8 Months Old!

On his 6-month birthday Luigi rolled over both back to front and front to back.
On his 7-month birthday Luigi got his first tooth.
On his 8-month birthday...well, really 8 months plus 3 days...Luigi got a second tooth and began to crawl! The video of his first crawl is posted at the following YouTube link:

Luigi has been trying to crawl for several weeks now. His yoga poses are vastly improving, as he has been experimenting with different types of movement that might propel him forward. He does a fantastic "down dog", "pigeon", and "forward fold". Here is a great example:

Mommy and Luigi are having tons of fun together. We still attend several playgroups and walking groups each week. We try out parks and stores, go wine tasting and explore nearly every facet of Petaluma. Here are some of my favorite photos from our outings.

Fort Baker.

Discovery Museum in Saucelito.

Benicia Waterfront with Grammy and Uncle Scotty.

Bodega Bay (Daddy came on this outing too!)

Wine Tasting at Chateau St. Jean.

Playtime with Annie.

Mother's Day was fun. We spent the day with the Yoders. And we were happy to see Luigi warming up to everyone...my large, loud family was a little much for Luigi at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now it looks like we might even have found some babysitters!

And here are just some wonderful photos from April and May to enjoy!!

Shirtless after my lunch got everywhere.

Loving my new camo leg warmers on this hard cement floor.

Winter Visitors And Outings

We (mom and dad) are getting the hang of this parenting thing a bit more, so we've been able to get out more. This winter was rainy, but we managed to make the most out of the clear days. Wine Country trips, visits to the park, and visits with friends and family were the highlight of the season!

On our way to the park. Such a see-though baby needs a hat at all times. It if remarkable how much Luigi looks like daddy in this photo.

Lunch with Grammy in wine country. He loves his new toy, Grammy!!!

On our way to Napa to meet Grammy and Grampy. Luigi will have visited more wineries in his first year than most people visit in their lifetime!

Great-Grandma came for a visit. It was such a beautiful day and we loved every minute with her!

Dean and Michelle in SF on their babymoon made time for a visit from me and Luigi. Miss you guys!!!

6-Month Milestones

We've learned to sit-up, roll-over and eat lots of solid food. We still have yet to learn to sleep through the night, but we are currently working on sleep training...I will let you know how it goes. Here are some highlights of our accomplishments! Isn't he a cutie?!?!?!

I love my musical toy from grandma Patty!!! I play it everyday!

Nothing is cooler than riding around the house on Eeyore, especially when mom pushes me fast.

Dad rearranged my playmat letters to include my name, mom's name and dad's name. Don't I look just like mom playing on my new laptop?!

Look!!!!! I am standing on my own!!!!

First time using a high chair at a restaurant. No more infant carrier for me!

I can roll from one side of the mat to the other!

What woman wouldn't want to go to dinner with this man?

Mom and I enjoying the wildflowers in the front yard.

Lessons In Socializing

I already posted a couple of words and pictures about Luigi's playgroups. Currently we attend playgroups 3 to 5 times per week, some structured and some not. With the nice weather we usually caravan to a local park and walk with our strollers after the kids are done playing. I love that he is getting used to seeing the same faces and learning from the older kids. (It is also nice for me to make friends and talk about new mom-related issues!)

Here are some additional pictures of Luigi and his new friends.

Good Habits

OK, so I was a late bloomer when it came to reading. My mom thought I would never learn to read and I never really liked reading books. So, unfortunately for Wigi, I am overcompensating by reading him 4-6 books a day. His favorites include "What Color Is It?" and Dr. Suess and Spiderman (with sounds). I really hope he becomes a voracious reader like Uncle Scott.

Last week we went to the Library book sale and stocked up. These are some of our spoils...

Wigi's New Friends

Our cute little house in the country is an isolated nest where Luigi gets very little interaction with other people. And I don't want to have a socially-challenged son. So...I joined the Petaluma Mother's Club and for the past few weeks we've been attending several playgroups a week. We also attend "Babytime" at the library each week for songs and storytime. And it has been really fun for both of us.

Wigi takes a while to open up to people, just like his dad. I'm not saying I dislike my husband's social approach, but I'm trying really hard to set a good example of being friendly and smiling when meeting new people. And I can tell it will take a lot of persistence on my part.

The interaction between the babies has been super cute, though. Wigi held little Sydney's hand and was kanoodling with little Annie. Of course, the girls made the first move because Wigi is so shy.

Here are some pictures. I will try to add to this posting as we attend more playgroups in the coming weeks.

Growing, Growing, Gone!

My little, tiny baby has grown fast. As I said in the last post, in mid January he weighed in at 21lbs and 27" long. As a result he zoomed through clothes sizes and is now wearing 18m+. So we've run out of the clothes from the shower and have had to start purchasing new ones. And thanks to Grammy and Grampy's generosity, Wigi has a bunch of new duds from Janie & Jack to flaunt. Here is a brief fashion show.