Funnel Cake Rocks!

I have been waiting to take Joe to the fair since he was born. (Technically this is his second time to the fair, if you count last year when he was still in the oven.) He had a great time watching all the kids run around and listening to the new sounds.


Here we are on the carousel. I could barely hold on to him because he was kicking and laughing the whole time! I could see people watching him and smiling as we went around and around.



Dan even got in on the action by riding the "Wiggle Wurm" (yes,that's the correct spelling for all you fellow teachers out there). Joe loved that, too.
All in all, it was a great time. Joe was worn out by the end (us, too!) but still managed have his first taste of funnel cake. Needless to say, it was met with approval. I'm starting to wonder now if I can get a funnel cake birthday cake for him...hmmm...

Bargains in the Rain

Just a quick plug for all you bargain hunting moms out there...be sure to check out the Growing Kids Sale this weekend at Kay Rodgers Park. I waited in the rain for 2+ hours with two friends who were also workers at the sale just to be the first few in the door. It was crazy and fun! It was like being on "supermarket sweep" to quote my friend, Nikki. Anyway, there will still be plenty of good deals left this weekend, and there is even a 1/2 price day this weekend. So head on out (even in the rain!) to pick up clothes, toys, furniture, and much, much more!!!

Uncle Cake

At my mom's birthday party, Joe Harrison got his first taste of cake courtesy of Uncle Jimmy aka Uncle Cake. As you can see from the pics, Joe started by staring intently at his uncle until he offered him a bite of cake. It was all over after the first taste. Joe lovingly placed his hand on Uncle Jimmy's shoulder as if to say, "I love you, Uncle Cake! Can I have another bite?" Needless to say, we now know that Joe's 1st birthday cake will have to be a strawberry one from Confectionately Yours. At least he has sophisticated tastes for a 9 1/2 month old!

Tooth Fairy Beware!

Joe is getting top teeth!!! His top right incisor is beginning to poke through and the left one is not far behind it. He has been a little out of sorts the past couple of weeks, and now we know why! Of course, we are lucky because even his "bad" days are pretty good by most standards. Joe just isn't much of a complainer. All this teething has been going on while Dan and I have started back to work, so that has been an adjustment for our little guy as well. But, our sitter says he's pretty much back in the routine (which is more than I can say for his parents!) so I think things should be okay. I will be taking Joe on Thursday for his 9 month checkup. No shots this time (thank goodness!!) but we'll talk about a lot of developmental milestones and get him weighed and measured. I'm anxious to see what his stats are, because he's so dang tall! You can forget it with those 6-9 month clothes. I'm already putting him in 12-18 month onesies and t-shirts. Joe has one long torso. Now where did that come from?...thanks a bunch, Dan! :)

Pull Up, Pull Up, Whereever You Are

Joe has become quite accomplished at pulling up and standing. He loves to stand at his shelf in the sunroom. He has two shelves all his own for toys. We also got him a Leap Frog table that plays music, etc. and he loves to stand up and play with that, too. I can tell that he really wants to walk on his own, but he just doesn't have the balance for it yet. Personally, he already crawls fast enough...I can wait a little while for the walking! That reminds me- I have to mention that he has developed his own style when crawling that we've dubbed the "crab crawl." It's just like regular crawling, but when he uses his right leg, he puts the sole of his foot on the ground and pushes off. Joe saves the "crab crawl" for when he's really hustling. I'm going to try to get some video of it and put it on my My Space page.

Winding down...

This first sweet summer with Joe seems to be drawing to its inevitable close. I'll be going to 2 days of professional development this week on writing and three days next week on literacy for upper grades. Then, it'll be back to work on the 8th. I never guessed it would be harder to leave Joe this August than it was to leave him that first time in January when my maternity leave ended. I'm not ready for it to be over.

It's One Small Crawl for Babykind...

Well, I guess it's all over but the shouting now. Joe has begun to crawl. He started this past weekend and has really taken off by now. Every time we put him down he is on his way somewhere...to get a toy, find a place to pull up, or to look for minuscule bits of dirt and trash even WE can't see on the floor . Most of you know I'm not the best housekeeper in the world, but it is simply a necessity to keep the floors swept/vacuumed now that Joe is on the prowl. No more "Jasper-bunnies" lying around in the corners, which is a good thing. I guess the next big milestone for Joe will be walking...God help us!