Doggies!

So there is something in this world that A seems to like MORE than cats. The other day, we went to a friend's house to go for a walk. As we were saying our goodbyes, one of her neighbors came by to say hello and had her cocker spaniel with her. A went absolutely nuts for this dog. He cracked up when the dog licked his feet and was just smiling and laughing at the dog.

I knelt down for him to pet the dog, but he didn't even try.

I told him it's his job to convince Daddy to get a dog... since Mommy isn't having any luck with it!

Crawling video

A has started going for longer periods of time, esp when he has a goal. In this video, he was going for a pair of scissors, which is why he looks up at the end with that "Where'd my TOY go?" expression.

We have a crawler!

A has started moving using his knees and with his chest up off the floor. At this point, he's not doing it consistently and he isn't going far, but I'm going to count it! I'm going to try to get some video today.

I'm debating taking him for his first haircut. You can see in the Picture People pictures what's going on in the front... not only is it out of control, but it isn't pretty. I probably could do it myself, but I just know I would lose that "first curl," and I have to put it in a box AND in his baby book.

Picture People

I finally got the slideshow from our last Picture People visit. Here are the shots we didn't choose, although not ALL of them




Aka: Why Mommy needs to let her hair grow...

Can you say "Class Picture?"

A night with Grandpa

Grandpa was nervous about a night alone with A. Not only does A fuss a lot (or kvetch, as Grandpa says) with Grandpa, but Grandpa also hasn't been around a whole lot of munchkins.

But all seems to have gone well! We put A down for a nap not long before we left, but after Grandpa got here. He slept for about an hour and then apparently wanted to do nothing but eat. This is not a good sign for the future, if my son can only comfort himself with food, but I digress. So after a mess of Cheerios, a bottle, and a wagon wheel I think Grandpa texted M, who had forgotten to mention THE MIGHTY CHAPSTICK! He put A to sleep around 7:15--and to my delight, he slept until nearly 7am!

Grandpa was surprised that A doesn't like to have his clothes taken off or put on, and I think he thought it was kind of funny how A throws a temper tantrum of sorts during changes. He also observed that A loves to cuddle, esp when the cuddler is standing up--not happy when the cuddler sits down.

So I don't know if I've ever mentioned THE MIGHTY CHAPSTICK! A loves to hold things in his hand... for diaper changes, we give him a comb, a paci, anything to hold on to, and it makes him much happier. Somewhere along the way, M gave A his chapstick (we are both the kind of people who always have one in a pocket SOMEWHERE) and that first time, he held onto it for hours. In and out of the carseat, down for a nap, he just didn't let go. It's hilarious, and it works.

Eaten posts...

So I've tried to post this twice and have lost it twice too. I'm going to try to recreate, but who knows.

We've taken A outside a lot in the past few weeks. Most of the time, he just sits in the grass and fusses, but will eventually come around and have a blast. M took some pictures of A and I raking leaves the other day.





Today we had lunch in a local park. We all sat on the "Neat Sheet" and A crawled around while we ate.

I completely forget what else I said in the other posts...

As we approach the 9 month mark, what can A do? (I was looking in my own baby book, and all these milestones were listed--they aren't, however, in his book!)

• Make sounds that include: dah, ah-dah, k (we think this means cat or kitty), bah.
• Army crawl
• Push himself up to sitting, often in his crib
• Gets distressed when Mommy leaves the room
• Doesn't like "strangers"
• Can self feed
• Waves hi

As for foods, I don't think there's anything he doesn't like. The other day, I tried to make myself some steak on the George Foreman grill. It was gross, but I figured rather than throw it away, I'd put it in the food processor and give it to A. M mixed it with some squash and A LOVED it.

Last night, we left A with a babysitter again. He cried when we left, but was good for the rest of the night. YAY! I think his napping right before she got there helped a lot--I was also happy that he woke up again right before we left. I was nervous that if he woke up and we weren't there, he would think we left him.

Tonight, we have plans with friends and Grandpa will be watching A. Hopefully that will go well too!!

A post got eaten

Ah well, I'll try to recreate it.

A has figured out how to sit up by himself and loves to do it. I often find him sitting up in his crib; luckily we decided to drop the crib mattress a few months ago in preparation.

We've been going outside a lot for yardwork (yay). I plop him down in the grass, and he cries and yells at me for awhile, and then he starts to like it. As long as he can see me, he's happy as a clam. M took some pictures of us out there a few days ago...



A is at the point now where he needs to be entertained during diaper changes. We usually give him a comb to hold (holding something keeps him a little bit happier during them), but the past few days I've given him a pacifier. Now, he doesn't take pacis anymore, doesn't really want them, but apparently they feel good when one is teething because he takes the paci and puts it in his mouth (upside down) and sort of bites on it.

The other day, M and A were walking around the property, as they often do, when I heard Mitten calling out. Then I heard A answer her... it was too funny to hear them "talking" to each other through the window--especially since she doesn't really talk to him when they are in the same room!

We are progressing with finger foods. In addition to Cheerios, Puffs, and Wagon Wheels, A has tried chunks of pineapple, halves of crinkle cut carrots, sweet potato, avocado, and banana. It's sometimes tough for him when the food is slippery, but he manages. So far, only the sweet potato made a gigantic mess.

As we approach the 9 month mark, what can A do? (I was looking at my own baby book's milestones--a lot of these aren't in A's!)

• sits well
  
• can get himself into sitting position from his tummy
• passes things between his hands
• waves hi
• self feeds
• gets distressed when Mommy leaves the room
• HUGE amount of stranger anxiety--esp if he CAN see Mommy
• Loves the outdoors and the cats
• sounds include ba, da, ah-dah, k (we think this is for kitty or cat)
• gets very excited at the sight of the Cheerios box
• Army crawl
  

Sitting machine

A is officially a sitting up machine. He seems to really enjoy pushing himself up and we found him sitting in his crib a few times this weekend.

He's also not quite back to normal sleep wise. He has decided that 7am is his new wake up time. I was luckily able to feed him and get him back to sleep this morning so I could take a shower. I don't know if his teeth are bothering him, or what's going on in there, but he has been waking up very cranky for quite some time, now that I think of it. He used to wake up cooing and would smile when I went to get him.

This little boy LOVES the outdoors. I took him outside with me for a leaf raking session and sat him in the grass. He had a great time, holding his seed pod and watching Mommy rake. We got some great pictures, but they are on the "to be uploaded" list.

Beautiful spring day

Hooray for spring! We celebrated by going to Rutgers Gardens to see pretty flowers. The boys liked playing with the sticks... and they also enjoyed the flower petals.

A 2am phone call.

A phone call in the middle of the night is never a good thing. One answers the phone, completely groggy and when one hears, "Christina, put M on the phone," wonders where are the pleasantries? But it's 2am and this is obviously not a social call.

It's been 366 since we've gotten a phone call in the middle of the night. It's been 366 days and 1 hour since the next call, "Christina, I want you to sit up in bed."

Clearly, my days of 2am phone calls being friends leaving after last call are over.

Anything for a smile

When we went for pictures yesterday, I had to wake A up from his nap (he's still fighting this cold). Poor kid woke up with blanket marks all over his face; luckily they had faded by the time we got there and our turn came. But he was still not in a fantastic mood.

Trying to make him smile wasn't working so well, at least not until M suggested that I headbang. About a month ago, I discovered that doing so (up and down, not side to side) makes A laugh! (Did I ever post that video on here? Or did I forget?) So I started to do it, and we got some of the best pictures that way. In fact, that's what the two boys are looking at in the picture below...me banging my head around.

Eh, survival of the fittest applies to brain cells too, right?

Picture People, take 2!

We tried again at Picture People, this time with M coming along for the ride. We haven't yet gotten our online preview, but here are the shots we purchased and scanned at home.

Best Bud was with us, so we got a shot of the two boys. Hopefully next time, A, Best Bud, and Girlfriend will ALL be good moods at the same time so we can take a shot of all three kids!

Waving!!

Leave your sound off because I still sound like a doof!

Self feeding

You'll see A eating some Cheerios. Please turn off the sound, I sound like a doof!

Self Feeding!

You will see A eating some Cheerios here! Please turn off your sound; I sound like a huge doof.

Self feeding!

Here you'll see A feeding himself Cheerios. Please turn off the sound; I sound like a big doof.

Picture people

We, along with Best Bud and Girlfriend, went to Picture People on Friday. A wasn't having any part of it... especially since our turn didn't come for about half an hour after our appointment time. He was SO sleepy... and kinda bored.

Anyway, here's what we got...

Relay for Life

Relay for Life has always been a cause that is near to M's heart--he played a large role in bringing the event to our school and is now playing a large role in the event at his new school. He is actually participating this year, so please visit his Relay for Life page and if you can spare a donation, that would be much appreciated!

You can see his page here

Sick baby

Yesterday, in addition to sleeping like a fiend, A also had a little congestion in his nose. At night, he was running a very high fever so we gave him some Tylenol at bedtime. He went right to sleep, for about 5 minutes, and then started to cry.

I went upstairs, gave him some water, and nursed him again. He was still freaking out, so I stripped him to his diaper and put cool water on his back and forehead. I then took him downstairs where it was cooler. His temperature finally came down, and then I took him back upstairs. When I put him in his crib again (in lighter weight pjs this time), he cried for a few minutes, and then finally settled back to sleep.

I can't believe it, though. "They" say that nursing is supposed to build a better immune system. The kid doesn't go to daycare, other than the gym's nursery. He shouldn't be getting sick this often! The problem, though, is that his father works in a school--ground zero for every germ known to man. At least, that's what I assume is the reason he gets colds so frequently. Hopefully this will build him up for when he DOES go to daycare and he's really exposed to ground zero of germs.

In other news...

Since A is a super sleepy head today, let me tell you about my kitties... my first babies!

We have developed a fly problem in our basement. We suspect it is related to the dead mouse problem, also in our basement. Last night, one of the flies made its way upstairs. Mitten was around and saw it, but I guess she realizes that not only is she not as young as she used to be, but that she is also partly broken. I saw her tearing around for a few minutes, and then she went away. After he came trotting in, I figured that she went to go get Catcher. They gave it their most valiant effort, but M ended up killing it with a towel when it made its way ALL the way upstairs.

But then, today is another day, and round two of cat vs. fly (these are big, black suckers. They startle me every time I see them). Mitten was again, on deck. She didn't wait long, though, to go wake Catcher from his nap. He came in, looked at me, and mewed... so I showed him where I saw it go last, and he has been sitting near the sink (where it has been trying to get out the window) ever since.

It's funny--back in her insect chasing days, Mitten would eat the bugs. Catcher, on the other hand, is the more vindictive type, and PLAYS with them!

This morning.

A started to wake up around 9 this morning, so I went in and got him changed and brought him down for some breakfast. I could tell he was still sleepy since he looked JUST like M as I changed him (this is a sure sign since he gets M's droopy eyes when he's sleepy), but I brought him downstairs anyway.

After feeding him, he could barely keep his eyes open, so I put him back to sleep. I got no complaints whatsoever.

As an aside, I planned to go to the grocery store after feeding A, so after dressing him, I went into my room to put on my shoes. I put A on the bed, next to Mitten and the bottle of water from his room. Next thing I knew, he was holding the bottle and trying to drink from it. It's funny because, although he is great at holding such a large item, he's not great about tilting it to get the liquid out. Poor Mitten has NEVER had A sit next to her and not try to pet her!

Speaking of that water bottle--giving A water in the middle of the night is what has gotten him to sleep through the night. I constantly have a glass of water at my bedside these days. One night, I had downed the entire pint by A's first waking around 3. I went downstairs to refill my glass and to get him a bottle of water--just to see what would happen. Sure enough, he drank it down and went right back to sleep. The joys of baseboard heating--our house is SO dry.

Sleepy Boy!

Last night, A slept from 8-5am before waking. He then woke again at 6am, and has been sleeping ever since. I cannot believe it is almost 10am, and he is just beginning to stir. YIKES!

We delayed his bedtime a bit last night, so he actually went to bed around 8 (funny, since not too long ago, bedtime was 9:30!). I'm sure this has something to do with it, but nonetheless, I'm very surprised.

I'm even more surprised because while M was home on vacation, A didn't sleep later than 8 on any day. Guess he was just excited to see his Daddy!

Speaking of which, when M comes home from work, he is greeted with a gigantic smile. A still favors me when he is upset, tired, or hungry, but he definitely loves his Daddy.

Last night, in trying to stretch A's wake time, M started tickling and playing with A. He got A giggling so much, it just melted my heart. :)