The many faces of a 6 month-old.

We had planned to do a little camping trip this weekend, but I woke up Saturday not feeling well and Michael, with a tickle in his throat, so we decided to stay home and give extra attention to our little man. :) I thought it also provided a good opportunity to do a 6 month update on said youngster.
Wow, here we are at 6 months already! Michael has grown to be such a happy, curious, and affectionate boy - as each day passes, we wonder how we could ever love someone more...

Here is Mr. Michael lately at his favorite pastimes at this 6 month mark.

 Waking up from his naps...

 and giving Mama a big smile.

 Chomping on some avocado... 

 and making funny faces, and a mess!

Spending time outdoors; so far, he really enjoys looking 

at water topography and playing with sand.

And of course, craning his neck to see the sights while being 

carried around by Mama either on hikes or for errands.

 Looking up at Daddy to see if he is making a funny face (which he inevitably is 95% of the time for Michael's reaction.)

 Giving Mama chubby handsome looks.

 He loves splash time after his bath...

 especially with Daddy.

I'm having such a fun time, Mama!

Michael has just been the best baby ever throughout our recent move, and while settling into a new home. Like all babies, he has a fussy day here and there, but does remarkably well for the majority of the time. He gnaws like crazy on anything he can get into his mouth. I can see his teeth through his gums, but no downward appearance yet. For the past month, Michael has shown an increasing interest in food, especially following each bite of ours with big eyes, opening his mouth and leaning forward. About 1.5 weeks ago, I finally gave in and gave him some banana. Since then, he has sampled cucumber, zucchini,  yams, apples, spinach smoothie and chicken. He mostly chews on a large stick of the firmer items, and the softer foods I have mashed up and fed to him. This food mill is wonderfully handy for grinding up freshly cooked veggies/meat and I like it because it doesn't puree the food, but leaves a little texture for Michael to experience (since he has the chewing part down). He loves drinking water and drinks it right out of a cup or glass. I tried a sippy cup, but he got frustrated as he only chewed on it (he still will only suck on one thing! ;) He even puts both of his hands on the sides of the glass to drink, drinks a sip and backs away to swallow, them brings the cup back to his mouth for more; so funny. It's hard for me to accept that he is at the food point already! He still wants to nurse, and so I haven't dropped any of his feedings yet, and only feed him a small amount of food after his breakfast and evening nurse. Some days, he shows less interest in food and so I'm not pushing the issue at this point. He does like to sit up on the table in his little chair and be near us at mealtimes, a habit I want to foster! :)

News flash! Michael is up and rocking back and forth on all fours - we should see some crawling action very soon! He often thrusts himself forward to grab a desired toy. He also enjoys sitting up to play. Favorite current toys: set of plastic cups from Ikea (thank you, Nana), his play-gym from Auntie Laura, and his Sophie teether. Any sort of tags fascinate him; he will spend lots of time examining one when he sees it attached to something. Once in a while he will re-discover his hands and turns them over and back in wonderment. This always makes his parents chuckle. 

We think Michael will be a very affectionate boy, as he often puts his forehead or check against ours while putting a hand on the opposite side of our face and holding us tightly that way. He will also reach up with both hands to touch our faces when he hasn't seen either of us for a little while - SO precious!! He loves coming in our bed for his early morning feeding and then lays between us looking back and forth at us both, and will smile big and usually stretch out a hand to each of us. 

Words Michael seems to affiliate with an object: tree, water, Daddy, and mama. I am working on "car" and "doggie," for we see many of those while out on our walks. When in our parish church, I will say, "Where is Jesus?" and he will look up to the huge icon relief of our Lord on the sanctuary wall. I am not sure if he knows that is Jesus or he is simply drawn to the bright colors, but it seems to be a start.

We can't believe how big our boy is now, and how far he has come from a 5.14lb peanut. Michael is at such a perfect, fun, good age now, that we want to pause time. (I especially, as I see the crawling/getting-in-to-everything stage draw near!) Will keep you updated on his progress!  

Labor Day weekend away.

 This past weekend, I had wanted to go camping somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula; however, surfing the web brought me to the conclusion that Labor Day weekend is not the best to attempt to nail down a first-come, first-serve campsite anywhere in the Seattle vicinity, and we could not leave our home until Sunday. (Catherine arrived from her tour de Spain/France/Italy/Dallas on Friday night, and Saturday we walked around Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront.) And so, we decided to go to Wenatchee for some hiking excursions, and my great uncle and aunt graciously allowed us to stay with them. It is always great to see extended family, share meals with them, and especially see them enjoy interacting with Michael. It was also nice for Mama and baby to have Andrew's undivided attention for 3 days straight!

On the way to Wenatchee, we stopped in Steven's Pass for a hike - very steep path up to the lookout point!

Future hiker!

Our quarters in the loft - broke in Andrew's birthday present, a queen size sleeping bag! :)

Good morning!

Monday's hike - Icicle Gorge River Trail

Every time Michael heard water sounds, he would look around for it and enjoyed peering over the bridges.

Beautiful canyon at the end of our loop hike.

After our hike, we spent some time relaxing on the shore of Lake Wenatchee - beautiful day!

 Then it was back to Frank and Patricia's for a cookout by the river.

It was nice to relax on the swing after a long day!

Cousins Greg, Allison, and their 2 children had recently returned from a 2 year hiatus in Australia;
we loved hearing their stories and trying out the didgeridoos!

 Tuesday morning we set off for home and stopped again in Steven's Pass for a hike.

 We hiked to Barclay Lake which is nestled in the shadow of Barclay Mountain.

 
The water level was quite low, but still made for a pretty and peaceful picture.

My boys 

Break for lunch - Michael chewed on an apple.

A wonderful weekend - I loved spending so much time outdoors with my little family.
God is good.

Afternoon hike.

Tuesday is typically Andrew's day off (because he works at night sometimes, we are blessed that he is given the privilege of having a 3rd day off every week) and yesterday we began what we hope will be a weekly tradition of hiking in the area. :) Michael very much enjoys being outdoors and looking at the trees and as long as he is with his mom parents, fed, and dry, he is a happy camper either in the stroller or Ergo carrier. And so we set off to Wallace Falls State Park and hiked a total of 5.5 miles, mostly uphill, and with rewarding views of the river and falls. Next time we hope to get an earlier start and hike farther on to Wallace Lake.

We're alive and back!

So...4 months and one big life-change later, I'm back to blogging. It wasn't due to the fact of having a baby in the house (although that could in itself be a worthy excuse ;), that this space has been dormant. As many of my readers know already, the Steele's have relocated clear across country, back to our "home state" of Washington. The Lord has provided Andrew with a great job at a wonderful parish in North Seattle. The 2 months following Michael's birth were filled with organizing the move, finishing up current jobs and obligations, finding a new abode, visiting friends and family, and of course, packing. Timing was perfect - I needed to be able to be at home more with Michael, and Andrew was feeling very strongly called to serve in the Church. And so, here we are, back in the beautiful Northwest and loving it here. I miss my FL friends very much and my church choir...but keep them in prayer and am thankful to be able to be in close touch with some of them.

Quick recap: March 9 - Michael's birth; March 12 - Andrew is offered the job; April 1 - Easter Sunday, Michael's baptism, Mom and Laura's family visit; June 10 - Corpus Christi, my last day at my church job (little heartbreaking), Andrew sets out with the U-Haul, Michael and I flew to Dallas to visit my family for a week; June 18 - Baby and I are reunited with Hubby in Seattle, our new home; June 24-26 - camping trip with Andrew's brother's family (SO nice to live closer to the majority of our extended families); July 18 - Elizabeth arrives for a month's stay; July 29-Aug. 4 - Holst family reunion at Jedediah Smith State Park in N. Ca.; August 23 - Elizabeth leaves. It was quite the whirlwind the last couple of months to say the least. Things have calmed down now for the most part; we are functioning more on a routine, Andrew is quite settled and comfortable and loving his job - doing great work (they love having him there), I know where the necessary grocers and stores are located, and Michael is a happy, chubby, almost 6-month old baby! When did THAT happen? He is doing great and we are so in love with him. I plan to keep you family and friends more updated on his growing/learning processes through this blog.

Well, that's where we are...very thankful to the Lord for where He has placed us, and we hope to do much to serve Him and His Church here. I promise to be back soon - especially now that I am a full-time homemaker/mother I should have time to fill you in on the adventures of our life. I must admit, I still have a few boxes to unpack and things to organize, so it may be a little while yet before I settle into a blogging routine. (Looks like Blogger has been updated - hope I can figure out the new settings...I'm also thinking a new blog layout is in order.) God bless you all.

"How numerous, O Lord, my God, you have made your wondrous deeds! And in your plans for us there is none to equal you."

Psalm 40:5