Mommy?

Spencer watched Mommy go out the door that leads to the basement. Even though he saw the door close behind her, he could still hear her voice. Upon closer examination he realized that he could not only see her through the cat door, he could laugh and talk with Mommy through it too!

Franken-Spencer Walks Again!

Over the past week Spencer has really gained a lot of confidence is his walking skills. He still tends to hold his arms out in front of him "Frankenstein style" which helps him with his balance, but he can walk for much longer distances now. Today our tight rope walking circus performer opted to use this toy telephone to help him keep his balance! You gotta give this kid points for creativity! Once his feet are in motion, it's nothing to see him walk down the hallway or though the kitchen instead of just from a piece of furniture to another piece of furniture. When he falls down he still needs to use something to help pull himself back up, but once he's up......he's on the go again!

Spencer Want A Cracker?

With Grandma and Grandpa here, Spencer thought it would be a nice evening to go out to dinner. While we waited for our meals, Spencer nibbled on some crackers while he and Grandpa got into a very deep and meaningful conversation.

The Great Shape Sort Out!

Try to say that title three times fast! With Grandma and Grandpa staying with us for a few days, today was filled with play time play time and more play time! We think Spencer may have put on a couple miles with all the walking he did today! We will have to stick a pedometer on him to see for sure how many steps he really does take in a day! This evening while he was having some unwind time, he and Grandpa worked on getting the right shapes in the correct spots of this shape sorter game.

It's Birthday Time!

Today was a celebration of 70'th birthdays! Grandma D's today and Grandpa D who officially turned 70 last February. If there is a party going on, Spencer is there and in this case.......dancing on the table!






















After bruch, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. When Spencer saw Daddy pushing Brian on a scooter he wanted to be a big boy too so Aunt June helped him go for a scooter ride too!

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa! We love you both bunch's and bunch's!

Splish-Splash!

Spencer has gotten to really enjoy his bathtub baths. It could be because he generally always takes a bath with his brother, but it's probably because he loves splashing in the water! When the two boys face each other and they both start splashing, the room is flooded with the sound of laughter and giggles!

Great Day To Play Outside!

Today was an absolutely beautiful day so we headed out into the back yard to enjoy it! As if playing outside wasn't good enough, the boy's cousin Haley came over today so the boys got to play with her too - talk about a great deal! While Brian and Haley played on the slides, Spencer did some walking in the grass.

Later, we all gathered on a blanket and did some building with the Mega Blocks! Come back soon Haley, we love getting to hang out with you!

Let's Hide!

While Mommy was out of the room she heard the sound of two giggling boy's. When she peeked around the corner she saw Spencer and Brian in the Big Bird bed trying to pull it over themselves so they could hide. Mommy played along with their game and went "looking" for them and you won't believe where she found them.....they were in the Big Bird bed!

Who's Your Friend?

Now that Spencer is getting a little older, it has been so much fun watching how much more they now play and interact with each other. Tonight Brian crawled into the pack-n-play and smashed his hands or face up against the mesh. Spencer laid his hand on the opposite side of the mesh and pushed back while they both laughed like it was the funniest thing either of them had ever seen!

Who's Out There???

Spencer was the last one to wake up this morning and when he did he was greeted by voices he wasn't expecting to hear.......Grandma and Grandpa's voice! They got in shortly after the boys had gone to bed and it was a quick visit over breakfast since they had to fly out for their next destination right after we ate. After Grandpa and Spencer enjoyed some oatmeal, he gave them a sneak preview of his walking skills. He is saving his big walking ability show for when they get back this weekend when they will be able to be here for a much longer stay!

Wagon Master & I'm 11 Months Old!

The boys went on a wagon ride this afternoon - nothing unusual about that. Spencer does have one little "thing" that he does whenever he's in the stroller or the wagon though.

He loves to lean over the edge so that he can watch and feel how the wheels work. You would think that watching all of that spinning would make him sea sick but he just can't get enough of this view!

Kane County Fair!

Spencer and his family drove to St. Charles today so that he could take in his first County Fair! It was a hot and muggy day but it didn't slow Spencer down in wanting to see (and touch) everything he could. We went through the animal barns and Spencer was intrigued by everything he saw. Our next stop was the petting barn where he got to get up close and personal with some other babies......baby animals that is! It was a long afternoon and he was ready for a nap by the time we came home but he appeared to have had as much fun as the rest of us did today.

The Muffled Snooze!

We have mentioned before that Spencer doesn't have any interest in a pacifier. He is not a thumb sucker either. While he's in his crib though, he does like to suck on his little towel bear with a soft ribbon edge. During his morning nap today, Mommy and Daddy caught this picture of sleeping Spencer.

A guy just doesn't get much more comfortable than this does he?!?!

HE DID IT!!!!!!

We knew he was getting close and as of yesterday Spencer has added another "first" onto his resume. Yesterday Spencer took his first steps! To help him get some more practice, Mommy and Daddy sat on the floor, a few feet apart and facing each other. Spencer launched out from one parent and into the awaiting arms of the other parent....over and over again! The trip from Mommy to Daddy may have only been a few baby steps but what a huge accomplishment that was for this little guy! Today Mommy and Daddy added a little more space between them and Super Spencer was still able to walk his way back and forth between them nearly every time! The look on his face as he walked towards us looked to be a mixture of pure excitement and shock of what he was actually doing!

This Isn't Puree?

Spencer has been eating level 3 baby food (foods with bigger chunks in it to help him learn to chew his food) for several weeks now. We still find it very strange that he doesn't automatically pick up - well, anything - and immediately shove it into his mouth. It makes mealtime a little more challenging but he will get the hang of it all before we know it. For example, today he gnawed away on this "biter biscuit" instead of just holding and examining it! We felt that was a huge accomplishment in Spencer's journey towards eating like a big boy!

The Maze!

Now that Spencer is crawling, he is EVERYWHERE! Today he found himself under one of the kitchen chairs which was frustrating until he found a way to get out from under it!






Once he had freed himself from the chair (undoubtedly with the aid of this toy wrench), smiley Spencer was off to find something else to play with!

Gumball Machine!

Spencer has been watching his big brother play with this toy because within no time, he knew exactly how it worked! He drops the balls in the top, pushes the lever on the side and giggles as the balls roll out the bottom!

Where Am I?

Where's Spencer?

On the counter top! Today we stopped by the job site to visit Daddy while he was finishing up remodeling a kitchen. Spencer decided he needed to take a closer look at the cabinets Daddy installed! Good job Daddy - the kitchen looks great!

Check Please!

We spent the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's house today. Spencer agreed to go for a swim in the pool but he's still not totally convinced that he enjoys it yet. He did say that he is willing to keep an open mind and try it a few more times before he makes up his mind though. After a post pool nap and some dinner, he was all smiles, giggles and grins!

Bucket Boys!

A few weeks ago we picked up a little three drawer cabinet which houses most of the boys toys. Brian has decided it's fun to pull the drawers out and pour all the toys onto the floor. Spencer also enjoys this since it makes it much easier to pick which toy you want to play with when they are ALL piled up in front of you! The drawers also work well as storage containers for things other than toys - things like little boys!

The Cat's Are Away!!!

Grandma and Grandpa came over tonight because Mommy and Daddy went - oh who cares where they went, we got to play with Grandma and Grandpa!!!!!

Spencer wasted no time showing off all his new tricks, like walking with the help of some push toys!

But one of his favorite parts of the night was getting in some snuggle time!

Raspberry Face!

Question: What do you get when you blow a raspberry (also known as playing motor boat) while eating a very yummy meal of lasagna with meat sauce?

Answer: I believe this picture answers that question better than any words could!

Did Someone Call For a Ride?

As we mentioned on Monday's post, Spencer will pull himself up to just about anything. If the item happens to have wheels on it - all the better! This morning he was putting some miles on his high chair as he walked along side it, pushing it back and forth across the kitchen floor!

A Tub Built for Two!

Spencer has been taking his baths in the kitchen sink - until this week that is! Tonight was his second tub bath with his brother and we have to admit, he seems to be enjoying the new bath venue. After they have had some splash and play time, Brian scoots to the back while Spencer has his actual bath. Mommy and Daddy are thrilled that they have two boys that not only like taking baths, but they are great at letting water be poured over their heads!

Let er' Roll!

Spencer has been pulling himself up to furniture for quite a while. His newest trick is pulling himself up to moving objects and pushing them around. He especially likes to push his high chair around. It can get away from him if he pushes it too fast but he normally has better success with it than with one of his smaller wheeled toys. Today he used this bike as a push toy.

It was going pretty well until his big brother saw him playing with it and suddenly needed it back. I guess our lessons on sharing will need to continue.

Today's Outing!

This afternoon we decided to try out a new park. It was a little warmer than we have been used to over the past couple days but Spencer still wanted to take his turn on the swing! After he was swung out, he retired to the blanket and sat in the shade playing and enjoying the fresh air.

On our way home we took a side trip by our friendly neighborhood Dairy Queen. Spencer helped Mommy finish her ice cream cone.

Even though the ice cream was very yummy, playing with the paper that the cone came wrapped in was also a good time!

Where Are We Going Today?

One of the fun things about living in the suburbs of a big city is all of the fun stuff there is to do through out the year. The summer time is filled with fairs and festivals, one of which we went to today. This afternoon we took a bite out of the Taste of Lombard! Spencer had to do more watching than actual participating this year (very similar to what Brian did last summer). But by next year Spencer will be running around just like his big brother is doing now!

Happy 4th of July!

Mommy and Daddy promised Spencer a fun filled day today and boy did they ever deliver! Here's a recap of his day.

"First, they took me to my first parade ever! It was so close to our house that we took a stroller ride to get there! We hung out with Uncle Kevin, Aunt June and Erika and all cheered like crazy when we saw Krista. She was in the parade with some of the other members of her swim team which was very exciting to see!"

"After the parade and a nap, it was off to Grandma and Grandpas house for a big backyard party! There were lots of people there and they were all very nice to me saying things like how cute I am or offering to hold me and stuff like that. It was all very cool!"

"Even though it was past my bedtime and I was very tired, I kept hearing about these fireworks and I wanted to find out what they were so I refused to fall asleep. Mommy and Daddy suggested that I wear this pair of "ear muffins" in case I didn't care for the loud noises so - I did."

"From what I am told, I made it about half way through the fireworks display and then I fell asleep. What I saw - I really liked! I couldn't take my eyes off all the bright pretty lights up in the sky! I hope everyone else has as much fun on their 4th of July as I did!"

Goin' My Way?

Mommy was pushing Brian around on his bike today and Spencer was looking left out so........Mommy switched vehicles and Spencer took his first spin on the Elmo car! The smile on his face was from ear to ear! He enjoyed it so much in fact that after Mommy stopped pushing, he still proudly sat on the car - like riding a car is something he has been doing forever!

Another First!

Spencer is doing really well with eating the chunkier varieties of baby food. Considering that his doctor told us that he would like to see him eating most of his daily food intake in the form of solid food with formula as a supplement, this is good news! Within the next couple months, we anticipate the doctor giving Spencer the okay to leave the formula behind and move onto milk. When we hit that stage, we would like to put the bottles behind us as well so today, just for fun, Mommy was curious to see how Spencer would do with some formula from a sippy cup. He was a little thrown for a few minutes but he gripped right onto the handles. First he just played with it but with some encouragement, he got it to his mouth and he drank nearly the whole thing!

Already???

It seems like Grandma and Grandpa just got here but by this morning, they had to head off for their final destination of this trip. It may have been a short visit but we sure were happy to see them! Fortunately, they will be back in a couple weeks and that time they will be able to stay for a longer visit - so we have that to look forward to!




***I apologize for using the same picture on both boy's blogs today, but it can be challenging to get even one picture where 4 sets of eyes are on the camera at the same time, especially when 2 of those sets of eyes belong to little boys who were about to take their morning nap!