Off to Work!

Here's Aubrey, aka "Business Baby," ready to go to work with Dad! Think a polo and a diaper complies with dress code?

Beach Buddy

We have returned from our first family vacation! We enjoyed a week on Edisto Island, SC with friends... fun in the sun (and record heat!) and lots of relaxation! Aubrey was a little unsure of the beach at first, but as you can see, he quickly decided he loved it. He played in the water with Dad and played under the umbrella with his beach buddy Gus. He swam in the pool in his frog floaty. He went with Mommy, Gus, and Mrs. Katie to Charleston on a lunch/shopping excursion mid-week. And he discovered that he loves local, homegrown cantelope, peaches and watermelon! It was a great week, and we can't wait to take our Beach Buddy back.

Aqua-Buddy

Sorry these pictures are a week delayed... next time we should have beach pics!

Aubrey at 9 Months

It's hard to believe that one week from today Aubrey will be 9 months old... where has this year gone?! We've hit some major milestones in the last month. Aubrey has perfected his crawl and is now mobile around the house (scary!) He can pull himself up to standing and walk independently while holding onto stable obejcts, like the couch. (Scarier!) He likes to push around his new "baby walker" that looks like a little car...he is still a little wobbly, but it only took him a couple tries to figure it out. He loves to feed himself (puff cereal is a favorite) and he knows how to use a spoon... and make a mess! (See below. YUM roasted butternut squash, homemade by Mommy!) He likes to go on shopping trips and ride in the cart like a big boy. (Also see below.) And he is figuring out how to wave and say "Bye bye" and "Hi." (Gotta love the little baby voice.)

We are going to get some video of Aubrey on the move soon, so hopefully that will be our next post, to prove it to the disbelieving granparents. (Didi and Granddaddy, you know who you are!)

And last but definitely not least, Aubrey now has 3 teeth! All are on the bottom, but it looks like we may be seeing the top two any day now. The sooner the better, so our poor child can start sleeping again!

Probably the best part of all this newfound freedom is when I go into Aubrey's room in the morning to get him out of his crib. When he hears me come in, he immediately crawls over to the rails and pulls himself up to standing and greets me with a huge smile on his face... he is so proud of this accomplishment! What a sweetie pie.

Well, hello there!

We haven't posted anything since Aubrey's surgery so just wanted to give everyone an update. We had his follow-up appointment on Monday and everything looks (and sounds) good. AJ has been sleeping through the night on a more regular basis and if it weren't for the Hoof & Mouth disease he contracted at daycare he'd be perfectly healthy.

We missed everyone who wasn't able to make it to his Baptism but in the last few weeks he has been able to see all his grandparents (thanks for making the trek).

As for Aubrey's Mom & Dad, they're counting the days until vacation on the beach at Edisto Island (18 days as of this post).

Aubrey's Big Day

Aubrey successfully had ear tube surgery yesterday... here's hoping that all those ear infections will finally be a thing of the past! The one downside of those "Garner ears"... they may be cute, but unfortunately they have been painful for him and his dad!

We had to get up extra early yesterday morning to have Aubrey at the hospital by 6:30... the little guy fell asleep in dad's arms while we were waiting for the surgery to start. They put him in a tiny hospital gown, bright yellow hospital socks with tread on the bottom (so cute), and his bar-coded ankle ID bracelet (the "Baby Lo-Jack" as Justin calls it... literally alarms go off in the hospital if you take a baby out the wrong door!) You can also see in the picture that he was cuddling his soft elephant... which turned out to be perfect considering it was Primary Day... I guess you know which team we support!

In the end, our buddy was a trooper and we are glad to have it over with. We'll be glad to have him back to his happy little self in a few days!

Bedhead

This is the hair my child woke up with this morning:







I seriously have no idea what he did in his sleep for this to happen. I just know that he comes from a long line of people who are susceptible to some crazy bedhead.


And I would also like to note the following:

Memorial Day Weekend

We ended up staying home for our long weekend and spent some quality time together as a family. Since we missed our annual Memorial Day Weekend beach trip, we decided to bring the beach to Greenville instead! So we inflated Aubrey's new baby pool (who needs an expensive pool membership?!) and Aubrey had a great time splashing around in it. He looked like quite the little man in his swim gear and sunglasses! While Zoey the Dog was not the least bit interested in swimming, she did enjoy drinking the water out of the pool later.

We also went for a stroll around the neighborhood between rain storms... Aubrey likes to prop his feet up on his snack tray and recline while we walk! Must be nice!

The little man also had a great time playing in the tissue paper from the gift Auntie Kim sent for Zoey. (I felt like a bad parent for a split second when I heard myself saying, "Aubrey, here's some paper to play with!" But he LOVES playing with paper, so I can get away with it for now! Expensive toys can wait!)

We also did a few house projects, and hibernated inside during the frequent rain storms. And we spent time with some friends and family here on Sunday. All in all, a great weekend spent at home!

I hate/love junk mail

Aubrey has a developed a unique process for shredding all of those junk mail catalogs that show up in our mailbox. It begins with an intense stare and ends with a flurry of pudgy arms flailing and tearing pages and flinging them all over the floor (and it lasts for a good 1/2 hour).

It is hilarious.

Man on the Move

Look out world, Aubrey is on the move! Ever since I felt his first kick in the womb at 13 weeks Aubrey has been in constant motion. I don't know if this is an Aubrey thing, a little boy thing, a kid thing, or some of each. He rolls, he kicks, he stands, he grabs, he jumps, he pets Zoey, he squeals at the top of his lungs just for fun, and he throws himself backward so that he can be upside down (he LOVES this!) He just can't sit still and snuggle sweetly with Mommy. (Although he does give the sweetest Aubrey kisses- he grabs your face and then licks your cheek!) He is now starting to scoot, working his way to a crawl. On his tummy, he lifts his bottom in the air and pushes off. He can't quite get the coordination down, though. I'm exhausted now, I can't imagine when he starts walking! I think I will just put him out in the backyard with Zoey and let them chase each other to burn off steam.

Here is Aubrey riding on Daddy's shoulders, another fun activity. He laughs at us from his perch way up high. In this picture, he is thinking, "Mmm, hair. I love hair." (He has been fascinated with hair from Day One.)