9 months

These monthly George updates seem to be getting ahead of me but because of my unhealthy fear of forgetting every little thing my children do, I continue to write down these facts that probably seem monotonous to the average reader.  Sorry reader (all two of you).  Here comes another update.   

George is just a busy, busy boy these days.  He is getting into everything and crawls wherever there isn't an obstacle.  He doesn't seem to need me as much as he used to and HATES to be confined to a highchair, crib, swing or car seat when he's awake.  It kind of breaks my heart a little when I just want to snuggle him and he pushes me away only to crawl over to the loaded dishwasher. 

Even when he gets hurt, he won't let me console him.  He will let me hold him for a short three seconds before he's off to find another garbage can or in this case some tampons under the bathroom sink. 

His curiosity has made nursing VERY challenging.  George has completely weaned himself and will angrily push me away when I try to feed him.  It makes me so sad to be ending this phase of babyhood so much earlier than the other babies did.  I'm still determined to give him his breast milk.  I pump 6 times a day and give him the milk in a bottle.  I can tell my milk supply is pretty much drying up because it takes me a whole day and sometimes two to make a single bottle.  I've never been so grateful that I was such a milk hoarder when he was born because I still have about 50 bags frozen in my deep freezer.  I've calculated that with a bottle in the morning and evening, he should make it to his first birthday along with what I'm pumping as well.  We still give him a "sleep feed" not because he needs it but because it was the only time I could get him to nurse with out pushing me away.  Now we just give him a bottle before we go to bed and he sleeps in until 8 or 9 in the morning.  Still snoozing in our dark closet.  I'd sleep in too!

He's still super smiley and happy.  When I take him to the park with Jack I have to contain him in this swing otherwise he'd be stuffing handfuls of pebbles into his mouth.  I still can't understand why he likes chewing on those things. 

He's still a fantastic walking buddy and doesn't make a peep when we got out in the mornings for a few hours.

He really is getting into everything these days.  His favorite things are electric sockets, door stoppers, cords, toilets, paper, printers, magazines, and pretty much anything that's not a toy. 

He is always standing up in his crib now when I go in to get him after a nap.  He pulls himself up onto anything.  I love watching him sit on his knees. 

I love watching him explore but it can be a handful when I need to get things done.  We've had a few occasions when someone forgot to close the bathroom door and I've found him dipping his fingers into the toilet water.  This is especially disgusting because he's still very fond of sucking on his two left fingers. 

He's starting to wear "real people" clothes and it looks as though he may be graduating to a new car seat soon too.  He weighed 17.10 pounds at his 9 month check up.  Still 8th percentile and growing nonetheless.  We don't have to go in for weight checks anymore which means he's able maintain his weight pretty well now. 

Chase calls him "mini John Stockton" in this picture.  I had just changed his diaper and I wasn't ready to put his pants on yet because I still needed to squeeze his little thighs. 

These freezer magnets bought me about ten minutes of cleaning the kitchen time, but that's about all.

He fell down the stairs the other day.  I had no idea he was even up there!!  It was only the first two stairs but it was a serious wake-up call to get some baby gates and watch him like a hawk from now on.

 

We can get him to laugh pretty hard these days and he has developed a fantastic little personality.  He gets really mad if you take something away from him (especially from his mouth), has a little  stranger anxiety (even with dad sometimes), is sensitive to loud screams and even snaps of people's fingers.  Gina Bench snapped really loud by him and he cried for a good five minutes afterwards.  He's finally been saying "ma ma" when he wants me.  It's mostly when he's stuck in his highchair and wants to get out.  Everyone just loves this little guy! 

 

Zion

 
For as long as I can remember all my Dad has ever wanted for his birthday, Christmas, Father's Day etc. is a hike with all his daughters again.  We used to go hiking with him all the time when we were all living at home.  I have so many fond memories of bushwhacking up Hogan Fork (that's a whole other blog post:-), backpacking through Zions national park, or just skipping down the trail after spending the day on top of Milcreek Canyon.  Well this year Dad's wish finally came true.  We were all together in St. George and some of the most beautiful hikes were only about an hour away in Zions.  We somehow managed to leave all the children home with their dads (thanks guys!!!) and headed down to "the promised land" with our Dad.  Mom, Brooke and Parker came along too which was also special treat. 

We had a glorious time!!  Just the car ride down and back with Em, Lizzie and Brooke was enough to fill my laughter canteen for the month.  Once we got there, we decided the shortest hike that would get us home in time to help put the kids to sleep was Angel's Landing.  It also happens to be the most treacherous and life threatening (sorry Mom:-).  I had hiked Angel's Landing two times previously.  Once with the young women in our ward and again with my girlfriends over spring break. I must have had nerves of steel back then because the steep cliffs and 1000 feet drop offs made me very anxious this time around. 

Lizzie reminded me that when we came  with the young women she actually waited at the bottom because the wind was too strong that day and she felt safer there rather than clinging onto a chain with ant sized cars driving in the view below her.  But this time around she decided to conquer the mountain and after a few tears (she really cried a little:-) we got to the top.  This picture of her with the drop off below gives me the heeby jeebies.  I can't believe the young women advisers brought us down here!!  Weren't they worried one of us would fall off a cliff?  I'm in young women's now and there is NO WAY I would make myself liable by taking them up that cliff.  We even saw some families hiking with their 7 or 8 year old children.  Holy canolli!!  I don't think I'll bring my kiddos on this hike ever!!  I would be a nervous wreck. 

 

 

But once you get to the top, it really is heaven on earth. I guess that's why they call it "Angel's Landing." When you're up there you can't help but have gratitude in your heart for the superb world the lord has provided us to live on. It truly is glorious!!

 

 

 

The real superwoman on the hike was Brooke for sure.  She not only hiked the whole thing pregnant but was the first one to reach the top!!  I think I've turned into a wimp in my old age of 32. The cautious level at which I proceeded up that mountain far exceeded that when I was 14.  I don't know if it's because I'm more vulnerable now as a mother of 3 kids, or if I'm just a sissy, but these crazy things I used to do like cliff jumping, sky diving (never did it but wanted to), or even sticking my head out the window don't even appeal to me anymore.  I do still enjoy my rides on the scooter and finding those roller blades was a serious blast from the past.  I'll hold onto those for a while longer to keep me feeling young.

I know it was Dad's wish to get us all on the mountain together that day but I think we all ended up soaking up the reunion just as much if not more.  I just love being with my family and if it takes a plane ride, a five hour drive, and some grumpy husbands at the end of the day; spending even an hour with all my sisters and our troop leader would have made it all worth it! 

Family Pics 2012

 
Brooke did it again!!  I love having such a talented sister in law!!  She took our pictures while we were all in St. George and I love, love, love them!! 

How beautiful is our little Sadie Lady?

Love the little leg pop:-)

Giggly Jack.  This is how I will always remember him:-)

So dapper!!

Love my Chase!!

 

Smorgie smorge!!

I'm going to be really sad when his top teeth come in because those two bottom teeth KILL me!! 

She really brought out the blue in his eyes. So dreamy!!

 

Yummy.  I really want to eat him right now:-)

Thank you Brooke!!  You're AMAZING!!!

 

St. George

Instead of flying into Las Vegas for the Etherington shenanigans to be had in St. George, we decided to fly into Salt Lake and watch conference with family.  We intended to leave around 1 p.m. Monday and we got on the road around 7.  What did you expect?  Traveling "Cannon" style for sure.  It made for a pretty grumpy George but we all survived:-)

St. George felt a lot like Texas so we were right at home.  Nick took us out to go rock climbing and on the way to the cliffs we found Jack's other half....an EXCAVATOR!!!  I wasn't at all floored by the fact he was actually wearing his excavator shirt while viewing the larger version because he ALWAYS wears his "excamater" shirt.

Nick, Jane, Jane's Parker, and I were the first to head up to the cliffs.  It was so fun!!

My favorite part of rock climbing is repelling  down once you reach the top.  I could swing around up there all day. 

George and Jane bonded on this trip. I don't know if it's because she kind of looks like me, but Grandpa and Mimi were slimy seconds when Jane was around. 

Chase and I took the rare opportunity of having someone home while our kids sleep to go outside and frolic in the St. George wind.  He found a skate board in the garage and I might have stolen some awesome rollerblades from Heber's old closet at the Cannon home. 

We were only gone for about 30 minutes but it was soaked up and enjoyed thoroughly.

A lot of fun was done:-)

 

I kind of didn't realize how pretty St. George was until this trip with my family.  The only other times I've ventured down to the south of Utah was with my white trash wannabe friends who resided in motels off the hick infested boulevard and spent the entire day by the pool rubbing baby oil onto our already crispy skin.  We didn't ever leave the boulevard (unless of course we needed to go to the J. Crew outlet where we spent money on worthless clothing only because it was from J. Crew) so I wasn't able to see something like the above picture until nearly 20 years later.  It's heaven on earth if you ask me. 

 

We took many hikes up Snow Canyon and watched all the grand kids run around and get dirty. 

Sadie and Ruby were ecstatic to be reunited.  They get along swimmingly and were always heard laughing.  Sadie told me she loves to play with Ruby because she always giggles and thinks Sadie is funny. 

The three year olds were up to no good so we stuck them in a cave 20 feet up and left them up there for a while.  Just kidding.  They wanted to go up there so Uncle Nick helped them and once they made it, all they wanted to do was come back down.  Hilarious!! 

Daddy daughter hike

We traveled to Utah for an Etherington excursion to St. George but before we went I got to go on a hike with my daddio.  He took me up to Red Butte and we walked straight up the mountain.  He totally wore me out!  Not bad for a 60 plus year old  geezer:-)

I still haven't come to grips with the fact that one day he won't be wearing me out.  He will always be what this picture defines in my mind.  Strong, enthusiastic, adventurous, loving, and fearless.  I'm glad he's still like this for now.

He took me to the place where he wants his ashes strewn when he dies (still a controversial topic in the Etherington household). I'm glad I was wearing sunglasses because the thought of this amazing human being not being on earth anymore brought tears to my eyes.  We sat there and ate some granola bars while listening to conference on the radio.  I hope he wasn't eager to hear too much of conference because I made him talk to me the whole time.  I love my dad.   

 

I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to cremate my dad but there would be something nice about visiting an old tree on a mountain rather than a grave yard to have a conversation.  Did I mention I love this man? Oh ya, I did.

No thank you

Babies are great and all but the aftermath of having one really bites.  From the muffin top busting out of your old skinny jeans, the double D bra, the bagel pooch, to the now deflated, stretched (and shriveled) you know whats....this lady is feeling a little downtrodden.  Not only do I need a serious Oprah makeover but every time I have a baby, I grow sideburns.  They are the WORST!!  They're too short to put behind my ears and make me look like a Elvis impersonator.  I also have all the baby hairs wanting to be bangs coming in too.  Can't pushing the baby out be enough?  George I love you but these side burns have got to go!
 (Shhh, don't tell, but there's a very rude little gray hair wanting to hang out too.  I keep plucking him out and he keeps coming back.  I hate you little gray hair!!)

Simplicity

 

It finally rained a little in Austin so Jack, George and I went out to find some puddles.  Jack of course wanted to wear his cape.  He won it at the HEB buddy bucks machine and has become quite fond of it's hidden super powers. 

We found a puddle but only because there was a dent in the road.  Jack spent nearly 40 minutes just finding small pebbles to throw into that 12 inch diameter of water.  He then found out it was WAY more fun to just run through it.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his face in this picture.  It completely depicts his overall happy personality.  He really has been such a delight so far (with exceptions to potty training) to raise.  I admire his ability to find joy in the simple things. 

Whether it's a puddle, searching for berries on a walk, running around the house in circles whenever we turn on music, or just dumping sand into his excavator.  This kid is HAPPY!  He also makes me pretty happy too:-)