Eric's first trip to the "beach"...

So it's not Nags Head or Tampa, but it still has sand, water and waves.  We were invited by a dear friend to go to the nearby state park that has a beach area.  Ricky and I have been there with the dogs in the off-season and to picnic but never went swimming or "beached".  So Eric and I went today with my friend, Brandi and her little one and we had a blast.  I couldn't take many photos because it was just me and I didn't want to get my phone wet or sandy, but I did snap two.  He loved the water, the sand and crawling around.  We truly have a beach bum on our hands!

I guess the sand was tasty!

Thanks Brandi, we're sure to take this trip again! And soon!

Eric is 10 months!

Ok, not really. He's actually 3 days past 11 months, but, yet again, we are slackers and forgot to take his 10 month photo until he turned 11 months.  Go figure! We are busy people and busy people are allowed to forget things once in a while.  So here goes:

 Our little baby has turned into our little boy right before our eyes! Look how handsome he is!!

{weight}: at 10 months, I think he was between 21 and 22 lbs.

{length}: not 100% sure on this one but definitely over 30 inches, this kid is growing!

he enjoys crawling under the coffee table, so it has since been removed to help mommy from worrying!

BUSTED!

 {Playing}:

He is actually playing with things and trying to figure things out.  He knows that the TV remote makes the TV do things so he'll pick it up and hold it up to it, but he hasn't figured out that the buttons do the work.  It's so cute!  He dances to music and loves a specific song on his baby einstein videos and will dance to it every time!  His joint attention is out of this world (leave it to me to pay attention to that kind of stuff)! He wants to share everything and every moment with us and we love it!

he loves his tent!

he has quite a sense of humor!

give a kid a cardboard box and he'll be happy for hours!

using his teddy bear as a pillow (he does this with his blankies also)

 {Eating}:

This kid eats everything! I am still cautious with his solids because he doesn't have any molars yet, but he will try pretty much anything (except for peas, still).  He still loves waffles and sweet potatoes!

big kid at the mall playground

 {Baby gibberish}:

This little man never shuts up! He always has something to say and we can't wait to hear the human translation once he gets real words.  He knows who mama and dada are and I'm trying to teach him baba to request a bottle.  So far, he's good with his own little language and telling us how it is!  It's just too cute!  He even pairs expressions and gestures with his words!

i love this shot!

 {Walking}:

Yes, he can walk! More like take strolls around the house.  He's been walking since about 10 and a half months and he is doing great! He prefers to walk over crawling and is so proud of himself!

having fun at barnes and noble

So Eric already turned 11 months, but I will be doing a post for that with a photo so stick around!  His first birthday is right around the corner!!

Dear Eric,

So I have started planning your 1st birthday party...I can't believe it's already that time.  This year has gone so fast and it has been such a blessing watching you grow up to such a sweet little boy.

Even tho I am going to miss those itty bitty baby moments, I can't wait to watch you grow more and more.  I can't wait for all those awesome moments.

I love watching you figure things out when you are playing and think I'm not watching.

I love watching you light up when Daddy comes home from work.

I love watching you sleep; such a peaceful little boy dreaming of all the fun he had that day and all the fun he'll have the next.

I love watching you crawl, or should I say speed, through the house, attempting to walk here and there.

I love your little nose, eyes, ears and toes and taking it all in when you're being still or cuddled in my arms.

I love every moment I have with you and can't wait for the moments to come.

I couldn't have imagined life would be this much better with you around.  You have brought such joy and happiness into mommy and daddy's lives and everyone around you.  Sure, we have some rocky spots here and there, but your precious smile and giggles help us push through.  We love you so much, Eric!

My sweet baby boy...

Love,
Mommy.

Eric's Monster Nursery...finally!

Ok, so we are way late on this, but I figured I'd do a post about his cute nursery! We decided on a monster theme and it came out really cute. Take a look!

Ricky painting the walls (mac 'n' cheese and sprinkler)

So cute!

I love the colors! They match the bedding perfectly!

Dresser all done!

All of Eric's stuff ready to be put in its place!

**Disclaimer: This post has been a long time coming, so the photos you are about to see do not resemble the original nursery set up.  Most of it is the same, however, some things have been moved around due to the curiosity of little man and his ability to destroy things in less than 4 seconds.  Enjoy!

Eric photobomb!

hand painted by mommy

changing table with momentos on shelves above.

the infamous bookcase

handmade by mommy

the one on the left was made by someone else (i forget who) and the one on the right was by mommy

handmade by mommy

handmade by mommy

my no-sew DIY blackout chevron curtains!

the mobile that is no more.

This is more of what the nursery looks like these days:

Happy Father's Day to Daddy!

This may be late, but it's still here, nonetheless!

Ricky's first Father's Day was a nice one! We celebrated his birthday and father's day all in one with a new gadget, the iPad mini! He had been wanting one for a while, so I got a great deal at none other than my fave, Target!

Here's to the best daddy and hubby in the universe! We love you!

Eric is 9 months old...

OMG, we're almost to a year! Where has the time gone?!  This little bugger is growing way too fast!  So I promised we would take a 9 month photo and we did, however, we just took it yesterday (the 14th)....so, I guess a little bit of slacking on our part ;)

Enjoy! (I don't usually include ALL of the shoot photos, but this time, I just had to!)

helping daddy set up!

my favorite!

um, excuse me!

catch me, mom!

These two were very serendipitous...the camera was sitting on the coffee table and Eric was playing with lens and I just snapped.  So precious!

{weight}: weighing in at a solid 21.9 lbs!

{height}: 30 inches long!

{head circumference}: 48 cm!

This kid is huge!

So he enjoys standing up by himself, attempting to walk (lord, help us when he walks for real!), he shakes his head no, yes and waves hi and bye. He can clap his hands, eats all the time, loves sweet potatoes (still), waffles, and pear juice.  That cheesy smile is our favorite and the baby talk is just plain adorable.  Mama and dada are plain as day now and I think he has begun discriminating between the two for who we are.  Not 100% sure, but close.

He loves being outside and begin on the move, however, the carseat is his least favorite place to be.  Getting in is a pain in the butt for all parties involved, but if you give him a distracter, like my phone, he's good for about 30 seconds.  Same with diaper changes and getting dressed.  Bath time is still a major favorite and he has graduated to the big tub...has been for about a month now.

Enjoy some more from this month!

little ninja stealing remotes!

loves his baby einstein!

trying to steal my phone!

helping with the dishes...

he loves wagon rides...

poor baby needs cuddles when he doesn't feel well....

So he'll be 10 months in less than a week....this is going way too fast....