Temporarily Home

Technically this post is less than two weeks late, so I am calling that caught up. We are loving life with our clever ten-month-old.

Loves: Walking! He walks! Most of the time he is content walking while holding someone's finger, but he often he will let go and just take off. The majority of our current apartment is wood floor though, so a few mishaps have occurred. He has not yet figured out cruising along furniture and cannot turn around from holding onto furniture to walk across the room on his own. However, he walks, stops, stands, and starts again all by himself.

--there was supposed to be a video of him walking here...but Blogger is being dumb--

Witten is a finger food guy. He will only eat meat that's been pureed by the Gerber company, but all else must be bite-size pieces. He is into zucchini and corn especially, but will also eat apple, sweet potato, peas, rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, green beans, yellow squash, etc.

He also loves his hippo. After a summer of travel and getting used to blankets and pillows from sleeping in mom and dad's bed, he needs something soft to go to sleep with. It melts my heart.

You know how the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time before the age of two? Yeah. My kid knows how to access Siri and take a selfie. Mother of the Year.

But first, let me take a selfie

Hates: Not being able to communicate. He does a lot of grunting and moaning and doesn't understand why mom and dad don't speak his language yet. I mean, they've been listening to it for 10 months! How have they not picked up on any of it yet? Come on.

Witten is in full-blown separation anxiety mode. When dad leaves for work, his world pretty much ends. Especially because Will was home all summer long. What changed?! The struggle of being a teacher's kid...

But what if Dad doesn't come back from school this time?

New Tricks: He is doing well using people to pull himself up, but won't do it with nearby furniture. He is also more interested in books these days--especially if they have fun textures to touch and scratch. The man loves sensory play.

Flour and water. Nothing has ever been more fun.

He is also a total sweetie. Chubby cheeks and thumb sucking. Ugh.

Do you see these cheeks?!? Do you!?!

Babies being together is also the best. Witten's friend Cam came over for a visit and they were adorable. I didn't get a picture of it, but at one point Cam was in the walker, with Witten hanging on to the back and they walked all over the living room.

In other news, we have ended our summer of "homelessness." ...sort of... We found a new basement apartment and moved in, and then found out two days later that we have to move again. Hah! So we have unpacked the bare necessities and are a little over a month from moving again. The plan at this point is another year of apartment living before we buy a town home. And then never move again!!!!!!! Or at least stay in the same place for more than a year. A girl can dream.

This beautiful place is home for one quick minute...

Do you see how cute this is?! We thought about buying this to put next to Will's recliner, but that would just be one more piece of furniture to move several times

At least we now live in South Riding. Being so much closer to Will's school means we could become a one car family.

The goodbye photo after the sale closed

Our Honda has been a good car, but I have destroyed the transmission twice and the poor vehicle couldn't take it anymore. So now we just have to cross our fingers that I don't figure out a way to kill the jeep...

Theme Song: Drive My Car, the Beatles

Nine Months In, or Out

Time Warp again--Witten turns nine months. (we're getting closer to the present day...) He's been in the outside world for as long as he was in. Milestone!

Loves: walking all over creation while holding a parent's finger, making silly noises with his mouth, feeling fun textures--particularly rugs, couches, the fabric squares on the sides of his jack-in-the-box, etc.

Witten is also super into being upside down. He likes to stand on Will's lap, bend in half, and just hang there.

Hates: Not being mobile. Someone must be holding his hand so he can walk around (even if it is aimlessly). Anything beats just sitting there.

There's nothing better than toe touches

New Tricks: Witten has selected his college! Well...we did visit one of daddy's alma maters, and he smiled a lot. So, basically, we're raising a Hokie.

A selfie outside of Dad's freshman dorm room 

Dad's Dorm

He has also developed the (bad) habit of occasionally being incapable of sleeping in his "crib." Being bedouins this summer means Witten has been in a pack-n-play for months on end and sometimes he is just done. I occasionally let him nap on a full-sized bed because life is easier when he actually naps. He has even weaseled his way into sleeping in our bed a few times because I am too tired to do battle late at night. This will be a fun habit to break once we are back in a more permanent home and his actual crib is set up...

Theme Song: My Darling, Wilco

Mirrors and the Midwest

In the continuing saga of trying to remember all of Witten's milestones from a summer on the road...we arrive at 8 months.

Loves: looking at himself in the mirror and looking at photos and videos of himself. He is into waving at people with his whole arm and loves to wave both of his arms very energetically whenever he's excited (i.e. when his dad enters the room after being gone for any period of time).

There is also nothing better than shaking a toy as emphatically as possible. Luckily his grip strength is excellent these days and he has also refined the skill of passing a toy back and forth between hands.

The little stinker has also learned how to send a message. We were hanging with our buddy Matt and Witten was sitting on Will's lap with a very straight face whenever he was looking at Matt. He would turn to smile at Will then go back to staring at Matt. Eventually he warmed up, but he was serious for a long while.

Hates: the bane that is tummy time. He is willing to occasionally rotate towards a toy while on his stomach but most often he just lays his head down and cries (I feel like a broken record...but I love it when babies crawl and I guess I am still in denial that he is going to skip this step)

New Tricks: Witten is our little assisted-walker. He is still getting his feet under him, but most of the time he gets where he wants to go (even if that is walking from one side of the living room to the other and back again).

He also does pretty well sitting unassisted. Occasionally he will lunge for a toy and gets a bit off balance, crashing onto his face or the back of his head. Don't worry, I surround him with pillows. But it's still a traumatic experience.



He is finally eating like a champ! If we're being totally honest with ourselves, he still does his fair share of gagging and puking at meal times, but he also doesn't cry as much and there is more swallowing involved. Witten is also super into spoons. He grabs the spoon to bang food on the tray, to use it as the vehicle to get food in his hair, and occasionally to put food in his mouth.

All in all, Witten is my sweet boy who just makes my heart melt. He gives neck hugs and smiles when Will or I enter the room, and he therefore basically has me wrapped around his little finger.

Also, this video of him in a swing. Oh man.

Most of June was spent in Wisconsin visiting my family. Witten was spoiled by grandparents, and his aunt and uncles. We also spent time in Iowa visiting Uncle Nick and Aunt Sara and Witten got to meet his cousins Tristan and Aramis for the first time. Pictures forthcoming.

Theme Song: Eat it, Weird Al Yankovic