Dallin- 11 months

AH! How can my baby be just one month shy of a year?? He is supposed to still be little, not this little boy he's so quickly turning into. And he is certainly all boy. We have nicknamed our boys "Emotional Evan" and "Destructive Dallin" and they definitely earning those names. Here are some thoughts on our "Little D" this month...

-He has 8 teeth!

-He is EVERYWHERE. He walks all over the furniture, up and down stairs, and gets into absolutely everything. Bookshelves, cabinets, dressers, boxes, table tops- nothing is safe. And he lives to destroy/clear everything.

-He had his first haircut this past month, just off the back and over his ears because it was too long/thick in those areas. He's still a little thin on top

-He's a good sleeper. He still takes 2 naps everyday and each one is about 2 hours long, sometimes up to 3 hours for his morning nap. He wakes up in the middle of the night still almost every night for a bottle, which he didn't do at all for a while but it's a pretty regular 2:30am party in his room.

-He eats just about anything. He will still sit and be fed baby food on occasion and generally likes the baby food in a squeeze pouch but he much prefers to feed himself. He loves bread, hot dogs, cheese toast, pancakes, beans, avocado, peas, cantaloup, biscuit... anything we will give him.

-He doesn't say much but he's very good at "bye bye" which usually is completed with a wave and all. He can say mama and dada and ba (I think it's ball) but he doesn't very often. He mainly just screams and grunts and laughs.

-He loves the bath. He loves the bathroom. He loves the lake. The boy just loves anything about water- including drinking it.

-He has officially accepted a sippy cup... kind of. He really only uses the kind with straws and I know it's because he's too lazy to actually turn a sippy cup up and drink from it since he STILL refuses to hold his bottle unless you absolutely force him to.

-He's so playful. He loves to play with balls and dinosaurs. He loves to be passed back and forth from one person to another while basically jumping out of your arms to get to the other person. He loves all of Evan's toys- especially if Evan isn't in the room and he can have free reign.

-He's super into musical instruments. He will sit and play with a recorder/kazoo/pan flute forever. He just blows on them and gets a sound and is so proud of himself! He loves drums, shakers, maracas, the piano- anything that makes noise!

As I say every month, because it only becomes more true every month, he is so stinking sweet and cute. He is incredibly busy, totally fearless, and wild but he is also a cuddly, sweetie pie. He lights up when he sees you in the morning. He loves to see people and will let just about anyone hold him. He smiles for everyone... he basically is just smiling all the time. It's amazing how different he is than Evan and how we can love them both so completely. Dallin- you are the perfect crazy in our lives and we love you pieces!

Dallin- 10 Months

I remember the 10 month pictures being particularly difficult to get with Evan and Dallin certainly proved that to be true again. Goodness! 10 months- we are no longer inching toward a year, we are running there! Actually, that's more right than I first thought. Here is why...

-If this month has brought one thing it's SPEED! Dallin can crawl FAST now.

-He loves the bathroom. He would live in the bathtub if we'd let him. So don't even think about leaving the bathroom door open, he will be in there in half a second and literally doing all he can to do get into the bathtub. He lifts his leg as high as he possibly can and reaches in... he's a mess.

-He wants to feed himself more and more. He still likes baby food reasonably well and eats about 6 jars a day. But he also loves bread, all the little baby snacks, french fries, cooked carrots, apples, anything we will let him eat.

-He wants anything Evan has, and always has, but now unless Evan puts it up high, he can actually get it. He will reach until he gets what he wants (it's like he has gogo-gadget arms) and he can stand up using anything.

-He's a pro at waving and saying "bye bye". He also seems to converse with Evan a lot- mainly through screaming but it's way cute. He's not angry, just demanding Evan's attention.

-Dallin is completely fearless. He can crawl half way up any slide (especially the one at Chick-fil-a), up or down a stair or 2, he tries to stand up on everything (including high chairs)- he's busy!

-He is the cutest and happiest little guy when he wakes up. He just talks and Evan runs in there and says "It's a baby!!" and Dallin LOVES it! He stands up in his crib just talking to Evan with the biggest smile- such cute moments of each day.

His favorite things right now are phones, magazines, clearing tables, emptying boxes, and the show "Little Einsteins". He is such a cutie! Everyone talks to him in stores and comments on how cute he is and he just smiles at them- he knows how to work it! He really is such a sweet boy. This entry may make it sound like he's crazy, and he pretty much is, but he's awesome and happy and 100% lovable. He's a huge contrast from number one and it works out just perfectly. We love our little D!

Dallin- 9 months

As I watch Dallin sitting in kitchen right now, where he just crawled and then went to sitting all by himself, it amazes me what one can accomplish in 9 months! This has been a big month for him, including some official stats, so let's start there:

He weighs 21lbs and 4oz.

He is  27.8 inches and his head is 18 (the nurse also wrote in his little chart "So Sweet!").

Mobility is officially a major go. He crawls on all 4s now and will disappear before your eyes if you aren't watching his every move. He can go from sitting to crawling and back to second with minimal effort. He's pretty legit.

He can stand up all on his own. Most of the time when you come get him from sleeping, he is standing up in his crib. He also can pull up using furniture, including book cases. Which has resulted in a new activity- clearing shelves.

He love to tear things, namely paper. Not a good hobby.

He will eat things with texture now. He likes baby food with texture and he also likes baby puffs. Very minimal gagging these days.

He says "mama" all the time (love it!). He can also get out some other sounds like ba or da but he's into the mama.

He waves hello and goodbye (and grins the whole time).

He can buzz like a pro. Seriously- future high brass player in the house. He loves to buzz while you feed him... not awesome.

He loves phones and any toy that is not meant to his. One of his favorite things to do is to empty boxes or the little baby rings that stack.

This boy just gets better every day. He is so smiley, so curious, and has just a happy personality. We had to go see an ophthalmologist earlier in the month (he has an astigmatism) and she said "You can just tell he has such a sweet spirit" and he really does! Everyone loves him and so far, he pretty much loves everyone.

Dallin- 8 months

That cutie is officially 8 months old. I feel like one year is just around the corner! He is just as sweet as ever. There haven't been any dramatic changes since 7 months, but of course, just gets better each month! So here are some 8 month bits:

-He is an eater! (not that I am surprised) He eats 4-6 containers of stage 2 baby food every day. The only thing we have discover that he absolutely does not like- peas! Oh the faces... not good. This doesn't mean we won't try again later ;)

-He can move forward! But not crawl... he just pulls himself and it's very slow going but it's a start. This makes him even more mobile, but not so mobile that he can't be trusted- yet.

-He has turned into some kind of Jekyll-Hyde napper. One day he naps for 3+ hours the next day, 45 minutes. In other words, this kid has no "schedule" and totally does as he pleases. Isn't that how it should be at 8 months old??

-He is a TV lover. (again, not surprised) While Evan is between movies (because there is almost always a movie playing in our house) he makes all these little grunting noises of impatience. Neither of them actually watch these movies. But when a song comes on, the whole earth stops so they can both watch it. Dallin will all but jump out of your arms if you are holding him the wrong way so he can see what's going on. And don't even think about turning that movie off before the credits are over...

-He is the LOUDEST baby! It's impressive. I have an Uncle Alan who is the loudest person you'll ever meet so everyone in the family is in agreement that Dallin (rhyming with Alan) was the perfect name.

-He's thinking about waving bye bye. He starts to do it sometimes and then he gets really shy. It's like he realizes he's doing something awesome and just can't stand it. Humble, I suppose.

-He is not a still baby. When he's sleepy- he fights it. When he wants down- he will get down. When he wants to move across the room- he will move across the room. If he is laying on your chest and being still, you take advantage of those moments, cause they aren't often.

-He is a grabber and a reacher meaning if it might be in his arms length, he will reach for it until it seems like his arm magically grows and he can get anything he wants. SO BUSY!

-He has 6 teeth, and boy does he love to show them off with his big, wide, beautiful grin!

Dallin is so much his own person. I love seeing his personality shine through more and more all the time. He is so sweet and smiley and friendly and then turns all melty shy and nuzzles his little head into your neck. He is such a mover and such a busy boy. He loves his family and wants to do everything Evan does and be everything Evan is. He is wonderful, adorable, and completely and totally loved.

Dallin- 7 Months

I swear it is harder and harder to believe the number I type in every month. SEVEN months?? Really? We've had this little gem of a guy around for 7 months already? But then, you can tell he really isn't a little baby anymore, which means he must be doing the inevitable- getting older.

-He eats 3+ jars of baby food everyday and usually some oatmeal too. His interest in bottles decreases daily, but he still manages to eat about 5 a day.

-He has not fussed in his car seat in a long time! Granted, we haven't made any long trips in a while, but what a joy it is to have him happy in the car!

-He is VERY mobile. He may not be crawling yet, but that doesn't mean he's not mobile. He can roll or slither his way anywhere. You turn your head for a split second and he is halfway across the room. If he wants to get something or somewhere, you can bet it will happen, and fast.

-He is officially a sitter but doesn't usually stay sitting for very long because he wants to move!

-He still has only 4 teeth but the top 2 are starting to bud so I imagine this post next month, he will be up to 6.

-He loves toys. If you give him a few, he tries to get them all in his hands at once. But he does not fuss when someone (cough Evan cough) takes a toy from him. I hope this can last!

-He loves books but it is very hard to read to him because he grabs everything. The best books for him and ones he cannot rip and can chew.

-He loves the bath. If Evan gets in the bath before him, he is literally jumping out of your arms to get in too.

-He fights sleep if he is super tired but he has also gotten to the point that most of the time you can just lay him down and will fall asleep without and fussing.

-He is well aware of the function of vocal chords. He screams all the time. Not crying or mad, just screaming. He babbles, buzzes, spits, anything he can figure out with his mouth.

He is such a good boy- really. And when he smiles (which is all time) his whole face lights up and you can't help but return it (that is, if you have a heart). He has a lot of people wrapped around his little finger, just as it should be. We absolutely adore our little Dallin boy!

Dallin- 6 months

On Christmas day, Dallin celebrated his half birthday! So his first Christmas and 6 month old all in one day- that's a lot for a little guy to take in! Month 6 has proved to be just as wonderful and exciting as the rest. He is such a good natured, happy, little fellow that we just can't help but love him. He is a regular eater now- he eats oatmeal and 1/2-1 thing of baby food everyday. He still loves his bottles. He has also been introduced to water and enjoys that quite a bit. He now has 3 teeth!! I forgot to mention last month that he already had 2 on the bottom but now one on top hap broken through, too. And thanks to those teeth, the amount of drool being produced on a daily basis has gone down substantially. He can sit up all by himself for short periods of time. He chooses to roll from his back to his front or vice versa and has quite a bit of control over his entire body. He can bring his foot to his mouth, pull of his socks, pick up just about anything, take pretty much anything from you that he wants, pull your hair, pull your jewelry... you know, typical into everything kind of stuff. He loves books and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (not that he has a choice in the matter). He LOVES his name! Old McDonald is still his favorite song and you have to sing it with his name in it. He went on his first plane ride this month and was great- no fussing (cause he gets to be held the entire time). He also went to California and Disneyland this month- now that's what I call a good month! He still loves his brother and is a mommy's boy. He sleeps through the night almost without fail. He likes to babble. And his greatest discovery ever is his tongue!! He loves that thing- it's out every time he smiles, so that makes up a lot of his day. We call it the "pink pickle" cause it looks just like that- a little baby pink pickle sticking out of his mouth. It is so stinking cute. He really just wants to be big- when Matt and Evan play like "big boys" he just watches and wants to be in on it all so badly! His time will come but for now we are still enjoying the little bit of "baby" time we have left with this one- he is such a sweetie, cutie, goodie boy and we are super blessed to call him ours!

BOM-RAT

I know I am going to blow everyone's mind by blogging 2 days in a row, but it is a rare moment where both of my sweet boys are asleep and I am eating lunch at the dining room table (where the computer lives) and felt a spur of the moment update desire. FYI, I intend to start being an "earnest" blogger again in 2014. And I tend to keep my New Years resolutions so, maybe I will be on this more than once a month and tell you more than just Dallin's latest and greatest.

So... BOM-RAT. What's that all about? Let me tell you. It's the abbreviation for "Book of Mormon Read-a-Thon". We are planning one for next Friday with the Young Women in our ward. We will read the entire Book of Mormon in a mere 24 hours. Is it possible? Well, lots of other units have done it and lived to blog it about it later that week so I can only assume it is. I will tell you this much though, right now, it's very daunting to think about.

Here is the thing, it is A LOT more than "just reading" for 24 hours. Let's not even think about the content of what we are reading- that's a whole thing in and of itself. But there is a lot of planning involved in "just reading"for 24 hours. Like a lot of food. I mean, we are talking about teenage girls. Like a lot of activities to keep them us awake. Like a lot of outside help to come and read to them. Like an awesome host family who is willing to turn their house over to a bunch of teenage girls and their crazy leaders for 24 hours. Like a detailed schedule of exactly what we will read at exactly what time and where in what groups. This is all just the tip of the iceberg.

I want to share details with you all, but I just can't right now. It's ALL a big surprise for the girls. And we've got lots of tricks up our sleeves. So stay tuned and I promise to provide the reading schedule (which some of you have asked for), the details of our night, and maybe even some pictures.

Who knows, now that I am back to blogging, you may wish me to be gone sooner than you think!