And he's off!

At 9 months, 1 week, 5 days old, Milo is walking! He's been taking single steps for the last week, but in the past 24 hours, he's strung those steps together--his current record is 7. All he does now is a seemingly endless cycle of up, walk, then down. We can't believe our littlest boy is already walking. It seems like just yesterday that brother was taking his first steps, too.



This development gives me hope that we'll soon see the end of the pick-up-every-single-thing-on-the-ground-that's-a potential-choking-hazard-and-put-it-in-my-mouth stage. Seriously. I've never seen anything like it. Moses could've cared less for anything inedible, but Milo--Milo's a sucker for any small rock or dirt clod or pecan. It's made any time spent outside a chore!

Out for a Stroll

As a baby gift, I received my dream stroller from my Dad and Sally. I know I previously said I wanted a Phil & Ted's Sport but after doing more research, I decided on the BOB Stroller Strides Duallie* because it allows me to either walk or jog with two, and with the infant seat attachment, we can get outside sooner rather than later. Ultimately, I want to start running again, but for now, we're just using it for long walks to the park.

On Monday morning, we walked a mile to the park, played, and then walked back. Aside from a couple of Milo's outbursts, the walk went great! The stroller handles so well---it's easy to push through grass and sand, turns on a dime (really!), takes bumpy sidewalks like a charm, and fits though our doorways. It must be cozy, too, because Moses fell asleep on the return trip.



Of course, that tiny nap threw Moses off schedule and he ended up crashing mid-play that afternoon.
*No, I don't do Stroller Strides but wanted the extra amenities the stroller has to offer (handlebar console, exercise bands, and workout manual). The stroller comes with a free week's worth of classes so I'll definitely give it a try but $45 a month for classes is tough when I'm not bringing in money. Shoot, maybe I'll just follow behind our local class and copy their workouts--I suppose there's nothing to stop me (except extreme embarrassment)! Ha!

Hallo-what?

Halloween wasn't all that spectacular for us. Both Dave and I had class so we couldn't show Moses off to our neighborhood friends, and Moses had a big case of mommy-clinger-itis that made the night a bit of a challenge.

However, this afternoon Moses attended a little Halloween party at his Parent's Day Out. I didn't get pictures of him in his Yoda costume because I was too busy steering him opposite the sugar cookies and mini-blinds, but hopefully, someone there got some pictures that I can share with you soon.

Even without the Halloween hoopla, we've had some fun moments this week (and thoroughly trashed the house in the process).

Anyone up for hide n' seek? Or bacon?

His feet are stepping on a scale.
I wish I was that satisfied with my weight.

I'm pretty sure he hit me up
for some money after this picture was taken.

Ladies and gentlemen,
step right up and see the amazing Tinkertoy eater.

He's taking his nightly laps around the living room
(in new shoes, which make him walk faster).

Bobby Darin would be proud.

Our day in a walnut shell.

-Lindsey

T-minus 31

Today Moses is 11 months! I can't believe that we'll be celebrating his first birthday in only 1 month. Yes, he is walking, talking (almost), and solving complicated algebraic equations, but he's still my baby.

Today was yet another freakishly warm fall day so we spent the morning outside.





We also took some more videos of Moses to celebrate his 11 month-self and to make up for the dark (okay, black) video in my last post.

-Lindsey

On turning pro

I'm so impressed with speed Moses has learned to walk: I mean really walk. Of course, he spends a large part of the day practicing--walking to the bedroom, beelining to the bathroom (his favorite place unless I have the mind to close the door), circling the sofa, and hunting for doggy Bella. His endless determination to explore his surroundings and learn new things is admirable. It's so amazing to watch him study an object that was once out of his immediate view and reach: he'll talk under his breath and turn it around in his hands, figuring it all out. He's also started to carry his finds around as inanimate companions while he scouts the house for fun (and sometimes trouble--see bathroom reference above).

Tonight, I took some videos to show the progress he's made in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to adjust the exposure or turn on the overhead light so one of the videos is impossibly dark.

-Lindsey

Go Moses Go!

Moses is walking better and better each day. Today, Dave captured Moses taking an unprecedented amount of steps, for him at least.

-Lindsey

Walk-ish

Moses has gotten really good at cruising along our furniture and walls, and with help, can walk decently. We've been trying to catch him on video while he does these things, but once the camera is out, he forgets what he's doing and tries to get the camera. But, this morning I caught him briefly...

-Lindsey

In constant motion.

A few days ago, Moses began testing his balance. He'll pull up and when he's steady, he'll let go for a few seconds.

Moses loves taking G-I-A-N-T steps, little baby lunges if you will, when walking. It's almost as if he's playing a silent game of "Mother May I" and some invisible playmate has commanded he take giant steps.

-Lindsey

No! Sleep! For Moses!

For nearly two weeks now, Moses has shunned his long-standing bedtime of 7:30 for one that's 3-5 hours later. Dave and I can't figure out why he's changed his bedtime since we've kept his routine the same, but we think the change might have something to do with Moses' growing mobility.

In the past month, he's quickly progressed from crawling to pulling up to cruising with assistance. Our typical day now consists solely of walking (with me holding his hands for support) : walk to the sofa; walk to the chair; walk to toy basket; walk to the chair again.

This newfangled mobility opened the door to exploring new things, and we're pretty certain the excitement of such novelties has contributed to his new night-owl behavior, and leaving him in his crib, a.k.a The Track, only affords him more time to practice walking, not sleeping. Sure Mos, that's why we put you in your crib each night, to walk.

It's a riot to watch his brain's wheels turn and see him learn such toddler-ish things, but soon, I'll need to walk to the chiropractor; I'm tempted to just resign myself to the hunchback lifestyle and take up residence in the church bell tower across the street.