12 months! Can It Be??

cannon, 12 months

Dear Sweet Cannon,

You have grown so much this month!  You have added a full inch to your height since your nine month doctor’s appointment, bringing you to 30.5” tall.  You have also gained four pounds in the last three months and now weigh a whopping 23lbs and 7oz.  My little 'string bean' baby of the past can now hold his own, especially if the situation requires mighty thighs or cheeks!  In height, weight and head circumference you are now in the 75^th percentile.  This is good news because it means all of your proportions are about equal and we now get more comments on how much darker your hair has become than on your beautifully large brain.  In the last couple of months you have developed a skin irritation mostly around your elbows and knees that the doctor believes to be a minor case of eczema, having something to do with our laundry detergent or dryer sheets.  I am going to wash your clothes with a milder detergent as well as eliminate dryer sheets and see if that helps.  The rash may clear up without much change once you start walking because your clothes won’t be rubbing on your knees as abrasively.  

Right now walking is not a top priority for you.  I think it has something to do with watching Tank on all fours, not having older kids around all the time, being a really good crawler, and lack of interest.  You did take three steps while we were visiting Memaw in Utah but you have not tried again since that night two weeks ago.  Since then you have shown readiness by doing a lot of cruising and sometimes crawling on your hands and feet, rather than knees.  I love watching you scramble around. 

Something that you picked up on our big trip to see grandparents is peek-a-boo.  You laugh SO hard when someone pops out and surprises you.  You also love to be chased and to play hide and seek.  Your favorite places to hide are under tables, behind furniture and in corners.  You are sure that there has never been anything funnier than when someone discovers Baby Cannon in hiding.  When you get excited you give a HUGE six-toothed smile, put your chin to your chest and kick your little legs as fast as they will go.  If tickling follows, you shrug and laugh so hard that everyone around you ends up laughing too.  Recently, excitement has started leading to hitting people in the face too so we are trying to harness that tendency as fast as possible.  Your most ticklish spots are your neck, your spine, the inside of your legs and your feet.  If I tickle your feet you kick and kick until I stop… then put your foot back in my hand for more.  You love to laugh.

At the beginning of this month, you and I went on a big trip to the west coast.  We spent a week in Utah with some of Daddy’s parents, Memaw and Pogo, and Uncle Brandon where we got to see their new house in Alpine, played A LOT, attended Auntie Savanna’s baby shower for your cousin Pierce who is supposed to arrive on April 1^st, spent time with Uncle Nick and Aunt Gabby, and had play dates with your Murdock cousins and Auntie Dani and her babies Sirri and Tanner.  You took a special liking to Pogo (Grandpa Craig) and wanted to stay in his arms for as long as possible.  You even let him give you a baby back massage in his home-based chiropractic office!  Toward the end of our trip Uncle Brandon taught you how to push a car rather than throw or scoot them along as you crawl; and how to hold and write with a pen.  Your favorite thing to do with Memaw was play chase.  You were thrilled that she was willing to get down on the floor and crawl after you until her pants and tops of feet were dirty.  The two of you laughed and chased and cuddled for hours and hours. 

After our Utah stop we caught a short flight to spend some time with Grandpa Chad and Momo (Daddy’s Dad and Step-Mom).  They loved to listen to all of your sounds and words.  You love to point and say oooh, Mama, Dada, what’s that, what’s this, or wow.  The weather was beautiful and they loved taking you outside to spend time in the sunshine and green grass.  Momo and I took you to feed the ducks and visit the horses at the park near their house.  Grandpa Chad loved capturing all of your different emotions and expressions as he took handsome pictures of you.  After a couple of days Daddy and lots of other family and friends came in town to celebrate your first birthday and Disneyland Day!  On Friday evening storm clouds rolled in so we decided to abandon the park and all join to celebrate at Lamppost Pizza.  You ate pizza, opened FUN presents, and covered yourself in the frosting from your cake.  I think that the only cake you actually ate were the three bites I spoon-fed you.  The rest of the time you just grabbed the frosting and tried to shake it off of your hands onto the ground… usually missing and getting it all over yourself.  We all had a great time socializing and celebrating the year of total joy you have brought into our lives.

The next day was our fourth annual family Disneyland Day!  Normally we have lots of kids at Disneyland Day but this year you were the ONLY ONE!  I think it is pretty safe to say that your feet didn’t touch the ground or the stroller one time that day, except when I laid you down after you fell asleep in my arms on Pirates of the Caribbean.  You loved every ride you went on and had wide eyes and a pointing finger every time I looked over at you.  You were the perfect Disneyland baby.   You love large groups of people, whether it is Mother Goose at the local library or a huge theme park.

The next day, you spent the day hunting for Easter eggs, decorating cookies and riding the Easter train with Grandpa Chad and Momo while Daddy and I spent another day at Disneyland.  They loved spending time with you and getting to know your sweet personality.  You are a very organized baby.  You like to sort things into piles, then pull your piles apart and sort everything into different piles.  You also like to stack anything with sides.  When you put your mind to a task you become VERY focused on your mission and rarely divert your attention until the task is complete.  I predict that this will later translate into both a ‘work-hard then play-hard’ mentality as well as some one-track-mindedness, but only time will tell.

Through all of our travels you have turned out to be quite the man’s man.  You love grandpas, uncles, and anyone else that likes to wrestle or talk about sports.  When you’re not with the boys, you like to be with Mama.  You have become a bit cuddlier lately and will lay your head on my shoulder or lap when you get tired or shy.  You also still love holding hands, especially while on your changing table or riding in a shopping cart.  I love holding your hand and hope you will keep holding my hand for years to come.

Cannon, this year has changed me.  You have softened my heart and opened my eyes to the most tender kind of love.  You have allowed me to mother you and comfort you, and as a result we have an incredibly strong connection.  I hope to always love and care for you with the purity of caring for an infant.  I love knowing you; I love watching you grow.  I am so grateful that you are my son and that you chose to come to Earth at this time.  I am sure Heavenly Father misses having you around but He watches over you all the time.  You can have the same kind of loving relationship with Him that you have with Daddy now if you keep His love in your heart and show that love in the things you do.  I love you and can’t wait for  you to wake up tomorrow.

I Love You Forever,

Mommy

Cannon is 11 Months!

Baby Cannon, 11 months

My Sweet Candy Man,

Happy 11 months!  It is so wild to think that in just a month you will be having your first birthday.  You are growing up!  Though I don't know your exact height and weight right now, you seem to be growing into your head so that's saying something.  It's also fun that you are completely out of your 9 month clothes now and I can officially start shopping in the TODDLER section (which has a much better selection)!!  Your hair is still ashy blonde and is getting so long and crazy!  You are going to get your first professional haircut (not that your 3-month mullet removal wasn't professional) next week to even things up a bit before you go see all of your grandmas and grandpas next month for Disneyland Day!  Your eyes are a pretty gray-green like Daddy's and your darling smile now contains FOUR teeth!  Two on the top and two on the bottom.  This seems to be helping a lot with your meals because you are able to take better bites.

You typically wake up in the mornings between 6 and 7am for a 4oz bottle then sit down to breakfast with Daddy and I about an hour later.  We always have eggs and fruit for you and sometimes some yummy green juice that you love.  After filling up, you play in the bathroom for a while while we all get ready for the day then have another 4oz bottle before your nap, which usually starts at 9 or 10am.  After sleeping for 1.5-2 hours you have lunch around noon.  It usually contains some sort of protein (normally chicken), some veggies, and applesauce (your favorite).  We get you all dressed and handsome and the activities begin!  You like to be out of the house as much as possible.  The days that we don't leave, you get really grumpy and whiny.  You love to go shopping; on walks; to play areas at the library, mall or Tot Town; and go to friends' houses. 

A couple of weeks ago we went over to visit my friend Laura May and her boys for lunch.  You kept up as best you could as the older boys and dogs ran and mommies chatted and ate.  At one point I watched you crawl into the kitchen.  About 10 seconds later I realized that there are stairs down to the basement from the kitchen and jumped up to make sure that you didn't go tumbling down!  When I got there you were sitting in the middle of the kitchen covered in something brown.  It was all over your hands, clothes, and mouth.  Even your little drool was brown.  I almost couldn't breathe when I realized that you were snacking on their dog, Ruby's, poop!

Dinner is normally had around 4:00 and consists of baby food mixed with oatmeal.  Before bed I give you a big 8oz bottle to keep you full through the night and you go right to sleep.  We have started bathing you right before bed now and it seems to work a lot better for you.  Very rarely do I hear a peep after putting your down.

Your favorite noises to make still consist of a lot of lip fluttering and yelling.  Your words don't really mean much yet but you can say mama, dada and 'ruck' (truck).  You love cars, trains, trucks, and basically anything else with wheels.  Keeping with the all-boy theme, you also love throwing things, wrestling, splashing, and dogs.  Tank is liking you more all the time, as your throwing is improving daily.  You also like to get right in Tank's face to yell and flap your arms... he appreciates that MUCH less than the throwing.

Though you are an absolute joy, it is important that I mention your stubborn nature.  If you want to be held, you will whine and whine until I pick you up.  You will not eat something if you decide you don't like it and have some major texture aversion to things like tuna and cottage cheese.  If you are happily playing in another room or with someone else and I walk by, more whining for Mommy.  I love being your go-to girl and am so happy we have such a special bond but I'm hoping that as you age you will find another way to express yourself.  Maybe sign language isn't such a bad idea after all...

Though we haven't taught you any baby sign, there is a video monitor set up in your room and it is so cute to watch you wave bye bye after I put you down for a nap.  You like to wave at things when you are bored or ready to leave, but almost never on command.  Your kisses are big, wet and sloppy and I gobble them up whenever you are willing to give them away.  You are happiest when you spot your walker from across the room.  You are not walking on your own yet but you can push and steer your little pushable walker all around town.  I love to watch you laugh and smile as you successfully navigate through a tricky area.  Daddy and I have tried to help you translate your walker-pushing into real walking but that makes you mad and you just plop down on your little bottom.

I love to watch your little personality develop as you get older and am excited to help you continue to learn and grow.  You light up my life and I am so happy to be your mom.

Love you Forever,

Mommy

Cannon is 10 Months!

cannon michael, 10 months

My Sweet Can Man,

You have been SO much fun this month!!  You love to laugh and play and make big messes!  Your favorite places to play are the kitchen and the bathrooms.  You love to pull the toaster out of the kitchen cupboard to see how many crumbs were left inside from its last use.  You also enjoy unraveling the toilet paper in the bathroom and let Tank rip your mess to shreds!

You and Tank are becoming quite the duo!  You hold onto his tug rope and he drags you around from the other side.  You sit in your high chair and he waits patiently at your feet for his half of the meal.  You throw his ball and he happily brings it back.  He even follows us into the nursery while you get your diaper changed and into the bathroom during your baths, which you now LOOOOVE to take in the bath tub like a big boy!  It seems that the only thing he is waiting on before becoming blood brothers are your abilities to aim when you throw and for you to take your first steps.

You are a confident cruiser and can switch between pieces of furniture or hands easily but walking does not seem to interest you yet.  Your crawling abilities are being perfected as you explore the world around you.  I am constantly finding little trails as I pick up in the evenings that just seem to say 'Cannon was here'!

Just the other day we were at the Kennedy's house taking care of their kids Ethan (5) and Eva (3) when you found their cereal shelf.  I was cleaning up in the next room over and realized that I had not heard you in a while, so came to see what was going on.  There you were, sitting in a pile of Cheerios with the box on one side of you and the empty bag on the other, looking as innocent and happy as ever.  You could not see the problem... probably because you were being so good about cleaning up after yourself, eating at least half of the mess right off of the floor.  I decided just to let you eat for a while as I took pictures and laughed to myself.

When you're not making me laugh, you are certainly making yourself and everyone else laugh.  You love to pull your flirtiest of faces, shrug your shoulders, put your chin down and giggle when you get excited.  It is absolutely irresistible.  Your other charms include lots of waving, nuzzling, kissing, fluttering your lips, holding hands and jabbering at anyone that will listen.

At the end of December you pulled out all the stops and soaked in a week of Grandma Camp.  Daddy and I went with some of the other grown up Murdocks on an eight-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and Grandma Cheryl came all the way to Connecticut to love on you while we were gone.  I missed you like crazy but knowing you were at home with Grandma made everything alright.  She had lots of fun stories to tell us when we got back.  I felt like I hadn't seen you in a year, you had changed so much!  You had two top teeth on their way in, you didn't need your wrap to sleep any more and you changed from two naps a day to only one!  Now you wake up between 6 and 7am and go back down for a nap around 9am.  You sleep for two hours, then we get the party started for the rest of the day.  Every once in a while you ask for a second nap but I think those days are numbered, which is ok since we have 1:00 church this year.

Your mischievous tendencies paired with your sweet nature make me want to squeeze and play with you all day long.  Thank you for being so loving.  For setting your head on my lap so that I can play with your hair and for holding my hands at every opportunity.  Your chubby little fingers could not be any cuter.  I love your smile and your laugh but mostly that you are all mine (and daddy's) and I get to spend so much time with you.  You are my sunshine.

Forever,

Mama

PS.  You also stopped spitting up this month!!  THANK YOU!!

A couple more from our 10-month collection:

Cruise Pics

There were at least 3 billion photos taken within our group.  Here are some of the highlights from our camera:

I conquered the rock wall

The first two days were SOO windy!!!  Hang on Miranda!!

My inlaws are so fun!!

Hot mother in law!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Michael loves to dance - this is how we welcomed 2013 :-)))

This is our whole group!  From left to right: Dean, Linda, Mckay, Lydia, Derek, Becca, me, Chad, Rachel, Michael, Savanna, Jon, Bruce, Lisa, Miranda, Bryce

Nastiest animals ever.  They were all over the rocks in St. Thomas and Michael was getting way too close to them.

This donkey had real teeth!!

Glad somebody likes to snorkel :-)

My cute SIL Savanna, Rachel, and Jon

Becca rinsing the salt water off after snorkeling

Murdocks

More Murdocks

I can't wait till Cannon learns to snap his dad with towels

Happy 26th Birthday to me!!

Reenacting the zip line

Drinking coconut milk - this is the guy that cut it open for us

Taking a customary indian picture

Big boat!!

Our cousins Miranda and Lydia with Aunt Lisa

Welcome 2013!

My birthday is January 1st so the start of a new year always ushers in a new age and phase for me.  Lucky for me, this year's new age (26!) came with Caribbean sunshine as Michael and I were on the Oasis of the Seas in the Eastern Caribbean.  Ironically enough, we snorkeled on my birthday. 

This may sound silly to you but I am deathly afraid of fish (specifically being touched by them).  And when I say deathly, I mean DEATHLY.  We're talking panic attacks in the middle of the ocean.  Snorkeling and haunted houses actually hold hands at the top of my 'things I never want to participate in' list.  In the past, I have thought it was a good idea to try and conquer fears.  And I still think that conquering can be beneficial in regards to things like public speaking, needles (which I have recently worked hard to move from my 'fear' list to my 'hate, but can handle it' list), hair cuts or other things that will benefit you in the long run.  Fish, though?  Why get over fish?  That's like feeling the need to get over not liking liver or something; it's always a personal choice to jump in a large body of water.

Nonetheless, the whole family wanted to go snorkeling in St. Thomas.  The boat was scheduled to stop twice.  The first time to see turtles and the second to see sting rays.  I am not sure who reads 'swim with STING rays' and thinks Steve Irwin was probably just kidding but that adventure was not even a second thought on my radar.  Turtles though?  Turtles are so sweet and beautiful and... SLOW!!  When we got to the turtle bay I waited for everyone to leave, then I put on a mask.  I'm sure the view was great as I tried to stick my face in the water off the back of the boat without having to get all the way in.  I stayed back there for a good 5 minutes and somehow didn't see a single fish!  When Michael saw me testing the waters he came back and stood by as I jumped in and swam a lap around the boat.  In the process we saw a beautiful giant sea turtle!!  I watched it grazing on the ocean floor for a minute then followed it as it came up for air.  It was so magical!  We swam a little further from the boat and saw a few more turtles before our time was up and the captain called us back to the boat.  As we neared the boat I saw my first school of fish, almost drowned my husband, then pushed a seven year old boy off the step ladder to get back in the boat.  His dad gave me a dirty look but I flashed him one of those beautiful runny-maskara/I-think-I-might-die smiles and I think he forgave me.

What have I learned from this experience? 
A. I am ok with being afraid of fish for the rest of my life if I can still swim with the turtles every once in a while.  Jacques Cousteau and I can always talk about the art of frying an egg or something in the afterlife...

B. There will be no fish in my 2013 resolutions!  I love resolutions.  They are like goals that nobody expects you to accomplish.  Last year I read an article that said that a person is least likely to reach a goal if it is made in the month of January.  Either way, I love making them and I often times do accomplish them (cheers to those of us that accomplished all that we set out to do in 2012!!)!  Here is what I have resolved to do this year:

1. Pay off my car.  We bought my cute Honda CRV in June of 2012 and paying it off will make us debt free.
2. Have FUN with Cannon.  In my opinion, motherhood is an awesome excuse/reason to do fun things every single day.  As much as I enjoyed working, it is AWESOME to spend my days swimming at the pool, taking pictures, going on walks, dancing, going to the library, playing with my baby, going to the park or dog park, etc.  It's great that all I have to do is change stinky diapers, do laundry, clean the house and cook to pay for my extravagant lifestyle!  I have actually gotten to a place where I really like most of those things!  I want to make sure I take advantage of all of the FUN that we can.
3. Restrict my baby voice back to only using it with the baby.  As much as my 28-year-old husband wants me to pretend to be Elmo as we talk about our mortgage...
4. Be an awesome co-captain.  Believe it or not, sometimes Michael and I have different opinions.  I want to work on taking more of a team approach than siding...  Team Murdock always takes the cake anyway ;-)

Oh Cannonbaum! Oh Cannonbaum!

cannon, 9 months

My Sweet Cannonbaum!

I am just overflowing with love for you today and always!  You are excited, energetic, curious and loving.  How could I ask for anything more!?  Today at the doctor you weighed in at 19lb 15oz, putting you in the 50th percentile.  You were 29.5 inches tall, in the 80th percentile, and had a head circumference of 46.5cm, which of course puts you off the charts.  Through the whole appointment you giggled and flashed your brand new pearly whites, having the whole office in love with you by the time we left... And if you didn't catch that - yes!  You finally have TEETH!  Your bottom two teeth both came in when you were 8.5 months old and caused quite the disruption to your typically chipper demeanor for about four days.  When you woke up four times one night and couldn't shake your stuffy nose for about two weeks I knew something was up.  Then one morning I stuck my finger in your mouth and you bit me!  I thought for sure I would be so sad for teeth to barge in and taint that charming gummy smile but I have fallen for them just like I have fallen for the rest of you.

If it's not the teeth, maybe it is the green eyes but something is transforming you into a little miniature version of your sweet daddy.  Your nose is just like his, your hair is growing in (so blonde and fuzzy!!), and you have a little more meat on your bones these days!  I am most grateful for that extra padding you are now carrying around because you seem to have taken it upon yourself to discover anything and everything that you could possibly hurt yourself on.  You drew blood for the first time after loosing your balance and hitting your eyebrow on the corner of a friend's coffee table; it broke my heart.  You also added several beautifully-colored bruises to your head from falls against the wood floor in our entry way, the dish washer, the washing machine, the bath tub and many more.

Even with all of these injuries, however, you are fearless and have started to really understand how to balance your weight and tuck-and-roll to fall.  Your favorite things to climb up on are bath tubs, toilets, the dish washer, your crib railing, and the entertainment system.  When you pull up on the entertainment system you instantly target any remotes in sight, without neglecting to turn the Play Station (that is only for watching movies) on and off several times.

Once you are standing up, your eye level becomes higher and you can't help but cruise around to visit any eligible piece of furniture in the room.  If there is limited furniture you are happy to cruise along the walls and windows to get where you want to go.  You are a very confident traveler and love to enjoy life on every level, from laying to kneeling to cruising around.  Your favorite method of travel, however, is definitely crawling.  You are an INCREDIBLE crawler, darting from one room to another every time I turn my back.  Today I walked into the kitchen and watched you do sprints from one end of the room to the other for a long time.  I would not be surprised if you had a stopwatch hidden somewhere: you were working so hard!  My favorite thing to watch is when you are crawling around and something far away peaks your interest.  Immediately you transform from baby-on-the-move to TURBO SPEED by bowing your arms a little bit more to get closer to the ground, tucking your chin to your chest, and BLASTING OFF.  It is a crack up.

Another side to your all-boy persona is how you play.  You and Tank have started to play tug of war and a very simple version of fetch.  You are getting really good at throwing the ball, but it still only rolls a couple of feet at a time so you often end up chasing it yourself while the dog watches.  We are paying close attention to hand dominance because Daddy and Kimpa are really excited for your future career as a left-handed pitcher.  If Tank doesn't want to play you chase him around anyway, hoping that he will change his mind.  When he does not change his mind it is not uncommon for you to back him into his cage, close the door, and bang on the top of it until he gets really mad.  At this point you like to open the door and get your face as close to his growling snout as possible.  I thank the Lord every day that Tank is not a biter but this is where I intervene.

When Tank is not available for your entertainment you love to play with matchbox cars.  You are more than happy to borrow them from anyone and can sit and occupy yourself with a bucket of cars for very long spans of time.  Needless to say, Santa has been informed.  This fascination with cars (and stealing them from other children) has made you several friends.  You play pretty well with other kids, though you are known to take what is not yours or hit others with whatever hard toy you have at the time.  Last week we were at a church activity and Daddy took you into the nursery to play with the other babies.  He watched you steal from and pummel several little boys around your age, correcting you when necessary.  When the first and only little girl (about two years old, mind you) entered the scene, however, you crawled right over to her and offered her your toy with a smile on your face.  Oh dear... what have I gotten myself into? 

Lucky for me, the sweetness does not end with pretty little girls.  You have started giving
things away freely to your parents, friends, and Tank.  You also love to hold Mommy's hands.  When I have you on your changing table, you are constantly stopping me from getting you dressed or putting on a new diaper just to hold my hand.  Sometimes when we drive you yell and yell until I put my free hand back so that you can hold it while we drive.  You love to hold my hand while you eat, sleep, or while I carry you around.  I absolutely love it.

This month you have also taken up waving, though very selectively.  You wear size three diapers during the day and size four's at night because you fill them up so well.  You have also advanced from a baby car seat to a reversible toddler seat that you will sit in until you are 40 pounds!  Though that landmark may seem pretty far off, your eating schedule begs to differ.  You typically drink about 30 oz of formula every day, have two pureed meals, and a finger-food snack.  You like everything but avocado, and carrots make you puke.  Some of your recent favorite snacks are hummus and green juice.

Cannon, you bring light everywhere you go.  Your energy and laughter are infectious.  Sometimes when you wake up particularly early I find myself confused in the grogginess of the morning, and then I open your bedroom door and your smile clears the fog.  I can't imagine anything more rewarding than being your mother and I feel so lucky to spend my days with you.  You are my heart.

Forever and Always,

Mommy

Cannon Ball is 8 Months!

cannon, 8 months

My Sweet Can Can,

I have just enjoyed every minute with you this past month!  I think this is the month that you have changed the most so far and it is thrilling to stand back and watch.  You are officially a champion crawler and you are determined to get into everything that is reachable by your chubby little fingers.  Your favorite things to grab are Mommy's hair, cords, and dog food.  You also like to play with cars, balls, Tank, and kitchen supplies.

We spent the first two weeks of November visiting your two sets of Californian grandparents and they could not get enough of your cute little smile.  When we visited Irvine you gave your first ever kiss to Momo (Grandma Rachel)!  Chad and I tried to get kisses but Momo was your only true love for a couple of days.  Eventually the kisses started coming our way too but it was so cute how particular you were to only kiss Momo at first.  Grandpa Chad loved to spend time with you balancing on a soccer ball in the living room and it was with him that you pulled yourself up to standing for the first time unassisted.  Ever since then I cannot hold you down.  You crawl like a mad man, stop, and pop up along side anything you can grab hold of.  I love to watch those little eyes and nose appear over couch cushions, dish washers and coffee tables; and you are SO proud of yourself every time.  While there we also met Navy Bishop and Ava Demasters.  Just so you know baby, these are good names to remember in about 15 years and 4 months...  Mommy approves.

After Irvine we traveled up north where Kimpa loved lifting you up to grab the chains on the ceiling fan and taking you on walks outside to talk to you about the leaves, doggies, turkeys and everything else in their neighborhood.  One of my favorite things to watch was when we set you down outside and you crawled onto the concrete.  Kimpa and I were watching you, trying to figure out what you were doing when we spotted a little ant crawling towards you.  You watched it until it got close then slammed your hand down on the cement and smeared it as far as an ant will smear.  You did this several times in a row... oh dear, you are SUCH a boy.  Grandma played with you on the floor to music for hours, eventually leading you to learn how to dance!  You love to bob your little head back and forth when you hear a fun beat and get especially excited when songs have hand motions like the Hokey Pokey and the Hand Jive.  You laugh so hard when people dance, jump, growl or make funny faces at you.  Your toothless little smile has friends and strangers all over the place grinning ear to ear.

While visiting Kimpa and Grandma Cheryl you also won the hearts of Grandma Lee, Dave and Joycie.  We took you over to Grandma Lee's house in your tiger costume on Halloween and she could not stop laughing because you just brought her "so much joy," as she says.  As Grandma giggled, Dave crawled around with you, baby proofing and wrestling as he went.  You loved Uncle Dave instantly and tended to gravitate to him whenever he was around.  We have some darling pictures of the two of you playing together on the floor with your whiskers painted on your cheeks.  Joyce spent her Cannon time pushing the stroller and making a mess out of you!  She LOVED to spoon-feed you and enjoyed letting you smear all of the food in your mouth into your hair, stroller, face and clothes.  It warmed my heart to watch you take your place among so many people that I love.

In general, you are a VERY happy baby.  You make it known when you are hungry, which is now about every 4 hours for a bottle and twice daily for solid foods like oatmeal and pureed fruits and veggies.  You do not like avacado in any form but are willing to take anything else we have given you so far.  Your favorite things are pureed bananas, gumming big chunks of apple, and drinking water from a glass.  Your naps are on more of a schedule now, which makes both of us very happy.  You generally wake up around 7am, go down for a nap around 9am, sleep for about two hours, eat some oatmeal, take a bath, play for a bit, then go down for your second nap.  Your afternoon nap normally ends around 2 or 3 and you generally stay up from then until bedtime at 7/7:30.  You are a great sleeper.  If we wait too long to put you down or you are upset for any other reason you talk like crazy.  Normally you are just full of baba's these days but when you're mad there is a whole new slew of consonants that surface.

As far as October activities go, we had a whole lot of Halloween fun.  Grandma Cheryl made you, Daddy, and I Three Amigos costumes that we wore to Daddy's work Halloween party and our ward's Trunk or Treat.  Everyone loved how cute you were in your little ruffled shirt and sombrero!  We also flaunted your adorableness around the local pumpkin patch and some of Daddy's other friends in a ducky costume that your cousin Zachy wore when he was your size.  We picked out our carving pumpkin at the Stew Leonard's grocery store here in Danbury and ended up getting stuck in the mud on a hay ride and finding out that you are deathly afraid of cows.  You have done great with every other type of animal at the petting zoo, puppy store, and zoo but when we got to the cows you were NOT a happy camper...  Mommy thinks it is your first plea to stay a vegetarian but Daddy has other plans.  You also have strong opinions now about who is holding you or playing with you and are not afraid to choose favorites.  Nothing makes me feel more loved than to see those little arms straining in my direction.

Cannon, thank you for your laughter and your INCREDIBLE amount of energy.  You have me smiling all day and sleeping hard every night.  You are such a perfect little boy.

All of my Heart,

Mom