GRANDMA was here!

Grandma (Todd's mom) was here this weekend -- she came on Thursday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. We went shopping, ate out, went to Costco, and I got away to have lunch with girlfriends and even get pedicures! It was WONDERFUL having her here with us, Anders LOVES his Grandma!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Today is Todd's birthday...

This picture isn't great, but trust me it was quite an accomplishment to get both the baby & the dog to stay in place and look at the camera.

They BOTH love their Daddy!

Happy Birthday Toddycakes, I LOVE YOU!

Going to the pool

This afternoon we headed down to the neighborhood pool for the first time. It started off rough when Anders SCREAMED about getting sunscreen lathered on him, but once we got down to the pool he enjoyed the water. He didn't splash around & play; he just took it all in and watched the other kids swim around. There will be much more swimming this summer and I am sure Anders will get more comfortable and playful in the water!

Anders has discovered the STAIRS!

Today I was carrying somethings up to Anders' room and came back down the stairs to find him trying to get up the stairs too...

I LOVE my sweet boy!

Eating watermelon & making a mess!

I am giving Anders finger foods more often now & so far he is rarely making the food from the tray to his mouth -- he mostly throws and smears it around. I have to say that at first I was VERY intimated by giving him real, actual food. The baby food thing was working, and for some reason starting something new and different was overwhelming. But in the past few days I have really enjoyed seeing what he will eat and trying different things. When Todd and I went out to lunch on Monday it was fun giving Anders food off our plates. I gave him green beans and squash (very nice options) and then Todd gave him sweet potato fries. Funny and easy to understand that the sweet potato fry was the first bite Anders ever made into his mouth on his own!

So anyway, here is one of the few successful moments of him getting the piece of food (watermelon) into his mouth.

"hey, this finger tastes good too!"

"I have food everywhere else, why not get it in my hair too?"

Anders in his overalls

Here are some pictures from yesterday -- Anders is wearing his overalls from Grammie & Papa. I hate to say it, but I don't think he'll be wearing these again. They were pretty snug and short in the crotch on him. So I took some pictures before I packed them up. I hate it because he looks so sweet it them!

Haley feeding Anders dinner

While visiting everyone (Aunt Katie, Uncle Chip, Aunt Julie, Uncle Michael & Haley), we decided to eat dinner at Michael & Julie's house instead of going out to eat. That meant that we didn't have a highchair for Anders, so Aunt Katie served the purpose of the highchair and Haley did an EXCELLENT job feeding Anders...

Napping with Papa

Anders, Bella & I went to GA last week while Todd was gone to Canada. Traveling ALWAYS throws off Anders schedule and sleeping. I am a much more confident mommy when I know what to expect from Anders, like when he will go to sleep and when he will wake up. But not knowing what Anders will do next is the reality of motherhood, right? So anyway, getting Anders down for his naps was not the easiest and my Dad took over each time & conquered it! He just laid Anders on his chest and sang him a multitude of songs including "Do Re Me", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and a favorite "99 Bottles of Beer"...it worked and he got him to take two LONG naps...

Nap 1

Nap 2

Anders LOVES popsicles!

So a few weeks ago you heard about Anders' first popsicle but here are the pictures...

"Daddy, I want more. PLEASE."

"Yummy, so cold & delicious!"

"Daddy, why did you give the last lick to Bella?"

Look at Anders' pouty face, so funny!

Anders & Bella

Anders at the back door watching Bella...

Kissing Bella through the door...

Right after this sweet moment of watching Bella through the door, Anders discovered her food & water bowls for the first time and quickly spilled them both.

Recently Anders has been crawling into the base of the activity center and hanging out...

Another animal to add to the wildlife in our neighborhood

The other morning Bella was barking like CRAZY at the front door...I looked outside and didn't see anything, but she was so convincing that I knew something was out there. So I stepped outside and saw a big turtle in our driveway. By the time Anders & I got out there with the camera the turtle had moved underneath my car. We tried to coax him/her out with a carrot but that didn't work :)

After 15 minutes we went back outside and found him in the side yard...

I wasn't sure how far his head could stretch out & snap so I put Anders at a safe distance :)

Some more eating "firsts"

Anders had cut up green beans for the first time and didn't really know what to do. He picked them up and threw them around but never successfully ate a piece of green bean. Finally I put a piece in his mouth which he then spit up -- we'll keep on trying, but I think this new way to eat might take him a while to get good at!

But what he really likes are these cracker teethers. He has had two now and both times he LOVED them and spent lots of time chewing away!

Anders working out & getting strong

Anders is wanting to build up his arm muscles so that he can start crawling properly & get his belly off the ground...so here he is doing pull ups :)

And then playing tug of war with Bella...

Anders' 9 Month Doctor Appointment

Anders had his 9 month check up this morning and here are his new stats:

Weight

21 lbs. 1 oz.

59 Percentile

Height

29.5 inches

85 Percentile

We are going to start giving him finger foods like soft, cooked veggies and maybe even chicken. (Which means I need to learn how to fix chicken!) Anders still does not have any teeth but we were told that he will be able to chew those foods just fine without them. The doctor did say that she could see his teeth & they would be poking through soon. I will keep everyone posted on when that actually happens. About a month ago I had a dream that Anders woke up from a nap with a mouth full of teeth...so funny!

My first Mother's Day

I just celebrated my FIRST Mother's Day as a mother and I so thankful for my new role! I love Anders and LOVE being his mommy. He brings me so much joy and laughter. He has started giving kisses all the time and is so sweet. If you laugh at something, he watches and then starts laughing too. I kept telling him that the best Mother's day present would be for him to say "ma, ma" but no luck! I think his next word will be Bella, he LOVES her! You can see Anders giving her a kiss in the last picture :)

Kissing Bella dog...don't worry they never touched lips!

Anders is 9 months old TODAY

I tried out these mesh teethers for the first time & Anders didn't really know what to think. I gave him a chunk of pear which he gnawed on little while before deciding that he preferred chewing on the plastic handle...