Brandon: The tenth month (September 2011)

At Brandon's nine month doctor appointment he weighed in at 23 pounds 3.5 ounces and was 30 3/4" tall. Brandon was in the 98% in height and 86% in weight.  Brandon generally goes to bed at 8:30 AM and wakes up at 7:00 AM and naps usually at 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM.  Brandon eats three solid meals a day and and drinks mommy's milk four times a day.  Brandon tried and loves Spaghettios, Ravioli, waffles, and the Trader Joe's Gnocchi pasta.

Happy boy in the morning!

This month Brandon is cruising around the house holding onto furniture.  He loves standing holding onto things and even stands in the bath tub!  Brandon also loves crawling up the stairs and learned how to clap.  I got Brandon a push walker this month that lights up and he loves it.  He is also talking much more and says "ma ma" or "da da" and looks at us like he knows what it means.  Brandon still loves throwing the books out of the bookcase in the family room.  Towards the end of the month, Brandon learned how to cruise around holding onto the walls.  Towards the end of the month, Brandon stood on his own without holding onto anything.  He also started liking looking at books especially the ones that are tactile. Brandon also graduated to an "adult" bath tub from the baby bath tub.

Brandon all dressed up to watch the Oregon game

Brandon standing up holding onto his Jumperoo

My little cutie going after my camera (notice the two front teeth)

We went to Lincoln City for Labor Weekend with Brooke, Taylor, and Logan and rented a beach house.  Brandon also got his third tooth (top tooth) during this weekend.  We had a great time in Lincoln City playing at the ocean (it was awesome weather the first day we were there).  Brooke and I went shopping and we went out to dinner.  We started swim lessons this month at the Sherwood YMCA with Brooke and Logan.  It was a 8 week program with swim lessons being once a week.  Brandon loved swimming and the games we played at the lessons.

Playing in the sand for the first time over Labor Day weekend

Playing in the sand in 80 degree weather in Lincoln City

Brandon and I at the coast, it was a beautiful 80 degree day

Sean and Brandon the next day-the temperature dropped back down to the typical 50s

Family shot at the beach over Labor Day weekend

Brandon: The ninth month (August 2011)

Brandon had to go to a doctor’s appointment at 7 ½ months because he had a cold and he was 21 pounds 5.5 ounces and 29” tall at that appointment.  During this month, he generally sleeps from 8:30 PM to 7:00 AM and takes 2 naps usually at 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM.  Brandon now eats solids three times a day and milk about 5 times a day.  This month Brandon tried salmon and halibut and loved it.  He also loves string cheese. 

Swimming at Allison's

Playing in Brooke and Taylor's backyard

Pushing Logan's wagon

Playing in the tunnel in the backyard

This month, Brandon learned how to pull himself up to a stand and to hold onto furniture.  He also learned how to regular crawl (he lost the commando crawl).  Brandon’s favorite activity is pulling himself up to the bookcase in the family room and then throwing all the books onto the floor.  Brandon dislikes napping in the car now (will only nap in his crib or Pack N Play), being tired or hungry, getting his diaper change (he always wants to move).  He still loves his jumperoo and his car walker we got him last month.  By the end of the month Brandon learned how to pull himself up and cruise between furniture.  Brandon also started babbling a lot more this month.

Swinging at Cook Park

Tearing down his gym now

We went hiking with Brooke, Taylor, and Logan at Silver Falls at the beginning of August.  They ended up camping but we just came for the day and hiked and then ate dinner with them at the campsite and went home.  We were too scared to try camping although I think Brandon would have done great. 

My sister and her fiancé Patrick came to visit us toward the end of August.  Brandon and I went down to Corvallis and hung out with them for a long weekend.  We ended up going to Newport and Yachats for a day and went to the Corvallis Farmer’s Market.  We also visited Rachel’s wedding site and had a lot of fun playing around there as well.

Family shot in front of Silver Falls

Another family shot in front of a water fall

Mom and Brandon at Rachel's wedding site

Smiling at the coast

Shot of us at Yahacts

Brandon: The eighth month (July 2011)

At seven months, according to my measurements Brandon weighed 20 pounds 5 ounces and was 28 ¼” inches tall.  Brandon generally sleeps from 8:30 PM to 7:00 AM each night and has 2 naps a day now (one in the morning around 9:00 AM and one in the afternoon around 1:00 PM).  Brandon eats solids now twice a day and nurses five times a day.  Brandon loves pureed bananas and oatmeal, applesauce, Mum Mum rice crackers, and cereal puffs.  He can now pick up finger foods with his hands and put it in his mouth. 

Picking rice puffs up with his hands

Playing with toys at Sara's house for a 4th of July BBQ

At Sara's 4th of July BBQ

Happy Fourth of July!

Me and Brandon and Brooke and Logan on 4th of July

Brandon got his first tooth this month as well.  He can commando crawl now around the room and is getting fast.  With his mobility, he is also getting into things more often and we had to baby proof our house.  We joined a weekend play group and met some new friends through that.  Brandon learned how to say “da da” and “ga ga” and even “ma ma” a few times.  He loves playing with his jumperoo and his trucks.  By the end of the month, Brandon learned how to pull himself up to a sit while he was crawling. 

Brandon in his jumperoo

Sean and I at the brew fest on our 5 year anniversary

Tory came up from San Francisco for the Brew Festival

We went wine tasting and Brandon loved the wine glass

This month, my parents came back from Turkey and we visited them for a long weekend and took Brandon to the park.  Brandon loves going to the park and swinging and going down the slide.  He developed a love for my parent’s Labrador Callie and Callie loved Brandon.  It was so cute watching him chase her around the house.  We got him a little walker that looks like a car and he would chase her around the house on the hard wood floors.  My mom and I also took Brandon swimming for the first time at the Corvallis pool.  Brandon loved swimming.

Brandon getting squirmy at the tea room

Brandon swinging at Cloverland  Park

Brandon in his walker

Brandon and Callie his new friend

Brandon: The seventh month (June 2011)

At six months, Brandon weighed 19 pounds 7.5 ounces and was 27 ½ inches tall.  He was in the 85% in height and 83% in weight.  This month, Brandon usually sleeps through the night and sleeps from about 8:30 PM to 7:00 AM.   Brandon also began to have a consistent nap schedule this month where he would take a morning nap around 9:00 AM and then an afternoon nap at 1:00 PM and then usually an evening cat nap around 5:30 PM when he got home from day care.  I continued to visit and nurse Brandon at day care during my lunch breaks.

Enjoying himself on a walk

On a warm June day

Sitting in our front lawn

Playing on his play mat

Brandon eats solids now twice a day and has tried all the single Stage 1 foods even meat!  Brandon still nurses about 5-6 times a day, about every three hours.  Brandon loves foods that have apples in them and we tried Stage 2 foods with him this month.  Brandon does not like thicker foods yet like mashed bananas.  He likes all of his foods to be pureed.   He learned how to hold the bottle in his hands too this month.

Playing on the couch

Brandon likes being outside

Dressed up in the Oregon Ducks jersey

Such a cutie on our bed

Brandon can sit up now easily on his own and can reach and play with his toys.  He still loves to put everything in his mouth.  He still loves his Rain Forest play mat and loves cars now that he can push on the ground.  He still really likes his Jumperoo and Exersaucer.  He also loves taking baths this month.  Brandon also said “da da” this month and “ga ga” and became much more vocal.  Toward the end of the month, Brandon learned how to pick up food with his fingers better (the pincher grasp) and learned to “commando crawl” with his arms.  This month we became friends with Allison who was in one of my new Mom’s Groups and her son Jack who is 2 weeks older than Brandon.  

Swinging for the first time with Grandma and Grandpa at Cook Park

Enjoying the new "big boy" bath tub from Ikea

Bubble beard

Love playing in the tub

Brandon: The sixth month (May 2011)

At 5 months, Brandon weighed in at 18 pounds and 10 ounces and was 27 inches according to my measurement.  I went back to work this month, which was a difficult transition.  Brandon would generally go to bed at around 8:30 PM and sleep until I had to get him up to go to work usually around 6:30 AM.  Our routine during the day was I would get up usually around 6:00 AM get ready and then get Brandon up and breast feed him and take him to daycare.  Then I would work from about 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.  I would visit Brandon during my lunch break and breast feed him as well.  I worked Monday through Thursday these hours and then went in for a half day on Friday afternoon.  Sean watches Brandon on Monday and Friday afternoons.  Once I went back to work my days got so busy.  Time seemed to fly by!  Brandon was the hit of daycare-all the kids love him as he is the only baby.  The  kids at day care talk to you and you talk back.  Brandon really became a social butterfly this month; smiling and laughing more often.

In May the weather started getting better so Brandon and I would often go on walks after work to get exercise.  I even started jogging with him with my BOB jogging stroller.  I also turned 30 in May and got to celebrate my first Mother's Day with Brandon.  My friends threw me a 30th birthday party and we went to Henry's Tavern downtown and Pam and Anthony came to baby sit Brandon.  Then we came back so I could put Brandon to bed and celebrated at our house with a keg of Ruby and cake and presents.  It was a fun low key birthday.  Mother's Day was also low key since Sean had to work but I enjoyed my first Mother's Day with Brandon.  On my actual birthday, Sean was off and made me a really good shrimp and steak dinner and a good salad.  I got to celebrate with my parents the following weekend when Sean, Brandon, and I went down to Corvallis for the weekend.  We ate at this really good restaurant in Corvallis called Del Alma.

At Henry's celebrating my 30th birthday

The birthday cake Rosie made for me

Brandon on Mother's Day

This month, Brandon started solids.  We started him with rice cereal and then tried pears and sweet potatoes and other single fruits and vegetables.  We feed him solids about once a day.  Brandon loved solids.  Brandon is nursing still every three hours, about 6 times a day.  Brandon is now grunting more often and squealing and makes a grunting sound now when he is displeased with something.  Brandon is learning how to move around to get his toys too.  Brandon loves to play with his feet still and and still loves his exersaucer and jumperoo.  He also learned how to roll over from his back to his belly consistently and even though I lay him on his back he rolls over to his belly now at night to sleep.  He also learned how to sit up without putting his hands down.

Trying solids (rice cereal) for the first time

Still loves playing with those feet

Smiling for the camera

Grandma Larson visited in the middle of May

For Memorial Day, we went with Brooke, Logan, and Taylor to Netarts on the Oregon Coast and stayed at a beach house for 2 nights.  We had a blast at the coast.  We took the kids to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and to a little wine tasting/farm house.  The weather wasn't the best at the coast but Logan and you enjoyed being able to explore a new house and play together.

Brandon in front of the cow statue at the cheese factory

Me and Brandon, Brooke and Logan at the Cheese factory

Brandon was not impressed with the lama 

Getting a bath at the beach house