The Simple Things

I can't believe how fast time has gone by.  A.J. is just shy of 11 months old now...and he has changed so very much.  One of his most noticable changes is how he can keep himself amused for longer periods of time.  And it seems to be the simplest of things that hold his attention the longest.  Meet my little buddy, "A.J. Bucket Head"!

Practice Makes Perfect!!!

AJ is getting better and better at walking every day!  He gets lots of opportunities to practice at Grammy's house.  This week he took his first two unassisted steps to Mommy.  Both Daddy and I got to witness this event...we were very proud parents!!



Baby Steps!

AJ has been practicing a lot of new skills these days.  Once he learned how to crawl, his self confidence sky rocketed and he's getting braver every day.  Some of AJ's new favorite "sports" are standing on his own, bending down to a crouch, standing from a crouch, furniture surfing, dancing, and now....letting go of things while standing!  It's been a VERY busy month!! 

AJ's Got the Moves

Not only is AJ a fine dancing machine, but he's determined to walk.  Here are a few video clips of him learn to walk.  Here are a couple of video clips of him trying to figure it out.  (Of course, he's a wee bit distracted/mesmerized by the TV.)  We'll try again tomorrow for a nice clean set of steps! :)

I can do it myself, Mom!

AJ had his 9 month appointment at the pediatrician last Friday. She was very impressed that AJ knows how to clap on demand and wave. At the appointment, we discussed his pincer grasp development...which wasn't quite there. AJ is determined to make a fool out of us. As soon as we got home, we gave him some snacks and low and behold....he has developed his pincer grasp and CAN feed himself!!

   

 

 

 

AJ's 9 month stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 12 oz. (75th percentile)

Height: 29 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

Head Circumference: 45 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

AJ's other new talents are brushing his tooth by himself, climbing up on EVERYTHING, and turning everything upside down to see how it works! Mommy's new talents include: taking the tooth brush away when he sticks it too far down his throat, peeling him off of everything he climbs on, and turning everything right-side up. Whew....we are TIRED...but we are doing SOOO much better at sleeping (we're up to 10 hours a night thanks to the sleep training we did this past week....HOORAY!!!) so we have more energy to chase after the little guy!

 

       

TADA!!!

Baby Bam Bam Strikes Again!

Happy New Year ~ Bring on 2012!!

2011 was a very eventful and FAST year for us.  The highlight of our year was the birth of baby Adam (“A.J.”).  I can’t believe how fast he’s grown in just 9 1/2 months…nor can I believe how we’ve managed to function for 9 1/2 months straight WITHOUT sleep!!

No matter where your night takes you, take some time to stop and think about all the great moments of the year.  And for those moments that may not have been so “great”, take some time to reflect on how much more stronger you’ve become.

From our family to yours, we wish you all the best for a happy, healthy 2012!!! 

Happy New Year’s Eve and stay safe!!

And to all a good night!

AJ's first Christmas was a success!!! His grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins all spoiled him rotten...and he LOVED it! We weren't sure if AJ would enjoy opening presents, but he really seemed to enjoy taking bows off of the packages and tearing at the paper. Adam had to work on Christmas Eve night, so we had to wait for him to come home before AJ could see what Santa brought everyone.

We played in his room for a while...he unloaded EVERYTHING from his book shelves that were within reach...including the puzzles that Auntie Kacey & Uncle Brendan and Auntie Michelle & Uncle Michael got him for Christmas. The puzzles are a seriously big hit!

Mess? What Mess? I don't know what you're talking about!

When Daddy got home, we all went into the living room to see what Santa brought. He brought something for everyone in the house. The "girls" were very excited about their new presents. Dinosaurs was the theme for AJ, Harley, and Lulu this year. (It's really nice to see Lulu get so excited over toys now and actually play with them....she's come a long way in such a short time. I think she loves her new life as a dog in the Pouliot household!)

   

The girls also got a comfy new bed that's big enough for BOTH of them to share...although...Lulu would still rather play and sleep on the couch (can you blame her?!)

Finally, AJ got to see what was in his stocking! Santa brought a book, an Elmo cell phone, and some foam letters and numbers for the bath tub!!!

     

    

  

 

His favorite present by far is his new xylophone....and he's quite musically talented too. I think he and his big cousin, Ryan, could make a killer duo with the percussion instruments!!

 

  

 

Santa also brought Rock & Roll Elmo. AJ LOVED playing with this in the stores and loves to watch him sing and dance. Whenever Elmo speaks or sings, his face LIGHTS up! Harley on the other hand is a bit weary of this animated little guy!

 

 

With the holidays behind us, we realized that AJ needed a safe place to play with all of his toys. He's very mobile and curious and gets into EVERYTHING! So, we bought him a lovely kid-kennel...I mean "safety play yard". He LOVES it! And we love it too...now we can put him in one spot to play and we can actually do housework! Hallelujah!!

 

 

He even occasionally gets a few stow aways...the girls love being in here together too!

 

  

 

And just for some grins and giggles…check out some of the goofy faces AJ has been making.  He’s really cracking us up!

 

     

 

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday.