November & December

Here's some pictures from November and half of December.

(The first 4 should be at the end... but I don't want to spend the time to fix it...)

Christmas lights at Temple Square.

Dad combed my hair...

We went for a fall hike up Farmington canyon. Weather was gorgeous and it was beautiful.

Like father, like son.

First snow.

His hair is getting really long and it's so adorable.

New snowsuit.

He loves Cory.

So cute.

It was too cold for Turkey Bowl, so we all played dodgeball instead. Very fun and much warmer!

Watching the dodgeball.

First Thanksgiving dinner.

Playing with cousin Fisher.

Helping with laundry.

Impressive he managed to back in there.

He loves french fries. Loves them. (Don't worry; it was homemade).

Yoga baby... downward facing dog...

Helping with the Christmas decorations.

Helping me with couponing.

Helping with the dishes.

Eating dinner with Dad.

Playing bongos with Dad.

He loves the Christmas tree with the lights.

September & October

This is going to be a long post. I've been meaning to put up some pictures for weeks, so now you get 2 months worth of pictures. Sorry, there were just so many cute ones to pick from that there's quite a few. Enjoy :)

(I accidentally uploaded them in a smaller format -- so to see them larger, click on the photo)

Visiting cousin Fisher (look at Fisher's face, too funny)

Driving with mom

First shiner

With my mom -- Spencer's face says "don't take my picture"

Fall colors, overlooking Midway

Watching the ducks and fish

First time eating rice cereal (yeah, he's not a fan)

Yum...

Too cute... skinny little guy

One of his favorite toys -- an old remote that we don't use anymore -- he loves the buttons

Hanging with mom and grandpa

Who says boys' clothes aren't really cute?

Love this face

Cory thinks this outfit makes him look like Elvis

Swimming with dad -- he loves the water

He's such a happy baby

Cory rock climbing down in St. George

Tied-died onesie -- so cute

Eating his toes (luckily it was immediately after a bath, so they're clean)

Halloween as a pumpkin

Again, just a cute shot

At Gardner Village, watching the ducks

Gardner Village

We found something he likes to eat -- a vanilla wafer

Cute face

Halloween outfit (check out the feet)

Carving a pumkin

The finished products

Chilling in the bath

Dressed up as a pirate (thanks to grandma for the costume!)

His first Halloween candy -- don't worry, he didn't actually eat it. But he loves wrappers, and played with it all night. He even took it in the bath with him -- he just wouldn't let go.

Helping dad brush his teeth

Such a sweetheart

5 months

I'm sure I'll say this every new month... but I can't believe Spencer is 5 months old! It amazed me that he grew from this little peanut into a healthy 7-pound baby... and now, I'm amazed at all the stuff he's managed to learn in the first 5 months of life!

He has to be in the middle of everything... so this is us, eating lunch

Helping me sort clothes

Baby push-ups (he's been doing these for over a month)

Of course, he puts everything in his mouth. He particularly loves to suck on his play-mat bars

So cute

He's close to crawling. He gets up on his knees (as you can see) and rocks... or goes backwards
He's also sitting up pretty well on his own (and this empty water bottle is his favorite thing to play with-- go figure)

With his favorite toy

Reading stories with mom

Sleep Update

Thank you everyone for your comments and your emails on the issue of sleep. I really appreciated them. It's nice to have stuff like blogs and facebook where you can ask other parents (en masse) for advice, etc.

We decided to implement the "cry it out" method. And it worked. After progressively less crying each time I put him down, Spencer learned to put himself to sleep. Now that we've been doing it for over a week, he does pretty good. Sometimes he still cries when I lay him down for sleep... and occasionally he revolts and refuses to sleep. The first and second naps usually go pretty well... it's the third nap, around 2:30 or 3:00 that gives us the most trouble. He still only sleeps for about 45 minutes at a time, but I think that's just how he is. He's what one book calls a "short napper". As long as he gets some sleep, everyone is happier. I don't dread naptimes as much, and I love the time that I spend rocking him. He cuddles right into me and I think (over and over) just how much I love him.

So again, thanks everyone. It's nice to know I'm not the only parent out there who's trying to figure it out as I go along! I remember hearing people joke about how they wish their kids came with an instruction manual... and now I know the feeling :) He's 5 months old today and I can't imagine life without him. Happy 5 months, Spencer!