day Beau tried his first solids.  And, not just rice cereal (does that stuff even taste like anything at all?)  So after getting the go ahead from his pediatrician (and then waiting a few more days for good meausure) we got out the bowls, spoons, and - mmmm - rice cereal.  (PS - this is his game face.  He's ready for anything!)

Well, as suspected he was ready for the challenge.  He wasn't 100% on the whole "don't thrust out your tongue for every bite" thing.  But all in all he did well.  He didn't seem too crazy about the taste.  But with each spoonful he optomistically and cheerfully opened wide! 

So, rice cereal was a success...on to bigger and better things.  First up, sweet potatoes! 

Well...this face pretty much sums up the sweet potato experience. 

I'm glad to announce "Sweet Potatoes - Take Two" was far more successful.  Next up...bananas!!

The Many Faces of Beau

Still so little, but oh so many expressions!  Beau hung out with his grandparents while mommy and daddy went to the hospital to meet Beau's new friend, (Chad and Emma's little boy) Andrew Schiele Vaught.  While we were away Grandpa took out the camera and, as usual, Beau did not disappoint. 

Here is his "let's play!" face. 

Here is his "up to no good" face. 

Here is his "What are you looking at, punk!" face. 

And finally, here is his, "I just love you." face. 

Sitting pretty

Ta da! 

So he's not quite sitting up straight yet, but this is pretty close. 

I read an article once where they called this position the "tripod".  The article said to help your baby sit up by teaching him to balance and support his weight on his arms. 

This evening Billy and I figured we'd let Beau try it out and, to our surprise...he loved it!  He stayed in this position for several minutes (plenty long enough for mommy to grab the camera to capture the moment!) I guess we now have a new trick to practice! 

Of course, it couldn't last forever...

PS - Check out the ears...looking more and more like his daddy every day ;)

Four months!

Well, our little pumpkin head is officially four months.  My how time has flown! 

According to his pediatrician he is "just perfect"!  (Her words, not mine, I swear.)  He might seem like a big boy, but according to his measurements on the growth charts, he's right about the 50th percentile for length and weight.  However, those measurements don't take into account just how long his legs are.  Yep, good-bye 3-6 month old footie pajamas!  We've moved on to 6-9 month old so that he can actually straighten out his legs.  We thought he'd appreciate that. 

Just for fun

Beau will be four months at the end of this week.  That's right, FOUR MONTHS!  He's really growing and developing his own little personality.  Here are a few photographs of him and his recent exploits...just for fun. 

Aunt Sarah and Miss Lily Ann came to visit for Mom's birthday! 















Lily Ann LOVED Beau's giraffe!  And check out that baseball cap...looks pretty good on her.  (That's right, Ann...she's wearing the REAL fighting Tigers cap!) 

This face just screams

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

And this one I'm posting because a few people said they see a bit of me in him!  Finally! 

Hunting season may be over, but that doesn't mean Beau is putting away his camo just yet!  Thanks for the cool outfit Uncle Chad and Aunt Emma!