Baby Steps

I have a ton of things to post but decided to do just one post per day so as not to overwhelm anybody reading this. Last Saturday we went up to Buffalo to babysit our nephew, Spencer. In their living room they have three steps that lead to their kitchen. By the middle of the day Adam figured out how to climb them. He had never climbed stairs before, so this was quite a feat.

This week my sister, Melody, and her family were in town from Utah (more about this later). While we were at my sister Emily's house, Adam decided to try her stairs. The first time, I just let him do a few and then pulled him off. The second time I decided to see how far he could go.

So with Melody at the top, urging him along, and me behind him, making sure he didn't crack his head, Adam climbed all 14 steps. What a maniac. He's only seven months old and nothing is safe, including him.

Happy Birthday Emily!

Today is my sister's birthday. To celebrate I've decided to embarrass her by posting some of my favorite pictures from her childhood.



Wow, check out that hair. Happy birthday Emily! I love you!

Viva Bumbo!

This morning my friend, Deborah, sent me an e-mail about the Bumbo recall. I just wanted to vent and this seemed like a good forum. The Bumbo is a terrific invention. We used ours all the time, even on elevated surfaces (see photo). The difference for us was, we never left him alone. If he did fall out of his Bumbo and off of the table, it would be OUR FAULT because there is a big warning label on the back:

WARNING - Prevent Falls;
Never use on any elevated surface.
Never use on a raised surface.
Never use as a car seat or bath seat.
Designed for floor level use only.
Never leave your baby unattended
as the seat is not designed to be
totally restrictive and may not
prevent release of your baby in the
event of vigorous movement.

This thing is not a babysitter, it's not a carseat, it doesn't have a 5-point harness. It is a wonderful tool that, when used appropriately, makes a parent's life easier. So, I guess my point is, parents/caregivers who are irresponsible shouldn't be allowed to ruin it for the rest of us. Long live the Bumbo!

Am Sewing Genius

Okay, maybe not a genius, but I'm pretty proud of myself. Adam outgrew his infant carrier and his Bjorn, so I needed to figure out how to take him grocery shopping without trying to push a shopping cart and a stroller. We sat him in the seat of the shopping cart and he did well. The only problem was that he found the cart itself to be delicious and sucked on it with zest, much to his parent's mutual disgust. I had seen shopping cart covers in stores but they were a little pricey. I'm a stay-at-home-mom now, and I'm feeling very domestic these days, so I decided I could make it myself. Big mistake; especially since I had never before made anything from a pattern. Luckily, I have a talented and understanding mother-in-law who agreed to come over and talk me through the rough parts. This is the result:




Now, you can't tell from the photo but, this thing has pockets and elastic and all sorts of things I had to find in the "notions" section of Joann's. So, it may not be much to you true "sewing geniuses" out there but, Adam thinks it's fabulous. He even commented on how much better it tastes than the cart. Yup, that's right, he talks. We are a family of geniuses.

Conference Party

We don't have cable, and I feel a little bit of PTSD from my childhood at the thought of spending four hours watching General Conference at the church. Luckily, Dorothy has cable and so we decided to go to her house and watch there. Since we are incapable of doing anything without a large social group, we invited some friends too. The cast of characters included Ryan, Amy and Jack Shelton; Dave, Anna and Eli Tuttle; Ross, Katrina and Wyatt Robinson; Seleta and Brett Talbot; and Scott, Adam and myself. Apart from a few inappropriate jokes and ill-timed laughing fits we were able to behave as adults and absorb a lot from the talks.



Adam and Eli were both compelled to daydream and suck their fingers as a way to kill time. Must be a baby thing.




In between sessions we went outside. Wyatt and Jack had a swell time taking in all that nature had to offer.







The men decided to play a couple of rounds of bocce ball. Scott showed his excellent skills at being a gracious host by winning both rounds.












It was a great way to spend Conference Sunday. We were able to be uplifted by the talks and have a raucous good time while we were at it. It doesn't get much better.

Newest Trick (Warning Explicit Photos)

At the ripe old age of 6 months, Adam has decided to try his hand (or feet?) at walking. He has begun to pull himself up everywhere, including the bathtub. What I want to know is, "what happened to my baby?" I had a tiny, fragile little newborn six months ago and now I have a toddler who doesn't want to be held because it restricts his movement. It seems a little unfair.


And if you think this looks dangerous, you're right. You try stopping him. He's a force to be reckoned with. And, by the way, look at that tush! I am probably committing a sin that Adam won't forgive me for, once he is old enough to be embarrassed. Sorry Adam, I can't help myself.



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Happy Birthday!

My friend Amy and I have birthdays that are close (hers is on September 29th and mine is on October 2nd). So our friends threw a little soirée in honor of our slow creep toward middle age (Amy's winning by the way, she's got me by two years). It was wonderful, we had homemade soup made by our friend Joanna, croissants, and a yummy cake made by our friend Anna.

So the cast of characters from left to right is Joanna, Suzy, Katrina (holding Alex), Me (holding Adam), Anna (holding Eli), Amy and Wyatt (Deborah took the picture).

It's so nice to have such wonderful friends. Thanks for a great day!