Woot! Woot!

Some of you may know that Scott has been preparing to get his Series 7 License. He loves to plan and figure out things so he, of course, came up with a perfect study schedule and had it all planned out over the past few months. I'm happy to say he took that 6 hour test in about 2 and a half hours and passed with flying colors. He worked hard and studied nearly every night and I have to say I, too, worked hard so he could study every night. Logan and I are excited to have him back and I think he's happy to have us and his free time back. Congratulations honey!

8 months

Okay so I'm so behind Logan's closer to 9 months than 8 at this point but I've been posting every month so far and I don't wanna stop now. I usually give an update of his height and weight but we'll just wait til his 9 month check up. Here's a list of new things he's up to:

Pulls himself up to standing position.
Can and has crawled across the room but usually prefers scooting.
Is currently cutting his two bottom teeth...yuck. He's running 101.5 temp, not sleeping or eating and cries all the time. It better not be like this for all his teeth.
Can go from the crawling position to the sitting position and the other way around.
Reaches for people when he wants them to hold him.
Has a very strong preference for his Mama and has become very clingy.
LOVES to play peek-a-boo.
Gives kisses.
Can throw things.
Can feed himself finger foods. Cheerios are his favorite.
Spits and locks his mouth shut when he doesn't want to eat something.
Has a huge sensitivity to eggs...we had two very bad experiences involving a lot of vomit and a splotchy face.
He walks on all fours. He started doing this when he wanted to go into the kitchen, but not touch the cold tile, he'd just get up on is hands and feet and move that way. This is a pretty new discovery so he doesn't go too far.

A few firsts (many of which occurred during the Oklahoma trip):
Cheerios
Bread
Pancake
Cracker
Black beans
Pasta
Egg : (
Broccoli
Spinach
Meatball
Apple
Banana
Snow
Plane Rides
Illness (pink eye and ear infections)
Christmas
Opening presents
Being away from Dad
First time in Oklahoma
First "girlfriend"...he met her at church in OK and it was love at first sight.

Most likely there's a lot more updates but that's all I can come up with right now.

Here he is with his huge stuffed dog at Nana and Papa's house. When he was tired, he'd just cuddle right up to it (and he's not cuddly).



This was Nana's favorite bib. I forgot to post it last time so here it is.


Fun in the Tub.

I always try to get a picture of him grabbing my face and giving me kisses but they always turn out looking something like this.

Enjoying some first foods.

I wouldn't let him have any frozen yogurt but I let him wear a bowl as a hat. He actually kept it on for quite awhile.

Christmas

Well I found my camera and I have a lot of catching up to do so here goes....
For Christmas we went to Oklahoma. The day before we left, I took Logan to the doctor to get his flu shots and decided to have him checked out because he had a fever and was not acting normal. I found out he had ear infections and pink eye. It as obvious the poor little guy was not feeling well and I was worried everyone back home wouldn't get to see the "real Logan" but after just a couple days on the meds he was back to his cheerful self. Logan and I went a week before Scott so we could spend more time with my family which meant that I would be flying with Logan for the first time all by myself. I was pretty nervous because Logan won't go to sleep when people are holding him, he always wants to move around, and, like I said, he was sick. Everyone at the airport and on the plane was really helpful. He, of course, made a few friends with that big smile and contagious laugh of his. After wiping down everything in reach with antibacterial wipes and cleaning both our hands with antibacterial gel multiple times, I ended up passing him around to a few nice people wanting to play with him and help me out. He did cry some and he didn't sleep much at all but, with those people's help and feeding him practically the whole time, we made it. Logan got spoiled rotten by all the friends and family excited to see him. We had to make a trip to the school my mom teaches at for some lunch and a little "show and tell." He loved all the attention and so did Nana. We mostly just visited family and friends, made treats, ate treats, and shopped the week before Scott got there. Here we are decorating some sugar cookies. Over half of them were eventually eaten by Scott.

It was the first time Scott had been away from Logan and only the second time away from me for that long since we've been married. Scott productively spent his lone time watching all the seasons of "The Office" and cleaning out the refrigerator. Whenever we'd talk on the phone, I'd put it on speaker and Logan would just light up as soon as he heard his voice. We were happy once he finally joined us the day before Christmas Eve. We were so glad he came when he did because that night it started to snow and on Christmas Eve it was an all out blizzard. The winds were 50-60 mph and snow drifts were piled a few feet deep in some areas. Cars were stuck and abandoned in the middle of the roads. Highways, streets and the airports were all closed and visibility was pretty much non-existent. It was a huge mess because snow plows and sanders couldn't get out since you couldn't see 3 feet in front of you and once they did, all the abandoned cars that got stuck in snow in the middle of the road made it difficult to plow them. I have a feeling another state a little more equipped for this type of thing wouldn't have had quite as many problems. Needless to say, unlike most snow storms, we were completely snowed in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We watched a lot of movies, played games and ate the whole time. Had it been any regular day I wouldn't have minded it but it kinda put a damper on our celebrating. The pictures don't do justice but they're all I got.

Papa likes to introduce Logan to new foods every time we see him so this time he fed Logan snow.

Because the winds were so strong, snow was coming in under the doors. Since Logan liked it so much the first time, he decided to help himself to some more.

Logan was pretty excited about all his presents, (and by all I mean we came home with a large suitcase full of Logan's just toys and still had to ship some) but the paper and the bows were definitely his favorite part.

He's such a good helper. Here's Logan with some of his favorite people.

We had a great time and even after 2 weeks it seemed too short. We didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see and eat everywhere I wanted to eat but other than that I have no complaints. I came home 5 lbs heavier which to me signifies a good trip. The flight home was much easier with Scott there and I think he gained a little more respect for me seeing how difficult it was even with the two of us there.

My parents got him this outfit but sadly he didn't get to wear it for them since they cancelled church so we had to do a little photo shoot of the little handsome man.

Oh P.S. I want to make a christmas tree ornament or decoration of some kind each year using a picture so if anyone has any ideas please let me know. Obviously I have yet to do this year's.

A Little Set-back

I'm very behind on blogging and I blame most of it on the holiays. I have attempted to start the catch-up process but realized, after looking everywhere imaginable, I have misplaced my camera with all our recent pictures still waiting to be uploaded to the computer. Stay tuned. Hopefully it will turn up soon.

7 Months

Logan turned 7 months last week. I know I say this all the time but I seriously can't believe how fast time flies and how much he changes. He weighs about 18 lbs. and is 26 3/4 in long. He still isn't crawling but he's getting very quick at scooting. He can sit up all on his own and in turn can now ride in a cart without his car seat. Yay! Literally every time we go to the store at least one person comments on how excited he looks to be alive. He just thinks he's livin the high life riding around in the carts like a big boy.

One of his favorite things to do is stand up to play. He was kinda cranky one day and wasn't very interested in his toys so I just decided to stand him up against our couch and he was immediately entertained. You will notice in this picture our ottoman is in front of the tv. That is because he's decided one of his other favorite things is crawling under the tv and playing with the dvd player and whatever else in under there.

He's also started exploring the whole house. I used to bring him into whatever room I was in and he's just move around in that one area and play. Now he's going into the kitchen, living room, family room, down the hall, in the closet, etc. Each day holds a new discovery for Logan and more work for mom and dad.

I just wanted to post this picture because I think he looks so big. He's almost too big for his baby tub. Now that he's bigger, sometimes I give him baths in our bathtub and he just loves it because he can kick and splash all over the place.

Since he can't pull himself up and can barely sit himself up with no help, there's not a lot of things within his reach and yet he always manages to find something to get into.

We recently discovered that Logan loves being outside. I take him out on our porch swing and he's just fascinated with everything around him. Scott will take him out with him on Saturdays while he's working on the yard, putting up Christmas lights, whatever project he's working on and Logan is completely content. He, of course, likes to eat grass, leaves, dirt, and yes I've caught him with rocks so we have to keep a close eye on the little guy. Here he is helping Scott rake the leaves and help me pick grapefruits in our backyard.

Some other new things Logan's doing is he loves playing peek a boo, he cracks up every time we dance, and he gives his mama kisses. He actually started doing that all on his own. One morning I got him out of bed and he grabbed my face and "kissed" my cheek. I pretty much kiss him every time I get him up or put him to bed so I'm guessing that's how it got started. Now, if I tell him "dame besitos" or "give me kisses," he'll give a slobbery, open mouth kiss. So far that's only a mama thing. Scott still hasn't gotten a kiss from him yet. He's also a very good eater and will literally eat anything new I give him with no problems at all. His favorite food, however, is still paper. Though he seems a little young for it, he actually loves to sit and look at books while I read them to him...the baby proof ones that he can't eat of course. Though I almost hate to admit it, I think he's turning into a little bit of a mama's boy. He loves everyone and has no problem going to even perfect strangers but when he's tired or cranky, sometimes I'm the one who has the magic touch. I just can't help but feel proud about that. He's also had his first haircut and sometimes I even style what little hair he has. Here he is in his George Costanza pose that he does all the time.

This first one is a picture of him doing this thing where he puts his lips together and kind of spits. I'm not sure what to call it. The rest are just random pictures.

The Neverending Day

Thanksgiving morning we went over early to Scott's parents' house so we could all go on a hike. I wasn't sure how Logan would do just because he had a short nap, doesn't really like the sun in his eyes and we'd be hiking until his lunch time. Well he had the time of his life. I really wish I would've taken more pictures because he and his cousin were so cute in their little hats. Anyway, Logan literally chatted, smiled, and laughed the whole time. He loved just looking around, being outside, and having so many people around him. We had a lot of fun hanging out with Scott's family just eating and talking. Here's a couple pictures from a little photo shoot of the cousins but I'm pretty sure Christi got some much better ones with her camera. Scott's sisters, Stacy and Christi, had been talking to me about staying the night at his parents' (they live an hour away) and going Black Friday shopping with them. I was undecided and with the rush of trying to get Logan and the food ready that morning, I completely forgot about it. Though I didn't have a change of clothes or a toothbrush, after a little coaxing, I decided why not. I have fond memories of going Black Friday shopping with my dad where we would get up around four. We'd wait in line for maybe 30 min or so. He'd get whatever gadget or electronics he was after and then I would just shop around the mall and get whatever deals I could find and when I was ready to check out, he'd show up with the money. Obviously things were much different this time around without dad but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The mall opened at midnight so about 11:30 we left the kids at home asleep with grandma and grandpa Bair and headed to the mall. We assumed there would be a good number of other crazy people like ourselves but when we pulled up, we saw lines about 4-5 people wide from every entrance going all the way out to the parking lot. Here we are in line. This is the beginning so we have big smiles of anticipation for our all night shopping extravaganza.
Now I should mention that this mall was having a deal where if you spent $100 between 12 and 3 am, you could get a mall gift card for $50 from the service desk. We didn't have anything in particular that we were going to buy but we figured that between the 3 of us we could certainly pull that off. Well it seemed like everyone else in the world thought the same thing because by the time we stepped inside the mall, people were already lined up for this gift card. Apparently we are complete amateurs because we found out people went to the mall the day before and scoped out everything they wanted, tried everything on, etc. and then came in groups the next day so they could split up, buy everything, and stand in line all at the same time. Stacy found this, this, and this picture online from the mall we went to. You wouldn't ever believe me unless you just saw it for yourself. Needless to say, we gave up pretty much immediately on getting a gift card but I can honestly say I have never seen anything like that in my life. It was incredible. We followed that with a trip to Old Navy which opened at 3am and then to Target which opened at 5am and then Joann's which opened at 6am. We got home exhausted and delirious. I learned a few things from this trip that I thought I'd share. 1. Have a detailed plan. There's way too many people to be browsing around or trying on clothes. You should know exactly what you're getting and where it's at before you step foot in the store. Also, you should never waste your time buying things you could get for the same price any other time. Get in and get out as fast as humanly possible because the more you wait, the longer the lines and the crazier the people get. 2. Bring snacks. By 4am I was so hungry I was tempted to eat my own arm. 3. Dress for winter. Yes, it's nice here in Arizona in the winter but it still gets down to the 30's and 40's in the middle of the night. We were reminded of that while were standing in line outside in our short sleeves. 4. Go armed. I haven't decided what the best method of protection would be, but you definitely need something. We did have a little "secret weapon" of our own thanks to Christi but it just wasn't enough against these people. Nothing dangerous happened to us this time, but it's important to note that on Black Friday all societal norms and rules go out the window. It's complete madness. On that day, normal people are found pushing and shoving, cussing and yelling, cutting in line, running inside the store, stomping on feet, ramming into people with their carts, etc. We've all heard the stories. People get trampled to death for goodness sake! So be prepared to fight for your life. 5. This one is most important. Take a nap! At 6:30am after shopping for seven hours, going on 24 hours of no sleep, I barely had the energy to breathe and was just about to pass out when Logan woke up. I didn't even get to take a nap until about 9:30am and I seriously thought I would die. I have told people to remind me of how I felt at that moment so I never make that mistake again. To top it all off, I haven't been able to sleep since that night. I'm averaging falling asleep at about 2am so if I seem a little edgy, you now know why. It was, however, quite an adventure and now I have some good stories. I did end up with a couple good buys but IF I ever do that again, I will be much more prepared the next time.