9 Months and Growing!

The munchkin is 9 months old....still can't believe it, but I guess all new moms say that!  We had his well baby check up on Monday and he is growing strong!  20 pounds 5 ounces and 28.25 inches long.  My little boy is 50th percentile all around, which is a little amusing to me judging by the comments I receive all the time.  I swear, everytime we go out shopping or running errands with Chase people smile at him and ask how old he is.  I tell them he is about 9 months and they ALWAYS say, "Wow.....he's BBBIIIIIGGGG!!!"  I really don't get it!  I have NEVER once thought of Chase as being a big baby.  He is pretty much dead on with the sizes he wears matching his age in months (with a few exceptions).  Who knows, people are funny I guess!  He does have some chunky little thighs though (see photo below) which I love! 

Chase's appointment went great, we love our new doctor!  Joe and I decided to switch to a new practice after a few bad experiences with our original pedi, and we are so glad we did!  This doc is so much more thorough and the office is even closer which is always a plus!  Doc says Chase is ready for meat....I will admit I have been putting this off as Joe and I are vegetarians.  We have always planned on giving Chase turkey and chicken, but I have been dragging my feet.  We know it will be too difficult to raise Chase on a vegetarian diet and know we are giving him the protein and other nutrients he needs.   Plus, we made the decision to go meatless as adults-something Chase can decide ON HIS OWN one day if he wants to.  So it looks like Chase will start trying some meat over the next few weeks... now the only challenge is finding meat that I feel comfortable giving him!

Chase is doing great with his milestones and has decided he wants to climb everything-just like I did as a baby.  Not only is he pulling up and cruising around on everything (sometimes one handed) but he taught himself how to climb the steps and was up the whole flight in less than 2 minutes....on his FIRST try!  Of course I was right there behind him with my hands out, if he needed me, but he sure didn't....time to block off the steps, my baby is fast!  He is into everything now!  Today I had a big storage container full of books to take to my classroom and he was standing over it pulling each and every one of them out as fast as he could, making a giant mess!  I could go on and on about Chase and his mischief!  I LOVE THIS AGE!  I don't care if I have to follow him around all day long, in my eyes it beats the newborn stage hands down!  

With Chase being so busy these days, he needs his playroom more than ever.  In just 2 short weeks the basement has transformed.  Joe and his dad have been busy working on the weekends.  The sub floor is in and framing is complete.  The electric will be finished in a day or two and then we wait for the drywall man to come.  I think we will be finished in a matter of weeks and I cannot wait to decorate and organize our new family room and playroom!

That's all for now...I'll leave you with a few recent photos...

I told you he had some little chunkers.....this was Chase pre-bath doing his best ballerina pose.

Just a little reading....

I am a very happy baby!!!

Can someone find me a money tree please?

After two fun weeks at home with Chase, I had to go back to work today...boo hoo!  Don't get me wrong, I like my job and the people I work with a lot, but it doesn't compare to being at home with my munchkin.  I had such a good time waking up every morning and being able to lounge around and play with him...without getting ready for work at the same time!  I am feeling a little envious of all of my stay at home mom friends right now.  I know that in a week or so I will be back in the swing of things, but right now I just feel kind of sad :/.  I wish I had a money tree so I didn't have to work and could spend all of my time with Chase.  How many days until summer break.....????

In other news, Chase is growing too quickly!  All he wants to do these days is pull up on everything and stand there looking around.  He lets go and balances for a few seconds before plopping down onto his butt and getting up to do it all over again.  He holds onto his alphabet train and walks along with that too, always going for something inappropriate like the vacuum, a cord, the dogs' water bowl, or a piece of paper (which he tries to eat).  Chase is definitely at a very exhausting (for Joe and I) age!  He needs a place to play where he can crawl around safely....which is why we are finishing our basement-yay!  Tomorrow afternoon Lowe's will drop off our entire order so we can get to work!  I cannot wait until it is done and we have a playroom for Chase.  Our goal is to have it done for his birthday in April, which may sound easy, but we both work full time so everything will be done on weekends for the most part.  I'll be sure to post pictures along the way! 

Nighty night from the Chase monster!

A long time coming...

I have been wanting to start a blog for over a year now and it has taken me this long to actually get it up and running...Y I K E S!  Better late than never, right?  I hope to use this space to write about lots of different things, but it will mostly focus on Chase and all the adventures that Joe and I come across as new parents.  Hopefully some of you that are scattered across the country will have the opportunity to watch Chase grow and take a peek at life with our own little munchkin!