How to keep an infant entertained

Ashton loves to push the stroller. It keeps him entertained for at least 10 minutes which is a long in baby time! On one of our layovers, he just pushed the stroller in a circle. It was hilarious!

10 months old

Another relaxing day

We had a nice day out at the park. It's a lovely 70 degrees here in Santa Maria. I was trying to get a picture with Ashton playing with bubbles but it just wasn't in the cards today.

Just playing with a big bouncy ball this morning.

Cali!

Ashton and I in Pismo Beach
Hanging out in San Luis Obispo

In front of the SLO Mission

Ashton's first swimming experience

Ashton and I went swimming for the 1st time today. We bought him a floatation device but he was not excited to use it. He was very clingy at first but eventually loosened up. I even gave him a little dunk without any protest (ie crying). We are enjoying our free days here in the California sun!

Walking

Ashton continues to perfect his walking. It's still quite wobbly but he's up to ~5 steps now. I guess we will need to house proof once we get back from California. We are on vacation for the next 2 weeks. We will be in Santa Maria for one week, Fresno for ~5 days, and then to Vegas. Maybe he'll be an official walker once we get back. I hope not!

Little penguin

Ashton get better everyday! We practice walking and I think he actually prefers to walk. He looks like a little penguin.

Poor Parker

Poor Parker. He really does get the short end of the stick when it comes to Ashton. We are attempting to teach Ashton to pet, not pull, Parker's hair. It appears he is now able to pat/pull at Parker. The poor dog. Ashton frequently leaves Parker with strands of Parker hair in between his fingers.

Creative walking

Ashton was in the kitchen and I hear this scratching noise. To my discovery, Ashton pulled up on the stool and used it kind of like a walker. I think it's hilarious. He is so creative!

Ashton has some new tricks

Ashton started walking with his scooter toy yesterday. It's so funny when he goes off the carpet and doesn't realize how fast he can go!

And to our surprise... he started taking his first steps! He started at my friend, Jennifer's 4th of July BBQ. Can you believe that I forgot my camera?? It's really hard to capture Ashton walking while trying to video it as well. So this is the best we could do! He was so much better yesterday walking in between Matt and I. He's walking way to early for my comfort. I guess we'll have to start child-proofing the house!

9 month doctor appointment

We had our 9 month well baby appointment last Friday. Ashton now weighs in at a whopping 18 pounds, 1 ounce and measured in at 28 1/2 inches. Developmentally, he is not as advanced in communication. He says dadada, bababa but not mama and dada in context. We are working with him to say mama and dada and to wave bye but he's not participating yet. He is advanced with all his physical and fine motor skills. He crawls (as you can see), pulls to stand, cruises, and walks along holding onto our hands. He can stand and bend down to pick something up. He will (kind of) hand you something he is holding. Next up, working on saying Mama and Dada!