a new year, a half birthday, and some exciting firsts!

^^ strolling (literally) through notting hill mews with mums and munchkins. love these women and kiddos! ^^

on 9 january, our little moses officially turned six months old. it is so amazing to me to realize that it has been a whole half year since he arrived and filled our world with newness, wonder, love and joy. his constant growth and change keeps us on our toes and is so much fun to watch and nurture. life is sweet with mister mo.

around moses’s first half birthday, he experienced three very exciting firsts – his first food (avocado and then some other cool tastes), his first real sleeps through the night (cue the hallelujah chorus – although i do have to say i miss those sweet night feeds!), and his first rides in a buggy! these fun milestones - along with good times with friends and family, and the ever-present buzz of this beautiful city - have made our january days in london quite wonderful, despite the cold and darkness. twenty seventeen is off to a great start. we feel so happy and blessed in our little family.

some phone photos from life lately…

 
^^ at first, moses was not too sure about eating food. he was a little worried about that avocado…^^
   ^^ … but by day/attempt #2 he was loving it – so glad and proud of himself. now, he either grunts with delight or giggles through feedings. i think he got an intense food-loving gene from his mama! ^^
i was a little sad to see the exclusively-breastfed season pass. it is just so cool to me that every single bit of moses’s body was made by my body (besides that tiny little sperm of course :) ) up until his six month birthday. it’s a new era, and a fun new adventure!
 
^^ and at very first, moses wasn’t entirely sure about riding in a buggy rather than strapped on to mom or dad (don’t you love his dubious little face on the right?) … ^^
 
^^ … but he has very quickly adapted and loves riding in the stroller – especially on cobblestones! he sleeps really well in the buggy, which is awesome. too bad he missed seeing this super cool wall i brought him to though… :) ^^
 
^^ i absolutely love that my mother-in-law held on to a bunch of clothes that ian wore as a baby and handed them down to us – and the few stanford pieces are the best part. when ian was born, his dad was a law student at stanford. baby ian was dressed in cardinal clothes, which his mom kept  in a box for 31 years (and meanwhile, grown ian attended staford himself). now, baby moses wears the same stanford threads. it’s so special and sweet! ^^
  
^^ we spent some great time with my brother jonah and his family while they were still in town from christmas (they were staying with my sister-in-laws mom but moses and i got to meet up with them almost every day). moses loved being carried in uncle jo’s coat, and little ezra (appearing here as spiderman…) adored seeing moses. it was the sweetest. ^^
 
^^ mo’s “monkey butt” trousers – our favourite and a gift from his aunt sarah // more vintage baby ian clothes worn by his baby son! ^^
 
^^ one day moses and i popped in the national gallery for a little art perusing. i was struck by these two depictions of the nativity. the story of jesus’s birth means so much more to me now that i have given birth. ^^

^^ our view upon leaving the national gallery – a last snippet of christmas and the golden light of a new year glowing through trafalgar square (+ someone dressed up as olof, for good measure…) ^^
^^ and some lingering chirstmas in covent garden. i just love those mistletoe so much. ^^
 
^^ we didn’t pick up a magnet at a souvenir shop, like we usually do on all of our trips, when we went to switzerland for new years weekend. but we did collect a magnet way cooler than any we could get in a shop – one made from our little niece’s kindergarten school picture! it’s definitely our best magnet now. // moses did some practice on “the trick,” in preparation for grandfather’s visit … my dad loves to hold babies’ feet in his hands and help them balance standing. more on my parents’ visit coming soon! ^^
 
^^ moses is starting to acknowledge and enjoy other babies. we had a little play date with baby julian and baby samuel one afternoon and escaped the cold outside by popping in the church building, where we let the boys play on the ground for a bit. i’m so glad mo has these little friends and i can’t wait to see them start to enjoy each other more and more :) ^^
 
^^ lately moses has taken to sucking both thumbs at the same time. homeboy wants anything and everything in his mouth. i think a second tooth is peeking through! ^^
 
^^ i had to snap a photo of dinner before i put it in the oven because it just looked so pretty! // and i just can’t get over that forehead curl. i know he’ll grow out of it and one day we’ll have to snip it off and i just love it so much. ^^
 
^^ sharing an umbrella on a rainy day (so sweet when moses just grabbed a hold of the umbrella with me!) // enjoying blue skies and wall murals on a sunny day. ^^
 
^^ spotted around londontown… ^^

^^ we had a get-together with the couples we met in our prenatal course – and their babies! – last saturday. it was so so fun to see everyone, share experiences and tips and laughs, and watch the babies interact a bit. we met at this lovely pub, which i had to take a photo of because the exact bike of my dreams was parked outside and it looked so pretty! ^^
 
^^ ^^ dads and mums – love this group! all of us girls text each other pretty much constantly, and get together quite often with our little ones – it’s so nice to have a little group of new mums with the same age babies! ^^

yes, twenty seventeen is off to a great start. i’m so grateful for all the goodness in my life!