11 months

I can't believe this is my little BABY!

Ducky Walking

On the move

It's been a busy two weeks! First Leif started to crawl....then to
crawl better....then cruising more....then his first unassisted steps!
All in two weeks! He is very proud of himself. And he did it all when his Mimi was here visiting from Texas so she could see! Here are some of the latest exploits on camera.

Walking!!!

Through the Wilderness

Here's the latest on the Leifmeister. You can see he likes his sweet
potatoes! We had a special treat this weekend with Leif's first
SLEEPOVER with Molly "the babies" Lash Macdonald! Of course Mom and Dad
were also lucky to have her parents spend the night, too. We went for a
beautiful hike and put the BOBs to the test. Also featured is Bill
"the daddies" Macdonald sporting the latest fashion trend, the Baby
Pouch! If we spend an obscene amount of money on a swath of fabric,
gosh darn it if we aren't going to convince our friends to do the same! (seriously, it's so worth it)

Giggle

Day at the Zoo

We braved the heat and took Leif for his first visit to the Zooooooo!! Aside from the heat (and mom's excessive -is there any other kind?- worry about baby getting overheated)...and the utter crush of raw humanity at every turn....and the fact that the animals all looked a little, well, depressed...it was fun! It was fun to just get out with Leif a bit. He really seemed to love being out and about. He was smiling and talking and chewing his toes. And he went to bed at 6:30 tonight so I think he really had a blast! It's fun to have Mimi here and we are looking forward to going to Ventura in a few days. Mom is surviving perhaps the worst haircut she has ever had....but at least at this point in life I have more perspective on it. :) And that's all that's happening here at Casa Kious!

Day at the Park

Kev inspired- 4 mths

For hardcore Leif fans only, here is my attempt at movie magic for Lilah's cousin. :)

Walking (kinda)

I mean, can you stand it?

Here are some of the latest of our little man. He seems to be getting cuter everyday....at least to his fan club! His toes are his best friends these days....well, next to his fingers. He rolled over front to back for the first time completely unassisted on Sunday. And he seems to do something new everyday. Yesterday he started to do a clicking thing with his tongue, and did it alot today. He sure is growing faster everyday. He fits perfectly in the 6mths clothes of certain brands, but is already in 9mths of others! Mom got a new sling-thing called a Mobi-pouch (pictured below) which helps her hold all of his 17lbs while out shopping, etc.

The grandparents are switching places this weekend, Nana heads off to a bridge tournament and then off to visit Lilars the Wonder Girl while Mimi arrives from Texas on saturday. We are off to Ventura next week for Mommy's work retreat on the beach, not too shabby. Then we'll be heading up to Grandpa Joe's knife show in Solvang for the next weekend. GOod thing I bought a travel swing!

As for friends, you can see below Leif is enjoying hanging out with all his girlfriends...Viola is pictured on this particular date (you can see Molly is previous pics). And we just heard that he will have a new friend in November, maybe even on his birthday (!!) born to Mom's friend Tracy Thall! (hope it's ok to announce that tracy!) And of course, little Plac-Schwartz will be on the scene any day now (so exciting!) Ellison, you need to come visit soon so we can do some man things together!

Mom can't wait to find just a little more free time to keep in touch with everyone, but we are thinking of you all and look forward to hearing from you soon or maybe even seeing you!

Sir Leif Alot

Well, we are still here! Life has been going at light speed it seems. I have been working WAY too much but even when I feel sad about it I just kiss my little man and feel so lucky that he is here.

He is having a wonderful time! While I have been on wards (which means working weekends, too) they have extended their usual 3 day a week gig into 5 days. I'm actually totally dumbfounded as to how anyone does this WITHOUT live-in grandparents! We would certainly all be more scruffy, dirty, hungry, cranky and stressed without them! Above are some picures of Leif's typical hard life with Nana and Grandpa....in the jolly jumper while nana folds laundry (laundry!!), in the corner of the couch with grandpa.

I got off early enough on Friday that Daddy and Mommy took little man to the P-A-R-K for the first time! Swinging was F-U-N!! See picture above. Imagine the thought bubble reading, "i don't know why mom and da make me wear this silly hat".

That's all for now, his highness calls.

Stroller Strides

Mommy and Mimi and I went to Stroller Strides on Saturday. It is a new group Mommy and I have joined. It's like outdoor aerobics with your stroller. We walk and do squats and pushups and stuff (well, Mommy does, anyway). Mimi liked it alot too!





It can be very tiring, though. *YAWN* I get sleepy just thinking about it!

Mimi comes to visit

Mimi and Me!

I still love my Jolly Jumper! I especially enjoy slobbering and chewing on the edges.


Dad's new bike. I LIKE it!

I think this shirt just says it all.

Jolly Jumper

This thing rocks! Cousin Lilah you should TOTALLY get one of these. Nana told me that Uncle Kevin loved this when he was little! Sorry about the orientation of the video, Mommy still doesn't have her entire brain back from pregnancy. :)

Survived!

I survived my first day of work! I just keep reminding myself how very very lucky I am, in everything about my situation. And really the joy of having him at all overshadows the sadness of leaving him, if that makes sense. Here are some recent pics!

Mystery Solved!!

The mystery of the scrubs has been solved! My second family, Jean and Rich Nickoloff (parents of Becky and Mandy who are parents of Sierra, Hailey, Nicholas and Dakota) sent Leif the adorable scrubs which were personally monogrammed (see picture). Thank you guys, he just couldn't be cuter in them! I mean, they really bring out his innate cuteness. :) Love you!

Nursing in my Sleep

ALOT of free time

Okay, my secret is out. I spend all of my available time lying Leif on
the bed and trying to make him smile....then video taping it. I guess
it isn't really much of a secret. I'll try to keep up the
obsession-sharing once I start back at work next week.
Until then, please enjoy more VIDEOS OF MY BABY!

Sitting up is fun!

Along with the un-fun excitement this weekend of the theft of two of
daddy's bicycles from our underground garage, we have also done a few
new things, like floating in the bathtub (the new pediatrician assured
me that I can stop worrying about getting water in his ears) and
sitting up in our Bumpo seat. Please enjoy my amazing head control!!
It also allows me to spend some quality time reading with Dad.

Whoa!

Secret Agents on the Move

A recent joint mission on a top secret trip to California!

SleepSmile

Good morning Poppi!

A little message for my bro Kev form his little girl on her trip to CA

Secret Agent Man, Take 2

Leif is a big boy, he got all his shots on Monday! One in each arm and
leg - OUCH! He did much better than his mom did. He felt so good, in
fact, he was ready and excited about his next Mission!

Secret agent

We obviously have too much time on our hands.

Baby Tricks

One of the joys of new parenthood (especially for the friends of the
new parents) is that every single developmental milestone is greeted as
if he is pooping pure gold. Please watch now as the uber-advanced Leif
Kious TRACKS KEYS!!

A little message

Even Crying is TOO cute!

Is our singing really that bad, Leif?

Look who's talking!

Okay, maybe not talking but these coos are the highlight of my day. Every morning Leif wakes up in a great mood and we lie on the mat together and have Kick Time and Talk Time. This is rare captured footage that only took 30 tries to time right! He also says "Goo", "Hi", "Whoa" and "Ahhhooooo".