Carrots are even better than cereal

Hoodies are fashionable for both dads and sons

Thankful for cereal

Soren was especially thankful at Thanksgiving since that weekend is when he started eating cereal. And he loved it! He was just way too excited over Barley - we felt a bit sorry for him. We just went to his 6 month check up and he is now 22 pounds 4 oz. and 28 inches long. Whew! No teeth yet, but the doctor said that all of his gums are swollen and he'll probably get a bunch when they do come in. In the meantime, lots of drool and chomping. Soren is laughing more and more - Maggie (the cat) and Charlie (the dog) chasing each other, Steven barking like a dog, and Ruby talking (a Macaw at the local pet store) are things he finds especially funny.

Halloween

If you hadn't guessed it, Soren was a tiger for Halloween. This was actually his third costume, as he outgrew each one we bought in preparation for the holiday ('thank you' to Susan for such a wide selection of costumes at Target!). I took Soren to Steven's work and had lunch with his co-workers and later that night we carved the pumpkin (smiley face with no teeth), took the photos, drank our nightly 9 oz. of milk and then bed. Soren had a cold and was feeling awful. He's just now beginning to feel better. Long nights! We've had a couple of other 'issues' that prune juice has since cured, thank goodness. Through it all, he's still been such a good guy. He's just the best!

Hanging out

Soren can't wait until he can be the one 'driving' the computer. He's pretty intrigued with the monitors and all the buttons.

Memories

We gave Soren his first 'haircut.' He had this residual tuft of his baby hair on the top of his head as his 'new' hair has been coming in. Before it disappeared, we clipped it and saved it. Unfortunately, we clipped a bit too close to his head and he has a bit of a bald spot. For now.

C'mon teeth!

The drip of drool seems to be a constant fixture these days! Soren loves to gnaw on his hands, our hands, our chins, our noses, toys, and just about anything that gives him a bit of relief from his pending teeth.

Soren in his crib

Soren has been able to roll over for a couple of weeks now. Every morning he'll be on his stomach, staring at the door and waiting for one of us with a big smile as we walk into his room. No crying, just patiently waiting, staring at the door. Good thing for monitors, otherwise we wouldn't know he was awake!

Soren and Maggie

Soren is now a big fan of Maggie (our 2 year old Boston Terrier) and Charlie (our 9 year old cat). He likes to look at them and smile. Maggie is good with Soren but doesn't understand why he doesn't do anything as she continually drops her tennis balls in his lap, staring at him and waiting for him to toss it.

We posted these photos and the one above on Tuesday night (Oct. 30), shortly after the 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit, which may have made the news outside CA. It was the largest quake to hit the Bay Area in 20 years. All is safe, but it was NOT fun. All doors and cabinets in the kitchen opened, chandelier rocked, house waving, all to a loud train-like noise for more than 30 seconds. Charlie went into hiding for several hours.

PS: On Halloween we had a 3.7 magnitude aftershock! Charlie again went into hiding.

We've moved to our new house in San Jose

After many trips with boxes, we are finally moved into our new house in San Jose.

Figuring out how to pack Soren was difficult.

Now that the move is over we have more time to goof around. Soren can be quite a ham.

Napping Like a Big Boy

Here is Soren after his 2nd nap on his own!!! Again, it was the waves!

IT WAS THE WAVES!!!

Here he is, just minutes after waking up from taking a nap on his own. This was huge. It was the first time he's gone down for a nap on his own - and he did it for 1 1/2 hours! Huge! We've tried everything and what finally worked was playing a white noise maker with the sound of a sea shore - birds and all.

I Weigh 19 Pounds!!

Yes, it's true. Soren had his 4 month appointment and now weighs 19 pounds. He's 26 inches long, too. He likes baths now, which is nice. Lots of splashing and such. He doesn't roll over yet, but we're not worried. The doctor said that little babies roll over, big babies don't. Yet.

Getting ready to watch the season premier of 'Ugly Betty' with Daddy

The Many Faces of Soren

Everything is a game

Soren's new game is to stick out his tongue.


He also likes to check himself out in the mirror.

Soren's first day at Stanford

Soren was ready for his first day at Stanford. A few minutes later,
the children's hospital at Stanford called and said that
the baby massage class is postponed until October.

Walking our dog, Maggie

Soren and Mike leaving for Maggie's morning walk


Our evening walks start by going to the new neighborhood
park.


Here are the hills next to the park. Yes, those are cows.
We live on the very edge of San Jose, next to the pastures
in the foothills. The cows are a nice touch.


And the final stop is to check on the ducks at the pond.

At a Beach in Santa Cruz

Over Labor Day Weekend, we drove to Santa Cruz with our friends, Anand and Amy. In the mornings, dogs are not required to be on a leash at this beach. Maggie raced up and down the beach, stopping only to sniff the dead seal.

Typical lazy Sunday with the wee ones.

Focus........

Soren can now focus in and hit objects. These two characters make very thrilling jingles when hit.....at least Soren thinks so.

Who's getting a strong neck?

Another Boston Round-Up! This time in San Jose.

Cindy's weekend visit

Before school starts in a few weeks, Cindy flew out to see us here in San Jose. On Saturday, we went to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

New Skills!

Soren is strong enough now that he can hold his head up for short bits of time. He likes to sit in his special Bumbo chair and explore in his jumper. He's also begun to imitate us by sticking out his tongue - which he finds quite funny. Soon we'll get a picture of that!