8 months!

What a fun month we've had!  It seems like you are doing something new practically every other day.  As a matter of fact, you pulled yourself up for the first time during our photo shoot today!

You have just reached 20 pounds and are about 30 inches long.  You only have another two inches to go before you grow out of your car seat.  We registered for one that had a higher weight limit, but we failed to notice that they also have a height limit.  I decided to take a closer look at the manual when a friend commented on how far your little feet were hanging off the end of the car seat and found that it's max height is 32 inches.  Needless to say, we are now shopping for a bigger one...  Speaking of long legs, all of your 6-12 months pants are starting to look like capris, so we've had to buy a couple pairs of 12-18 month pants!  It's hard to believe that you were swimming in newborn sizes just seven months ago.  You're even big enough to sit in the cart at Target!

Much to our delight, we made some huge progress with your sleeping "schedule" this month.  Your sleep began to unravel to when you got your helmet, then you started teething, which was followed by a growth spurt (at least these were the excuses I was coming up with).  Your daddy kept telling me that we should let you "cry it out" but I wasn't ready for that yet.  However, it got to the point where you would scream at the sight of your sleep sack and wouldn't even allow me to rock you to sleep because you were so upset that it was bedtime.  During this time you also developed an aversion to your pacifier.  As soon as we would put it in your mouth you would take it out and literally throw it across the room (we got the hint and have stopped giving them to you).  About two weeks ago, the sleep deprivation had really gotten to me and I was willing to try anything including "cry it out."  The first night we tried it you cried for exactly 12 minutes (during which I practically had to be restrained not to go in and comfort you).  However, after 12 minutes you were fast asleep and you slept ten hours!!  I was sold!  (Score one for daddy).  The next night, you only cried about 5 minutes and then slept through the night.  Now, when we lay you down you only cry momentarily (if at all) before drifting off to sleep.  You typically sleep from about 8pm to 6am.  (Although, thanks to day light savings time, you have been waking up at 4:30 or 5am the past few days).

You practice crawling every chance you get and it's paying off.  You can get up on all fours now and you've started to move a little forwards and backwards like this, but usually you lunge forward and then collapse to the floor (which makes you really frustrated).  In the meantime, you have developed a very efficient army crawl and are happiest when you're exploring your surroundings freely. 

 This is you in the center of the room at Rolly Pollies.  You have toys all around you, a scarf on your belly, and (obviously) a bowl on your head.

You have also figured out how to pick things up with your thumb and pointer finger.  Couple this with your curiosity and intense desire to put anything and everything in your mouth and you have a very nervous mommy.  I now vacuum at least once a day and you still manage to find little things on the floor that you want to eat!

You don't like to snuggle very much anymore (or be restrained in any way).  The only time you allow me to cuddle with you is when I'm feeding you.  The problem with this is that you can now suck down a bottle in about 8 minutes.  When I want a little extra cuddle time I switch to a medium flow nipple.  Sometimes you notice and get mad, but usually it buys me at least another 5-10 minutes...  Changing your diaper and getting you dressed have also become quite challenging because it's very hard for you to sit still for more than a minute!  (I think you may have gotten that from me, so I understand.)  The other day when I was changing a particularly dirty diaper you decided that you wanted to roll over.  I was holding your ankles, trying desperately to wipe you clean, but your very full diaper started to fall, so I grabbed it and got a handful of nasty.  When I realized what I had just done, I immediately let go and your diaper hit the floor face down.  There was shit everywhere, literally!!

In other news, you have officially graduated from physical therapy!  We just need to keep an eye on you to make sure the torticollis doesn't come back.  Supposedly, it often reappears when babies start crawling and walking.  You've continued to make good progress with your helmet, but it's getting really tight.  We have an appointment with your othotist this week to see if he can adjust it a little because it doesn't seem very comfortable, although it doesn't seem to bother you.  You're such an easy going, happy litle guy- at least when you're not being restrained!  (In fact, according to a baby personality inventory I took in one of our baby classes, you're as easy as they come!)

 Look at how straight you can hold your head up!  (And also note the high waters).

We celebrated Halloween all month long.  Because I was a little over eager on the costume front, you ended up with two.  Back in July, while shopping online, I came across a puppy costume that looked just like KG.  I was so excited about it that I ordered it immediately guessing that you would be in the 12 month size by then.  Well, when it came it was way to big for you and I couldn't imagine that you'd ever grow into it.  So, I bought a back up dinosaur costume that was a size smaller.  Fast forward three months and the dino costume was a little too small and the puppy costume fit perfectly!!

Luckily, you had several opportunities to dress up!  Earlier in the month we had a dress rehearsal at the Donnay's.

You as KG, Luke as Uncle Fester, and Caroline the caterpillar

You had another costume party at our Rolly Polly class:

We also went to parties at the Edina Community Center and at Amma Maternity where you reunited with some of the girls from our very first class.  It was so much fun to see how much you've all grown!

And, of course, I had to get a picture of you with the real KG:

Happy eight months peanut!
Love, Mom

7 months

You are now a very active 7 month old.  The most common description we hear about you (besides how cute you are) is how curious you are.  It's so much fun to watch you study your surroundings with your pensive little face.  You absolutely love visiting new places and meeting new people.  You are an expert roller and can get wherever you want surprisingly fast (let the baby proofing begin- we should have started that a long time ago).  A few days ago, I left you playing in your room alone for approximately 3 minutes.  I almost had a heart attack when I came back in because you were nowhere to be found.  Then, I heard you kicking the floor and realized that you had rolled under your crib!  I guess you needed to find out what was under there...  The next day, I left you on your activity mat and found you across the room (with the mat) just a couple minutes later.

You continue to grow like a weed!  You are now weighing in at around 18 pounds and are 29 inches long.  You had your 6-month well-visit a couple of weeks ago and we found out that you are in the 47th percentile for weight and the 93rd percentile for height (not too surprising).  Your hair is long and wavy and your eyes are a very "peculiar" (in your doctor's words) greyish/bluish/brownish color.  You are also pretty much on track for all of the developmental milestones:

You can sit independently (with only an occasional topple over).

You can even stand now (with a little support).

You have also started to try to crawl...  You seem to have all of the pieces, but haven't quite figured out how to put everything together.

Our suspisions last month regarding teething were correct.  Your middle two teeth on the bottom are now peeking through.

The most exciting development this month (in my opinion) is that you can now say da-da and ma-ma!!!  You said da-da first, but ma-ma followed just a few days later.  Supposedly (according to all the baby books) you don't really know what these words mean yet, but I beg to differ.  A couple of times you have said ma-ma while reaching for me (I almost died)!  Maybe you're a genius in the making..

We had an appointment with your orthotist last week and he did another scan to see how your noggin' is progressing and we got great news!  You are now in the normal range for pretty much everything.  He couldn't promise anything, but you'll probably only have to wear the helmet for another 2 months (which means we're already half way through)!  Woohoo!

We've started all of our new fall "classes."  Mondays we go to storytime at the library, Tuesdays we have Rolly Pollies at Amma Maternity, and Thursdays we have ECFE at the Edina Community Center.  Your favorite seems to be storytime at the library.  You have really started to enjoy books!  You sit on the floor in front of me and listen and touch the pictures on the page.  We usually get through several books before you get bored.  You also like looking at them on your own:

Every Sunday daddy decks you out in Vikings gear and you two watch the game together (too bad they haven't won a game yet).

You attended your first 1st birthday party this month.  It was for Caroline (your future wife, just kidding, sort-of)...

It has been a very warm fall, which we have taken full advantage of.  Last Wednesday, which was a record breaking 88 degrees, Leslie and I subjected you and Christopher to a pumpkin photo shoot.  We felt bad sticking you guys inside of a pumpkin, but you both seemed to like it!

And, because I obviously don't take enough pictures of you, we had another little photo shoot by Lake Harriet and in the surrounding gardens.

Daddy was off today and we took a little road trip to Taylor Falls to look at the leaves.  We didn't think this through completely because rocky paths on the edge of cliffs are not baby or stroller friendly...  Needless to say we didn't get very far, but we were at least able to enjoy a little bit of the scenery.

Last, but certainly not least, your great-grandma Berg passed away this month.  I am so thankful that you were able to meet her, but wish that you had a chance to get to know her better because she was an amazing woman.  On our last visit with her, just a couple of weeks ago, we played Bingo with her and her friends.  Then we went back to her apartment where she held you in her arms.  I'll never forget how she would hold your little hand in hers and gaze at you so lovingly.  We'll miss her dearly!

Happy seven months peanut!
Love, Mom

6 months!

I seriously cannot believe how fast the past six months have gone...  I lay awake at night wishing that time would slow down a little because I realize that you will be all grown up in the blink of an eye.  I am so fortunate to be able to spend every day with you because it seems like you are doing something new practically every day!  You are now about 17 pounds and 28.5 inches long.  I was prompted to go through your drawers and take out all of the 3-6 month sizes when I realized that you could no longer straighten your legs in your footed pajamas or in your sleep sack.  This didn't leave much, which meant I got to go on a baby clothes shopping spree!  You are now in 9-12 month clothes to accommodate your long legs!!

Literally the day after writing your 5-month blog, you figured out how to roll from your back to your tummy.  You haven't stopped moving since!  Because of your torticollis, you were only able to roll to your left.  You would roll across your room (or your crib) and eventually hit a wall and get stuck since you weren't able to roll back the other way.  This created a major sleeping issue.  Bedtime (and naptime) became prime time for you to practice your new rolling skills.  However, it would only take a couple of rolls across your crib for you to get stuck on the other side (often with a limb poking through the rungs).  You would get angry and cry and mom or dad would have to come in and rescue you...  This was fun and exciting the first few times ("oh, he's so strong!"), but it quickly lost it's luster after repeating itself numerous times night after night.  Not only did we have to get up and reposition you more times than I can count, but all of your moving and shaking seemed to work up an appetite and you would often need to be fed around 3am.  Add that to the fact that you like getting up at 5am and you had some parents who were majorly sleep deprived!

Luckily, this phase only lasted about 3 weeks (although I think we are now entering the teething phase which is also not helping with your sleep).  Your physical therapy payed off and you now can roll to your right.  You still move all around your crib, but can usually free yourself when you get stuck.  You roll with such gusto that we are now awoken by the sound of your helmet crashing against the sides of your crib.  I'm afraid of what will happen to your poor little head once you're not wearing the helmet!

Speaking of the helmet...  You got your helmet about 3 weeks ago.  You look so cute in it and draw lots of attention where ever we go!  The first week, you gradually worked up to wearing it 23 hours a day.  I have been so amazed by how little it bothers you!  You are such a trooper.  (Your physical therapists and orthotist rave at what a "chill" baby you are).  Your helmet has to be off when we do your stretches and when you bathe, so we usually take it off three times a day for 20 minutes.  These are my favorite times of day because I can kiss your head and snuggle you much more easily.  Don't get me wrong, you are just as adorable with the helmet, but it definitely gets in the way.  It also can be used as a weapon- I'll be surprised if dad and I don't get any teeth knocked out over the next few months!  The good news is that it seems to be working.  You haven't had any measurements taken since you started wearing the helmet, but I can see that your flat spot is already starting to round out.

You have just started to sit up (for very short moments) unsupported.  I think the helmet puts you at a slight disadvantage, though...  However, it does help when you lose your balance (especially when you're on the hardwood floors)!

The advent of the helmet and your ability to roll has brought on another new development this month.  Your preferred sleeping position is now on your face.  Not on your tummy with your head turned to the side, but on your actual face!  The first time we woke up and saw you like this on the monitor it scared us to death!  Dad ran in and shook you awake and you just looked at him like he was crazy.  The first couple of weeks that this happened, whenever I saw you like that, I'd go in and turn you onto your back.  You would flip right back over to your face.  Then I would just lay in my bed watching on the monitor to make sure you didn't suffocate.  (Did I mention that I have been extremely sleep deprived this month).  I asked the nurse who runs our "beyond newborns" class about this and she said that your helmet probably creates a little space so that you're still able to breathe when lying face down.  How convenient!

After devouring your rice cereal for a couple of weeks, I decided that you were probably ready to try some fruits and vegetables.  I started by mixing some pears with your cereal.  You loved it!  Since then, we've tried a new food every few days.  (We would have tried more, but you're supposed to wait a few days between new foods to look for signs of allergies).  So far you've had sweet potatoes, apples, peas, carrots, bananas, and mangoes.  You love to eat and are a pro at it!  You straighten your little arms and legs and squeal with excitement when the spoon is coming.  I actually have to feed you your bottle first to make sure you're still getting enough milk because you seem to prefer food.  A few times when I fed you food first, you cried and arched your back when I tried to give you your bottle...

Since you are doing so well with solid foods, I have slowly started to wean.  My goal was to get to six months, but now that we're here I am feeling sad about stopping.  My "supply" has never been over-abundant and you never took to breastfeeding, but I love knowing that you're still getting all the benefits of breast milk.  I absolutely despise pumping, though, and it's getting harder to entertain you while I'm pumping.  I've gone from six pumping sessions a day to five and I already feel like it's freed up some time in my day.  I can't imagine how it will feel to be completely done...

We've been soaking up the last weeks of summer!  You have a new big boy (aka jogging) stroller so you can look out at the world while we're on our walks.  The only problem is that I can't see you as well (you faced me in your other stroller) and I have to stop every so often to look at you.

You and Christopher hanging out after one of our many walks around Lake Harriet.

We have gone to the park a couple of times and you even got to try out the swing!

We also spent a glorious summer day at the Landscape Arboretum.

I am amazed by how much you've changed (and how much our lives have changed) over the past 6 months and I wouldn't change it for the world!  We love you so much!

Happy six months peanut!
Love, Mom

5 months!

You are growing up so fast my darling!  You're about 16.5 pounds and 27 inches long.  At your 4 month well-visit you were in the 42nd percentile for weight and the 83rd percentile for height.  Not only are you growing bigger, this has been a huge month for you developmentally!  About a week after your 4 month birthday you started rolling from tummy to back.  I was reading you a story during tummy time when, all of a sudden, you rolled to your side.  A few seconds later, you rolled all the way to your back.  I immediately put you back onto your tummy as I got the camera ready to capture this milestone.  Well, you were too fast for me- within seconds you had rolled onto your back again.  This time I got the camera ready before I put you back on your tummy:

We repeated this about five times and then you took a two hour nap!  Yes, TWO HOURS!!  I think you were so preoccupied with trying to master the roll that you couldn't sleep.  You've been napping much better ever since.  Phew!  You haven't quite mastered the back to tummy roll, although I'm sure you could...  As soon as you get close, you seem to realize what's about to happen and you quickly rotate to your back again.  You are a smart boy!  Speaking of which, you just roll over now when you're sick of tummy time (which is often just a few seconds in).

Back to the subject of sleep...  Your bedtime has been getting earlier and earlier over the past couple of months.  How did we know to put you to bed earlier you ask?  Well, you have developed an ear piercing scream to let us know, not so subtly, that you are hungry or tired.  Daddy and I noticed that "the scream" was becoming very common around 7pm...  We knew you were tired, but we had gotten used to giving you your last bottle around 8 or 9pm.  For about a week, we would keep you up until it was time for that last bottle.  We didn't understand what you were trying to tell us until you started refusing that feeding (sorry we're still new to this whole parenting thing).   Anyway, we finally put two and two together and have eliminated the last feeding.  Now you go to bed around 7pm and usually sleep until 6am.  I thought for sure that you would wake up in the middle of the night starving, but you haven't.  However, at least a couple times a week, you're ready for the day 4 or 5am.  I think you are going to be an early bird like your daddy!  (Mommy has been relying heavily on caffeine).

Since you were born, everyone has said how much you look like your daddy.  Just in the past week, however, I've had several people tell me that you look just like me!  Maybe it's because of your light hair...  Your eyes are still a dark bluish-grey color, but they're getting some specks of golden brown.  It will be interesting to see if they turn brown over the next month (supposedly they'll stay whatever color they are at 6 months).

Another big event this month was your first foray into solid foods.   We got the go-ahead from your doctor, so we gave rice cereal a try and you loved it!  You got the hang of it after only a few bites.  The trickiest part is trying to keep the spoon away from you.  You try to feed yourself, but don't have the best aim yet...  We're just sticking with rice cereal for now to practice, but I'm excited to make you some fruits and vegetables.  Does anyone have any advice on introducing solids or any good baby food recipes to share?

As I mentioned in the previous post, you were diagnosed with torticollis and plagiocephaly this month.  This has been really hard on dad and I because we hate to see you in pain, but the stretches are getting easier every day.  Your physical therapist thought your neck seemed to be improving already, so it's paying off!  Next week, you will get a cranial remolding helmet to correct the plagiocephaly.  The specialist thinks you'll have to wear it for about 4-6 months...  I'm praying that it's not too uncomfortable and that you adjust to it quickly.

Finally, the absolute best thing happened this month...  you started laughing!!  Your first laugh was at me, well sort-of...  We were on our way home from your great-grandma's and I was riding in the back seat with you because you were not too thrilled with the long car ride.  As we pulled into our bumpy driveway both of our heads jerked around.  Apparently, you thought this was hilarious!  Your laugh is the cutest thing I've ever heard!  Over the past few weeks daddy and I have tried everything we can think of to make you laugh again.  We've finally realized that the only way to make you laugh is to jostle you around- I guess you like physical comedy...

Happy five months peanut!
Love, Mom