Beach Baby

We went to the beach for a while today. We hadn't been in a while and Seth absolutely loved it! He always did like going, but of course he used to just lay or sit on the blanket or towel. Now it's a whole new story. He was covered with sand just minutes after we arrived. He surprisingly didn't try to eat it, but was rubbing his hands in it and trying to crawl around. I went and dipped him in the water, which he was not even the least bit afraid of, and whenever a wave would come and touch his feet he'd squeal with laughter and kick his legs. We had a blast.
And now he is sleeping peacefully.
Bliss.

Mamameeee!

^ this is what Seth says when he is sad and wants to be picked up :)

He loves to crawls around and play, but there are just those times when he has to be in someone's arms, usually mine.

I never knew that having a child would bring me this much joy. He is awesome and such a blessing.

Today he pushed himself from crawling to sitting for the first time.

I love when something really random makes him laugh, it makes me laugh too.

He literally gets more grown-up each day. It almost hurts to watch.

Have I mentioned how much I love this kid?

Nine Months In, Nine Months Out

Seth has officially been alive as long as I was pregnant with him. I think that there are theories about everything getting easier at this point, but I haven't noticed any really magical changes. He is much, much more mobile now- hmm maybe that's what the changes are supposed to be :) He loves to explore and get into things, and now that he is doing very well feeding himself finger foods, he thinks that everything has potential to be finger food. So I am always trying to prevent catastrophe.

I love being Seth's mom. He is such an awesome baby, and now watching him become less and less of a baby is so cool. He says "mama" a lot now, and it absolutely melts my heart every time. He is very smart and very observant- I am really looking forward to seeing what he's like when he's older, and having conversations with him.

He got his first vaccination on Tuesday. We waited to start, and are following an alternative schedule, because from the extensive research I have done I feel that it is less of an assault on his immune system this way, and will put him at lower risk for adverse reactions, and also the vaccines will be more effective. This was probably the hardest decision I have had to make as a parent- whether or not to vaccinate Seth. There are risks either way, but I feel that we made the best choice for our family. Anyway, I was a nervous wreck before his appointment on Tuesday, and I gave him homeopathic ledum which was recommended, and then when they gave the shot he didn't even cry!
Besides the shot, Seth's nine month appointment went well. He has only gained four ounces in the last month, so his pediatrician asked us to come back next month to check his weight. I think it is because he is so active now that his weight gain has slowed. He still nurses a lot- day and night- and he likes his solids foods too. I'm sure he's just fine, but they want to keep an eye on it.

Our lives have been very busy lately. I am trying to balance working from home with being a mom and maintaining our home, and it isn't always easy. I have times when I feel utterly defeated, but I am trying to keep plugging away and telling myself it will get easier. Seth gets bored if we stay at home too much, so I try to go to playgroup events and get together with friends as much as possible. That has really helped me feel less lonely, too.

I have just started a new blog, so I'll have a personal one that is separate from my Etsy business blog. It's http://spicygranola.blogspot.com.

Finally, new Seth pictures (I know that's why you read this after all!)

More pictures mom, seriously?

Look I can stand! (With help from chair.)

I think I'll do a little reading now... (he loves to turn pages- it's so funny to watch!)

Crawling around

Strolling around downtown