Isaiah John~ 11 months

Our little buddy turned 11 months old a couple weeks ago. He is turning into such a little boy. I'm sad that the baby phase is quickly coming to an end, but he is so much fun right now! He is always moving, talking, screaming, and laughing.
We have had a really busy summer! Lots of fun in the sun, trips to the West Coast, summer camp, pool time, and delicious BBQ. Here are some pics to tell it all...

Hardly sits still for a picture anymore!

Just looking like the cutest baby ever...

We have made some trips to the park this summer and Isaiah can't get enough of the baby swing. Nothing cuter then a little baby in a swing! We have also been meeting up with Isaiah's friend Hadley and her mama Katie for walks and play-dates! This has been so refreshing for me. ALL (and I literally mean all) of our friends back in Spokane have had babies within the last year and a half, making it incredibly difficult to be so far away. I have been so blessed to know a new, working mama like Katie who has a daughter so close to Isaiah's age.

Isaiah LOVES the swing

Isaiah and his little friend Hadley

Still can't get enough of that thumb!

Isaiah and I flew up to Spokane just before he turned 11 months. He is quite the little traveler. The flight up there was not the best. We drove to the airport with a tornado warning in effect, torrential rain, and thunder and lightning directly over us. It took an hour and a half to get to the airport, at which point, Isaiah was taken from one constraining device (car seat) to another (stroller). We ran through the airport because the tram was being worked on. And to top it off the AC in the airport was out. Also, our flight was delayed. So, not a good start to our trip! Here are some pictures from our trip, starting with the not-so-amazing flight up there, to the fun we had while we were there!!

Found our seats & had the row to ourselves :)

Whatever it takes, right? I cried just as much as he screamed :(

Flying into my favorite state, OREGON!! 

The flight from Portland to Spokane was much better. A sweet mama moved seats so that I could have the row to myself again. As soon as we took off, Isaiah passed out!! Probably because I consumed a beer in the PDX airport!!

Our trip in a nut shell. One hot mess!

But, we made it! I enjoyed spending a ton of time with my college roommates and best friends! Isaiah didn't see anyone except Gramma and Grandpa for the entire trip.

Pre-wedding drinks!

@ the ceremony

Some things never change. We are ridiculous!

This girl is getting married in 2015!! 

Here is what Isaiah was up to while mommy was out with her friends...

Play date with Uncle Sean

Just chillin'

No caption necessary. I mean, look at him!!

Pure joy

We had such a good trip, and we were both ready to get back!! Daddy was excited to see his boy and missed us both. Thankfully the flight home was much better!!

Happy boy in the airport

Little Isaiah facts~
Favorite food: Sweet potato, avocado, quinoa, peaches, coconut milk yogurt, O's, sunflower buttter & banana sandwiches
What's new? Isaiah now says "bye bye" and waves. Whenever I am talking on the phone and he hears me say "I'll talk to you later, bye" he immediately starts waving. He likes sticking out his tongue and blowing spit everywhere. He is pulling himself up really well. No steps yet. He has stood up on his own a couple times, but falls to the ground rather quickly.
What's coming up? Our dear friends Heidi & Kyle and their daughter Luxe are coming to Atlanta to visit us. They live in Spokane and we became close with them just as we were thinking about moving South :( We can't wait to spend the weekend with them. We'll be giving them a taste of the South!
Grandma and Grandpa Diego are coming for his first birthday! We are so excited to have them here.
Our little guy is almost ONE!!!

Isaiah John 9 months

On Friday the 13th Isaiah turned NINE months old! It's hard to believe that in 3 months he will be ONE year old!! I didn't end up doing a post when he turned 8 months old. So far, the 7 to 8 month jump felt like the biggest one developmentally. And the 8 to 9 month jump has felt the toughest.

When he was 7.5 months old he started crawling. It was right before we left to go to Spokane. It was so cute! We flew back to Atlanta on May 13th, the day Isaiah turned 8 months old. When we got back he realized that there was no need to crawl at such a slow speed and to stay on the carpet where mommy put him. He was off and there has been no stopping him since...

He loves exploring and checking out his surroundings! We love watching him cater to his own curiosity. From day one Isaiah has been a very alert baby and over the past month he's used that to his advantage. He notices everything around him and does what he can to get his hands on anything and everything.

He has also gotten really into reading! He loves being read to and reading to us. It's so cute to watch his face light up when I grab a book off of his shelf and open it up. Bath has always been a part of his bedtime routine, but recently we've added books as well.

 A couple weekends ago we hit up the farmer's market in Alpharetta. We LOVE going to the market. Fresh, local food is something we value a great deal. We want to teach Isaiah to eat well and support local farmers; so not only is the farmer's market fun, but it will help Isaiah know good food.

Ready for the market

We got some good produce. The berries were amazing. I ended up making a recipe out of the most recent Vegetarian Times for caramelized okra and corn with coconut, Mint, and Lime. Recipe Here

His appetite has not gotten any smaller! He loves food and has liked nearly everything we put in front of him. I recently started making smoothies for him and he really likes that. The cold feels good on his teeth.

We don't have his stats yet, he goes to the doctor this Friday so I may get back on here and update them. I have a feeling he's grown a lot since he was weighed last. 

Quick Isaiah Facts:

Teeth: 6 (two on bottom, 4 on top)

Sleep: he's digressed a little in this department. wakes up anywhere between 6 and 7 now. I used to be able to depend on 7 every morning. Still, I can't complain.

Favorite Food: lentils, bananas, puffs, beans, avocado 

Favorite Hobby: clapping, waving, reading, crawling anywhere and everywhere

Loves: music!!

Hates: He seriously hates getting his diaper changed right now

We love him so much!

San Diego Part II (a month later)

Now that we are back from our second trip this spring I will finish posting about our first trip. Oops, got a little behind on the updating.

...After our 24 hours in Pasadena and a short visit with Andrew's Aunt in Orange County we made our way back down to San Diego to settle in for a week. We were all exhausted from flying across 3 time zones, so the thought of staying put for a week was exciting.

Of course the best part about San Diego is the beach! I couldn't wait to get Isaiah's toes in the sand and water. Here are some pictures from our day at the beach with the three of us and grandma Diego!

I think the pictures do it enough justice that I don't need to say much. After we felt we had enough sand in our toes and salty mist in our hair we made our way to a local coffee shop to grab a cup to go. Andrew and I had never been to Bird Rock Coffee so we were so excited to try it out. And it didn't disappoint in the least!

Andrew and I were able to get away just the two of us on a few different occasions. Free babysitting, especially when it's by a grandma, is the best. We took an afternoon and went back to Bird Rock and hit the beach again.

Later in the week we snuck away in the evening for a date! We hit up Ballast Point Brewery for a tour and a tasting then went to dinner.

Andrew's best man in our wedding still lives in San Diego and every time we go back we make it a point to see Brett and his wife Kayla. We had them over for pizza and talked about our southern culture shock (Kayla is from Alabama)! They loved Isaiah! The best part about seeing them was hearing the great news that they are expecting their first baby in November!

This trip felt like a true vacation. We both needed a little time away; soaking up the salty air and the california sun did the trick. Andrew's dad was only there for the first half of the trip due to a conference he had planned to go to in Minnesota. Isaiah got A LOT of fun time with Grandma Diego and Great Grandpa Gale. We made lots of yummy meals, talked over cups of coffee, and took walks in the sun. We left feeling great about the way we spent our time. more pictures...

Couldn't ask for a better MIL, she's such a loving grandma and cares about me so much :)