Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Mobility!

West put the feather in his overachieving cap yesterday when, out of the blue, he started crawling! And he's not even 6 months old yet! I guess all those push-ups were training for his big moment. The rattle Aunt Sally picked up in Rocky Point is a powerful motivator - he will do just about anything to get to it. West was happy to demonstrate his new moves this morning so that I could capture it on film.

We are proud of our little wunderkind, of course, but it's all downhill from here. Now we are going to have to childproof in earnest. Sigh ...

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Feats of Strength


Unbeknownst to either of his parents, West has apparently been taking pilates behind our backs. Now that he has perfected push-ups and the ideal plank position, crawling can't be far behind.

:-(

Merry Christmas!

As you can see, West is thoroughly enjoying his first Christmas. He wants to wish everyone who celebrates a very Happy Every Day and Merry Everything!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Santa Baby

All week, we have been thwarted in our efforts to take West to see Santa. First we made a special trip to a fancy mall but they wouldn't let us get in line because Santa was going to take his break in half an hour. Yesterday we tried to go back (with better timing) but West failed to go down for his long winter nap and was not in a jolly sort of mood. We thought all was lost and that we were in for a Santa-less Christmas but lo and behold Mimi found out that a nearby Dollar Tree was having a visit from Santa today. West cooperated by being in the holiday spirit and we made it just in the (St.) Nick of time. While the Dollar Store Santa may not be as fancy as the mall Santa, he did the trick and made quite an impression on little West, who, I'm sure, is already looking forward to next year.

Piano Man

West is having a fine time here at Mimi and Papa's. He has discovered all sorts of new things, including my sister's piano. He just loves banging on the ivories - it suits his new obsession with all things bam bam. We think he may have some talent - a mini-Mozart, perhaps? Maybe his new nickname should be Wolfgang? This is a clip of his very first piano experience. Believe me - he has become more proficient over time.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Sunday, December 7, 2008

O Tannenbaum


We got our first ever Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, finally putting to use the ornaments we have been buying at the Anthropologie day-after-Christmas sale for years. We decided to go with classic white lights and the effect is charming. We like to sit around and look at it while drinking hot chocolate. West likes the tree too and the kitties enjoy drinking out of the tree stand and batting at the ornaments.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Future Foodie





West had his first foray into solids yesterday at 5 months & 1 day old and it went really well. We gave him some rice cereal and he seemed to enjoy the small amount that actually made it into his mouth. As for the rest, he wore it well. We captured this momentous occasion on video but the file is too large to post here so we are uploading it to YouTube. I will post the link once it's ready. In the meantime, here are two short clips of West's second adventure in solids this morning, plus some pics from yesterday's and today's sessions.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Rub a Dub Dub

This post is for Auntie Kate! West is really starting to enjoy bath night. We are definitely going to need to acquire some bath toys soon! We also got some footage of his post-bath massage, which I'll post later.

Friday, November 28, 2008

He Blinded Us With Science


We bought West an exersaucer for $5 at a yardsale last weekend. Lots of lysol later, it's a big hit! We call it his mad scientist station and West has taken to it like a fish to water. Aaron managed to capture West's first time in it on film - in two parts. He is even more proficient now!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

An Extra Helping of Cute


Mimi and Papa gave us a video camera back in October and we have finally figured out how to download the videos. Since Thanksgiving is all about excess, I thought I'd give you a taste - more to come!

Gravy






















Because I couldn't resist, here is a Thanksgiving bonus post.

Gobble Gobble!



West is soooooo ready to eat solid food (and we thought "Gobble Gobble" would be a great title for a Thanksgiving blog post about his first sojourn into the world of solids) but the pediatrician told us to wait another month so the kiddo will have to get his turkey by proxy this year. In the meantime, here are some pics of one of the things Aaron and I are most thankful for today and every day.

Swimming with the Fishies



Aaron, West & I went to the Academy of Arts & Sciences last weekend and West was just as entranced by the fish as he was in Monterey. Fortunately this museum is a five-minute walk from our house! Here are some shots of West being fascinated by the fish and sting rays.

Rocking Out


Sunday, November 23, 2008

All Good Things Must Come To An End




Aaron's time with West is almost at an end. They have been having a fine time, hanging on the sofa, picnicking in the Botanical Gardens, and dancing like crazy people. West has flourished under Aaron's care - he can sit up all by himself, he is rolling over 99.9% of the way from back to front, he is doing hand-to-hand transfers across the midline, and he "razzed" for the first time yesterday in the backyard. He is quite the precocious little guy!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Glamour Shots












We just received the photographs from Amy and there are so many wonderful pictures! These are a few of our favorites.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Man's Best Friend






Auntie Lil gave West a brown and white doggie whom we have named Rolfe (it kind of sounds like "ruff" - get it?) West LOVES Rolfe! He is rarely happier than when Rolfe is dancing and making his ears bounce around crazily to the beat. These are some recent photos of sheer West happiness from today's Rolfe session.