7 Months & Mobile

Vaan has been up on his hands and knees rocking back and forth forever.  At 7 months, something finally clicked and he figured out how to get from point A to point B.  Point B, of course, being everywhere he shouldn't be!  It has been so fun to see the progression.  Right at the start of this month, Vaan began doing a few 'crawling steps' at a time.  There were then several face plants, two feet launches forward, and belly wiggles when he tried to get ahead of himself.  Finally on February 8th, Vaan decided enough of these baby steps, I'm moving across the room! 

Vaan continues to bring joy, excitement, and new adventures.  We recently took him to the Whitewater Aquatic Center to get him back in the pool.  Just as he did the first time, he loved the water, kicked his legs, and was a great floater.  He even put his face in a few times with no tears; he thought he was a pretty big boy 'dunking' himself!  We can not wait for summer and Grandpa Jim's pool.  Be prepared Grandpa, you will be seeing A LOT of us!

We will be on our toes and probably saying 'NO' more than even now that Vaan is on the move.  I can only imagine how quickly he will progress with this and how quickly he will find all the 'un-baby proofed' things in the house!  I can't wait to share our new lifestyle at 8 months.  Until then, here are a few pictures at 7 months.

Cheers to mobility, splish splashing, and seven months!

Either You're SWAT or You're Not

When you live, breath, and sweat all things exciting and dangerous, being part of the police department's SWAT team is a huge goal of yours.  As of 1/1/2013, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED in the Stubbendick house!  Justin is the newest sniper on the SWAT team and could not be more excited.  Am I happy for Justin, YES!  Am I super excited that he will get called out for the most dangerous/exciting/craziest 'situations' occurring in our city, not so much!  Justin loves his job and takes several measures to make sure he is always at his best, able to perform and safely execute all tasks, and would never approach anything unprepared, so I do take comfort in that.  I am sure there will be nerve wracking times to come, but when it is all said and done, I am very proud of Justin and I am excited for him to start this new journey.

It did not take long for the first SWAT call to come in.  Just as expected, Justin was filled with excitement and adrenaline and I was filled with nervousness and knots in my stomach.  The mission went off without a hitch and we were all excited to have Dad home shortly after!

Dad's first SWAT call!

Peanut, You Really Are a Peanut At 6 Months!

I guess I should make a 6 month post before Vaan turns 7 months, huh?!  Between the holidays coming to a close, technical difficulties with loading pictures (I know it is hard to believe I still do not have this blogging thing mastered), and a little guy that never stops moving, time has gotten away from me!  Despite the fact that I wish time would stand still for a little while, I would not have things any other way.  At 6 months, Vaan is healthy, curious, and constantly in motion.  It is so amazing to see him grow, learn new things, and master more skills.  After seeing Dr. Ziegler, Vaan weighs in at 15lbs, 12ounces.  What he lacks in 'bulk', he does make up for in height and head circumference!  It is hard to imagine him being in anything more than the 19% for weight considering he can jump in his jumper for several hours throughout the day and still have energy to roll around on the floor and get into all kinds of trouble.  It is pretty crazy how much activity he gets in each day and is no surprise that he wants to eat ALL. THE. TIME.!!

Now that Vaan is 6 months, his taste buds have experienced quite the wild ride!  No more of that plain oatmeal; we are on to bigger and better things including avocado, sweet potato, banana, and broccoli.  Vaan is your typical boy and will gobble just about anything down.  He did have quite the face when he tried banana; I do not think he was expecting something that sweet.  It only took a few short seconds for him to process that bananas are quite the treat!  Apples and oranges and beans to come - oh my!

I know this next month will bring more challenges, more 'firsts', and a lot more fun.  I can not wait to share!  Until then, cheers to Lightning McQueen, sitting solo, and 6 months!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

I can not believe the holidays have come and gone already (and I am so far behind on my blogging...gahhh!!).  What an amazing season it was in our home: family, friends, and so much love!  Even though Vaan is too little to know exactly what is going on, it was magical to watch Vaan's eyes light up when he saw the Christmas tree, to see him rip the wrapping paper off his presents, and watch him flash smiles and "check me out" eyes at everyone at family gatherings.

While Vaan did not know it was Christmas and while we did not completely empty our pocket books on the latest and greatest of toys, Vaan receieved so much, material and non-material, it will be a Christmas that will last a life time.  The simplicity of Vaan's happiness: Mom singing, Dad reading to him, Auntie Erica jumping around, Uncle Sean playing roll the football, jumping like a wild man, and sitting like a big boy reminds me, and everyone, the true meaning of the holiday and for this I will be forever thankful.  When times seem rough or the days get hard, I will remember this Christmas season and that happiness is simple.  It is not the amount of gifts we give or receive, the amount of money we spend, or what we are compared to others; happiness is being with family and feeling surrounded by love.  I am so thankful and appreciative of how much Vaan is loved and how much joy he brings others. 

Christmas time always reminds me of all that is good in the world:  lots of love, family, giving, and good cheer.  This year, this feeling of sentiment has been brought to a whole new level.  My home is filled with my amazing family and my heart is filled with love.  As the Christmas season comes to a close and we begin a new year, I could not feel more blessed.  Having a child gives living a whole new purpose and I thank God each and every day for the amazing life that has been given to me.  This first Christmas and New Year as a family could not have been any better; it leaves me feeling incredibly happy and extremely excited for what 2013 has to bring!

CHEERS!

Florida & Five Months

A mini golden birthday, as Grandpa Dean calls it - 5 months on the 5th!  December has already brought an amazing amount of joy and it's not even Christmas!  Between vacations, birthdays, and log rolling, we have been very busy!

Justin, Erica, and I took Vaan on his first plane ride, 12/1/12, down to see Aunt Roselle and Uncle Mel!  Roselle, Erica, and I have created an annual tradition of an early December Florida vacation to celebrate all of our birthdays.  This year was extra special as it was our first family vacation as well!  Growing up, my family always went to Florida to see my Grandpa, so it is only fitting that going to Florida to see family was Vaan's first!  Vaan flew very well and won over the others on the flight with his cuteness!  While we were in Florida, Vaan had his first "swim lesson"!  He is an excellent back floater and has the skill of kicking mastered!  He loved the water and I can't wait to get him into swim lessons in January.  We exposed Vaan (and Justin) to our annual shopping extravaganza that goes along with this trip.  Even though we didn't do near as much as we normally do, we still didn't disappoint - our bags were packed FULL by the end!  We also continued with our annual tradition of decorating Roselle's tree with several hundred ornaments (I am not exaggerating) and putting our 3 matching ornaments on for the year.  Vaan got his own special ornament this year for her tree as well.  We had a great time seeing Roselle and Mel, celebrating Roselle and Erica's birthday, shopping, swimming, and relaxing in the warm Florida air!

At five months, Vaan's favorite past time is log rolling EVERYWHERE!  You put him down as far away from the Christmas tree as possible, a few minutes later he has rolled his way under!  He can get (almost) anywhere he would like and get at anything on the floor!  I guess this is his way of saying, "mom and dad, you better think about child proofing our house because I am ready to MOVE!"  He continues to be an incredibly happy baby and bring us joy each and every day.  We could not be more blessed!

Cheers to Florida, Festivities, and Five Months!


Florida

 

 

 

 

 Five Months