We’ve been house-hunting for a while on the down-low… (mostly online), and recently met up with a realtor (who is awesome!), mortgage guru (also great), and started hunting for real. We visited exactly 8 houses before this one, and then asked Jim to set us up with a visit to this one. We came up with an offer that night, countered the next, and had a contract within 48 hours of our first visit! We’re so thrilled with the house, location/commutes, and even had a glowing report from the inspector yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed that closing (scheduled for 7/23) goes well! What an overwhelming yet exhilarating process… this first-time-home-buyers thing!
Monthly Update
June 11, 2009Caeden is seven months old! (Well, by now, almost 7 1/2, but we’re going to back-track to the beginning of June…)
The new surprises keep coming!
Gross motor:
-Push-ups are mastered, and he can hold the position for a long time!
-Sitting up assisted is easy, unassisted lasts a bit until he reaches and falls!
-Rolling over is now a breeze, in all directions
-Grabbing the feet is the newest game – easier to do on the changing table without a diaper to get in the way, though!
-If he is on his tummy with his feet pressed up against something (like my hand…), he can lunge forward. He hasn’t figured out how to press off the floor yet, though.
Fine motor:
-Very focused on his hands and fingers and how they can open, close, and grab things
-Transfers from hand to hand, and can now direct things accurately into his mouth using one or both hands
(My favorite trick is that he has a pacifier in his mouth, pulls it out as he begins to cough, and then puts it back in after he finishes coughing!)
Language: (We have a language category!!!)
-All vowel sounds
-Some initial consonants (b,d,p,m,t) and even some endings (b,d,p)
-Long babbling strands express delight, but groans/grunts/hums/sings himself to sleep
Cognitive:
-Mimics expressions
-Smiles/laughs/giggles when we’re being silly
-Beginning understanding of object permanence… after the dog leaves the room, he’ll watch the door until the dog comes back (sometimes for almost 30 seconds)
Socio-emotional:
-Stranger anxiety continues… sometimes now at daycare drop off (after I leave, he turns his attention to the window until he sees me there)
-More content to be held by others as long as Sean or I are within eyesight
Monkey shot:
Mother’s Day
May 17, 2009Sean surprised me with sweet potato pancakes for brunch, complete with flowers on the table and homemade vanilla pecan honey butter. Yum! We headed out to Crozet to join Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop Lucia and Auntie Cait at the Crozet Arts and Crafts festival. It was nice to visit quickly with Ms. Peggy, then we wandered through the tents, ate lunch, and bought kettle corn! Fun purchases included wooden toys for Caeden, including a rattle with a bell that he LOVES to shake. It’s a bit heavy, and makes a lovely sound when he smacks himself in the face with it, but he doesn’t seem to mind. We also special-ordered a dragon pull-toy from Bob the Craftsman – can’t wait to see it! Sean bought himself a raider-ish brown leather hat, which proved to look as good on Caeden as it did on Daddy! Enjoy the pics – several courtesy of Auntie Cait! =)
Great-Grandparent Visit!
May 17, 2009May 6, 2009
Caeden is a lucky guy… he has 5 living great-grandparents! He got to meet the Hardy set on their way back to PA from FL.
*Some pix courtesy of Grandad Hardy!
May tricks
May 17, 2009Caeden has learned some new tricks! (Some more useful than others…)
Hair-pulling…
“Kissing”…
“Talking” on the phone…
Other tricks include:
-rolling from tummy to back and back to tummy
-shaking toys to make noise
-grabbing toes (and eating them!)
-rotating 360 degrees, all while on back
Half-a-year Update!
May 17, 2009
May 2, 2009
Weight: 11 lbs 8 oz
Length: 23″
Teeth: 1
Favorite things…
-singing or being sung to
-following the dogs and cats with his eyes and screeching when they make a sound
-reaching for faces or fingers and hanging on for dear life
-giggling and smiling
-sleeping (through the night!!!) and waking up smiling
Things he’s done with…
-peek-a-boo (already???)
-bathtime anxiety
My goodness – those eyelashes!!
May 17, 2009I’m not lying – we get at least one comment every day about his eyelashes. The older ladies at the grocery store say that he must be a boy because boys are blessed with the eyelashes. The younger gals at daycare remind me often of how much trouble he’ll be as a teenager if he keeps these eyelashes. Families members comment often. Props to Eliza Joy (on the left) and Jessica (on the right) for these amazing photos capturing what we’re astonished by every single day. Wow…
April Firsts…
May 17, 2009
First time in the Jumperoo – 4/16/09
First ride on an elevator – 4/17/09
First fever – 4/20/09
First extended time outside on a HOT sunny day! – 4/26/09
First (good) push-up caught on film – 4/29/09
Easter Egg-citement
May 17, 2009April 12, 2009
Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Lucia ranch – 5 grandkids to partake of the fun this time (although the youngest 2 weren’t as interested as the older 3!) Yummy munchies, fun gathering time, and then home for (you guessed it) some more photo opportunities!
