January has been a big month for Houston. He sat up alone for the first time on January 6. He still needs some coaching to get started, but he’s getting better all time, and has also become great at standing with assistance. He self-fed for the first time on January 7. He especially loves eating Mum Mums, Gerber Puffs and toast.

Houston experienced snow for the first time on January 17. It didn’t last for long, but I think he thought it was okay. He said his first “big-boy talk” on January 19. Just out of the blue, he began stringing babbles together in “sentence” form with different inflections and intonations. And then on January 20, his conversations featured his first audible word: Dada. Although his sentences also include plenty of “baa baa” and “blah blah,” Stephen is still pretty proud about the whole thing. His favorite toy at the moment is his Jump-n-Go. You should see that boy go … he’s like a blur of wild motion, happy screeches and flying drool. It is quite the sight. Houston will be 7 months old this coming Saturday. It is truly incredible how fast his first year is going!

Stephen and I are still working diligently on installing laminate. Granny and Grumps visited a few weekends ago, so that Stephen and I could do the office. Then Gramsey and Papa are heading to town tomorrow, so that we can do the nursery. Then all we have left after that is our bedroom … thank goodness! It has been such a huge undertaking, but I must admit, it looks awesome.