Where ya been?

Well, we have been right here. It has been busy. I am trying to work on a grant that really needed to be drafted last week. There is a new format and blah, blah, blah, blah. Also trying to finish up a paper. I have no idea why I always think that this paper will be easier....because I have yet to have an easy paper. Of course, I will never again use the metaphor that writing and publishing a paper is the same as childbirth......for multiple happy reasons. :)
Westin got a super cute sunhat from Noni. I bet she also didn't know how yummy her cards were...homemade and super fresh! Thank you, Noni! Grandpa and Grandma Moore came back through after their wonderful Alaskan cruise (Sadly, I did not document this visit and completely spaced nabbing pictures from Grandma Moore's camera, because of the aforementioned grant..where in the heck are my priorities???). They looked mighty refreshed and brought back many cute things for Westin..they will be appearing here soon. Grandpa Moore wore CopperDog out with some excellent walks..somehow, Copper walks best when Grandpa Moore is wheeling him around the block. Dalen and I are trying not to be jealous. Also, Dalen and I got a rare date night..which was really lovely. Grandma and Grandpa Moore took such loving care of poor little Westin-date night fell on vaccine night (see below). Grandpops sent a new book-Walter, the farting dog. It has been an instant hit!

Westin went to the doctor this week for the 6 month check-up and vaccines. We are fans of vaccines-they will keep Westin healthy and contribute to the general health of the population. (Hey, California with your rising incidences of whooping cough-which was nearly eradicated with the use of vaccines-I am most definitely wagging my finger and shaking my head at YOU!)
Westin weighed in at 17 lbs and 8 oz and he is 26 inches long. Grandma Moore got to go along and meet our wonderful doctor. This was very special to me, and I was very glad that she could go with Dalen. Peek-a-boo is always a wonderful distraction from prickly needles! Dr. Courchesne thinks that Westin is ahead of the game motor skills-wise and could be walking by 9 months. Yeah, okay if you just had a double take, so did I when Dalen reported the news. I guess sitting up is just the gateway activity to so many other things, and while my darling baby boy is really very talented, I will not be disappointed if he waits a little longer than 9 months to walk. Oh-did I mention that he has two more teeth coming in???...Yes, for those of you counting, that would bring the grand total of teeth to 5; 2 on the bottom and 3 on top. I suspect he has another tooth ready in the wings..he seems to be getting his teeth in two's. Needless to say, we are in the process of weening. I have moments when it is really sad....until he bites me and then I have the epiphany that formula really is not the devil and just because I am working towards not breastfeeding anymore, my child will (somehow) still feel loved and thrive.We started ricey poofs tonight! West decided that they were great for launching (an aspect CopperDog also appreciates), but also pretty fun to crunch and even eat...kind of like squash, but crunchier.

Look Mom, No Hands!

And just like that, we went from kind of stable to really stable. He can last for 20 minutes without toppling over! Aren't you glad that I don't know how to use the video camara yet?!

6 months old!

Half a year ago today, Dalen and I were just welcoming Westin to our family. Everything was new and scary, and we had no idea what we were doing. Now it's like, what did we do before Westin??? Just when I thought that he could not become more amazing, more captivating, more cute, well, there he goes again!

Dalen went to pick up some blocks today so that West can start working on demolition stacking.What really happened is that we discovered that the orange star is the tastiest block....good to know.West is now noticing small things..here he is all Gollum-like with his Daddy's wedding ring...If he is occupied with his fav book or new blocks, he can sit for quite a while....and then he goes boom. Luckily he always has someone squishy to fall back on. He is really close to rolling over from his back to his belly. He is also about to sprout his third tooth...we can see the white tooth bud. It will be his top middle right tooth.

He is also loving books right now. While "Mommy cuddles" is extra fun to chew on, but by far, his favorite book right now is "Wet pet, dry pet, my pet, your pet" by Dr. Seuss. New favorite food (it was a dark horse): SQUASH! I mean he loves squash...no need to mix it with rice cereal. He gets so excited that he pulls the spoon into him and eats and eats. He crushed half a container last night (this is the most solid food that he has eaten ever at a single sitting). I wonder if they have squashed-flavored ricey poofs?

Aunt Shannon!

Aunt Shannon came to visit, and man, was she tasty! :)West and Shannon (with a lot of help from Dalen, because I had to work a titch more than I wanted to) had many adventures. Aunt Shannon took West for his first trip to the park.As any fun Aunt would--here she is corrupting teaching my son to rock climb without a helmet.. Copper was really happy that she was around, because he got a lot of walks.We all really enjoyed Shannon's visit and were so glad that she came!!!

Ah, Sunday's

Glorious Days, Sundays are.We bid Bon Voyage to Grandma and Grandpa Moore. They are headed to Seattle for a 2 week cruise to Alaska. A much deserved retirement trip!Then we all relaxed. :)

How to See the Bitterroot in a Day

It was a whirlwind day! West got the pleasure of spending some time with his Grandma and Grandpa Moore today. West is learning to ride a horsey.......... and hang out with the cool dude with a beard. Dalen cooked us a lovely breakfast before we set out for the Farmer's Market (sorry no pictues--will get some soon; it is how we always spend Saturday morning). He took a little nap on the way home, but was still tired pants, so he rocked with Grandma while she sang some songs to him. Something about those Grandma's. See how tired he is, yet no nap. We then went out for an afternoon stroll at Lake Como, a small lake to the south of Hamilton. There is a trail that runs the circumference of the lake, but only a short bit of it is paved...which is really cool, because everyone can enjoy it (especially Copper Dogs).We ended the day by eating at The Broad Axe, this really awesome restaurant in Sula (about 30 miles south of Hamilton). Needless to say that we are all tired..especially the napless wonder, who is still screaming from his crib. You would think that the little Bean would be exhausted and fall right to sleep...ah the magical sleep patterns of babies. No nap = long fussy nights. Wish us luck! Oh yeah, that is a brace on my left hand. I have inflamed tendons from picking up the Bean too much...not really, but that's what my doctor and I laughed about. Hopefully it will right itself in a few weeks or else I will have painful physical therapy on tap. Good times...okay back to happy.

Mother's Day Weekend

My first Mother's Day was fantastic! It was an entire weekend really. I am so spoiled!! Friday was pajama day at Susie's (a.k.a Kid Country daycare). This, of course, has nothing to do with Mother's Day, but I had to document West's first pajama day. Saturday morning was chill-tastic.Then, while Westin and Dalen went to the Farmer's Market, I headed over to Susie's. She had planned a few hours of pampering just for Moms. I had my nails done. I learned a bit about make-up (still scary). And I got to eat chocolate-covered strawberries!! On Sunday, I got the sweetest card from my guys, some beautiful lilies and homemade Egg's Benedict with a mimosa! I have spent many a Mother's day at my Nana's, and while they were all lovely days, I don't remember the mimosa component, but really hope that it will become a yearly treat!

We have been busy this month. Sweet peas were about to put the kibosh on the entire solid food movement...so we moved on to green beans. We love us some green beans! Also on the like-list are carrots. Sweet potatoes literally made West gag, so we shan't be serving those anymore.

Bath time is starting to become more fun.

And West likes to "feed" himself. I am pretty sure that he didn't love sweet potatoes, because they simply weren't orange enough, like carrots,..which almost match when he smears them all over his Auburn bib. War Eagle! We welcome Grandma and Grandpa Moore this evening...stay tuned for more adventures!