Shrug and a Haircut... two bits!

Leo's latest trick is shrugging his shoulders. Unfortunately, we haven't captured it on video yet, but is really is the cutest thing. Sometimes he does it when he is mad or frustrated, but sometimes he just gives you a funny look and shrugs. It's hilarious.

And last week, when we were in Carpinteria, we took Leo to get his first haircut.
We took him to the little barber shop in town that Marty owns. ("Marty the one-man-party")

Here is the "before" photo. Leo sat patiently in my lap while Marty cut his hair. What a trooper. And Marty was great. Leo posed with him for the "after" shot.

Doesn't Leo look handsome? So grown up! He doesn't look like a baby anymore...

Thanksgiving at the Beach

We flew to California to spend Thanksgiving week with my family at the Carpinteria State Beach Campground. All of my extended family was there, as well as Jack's parents, who drove down from Utah. We had a great time!

This was Leo's first beach experience. He loved playing in the sand, eating sand, and splashing in the water. We had so much fun playing together, digging sand castles and moats, and just watching Leo explore. What a cutie!

Leo also enjoyed getting to know his 2nd cousins, and their kids. We all just love Carpinteria! It's a great little beach town. We had campfires every night, went on long walks along the beach, explored the tide pools, watched the sun set, and rode bikes all over town. These have been some of my favorite things to do since I was a kid, so it was wonderful to share these experiences with Leo. I hope he grows to love that place as much as I do.

It's a walker?

Jack and I were sitting in the living room tonight, talking and watching Leo play on the floor in the dining room. He was holding onto the legs of his high chair when all of a sudden he started walking forward! (Like an old man with his walker) Our chins hit the floor as we gawked at Leo's new-found ability. Luckily, we were able to quickly duplicate the feat, and capture it on video.

Wow. We've almost got a walker on our hands.

Arlington National Cemetery

We went on a tour of Arlington National Cemetery last weekend. It's such a beautiful place. With it's serene hilltop location and stunning views of Washington DC on the other side of the Potomac, it was especially pretty with all the trees in their Fall colors.

We saw the graves of JFK and Jackie Kennedy, and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the changing of the guard happens every hour. This tomb is guarded 24/7 by a soldier in full dress uniform. It was pretty moving to think about the thousands of men who have died in war, and whose remains were never indentified. We are so grateful for these brave men that gave their lives to defend our nation and protect the freedom of people around the world.

Leo's top 10

In honor of Leo's 10 months of life, I decided to make a list of his top 10:

1) Crawling on, over, or on top of Mom & Dad
2) Putting things in his mouth (toys, paper, socks, dirt, leaves, dead moths, etc.)
3) Crawling/Exploring/Getting into stuff
4) Sightseeing in DC/People watching
5) Watching other kids
6) Babbling/Talking/Singing
7) Swinging in his backyard swing
8) Going for walks in the stroller
9) Dancing with Mom in the kitchen
10) Gumming new foods (cucumber, apples, breadsticks, carrots, celery)

Leo makes us laugh every day. He is so active and curious about everything. We can see his mind working as he tries to figure out something new, or something he hasn't seen before. And when he finally 'gets' it, his face lights up and he smiles with that beautiful toothless grin! We adore him. We are so grateful for our sweet baby boy.

Here are a few of our favorite photos from the month.

1st Halloween

Leo made a very cute tiger cub for his first Halloween.

He looked especially cute crawling around...

(The heavy breathing in the video is actually me trying to contain my laughter.

He was so cute, I just couldn't keep from giggling.)

Kites on the Mall

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, and very windy... so we decided to fly our kites.

We couldn't think of any parks that had a large open space (with no trees) so we decided to head over to the National Mall. The field surrounding the Washington Monument turned out to be the perfect location for flying kites. It's a large grassy area, with no trees, and it's on a small hill, so the wind was great. And you could't beat the views- the Washington Monument behind us, and the Capitol building in front of us. Incredible!

When we finished there, we walked over to the Old Post Office building, and went on a tour of the bell tower. The views of the city were great. (it was very windy up there!)

And the building itself was quite beautiful. It's hard to believe that they almost tore it down in the 1930's. Luckily, the goverment didn't have enough money to do so, so it sat vacant until the 1970's when some people fought to save it, then raised the money to renovate it. Thank goodness! I hate to see old beautiful buildings torn down.

Bath Time

Check out Leo's new 'do!

I mean, who doesn't love a mohawk on a baby?

Leo's hair is getting pretty long on the top.

We couldn't resist making over his hairstyle.

And who doesn't love a good baby bath photo?

Melissa's Visit

Leo's birthmom Melissa came out for a visit this weekend, and we had a great time touring the city. This was her first trip to DC, so it was fun to show her around.

We managed to see quite a lot in just a few days. We saw the Lincoln memorial, Air and Space Museum, the Capitol, Library of Congress, Museum of American History, Vietnam Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington Cemetary, and the National Archives, to see the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution. So many great things to see!

Of course, Leo was the main attraction, and I know that she really loved spending time with Leo and seeing how much he has grown. It was great having her here! We had so much fun together.

9 months and counting

Can you believe it? Leo is 9 months old, and we know that his 1st birthday will be here before we know it!

Leo did NOT want to sit still for this photo, and it took several photo shoots, on different days, to get a decent shot. He doesn't like to sit still for more than a few seconds at a time. And he was determined to eat that sign. I know that these monthly photos are not going to get any easier.

Leo is into everything. Last week I found him in the bathroom. The toilet seat was splashed with water and his sleeves were soaking wet. But of course, he just looked up at me with those big Bambi eyes- so innocent looking! Needless to say, we now keep the bathroom doors tightly closed.

Leo's favorite new toy is a stand-up play table that Jack's coworker gave us. Leo just loves moving all the levers and gadgets to hear the music and see the lights. (Toys are much fancier now than when I was a kid!) He also loves standing up and feeling like a big, big boy.

We've also started feeding him some fruits and veggies. He loves bananas and avocados. And this week, while having a picnic, Jack let him gnaw on his apple. He loved it, of course.

Fall Festival

We took Leo to Cox Farm on Saturday, which is about 1o miles from here. They have a huge Fall Festival every year, with a petting zoo, giant slides, a corn maze, and free apple cider and apples. We also got to pick pumpkins on our way out. It was a beautiful Fall day, and it was so nice to be outside enjoying the weather and seeing the trees start to change colors.

We had a great time, are are looking forward to taking Leo again next year, when he's a little older, and can enjoy the festivities a bit more.







Leo was all tuckered out after a fun morning at the festival, but he still didn't want to let go of his pumpkin. He fell asleep the instant we got in the car.

Oktoberfest

We love to celebrate Oktoberfest, and this year we had a great one with our friends the Floyds and Kronmillers. We feasted on yummy German food while enjoying some fantastic Fall weather in our backyard.

We also had a bonfire in our new fire pit, and roasted marshmallows. After a very hot and humid summer, it was so nice to spend some time outside. It was a perfect night. (we didn't even get eaten alive by mosquitos!)

Summer Fun

A few weeks ago we went camping at Pohick Bay. We kayaked on the bay, which is part of the Potomac river. This was Leo's 3rd kayaking experience. The first time (2 months old) he slept the whole time. The second time (4 months old) he cried the whole time. This time (8 months old) he loved it. He wanted to paddle the boat himself.




On Saturday we went to a Pakistani restaurant, where they had one of these rickshaw cars that was brightly painted.
(Jack said that I'm actually a much better driver that Leo let's on!)
.

(Note how they added vinyl text to the car: "God Bless America") Funny.

Uh oh.

It's official. Leo's crawling.

He's been doing the belly crawl for about 4 weeks, and today he figured out how to get on his knees and stay there. He's also figured out that he can get from point A to point B much faster by crawling on his knees. This means he can get into stuff more quickly and efficiently.




Another development on the Eastern front- he's standing up now. I went into his room last week, and found him standing up in his crib! I don't know why, but the first time you see your child do this... it is a shock. Suddenly, your baby isn't lying in the crib where you left him, but he is standing up, holding onto the railing and looking up at you. And then it hits you like a ton of bricks.

He's not a baby anymore. *Gulp*

Don't eat that.

Leo ate his first dirt yesterday.

With his new mobility, Leo is getting into everything. And my new, most-uttered phrase is: "Don't eat that." I don't know how he does it, but no matter how much I sweep and mop, he still manages to find dried leaves, dead moths, or other things to put in his mouth. Even the house plants (which he previously ignored) are now fair game. I can't take my eyes off him for a second.

Leo is curious about everything, and has been exploring every corner of the house. He is so fun to watch. I love seeing the look of wonder on his face when he discovers something new.