9 month check-up

So, since it's been a really long since I posted I need to start a few weeks back and document Alden's nine month check-up.  He's doing great and is growing and learning everyday.  He weighed 22 pounds and is 28 inches tall.  He crawls everywhere and within the past week has started walking.  He doesn't like to do it very much unless he's playing with his toys.  He will walk from toy to toy and not even think about it, but to walk to someone you really have to convince him. Patrick has had the most luck in getting him to walk.  I only hear about it or see if from a distance.  Alden still loves to read.  If there is a book in the room he will find it and want to read it.  His favorite is a Peter Rabbit pop-up book.  Most of the pop-ups have been ripped or torn out because we read it several times a day.  Even when I put it in the bottom of the book box he will dig through the pile and find it.  Patrick and I laugh at this all the time because it is definitely not the brightest or flashy book, but Alden loves it.  Alden also has fully advanced to solid foods.  No more baby food here!  He will eat anything we do and if he sees someone eating in the room he will find you and want some of whatever you're having.  He's down to only nursing a handful of times a day.  Alden is so fun and has the best faces and most contagious laugh.  We're so happy he's doing well and we are loving the stage he's in now.  We love you, Alden!

Alden getting ready to go to Dad's frisbee game

 Wrestling with Dad

 Just got done drooling all over Dad

This and That

So lately our lives have been all about finding a job for Patrick when he graduates in April.  He has been heavily involved in the Career Fair on campus the past two weeks and we haven't seen a lot of him around here.  He's had several interviews and we're very proud of him.  Since he hasn't been around much, Alden and I haven't really been up to a lot other than playing and going for walks, but we made this little video last night to document some of his new facial expressions, except I can't figure out how to post it.  It's telling me there is an error.  So if I figure out how to do that I'll post it then.  In the mean time here are some pictures I took to go with the video.  Enjoy!

These pictures are from a few days ago when we dressed Alden in his jeans and shoes for the first time.  I think he looks like a stud!

Apparently the flash was a little bright because he closed his eyes in every picture, but I still thought this one turned out nicely.  That is a very classic Alden face.

Thanksgiving Point Farm

So after about a week of hanging around the apartment and taking walks, Alden and I decided it was time to actually get out and have an adventure.  We've been reading a lot of books with different farm animals and decided we needed to see some in person.  We got on the phone and called Mercedes and Lucy right then and there to join us for an afternoon at the farm.  We went to the Thanksgiving Point farm/petting zoo and had so much fun.  We got to feed the goats kernels of corn and Alden has not afraid of them at all.  He held on to the fence and let the goats lick his fingers.  Even at the end, I had him hold a piece of corn and a goat ate it out of his fingers.

Next up were the turkeys and chickens, but we didn't get any pictures of them because someone kept wanting to hold on to their cages and I was afraid someone's little fingers would be pecked.  Then we visited the horses, pigs, ducks, and cows.  Alden loved looking at all the animals and wasn't afraid to get right up to the fences and be face to face with the animals.  The best part of seeing the horses were the rocks on the ground!

We concluded the visit with a pony ride.  I wasn't sure if Alden and Lucy were old enough to know how to do the pony ride or if they would even like it.  But Mercedes convinced me that we ought to try it.  Alden got right on his horse and loved every minute of it.  There were times when he would even do no hands.  Lucy wasn't as thrilled and wouldn't even sit down on the horse.  So we'll have to go back and give her another try.  And I know that Alden would be more than happy to do it again!!  He was so giddy after that he kept laughing to himself and doing his high pitch in take of air.

Waiting for our turn on the ponies - Lucy isn't so sure about this

Giddy up!

Ride 'em cowboy

Catch-up time

Well it's been a while since we've posted anything and a lot has happened in the past month.  This is going to be a long post with lots of pictures :)  We are currently back in Utah and have recently moved into our new apartment and love it.  We finally found our camera cord to upload all of our pictures so I figure it's time to take a break from unpacking and cleaning and catch all of you up on the adventures we've had.

First, the last week in South Carolina was spent playing with Devin, Mercedes, and Lucy.  They flew out to visit us and help us move back.  There were several things on our list that we wanted them to experience when they came back: the beach, South Carolina BBQ, breakfast at Chick-fil-a, visiting a plantation, Stone Mountain, and the Georgia Aquarium.  We accomplished all of these and had fun swimming and visiting with them.  Lucy is a month older than Alden and she was crawling all over the place and walking with assistance.  In that one week of being around her, Alden made leaps and bounds in his movement abilities and has continued to improve every few days.  It's amazing.  He crawls all over the place and walks when you hold his hands.  And just this weekend has stood on his own a few times.

Here is a summary of our last week in South Carolina in pictures.

Lucy wanted to be where ever Alden was, so she's "helping" me feed him

Lucy "helping" me make dinner

Bath time

Lucy and Alden before church

We headed over the Charleston to go to the beach and got to spend time with cousins.  This is out on a walk, it started to drizzle rain, so we turned Alden's burp cloth into a hat.

Devin, Mercedes, and Lucy were a little smarter with the umbrella

 

Cousins

Before the beach, Alden loves to play the game of putting your swimsuit on your head

Alden and Lucy taking an extra long nap on the beach

Alden playing in the sand

This is how most afternoons were spent around the apartment

Alden and Lucy on the porch of the plantation

Alden and Mom near the stables on the plantation

Alden, Devin, and  Lucy - it was a little bright for Alden, he'd had enough

Lucy and Mercedes walking the grounds

A view of the house

Alden and Lucy sitting still together

Lucy playing with a new toy

Grammie and Alden waiting for the laser show to start at Stone Mountain

Alden and Mom with a view of Stone Mountain - it's a memorial to the leaders of the Confederate Army surrendering

Sawyer and Patrick

Patrick and Devin left the rest of us at my parents to start the road trip back to Utah and then we were going to follow a few days later.  To entertain ourselves and the babies Mercedes and I went to the Georgia Aquarium.  It was a lot of fun.  We'll have to go again when Patrick and Devin can join us.

This is how Alden spent the first part of the aquarium tour - asleep in his stroller

Once we got back to Utah, one of our first outings was to go to the soccer game!

We've been going through all of Alden's clothes that we left in storage, because he is in need of 12 month outfits now.  These are a few of our favorite pajamas.

This picture is a little fuzzy, but Alden now has four teeth and loves to chew on everything.  He had just gotten a hold of a box and had taken a bite out of it.  I'm fishing in his mouth for the paper.

Alden is officially eight months old now as of this past weekend.  Time sure does fly when you're having fun!!