Nixon 10 months

Nix!

You sure are changing and growing fast every day.  You are perfecting your bear crawl and getting really good at walking around the furniture. I think you'll be walking before we know it!

You still adore your brother, whatever he's doing you are right behind him.  You get so excited to see him in the morning.  And if he's laying on the floor you will crawl over to give him "pats".  He interprets your love pats as hitting and that results in a big ordeal...but none the less I see the love you have for your big brother and I think it's sweet!

You still feel the need to also be my sidekick and have major stranger anxiety, even with family members that you see often.  I'm hoping SOON you grow out of this.  You are such a sweet and funny baby but it seems I'm the only one that gets to see that side of you.

You still aren't sleeping through the night and that is a little hard on me, not gonna lie.  You are really good at going down for bed, maybe one of the easiest babies I've ever put to bed, but you still wake up every 3-4 hrs at night. You aren't the best eater, so maybe you do still need the calories at night.  You are a pretty picky eater and if I serve you something you don't like (which is most of the time) you are quick to make a huge mess by throwing everything off of your tray.

But you are still the sweetest little baby.  Full of hugs, pats and kisses.  I'm cherishing these sweet moments of yours, I know one day you'll make me drop you off 5 blocks away from the mall so you won't have to be seen with me.

Love ya, Nixy.
mom

Nixon 9 months

Full disclosure: this picture was taken pretty late.  Nix was still 9 months when I took it, but barely!  And the blanket is turned the other way and the sun was going down making the lighting not so great...yada yada yada.  We try around here...

Hi little Nixy Bear! (I know, I know, one day you will ask me to stop calling you that but since you can't talk I'll continue to give you cute little nicknames.)

Next to the newborn stage I'm finding this age to be my favorite.  I love how interactive you have become and watching your little personality bloom.  There's no doubt you are an observer, a child who sits back and takes in the world.  But recently you've become a little more curious as you want to see how much toilet paper you can get off the roll or how exactly does your brother turn on his iPod...oh can't figure it out? then in the mouth it goes. My favorite is when we are all sitting in a room playing and you've decided you have had enough and crawl in another room to play by yourself and discover new things on your own.  You still have the sweetest little spirit.  You look at me with your big blue eyes and I can just see the love behind them.  As soon as I walk in the room you can't crawl fast enough into my arms. Morning time is still full of pats and hugs as if you haven't seen me in days.  I love this about you!  I love how sweet and snugly you are.

Your second tooth came in on the bottom this month (very shortly after the first) and it sure makes for a cute smile to have two little chompers poking out.

You are getting really good at pulling yourself up and walking around furniture.  You can climb up the stairs, but haven't mastered the down part yet.  You are getting pretty fast at crawling and I really have to keep an eye on you!

You have started eating a lot more solids and pretty much eat whatever we are eating as well as baby food still.  I think I've even seen you use baby sign language for "more food" this month, but the "more" sign is easily confused with clapping so jury is still out if you are a baby signer yet or just excited to be eating.

You love dancing and music, your brother, bubbles, the bathroom (ugh, so hard to keep you out of there!), the fridge and playing with bowls while I make dinner.

I love you so much Nixon!  I'm so glad you are just the way you are and that Heavenly Father knew better than me and gave me the perfect little boy.  I love you more and more each day, honestly something I didn't know was possible.  I hope you always know how much I love you, even when you are 2 yrs old and we have hard days and I feel like pulling my hair out...I will still love you as much as I do now.

Love,
Mom

Stats:
Height: 28.5" (52%)
Weight: 19 lbs. (50%)
Head: 53%

"sooo big"

Nixon 8 months

Oh little Nix you redeemed yourself this month!  Our happy baby returned and we couldn't be happier.  Last month sucked, this month was a lot better.  The only thing I can think of was that you weren't getting enough food.  I know it sounds like neglect, but it wasn't on purpose!  You see, you aren't the biggest eater.  So when it came time to introduce you to solids you liked them just fine but didn't take a huge interested in them.  But after trying everything to make you happy I had a thought that maybe you weren't getting enough to eat during the day since you still weren't sleeping through the night (which by the way you pretty much are now and it's awesome).  I introduced meats into your diet and made sure you at three solid meals in addition to nursing you every 3 hours and it seemed to do the trick.  Again, I'm not 100% sure that this was the original problem but either way you are happy which means the rest of us are happy.

Along with the return of your happy mood you had a million firsts happen this month.  Biggest one...you are crawling!!!  It has made things a little more crazy around our house but you love that you can get where you want to go. And guess who you end up following around the most, yep, your big brother :)  You also started pulling yourself up on furniture and you can go from laying position to sitting position.  Your first tooth also popped through this month.  Now that you are big enough I put you in the big bath all by yourself.  You were always trying to escape the baby bath so it seemed like the right time to transition you.  You LOVE the freedom and all the splashing the big bath allows. All of this happened in about a weeks time and it was a little too much growing up at once for this emotional mama to handle...

Luckily you still love to snuggle and are the sweetest little baby in the world.  I'm holding on to these sweet moments before they are gone! It used to be hard having you be a complete mama's boy, but the other day I was thinking how one day you will be too cool for me and I'll miss the days of you pulling on my pants to have me pick you, crying the minute anyone else holds you and your whole face lighting up when I enter the room.  So for now, I'm perfectly content with being the one that your world revolves around, I know it will only be for a short time.

I love you so much Nixon!  My heart is completely full when I think about you and my love for you.

Love,
mom

This month proved to be the hardest to capture a picture of you.  You are on the move!!!  Almost every single picture I took this month was blurry. 

nixon 7 months

Niiixxx (in my best mom voice),

If we are being honest here, and I try to most days, you've been kind of hard to handle lately.  This last month was not your best.  Between the teething like symptoms (without a tooth in sight) and cold after cold you've worn me out child.  You are still super attached to me, which don't get me wrong is still sweet at times, but can get old when all you want is for me to hold you...while I do the dishes, cook dinner, work, get ready, etc.  You used to be content to play with your toys in your saucer or on the floor but that seems to be a far off memory now.  I'm hoping this will change and once you get over your current cold you'll be back to your happy self.

That being said you still do have your happy moments.  You love burrowing your face into my chest or the floor and popping up to play peek-a-boo.  You still think Kash is the coolest person alive and he is still the only one that will cause you to randomly burst out loud with laughter.

You are a very snuggly baby which makes up for all the fussiness. Anytime I get you out of your crib you give me a big hug that lasts about a minute and then you are ready to face the day.  And sometimes after rolling around on the floor you make your way over to me and rest your head on my lap, it's very sweet.

You rode an airplane for the first time this last month.  I was a little nervous for this trip of just you and I to Arizona to visit some of my friends since you were pretty crazy the week before we left.  But you did awesome on the plane.  You flirted with all of the old ladies and as soon as we were in the air you fell asleep and slept the whole time.  Phew!

You are almost crawling, did I say that last month ha?  Well you are closer this month! :)  You get up on your knees and rock back and forth but then get frustrated and just roll to where you want to get to.  If you see something you want though, you find a way to wiggle your way across the room to get it.

Your favorite "word/phrase" is goy-goy-goy.  Don't know what it means, but it seems to be your happy phrase.  Any time you are happy or excited you say it.  It's cute.

Even though some days are really hard I wouldn't trade you for anything Nixon!  You still are and will always be my sunshine baby.  All it takes is one innocent look from your big blue eyes and I forget all of your craziness.  I love you so much sweet baby!

Love,
mom

nixon 6 months

Happy half birthday Nixon!

Oh Nix, it's so fun to watch you grow and develop each month. I feel like you understand so much more than last month.  For example when I ask you if you want to eat you start to get excited.  When I ask for a hug, you will lean in and rest your sweet little head on my shoulder (and my heart melts).  You are also starting to mimic certain sounds. Smart little baby.

Here's a video of me trying to get him to hoot like an owl.  I know I'm super annoying and he doesn't actually make the noise till the end where my camera's battery dies and cuts him off.  So basically this video is pointless other than to show you how cute Nixon is. 

Movie 0001 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

You have started to move all over the floor.  You aren't crawling yet, but you are scooting backwards and roll all over.  You are also sitting up by yourself.  You still need to be supervised because you're not completely sturdy on your own. I'm realizing how much our house is not baby proofed, I guess it's time to get on that.

You started rice cereal and orange baby foods this month.  You love both, and I can tell you've put on some weight since starting the solids.  Which is fine because I still don't feel like you eat a ton from me, but you are clearly growing and getting the nutrients you need.

I'd say you are about 50% over your stranger anxiety.  Meaning half the time you are fine if other people hold you and the other half you are still making that ridiculous crying face and producing actual tears.  I have to laugh every time you make your sad face because I never see it unless other people are holding you and it's so dramatic.

You love when dad comes home from work.  You awkwardly stare at him until he talks to you and then you laugh at everything he does and says.  I keep reminding you that you are a momma's boy but I think as soon as you can run and play you will be by dad's side like your brother.  Oh well, at least I get the sweet baby stage. :)

One of my favorite things about you is the way you look at me.  While sitting in my lap you randomly look up at me with your big blue eyes to check in and say hi.  To me your eyes and facial expressions make you seem a lot older than you are, it's as if you totally get what everyone is saying and you can't wait to join in on the convo.

Only 6 more months of baby days.  I'm holding on to every.last.one.

I love you Nixon!
Mom

6 month stats:
height: 27 in. (50-75%)
weight: 17 lbs (50%)
head: 44 in. (50-75%)

nixon 5 months

Nixon turned 5 months on February 7th

Hi Nix!

You have really grown and advanced in the last month.  You rolled after about a week after your 4 month birthday. It was awesome because Kash, Dad and I were all there to witness it and started cheering for you as if you made the game winning shot. When you first started rolling over you would scream and look around like "who did this to me". Now you are getting better at not getting so upset and have started to search for toys to grab while on your tummy.  All of this tummy time as made you really strong and I'm amazed at how long you can push yourself up. You can also scoot yourself all the way around on the floor and somehow wiggle your way a few feet from where I laid you down. Still no rolling from stomach to back, but I'm sure that's right around the corner.

You are like a baby goat and will chew on anything you can get your hands on--burb cloths, blankets, toys, a paper I'm holding in my hand, my hair, etc.  I really have to keep an eye on you, you're a sneaky one!  I saw you actually get mad for the first time this month.  You had somehow got your hands on my wallet and when you started to put it in your mouth I took it away and you made the maddest face and screamed at me.  I know one day your fits will be very annoying/frustrating, but right now the miniature versions of them are quite cute. You are getting really good at finding your pacifier and putting it in your mouth all by yourself.  But if you can't find your pacifier occasionally you are still sucking your thumb.  Verdict is still out if you will be an official thumb sucker or not, but if I have anything to do with it you won't be!

Your sleeping pattern is getting a lot better. You will take a short nap around 9-10am and then by some miracle you take a bigger nap around 1pm (same as Kash) and then another short nap around 5pm.  Nights are getting better as you are sleeping around 6 hrs. before wanting to eat.  But you have a pretty nasty cold right now which has you coughing throughout the night and to your tired parents it feels like you aren't sleeping at all.  I think it's a cold on top of teething, but no sign of a tooth yet.

You are still my little sidekick and still don't like other people to hold you.  And with this sickness it feels like I'm holding you 24/7.  But I can tell you don't feel well so I welcome the extra snuggles.  While you do have a preference to me you have started to get excited when dad comes home from work.  You don't take your eyes off of him and smile at him throughout dinner.

Everywhere we go strangers say, "Oh look at his big blue eyes!"  So I have to add this picture to show how handsome your eyes really are. 

looks like you are taking a selfie

I had to add this one as well because it's hilariously pathetic

You are still obsessed with Kash and no one can make him laugh the way you do! I will try and do the same thing Kash is doing and you give me a courtesy smile and when Kash does it you give him a big belly laugh.  I know you are so anxious to run around and be his little shadow. In the last month Kash has really enjoyed playing with you too.  He's always asking to hold you, he comforts you when you are sad and has started to play with you on his own.  I love that you guys are brothers!

Sorry for the low quality phone video, Kash's Christmas pajamas that are too small for him and his worn out socks...but this video is too awesome not to share.  Blaine was watching the boys while I was at a church meeting.  He went into the other room and when he came back Kash and Nixon were playing ball.  This video makes me so happy. 

You bring me peace and happiness.  I naturally get you and know your needs before you even need to vocalize them. I keep holding on to these baby months because they are about to be gone forever. One day I will wonder how I should best care for you and how to be the best mom to you.  But right now, you make me a confident momma.  I love you so much Nix, more than I ever knew I could!

Love, 

Mom

Nixon 4 months

(Nixon turned 4 months old on Jan. 7th)

Nixon,

You are still our happy, smiley baby...as long as I'm holding you!  You lure people in with your smile and bright eyes, this makes them want to hold you. Once you are in their arms your face turns bright red, you get the biggest frowny face in the world and start to cry. After awhile I take you back and you immediately start to smile and laugh.  Little stinker.  You were cured of this stranger/non-mom anxiety for about five days while Grandma Shelley was here for Kash's birthday.  But as soon as she left you went back to your old momma boy ways.  I'm hoping this is just a phase...

This month you have started to grab things.  I can see your thought process as you focus really hard on an object and try to make your hand do what you want it to.

You are also on the verge of rolling over.  You will arch your back in search of your brother or a toy and almost roll over from your back to your stomach.  Speaking of Kash you are still enamored by your big brother.  Anytime he's in the room you watch his every move and even randomly laugh at his crazy antics.  I know you guys were friends before you came to this Earth, I can see it in your eyes the way you watch and love him so much already.

You still aren't sleeping through the night.  You are eating every 3 hours and we haven't started you on any cereal or solids this month. You still spit up a lot but probably not as much as the previous months, I guess you could say it's getting better but it still feels like I'm getting slimmed a lot throughout the day.

You really are a happy, easy baby Nix (as long as I'm the one taking care of you).  I feel blessed each day that I get to stay at home and take care of you, play with you, rock you to sleep and have you by my side.  You've really become my little friend that goes and does everything with me, and most days, I wouldn't have it any other way.  You bring a light and happiness to our house!

We love you Nixon!
Mom & Dad

Always chewing on your hands.

4 month stats:
Weight: 15.63 lbs (50th percentile)
Height: 25.75 in. (75th percentile)

Nixon 3 months

Oh little Nix...

I feel like you have changed so much in the last month.  I think you definitely hit a growth spurt as your clothes get a little tighter and your legs are starting to hang out of your bouncer.  I tried my hardest to stop it but you are officially out of the snuggly newborn stage.  That's ok though with every new stage comes new things I learn to love about you.  Like how you finally have a laugh to go with that cute smile of yours.  Kash and I are often finding new ways to get you to laugh at us...fun for everyone!

Unfortunately I have nothing good to report on your nightly sleeping habits.  Our house seems to be plagued with one cold after another and I'm guessing the coughing and breathing problems is why you still feel the need to eat every 3-4 hours at night.  After you got over croup you would do a few nights here and there with 5-6 hour stretches, but we haven't gotten that kinda sleep in what seems like an eternity now. Hopefully this will get better soon...

You've finally let us hear a real cry!  Seriously since you were born you haven't really cried, maybe a little fuss here or there but really you never cried.  I don't know how we got so luck to have two happy babies!  I think now you realize crying is a faster way to get your needs met. :)  But really it's not that often that you cry and if you do it's usually because you want to be rocked to sleep at the end of the day, can't blame you-I cry when I need dad to rock me to sleep too.

You are a drool machine.  I'm hoping this doesn't mean that a tooth is about to pop up anytime soon.  Kash got his first tooth at four months.  That's just too early Nix...babies should not get teeth that early!  Please hold off on this milestone!  And I don't know if it is because you might be teething but you love to chew on your hands only adding to the drool factory.  Sometimes I think you prefer your hands to a pacifier but I'm pushing the pacifier because I think it will be easier to take that thing away from you in a year than cut off your thumbs.

You are so full of life little Nix.  You LOVE to be around people and for people to hold and talk to you.  The other day someone from church said, "Every time I look someone else is holding Nixon!"  You definitely have your own little fan club on Sundays, full of people who think your are the best baby in the world...and really I can't argue with them!

But one of your favorite people (behind me of course) is Kash. You light up whenever your brother is around and love to see him act silly and dance around.  It's as if you wish you were right there by his side dancing and being silly...you watch his every move!  I love it.  Kash loves you too. He will randomly come up and give you kisses and he actually asks to hold you now.  Opposed to previously when I would make him hold you and he would say, "I'm done." and just let you roll off his lap and not look back.  He's also very protective of you and always makes sure you are ok when other people hold you.  You have the best big brother in the world and I can't wait for the day when you can run along side of him.

We love you so much Nixon.  You bring so much happiness into our home with your constant smile and happy spirit. We are so lucky to have you in our family!

Love,
Mom & Dad

I swear you have better smiles than this.  But whenever I do your monthly pictures you are so enamored with the set up that it's hard to get a genuine smile out of you. 

Nixon 2 months

(Nixon turned 2 months on November 7th and his pictures and stats were recorded around that time. One day I will post these in the same month that I'm posting about...)

Hi Nix,

Two months has gone by so quickly.  I keep trying to hold on to your newborness but it's quickly slipping away from me. You are still our happy little smiler though so I suppose if you hold on to that quality it's okay to continue to grow! :)

On of my favorite things about you is your expressive face!  You light up when anyone looks your way and get a big smile when people talk to you.  You've also transitioned your grunts into sweet little coos that melt my heart.

Your sleeping habits took a little turn for the worse.  You were sleeping great up until you and your brother got croup and your coughing wakes you up in the middle of the night.  I'm hoping once the cough is gone you will be back to sleeping 8 hours at a time.

You still spit up a lot.  I wish this wasn't the case as spit up is pretty sick, but I know this too shall pass. I'm still just grateful it doesn't seem to bother you much.  While you like to eat every 2.5-3 hours you don't seem to eat very much, which is something new for me-your brother used to eat a lot more at this age.  But you are growing so you must be getting what you need.

You are still my little sunshine baby.  You bring me so much happiness on the longest of days.  One little look into your sweet eyes and seeing your bright smile is seriously one of my favorite things in the entire world.  We love you so much Nix!!!

Love,
Mom & Dad

2 month stats:
12.37 lbs. (50th percentile)
23.5 in. (75th percentile)

And for a good laugh reminder of how big Kash was check out his stats here.

Nixon 1 month

Hi Little Nix!

Welcome to our family and to the tradition of monthly letters from your favorite mom!  As with your brother the first month of your life flew by.  I've been trying to hold on to every little minute of your "newborness" but this last week I've seen you grow and develop and realize I only have a short amount of time left with the newborn version of you.

These days you are holding your head up more, great at tracting objects with your eyes and even turning your head to follow them, sleeping more and more through the night (often 5-6 hours at a time) and awake more through the day.  You are such a happy content little baby.  You will fall asleep anywhere, let your brother smother you hug you when ever he feels the need, sleep through his loud two year old ways and are so easy to comfort if you do get a little fussy.  You love mornings and show us by flashing a big cheesy grin, dimples included.  You've been smiling for a couple of weeks now.  It seems a little early, but how rewarding as your mom to see your sweet smile so soon!!!  Love it.

You do have a few health "concerns".  I don't really know what to call them as I don't think they are a big deal but I think they are worth documenting.  After the first week you started to spit up a lot.  Not just the normal baby spit up, at times it would be pretty forceful and seemed to be every last ounce of milk that you had just drank.  The doctor thinks you might have a mild case of acid reflux.  We have you on over the counter meds and I'm watching what I eat to help you with this.  But even this issue doesn't stop you from being a happy boy, it just makes you a little mad at times and then you are quick to calm down.  You also have a little newborn irregular breathing condition.  You simply forget to breathe at times and then start gasping for air.  You did this in the hospital many times and it freaked the crap out of me!  But many different nurses and pediatricians say that this is common in newborns and you will grow out of it.  Let's hope so because it obviously scares me when you aren't breathing!

You often get compared to your big brother, but I love that you have your own uniqueness about you.  I love your blue eyes and dark hair, your happy disposition (Kash was happy too but you seem to be a little more content), your awesome sideburns--couldn't forget those babies, your cute little dimple that everyone saw weeks before I discovered it, and your GRUNTS!  I thought newborns were supposed to make cute little cooing noise but all you are producing are the sounds of a grumpy old man/baby horse.  We also hear a lot how you are your dad's twin, but I'm happy to report that I do see a little of me in you, I'll have to dig up some old baby photos for proof!

We are so happy you are a part of our family!  We are all adjusting to having a little baby in our family-- sleepless nights, feedings, splitting our time between two kids--but your dad and I wouldn't have it any other way. I often imagined how you would fit into our family, what our daily routine with you would be like, and how we would love another child...but in four short weeks I can hardly remember life before you and can't imagine life without you!  I love that you are apart of our family and thank Heavenly Father every day for your health and your sweet spirit in our home.

Love you Nixon!
Mom & Dad

Kash 12 months

The hawk is flying high these days! haha

Happy Birthday Bubs!

I knew the time would go by fast, but I honestly can't believe a year has come and gone and that my baby boy is one year old. As much as I miss you as a sweet little newborn you are pretty great as a one year old as well!

I'm always impressed with your ability to learn new things. For the past few months I've been trying to teach you a few simple signs to make it easier for you to communicate with us. Well this last month you finally got a few and have learned how to apporpirately use them. You know how to say finished and more. Of course these signs are acted out to the best of your ability but it's so nice for you to be able to tell us what you need or want.

You are also a walking boy now! You started to take a few steps before your birthday and now you can walk across the room and always prefer to walk over crawling. But in walking you have gained some battle wounds, as you can see in these pictures the coffee table won the last battle.

You are our little explorer. Getting into anything and everything you can. Which means we are working on listening, boundaries and rules. These are so not fun to teach you!  For the most part you are a pretty good listener like when we ask you to close the drawer you actually do it...and then just open it up again! ha

It's not all roses with you Kashers!  As captured by the last picture you definitely throw a fit when you don't get your way!  Don't worry I talked to the doctor about this and she said it's perfectly developmentally normal as you test limits and learn new things!  You were mad in this picture that we wouldn't let you stand up on the chair! ha Lucky for you, you're still cute even when you are mad! 

Talking is on your horizon as well.  You can say momma and dada, something that sounds like grandpa and baby.  Although lately when I ask you to say baby you just scream, I don't know what that's about.  You are still jabbering like crazy though and I have a feeling when you actually do start talking we won't hear the end of it.

You are getting so fun to play with and interact with.  You definitely have a fun little personality that makes me laugh all the time.  You think it's fun the wrestle around with dad on the floor and still like to be scared.

Well this is the last of your monthly letters bubs.  It was really important to me that you have something to reference your first year of life.  And of course I'll still document the rest of your life :) it just won't be through monthly letters.

We love you!!!!!
Mom & Dad

Stats:
weight 26 lbs--95th percentile
height 31 in.--70th percentile
head--75th-90th percentile
(short and stocky haha)

Kash 11 months

(while this post is very late the pictures were taken on time) 

Hey Bubs,

Where to start.  I feel like you are an unofficial toddler this month.  The books say that happens at 12 months but I think you are already there my friend.

For one you toddle all around the house.  And by toddle I mean you walk all around the furniture, you stand on your own, and every once in awhile you muster up enough guts to try and take a step but it always results in a fall.  You are on your way to walking for sure though.  I even think you prefer to walk around the perimeter of things verses crawling if you have the option.

I think the fact that you are refusing baby food also makes you a toddler.  In fact you are getting stubborn like a toddler in that you won't let us feed you anymore, you insist on doing it yourself!!  Which means you get about half of your dinner actually in your mouth and then you get bored and you are done.  Sometimes you refuse to eat all together...I never thought the world's largest baby would refuse food, but you do!  This new found independence has taught dad and I patience...to say the least.

You have perfected the art of waving.  What started out looking like Hitler's solute has now turned into a vigorous arm waving around at anyone who will say hi.  Your favorite is waving at church.  You just wave your little arm like crazy when we walk into sacrament meeting.  Which is actually nice because people now think it's cute when we are 10 minutes late to church every Sunday.

You love music and love to dance. Any time a commercial with a song comes on you stop whatever you are doing, crawl to the TV and bounce up and down (your interpretation of dancing). I think you've really appreciated all of the holiday jingles on commercials this past month.  You also think it's fun to dance to the hymns at church.  While this is obviously inappropriate, it's quite adorable so we let you do it.

Our favorite trick you do though is when you "close your eyes"! You think it's so funny to close your eyes, this is probably because we laugh so hard every time you do it.  And by closing your eyes I mean you squint while still peaking out to make sure someone is laughing at you. (it's hilarious, see video below for proof)

You can fold your arms now when we say prayers.  And grandpa Turnbow has taught you how to go up and down stairs.  It's a good thing he taught you because I'm pretty sure it terrifies your dad and I and we never would have been brave enough to teach you this one.

Your sass level has also gone up a notch.  If you don't get your way you throw a fit. And sometimes you jabber like you are bossing people around.  Your dad says your sass is genetic and that you can't help it...very funny dad!

But you are still the sweetest little boy I know.  You randomly give us kisses and hugs.  You love to snuggle with me as I rock you for a few minutes before bed, this is my favorite part of the day.  And in general you still have a happy, sweet disposition.

You are growing way too fast my little boy.  I can't believe you will be one in just a few weeks.  You are no longer my baby which makes me cry every time I think about it.  But I have a feeling you will always be my baby no matter how old you are.  I know I say it every month but you are the light of my life.  Despite the fact that your new curiosity, tantrums and sass wears on me from time to time I still can't believe how much love I have for you.  And while it's also hard watching you grow up it's so fun to watch your little personality shine, watch you learn new things and look at the world through you innocent eyes.

We love you so much Kash!
Mom & Dad

Here's a little clip of Kash's tricks and sass!  

Kash 10 months

Kash-man-chew,

Ten months--double digits booooyyy!!! And...you are mobile!  A week after I wrote your 9 month post you decided it was time to crawl.  We were at your aunt Joy's house, Grandpa Turnbow held out a pen for you and you were determined to get it.  You got up on your hands and knees and just crawled over there like an old pro!  I couldn't believe it.  You never looked back after that and now you are crawling all over the place.  While it keeps us busy you are so excited to go where ever you want.  You love to crawl to our coffee table or couch and then walk all around the house via the furniture.  Sometimes you forget that you can't actually walk yet and turn around to take a step and fall.  We'll see if this means you will be an early walker. :)

I feel like your personality is really starting to shine.  You are very aware of your surroundings, what people say and noises that happen around the house.  If our heater kicks on you look around to see who is making that noise.  You are also have a very animated face.  I love when you raise your eyebrows and say ooooo or stick out your sass lips and scrunch up your nose.  But with the good also come the bad!  If you don't get what you want you will throw your hands down and grunt/scream.  Not cool Kash.  If you want food it's the same thing you pound on your high chair and growl until someone gives you a bite.  Speaking of bites you love to eat off my plate.  Anytime you see that I'm eating something you crawl right over demanding a bite.  We are working on your table manors!!!

You may love to eat since you actually have teeth now!  You are up to five!  Three on top and the two on bottom.  Your top teeth make you look so grown up and kinda makes me sad.  I know it's obviously a good thing that you are getting your teeth but you just seem to be growing up way too fast for me to handle!  I think the fact that I'm working full time only makes time go by faster, which is really hard on me!  I so wish I could be at home with you all day, every day Kash!

(yeah you were being a little difficult this photo shoot and just wanted to get down and play with your books! Little stinker!)

You still love bath time, to the point that when I turn the water on you start laughing and bouncing up and down. Lately you love to lay in the water, when I try and sit you back up you just arch your back and stiffen your body to try and lay back down...future Olympic swimmer?  As long as you are in the Olympics! haha

While you are a lot of work these days and often wear me out (I don't know how Grandma Turnbow does it all day) I think this might be my favorite stage.  Although, anytime I hold a newborn I miss little baby Kash and it makes me sad that you are growing up so fast.  But right now you are so fun to play with and make us laugh all the time with the faces and noises you make!

We love you sooooooo much Bubs!
Mom & Dad

Kash 9 months

Hi Kash,

It's me your mom.  You have changed so much in the last month and you are learning so many new tricks!  You can pull yourself up to things, you love to clap, you can dance (aka bounce up and down), you can do "so big", you can eat bites of table food now--whew this has been a big month for you.

You still aren't crawling, and to be honest I thought you would be by now.  But you are getting closer than last month.  You can take a few "crawls" and then fall on your belly and get mad.  I can tell that you just want to move and explore and it makes you very frustrated that you can't, soon enough boy.  The doctor said it's normal because you are bigger than most babies and you just need to build up the strength to move your big ol' body! ha It would actually be nice for you to be a little more independent as you are breaking my back!

Speaking of your size...this month you were due for another well check at the doctor's.  You are slowing down, as predicted by some, on the growth chart.  You weigh 24.2 lbs (95th%) 29 in. (85th%) and your head is in the 85th percentile as well.  You still dominate in comparison to any baby your age that we know though.

Things you love this month:  you love playing with your dad!  You think it's so funny when he plays peek-a-boo although we should rename it raaarrahh-a-boo because you and dad just scream at each other. And no surprise you LOVE that you can have real food now.  Your diet still mainly consists of baby food, cereal and milk but you love when you get to taste what we are eating.  You love being outside and you like to be around people.

Your top tooth finally came in!  This was by far the hardest of the three teeth you have.  You seemed to be a little extra fussy and not sleeping through the night due to this stubborn tooth that took it's time coming through!  But it's finally in and you are back to your old happy, sleeping through the night self!

I still can't believe what a good boy your are about going to bed.  You never cry when we put you down, well if you are at home in your crib that is (traveling seems to be a little rough).  Sometimes you'll talk yourself to sleep but very rarely do you cry.  I think it might help that you are obsessed with your blankey that you only get at bed time.  Every time you see it you squeal with excitement until you get your hands on it which at that point your bury your face into it.  We still need to get you this excited about naps! haha I'm sure that will never happen.  You used to be such a good little baby that would bury his head into the nook of my arm and fall right asleep.  Now we have to trick you into taking naps by sitting quietly on the couch and watching tv (I know awesome parenting right?) until your eyes get too heavy and you fall asleep.

As always we love you Kash!  You keep us on our toes and sometimes wear us out but we wouldn't have it any other way. You have the funniest little personality and seem to have such a joy for life that brightens our home!

Love,
Mom & Dad

kash 8 months

Hey Kasher,

Eight months old? Dang, boy you are getting so old! But the older you get the funnier you get…if that’s even possible! :)

Although, you have been kind of a pill about sleeping this last month, but I think that’s just because your teeth are bothering you. You used to sleep till around 6:00am but lately you’ve been waking up at 4:00am and want to start your day then…sorry buddy that’s just not happening. Hopefully your top two teeth will break through soon and we can get back to our normal routine.

You still have a hilarious obsession with dogs. When we go on walks on Sunday afternoons you will spot a dog clear down the path and just randomly start laughing, it’s pretty dang funny! This is definitely one of our favorites right now.

You are on the verge of crawling. I think I said that last month but you are definitely closer this month. You can scoot backwards but then get frustrated that you can’t move forward. You get up on your hands and knees and rock but don’t actually go anywhere. But if you really want something, a cord, my dinner plate, a bug on the ground…aka anything you aren’t supposed to have, you find a way to get to it!

You LOVE to take baths! You think it’s hysterical when I squirt you with a toy fish, you are really good at getting me soaking wet and think it’s really funny to try and get out of the tub…it’s not that funny Kash! You’ve also started to wave your arms around like a wild man which has enhanced your splash range!

You are jabbering up a storm adding new consonants to your words every week. You’ve finally started saying ma-ma-ma in addition to dat, ba, dad and your favorite is bub. Sometimes you will just say “bub” once and then laugh like it’s your own inside joke. You are so cute! Again I will say I know these are normal child developmental milestones but it’s so much cuter when your own kid does it.

This month’s photo shoot produced some real winners. It’s getting harder and harder to take your monthly picture because you are moving all over the place! The pictures were so hilarious it was hard to pick just a few!

We love you baby boy. You are so fun to be around and make us laugh every single day!

Love,

Mom & Dad

7 months

Hey Kasher!

As each month goes by your personality grows and your dad and I love you more than we thought we could the previous month!  It helps that you laugh at almost anything we do and your smile is ten times cuter with two little chompers sticking out.

This last month your sleeping positions have entertained us greatly! One day you even turned 180 degrees in your crib.  When I went to get you in the morning I couldn't believe it!  It seems that you prefer sleeping on your stomach, well I don't know if you actually prefer this or if your just too sleepy to roll back over.  But the first time I found you on your tummy it scared me to death because your head was face down in your blanket.  I whispered, "Kash?" and you creepily popped your head up.  haha  I was just glad you were alive!  So now our favorite thing is to go see what position you are sleeping in.  A couple of times a week your dad and I will sneak in to your room and take a peek.  Your dad will say, "I wonder what Kash is doing," and I will say, "I don't know lets go look!"  I know we are weird but we get a real kick out of this!

Since you were born I've been trying to teach you to say momma.  Last week you finally started to catch on!  Well almost...when I say mom-mom-mom-mom you say bah-bah-bah-bah.  And the little face you make with it is priceless!  This too is a favorite of ours right now.  You are even starting to say da-da, but I don't think you are quit associating it with Dad yet.

Another favorite thing of mine is when I pick you up from Grandma Turnbow's.  Every day you can hear the door open and you know I'm there to get you.  I can hear your squeals before I can see you, then when I turn the corner you are practically bouncing out of Grandma's arms from excitement.  It warms my heart each day, and just know the excitement goes both ways!

You survived your first ear ache this month too, make that double ear infection.  You are such a good baby though it was hard to tell you were sick.  But I knew something was up when you weren't sleeping through the night, but the doctor wasn't as convinced.  When she walked into the room she said he doesn't look sick to me as you laughed and smiled at her.  But after looking at your ears she determined you had two ear infections.

You are rolling all over the place, sitting in high chairs at restaurants, riding in the shopping cart, graduated to a bigger car seat, squash is your favorite food, your hair is growing in as a mow-hawk, you have a weird obsession with remotes and you still LOVE animals.  We took you to the zoo this month and anytime you could actually see the animals you would giggle.  You are so dang cute Kash.  We love you so much, you are still the light of our lives.  There are hard times, like when you get fussy at night or spit up all over me at church and then pull my hair and put it in your spit up mouth...but I wouldn't trade those hard times in for anything!

We love love love you!
Mom & Dad