lefty?

We know it's hard to say at this point whether Gordy will be left or right-handed.  But, if his throwing arm is any indication, it looks as though he's gonna be a lefty.

Gogo's nouvel ami

Trying to maintain a job and take care of a young baby is hard.  After my maternity leave was over and I had to dedicate a fair bit of my weekly time to work, we realized how much we could use some help.  My mom started coming over a few days a week (which was a lifesaver), but it was still proving hard to get in all of my hours of work each week.

So, Todd started searching on an au pair website for someone to come stay with us... and we found Eva!!  She's only been here a few weeks and Gogo adores her.  They go for walks, sing French songs (she's from France), and count the passing cars.  Every time she walks in the door, he smiles at her, sticks his arms out to grab her face, and opens his mouth for a kiss - it's so cute!

quite the chatterbox

We used to have a quiet baby, and now we have a talker!  So far, Gordy's vocabulary is mostly limited to "mamama" and "bababa", but that doesn't stop him from talking up a storm!  He's even been trying out new noises which come with some super funny facial expressions.  

I watched this video yesterday with Gordy on my lap and when he saw himself talking, he smiled ear to ear and then laughed :)

One of our favorite things

Gordy is the coolest little human.  He does so many things that make us smile and laugh... but, here's one of our favorite things:

When we go for a walk to or from the beach, when we read books, or when we're sitting in the car, he will frequently put his tiny little hand on our arm and hold us.  It's one of the most incredible touches that either of us have felt. 

8 months old

Happy belated 8 months old Gordy!  Things have been a bit busy around here lately, so this posting is a week late.  But, Gordy made 8 months old!

And in the last month, he has changed so much... not only has he started crawling, but he has figured out how to open cabinets and drawers.  So, nothing is safe.  We are doing our best to try to show him what is off limits and what is ok to play with, but it is a very slow and sometimes frustrating process.  He has started waving, although most of his waves are reserved for when he sees himself in mirrors and windows.  He's getting very confident with pulling himself up and standing.  And, he's learned that he doesn't just have to sit back and let us get/tickle him - he gets us back with an open mouth, a slimy tongue, and his super-sharp teeth!

We are looking forward to all that the next month brings :)

big week for such a little man

It's official - Gordy is mobile.  For the last few weeks, he's been scooting around on his bottom and rolling from side, increasing the radius of his mess of toys.

In the last couple of days, he's actually been getting up on his hands and knees (and sometimes feet like a bear) and swaying back and forth as though he's considering his options.  

But today marks the day that he crawled on hands and knees!

Also this week, Gordy learned how to wave hello and goodbye!  Each week when his nana takes him around the deck, they say hi to themselves in the windows.  This week when they did that, he waved at himself!  He still won't do it on command, but he definitely knows what it means and will do it when HE wants to.
And finally, Gordy tried Kombucha this week for the first time.  Despite his full bodied reaction, he kept wanting more!!  (We don't plan on feeding him Kombucha often, but we let him try almost anything that we are eating/drinking if he wants it.)

*ps. we are pretty sure now that Gordy's toe blisters were due to jumping.  I've had to keep socks on him lately, because he keeps opening the blisters back up... jumping is just too fun!

we brush and brush and brush our teeth

Lately, Gogo has been very interested in everything that we are doing - hair brushing, teeth brushing, drinking, eating, etc.  So, we've been letting him join in.  After our showers, when Todd finishes brushing his own hair, he brushes Gordy's while Gordy just sits (mouth open) totally entranced.  We got him his own toothbrush so we can all brush our teeth together, but at the moment, he's more interested in chewing on it than actually doing anything productive.  

We let him try anything that we are eating and drinking and haven't found anything that he turns his nose up at.  He's not that fond of citrus, but he'll give it a go at least twice before he dismisses it.  Todd is sure that Gordy really likes IPAs and cappuccino foam... I may have to put a stop to that.

And, Gordy just had his first driving lesson.  He never left the parking lot, but boy was he excited to be sitting in dad's lap at the steering wheel!