Tanner @ 9 months

I can't believe my little guy is 9 MONTHS OLD.  Where has the time gone? I'll have a one-year-old in 3 months.  That's crazy talk.  We also got a new camera. A nice one. THAT was a freaking fiasco. Anyways, I thought I'd snap some pics of him being him and doing what he loves.

•  Crawls like crazy, pulls himself up on things, stands on his own for a few seconds.

•  Likes to play with doors, cupboards, drawers, etc. Anything that moves.  Likes to shut the door on us.  

•  Loves to discover and put new things in his mouth.  This was him checking out the camera.

•  Loves to play with his train (because it moves), piano, and singing hammer.

• Eats baby food, Gerber Puffs, Yogurt Melts, and 'lil Crunchies. Has started eating real human food like rice and waffles.....and ice cream....and brownies, and oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
• Loves to facetime Grandmas and Grandpas.
• Wears size 4 diapers and 9 month clothes
• His best friend is Bowser the Bearded Dragon--and daddy.
• Says "Dadadadada"
• No teeth
• Gets compliments on his big blue eyes wherever he goes
• Doesn't like you to hold his hands or arms
• Getting dressed is a nightmare.
• Would totally go commando if it was up to him.

We love this little dude! It is so fun to see his personality come out! He is such an independent little guy, never wants you to do anything for him (except give him food and love!).  He brings such a sweet spirit into our home.  He loves to play with daddy and thinks he's hilarious.  His big, wet, slobbery kisses are the best, and he isn't stingy with them! Love our Tan Man!

Tanner @ 6.5 months

Sorry I never did a 6 month post. Tanner will actually be 7 months next week, but I thought I'd get the post out of the way now while I have the time. Where has my baby boy gone? I want to cry, he is growing up so fast! I was holding him the other night and felt like I was holding a 16-year-old. Thanks goodness I'm not that old yet :) At 6.5 months Tanner:
•loves to jump and swing in his jumper
•can almost sit unsupported
•loves bananas and carrots
•can't crawl, but can turn himself 360°while on his tummy
•no longer sleeps swaddled! (Aka baby straight jacket)
•loves to play peek-a-boo
•loves to listen to mom whistle and sing "You are My Sunshine"
•Still loves Aunt Meaghan and Uncle Dustin (and is SUPER excited they are moving into our Ward!)
•no teeth yet
•loves to snuggle blankets and sleep on his side
•not so much of a drool monster anymore
•eats his toes

We love our Tanner! Sad to see him grow up so fast. Brennen is ready for another newborn...ha! Nope.

April

April was a fun month.  My parents and brother came to visit over conference weekend, and we got to do some fun things.  We went to the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant, an Arizona Diamondbacks game, and to the Arizona Science Center.  Tanner was so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa, he cried when they had to leave. Brennen finished his Women's Health rotation and is now moving on to his 12 weeks of ER. We have started the job search and are hoping to find something reasonable close to Mesa/Gilbert or back home in Idaho.  So far we have had one interview and are awaiting hearing from an ER in Prescott, about 2 hours away. PA jobs are far and few between in Idaho, especially if you're as picky as Brennen.

 This little guy is so so smiley!

 It's a hard life after grandma and grandpa leave.

 I have been trying really hard to get into shape and lose all that "baby weight." If you want you can follow my accountability blog here. It's nothing special, just basically a record of how little I exercise and how much I eat :)

 Love seeing these two together. Best buds.

Alright, here's how I get my 6 month old to sleep through the night.  We call it the "baby straight jacket." Brennen doesn't like it, but he doesn't get up with him in the middle of the night either, so he really has no say. :) Start with 2 swaddle blankets. I used a 1-layer flannel blanket at a muslin swaddle blanket.  Lay one blanket flat like normal.  Fold the other blanket in half or thirds (depending on the width of the blanket) and lay it lengthwise across the top of the other blanket.  Put baby in the middle.

Wrap blanket around arm and under back.

Repeat

Swaddle as normal.  Obviously, you don't want your baby to overheat, so we usually swaddle in a onsie or just a diaper, especially since it's getting warmer here.

 He loves to watch himself in the mirror!

 I went to the Desert Botanical Gardens with some friends for the free day.  I didn't get many pictures.  We weren't there very long because the kiddos started getting cranky.

 We love bathtime!

 We got a jumper, and he LOVES it! Sorry you have to see inside my closet.

 We've watched mom do too many sit-ups!

 I don't know if anyone else's kids did this, but he is obsessed with water bottles! He tries to put the whole thing in his mouth.

 We make cute babies.

 Rice Cereal!

 If you look closely, you can see the tan line from my exercise pants (about 1 inch below my knee)

 He knows where the good stuff is!

 Best Friends!

 One day, I decided to try the "cry-it-out" method...and this is what happened :(

We are excited to see what May will bring us! We are starting our ER rotation next week, but that means we have to move to Safford (3 hours away) for 3 days and then back to Mesa for 4 days.  We get to do that for 6 weeks. Not excited at all.  Grandma and Grandpa Larsen are coming to visit, and I get to celebrate my first official Mother's Day!