Peyton is Crawling!!

We had a big weekend!

Peyton reached two milestones - he can sit up by himself AND he can crawl! It took a few days to figure out what would be best to tempt him with to get him to crawl for the camera (remote control, iPhone, etc), but the thing that got him to crawl the furthest was James' work badge. He loves to pull on it (and chew on it).

Enjoy!

It's been more difficult to get him to sit up for the camera. I'll keep trying!

Peyton is Seven Months Old!

It's hard to believe, but Peyton is seven months old today! Our next doctor's appointment isn't until he's nine months old, so I don't have updated stats for you, but we can easily tell you that he's growing like a weed!

He's gotten really good at sitting up. He likes to reach for things too.



Peyton really loves books. He loves to flip through them too!







He still loves "Mr. Brown can Moo, Can You?" too.





As well as other books and toys.



We've had some chilly nights and mornings this week (high 20s at night, mid-40s in the morning), so I've been bundling him up before taking him to my Mom's in the mornings. His traditional Bolivian hat is coming in handy!



With his sweater on, we're ready to go!



As you can see in this video, James is really trying to make Peyton's first word be "Daddy". Peyton is getting closer to talking. He can sound out some consonants (b, g, m, p) and has some made up words (Abu - which is what he calls my Dad, his "Abuelo").

Sleeping Angel

More Bath Fun

Recently, our friend Jack sent Peyton some fun bath toys that light up when they touch water. He loves them!



They make bath time a little more challenging in that all he wants to do is reach for and grab his toys, but I don't mind. I can wash around this.



It definitely gives me great access to his back!



The only issue is that he likes to grab as many as he can.



He's going to be a little hoarder. :-)

And, it wouldn't be bath time without those crazy legs!!

Thanks so much Jack!!

Peyton's Favorite "Toys"

Recently, Peyton has taken an interest in the strangest of things...our wooden coasters. He loves them. He plays with them, he "chews" on them (still no teeth), and he rolls them; he just loves them. How can we deny him this joy?

Peyton's Jumperoo

As I've mentioned before, Peyton loves jumping in his jumper at my Mom's house. But, that one is set up outside and as the weather is getting colder and the rainy season is upon us, we were trying to figure out other options.

My cousin Darlene was recently given a Fisher-Price Deluxe Jumperoo which her son loves, so I started looking for one for Peyton. I found one on Craigslist for the amazing price of just $20 (yes, just twenty) vs. $200 new. James and I drove down to Mountain View to pick it up while our neighbor Lynn watched Peyton.

Peyton loves his Aunt Lynn! And, she's such a pro with him. :-)



We let Peyton test out his new Jumperoo. I think the picture shows you how he likes it.

And here's a video of him jumping. It tired him out (you'll see the yawns), so he came out and promptly went down for a nap.

Security Gates

Last weekend, James and I dropped Peyton off with my Mom and Dad and went to the movies and security gate shopping. We saw "The Blind Side" based on the true life story of Michael Oher, the rookie right tackle drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 Draft. It's an excellent movie!

After that "fun", we got to work in our quest for security gates now that Peyton is really moving. He hasn't gotten near the staircases yet, but we wanted to be prepared for when he does.

James didn't want to drill into the walls, so we went with a gate that secures to the wall by pressure. We also wanted gates that we could walk through without having to completely move the gate out of the way. And, of course, I wanted good-looking gates. :-)

After looking at all the choices at both Target and Babies R'Us, we agreed that the Summer Sure & Secure Deluxe Top of Stairs Wood Walk-Through Gate was the one for us. It comes with both the pressure locking system and the hardware to attach it to the wall if we need it.

As we live in the "house of stairs" we purchased three gates. One for the top of the stairs between the garage-level and the living room, one for the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the bedroom level, and one for the top of the bedroom level stairs.

James installed the first gate between the garage-level and the living room as Peyton is mostly moving around in the living room and the dining room and kitchen in the walker. He has not yet made his way over to the other staircase, so we'll hold off from installing those gates until necessary. The next gate will be at the top of the stairs on the bedroom-level as Peyton usually plays on the floor of our bedroom while I get ready in the morning (I close our bedroom door so he doesn't get out into the hallway).

Here are a few pictures of our new gate.



James demonstrating how it opens. The base rod stays in place so you have to step over that.



One more shot.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Peyton started his day with his typical oatmeal breakfast in his "Baby's 1st Thanksgiving" bib from his Grandma Barbara.



We decided to take a few pictures with his favorite vegetable, butternut squash, which we thought would be appropriate for the day. :-) I made a butternut squash soup to serve with dinner.

We hope you all had a very happy holiday!

Peyton is Creeping

Peyton is getting closer to crawling. Over the past two months he's gone from inching backwards "commando" style (on his belly), but this month he started pulling himself up on his hands and knees and rocking. Most of the time, he'll rock backwards, but every so often, he pulls himself forward.

And last week, he started showing signs of getting closer to real crawling by swinging his leg forward - yay!

He still stays within a pretty confined space, but I know we're pressing our luck by not having gates yet. The search is on!

Peyton is SIX months old!!

Our little boy is growing up so quickly. I can't believe that Peyton is six months old today!

We were able to schedule his six-month check up with Dr. Glinder for this morning, so we started the day with a bath. Peyton still loves the water. And now that he's six months old, I get to look for a swimming class. Unfortunately most of the classes are held during the week in the middle of day, which isn't really conducive with my work schedule (full time). :-( But, I'll figure something out because this kid needs to be in water!





All fresh and clean!



Peyton's eyelashes are getting SO long!



Peyton's favorite position when held. He gets a full view from this angle. :-)

Dr. Glinder continues to be impressed with Peyton's development. He's extremely social and attentive. He's babbling and reaching for things. He can rake his hands when grabbing for things too.

The logistical information:

Height/Length: 25.25 inches (12th percentile)

Weight: 17 pounds, 12.5 ounces (57th percentile)

Head Circumference: 42.8 centimeters (25th percentile)

He also got another round of shots which he didn't like (two in each leg plus a liquid one), but he got over it quickly.

Here's a little video taken this morning while we were getting ready to go to the doctor's office.