Solids!

We started feeding Tanner solids on October 30th - just a small taste of avocado. He loved it! For the next week and a half I was in Idaho and fed him sporadically some of the orange veggies. Since we have been home he gets them every night before bed and does a great job. I probably could give him more throughout the day, but I like just the one meal for now. We will probably add a fruit "breakfast" in the next few weeks.
Initially I fed him in the swing...but slight problem, it swings. Not the best place for a little boy trying to eat. That lasted one meal.

So we moved to the bouncer until I could find a high chair. I scored on a Peg Perego - FREE from freecycle.org - love that site! Here is Tanner's first meal in his new high chair. I can't believe how small he looks!
See the excitement.
He wasn't amused being distracted from the food for the picture.

I have found having a high chair is quite handy for when I need to work in the kitchen, he like being at my level instead of on the floor. I put some toys on the tray and he entertains himself (for the most part) while I cook.

Happy December!

Tanner is ready for Christmas...are you?

We ushered in December trapped in the house due to a rather cold and stormy day and a little boy recovering from an ear infection. What is a girl to do? I made my first wheat bread from scratch. Delicious!

Thanksgiving Day and Six Months Old!

Tanner turned 6 months old on Thanksgiving Day. It is hard to believe half a year has passed since we brought him home.
To give you some stats...At his 6 month check-up he weighed 20 lbs. 12 oz. and is 27 1/2 inches tall. He has pretty much mastered sitting up and loves to smile. He has quite the giggle and is very inquisitive - always trying to reach and explore. Paper to play with makes everything feel better and is the perfect distraction...case in point below.
He is a joy!

For Thanksgiving, Lowell was in charge of the Ward Turkey Bowl. He went and played for the morning and then we headed to over to our friends' house for the afternoon. Tanner made a new friend with their nephew Cameron.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Back in September, we spent a Saturday lounging around the house. Tanner even took a minute to read the Ensign.

We were getting ready to head to Ocean City to enjoy one last sunset at the beach when our friend Scott called - offering free Phillies tickets for that night's game. Since we had never attended a Phillies game in the two years we have lived here (and they went to the World Series both years), we quickly changed our plans and headed out to root on the home team in their game against the Washington Nationals.

Tanner loved it! The lights and the crowd and even the cheering.




By the end of the night, Tanner was one tired "Phillies Phan."

Thank you Scott and Ashley for the tickets!!

They won that night. Too bad they lost the Pennant and didn't make it to a third straight World Series. We like cheering on the home team. Better luck next year!

Five Months!

Tanner was five months old on Monday. Hard to believe how fast time flies.

He can now roll from back to belly, however screams and can't seem to figure out the other way. He finally enjoys being on his belly and tolerates it for longer stretches. This means he has started scooting and will be really moving before we know it. I am amazed at how close he is to sitting unassisted - still a little wobbly. He has his two bottom front teeth - they broke through the skin last week.

Last Saturday I gave him a sippy cup just to see what would happen (water only, and even that he gets very little). He loved it and has a new favorite "toy."

Halloween Fun

This month we have enjoyed the wonderful season that is fall in Pennsylvania.

It started with a trip to Pumpkinland. A beautiful day, however Tanner wasn't quite sure what was up.




Then, every Friday this month has been Halloween Friday with our good friends Becky and Curtis. This was Tanner's attire for Halloween Friday #2. (Thank you Grandma D for the outfit and Great-Grandpa C, Aunt Linda, and Aunt Donetta for the bib and socks! - Makes for very festive attire!)

Last night was the ward Halloween party. Can you tell what we are?

Four Months of Tanner

As of last Saturday, Tanner is four months old. It seems as though we just brought him home. He weighs a whopping 18 lbs. 5 oz. (almost doubling his birth weight, just an ounce shy) and is 26 1/4" inches long. He loves to laugh and smile, making instant friends wherever he goes - especially old ladies in the check-out line. He is so close to rolling over it isn't funny and loves to stay up late - but he makes up for it by sleeping in, which I love. Today we went on a walk and it wouldn't do if I took the stroller to an area away from trees, he wanted to be right under the trees with the wind in his hair (we have had crazy storms here) - he would flail his arms and giggle. He definitely knows what he wants and has the lungs to prove it. He is such a joy and we are so grateful to have him in our lives.

For the past several weeks (well technically months) I have wanted to do this post, however it never happens. Here I am killing time (yes at 11:30 at night, reason to come later) and I have all my cell phone pictures on the computer = I can post! Unfortunately the picture quality is not the greatest for all of these, yet Tanner responds better to my cell phone instead of the camera. He is fascinated by the noises and flash of the camera which results in a questioning stare, while my cell phone can usually capture pictures in stealth mode. Some better versions of the monthly pictures are on my camera...maybe I will post those some day.

How quickly my little guy has grown!

Oh, and you will notice I want to be consistent with the "monthly" signs however, month two we were out of ink and white paper (it was Sunday) and month three we were in Idaho...hopefully the rest of the year will work out well.

Birth - May 25

One Month - June 25th

Two Months - July 25th

Three Months - August 25th
Four Months - September 25th


And, for good measure, lets include the first 10 weeks...:)

1 Week

2 Weeks

3 Weeks

4 Weeks

5 Weeks - getting a little personality :)

6 Weeks

7 Weeks

8 Weeks

9 Weeks

10 Weeks

One year older and wiser too....

Happy Birthday to You!!!

Happy 28th Birthday Lowell. Thank you for everything you do. Hope you have a fabulous day!

Love,

Elise and Tanner

Hershey's Milk Chocolate

Mid-July we ventured to Hershey, PA where the air smells of chocolate.

Most of our time was spent in the rather large gift shop - admiring the giant Hersheys candy.

We learned Tanner was the size of a 5lb chocolate bar (at least in length, he is a whole lot heavier!! (He even dresses like one too!)

However we did manage a trip through Hershey's Great American Chocolate Adventure to learn how things work behind the scenes for making chocolate.

We also did the chocolate tasting tour - I mean who wouldn't want to learn about the peculiarities of chocolate. We graduated from Hershey's Chocolate Tasting University and are quite the chocolate connoisseurs.

Tanner was a great baby the whole time and even enjoyed the ride home....