Back From Ecuador and Gunner Sits and he Eats!

We had a terrific time in Ecuador. I traveled all around the country seeing different bases and talking to pilots while Mike saw a lot of Quito and the surrounding areas. He played, I worked. Standard. It is a gorgeous country! We also got to spend a few days in the Galapagos islands. There are animals and birds everywhere! It was amazing! We're happy to be back with our little boy though.
Mike and Missy on the Equator--left side of the picture is the northern himisphere, right side is the southern.

Mike and Missy with giant tortoises.

Mike wants to be a tortoise.

Gunner had a fabulous 10 days with his Grandma. She took such good care of him and she taught him how to sit up all by himself. He also grew about another inch and gained almost 2 lbs! We knew he had a growth spurt coming. He had his first taste of a vegetable today--yams. He made some funny faces initially, but he gobbled it all up. The kid is not picky. He is also getting close to crawling...he's up on all fours these days. It won't be long.


Gunner likes to drink from a cup!Yams, yum!

6 Months Old

Gunner is half way to a year already! Time has flown by. He's sitting up on his own now (although he still has the occasional wipeout forward or backward, but it builds character, right?). We had a terrific time with the Tittels last week. We took the COG railway to Pike's Peak. It was fun to meet their little girl, Anna.

Gunner is perfectly healthy and is doing great, but he hasn't really grown much since his last appointment. He's only weighing in at 13lbs and 24 1/2 inches long, so we're on a mission to fatten him up. Luckily, my mom and aunt are in town and I'm sure they'll be able to make that happen! They'll be watching Gunner for the next 10 days while Mike and I go to South America. We're looking forward to it but I'm not sure how I'll take the separation from Gunner. Thank goodness for email and digital pictures!!!

Gunner and Anna Tittel playing together.

Hiking

Gunner took his second hike last weekend. We went up to Cheyenne Canyon with Jim and Stacey Chacon. It was a bit chilly so we didn't go very far, but Gunner enjoyed the beautiful scenery!Mom carried Gunner up the hill....
And Dad carried Gunner down the hill.....And then Gunner got very sleepy.... After the hike, Gunner and Jack got to play together. Jack is just 2 weeks younger than Gunner.

Gunner and his "Uncles"

Just wanted to post these pictures of Gunner with Uncle Marshall (left) and Uncle Mitchell (right). He LOVES to play with them every day over at Mrs. Stacy's house. They are both excellent role models and hopefully, Gunner will grow up to be a good boy like them! They just took their Colorado state school exam and Mitchell is already reading at the college level (as a 12 yr old) and Marshall, who just finished kindergarten, is reading at a 6th grade level!! We're so proud of them! Gunner loves them both!

First "solid" food

So, we read up on babies eating solid food and everything warned us not to be concerned because almost all the food would end up getting spit out. Most babies only eat about a teaspoon of rice cereal their first try. Well, not Gunner! He ate, and ate, and ate. Hmmm, I wonder who he gets that from???




Gunner also has a new favorite toy that can keep him entertained for HOURS. Can you guess what it is? His foot! And, the best part is that he's got two of them!

5 Months Old Today

Gunner is a big 5.0 (months). Yesterday morning Mike said, "I think Gunner grew about an inch overnight!" He did look taller!
He's really good with his hands these days--he can reach out and grab at his toys and stick them right in his mouth and drool all over (we're so proud). :-) He's also rolling over all the time and he sleeps on his side sometimes. One of these days he'll be able to sit up by himself...he's getting closer!

Gunner is such a thoughtful son. He got his momma a Tassimo coffee/latte maker for Mother's day. It was such an awesome gift! And, he took me on a hike up to the Reservoir in Palmer Lake with Mike and Maisy. The last time we had done that hike was when I was 5 months pregnant. It was gorgeous up there!! He really enjoyed hiking (riding) in the Baby Bjorn. He stayed awake the whole way up, but then slept on the trip down the mountain.

Happy kid

Just thought we'd add this video of Gunner before bedtime. He's always very happy and LOUD on the changing table before we put him to bed. I think it's his play to distract us from putting him in the crib.