On your way!

Yesterday little Noodle, you made your first successful attempt at getting around on your hands and knees!

You have been getting where you want to go for quite some time now, but not in the most graceful of ways - but yesterday little girl, you did it! You crawled!

Now, today it hasn't been replicated, but I can see you trying - you'll be crawling in no time!
We're in trouble now!

xo Mama

For Randi

Apparently my blog is boring...here is a little placeholder until I upload all of the pics to Sloan's "newsletter" (my least favourite part since it takes so long).

Sloan is dancing to Beyonce!




Also...isn't she the cutest...

xo JBM

Edited to add: I noticed one day that Sloan really likes the beat to Single Ladies when we were listening to the "Baby Mamas: Put a Sling on 'em" version - watch it on youtube- so cute!

Dear Sloan: Eight Months

Well little Noodle, summer is in full force and you are enjoying it to the fullest! Luckily you love the water, because we have been in it quite a bit lately to get cooled off!

I almost let you have your first sleepover with Nana on July 3rd when we went to a wedding out of town, but I just couldn't do it! I missed you too much! However, you did spend the whole day and all the way up until midnight with Nana and Papa and loved every minute of it - sounds like you didn't even miss us! Nana had a little photo shoot with you and captured some adorable moments!

On July 4th you had your first real day at the beach with Mummy and Daddy! You had been before, and dipped your toes in the sand and lake, but on this day we went for a swim in the lake and played in the sand! We have also had lots of days at Nana and Papa's pool! You love the big pink floaty and splashing around!

We even got a teeny-tiny little baby pool for at home to dip you in now and then!

On July 30th you got to enjoy some music at the Bruce! You stayed out way past your bed time and danced the night away at the Bluesfest - you LOVED the music!

This month you showed your growing independence, and while it is so exciting to watch you become your own little person, it is also so sad to see that you don't have to depend on me so much anymore. You are boogying around like nobody's business! You aren't crawling yet, but you can get where ever you want to go, and quite quickly too! You do this adorable little butt scoot and have also started doing a bit of an army crawl too. I don't think it will be long until you are actually crawling! Daddy better get the gate up at the stairs soon! You are also trying to pull yourself up on things - especially the bookcase and the coffee table at Nana and Papa's house! You can't quite pull yourself up to a standing position, but you do get close!

You love to play on your own, as long as you can see one of us close by, but you can keep yourself busy for a while! Your stacking rings are your favourite toy right now. While you are playing you're always babbling away to yourself, Dadadada is still a common one, but you are also saying yayaya a lot now too. Your little voice is so adorable, as is you little baby dinosaour growl that you still do a lot!

You seem to have grown a lot this month - right out of a lot of your clothes! At night when I am nursing you in the dark and I can only see your outline next to me it's hard not to get a little choked up when I realise how big you have gotten. The tiny baby that fit so perfectly accross my chest, is now sprawled out across my entire lap! Slow down!!!

Now, for your big 8 month birthday you celebrated by having a sleepover with Nana and Papa! Mama was able to loosen up a bit over the last month and realised the day (actually the night) had to come eventually! Mummy and Daddy had friend over and you got to spend some time with your "aunts" and "uncles" before taking off for your night away. And...of course...you did just fine!

Mama and Daddy love you so much Sloan!

xo Mama

Not-so-Wordless Wednesday

We seem to have issues with power cords on our laptop and another one has bit the dust! I'm debating getting another power cord, a new laptop, a new baby netbook, or a desktop...

For now, it's quick stops in at the parentals house for computer use!

I found this pic on their computer...

This was taken in a beer tent in Ripley during the reunion...the date stamp says Aug 19, 2005 - is that right? Apparently it was during Randi's tomato phase...

xo JBM

Wordless Wednesday: The Toothless Wonder

Dear Sloan: Seven Months

Wow, lots of firsts this month! Month 7 absolutely flew by...and got hotter and hotter as it went! It was 43 degrees today with the humidex!

You went on your first vacation this month. We went to visit David out in Vancouver with Nana, but sadly Daddy had to stay home and work. You were a great little traveller - sleeping on the plane, adjusting to the time difference and sightseeing like it was your job! We got to see a lot of great things (you especially loved the aquarium), eat at a bunch of great places (NoodleBox, Dim Sum, Mexican, Cupcakes! and lots of great homemade meals!) and spend lots of quality time with Uncle David and Brad!

You still love the jolly jumper and would stay in there for hours if I let you I think! I bought you a little spongy mat to jump on so you don't hurt your feet! You're also using this mat to roll around on - you're a master roller now! You can even roll towards something to get it! This mat has also come in handy to work on your sitting, which you have also mastered! You look so grown up sitting there on your own, not toppling over!



Last month you mastered the clapping, but this month you perfected it by clapping on cue! If we clap, you clap! You have also figured out that if you bang two things together it makes a noise. It was so neat to watch you figure this out for the first time, and just as wonderful to see you so impressed with yourself each time you rediscover it!



You are eating more and more different foods now. This month we discovered that you love apple-pear sauce (so do I!) and although peaches weren't a big hit at first, you love them mixed with banana!



Your little personality is developing more and more. You are a little Mama's girl for sure! You have this adorable little shy smile when meeting new people and turn into my shoulder to hide your little face - it is so stinkin' cute! You also do this adorable little shoulder shrug that could melt anyones heart!


We hosted our first play group this month - you had 6 little friends over! It was so neat to watch you interacting with them (mainly with eye contact and watching them play with your toys).

Speaking of playgroup, we have also been going to the Early Years Centre on a pretty regular basis and this month you got to paint there for the first time! Yummy vanilla pudding painting! As soon as you got a taste of it, you licked it all of your page - so much for painting! You also did some painting for Father's Day - hand prints on a homemade card and some painting with a brush on a bowl that you helped make for Daddy out in Vancouver - he is one lucky Daddy!

Yum!

You're babbling more and more now. Da-da is still your favourite sound, but I'm working on ma-ma! I say ma-ma and you repeat da-da!

You also went to your first pipe band this month - a weekend tradition I hope to keep since I have so many great memories of it as a child. You watched without a flinch as the band went by and then we marched behind them and Mummy and Daddy got ice cream. On the way back you fell asleep! And stayed asleep as the band went by the second time!

Snoozing...

Lastly, another first - fireworks! You celebrated your first Canada Day! We were off to Cambridge for the day to see the Stewart-Murphy clan and visit with your Nanny Murphy - she noticed a HUGE change in you since this was just her 3rd time seeing you. You napped almost the whole way home, so you were able to stay up late to watch the fireworks over this lake in town. We weren't sure how you would react to them, but you just snuggled on me, and rested your head on Daddy and watched with amazement. I didn't get to see too many because I was busy watching your reaction to them!

You no longer hate the grass!

People keep asking me if I am looking forward to going back to work soon and the answer to that is a big fat NO! I love my job, but I love being with you way more. I can't imagine not being the one to get to watch all of these first with you and getting to see all of the subtle little changes day to day. Hopefully we'll win the lottery before it's time to go back to work! :)

xo Mama


p.s We still mainly call you Noodle! Luckily you aren't too confused by this and respond to either Sloan or Noodle!

Wordless Wednesday: Peaches & Pipeband

xo JBM