Derek's 1st Christmas
This year we flew to Boston to be with my family for Christmas. This marked Derek's 6th flight of his life! Pretty good for being only 6 months old! Here he is with the cute hat that Grammy made him! He got great use of it because it sure was cold there.One of our first adventures was going to Build-a-Bear. Grammy wanted to take Derek there to stuff and animal of his choice. Derek chose the monkey. He and Grammy went through the process of stuffing the animal and picking out the heart. We named it "Squiggles," which is perfect for Derek since he is moving all over the place these days.

Another adventure was going to the Stoneham Zoo. It was quite the experience since it was SNOWING during our visit! We had a great laugh about the trip since 2 weeks prior Matt and I were at the San Diego Zoo and it was so hot we had to buy sunscreen and a hat for Derek and this trip we had to dress him in a winter coat, hat, gloves and snow bibs. In the end Derek ended up falling asleep on Grammy's shoulder (a first since he usually ONLY naps in his crib)!

Grammy and Pops gave Derek an ornament to remember his 1st Christmas. 

Derek loved the tree with all the lights and ornaments.

Pops and Derek

 

Grammy and Derek

We were able to make it over to the Aunt's house just about every day so that Derek could spend time with Great Aunt Elsie and Great Aunt Flo Flo. It is special for me to see them interact with him. He loved grabbing their glasses!

While we were in Boston, we had dinner at Patrick and Katie's house with our good friends Lisa and David Taylor. It was great to see them and meet their kids.

One of my favorite traditions when we visit Boston is to go into the North End for cappuccino. For the past 16 years we have been going to the same place for our coffee and this time we brought Derek. We also stopped to get fresh Romano cheese and fresh veal and chicken for Christmas Eve dinner.

 Derek loved this bike that Grammy got for him. In a few years he will be riding it around.

My Uncle David & Aunt Alison along with cousins Seth and Emma stopped by for a visit.

Christmas Eve was at my parent's house this year. As is the tradition, started by my grandmother many years ago, we had veal parmigiana. It was delicious!! Thanks mom for all the hard work! I really missed my grandparents this year at Christmas. I am sad that they did not get a chance to meet Derek. I know he would have brought a smile to their faces. On Christmas Eve Derek opened his first present from Mommy and Daddy - Christmas jammies! We are following a tradition that Matt had growing up as a kid.

We also got to spend some time with our dear friends Elise and Jacki. It was so fun to have our boys meet.

Christmas morning! This is by far my favorite picture from Christmas. I will always remember Derek's first Christmas with his big smile. He is such a happy boy and Matt and I feel so blessed to be his parents. He brings so much joy to us.

Happy New Year!

Applesauce did not go over so well with Derek. What do you think?

Ever since Thanksgiving Derek has been babbling all sorts of sounds. The other day on our walk I stopped to record him. I LOVE hearing his sweet voice.

Week 27

Derek got this puzzle with his name on it for Christmas. He loves it! What a great idea. Thanks Great Grandma D!

Derek loves his bouncer even more these days. He is actually bouncing and slapping the buttons so music plays. He loves it when we clap to the music. He also loves to drop things and watch them fall. I love his determination and focus in the bottom right hand picture.

This week Derek tried rice cereal (mixed with sweet potato), carrots, and green beans, all of which he loved.
Matt and I took Derek to P.F. Changs for his 6 month lunch. It was momentous for us because we ate dinner there the night that I was induced.

I love this picture. Derek is reaching for the camera as I was taking his picture. This is truly what he is about these days...reaching and grabbing everything. I LOVE his curiosity.

San Diego
Matt, Derek and I flew to San Diego this past weekend to hang out with Patrick and Katie. We had such a great time. It is pretty funny that in order for us to spend time together we were in a neutral city! We spent one whole day at the San Diego Zoo, making sure to stay late enough to see all the Christmas lights. Derek liked the animals, but seemed to enjoy playing with Uncle Patrick and Aunt Katie much more.

Derek with Uncle Patrick and Aunt Katie!

Derek loved Uncle Patrick's hat. He kept taking it off Pat's head.

We also went to visit Grandma Buman. When we got there she seemed to be feeling a little down, but Derek cheered her up. He was smiling at her and playing with her watch. By the time we left she was in a much better mood. It was adorable to watch how he made her smile.

Derek with Great Grandma Buman and Aunt Ruthie.

Our trip to San Diego would not be complete without a visit to the beach.

Our good friends Matt and Becca Ellis

6 Month Well Check
Derek went for his 6 month check up today. I cannot believe that he is already half a year old. He has changed so much just this last month. Here are his stats from his appointment today - HEIGHT: 27 1/4" (78th%) WEIGHT: 16 lbs 10.5 oz (34th%). Derek is a long and lean moving machine!! He is a "squiggler" as Matt calls him. We cannot keep him still. He rolls all over the place, grabs for everything and just smiles all the time. He is also down to 2 naps per day ranging from 1.5 hours to 2 hours. I love this shift and am taking full advantage of his nap time and wake time. We love our boy!

Week 23, 24 & 25
I absolutely LOVE Derek's smile. It just melts my heart. I LOVE making him smile. I also love his laugh and giggle. While we were in Dallas for Thanksgiving, Derek started babbling. He really is trying to communicate with us. He uses syllables such as "da, ba, ma, la etc." It is so fun to hear. Derek is really curious about everything and reaches out and grabs the objects he wants. He still sucks his thumb from time to time, but now it seems to be more of a comfort object (usually being sucked when he goes down for a nap). I love when I am holding Derek and someone smiles at him. He will smile back and then bury his face in my shoulder. He is starting to give hugs with his arms around my neck. They are the best!

Derek enjoys playing with all his toys on his play mat. He has started pushing up on his arms and scooting himself backwards. He moves around on the mat either by rolling or pushing himself backwards. Derek has also started pulling his legs into his belly so his bottom is in the air.

Derek is now sitting with us at the dinner table when we eat. We put him in a high chair for the first time and he seemed to love being with us during dinner.

Look closely by Sophie the Giraffe's leg and you can see his growing teeth.

First Food - Sweet Potato!
This morning we introduced Derek to solid food. I am not sure if we will make all his baby food, but I at least wanted to make the first food that he ate. I baked a sweet potato in the oven and then pureed it. It was much easier than I thought and it made many servings! Derek did really well with the sweet potato. He did not make any crazy faces and seemed to enjoy the taste. I think he liked grabbing the spoon and putting it in his mouth the best as well as slapping his hand (covered in the sweet potato) on the table. Can't believe how fast this boy is growing up!

All set and ready to eat.

Daddy feeding Derek the sweet potato.

So fun to get his hands in the sweet potato and play!All done!

Splish Splash in the bath
Last night Derek played in the bath for the first time. He has always liked taking a bath, but tonight was especially fun. It started out with him slapping the water with his hands. He was splashing water every where and he thought it was the coolest. Matt and I sat there just watching him explore his hands hitting the water. Next Derek explored his feet and reaching for them in the water. Finally, we gave him some toys (which we have given to him before) and he was fascinated with them floating around in his tub. He loved grabbing them and putting them in his mouth. At one point he had grabbed a tug boat and rubber ducky. Looks like bath time has taken on a new meaning in the Buman household!

Loving the tugboats and rubber duckyGotta love the sweet face and rolls of skin!All dried off after a fun bath