Summer Fun

Well, we took Martin to his 9 month check up yesterday.  I CANNOT believe he is that old, or maybe I refuse to believe he is that old.  Doc said everything looks great, and we have a happy healthy baby!  Which, we knew.  We have only been to the doctor for well baby visits, and knock on wood, haven't been sick a day.  Still breastfeeding, I don't think either one of us is ready to stop.

What Martin can do at 9 months:
--Laugh, laugh, laugh.  He loves for you to do anything to make him laugh.  And, he really likes you to scare/surprise him.  He laughs hysterically.
--Crawl fast as fast can be.  He is SPEEDY.  My life is now consumed with watching him every waking minute.  Wouldn't have it any other way.
--Eat!  That boy loves to eat.  Milk, juice, puffs, and fruits and veggies.  He is working on the Sippy Cup....
--Pull up.  He has been pulling up for a while, but now when he pulls up he wants to go go go.  He pulls up on anything.  He likes to pull up on the front windows and watch outside (especially when the irrigation guys are working across the street).  He wants to walk, and is close, I think!
--Walk with assistance.  If you let him hold onto your fingers, he will walk forwards and backwards.
--Stand.  Yep, he can stand, and do "No Hands!" but usually when he realizes he isn't holding onto anything, he will plop down on the floor.  But, stands for about 4-5 seconds at a time with no help.
--Sleep and Nap.  We finally tackled the nap situation.  He takes two GOOD naps during the day.  One in the morning about 10 am, and then again about 4 pm.  Usually from 1.5-2 hours.  Woo hoo!  He has been sleeping well at night forever, but we finally do BOTH!
--Make a mess.  He loves to crawl in his room and explore.  His favorite activities include pulling all of the diapers out of the bin on the shelf, and getting all of his books out too.  That boy loves to make a mess.
--Jabber!  Wonder who he gets that from?  He says dada all day.  Maybe someone could tell him that I am Mama.  And, he is saying something all the time.  Talk talk talk.  He talks while he eats too.  We are working on our table manners.  Ha!

All summer we have been on the go, and it isn't slacking up.  I am headed to the MS Gulf Coast--or "the coast" for all Mississippians this weekend.  A best friend from childhood is having a baby girl (Bella) in August, so we are throwing her a baby shower.  It has been so fun buying pink stuff!!  We are going to Jackson first to visit Ryan and Kara and to split up the trip.  Ryan and Bryan became instant best friends in Pharmacy School at Ole Miss and I got a great friend in his wife Kara.  She and I started the "Pharmacy Wives Bread Winner" club.  We used to have supper club on Thursday nights in Oxford and watched Grey's together every week.  They are too far away for my liking now, but we still enjoy any excuse to get together.  For the boys it usually involves beer and guns (both REALLY enjoy duck hunting).  And, for the girls, a good book, block of cheese and a bottle of wine!  True friends are really hard to come by, but these two make it seem so easy.  We can always pick up where we left off and never miss a beat.  So, looking forward to some time with them.  And, then off to the coast for the shower festivities.  I can't wait for the shower either.  Going to be some great food, and some great friends.

On July 3, Bryan and I did the Firecracker 5k benefiting St. Jude here in Memphis, and had a great time!  We have been doing C25k and were very proud of our times.  Bryan finished in 25 something, and I was 27 something.  It was Bryan's first 5k ever, and my first one since having Martin.  I placed 9th in my age group, so I was excited!  But, it was hot hot hot.