On the move

Watch out, I'm coming for ya!

Yes, Seth is crawling...and now we have evidence. I managed to get a couple shots today. He's also starting to pull himself up a little too . Then there's this other move where he goes up on his hands and feet, with his butt in the air, like he's attempting to stand. I have yet to get photos of this! He seems to catch wind that I've got the camera out and stops dead in his tracks...and just smiles.

We've also been enjoying time outside and on our porch...which Seth seems to like also. Here's a photo of playtime on the porch. Enjoy!

And so it begins...

...to get a bit busier around here. Not only summer activities that keep us on the road every weekend it seems, but Seth is getting busier too. This weekend he crawled for the first time. No, I didn't get it on film. My parents and Evan were right there as witnesses. I will get some photos of him moving, but he isn't crawling consistently yet. The days are gone when I could sit him in one place and still find him there moments later.

Anyway, a couple photos of our visit with Evan's family yesterday. Aunt Tina took these photos (she ALWAYS has her camera ready unlike us). Enjoy!

"He's perfect."

Today was Seth's 9-month pediatrician appt. All went well, no shots at this one.

His stats:
Weight: 18lbs. 15.5oz (25th percentile)
Height: 29.5in. (75th percentile)

Since his last appt. (3mos. ago) he has gained 3lbs. 6.5oz and grew 2.25in! The doctor said she had nothing to say other than that Seth is perfect. I guess I can't ask for a better report than that!

9 Months!

Here he is under the coffee table. Always finding somewhere new to explore!

I still can't believe that Seth is 9 months old today. We're 75% of the way through his first year already. Evan and I joke that tomorrow he will start Kindergarten...or at least it will seem that way.

Seth is moving around quite a bit, considering he isn't crawling yet. But, boy is he getting close! In a few weeks I think he'll have it down. We especially see the affects of his mysterious scooting at night. We will put him down on his back and say goodnight. In a few moments we hear him, check in on him, and he is sitting up smiling at us and very proud of himself. In the morning we find him in a variety of contortions. I have found him squished into the corner of the crib with a few stuffed animals and his blanket. I have found him in a tornado drill-like position as well. I have also found him sitting up with a death grip on one of the giraffes hanging from his mobile. Needless to say, he is never where we put him last.

Seth is such a joy and still gets complimented wherever we go. He is so well behaved and flexible. Even when he is exhausted he doesn't make a scene. He simply waits until we're in the car and passes out. We love him so much. Our hearts melt when he flashes us one of his smiles. The Lord has truly blessed us and we feel so privileged to have him.

A pose for the camera

Over the weekend Seth saw his Grandma & Grandpa Hammersmith as well as his Aunt Tina. Here he is with Grandpa.

We've turned a corner

The last couple of weeks, Seth has turned a corner...finally! He is sleeping through the night! We put him down around 7 and he gets up at around 6:30am. With it being light at 6:30, it makes getting up a little easier for me too. Last night he fussed at 4:30 so I went in and covered him with his blanket and he fell back to sleep. Yay!

Also, his bottom two teeth have finally reached the surface! I can feel them with my finger now and can see the very tips of his first pearly whites. Good to know all that drooling has paid off.

He is getting closer to the idea of crawling. He will go from a sitting position on to his hands and knees but then gets frustrated and just lays down. ha. Or his leg will get stuck and he can't figure out what the problem is. I see him wanting to go for things, but just can't get the motions just right yet. I know I am not supposed to be anxious for him to crawl because my life will get much busier, but it's fun to see Seth growing and changing.

Evan & I have just now got around to making some of Seth's food. We made an apple/banana combo and some summer squash. I was pleasantly surprised that our new food processor could produce such a smooth result. We hope to tackle sweet potatoes this week as well (Seth's favorite). Making our own food is cheaper, we just didn't have the tools we needed until recently. We don't plan to make everything ourselves, but the easier things we are willing to tackle. It's fun ...as long as Seth likes our final product :o)

8 Months!

Seth is 8 Months old today! Time is really flying. I have lots to do before he turns 1. I haven't started his baby book yet, but am just about ready to start it. I have organized the photos and am waiting on the rest of the prints to arrive (I ordered them from snapfish for convenience and they were cheap).I've also reserved a space at the pavilion at Lakewood Park for his birthday party on Aug. 30. Glad I called this week because 2 of the 4 spaces had been reserved already.

So let's see... Seth is basically sitting on his own now. Eventually he may topple over if he tries to reach something far away or watch where I am walking across the room. But anyway, he can sit and play with his toys all by himself. He isn't crawling yet, but I see progression in that area. When on his belly he scoots all around in a big circle. He hasn't figured out that he can use his arms and legs to go forward and back. So for now, he scoots around. He loves to stand (with help from us of course)! His legs are nice and strong and he kicks them ALL the time! It makes giving him a bottle challenging at times because he is frantically kicking.

Seth is still in the teething phase. He has no teeth yet but his gums are very swollen and the drool is endless. We've battled diaper rash and still battling a red, blotchy mouth and cheek area. Thank you teething! Poor guy, I know he must be so uncomfortable sometimes.

Seth still loves to eat and is a pretty good sleeper. We have had a few nights that he doesn't wake at all for a feeding. But overall, he still gets up once in the morning (around 4:30) then back to sleep until 7. He takes 3 naps a day usually, each around an hour long (they range from 45min on a bad day to 2+ hours on a good).

That's the Seth recap. He is our pride and joy and we love him so much. He's an easy baby and we're so grateful for that!