11 months

So, I'm a few days late, but hey!  Better late than never! 

11 months!  Whew!  We made it.  Seeing Clark next to little babies now reminds me that I almost have a toddler and that is ridiculous.  Then again, I alway thought 1-year-olds were much older than my little guy seems to be, because, duh Carly, one is still very much a little baby.  And that secretly makes me very happy :)

Our Clarkster is now standing on his own and taking less and less shaky steps as he cruises around the furniture or pushes a chair around.  I just know that any day now he's going to let go and start walking and not even realize it.  He balances by himself without knowing it every now and again and it makes him look like such a little person, standing there unsupported.

We love any and everything that has a straw attached to it these days and he's very good at sucking on them.  I have a cup I drink out of all day and he's pretty sure it belongs to him.  Any time I get it out, he begs to take a sip too.  It's kind of adorable.  I also end up being very thirsty...

A favorite food?  Believe it or not, peas.  Frozen, warm, or fresh he's a fan.

Some exciting news around here: we just learned a sign!  Clark is very proficient at asking for "more" now by clapping his hands.  It's my favorite thing.  Hooray for the beginning of communication!

His newest trick is being able to climb alllll the way up the stairs in a single go.  Sheesh, kid, slow down!

One of his favorite things to do in the mornings while Dave and I are getting ready is help us brush our teeth.  I'm not really sure how this got started, but now if he sees you with a toothbrush he'll run over and whine at your leg until you pick him up and let him hold onto the toothbrush while you brush your teeth.  It's not too much trouble and I actually think it's pretty cute.

Clark's favorite book right now is Corduroy by Don Freeman and I'm not complaining.  It's one of my favorites too and he'll actually sit still through reading the whole thing and loves looking at all the pictures.  He might need a little Corduroy bear for his 1st birthday... ;)

Words we know:
knock knock - he'll rap his knuckles on the nearest hard surface
hurray! - he'll clap his hands
more - he'll clap his hands again (hurray and more are kind of hard to differentiate sometimes...)
no no - he doesn't always obey when he hears this, but he definately knows what it means - I can see it in your eyes kiddo ;)
kiss - be careful if you ask for this one - most of the time he'll oblige, and they are wet and slobbery things.  Also the best.

And he might be saying "ball," but I don't have solid evidence for that quite yet.  The juries still out on this first word business.  He also said a very distinct "mama" the other day, witnessed by my own mother, so I'm for sure not making that one up.

Funny story, EVERYONE, and I mean everyone assumes he's a girl.  I'm not exaggerating.  It's so funny, because he's such a little boy to me that I really can't see it.  It's probably my own fault for not decking him out in footballs and tractors, but that's just not my style.  I can't fault someone for mistaking him for a girl when he's in grey stripes with those killer eyelashes of his.  Still, it's too funny (and consistent).

We love you so much little chunk!  I can hardly believe you'll be a year old next month.  What a wonderful year its been.

10 months

Alright, can we just talk about how 10 months is such a fun age??  He's starting to learn things at super sonic speed and I keep looking over at him and seeing a little boy instead of my little baby! The time!  It goes so fast!  Just a few more months and I'll have a ONE YEAR OLD.  That's insane.  I can hardly believe that this time last year I was super pregnant and getting ready to have a tiny babe.

One of the funnest things right now is that we point at everything, anything, and all the things.  Clark points to say hi, bye, and to just acknowledge your presence.  People get a kick out of it and he makes more best friends at the mall in one shopping trip than I will in the next year.  It's the funnest.  My mom always says that babies are the great equalizer and I agree.  We're all on the same playing field with a baby and everyone has something to say about it.  One of my favorite things is getting stopped by the little grandmas in Target that just want to pinch his cheeks (and do) and tell me how sweet he is.  Oh, come on, stop it.  Just kidding, lets talk more about those big blue eyes.

This kids is majorly ticklish and he giggles like mad if you tickle under his arms or give him raspberries under his chin.  The newest tickle spot I've found is behind his knees.  Oh little boy, you are in for some intense tickle fights,

Biggest news of the month: we have a full on crawler!! It's so fun to have him really be mobile.  And dangerous.  For real.  But I just love him being able to get what he wants and its the sweetest thing when he follows me to the kitchen and will sit in the doorway chattering with me.  The bad news is we now need baby gates and, while they aren't quite as bad as I was imagining, I still don't love them.  The blessing and curse of living in a two story little town home I guess.

Also big news: we can stand.  The crib got dropped like it was hot last month, but I'm still getting used to it.  I do love coming in after his nap to that little guy standing up and smiling at me (but usually he's crying, lets be honest - Get me out of here mom!)

Little dude now has EIGHT teeth and it's crazy town.  He looks so different to me with those top four teeth peeking through and he loves munching down on crackers with a satisfying crunch when he eats.  It's the little things.

I still haven't caught it on camera, but my new favorite face he makes is too funny.  When he's not happy and wants to let you know, but doesn't want to put the effort into a full on wail, he'll scrunch up his eyes into little half moons open his mouth in a pout and make a big "Eee!" to show his displeasure.  Sorry kiddo, it's not working.  I just think you're adorable.

We've been playing peek-a-boo since this guy was tiny, but this month Clark finally started doing the hiding and peeking out.  His favorite thing to hide under is my pajamas and it's kind of the cutest thing ever to ask "Where's Clark...?" and then have him pop out and giggle.

This kid has a newfound love for my blow dryer, my cup with a straw in it, and pretty much anything I'm holding ever.  Sometimes it's cute...most of the time I just want to drink something without being mauled for a turn on the straw.  Love you little man.  Good thing I'm a pro sharer.

Little guy has discovered a new talent: motorboating his lips in a constant buzz (and lots of spit - we are in a constant splash zone over here).  And 90% of the time if you buzz your lips at him, he'll do it back to you.  Still need to catch that on video.

And lastly, somehow, this kid still gets mistaken for a girl all.the.time.  I don't exactly dress him in footballs and bright blue all the time, but I kind of feel like it's getting excessive.  It's tough being a boy with such thick dark lashes and beautiful big eyes.

9 months

NINE months.  Yeesh.  So much seems to be happening all at once.  This little dude is learning so much, so fast and I feel like I'm left trying to catch up!

Big update: we're crawling!  He's still figuring it out, but give him a few more weeks and he'll be a pro.  It's insane to put him down and then turn around and he's across the room getting into who knows what, but it's also so much fun to watch him be able to explore on his own.  Hello babyproofing, you are upon us in earnest.

Of course, hand in hand with crawling, is figuring out how to go from laying down to a sitting position.  I came into his room after a nap last week and found him sitting up playing with his blanket so very pleased with himself.  Shoot.  Cue dropping the crib.  I didn't want to lower it all the way because he still hadn't figured out how to pull himself up to a standing position on his own...until this morning when he pulled himself up on our shelving unit in the kitchen.  What??  Too fast kiddo!  Too fast!  Time to drop the crib again...

And since we're figuring out this moving, standing, exploring phase we're also figuring out how to tumble, fall and bump.  Good thing these little kiddos aren't half as hard to break as they look.  He's a tough little nut, this nine-month-old of ours as he fumbles around, bonking his head on the furniture.

This kiddos two bottom teeth have popped through, and now all four of his top middle teeth are making their debut.  All four.  At once.  Thank the heavens for Tylenol and teething tablets (and grandparent too - they make him smile almost no matter what).

We've been working our way up to eating big kid solids these past few weeks and it's so crazy to see him eat what we're eating!  And so fun too.  He loves all fruits, but refuses to pick them up himself!  Too funny.  He's a pro at feeding himself little crackers and cheese though.  Speaking of cheese, he'd probably eat that 24/7 if I'd let him.  It's his absolute favorite thing: cottage, mozzarella, cheddar, goat.  You name it, he loves it.

This little man has finally figured out how to take hats off his head.  Darn.  The only accessory I really had to begin with.  Oh well, one less thing to remember when we go out the door, I guess!

My new favorite trick our little guy does is giving out kisses.  He's either terribly coy about it for will kiss you with reckless abandon, but there's not much in between.  However, there's really nothing better than getting sweet open mouthed kisses from a little boy.  Be still my momma heart.

Annnnd, best update of all, this baby boy said momma!  He mostly only says it when he's whining, sad, or wants something, but I'll take it ;)

We sure love you baby boy!  You just continue to get more and more fun each month, except for the teething, could you tone down on that for bit, darling?

8 months

I really never thought this blog would eventually be whittled down to a bunch of baby updates, but, alas, so it has.  Who has time for anything more??  One day, I'll get back to recording our lives.  For now I only have enough energy to make us a Shutterfly album, sorry blog.

So eight months!  What a seriously fun time.  This little chub has definitely become very opinionated and he'll let you know it.  He's gotten very good at pushing things away he doesn't want: his pacifier, a spoon, your hand when you try to wipe his face.  He's also a champ at letting you know when he wants something.  Took away that toy he was playing with?  "Mmmmm! Mmmm!" means "Hey I wanted that!"

We also finally have a tooth!!  His little grin looks so different now. And we're working on its neighbor as we speak.  That first one was a beast to get through.  We're talking cranky, sad, grump of all grumps.  Wouldn't go to sleep unless he was nursing, clingy, crabby, all the things he really never is.  It was a rough 7 days.  This second tooth hasn't been nearly as bad so far, so I'm just crossing my fingers for a new normal since we've got 20 odd more of these bad boys to get through.

We introduced little dude to a bottle when he was a little over a month old annnnd...never really went back to it.  So, unfortunately, he lost the skill and absolutely refused to take a bottle when we started up a little over a month ago.  Sigh, momma's gotta concert to go to at the end of August little guy!  We had to figure this out!  Well, it took a month plus, and a lot of patience on Dave's part, but we did it.  This kid now takes a bottle like it's no big thing.  Thank heavens.  I wasn't about to miss Taylor Swift in August!

One of Clark's new favorite discoveries lately has been his pointer finger.  He doesn't know how to point to things yet, but if he sees something interesting - say the eye on his stuffed animal - out comes his little pointer finger and a cocked head as he inspects this new important thing.  It's seriously adorable.  

We've also started to babble in earnest and it kills me.  He figured out how to say "dada" a few weeks ago and it hasn't let up.  He doesn't know what it means yet, but hearing him whisper, "dadadada" under his breath might be one of the cutest things he's ever done.  Now if he could only master "mama"...

We've really started to get going with solids now, eating three square meals a day that are at least 1/4th of a cup or more.  Kids got an appetite!  He used to open his mouth up wide for his first bite, but he's just started to wise up that not all purees are created equal.  He's started to take a quick tester bite before he's ready to commit to the rest of meal.  He's no dummy.  Green beans and avocados?  Um, no thanks.  Pears and nectarines?  Oh yeah, I'll have some of that.

It's so amazing to see his little personality come out more and more every day.  Being this kid's momma sure is a party.

7 months

Somehow, in my mind, I never really thought much past my baby being 6 months old.  And now, here we are, at 7 months.  Time.  She is a fickle and fast mistress.  But seriously, wasn't he just a week old??

Clark is sitting up like he's been doing it all his life and his giggles are infectious and right from his chunky belly.  My mother-in-law says he laughs just like David did when he was a baby.  So stink'in cute.

Things of note: we're gaining steam with solids!  We're up to eating three "meals" a day and so far his favorite is, wait for it...prunes!  Of all the things a kid could eat, huh?  Bananas and applesauce are next in line and butternut squash and cauliflower are the bane of his existence. He's still not super into this whole eating thing yet, but it's so fun to expose him to new tastes and textures.  In addition to purees, I'm also trying a bit of a baby led weaning approach and trying to let him hold and chew on things, but he gets so confused.  He gives me these looks like, "This apple slice goes in my mouth?  Are you sure...?"  It's a work in progress.

Clark and I took our first solo plane ride together up to Provo and, while we did just fine, flying sans David is definitely not my traveling method of choice.  Thank goodness for kind seatmates (why would you ever book someone with a lap child in the middle seat??) and a helpful flight crew.  Also, note to self, never wear white pants when traveling with a baby.  Duh.

Clark is rolling all around these days.  Back to tummy.  Tummy to back.  This way.  That way.  I'll put him down and turn around for a minute and he's on the other side of the room.  He hasn't quite figured out how to use his rolling antics as a mode of getting to where he wants to be yet, but I'm sure that light bulb will go off any day now...

It's definitely not all fun and games though.  Baby boy was doing a great job of sleeping 7PM to 7AM and then all of a sudden...not so much.  He likes to wake up in the 4:00 to 5:30 range these days and doesn't much like to go back to bed after those early wake up calls, but we're working on it.  Really, really hard. 

For the most part, though, this is such a fun age.  We adore this little guy and he most definitely has Dave and I wrapped around his tiny little finger.  We love you baby boy!

6 months

 Six months.  Six months!!  Who is okaying this madness?  Good thing this is such a fun age, or I'd probably be bawled up in a corning looking at newborn pictures.

Stats:
Weight: 19 lbs
Height: 28 1/2 inches

Clark is one happy camper these days and smiles at pretty much anything that moves: grocery store clerks, palm fronds, dogs barking.  He's not picky.  He's also especially giggly right now and it's killing me.  I have entirely too many videos of him laughing #sorrynotsorry.

Kiddo became a expert traveler this month going on two trips and six plane rides total.  And he was a dream.  Seriously, kuddos to this kid.  His first flight to Provo he gave us a diaper blow out and fell asleep minutes before the plane landed, but he was happy!  Not complaining.  We turned around the next week and flew cross country to Florida and Clark was a trooper all over again.  The real amazing thing was on our flight home where we waited 5 extra hours at the airport, missed our connecting flight, had to spend the night in Dallas, and grabbed an early morning 7AM flight having to be up at 5AM and off to the airport...and Clark didn't cry once!  Not once!  He was a miraculous traveling super baby.  Bless him.  Bless him 50 times.

This little guy is starting to become much more verbal these days with lots of ba's and aa's, and recently working on his ma's.  It's adorable.

The cutest thing lately is that our little man is starting to reach for him momma.  It melts me!  He's only done it a handful of times, but I just adore it (hopefully I still adore it when he's 2 and wanting to be help all the time).

Big baby milestone this month: solids!  So far we've just given the babe rice cereal and his reviews are definitely mixed.  He's interested, but confused and really the best tactic to getting him to eat a bite is to make him laugh and dump a spoonful in his open mouth.  He looks surprised every time, but he seems to be swallowing more than is dribbling down his chin so...progress?  I'm getting pretty jazzed to start giving him fruits and veges next. 

Little guy definitely is starting to have preferences these days and one of them is colors.  Specifically red.  He seems to dig all things rosy, most especially a cup I like to drink out of.  When it's on the table he does a full two armed lunge toward it until I move it closer.  We get the message little dude.

Mostly we just love this little chub and are so happy he's ours for good.  Keep growing little guy (but not too fast please!).

Easters

I have always loved Easter.  It probably started with the fact that it's close to my birthday, but after that it just became such a sweet simple holiday filled with family, good food, and the message our Savior.  What more could you want?  Except for dying eggs...not such a big fan of that.

Clark was introduced to the egg hunt at our ward's Easter activity.  He wasn't really into it...just wait till you can eat the candy next year kiddo.  It gets wayyyy more fun after that.

As it so happened, Easter this year, fell over General Conference weekend.  So we got to spend a few days with family down in Orange County.

While the boys were away at Priesthood Session, we packed up the babe and toted him to Balboa Island for some good times. 

One of my most favorite things is watching other people love on my little dude, and his Grammy and Aunt Brooke are pros.

Since General Conference means we stay home, we didn't get decked out in our Easter best on Easter Sunday, but that didn't stop Clark from looking oh so dapper!  

Until he figures out how to take hats off his head, this kid will be wearing a whole bunch of them.

 It was a perfect Easter weekend filled with all the fixin's and plenty of baby giggles.  So thankful for family and the message of this Easter season.

Clark meets water

Lets be honest, I have been dying to get Clark in the pool for months now, but it just hasn't been right. 

I didn't have a swimsuit for him. 
The pool was too cold. 
David wasn't around. 

But finally, finally, the stars aligned and we got this kiddo in some swim trunks and dunked him in Grammy and Poppy's lukewarm hot tub. 

And it did not disappoint.

Gosh, being a parent is so much fun.  I love watching these firsts with this little guy.

 Clark in sunglasses.  There are few things cuter than Clark in sunglasses.

But that sassy look on the right comes close.

 "Whooooa dad, I'm not so sure about this..." - Clark

Just kidding.

Get ready kiddo, we're going to be int he pool a whooooole lot this summer.

cousin friends

Once upon an Easter last we had a Tobler family Skype session where two couples announced they were expecting little bebes come November.  It was the best news, pretty much ever, and now that we have two little cousin buddies born 9 days apart and destined to be the best of friends.

It took them four months to meet, so you can imagine how shutter happy we were once they finally got together, the fruits of which you can see here:

The first meeting in sum up: Miles squealing with joy and Clark wide-eyed and holding onto Mom.  He wasn't so sure about his Indiana cousin...

Watching them chatter to each other on the play mat was all sorts of heartwarming cuteness.

 

So happy to finally meet this chunky little nephew of mine!  He is such a love.

 

"Mom, do you see this guy??  He's just my size!" - Clark

 Two babies and their Grammy Tobler.  So much love going on in this picture.

 Of course when you start out with two babes in their Sunday best, you've gotta get comfy eventually.  And what's cuter than to nakey babies?

 Hand eating.  Must be related.

 Two cute boys.

 Two cute bums.

And topping off the day with a toe dip in the pool.  Not a bad gig.

It is going to be beyond fun to watch these two little chunks grow up together.  Hopefully they'll eventually live a little closer together than Indianapolis and LA ;)