Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

Todd is really into having traditions around the holidays. This year was extra fun because we were able to include Mauer into our customs. Before Christmas Eve Mass at St. Michael’s church, we were able to get a quick family picture! What a nice looking bunch. I love that Mauer and Todd were able to wear festive sweater vests!!

We have upgraded from the traditional “Yule log” on TV and now have a real fire.

Mauer got SO many presents. Thank you everyone. It was really above and beyond anything he really needed! One of his favorite gifts was the orange that he got in his stalking (another tradition). His super cute jammies were a gift from one of the girls at Todd’s office!

He liked the pounding toy from Grandpa Steve. I don’t know why, but it must taste good. Another tradition is eating cinnamon rolls (Mauer did not get any frosting though!) for breakfast. He wolfed his down along with TWO oranges- must be a growing boy!

We snuggled the rest of the morning while we watched, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Another classic holiday tradition. We were given an awesome baby backpack so we decided to go for a short afternoon hike. Mauer liked the new backpack so much that he got cozy and took a short nap. We finished off the day with our traditional Christmas dinner of Alaskan king crab legs. I was shocked, but Mauer really liked those too!

Merry Christmas

We apologize for the interruption of services! Blogging takes a bit of effort and we have been trying to focus more effort into our family and marriage. Here is the last 2 months in one giant post!

Grandma Margaret playing with Mauer during an impromptu visit to the Pacific Northwest! Mauer practicing waving “bye bye” and walking with his toy.


Grandma’s impromptu visit turns into a road trip to Minnesota. It was a beautiful drive! I cannot say the same for the drive back to WA. The pictures would have been very white- lots of snow and wind!


Mauer experiences HOCKEY! Uncle Jared eats, sleeps, and plays hockey! Mauer really enjoyed playing with the “knee hockey” sticks and net. It was exciting to watch some hockey while we were in MN.


Mauer was ready to pack it up and head home. But, not until we visited with Grandma Ginger! Mauer enjoyed playing at Grandpa Dave and “Grandma Equivalent” Luann’s house too. They have a wooden rocking horse.


Back in Washington, Mauer gets back into his routine. He likes to empty the drawers (he can even reach into the third from the bottom drawer!), which we have arranged to keep soft and safe items inside. Todd helps Mauer brush his teeth properly.


That’s right! He has teeth! They popped through during our road trip home. Poor little guy was stuck in his car seat AND he was cutting teeth- 4 at one time! I tried my best to get a photo, but he was less than cooperative.

I just love this picture. He is such a weird-o. I think he gets that from his dad. He was playing under the computer desk, acting like a turkey!

One of the “big bosses” at the WIC office gave Mauer a rocking horse. His name is Bucky and Mauer REALLY likes him. Todd put in some new batteries and it makes a lot of noise- gallops, and neighs, and on and on and on…

I attempted to get some cute photos of Mauer in front of the tree. He was in a very “busy” mood. Here are 33 of the “more successful attempts.” Better luck next year?!

Here is one of my favorite pictures of him in front of the tree. He looks like he is so angelic in the photo. Don’t count on it! He was pulling that hat off as fast as he could!

Nine Month Check Up

The good news is, no immunizations at this appointment. The bad news, he got a flu shot this time.

As you can see, Mauer's plugging along on a great curve for his growth. You will see that he shrunk between his 6 month appointment and his 9 month appointment. Obviously, he's not shrinking. It just goes to show you that getting the height of a squirmy child is difficult! Our doctor made the nurse measure him twice this time, just to be sure. His official weight is 17 pounds and 12 ounces. His official height is 28 inches.

Good Ole' Chuck

Happy Halloween from the cutest little Charlie Brown I have ever seen!
I found the shirt at the dollar store. It was, of course, a dollar. I added the zig zag with a permanent marker. Mauer already had brown pants and a bald head. I added the eyeliner to his forehead. Pretty easy and he stayed comfortable all day.

Mauer's First Field Trip

Mauer doesn't get to go on field trips unless Todd or I go too. Fortunately, I was able to get away from work and join the crew at the pumpkin patch. The big kids ran through a hay maze; Mauer and I just watched. Next, we went into the animal barn. At this farm, they let the kids get inside the pens and touch and feed the animals. Mauer cried each time we got close to the goats, bunnies, pigs and chickens. I guess he's not much of a farm animal kid. Then we got to go on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. Each child got to pick out the perfect pumpkin!

Here is the crew from "The Clubhouse" daycare.

Here are some of the Mauer fans. (clockwise from top left) Triniti helping Mauer pose for the camera. Alyssa only knows a few words "no," "mine," and "Mauer."

Mauer got a burst of energy right before I put him on the bails of hay. He was being really silly!

Mauer made me a little nervous on the tractor seat. He wanted to lean over to reach the knobs and levers, which would make him lose his balance. So, I turned him around to play with the steering wheel. Much better. Some other Pumpkin patch guests saw how cheesy he was being. When he heard them laugh, he really hammed it up.

My favorite picture of the day!

October

Some tid bits from the month...

Sneaking into the dog's kennel

Looking out the window at Kielty
Looking mischievous after he emptied his books and toys from the bottom of the book shelf

Mauer spent several days under the weather. Last weekend he ran a mild fever the whole weekend. On the plus side, he played hookie and spent an entire Monday with his daddy!

I love Lamp

Mauer is really on the move now! Look at him go!

More tubby time!

Mauer really enjoys bath time. He splashes and splashes and splashes! He doesn't even mind when he falls over. As you will see.

Rubber Ducky You're the One...

.... You make bathtime so much fun.
Mauer has been really enjoying bath time. Now that he is on the move, he will get on his hands and knees in the tub and crawl around to get to his favorite toys. He reminds me of a frog! He will also slap and kick over and over and over again. He doesn’t mind getting water in his face at all! Maybe he DID get some of my genes!

We started brushing his teeth. He really enjoys brushing his own teeth and he doesn’t mind when I help either. Of course, I am using the word "tooth" very loosely since he does not have any yet. We have been expecting one any day for over 4 months now.

His potty chair came in the mail the other day. Now before any of you make your own judgments about that… many countries throughout the world have their children potty trained before age 2. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that in the United States, you had to get a prescription for diapers for children over 30 pounds! Okay, back to Mauer. He sits on it after dinner and/or before bath time. At this point, he is just getting used to having it around and sitting on it. (Which, he thinks is pretty rad.) It’s still a little too big for his tiny bottom, and his little legs just graze the floor. We will worry about him making a deposit later.

Ready or not! Here he comes!

This week, Mauer has decided he does not mind being on his hands and knees. For the past few weeks, whenever we set him on the floor in the crawl position, he would fuss and roll to sit on his bottom. I knew he could crawl, because I have seen him do it a time or two. Now he is on the move. He still gets frustrated when he goes from wood floor to rug but he is moving! At times, I see him pulling himself across the wood floor like a paraplegic too. I guess his legs muscles need a break!

Some of Mauer’s other accomplishments:
Clapping. Well, it is like the silent clap. I used to think it was just coincidence that he was making contact with the palms of his hands, but it is actually intentional. We clap together when we are REALLY excited. You know, about things like swallowing a bite of food, or crawling a few feet.
Eating. I don’t know what they did at daycare, but they started to spoon feed him and now he will try eating anything at home (without screaming). I’m not sure how they do it, but he comes home in the same clothes I sent him in and they do not have a morsel of food on them. Could they be stripping him down to put him in the highchair? I don’t think so. They must not let him use the spoon or let him “explore” the food as we do at home. He has also been eating what we eat. Of course, when he has chicken and rice, his chicken isn’t marinated in teriyaki sauce. He has also had spaghetti. Spaghetti nights are also bath nights. I find noodles EVERYWHERE! It’s pretty cute to pull off his shirt and find noodles stuck to his chest.
Crawling. So the house is pretty baby proof. Todd and I are not. We cannot leave things like the ironing board (iron atop) in the living room anymore. Yikes!

I have been working a TON lately. School starts on Thursday and I’ve been doing lots of enrollments and orientations with new parents. This means long days at work. Thankfully, Todd and Mauer have been super accommodating. For starters, Mauer has been eating more solid food, which makes it easier for me to keep up with my milk production. And, Todd has been able to bring Mauer to my office after he picks him up from Daycare. It’s a nice way to revive my energy and plug away for a few more hours. I hope things settle down soon. I thought the beginning of October would bring about some regularity, but one of my teachers quit so I will be hiring and training in a new person around the beginning/mid October.

Video Clips from this week

Below is a video I took (with my phone) of Mauer trying to get on his feet. No, he hasn't mastered crawling, he doesn't even crawl at all (well, I saw him do it once). He just really wants to get on his feet. So far, he gets to his toes, pivots and then goes in a new direction. Don't mind the dog, he's being his typical self- annoying.

I have no idea how he knew that I had my camera when I was pointing my phone at him. He's quite the ham. He knows what to do when you point a camera at him, as you can see. Again, he's trying to pull himself up. He's using the laundry basket and the couch. He's been making this really weird noise with his tongue lately. Todd and I have tried to imitate it, but we can't figure it out. You can kind of hear it in this video. He clicks his tongue and then makes a mini-fart noise.

Visiting Olympic National Park & Goodbye

Mauer & Lila finish their visit with slobbers and their favorite toy. Goodbye Lila, Jenny & Cary!

The Adams' Visit

Jenny, Cary & Lila were able to stay in Washington with us for an entire week.

We took a ferry to Bainbridge Island from Seattle.

Mauer and Lila spent a bunch of time in their car seats.

Baptism

We were so thrilled to have Mauer’s Godparents, Jenny & Cary to join us for his baptism. Our good friend, Michelle, also joined us. She was there to snap photos for us!

I made Mauer’s cake with my Betty Crocker insert pans. I used white cake for the outside and devils chocolate for the inside. There was some debate as to whether or not that was appropriate for a baptism! We decided it was an angel, devil cake; so I am sure that negated any bad juju.

During the service, we all gave him the sign of the cross on his forehead. Mauer was in a happy mood for the entire baptism. At the end, he fell asleep. Good boy!

At St. Mikes, they like to set the children in the baptismal font and scoop water onto their heads. He did not seem to mind. We had our fingers crossed that when we pulled the diaper off, that we didn’t have any surprises.