Nine Months!

This Monday marked Beau's nine month birthday. 

And today we headed to the pediatrician for his well baby checkup.  Do you know what the best part of the nine month check up is? 

NO SHOTS! 

 

That's right.  You just go in and hang out with the doctor and make sure all is well.  Ahhhhh...

Beau's pediatrician, Dr. Pamela Richard (she's the best!)

It appears that Beau had a bit of a growth spurt recently.  While his weight is still hovering in the 25th-50th percentile, his height is now just above the 75th.  Looks like we've got a long and lean one on our hands! 

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a few shots from the last week. 

Hanging out in my pajama pants.  I'm such a big boy! 

Crawling...it's what I do. 

Climbing the stairs.  I LOVE this! 

My new favorite toy!  A big ole dump truck! 

Mmmmm...

Beau had his first popsicle the other day. 

It was immediately followed by his first brain freeze.  Doh! 

I'm learning too

Beau has marked a lot of milestones in the last month or so and I am so proud of him.  However, I'm learning that these milestones aren't exactly what I expected them to be. 

Crawling...

What I thought it meant - My little bugger is getting to be stronger and more independent.  It's so cute. 

What I have discovered - I crawl almost as much as he does; however, my knees are old and not up for the task.  I am battered and bruised and exhausted.  Gates are worthless - he can knock them down with his freakish strength (Ok, not ALL of them...but I have seen him do it).  Sometimes I wish he would just sit down. 

Feeding himself...

What I thought it meant - Mark another notch in the "Mr. Independent" belt.  Now he can enjoy cheerios and little bits of banana and mango.  Hooray for my healthy eater! 

What I have discovered - Sure he can feed himself Cheerios.  But he can also feed himself pet hair, pine straw, dirt, etc.  If I thought my floors were clean before, Beau is constantly reminding me that they are full of "little treasures" perfect for stuffing in a little mouth.

Climbing...

What I thought it meant - Sure, we'll have to put up that gate at the stairs, but my little dude can climb up the stairs.  He's a bruiser, but he's so talented. 

What I have discovered - Gates are worthless (see above).  Also, climbing is not limited to the stairs.  It is fun to climb anything above ankle height.  This includes the fireplace, the tub, and Murphy.  Get in his way, he will climb up you.  I'm not kidding. 

Understanding that "no" means "no"...

What I thought it meant - How fantastic!  He hears "no" and he knows it means to stop what he is doing.  Genius.  And, we don't even have to scream "no" anymore.  Just a few shakes of the head and he usually gets the gist. 

What I have discovered - Yep, he knows that "no" means.  And sure, he actually listens most of the time.  But, he knows what "no" means.  He might not be able to say "no" but he sure can shake his head!  "Beau, here are your peas."  Violently shakes head.  "Beau, time for bed."  Violently shakes head.  "Beau, that's Murphy's bowl."  Violently shakes head.  Who knew he understood us so well...or that he was so opinionated! 

Eight Months!!

Look at those cheeks!!  Well, another month has come and gone.  Man, the time is really flying and Beau is growing up so fast.  Crawling and pulling to standing have become so passe'.  While crawling is still his main mode of transportation, he's moved on to "cruising" - walking while holding on to the sofa/chest/window sill/Murphy.  He needs a little incentive (ie, the remote control) to get moving, but once he realizes he can do it, he gets so excited. 

Here he is watching "Sid the Science Kid."  Little dude loves that show.  He bounces up and down everytime he hears the theme song or "I'm Looking for my Friends."  (Ok, on a sidenote, look at that cleft chin!  Is this Billy's kid or what?) 

But he's not real big on tv - it usually only holds his attention for about five minutes - and he's got so much extra energy so I took his to a Gymboee class the other day.  Oh. My. God.  He LOVED it!  He wasn't particularly interested in the games the teacher tried to lead while on the mate, so he took off for the other equipment.  He discovered an incline and a slide, which he loved.  And then...he discovered THE STAIRS.  Without any prompting he put two hands on the first stair, then he threw up a knee and...before he knew it he had climbed up four steps all by himself.  Sheesh.  Luckily it seems he still has not discovered the stairs in our home.  I hope he doesn't for a long, long time. 



Oh, and now that he can get from Point A to Point B with ease he has become quite the explorer.  His new favorite place is his cabinet.  (We have one cabinet in the kitchen dedicated to all things Beau - bottles, formula, food, etc.) 

And it's not enough that he has to dig in the cabinet but he takes everything out of the cabinet and then crawls around with his "treasures" throughout the day.  I've been finding bottle caps, spoons, and medicine syringes all over the house.  Oh well - que cera!!

Oh, our lives will never be the same

Billy and I were sitting around the other night...wait, did I say sitting? I meant, desperately chasing around Beau making sure that he didn't bust his chin on the fireplace, eat those power cords "hidden" under the sofa, or terrorize...er...hug Murphy. The little rascal has been crawling for a few weeks now and he's getting quite good at it.

And as we were helping Beau navigate through the obstacle course that is our house, Billy mentioned that we didn't have any video of his newest milestone. Well that just wouldn't do. I grabbed the camera and, as usual, Beau did not disappoint. (He's such a ham...he gets that from his mama.)

Beau took off to the office, back to the living room, past the exersaucer to the window where he pulled up and proceeded to do squats. What? You kid doesn't work out too? Seriously, its not like he's strong enough already. Apparently he feels the need to exercise to really get that edge over the competition.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here is our little rugrat showing off. Why is it that everytime I watch this video I can hear, "Born to be Wild" playing in the back of my mind?

Now that Beau is on the move, move is all is wants to do. No more sitting still on the rug playing with his toys. No more contently biding his time in the exersaucer. And mommy reading to him? Please. I wouldn't put it past him to leap from my embrace just to crawl a little longer. So, other moms out there...how long does this last? Is there any turning back now?

Summer Lovin!

Well the whole family ventured to the great state of Texas this weekend to spend some time with the Brian clan. 

As usual there was lots of sun, water, good booze, and great food.  Oh, and did I mention wonderful company? 

 

Beau enjoyed spending time in the pool...well, once he was fully awake from his nap.  In retrospect, it's probably not a great idea to throw a drowsy baby in a pool.  Ok, that didn't sound right...but you know what I mean. 

When he was wide awake and well fed, Beau took to the water like a fish!  He loved being carried around by mommy or daddy.  And he had SOOOO much fun trying to "catch" the water coming from the fountain.  Seriously, we did that f.o.r.e.v.e.r. 

But all good things must come to an end.  Luckily, this was one of two trips to Texas this summer.  So, we'll see everyone again in August.  Can't wait!!

Seven Months!

Beau turned seven months last week and my, what a difference one month makes.  Four weeks ago he was just starting to pull himself up to standing, his sitting skills were quickly improving, and he had only recently began scooting backwards. 

Looking indignant because we lowered the crib mattress for his own safety!

Today, well today, it's taking everything Billy and I have to keep up with him.  He's now officially mobile.  He is crawling EVERYWHERE!  And not only does he crawl from Point A to Point B, but when he reaches Point B, he wants to climb up it.  He actually climbed out of the baby pool by himself yesterday.  Yikes!  Billy and I are seriously considering buying a fence.  I'm not kidding...a baby fence.  How else am I supposed to reign him in!? 

On top of his new motor skills Beau had two more developments - his first two teeth!  Guess we'll be making an appointment with Dr. Chad sooner than later! 

This weekend we're heading to Montgomery, Texas to hang out with Beau's grandparents and the rest of the Brian clan.  He's only been in a "big" pool once - and he loved it!  I can't wait to see him in action.  Plus, as Paw-Paw is coming, I'm sure there will be lots of photos to capture the moment.  More on that later...

A little off the top, please

Our first child, Murphy, has been understandably upset over the last seven months as his reign as "top dog" has come to an end.  That's not to say that we haven't showed him much love and affection.  To the contrary, we've probably showed him more than before Beau's arrival just out of pure fear and/or guilt.  While Murphy has received love, food, and the occasional treat, his grooming has been, well, let's be honest - non-existent.  Sure he's had a few baths, but those were usually out of pure necessity (one too many romps through the mud puddles). 

Billy and I thought, enough is enough.  Murphy deserves some TLC too.  So this morning I brought Murph to the groomer's for a nice haircut.  As I walked him through the door I could feel the staff's judgmental eyes boring a hole through my head.  I begged for forgiveness and blamed it on Beau (sorry kiddo).  But he seemed happy to be there and I couldn't wait until this afternoon when we saw him again. 

I knew things went awry when Billy called after picking him up.  The conversation went something like this...Billy:  "Um, Kelly, what exactly were you're instructions to the groomer?"  Me:  "I told her to do it just like last time, just a little shorter.  You know, a little off the top."  Billy:  "Uh huh.  Ok, I think we need a new groomer." 

Well, needless to say, the results were not what we expected.  But, Murphy seems happy with it.  And it takes years off him!  Oh well...hair grows back, right? 

Anyone know the name of a good groomer? 

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

It was almost bedtime for Beau, so we began our nighttime routine.  First up - bathtime!  I sat Beau in his crib with a few toys to keep him occupied while I drew his bath water.  After just a few seconds I heard shrieks of laughter coming from the nursery.  I had to investigate and see which toy could be causing such amusement. 

This is what I saw...

He's been pulling himself to standing while holding on to mommy and daddy.  But this was a first.  I grabbed my camera and sat him back down in the middle of the crib.  I needed to know if this was a fluke.  Sure enough he scooted towards the edge of the crib...

grabbed a hold of the railing...

positioned his feet just so and then...

up he went! 

Well, I guess it's time to lower that mattress! 

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...