On the road to independence

Stephen is getting better at feeding himself. It's so cute to watch him put the food in his mouth. He sometimes misses the target, but then he just tries again. As you will see in the video, sometimes the food comes back out, but I'm pretty sure he actually eats some of it.

Finally!!

Before Stephen was born, I came across the idea of using embroidery hoops and fabric as wall art in his room. I bought the supplies before his arrival. I got them put together by the time he was about 6 months. They then sat on the floor in his room until yesterday when they FINALLY made it on the wall. They look really nice and give Stephen something to look at when he decides he doesn't want to take a nap.

A new toy

Stephen loves to be wherever I am, which sometimes means the kitchen. Instead of finding all kinds of trouble to get into, I have designated a special kitchen toy for him...a red soup ladle. He loves playing with it, and it keeps him occupied for awhile.

A completed project!

I've been wanting to sew a birthday garland for awhile, and I finally did it! I'm SO happy with the finished result. I didn't have any specific directions or pattern, just an idea in my head. I'm looking forward to hanging it up for many birthdays to come!

On a mission to destruct

Stephen LOVES to knock down block towers. It's usually a pretty effective way to get him back over to his toy area. He'll crawl as fast as he can to the tower and knock it down. You have to wait for him to be across the room if you want to build a tower, or he'll knock it down before you get a chance to build it.

10 months old

Our little boy is growing up so fast! It's fun to watch Stephen's personality beginning to develop. I've been thinking of all the things he's doing now...let's see if I can remember them all.

• He waves when the mood strikes him. It started as just putting his arm out but now his little hand flaps also.
• He clapped twice yesterday at Mass, but I haven't seen him do it since.
• He loves when Daddy comes home from work. They have a great time playing while I cook dinner.
• He loves people-watching and is very observant of everything around him. If someone isn't looking at him, he will "talk" to them to try to get his attention. Stephen especially loves other little kids.
• He has added the "b," "d," "k,", and "s" sounds to his repertoire. I'm still waiting to hear "mamama."
• He has started sitting and listening to books. I love reading to him!
• Stephen is a very good baby. He is always so calm and well-behaved whenever we go places. I definitely hope this behavior keeps up! 
• He weighs just over 19 pounds.

On Friday night we went to a Rockies baseball game because they were having their annual Fan Appreciation fireworks. The game started at 6:00. Stephen fell asleep during inning 7 and then woke up when the game was over. We put in his earplugs and he sat mesmerized by his first fireworks. I think he liked them. He didn't smile or cry or show any emotion. He just sat there and watched them.

Fun with the car seat

Stephen Joseph - 10 months old

Mohawk Man

After his bath last night, Stephen had a mohawk. It was still there this morning.

Who is that? #2

Today I got out my decorations for Fall. One of them is a scarecrow doll that is about 2 feet tall. It was sitting by the fireplace. When Stephen saw it for the first time, he started crawling towards it. He stopped, looked at it, crawled a little closer, stopped, looked at it, crawled a little closer. Then he sat and looked at it. He wasn't sure what to think of it. After a little bit, he crawled away. Next. Steve put it on Stephen's little car. Stephen crawled over and touched its foot. The scarecrow fell off the car and Stephen crawled away. Then Steve put some of Stephen's toys on the scarecrow. It was so funny watching Stephen trying to figure out if it was safe to get near the scarecrow. I would have loved to know what he was thinking. Maybe we'll get more scarecrows to put in the places Stephen isn't supposed to go. :)

Who is that?

I love watching Stephen exploring his world. Yesterday he was playing in the hallway and was having fun with his reflection. In the video I love how he keeps coming back to check to see if the other little boy is still there.

Giving kisses

 

 

Old McDonald had a farm...

I found this idea here and thought it was cute. When we were using them the first time, I realized they were also a great way for Stephen to connect the name of the animal with the sound with what it looks like. Stephen actually sat through the song for all 7 animals the last time we sang it!

Finger painting

Stephen got to finger paint for the first time last week. He made pictures to send to his grandparents for Grandparents' Day. I found a recipe for edible finger paint (flour, water, food coloring). It worked really well. Stephen had fun getting messy also. The paintings turned out as good as any painting by a 9 month old would.

This is why I used edible paint. :)

What Stephen's been up to...

He was playing so hard that his pants came off. This is what happens when you wear pants that are too big.

Crawling under the piano bench...this is one of his favorite places to go.

Climbing on anything that is in his way

Driving his car

Taking a break to take a drink. This stuffed pop bottle rattle is his current favorite toy.

 

Working on his squealing and other various sounds

Meeting Monica

Stephen and I ventured out to meet little Monica this week. Of course, we are also having lots of fun playing with Clare, Jacob, and Emily as well. Monica is SO cute and SO little. Since she only weighs 5 lbs, she seems to weigh nothing, especially compared to my big boy. Stephen wasn't sure what to think of Monica at first. When she would cry, he would just look at her with a confused look. He's starting to be a bit more interested in her now. I took some pictures of them today, and they turned out really cute. It will be fun to watch the two of them grow up and have fun together.