Sledding with Sophie

We woke up this morning to about 8 inches of snow on the ground. Conner, Sophie, Aunt Andi, and I took advantage of the sun and snow and did some sledding at mom and dad's house. We had a lot of fun.

Housework

Conner helped daddy vacuum the floor today. He seriously rode and held on the entire time it took to vacuum the living room. He loved it. He is going to be such a big help with house work.

Happy Birthday Sophie and Caroline

Today, we went to a Birthday party for Conner's friends, Sophie and Caroline Engler. They are turning 1. He had so much fun playing with the other little ones his age. They had some cool toys to play with, a tent to crawl through, and a doggie. It was such a big day for Conner. There was just so much to watch. He fell fast asleep while watching the twins tackle their cakes. We had a lot of fun today. The best part for Conner was getting a balloon to take home. He loves it.

They each had their own penguin cake. They were so CUTE.

Tooth #5

This was a big week for Conner. He got his 3rd and 4th tooth on Monday and his 5th one came in on Friday. What a painful week. He is getting ready for big people food. Good Luck getting a peak at the top three teeth. He isn't much into showing them off right now.

Cabin Fever

Conner and I have been stuck indoors for a couple of days now due to illness. So, I told him last night that if we were both feeling up to it, him and I would go shopping for some birthday presents for a party Saturday. The weather is nasty today. It is cold and rainy. We have not decided if we are going to tackle it. Sitting at the front door is one of his favorite things to do. He usually sits here and watches his dad rake leaves or decorate for Christmas or whatever he does outside. We stay inside with the heat and watch Steve from the door. Today, I put him at his door and he watched it Rain, the garbage man pick up the trash, a woman walk her dog, and cars pass by. He loves his lookout post. You could tell he was looking for his daddy, but he is at work. He is a smart little guy.

Two Top Teeth

Conner broke ground on his two top teeth Monday. That makes 4 total. One is completely through and the other is almost there. When Steve picked him up from daycare Monday, Ms. Linda said he had woke up on the wrong side of his crib. She said that the one tooth popped through that day and he was feeling the pain. Monday night and Tuesday morning proved to be the same. He is having a rough time. Just a little more and they will be a bad memory. Hang in there Conner. I sent Steve to Wal-mart to get groceries, and he comes home with this new buggy for Conner.

Grandma Heaven

The G.I. bug hit the Elfreich house pretty hard this weekend. We each had a round of it. On Tuesday, Steve and I were still not back to normal, so the Grandmas were called in. Grandma E took the morning and Grandma P took the afternoon. That boy was in Heaven. The smile says it all. Thanks Grandmas for all of your help this weekend. We needed it. Love you both.

Helping make Dinner

He's into Everything

This morning while I was getting ready for work, I had to go to the bathroom. You can't leave Conner unattended anymore, so I took him with me and sat him on the floor. I flushed, washed my hands and left the bathroom. I said "Come on Conner." Usually he will follow you. I got to the kitchen and started making bottles. I realized he didn't follow so I went to look for him and this is what I found. He can pull up on anything. Splish Splash. Maybe this means he will be an early potty trainer.

Conner's Corner

We have a corner in our living room where we shove all of Conner's toys and books. They stay in tubs. Well, it was tub after tub. So, Steve bought a book case to store some of the books and toys so we could get some floor space back. So now, we have Conner's Corner. He helped Steve put the bookcase together. It was laying flat on the floor. When Steve would hammer, Conner would smack it with his hand just like daddy did with the hammer. It was so cute. Monkey see, monkey do. He love the bookcase because he can see his toys better and can pull up on the shelves. IT IS BOLTED TO THE WALL.

Sledding

Today we made time for a quick sled ride so Conner could use his new sled he got for Christmas. He seemed to love the ride, even though it was bitter cold outside. We made it quick.

8 months old

Conner turned 8 Months Old on Friday. He spent it by adding a new state to his passport. We went on a road trip to Illinois to buy a camper, so the three of us got to spend his birthday together. We had a lot of fun, even though we spent most of it in a car. When we got to our destination, we stayed in a hotel, swam in the pool, and went out to eat.

He pulls himself to stand on anything he can get too.

He is into everything. We thought we had a couple of more weeks to baby proof. We were wrong.

Now that he can roll from his back to belly then sit himself up and take off crawling, diaper changes and clothes changes are quite eventful. Notice where the clean diaper is laying waiting for him. He will take off like a shot.

He is very curious.

What Conner is up to at 8 months old.

1. He weighs 25 lbs.
2. He wears size 18 month clothes and size 5 shoes.
3. He still has only 2 teeth.
4. He is now crawling
5. He pulls himself up to stand.
6. He will step sideways while holding on to stuff.
7. His bedtime is 7 p.m.. He lets you know when it is time to go to bed.
8. He sleeps all through the night.
9. He eats mashed potatoes, yogurt, applesauce, and apple juice plus all his regular foods.
10. He babbles a lot.
11. He definitely knows when he is somewhere strange. He is very comfortable at home. When he arrives at a new place, he takes a while to warm up to it. He checks out everyone there, everything in the room, and takes everything in. After a while, he starts feeling more comfortable and will start talking and playing.
12. He doesn't meet a stranger, but he likes to have mom or dad in sight.
13. He sleeps with Leon the lizard.
14. His friends at school are Lyra, Keira, Isabella, Trenton, and Jace.
15. His hair is looking more blond.
16. His eyes seem to change daily with the outfit.
17. He loves to make noises with his lips by humming and passing his fingers up and down across his lips.
18. He is trying to wave.
19. He changes every day.

Crawling

Conner has been trying hard for about a month to crawl. He has also been pulling up on everything he can grab onto. Today, I went to daycare to pick him up. Ms. Linda was telling me how active he was today and how he was pulling up on everything and even pulled his crib away from the wall. I asked her if he started crawling today and she said "NO, But he is so close." So, I bent down and got on my knees about 5 feet from where Conner was sitting on the floor. I said "Come on Conner, let's go home." He took off crawling, right to me. I was about to cry. I am so glad one of us got to be there for the first crawl. We were scared we would miss it. Steve hurried home to see Conner's new trick. He is on the go and there is no stopping him now. It is time to baby proof.

First Christmas

Conner's first Christmas was a great one. He was a little young to understand what was going on around him, but we had a great season because of him. It was a lot of fun dressing him up for celebrations, meeting Santa, shopping, and watching him stare at the tree and lights. It definitely made our Christmas memorable and exciting. Getting to experience Christmas through the eyes of a child sheds a whole new light on the holidays. He got many great gifts and cards and got to spend special time with his family. We are already looking forward to next Christmas.

The Paynes

Getting Little People

Celebrating Jesus' Birthday. Next year, Conner can eat some of the Birthday cake.

He got John Deere tractors from us, to start a collection of collectibles.

Staring at Santa from a comfortable distance.

He got this John Deere Rocker from Grandaddy and Grandma Payne.

He loved the paper and bows this year.

The Elfreichs

Conner and Brady got Recliners from Grandma and Grandpa Elfreich

He wanted to crawl so bad and get into the tree, but he hadn't figured it out, YET!

Checking out the tree and all the pretty ornaments and lights.

Conner and his father played a practical joke on Joe and Pam Muensterman involving an innocent lamb. I had nothing to do with it. Conner loved the lamb though.
On Conner's first Christmas came a very special gift for him. We learnt he was going to be getting another uncle. How exciting. Yeah!!!!