Superstar

We had a fantastic photo shoot back in May with Gillian Carlin (via Caroline Johnson!).  Yours truly mistakenly scheduled it VERY close to bedtime so it took a little coaxing on all our parts to get these smiles (best strategies: TomCat app on iPhone, bubbles, tummy tickles, and DOGS!), but we got them nonetheless! 

Here is our little guy's "portfolio." 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Hope you enjoy!

Love, Katie

8 months...and a new trick!

Today is Arlo's 8 month birthday!  And yesterday he gave US a present...after practicing for about 3 weeks, he CRAWLED for the first time!  And the best part was that he did it on a day when Charlie and I were both home to see it!  It's a rarity these days that we're home at the same time, but Charlie had gotten home from Bonnaroo the night before and I had a day off so we were incredibly lucky to share that milestone as a family!

Here is my favorite video - apparently using toys and baby talk and mommy or daddy as motivation was not cool enough to crawl for.  But a ratty little scrap from our dog's rope toy was just the ticket.

What an exciting new chapter of babyhood!  We're looking forward to seeing him explore his world on his own.  We'll be the ones chasing after him.  ;)

Love, Katie

More videos!

Dinnertime Silly Mama

(By the way, the heavy breathing sounds in this video are me blowing in his face, not actual heavy breathing.)

Bathtime Silly Mama

(Please forgive the jerky camera - in all of these, really - but especially this one.  And the singing.  Please forgive the singing.)

Love, Katie

Videos!

Trying to crawl, part 1

Trying to crawl, part 2

Extreme Couponing and Birdwatching

Forgive me, I am sneaking in one little non-Arlo-related post (although he did help me do the shopping!).  Let me start by saying I have never seen Extreme Couponing on TLC (although I admit I've seen most other shows on that channel, including Sister Wives).  I work in retail; I get as annoyed as anyone else when someone comes up with 25 coupons (and then pays with a check to boot).  BUT...I got all this stuff for about $47, which is about 70% off the retail price. 

This is stuff we use every day (except the ice cream I guess; that was a treat).  It includes 2 tubs of formula that run about $25 a piece.  Apples, almonds, razors, deodorant, Chex mix, formula, feminine hygiene products, DIAPERS, body wash, oh my.  I did go a little crazy on the body wash...there are seven bottles of body wash there.  But hey, they were practically FREE and it'll get used...eventually.  ;)

Also, here is an update on our little birdies.  They are getting SO big!  If you click on this picture to enlarge it, you can see this little guy (or gal) was looking right at me. I got another picture of one of them sitting on the edge of the nest, but somehow I deleted it by accident.  I thought it would have jumped out next time I checked, but he was snuggled right back down in the nest with his sibling.  Maybe they'll learn to fly the same day Arlo learns to crawl.  ;)

Check back later tonight or tomorrow...working on uploading some super cute videos. 

Love, Katie

Just the two of us

Arlo and Sam have been missing each other bunches lately (their mamas miss each other, too!) so we had a little get-together at the Roush abode this afternoon.  Sam was snoozing when we arrived, so we did a bit of chewing on boxes until he woke up.

Then...the big moment when they spotted each other.  "Hey, Arlo."

"What's up, Sam?"

"Arlo!  I've missed you!"

"Sam, you're so cool!"

"Hey, Sam - how'd you get to be such a good crawler?"

"Am I doing it right?"

After their reunion, we had a great time playing in Sam's TWO awesome playrooms.  

Amy and I enjoyed catching up, too.  Believe it or not, Sam turns ONE next week!

When we got home, we checked on our birdies.  I wish I had taken pictures of the beautiful blue eggs, but before I knew it, they had hatched!  These guys are living in a nest in the bush right outside our screened porch. 

They look like they could fly away at any moment, but they just hatched a couple weeks ago!  

(Thank goodness I get 17 or 18 years before my little birdie leaves the nest!)

Mmmmm, beets!

Love, Katie

Update on crawling

In case anyone out there is waiting anxiously (like me!), Arlo's not crawling yet.  He is still SO close and he tries so hard!  I'm cheering him on like crazy, but also secretly wishing he'd stay my sweet little stationary baby for a little longer.  ;) 

Love, Katie