Gameday with Nate

We spent last Saturday with the Beck Family, getting the boys vaccinated (H1N1 booster) and teaching them the basics of football. It was so much fun watching Bruce and his buddy Nate interact with each other and play with each other's toys (of course, the other kids toys always seem cooler). Tough game ending for Nate's team (Michigan), but a good day for Nebraska (clinched the Big 12 North!). The boys then practiced a few football moves, some day this duo will be unstoppable on the field.

The boys post-vaccination, are you ready for some football!

Robb and Bruce and Neil and Nate

The boys come up with their secret handshake

Bruce exhibiting the horse collar move, 15 yards!

Nate trying to watch the game

Post-game: Nate still says, GO BLUE!

Feast O' Plenty!

Our friends Dana and Nhan hosted a yummy feast with THREE turkeys (one traditional oven baked, one smoked, and one fried). Bruce had a really fun time playing with the gang and meeting a new doggie, Owen. He even got a taste of the traditional turkey in preparation for Thanksgiving. He was a real trooper and stayed up past his bedtime

Dana, The Lovely Hostess

Nhan, Our Host

Bruce is ready for the feast!

(Bruce with Liz and Nhan)

Feast O' Plenty!

Bruce with Nhan, also pictured Liz and Craig's mom Nancy

Bruce and Dana

Bruce and Craig

Bruce and Liz



Bruce with his new toy

Thank you Nancy!

Bruce's First Haircut

On Saturday, November 14th, Bruce got his first haircut! While Bruce's locks were loved by many, it was a bit overdue in mama's opinion. Here's a few photos from the big event.

The "Before" Photo

Dada did the honors

Mohawk!

And After

Bruce Tries Eggs

The pictures probably say it all. Bruce tried his first fried egg yolk. He was a bit baffled by the consistency and gummed it for several minutes. We're not 100% sure if he ended up eating it, spitting it out, or whether it just complete disintegrated in his mouth. But hey it's a first!

Playdate with Noah

Last weekend we headed up to Gaithersburg, MD to visit with our friends Trisha, Gunther and Noah Boekhoudt. Noah just celebrated his 1-year birthday! Can't believe how fast time has flown by.

We met up at our favorite "local" Cuban restaurant (Cuban Corner) where Bruce had his first taste of a croqueta de jamon, yum! He pretty much made the same confused face he always does when we give him new food.

We then stopped by The Boekhoudt's house and spent some time in Noah's playroom, which was like heaven on earth for Bruce. Noah very nicely shared all his toys with Bruce and even showed him how to take a spin in his speedster. Thank you Noah for being such a good friend to Bruce. We love you!

Bruce, Noah, and Trisha in Noah's playroom

The boys playing with each other's toys

Bruce: Mom, do you see this!

Noah showing Bruce how to handle this puppy

Bruce: I love this place!

Noah: Can someone get this kid his own toys, please

Just Because

Bruce is 8 months old!

Bruce is 8 months old
watch out world!

Bruce is now 8 months old and what an incredible "leap" he has made this past month.

Movement: The biggest news this month has been that Bruce is on the move. Bruce quickly went from a pre-crawl at his 7 month birthday to crawling, climbing, and standing on his own (holding on to the couch or the gates), and last week he took his first 2 steps on his own while holding on to the couch. He seems to prefer standing to sitting and will pull himself up at any given moment and has learned to stand up in his crib too! He's also learned the hard way that what goes up, must come down. So there's been a few falls, usually on his bottom but also a few times on his noggin.

Oral: Bruce has also been testing out his vocal cords. He often utters dada and the occasional mum, but his latest sound is a not so lovely growl. My description can not do it justice really. Am I a bad mom if I say it sounds like an exorcism?!? my little monster. He also has a very sweet babble that he does when he is sleepy, kind of like he is trying to sing along to his lullaby.

Bruce also had his 3rd tooth break through (facing him, it's to the right of the center two teeth). We think its emergence was aided by one of his falls, but its there and pushing out more and more each day.

Eating: Bruce continues to be a good eater, eating solids twice a day (fruit/oatmeal for lunch and veggies for dinner) and drinking about 27-33 oz of formula each day. Vegetables, and still carrots, remain his favorite. New foods he has tried this month: peaches and corn (mixed with sweet potatoes). We also tried giving him a chicken noodle baby food (his first meat) and he was not happy about that. The first time I actually saw him spit his food out on purpose. So not ready for that yet. Bruce hasn't really taken to his sippy cup, just teethed on it and played with it. The other day we tried to use just an open plastic cup and he seemed to like drinking water that way, so maybe we'll skip the sippy cup for now.

Sleeping and General Health: Not too much new in these categories. Bruce is sleeping pretty well through the night. Strangely, he pushed his bedtime back to 10PM the week before daylight savings, so now with the time change he's back to his 9PM bedtime. He sleeps through most nights to about 7-8AM. Dada has been a real trooper, getting up with Bruce and getting him ready for the day. Bruce has still managed to allude his first cold (being at home with us I'm sure has helped). Bruce received his booster shot for the seasonal flu and his first dose of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination.

Bruce playing with his blocks

Bruce still loves his jumperoo
(check out my Emory hat Aunt Becky)



Bruce's new swing
(he outgrew the old one he loved)

Bruce's newest toy: a musical walker




Bruce after pulling himself up on his gate

Bruce standing up in his crib in his Hamburglar sleeper

The Bruce Grrrrrowl!