Jason & Cara live here too

He gets it!

It's an amazing thing (for all parents, I'm sure) when you realize that what you've been trying to teach your child actually sinks in. Two days ago, I showed Evan (for the 1ooth time) how to clap his hands, and this time instead of looking at me with bewilderment, he actually did it! It was so cool! He continued to do it over and over again that day and ever since. Add to that, he showed me yesterday that he understood me when I asked him to give me one of his toys. He reached over and placed it in my hand. Again, so cool! And although not consistent, he can also wave bye-bye.

If only he understood me when I say, "please get your clothes and do a load of laundry..."

Swing, swing

Recently, Evan rekindled his love for the swing. Unfortunately, this swing doesn't fit in our living room, but it does still put Evan to sleep. After 20 minutes at the park, he is more than ready for an afternoon nap!

Ta-da!

Great Grandparents Visit

Last weekend, Evan's great grandparents stopped in for a visit. Jason grilled an amazing lunch for us and we enjoyed the sunny but chilly weather.

What child labor laws?

9 month stats

No picture. Just a quick note to say that at 9 months, Evan is 23 lbs and 31 inches. Growing like a weed!

Stuck!

Clever though he is, Evan hasn't yet figured everything out. This morning while I was working at the computer, he started whimpering like he was hurt or stuck. When I turned around, this is what I found. He somehow climbed into his toy bin and realized he couldn't get out. I of course responded immediately by grabbing the camera... then I helped him out.

Visit with Grandparents Terreri

Here are the pics I promised in the post below. We had a wonderful visit with Grandpa & Grandma Terreri and Evan really enjoyed their company (and showing off for the camera).

Changes, challenges

A few weeks ago, I would have told you that I had Evan all figured out. I knew his daily routine, how often and how much to feed him, when he was happiest and when he was out of sorts (and why). Now, the kid's all over the place! I'm not sure what, when or where to expect things these days. This previously "easy" baby is throwing new challenges our way, keeping Jason & I on our toes. Don't get me wrong, Evan is for the most part still a very happy and easy-going baby. He smiles and laughs a lot, he can entertain and play by himself for a long time, and he is still so sociable with people. At the same time, he's fighting naps, gets impatient in his high chair, can be a real bear in the late afternoon, and will not stop pushing the buttons on the TV and DVD player! Ah, the fun of it all!

Here are some new pics of our dear sweet child. The Grandparents Terreri visited a couple of weeks ago-- I'll have those available to post later this week.

"Who, me?"

Buttons...

buttons...

will stop at nothing to get the buttons!

(My mom thought she would trick me by blocking them with my toy box, ha!)

Playing with filters-- so you can see just how blue Evan's eyes are (eye color is not enhanced!).

Kid on a mission

Life in our house these days is... unpredictable! From the moment Evan started pulling up, he hasn't stopped, and is now able to reach the ledge of many things that were once considered "out of bounds." Shortly after this picture (above) was taken, Evan pulled himself up far enough to lift his feet off the ground!




This is an expression we often see on Evan's face. Sure, it's cute, but it's also terrifying. Look closer-- see the little horns peaking out from underneath his blond hair? Trust me, they're there.


Caught!

An uncanny resemblance

Vertical baby

Some pictures of the below-mentioned standing...

AH!

I went into Evan's room yesterday to get him up from a nap and to my shock and fear, he was standing up holding onto the crib railing! And to prove it wasn't a fluke, he did the same thing this morning when he woke up. Please tell me climbing out of the crib isn't next on his agenda...

Fair warning: video of screaming baby

This is Evan's newest and most charming behavior.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Evan's no angel, but if you could see the rolls on his chubby little thighs, he does look a little like Cupid. Here are some Valentine's Day pictures. No, the red outfit wasn't staged (I actually forgot what day it was when I dressed him this morning), but the pictures are. And, being the cheeky little monkey that he is, Evan was more than willing to pose.












See all of his top teeth!









Ready to crawl!









Bath time... he loves the water!

And you thought he was kidding!

Some of you have at one time heard Jason talk about crate-training... for children. Thankfully, Evan's mommy watches out for him, so this is as close as it will get:

Edited on 2/14/07: Some of you have asked, "What in the heck is this a picture of?" It's Evan inside his toy basket.

Family man

Lately, Evan has been on several play dates with his new friend Isabella (my college friend Heather's daughter). Even though they are a year apart, they have a great time together and it's very sweet to see them interact.

Here, Evan (who is very comfortable in his masculinity) demonstrates to Isabella that he's a great "family man."

Isabella takes it a little too far by trying to coerce Evan into liking Barney.





Evan shows off his sweet crib.

Fun with finger food

Bundled baby

Like most of the rest of the U.S. right now, it is COLD here! Yesterday was a low of 18 F with a high of 42 F. Aren't we supposed to be in the South? I mistakenly thought that meant warmer weather. Evan dressed the part yesterday morning when we went out for an appointment. His cute little bomber jacket was a present from Grandpa & Grandma Taylor.

Golf-watching Sundays

Evan relaxes with Dad on the weekend...

My favorite picture

This is my favorite recent picture. It truly captures Evan's personality and attitude. It also captures his newest trick-- hamming it up for the camera.

Shiny metal objects

There are just a few things that really motivate Evan to army crawl across the room-- Bullit's collar is one of them. Unfortunately, Evan doesn't yet know that Bullit is a moving target. This has been really funny to watch.

Must... get... Bullit's... collar!

Mission accomplished.

Evan's newest target...

Already a heartbreaker

Last week, Evan and I drove to see my friend Heather, her husband Andy and their daughter Isabella in their new house just north of Atlanta. While she is a slightly older woman, Evan gave it his best shot to attract Isabella's attention. He did his best "look how cute I am" impression and brought her a cuddly stuffed toy. His charms must have worked because by the time we left, she had smothered him with hugs and kisses.

Let the games begin...

Now that college football season (and Christmas) is over, we felt it was safe to post the following picture:











As many of you know, the extended Terreri family are HUGE Notre Dame fans.* Well, the Taylor and Opperman side are equally big Purdue fans. Unfortunately, Evan is now caught in the middle of this broiling rivalry. All we can hope for is that once he's old enough to understand, he'll make an educated choice (with Mommy's help and suggestions).

*Not mentioned here are the additional loyalties to Virginia Tech. Evan also is a Hokie fan.

Evan updates

Just a few updated pics since Christmas. Evan's stats at 7 months are 21.6 lbs. and 29 in. He's starting to "creep" on the floor to get to his toys, so it's only a matter of time before we install baby gates... Evan has 4, possibly 6 teeth all coming in on the top, front. This is in addition to his 4 teeth on the bottom! Won't be long before he's eating corn on the cobb.