Someone finally got a haircut. He’s been needing one for weeks now, but it took me a while to convince Shawn to do it. (He has a touch of hair envy.) So Saturday we went to Cookie Cutters and braved the scissors. I have to say that I was quite the proud momma, he did so well and didn’t shed one tear. He even hugged his barber, MerriLynn. She was so sweet and talented (I couldn’t imagine trying to do her job) I almost hugged her myself. Now Joseph looks less like a sheep dog and more like my little guy.

Checking it all out.

A little more off the top, please.

Hugs for MerriLynn.

I can’t believe he say still for the clippers.

Checking out the new ‘do.

Double digit months!

I am always on the move. I crawl everywhere possible and cruising around on furniture. I have even started to attempt walking by pushing around my high chair and play table. I want to climb the stairs every chance I get, however going back down them still escapes me.

Walter and I are best friends and playmates. I can say his name and smile and laugh whenever I see him. We share toys and wrestle and give each other hugs.

I love music and “dance” when I hear a good song and bounce on my toy donkey. I am obsessed with the vacuum and chase it around whenever mommy or daddy turn it on. I love it so much that I often open the closet and visit and talk to it. I still love to read and love my pop up books the best. I can work them myself!

I started swimming class with daddy and it is so much fun! I yell and laugh while splashing daddy in the pool. I also splash around in my bath and play with the bubbles.

I can say even more words now: book, bubbles, Walter, up, and bottle. I make lots of silly noises and sometimes sing with mommy. I can yell really loud, but haven’t really figured out how to whisper.

This month I saw snow for the first time. I wasn’t too sure about it, but I liked being outside and watching Walter catch snowballs and seeing daddy use the snowblower.

Only a couple more and someone will be a year old. . . .oh my!

I am everywhere . . fast! Crawling, climbing, and scrambling up and over everything in my way, I am into everything. I am curious and love to investigate. My favorite things are to help mommy cook in the kitchen, play in Walter’s doggie bowls, and unravel the toilet paper whenever I get the opportunity.

Walter and I are best friends. Nothing makes me happier then feeding him my food and climbing on top of him every chance I get.

l say hello to everyone and play patty cake all the time. I’m starting to really enjoy music and “dance” when I hear a good song. I also like to play the drums and shake toys that make noise. I also really love my books. I ask mommy to read (lunging out of her arms towards the bookcase) all the time. I especially like my pop up books. They never get old.

Only a few more months and I will be one year old! Oh I wonder how much more I’ll grow until then!

****Apologies for the less than stellar photos . . . someone was too wiggly. Will update with some better shots after Shawn helps me pin him down distract him.

Another month has passed. I cannot believe how time flies by. My little guy is getting bigger and brighter every day.

This month I am on the move. I crawl everywhere . . fast! I also climb up over and on everything that gets in my way. I am timidly working on furniture walking now and mommy and daddy have been scrambling to get the house safe for me. I am doing tons of new things, clapping, shaking toys to make noise, waving “hello” and saying “Hi, Dada, Momma, and Yay!” I am curious and love to investigate everything.

Walter and I have become good friends and he lets me give him hugs, pets, and play with his toys. He also cleans up after me when I’m done eating. He is by best friend.

This month has been difficult because I’ve had a cold, cough, and a double ear infection. Mommy is ready to have a reserve parking space at the doctor’s office. Thankfully, I am feeling better now and I’m back to my silly self.

Seven months have flown by and my chubby infant has turned into a squirmy wiggle worm of a baby boy. Blows my mind.

This month has been one full of growth and development. I am constantly on the move. I can now “army crawl” everywhere and I am quite good at climbing over and around obstacles in my way. I can sit up on my own and I’m already eyeing the furniture to help me pull myself up. I love having mommy chase me about the house to keep me out of trouble.

I now want to play with more interactive toys and love my Grover puppet. I also want to chase Walter, but he is still too fast for me. He makes me laugh and smile whenever he enters the room and I immediately try to go where he is at.

I am still having some trouble with sleeping and napping this month, but I’ve gotten FIVE more teeth (8 total now) this month, so I’ve been quite uncomfortable and cranky. Hopefully, I will get a break before any more come in so I can sleep better.

I’ve also been enjoying more fruits and veggies this month, some new favorites are beets with applesauce, pumpkin, peaches, and mango. I’ve also started eating puffs, which are delicious! I gobble them as fast as mommy puts them out for me. I have also been working on drinking out of a sippy cup. I am pretty good at drinking, but I need a little help to hold the cup.

I am growing so fast, I know I’ll have many more things to share with you next month!

Where do I begin? I cannot believe that a half of a year has gone by. Amazing. My sweet Joseph is no longer an infant, but a bouncing baby boy. Full of life and bringing so much joy and light into our lives.

This month has been full of new things. I have added many new foods to my diet: sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, butternut squash, avocados, and applesauce. I love them all!

I am constantly moving, either squirming about when anyone holds me, bouncing in my chair or on people’s laps, or rolling about on the floor. I can sit up with some help. I’m still a little wobbly, but I can stay upright on my own for some time. I am so close to crawling! I get on my hands and knees and rock back and forth and lunge forward. I just need to put my skills all together and then there will be no stopping me.

I love to play with my toys and grab at anything I can reach. Pulling mommy’s hair is a favorite activity. So is petting Walter. He makes me laugh and smile whenever he enters the room.

I had some trouble with sleeping and napping this month, but with mom and dad’s help I’m getting back on track. I also cut my left front tooth. This has made me in a much better mood.

I wonder what more I will be able to do after this month goes by.

The past couple of weeks has been a bit rough with Joseph. He’s been going through . . . something . . . and he hasn’t been sleeping the best. Now, I know in the grand scheme of things he is an easy, happy baby and his sleep “issues” are rather minor compared to most babies. But, I will say that he out of his usual pattern and I’m not sure what to do.

• Here are the main issues to deal with: Naps – He has been on average taking 30 minute naps about 4 times a day. Sometimes all he needs is this little cat nap, but others I can tell that he is still tired and won’t sleep longer. This leads to me not being able to get things done and having no “down time” in addition to him being a super cranky guy by the end of the day.

• Sleep ritual – He needs to have a bottle and will not fall asleep without one. Its to the point where if I take the bottle out of his mouth too soon, he wakes up, cries, and I have to start all over again. Same thing occurs when I lay him in his crib. Wakes up, cries, bottle.

I’ve been reading up on different sleep training methods and have been trying to decide if we should go the “Cry It Out” (CIO) method or not. There is some major controversy around this topic. I’ve known moms who have used this method and swear by it as well as those who think it is akin to torture. I am on the fence right now. Shawn and I discussed it and here’s our plan:

• Enter the Sleep Sheep – Joe already has a “lovey” – a small, soft blanket that we call his Soos. He currently only uses it on occasion, but we make sure that its in his crib with him. Some people recommended a white noise machine of some sort to help calm him and help extend his sleep cycle. I got him the Sleep Sheep and I have to say that I think that it MIGHT be working. I put it on the 45 minute cycle with either “rain” or “ocean” playing and he has been doing better with the length of his naps. Its not consistent yet, but the longest he’s gone now has been a blissful hour and 15 minutes!

• Earlier Bedtime – Joseph would usually go to sleep around 8ish and would sleep until 6 or so the next morning. The problem was that he was so cranky and wound up that it would take forever to get him down to sleep. I’ve moved his bedtime up to 7pm and I’ve found that this is making a difference. He doesn’t fight me as much to go down and he’s sleeping through the night for the most part. We’ve had a couple of middle of the night wake ups and he’s getting up earlier (between 5 and 6) but I feel that we’re on the right track and he’ll sleep later in the morning soon.

• A New Routine – I’ve instituted a routine to help get him ready for bed at night. He has his dinner, then its straight into the tub. After his bath, we put on lotion, diaper, and jammies. Then we turn off the lights, turn on the Sleep Sheep and I give him a bottle. If he finished the bottle and is still awake, into the crib he goes. This has only happened twice so far and he went to sleep with a minimum of crying. I’m hoping to phase out the bottle at some point, not sure when or how this will happen.

We’re still having some issues with naps and Shawn and I tried CIO with him and it worked . . . twice. The other times he was a mess and so was I. I’m not sure I can go that route. I’m hoping that these things will work instead so I don’t have to go down that road in the future. However, I’m not ruling it out at this point. I just feel like it’s going to be my last resort.

I’m wondering how other moms deal with this issue. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please leave them in the comments area so everyone can join in.