Week 9 was DIVINE!

Hi there,
This week was pretty uneventful with the exception of a going away party on Saturday night. Yes, you read correctly, Brian and I left the house and went to an actual party on Saturday night. I guess that tells you how sad I am that Poorni is leaving our lab to go on internship.

The biggest news is that Hunter is really starting to smile a lot. We even got a picture of him smiling (from the side). He responds mostly to me and Brian, but if someone walks up and is smiling at him then he might smile back! It's wonderful.

To properly help illustrate the amazingness of my life, here is a snapshot. Brian is cooking terriyaki salmon in the backyard at sunset. I'm holding my little one, who sits on the table while we eat.

And we can't forget our other kids; Thor has moved into the background and is enjoying the waft of salmon smell as he sits on the counter.
This pictures was taken at the party...I imagine that Hunter will always be surrounded by women ;-P
The Gatz lab has a tradition of Vaffeldagen. Because we work so closely with Sweden, we celebrate Vaffeldagen, or waffle day. Poorni particularly loves this day, so we made a Vaffeldagen to celebrate it for her. Traditionally this is done in March.
Brian is taking care of Hunter at the party.
The group
Hunter has some great head and neck control. He's pointing to something. He's started using his hands a lot - he touches EVERYTHING! He likes to grab at my face and my hair (ouch!) and hit at things in his way.

Me and Hunter before going out to the party

Daddy and Hunter before the party
Thor being a great big brother
And the best picture ever, Hunter and his HUGE smile. We'll keep trying for more of these.

By the way, he had his first vaccinations on Monday. He did very well and only cried for about 3 seconds after getting the shots. He weighs 10 lbs 14.5 ozs and is 21.75 inches long. The doctor was impressed with his growth and his development. He started out in the 6th percentile for weight and is now in the 25th. He started out in the 52nd percentile for height and is now in the 55th.