9 Months!

Happy 9 Month Birthday Bubba!!

21 pounds 3 ounces of cuteness--75 %

28 inches long--50 %

18 inch head--90ish%

Lake Weekend....Yet Again

Yet another lake weekend for the Estess family.

This time, we took our friends Paul and Dorothy down for a fun filled weekend.  It was a blast.  Dorothy and I are better than the boys at Spades and winning is always a fun time.  Letting them win is also nice because it keeps them in good spirits for the remainder of the evening:) Ladies, you know what I am talking about!

Basically, we spent all day either on the beach or on the boat.  David slept everywhere and I mean just about anywhere.  The boat might as well have been Ambien for the little man because he was conked out within 5 minutes of turning the boat on.  Daveman LOVES to drink the lake water.  What are we going to do with him!?  I am tempted to let him do just whatever he wants considering how pleasant and flexible he was all weekend.  We really had a blast laying in the sun, eating great food, and laughing at my inability to play paddle ball.  Good thing I had a baby to care for and could avoid any further humiliation.

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No Fear

Though this child looks like me, he certainly does not have my insides.  When I was young I had an extreme aversion to sand.  There are pictures of me standing on the beach on a flattened cardboard box with my arms extended screaming.  I would not touch the sand and most certainly never ventured off the shaded blanket to explore unchartered beach.  

I have been interested to see how David would do on the beach.  The last time he was around sand was before he could really move.  I think he may have been too young to be bothered by it anyways.  This past weekend at the lake we played on the beach almost every day.  

Day 1: He was cautious yet curious.  He didn't voluntarily crawl off the blanket and he would carefully squeeze the sand between his fingers.  After a hand was covered in sand, he actually would stop using it.  He literally acted like that hand did not exist.  It was funny, but I was beginning to think he was going to be a scaredy-cat like I was.

Day 2: Dave went ALL OUT.  I had him all cleaned up and ready to go eat lunch, no swimmie diaper and no bathing suit.  All of a sudden he just takes off crawling towards the water with no hesitation.  He was on a mission.  The little man proceeded to crawl straight into the water and squeal with delight.  He even rolled around in the sand and tried to eat a few handfuls.  Phew!  I think he is going to be a bit more brave than I had anticipated.

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The Zoo

In case you have been wondering where all the stay-at-home mom's go, you can find them at the zoo.  Seriously people, I drove into the parking lot and was met with Mom Central.  Double strollers were attacking the pavement and mom's were everywhere!  David and I met up with Morgan and Bella for our first trip to the zoo.  The little ones are just around 9 months old and really seemed to enjoy looking at the animals.  The monkeys were their favorite and showed their excitement by banging on the glass windows.  We even took them on the train for their first of I am sure what will be many rides.  I was completely impressed by the many improvements at The Birmingham Zoo.  There is a fabulous barn with PRECIOUS sheep, llamas, and goats that you can pet.  They even offer camel rides now!  The water park area is going to such a blast come next summer.  There is a little cafe area that overlooks a children's water area.  Kids were running all through the water fountains in their bathing suits and there was even a foam pool.  So fun!!  I think we are in the market for a season pass after Christmas!

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Just playing

Dave is loving his new found independence.  Crawling is simply a means to standing and furniture is just a tool for pulling up.  He LOVES to be upright, though I should not be surprised since he refused laying on his back at 2 months old.  As you can see from one of the pictures, I am afraid we may have a climber coming our way.  Sometimes he just hangs by his hands trying to pull himself up with his feet off the ground.  Silly kid.  He loves to swing the curtains around and pet Marley through the window.  Currently, toys are out of style and old phones and remote controls are the toy of choice.  We have even offered some cooking utensils as a means of entertainment.  Dave has started to awkwardly walk behind his push toy.  Thankfully, he does not seem coordinated enough to walk very soon.  I am hoping to get through our beach trip in late July without a walking baby.  I keep asking him to wait until August 1st, we will see if he obliges.  Meanwhile, we are cutting a top tooth and the poor kid has been working so hard at it.  Hopefully we will all get some relief pretty soon!!  David also LOVES his new Leap Frop Learning Table.  I was sad to let the exersaucer go, but he was barely lasting 10 minutes in it without demanding to be freed.  So, the boy continues to grow up.  Tear.

Sheesh

People, ENOUGH with the kissing!

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This is the life....

Paci--Check

Full Tummy--Check

Sun hat--Check
Clean Diaper--Check

Favorite Book--Check

Time to relax.

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Pool Day

Staying home with David is a rough job, but somebody has got do it.... 

On the go...

Daveman has lost interest in his toys.  It may appear to you all that he plays with them since they are all pictured with him as he plays here.  In reality, I think he is more attracted to the door knobs and shelves that allow him to get to a standing position.  In our experience, toys go out the window once pulling up is an option.  I swear he spends ALL DAY LONG crawling from one piece of furniture to the other pulling himself up and just looking around.  I am afraid he may become a climber because within one week of pulling up he is lifting his feet off the ground and grunting as he tries to climb out of the pack n play or on top of a side table.  It is hilarious.  Though mobility has been a pretty big transition for me in terms of what we do all day, it is becoming such a fun and precious time.  Love you daveman!!

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Marley and Me

David and Marley are becoming fast friends.  Marley's licking makes David burst into laughter and he just giggles with delight.  It's precious!!!  For awhile Marley was kind of stand offish and didn't seem to want to acknowledge that Dave was a person.  Well now that he can pull up, it seems that Marley is much more interested in the vertical version of David.  They play all the time and David crawls all through the house following Marley around.  We are VERY lucky to have found a small dog that has such an amazing temperament.  Marley's breed is used in nursing homes and after the past 2 years I can certainly see why.  He is tender and kind, very gentle with children and is just desperate to be included.  I am hoping he will be a good side kick for David to play around the house with.

I knew at some point I would feel it was worth it to have an infant and a dog.  Now I am starting to see how cute they will be together as David grows.

Milky McEstess

This man loves milk.  I find it quite endearing when this little guy one-hands his bottle and scratches his little head while sucking down this favorite liquid treat: milk.