Dear Bodie- 10 months

Dear Bodie,

You just turned 10 months old! Wow. Why am I so stunned as each month passes by? It just seems like it flies by and you are developing at an astounding rate! Slow down little man! You had a lot of action this past month with lots of new learning and playing.

The best and most fun part of this past month was watching you learn how to throw a ball. You make the cutest noise when you throw the ball and you get sooo excited! You will even throw the ball, crawl to get it, throw it again, crawl to get it and repeat this all over the house. It is sooo fun to watch! Of course, the throwing doesn't stop with a ball either! You love to take daddy's glasses off and throw them. For some reason, you just don't think he needs them. Thankfully, no food throwing yet. But you do like to throw your sippy cup. And it's such a gentle toss, not really throwing it very hard. I love this new discovery.

We started a new class this month at Treehouse Discovery called KinderMusic. You absolutely THRIVE in this class! You keep right up with the older kids and love getting in on the action. Music is something you have always taken too and this class has been something that I think will lead into a passion of yours. You love banging on the drums, shaking the bells, playing with flashlights in the dark, listening to choo choo trains make noises, and dancing around the room. And of course, there is a time where you get to play with balls. I even found you sneaking off to play with a hidden ball the teacher forget the pick up. Silly boy.





You have continued to love going potty in your special potty. You are pretty consistent with going after you wake up from your nap- and you even go poopy in there! I am one proud mama!

You have now discovered how to climb the stairs. One morning as I was cooking breakfast and daddy was in the other room we discovered you were not in the room anymore. Daddy found you half way up the stairs and you had no intention of stopping. Goof ball. We finally came to terms that we needed to put baby gates around the stairs.

My little man, you have the best personality a mama could ask for. You are silly all the time and make us laugh sooo much. You learned how to blow raspberries on mommy's tummy and now you like to wake us up by blowing raspberries on our arms. I can't think of a better way to wake up! You giggle and laugh all day too. You are one chill baby that's for sure!

We have had some great adventures this month and you got to celebrate your first Thanksgiving! We had lunch over at Grandma and Grandpa Woodward's house. You had just cut your 6th tooth the night before so you were not too into eating, but it was fun to see your cousins, Tristan and Brenden.

Grandpa Woodward is just as silly as me!

Grandma Woodward

You love dance parties in the kitchen! Especially in the morning when daddy is making his coffee and I am finishing cleaning up breakfast. We just dance around the kitchen being all goofy. You LOVE to dance!

Silliness

Your favorite perch in mommy's office

We are heading into my favorite time of the year- Christmas! I have some awesome stuff planned for your first Christmas! I feel like a kid again myself :) See what you do to mommy!

Truly living in the moment

I remember when I would constantly strive for the next thing in life...in hopes that I would finally find myself and become truly happy. I never appreciated what was right in front of me, and I always had a lot to be grateful for; yet I was blind. I have always lived a life waiting for the next thing to happen so I could finally find that peace and happiness. Yet when I finally reached that moment, I was no happier than I was before except for a fleeting moment.

Finally, I realized a few years ago that the happiness is not in something that I am always waiting for, but it is within me already regardless of the situation in front of me. I didn't have to constantly strive for the next best thing to make me happy- a new job, graduating school, a new house, a new car, getting married, having a baby- none of that matters unless I am content with myself on the inside.

Now I am striving to live in the moment, for today. I don't need to keep striving towards the next best thing in order to be happy. I have an amazing family, a beautiful home, the ability to stay at home with my son, a fantastic group of friends, and a graceful relationship with Jesus. Really, what could I possibly strive for that would make me any more happy?? I have all I need today. Thank you God for all my blessings. I have to honestly say that becoming a mom has made me apprecite every moment for what it is. I fear missing any moments in Bodie's life so I declared when he was born that I would try to the best of my ability to give my son all of me in each day. I am not perfect by any means, but I am learning every day how to truly live in the moment.

Here are some perfectly good reasons why I love living for TODAY!

Night Night cuddles before bed

Cute little monkey butts in the air

Having fun with daddy in the morning

Cuddles with mommy when I dont feel good makes everything better

Social butterfly

I cant get over how cute that butt is!

Playing in the big boy bath for the first time

My favorite meal- beef stew with parsnips and carrots

Fun with grandpa!

Silly daddy

Love my new chair!

Random Elk crossing. The reason we live in Colorado.

Catching up

Phew! It has been a while since I last posted. Life can just slip right by if you don't watch out!

Today is my birthday. I am now a ripe ol 31 years old. It is funny because when I was a child, I always thought of 31 as being such a mature age and a time where I was so secure in who I was. Yes, I am pretty secure in who I am, but I still feel so immature at times. Not what I really thought I would feel like at 31. I also thought I would be well into a full time career at this point, on top of having several kids by now. I never in a million years would have thought I would be a stay at home mom, and actually LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I enjoy my life so much and could not imagine working right now. I am very very lucky that Andrew has such a good job that allows me to stay home. I have thought about part time work from home, but I just can't see myself devoting my time to that right now. Will I ever go back to work? Maybe. I won't say yes or no, but what I know right now is that my calling right now is to be "home" with Bodie (I put home in quotes because we are out and about on adventures A LOT). Both Andrew and I have prayed long and hard about this decision as well and I was worried that I would not find fulfillment in it. But when you follow God's calling, everything falls into place. I have nothing but peace around this, which is something that I strived for for so long. Lo and behind, my peace is found in the area I thought I could never do. Trust God.

Bodie helped rake some leaves this week which he just adored doing. I mean, who doesn't love the leaves!

Last week we joined KinderMusic and we have now gone to 2 classes. Bodie absoluely LOVES it and thrives with music. He has such a good beat with sounds. You can whistle and he will start moving his body. I foresee early music lessons!

Playing after KinderMusic

For my birthday, Andrew bought me a food dehydrator that I have been wanting for a while now. I can't wait to start drying my own fruit, make jerky, yogurt, and veggie chips. This week I tested it with apples and bananas and I am SOO excited about them!

Out of nowhere, Bodie learned how to blow raspberries on our tummies. I guess he is getting back at us for all the times we blew on his tummy! The best part is that he will sit there forever blowing on my stomach, then looking up and laughing, then doing it all over again. He is soooo silly!

For some reason, this is ALWAYS how Bo falls asleep in my arms. It must be a comfort thing for him

Dear Bodie

Dear Bodie,

You just turned 9 months old! I can't believe how fast this year is flying by! And how quickly you are becoming more like a toddler. I have to admit, I have mixed emotions about how fast you are growing. I am a bit sad to see the infant stage pass, but the more interactive you become the more fun we all have! I am LOVING this stage! Can I keep you at this age for a little while before you grow again? :)

You are a crawling machine! In the morning, you love to make circles around the kitchen while I prepare breakfast. You are a speedy one now. Before I know it, you have lapped the kitchen island several times. You also have a ball finding all kinds of stuff on the floor- especially the smallest, tiniest pieces of food. I vacuum constantly but it is never enough for your little eyes to spot something golden. One time daddy dropped some coffee beans and missed one. Guess who found that lone coffee bean hidden in the corner? You of course! And guess who was a wild machine after sucking on a coffee bean for who knows how long before I discovered it? Yup, you :) You are so silly!

You have a new best friend. His name is Buddy and he lives with us. Buddy is your kitty cat friend and you have a hay day chasing him around the house. It is a good thing he is so laid back because you really like to play with him. You even tried feeding an apple to him while he slept, yet he didn't even open an eye. I have a feeling you two will be exploring a lot together! You have a special language for kitty cat too and when you see him you start talking in ways only Buddy understands. It is so fun to watch! He is teaching you to go up the stairs as well

You are a little social butterfly. One of your favorites outings is to the library for story time. You LOVE to be the center of attention so you will sit in the middle of the class and look around at all the beautiful faces. You love to crawl to all your new friends and give them "kisses" with your head. You do this fun thing with your head where you rub your forehead against someone and then open your mouth wide as your kiss. You give me these kisses several times a day and it just melts my heart! You also are not shy with other adults! You have no problem crawling right into another mamas lap! I hope no one seems to mind because you sure don't :)

Bodie, you continue to be mamas eating machine. There is still no food you do not like! And now you are loving to talk and scream during meal times and really exploring your voice. You love to tell me stories about how much you love your food. Some new things you tried this month are sardines, melon, smoked salmon, chicken sausages, pumpkin muffins, acorn squash, and grapefruit. You LOVE grapefruit! You also really like to drink from mama's water bottle so I might find a smaller version for you. It seems to be easier to drink from than all those baby sippies!

One of the cutest things you started to do this month is dance to music. I just can't get enough! You have some rhythm to ya! You do this thing where you bob your head back and forth and rock your hips front to back with the biggest smile added to your face. The best part was when I was watching you in the rear view mirror in the car and you were dancing to the music from the radio and then clapping at the same time. You LOVE to clap and I am learning that is your way of saying "yes" too. Your little quirks are just the best! Also while in the car, you like to talk and laugh at yourself. There is a mirror you can see yourself in and you play games with yourself, and sometimes with your feet as well.

Your daddy and I feel sooo blessed to have you in our lives. You are such special little guy and bring so much laughter to our everyday. You still sleep beside us and the best way to wake up in the morning is with a HUGE grin your face and your way of saying "good morning" is just a hoot. I can't think of a better way to wake up! We are starting to implement what we call "special time" with you. One of us with devote a small part of the day to just YOU! And this entails nothing but fun and playing whatever you want. No learning, no teaching, no redirecting. It is your special time to connect with mommy and daddy. I think daddy and I benefit more from it LOL

Here are some highlights of this month:

• Lots of story time adventures with friends at several different libraries
• Finally exploring more at Treehouse Discovery now that you can crawl
• Several play dates with our Crunchy Parents group.
• Halloween Party with our play group. You dressed up as an Alligator and soaked up the attention!
• Met your new cousin, Macoy! You are only 9 month older than him!
• Love to play music with anything that shakes and rattles. 
• First trip to the pumpkin patch
• You now take 2 consistent naps
• You eat 3 meals and 2 snacks. 
• Love to help daddy make coffee in the morning
• You take showers with daddy every other day
• Love to help put laundry into the dryer
• You help with the dishes in the dishwasher
• Discovered sand at the playground with grandma
• Standing up on everything you can!
• You still don't like your carseat 
• You also don't like getting dressed or having your diaper changed
• You LOVE to talk- yayaya, baahaha, mama, dada, and screaming is fun
• Last but not least, mama and dada LOVE YOU TO PIECES!

You are the light of our life and the center of our world right now. Daddy does not like leaving for work and you will crawl to the front door after him when he leaves. Thankfully you are quickly distracted when kitty cat walks by. You are becoming more independent and find ways to play on your own, but only if mama is close by. You have also discoereved your comfort while nursing- putting your hand down mommy's shirt. You will fall fast asleep just like this-

Oh, and the most fascinating activity you have discovered- watching the toilet flush! You are so amused by it!

Well, Bodie, my sweet sweet boy, we have so many adventures and things to explore in the next month! I cannot wait to see what you have to show me! You are my side kick and I just adore having you in my life. Mommy and daddy love you!

What a week!

This week was packed full of stuff!

Bodie turned 9 months! I wrote a letter to him that I will share soon :)

9 month pediatrician visit. He weighs 20 lbs 8 oz which is in the 50th percentile. And his height is 28 3/4 inches which is in the 75th percentile. He is getting taller and leaner! He is hitting all his milestones and even impressed the doc with his talking. Growing so strong!

Then Bodie had another doctor appointment with a pediatric allergy specialist. Since Bo was 4 weeks old, I have not consumed any eggs or dairy because he was having rashes on his body and mucous diapers. It was discovered through a heel prick test that he was reacting to dairy and eggs. So those went out the window! However, it is most likely something he will eventually outgrow. I added in eggs a few weeks back and the same thing started to happen so my ped advised getting him tested again. Poor sweet boy underwent a skin prick test to reveal reaction to soy, egg whites and slight reaction to wheat.. Oh boy! He will get retested in a year in hopes he has outgrown anything. In the meantime, no soy or egg whites (He can do yolks) and it was advised to keep wheat out until he retested. We have yet to introduce grains so we are not sure exactly how he will react yet.

In good spirits!

The bottles of allergens that were placed on his skin

He was such a trooper and didn't fuss once!

Waiting for results...

Then of course, there was Halloween this week! I had so much fun dressing him up and taking pictures. We went to our Crunchy Parents Halloween Party and it was so cute seeing all our friends dressed up. We didn't end up trick or treating because Little Man is teething and he was grumpy pants so we stayed in and helped hand out candy. But he thought it was so fun to look out the window at all the kids. We had about 60 kids come by our house!

Digging through the stash we were handing out.

And last but not least. Here is what happens when Daddy leaves a full cup of coffee on the living room ottoman. Some stinker found it and dumped it all over. Lesson learned for daddy!

Enjoy your weekend! It's going to be lovely around here!