Happy 9-month Birthday, Landon!

A lot has happened in this past month! Landon is still trying new table foods and so far everything has been yummy! He has 7 teeth and the 8th is on it's way. We can see it through the gums, it just needs to break through (ouch!). He 'gets' the whole sippy cup thing, but isn't quite drinking out of it. We tried a cup with a straw and he definitely gets that and can drink successfully. Landon continues to crawl like an inch-worm, even in the bathtub, (it is just so cute), and now has discovered how to pull himself up and stand holding on to the chair, table or ottoman. This happened very quickly and 2 weeks later he does it like a pro. He is not ready or willing to take a step without holding on, but does let go to see what happens. Boom - on his butt! It's really cool to see him explore his 'new world'. He wants to pull up on anything and everything, including scaling dressers and walls. This is making Mommy's get-ready time in the morning an exciting challenge...I think I'll start waking up earlier. Oh, and he had his first haircut on Christmas Eve. Me-Ma cut some of the longer hair in the back. He looks more polished now. :)

We went to see Dr. Terry today for his 9-month appointment and all is well! He weighed in at 22 pounds and 13 ounces (80th percentile) and is 28.5 inches long (50th percentile). Dr. Terry says that he looks great, is healthy and of course VERY SOCIAL! (If you have met Landon, I'm sure you agree).

So we are looking forward to experiencing life with a 9-month old - so much fun! We love you, Buddy!

Merry Christmas - Mommy's family

Our final stop for the day (fourth house, but who is counting) was my aunt Laurie's house. Landon had a great time with the family and enjoyed laughing and 'talking' with everyone. We thought that he would be hesitant and scared because there are so many people and it tends to get really loud, but he did really good and just chimed in! We also got a picture of the four generations - GiGi (Great-Grandmother), Me-Ma, Mommy and Landon. Landon is very fortunate to have 3 living great grandparents.

Merry Christmas - Grammie and Pappy's house

After we opening presents and having breakfast at Me-Ma's house, we showered and headed over to Grammie and Pappy's house to open presents (and Landon ate lunch). After we went to Aunt Danny's house to visit for a little bit. We also got a picture of the three Burke generations - Pappy, Daddy and Landon! Landon got Daddy a "Three Generations" picture frame that looks perfect with this pic in it!

Merry Christmas - other's presents

Landon also loved Me-Ma's new TV!!! He kept climbing on it, over it and banging on it. It was hilarious!

Merry Christmas - Landon's presents!

Landon really enjoyed his presents from everyone. Since he is still little and doesn't understand Santa and the whole thing, we got him maracas since he loves to bang things together and he also plays with them at the sitter's house. We also signed him up for Little Gym classes that will start in January. Pictured is also him looking at the ornament that Me-Ma got him. She is starting a tradition in which the grandchildren receive an ornament each year with their name on it and the year.

Landon also got his 7th tooth for Christmas!

Merry Christmas - boxes and bows

Landon's first Christmas was really fun. Like many babies, he was very interested in the boxes and bows, and eating presents. So I guess you could say that opening up presents was really fun.

Don't leave Landon alone with the presents...

Earlier in the day on Christmas Eve, we went to my grandparents house for pizza lunch. It has become a tradition, and it was nice for them to see Landon again. They have only seen him once before this summer, so were impressed with how big he was, and his ability to pull up on everything. He was good entertainment for the great-grandparents!

Then we came home and had Chinese dinner (another tradition) with the Nitoski's. This was the first time that Lauren and Todd and Ryan and Kim were able to meet Landon. Unfortunately, we didn't have a whole lot of time to visit because Landon went to bed. (and we didn't get any pictures either!) Then the grown-ups opened presents from one another.

Me-Ma looked so cute with all of the bows in her hair. She had about 8 of them from the presents she opened. She must have been a good girl this year.

Sitting on Santa's lap

Well...this kind of experience could go either way - either the child is fine or crying their eyes out. Luckily, Landon was fine. Whew! Since we didn't have the opportunity to see Santa in Richmond, we went while we were in Pittsburgh. We went first thing in the morning and there was only 1 child in front of us, so Landon had the opportunity to see 'how it was done'. Then it was Landon's turn. Me-Ma put him on Santa's lap and he was fine! I think he was more interested in the photographer's beard and/or his Santa hat, but who cares! We got some great pics and think we'll make this a tradition.

Visiting with Crissy and Chase

Since we were at home in Pittsburgh, I took the opportunity to visit with (my sorority little) Crissy and her son Chase. It was the first time that I had met Chase, 2 years old, and that Crissy has seen Landon. While I have received pics of Chase, it was really cool to see him in person. He is such a fun little boy, and played very well with Landon. Crissy is due with Baby #2 any day now, and looks awesome! It was a fun visit and hope to make it an annual Christmas visit.

Playing with the Cousins

We headed home to Pittsburgh for Christmas and stayed at Grammie and Pappy's house for the first few days. Landon had a great time with his cousins and enjoyed laughing at them. Landon still enjoys laughing at (and with) his Uncle Tom, too.

First Blood

Landon was trying to climb up on a box (no fear!), and came down and bit his lip and drew blood. He was so upset...but recovered quickly after I assessed his damage, gave him a hug and sent him back out to battle, I mean, to play. The first of many boo-boos.

Baby Proofing

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon at the Burke house...we had Jason's work holiday party at our house the night before so we finished cleaning that morning and were just relaxing and trying to catch a nap before my holiday party that evening. I put Landon down for a nap, but heard him blabbing away and found him like this...

Hmm....kinda funny, kinda cute. Earlier in the week, he proved that he could successfully go from laying down to sitting up and stay sitting (Tuesday to be exact), so it was a big milestone, and we were proud parents! However, sitting up in the crib could only lead to... this...

Oh, geez! He's figured it out fast! I should have known that he was doing this when I heard the grunting noise. He was red in the face and determined to pull himself up, but couldn't quite figure out how to get his legs under him to make it easier, and to kneel or stand up. Mixed with emotions, I grab the camera and start snapping pictures (also because Jason is napping and I want him to see it too)...It's kinda funny that he's actually doing this, I'm trying to be a cheerleader because he was trying so damn hard, and I'm kinda scared that he's going to come down on his only teeth and knock them out and get hurt. But then he figured out the next step way too fast...

He managed to pull himself up and was balancing on the soft mattress!!! What the?!?!!? Don't jump, Buddy! Of course, I'm snapping away with the camera because now I REALLY can't believe this! And then, he became a quick daredevil and started to lean over the side! This is when I realized a) he's stronger than I thought, b) I think we're at the stage when we're supposed to lower the crib mattress, c) if he smacks his mouth, he's DEFINITELY losing all 6 teeth and thank GOD we are friends with a dentist, and d) this is only the beginning, Ame, get used to it!

So, you know, just a normal, quiet Saturday afternoon at the Burke's house....

Happy 8-month Birthday, Buddy!

I know I say this every month, but time really does fly...just so many changes in a month's time, it's amazing. Landon is officially (army) crawling. He will drag himself anywhere...and fast! We really have to keep our eye on him. He is a determined little guy - when he wants to get a toy across the room, he WILL get it. He now has 4 and 1/4 teeth and is starting to actually chew table foods...bread, bananas, cheese, pasta. He is only getting a little bit of table food now, but he is still eating his Baby 2 and 3 foods, as his main source of food.

We celebrated our first Thanksgiving together and are looking forward to our first Christmas together!

Family Picture Day

Since the entire family was together for Thanksgiving (minus Adrian), we took a big family picture. It was very nutty at the photo place, but we managed to get some good pics. Our Burke family pic turned out OK, aside from my hair in my eye and Jason's ripped jeans not getting cropped out. I think the 3 of us will try again when Landon turns 1.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My plan was to give Landon some mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving since they are practically baby food and festive! Oh, and they are Daddy's favorite food! Unfortunately, Landon did not like mashed potatoes, but did like bits of stuffing.

During our trip, Landon started this spitting thing and 'this' (watch movie). Funny, huh?

Watching Landon play

Having the week (away from home) with Landon was so awesome - it was truly quality time. If we are at home, I'm side-tracked with weekend chores, errands, and don't truly stop, relax and play with Landon. During this trip, there were many times that I would just lay on the floor and watch him play. It's so enjoyable to see his expressions.




Any many times I sat next to him in the back seat and it was fun to watch him then, too!

Playground

Since the weather was nice I wanted to take Landon to the playground to see how and if he would enjoy the swings and slide...or maybe he was too young, I didn't know. Regardless, I think he had fun!

Trip to Florida

We went to Florida for a week to visit Grandma and Grandpa and Landon's aunts, uncle and cousins, who he has never met. And Grandma hadn't seen Landon since he was 4 weeks old, and Grandpa last saw him in August. This was Landon's first time on an airplane (only a 1.5 hour flight) and he did great! Luckily, Jason changed his plans and came down with us for the entire week, which was really nice.

I was very excited for our trip, especially to see the little people - Desiree, Emily and Madison (my neices)! Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of Desiree and Emily (except on my phone), but snapped some of Madison. She is the most adorable little peanut! Landon is only 2 months older than Maddy. We had to be a little careful of Landon 'steam-rolling' over her, but they were pretty interested in each other - it was very cute to watch.

Richmond Half Marathon

In August, Aunt Sissy and I signed up to run the Richmond Half Marathon. I have always wanted to run one, and run the Rock n' Rock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, but it is held on Labor Day weekend and it seems that we always have something going on that weekend - family reunion, wedding shower, family picnic, etc. So, my co-worker convinced me to sign up for the Richmond Half-Marathon - cool! So I joined a mom's group to train with and devoted my Saturday mornings to train for this run. The longest I've ever ran is 10 miles in the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in Washington DC.

So...Race Day. The weather cooperated wonderfully! It was raining the day before and they were calling for rain the day of. I was really sick the week of so I didn't get a last long run in and my energy was a little low, but I decided I was still going to run (even in the rain) and just suck it up. Daddy and Uncle Dave dropped me and Aunt Sissy off at the race and they went to a diner for breakfast and then came back to the race to watch us run over the finish line.

I started out running strong and averaged about a 10-minute mile, which is a good pace for me. I was also able to find my co-worker (the one who convinced me to sign up for the race) and we ended up running together, which in the end, was my saving grace! At about mile 10 my legs felt like lead sticks. It was awful. I think I would have stopped and walked if it wasn't for Tina (my co-worker). She definitely pulled me through the race and I survived!!! I finished in 2 hours and 23 minutes and 40 seconds. Ask me if I'll run one again....HELL NO!!! Yes, I am able to cross 'running a half marathon' off my Bucket List, but it wasn't fun. I think I'm going to stick with 10k-and-less runs...

Landon, Daddy and Uncle Dave at the Diner.

Watching the runners...where's Mommy???

Go Mommy Go!!!

Go Aunt Sissy!

Taking a Bath

Landon is sitting up on his own, even in the bath tub! He LOVES taking a bath and splashing around and playing with his toys. It's really cute to watch. As you can tell from the dark circles under his eyes - he's still adjusting to this time change stuff. Can someone remind why we do it!??!!?!

Happy Halloween!

Where's our little monkey?!?!

Don't mess with this monkey!

Every monkey has to have a remote!