bottle holder

as our little guy gets more and more used to eating from a bottle he seems to be getting a bit better at it.  in fact, he's gotten so accustomed to it that he even lends a helping hand!  when we first transitioned him to bottles he didnt quite understand how different they are- the formula comes out so quickly!  he would get it all over himself all the time, and he would try to gulp it all down as quick as he could- never stopping for a breath.  well, he seems to have gotten the hang of it now.  sure, he still guzzles it, but he hardly burps up at all, which means much happier (and not as milk covered) parents!
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tag

so, we get out his bouncy for him to play with.  it is this huge giant contraption with all kinds of bells and whistles for him to play with.  this thing is so big and filled with fun things for a baby that we literally got rid of our couch and got a smaller love seat so we could fit this thing!  its got lights, songs, things to touch and twist and spin, its even got 6 places to put extra toys to hand from it to grab his attention!  this thing has got it all!  and you know what?  the thing on it that he keeps playing with is the manufacturer's dumb material tag.  figures!

brushing

now that we've got ledger's high chair in the living room, he loves to sit in it and play!  he must feel like a big boy getting to sit up and eat instead of laying down with a bottle.  of all the toys that we put on the table of his chair to play with, his favorite always seems to be his tooth brush!  his teeth must be ready to come through because he seems so pleased when we brush his gums- it must feel good to soothe such a sensitive spot.  we keep telling him that he should stay this excited about dental hygiene forever!
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dock rocks

as we were coming back from the walk, we headed in to the backyard and saw this adorable sight: diana and barbara on the end of the dock with tavish, trying to throw rocks into the water.  so cute!  please note the giant ears of one pesky little dog trying to run out and ruin their fun...

tavish's teachings

sunday i headed back to south bend to pick up the family.  alanna and tavish are staying with mom and david for a while, so ledger had someone to play with!  as you can see, tavish was busy showing ledger exactly how the iphone works, and he was paying very close attention!
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indy con

every year i attend a teacher's convention through school.  usually its in south bend, but every once in a while its somewhere else, sometimes its in grand rapids, other times its been in milwaukee.  well, this year it was in indianapolis!  with me being gone for two days, diana didnt really want to spend all that time at the house alone, so wednesday night we drove over to south bend so she and ledger (and poco) could stay with her mom and david for the weekend!  thursday morning i got up nice and early so i could make it to the convention center for the opening speaker at 9:00am.  i got to go to a few different seminars that day and then headed to the hotel i had gotten for the night.  it was a really amazing hotel for super cheap (i highly recommend it- check it out here!).  it was a bit strange going out for dinner all by myself, but there was a ruby tuesday's right next door and couldnt pass that up since there arent any of them by us any more.  the next day there were a few more seminars and speakers, and then i headed home.  it was a great time, but i wish i could have taken in a bit more of the city.  oh well, i guess diana and i will just have to visit there again for a weekend retreat sometime!  any offers for babysitting?..
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uh oh...

guess who just noticed the dog?  this could be trouble...

visiting jeffry lee

since the visit was so short we didn't have time to hang out with any of the guys, but jeffry lee insisted that we stop by, so on the way out we dropped by his place for a little while.  ledger seemed to love it, getting the most comfortable chair in the whole house!  it was great to be able to see my best man, and he even showered us with gifts- aw shucks!

family sunday

after work i was able to head up to grand rapids to be with everyone.  it was a long drive for that late at night, but thankfully i had a few great podcasts to listen to that kept me going.  in the morning we headed off to church and got a chance to see the nephew and nieces!  jill, tim, and the kids came over around noon for a wonderful dinner (although, really, when isn't mom's cooking wonderful?!?).  it was a great time, but way too short (as always).  its always fun to watch the kids interact with ledger and to see his responses to them as well!  the weather was beautiful, so papa took ledger out back to let him enjoy the warm day.  before we knew it it was time to head back home already.
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meeting mema

stuck in town to work another saturday, diana and ledger headed up to see the family in grand rapids.  instead of driving all the way up to drop them off, my mom drove down half way and picked up diana and ledger.  we stopped in benton harbor for the trade off.  at the exit there was a mcdonalds, so we peeked in for a little food and waited for mom to join us there.  when she walked up we held ledger up so he could look out the window and when he saw her his face just lit up!  we got a chance to chat for a while, but then it was time to go.  i headed back to the house while diana and ledger enjoyed the next couple days.
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check-up

it was another visit to the doctor for our little man.  although, he's not quite so little anymore!  i always love to go with diana for ledger's check-ups, and i know diana wants me to be there too.  not just for the support, but mostly because she doesnt want to be in the room when ledger gets his shots!  i take one for the team and hold him till he's done crying, which is only about 30 seconds later...  at least he gets these fun band-aids!

cool kid

i know i was never cool, but it looks like my son may have the chance i never got!

wedding away

one of the girls that diana worked with got married and invited us to attend. diana's mom was gracious enough to come down for the day and babysit so that we could go. it was a great time- one of our first chances to go out, just the two of us, since ledger was born. we made sure to live it up, which isnt hard considering how kooky those girls are...

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hi, chair

with ledger getting big enough, we figured it was about time to take out the high chair!  while diana was visiting my family, they put him in mema's high chair and he loved it, so we took ours out as well.  it had been sitting in the shed for the past couple of months waiting to be used.  a friend of my sister had been ready to get rid of theirs, so jill offered to take it and pass it along to us.  always nice to have someone looking out for you, huh?  so we got a perfectly wonderful high chair for free- hurray!  well, ledger was certainly up for the new place to play- he took to it immediately and has been enjoying it ever since!

short trip

i finally got there around 2:00 am and immediately fell asleep!  we got up bright and early so we could join mema and papa at their church.  soon after we got home, tim, jill, and the kids stopped by for a backyard grill out!  we got to spend the rest of the afternoon playing around with the kids and having fun with ledger.  before i knew it, it was already time to leave!  i think i was only in grand rapids for about 14 hours...
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early visit to memas

with me working every saturday, that leaves diana with a lot of time alone with ledger.  seeing this as an opportunity instead of a drawback, diana has been taking advantage!  this weekend she left a little bit early, met up with barbara on thursday, and headed up to see my family in grand rapids!  my mom gets to missing our little ledger pretty quickly, so this was a great way for her to see him for more than just one day- and a chance for diana to have a little extra fun too.  all friday and saturday while i was working i got cute pictures on my phone to help distract me from missing the two of them!  fortunately i was able to join them after i was done saturday!
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mirror, mirror

back a couple months before ledger was born we received, as a shower gift, a mirror.  it had been misplaced for the past few months, but we found it again and decided to give it a try.  its designed to put on the handle of his car seat and is a way to see what he's up to when in the car facing the opposite way.  its pretty handy for us so that we can see what he might be fussing about, but he sure gets a kick out of it too- now he can see his mom and dad while going for a ride!

lookin' good!

we had an important day out where we all wanted to look our best.  ledger, understanding the importance of being a well dressed man, took this opportunity to show off his dapper good looks and sharp dressed style.  well played, future j crew model, well played...

watching traffic

every afternoon, and sometimes a couple times a day, we try to take our little man outside.  i dont naturally have an interest in the outside world, preffering instead to spend my days in the cave that his my living room, but i know that it would be a good idea to try and give ledger a different option than that.  so, out we go!  sitting on the front porch of the house counting blue cars..

reading time

ledger is getting bigger and bigger, he's recently taken up reading.  ok, maybe not reading exactly, but at least looking at the pictures in books!  i wasnt sure if he would be interested in them, but diana and i took out a few books for him to look  at and he took to them immediately.  it seems that anything that has eyes draws his attention and he loves it.  his favorite is definitely pictures of babies.  i wonder why?  he and i made it through about two books and then he was done, ready for something a bit more active, but at least the interest is there!