Okay, Okay.

So it has been a month. But what a month!

Happy Holidays!! What fun! The Peanut was a Reindeer for his first Christmas. :) Yes, and for every holiday party and event we attended. Hey, we wanted to get some use out of the suit! And he was sooo adorable in it, we just could not help it. :) He was fascinated by the train around the Christmas tree (courtesy of Drummer Man--loves trains) and even tried to eat it a few times. Chew-chew. Okay, enough fun.

Well-- not really. December was a big month for the Peanut. He cut four more teeth making 4 on top and two on bottom thus far. The last week of December, he mastered the knee crawl. Forget this army man business; he was ready to add some more speed! And so he has. Peanut has now taken to exploring anything he can reach and open and grab and eat....

A couple of weeks ago I went into his room to find him standing in his crib holding onto the railings looking across the room to where his binky had decided to land after a vigorous throw. I think he was waiting for it to come back. Silly binky.

So we have a crawling, standing (with help), exploring peanut who is quite curious about... everything. Very appropriate at this age I am told.

Peanut has now entered the realm of enjoying baby food. While milk is still his main course, Peanut has expressed preferences for the orange colored foods (especially carrots), some green foods (no luck with peas--will you, nill you, nope!), and is about to try some fruits. If you have ever watched a baby try a food for the first time, you know the expressions are absolutely classic!

Drummer Man and I took the Peanut for his first snowshoeing adventure. And his second, and into more winter wonderlands. He loves it. :) Again, a curious peanut. Chillin' in his backpack carrier Peanut is on top of the world looking at everything around him. He loves trees, anything that moves, and everything that sparkles.... like fresh snow. Talk about a cooing peanut when we bundle him up and introduce him to the wild.

My parents brought my little sis (not so little anymore) up to attend university in a neighboring state. Mom and I took her to get outfitted for winter. First stop--a coat. We're talking the basics here folks! We all brought in the New Year together and sampled one of our new favorite holiday beverages--Pomegranate 7up. Tasty!

Now Drummer Man and I are back at work and the peanut hangs out with his friends during the day. They teach him how to pull leaves off house plants, how to scare the dog, and how to make dinosaur sounds. Okay, so he has figured most of that out by himself. Such a clever 8 month old!

By the way, after 3 weeks, Peanut finally recovered (mostly) from the croup. Then he had the wonderful experience of an ear infection. Poor kid. All while teething. Ouch. He survived and once again is a happy, smiling, contagiously laughing bundle of joy.... on the move.

Welcome 2009!