Give Thanks

Yes, it is February. Yes, I haven't written since November. I have a lot of catching up to do, so let's pick up where we left off. We spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina with my parents and extended family. Thanksgiving in the mountains is always a special and relaxed time. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and we had so much fun. So much fun that we forgot to take pictures of the Thanksgiving meal. 

H loved spending time with his relatives.  He got to meet his cousin from San Diego and her baby, Pepito.

He spent some time with Uncle Beard who came off the mountain to remind him that he has hillbilly in his genes. My city baby was a little skeptical. 

We competed in our annual corn hole tournament. The competition was stiff: twin vs. twin;

 Uncle vs. Uncle;

I honestly cannot remember who won, but I can say with certainty, it was not the Campbells of Virginia. We all have our strengths, and bean bag toss is not one of ours. 

We spent time soaking up the warm sunshine and playing in the grass;

  

We cheered the Tide on to an Iron Bowl victory with Aunt S and R, Nanny Cousin, and Grand Mar and Pappy;

 and we got to celebrate the newlyweds.

But, for H, Thanksgiving was all about the pets. He loved his new furry friends.

The Year of the Dragon

H was born in the year of the dragon, so it was only fitting to dress him to dress up as a dragon for Halloween.

Grand Mar bought him the dragon costume, and we added scales and flair to make him a little more fierce. In fact, he wasn't just any dragon -- with the help of a hot glue gun and felt, he was fire breathing dragon.

Since most trick or treating happens after bedtime, H's big Halloween outing was the annual parade at his school.

Later that night, he greeted one trick-or-treater before he decided it was time to turn back into baby H and put away the costume until next year.

 

9 months

H, at 9 months old you weigh 21 pounds and you are 29 1/8 inches long. That puts you in the 75th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for height. It seems you grow more every day. In fact, the days of your infant car seat are numbered. It is clear that your long legs are close to requesting an upgrade.

You are still on the move. Your crawl has gotten faster, and you can even stand for a few seconds on your own. Recently, you began walking sideways while holding on to things. People tell us you will be walking soon. We are in no rush, but you are in a rush everywhere - especially when you see something you want. There is no stopping you.

You still have never met a stranger and you delight in getting others attention. When we are out and about, you will spot a stranger and smile and stare at them until they return the smile or talk to you. This month, you now not only charm people with your big smile, but also with a big, energetic wave.

Mama and Dada are your main words. Your Daddy and I debate if you use them discriminantly,  but regardless you say them both. Your favorite new thing is any ceiling light. When we ask you where the light is, you will look up to the ceiling and point to it with a big smile. You can even do the sign for light.

You are eating almost all table foods now. I think you like being in control and feeding yourself.

The baby Tooth Fairy still has not visited this house. We can see little buds where your bottom teeth will be, but as of now you still have a sweet, toothless smile. We may start taking bets on whether you will walk or get a tooth first.

And of course, at 9 months, you still do not always sleep through the night. You have good nights and bad ones, but somehow you always seem to wake up pretty happy at 6 am, so there is rarely need for an alarm clock.

You are a sweet, happy, and social baby. We can't wait to see what the next month brings.

Pumpkins are Gross

Hurricane Sandy kept us inside yesterday, and for a moment it threatened to cancel Halloween. C and I decided that we would help H get in the holiday spirit in spite of the wind and rain, so we carved a pumpkin. 

We covered the dining room table in paper, put H in his highchair, and C got busy carving.

Silly me, I thought pumpkin innards would make for great sensory play. H thought otherwise. 

Mom, what is this stuff? 

No really, what is this?

You want me to touch this nastiness?

Maybe I should just get down.

How am I going to make my escape?

Someone needs to get me out of here.

Yes, that is still gross.

What is wrong with these people? 

 

Nasty.

Can I please just get down?

Wait, Daddy makes this look fun. Maybe I can give it another try.

Nope, still gross. Mom, were you really worried I would try to eat this?

Ok, I will smile. But only if you make this end soon.

White House Fall Garden Tour

Bevie's visit in October coincided with the White House Fall Garden Tour. We enjoyed a beautiful stroll through the garden and even briefly spotted the President and Bo, the first dog. Our cameras were not quick enough to capture the White House residents, but that's what our memories are for.

We got to see the Rose Garden, 

The putting green,

And the first daughters' swing set.

H loved spending time with Daddy.

 

And Mama.

And especially Bevie.

 The First Lady's kitchen garden is impressive.

So is the Marine Corp Band. H took particular interest in the tubas.

It was a perfect Autumn morning.