Look who's crawling, too!

So, last weekend, Zachary was really trying hard to crawl and showed such potential for achieving it very soon. I would classify his movement last weekend as an "advanced scooch" if that means anything. Throughout the week, he got better and better and by Thursday evening, he had it down. Our little critter is officially crawling, by our assessment! Though he is not pushing up totally up onto hands and knees while in motion, he has perfected the military-style crawl using his hands, feet and forearms. Picture this... his little fanny up in the air while he moves forward with his chest on the floor and his feet and legs going double-time with every reach of his hands and arms. It is just so adorable to watch how excited he gets to be able to move himself wherever his little heart desires (of course within the boundaries Mommy and Daddy have set for him)!!

The bottom line, though, Zachary still prefers to be on his feet and "walking" with Mommy or Daddy's help!

Another first for our growing boy!

It's the little achievements and milestones that Zachary experiences that really melt my heart! It feels like they come in spurts, and when they do, there are typically multiple stories to share. This week was one of those weeks with lots of cool firsts!

On Thursday evening (9/25), I was changing Zachary into his pj's and getting him ready for bed. To make it quick and easy for me, I left him sitting in his crib so I could go and wash my hands (which is just in the bathroom across the hall). I wasn't gone for long at all, but when I came back and peeked through the doorway, guess what I saw??? Two little hands over the edge of the crib, with a forehead and a couple of eyes peeking over. Zachary was working very hard to pull himself up to a standing position completely unassisted, and this was the first time I've seen him do it all by himself! I cheered and clapped, and he was just so excited and proud of himself, too! So much for quiet time and settling down for the night! This also means another chore for Daddy... dropping the crib mattress to the lowest setting possible and packing up the the cute mobile until it's needed again (they grow up so fast!).

Here's the reenactment of the little critter doing it again this afternoon... how cute is he?

Our first time at the playground!

It was just a beautiful day today - 75 degrees and sunny - a perfect end-of-summer weekend to spend outdoors before the cold of winter finds us. We started with a walk to Bob Evans for a late morning breakfast (right around Zachary's morning nap time, so he snoozed in the stroller while Len and I enjoyed our coffee). After we got home from our excursion, it was time for Zachary's lunch then late afternoon nap.

Once he woke up and had his afternoon meal, we wanted more of that beautiful, breezy air so we headed out to a really nice playground just a short drive from our house. We've been thinking for a while now that Zach is ready to try out some of the cool stuff there, like the swing, the slide and whatever looked like fun, and today seemed like the perfect day to check it out. What a blast we had... Zachary explored and tried out all of these new cool activities, and Len and I just loved watching him discover and take it all in!

The spring-horsey...


The swing...



The cool xylophone / chime thingy...


The slide...



And the big swing with Mommy and Daddy...


After a long, fun-filled day, Zachary was just zonked!

Another Four Generations

Family is one of the most precious gifts we can have in this world, and I cherish that. When we look back at where we've been, things we've seen and people we've met, so often those experiences and memories in life include family.

During one of our visits to New Jersey with the Goodman clan, we were looking at old photo albums, as I was peeking into the history of Len's family and his life experiences. I saw some pretty awesome moments that make up Len's history... his parent's wedding day and honeymoon, so many of his baby photos and growing up (which by the way may as well be photos of Zachary), the arrivals of his brothers Dan and Tim, family vacations spanning several decades and so much more.

We have such wonderful pictures of the 4 generations that exist on the Goodman side of our little family today (which you've seen posted on this blog in previous entries), and I treasure them so very much! Well, here are a couple of "4 Generation" shots from Len's years as a baby... how cool are these?!?!?

These pictures were taken exactly 32 years ago... September, 1976. In the photos, Len is just one month younger than Zachary is today.

How lucky we are to have moments like these in our lives!

A few of his favorite things...

We all have favorites... a favorite song, a favorite restaurant, a favorite pair of jeans, etc. I'm learning by watching Zachary that babies have favorites, too, like a favorite food or toy. Well, as Zachary gets older, it is clear to me that he has a few favorites of his own.

Some of Zachary's favorites include - talking on the cordless speakerphone while holding it himself (hitting the buttons and hanging up on whoever may be on the other end of the line), sitting in his highchair and eating sweet potato puffs (while examining each one before putting it in his mouth), walking (and at times borderline running) with Mommy or Daddy while holding on tightly to one of their fingers, and THE REMOTE CONTROL. This is probably one of his favorite "toys"... it lights up, it has buttons to push, Mommy and Daddy don't readily allow him to play with it which makes him want it even more, and it's a challenge to pick it up sometimes since it is a bit heavy (Zachary seems to love a challenge).

And this is what happens when you take away from Zachary one of his favorite things...

One of Mommy's favorite things in the whole entire world... Zachary, of course!

Zachary cuts his first tEEth!

That's right... this weekend, Zachary has finally cut his first teeth! And the ee's are no typo... he is working on his TWO middle, bottom teeth simultaneously! We're so proud of the little critter!!
I just took this picture this evening... if you look closely, you can see the little tips of his pearly whites. And I'm absolutely sure they are fully cut through, even though they are difficult to see in the pictures (Mom-Mom taught me the metal spoon test, and he definitely passed)! I wonder how long it'll be now before we switch over to formula?!? :)

Our 9-month check-up...

This afternoon, Zachary had his scheduled 9-month well-visit check up with the doctor. As with every other appointment, he was scheduled for another round of vaccines, but at least this time it was only 2 shots. As usual, our little man was so brave and such a good little boy... he only cried a few small tears immediately following the needles. He's been a bit fussy this evening, but I think he's just tired from a long day.

Here are the official stats for the little critter this month:

• Height - 27.25 inches (2 inches taller than June) - 10-25th percentile


• Weight - 16 lbs 12 ozs (2 lbs 2 ozs heavier than June) - 5th percentile

(Maybe we should play the number 2 in the lottery this week in honor of our heathly little boy!)

Happy Grandparent's Day!!

Dear Mom-Mom, Grandma & Poppie, and Great-Grandpa,

Happy Grandparent's Day!! I'm such a lucky little boy to have such wonderful Grand and Great-Grandparents, and I love you all very much!! (This is Grandma and Poppie's first Grandparent's Day ever, and Grandpa's first as a Great-Grandfather... what a momentous occasion!) I wish I could've seen you ALL in person today, but our conversations on the phone were very special. Here is a BIG kiss from me to all of you letting you know how much I love you and appreciate having you in my life!

Love and Kisses,
Zachary



Just little 'ole me thinking of all of you on Grandparent's Day!

Now, I'm reaching for the camera from Mommy, to bring it closer to my lips...





... getting it just in the right spot to...







... pucker up and plant a great big kissy on the lens to send to all of my Grandparents to show you how much I love you and wish you a very Happy Grandparent's Day!!

MWAH!!

Opening day...

Daddy and Z have been looking forward to the Raven's opening day... I'm sure they'll enjoy many more Sunday afternoons of football and bottles (each with their own special kind)!

Touchdown, Ravens!!I guess it was a real nail-biter, but the Ravens pulled off the win against the Bengals (sorry Uncle Bill)!

Happy Anniversary to the man of my dreams... now and forever!

Three years ago today, I married the man of my dreams! I am the luckiest woman in the world to have been given the two most precious gifts... one of marriage to an incredible man to share my life with, and one of parenthood with an amazing father who loves and cherishes every moment with our son.

Every moment with you, Len, no matter how wild and adventurous, or simple and precious, is "Unforgettable"... I love you with all my heart and soul!

9 Months Old!

Well, as of today, my little boy has officially been out in this world for as long as he was growing safe in my belly! It's amazing to reflect back at how different our lives were just a short 18 months ago. I just LOVE where life's path has brought us to this point, and I wouldn't trade a single precious moment we've had so far with Zachary for anything!

This little creature continues to amaze me almost daily... seeing the world through his eyes brings me such joy - especially the looks of amazement, curiosity, sheer content, total dissatisfaction (yes, he occasionally throws an adorable tantrum), unconditional love, pride in his achievements (however small or momentous), and those adorable mischievous glances. No matter what the expression, I work so hard to take a mental snapshot (especially if the camera is out of reach - hee hee), file it away in my brain forever and cherish it in my heart that is filled with so much love for our baby Zachary.

(I just love the pictures above - we took them on Sunday when Len, Zachary and I all went down to Len's hotel so he could catch up on a few things over the long weekend.)

Every month I say how amazed I am at how much Zachary has grown, or seen for the first time, or experienced new and different things. This month is no exception. I think what makes it different for me over time is that we are really seeing our little man - our flesh and blood - become his own little person, with his own likes, dislikes, expressions, words, movements, and achievements. Life itself is just so incredible and seeing a new little one blossom is a gift like no other. I'm the luckiest person in the world!

So, this month was one of new, cool "tricks," as I now call them. You'll hear me say, "Zachary has a new trick" and I just love sharing them with everyone! Some things you may or may not already know about Zachary are:

• He is constantly kicking his little legs, whether he's sitting and sliding them out and in, laying on his back or stomach thrusting them forward and backward, soaring high over our heads as we hold him in the "fishy" position, sitting in his activity seat or the highchair, or just about anywhere. Those legs are ALWAYS in motion. I can't say I'm surprised, though... that was the norm while he was in my belly, also!


• He STILL does not have any teeth! I've been waiting to give him more solid-like food until he cut a tooth or two, but I gave up on waiting. He definitely likes "chewing" (more like gumming) things, food included (he really likes eating the Wagon Wheels).


• He does "soooo big" when you ask him "How big is Zachary?"... but, in the spirit of being his own little man, he'll only do it when he darn-well feels like it (which is the majority of the time, but never at the perfect moment when you really want him to do it... hee hee). But, when he does show us, it is just so darn cute!!


• Zachary will give kisses on demand!!!!!!! This is my most favorite trick to date! I am constantly kissing the little critter every chance I get. I just can't help myself! Well, a little over a week ago, I said to Zachary, "Give Mommy a kiss" and wouldn't you know it - this adorable creature grabbed my head and PLANTED a big, wet, amazing kissey right on my cheek with the "MmmmWAH" sound effect and all! It was one of my favorite moments with him yet and I'll never forget it as it totally melted my heart! I think I even shed a tear of joy to feel him so purposefully express his love for me. Again, I know I always say it, but I am just so lucky to have been chosen to be Zachary's Mom!

• Zachary also expresses his love by patting my back when I'm holding him up on my shoulder. My tendency is to rub or pat his back (like when burping him) when I hold him that way, and now he does the same to me... I just love his touch! (By the way, I did a quick test also... I pat him twice, then he would pat me twice. To see if he was truly mimicking me, I switched it up and patted him three times... wouldn't you know, he patted me three times in return!)

• He's starting to recognize the difference between familiar faces and "strangers." Before, I could pass Zachary into anyone's arms and he would be just fine. Most recently, he seems almost a little scared and at times will cry if I pass him over too quickly without a proper introduction and a little time to get his bearings. I've read this is totally normal, but I sometimes feel bad when he gets upset. Hopefully, this will just be one of many phases he'll go through along life's journey.

• The little critter just LOVES being up on his feet and "walking" around. What this typically consists of is Len or I standing over him, bent over, walking along with Zach while he holds tightly onto our fingers. It's back-breaking, but just so cute to see him get so excited at being able to move around the room and see things from this new angle. He still will not really crawl... he scooches, rolls everywhere, and gets around by "walking" on is little fanny cheeks, but no crawling. Maybe he'll be one of those babies that goes right from sitting to walking. We'll see... : )


• He has discovered that the big basket in the living room is FILLED with tons of really cool toys, and why bother waiting for Mommy to take more out if I can make my way over to it and pull them all out myself! It's just so cute to watch him discover, as if for the first time every time, a cool new toy to play with.




Happy 9-month Birthday, Critter!