You are what you eat, my little social butterfly.

Jake was awesome and ordered a food processor with his reward points from work. I decided this weekend, I would get on the ball and start making a bunch of baby foods to store up for SJ, since he's eating them now, twice a day.

Well, too bad he's terrified (SJ, not Jake, haha) of the noise, all of a sudden.

Anyway, here's what we've gotten done so far:

Zucchini

Squash

Avocado

Pears

Peaches

And here's what we have left to do:

Eggplant

Cucumber

Carrots

Celery

Green Beans

Peas

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Sweet Potatoes

Mango

Papaya

Apples

Bananas

Nectarines

He won't be trying all of them right away, some we'll hold off on (like tropical fruits, for example). I eventually want to do radishes, turnips, beets, parsnips, and asparagus too. Oh, and cherries, strawberries, blueberries, plums, watermelon, and grapes.

Here are the foods he's tried and loved (he's really loved anything we've let him try) so far:

Carrots

Peas

Sweet Potatoes

Green Beans

Squash

Avocado

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Pears

This afternoon, we made a trip to the grocery store, where I discovered that Spencer is somewhat of a social butterfly, today anyway. He was smiling and talking to all sorts of people, so they would talk to us, and we were there for about an hour. He made friends with the produce man, lady, one of the sampler-passer-outer ladies, the check-out girl, the check-out girl in the register behind us, the bag-boy, three elderly ladies in aisles, one little girl, and a teenage boy in the gravy section. Haha.

Now he's talking to himself in the mirror in the living room.

One year together.

We have known about Spencer for over one year! We (Jake and I) found out I was 3 weeks 5 days pregnant on February 22, 2010.

We celebrated with our baby boy on Wednesday, the 23rd, though he didn't obviously understand. I treated Jake to Olive Garden, and SJ came along. Why the Olive Garden? We went there for lunch the weekend after we found out, and we spent our lunch time discussing our thoughts, hopes, and visions for our future child. So, I thought it'd be fun to go back.

It was. It was amazing to sit there together... with Spencer, in his car seat, looking at him, and visualizing new things, like when he learns to dribble a basketball, or chasing Wendell around, or running and hugging his daddy's legs when he gets home. Jake said "I hope he talks like you do." Haha.

We also took family photos together in the photobooth... also known as our bed. We just lay on it and do self portraits. Here's a favorite of mine:

Let's see... what else. OH! Yesterday evening, I was taking photos of SJ on the bed, and he rolled from his tummy to his back twice! I went to get the video camera, and of course, he just decided to scream at it for seven minutes or so. I did get a nice video of him puking on the bed, woohoo.

Shortly after, he was in his bouncy seat. I was wearing a ponytail, and I flipped it toward him, and he GIGGLED. Yup, he's laughed for a long time, but I kept doing it, and it was a rolling giggle... over and over and over. So, we called and left Jake a voicemail of Spencer giggling. :-)

That's all for now. He LOVES being at daycare with Jillian, Grayson, the other kids, and I. It's pretty wonderful.

Oh, and he has his own activity center now. He also loves that.

And, he's waking up.

Carrot Lou.

Spencer LOVES carrots! Last night, I decided that instead of staining a bib or his clothing, I would just put him in his bouncy chair in the buff (well, wearing a diaper) and feed him that way.

Naturally, I finished feeding him and he was orange from head to toe. So, I gave him his burp rag so he could help me clean himself off.

He thought it was hilarious.

Wendell also enjoyed watching me feed Spencer, and was not more than two feet away the entire time. Too bad I didn't give him any carrots, so I think he was a little downhearted at the end.

Until I went to get the camera, of course, and he was sniffing Spencer and licking his legs and stuff. Spencer thought that was really funny as well.

Anyway...

This morning, I brought Spencer into bed with me around 8 and nursed him there, and we both fell back asleep. I woke up to go to the bathroom and left him on the bed with a big teddy bear that Jake's mom gave me in 2002. I came back, and he was wide awake, talking to Lou!

Click here to watch the video. I can't figure out how to embed it.

Jus tkidding. I guess I figured it out. Now you can watch it either way?

Oh! And SJ held his bottle today! For fifteen minutes! He actually fell asleep holding it and eating! I was so proud.

Ear Infected Carrots.

As you may have heard, last Sunday (Superbowl Sunday), Mister SJ was diagnosed with his very first ear infection! Idealistically (yet, unrealistically), I would hope it to be his last.

He's had a rough week. He'll be his happy, joyous, exuberant and laughing self one-minute, and then the next shrieking like someone was trying to break his bones (not that I really know what that sounds like). It's been hard on me too, and Jake, I'm sure. He was given amoxicillin, which has made him poop quite a bit, but I'm not certain it's helping with the ear, seeing as how it's almost a week later and he is acting about the same. Next Wednesday will tell, I guess.

Jake saw him roll over on Saturday or Sunday, I think. I added him as an author to this blog, so he might tell you about it.

One thing that's changed is that last weekend and early this week, SJ was not really into eating/drinking much. Today, he took Jillian, Brieanne (her sister), and I totally by surprise when it seemed he was having a bottle or nursing every hour. And then Jillian suggested we try a vegetable, and he devoured carrots. He'd get SO mad when I'd take the spoon away for too long because he wanted MORE, NOW! Wow. Talk about a boy growing up super fast.

Anyway, he's awake again, so I better go.

A few weeks worth.

As you may know, on January 20-23rd, Jake and I were in Coronado, California, and Spencer was home in Sioux Falls. My mom and sisters came to spend the four days with SJ and Wendell, which was very wonderful of them.

It was very hard to leave Spencer, but we all did pretty good, I think, for the four days of separation. Grandma and Aunties said he was a little fussy, which was to be expected, but generally, a pretty good little guy, as usual.

The week following our return, Spencer and I spent a lot of quality time together. Over the course of just a few days, he was paying attention to his hands, sucking on them, playing with them, grabbing his own fingers... and then he was holding onto toys... then bringing them to his mouth. He was babbling and talking tons, and laughing like crazy! It's like overnight, he became extra jolly and playful!

On Saturday of last week, we tried cereal for the first time, and he did REALLY well. He barely had problems swallowing it and keeping it in his mouth (for a 13 week old, especially)! He loved it, smiled, talked, and laughed through it all. He's been having it every night ever since,

followed by a bath and bedtime.

That's been helping him sleep longer at night, I think. Three times since then, he's slept from 11pm or so until 4-5am or so! Wow!

On Sunday, January 30, SJ and his best friend, Grayson, were dedicated to the Lord at our church. It was wonderful! I had goosebumps during the whole part of the ceremony. Afterward, we all gathered at

Grayson's mom and dad's house for a luncheon. We dressed our boys to match, and they were SO stinking adorable! I could have just hugged and kissed them to bits!

On Tuesday of this week, we got a video camera! Jake gets points for his sales at work, and he used some of them to get the camera for our family! We've been having fun with it. Spencer is "warming up" to it too, you could say.

You can see his videos on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/ninjasj

My mom and her boyfriend spent four days with us this week too, while she looked for a new vehicle (hers was totaled by some punk kid driving over 75mph in our 30mph residential zone the night before we left for California), so SJ got to spend more quality time with her this week, which was pretty wonderful for all, I think. She couldn't believe how much he's changed in the last week!

He also wore shoes today, for the first time, just for fun, since he's liking to stand more and more.