Amazing April

Our adorable, wonderful, funny son turned 8 months old yesterday. I know that I say this every month, but I feel like this month he really grew up. He is definitely not a baby anymore, he's a little boy on the verge of toddlerhood.

This month Rusty learned to crawl, to REALLY crawl. He had been trying for awhile now, and one day he was suddenly just up and off! Now I find that it is becoming tough to keep up with him. We are thankful that summer is almost here because we will be able to spend more time with him outside. Our little living room is seeming a bit small. He is constantly trying to crawl right into the kitchen. I often set him on the living room floor with toys and run into the kitchen to grab something and then next thing I know I see an adorable little face peeking around the corner wanting to be in there with me!

This month we also started going to the park on a regular basis. Rusty LOVES the swings. He flaps his arms and leans forward and just seems content with life when he is in a swing. He also tried the slide a few times with his Dad, and seemed to like that. I look forward to the time when he can go down it all by himself! We have enjoyed going to the park with friends as well. One day we went with our friend, S, and her little guy. They were so happy on the swings together. They are such little buddies.

Rusty started trying some new foods this month, but he also learned to blow food out of his mouth. Sometimes I have to cover myself with a towel because he likes to blow air out through his mouth and sometimes bits of carrot or whatever he is eating at that time comes through. It's something we are working on. I recognize that it is a developmental thing, but sometimes it can be just a bit frustrating when you are trying to get the food into his mouth!Rusty has learned to LOVE games this month! We have several little games that we play with him. He laughs and giggles when his daddy chases him down the hall when I am holding him. He squeals in delight when I hold him in the bed and his dad runs and jumps on the bed beside us. He looks out the window and practically shakes in delight when he sees Kevin coming home from work. It is so fun to see him remembering things and getting excited about the things that he loves.

His babbling is starting to make sense. He constantly says "Mamamama, and DAdadada" without really knowing what he is saying, but we have been working on it. Every time he says "Dad!" Kevin looks at him and says, "Yes! What would you like?" I can just see the little wheels clicking in his head when we do that. One of these days he is going to just look at Kevin and say, "Dad!" and truly mean it!

He is so snuggly! He really knows what it means to hug and kiss and I can't get enough of the sloppy, open-mouthed kisses on my cheeks and the gentle hugs where he lies his little head on my shoulder and wraps his arms around my neck.

He is getting very good at standing and walking. He moves his little legs right along when we walk holding his hands and one of his favorite things to do is stand while holding on to the couch. He even let go one day and stood there for five seconds before figuring out that he wasn't holding on to anything and slowly folding over to the ground! We couldn't believe what we were seeing!This month Rusty's first tooth also came in! It's still the only one he has, but he seems to be working on more. In the meantime that one little tooth sticking up is pretty adorable. He loves to gnaw on our fingers and man, that little thing is sharp! Rusty cracks us up every night as we brush his tooth. Our good friend works at a dental office and gave him the little kid pack of a toothbrush for a six month old, as well as baby toothpaste. Rusty LOVES having his teeth brushed. It is the one thing he will sit still for. We always brush them after his bath, and he is all snuggled up in a towel in his dad's arms. He sits there and looks at himself in the mirror as I brush all around his mouth. I think that he thinks he is a big boy when he does it!

We are so in love with our little guy. He makes us laugh every day, he smiles at everyone! The comment that we often hear over and over when we are out and about is "What a happy baby! He's so happy!" We love the joy that he is constantly bringing into everyone's lives. He loves to giggle, he loves to smile, and he is just such a character. The minute he realizes that something he is doing makes you laugh, he is eager to do it again!

Little Rusty, we love you so much! You are an absolute joy and delight in our lives. You are a true gift from God and we ADORE you!