Christmas Traditions at Home

A couple of our Christmas Traditions with Mac from last year:

The MacDaddy reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

Mac and the MacMommy with Mac's first Christmas tree

And while we're at it, Mac with all his wonderful gifts last year:

He was so grateful! And did you notice that a majority of the gifts were books? Surprise, surprise!

Eleven Months Old!

Mac is 11 months old! (We're not going to discuss what happens in a month.) He's getting to be such a big boy. He is not walking yet, because he says he's not a toddler; he's still my baby. Well, not really, considering everything else he's doing.

We are now baby-proofing out the wazoo, and to no avail. We have a latch on our fridge, ever since the MacDaddy found him in the kitchen, fridge wide open, and a tub of yogurt open and spilled on the floor. We have a baby-gate on the stairs, which he has figured out how to open mechanically. Our only saving grace is that he doesn't have the strength to pull the bar up. He has, however, figured out the "child-proof" latches on the entertainment center. At least they slow him down enough for us to catch him!

Even though he's not yet walking, he is cruising and he now LOVES walking with push-toys! I'm sure it's only a matter of time. He's also climbing the stairs in about 4 seconds. He can climb back down, too, though that takes about a minute.

As for eating, he refuses purees. In fact, he refuses anything that requires us to feed him with a spoon. He's a big boy and he can feed himself! So he eats whatever we're eating, for the most part.

For a little over a month now, he's been waking up and sitting up or standing up (and we're not sure in what order). We had been lying him down, but eventually, he kept popping back up, so he's had to learn to lie himself down, and he started sleeping on his tummy. Of course, his preferred sleeping position is now with his face shoved in a pillow or crib bumper. Oh, well.

He also started daycare this month, and he's been loving it. He doesn't cry when we drop him off, but he's always excited when we come to get him! After the first day, he babbled non-stop for TWO HOURS! He had babbled before, but not like that. I guess at daycare, he really found his voice.

He has started waving -- probably because we're all waving goodbye at daycare, both when we drop him off and when we pick him up (goodbye to the teachers). It's cute because he then turns his hand to wave to himself.

10 Months Old!

Mac is now 10 months old. I can't believe it. This month's photo session was truly a workout for me. Mac was not just crawling everywhere, but crawling fast. We'd put him at the back of the set, and by the time the photographer had her camera ready, Mac had already crawled past her. I think eventually, she got faster and he tired out and slowed down ... a little.

Mac finally has 2 teeth, though he doesn't like to show them to anyone. They're just above the gums, but you can feel them for sure!

He's getting really good at pointing. And poking. He likes to touch everything with just his index finger.

He's pulling up on absolutely everything. He cruises a little, but not much. I think he figures he's got lots of exploring to do, and crawling will get him there faster. He's also opening cabinet doors and drawers! All of them! So far, he's not interested in the contents as much as in his ability to open and close.

Fingerpainting FAIL

 Today I had the brilliant idea to introduce Mac to Fine arts through finger paints! Well, it turns out that sitting him in his high chair and giving him something gooey -- that's not even edible -- was quite offensive.

I seriously couldn't even get him to smile for one picture. He finally calmed down and forgave me when I cleaned him up and gave him cheerios and yogurt melts. 

At least we got some priceless art out of it!

Happy Independence Day!

 And Mac wants you to know that:

 

9 Months Old!

I can't believe it has been 9 months since Mac was born. He wasn't even in my belly for 9 months! And he's come a long way.

Here's what he's been up to:

• Now that he's perfected crawling, he's moved on to pulling up. As of this week, he pulls up on everything.
• He also enjoys cruising.
• He can climb the stairs. Unfortunately, the only way he knows to get down is to roll like a log. Fortunately, the one time he did that, the MacDaddy caught him before he hit the tile. 
• He and the Doggie-wog seem to be getting along better. We are working with Mac on "Gentle" and the Doggie-wog is very tolerant. Especially when Mac grabs his feet. The Doggie-wog won't let anyone grab his feet. Except Mac.
• He's eating table foods as well as finger foods. He likes Cheerios. He'll eat pretty much whatever we eat, or at least whatever we put on his tray. 
• Except broccoli. He refuses to put broccoli in his mouth. We don't know if he likes it or not because he won't even try it. (He gets that from Papa.) Tomorrow we're going to try broccoli with melted cheese. That will be the true test.
• He drinks water from a sippy cup pretty well if you hold it for him. He's an expert at drinking from a straw, and loves it.

8 Months Old!

 

I can't believe it's been 2/3 of a year since Mac was born. It's gone by so fast. Next week he'll be out of elementary school, at this rate.

We have more fun with him every day. As you know, he's crawling now. Everywhere, and fast. We still haven't done any real babyproofing. I think because our place is so small, all the outlets are blocked off by furniture. And we already packed away our breakables trying to de-clutter. We do have a cardboard box on its side to block off the litter box. But other than that, he has free reign.

Other than crawling, here's what he's doing:

• He said his first word. "Mama." Not that he meant anything by it. But that's his first word. Ha!
• He loves to babble, and sometimes I think he's singing. 
• His favorite food right now is probably cucumber slices. Toast is a close second. 
• He can pull up to his knees. 
• He loves the Naminals. We are trying to teach him that "Tails are not for grabbing," and "Gentle." He's a slow learner on these two subjects.
• He's not yet clapping or waving, but he loves it when I clap or wave at him. He also loves it when I let him hold my hands while I clap to Patty-cake.

He's definitely wearing 12-month clothes now. I can occasionally squeeze him into 9-month outfits, but he complains during the squeezing process.

And we've lowered the crib mattress, just in case.

On the Move!

I so wish I could report that we're moving out of the condo, but into the house. However, my news might be more exciting: Mac is crawling! He started on Saturday night. It's been in short bursts, so it's hard to get video. But I managed today.

He has a very funny crawl. He actually uses one knee and the other foot. It's so cute. (And I'm not biased, or anything, right?)

A Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, we celebrated the MacDaddy's birthday with a weekend in Tucson at our favorite resort. I'm always happy to give the MacDaddy a weekend at the resort as a birthday gift because it means I'm getting a massage. It was fabulous, but there was more fun to be had! 

We hadn't been to the resort since Mac was about 7 weeks old. This time he was about 7 months old. Wow, what a difference! Last time, he pretty much slept. This time, the trip was all about him. It was also kind of learning experience for the MacDaddy and me. We're taking him to the Bay Area in a few weeks and this was a good opportunity to figure out the do's and don't's of travel with Mac.

He enjoyed playing on the patio and trying all the tasty food. Yep, we shared our room service meals with him. He liked the chicken from the nachos!

 

Most exciting for Mac, though, was the pool! It was really fun watching the MacDaddy swim, and then Mac got to try it himself!

 He thought swimming was fine, but I think he preferred lounging by the pool.

 And, of course, he always enjoys just hangin' out and bein' cute and stuff.

We also got all dressed up to go to the MacDaddy's favorite restaurant. We got tableside guacamole, and Mac ate about half of the bowl himself. He didn't like cornbread, but that's probably just because we didn't let him have butter.

The trip was a success! Everyone came home relaxed and ready to go back to work travel again soon!  Oh, and I almost forgot to show you my all-time favorite photo.
 

My two favorite guys in the whole wide world.

 

 

(Don't worry, Pappy. You're a very close third!)

Look What Mac Can Do!

Guess what the Mac Man can do now:

Yup! He can stand while holding on to something! For a while now, he's really enjoyed it when we stand him up. A couple months ago, he started standing while we held his hands. Now, he can stand while holding onto furniture! (I took these photos on his 7-month birthday, and finally got around to posting them.)

Can you tell he's pretty proud of himself?

He'll also walk -- well, wobble like a drunkard, actually -- while we hold his hands, too. Unfortunately, I need a third hand to get video of that.

Happy Easter!

 Well, you know me. It just wouldn't be right if I got this posted on or before Easter Sunday! Just be happy you got to see some Easter pics!

Mac had fun with Easter Eggs

Can you tell he hasn't had a nap today?

Don't interrupt the Mac Man while he's trying to crawl!

I hope Hayden enjoyed his last Easter with no competition for the eggs!*

What's Easter Dinner without ham? Mac loved it!*

Still sucking on that ham!*

Finally, asleep.*

*Photos courtesy of Aunt Audra!