My Smart Baby

So I really want my baby to enjoy reading. We enjoy reading together. Baby S has many favorite books, and it makes my heart happy to see him actually enjoying being read to even though he is so young. I got the program, Your Baby Can Read, and am excited to try it. If nothing else, I think it will help build his vocabulary and expose him to the concept of reading. The other day, I was trying to get the nursery cleaned, so I put Baby S in the chair in the nursery where I could keep my eye on him. Then I gave him one of those touch cloth books. He was so adorable, so, of course, I ended up taking pictures instead of really cleaning. It amazed me because Baby S seems to already have a basic understanding of how books work. He was turning the pages on his own and really seemed to enjoy looking at the different pages. He even held the book up to show me what he was reading! I promise, none of these pictures are posed--it was just one of those moments that probably won't happen again, but was cute nonetheless! He'll be reading Harry Potter in no time! Just kidding! =)




P.S. Here's an article from Whattoexpect.com that I really liked!

How to Read to Baby: Three Ways to Raise an Avid Reader

It's never too early to be a bookworm. Learn how to encourage your baby to love storytime.

Even though your baby is probably more interested in chewing on his books than the words and pictures on their pages, he's learning the valuable lesson that books are fun — not to mention a great way to spend time with Mommy and Daddy. Here's how you can encourage reading, even at this early stage:

• Look for…Sturdy board books that he can gnaw on, pile up, crawl over, and otherwise manhandle. Extra points for audience participation: flaps to lift or textured patches to touch and feel. Your baby also might like splashing with a vinyl book in the bathtub. Illustrations or photos should be simple (no complicated, overwhelming backgrounds), bright, and familiar: household items, animals, things that go, and especially other babies and children (try photo albums too!). As for the words, they should be simple, too, and few in number, so you can keep the pages turning quickly. You needn't read them all, or stick to what's really on the page — make changes to suit your baby's interests and mood. In particular, rhymes are music to a baby's ears — many little ones love the rhythm and predictability.
• Try to…engage him with lots of commentary and an appealing tone. Add silly voices and animal sounds. Read often, slipping in stories whenever he's alert but calm. Try after lunch, before naps, during or after a bath, and at bedtime. Some babies even like to listen to a story during meals.
• Show him…that reading is fun by doing it yourself. Let him see you enjoying a book or magazine; you can even read aloud from whatever it is you're perusing. The words aren't as important as your enthusiasm for them. Any exposure to reading helps him learn how books work and builds vocabulary.

Baby's First Vacation

Moab April 2010
This past weekend we went to Moab. It was baby's first vacation and so much fun. I learned two things though about vacationing with a baby: 1. It is much like traveling with a rock star (he had four bags, plus his pack n' play, stroller, car seat and other odds and ends while Hubs and I crammed all of our stuff into one bag!), and 2. It is a lot of work! But I had a great time. It was good to just get away from the house work, the cooking, and the day-to-day stuff and to have an adventure. Baby S was such a trooper. He pretty much slept the entire long drive to Moab. He was great at adjusting to being in a new environment. He kept his routines and went to bed at the hotel just as he does at home. We got to Moab Friday evening, had dinner at one of our favorite places in Moab (Moab Diner), and then went in search of our hotel. We were there with some friends and ended up staying in a really, really nice place called Red Cliff Lodge. It was late when we got there, so I couldn't see much of the scenery but the sky was crystal clear and glimmering with thousands of stars. In the morning, I got up and went out on our patio (yes, we had a patio, along with a small kitchen and sitting area). The scenery was spectacular!
Here are some pictures from the lodge:







They had horses! I love horses! Next time we're definitely going to play city slickers and go for a horse ride!
Baby and me on the patio:

Saturday morning we got up and went jeeping. It was good to be out in the old, yellow jeep again. With Hubs being in school, it has been awhile since we've played! It was a nice, easy trail (compared to what Hubs has taken me on before) and good starter trail for the baby. We were with a group of people, most of whom had never been jeeping before and were driving rentals. The destination was Top of the World.
Baby S mostly slept the entire time!

Though he woke up occasionally to eat...

And to pose and be adorable for the camera. Basically, it was business as usual!

Here's the view from on Top of the World. It was so incredible! Pictures don't do it credit! And let me put a little political plug in here: It will be really sad if the government decides to zone all of these areas as wilderness instead of public-access. People will miss out on some beautiful places! I think for the most part, jeepers and four-wheel drivers are very responsible and take good care of the trails because they appreciate what's out there and want to keep it beautiful. (Okay, Pres. Obama?) =) Okay, enough of my political soap box, here's the picture!

And here's our family Moab picture (if only Gimli and Gus had been there, it would have been the perfect family picture! ):

It was a little windy up there, so I guess Baby S was worried about his hat blowing away?! =)

Me driving! Good thing there were no pedestrians (I don't think there were, anyway)!

This is Hubs pretending not to be worried about my driving!
Our friends, Clay and Drew.
Baby S was picking up on girls even up here! He is such a flirt!

After we got back to the lodge, Baby and I decided to call it a day. Hubs and his buddies decided to go hit some more trails. Baby S and I lounged around, went for a walk, took more pictures, and had a DELICIOUS dinner at the restaurant the lodge with our friends, Leigh, Max, and Leigh's parents. Then Sunday it was time to come home and crash! Vacations are fun but exhausting! But as far as first vacations go, I think it was a huge success!
Out on a walk.
My little rock star! Uncle Clay gave him this cute Metallica onesie!


Baby S digs the hotel life. Here he is lounging on the bed after a nice warm bath!
Daddy and his boy in their hats!
Hangin' out with the Duke! Apparently, a lot of movies have been shot in this area, including a few with John Wayne, Back to the Future III, City Slickers II, and Thelma and Louise.