Our Growing Baby Boy Update

I can't believe that it has been just over 6 months already. The time seems to just fly by. Austin is growing so fast and he is a complete joy to have in our home. He brings laughter and smiles to everyone who sees him. He is now 6 1/2 months old and yesterday he had is well checkup at the doctors office. He is 18 lbs. 14 oz. (50-75th percentile) and he is 27 1/2 inches long (75th %). He is sitting up on his own and has been since before Christmas. He is rolling all over the place. I put him down on the floor to play and he is all the way across the room as soon as I turn my head. He still has no teeth, not that he isn't trying, the poor kid has a river running out of his mouth most days. The doctors said his gums are smooth and there aren't any teeth even close to coming through. He had four shots and I have to brag on him for a moment, he didn't let out a scream until the 3rd shot was in. I also have to give kudos to the nurse, she did a great job. Austin also had a breakthrough a few weeks ago and we are finally doing the baby food thing on a consistent basis. It is great, he loves just about everything that I give him, except for the rice cereal (he can't stand the stuff). We are working on drinking juice and water from a sippy cup and we are hoping that he will start sleeping through the night very soon.

Chillin out in the cabin while the rest play in the snow

Hangin out with cousin Josh

A Hike in the Desert

Last week a friend called to let me know about a toddler hike that was being held on Saturday at Usery Pass Park in East Mesa. It sounded like a lot of fun and since the weather has been AMAZING lately I thought it would be a fun thing to do as a family. As it turned out Michael was helping with an Eagle Project, but the kids and I thought it would be fun. The path that the hike would be on was accessible to strollers so taking Austin wouldn't be difficult. We filled water bottles and got some snacks and headed out for the morning. When we got there some friends from church were there also. The kids were excited to have friends to hang out with while on the 1 mile hike. It was a pretty big group of people there. The hike was geared toward 3-6 year olds, but the older kids had just as much fun. Ranger B told them about the animals that live in the park and about some of the plant life as well. One of the stops along the way was Rattlesnake Alley and the ranger taught the group about what to do if you ever see a rattlesnake. The 3 S's are Stop, Spot and Slowly go around. The kids learned that if you don't bother a rattlesnake it won't bother you. The ranger then told us that it was still too early in the day and cool for a snake to be out. In all of his morning hikes he has never seen a snake, but when we got to the end of the hike someone heard a rattle. Upon looking to the side of the trail he saw the snake slither away from the trail and curl up on a rock under a bush. All of the kids got to see the snake, from a safe distance, and we all put into effect the 3 S's that we had learned earlier. The kids then received their Jr. Ranger badges and our hike was complete. Fun was had by all and I am looking forward to doing more of those in the future. They have a nighttime hike that you take a flashlight along with you and see what all of the creatures do in the dark. Sound like a great adventure to me. For info on any other activities at Usery Mountain Park go to www.maricopa.gov/parks or check out this blog for great events happening in and around Mesa.