Week 50

As if walking isn't enough, Anthony is trying to add "running" to his repertoire. Favorite activities now include opening and closing the refrigerator & microwave doors and turning on & off the light switches. We can ask him where his things are (ball, book, water, etc.) and he will point to them or go get them. He can now stand up without having to pull himself up on something. He is mimicking gestures and sounds more and more every day. And what surprises me the most is that he will remember and demonstrate the gesture when we say or sing certain things. Anthony has also discovered how fun it is to throw everything down!

He's walking! Weeks 47, 48 & 49

Anthony is walking! He was just taking several steps at a time for awhile. But, Anthony got a jolt of inspiration after spending an afternoon watching his friend Alison walk around her house. He's been honing his skills ever since! He's been tasting a variety of new solid foods: meatloaf, waffles, tuna fish sandwich, noodles, macaroni & cheese, whole fruits, etc. He's very happy to have a dog back in the house now. Athena is a good sport and doesn't mind Anthony squawking at her and pounding on her crate when she's in there. She actually seems to like it and wants him to play with her. Anthony is quite the charmer when we are out shopping and running errands. He smiles, waves and "talks" to people as they go by. He draws a lot of attention; it's like being out with a puppy! Anthony amazes us with the things he tries to copy and immitate. He's trying to snap his fingers now, trying hard to say something close to "I love you" and when I say, "that makes me SO mad", he growls. He's also discovered balloons and LOVES them!

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Weeks 45 & 46

Anthony can easily stand without holding onto any support and he is building up his confidence to walk; his longest stretch has been 6 steps in a row! He has learned to clap his hands and is waving "bye bye" a lot now. We took Anthony to the Boardwalk at Santa Cruz and he enjoyed taking in all the sights. He didn't want to touch the sand at first, but then he took right to it. He seems to be losing interest in eating baby food and wants to eat whatever we have. Sometimes, he wont even take the food from his baby spoon; you have to feed him from a real fork. Anthony has become very interactive; he doesn't just want to be entertained anymore, he wants to entertain us and initiate the interaction. One of the cute things he started doing this past week... He has a big picture book of animals and when you turn the pages and get to the picture of the dog, he kisses the picture. And it's just so cute because the dog is the only picture that he will kiss. (note: there's 2 sets of additional pictures this week. week 45 & week 46)

Week 44

Anthony took his first steps this week! And last night, he walked 4 steps to me! I haven't been able to catch any video or pictures of him walking yet. But, I did get one picture of him standing. (below) He seems to have learned which remote works the tv and which one works the fan. And now, he picks up the phone and puts it to our ears! Anthony has become very interested with pictures on the wall (especially ones of himself) and reaches out for them. And for our entertainment, Daddy has taught him how to snort like a piggy!

10 months old

So, Anthony is 10 months old tomorrow! I can't even believe it's been 10 months already! We spent a little time at the pool on Friday morning. That was really nice since it was the first time that the three of us were able to be at the pool together. Anthony waved "hello" for the first time! He waved to a woman sitting at the pool. On Saturday, Anthony & I went to Cindy's house for a BBQ. (Daddy had to work, of course!) Anthony enjoyed the jumpy/ball house and emptying out one of their cabinets! Thanks for having us over, Cindy! On Sunday, we took a little walk to the park for a ride on the swing!

9 month old "well check"

OK, so he's almost 10 months old now. But, we were in WI when he turned 9 months! ;)
Anthony weighed in at 23lbs 9oz and measured 30.5" long!

Week 42

Anthony has loved going to the pool during the week with Daddy and again with me on the weekend. I took him to the complex pool on Friday & Saturday and we had the pool all to ourselves on both days! It was very hot this weekend. But, we went out to the pool early in the day to avoid the extreme heat. Anthony is getting brave with his steps and is letting go of his support more often. It seems like he JUST started crawling and now he's going to be walking soon! He's always been glued to the TV when his favorite shows come on. But, now, when he hears any of the singing or theme songs in his shows, he starts to flap his arms and "sing" along; it's so funny. (see video below)

A few more pics

I had to post these pictures... the close-up below was taken at Chris' graduation. I love the picture and after a lot of "nagging", I FINALLY got Jon to send it to me!! Daddy took Anthony to the pool yesterday while I was at work!! =( .... anyway, I love these pics too!

Vacation in Wisconsin (38 - 41 weeks)

Anthony did surprisingly well on our road trip to Wisconsin. (Thanks to a DVD player and Baby Einstein videos!) He loved being on the boat, going fishing and especially loved playing in the lake! It was great to be with family and be able to be there for Chris' graduation. (Sorry that we had to miss Taylor's though!) Anthony cut 2 teeth while we were in WI. He taught himself how to climb stairs and is trying very hard to stand unassisted now. It's so funny to watch him play and do things; he actually growls when he's frustrated! Daddy is going to drop the crib mattress to the lowest setting today. I caught Anthony climbing up the side of his play pen. So, we certainly don't want him trying to climb out of his crib!