Wow, I can't believe our John Paul is almost 9 months old. end every day has been so rewarding and such a learning process for us all. It is truly a joy to watch this little boy grow and develop. It seems like he hit the fast forward button about a month ago and has been going nonstop since. Gio has become so active and has learned to scoot which turned into a crawl, he has learned to pull himself up, which at first he was able to do just a little bit but now he can pull himself up onto anything stable that is within his reach. His newest joy is chattering all day long-it is so much fun to listen to him babble. Every day he gains a little momentum and a little more strength and he is pretty tough to keep up with but we would not have it another way! It is just so much fun to watch him explore his little world. He will sit for five minutes opening and closing my cell phone and be completely content. Although it is so enjoyable to interact and play with him, it is just as rewarding to sit back and watch him. Every day I think "this is my favorite day" but I've learned to try and take plenty of pictures and cherish these sweet moments. We have had a great summer so far and we are staying pretty busy with plenty of walks, as well as trips to the park and the library and being the sole supporters of the UDA softball team. Bryan plays a mean outfield and although the team's record isn't the best, they seem to have fun at the games as do we. Our favorite times are those that allow us just to relax and enjoy time as a family on the evenings and weekends. We enjoy trips for coffee or to the pool or relaxing with visitors when we are lucky enough to have company. Bryan has been so busy making our house a home and taking care of the hundreds of little projects on his To-Do list (not that anyone gave him the to-do list he did create it himself) so it is nice when he is able to take breaks and he isn't traveling for business. I can't believe time is moving so quickly for us although we often want time to stand still, we are so excited for the adventures that are still to come.

Summer-what's that?

How on earth can we possibly be halfway through the summer? I envisioned plenty of walks, trips to the pool and much more relaxing than has actually taken place. Oh well, now that our family is reunited in Pittsburgh, we certainly hope to spend the next few weeks enjoying some quality family time. John Paul and I had a wonderful trip to Munster earlier this month and we survived the largest storm to hit the area in years. We were pretty frustrated to have lost power for almost 24 hours but when we saw the damage that others faces, we were very lucky. Just a few blocks away families were without power for days, trees crushed rooftops and the winds literally uplifted driveways. John Paul is in his 'stranger danger' phase right now and although it is hard for everyone when he cries or turns the other way when they want to greet him, I must admit, my heart just skips a beat when he tugs his arms so tightly around my neck. Fortunately, he does come around after a few minutes and reaches out to everyone! He has so many new teeth that his smiles are hilarious and a little devilish I must admit. He always looks like he is up to something! Although we had a great trip, we were certainly glad to be reunited with Bryan and Lucca in Pittsburgh. Although it was an adventure for Bryan to return home and he returned after John Paul was sleeping, John Paul wasted no time smiling for his daddy first thing in the morning. John Paul is saying plenty of da da da da's but he hasn't yet addressed Bryan as 'da dad' but I can feel that it is coming soon. We just returned from his 9 month well-visit and he is a healthy 9 month old baby boy weighing in at 16 lb 13 oz. which only puts him in the 20th percentile for his weight; somehow, he feels much heavier than that at times. The Dr. sounded surprised when I told him he was pulling himself up on furniture and taking a few steps when holding on to the couch so we are in for some big changes soon! How exciting!