Help! I've stood up and I can't get down!

Tiago spent the better part of his 4th and 5th months of life trying to perfect his crawling, from commando to traditional style. By 6 months he was simply figuring out clever ways to

circumnavigate the various roadblocks and barriers intended to keep him safe from harm.

About 3 weeks ago, having decided that he had perfectly mastered the whole crawling thing, he promptly begun his quest to crack the standing/walking code. On the night of December 1st, we decided that we urgently needed to lower his bed. On the morning of December 2nd, we found Tiago standing upright on his recently lowered mattress--close call!

During the day, Tiago climbs various objects (or people) to position himself into a standing position, and walks along furniture, baby-gates, walls, etc., until he feels confident enough to release his grip, one hand at a time, to test his balance before tumbling softly to the ground (he hates that last part).

At night, however, Tiago is not as ambitious. Lately, we have been waking to his loud cries and find him gripping the rails of his crib for dear life. Apparently, he has not mastered the soft-landing-drop, such that he can "do it in his sleep." On second thought, is he crying because he can't get down or because he can't get out?! (this video was taken while he was supposed to be napping):

the big debate

It's quite fun to hear people analyze Tiago's features and try to decide whether he looks more like his mommy or his daddy. Currently, it seems to be about 60/40 (mommy is in the lead) according to comments by random strangers, family and friends. For me, it is one of the many perks of being a parent (seeing your beloved partner in the face of your child). Of course, we acknowledge that Tiago is really his OWN person with his own features but, for fun, I am posting some baby pictures of Nate and I and letting you weigh in on the big debate:

Turkey Day

We are so very thankful for our beautiful little family and our lovely little house! Thanksgiving day was a beautiful, sunny, California fall day. The turkey turned out scrumptious, and we enjoyed the company of: Grandma Naomi, Paul, Zac, Megs, Karen and David. It was Tiago's first Thanksgiving, and Korah's first holiday with a baby (needless to say, it was all a bit of a blur).

Tambourine Man

Oh, how he loves his musica criolla (I really don't understand it)!

More Videos

We'll be sure to post still photos during the holidays but, for now, anything exciting and new includes movement and action. Much to our dismay, we are learning that Tiago is now fascinated by power-cords, ropes, electrical sockets and hinges (perfect for sticking his itty-bitty fingers into). And, now that he can access many of these floor-level death traps, we are re-evaluating our "baby proofing" skills. Like both his mommy and daddy, he also loves expensive gadgets and electronics. The following videos include him 1. standing at our NEW, softer, less breakable, coffee table with his "decoy" T.V. remote control. 2. crawling for mommy's laptop ("Skype, anyone?")

Of note, Tiago can now sit, un-assisted, for up to 1 minute (possibly longer--we may never know--because why would he ever chose to SIT, when there are so many opportunities to show us exactly how dangerous this house can be?!)

little baby noises

Its as though he says, "Just give me any old reason to laugh--I'll take it!"

The second clip is really more for the audio--turn up the volume! (the image is not so great--but, it's impossible to capture his self-talk on camera, once he sees the camera):

These little noises make my heart melt. Sometimes he sounds like he is really talking, other times I swear that he is singing, and his giggles always make me smile. His current sounds include: Bah, bah, dah, dah, guh, awah-wa, mah, mah, ooh, ehh, ahhh and several gurgley sounds!

End of the month UPDATE!

This Halloween weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday afternoon, Tiago participated in his first Halloween fun in Downtown San Carlos. The local shops opened their doors to the kids and handed out treats to the older children, and new moms from all around dressed their tiny tots in ridiculous costumes. It was great.

On Saturday morning, the G-unit packed their things and took a drive to Davis to spend Halloween with Aunt Megs and Uncle Zac. The trip there was momentous in that Tiago said his first (deliberate) word: Agua. Yes, he said it in context (3x) and requested "agua" once more later that afternoon. He loves his bathtime, rain-fall, and now his sippy-cup. Momma's been working on this word for the past couple of months (but had no expectation to hear it so soon).

Halloween night, Momma G dressed Papa G as the Wolverine and held down the fort with baby G while nursing a low-grade fever (yuck). Attached are some Halloween pictures: Tiago=Max the Wild Thing; Nate=Wolverine X-men; Korah=Storm X-men (PS: I didn't have the energy to dedicate to make-up, let alone deal with contacts, the "Storm" eyes are photo-shop)!

Our Trip to Davis

Our little drool monster seemed to really enjoy his first slumber party at Uncle Zac's and aunt Megan's place in Davis. He also enjoyed the extra attention!