Goodnight, Moon...

Recent Video Clip- 51 seconds

Play Day with Beckett

Turn up the volume to hear them play:-)

Future Texas Aggie?

"There is nothing like that first cup of java in the morning to get your busy day started!"

Six months old!

He weighs in at 17 lbs, 10 oz; and his length is 27 1/4 inches (50% and 75% relatively)... he's had a little growth spurt! He loves holding his feeting and rolling around on the floor- we've given up hope that he'll roll over. The doctor said he'd probably just start crawling at this point. He seems to be a happy little boy and woo's the ladies with his flirty smiles (and two front teeth).

We love our little boy:-)

We visited Dan's parents in Tucson, AZ, over the weekend. Russell did quite well on the flights and charmed the stewardess' (okay, PC- 'flight attendants').

We visited Fort "A-choo" (well, it sounds like that but I can't spell it) in the Arizona desert. It was an old Army base.

Three generations!

"Okay, bow your heads..."

"Let us pray..."

Almost six months old! Russell is starting to eat rice cereal with three of his daily meals. Yumm. Dan did the first feeding! Check out the video clip.

Russell
(there are two clips- one of his eating, the other of his push-ups... beware- these may seem uneventful to anyone but the parents of this baby boy!)

We (yes, even Dan) spent July 4th in Lodi, CA, with Dan's cousins and their wives and two children (total 9 adults, 3 children). It was a comfortable 90F and we all had lots to eat with burgers and salads and chocolate pudding:-) The girls leave tomorrow for San Diego, and Candice goes back to B.C.

Ready for another day on the town with Mom and the three aunts, Candice, Brit, and Andrea! So much fun and attention for him!

Our little pride and joy!

The infamous sisters...

Flower garden at the GG Bridge.

Santa Cruz! Summer has officially arrived now that we have been to the beach and have been nicely burned to a crisp! My three sisters are down to visit for a week and we went to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz for the day, and then down to Monterey for the night and next day. Dan had to work, but Russell did GREAT in his stroller- he just loves to watch everyone and everything. He only had one 5 minute screaming match, and then he was done. We are so proud of him!

My three sisters on one of the rides at Santa Cruz's Boardwalk.

Look at what washed up on the shore in Monterey!

A closer up look...

I think we'll keep him:-)

"Mom and Dad and I are going to the pool today. I wear a special swim diaper to keep the pool clean;-) I sure love my stroller, though, and anywhere we go in it, I am so happy! It has been too hot lately to go to the park and the pool is fun as long as Mom or Dad holds on to me tightly."

Hangin' with Dad at the pool...

and hangin' with Mom.

"Only one shot, Dad? I'm sure Mom wants me to have two!"

Russell's favorite pasttime is figuring out how many fingers/thumbs can fit in his little mouth all at once. Yesterday, I stuck my finger in to feel his gums, and he is cutting his bottom two teeth! Wow. He isn't crabby (yet?) but we are armed with Orajel just in case:-)

"Aunt Laura in Vancouver would be proud that I match the flowers! They are called gerber daisys. I guess that would make me a Gerber baby!"

"Mom and Dad bought this Jumperoo off their favorite site, Craigslist- I think they are trying to hide the fact that there are real toy stores with aisles of new toys for kids like me. Anyway, my swing was too slow for me. I need to continually wave my hands and kick my feet."

Dan's sister, Bev, and her husband, Kurt, came to visit us for the weekend. It was wonderful to see them once again and we enjoy a lot of good conversation and some tasty meals- especially at Kurt's Aunt Linda's in Oakland. "Thanks Aunt Bev for the bright blue blanket!"

Taking an early morning nap in the Big Bed. We think Russell wishes for pillows in his crib but not quite yet.

Four months old!

Four months old! Last year at this time we just found out we were pregnant. A lot has changed:-) At Russell's pedi appt, he was 15 lb, 11oz and 25 3/4 inches (total gain of 8 lbs, 11 oz, and 6 inches).
Russ loves to suck on his fingers and/or thumb and he likes to kick the water in his little bathtub at night. During the day, he is spending more time on his belly but still doesn't like to be there very long because it inhibits his leg and arm movement.
He is doing much better on our 'outings' to the stores, church, and the mall but I still don't grocery shop with him as it is too much to handle until he can sit in the seat of the cart.
Lately, he has been more talkative and it is so amazing to watch him 'talk' to us with his sounds. He looks so sincere and animated when he speaks that I wish we could understand him.
We've been able to leave Russ with some friends on occasion in the evenings. After arriving, I'll feed him once more and lay him on the hosts' bed and he falls asleep. This has given Dan and I some time to ourselves just to go out on dates.
Anyway, just a litte update:-)

When we went to wake Russell from his afternoon nap, this was the position he was in. Hmm. He must have pushed himself around.

This baby is constant movement from 6:30am-7:30pm! No wonder he loves to eat and rest. He is so precious.

He is so excited about life:-)

Not so little any more!

"Hmmm... Mom did a great job clipping my nails."

At our friend Cara's baby shower on Saturday, these were the cupcakes! We had a lot of fun and Cara was blessed with a lot of items for her coming arrival.

"I love Nana!"

Me and Aunt Andrea

Spending time with Grandpa... he knows I like his whistling.

Visting Point Roberts cabin for the first time in my little life.

"Me and my once-removed cousin (Dawn-Marie is my Mom's cousin even though I am 6 weeks older)."

Four generations... Marion van Dop (Great Grandma), Aleta Waitt (Grandma), Mom, and me!

"Where are you going to sleep, Mom and Dad? I claim this bed!" (We stayed one night at a hotel in Bellingham, Wa.)

"I live for Saturday mornings... this is so much better than my crib."

We visited our friends, Scott and Kristina and Olivia Kiazer, in Tacoma on the way back to Ca. We had a wonderful lunch and we miss them a lot at PCC.

Meeting Olivia for the first time

New family photo

Little flirt