The adventures of 9 month old Van

Feeding himself, standing without help, saying TONS of new words, what more could this kid fit in? Oh yes, and his top two teeth have arrived. I can barely keep up with him. The teeth on top make him look so much older...nobody warned me that I would NEVER want him to grow up. I'm loving this stage, but its going by too fast for my liking. Just to prove that Van is really Matt's son, Van has become OBSESSED with owls. He has a decal on his wall of an owl and the first thing I hear when he wakes up is 'owl, owl, who who who' and its the last thing I hear him saying when he goes to sleep. Guess what he wants to look at when we get home? The owl. Matt's never been more proud.
One thing I was so excited about was his 9 month check up because there are no vaccinations at that appointment!! I was in the free and clear, no pre-doctor anxiety, zippidy do dah...so we get to the appointment (he weighed 21 lbs 12 ounces and was 29 inches long, still perfectly proportioned 70% for everything) and the doc is like, Oh, good news! We have the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines in! I actually contemplated not doing it, but then I felt too guilty and went for it. The worst part is we have to go back in a month for the second set of them. Seriously, is there no other way?

It's 2010 and I'm not a robot

I always thought I would be. As a kid, 2010 sounded unreal, but here it is, slapping me in the face. Not only does this mean its been over a decade since I graduated high school, but it means I'm headed straight for my 30th year of life. TGIF I have until October to come to grips with this. I never thought I'd care, but for some reason I do. I hope Martin Sexton was right when he said he was done with his 20's but there's a reason to live.

Anyway, 2009 was a pretty stellar year, even if I do say so myself. It seems like every year of my life I do something to seek a big change, however, 2009 was a year unparalelled. Pregnancy, giving birth to human being, losing my best mate Taz (most amazing dog ever), getting our apartment taken over with baby stuff, buying a house, figuring out how the HELL to be a working mom...the list goes on. Who knows what 2010 will bring? PS how are you guys saying 2010? (ie twenty-ten or two thousand ten??)

On an unrelated, but very cute note, look at these babies. LOOK AT THEM!! They are adorable!

Oops.

The fallen Christmas tree is pretty indicitive of how the Mendenhall household runs. Good intentions with chaotic results. Sure the tree was leaning a bit after Matt put it up, but we didn't think anything of it. I came home from work and all hell broke loose. Well, by hell, I mean the water from the tree was all over the carpet (surgar water, by the way) and we planned a party at our house that eve, so it was operation clean up (sorry MHS friends for the damp carpet! We still had fun though, didn't we?). Matt decided he would saw down the trunk to make it even. I only wish I would have taken a before and after picture of the tree. The tree was gorgy, full, green, took up our entire window...ah...it was nice. I should have paid more attention when Matt walked in with the pruners. Its literally half the size it was, but the good news is we got it to stand straight. Tada!

The third amigo

Brody Max Baltazar has arrived! And he did NOT make it easy on his mother. JoDee was in labor for 18 hours, pushed for 2 hours, then ended up having a c-section because Brody weighed 9 lbs and 14 ounces!!!!!!! I wish there was a way to capitalize numbers. Anyway, I had to steal some pics from my mom's facebook page because they were only allowed to have 2 people visit, period. That means Jodee's mom and Brett are the only ones that have got to see Brody in real life. I can't wait to get a hold of this kid's cheeks! So we're 3 for 3 with the c-sections...hopefully these little guys can appreciate that! PS Christmas with our family will be hilarious next year so you are all invited to the chaos.

I have poop in my fridge

But that's not the most exciting thing of the day. We actually moved some boxes into our new house! (The poop in the fridge thing is because Van's had some di -di and well, we have to get like 4 specimen. Not sure if any of you have had to actually get poop specimen from a baby, but let's just say its NOT as easy as taking candy from a baby.) Anyway, the rub and gist of it is, Matt and I are home owners! We feel grown up and scared. Bring on the 30 year debt! Will post pics soon. In the meantime, enjoy the cutest picture of Van and his new cousin Jude at our family Halloween party. Nobody forget that Halloween is my favorite holiday and its been v. v. hard because I haven't been able to decorate since we're in the middle of a move. Instead, I decorated Van.

My baby just fell asleep to...

Stairway to Heaven. That's right, I pulled the Led out when Van wouldn't stop crying in the car. So I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Rock Gods that are Led Zeppelin for getting my otherwise car-hating 6 months old asleep. Can you believe I just said 6 months old?! I can't believe I have a 6 month old!
As if the Zeppelin thing wasn't enough, here is further proof that Van is indeed, our child. Nothing like a nice tie dyed t-shirt and ukelele...

Hey Jude...

He's finally here! Daniel Jude Harger was born 10/5/2009 to my darling sister and bro-in-law. Jude decided he liked being the breech, so Brooke had a c-section. I can't help but laugh in the most empathetic way possible thinking about what she's feeling right now. Jude weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Here's a great pic of Van meeting his cousin.

I think Van was a little disappointed Jude wasn't ready to play, but I get the feeling they will have plenty of time for trouble. Jude's got a perfectly round head and is just such a sweetheart! I know Jude and Van can't wait for their other cousin to join them! (My sis-in-law JoDee is due Nov 9th, so if anyone wants to enjoy our chaos come to my mom's house for Christmas 2010).