A Streak of Luck

Fact: When you turn one you are able to
run around willy-nilly (pun intended).Myth: When running around willy-nilly,
the one-year-old does not pee on the floor.Fact: There are three extra disinfected tiles in our living arena.
Myth: Parents of said one year old will discontinue willy-nilly time.

Footloose and Fancy Free

The benefits of living at camp and not having neighbors:

A little front porch fun...

Nephews feel right at home. And that is perfectly fine by me.

Day Two of the Giusti Fellas: swimming, sunbathing in the buff, crafts, new friends, corn dogs and ranch dressing, movies galore.
Success.

Like Father, Like Son?

Rubber ducky, you're the one.

But I think daddy makes bath time so much fun.
Sorry, little duck.
Maybe next time.

Footnote: Chris is clothed from the waist down in this photo, despite what your eyes may tell you. Summer isn't here yet, the white of the shorts matches that of his thighs.

Seven

I can hardly believe as I sit here and type that our little guy is seven months old today. Yikes.
Questions going through my brain:
Really?
How can that be?
Is this some sort of a silly prank?
Did I sleep through it?
Sleep...what's that?
Why do I not look as hot and fabulous as those famous gals who have seven month old babies...That's for another time, this place.

So another month brings on a plethora of new and completely adorable "tricks" that Noah has learned or acquired. With much deliberation I am sticking to the plan, carefully selecting seven of our favorites:

1. He has a pooping stance. And face. Holy hilarious. He typically assumes the position a couple of times in the morning, taking after his daddy (the time, not the position...I'd be concerned if Chris was on all fours with his head tilted down, almost touching the floor.). His face turns red. His eyes get all watery. He turns up the side of his mouth with a look of concern. So funny. And a nice diaper warning to boot.

2. Cantaloupe. He can't get enough. He grabs ahold of a slice with his chubby little hands and chows down like it's going out of style. If you don't replace his typewriter-looking eaten piece, he hollers out a high pitched request for MORE! Warning: Prepare to be doused in juices if holding baby while eating melons.

3. Noah has figured out the "I drop it and you pick it up a thousand times" game. I am pretty sure the picker-upper is on the losing end of this game every time. Even still, his subtle amazement is intriguing to me. He is a very curious little guy.

4. Little dude has a burning and growing passion for all things electronic. Not the crazy silly toys that light up and sing that parents pay big bucks for them to entertain their kid for a whole two minutes...no, he'd rather the remote control. Or your cell phone and camera even. He's not picky.

5. Our human garbage disposal has learned how to pick small pieces of food out of our hands or off of his tray and put them in his mouth. So exciting... he's not yet impressed with his own speed and gets a little cranky if the puff sticks to the back of his hands, but it's progress. We clap for him and say "yayyyy" and he gets this sheepish grin on his face. Preshfest.

6. He climbs. On everything. Anytime. Any place. It's ridiculous. I bet he spends more time standing than crawling or sitting. Makes baby-proofing all the more interesting with tile floors in every inch of our house.

7. Embrace it. We are a family who lives in the woods, the country, the sticks. I may be able to curb his use of "you'uns" and try to steer him away from the snuff/tobacco and moonshine, but the boy must learn to be true to his raisin'. Without further ado, I present to you, his first ride on a John Deere:

And I know for a fact it won't be the last.

So there it is, another month has come and gone. See you later, seven.
Memories are abundant and will last a lifetime despite times fleeting efforts to pass way too fast. Hold on to your britches, folks, eight is coming mighty quick.

Whew.

Someone decided that it would be okay for Noah to sprint through a few "milestones" all at once. I am going to need to speak with them. Pronto.

Assuming the position...time to baby proof the house. Oi.

 Look at my new teeth...

And this is just too darn cute to not share.

Last night I was changing his diaper on the floor at the Smeltzer's house when he performed some impressive acrobatics. He was on his back as I was taking his diaper off when he flipped over to his belly and pushed up on all fours all in the same fluid motion. There he was in all his glory, on his hands and knees, with his bare hiney in the air and a big silly grin on his face. Oh, how I wish I would have had my camera. Of course, I called everyone over to look. For some reason, they weren't as amused as me.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One

Bath time is a rarity around our house, unfortunately. For all residents. Noah takes after his pops and "showers" every other day or so...I mean, he's a baby and we wipe his nether-regions several times a day...how dirty can he be, right? We haven't figured out if he likes his bath or just likes to be naked so he tolerates his bath time. Nevertheless, it makes for some pretty cute photos:

He will not think this was such a great idea in the future.  
"Butt" that's a cute fanny.

 

He finds the cleaning of his "parts" rather interesting/entertaining.

I'm speechless. Mesmerized by those baby blues. 

It's legit, no editing, folks.

Snug as a bug.