9 months!!

I know I have not been a very good blogger lately...sorry! I am getting back on track this week. J.David turned 9 months yesterday!! He is weighing in at 17lb 9oz (10%) and 28 1/4 in. long (50%). If I could only use one word to describe this past month, I would have to use FUN!! It is a small word but holds so much meaning...especially this month. This month he has learned how to:

Crawl (a mix of army style and regular...ha ha ha)

He has gotten SIX teeth this month (he now has a total of SEVEN!!!)

He "talks" constantly in small syllables

He is trying to and occasionally will say a version of Jaxon (our dog, he LOVES the dog)

He is eating more table food items, and feeding himself

He loves any kind of snack...cheerios, puffs (he can't see the box without hyperventilating)

He is pulling up on EVERYTHING!!

He waves Hi and Bye bye...not always at the right time though

And he has a new love for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the Backyardagins.

But I have to say one of my most favorite developments of the month has been his sense of humor. He has this precious sense of humor that is so fun to play with and makes me laugh out of nowhere everyday. The picture below is of his new funny face....ha ha ha...you can't help but laugh. He will smirk b/c he knows you think it's funny, and then does it more after he gets the laughter he was anticipating. SO CUTE!!

FUNNY FACES!!

Pap-pa and J.David supporting the CARDS!!

Mommy and J.David hiding out in the bank for the second time this year trying to hide from the rain as we walked to the ball game. ha ha ha. That night we did see a game though, no delays.

J.David and Jaxon both patiently awaiting a treat...ha ha ha.

Oh how life is quickly changing...

This is what we woke up to this morning! And I of course had to leave him in there crying so I could grab the camera..ha ha ha. Good thing we lowered the crib last weekend!! My little creepy crawler is now pulling up on everything, including his bed!! Oh how life is quickly changing....

Just a few funnies...

Here are a few pictures from the weekend. We had a great time getting to spend time with Daddy over the weekend. He has been gone most of June so we just hung out, had family time, and made the most of the time we had. We bought a new box of diapers and discovered that even J.David is all about going GREEN...he reused the box as a new toy!! Way to go son! ha ha ha.

The next picture is what happens when J.David and the wallet are left on the bed. ha ha ha. This boy is getting into EVERYTHING these days!! I love it b/c you can really see his personality and sense of humor coming out, but it is tiring!! ha ha ha. I get my cardio from simply chasing him around the house!

And last, is how I found him asleep for his nap yesterday. He has been fighting naps more than ever and even now associates his room with naps. So he of course holds on SUPER tight to me and cries when we go in his room, even just to change a diaper. It is kind of funny. Then once I put him in the crib he turns, faces the door, and pulls down on the bumper so he can see the door and cries! I guess in this picture he fell asleep before finishing the fight! ha ha ha.

Another funny to end on....Last night when I put him to bed he waited about 5-10 minutes, then started what sounded like scoulding. He was using his da-da, ba-ba, la-la words in different tones and it really sounded like he was telling me how upset he was about going bed! It was SOOO funny. I had Morgan on the phone and held him up to the door so he could enjoy it with me. Then after J.David felt he had said enough, he rolled over and went to bed! ha ha ha...I love being his mom!!

Our week in Arkansas!!

After a short visit to St. Louis for a ballgame Grandma and Grandpa Trotter (they still have not decided what they want to be called) took J.David and I home with them to Arkansas. Aunt Leanne and sweet baby Eden came from Nashville for the week to join the party and we had a BLAST!! It was so fun to watch these two new cousins interact with each other. I just know they are going to be best friends as they get older!! We also got to be there for Aunt Lindsay's homecoming from Africa!! We are so happy she is home and safe! And thankful that she brought home some of the best tasting coffee I have ever had...THANK YOU!! Friday morning we flew back and he did GREAT on the plane. It was a very full flight so I felt so lucky that he was so good. Going through security though, they made me take JD's shoes off!! ha ha ha!! whatever, i would rather them be safe than sorry i guess. Here are some pics from our SUPER FUN week in Arkansas:

At the Ballgame...note that J.David is wearing Cardinal gear!! (not Royals!)

Playing with cousin Ellie before she left for Florida...they are only a month apart.
Eden and J.David with Norma and Papa (this is right before J.D. smacked Eden in the face)
Cute pic in their new July 4th outfits!

Cute babies...this is the only one I have of them both looking up

Cute one with "Grandma"

Aunt Lindsay is home!!

J.David is now home with Daddy after surviving his 1st airplane ride!!
Another Update on my baby boy: Since my last post he has now broken THREE more teeth (two more on bottom and one I just found last night on top). The bottom teeth are all coming in on the right and top tooth is on the far left, so he is going to look like a little Jack-o-lantern...ha ha ha. I can't wait to get those pics soon!! He is also saying more "english-like" words such as ba-ba, da-da, la-la. So I am relieved to know that one day we will communicate. He is also pushing up on all fours, rocking, but still refusing to crawl unless it is army style. oh well! We thought for sure it was going to happen last week, but he is content with his way for now. Here are a few pics of him from this past week, he just loves the camera:

Zoo, Rascal Flatts, and 8 months old!!

Last week we went to the zoo with my mom and sister Natalie. It was so much fun and J.David loved it sooo much more than last time we went. He was so into the animals, especially the ones behind glass such as the hippos, penguins, and fish! He could get right up to the glass and was just in shock with a great big smile!! Here are some pics from that trip:

Then last Friday I got my first Girl's Night Out since JD was born! I didn't realize how much I needed it until we got there...where is there you ask? THE RASCAL FLATTS CONCERT!! Taylor Swift opened for them and it was AWESOME!! I have wanted to go see them for years, and they were even better than I imagined!! Thanks mom and sisters for a fantastic night out!! (by the way, I was sick at the concert but was determined to go anyway, so I am aware that I look pretty scary! ha ha ha)

And last but of course not least....J.DAVID WILL BE 8 MONTHS OLD THIS WEEKEND!!! Since we will be in Arkansas over his actual 8 month bday I will give a little post on my mr. personality. This past month has been a huge one for him. He is army crawling at the speed of light (ok maybe not that fast) all over the house. My life has changed forever! He is giving High fives, big hugs, and is really showing that he has a sense of humor. He isn't really talking in words like mama and dada but he tries so hard to communicate! His words sounds more like German phrases. ha ha . He grunts, smacks the tray in front of him, and "hyperventilates" when he is excited or wants something I have. He loves Jaxon but loves Jaxon's toys even more...so now with the crawling around I am trying too hard to keep J.David away from Jaxon's toys...icky! I will post pics from our trip soon. Happy 8 months JD!! My boys on Father's Day:

Happy Father's Day!!

Morgan, you are a fantastic daddy to J.David!! Thank you for being the kind of man we want our children to model after!!



Dad, you have taught me more than you will ever know. Thank you for your giving heart and for working so hard to give us the best childhood a girl could have!!



Jay, thank you for all you do for us and most of all for raising such an amazing son!! For that I will always be grateful!



To all my grandfathers (on heaven and earth, by blood or marriage)...without your guidance we would not be the people we are or be blessed with the parents we have. Thank you for your love, support, and examples!



Everyone have a Wonderful Father's day!!

My Little Nemo

The picture above is just a cute one Morgan took of J.D. this weekend in his AR gear and Daddy's hat. I couldn't resist!

We have had a great weekend! It started off a little stormy, literally, with tornado sirens disrupting our Friday play date. Instead of swimming like planned we hung out in the basement with 4 babies. It was still fun though, its just fun watching the babies hang out together. Here is a picture of all 4 babies during the storm:

After some errands and a kid's party with church on Saturday we were finally able Sunday to enjoy the pool! J.David LOVED it!! In an almost scary kind of way. He was reaching down for the water like he wanted me to just let him go!! He splashed and kicked and floated in his whale floaty, it was priceless. And of course he had a big J.David smile on the entire time. We are so blessed to have a baby that smiles nonstop! Then Sunday night my parents were gracious enough to allow us to host our small group over there with the pool. 4 babies swimming was a sight to see. What a blast! Thanks mom and dad, we had so much fun!! Here are some pictures from Sunday's pool adventure:

In the middle of changing after church....SUCH A CUTIE!!

"Looking the Part"

Enjoying the whale!

Small group mom and babies

(we are missing Grace who was on vacation and Anna Claire who should be here in a few weeks!)

L to R: Lenora, Grady, Asher, J.David