Davis Lake

Though we live in a tiny little neighborhood where the only amenity is that they give you a warning before they begin fining you for being able to see your trashcan from the road . . . we do live right down the road from a very large neighborhood with a lake, playground and a couple miles of walking trails. On the weekends we often walk down there to see the geese and ducks and walk the trails. Zach was giving the water fowl a couple smiles here and there but mostly just staring at them, trying to figure it all out!



(these were taken a few weeks ago when the temps were still in the 70s . . . )

Mr. Casual

Zach is pretty laid back most of the time, but never more so then when he's sleeping . . .


The other day we went in to get Zach up from his nap and found this:

(see the little yawn in there?)

I think the only thing that would have made me laugh harder was if his arms had been propping his head up . . . little lounger . . .

Sitting Up!

Zach loves his bumbo seat, and so does his Mommy. It gives him a chance to check out his surroundings from a different perspective and when I have the tray attached as well, it gives him good practice at reaching for his toys.

But he won't be needing the bumbo for playtime much longer . . . he's quite determined to be sitting up on his own! For the last couple of weeks he's been able to sit up for very short bursts, but we've setting him up and catching him when he falls over 5 seconds later. He's getting better and better at keeping his balance and has even started to catch himself and correct his balance. He still needs to use his hands for extra support, but I'm sure he won't need them much longer!

This was taken on the 11th, the first day he was able to support himself sitting up . . . look at that concentration!

A more recent picture, if he didn't have the bulky sweater on, you'd be able to see that he's sitting a little higher up . . . take my word for it!

Halloween

Well, I had every intention of getting these pictures up weeks ago . . . but at least I'm getting them up before Thanksgiving!

The day before Halloween (which is my Uncle Tim's birthday, Happy 50th, Uncle Tim!!), Zach and I visited a pumpkin patch with some friends.


He was a little too young to appreciate the epitome of fall that it was. But he was good sport and even let me take a picture of him with some pumpkins.

I can now see why portrait studios buy great seats and balance boards for infant pictures . . . otherwise you're just laying your child on the dirt . . . oh well. (Thanks Grandma Gigi for the cute bib and pumpkin shoes!!)

The next night was halloween. We thought about taking Zach to a harvest festival, but Greg got back in town late that afternoon from a rained out camping trip, so we decided to stay home. But we had to dress Zach up in his costume (a hand-me-down). He's dressed up as Pooh bear dressed up as a sunflower. Not the manliest . . . but he was 3 months old, that's not a a very manly stage of life to begin with =)

Biltmore, one last time

At this stage of the game, it's all too easy to get bogged down in dirty diapers, dirty clothes and the all important nap schedule. Every once in a while we need to break it up and have a change of scenery. Zach does a pretty good job napping in the car or in the baby carrier, and when Greg and I go together it doesn't seem to be a problem at all to take this show on the road. So, at the end of October we took one final trip up to the Biltmore with our year long passes. The fall colors were just a little pass the peak of the season but still oh so beautiful. We toured the winery (the first time I've been able to do the wine tasting since I was pregnant every other time we went), the farm and then took some walks on the grounds.

I think the farm was my favorite part of the trip. It was our first time visiting the farm and we loved walking through the kitchen garden (which was mostly empty due to the season), the stables and seeing the animals in the petting zoo. Zach was a little too small to take him in to see the goats and chickens, so we just observed from the other side of the fence. We'll definitely have to take him back when he's older, the chicken with the slipper looking feet were cracking us up!

Chatterbox

I love the time right after Zach is done eating, when his belly his full and he's in a great mood . . . he apparently loves that time, too.

3 Months

I know it's a little late . . . but better late than never, yes?

We're are enjoying this little man more and more with every passing day! He didn't have a well visit this month, so we're not sure of his exact growth, just that he is growing! He's moved up to the next size of clothing, and it's probably about time to move him up to the next size of diapers (we've dealt with some pretty bad blowouts the past couple of days). He's very liberal with his smiles and a couple times a day we can get him laughing - that's the best!

He's still super strong, pushing himself up like a champ, spinning in circles during tummy time, and he's starting to push himself backwards. The other day I had him on a blanket next to me while I was on the computer and I looked down to see that he had pushed himself right off the blanket. I really don't think I'm prepared for him to moving that much yet!

Night time has been going wonderfully, for several weeks now he's been sleeping 11-12 hours through the night . . . it's amazing. We lay him down between 7:30 and 8 and he sleeps straight through until 7 or 8. I can hardly believe that life is settling into a livable pace this early on!

He most definitely has the characteristics of a first born (I would know . . . ) and it's fun to see his little personality coming out. Yesterday at church I was sitting in the lobby with a couple other moms with boys a few months older than Zach during the sermon. The "older boys" were sitting up on their own and playfully grabbing toys from each other. Zach was ever so intently watching them while laying on his belly. Every once in a while he would furrow his brow and squeal at them. They would turn to look at him and he would bust out a huge smile . . . Someone loves being the center of attention . . . =)

Still his favorite . . .

Family Resemblence

Now, there is no doubt that Zach has mostly his daddy's genes. The male Ross genes run strong . . . but looking at this picture, I might get to claim a couple of Zach's features, the eyes especially: