Tucker Tuesday: Weeks 42 & 43

Tucker is starting to turn into a little boy (rather than a baby) more and more every week!  He has been sleeping through the night the past couple of weeks, and I've only had to get up with him twice!  We were prepared for many sleepless nights trying to get him to sleep through the night, but he must have heard us talking because it only took him one night and then he has had it figured out since!

He has needed all of that extra sleep because he has been busy moving!!  He can climb all the way to the top of our stairs which is almost 20!  We are, of course, right behind him with our hands ready in case he slips (which he does from time to time as he's looking around at how high he is)!  Last night, Jeremy showed him how to climb down the stairs backwards on his tummy and he had it mastered by the end of the night!  He's also starting to get pretty good with the walker over the last couple days, but he still drops to his knees and "sprint crawls" when he wants to get to something quickly.

He's been waving "hi/bye" and says "babababa" with some prompting from Mom and Dad.  He "talks" pretty constantly now and it seems like some of the sounds are so close to actual words.  I swear I've heard "kitty" and "Oliver" come out of his mouth, but that could just be my ears playing tricks.  He loves chasing the cats around the house, and he thinks it's pretty funny when they "meow."  I'm afraid that "meow" will be his first word, but I guess there are worse options.

 He has tried several new foods this week.  I got him some tofu and he really likes it.  Sometimes, it's hard to get him to eat off of a spoon, so I'm trying to find finger foods that he can feed to himself that still provide good nutrition.  The tofu is perfect, so I'm so glad that he likes it!  Any other ideas?  He also tried a little bit of pancake topped with blueberries, but wasn't a huge fan.  On the other hand, he was a huge fan of raw cucumbers, red/yellow peppers, and tomatoes.  I think we will be eating a lot of gazpacho this summer!  Yum!

Here is your last look at our 9 month old.  He turns 10 months old this Saturday!!

Daddy had to lower my crib because I'm getting to tall for it!

I love my alphabet wall!

Grandma and Grandpa got me a new swing.  How many adults does it take to get a baby into a swing? 

Grandpa got it figured out!

Weeeee!

Swinging is so much fun!

I'm not so sure about this slide.

Maybe it will be better with Mom?

Ok, that's pretty fun, too!

I need to make a gift for my grandmas for Mother's Day.

How am I supposed to be the next Picasso when you keep interrupting me?

I think this one is about done.

I got paint allllll over!!  I'm a messy little boy!

This is how I smile when the flash blinds me.  I still look good, right?

Am I in trouble for making a mess?

I would rather play with my bath toys than get cleaned up! 

I can carry almost anything in my mouth.  It's almost as good as Mom's large satchel!  :)

Great Grandma and I played a drum duet on the ottoman.

I love laughing with Mommy.  We went to Cherry Berry for Mother's Day. 

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday!

It was my Mom's birthday on Friday, and of course, today is Mother's Day!  So, happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful, hardworking moms out there and a very Happy Birthday and Mother's Day to my own special Mom!!

Mom and I in the Twins' dugout at Target Field a couple of summers ago.

We got to meet Al Newman.

Yup, that's Jack Morris!!  I won't embarrass my Mom with the pictures of her pitching skills (or lack of pitching skills).

Tucker was 7 weeks old, and this was his first boat ride.

Tucker was about 2 hours old, and Grandma stopped in on her way to work to meet him.  I think it was instant love!

Tucker Tuesday: Weeks 40 & 41

Tucker is more and more mobile every day it seems.  He is easily pulling himself up to a standing position, and he is learning to sit himself back down more gracefully.  He is getting faster and faster at crawling.  I had him outside on one of the few nice Spring days that we've had, and he started crawling on his hands and feet instead of his knees.  I don't think he like the way the hard ground felt on his knees because when he is inside he goes back to his usual hands and knees crawling.

He has also figured out that he can carry things easier in his mouth when he's crawling.  I'm not sure if he picked this behavior up from the cats or if he figured it out on his own.

Last week, he was doing a lot of growling.  He would growl as he ate, crawled around, or as we read books.  The teacher at daycare said that he would growl and then when they looked at him, he would smile or giggle.  I love listening to him as he figures out how to make new and different sounds each week!

He's tried lots of new foods over the past couple of weeks and seemed to like most of them.  He loves string cheese.  We usually only give him half a stick, but I think he would eat the whole thing if we let him!  He has been feeding himself more finger foods over the past couple of weeks, and he went through a phase where it was really difficult to get him to eat purees off a spoon.  We'll have to call him "Mr. Independent" I guess!  He's also tried and loved cantaloupe and peanut butter.  I made a big pot of lentils with brown rice, chicken, and some spices.  He loves it, and it is something that Jeremy and I could eat, too.

Tucker loved playing with his 2nd cousins, Great Aunts, Great Uncles, and of course, Great Grandma on Easter.  We also got to see his Uncle Rob, who was in town from Seattle.  Tucker loved all the attention that an only baby gets!  Although, I think his favorite playmate was Buster (my Aunt and Uncle's big golden retriever).  I will try to get the video off Jeremy's phone because it is hilarious!

Here are the pictures of our happy 9 month old!

I'm too tired for pictures, Mom!

Ok, I'm ready now!  How do I look?

Oh, hey Mom!  I forgot you were back there!

I see a kitty!  I wonder if I can catch him.

I love to play with paper!  (And sometimes when Mom isn't looking, I eat it!)

If I carry it in my mouth, then I can take it with me.

Ok fine, I will pose for a picture.

I love my Twins' bear.

Mom always gets a picture on my back for these monthly pictures, but I don't like to lay on my back anymore.

Everyone else is taking a nap after Easter dinner, but not Great Grandma and I.

Sometimes, she is really silly, but I love her!

I'm starting to get pretty sleepy after playing all day.

My Great Uncle Tim has been sleeping for quite awhile.  I better make sure that he is okay.

It's nice enough for an Easter walk.  I'm actually more excited than I look!

Uncle Rob arrived!

We got to hang out all day on the day after Easter.  I wish he could have stayed longer!

I want a veggie puff!

Yum Yum!!

I love feeding myself!!

This activity table helps me make great music!

I love being outside!

Mom and Dad let me play with the spoon at supper sometimes.  This time, I threw it on the floor and used my hands instead!  Cottage cheese is so squishy!!