First Trip to the Zoo

We took Hunter to the National Zoo in D.C. this weekend. Unfortunately, we picked an extremely hot and humid day to do so and many of the animals were hiding in their dens in an attempt to cool off. Despite the heat it was still nice to walk around and see the different animals.

They also have a Kid's Farm where children can pet the cows, goats, pigs, etc. Hunter LOVES his toy cows so much, but he wasn't quite prepared for the size of a real cow. As we approached and asked if he wanted to pet her, he vigorously shook his head "NO"!

We plan to go back in the fall when the weather is a bit more forgiving and can hopefully catch a glimpse at more of the animals then.

An Eastern Shore Tragedy...

Although Hunter enjoyed crab cakes the week prior, he clearly rejected the lump crab meat we offered him while picking our first steamed crabs of summer. Naturally, his mommy was appalled!

Things I Can't Get Enough Of...

Hunter does so many adorable things that just melt my heart. Yet, as he continues to grow and change, so do his behaviors. I wanted to take a moment to capture a few of the things I can't get enough of right now at his current age!

I LOVE THE WAY HE:

- leans forward for kisses

- says ma-ma to me and looks for me when we ask "where's mommy?", but also uses ma-ma as his mantra for everything else he encounters throughout his day

- hesitantly curls his hand to wave "bye-bye" because it is a new skill and he is still a bit uncertain

- drops his head to the side and onto his shoulder when he wants to look coy and adorable

- bounces up and down while waving his arm in the air as a greeting for those he recognizes (and some he doesn't)

- squawks while he crawls frantically around the house chasing Jack the Cat

- pauses to shake his head when we say "no-no", but then does what we are forbidding anyway

- belly laughs at the simplest things which then gets everyone else in the room laughing with him

- looks around with a big bright smile on his face when he does something he is proud of to make sure someone else saw it, too

- drops his head on our shoulder when he is exhausted and snuggles in

- squeals while motoring away as fast as he can, when we declare "I'm gonna get Hunter!"

- knows the names of most of his toys, and can locate them if you ask him to

- gets excited when we play hide and seek or peek-a-boo

- very seriously studies something new before passing judgement on whether he likes it or not

- gives us the biggest smile of the day when he first wakes up in the morning

- bounces up and down when he hears music because he loves to dance (just like mommy)

- works his way all around the crib, in every position imaginable, when he sleeps at night

- talks to and cuddles with his giraffe and teddy before bed, and again as he is slowly waking up in the morning

- is developing such a big personality. He makes faces and does things to try to entertain us and then he laughs at himself as well. He's just so darn cute I want to gobble him up!

Proud Daddy!

Hunter could not have made his daddy happier today as he dribbled the soccer ball across the floor!

Somebody has World Cup Fever!!

Corn on the Cob...Yummy!

Hunter ate his first ear of corn today. It was really pretty funny. He seemed to like it but didn't want to pick it up at first, so he brought his mouth down to his tray to take bites. Eventually he got brave enough to touch it. We decided to take it away when he started wielding it in the air like a light saber!

Wave to the Camera

This is short, but I thought it was too cute not to post...

Stair Climber

Hunter has been climbing stairs since he was 9 months old! Generally we are unable to catch it on video, as we follow him up the stairs closely to make sure he doesn't fall. (Thank goodness for baby gates!)

Today the stars aligned and we were able to capture it for you!

Beachin' It!

We took a trip to Ocean City this weekend and Hunter proved that he is definitely a beach baby like his mama! He absolutely loved the sand and ocean...though not so much the taste of them! He didn't even get upset when a big wave knocked him over, though he was understandably surprised. Of course, we are still working to get the sand out of all his little crevices! Mom-mom had taken us to Assateague, so we even had an exciting visit from the local ponies who walked across our blanket in search of food.

Ryan and I had a great time playing with Hunter, and felt a bit like kids ourselves, as we splashed in the surf and tried to build structures in the sand for him to knock down. Most of all, we really loved watching Hunter experience one more thing completed brand-new to him. Couldn't think of a better way to spend our joint Birthday and 1st Father's Day!

And, of course, a 3 hour return drive home means getting creative with the entertainment...

Future NBA Star?

Probably not...but he seems to enjoy playing anyway!

SO BIG!!

Hunter has been doing this since he was 9 months old, but we were unable to catch it on video until now!

Incoming

Hunter just cut his two top front teeth...at the same time! He has been gnawing on his hand quite a bit lately and has been a little fussy/irritable, so we knew another tooth was coming, but we never could have guessed he was getting both of them together! Knowing that, and how painful it must have been for him, he has been a real trooper!

Given the chart below, it looks like we are right on schedule!

Eruption Sequence of baby teeth (also called "Deciduous Teeth" or "Primary Teeth") in months after birth:

Teeth	Average "eruption" time (in months after birth)
1) Lower central incisor	8 months
2) Upper central incisor	10 months
3) Upper lateral incisor	11 months
4) Lower lateral incisor	13 months
5) Lower first molar	16 months
6) Upper first molar	16 months
7) Upper canine	19 months
8) Lower canine	20 months
9) Lower second molar	27 months
10) Upper second molar	29 months

Eruption time averages have been calculated among the general population (US). They are average values, so the variation can range ±6 months

Raspberry Peek-a-Boos

What does the brown cow say?

Moooooooooooo!

Hunter is starting to learn his animal sounds...

10 Month's Old!

That's right, time keeps moving at warp speed and our son is now 2 month's shy of being a 1 year old! Unbelievable!!

We've had another great month with our little guy! With the onset of summer, we're spending a lot more time outside. This past weekend Hunter got to go swimming for the first time and seemed to have fun. That was no surprise given the way he splashes around in the bathtub.

Hunter is also continuing his progress towards walking. He's now using his walking/push toys unassisted and especially likes to walk around holding onto mom and dad's fingers (which is killing our backs). We feel he is getting closer to walking independently, but there are still many times he resembles a drunken sailor.

Hunter still has an insatiable appetite. In addition to eating a mixture of pureed foods at meal time, he is consistently eating small pieces of food directly from mom and dad's plates, as well. In fact, he seems to survey the food we are eating before he starts in on his meals to ensure that he is getting some of the same. If his food does not match ours, he will refuse to eat anything or sometimes grunt at our plates until we share! Sharing is something else that he picked up...if he has a piece of food or a toy in his hand and we ask him to "share" he will extend it toward us and he will even occasionally let it go once we have ahold of it. Though most times he pulls it back in a typical fake out move! One thing is for sure, he has become quite the pro at picking up pieces of food and feeding himself over these last several months. We are just starting to let him explore feeding himself with a spoon (which has had less reliable results).

Hunter has been sharing lots of love and kisses with everyone now, even leaning in to plant kisses on his favorite characters and animals in his books! It is also very evident that he understands a lot of what we say now. Dad thinks he can reliably pick out toys and colors based on what his descriptions, but this has yet to be demonstrated in front of any witnesses.

Hunter is becoming quite the ham! He enjoys clapping for himself when he does something he is proud of and also putting his hands above his head when we ask how big he is before declaring that he is "SO BIG"!

We are looking forward to next month, which should bring about lots of summer heat and humidity, and certainly more changes and surprises from Hunter.

Memorial Weekend

We had a very eventful weekend filled with family fun! We went to a cookout on Saturday at Aunt Faye's house, where we got to see several family members we haven't seen since last summer when I was VERY pregnant. Memaw, who just returned from Georgia for the summer, was also there and finally got to meet Hunter in person. They hit it off immediately! Hunter enjoyed being the center of attention, as usual. I think the highlight of his day was when his Uncle Lee held him next to the deviled eggs and allowed him to get a few handfuls from the tray to squish between his fingers!

On Sunday, we had another family cookout. This time at Uncle Dick's house where we celebrated Uncle Scott's 30th birthday. Hunter got into the pool for the first time, and while he groaned in protest each time another inch of his body was submerged into the cold water, he never cried. In fact, once he acclimated to the temperature he really seemed to enjoy it!

With the 3 day weekend, we took advantage of Monday too. No rest for the weary! Ryan went to visit an old friend while Hunter and I went to our community pool which I joined this summer. We stayed for a couple of hours and he really enjoyed watching all the kids splashing around in the water, but the second time we got into the water Hunter completely passed out on my shoulder. He was absolutely pooped from his busy weekend. So once he woke up we headed home to get cleaned up and fed before bedtime.

It was a great weekend and a perfect kick-off to summer!

LOVE

Hunter has really been showing his affection lately. In addition to leaning forward to give mom and dad kisses, he has now started to do the same to his favorite toys or book characters. It is the cutest thing!