Old Man Isaac & His Walker

8 Months (and a tooth)!

Happy 8-months, Isaac! The photo collage accurately portrays Isaac these last 2 weeks--- he's everywhere! Crawling quickly here and there and standing up on EVERYTHING--- coffee table, couch, dog, boxes, legs, the wall, etc. He wants so badly to be upright, and likes to practice going up and down and up and down.... He's also started to babble more consonants. Eric was thrilled to hear that I heard some "da" sounds today!

And, his first tooth is sprouting up! It started cutting last week and is steadily coming in.

I feel like he's changing so fast right now, and he continues to be such a charmer and such a joy.

We started a December Photo Album (click here) with more photos.

Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful feast at my parent's house yesterday.  Was it the first time in recent memory that the number of guys (4) outnumbered the number of gals (3)?  The turkey was fabulous, the wine and homebrew hit the spot and the apple/cheddar tart was out of this world.  Isaac was a little fussier than normal, but we learned why this morning (he had the biggest poop EVER, requiring two people to change him, a bath, immediate laundry and a thorough cleaning of his changing area. R-E-L-I-E-F).  He's in a great mood today!  too much info?

On a more serious note, we're thankful for wonderful family and friends, great jobs, a warm home and food a plenty.

Snow

Have you heard the news?  Seattle has come to a screeching halt with 3 inches of snow and ice (note: lots of sarcasm)!  Even though it seems strange to non-Seattleites, 3 inches of snow and ice really does make it challenging to get around. We both made it to work Monday, but worked from home today to avoid the slippery roads.   Temperatures are frigid tonight and we're enjoying the winter wonderland cozied up in our warm home.  But we did get out to enjoy the white neighborhood today, and Isaac experienced his first snow (and Lodi too, that we know of)!

Almost-hawk

Isaac's hair is growing at about the same rate as dad is losing it, and tonight momma was able to do what she's been dying to try: give Isaac a bath-time Mohawk.

Isaac the Explorer

Isaac's nickname this month is "Isaac the Explorer" (always said with drama and flair). He has been cruising through the milestones this month - here's what he's been up to: (they grow up so fast *sniff*)

As of this weekend, he is now technically crawling!  That's right, it's official!  And, boy is he getting around quick too. We've been too occupied running after him to get any good documentation of this, but here a quick video I took this morning (featuring Lodi the dog as 'crawling bait')... 

In addition to crawling, he is pulling up to a stand.  Before, he might be able to pull himself up if his feet were in just the right position, and if he had just the right handle to grab on to... but this week has been pulling up on everything (coffee table, high chair, couch...) and he is able to self-correct as needed. It's neat to watch him learn and become more coordinated!

Sitting -- he can now transition from laying down to a sit, and he knows how to sit from a stand (to avoid a face plant).  It was very surprising the first morning I came into his room and he was sitting up in his crib.

Waving -- Isaac has started to wave hello and goodbye!  And sometimes we transition the wave into a high-five.  He's still working on the fist-bump.

Exploring foods--  He's now tried pureed apples, pears, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, beets and avocado. He hasn't rejected anything we've given him yet, although his belly doesn't agree with rice cereal.  I'm enjoying making and freezing all of his baby food. Not sure why people buy it!?  It's so easy to do yourself!

Still no teeth, and not much hair--  He's teething a lot, though it doesn't seem to cause him too much pain (just causes a lot of drool and everything goes in the mouth). And his hair is starting to come in, though it's still not long enough to give him a Mohawk in the bath (we tried).

He continues to have a cheerful, charming, determined, assertive yet easy-going personality.  Like his mommy, he lets us know when he is getting tired or hungry!  He has started to show only a mild mommy-preference, but he knows our caretaker, Mary, very well and hasn't shown much separation anxiety yet.

We added a few more photos to our November Picassa Page (click here to view).

30+ for my 30th

To celebrate my 30th birthday last weekend, we decided to have friends and family over to our house for a nice sit-down dinner, followed by a night out at a bar.  I called it "Dine and Dive for Christina's 30th".  Eric cooked a fabulous meal, including Chicken Marbella and Beer-Baked 5-Cheese Mac N' Cheese, with salad and appetizers galore.

We had no idea that nearly everyone we invited would RSVP yes, so we SQUEEZED in 38 people for dinner in our small living area. Despite the stress of figuring out how everyone was going to fit (we rented 3 large tables and 30 chairs), everyone settled in and enjoyed a fabulous meal together.  What more could you ask for, really?  Some photos of the dinner, courtesy of my Dad and friends:

The tables all set

A full house!

Ready for the party?

Thanking people for coming

Christina & Mom/Barbara

Always a lady killer. Isaac with Marebeth & Renee

After dinner, Grandma & Grandpa Jabbusch graciously took Isaac for the night so we could go out on the town.  We went to a dive bar called Sweet Lou's, and they were very accommodating to our group when we showed up with 30 people!  The even had a live jazz band that played me happy birthday.  We were a little tired the next morning, but it was a grand celebration and an awesome 30th birthday!  So long 20's!

Enjoying the night out!

It's my party and I'll dance if i want to!

More Professional Photos

I'm so glad we had Cleotography take family pictures last month! We received the full set of photos last week and I've upload some new ones to our picassa page (click here).  I'm probably spoiling our holiday card, but I couldn't resist! These were too great not to post to the blog.This is my absolute favorite photo of Isaac to date:

 Mom & Son:

 Isaac and his doggy:

Pondering Life

Dad & Son:

Photos by Cleotography

More Giggles

Trip to Pet Store....  $2 in gas
Squeaky Toy for Dog..... $7.99
Hearing Isaac's reaction to the 'squeak' when the dog chews on it.... priceless!

7 Months! (& Happy 30th to Me)

Nov. 2nd, 2010: Isaac is 7 months and I am 360 months, or 30 years old!  We don't know how old Lodi is, but he looks too  cute to crop out.

We're officially celebrating my birthday on Saturday, but we celebrated tonight over pizza and beers with Lisa & Justin and Tony & Amanda.

Amanda, Tony & the Birthday girl