new toys

Recently we've noticed that the baby at our house is getting so big!  Not necessarily size-wise, but personality/what he can do - wise.  Although I do miss the little baby stage, it is really fun to observe Braden's new accomplishments and discoveries. 

At 10 months (almost 10.5 months), some of his favorite things to do are:

• play/climb under our kitchen table (I need to get some pictures of this - I'm told this was a favorite activity of mine at this age too!)

 • "cruise" from piece of furniture to piece of furniture, taking a few steps here and there to avoid having to drop down and crawl; he also seems to like practicing walking to us (esp. mommy!) and can take 6-7 steps now

• carry things around (usually in his mouth so both hands are free) - it is so funny to watch him transport a particular toy around the house

• push buttons - usually on the remote, but sometimes he'll go for the dvd player or the laptop

• clap and waving (he likes to wave both arms very enthusiastically instead of one, and will only sometimes do this to mean bye-bye)

Anyway - since his abilities and interests are maturing, B has gotten some new toys!  

The first one I picked up for him after reading about it on another blogger's list of her son's (age 12 mths) favorite toys.  It is a magnetic farm toy in which the child can match the fronts/backs of animals (or mix them up) and it plays little songs about the animals that are created.  Braden's daycare provider had told me that he liked the fridge magnets at her house, so I thought we should try this one out.

At this point he mostly just likes to move the magnets around (and perhaps try to bite them), and pushing the button that plays the song. I think it will be awhile before he really "gets" this toy, but it does keep him occupied when we are in the kitchen.

B's other new toy was a surprise from Grandma Hartsock.  Daddy came home one night this week with a big box - Braden was so excited to examine it that he sat right on it!

Thanks, Grandma!!

This toy is a lion on wheels that can be used as a walk behind toy (perfect for B right now) or a ride on toy when he gets older.

B loves pushing this thing around the house, except when he pushes it into something and gets "stuck" - he hasn't figured out the concept of turning yet!  Lucky for him it there is a fairly straight path from one end of our living room all the way to the kitchen.

We also tested it out as a riding toy, but B's feet don't quite touch the ground.


And just a funny observation . . .

initially Braden's favorite things about his new toy were the box and the instructions!  It will be fun to see how he reacts to wrapping paper/boxes/gifts on his birthday!

beach pool baby

We've been hitting the pool a lot this week (and hope to go at least once next week, but Mama starts back to work on Thursday and has a LOT to do before then) . . .

The pool was one of our favorite spots this summer (when it was warm enough!) - Braden loves the water, and we could almost always count on playing with cousins too.  Here are some shots from this week:

mmmm - Iowa corn!

Braden got to try some yummy Iowa sweet corn for the first time this week!  It was so nice outside that we ate in the backyard.  Love it!

This is good stuff!

All gone!

So we really just let him pick up an ear that had been eaten (for the picture above and below) - though he has 8 teeth, he actually didn't eat much of his corn like this: . . .

 . . . but in little pieces like this:

Braden's vacation

I got to go on my first vacation last week.  On Friday we drove to Clear Lake, IA to spend the night and break up our long drive to Walker, MN.

Here I am with Daddy at Clear Lake!

We got to stay at Uncle Josh's family lake house, and Daddy even got to go jet skiing while Mommy met a friend of hers for supper.

On Saturday we drove for a looonnnnnggg time to Minnesota.  I slept a lot, and also played with toys in the car.  I only cried a little bit, and Mommy and Daddy said I did a good job in the car.

This was our destination:  Big Rock Resort on Leech Lake.

Daddy's family has been going here for years.  It is a fun place! We stayed in 2 cabins right by the lake (this is actually the view from the boat harbor):

Our cabins:

Each cabin had its own kitchen, a full bath, and 2 or 3 bedrooms.  

I found some fun new things to play with in our cabin: a cooler and laundry baskets!  These kept me busy all week. 

I used the laundry baskets to "cruise" around and practice my walking skills.  I had a great time playing with my cousins too!

Addie woke up early every morning to come and play with me.  She earned the nickname "mama 2" by the end of the week.

She also let me have some of her ice cream!  The lodge at Big Rock had yummy ice cream cones. Whenever I saw someone eating one (or anything else that looked good to eat!), I would hurry over to them in hopes of a bite.

There were lots of fun things to do at the resort. . . .

 . . . a dock for fishing in the boat harbor. . .

 . . . swimming in the pool (I only got to go once because Mommy and Daddy thought it was too chilly for me, but my cousins got to go every day!) . . .

 . . . more laundry basket fun in our cabin . . . 

(see the handle they made with Grandpa's belt?)

 . . . enjoying the beautiful view . . .

 . . . and campfires almost every night.

Of course we made s'mores (and pies) - everyone said they are so yummy!  I just got graham crackers.

We had to bundle up in the evenings, because it got cold.

Some people liked reading books (Grandma said she didn't read as many this year.  I think she was too busy playing with me!), or we had fun just hanging out in the cabins . . .

 . . . and enjoying the scenery outside.

I also got to go on my very first boat ride.  It was fun, but windy! I only got to go on the boat once.

I watched Daddy and Aidan tube. Brrr!

The big kids and Daddy played on this cool water trampoline in the lake. I can't wait until I am big enough to try it . . .

 

 . . . and someday I want to learn to ski like Daddy!

I learned something new this week . . . I figured out how to walk 2 or 3 (and even 4 one time!) steps!  I can also stand up without using anything to pull up on now. Mommy and Daddy are so excited!  Mommy video taped me, but it is on our other camera that she doesn't know how to upload.  Maybe she will post a new video of me walking soon.

 

I stayed in the cabin with Grandma when Mommy and Daddy went fishing. Aidan caught a lot of fish!

Everyone was cold on the way back to the cabin after fishing one day.

We had a great vacation at Big Rock! We're already looking forward to going back next year. :) 

I am a little sad that Mommy has to go back to work soon, since summer vacation is almost over.  I think she is more sad . . . she keeps worrying about getting ready for school!  I am so excited because she told me we are going to go to the pool every day that it is hot outside this week, since we didn't swim much last week.  We'll have a lot of fun during these last days of vacation!

10 months

Braden is 10 months old! *sigh* (Have I already said that this first year is going wayyyyy too fast?)

At 10 months, our little guy:

• loves trying new foods ("big" people/"real" food) and has yet to meet something he really doesn't like.  Favorites are ice cream, breads/pasta, potatoes in any form including french fries and potato salad, meatballs, string cheese, most fruits (esp. grapes, bananas, and peaches), and goldfish crackers (I know, I know, as I read this I am thinking - wow - not all such healthy choices!)

• chatters/babbles more and more (with great expression - very funny)

• is doing better with the sippy cup - we'll be able to ditch the bottle at the 1 year mark, I think

• still loves the water/swimming 

• has 8 teeth! (good for biting - a not so fun new trick! . . . . he gets our toes sometimes, or will give you a big juicy kiss that turns into a nibble)

• and the big news . . . . is taking a few steps!!  Braden took his first real steps on his 10 month b-day while we were on vacation in MN.  He can also now stand up from a sitting position without using anything to pull up.

And the monthly photos:

10 months

6 months

1 month