Standing!

Since last weekend Kyle has been working hard at pulling himself up (on the coffee table, sofa, big boy chair, bench, etc.) to get into a standing position. We've already had to relocate some of our things around the house, just so that he doesn't get his curious little hands on them and accidentally give himself a boo-boo. We're amazed at how quickly he seems to pick things up.

Crawling, Kneeling, and Climbing

Not only is Kyle crawling everywhere, he's now kneeling everywhere and more than eager to climb/reach as high as he can on anything. We have to keep an eye on this guy ;) Exhibit A:

Out to Lunch!

Monday was President's Day, and since I was off work and last week was my birthday, Auntie Robo took Kyle and I out to Old Orchard for lunch and shopping. Kyle sat in his first restaurant highchair and had a ball. But don't let that cute smile fool you. This guy's pretty sneaky. Apparently when I went to go grab us some gelato for dessert, he snuck a handful of rice from my plate without anyone noticing. When Robo did notice his clenched fist, someone was not too keen on letting go of his secret treasure ;)

In honor of the Hawks doing so well, Kyle is sporting his Valentine present from Auntie Amy! Thank you!

Clap for Strawberries!

For the past week or so, Kyle has been clapping like crazy. He finally figured out how to do it, and it's been nonstop cuteness ever since. We think he even somewhat understands the word "clap". Whenever someone has his full attention and asks, "Can you CLAP?" Ky smiles and happily slaps his palms together. This morning I gave him pureed strawberries for the first time, and after the entire bowl was all gone, empty, all gone, it was clap, clap, clap, clay city ;) Two thumbs way up for strawberries ;)

Sippy Cup!

This afternoon Kyle had water in his very own sippy cup for the first time ;) Way to go Ky. What a big boy. He held the cup by himself and seems to be getting the hang of it, although I don't think he actually got that much water out of it on day one. We'll keep trying ...

BDay Dinner

Saturday night, Kyle had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa P's while Chris and I went out to dinner and a movie to celebrate my birthday. We went to McCormick and Schmidt's for yummy seafood on Thursday night, but Saturday we decided to hit up Olive Garden. Unfortunately, so did everyone else, and we ended up waiting over an hour and 15 minutes for a table. It was well worth the wait though. We had a delicious meal, and a lot of fun hanging out. Before dinner we also caught the new Jason Bateman movie, Identity Thief ... so funny!

Swim Class with Ms. Jackie!

Kyle loves his Saturday morning swim class, and his instructor - Ms. Jackie - sure likes him ;) He was so excited she selected him for the demonstration again this week. Every week, right after the Humpty Dumpty song - all the water babies and their parents sing the popcorn song, and Kyle is usually picked to be the piece of popcorn. The song goes something like this: I'm a piece of popcorn, put me in the pot. Shake me. Shake me. Shake me 'til I pop! When the popcorn pops, the little popcorn baby gets tossed into the air and under the water. Kyle's such a good sport. He always surfaces with a HUGE smile on his face ;)

Playtime

VDAY BDAY

Kyle sent me the cutest birthday message on Thursday! Thanks, Ky ;) I love it. And I love you ;)

Ash Wednesday

Kyle's first ashes @ St. Paul of the Cross

First Boo Boo :(

Kyle is such an active little monkey these days. We really have our hands full over here. He is all boy, that's for sure. Yesterday afternoon, as Kyle was kneeling up next to one of his toys, he lost his balance and scratched his cute little nose against a piece of plastic. A little blood, but no tears (except maybe from Mommy and Auntie Robo) ... he's so tough.

8 Month Valentine

Mirror Mirror

Look who's kneeling! My big boy ;) Kyle loves to look at the Kyle in the mirror.

Silly Boy ;)

Superbowl 2013

While Daddy was out watching the game, Ky and I caught the second half (the exciting half) at home. As we cheered on Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers (who ended up losing to his brother John's Baltimore Ravens team 34-31), Ky frequently put his excitement on hold to cuddle with Mommy and chew on my sweatshirt strings ;)

Peas and Carrots

LU! .. LU! .. LU!

After swimming, and a quick lunch, we packed up the car again (our weekends are just GO GO GO these days) and headed to the Loyola basketball game where we met up with some friends. Kyle showed off some of his crawling skills and was sooooo close to winning everyone a free pizza. He also got a special photo op with LU Wolf himself.

First Dunk Under Water!

Saturday was Kyle's 4th swim lesson, and since we are half way through the program, we decided to try to give him a quick dunk and see how he responded to being under water. The end result: no tears! Just a little flutter, followed by our favorite Kyle smile. What a big boy ;)

A Visit to GG's!

Friday afternoon, Kyle and I went over to the Danish Home to visit with GG. She was so excited to visit with "her baby" ;) Kyle impressed her by wearing the fancy argyle socks she got him for Christmas. He met some of GG's friends and got to see Auntie Robo for a bit before we headed home to make Daddy chili for dinner ;)

Happy Birthday, Boo!

Dzia has been staying at Lutheran General over the past week, and since Boo's birthday was last Thursday, Kyle and I decided to surprise both of them with a little visit. I tried my best to get a good pic of the two of them, but the room was so dark and every time I put my flash on, Ky blinked ;) Oh well!

Fun Text Pics!

While I'm at work, I love getting happy text pics from my mom and Aunt Robin. This boy has too much fun while Mom's away.