12 month check

You had your 12 month check last week. Of course you're right on target and we had nothing really to talk about. We did talk about how your skull is asymmetrical, probably from being held on one side too long. There is a small bulge in the back of your head on the left side. She said it was very subtle, and really it is. You can only notice it if your hair is wet. I guess we won't buzz cut your hair .. Haha. You also got FIVE shots today. That always makes mom sad, but if it keeps you healthy that's all that matters. Poor little piggy legs though :( Your stats are:iou

Height: 30 inches (50%)
Weight: 21lb 10 oz (25%)

You have just recently got your 8th tooth in. Its your bottom right tooth that just popped through about 10 days ago. You've also started dancing - or at least responding to music. You'll start swinging your arms around, clapping, bouncing, and going "huh-huh-huh" noises kind of like mimicing singing.

Tonight you also learned to stand up by yourself. Up until now you've always crawled to an object and pull yourself up on that and then start walking again. Tonight, Maysen knocked you down and you crawled over to the cabinet but before you got there, you put your arms out and pulled up with your legs -- and stood up on your own! No more crutch!

Your new kick is that you try and put things into my mouth at bathtime. You'll put a fishie foam pad in my mouth then try and take it out with yours. You get so excited when you do! And I love to watch you do new things ...

Happy 1st Birthday, Griffin

Dear Wooze,

Happy 1st birthday, my little boy. Your daddy and I were talking about how much has gone by in the last year. You've had a very big 2008. It started with you getting sick for the first time. Boy was that a doozy! Dad was right as he whispered "Come on .. you're my little Trooper" as you were fighting your last and worse seizure. You had to be recessitated but you trooped right through it and battled your way out of your illness, with the help of many prayers, doctors, and nurses (including Joan, pictured below). I have such admiration for you and you are only 1 year old.

You have had many favorites, including your swing, which was your first love, really. We discovered early that you also loved to eat - eating early and lots! You still love everything and will start to fuss when you see someone eating something that you're not a part of.

Your brother has been a bit rough on you this year, but we can already tell you'll be holding your own soon with him. If he upsets you now, you will actually go after him. Well, you whine first and if that doesn't get you far, you'll yell at him, then maybe even go to hit him. I wonder how many ER trips we'll be having over the years to come ...

This year you went from being brand new, to holding your head up, then holding your body up with sitting, then standing, and you are now cruising around like you've been doing this for the longest time. You crawled at around 6 months ... walked around 10 months.

You went camping for the first time with Grandma Jo and Grandpa Dave. We went to Sweet Home, OR and fished, camped, and had a fire.


You've had a few boo-boos along the way - most came from your excursion from crawling to walking. The picture above you dropped Bubba's Leapster onto your face, slicing the top of your left eye open. It was minor and you were over it very soon ...

You had your first Christmas this year, too. You didn't care about opening presents, so Bubba got to open most of those. All you cared about was what was inside and most of the time, all you cared about was the box it came in. Your new loves around this time of year have been the remote and phones. You'll hold anything that resembles a phone up to your year and yell something inaudible but we're sure you think you know what you are saying!

And the year closed out with your first birthday. You were surrounded by family as we sung Happy Birthday (you weren't sure what in the heck was happening!). Aunt Jessica made your Snowman cake which you devoured. You liked the balloons especially this bee one.

It has been one year filled with expansion, adjustments, firsts, trials, excitement, fear, worry, laughs, smiles, claps, and more emotions than I can fit on here. You are very loved and we are so happy you joined our family ... making it feel that much more complete.

First Snow!

You experienced your first snow today. It was supposed to come a day or two ago, but at least it came. I dressed you up snuggly and then put on a pair of big pajamas to keep your feet warm and to keep you somewhat dry. It worked!

I didn't think to put socks on your hands and before we knew it you were screaming bloody murder because your hands hurt. Poor things were so red!!

We warmed them up and before too long you were back outside enjoying the mysterious white powder!

11 months

Woozle,

You might wonder where “Woozle” came from out of the blue but the fact is, is that we’ve been calling you “Bamboozle” for a long time – mainly because we’ll trick you into a lot of things and then you’ll have this look on your face like “Huh?” Bamboozle quickly turned into Woozle, Oozle, Doozle. It certainly feels like this nickname will stick. I’m sure you’re going to hate us for this, but it just seems like …. You. We’re also starting to call Maysen “Bubba” because you started calling him that one day a few weeks back. Maysen seems to like it and it’s easy to fly out.


You’re still bashful with your walking. You will walk independently for only about 6-8 feet and then sit down. You will chose crawling over walking still, but you can certainly walk on your own for a bit.

Your hair is getting really curly, especially when wet. It’s still strawberry blonde, and your eyes are still a bright blue. You still have 6 teeth, no new ones!


I am starting you on milk. You still get formula at night and at your naps, but during the day you will drink milk out of a sippy cup or a regular cup with mom’s help. Average breakfast is NutraGrain bar, yogurt, oatmeal, applesauce, Cheerios, or bites of toast. Then you get your bottle at 11:30 for naptime. You have a snack at 3:00 which usually is cottage cheese, cheese, fruit loops, applesauce. You will eat dinner with us, and then you have your bottle after bath at 7:30. That’s your routine lately.

You experienced decorating for your first Christmas. This past weekend when you turned 11 months, we put up Christmas lights and got our tree. We actually took dad’s truck, which only has a forward facing seat. So, out of a bit of a no-no we drove with you in the forward-facing seat. You weren’t any happier in that seat, but I’m hoping it was only because dad’s truck is a tight fit. You loved getting all the decorations out of the boxes and were mesmerized by all the balls, lights, and sparkly things. You like to look at the windows and look at the lights when it’s dark. We have “the singing lights” and you get excited watching all the lights go with the music.

We took your first long trip this month, too. We drove 400 miles to Baker City to visit Papa and Grandma Sherrill for an early Thanksgiving. You were not happy one bit, but we kept you entertained with mom/dad in the backseat with puppet shows, singing, and snacks. A few more weeks and we’ll be able to turn you around so you can see the world (well, at least movies with your brother).

In a few weeks you’ll turn ONE, have Christmas, and be able to sit forward in the van. Lots coming your way in the next month to come.

Love, Momma

Walking Boy!

You have been taking steps for about 3 weeks now, but you're starting to get more brave, taking multiple steps at a time by yourself. What a big boy!! You will start smiling and going "Da-Ta-Da-Ta" when we let go. What a big boy!

10 months

Dear Fin,

You turned 10 months a few days ago but it was right before Halloween so we had been busy!

Over the last month you’ve changed quite a bit. You are starting to take steps, which is crazy! Maysen was walking at 9 months and here you are just about ready to walk. You must be ready to chase after that big brother! You stand pretty solid on your feet now and will take independent steps, anywhere from 2-5, depending on what/where you’re going. You get excited when doing it though.

We went up to the Roloff Farm in Hillsboro, OR to pick pumpkins. The Roloff’s are the stars of a series on TLC called “Little People, Big World”. Mommy and Daddy love that show, so it was neat to go. That was your first pumpkin picking extravaganza and it was on famous land even! WooHoo!

You had your check up with Dr Pelinka on Halloween! You were a dragon for your first Halloween. Unfortunately you had to get a flu shot and a finger stick before the fun could start so you weren’t real thrilled. She said you looked great and you have your last meeting with Dr Koch at OHSU on 12/30. Here are your stats:

Weight: 20lb 2oz (20%)

Height: 29.5 inches (70%)

You’re starting to really have fun with your brother. He’ll run up like he’s going to tickle you and you shriek with excitement and want me to pick you up as quick as I can. You giggle and laugh so hard, and Maysen likes this too. He’s a bit rough on you, but that’s just what brother’s do.

President Obama was elected yesterday. You of course are too small/young to remember any of this, but one day you’ll realize just how historic this election is. It is going to impact not only your future but the futures of many many Americans.

You got 2 more teeth. You got your neighbor-to-the-front teeth. First one was on 10/17 and the other was 11/1. Right now you’re gumming things like a champ. You don’t want that babyfood anymore – you want what we are having, thank you very much. Even if that means spaghetti or ham sandwiches. I have to be careful of you choking, but you’d rather have that over baby food.

You also like drinking milk out of a regular cup. I have to hold it, and yes it’s messy, but you prefer to drink out of a cup vs even a sippy cup. You enjoy your snuggly bottles at naptime (11:30-1:30+) and at bedtime. Otherwise, you want a cup.

The last couple of days you’ve slept all night long. You do get up at 5-6am to eat, but then you go back to sleep, which is nice! You did get pink eye this month, thanks to brother’s preschool class. It comes and goes so we’ll see how long it takes to “really” go away.

I love you, baby, and shopping for your first Christmas and birthday is fastly approaching. In fact, we are going shopping in 2 days for that.

Love, Momma

First Steps

Last night you took your first steps without holding on to anything. I don't think you're ready to walk yet, but you sure took 3 steps alone! You wanted some of my potatoes and you were getting very ansy! You were standing at the footrest, then all of a sudden you let go and BAM ... BAM ... BAM three independant steps later you were at my chair. I don't think you realized what you had done, or even meant to for that matter, but you did! What a big boy!!