Little Deuce Coupe

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah

Rutherford is moving along so quickly, it's hard to keep up! First off, he's been eating much better this week. He's back on some purees (still some resistance), plus lots and lots of new finger foods - string cheese, blueberries, homemade sweet potato fries and my veggie bran muffins are his faves. The dogs have never been happier. Sometimes R takes a blueberry or piece of cheese in his hands and leans over in his high chair, hanging the morsel in front of Boo's face. He squeals with glee when Boo licks his hand clean. Everyone has fun.

Speaking of Boo, R has said his first two words! R now says "Dada" when looking at Neddie and he also says "Boo," although he's still getting the hang of that one. It seems to mean either doggie :) So amazing to start to see him communicate more every day.

He's also understanding words, too. He knows what "clap" means, "high-five," "bye bye," and more. He gets so excited when he successfully figures out what you're saying - it must be thrilling to communicate finally!

We have decided to turn the bonus room off the garage into Rutherford's play land. We tried the media room, but the wires, furniture, hardwood floors, etc., made the space not so hot for chasing a baby around. I have some big ideas for the new space - some definite DIY ahead.

We started by moving his toys and such out there last weekend, and he's already having a great time in his new playroom:

Hunger Strike

R has been an extremely picky eater lately. One day he was eating his homemade sweet potato casserole like a champ - the next day - poof - I can't get him to open his mouth for anything! No yummy yogurt, no pea puree, no oatmeal, no applesauce.

At first, I thought it was teething. I think his top teeth are going to come in soon (seems like they bother him for a week, then stop aching for a week, then back again), and I read a lot about teething affecting their eating.

However, I noticed he'd still eat when he could feed himself - Cheerios, that is. So I started trying more finger foods. What did I discover? That just like me, little Rutherford likes carbs. The boy will gobble cereal (Corn Chex is the new hotness), a bit of waffle and bread. His absolute favorite right now are these pumpkin bran muffins I made. At least those have some fiber and fruit in them, too! Tomorrow I'm making a new batch with grated carrot, apple and zucchini so I can hopefully make them into a more balanced meal. Those and the occasional dollop of yogurt is the only real food he'll tolerate right now. Trying to just go with the flow as nutritionally he's OK with just breastmilk and I figure he's just experimenting.

The good news is the dogs are extremely excited for mealtime, as R throws about 75 percent of his food on the ground. Boo even cleans off the high chair afterwards. Such good helpers.

R is getting very good at standing up. A few weeks ago he'd topple over easily when holding onto the sofa or coffee table. A few minor falls taught him to be more careful and now he can pull himself up onto nearly anything... and then he can slowly lower himself down, too. He learns so quickly, it is a treat to watch him work stuff out.

In other news, we met Aimee and Ryder at the park for a playdate, the Rs enjoyed the swings together. Ryder is about five months older than Rutherford, and it's crazy to see him sliding down the slide by himself, going up the stairs, saying "bye bye" and more - can't believe those milestones are so close for our little guy.

 

Ten months!

Rutherford is ten months old today. Kind of hard to believe, but I'm starting to plan his first birthday party already. My little man is growing up!

R is becoming more interactive, animated and awesome every day. I think he's close to saying "Dada," he's starting to give tentative kisses (sometimes), he likes to share Cheerios, he likes it when I brush his hair before bed, he's able to play on his own a little bit, he's standing up in his crib and laughing, the list just goes on and on! It seems like every day he's doing something new.

We have been taking him to the park near the house pretty frequently, he loves to watch the other kids play. Last week he and I sat near a tree and he crawled over to it and began swatting the trunk. I pulled him up and he stood there, hugging the tree and giggling, for about five minutes. Hilarious.

We've been experimenting with more foods, too. He's had some pumpkin bran muffin, bit of French bread from the bakery, oh and some bit of sweet potato fries last week, too - he LOVED those! :)

At his nine-month checkup he weighed 19 pounds, 14 ounces and measured in at 28.25".

Easter

We celebrated Rutherford's first Easter with lots of firsts :) It was our first family dinner using our new (vintage) dining room table and it was perfect! Neddie and I had been searching for a cool 60s-ish dining table for some time and we finally found it. Gorgeous teak, six chairs and enough leaves to make it ten feet - woohoo!
We also got to use our new outdoor furniture for the first time and it was the first time we made a layered birthday cake from scratch. (Easter just happened to fall on my birthday this year!) We made a lemon-vanilla cake with raspberry filling and lemon-cream cheese frosting. Um... I had three pieces. It was so good!
Neddie made a turkey for all of us - my parents and Chad, Esther and Sylvian joined us, too. Rutherford didn't get a basket this year (I totally would have eaten all of his candy), so instead he got some cute books, a new ball and a super cool monster hat from the Pasadena Hemuses:
Earlier this month Ned and I bought him a new kiddie pool, I sort of counted that as his Easter gift:
Bonus: I also bought some plastic balls (like in those big ball pits) off Amazon, and filled the pool with them so he can play in his own little "mini" ball pit. He loves it!

Cheerios + Balloons

Today at the grocery store, Rutherford got his first balloon from the nice produce guy, Nacho. I tied it to his stroller and we zoomed around the store while he batted at it and laughed. At home I hooked it up to his saucer and he was giggling at it.

Then we had a little break for some Cheerios, R gets very chatty when he has a snack.



Finally, before his bath this evening, Papa and R invented a new game. Fun day!

Nine Months

Our little man turned nine months old today. We celebrated with a walk at the lake and lots of good family time. Rutherford is now able to pull himself up onto the coffee table, chairs, the sofa, etc. It's a little scary as he's super wobbly and sort of just falls over once he's done it, but man does it make it seem like walking is just around the corner.

We've noticed R is very attentive when it comes to affection. When Ned and I hug or give each even just a quick peck, R is watching us closely. It's morphed into a part of our nighttime routine: Ned settles into the glider with R's bottle, and I deliver a freshly pajama-ed and moisturized baby into his lap. Before the bottle, Ned and I give each other a few kisses, then we both kiss Rutherford and tell him how much we love him. He seems to be getting the hang of it and enjoying it more each night.

I love that he's learning to be sweet by watching us. I try really hard to stay in the moment with R, not to focus too much on the "Oh, I can't wait for this to happen," etc., as all of "this" is actually happening right now and I want to appreciate who and what he is at this moment - but man, when that little boy starts passing out hugs and kisses I don't think I'll be able to stand the cuteness, it might just kill me.