First 2 Teeth
After what seemed like a million tries, I finally got a picture of Derek's first 2 teeth. They are absolutely adorable! I just love seeing them when he smiles. Lets hope that the rest of the teeth come in in such momentous fashion with just a few days of fussiness like these! LOL.

Riding in the BOB Big Boy Style

Derek is now big enough to ride in our BOB jogging stroller without the car seat. Derek seems to love his new view of the world - facing forwards and looking out! Many more adventures are to come with this new milestone.

Maui (Week 20)
We had such a blast in Maui this past week. Not only was it relaxing, but we got to watch Derek discover so many new things and spend time with Matt's parents. Derek got his first 2 teeth while we were in Maui and he learned how to blow bubbles with his spit. His favorite thing to do was to look up at the palm trees blowing in the wind. He would screech with delight at them as he explored his voice. It was so fun to watch.

It was so fun to watch the world through his eyes.

Derek experienced the pool for the first time. He was not quite sure about the water at first, but after going in several times a day he really liked it. I think his favorite part was when Matt or I would take him all the way in (all except his head) and pull him around in the water.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Derek hanging out with Dad. There were several times during the trip when Matt watched him and I layed in the sun, read or went for a swim and trip down the water slide! It was great.

Derek also experienced the ocean for the first time. Again at first he was not so sure about the waves and sand, but after a while he got used to them. I think he will definitely be a water boy like his dad.

One of our days in Maui we drove to Haleakala to see the Crater. It took 2 hours to get there and Derek did not like the long car ride, but it was amazing. We drove to 10,000 feet and were above the clouds. Pictures cannot capture the view from the top. You could see most of the island.

Derek is getting really good at grabbing what he wants. On the trip he would grab our sunglasses and hat right off our face. Anything that we ate or drank he wanted some of.

Derek got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Buman.

Sunset over MolokaiDerek watching the palm trees blow in the breeze.
Sucking his thumb more than normal led to his first 2 teeth!

Tooth #2
Derek got his 2nd tooth while in Maui as well (10-28-10). The day after he got his first tooth he was pretty fussy and would not take a nap and only wanted to be held. We did not even think that he could possibly be getting another tooth, but low and behold the next morning there was the tooth. Getting a picture of the 2 teeth was nearly impossible, but this is the closest we got.

First Tooth
Derek got his first tooth today (10-26-10), while we were in Maui. We had several signs (LOTS of drool and chewing on everything) that he might be teething, but we thought that he had just begun the long process and we would not see a tooth for months. One afternoon last week I called & texted several friends for advice about teething because Derek was super fussy and I could not get him to calm down. We ended up giving him Tylenol and he calmed down. The last 2 days here in Maui Derek was sucking on his thumb more than usual. This morning we looked in his mouth and sure enough there was his first tooth! How exciting!

Week 19

This week I had so much fun taking pictures with our new Nikon DSLR camera. I am super excited about it. I am loving the speed and quality of the pictures. The only trouble I have is deciding which ones to post! :)

The biggest event of this week was that Derek learned how to roll onto his belly during nap time. One afternoon I heard a lot of noise coming from his crib and went to check on him. This is how I found the boy! He was so proud of himself and when he saw me he gave me a great big smile. It took several naps after this to teach him to sleep on his belly. He seems to like belly sleeping now. Now we just have to remind him how to roll from his belly to his back. So we are no longer swaddling him when he sleeps. During the day for naps we just lay him in the crib and at night we put him in a sleep sack.
Derek loves hanging out with daddy. Here he is sporting Matt's Chargers hat.

Derek loves his new toy Sophie the Giraffe. He chews on Sophie like there is no tomorrow and drools all over the place. I think we are in the process of teething!!

Derek enjoyed Skyping with Pops and Grammy. This time he looked at the screen the whole time and then took a really long nap afterwards. All that screen time tired him out!

Derek loves playing in the exersaucer.

Here is Derek with his friend Bryce. They love having playdates with each other (well...truth be told its the moms who really love the playdates).

Little Gator

We love our little Gator. :)

Week 18

How can you resist such a cute face!

Mobile Magic

Ever since Derek was born we have had the mobile over his changing table. Whenever he is placed on the changing table he will squeal with glee! He smiles and laughs and gets so excited to watch the sports balls go around. Early on he learned to track the balls and follow them as they completed the circle above his head. Then he started batting them. Just this morning he began trying to grab them. He focused for a long time on the baseball glove (I think because it hung down the lowest). He would try grabbing it until it would pass his hands. Then he would turn his head and watch it until it was back where he could reach for it again. After the second diaper change of the day he got it!! He was so proud of himself and you could see the concentration in his face. Once he got the hang of it he went for the other sports balls. I love watching my son learn something new!!

A Visit From Grammy
My mom (Grammy) came to visit for the Columbus Day long weekend. It was so great to have her here. Derek loved playing with her, reading with her and laughing with her. She took Derek to the park, downtown, the mall and of course the grocery store! He loved all the attention she gave him and would smile at her all the time. She even introduced him to his exersaucer! While she was here Matt and I took advantage of the around the clock babysitting and went out together several times. I even went to the mall for an afternoon of shopping! Now that Derek is here, we sure miss having family around. Thanks Grammy for coming to visit. Please come again soon!

Lake Tahoe
Matt had a weekend conference in South Lake Tahoe and Derek and I were able to join him. This was our first road trip. Thank goodness Derek did fantastic in the car because the 4 hour trip ended up taking us 7 hours. We got stuck in traffic outside of San Francisco and Sacramento. Thank goodness for the breast pump. We were able to feed Derek in the car as we sat in traffic and avoided major meltdowns. We only needed to stop for dinner and restrooms for Matt and I. Next time though I will make sure to bring more toys to entertain Derek with in the car. By the end of the trip I was sick of the same old toys and books.

Here is Matt unloading the car with all our stuff for the 2 days we spent in Tahoe. It was hilarious to see everything that we brought for our family. Ahhh our new life as parents!! LOL.

One night as we headed out to dinner, we saw this gorgeous rainbow!This was Derek's first official conference. Here he is working with Dad at breakfast. I am sure we'll attend many more in the future!

4 Month Recap

Derek had his 4 month well check today. Here are his stats -weight 14 lbs 4 oz (49%) and height 25 1/4 inches (72%). It is so fun to watch him grow! We are thankful for our healthy boy!

I just love being able to stay home with Derek every day. I can't seem to get enough of him. I am so grateful that God chose me to be his mama. I love when I smile at him he smiles back and then breaks into a huge grin from ear to ear and his eyes light up. I love that I can calm him down with my voice. I love that he snuggles right up in my chest when he is picked up from his nap. I love the smile he gives me when I wake him up from his nap. I love the way he sucks his thumb and the cute noises he makes when he is trying to put himself to sleep. I love the way he looks around at everything and does not want to sit still. I love watching him explore his hands and feet. I love the way he looks up at me and smiles when he is done nursing. I love when he giggles with me. I love that he is a super active kiddo and doesn't stop moving. I love his determination to learn something new or voice what he wants. I even love that when I am super frustrated at all the outfits we've changed from spit up or that he just won't go to sleep for a nap, he smiles at me and it melts my heart and I think to myself "How could I EVER be mad at you?"
I love being your mama Derek. I am trying to soak up every minute that I spend with you. I don't want to wish for you to be older or in a different stage of life. I want to enjoy the NOW!