Happy Birthday Dean!

Dean turned 1 year old yesterday and, as many of you know, he's happier than ever. Over the past month, the smiley little guy has gone from taking a couple steps here and there to walking almost everywhere he goes! See what I mean...

on 9/2


on 9/25


It's amazing how quickly this past year has gone for us. In spite of the obvious frustrations that happen, Dean has been a true blessing and we thank God for him every day.

Happy Birthday Dean! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you know.


Cheers!

Summer Fun with Family and Friends

Evidence of a mild summer. This picture was taken on the last day of July and Dean needed a coat and hat for our walk that day.

Here Dean is showing off his only two teeth. The only way I can get him to open his mouth wide enough to see them is by offering food.

One day while working in the kitchen I had forgotten to close the gate. I heard it close only to find Dean had gone on the other side and closed it himself, as if to keep me out! This little boy knows how to get into mischief.

No, this is not one of Dave's weird doubling photos; this is Dean with his cousin Desmond. We were amazed to see how similar they look, especially around the eyes.

Desmond chewing on a washcloth between bites.

Dean and Desmond playing in the rainforest jungle.

This is our friend Reese with Dean playing with the magnets on the fridge.

A few weeks ago was the Multnomah company picnic and Dave's boss's son, Aidan decided to spend part of the day touring the zoo with us. Here he is feeding the lorakeets some juice. We had a very fun day.


Below are some pictures of Dean's first swimming adventure. Dean also took his first solo steps that afternoon and although he's not completely walking on his own yet, he has taken steps a few other times. It won't be long now before he is walking and climbing into literally everything.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more exciting news in Dean's world. I will continue to try to post at least once a month, but I do go back to work half time this week.

Dean's Skills

We're long overdue for a new post, so here it is. We hope to have some photos up soon, but until then, here are some videos we took of Dean. He is quite active and continues to learn new things all the time.

Here's Dean dancing to some Mike Roe music (of the 77s)...


...giving his Mommy a kiss...


...clapping and giving "fives".


He also waves hello and goodbye to people, uses sign language to say "more" when he wants more food, and can tell us what a cow, chicken, and tiger say. He's an impressive little guy!


Cheers!

Good Times with Dean and Daddy (as chronicled by Mommy)

Beka is out of town this week for training in AVID (a specialized program she is teaching at school next year). That being the case, Dean and I are on our own! Needless to say, I will have my hands full, but two of Dean's grandmas will help take care of him while I'm at work. They're both looking forward to spending some extra time with Dean, I'm sure.

Here are some photos of Dean and I, taken by Beka over the past couple weeks. As you can see, he continues to grow and learn new things. It has been a true joy to help him along!

Beka, if you get a chance to check the blog while you're away, enjoy the photos. We love you very much!

I had to include this one, even though it doesn't really fit the "Dean and Daddy" theme. Gotta love that smile!

One day this past month, I realized that Dean and I both had "star" shirts on. Beka HAD to get a picture of that.

We love to tickle Dean. Whether or not he likes it... well, who knows. Come to think of it, does ANYONE like being tickled? I mean, sure, it causes laughter, but I don't know if that really means you're having fun. Anyway...

Shortly after we had some landscaping done in our yard (please notice the lack of weeds and shrubbery in the background), I decided to try giving Dean a ride on my shoulders. He absolutely loved it, though he had a grip on my hair much of the time.

Beka did some garage-saling a few weeks ago and found this little play yard for Dean. He isn't climbing or walking enough to play on it on his own, but he is thrilled when we help him slide.

This is Dean is his cool, new "surfer" jammies (notice the shark, palm trees, and setting sun)

"Look, no hands!"
That's right, Dean is doing a great job learning to stand on his own. He can usually last about 10-15 seconds, though Grandpa John got him to stand for almost 30!

Cheers!

Visit with Aunties and Grandpa

Dean is now officially on the move! He started really crawling this last week or so and there is no stopping him. Notice the mischievous glint in his eye, like a cat on prowl.

Auntie Em is always so excited to see Dean. They had a great time together.

Aunt Rachel took a stab at feeding Dean on this visit. I thought this picture was quite cute, since they are making the same face. I noticed that in all the pictures I have of Dean and Rachel, they are making the same face every time. I wonder... who is copying whom?

Grandpa Ron decided it was time for Dean to try a fortune cookie, after he taunted him with it for quite some time. Notice the video below. It was pretty hilarious!

This was a very sweet photo Dave took of Dean and I the other morning. Dean usually has his morning bottle and snuggles with me in bed in the morning. This particular day I guess we were both still tired. Dave worked his Photoshop magic so I look a little better in the morning! Pretty cool effects Dave. Thanks for protecting my vanity.

Aunt Rachel feeding Dean

Grandpa Ron taunting Dean with a fortune cookie.

Enjoy the new pictures and videos!

It's been far too long...

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures, so I thought I'd better get on it. I should have Mother's Day pictures on here, but I didn't really take many pictures that day. Sorry. My first mother's day was wonderful. Dave and Dean really spoiled me and I was able to spend the day with all of Dave's family, since my mom was out of town. We had a great time. Enjoy the pictures.

Dean and Reese (Wade and Sarah's daughter) This was taken the day that Reese's new sister Eileen was born, but of course, I don't have any pictures of Eily. Maybe I'll get a picture of all three of them soon.

Dave decided this toy looked best on Dean's head, giving him the title, King Dean.

Dean's first picture with Grandpa Hardy

I just thought the hat looked too cute to not take a picture.

Here we have "farmer Dean" in his overall shorts and no shirt. This was taken out on our front lawn on one of those 90 degree days we had last week. Dean likes to be outside. There's always new things to see.


Okay, now for the video that I tried to post last time...

Dean's New Tub - He loves having extra bath water around him to splash around in.

Are your plastics safe?

To all my friends, especially those with kids...

I normally do not send out this kind of message, but I felt it important to encourage everyone to check out your plastics in your home, especially water bottles and baby bottles. It has been found that plastics with a 3, 6, or 7 are not safe for the ways we typically use them (microwave, dishwasher, multiple uses). Please take the time to check out the attachments and decide for yourself. I just want everyone to be safe

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21839940 ("How safe are plastic bottles?" a video from the Today show.)
http://www.iatp.org/ (check out the facts sheets on smart plastics)
http://www.iatp.org/iatp/publications.cfm?accountID=421&refID=102296 (common Q & A) Take special note of the info. on baby bottles.
http://www.iatp.org/iatp/publications.cfm?accountID=421&refID=102202

I hope you all find this information useful. Feel free to pass it on.

Take care and be safe,
Beka