The Learning Curve

Devin's learning how to feed himself with a spoon. I didn't think to get the camera until after I'd washed off his face... and his hair... and his chair... and his mommy As a reward for such a learning experience - Devin took a fun bath. And when mommy's done updating the blog, she'll get to clean the bathtub!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Devin wanted to get all washed up for your birthday. Then he drew you a lovely picture (his first)
Then he dug through his toy box to find you the perfect gift

But nothing seemed to work. So a blog entry and an "all done" will just have to do.

Love you!

Some Firsts

Today Devin started waving. He uses his whole arm to wave. And he's so excited when he does it. Too cute!

Devin also started dancing today. He just sort of bounces up and down with the occasional flap of the arms. I had turned on the music and he just went at it. The little guy has good balance, too. He only held on a few times during his dance! He even made it all the way through the first song!

I make no promises, but I'll see if we can capture it on film for his fans.

Working on new "tricks"

Devin's next trick is to get up on the counters. He's not quite there yet, but he's starting to understand the system. What can I say... He's such a lil' stinker!?!

How to climb through walls

Step 1: Look cute and innocent so the grown ups won't catch on to what you're doing Step 2: Slowly start to crawl - but be quiet, you don't want the grown-ups to know what you're up to
Step three: Poke your head out - just like magic you're on the other side of the wall! Warning: the grown-ups might catch you at this step - so make sure you still have the cute and innocent look you used in step one.

Fugitive on the loose!

It all started with an innocent little drink. But one thing led to another... And you know drinking and driving doesn't end well...
It looks like he's fleeing the scene!
And he's making his getaway through the doggie door!
Be on the look out for an adorable little 11 month old. The suspect has blond hair and blue eyes that will melt you. He crawls well and sometimes stands. He has two bottom teeth and one top tooth. He may be drooling. He babbles and sometimes says words. He giggles a lot. And take extra caution - one smile and you'll be in love with him forever!
If you have any information of his whereabouts, please contact the local grandma or grandpa - they'll know how to take care of this little guy!

Another First

Devin spoke his first words! Sunday at lunch he was finishing up his food and I asked him if he was all done. In the sweetest little voice he said "all done". So I asked him three more times and he repeated it each time!
Then we went outside to show Devin's Daddy, and of course all Devin did was blow raspberries. But Devin's Daddy has since confirmed what I heard.
How weird is it that Devin's first words were "all done"!?!

Halloween Preparations

Devin's G'ma sent him a Halloween costume she had. And I had one hidden away in the closet. We decided to try them on to see which was going to be the winner. Both were very cute, but had their problems.
The dragon from Devin's g'ma is adorable, bit a little small. The hood wouldn't even fit over Devin's head! And the poor kid couldn't sit down without threatening his future fertility!?! So then we tried on the dino costume I had in the closet. It is way too bi for the little guy! He drowns in it. And just to make sure he didn't wear it, the zipper broke.
So, now we're on the hunt for a Halloween costume for Devin. It's a good thing we tried these costumes on in advance!

Toys

This weekend was all about recuperating from our colds and playing with toys!
Devin wanted to take his toys with him everywhere - even to lunch! Devin got some new tugboats to play with in the bathtub. But like every skipper, he had to try them out on dry land, first!

I Hab Ah Code

(Translation: I have a cold)
Poor little Devin has a cold. And he hates it when we clean his face - especially if there's anything crusty.
Other than being more tired than usual, he's in pretty good spirits and still has enough energy to get into everything.

Just because He's cute

Here's some of my recent favorite pictures. They don't necessarily have cute stories to go with em - the subject's just too cute not to share!

Devin with his favorite giraffe blanket Devin "plugging" the monitor into his mouth
Two-fisted drinker
Devin crawling through his (collapsed) tunnel
Devin and his cheesy grin (he's such a ham!)

Crash, Boom, Bang

I'm not sure how easy it is to see, but Devin's a bit banged up. He was playing with some toys yesterday when he slipped and fell into some other toys. The poor kid looks like he's been beaten. It must just be superficial, because he's acting quite normal and happy as ever (good thing, because I'd just die if he were in any real pain). Last night we had spaghetti for dinner. Devin seemed to enjoy it!
Here he is waving to the camera - actually he was throwing spaghetti at me, but it looks like he's waving at the camera!

Baby Gates

To ensure the safety of our sweet, little Devin, we installed baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs (did this a long time ago, but am just now telling you about them).
Devin hates when the object of his momentary affection walks up stairs. So when we come down stairs, this is what we see waiting for us:

And in case anyone doubts why one would need baby gates, refer to Example A:

Domestic Bliss

Devin took it upon himself to help out with the chores.
I was going to load the dishwasher, but couldn't bring myself to move him while he was having so much fun!

And for those who got to see Devin while he was teething, I wanted to assure you that he isn't grumpy all the time. He spends most every day with a big smile across his face and a giggle in his belly!

We're home!

Well, the trip back to AZ from CA was successful. Devin slept most of the way.
It seems as though he's done teething for now. The tooth hasn't popped through, but we can see where it will!
The three posts below detail each leg of our journey.
We had a lot of fun, met a lot of people, and are officially worn out.
It sure is nice to be home!

Last, but not least

The last leg of our trip was to the Bay Area to visit some friends.
We had a pool party for Labor day. Devin loved swimming!
This is Abagail. She took a liking to Devin and wouldn't stop kissing and hugging him. Devin's already going for the older ladies (she's 13 mo.)

Over the river and through the woods

The next stop on our friends and family tour was to G'ma and G'pa in Chester.
Devin was still teething and a bit grumpy, but nothing like he was on the trip from AZ to CA!
Here's how Devin spent his week: G'ma and G'pa always insist on posed pictures. And this is how most of them turn out! Here's Devin with G'ma, G'pa, and Cousin Ben.
Devin spent a bit of our vacation out on the Lake. He tolerated his life vest pretty well. Here he is hanging out with Aunt Amie.
Here's G'ma and Devin - just hanging out.

Here's one posed picture that did turn out well. This is Devin's Daddy's family.

Go West, Young Man

For those who don't already know, we made our annual pilgrimage out to CA to visit friends and family.
We drove all night in hopes that Devin would sleep during the 12-hour drive. Normally I think he would have, but he decided to start teething that evening. Devin's Daddy and I couldn't figure out what was wrong, because there were no teeth on the horizon.
We landed in CA Friday morning and poor little Devin was so exhausted. I imagine it wasn't too fun for G'ma and G'pa!
Here's some of the things Devin did at our first stop:
Here's Devin with Cousins Kendall and Stephen

Devin realized G'ma has some pretty cool stuff in her kitchen!
Uncle Greg showed Devin how to be cool. I think it works.
Here's G'pa and Devin just playing like two little boys should.