We're still here!

Remember that time I was on a roll with posting regularly and then fell off the face of the earth for three months?


Well...

Guys-- it's been a crazy summer. Little Man and I have been pretty (aka incredibly) busy for the past few months, and I'm not really sure when things will slow down.

We have been- and will be- swamped with exciting things that I'll share more about soon, but for now I at least wanted to write something just to let everyone know that we're still here!

Both of us!

Little Man and I have now been together for over 10 months, which is three times longer than I initially expected. Lately I've been prone to lots of emotions as I realize how quickly the time has flown by. Little Man has changed so much since September- I'm not even really sure he could be considered a "Little" man anymore; he's adorably chunky- as strangers at the grocery store always love to tell me.
But beyond that, his personality has changed and grown a lot, too. He's so spunky and fun! He gets shy around new people, but he warms up quickly and becomes very lively and energetic. He also gets pretty chatty, as you can see here:

I like to tell people that he feels things very deeply- particularly hunger and joy. He's passionate and determined and wonderfully silly. He loves playing with his friends and feels just fine taking charge of social situations by grabbing their faces to say hello.

Lately, he loves brushing his teeth, watching me brush my teeth, using my legs to pull himself up, eating (obvi), reading, dancing with me, and trying to see if he can crawl across the room and stick the dog's bone in his mouth before I can catch him (so far, he's only been successful once).

He is definitely an observer and seems to take everything in around him; he is fascinated by anything from cars driving by to finding a tiny leaf on the ground. It's exciting to think about how that's helping his brain develop!

So, besides him crawling and me chasing him down, what have we been up to lately? Well, here's a short list:

• I bought a house! I still can't believe it some days, but it's true- I'm a homeowner.
• Because of that, I've spent a lot of time cleaning/packing.
• I've also been busy with re-doing home inspections! Remember how fun that was one year ago? I get to do it all again!! I've measured rooms and drawn evacuation plans, covered every outlet, put up smoke detectors, etc, etc. Today was actually my official fire inspection, but I'm still trying to get ahold of the health inspector. There have been a few issues with the new place, but I managed to pass initial inspections (allowing us to at least move in), so hopefully that's a sign the official ones will go smoothly!

Here we are in front of the house! Little Man refused to look anywhere but directly at the camera, so I had to disguise him.

• We've traveled!
• Early in July we went on a family trip with my mom and siblings to.... Harry Potter World! It was a really great trip. Apparently Little Man is too young to be sorted into a House, but I'm pretty sure he's a Gryffindor. Obviously he didn't get to go on any of the rides, but he was woken up by a dragon in Diagon Alley on multiple occasions, so it was still pretty memorable overall.

The calm before the storm- or the fire-breathing roar.

• We also went to New York! Two of my friends and co-workers came with us, which was so helpful. It was nice to spend time with my mom and sister, and also to have my mom watch Little Man while I explored the city with my friends. He loved playing with my mom's tiny dog, but I think his favorite part was our picnic in Central Park. (Because food.)

• I was promoted! Little Man wasn't too involved with this particular event- which happened in the beginning of the summer- but it did lead to a day care change for him. While I'm really excited about my new job, it's definitely added to the craziness of the summer. I've transitioned to this role in the peak of a hectic season at the office, but I'm hopeful things will slow down a bit eventually!

So those are the big summer happenings, but let me follow them up with some photos for you:

Here's Little Man with a ghost during his first time in a pool. It seemed to startle him at first, but he warmed up to it quickly!

He's gotten really good at hide and seek, using this bowl to take it to the next level. He has also has gotten very drooly. 

He's tried so many good foods this summer! Here are the remains of watermelon and yogurt.

Spinning records like a champ.

And working on his yoga.

RG isn't sure what to think about his BFF's new level of mobility...

...so he tries to keep him pinned in one place.

There you have it. An brief update, some pictures, and the peace of mind of knowing I haven't completely forgotten about this blog!

But before I end this post, I have one more photo...

In case you haven't seen it, Wendy's is doing a campaign where you take a picture completing the heart on one of their cups (see below) and share it on social media with he hashtag, "Share4Adoption." For every new photo, they donate $5 to the Dave Thomas Foundation- which helps find permanent families for children in foster care. So go treat yourself to a Frosty, and then take and share a photo. You get a delicious treat, and you get to support kids and families! Win-win. And it's so easy! 

So do it for me and Little Man! 

(If you're like me and you don't frequent fast food establishments, you could always hang on to the cup and take new pictures every once in a while. The campaign wraps up at the end of September, so take as many photos as you can until then!)

Thanks for reading today and catching up with us- and stay tuned for more exciting updates soon!