So Busy...with pictures!

We are so thankful for baby-gates! Daniel is certainly on the move! He loves playing with the lever on the toaster, and lately has started opening cupboard doors.

Soooo Busy...

Daniel is definitely in busy-mode from the time he wakes up until he falls asleep! He's started crawling around more on his hands and knees, and less army-crawling. This has made him much faster and stealthier! We have spent most of the week rearranging the house. I could list all the things that we have moved, but suffice to say that if it was once on a shelf or cubby three feet from the floor or less, it is now much higher or in a box!

Daniel has also started clapping! Brian and I agree that this is possibly the cutest thing he has done yet...He is a very enthusiastic clapper! He has also started climbing the stairs, providing he has a spotter to keep him safe.

We have been pretty busy lately between baby showers and anxiously awaiting the Grand Opening of the Super Wal*Mart (which is Wednesday in case any one was wondering...). I am hoping to make my first attempt at making jam and canning sometime this week. Aunt Nicole has offered to come over to help...and promised to bring baby-chasers!

He Has Found the Stairs!

Daniel had his 9 month well-baby check up yesterday. It was the quickest appointment I have ever been to...hooray for being healthy! He weighs 23 lbs. 12 oz. and is 30 inches long. He's also started holding his own bottle which is about the only thing that will keep him still for a diaper change! Daniel has finally discovered the stairs...though as of today, he hasn't realized that you can go up and down the stairs, just pull up and hang on to the bottom two. At the rate he is going, we're going to have to get pretty serious about putting a railing up!

Not too sure what we'll do with the rest of today. Daniel tried, with limited success and twenty minutes of hysterics, to convince Brian and I that 10 month olds don't take afternoon naps. He is currently playing on the floor, seemingly pleased with himself that he has gotten his way.

4th of July

Even though Brian had to work, Daniel and I had everyone over to our house for a cookout and then walked to the parade. He didn't like the loud sirens at the beginning and end of the parade, but everything in the middle seemed alright to him. If I had to guess, I would say Daniel's absolute favorite part was the bottle of powerade that was given to him! I thought about taking him to the fireworks, but having froze through one night of fireworks already and the fact that Daniel was running on one nap for the day, I decided to stay home....they sounded nice, though.

Pull Ups!

Daniel started pulling up in his crib and if we held out our hands a couple weeks ago. Now he has learned that he can pull up on to anything! He (and we) are especially fond of the couch since it's soft, stable, and other than being covered in Penny hair, it's a pretty safe bet. Daniel's other favorites have been the highchair, the walker, the end tables...well, anything that is stationary long enough for him to grab on. So far, this only excludes Penny and Bailey. Last night we went to the Canada Day fireworks and nearly froze to death! Daniel liked the fireworks, but was more interested in all the kids running around.

A New Toy!

Daniel is getting more and more interested in walking, so we thought it was time to get Daniel a walk-behind toy. Other than one head-bumping fall, it has been a huge hit!

Beach and a Pool

Summer has arrived! In fact, it has been so hot here this week, we have been scrambling for ways to beat the heat. We tried the beach on Tuesday afternoon which was fun, but Daniel was more excited that Grandma brought watermelon than playing in the water and sand. Later, we took a late night trip to the store in search of an air conditioner for Daniel's room, and that helped him sleep better. Yesterday we broke out the Giraffe Pool, and the first thing Daniel did was pee in it. We're not sure if he was "claiming" the pool, or trying to warm the water.

Daniel's 7th tooth came through this week, and we'll probably have an 8th very soon. His doctor's appointment for today, just a well-baby check up, was cancelled today so we'll need to reschedule for another day. Today begins the Soo Locks festival in town and the one day a year people are allowed to cross the locks into the engineers' building. Now that our afternoon has been freed up, we may find ourselves down there later today.