Seven Claws-a-Clapping

We were impressed when Isaac spontaneously began clapping one day.  It wasn't something we had been trying to teach him.  We were amazed when we realized he understood the word clap and would do so at our request.  Our son's display of intelligence delighted us, and then we thought, "Uh oh, what else does he understand?"


Clapping from Julie Anderson on Vimeo.

Six Friends-a-Making

Weekly coffee with moms and babies

 Isaac trying to impress the ladies.  They just seem annoyed.

Five Days Outside

During my days at home with Isaac, I try to get outside as much as possible.  We usually go for long walks, and sometimes we enjoy leisurely strolls downtown.  We live in a great location to be able to walk to our quaint little downtown which is nice on days when we're feeling cooped up and just want to get out among people.  The above picture was taken on one of our recent gorgeous December days while just hanging out downtown.  The picture below was taken after coming home from a walk.

Matt and I hope that Isaac will grow up loving the outdoors as much as we do!

Four Silly Squeals

Squealing at Dad from Julie Anderson on Vimeo.

Dad was popping up on the other side of the window providing much entertainment.

Three Blessings Counted

This Christmas, we have reflected on how abundantly blessed we are!  The blessings in our lives number many more than three, of course.  However, to keep with Day 3, I'm recognizing a few for which I am immensely grateful.  We are sooooo blessed to have our sweet little boy.

We are blessed with amazing family and friends who helped make our Christmas special both from afar and here at home.  To all of our far away family, you were with us in spirit as we thought of you and as we opened your thoughtful gifts.  Thank you!!

Christmas dinner with friends

And finally, we are blessed with health and happiness.  We are so fortunate to live the life that we do--to be a loving family living, working, and playing in an amazing place.

We hope all of our family and friends also had a wonderful Christmas.  Merry Christmas! We love you.

Two Bottom Teeth

Isaac does not like to let us look at his teeth.  We only get glimpses of them when he's smiling, laughing, or yelling.

Happy Christmas Eve to all!!
Love, Julie, Matt, & Isaac

12 Days of Isaac

I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts in the spirit of the twelve days of Christmas but with Isaac as the theme, of course.  For twelve days I'll share a glimpse into Isaac's world (we'll see if I can actually pull it off).  A seven-month old's world might seem mundane to many, but it's the kind of thing that grandparents love.  So this is sort of a Christmas gift from us to all the grandparents!  Enjoy. :)  For the first day, I give you:

A baby under the tree

Snowy Goodness

This past weekend we headed up to the mountain with our friends Kelly and Matt and their baby girl, Bella.  Thanks to Kelly and Matt and their awesome trailer, we could all ski with the babes in tow.  

On the trail

Wonderful family

When we first bundled and loaded up the babies, they were a bit skeptical about the experience.

"What's wrong?"

"Yeah, you're right. This stinks."

Bella decides she'll go along, but she's not going to be happy about it.

Our reward -- Mt Hood at Trillium Lake

As much as I loved taking Isaac out for his first snow adventure, I think my favorite part of the day was getting out for a real play day with Matthew.  Those days seem few and far between now.

We also took Isaac on his first park outing on Sunday.

This kid likes to be in motion!

Bouncy Game

For those of you familiar with the original Isaac bouncy game, you might appreciate the updated version.

Jumparoo from Julie Anderson on Vimeo.

Frogging

(Another post from early December)

November was a busy month for Isaac.  He started eating real food, learned to sit, got his first tooth, and started "frogging", as I like to call it.  He gets up on hands and knees, rocks back and forth, and sometimes jumps forward.  He's starting to make a little forward progress this way.  Uh oh! Are we in trouble? Might he be crawling by Christmas?? I wouldn't mind if he waited a while. 

Frogging from Julie Anderson on Vimeo.

Firsts

As a new parent, I've managed to avoid creating a blog for almost 7 months, and now I'm caving.  I've decided this would be a fun and easy way to share photos and videos with folks who are interested, especially when I just want to quickly post one or two pics from a fun weekend or such.  So, here goes!

Last weekend, we ventured out for Isaac's first Christmas parade (or parade of any kind).  Isaac was pretty excited watching the cars, trucks, and flashing lights go by.

Isaac had the best viewing spot

We also took Isaac for his first swim over the weekend. He loved it!

I think Dad had a pretty good time also

Isaac was a pro at splashing, not so much at being dunked.  We tried a few times, but after he got a mouthful of water, we were content to let him keep his head above water.

(This post is actually from early December.  I tried a couple of different blogs before settling on this one and am reposting to it.)