Crawling and Cruising!

It's official! In the last week, Mateo has become proficient at both crawling and cruising. It's a whole new ballgame now for us, since now he can pretty much go anywhere. He loves hiding out under the table, pulling strainers, mixing bowls, and tupperware down from the low-lying kitchen shelves, grabbing shoes off the shoe rack in the entry way, cruising all the way around the coffee table, pulling toilet paper off the roll in the bathroom, and pulling himself up on every cabinet or ledge he can get his hands on. He also loves crawling around outside in the grass, which we've done a lot of lately due to the bout of unseasonably warm weather. We'll try to post a video clip soon, but for now here are a few photos for you to enjoy. Happy summer!

After an evening picnic in Dolores Park.

Another evening picnic in Glen Canyon Park. Mateo just finished eating some refried beans and avocados, and since for some reason he always insists on feeding himself, the inevitable consequence is a huge mess.

Staying cool during the recent heat wave (today is the first day that the weather's back to normal).

Shaking it on the dance floor with Mommy, Ana, Jamila, Surya, Taj, and Nalini at "Baby Loves Disco" -- a special afternoon dance party for babies and toddlers held at one of San Francisco's premier night clubs.

Grooving to the beat.

And they had a fun play area set there, too. Mateo liked crawling into this teepee.

But he got the biggest kick out of crawling through this tunnel, though sometimes he decided to stop right in the middle, which tested the patience of all the other kids waiting to come through.

Two Teeth!

We've had a lot to keep up with lately, including scooting, standing, cruising (and some bumps along the way) and lots of visitors, so the updates will be coming. In the meantime, we wanted to let everyone know that Mateo has two teeth. They make for a super cute smile. Here's a nice close-up photo from about a week ago.

Ba(ll)

First word? Mateo has consistently been using "bah" to refer to any ball, even without prompting. He even says it when watching people play basketball. (On a side note: He also grunts when someone makes a shot. Looks like mommy will soon have a basketball buddy). His other consistent "word" is "ba" (as in "bath," note the different vowel sound) saying it as he wacks the side of the tub. We are still working on mama and dada.

The Fun Life of a 9 Month-Old

Hiking in Redwood Regional Park in Oakland.  This was our first time using the frame pack for a real hike (4.5 hours).  Mateo seemed to enjoy looking around at all the tall redwood trees and he kept up a pretty constant stream of playful chatter along the way.

Riding on the frog at the historic Golden Gate Park carousel with Daddy, Mommy, and Gemma.

Helping Gemma load her suitcase into the car.

There's no time like bath time.

But these days, it's hard to keep this little guy in his bathtub.

Drying off with Daddy.

We've had lots of visitors lately.  Anita's dad Fonz drove all the way up from Phoenix.

It was quite a full car with Nana Sherry, Uncles Jacob & Sam, and their two dogs Harley and Nina all coming along.  Mateo loved seeing them all, and we had lots of fun together!

Examining Uncle Jacob's mouth.

And then Mateo's Saba & Savta came to visit, and of course whenever Saba is involved, lots of cute photos of Mateo get taken.

A favorite activity:  pulling himself up on the edge coffee table.

A big smile for Mommy.

With his proud Savta.

Playing with his first tooth.

Performing a song for Adena & Carey the night before their wedding.  It was a parody to the tune of Mateo's favorite bath time song, "Baby Beluga". 

With Jesse's family at the wedding, which was held at the lovely Saratoga Springs Retreat Center in Upper Lake, CA.

We stopped at Sterling Vineyards in Napa Valley on the way back from the wedding, and Mateo really enjoyed the ride up to the top of the hill on the gondola-style tram.

Mateo loved meeting his cousin Anna, and especially loved pulling her hat off.

She enjoyed entertaining him with toys and games.

Chilling in grass while we wait for our lunch at a Napa Valley restaurant.

Walking with Daddy.

Back in San Francisco after our weekend getaway, Mateo's excited to play at our neighborhood playground.

Mateo's starting to crawl now.  He's still learning the basic mechanics, but in a week's time he'll be a little unstoppable speed racer.

Enjoying the sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay while on a hike in Land's End with Daddy, Saba, and Savta.

Stopping for a drink at the historic Cliff House.  Mateo loved peering down through the giant window at the ocean waves crashing below.

"What's going on over there?"

And of course, Mateo's monthly portrait in the glider chair.