The days since our vacation have been a blur. The Redwood Forest seems like a distant memory... Work and life are back in full swing!
We have been staying in town and hanging around the house quite a bit since our return. I think we were all quite exhausted after our travels. It's nice to stay local for a bit. Luckily, there is much to explore right in our own backyard.
Look at that belly!!!
Sage is fascinated with rocks and mulch. Typical boy. Typical Diemer. He enjoys grabbing fistfuls of anything dusty and dirty and tossing them into the air. Over and over he does this. He rarely sticks things in his mouth anymore. I am still concerned about him choking, but I don't have to watch every move of his as vigilantly.
Sage is now officially walking!!! I would say he walks about 80% of the time. He's got great balance and is really building up his speed. I can't believe what a little man he is now.
On our first Saturday back home, we took the buggy out for a spin.
On Sunday, we took the bike trailer out! I had retired the trailer earlier this summer, deciding that Sage needed to reach the age of 1 year prior to taking bike rides. Since that milestone has been reached, we can now ride all over town. (Assuming it's not 90+ degrees! I don't want Sage baking in there!)
Another big milestone is our introduction of sippy cups, water, and cow's milk! Now that Sage is a toddler, it's important for his diet to begin mimicking my own. Sage is learning to hydrate himself through a variety of liquids, in addition to breastmilk. He still nurses at lunch, at dinner, and in the middle of the night, but during breakfast and snack time he is offered water and cow's milk. This means I get to stop pumping at work!!!! I know you can't see me... but I'm doing a happy dance..right now....while you are reading this!! I've been doing a happy dance for a week! I have loved and will continue to love nursing my son. It has allowed us to bond and grow attached to each other. But I strongly dislike pumping. Expressing milk is very different when you are hooked up to tubes and a motor, than when you are snuggling with a warm squirmy baby. I much prefer the latter!
This most recent Saturday, we decided to attend Fort Collin's New West Fest for the first time. This is a free music festival hosted by the City every August. We limited our excursion to the kid's zone. It was hot...and super crowded. But there was a ton of cool activities for kids... and a stage dedicated to child-appropriate musical performances.
After the New West Fest, Sage helped Dad in the garden. Matt's got big landscaping plans in store for us.... I look forward to the finished product!
On Sunday, we took a walk down to the local elementary school to shoot some hoops.
Action shot!
We had Sage's 12-month appointment sometime during the chaos of the last two weeks. And here are his stats:
30 inches = 51st percentile
25 pounds = 93rd percentile
A couple other big milestones to share:
He can now use sign language to communicate "more." The daycare teachers told me also signs "all done." But I have yet to see that one with my own eyes. He likes to hold objects up to his ear and pretend they are phones. He then says "da da" really loud is if he's talking to someone. The "uh oh's" were on hiatus for a bit, but have returned in full swing! He likes to brush his own hair. And, he blows kisses.
