Eleven months!

What? Here already????

The only shot that even remotely showed the writing on the sign!

Miles has recently jumped up a size. I got these clothes this weekend at a garage sale and I think we are officially moving into the 'little boy' category.

Possibly a bit of foreshadowing for future photo shoots?

Best friends?

I think the jury is still out as far as Jobey is concerned, but there seems to be potential. Lots of potential!

You can hear Craig in the background talking on the phone-he's discussing what to do with the giant, enormous, soccer ball-sized cabbage we got in our weekly share. It's still sitting on our counter. I guess I'm hoping it will make itself into a big batch of sauerkraut.

Be still my heart

Miles did it! Just like that, out of the blue. We were having our Tuesday lunch at Aunt Mary's when all of a sudden, he sat up. Seriously. Of course I was incredibly excited and may have squealed a bit. I'm working on that (you know, not getting over excited/over praising for every little thing)-but it's slow going! Anyway, he did it again when I went to the bathroom, so we were hoping for one more while I had the camera poised and ready. And, sure enough, it happened. Alas, you'll hear my squealing voice in the video-I guess I'm not working on it that fast! IT'S JUST SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!

I have two words: bath time

Storytime

A favorite activity these days. If you get Miles near the bookshelf, he demands you read to him.

Geeked out

This shirt reads:

Brought to you
by the letters
G,C, A and T
and the number 23


Courtesy of Aunt Stephanie
We love it! :-)

Working hard

This last week has been dedicated to encouraging Miles to crawl. How you might ask? Well, I realized we weren't doing him any favors by walking him around all the time. Sure, he loved it, but it wasn't helping him figure out how to move and work his body on his own. Also, I was coming to his aid too much. Rescuing toys all the time, helping him sit up, etc. So, we've stopped walking him around-cold turkey. He actually responded better to this plan than I thought he would. I've been knitting up a storm during the day to keep myself busy and occupied while he works things out. I sit on the floor near him and go to town. Along with this, we don't just give him our hands and pull him up anymore. Hence, the video. This is Miles figuring out how to get himself in an upright position. It's interesting, because he is still far more motivated to stand, bounce and walk (he's even moving down furniture a little bit now) than he is to crawl, but I remain ever hopeful. It's not that I'm worried, I just know his life will improve dramatically when he can get from point A to B on his own. It's amazing how much he's gained in body knowledge in just one week. His stability has improved and he's getting the hang of connecting feet and arms to get what he wants. Stay tuned.....

To the races

This rocking horse has felt the bottoms of lots of grandkids and now Miles is finally big enough for his turn.

Triple threat

While we were gone, Miles cut not one, not two, but THREE new teeth on the top. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see them better.

Louisiana

Airport lounge-waiting for our next flight and stretching our legs.

Playing with the antique furniture-that's actually a hidden potty seat (yes-for grown-ups)!

Daniel (my stepbrother) and his wife Sarah were kind enough to host us for the entire week. They have two children, Sam-3 1/2 and David-9 months. It was a play land extravaganza-lots of wonderful toys. I was hoping David would inspire Miles to crawl, but he still prefers to walk around by holding on to someone's hands. We're working on it still, but it's slow going. I guess I just need to realize (or remember) that he has his own timetable!

Before our trip to the airport. I was sweating buckets-Louisiana is SOOO humid. I know, big surprise.

Mimi and Miles at the airport. We enjoyed a little lunch before boarding the plane.

Rhythm Sticks

Footwork

A special post for Uncle Alex. Miles absolutely loves kicking, touching and climbing on things with his feet. He's especially fond of balls.

Hiking in the new backpack

This pack was a score at a yard sale. Auntie Mary was kind enough to do the honors and I'd say it looks like everyone is having a good time (I, and my back, sure enjoyed the hike too). The weather is gorgeous right now as we're enjoying a little bit of a cool spell. Hopefully, we'll get a lot of fall hikes in and who knows, maybe we'll be up for winter hiking too.