Sunday, June 22, 2008

6 & a half months old...


Well, little Nicholas has learned how to smile for the camera--probably because his crazy mom thinks everything he does needs to be recorded or photographed!


First Bite...

Well, it's not his first bite, but it's the first time he fed himself.


Thursday, May 29, 2008

Six Months Old

Events: Now that I'm off for the summer, we're having a lot of fun talking walks and spending time in the nice weather. I love being able to play with him and not be thinking about all the work I have to do once he goes down for a nap. He got to meet a few more of his relatives this month--Great Aunts & Uncles and some of his Second Cousins (if I'm getting the proper geneological names correct). I decided to keep him in daycare for one day a week, so I can work on prepping for fall and, of course, keeping the house in order.

Milestones: His second tooth poked through! You can now see those little white nubs when he gives you a big grin. He's "off the charts" for his height--he's still long and lean--but he's already in 9-month-old clothes (sniff, sniff). He's also developed a ticklish tummy (see video)! I love his crazy laugh.

Surprises: He now sleeps between 11 & 12 hours straight through the night, and naps about 4 hours a day. I heard this was supposed to happen, but I really didn't think it would--then he turned 6 months old and magically there's no more middle of the night snacks! I'm definitely not going to complain about that! The best part of his good sleep habits is how happy he is--it makes being a mom so much easier when the little guy is a happy one!

Five Months Old



Events: We took our first pictures as a family of 3 since the anaesthesiologist snapped a few in the operating room. I enjoyed my first official Mother's day. We started our summer traveling season May 1--and we took trips up north to the cabin, to LaCrosse, and to Pittsville.

Milestones: He's laughing and playing now--he'll start a conversation with you just by smiling at you until you notice him, and then he'll squeal with delight. He started eating a few solids (rice cereal and green beans). He also seemed to enjoy his first boat ride (we went pretty slow--a beautiful May day is still not warm enough for speedboating).

Surprises: At 5 1/2 months, his first tooth poked through! It's amazing what 6 weeks of gnawing on stuff can do!

Four Months Old

Events: He now likes to be sitting up or standing up straight at all times. He's too interested in the world to sit back and relax!

Milestones: He's starting to develop abs of steel from all of the attempts to sit up. He's definitely teething--just give him your finger and he'll start chomping down.

Surprises: He loves to jump in the jumperoo. At first he didn't understand it, but he knew he liked whatever it was that was allowing him to stand up for as long as he wanted to, and then he figured it out--now it's his favorite thing to do.


Three Months Old

Events: To our utter shock, Nicholas started turning over from his stomach to back (mostly because he didn't like being on his stomach). He finally started playing with his toys--his playmat was his favorite thing to interact with (besides mom & dad, of course).

Milestones: His first cold(s)! He started working on grabbing things and using his hands. I thought he was a genious when he could first grab his toys and actually make them work (spinning a ball to play a sound, pulling toy off of the velcro strip). He also started looking in the mirror at himself--he likes to smile at baby Nicholas.

Surprises: He started getting colds and ear infections from hanging out at daycare once a week. Though I hated to see him with so much as a sniffle, the doctors and nurses reassured me it would help build up his immune system in the long run. I was suprised how fast he was growing--who knew he'd be in 6 month clothes already? He's a tall boy!


Two Months Old



Events: Ah, it was back to work for me, which meant finding a day care for Nicholas. It was much more difficult than I thought to find a place that I trusted and that would take a baby for one day a week. My husband's busy season was in full swing, which meant that I was getting the chance to experience what it's like to be a single parent--I don't recommend it, by the way.

Milestones: Nicholas made us so happy when he started smiling right at 2 months of age. That big gummy smile made up for any and all sleep deprivation in a split second.

Surprises: Nicholas started sleeping through the night at about 9 weeks old (and when he did wake up, it was just to eat and go right back to sleep)--what a good baby! He also started waking up happy in the morning (instead of just crying himself awake). It made me feel like I was getting the hang of this mom business.