Mashed Heaven

Monday was my company outing, so I packed LR up after a lunch of mashed potatoes, meatloaf and cantaloupe. I forgot to mention that the birthday dinner that Gigi prepared for Daddy was a huge hit with LR. He went to bed before it was ready, so he didn't get it until Monday. I spoon fed him during lunch so that he would stay clean before the outing, but I let him have at a little mountain of it on his tray for dinner. I mixed in some black beans (for ) and apparently it was a little slice of heaven for him. He could not shovel it in fast enough. I caught some of it on video luckily. Each hand helped the other cram as much mashed potato-y goodness into his mouth as possible. Needless to say, potatoes everywhere. There was serious cleaning going on in the bath afterward.

Anyway, back to the outing. We drove a half hour west to an entertainment center with mini-golf, bumper boats, a driving range, beach volleyball courts, and all-you-can-eat ice cream. It would have been great if there had been someone to hand LR to or if LR were 4 or 5 years old. It wasn't really a place for babies though. I let him crawl around on the grass a little and he played with balls and hula-hoops they had set out. Between the strawberries I brought for him, the watermelon and ice cream he had while we were there, and the exercise on the lawn, he was tuckered out. He fell asleep on the way home. He woke when I tried to get him out of the car, but didn't get fussy during the evening, so I guess it was enough.

Tues I was back to work. Gigi reported that LR skipped his afternoon nap, so he was starting to get a little cranky when I got home. I fed him dinner and he alternated between eating and crying. I was trying to get a bite to eat before getting him into the bath and he almost fell asleep in the high chair. Once in the bath he perked up and managed to stay awake until bedtime.

On Wed morning I heard him at 4:45, but he went back to sleep and didn't get up again until 5:45. Not bad, but I was exhausted. I took him to the living room and turned on Sesame Street. Feeling proportionately guilty, I dozed on the couch while he played.

When I got home tonight he crawled right over to the gate to greet me with a big smile. I scooped him up and took him to the park where he went on the swings and then crawled around some of the play equipment. I put some sandals on him to keep him from hurting his feet on the wood chips as he practiced walking while holding my hands. Then it was back into the stroller and home. Gigi reported that today he wanted to see her dog, Maggie, the sweet but deaf, indoor-only terrier she has. LR crawled to the clear gate and got nose to nose with Maggie. She spontaneously yipped and LR looked shocked and then broke into tears. I don't think it'll keep him from wanting to see her though.

To the Aquarium

LR woke up nice and late today. Since Daddy and I went to sleep around 9:30 on Sat, we got in a whole 9 hours! I don't remember the last time that happened. Since Daddy missed out on the zoo yesterday and since Gigi will be leaving all too soon, we decided we should go to the aquarium downtown. It was indoors, so I expected it to be cooler than the zoo. I was shocked to see the snaking line to get tickets to go in! Daddy stood in line while we watched the seals and then LR decided it was time to chase some pigeons. We could have saved some money on the tickets and just let him chase birds! We went in and found that it was almost as warm inside and completely packed full of people.

We managed to view a bunch of fish and LR even got to touch a starfish. He seemed to enjoy, but was just as happy when we got out and spent some time hanging out in a shady spot on the wharf. Each of us took turns walking him. Then he sat down to share some grapes with me. I guess a few of them were sour.

When we got home it was definitely time for his second nap and he went down quickly. Then we relaxed for the next 45 minutes or so. Then he was up again and ready to play about 20 minutes after that. Apparently he takes after his mother since he doesn't want to talk to anyone for the first 20 minutes after waking up. A quick game of peekaboo solved the problem. We let him watch a few minutes of Sesame Street and then it was time to walk again. He played behind Gigi as she made Daddy a special birthday dinner and then had a dinner of avocado, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and waffle. The bath was fun as always and he got his very first haircut just after. His bangs had started to get in his eyes, so I took off a little less than an inch while Daddy distracted him. I'll try to get the hair over his ears tomorrow. After the haircut and a little more Sesame Street he went to bed without a fuss. It was quite the wild animal weekend!

To the Zoo

Thur night Grandad Y and Grandma C came in from Chicago to visit. They gave Gigi the day off on Friday and they took care of LR on their own while Daddy and I went to work. They went to the park in the afternoon and they put him in the swing first thing. Then they spent some time playing around the tunnel on the jungle-gym. They had a great time, but the heat had him dragging, so they came home to put him down for his afternoon nap. He surprised them by perking up as soon as they hit the air conditioning. He didn't nap for another few hours. Then LR surprised them again with how difficult he could be on the changing table. Otherwise I came home to a happy little rugger. The reported that he took a long morning nap and a short afternoon one. He ate more than they thought he would and he pretty much kept them busy all day.

On Saturday LR took a short morning nap and then we headed off to the zoo! Unfortunately, Daddy had to work, so he missed out. LR got a chance to see the flamingos, a reindeer, and sleeping jaguar cubs. So cute! It was pretty hot out, so LR faded quickly, but it was a small zoo, so we pretty much got to see everything. Grandad Y carried LR most of the way since the stroller was too low for him to see much. He napped as soon as we got home and then had a hearty dinner followed by a great bath - mohawk and all!

Nothing Like a Good Gag

LR had just woken up from a nice long nap when I got home last night, so he was in a great mood. We played and I saw a few minutes of the 37th anniversary episode of Sesame Street where they introduced a new female character, Abby Cadabby. Lots of bloggers have been tearing into this new character, but I'm waiting to see more of her before passing judgment.

LR discovered a new trick at dinner last night. First he tried his first slice of pizza - he ate half of one and threw the other pieces over the edge of the tray. Then he had a good helping of tofu and a bunch of strawberries. Then he decided to gag himself. "Gee... that was fun. I'll do it again!" He must have gagged himself half a dozen times before I caught on and held his hands. He's wily though (read: he had slippery hands from the tofu and strawberries) and managed to gag himself again. I whipped him out of the chair and quickly started a bath to distract him. He loves the bath so much that he completely forgot about how fun it was to gag himself. Thank goodness... with a full belly, I was concerned that continual gagging could really only lead us one place.

The bath proved to be a ton of fun. Daddy came home mid-bath and captured LR vigorously splashing on video. It's like a sport to him... splashing takes endurance, concentration, and strong core muscles. I was worn out from laughing before he was done. I'll have to try to get a clip posted soon. Because he was wound up from the bath, LR didn't go to sleep until a little after 8. Daddy read him a bunch of books before bed and then I gave him a bottle and put him in the crib. He wasn't really sleepy at that point, but he talked to himself until he did fall asleep. I went in around 10 and unwrapped him a bit. He managed to wind the blanket around himself cocoon-like. It wasn't covering his head, but I took it off him regardless.

This morning I heard him at 3:45 and then again at 4:30. Daddy and I listened for a little while and luckily he went back to sleep on his own. He finally woke up again at 6:15 which was perfect for us! We all got up and played a little while. Then while I showered Daddy fed him. I was getting dressed when I heard Daddy call my name. When I came into the dining room I found Daddy was restraining LR to keep him from gagging himself. Looks like it wasn't a one time thing.

Blueberry Finger Hats

Monday started out well. LR woke at 6:15 and we all got a nice start to the day. He had a breakfast of yogurt, blueberries and watermelon. He has a new technique for eating his blueberries. We cut them in half for fear of him choking on the perfectly air hole-sized fruit. When I put a handful of them on his tray, some land face up and others face down. The ones face down tend to adhere to the plastic tray which may be why he's developed this new tactic. He puts his index finger on the top of the blueberry half and applies pressure until the blueberry squishes onto the tray. Often the blueberry shell inverts and creates a perfect little cap on his tiny finger. Then the inside-out treat is ready to eat. Sometimes the shell does not stick to his finger and then it's just a squished half blueberry. Not to fear, he just moves onto the next one.

I came home early so that Gigi could make it to a doctor's appointment and expected a long afternoon of entertaining him. He took a 2 and a half hour morning nap, so I didn't think he'd take another one. At 3 I realized it was time for a bottle even though he wasn't acting tired. I made 8 ounces and went to his bedroom. He fell asleep right as he finished it and I put him in the crib. 2 hours later I went in to make sure he was still breathing. He woke up 15 minutes later. I was shocked. Unfortunately I think he slept so well during the day that he didn't need as much sleep last night. He woke up at 3:45 and talked to himself until 4:15. Then Daddy gave him a bottle and bounced him back to sleep. Put him in the crib, but LR woke up and cried. Daddy went through the routine again with the same result. I then bounced him to sleep and then sat in the glider with him for an extra 5 minutes before putting him back into the crib. Success! He slept until 6:45, so at least we got to sleep in.

It's raining today, so I cleaned off a toy that our last tenants left. It's a keyboard with large colored buttons and it sings nursery rhymes in a spooky narrator-of-Disney's-Haunted-Mansion-Ride sort of way. He seemed to like it though and I hope it keeps him from getting stir crazy today.

Animals and picnics

Weekend wrap up:

Friday night I came home to a happy (and rested) LR. He finally caught an afternoon nap. I sat with him on the playmat and sang 'Old MacDonald' to him using the adorable hand puppet / book that someone gave us. (Don't ask me to remember, it was a baby ago.) The thumb is a cow, the index a pig, middle dog, ring cat, and pinky duck. In the palm of the mitt is a little cardboard book with pictures and a few of the words to the song. LR likes to turn the pages as I sing and then try to bite the heads of the finger puppets in turn. After I sang I asked him, "Where's the duck?" He grabbed the duck. I congratulated him, but was curious if it was just a lucky gesture. "Where's the cat?" I asked. He looked and pointed to the cat. I decided to skip dog and pig since I recently switched the dog sign to the ASL version and the pig is similar to frog. I asked, "Where's the cow" and he pointed to the cow. Gigi and I were amazed and clapped for him. He took that as approval to put the cow head in his mouth. Hooray!

Saturday LR woke up just after 5. It was my morning so I got up and rested on the couch as he played. Daddy joined us a little later and was going to run a few errands on his own while LR napped, but LR's nap turned out to be a short one, so we all headed out together. On our way back we decided it was too beautiful to stay indoors. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to the trees in the park. Daddy put down a blanket and LR proceeded to eat his first grilled cheese sandwich. He ate almost the whole thing! Then he had some tomatoes and watermelon for good measure. His tummy was tight as a drum. Daddy was curious and figured that he ate more than 1000 calories on Saturday.

After we cleaned up from lunch, LR experimented with crawling off the blanket. Like a cat dipping its paws into water, LR would tentatively reach out to the grass and then lift and shake his hand. He did that a few times before he felt brave enough to venture onto the grass. Daddy lured him out with a big yellow ball. Then Daddy held his hands while they kicked the ball for awhile. LR was pretty thrilled. A 5 year old girl, her mom and dad stopped by to play. The girl knew the sign for play and asked LR if he wanted to play. She had a doll which he refused, but her dad had a bright blue ball which LR asked for by taking and then slobbering on. The dad was amused and LR's smile was disarming.

After the picnic we pressed our luck by going to the playground and trying out the swings. We then hit the jungle gym tunnel and I set LR inside while Daddy called to him from the other side. It would have been fine if a boy behind my hadn't screamed as loud as he could into a sort of toy megaphone. It scared LR and he was tired enough that he just couldn't recover. He screamed and cried and Daddy scooped him out of the tunnel. I came around the jungle gym and took LR and walked him until he calmed down. We headed home and put him down for a nap as soon as we got there. He only slept for a half hour and then was up again. Definitely not enough time. He stayed pleasant enough, but he had that glazed look off and on until bedtime.

Did I forget to mention that he's trying to climb the gate? He grips the top and pulls himself up until both feet are on the bottom part of the gate. Scary... and yet so familiar.

This morning he woke at 4:40 and talked to himself until 5. Then Daddy got up with him and let me sleep until just before 7. I was just starting to hope that his wakeup time had pushed out another half hour or so, but I guess that was wishful thinking. Luckily he had a nice long morning nap and joined us for another big lunch. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a hit! Then we ran out to a few open houses just north of us. Those were a bust, so we came home and had a few friends over for a BBQ. It was a little on the warm side, so LR spent some of the afternoon in his pool. Then he had an early dinner of avocado, tomatoes, and green beans. His afternoon nap had been short, so he got a little fussy in the evening if we didn't walk him, but he also spent some time just playing by himself on the play mats. All-in-all, a good weekend.

Rough Day

Came home yesterday to a worn out LR. He again managed to miss his afternoon nap. He took a quick half hour snooze right before I got home, but that was it. Daddy beat me home, so we both got the daily report from Gigi. She told us that he took a digger in the afternoon. He was standing at the coffee table and lost his balance hitting his chin on the table and biting his tongue. I guess there was a lot of blood and he was pretty unhappy for awhile. Gigi had him suck on an ice cube and that made it better. I held him as soon as I came home since it seemed like one of those days he just didn't want to be put down. Then the rainstorm we were having outside cleared and we took a quick walk before dinner. LR was happy for the change of scenery and laughed when I showed him the flowers outside. He knows the signs for tree and flower but hasn't done them himself yet.

After our quick walk he had a smallish dinner. He was too tired to be very enthusiastic about it and apparently lunch was such a feast that he ended up vomiting a little. We kept dinner light with sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and peaches. Right after dinner it was into the bath and I left him in there for almost 20 minutes. He was having such a good time that I felt bad taking him out. He experimented with putting his face in the water again which was good to see. He also tries to see how far up the tile walls he can get the foam letters to stick despite the amount of clear space he has around the tub walls. Oh well. As long as he doesn't try to stand up, I leave him alone. The bath took so long that Daddy and I took shifts. Then it was time for bed and Daddy gave him his bottle. He took the majority of it because of the small dinner and then Daddy put him into the crib where we heard him talk to himself for 5 minutes. Then it was off to sleep.

He woke at 5:15 this morning. I made a bottle for Daddy to give him. Daddy came back to bed within 10 minutes and said that LR had fallen back asleep and was in the crib. LR didn't wake again until 7am which put us behind on our morning routine, but everyone had such a nice night's sleep that no one minded.

Soccer Player in Training

Tues night I came home to find a happy baby who had napped sufficiently during the day. Gigi said he'd had a snack recently, so I was confused when he got fussy within a half hour. We were in the kitchen and he crawled up my legs to ask me to pick him up. I did and he went for the bowl of fresh tomatoes that Gigi has grown this summer on the deck. I cut up half a plum tomato for him, but since it was 6 I thought I still had half an hour before dinner time. I took him into the living room where he started to cry. He grabbed my hands and I thought that he was crying because he wanted to walk. So, I stood up and walked behind him. He made a B-line for the kitchen and when we got to the fridge, he let go of my hands and turned around to be picked up. I guess I wasn't smart enough to pick up on the first cues he gave me, so he brought me to the fridge. "Here, Mommy. I want what's in here. Geez..."

So I fed him dinner. He was ravenous. He ate the other half of the tomato, half an avocado, pasta, tofu, a waffle, and some cherries. It was a sight to see. He was stuffed, but enjoyed his bath regardless. I've stopped using the bath seat and now he splashes all over the place. It makes Daddy nervous, but no problems so far. He likes to play with the water coming out of the faucet, suck the water out of the washcloth, rearrange the foam letters all over the tile walls, and use a washcloth as a splashing device. After the bath I went off to the gym and Daddy put LR to bed. I guess it was a little tough because he was so full from dinner he didn't want much of his bottle. He went to sleep a little later than normal that night.

Wednesday we all got up just before 6. LR didn't wake up in the middle of the night, so we all slept well. He got his usual yogurt and blueberries for breakfast although Daddy has started mixing the vanilla and the plain yogurt to reduce the amount of sugar he's consuming. LR, of course, wanted to walk from the moment he woke up. His favorite game while walking is to kick a ball in front of him as he goes. I've mentioned it before, but he's getting so much better at it that I thought it was worth mentioning again. The run up to the ball even makes him giggle.

When I got home last night, LR was reclining on Gigi and watching Sesame Street. Apparently he had been trying to tear apart the kitchen, so she was trying to distract him. That and he had missed his afternoon nap, so he was kind of cranky too. He almost fell asleep during a very small dinner, but he perked up during the bath and then we played with Daddy until 7:45. Then he took a bottle and was fast asleep in no time. He woke up this morning at 6:15. How nice!

Off Schedule?

LR continues to be a little off schedule. Last night he woke up just after midnight and then again at 4am. I rocked him back to sleep the first time and Daddy gave him a bottle the second time. He woke for good just after 6. Daddy played with him while I got another half hour of sleep. Then it was time to get ready for work. I'll played with him and he picked up his big plastic cell phone for the first time in awhile. He used to play with it non-stop, but it hasn't been a recent favorite. Despite the drop in enthusiasm for it, he hadn't forgotten that his favorite button makes the bee buzzing sound. The phone has to be displaying a particular screen for the yellow button to make that noise and he figured that out quickly. Gigi makes the buzzing sound and then stings/tickles him. She said they played that game a lot today. Daddy played a quick game of chase around the couch which makes him giggle and then we were off to work.

Gigi said he had a long first nap, but only 20 minutes in the afternoon. He was pretty cranky when I got home. He was watching Sesame Street in Gigi's lap and was subdued momentarily. Gigi went downstairs and since Daddy was at a sales dinner, I was on my own. We played for a little while. I tried getting a good look at his ankle which I nicked while changing him a day or two ago with my thumb nail. (In my defense, he was kicking really hard at the time.) It got infected today and Gigi had soaked it, put Neosporin on it, and put a band-aid on. I was pretty mortified when I saw the quarter size red swelling around the tiny cut. Nothing like a little guilt to end the day... and then it was time for dinner.

He ate some pasta, a little tofu, a few spoonfuls of carrot - he's really rejected jarred food for the most part - and we ended with a waffle. I need to spend some time with a baby food book. I haven't been very creative with his food despite the fact that he can eat a wide variety now. I put him to sleep with a bottle and a goodnight kiss. He talked to himself for awhile, cried out once and then passed out face first. Hoping he doesn't wake again tonight.

New wake up time

On both Friday and Sunday mornings, LR was up at 4:30 screaming. I don't know if he's teething, hungry or having nightmares. Daddy made a bottle for us both times and I sat and rocked him while he drank the majority of the bottle. He drifted back to sleep and I put him back in the crib. Both mornings he slept until 7! Now I can't decide which I like better, up at 4:30 but back to sleep until 7, or up at 5:45 for good. Friday it didn't mess with his schedule. Gigi reported that he took his normal naps and ate regularly. This morning I had some trouble getting him to go down for his morning nap. He also seems to have ramped up on his food intake. His face has gotten a little rounder and Gigi speculated that he might be headed for another growth spurt. I wouldn't be surprised.

Friday evening I took LR to the park where he spent some quality time on the swings. There was another mom there with her one year old who said her daughter just moved to the one handed walking a week ago after needing both of her hands for about 2 months. I had hoped that walking stooped over with him wasn't going to last quite that long, but oh well. I let him explore some of the playground equipment, but finally tired of fishing wood chips out of his mouth, so we called it a day and headed home.

Saturday we went through our normal routine. Daddy left late morning to go golfing with some coworkers. I tried to feed him a lunch of cereal and applesauce, but he rejected the mix. Gigi had seen the same behavior during the week, so I wasn't too surprised. I was surprised, however, that he proceeded to eat half of my bean a cheese burrito. Hey! That was my lunch! Guess I'll be saying a lot of that from now on...

LR, Gigi, and I went shopping for a little while in the afternoon. We stayed out a little past his 2nd nap time and he got a little screamy in the mall. I ended up carrying him part of the time. It may be time to order the wheeled board from Bugaboo that attaches to the stroller. He fell asleep on the drive home and slept for another hour in his crib after we got home. For dinner he ate half an avocado, but when he seemed unimpressed with the pasta and tofu, I took a page from my brother's SwingDaddy's blog and gave him a waffle. He ate the whole thing! Good tip!

Today we're off to the first of a series of 1 year birthday parties. I'm excited about this one. It's being held at a Gymboree and it's only and hour and a half. Should be a ton of fun for LR. Daddy is at sales training this morning, but is going to meet us there. I'll try to get some pictures while we're there.

Soaring Temps

Yesterday and today it's hit the 100 degree mark. Apparently California sent their heat wave this way. LR and Gigi have been staying indoors for the most part. Daddy was up with him yesterday morning. They went out to the deck to play first thing. I woke up to find LR wearing some pretty grubby PJs. *sigh* Daddies...

This morning I took LR first thing, but when Daddy woke up he got ready then read to LR for awhile. LR was really enjoying the "Daddy and Me" book when I snapped this picture. Then he ate his yogurt and blueberries and we dressed him in a t-shirt shorty. Gigi came up and took over. He cried for 10 seconds when I walked away, but was distracted pretty easily.

I came home to find him well rested and enjoying a little Sesame Street. He always has a smile for me when I come home which I love. He wanted to walk first thing, so we did that for awhile while kicking along a ball. Sometimes he kicks it out in front of him, sometimes he steps on it, sometimes he steps over it and then wonders where it went.

For dinner he had pasta, broccoli and pinto beans. He had almost finished his broccoli when Gigi came in carrying a quarter of a watermelon. Boy did he start to yell! He made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to eat another thing until he got some watermelon. I couldn't cut it fast enough. By the time he finished his face, arms and clothes were soaked with watermelon juice. Straight into the tub! I'm testing out letting him sit in the tub without the tub chair. He likes playing with the foam letters I stick on the wall of the tub, but I have to discourage him from standing. I put him in while the water runs in and he always wants to play with the rush of water coming from the spout. He splits his time between touching the waterfall and rubbing the water out of his eyes.

Clingy Weekend

LR had an odd weekend. Guess he's decided it's time to shake things up a little bit. Saturday we spent doing some odds n' ends around the house. When LR went down for his first nap we finished water proofing the deck. After he woke, we ran to the grocery store where I finally had a chance to use the cart seat cover that I ordered. It worked wonderfully except LR was tired and wanted to be held instead of sitting in the cart. I ended up huging him while he sat in the cart. It was a little tough to steer, but he just wouldn't let go. So, all of a sudden he's become very cuddly. He wants to hug all the time. Don't know if he's teething or just entering a new stage. He still wants to walk, but as often as not he wants to be picked up and held.

After we got home from grocery shopping, LR went right down for another nap. He slept for a little over an hour. When he woke we played for awhile and practiced with his walker. When he grabs my hands to walk I give him one and then hold my second hand in front of him. He'll take a few steps toward my hand. We're up to 5 steps one handed now. In the evening we spent some time visiting with Uncle NY who was up for the weekend for a RedSox game. Bedtime was pretty uneventful. Unfortunately, Sat night was a tough one. He woke at midnight, 3, 4:30, and then 5:45 for good. Not sure what happened. I'm thinking he got overheated, but maybe it goes hand-in-hand with whatever is making him want to cuddle so much. It's time for him to get his top two teeth and he is starting to drool more. Who knows...

Sunday he was off schedule because of the poor night's sleep. Everything was shifted about an hour earlier. Between naps 1 and 2 he rubbed his eyes and acted tired most of the time. I think he was relieved when I finally put him down for that second nap. After the nap he ate his weight in watermelon and was pretty happy. Gigi's friend was visiting and she kept him very entertained. She has 37 great nieces and nephews, so she certainly knew how to make him laugh. Gigi and her friend watched him for a little while in the afternoon while we went to a few open houses. Then we came home and fed him a dinner of bread, avocado and strawberries. He was thrilled with the menu. I also introduced him to mashed potatoes (which he loved) somewhere in there this weekend, I just can't remember when. He slept better last night, but still woke at midnight and cried for a few minutes.

This morning he cried when I left for the first time. Hoping that doesn't become a daily ritual...

Spinning

LR woke at 5:40 for Daddy on Thur morning. I made a bottle for them, but LR was up for the day since he wet through and needed a complete change. They played until I got up. I took LR while Daddy got ready for work and then we traded places. LR and I played ball by passing a small rubber basketball back and forth. He used to throw it, but recently it's more like "the sharing game" where he wants to put the ball directly in your hands.

I forgot to blog about the other day when I tried to give him a banana popsicle. I cut up large chunks of banana and stuck them on popsicle sticks. He likes them, so I gave him one while he was sitting on the floor. He ate a little, but then he wanted to wave it around like a sword. *bop* on the floor, *bop* in his hair, *bop* on the wine fridge. I grabbed hold of the stick with him and tried to keep it from getting banana slime everywhere. He got so irritated that I was holding it that he let go, whined loudly, and spun on his butt in a full circle. When he got back to facing me, he grabbed the stick again and put the banana end in his mouth for a second. Then he wanted to wave it around, but was foiled by the mean mommy again. So he whined and did another 360. I thought it was so funny. After a third time, I decided it was time to ditch the banana.

Last night he was happy when I got home. He's had two 90 minute naps during the day and ate heartily, so he was in a good mood. We played inside and then Gigi said she had put clean water in the pool, so we headed to the deck to play in the pool for awhile. I dropped a plastic fish into the water and it splashed him, but it also made him laugh hysterically, so we did that for awhile. He got a little chilly, so we headed back inside where I dried him off, put some shorts on him and sat him down for a dinner of pasta, carrots, broccoli, and pears. He wasn't super keen on the pears, but he loved the pasta. Daddy came home at the end of dinner. He put LR in the bath and they played until bedtime. I gave him a bottle which he didn't really want, so I bounced him until he was drowsy. Then he went into the crib easily and was out just after 8.

Walking and Swimming

Daddy got up at 6 with LR on Tues. Tried feeding him plain yogurt with blueberries mixed in. I never knew how nasty plain yogurt is. He rejected it and so did I... right into the garbage disposal. Yuck! We had a wonderful babysitter from the team come and help out since Gigi was still feeling under the weather. She took him for a walk and put him in the pool. I guess he was pretty well behaved. In the evening he showed me how he could use the dining room chair to walk around. I guided the chair around major obstacles, but otherwise, he drove. It was easier for me than bending over and holding his hands and the pads on the chair legs created enough friction to keep the chair from sliding too quickly across the floor. After playing for awhile I plunked him into his high chair and fed him a dinner which consisted primarily of avocado. He ate a whole one all by himself. The pasta and broccoli were merely distractions.

Was up early with LR on Wed, but he fell back asleep in my arms and was out until 6:30. Gigi was feeling up to the task on Wed, so she returned much to LR's delight. I got home on the early side after a doctor's appointment, so we headed out to the deck for a dunk in the pool. The water was very warm after sitting in the sun all day, so we added some cool water to it from the hose. He splashed around, but it wasn't too long before he decided he wanted to crawl out of the pool. If I weren't worried about him getting splinters in his hands and knees, I'd let him. Shortly after I took this picture, I took him out of the pool. Daddy came home and had picked up dinner on the way, so we all ate while LR played around the dining room table. Daddy put him down for the night and after he talked to himself for awhile, he fell asleep around 8.

Pump up the Volume

LR was up at 5:20 this morning. Last week I experimented with altering his schedule to make him wake up later, but he seems to be back to his old tricks. I was exhausted, so not very playful for him this morning. Daddy let me get another half hour and then we did a quick tag team to get ready for work. Gigi called in sick today, so Daddy worked from home in the morning while I ran to the office. Daddy really got the easy shift since 2 hours in the morning is taken up by his nap, but I'm not complaining. Ok, I'm complaining a little.

Daddy fed him lunch before I got home and apparently they also took a quick walk in the gorgeous weather. I put him down for his second nap soon after coming home, but it only lasted 40 minutes or so. It took him a little while to shake off the nap, but once he did we had a great time playing in the kitchen. I let him pull out metal bowls and his big wooden spoons. He put on a real show for me while I baked some cupcakes. I gave him a snack of stars, cheese, and water which he ate from a large tupperware bowl on the floor. The cheese ended up crumbling all over the floor, but he was content, so I didn't mind. Then we took a quick walk to the park where I put him in the swing for a few minutes. I realized it was just a little too hot to be out though, so I cut our outing short and brought him home. After that he was a little cranky. I think the afternoon nap was just too short. He was tired during dinner and even let me spoon feed him carrots! He's been rejecting jarred food for awhile, so I was surprised. He ate his pasta and broccoli half heartedly, but he came to life when I brought him watermelon for dessert. I was afraid he was going to explode, but there was no way he was going to leave any watermelon on his tray.

Any time not eatting today was spent yelling. Not in an unhappy way, he's just testing out his volume control. He got really excited to see Gigi's dogs. He yelled and yelled and yelled at them when we went to visit her downstairs. "DA! BA! DA! DA! AHHHH!" Not really sure what to do with him when he does that. If I put him down on the floor when he's that excited, he'll just rip their tiny Westie ears off.

Daddy came home just in time to read LR some bedtime stories and put him to bed. His new PJs fit well and they're nice and soft. They're 18 month PJs and they fit well around his Buddha-belly, but the sleeves and legs are a little long. Built just like his parents!

Weekend in Review

Sorry for the delay in posting. We had a busy weekend. LR is exploring the whole house and gets really pissed when he hears the gate close in front of the stairs. Of course, the stairs completely fascinate him. Why wouldn't they? He can easily navigate the small stair between the kitchen and laundry room now and he likes hanging out in the laundry room where the big glass doors to the deck are. Also, the washer, when in use, is almost as interesting to watch as tv.

So lets see... Saturday. LR woke up at 6 and since Daddy was already up, squeezing every ounce out of the weekend, he took LR and let me sleep another hour. After I got up we took a walk to the muffin shop down the road. We picked up a few muffins for the weekend and then took the long way home. LR was content to look at everything and I signed a few things as we passed: tree, flower, dog, etc. When we got home he had a big breakfast of yogurt and blueberry muffin. Such a mess, but he loves it. I'm probably feeding him too many sweet things, but he loves broccoli, so I figure that makes up for it.

After breakfast and a little cleanup, LR went down for over 2 hours. That morning nap continues to be his longest and most regular. I ran to Babies R Us and picked up a walker/rider for him and some 18 month PJs. His feet are HUGE all of a sudden and he's outgrown his 12 month PJs. After he woke and we all had a little lunch we ran out to look at a few houses in Winchester and Concord. LR was really well behaved and we let him crawl around when we found clean carpet or wood floors. When we got home LR took a very short nap which made him pretty crabby by the time dinner rolled around. He seemed to like the walker, but the closest he got to using it correctly was crawling while pushing it with his hands on it.

By Sunday afternoon LR was starting to get the hang of the walker. Daddy managed to get him to stand while holding onto the top of it and take a few steps. We were worried about the walker not having any friction control, but that doesn't seem to be too much of a problem yet. It may just be that he's tentative right now. I'll have some pictures of him using it up soon.

Sunday was much the same. Took a long nap in the morning, looked at a few houses in the early afternoon, napped when we got home, and then entertained our friends whom we had over for a casual BBQ. I'm looking forward to when I can let him walk outside on the deck. Right now I have to hold him the whole time we're out there and he gets pretty squirmy. Eventually I took him inside to crawl around while everyone finished their meals. He got really fussy when we tried to get his PJs on, but he loves the bath right before that. If I could figure out how to dress him in the bath our problems would be solved.

Stormy Night, Beautiful Day

After a series of humid days in the 90s, we finally got the storm that broke the spell. The lightning and thunder rolled through around 4am. LR woke up screaming at 4:30 which was odd because the thunder never got very loud. I went in, made him a bottle and rocked him back to sleep. He came and slept with me until 6:30. Then we were both up for the day. I got ready for work while he played. Gigi came up and helped out so that I could get out the door.

Gigi and LR took a long walk today and stopped at the farmers market in Arlington. They picked up fresh blueberries and raspberries. He had a slew of blueberries for dinner, some pasta and at least a quarter cup of cottage cheese. After dinner I gave him a bath where he immediately tried to dunk his face in the water. His enthusiasm gave him a mouth and nose full of water. He sputtered for awhile and was much more tentative about it afterward. I let him play for awhile, but when I got tired of chasing him around the tub and was good and wet, I took him out and dried him off. I've stopped trying to get him in PJs on the changing table. I'm happy with just getting the diaper on. Then I take him out to the living room to wrestle him into his clothes.

I let him crawl around the floor for awhile while Gigi and I ate dinner. Unfortunately, he gagged on something he found on the floor under his high chair and brought up a bit of his dinner. You should have seen my mommy-ninja like moves. He was in my arms when he started to gag and I whipped him around right as he barfed. I even got a kudos from master-Gigi who was watching. The picture at the top was taken moments later. He was obviously no worse for wear.

The second picture is an example of what he does every time he finds his blankey. He's even started to go looking for it when he's tired during the day. Even more obvious than sign language. I've told Gigi that she'll have to crochet another one before she leaves.

Getting the hang of it

Tried his new schedule today with slightly less success. Took awhile to get him to go back to sleep this morning and then we only slept for another hour. I've yet to figure out how to get him back into the crib. So far he just cosleeps with me until he gets up again. When we woke up, I put him in the exersaucer while I showered and got ready for work. Just one more day until Daddy gets home from Portugal!

Gigi reported that he took a nap this morning, but didn't want to go down for his afternoon nap. When I got home from work he had just fallen asleep. He ended up sleeping from 5-6:15. I finally woke him up so that he would eat dinner and then go to bed. We played for awhile while he woke up and then I fed him blueberries and pasta. He wouldn't look at anything else while there were still blueberries on his tray. After dinner he took a nice long bath. I took him out of the bath chair and let him play in the tub for awhile. I was amazed when he decided he wanted to put his face into the water to see what it was like. I hadn't tried to introduce him to that other than practicing blowing bubbles in a full cup of water in the tub. He just put his nose and mouth in and I thought it was a fluke, but he did it 4 times during the bath. He also really wants to stand up in the tub, so I'm trying to discourage that.

After tub time I got him into PJs and he surprised me again. I had noticed (I think I mentioned it in the last post) that he's waving a whole lot more recently. So during the evening, I kept trying to get him to sign "mommy." No dice, but he did try to sign the itsy-bitsy-spider with me tonight. I sang it once and since I always clap at the end, he clapped with me. Then I decided to sing it again, curious if he would join in. He smiled for the first line, mimicked rain for the second line (I had always thought he was just waving his arms in excitement, but it's much more clear now), and raised his arms for the line about the sun. I was so thrilled to see his participation that I sang it for a third time. That time he just wanted a hug though. Fun evening!

New Schedule?

So we've been under the impression that LR was just an early riser and we needed to get used to it, but the past 2 mornings have been a little different. Sunday morning he woke up at 4:45 because his legs got caught in the crib slats. I went in and got him and then he seemed like he was awake. I, however, was not. I made him a bottle and took him back to his room where he drank half and the other half ended up leaking out all over both of us. I guess I picked up one of the new nipples and hadn't bothered to seat it correctly in the screw cap. *sigh* So I changed my shirt and put him in a new sleeper. Then I let him play around on his floor for a half hour. Then he needed to be changed again. (He's a morning pooper - like clockwork.) When I changed him I noticed that his normal I-don't-want-to-be-changed fuss was combined with an I'm-tired whine. He rubbed his eyes a few times, so after he was changed, I bounced with him on the exercise ball a few hundred times. He closed his eyes, so I tried to put him in the crib, but he woke up. I then rocked him in the glider for 5 minutes and he was out again. This time I took him to bed with me and, miracle of miracles, he slept for 2 more hours! I felt bad for the babysitter because I knew he'd be completely off schedule. She seemed to cope without a problem though.

Today he woke at 5:15 and I went through pretty much an identical routine sans the formula spillage. He slept until 7:45 and might have gone longer, but I dropped a plastic cup in the kitchen. Oh well. Gigi reported that he took his same naps, just an hour and a half later on average. He seemed happy when I got home and I guess he was all day for the most part. I just put him down at his normal time, so that hasn't changed. Maybe we have a new schedule?

Dinner consisted of blueberries (new food), pasta, cheese, and carrots. He's waving more often now which makes me think he's trying to get a handle on the signs for "mommy" and "daddy" since you basically wave your hand in front of your face. Not sure if it's wishful thinking or not.

New Sign

We had a very busy day today. Daddy got up with LR at 5:15. I joined them at 6:30. LR had his usual breakfast of Yo-Baby and stars. Then we walked and walked and walked and walked. He was tired out by 9 (I was tired out by 8) and went down for almost 2 hours. During that time Daddy and I got to work (knowing it would be our most productive time of the day). We water sealed half the deck, started work on 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, picked up the living room, and Daddy did a few small fix-it jobs around the house. LR woke up feeling very rested. After a little quality play time he had a lunch of cereal, applesauce, watermelon and cheese. He doesn't love the cereal any more, but we're still pushing it so that he gets the iron he needs.

After lunch we thought it'd be a good idea to run to the stores to get some bigger PJs for LR and a new baby monitor. Ours broke a few weeks ago. I tried to keep him awake on the ride there so that I could test out our brand new cart seat cover, but he nodded off just as we pulled up to the stores. *sigh* So Daddy drove around while I went into Babies R Us and I drove around while he ran into Home Depot. LR woke up when we got home, so it was a quick and early nap. At home we had a fun afternoon. We walked a lot, of course, but LR also showed us the sign for "ball." I didn't recognize it at first, but Daddy pointed it out. I thought LR was clapping, but he was putting his hands together just once when we showed him a small basketball. Then Daddy taught LR how to put the basketball through a small hoop that came with the tunnel system. Daddy would show LR how to do it and then lift LR who sometimes dropped the ball through the net and other times just held onto the net. It was very cool. I'll get a picture of it next time.

Oh and nothing makes LR laugh harder than when we play peek-a-boo around the small couch. He crawls around 3 sides to where I'm hiding and then I pop out and he shrieks. He loves to be surprised. It's half chase half peek-a-boo, I guess. That game went on for at least 15 minutes.

This evening our neighbors dropped off their 2 month old for a few hours until his Dad gets off work. The V-man is very cute, but reminds us why we love LR just where he is. LR was a little curious why I was holding a different baby, but at any given time he had one of our attentions, so he was content. So LR went to bed right at 7:30 and now we just have the V-man for another couple hours. In any case it was a pretty great day.

Turn Around

LR's big accomplishment over the past few days has been learning how to navigate the step from the kitchen into the laudry room. It's only about half a step, so it's a good one to learn on. Every time he gets to the top of the step, I say "turn around" and sign for him to turn. Up until yesterday I would have to follow the command by physically turning him around and helping him find the floor beneath the step with his foot. Yesterday we went through the routine and after a minute of smiling, he turned arond and reached down with his foot. Hooray! These little accomplishments are so amazing.

So everyone has sore backs. LR wants to walk all day long now. If you leave you hands out for him to grab, he'll try the "finger breaking" technique that I teach to my rugby players. Don't remember teaching him, but he picked it up somewhere. If you ever stop before he's ready to stop, you're rewarded with some loud shrieking and then a whine or two. You have to distract him with something else pretty quickly, for example banging a metal pot top on the ceramic tile floor. Boy, what a sound that makes! We can thank Gigi for that particular game.

Wednesday he was up at 5, so Daddy and I took turns. Even worse, Thursday he was up at 4:45! I let him talk to himself for awhile, but finally went to get him at 5. This morning he was up at 5:40, but I'm really hoping that since his bedtime has gone from7:30-7:45 that he'll start waking closer to 6am. That feels human at least. He really should be getting closer to 10 hours instead of 9. It wouldn't matter if I could only get to bed at 9. What time is it now? Damn, it's 9:30 already. I'm going to bed...

Long day

LR had a long day today. Woke up at 6am and seemed to be on track. Gigi had to take her dogs to be groomed and LR napped a little in the stroller on the way but woke up when they got home. Usually he takes his long nap in the morning, so she just crossed her fingers that he'd take his long nap in the afternoon to make up for it. Unfortunately she had to go pick up the dogs right around the time of his second nap. She tried to walk, but a few steps from the door and the skies opened up. She got him inside and then started hearing loud thunder and even some hail. So she loaded him into the car instead. When they got home, he had been asleep for 5 mins and she made the transfer, but he only stayed out anther 5 mins.

I was expecting a cranky baby when I got home, but he was pretty reasonable. We played hide n' seek around his Jumperoo. He laughed enough to make both Gigi and I join in. I finally snapped a pic of him in his tunnel system which he absolutely loves. He was coming for the camera, so I had to work quickly. He ended the evening with a brief dinner and a quick bath. Put him down at 7:30 and haven't heard a peep out of him since.

Blowing Bubbles

(New photos added below.)
Woke up early this morning. 5:15 and I heard him call out. Daddy made a bottle and I tried to get him to go back to sleep, but it was a no-go. So we went out to the living room to play. He cruised around the coffee table and made sure to grab hold of my hands a few times to do some walking laps around the house. He has almost no stability, so he leans forward enough to go at a run. I'm terrified that I'll step on his feet while trying to hold him up.

Handed him off to Daddy while I grabbed a shower and then Gigi took over. Today they went to the mommy-movie at the Arlington theater. Unfortunately, he was a wiggle worm and mid-movie she had to take a break just to let him walk around in the lobby. She held him every which way, including upside-down, while trying to watch. Guess that's the last movie for awhile. He slept a bit on the walk home but woke up when she tried to transfer him to the crib.

When I got home I found a very happy LR. He was holding Gigi's hands and walked up to the gate at the top of the stairs to greet me. He was smiling and giggling. The past few days he's been imitating our laughs and makes a "hya-hya-hya" sound every few minutes. It keeps us laughing. After a dinner of broccoli, green beans, carrots, cheese, and watermelon (boy does he love watermelon) I got him into the bath. His favorite game in the bath now is to blow bubbles in a big cup of water that I use to dump water over his head. First I blow bubbles and then he takes the cup from me and he blows bubbles. When we first started the game a week ago he had a hard time figuring out when to take his mouth away from the cup so that he wouldn't inhale water. Now he's got it down. He blows bubbles, moves his mouth away and takes a breath. It's amazing how fast they learn. He thinks the game is a riot. I should really get him into swimming lessons especially since we looked at a house this weekend that has a pool!

Cruising along

LR and I got up early again yesterday. We played and ate breakfast and then woke Daddy up at 8am. Then I got in a quick nap. LR is trying to clap now, but it's more like pounding his fists together. He's been spending the mornings crawling in and out of his tunnel system. His newest activity is walking while holding our hands. Sometimes it's at a run and other times he's so wobbly that he has to sit down. He likes to walk into the kitchen where we've given him access to the cabinet with all the recipe books and take out menus. He pulls them out and chews on them daily. In actuality, he has access to all the cabinets. I'm still waiting for the baby proofing magnets I ordered last week. They come with magnet keys and as long as we don't lose them, everything will be okay. Magnets will also keep him from opening the cabinets just wide enough to pinch his fingers.

After playing in the kitchen he usually heads to the laundry room where there is a very small step down. We're working on negotiating the step. I want him to go over the step backward, but he disagrees with my theory on gravity and wants to go head first. We made a game of it yesterday where he would climb halfway up the stair and then sit back down. I would say "bump!" and clap for him. He did that a few times and then he lifted himself up, but didn't step up at all and sat back down. I clapped again. After that he just leaned forward and sat back down, testing how little he had to do to receive clapping. It was very cute.

He had a nice long nap in the morning and then we went out and ran some errands. He didn't nap again until later in the afternoon and only slept for 30 minutes or so. Definitely not enough and he woke up pretty cranky. We tried the pool outside which was fun, but after 10 minutes or so he got chilly and wanted to come out. At dinner we noticed a rash on his forearms and we don't know if it's eczema or if it's irritation from all the crawling and cruising. It seems to come and go with the use of a moisturizer, so I think it's eczema. Too bad we just had our 9 month appointment. I might call Dr. Nick if it gets any worse.

Dinner consisted of steamed french green beans, carrots and broccoli, oatmeal cereal, and cherries for dessert. I like that we don't have to do jarred food much anymore. It makes eating out easier since he wants to feed himself. He hated jarred green beans, but he seems to love the steamed ones. Carrots were always a favorite, but the baby ones that he can grab a hold of are much easier to clean up and don't stain as much. We ran a quick bath for him after dinner and Gigi took care of him while Daddy and I tried to clean up the kitchen. I finally washed his highchair cover which had gotten super gross. I also wiped down the plastic of the chair and it looks like new again. Then it was bedtime and Daddy put him to sleep easily with a bottle.

Back to the new routine

Gigi is home finally and boy was LR happy to see her. He gave her a nice hug when she came up this morning. He was hiding under the Jumperoo when she first came up, but he crawled out and into her lap as soon as he saw her.

I guess she spent the rest of the day running after him. In the short time she's been gone, he's started really moving. He motors around all day when he's not eating. So the schedule was like this:
8-9am Chase the baby
9-10:30 Nap time
10:30-11:30 Chase the baby and see him try to open cabinets and then pinch his fingers. Ouch!
11:30-noon Feeding time at the zoo
noon-2pm Chase the baby (Are you kidding me with all the moving? Hold still!)
2-3pm Nap time
3-3:15pm Fight the urge to leave LR diaper-less instead of fighting with him on the changing table.
3:15-5:30 Strap him into the stroller and take him for a walk the park. Then, Chase the baby.

When I got home Gigi said no more family can come until she leaves. Apparently she couldn't leave him for a minute. Guess he got used to lots of playmates this past weekend! I opened one of the big boxes that goes with the tunnels and she played a hysterical game of hide-n-seek with LR. He laughed so much that I turned on the video camera and got some footage of it. Daddy came home soon after so that I could hit the gym. Daddy says that bedtime is getting later. LR wasn't tired until closer to 8pm. If that means he sleeps until 6am, I'm all for it!

Holiday Weekend

Sorry for the delay in posting. We had a very busy weekend. Grandparents and Aunt K came into town for the holiday and had a ball playing with and spoiling LR. Let's see, what do I remember about this weekend...

LR made his first conscious sign. Sunday morning Daddy, LR and I were hanging out in our bedroom looking up at the fan spinning. We've showed him the sign before and when I signed it this time, I watched LR point the index finger on both hands and look at them. Then he raised one hand and made circles with it. It was an obvious sign and the first I've seen since he learned "milk." I'm calling "fan" his first sign since he did it consciously instead of reflexively. It was very cool to watch. Daddy opened his eyes just in time to see it. I saw him sign it this morning as well. It's exciting to think that our days of no communication are coming to an end (and the days of frustrating partial communication stretch out before me for the next, oh, 50 years or so).

Sunday we had a small BBQ and had some friends over with their 5 month old King J. It was a toasty day so we couldn't go outside until later in the afternoon. Daddy and Grandad cooked up some oak-smoked salmon on the grill. LR consumed half an avocado and a jar of sweet potatoes for dinner. The heat overwhelmed him a little and with all the excitement, he was way off schedule. Two 45 minute naps does not a happy LR make. He felt better after we got him into the bath. While Aunt K watched him in the tub, cries of joy turned to cries of anguish on the deck as King J defiled his father's second shirt of the day (the first one suffered from a minor bout of upset stomach). King J's parents came in asking for a safe space to set the leaking child and a torch for his dad's shirt. Everyone dissolved into hysterics and Daddy gave J's dad a(nother) new shirt. After everyone was cleaned up, the babies decided it was time to call it a day. Otherwise it was a lovely day.

Monday Daddy went to work and the rest of us went to Toys R Us for LR's early birthday presents. Since he loves crawling under the table and into small spaces, they bought him a tunnel system (probably the same his cousin Bud has), some foam blocks, and a small inflatable pool for the deck. He has thoroughly tested and loves them all. Not sure how to keep him in the pool yet, but we're working on it. The tunnel system was a huge hit. He's very content to play inside just small portions of the tunnels and he likes the balls that came with it - soccer, basketball, and golf.

Tuesday everyone was together again, but the best time for the family to leave, to avoid the worst weather, was in the morning. Daddy stayed home with LR and put him down for his first nap while I took them to the airport.

What else... he's cruising pretty well now, but is still not terribly stable which has lead to a lot of head bumping. He's taken a few nasty spills, but seems to be able to recover quickly. We tell him to rub some dirt on it and get back out there which he generally does after a good hug. Oh and he's a terrible ham. Every time we pulled out a camera he would turn and smile his two-tooth grin and then squint his eyes in anticipation of the flash. It was almost impossible to get a candid shot.

Mile Marker

Oops, forgot in the last post to say that he weighed 21 lbs and 13 oz at the visit. He's also 28 inches long. He's 50th percentile in length, 60th in weight, and 70th in head circumference. Doc says he looks like a healthy baby boy!

Bumps and Bruises

LR had a rough day today. It started out well. He woke at 5:20, but took a bottle and coslept with me until 6:30. Hooray for sleeping in! We did our normal morning routine even though I was staying home for the day. Daddy fed him yogurt and cottage cheese for breakfast and then left for work. By 9 he was showing signs of being tired, so I tried to get him to nap. He was too wriggly, so finally I had to set him down in the crib wide awake. He cried for 4 minutes and then fell asleep. He slept from 9:40 until 12:10. Guess he was tired.

After he woke from his long nap, we had lunch and played for awhile. At 1:30 I gathered his gear and my purse and loaded him into the car. Time for his 9 month visit to the doctor. I was a little nervous because they were taking blood today for a lead test. It was a finger prick, but they had a student nurse do it and it took longer for that reason. Then they had me hold gauze on his finger to get it to clot. A minute later they rushed back into the room and said they needed another vile. Luckily his finger hadn't clotted yet, but he didn't love the additional finger pinching. For the second vile I was prepared with stars which he ate using his other hand. That kept him pretty distracted.

He fell asleep for the last 5 mites of the car ride, but woke up when I tried to carry him into the house. I knew that wasn't a good thing... He was cruising around the coffee table a little later and slipped so that his chin hit the edge. He broke into tears for the second time today. When I lifted him up, I saw his bottom teeth had cut his top gum. He didn't seem to mind too much and the tears disappeared quickly. After that we were back to playing and crawling around the house. One of his games is to crawl under the seat of his jumperoo and play peak-a-boo around the stand. The seat is suspended by springs to the stand, so when he was trying to stand using the seat as support, it swung out from under him, he did a 180, and smacked the back of his head on the ground. It's probably the hardest I've seen him hit it. He was pretty fussy after that. Really, how much can one little person take in a day? I took him out on the deck to distract him and then pulled out the bubbles.

When Daddy came home, LR decided to try clapping for the first time. He was just pounding his fists together, but for a first try, it wasn't bad. Daddy was so impressed that he threw LR into the laundry hamper. LR cheered up considerably after Daddy arrived, so the rest of the evening was pretty fun. He spit up on his PJs and had to be changed again right before bed, but other than that, it was a good evening.

Bigger and bigger

I swear he grew another inch while I was at work today. I came home and it seemed like he was just spilling out of my arms. It may have been because he's a wiggler, but I think he's also just gone through a growth spurt. He ate like mad at dinner! Stars, then some Gouda, half an avocado, very little jarred corn and squash, and then many mouths full of watermelon. At one point he had packed watermelon into every corner of his mouth. I had to hold his hands to keep him from shoveling more in! Funny kid.

Tonight while playing in his room he discovered the drawers in his room. Guess it's time to baby proof those too! He's exploring more and more each day and doesn't often want to be in our arms anymore. The best is the chase game now. If we crawl behind him while he's crawling, he thinks we're coming to get him. He giggles and tries to crawl faster. Then he'll turn and sit - probably thinking he has to wait for us slow-pokes to catch up. Then we rush up and tickle him. He loves it. What a fun game.

Sleepy Day for Mommy

So I'm trying to catch up on sleep from when he was born, I guess. LR woke at 5 this morning and I stayed with him until 7. Daddy thought he might be coming down with a cold, so I wanted to make sure he got enough sleep. Then Daddy took him while I caught another hour of sleep. When I got up again they had just finished a cup of yogurt and a good helping of cottage cheese. We played for another hour and then he went down for his morning nap. I figured we had time for an episode of Firefly and then we could get some housework done. Just as the episode ended, LR was up again. Usually he naps longer in the morning, but I'm not really complaining about skipping the housework. ;)

So after he got up we played for a little longer and then had a lunch of cereal, pears, and stars. I also gave him 4 oz of formula to wash it down. He was crawling all over the place afterward. The radiator covers are a new favorite. I'm slowly starting to clean them off as he finds new things to pull down. I'm finally becoming a neat(er) person! No more clutter! I'm tired of fishing paper out of his mouth, so the magazines went away today. The pictures will probably go away tomorrow.

He went down for his second nap at 1 and so did I. Unfortunately, after a half hour he woke up crying. I went in and picked him up knowing he didn't really want to be awake and rocked him back to sleep. After that we slept for another hour and a half! It was awesome. We both woke up refreshed. We took a walk around the neighborhood with LR straining against his stroller straps to get a better look at the world. It was drizzling, but still pleasant outside. After our walk we had a dinner of avocado, acorn squash, and stars. Boy does he love avocado! Makes for a messy dinner though, so afterwards it was into the bath. Luckily he doesn't mind when I dump a big cup of water right over his head, so washing him is super easy now. After that it was time for bed and Daddy gave him his evening bottle. Hoping for a late morning wake up.

Good Naps

LR started the day at 5:30 which puts him back on schedule. Unfortunately, I had a migraine, so Daddy took LR for me and they played all morning. I came out at 7 feeling much improved and tried to wake up while Daddy fed him yogurt mixed with cottage cheese. Then I took LR and we played until 9 when he went down for his first nap. LR and I napped from 9-11 while Daddy ran some errands. When we woke, we met Daddy at Home Depot and then came back home for some lunch. He ate a large helping of cereal, pears, watermelon, and stars. He really enjoyed the watermelon. It's messy, but totally worth it.

After lunch it was time to play again. He's just started enjoying being chased by either one of us. If I get down level with him, he laughs and then heads across the room. I crawl or slide along beside him with him giggling the whole way. He also loves to hide under things. The dining room table is a recent favorite. So after playing for awhile we put LR in the stroller and headed to the grocery store. Picked up some food for him and a couple of vegetables to try. He really wants to feed himself, so I'm trying to get creative with the finger foods. The other night he ate cooked broccoli which I broke into small trees for him. I picked up some acorn squash, but I'm pretty sure he can't feed that one to himself. I assumed he would fall asleep during our walk, but he didn't. He hummed to himself a couple of times, but that was it.

When we got home, I gave him a bottle and just as he was getting to the last ounce, he fell asleep. He was out for an hour and then I woke him to go look at a 2 family house in Winchester. I don't know that I've ever purposely woken him from a nap, so I was pleasantly surprised by how happy he was afterward. He kicked and played in our arms as we walked around the house and the property. We came back home and ate our dinner while he had a little bit of a bunch of different things: some Gouda cheese, stars, pasta, Pirate's Booty, and corn and butternut squash from a jar. He drank some water, but he tends to throw the sippy cup over the side of the high chair and because I don't want that to turn into a game, he doesn't drink a lot during dinner. I make sure to give it back to him at the end though.

Daddy and I got a chance to play on the mats with him for a half hour or so after dinner. Daddy tried chasing LR around the living room which LR loved. He's also still enjoying the Mylar balloon. We picked up the play mat a bit and then it was off to bed. He wasn't terribly hungry for the formula, so I ended up bouncing him for 10 minutes before he was completely out.

Early Mornings

This morning made the third morning in a row that LR has woken up at 4:50am. Last night we even tried to put him to bed late (suffering a meltdown in the process) and put up dark sheets over the window blinds. No luck. I heard him at 4:50 again, but let him talk to himself until 5:20. Then Daddy got up and tended to him.

We've had a beautiful couple of days, so Gigi has tried to take advantage of it by taking LR on long walks. Yesterday he slept from 9:30am to 1:30pm. It was so unusual for him that she kept checking on him to make sure he was still breathing. Not sure if it was because he's been missing some sleep or because he's hitting a growth spurt. He's more than made up for his lack of appetite during the cold. He's ravenous at every meal and because he insists on feeding himself now, meal durations have more than doubled. He's eating yogurt and cottage cheese for breakfast, fruit and cereal for lunch, and assortments of finger foods for dinner.

He's also increased his activity level during the day. He's exploring the house and testing the boundaries. I'll have to hide the magazine box since I've already fished paper out of his mouth twice. I need to keep the coffee table clean of anything. The kitchen cabinets need baby locks on them and the bathroom and bedroom doors stay shut now. Oh, and every time we accidentally leave the gate open, he heads straight for it. It's like a sixth sense. He could be on the other side of the house, but when that gate opens, he knows it.

Back on Schedule

LR finally slept through the night on Monday night after a week of being off schedule. Each time he woke up, I would go see if he needed more Tylenol. Then he was expecting me to come in, so it was a relief when he slept through to his normal 5:30 wakeup. The worst/best part is that when he wakes up and pulls himself up at the side of the crib, he calls out, "Ma ma ma ma!" Not sure why that's his first concrete syllable. Thought it was supposed to be "da da," but I'm not complaining. He's always hummed when being put to sleep, so he's been making the "mmmm" sound forever. Guess that's where it comes from. Anyway, it's tough to listen to him call for me and actually use "Ma ma." As if listening to him cry wasn't bad enough.

Yesterday I came home to a happy baby. Gigi said he had a big eating day. Glad his appetite is back. He had Pirate's Booty by the handful in the afternoon. None of us can figure out why he likes it. Spinach and kale flavored... yum! When I walked in the door he was having a dinner of shredded mozzarella, plain noodles, peas, and carrots. Once I came in he was too distracted to eat. (He wanted a hug.) After our hug I put him down to play on the floor and he proceeded to eat all the food he had dropped onto his high chair mat. (We put a clear plastic mat underneath the high chair because of the increasing amount of mess he was creating.) So he chomped on some stars from lunch and noodles from dinner. Daddy came home and questioned this new parenting style. I think he's still wary of when I tied the Mylar balloon to LR's leg and called it "creative parenting."

This morning he was up at 4:50! Gigi said today is the longest day of the year which may be one of the reasons he was up so early. Talked to SwingDaddy last night who said that he's going to look at some blackout blinds soon. We're probably going to do the same thing. Can't keep getting up before 5am. That's just brutal.

LR was content when I left, but probably going down for a nap soon. He's sleeping a little more during the day, so I think he's either growth spurting or just adjusting to his new found mobility. He crawls all over the house now and even shows signs that he wants to walk when we hold his hands. I don't expect he'll be an early walker, but who knows.

Father's Day

First day in 5 without a fever! He was up at 4:50 and we played until 6. Then we coslept until almost 8. It threw off his naps, but it was nice having our little man back to normal. Gave Daddy his presents when he woke up. Then we got ready and went to our last Sunday class where LR played with friends. He fell asleep on the way to BestBuy after class and managed to stay asleep despite a transfer into the stroller and another back into the car. He almost made it into his crib when we got home, but he had already been asleep for an hour, so it wasn't a big deal that he woke up.

He had some lunch and it seems that his appetite is back. He ate some cereal and pears. We played for the rest of the afternoon and Daddy has started teaching him all the best wrestling moves by throwing him onto our bed and then falling down next to him. LR loves it. We ran out to scout some two family houses in Winchester and LR fell asleep on the way home. I did manage to transfer him to the crib, but he was only out for another 20 minutes. Just long enough for us to fall asleep for what we were hoping would be an hour nap. Oh well.

We played again until dinnertime. He loves the mylar balloon that came with some birthday flowers I received. Dinner consisted of carrots, stars, pasta and some pieces of multigrain toast. He even tried a bite of broccoli and liked it. Then we put him back into the highchair while we ate a father's day dinner that Daddy picked out and Gigi prepared: chicken marsala, broccoli, and fruit soup for dessert. While we ate, he picked up his sippy cup and drank fast enough to cough and sputter a few times. Eventually the coughing slowed down and Gigi asked him if he were faking it. Then he coughed again and we all laughed. He continued coughing and looking from person to person. He would smile in between and watch us react with laughter. The game went on long enough that we decided we better stop before he got a sore throat. Manipulating parents for the first time: June 18th, 2006. It was adorable though.

Temperature Spike

I went to get him at 4am this morning. He had a temp of 102. I gave him Tylenol and walked around with him for a half hour. Finally gave him to Daddy at 5am. He went back to sleep from 5:45-6:30 and then I coslept with him until 8am. I worked from home so that I could keep an eye on him and help out when needed. He's super clingy because he just doesn't feel great. His appetite is still not what it usually is.

Gigi ran out during my lunch break to get groceries for dinner. LR and I hung out for awhile and I realized that he's been waving for the past few days. When I sing him the "Hello" song, he tries to mimic my hand waving. He also loves to watch how his hand can articulate on the wrist while nodding off to sleep in our arms. Managed to snap a picture of him waving to me.

After some playtime on the mat he got cranky, so I put him down for a nap. He woke up within 40 minutes and was fairly upset. Gigi took him off my hands and I went back upstairs to work. Came down early evening to find him in an okay mood, but Gigi reported that he screamed when she tried to sit down on the couch. No sitting for Gigi apparently. I played with him for awhile and when Daddy came home we all went outside for a dinner of Halibut, asparagus, and risotto. LR stuck to stars, pears, and rice cereal. He also seems to really like the mozzarella cheese slices I've been giving him. Going to try some provolone this weekend.

Sleepless Night

LR went down at the normal time last night, but his meds wore off around 11pm and that's when he started crying. It only lasted a few minutes and I debated going to get him the whole time. I heard him again just after midnight and then at 1:30. When he cried at 2am I went to get him and he was burning up. I felt so guilty for letting it go that long. I gave him Tylenol and walked him around until the fever started going down. At 3am I finally was able to put him back down. He woke up at 5am and Daddy took him so that I could get some sleep. Unfortunately the alarm went off at 6:30 and then I heard LR wake up from a short nap at 7:30. Oh well, it was time to get ready for work anyway.

While going thru the morning routine we decided we should hit the walk-in hour (8:30-9:30am) at our pediatrician's office. Daddy went to work while Gigi and I packed LR into the car. Dr Nick said it just sounded like a stomach bug and that he should be on the mend soon.

I came home to find a relatively happy baby, but he was super clingy and obviously wasn't feeling good by the end of the evening. He managed some rice cereal and pears, stars, and cheese. Daddy came home just in time to put LR to bed with a bottle. A half hour later LR was standing up in his crib screaming. I went in, picked him up, and found that he had wet thru his PJs. Daddy changed the crib saver, we changed his PJs, and I gave him the rest of his unfinished bedtime bottle. He was out again within 10 minutes. Really hoping he has a better night. I had forgotten how tough it is to go to work without much sleep.

Sick Day

LR woke up at 5am with a fever of 100. When I picked him up, he was radiating heat from his whole body, but especially his hands, feet, and head. I gave him meds and some formula right away and the fever came down to 99.3 in an hour, but it took close to 3 hours for his fever to break. He was cranky off and on during the day and wouldn't let Gigi put him down for a nap. He would fall asleep in her arms, but them wake up and cry whenever she tried to put him down. She ended up holding him for 2 hours while he slept in the early afternoon.

When I got home, I put him in a box that arrived from amazon and pulled him around the house which he loved until I dumped him backwards when I tried to pull him along too fast. He was not thrilled with me at that point, but he signaled his forgiveness with a big open mouthed kiss/bite on my cheek. We read a new Baby Einstein book called Violet's House which is a giant touch and feel book. He loved it and I'm sure will be more enthused when he's feeling better.

Gave him dinner, but he didn't have a huge appetite. He perked up a bit in the bath after dinner and I think it helped to bring the fever down a bit. Got him into PJs and had no trouble putting him to bed. He was tuckered out from the day with a fever. Hoping the fever is gone by tomorrow so that he can get back to his normal bubbly self.

Oh, Gigi also set up a tent (using a sheet and his Jumperoo) for him today since he's really gotten into hiding under things: the coffee table, his Jumperoo, and any blankets I hold up for him. He crawled under it a number of times and seemed to like it.

Catch up

Ok, playing a little catch up here. We had a relaxing weekend for the most part. LR was content to accompany us to Costco on Sunday and didn't mind when I left for a massage on Saturday. Sunday we had our Social Butterflies class where LR showed off his jumping skills (again) and then crawled around greeting all the other babies. He stole toys from them, they stole them back, and a good time was had by all. The youngest one there wasn't thrilled when LR took his rattle, so we gave it back and distracted LR with a gummy ball with rivets all over it. Such fun stuff they have now... I would buy it if he wasn't so incredibly thrilled when I came home today and put him in a box that had arrived in the mail. Hours of fun!

He's dancing more often now when he hears music, especially when he's standing at his incrediblock and activating the music. He wiggles and smiles and I sit nearby waiting for him to bail over sideways, but he hasn't actually done that for awhile. He pulls himself up regularly on the coffee table and incrediblock and is significantly more stable than he was a few weeks ago. When we got home from the Social Butterflies class, Daddy and I watched him pull himself up on the coffee table and remarked that we were glad he wasn't cruising yet like his classmate who is 2 weeks older. As if he understood that we were comfortable in our current expectations of him, he began to casually cruise down the coffee table toward Daddy. What a comedian.

Today I came home to find a grumpy baby and after playing for a few minutes with a fair amount of whimpering, I leaned down to give him a hug and realized he was running a fever. Grabbed the thermometer and, sure enough, it was 100.5. No wonder. So I gave him meds and watched Sesame Street with him until he felt better. Then he ate a small dinner of stars, a biter biscuit, and half a banana. I cleaned him up and put him to bed with no resistance. Poor little guy.

(Will try to be better at blogging. Just been a little busy.)

Nap adjustment

LR was standing in his crib to greet me again yesterday morning. Really glad I lowered the crib last month. It was 6am which is late for him so I don't know if it was because they had a busy day and he didn't have a long nap in the afternoon or if it was because my book club was particularly noisy. Gigi decided to experiment by keeping him up in the afternoon instead of putting him down for his normal nap. Unfortunately for her he got over tired and incredibly cranky, so she finally put him down for a nap at 4:30 and he slept until 5. When I got home he seemed a little out of sorts and cranky, but no worse for wear.

Fed him a little on the early side. Gave him spinach and kale flavored Pirate's Booty - it's puffed corn and rice. I like their Cheese flavored stuff, but kale? Ewwww. LR loves it though. That was his appetizer. For dinner he had carrots mixed with vegetables. Because of the lack of sleep I had to feed and entertain him, so it was dinner and a show. After that I still had a fair amount of time to kill before bed time, so I plunked him into the bath where he is always content. Let him soak for awhile as he played with his foam letters and numbers. I can now dump a full cup of water over his head which makes shampooing him much easier. We've made a splashing game out of it, so he no longer minds.

After the bath I got him into PJs and we went out to the mats to play a little more. At 7:30 I gave him most of an 8 oz. bottle, but then he decided to play with the nipple. Even though he looked wide awake, I knew he was tired, so I bounced him for 5 minutes and he was out. This morning he didn't wake up until 6:20. Guess Gigi's experiment worked and I got close to 8 hours sleep! Felt bad telling her that it worked because he wasn't much fun for her yesterday. Not sure whether we should let him nap and wake up super early or disturb his afternoon nap so that he sleeps more at night. We'll see how today goes.

Standing to greet me

Yesterday morning was the first time I've opened the door to his room to find him standing in his crib waiting for me. He picked the corner of the crib where he has the best view of the door. He was waiting with a big grin on his face. Even though it was 5:10am, I smiled back. Not sure why he keeps getting up so early. Our morning routine was a little backwards. I showered before Daddy so that I could get out the door early. Lots of quality Daddy and LR time. They invented a new game where Daddy stuffs the O-ball into a plastic cup. LR pulls out the ball and Daddy makes the sound "Boi-oi-oi-oi-oing!" LR thinks it's hoo-larious.

Came home to a very happy LR. Gigi, her friend C, and LR had spent the day exploring Boston. They took the train to Faneuil Hall, walked through the Commons and the Garden, and had lunch in a cafe. Gigi said he was wonderful the whole time. Usually he's not a huge fan of being in the stroller for too long, but I guess there was a lot to look at. It was a beautiful day, so it was a perfect opportunity to go out. Apparently he also was good while having his diaper changed while on a park bench. She said he didn't squirm at all. Guess I'm going to be changing him out on the deck for awhile.

When I got home he was rambunctious and happy. Got a little cranky after a small dinner of carrots, stars, and toast and was certainly tired. I guess his afternoon nap wasn't very long. Daddy put him to bed at 7:30 while I got ready to host my New Moms Book Club. We stayed out on the deck until the mosquitoes drove us indoors. Then I was surprised that he stayed asleep despite the amount of noise we made as we laughed about the funny things the kids are doing now.

Second Tooth

Had trouble posting this last night, so here it is now.

Man was he up early this morning. I heard him making some noise somewhere in the 3:45 area and then he was up at 5:10 for good. Thought I could rock him back to sleep, but as soon as I brought him to bed with me (thinking I could sneak in an extra half hour or so) he was up and trying to climb Mt. Snoring Daddy. Took him out to the play mats to play. At 6 Daddy got up and let me sleep another half hour. For breakfast he ate the entire cup of yogurt - 4 oz. He was exhausted by the time Gigi came upstairs.

When I got home she reported that she was pretty sure that second tooth broke through. He won't really let me poke around too much in his mouth, but I'm guessing she's right. He seems less cranky even though he didn't nap too much today. Gave him another new awful flavor of jarred food for dinner: lentils and rice. Gag city. Me, not him. He seemed to like it well enough, especially with some carrots mixed in.

Gigi picked up a friend from the airport and LR warmed up to her right away. Unfortunately it was bedtime and Daddy wisked him away before he got too attached. He took half his bottle and was out like a light. Maybe now that his tooth is through he'll sleep a little longer...

Wedding Day

Yesterday was a blur. It was cold and raining outside, so we spent most of the time indoors. We went to a friend's wedding and left LR with Gigi for the second half of the day. Got home around 11pm and then was up extra early this morning. Heard LR around 5:10 talking to himself. Let him do that for 20 mins and finally decided to get up. As soon as he hears me get out of bed, his babbling instantly becomes more insistent as if he's saying, "hello? I hear you. Come get me... Seriously, I hear you peeing. Get in here." Our next house will have a master bath far from the baby's room.

Fed him yogurt and stayed up with him until 7:30. Then woke up Daddy and I went back to sleep until 9:30. By the time I woke up, he was down for his first nap, but woke up just in time for us to go to our Sunday Social Butterflies class. LR was pretty cranky. His nap should have been longer. Then we got home, fed him cereal and pears, and headed out to our friends' house a few blocks away. LR fell asleep again on the way, woke up 15 minutes after we arrived, and was on his best behavior the rest of the time. He fell asleep again on the way home and I managed to transfer him to the crib where he stayed for almost an hour.

He woke up incredibly upset and I'm pretty sure that second tooth is ready to pop through. I'll bet we see it tomorrow or the next day. Gave him some Motrin and he was fine within an hour. Before that though we played a game where I'd yawn then smile and he would smile and drop his head onto my shoulder and hug me. I could have played ALL day. He's not usually cuddly like that, so I knew he wasn't feeling particularly well. Watched an episode of the Muppet Show, had some unbelievably nasty tasting baby food called "Vegetable Dinner." So gross. Daddy mixed it with carrots and it was better. We put him in the Jumperoo and Daddy played a hysterical game of peak-a-boo while we ate dinner that Gigi made. Gave him a quick bath and hustled him into bed.

Sign Class

LR was up at 5:30 on the dot this morning. He nursed and then played on his mats. We read through his favorite books and signed all the animals. Then I watched him explore the living room a bit. Now that he's crawling more, he's finding more things to pull himself up on. We put him in his jumperoo while we got ready for work. He never seems to tire of jumping.

Gigi took him to sign class today where he showed off his new crawling skills by making a B-line for the toys in the center of the room. They sang their old songs and picked up a new one about making tea or something like that. She reported that he had nice naps today, one for an hour and a half and one for an hour. He also put himself to sleep in his crib for the afternoon one after 10 minutes of fussing. Hopefully we can start to put him in the crib without having to rock him too much.

I came home to find a happy baby. Gave him carrots, green beans, stars, and Zweiback toast for dinner. He loves that toast! It's nice because it keeps him entertained while I make the rest of his dinner. Then it was into the bath to get rid of the green bean styling gel he tried out during dinner. Put him in a new set of summer pjs with short sleeves and no feet. Gigi bought them for him this week. Daddy came home in time to put LR to bed. He took 8 ounces of formula and then Daddy had to bounce him to sleep.

Good naps

LR was up this morning at 6am which was a nice change. Usually he's up earlier. I think we're going to work on some blackout curtains this weekend. Right now I have a blanket over the shades, but it doesn't cover the whole thing.

LR took 4 ounces of formula and then played for almost 2 hours. Then he had yogurt and Gigi came upstairs for the day. From what I hear he went down for a long nap at 9 and then they went for a nice walk. It was a pretty hot day, so Gigi took lots of water with her and lathered him up with sunblock. He made friends at the grocery store with a young woman there. His new smile is very shy. He tucks his chin into his chest and puts his hands in his lap, then he puts on a big grin and bats his long eyelashes. Very cute.

Gigi found when she took him out of the stroller that he was soaked. I'm looking into what to do with the back of the stroller. It's fleece and it's too hot for the weather right now. 9 months of the year, it's perfect, but during the summer, it's going to be too warm. He napped again for over an hour in the afternoon and then played happily until I came home. He had a giggle fit when I got down on all fours to play with him. It was infectious and Gigi and I joined right in. For dinner he had green beans and rice along with some Zweiback toast which he loves. I'm on choking alert whenever he eats one though. (I have flashbacks of Aunt K being flipped upside down on a regular basis.) Then I cleaned him up, spent a few minutes relaxing out on the porch with him, and put him to bed with a bottle. Pretty easy day, all in all.