Wandering Browns

It's finally spring here in the Chicago area! HOORAY! Landon loves going outside, crawling around in the grass, finding sticks to wave around, eating dirt and bark, and popping bubbles. Funny story- yesterday we went outside and Landon was crawling around. Austin called to say he was on his way home from work, and while I was talking to him, I heard a loud buzzing like a bee. I was scared that it had stung Landon so I turned to watch him and he had something in his little hand, waving it around like crazy. Turns out, Landon found the only dead baby bird in our vast grass area out in front of our house, and the buzzing sound were the bees and flies that were disturbed when he decided to pick it up. I started screaming and trying to get the thing out of Landon's hands, and he started screaming because he was scared that I was screaming. No permanent harm was done and we went inside and washed hands really well. Above is a video of Landon playing "peek a boo" with ...

Landon is 8 months old. Where has all the time gone? As I plan to go back to work more this next month, I am really savoring the full-time "mom" days that I have left. Landon has really progressed in his skills this month! He crawls very fast on his knees, and has quite the collection of bruises on his head from pulling up to stand on everything, and then falling over. Unfortunately, he is really tall and has recently discovered how to stand up with just some upper extremity support. He doesn't even need a handhold anymore. He is cruising along the coffee table, couch, beds and his crib. He stands and grabs for anything he can, including paper, cords, and anything I don't want him to have. He still loves to explore things by putting them in his mouth. He still loves cords, although I am trying to discourage that at this point. 3 Generations- Round 2! Landon loves Grandpa Jim! It seems that when he gets visits from family, and more attention, that he always co...

This month seemed to go by very fast. Even though the winter weather has continued here in Chicago, Landon and I are looking forward to runs outside, outings to the park, and playing in the grass out in front of our house. Not to mention shorts and sandals weather! SPRING, PLEASE COME SOON! He grabbed this apple and immediately started gnawing on it before I had a chance to react In other news, Landon is into EVERYTHING! We have had to baby-proof because Landon crawls all around our home and especially likes to find all the things that mommy doesn't want him to touch. He loves plastic bags, paper, and cords.  I try to unplug the cords before letting Landon chew on them. He also likes cardboard boxes. As far as moving goes, he has been army crawling all month and recently figured out how to get up onto his knees. At this point, he mostly just rocks back and forth, but every once in awhile he crawls on his knees. The main skill I have been emphasizing this month would have to ...

Click here to view this photo book larger Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Family Swim with our whiter than white little family... Landon is officially 6 months old. Being a new mother is a very interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, I can't believe how fast 6 months has flown by. On the other, it is hard to remember back to the days before we had sweet little Landon in our lives. He has the best little personality and, in my completely unbiased opinion, is one of the best babies on the planet! Exhibit A: His smile Landon loves it when Grandma Ev comes to visit! My cute boys! This month Landon spent quite a few weeks battling a cold, so our sleep hasn't been the best. He continues to wake up at least once per night, with occasional nights of sleeping all the way through. HALLELUJAH! He has fallen into a very predictable routine, which is nice because I know now exactly when he is getting tired and wanting a nap. Grandma Ev came to visit the weekend after Valentine's Day, giving Austin and I a chance to go on a little dat...

 Taking this month's picture was a little harder than before, because Landon did not leave the sign alone! He rolled over on it, wanted to chew it (see bite marks in above left picture). Fortunately, I'm stubborn enough to try, try again until I got an ok shot This happened seconds after the pic above. Austin continues to watch Landon on Saturdays while I work. Landon likes the carrier and Austin finds it much more manly than the Moby. They enjoy watching football together.  As Austin put it, Landon has become "alot more fun" in the last month. His hands are constantly busy as he explores his world with his mouth and his hands. He rolls back to front really, really well and ends up on his tummy almost every night. When he first started to roll, he didn't want to show me, so I went almost a whole week knowing he could roll without actually seeing it. We are currently working on rolling front to back, because sometimes he gets ...

Landon's Christmas-day-excitement face Is it sad that I am working on Landon's 3rd and 4th month posts at the same time? In Landon's 4th month, he became interested in toys! He also found his feet and started rolling to his side. He loves to explore everything by putting it in his mouth. He kind of sits up supported or puts his hands out in front and balances that way.  He also LOVES bath time, and is already perfecting his backstroke technique. Austin and Landon joined Lifetime Fitness, the gym where I work as a master's swim coach, in December. Landon is old enough now to go to childcare while I work out, which makes it much easier for both Austin and I to get our workout on! Austin's goal was to lose enough weight between Thanksgiving and Christmas that he could eat whatever he wanted at Christmas and not get any fatter. I'm happy to say that he accomplished his goal, and even ended up a pound lighter than he was at Thanksgiving. My husband is a star :...