They're Back

It's official - the house is sold, their stuff is packed in storage and they have landed in Ottawa. They are now in the 8 week transition period while they wait for their new house to be built. Simon is already loving his cousins - they are big and can do so much more than him and you can definitely tell that he's taking it all in. Emjae's curls are more gorgeous than ever and Braedon is his usual crazy self.

We're going to have to velcro him to a wall

Simon is into everything now that he's on the move. I don't even know why we need toys anymore because the vents on the floor, the dog toys, flyers and cords hold much more interest for him. I have covered up two vents with his play mats and I just need to find some double sided tape for the other one. It's so entertaining to watch him now. He'll just be sitting there and then he zones in on his target, flips onto his knees, gets a big smile on his face and then starts to go. There is no distraction going to stop him from his ultimate goal (usually the vent). The other day at my parents we had to relocate a lamp, a speaker, put up a baby gate, cover the fireplace with the dog pillows (much to Oxford's disgust), and tape down the vent.

Simon's First Visit with Santa

We took Simon last night to the Hazeldean Mall to get his first picture with Santa. He was a crabby boy getting ready, driving over in the car, getting out of the car but once we got into the mall, it was a whole different story. This kid absolutely loves being out and about. We were kind of hoping to get a crying shot with Santa but as per usual, Simon was all smiles and amazed glances. The best part about the Santa picture set-up is that we got all of the images on CD - much better than paying a fortune for a few pictures.

He's Off

Simon has been dragging and semi-crawling all of this week but now it's finally clicked and he's doing a bear crawl. He won't do it without incentive yet but he will crawl for towers of toys, anything that's the dogs (whether it be toys or limbs) and random lint on the floor. We seriously need to get the house baby proofed because he's improving by the minute.

First Snow

Matt stayed home a little late this morning since we had a rough night with Simon. Good thing since it made it easier to get Simon bundled up in his new snowsuit for some pictures with the first snow. He looked a little bewildered, but I think that is mostly due to the fact that his snowsuit restricts any form of motion.

The Santa Clause Parade

Simon went to his first Santa Clause parade today. We bundled him up in his snowsuit handed down from his cousin Braedon, and promptly realized that it would not make it through the winter. We drove downtown, staked out a good spot on the parade route and took a few pictures before the camera battery ran out! Some 40 something guys came and stood right in front of Simon and when we asked them if they could move so that Simon could see the parade, they had the nerve to say, "well then we won't be able to see". I guess the fact that the Santa Clause parade is a kids event was lost on them. Simon seemed to enjoy the parade, except for the horns that blared from the fire engine. Here's the few pictures that we managed before the camera died (none of the parade itself of course)!

Simon @ 8 months

It's hard to believe that we're 2/3 of the way through a year. Simon is such a big boy now and still such an easy baby - aside from the whole not sleeping through the night thing.

At eight months Simon:
-can pull himself up into a sitting position
-loves his food - as long as there is no hint of texture! He makes mmmm noises the entire time he is eating
-can get around by rolling, scooting and falling - no crawling yet although he's getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth
-is a compulsive thumb sucker
-wears size 4 diapers
-is finally pooping without poop props - thank goodness since it won't be long before he won't want to go in the exersaucer/bouncer
-loves everyone and gives them his trademark mouth wide open grin
-still has only his two bottom teeth
-is wearing mostly size 6-12 month clothing although he seems to have suddenly filled them out so it won't be too long until the next size
-loves to play with Cheerios but hates to eat them - in fact, if he does by chance get one in his mouth, you better have a cloth ready and the bath run!
-loves to go places - he definitely gets bored in the house all day with just his Mommy to entertain
-loves Gus, Brutus, Olive and Oxford - Gus and Brutus are more afraid of him than anything but Olive loves him - any attention, be it a tug or a slap, is attention enough for her
-is chunky - in fact, that's his Daddy's nickname for him - we got some cute shots of all his rolls at his Christmas shoot that I'll have to share to illustrate this
-loves, loves, loves paper - crumpling, ripping, eating it's all good
-had his first haircut - it cost $13!!!!
-hates getting strapped into his car seat
-loves the tub - he can splash, scoot and play with the running water for hours (well actually minutes which is huge in baby time)
-loves to do patty cake
-loves when people clap for him
-takes 2-3 naps per day
-has started to have 1 bottle of formula at night to keep his Mommy sane
-was the best behaved baby for his first Gobble, Gobble, Gobble
-loves to stand in his high chair when he's eating and does a hysterical "wrestling" pose - we definitely need to get this one on video

Pulling into a Sit

Well it started earlier this week but I thought it might have been a fluke. Today confirmed that he has indeed learned to go from his belly, to his side and into a sitting position. Not such a great habit to have around nap time since I found him sitting today with both legs sticking out of the side of the crib. He has also maneuvered into a sit a few times during floor time. Next step - crawling more than an inch!

Maamaamaa, DaaDaaDaa and Baabaabaa

Three new sounds in Simon's repertoire - he just discovered them yesterday and spent most of his nap time repeating and repeating and repeating until he fell asleep. He's not saying much of them today but it's probably because we're desperately trying to get him to repeat them.

It finally happened - I forgot to put the side up on my parents crib and as I was turning back, I heard a thump and when I went in, Simon looked a little stunned to be on the floor. Simon's no worse for wear but I feel bad since the little guy is struggling through something - possibly another tooth judging by the rash on his face.

Simon+Swimming+Hat+Matt =

Cute spiky hair. And the Daddy Factor = coming home with no diaper since Matt didn't bring the diaper bag in with him. The other parents were probably thinking that Simon was pretty advanced not needing a diaper :)