8 Months

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.  ~Steven Wright

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Ephraim is 8 months old.  So much has happened this month.

Ephraim is still our little army crawler.  He's fast and always moving.

He does have a new trick.  Although he does not yet pull himself up to sitting or standing, if we stand him up he will cruise along furniture.  He loves walking, and trying to figure out how to walk and stand on his own is his favorite pastime.

Ephraim has a lot of toys and enjoys putting them all in his mouth, but what he loves most in anything he's not supposed to have.  He especially loves anything that he perceives as "grown up."

Ephraim will eat everything we give to him.  He loves eating cereal because he can feed it to himself.  He still lets us feed him.  Eating is his favorite activity and he can eat a lot.  He even likes pickles.

He also has learned how to babble.  He says "ba ba," "ma ma," and "da da" among other sounds.  He will sit and chatter to anyone who will listen, especially himself.  He's quick to laugh and enjoys laughing at silly things now.

When Ephraim is cranky, he'll let you know, but no matter how cranky he is, there is usually a way to make him smile, through silliness.

Ephraim enjoyed his first visit to the zoo this month.  He also enjoys playing at the park, and exploring new places.

Ephraim is growing up so fast!  It's hard to believe that he's trying to walk.

More Pictures Here!

7 Months

We've had bad luck with our kids - they've all grown up. ~Christopher Morley

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7 months.  Time just keeps flying by.

This little boy is a busy busy body.  His army crawling skills are intense, and he is fast.  He is into everything!  He wants to play with all the toys, and especially anything that is grown up!  He almost never wants to sit still.  Nap times are no fun, but going to bed at night is getting easy.

He loves to eat!  He loves bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, avocado, oatmeal, peas, green beans, black beans, cereal treats, and basically everything we try and feed him.

Ephraim is much more vocal now and very impatient.  If you aren't fast enough for him he'll let you know.  For example, he blows raspberries to tell me to hurry up when I'm not feeding him quick enough.  He also laughs a lot more when something makes him happy.

Ephraim can sit up and play without trouble now but can't get up by himself yet.

He's getting steadier on his feet, but still needs to hold onto something for support.

Ephraim loves to be held.  If he can't see mommy or daddy he will go on a search.  That usually means he heads straight for the kitchen/bedroom area and waits there until we reappear.

Singing silly songs and watching Mom and Dad dance is so much fun!  Going out on the town is always good.  Bath time and story time are both favorites, as long as they don't last too long. Variety is the spice of life and this baby knows it!

This little man is so grown up now, it's hard to believe that he was once a tiny little newborn baby!  We love him so much!

More Pictures Here

6 months

The potential possibilities of any child are the most intriguing and stimulating in all creation. ~ Ray L. Wilbur

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Half a year!  What the heck?

My little man had quite a busy sixth month. He is growing ever bigger, and more expressive.  **Update- Ephraim is 18 lbs 3.2 oz and 28.5 inches long.  That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 95th percentile for height.

Ephraim is quite mobile.  He loves to army crawl and is very efficient at it. 
He's an adventurer and already wants to get all the things.  We are definitely in trouble with this one :-P.

He can sit up, but prefers to be on his tummy so he doesn't sit up for long.

He is making more sounds.  He says 'mom' when he is crying and occasionally says "dada" when he is happy.  This mama is not so sure what to think about that :-P

He's very ticklish all over, but after the initial laughter tends to get very mad when tickled.  He had better get used to the tickles though, because his daddy is not letting up any time soon (or mommy for that matter).

He's discovered blowing raspberries and does that frequently.  It's very cute.

Ephraim has two teeth now.  He handled teething pretty well, although he was a very sad baby at bed times.

Ephraim LOVES eating solid food.  That is definitely supposed to be in all caps.  He can't get enough of it.  So far we have tried oatmeal, bananas, applesauce, avacado, and sweet potatoes.  He enjoyed all of it except the avacodo.  He really didn't like the avocado.  I'm excited to start broadening my big six-month-old's horizons in the coming months.

What Ephraim loves most is people.  He especially loves to flirt with all the ladies. 
Ephraim enjoyed a visit with his Great-grandpa Davis on our Christmas road trip in December. 

Ephraim also enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Ison and all of his Ison Uncles over Christmas.  It was an awesome first Christmas and he got very spoiled.

He especially loves bouncing in his new Jump-a-roo.

He's also experiencing his first cold weather.  He's not so sure what he thinks about that.

This child is very loved, and this mama is loving every minute of his crazy antics.  Thanks to everyone else who loves him as much as we do.

More 6 month pictures here
More Christmas pictures here

5 Months

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.  ~Leo J. Burke 

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My poor boy is sick for the first time on his 5 month birthday! He's a champ though and is being extra cuddly, which this mama is enjoying.  I just wish there was a good way to help his stuffy little nose so he could sleep better.

This boy's fifth month has been a very busy one.  Ephraim appears to grow every day, especially in personality.

This little boy loves to be naked and protests at getting dressed.

He is very strong and loves seeing new things and meeting new people.

Ephraim is extremely social, and laughs at mom and dad all the time.

He has big eyes that seem to absorb everything.  He is learning new sounds and has been heard saying "oh yeah" on several occasions by both Stephen and I.

He has finally mastered rolling from his back to front and is quite a mover.  He pushes himself up on his legs, and rolls all around.  He can sit up for short amounts of time.  His favorite thing is to stand anywhere he can be propped up.

Ephraim is very good with his hands and loves anything that he can grab and put in his mouth.

Ephraim is enjoying his adventures into the world of solid food.  He does not like plain oatmeal, but he LOVES bananas and bananas mixed with oatmeal.  He has also licked cantaloupe and mango and enjoyed both of those.

Thanksgiving brought many travels and new experiences.  Ephraim proved his flexibility throughout his adventures.

He went to Disney for the first time.  He enjoyed all the sights and sounds and especially all the smiley people.

Ephraim loved seeing the water and beaches of Florida, but did not love the wind.

Ephraim also enjoyed meeting more of his cousins and seeing all the Christmas sights.

Stephen and I are so lucky to have such a fun little boy!

More 5 month pictures here

More Christmas pictures here