Little man and I have been experiencing cabin fever. It's been really cold and windy lately but we try to find little outings we can take each day. It was finally a little less windy so I decided it was time to introduce my baby to a slide. He was sure about it at first, bit I guided him the whole way down and smiled and said "weeee!" for him. Eventually he caught on and began some high-pitched squealing of his own. I can't wait for warmer weather so that my little man can spend more time outdoors playing!

Baby boy had his nine month check-up with the doctor not long ago.  He's only in the 13th percentile for weight, but ironically I am always being told what a big boy he is and how he'll probably grow up to be a foot ball player.  It begs the question...what makes my little man appear so big?  I've come to the conclusion that it must be his chubby cheeks. 

(Doesn't he make the cutest faces?)

I'm very excited to enter this essay contest.  I feel like I have a lot to say and my one concern is how I will limit myself to just 500 words.  After all, I will be writing about being a mother to this little guy:

I think I'm up for the challenge though.  Are you?  Give it a try!

While I was working on taxes, little man got a hold of one of the envelopes a document had come in.

Best toy ever?  I think so.

My little man has been talking up a storm lately and using his tongue a lot to do it.  This is my favorite video of his chattering, and I just had to share!

Little man is thrilled that he's finally figured out how to move around on his own.  His favorite thing to do is crawl over to the bottom shelf in the living room where I keep some of his toys and books.  He likes to dump them all out onto the floor and choose one thing to eat.

The other day, though, he pulled his keyboard out from under the shelf and began pounding away (though I did have to help him turn it on).  He's so clever.

I have been sending hubby lots of photos and videos of the little man lately.  He's been such a character!  Hubby told me that when he watched this video, he couldn't stop laughing, so I thought I'd share.

I can't make the good growling noises that hubby and little man make to each other...but I try my hardest to keep up!

One of my sweet aunts gave my little man some fun musical instruments for him to experiment with.  I heard recently that she was concerned that I wouldn't want him to have them.  I just wanted to lay her fears to rest.

I think it is fantastic that my son has so many opportunities to explore his world, and I am thrilled that he has a love for music.  I want to encourage him to continue down that path, if he so chooses, and I appreciate her helping him do that with the fun "toys" (since that's how he views them) she sent for Christmas.

And just in case there were any questions....

I think it's obvious he loves them too.  :)

There is no denying it; my baby boy can rock any hat.

I know it's a few days late, but I just thought I'd share my baby boy's special Valentine's moment with his Grams.

This last weekend little man and I joined my family on a trip to Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake. Despite being February the weather was pretty good. We enjoyed the scenery...

the company...

...and the old tractors on the ranch! (Besides the doggy we found, I think the tractors were little man's favorite part.)

My clever baby boy has been on the verge of crawling for weeks now.  Then yesterday....

he finally conquered!  My parents, siblings, and my uncle were all there to cheer him along.  We took videos from both the front and back so that you can see his funny way of pushing himself along.

I hope I'm ready for a mobile baby!

By the way,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Baby boy's love for animals continues.  The other day I visited a good friend and my little man fell in love with her dog.  He was so excited to see the dog, he kept giggling and shaking.

This sweet doggy was so patient with my little man! 

Baby boy went to his first soccer game on Tuesday.

I think he found it pretty interesting.

He also loved the astroturf.

The other day we took my uncle to see a large dairy farm.  Little man wasn't too sure about all those cows at first. (It's quite possible that the smell overwhelmed him as well....)

But with Grandpa, Nana, and Mama to keep him safe, it wasn't too bad. :)

I introduced the little man to animal crackers....he just can't get enough!

Baby boy had a very busy weekend before hubby left again.  He went on a train ride.....

and skiing....

and bobsledding....

and even held the Olympic torch!

Most of all, I think he just enjoyed having his daddy around for a few days.  :)

Baby boy has been working hard on learning to crawl.  He's not there yet...but I know he'll be there soon!

Last night little man went to his first basketball game.  It was church ball.

He was very intrigued by both the noise and the movement.  It will be fun when he learns to clap and cheer his uncle on!

Hubby is back for a visit before heading to work again, so I cannot promise to be very diligent with posting in the next little while.  We are making use of what little time we have together!!!