7 and 8 Months

 7 Months Old

 

 

 Happy Independence Day!

 

 On the way to the 4th of July Parade
 

 Watching his sister drum

 

 Swinging in the backyard

 

 He has found a hiding place

 First time in the red car...

 ... And he likes it!

Sissy feeding him 

 First time at the fair

I just love our little Viking to pieces

 



 

It is definitely getting harder to take pictures with the blocks

 



Standing man

 

This mama is not ready to have such a mobile child this young.  Time just needs to stop, so I can catch my breath and re-baby proof the house.  Nikolaus is 8 months and can crawl, sit back up from lying down/ or crawl position, he is pulling himself up on everything, and he can climb the stairs!  I guess he is trying to catch up to his big sister, who didn't crawl until she was 10 months old.  Natasha was more the talker (and still is). Nikolaus started to crawl and pull himself up at 7 months (obviously, I missed the 7 month post) and hasn't slowed down since... up goes the baby gate and down goes the crib mattress.  Besides being mobile, Nikolaus has discovered his voice.  He likes to be loud and has started saying da-da and ma-ma.  He is a great eater and a good sleeper and overall a happy, smiley, giggly baby!  We will see how much he has grown when we go to his 9 month well check at the end of the month.  

Tasha Tasha Tasha

  

 Safety day at swim lessons

 

Ready to swim 

Big jumps 

She could do this all day 

Swimming back to the wall 

Having a snack after a long swim session 

Face painting 

Tasha and Noelani 

Tasha and Kayley in the bounce house on the 4th 

Kiki and Tasha 

BFFs 

Our little Angel fan 

And Nikolaus' biggest fan (and vice versa)

It has been a while since I have posted about our little fish or a "little octopus," as Natasha would like to be referred to when swimming.  She is a character.  Anyways, Natasha finished her swim lessons for the summer back in May and she is amazing.  Natasha can jump into the pool, swim, flip over into a back float to catch her breath and flip back over to swim to us or a wall.  She is definitely comfortable in the water.  I still feel the need to stay in the pool with her just in case, but her ability to swim has helped me manage two kids in the pool at the same time.  Natasha has been having some great fun with friends this summer.  It's great to have girls her age, close by, to have regular play dates with. It is so cute seeing her interact with friends and her little brother.  Yes, Natasha still loves Nikolaus.  And he loves her, even after all the smothering and bossing she does.  This sassy three year old makes us laugh everyday and drives us crazy at the same time.  But we are so blessed that she is ours.

Here are some Tasha Tells It All stories:

Tasha: What's that line?
Me: Where?
Tasha: On your forehead.
Me: It's called a wrinkle
Tasha: Who gave it to you?
Me: You!  (Zac cracking up in the other room)

Tasha: Can we buy some plums.

Me: Yes, we can buy you some plums.

Tasha: Plums are purple.

Me: Yup.

Tasha: Say "how do you know that"

Me: Okay, how do you know that?

Tasha: Cause I just do!

Tasha: Mommy, can you please get me a snack.

Me: What would you like?

Tasha: I don't know.  You figure it out.

Tasha: One day I will be a mommy and you will be my baby.

Steamboat in the Summer

Headed to Colorado

 

 Nikolaus first time on a private jet

 Morning hike

Fun at the beach 

 Nikolaus loves the outdoors

 

 Feeding the horses

 Natasha had a great time throwing sticks in the

water for Cooper to retrieve

 Lounging on the beach

 

Riding the Gondola

Natasha enjoyed the ride

 



"More Puffs"

Natasha being silly

 

Beautiful view

 

Beautiful family

 Father's Day hike

 

Happy Father's Day, Zac! 

  Natasha was more interested in picking flowers than actually hiking

 The end to a great weekend!

We had an amazing time in Steamboat, Colorado over Father's Day weekend.  The weather was warm and the scenery was beautiful, as always.  Natasha and Nikolaus did great on the plane ride over and had no problem settling in at the Flying L.  Natasha managed to lock herself in one of the bathrooms, but daddy talked her through and she was free in no time.  And she did slip while playing in the pond with Cooper and mommy had to run in (fully clothed) to rescue her. Other than that we had no other hiccups in our trip.  Matt, Elizabeth and Brooks were great hosts and it was just a fun weekend away with family!

Happy Half Birthday!

6 months old!

 



"I didn't do it"

 

Well, since its already knocked down...

 

"I'll fix it"

 

Our little Viking 

 

  Downward dog

 

Our two loves

 

 Tuckered out from swimming

 



This is what happens when I'm left alone with my sister

 

Love those chunky feet

 

Sitting up all by himself 

Such a big boy

 

 Swinging with his buddy, Jax

 

He loves when sissy pushes him

 

Nikolaus is 6 months old and quite the mover.  He is so close to crawling.  I guess you can call his scooting/army crawl "crawling."  Nikolaus does a pretty good job getting to where he wants to go and usually it is towards his sissy and what she is playing with.  It might be time to baby proof the house or at least constantly remind Natasha not to leave small objects on the floor.  

Besides scooting, Nikolaus is loving all the yummy foods we have been adding to his diet.  Right now he has tried and liked, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, apples, pears, green beans, parsnips, peaches and prunes.  He prefers the prunes to be mixed with something else though. Nikolaus is also doing a pretty good job with handling his sippy cup all by himself.  Our pediatrician said we should introduce the sippy cup now, even if he doesn't get much out of it.  

Nikolaus' 6-month well check went well and he is right on track developmental wise.  Here are his stats from the appointment:

Weight: 16.15 lbs. (30-35th percentile)

Length: 26 1/2 inches (45-50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 44 cm (75th percentile)

A few things we should see from Nikolaus by 9 months of age are clapping or waving, constinant sounds, saying "mama" or "dada," and sitting up from a laying down position.  So fun!  I can't believe how fast time is passing by.  

With the warmer weather and the heated pools in Ladera, we have been taking the kids swimming. Natasha is a little fish (her swim lesson post will come soon) and I think Nikolaus will be one too. He loves the water and I have already been practicing the back float with him.  Got to prep him early for Miss Conni's class next summer!  

This weekend we are headed to beautiful Colorado.  Nikolaus is becoming quite the traveler (at such a young age), just like his sissy!  Thanks for checking in on our mister man.