Jasper vs. the cake

Hope you all enjoy this..we sure did. Jasper dove right into his cakes and presents. Surprisingly enough he did better with his birthday presents as far as getting the idea of ripping the paper off the present. He is still quite interested in the paper itself and the BOWS!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASPER!!!

So I know I have been completely slack in posting over the last month or so. Things got entirely too crazy for me here at the end of the semester, then Christmas took over, then New Years...UGHHHHH!!! Stick getting food poisoning in there an you have our holiday. However, I am not going to talk about any of that in great length because TODAY, is our baby's first birthday. Happy isn't even the word to describe the feelings Keith and I share when we look at Jasper, who is taking his first birthday nap as I type. (Only real way get anything done lately!).

Exactly one year ago today, I was ginormous and ready to meet the little man. Here it seems like yesterday and and he is turning 1!!! Since I have been quite slack the past month or so I will catch you guys up to speed. Jasper is walking AND talking!!! This just happened over the last week or so and he totally amazes me.

Jasper started pulling himself up about a month and a half ago and got really good at it, next thing you know he is walking around the coffee table. Shortly after mastering the cruising, he begins to walk from furniture to furniture without assistance. Then one day I sat on the floor with him and he turned to me from where he was standing at the table and suddenly threw himself at me with no fear. Those first few steps were a bit wobbly, but trust me this kid practices every time he get a chance now. The playpen and walker have become his enemy, they only hold him back.

Today, on Jasper's first birthday I declare him bipedal!! He can stand on his own without assistance, and walks where he wants to go...sometimes to the middle of the room just to stand!! My little prince is so brave about his new adventures, he sometimes flings himself at you before he has good balance and falls. But Jasper isn't impeded or afraid of disappointment, this kid literally brushes himself off with a loud scream of delight at his folly, then picks himself up with a smile. I tell you if only we all could revert back to our childlike mindset when it comes to obstacles in our life...things would be a lot easier.

Oh and Jasper is talking...whether we understand him or not is another question...but in my book he is talking. He has said "dog", "mama", and "dada" of course, but he also says things to me that I swear he thinks he knows what he is saying. Anyway, I am sure that he will continue to get batter...at least enough to where his parents can understand him!!!

We are going to be spending the big birthday weekend with the families! First we will be going to Jasper's uncles house (Keith's brother Webb) for a party just for Jasper. Then i is on to Johanna's house (my sister) for a party with Jasper's cousin Marissa whose birthday is in a few days. It is funny what you remember about things like the day you had your baby, but I remember thinking that is was never going to happen...I was simply going to be pregnant forever...but it did come...and now he is 1!! Well i must wrap this long note up and get back to the birthday boy who is waking from his nap, he has a lot to do!!! Love you all...Happy belated Holidays and New Years from the Fergusons!!!

Happy Birthday Jasper, mommy and daddy love you so much and are so very proud of you!!!!

Halloween..sort of!!

This semester has left me a bit frazzled so I didn't even have time to decorate for Halloween this year. Usually, we have a graveyard in the front yard and lot of interactive decorations for the trick or treaters. Our plans for Halloween this year were to hand out candy to the trick or treaters in costume and then make a brief appearance to my thesis directors annual Halloween party. However, I ended up having to work over and then the trick or treaters came earlier than expected so all our plans disappeared. To top it all off Jasper had been up playing ALL day so he hadn't napped but for a short stint, so he ended up falling asleep before we could even get him in costume. Fortunately, we did put him in costume several weeks ago so I did have an opportunity to takes some pictures. Here is Jasper the Giraffe, hehe.

Silly Faces

This little guy has the ability to make the funniest faces I have ever seen. I was lucky to catch a few on camera. Silly Baby!!!

Jasper's Playroom

Jasper has become more and more mobile the last few weeks. In fact he is now able to pull himself up as well as crawl on his hands and knees. With our little one yearning to explore with his new found mobility, we decided that it was important that he had a space to play and learn. This was especially necessary in my book since we don't have him in daycare and he spends his entire day at the house. Our front living room has been where Jasper has been spending most of his time so I decided to make the dining room into a playroom for him. We put gates up blocking the kitchen and the foyer so Jasper has two large rooms to crawl around and explore. Of course we baby-proofed these two rooms. However, I have to say that baby-proofing before you put baby on the floor is only half of what you need to do. No matter how hard you try to pick up and put away everything they might get into, there is always three things you forgot. But don't worry, Jasper has been quite helpful in letting us know what those things are :). Jasper's playroom now has a mat that spells his name and toys galore!! We all can't resist getting down on the floor with him and playing.

Oh my Gosh...Real Food!!!

MMMM....mashed potatoes and broccoli


Spaghetti and Meatballs...mmmmmmm

So Jasper's 9 month check-up was last Thursday and the doctor told us to start him on Stage 3 foods. Stage 3 foods is really code for table food, so Jasper has been enjoying mashed delectable treats. We have also started giving Jasper finger foods and he is having fun figuring out whether he wants to play, eat, or do both.

According to the doctors Jasper is in the upper percentiles in regards to his physical development. Translation...Jasper's a big boy. He weighs in at a whopping 24.1 lbs and is almost 2 1/2 feet tall. The doctors are amazed at his size because he isn't really overly chubby, he is tall and lanky like his dad plus a little extra from my side and voila we have GIGANTOR BABY!

"So hurry up already!"

I have had requests that we get to the recent pictures of Jasper. I wish I could share every picture of Jasper. Babies change so fast and we have been keeping the camera on the coffee table ready all the time. However, even preparing for the cuteness does not guaruntee that we will be able to capture it :). So needless to say we have a TON of digital photos of Jasper over the past 9 months, yes Jasper is 9 months ALREADY!!!

So here you have it guys, recent photos of Jasper, hehe. :)>

Jasper is always smiling...such a happy baby

The kid loves to be a ham...I wonder where he gets that from??

My grandmother would have eaten this kid up with looks like that...looks like a Grandma Sullivan look!

Jasper and his uncle Webb...see the Ferguson resemblance?

Jasper is a water baby, he loves the bath, swimming...anything where he can play in water!

Silly Baby, sunbathing with Mommy.