10 Months!!

Deven celebrated this month with no colds, no visits to the doctor and no sick parents. A miracle! He also got a present from the US Government! His passport came in the mail this week. The police station in Lake Stevens does pass port processing on Saturdays (a rare find) so Nick and I decided to take Deven to get his a while back when we realized we couldn't leave the country with Deven. Where are we going you ask? We have no immediate plans but there was just something about not being able to leave the country that got me all fired up to get his. We will have to think of something fun! Likely a trip to Vancouver and/or Victoria is in our future! I felt a little strange posting a picture of his photo, security purposes and all...but if you are ever up at the house ask to see it! There is something simply hilarious about a baby in a passport photo and Deven has what we have coined his "old man face" in the pic.

Deven turns 10 months today! No check ups but thanks to an in-home scale we know that he is currently 21lbs and 5oz! He has been on the move this month. Nick and I have effectively put baby proofing off until now only through following him around each evening and being on the go every weekend. However, I think it is fast becoming impossible to keep up with this curious fella and we need to get on Amazon and order up some safe-keeping hardware!

Along with the constant crawling and cruising this month I would say the theme as always was food! Deven is getting pretty good at stuffing just about anything into is mouth: bananas, avocados, black beans, pine needles, tuffs of Sam's fur...you get the idea. Here is a pic of Deven's first foyer in to self feeding...needless to say it was a success! ; )

The next few month are going to go by so fast with baby showers, babies being born, birthdays and other exciting spring events! This weekend we are officially starting summer birthday party planning at the DeBord/Harrington household which includes Deven's FIRST birthday. It isn't totally firm yet but I am thinking 7/11 will be the day so save the date and if you are near LS or on your way to Vancouver stop by for what I believe will be a BBQ in honor of the D man...stay tuned...

Our little rock star!

Deven's new favorite toy is Nicks guitar, he loves to strum it and bang on it like a drum. Freaking adorable. I wonder if, in 10 or 15 years, I will think it is just as adorable?? I have a video of D making some tunes for all of you but blogger wont allow me to upload via email, which is how I've been making sure this is up to date lately. So sit tight, Deven's first recorded performance is on the way as soon as I can get to a real computer!!

Swim classes!

Deven started swim class after a month or so break. We decided to switch pools so it took a while to get in their schedule! I generally did swim class with Deven but this new pool was too deep for me [insert short joke here]. So Nick has taken over and was quite a success as you can see. Deven seemed pretty excited and even waved to me a couple of times.

Kirkland Waterfront

On our way back from Leavenworth we needed to make another side trip down to Burien but this proved to be a bit of a challenge for Deven so Nick made the executive decision to have some lunch on the Kirkland waterfront. Deven played on the beach with Nick, walked on a dock for the first time and ate some guacamole al fresco while Nick and I refueled. Super fun time, we just wish we had been able to grab Sam on our way down. Thankfully Jaymie was watching him while we were away for the weekend so we felt a little less guilty.

Leavenworth

This last weekend our buddy Andrew and his lady Jeny got hitched. They live in Cashmere, which is just East of Leavenworth. Nick was in the wedding party so we decided to make a three day weekend out of it and stay in Leavenworth. Deven has been to Cashmere before to visit Andrew and Jeny but we were staying at the Lower's homestead not in a hotel so this we a new adventure. Nick and I were a little nervous given the last hotel attempt but we had confidence in our newly honed skills as "do-it-all" parents! Insert appropriate "HA!" here!! This time around we had a little more time to acclimate Deven to the new napping environment so overall I think it went a lot more smoothly.

First thing was first, after a 2.5 hour drive Deven and Momma, needed to stretch our legs and get in a snack. We have a new trick for feeding (for all you nursing moms you will understand). He is so "busy," that he can't seem to focus on eating no matter how hungry I know he has to be...so we went into the sensory deprivation chamber aka the hotel bathroom, lights off and door closed. Strange?, yes, but effective!!

While Nick ran over to Wenatchee to get his tux for the next day, Deven and I ran across the street for Momma's snack. My mission was simple - obtain pretzel with fancy mustard - but I failed due to no cash. Honestly, this day-in-age a shop that does not accept debit really just shouldn't be operating! Good ol' Starbucks, Bavarian deco and all, was therefore me though! Deven and I got some pumpkin bread, which I am happy to report he just loved and helped me eat up!

Dadda picked us up just in time to get to church for the rehursal dinner. We are super good at finding the nursery in Churches so Deven and I played with the toys while Nick freshened up on his wedding experience. Afterwards we got a cute pic of Deven and the church Tulip bed.

Deven's bed time is any where from 6:30 to 7:30 but he was able to stretch it out until about 8pm that night so we could get in some extra social time at the rehearsal dinner. Bed time came quick though and since we were in a single room Momma took one for the team and went to bed early...it was tough but somehow I was able to get through it! Nick met up with some good friends and put one down for me! Deven did really well considering we were in a hotel room and Nick and I were so proud of him! Both nights were stellar!

Naps were a little more tough for the both of us. Picture me, on the floor hiding behind the bed while Deven is standing in his portable crib just waiting for me to get off the floor and come and play with him. Nap time took about about 1.5 hours but Deven basically only slept about 1/2 hour...rough! Below is a pic, post nap awaiting mommas beer brat and homemade lemonade, de-lish! Deven helped me eat up the bun and then we got our shopping on. We decided to do it right and visit, the sauce store, the wooden toy store, the mustard store, the chocolate store and the cured meet store. Nick was helping set up for the wedding so it was our duty to ensure all taste were properly represented.

The afternoon nap went much better and I actually had to wake D man up so that we weren't late for the wedding. Here are Nick and Deven...I didn't realize until it was too late how Miami Vice Deven looked but we went with it and he was a big hit as expected! See my handsome men!

Deven had his first taste of watermelon and fresh chicken at the wedding dinner but because we didn't get in the greatest naps Deven was ready for bed time (or at least a change of scenery) around 6pm. We were able get out of there before Deven's psycho behavior was recognized as "not-cute." Here is our ever distracted little man posing before we made the 10 min drive back to Leavenworth.

Thankfully the change in scene refocused Deven and we were able to do our regular bed time routine...here he is being nutty before we entered the sensory deprivation chamber for bed-time. Once again I took one for the team and went to bed with Deven around 7pm. I am getting over a cold so honestly it was a welcome excuse to get some extra rest!

With a last stop at the local Waffle house the next morning we called our Leavenworth weekend officially over. Vacations avec Deven are definitely different but in a good way! I mean who else was going to help me shop for chocolates and eat pumpkin bread?!!?

9 Month Check-up

The Doc says Deven is in excellent shape. He drew some blood to check on his iron but given the amount of iron fortified cereal Deven eats each day, I am thinking he will pass with flying colors.

The Official Percentages are pretty strange given Deven's history but I guess his constant moving is starting to show in his weight gain or lack thereof! He is super tall though!!

Weight - 20.09 pounds, 37th percentile

Hight - 29.75 inches, 86th percentile

Head circumference - 17.5 inches, 21st percentile

9 Months

Deven turned 9 months this last week. His official check up is Thursday but I thought I would get in some pictures of one of his favorite activities, crawling.

Last month he was definitely getting around but it was more of an Army crawl of sorts. This is full fledged. He also continues to pull him self up onto everything and has started practicing "cruising." He doesn't quite realize just how far he could go around the coffee table but he does realize that if he leans along the table he will eventually land near the toy he has his eye on. We had a sick free few weeks until this week but thankfully it seems to have come and gone within just a couple of days and NO nebulizer (cross your fingers).

Hmmm, what else can I brag about??

He still says Momma and Dadda but I am still not convinced he actually associates Nick or myself with the words. Dadda seems like it will be his first word when it does happen though. This month Deven has tried a few more "real" foods...asparagus, spaghetti pasta, tai rice, potatoes, mini orange slices and a tiny piece of strawberry...nervous about this last one and his tummy didn't seem to appreciate it either...maybe in a few months when "they" say it is safer to give babies more citrus fruits.

Stats as far as we know (officials to come) are ~29 inches and ~21lbs. He has officially started into his 12 month cloths, thanks to everyone who got Deven outfits for a year out at his shower!!

Happy Easter

Although we don't really celebrate the Resurrection in the way it was intended I know that getting together with family is on the right path! We had an early start this Sunday to make sure we got in as much family time as possible. Every Easter we high-tail it to Port Orchard for the Bodle Family yard party. We caught the ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth, it was Deven's first ferry ride. He practiced walking all around the ship and broke hearts every where we went.

I have actually managed to not do any yard work for many years and thanks to Deven I was able to avoid it for one more year. Nick on the other hand (being the responsible member of the family he is) lent a hand. Between weed-whacking, law mowing and cutting down rough trees there was quite a bit to do. Deven got so tired with all the work he was watching and all the hugs and kisses he was receiving that he took a nap and I got to catch up with my Bodle side. We don't get to see them too often so it was just great to hang out. We said goodbye just as Jeannie was rolling out the kielbasa (something I have never had and must try soon) and caught the ferry back to Seattle. Did you know that it is less expensive to get back to Fauntleroy than it is to get to Southworth?...I am trying to figure out the economics here...

Anyway we continued down the I-5 to finish up the evening with the Johnston's. Karen's famous scalloped potatoes and ham dinner was a welcome aroma when we walked in after our long drive. Deven was greeted with several new toys, a book and is first Easter basket. No candy for Deven this year though...I figure he needs at least 8 teeth before he can start rotting them out! ; ) After some piano time with Grandma Johnston, dinner and some good crawling and walking time it was bed time for Deven so we strapped him into the car seat for our trek back up North. Pretty long day but we were happy we got to see so many people. Happy First Easter Deven!