urban trekking

If someone saw the following photos, you'd think that we were on our way to scale a very large (well, medium sized) mountain, not run out for some starbucks. BUT seeing as it decided to snow in Richmond...again...I made it my mission today to get outside. For those of you who don't know this about me already, I love me some Starbucks....it's my place of choice for meeting friends, studying or now, just utilizing the drive thru for a quick pick me up:) But 1.5 miles and an hour later, we made it...a bit sweaty, but excited to sit down and enjoy the sunshine and a tall skim mocha.

As an added bonus, we got the dog outside. Having a three year old labrador stuck inside for multiple days is WAY WORSE than being stuck inside with my baby. Our two mile trek today calmed Sabre down for approximately a half hour...incredible for his standards.

What a difference a month makes!

With snow predicted last month, we quickly ran out to purchase Rob a snow suit, thinking that clearly, he'd want to make a snow angel or two. However, his response was mixed, ranging from mild annoyance to sheer terror of the snow, the cold and particularly the snowsuit (all we could think of was the little brother from "A Christmas Story").

Here we are in December, he is not pleased:

BUT here we are sunday!! He was interested in the snow, sitting in it and laughing and patting the snow to be sure of how it felt:)

snow day:)

Our second snowfall this winter produced 13 inches here in Richmond! Although this doesn't compare to the last snowstorm which gave charlottesville 2 feet of snow (Robert was very jealous), it's still a ton of snow for our new home. Here are a few photos from the big storm...note that I clearly took these from inside the house.

Sabre had a ball playing in the chest deep snow:


Even though it was difficult to make Sabre out amongst all the snow, we had no trouble spotting the jeep:)
Rob had a good time watching daddy do some shoveling, pounding on the glass to cheer him on!

With work cancelled for the day, it gave Robert a chance to play "stay at home dad" for a day and gave mommy a chance to relax. The verdict? Around 7:30, Robert came into the kitchen and announced, "I just laid myself across the doorway in Rob's room to make sure that he didn't escape, giving myself a chance to nap...I'm definitely going to bed after we put him down in an hour, I'm exhausted!" My response, welcome to my world honey:)

April-January 9 whole months

My little guy is nine months old today...40 whole weeks old. That number made me immediately think of my pregnancy. Even though Robert chose to come a week early (thank you, again, for that) I can't help but look back and remember how long I thought those 9 months were...how much I changed, and prepared and waited..and waited. BUT to compare my pregnancy with the last nine months of his little life is virtually laughable. Robert and I are completely different people than we were nine months ago:)
Fortunately we have had few sleepless nights along the way, lots of laughs, lots of tears (well, just me and the baby really) and a camera always at the ready to take photos of our changing, growing little man.

OK, done with the gushing for a bit....

we had our nine month appointment today, we are at 18 pounds and a huge 28 inches tall:)

destruction

So since our little guy has learned to stand up, he's using that to his advantage. Now he can reach up and take things that were previously well out of his reach...

exhibit A: his mini UVA football (it holds a place of prominance whereas our maryland football is often offered to the dog)

You can already tell that the middle shelf has been cleared of stuff...he simply takes them and throws it on the floor. Satisfied with his work, he takes a book to chew on:

Now, before I get the grandma police calling me because my son isn't clothed in winter, let me assure you that this is not often the look we go for in january. Shortly after the bookcase destruction incident, we dressed to go for a walk...as you can see, my son is much happier with less clothing:
BUT he's warm and fashionable in this fleece snowsuit with UVA beanie (that matches his daddy's, of course)

Santa VS. Rob

Although we'll have more christmas photos coming, I wanted to post our first santa picture for your enjoyment...we are ecstatic at how it turned out, considering the horror stories that you hear from people about their children and santa. Thankfully, both Santa and Rob enjoyed the experience!

Standin' Tall

The crib is a new toy for baby Rob since moving to Richmond. While living with Grami and Pop Rock and Aunt Catherine, Rob slept in the pack and play, where he couldn't grab onto the sides...although he really enjoyed the mesh during playtime:


However, once we moved to Richmond, it was game over for nap time...he discovered the beauty of sticking his legs and hands through the crib slats. We'd removed the bumper since he sleeps face down in the corner of the crib:)

Here's the scene from a few nights ago, estimated time 11pm:


The little guy has recognized the beauty of standing up, and although we are very proud of him, it means double attention must be paid: