Jolly Jumper

Today I finally ordered a Jolly Jumper for Nicholas! My co-worker, Jamie, bought one for her son and she says he just loves it, so I decided to buy one too! I realized I needed to order one today because the weight limit goes to 28 lbs. and Nicholas already weighs 18 lbs. I ordered the one pictured here with the support system because we don't have molding around any of the doors in the living/dining room area (other than the closet) and that is where we spend most of our time as a family. As soon as it arrives, it will be time to pack up the swing, (which Nicholas still enjoys-but much less so in the last few weeks) and make room for the jumper.

I think that Nicholas will really enjoy his jumper and I hope it will help strengthen his muscles with all the jumping exercise he will get to do!

And so it begins...

Today is the first day of Lent in the Catholic church. Nicholas and I went to mass this morning and received ashes on our foreheads. I truly love this period of 40 days before Easter. It helps me to center myself on what is important and try to get rid of things that are selfish or wasteful. It also helps me to focus on the need to help others in my community and our world.

This year for Lent I have decided to log off Facebook. I love Facebook and all the people on there (maybe too much) and sometimes find myself wasting hours at a time when I could be spending more quality time with family and friends.

I have also decided to start a morning prayer routine. Those of you who know me well, know that I am not a morning person and I am hoping that during Lent I will be able to get up early in the morning (before Nicholas wakes up) and spend 10-15 minutes in quiet meditation or prayer. I am confident that after 40 days of morning prayer it will become routine for me, because it only takes 21 days to form a habit.

The last thing our family will be doing is donating all of our spare change to Operation Rice Bowl which offers food, clothing, and shelter to people in poverty stricken countries.

Knowing that I can do a few things to help myself, my family, and others this Lenten season makes me feel joyful and full of hope!

Awaiting Summer

I found this cute picture and it made me realize that I am wanting summer to arrive more than ever! It seems like the winter months have been dragging on and on, and while I love the beautiful winter snow, I could do without the freezing cold east wind and the pounding rain. We like to spend a lot of time during the summer months on our family's boat on the Columbia River and when I saw this picture it made me think of Nicholas building a sand castle with his cousin, Alex. Maybe I will even be lucky enough to get a photo similar to this one during the summer months.

I am counting down the days to summer...I have to admit, while I adore the spring, I would happy to skip to 80 degree days, flip-flops, and tall glasses of lemonade right now!

Peek-a-Boo

Where's Nicholas?
Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Play again, mama! I love that game!

Oh the simple joys of babyhood!

A Day in the Life of Nicholas: A 9 Month-Old Baby

Good morning, everyone! Today I am 9 months old...last night after my bath my daddy gave me a mohawk....and it was still there when I woke up!
I love to chew on all my toys because my gums hurt a lot lately.

Here is me and and my friend, Mason. He comes over to play on Friday afternoons. He makes me laugh!

Mason, mommy and I went for a walk because it was such a pretty, sunny day. I had to wear my sun shades to keep the bright sunlight out of my eyes.

Spring must be on it's way...we saw crocus and daffodils blooming!

Here I am enjoying my puffs and crackers...yum!

I love this time in the evening when my mama strips me down to just my onesie and I can play before my bath.

Bath time is the best time of the day! I love to play with my toys and splash the water!
Here I am in my froggy robe...I don't usually wear a robe after my bath but my mommy thinks I will grow out of it soon and wanted to take a picture of me in it before I do.

I love a good book after my bath. Today I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Boy, that caterpillar ate everything!

After my book I decided to try out my new car seat. I am almost too big for my other one. When I went to the doctor on Wednesday I found out I am now 27 and 3/4 inches long and weigh 17 lbs 16 oz. I just keep growing and growing!
Mommy let me play again before bed. Then we snuggled and I drank my bottle until I was ready to go to my crib.

Goodnight everyone! Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!

Physical Therapy

Nicholas has had 4 weeks of physical therapy and Katie (his physical therapist) is really pleased with his success! He can extend his arms really far to reach for toys, he is bearing weight on his arms to hold himself upright, he is rolling over from tummy to back, and is starting to bear weight on his little chubby legs. His core muscles are much stronger and so are his shoulders which makes him move his arms every which way-grabbing for toys, reaching for his binky, and even feeding himself! He has become much more active and while he is not mobile yet...it's only a matter of time!

We are so proud of all his hard work and all of his accomplishments!

One Lucky Girl

I got to share my Valentine's Day with my cuddly, sweet boy...
And my hubby gave me long stemed red roses & made me breakfast in bed!

It was a great day!

Paint Project

Several months ago my cousin Koby gave us this cute little table that her son, Talon, had outgrown. While Nicholas is still too small for it, he'll grow into it soon enough! I sanded the top of the table (which had been well used by a tiny lil' artist) to get off all the crayon and pen marks...
Covered the top and sides with two coats of chalkboard paint...

Placed the previously painted chairs around it...
And wrote a special note to the boy I love so much!

Hopefully Nicholas will enjoy coloring with chalk on his table for years to come!

Teething Boy

I love chewing on teethers...especially when they are straight from the freezer

I do this silly thing with my tongue because my teeth feel weird

What can I grab to chew on now...?


Well we haven't spotted any teeth yet, but they are definitely on their way. You would never know it by Nicholas' easy going temperament, but we started to notice something was up when he began waking up at night for no particular reason. Our little boy who usually sleeps between 9 and 12 hours wakes up at least once during the night to cuddle with his mama. Our next clue was his swollen gums and the fact that he has been chewing on everything (more than he normally does).
We can't wait to get a peek at his soon-to-be pearly whites!

Night on the town

Krista (the one in the middle) was celebrating her birthday too


Last night my folks watched Nicholas for the evening so we could go to Portland and celebrate Jeff's birthday with some dinner, drinks, pool, karaoke, and video poker. We had a yummy dinner at a diner, proceeded by a couple of beers at McMinnamins, then spent the rest of the evening at Gypsy. Jeff played one of the video poker games for less than 5 minutes and ended up winning 85 dollars...lucky duck! Jeff's sister, Jami, and her fiance, Kris went with us and we met up with Jeff's friend, Ben, and his girlfriend, Krista, who will also celebrate her 27th birthday on Sunday. It was a fun evening out...but us oldies were home and in bed by 12:30.

I guess this is the end of late nights for us!