First Word, a New Tooth, and Misconceptions

On Sunday, my dad was playing with Danny, lifting him up and saying "up!" Little Man started whispering "up" to be lifted. He said it enough consistently that we are convinced he knew what it meant, and it counts. Also, he can officially sit by himself. Also, he's cutting a top front tooth. In other milestone news, the new baby is kicking!

For 5 years we had dogs, and I find it hard to accept that Daniel is a human. When I'm cooking and I drop something, my first thought is to call for my little man cub to come eat it. When I have scraps, I think, "I should save these for Danny!" At the grocery store--with an obviously human baby in the cart--I get the urge to go down the pet toy aisle. "Maybe Danny would like a pig ear! Or a new rope!" Then there are days when I forget he's not quite a person yet either. He was playing with my phone in his carseat. I was expecting a call from Jesse, and my little mom brains figured that if the phone vibrated, I don't know, that Danny would answer it? Or at least let me know it was ringing.

All this aside, can I just gush for a sec? Our son is the happiest thing. When I tickle him now, he scrunches his face and laughs, and it's an emotional response rather than a purely physical one. I am so looking forward to playing tag and hide and seek and race cars and all that.

Trip to Reno

Last weekend saw us in Reno and Salt Lake. Jesse will be blogging about the Comic Frenzy reunion and promises it will be epic. I thought I'd throw in a few randoms we snapped in Reno at Jesse's brother Nathan's wedding. It was wonderful to see Nathan get sealed in the Reno Temple. 

Tara and Danny snuggle up

First dance

 AT-AT love

 Danny was worn out, but a trooper.

Reunion (or Danny's first road trip, part 3)

We left a little late on Sunday (around 10:30) and headed back to Medford via Portland. That drive should take about 5 or 6 hours, but took us around 8. Just lots of traffic and baby stops. However, Jesse got smart and stole Tara's iPod radio adapter, so we were able to listen to The Stand by Steven King while we drove. Life saver. In Portland we met up with Jesse's best friend David Robinson and his family. It had been faaaar too long and was great to see them.

Little Dude was worn out after Portland and slept the whole way home. We got back to Medford at 12:30 in the morning and zonked out. All in all, a successful trip. Life savers of the trip: that iPod adapter, those squeezie disposable baby food packages, and relatives who like to hold babies. 

Saturday's play day (or part 2)

On Saturday, we relaxed and played with the Landins, ate sushi, and played Mario Kart (a family tradition). A fine day.

Tara's gradutation (or Danny's first road trip, part 1)

First of all, Danny was awesome on this trip. Sure, sometimes I sat in back and fed or played with the guy, and we had to stop a lot more for diaper changes and burps, but the little man was a trooper. That's not to say we weren't exhausted when we got to Spokane. No cd player or tape deck, but we did get to see Annie on the way through Portland, and that helped.

We loved seeing Grandma Thorson, Laura, the Landins, and of course, Tara and Neil (Dada). Tara done gradumacated on Friday night, and it was a proud moment for all. 

Danny loves his Great Grandma and Aunt Kelly.

 Soli Bug is still cute as a button.

Grandpas are good for drooling on.

I love how much this kid is loved.

May 2013

May was good to us, though full of school/work decisions and other grown-up stuff. This is a very common face for Danny nowadays. Always concentrating on something.

Our lovely Beckah left for Denver last week. This is Danny when told she was leaving... 

No crawling yet; Daniel spends most of his time in this "Mission: Impossible" pose.

Favorite things: making monster noises in his crib, sweet potatoes, and the feel of Daddy's scruffy chin.

Little Man got a new hat for his giant melon. He loves it.

And for cuteness' sake: reading to Ralph. For a little while we actually stopped reading to him (Daniel, not Ralph) because he got so frustrated that he couldn't eat the books. Now we just read when he's fed and happy.

Tomorrow we leave for Spokane to watch Jesse's little sister graduate. I have to tell you, I am nervous. A 12-hour drive? Then the next week we're off to Reno and Salt Lake for a wedding and a pretty sweet reunion. And more driving. I'll let you know how it goes.