Oops...it's been a while!

I didn't realize it's been almost 2 months since the last blog post. Between Picasa, Flickr, and Facebook, I feel like everyone is pretty up to date on our recent outings & adventures.

I'll backtrack a bit and recap the past couple months...including Isaac's first birthday!!!

Where the wild things are.

This past week-end, we camped at the Dungeness Recreation Area near Sequim, WA. This 216-acre park overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca and is set near the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. All nine of us -- 5 Adults, 3 babies and one 5-yr old -- had a quick but memorable time!

Here are the babies having a little snack while the guys setup camp.....

One small stagger for mankind

They say that practice makes perfect. Well, just over the past couple days, Isaac has been honing his newly acquired skill of standing & letting go. Tonight he started adding on the 'stand & stagger' move. Once he he is standing on his own, he'll take a couple steps (well, staggering stumble-like motions) and dive bomb into our arms.

I kinda think he took his first steps, but I'll reserve that judgment for when he connects at least a few steps together. Or am I setting expectations too high?

Camping - Take 2

This past week-end, we took Isaac with us on another fun camping trip. My co-worker Mark recently got married and invited about 40 friends to a post-wedding bash in the woods. A good time was had by all!

Next week-end is camping with about 4 other babies. Call us adventurous or just plain crazy :-)

Look Ma, no hands!

Isaac has been a very active little guy lately. He's been pulling himself up and cruising for the past few weeks now.

Now he has added standing up and letting go to his repetoire! Grandma Theresa first noticed this a couple weeks ago while babysitting. She was unloading the dishwasher and Isaac crawled right over, pulled himself up on the door, then let go! He stood there for a minute or so and was so delighted in himself.

He's been trying out this new skill a lot more lately. While crawlling around, he'll just stand right up...wobble a bit and look at us a devilish little grin,...then plop back down to the ground. It's been a challenge to get it on film. As soon as he sees the camera rolling, he'll crawl right up to me and try to grab it from out of my hands.

This clip was taken when we returned from camping and were about to empty the cooler. Isaac had fun using this to pull himself up and let go..over and over....

Isaac's first camping adventure

This past week-end, we took Isaac on his first camping trip. We found a nice spot at Brown Creek Campground in the Olympic National Forest. He did surprisingly well, and enjoyed crawling around in the tent, playing outside, and going for a nature walk. He even slept from about 7pm to 8am! All in all, a good first trip out into the wilderness. Hopefully we'll have many more trips this summer/fall.

Isaac cuts his first teeth

At the ripe age of 10.5 months old, Isaac is finally starting to cut some teeth. One on the top and one on the bottom. He's been a happy little fella and enjoys making silly faces, especially when the camera is on!

Funny fella

Isaac is a barrel of laughs these days. He just started doing this "fake" laugh that just cracks us up. The best part is when he mixes it with his genuine laugh interspersed with little cries or whines.

In this case, he started to tire of laughing and finally had enough (or "ahna...ahna!" in the end.

Finally Summer

Last week-end, we were going to do a 5k then go to the Solstice Parade...two of the most crowded, congested events in town. Instead, we took a hard right and headed for the hills!

We had a nice stroll around West Tiger Mountain, where Isaac got to break in his new backcountry pack. He enjoyed the view and riding on Jesse's back. Enough so that it put him right to sleep in no time!

Happy Fathers Day!

Although we were all fighting a cold, we managed to get out to a Mariners game to celebrate Fathers Day. We all enjoyed the sunshine and good company. Isaac enjoyed eating, sleeping and listening to all the crazy fans.

teething biscuits

Isaac is starting to make the transition from pureed to chunky food. He loves the new teething biscuits we just got him, although most of it ends up on his face!

More crawling adventures

Isaac is really starting to crawl now. . Gone are the days of just putting him down on his blanket or playmat. All he wants to do now is go go go! We just bought some baby gates and other childproofing gadgets.

He is also pulling himself up to standing. Jesse just lowered his crib down as far as it will go so he won't spring out of his bed.

Trip to the Olympic Peninsula

We had a great trip out to the Olympic Peninsula for Memorial day week-end. We found a nice pet and baby friendly resort in Long Beach. It had an indoor pool, playground and BBQ pits, and was just a short walk to the beach. Isaac loved playing in the sand. He really started to crawl this week-end, and had fun moving around on the beach. He did have a couple face plants, but didn't seem to mind too much.

The weather was pretty cloudy and cool (50's), but the sun came out for a minute! Overall, it was a nice & relaxing trip!

5 months

Isaac has hit the 5-month mark! He has become Mr. Personality, as he really enjoys interacting with us, Kaley, strangers...anyone who will take interest in him! His "vocabulary" is expanding, as he has moved from cooing, blowing raspberries and squealing to making gurgling noises and repetitive consonant sounds, such as "bla bla bla". Jesse swears he heard him say "o ba ma". Since he is teething, he seems to enjoy gnawing on our fingers, and subsequently making silly noises.

Next month marks several big milestones, including Isaac's 6-month check-up, Jesse's return to work, Isaac's start at "school", and the introduction of solid foods! Check back in a few weeks for more updates on our precious babe.

4 month update

Isaac is now 4 months old! It's been amazing to see all the changes just in a few weeks. Here are the highlights:

• Weight: 13 lbs 14 oz (23%)
• Height: 2'1" (37%)
• Head Circ: 42.5 cm (52%)
• Isaac has started to vocalize like crazy. His favorite sounds are high pitched 'ahhhhs', laughing/giggling, and "pffft" noises with his lips.
• He has started rolling over from back to front, and back again! He had a hard time at first, as he wasn't quite sure what to do with the arm that was stuck beneath him. He has since mastered the roll!
• He has found his thumb, and often sucks on it while his pointer finger is hooked around his nose.

In other news, Mom is sadly back at work after a nice 4 month hiatus, while Dad mans the fort with the baby. Jesse is taking 2 months off to play Mr. Mom, then will resume work in March. We are furiously looking for daycare, as most places around here have a 18-24 month waiting list!!