Weekend, Watermelon, and Adventures of Spencer

This Morning I found Spencer sitting in his baby basket. When he was a newborn he slept in the basket next to our bed but now that he has outgrown it we keep some of his toys in there. Lately he has started climbing in and out of things, it is very cute.
Last week Spencer quietly disappeared while I was cooking dinner. I found him in the bathroom closet playing with the toilet paper. You can't see it in this picture but he took a bite out of each roll of toilet paper he was playing with. He is such a busy boy. After trying all summer to grow watermelons we decided to harvest one of them and see how it turned out. I got three to grow about the size of the one in the picture. As you can see Spencer thought it was delicious. It wasn't as red or as sweet as store bought watermelons but it was alright and I am glad we could eat it.

Last weekend we went to Goldendale Washington to visit my Grandparents. Spencer is their first Great-Grandchild. My Parents and three of my sisters were there along with my Aunt and Uncle and there family. It was fun to get to see everyone. Below is a four generation picture of Spencer, Me and Jared, My Dad and my Grandpa Morgan.

P.S. 10 month

Spencer is also standing up on his own for a few minutes at a time. Even though I think he could do it, he still is not trying to walk without holding onto things. Jared has been trying to coax him with all kinds of tempting treats to get him to walk between us but Spencer always ends up dropping to the ground and crawling.

10 Months

Spencer is 10 months old! We are currently dogsitting Rusty, for Jared's parents. He will be with us for a month. Spencer has really loved having Rusty here. All day he crawls over to Rusty's bed to give him a hug and pet him. It is very sweet and I am trying not to think too much about all of the dirt and dog germs. Rusty is very gentle and patient with Spencer. Spencer has also starting crawling around making a cute little growling noise. Today he figured out how to pull himself up onto the fireplace, the rocking chair, and the couch. I am sure this new skill will make life more interesting. Today I got a new hair cut. It is a change for me and I think I like it. Below are some current pictures.

Atlas Clean

This last month we have been very busy with Jared's work. At the end of August we opened our own carpet cleaning company called Atlas Clean. The model for the business is environmentally friendly so we use a smaller vehicle, smaller equipment (that is still as effective), and all non-toxic cleaners. I answer phones, do the books and do the legal work for the business. Jared does the marketing and the cleaning. So far this arrangement is working fine. Business has been slow and so Jared got his general contractor's license and has been taking landscaping and maintenance jobs. Much to my surprise this business has been helping Jared and I grow closer and work together. I am grateful for that. Also Jared is FINALLY HAPPY about his work!!! That is making a huge difference in our life's!!!

Spencer has had a pretty independent month. He is very busy and plays happily by himself for an hour or more at a time. I always keep an eye on him when he is playing on his own. It has made it a lot easier to get things done. He is also babbling more which is so adorable! He figured out what I am doing when I take his picture so lately whenever he sees the camera he gets really excited and either jumps up and down or crawls to me to try to get the camera. It is very cute but has made it a lot harder to take his picture. This month we bought Spencer his first shoes for walking. His aunties and Grammy also sent him his first Halloween bib and matching oncie they say "I love my Mummy and my Mummy loves me." Here are some pictures from this month.

9 months

Spencer will be 9 months on Sunday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. He is still sleeping through the night!!! We are having a harder time with naps but as long as he keeps sleeping through the night I won't complain about that. I have been busy with church service this week. I spoke in church on Sunday and last night I taught a short class on creative scripture study. Thanks to those of you who shared your creative ideas!

Sleep Success

The last few months we have really been struggling with Spencer's sleeping habits. It was getting to the point that he would only go to sleep nursing then once he was asleep he would immediately wake up when I laid him in his crib. It was taking hours to get him to sleep in his crib and then once he was finally in his crib he would only sleep a few hours. Most nights he ended up in bed with us and so none of us have been sleeping well. Last Thursday night Spencer had a really bad night and none of us got much sleep. We decided that starting Friday he would have to sleep in his own bed. I have been reading a lot of different baby sleep books and what they all have in common is that a baby needs to learn to fall asleep on their own. Back in June we tried the Baby Whisperer method and it worked well for one week. At the end of the week we went to my parents for the weekend and that was the end of that. Friday night we did a bedtime routine which ended with Kisses and being put in his crib. We left the room and checked on him after 5 minutes and then ten minutes later. He cried but he fell asleep in just under 30 minutes and then he slept 9 and 1/2 hours straight in his crib. It was wonderful! Saturday night he only cried 20 minutes and then slept 11 hours. Sunday night he cried 5 minutes and slept all night and Tonight he cried 1 minute and will likely sleep all night. It has been so nice to finally get a full nights sleep! I am so grateful this method is working and hopefully it will continue working.

Gardening

This year I planted a garden for the first time ever. It is a small garden with tomato, watermelon, zucchini, butternut squash, and pumpkins. Since this is my first time gardening I was surprised when the pumpkins and zucchini both produced beautiful flowers. None of my garden has been harvested yet. I have zucchini and tomatoes that are progressing nicely and just last week tiny little watermelons started growing. I am really enjoying my garden. Spencer also enjoys the garden. I have to watch him pretty close though because he has a tendency to grab the leaves off the plants and try to eat them. Below are a couple pictures of my garden and of our little budding boy. Spencer is eight months old now and is such a joy. He is crawling like a pro, getting around the house very quickly, and starting to "help" Mommy by grabbing cloths as I fold laundry and knocking down piles as I organize and clean the house. Despite the fact that it is now taking me significantly longer to get things done around the house, we are really enjoying him.