When I went to change the bag in the diaper pail, I opened the lid to find Bobby's pajamas on top of all the diapers.  I knew he liked tilting that thing, but I didn't know he really knew how to work it.

When we ride the bike, he tries to take my hands off the handlebar so he can do it.

He really likes to identify birds we see - by making a beak of his hands. Does it whenever he sees, or even hears them.  Also into spotting airplanes when he hears them, he looks up. (sometimes identifies the sound of mack trucks though)

I got him to eat a bite of chicken.  He chewed it for probably 15 minutes.

We are going to the Ann Arbor Art Fair tomorrow.  http://www.artfair.org/

well i was going to blog but Bobby just woke up after about a 30 minute nap.  he's sort of a pain these days.

but when he's not a pain, he's pretty fun.  quite the mimic.   he wants to put the lids on everything.  sippy cup, apple juice, medicine.  that's where they go.

if you dunk your chip in guacamole or stir something up with a utensil, he wants to too.

wants you to wear the shoes that are on the floor, knows where they go.

weatherman: "it's going to be very warm today! 88. "

so i have more, but if this kid doesn't sleep, you'll never get to hear it.

Home alone - therefore I ramble

Tonight, we went to Light up the Night, in downtown Tecumseh.  It was underwhelming to say the least.  It was an antique car show, music in the park, and downtown business something.  Basically some cars in a bank parking lot,  a (good) band on the side patio of a store and one flower booth.  I guess I expected a little more.  But we (Bobby and I) took some dinner and listened to the music until they took a break, walked through the cars and then home.  There was a baseball game across the street from us so we watch an inning there too - just missing the ice cream truck.  On reconsideration, the cute little downtown is generously three blocks and nothing useful.  Everything is rather expensive too.

They were also fighting the Manchester Chicken Broil up the road, 4x 100 foot grills,  19,000 pounds of chicken   14,000 rolls.  This is why I need my own car.  Would have loved to gone.   There is 2-3 more festivals this weekend, don't know what Ricks schedule is though.  

Statistics say the population of 8,600 is evenly distributed, but there seems to be a dearth of 20 somethings.  Which is totally understandable, but it's weird to not see the attractive, fun, young people (that are older than high school)  I would also say I don't see young families, but I have walked/biked about 80 percent of the streets and see a lot of bikes and sandboxes and playsets in yards and garages.  Just can't find the families.  Seriously,  I have been to 3 elementary schools, the middle school and 3 parks - morning, noon and night - and I have seen noone else on the playgrounds.  Same with the library and pool and the lake - no one for me to play with.

Bobby is almost a walker.  He's pretty good at it, but just doesn't do it that often.  Mostly while playing in the basement.  He likes shoes. Tries to put them on, etc, but can't walk in them.  He's not eating well, which drives me crazy.  I think it's his teeth, but he's also really picky.  At this age, he should be eating a lot more than grilled cheese, yogurt and dry cereal.  I want to throw some asparagus tips, black beans and chicken cubes on his plate but that would be wasted.  And I've tried to mix it in different sauces and soups, but then I have to feed him and he doesn't want that either.  Oh well.

What's new

Slow week here.  Lots and lots of walking and biking.  There are tons of playgrounds and parks here.  We went to the community (indoor) pool today.  Nice facility, only have open swim 1.5 hrs/week and the water was cold but we had a nice time anyway.  Tomorrow, we try "the Pit" - some sort of lake and park recreation area.

Bobby hates his high chair,  even his new fancy booster seat hybrid thing.  Even if we all sit with him and eat. No tricks work.  He eats on the move if he is distracted.  I do not like this pattern but otherwise it's 3 bites and done.

After I wrote how well he was sleeping, I totally jinxed it.  He woke up twice the next night and up for the day at 6am.  Last night was better, slept through the night and today napped twice for 2.5 hours.  He's been sucking his fingers a lot so I keep expecting teeth, but nothing.  Occasionally I give him ibuprofen for them.  Hope that's not bad!

He also is biting a bit, but totally grabbing free skin and swiping at our faces.  He thinks it's pretty funny.  Ricks open scratch says otherwise.

Tour de Tecumseh

Tour de Tecumseh
Originally uploaded by sld78

We are up and running! (or biking at least).  He has been doing really well for long periods in the stroller and even getting in it himself in the mornings, but now we can go even further faster!  I got a new six speed bike at Meijer on sale and then the iBert bike seat from BabiesRUs online.  All for under $200.  $6 helmet used too. I think he likes it, but the jury is still out.   I got a mens bike so Rick will ride too but it would be more helpful to have the cross bar lower.  I have to ride with my knees just a tiny bit wide so if you have longer legs, you can put the seat up higher and it wouldn't be a problem.  Also tilted handle bars would help lots, but Bobby likes to hold onto them either way.

I think he is finally adjusted as he is sleeping better and whining less.  He slept about 11.5 hours last night and then took a two and a half hour morning nap, and was still ready right on time for his afternoon nap.  I am hoping to get the truck up and running for Rick next week and then Bobby and I will start our daytrips.

Notes

Obvious, but, there are very few foreign cars on the road.

At this rate, Cooper will be weaned before Bobby and Archer

You can get a lot of ice cream for $2 here.

We have hard water.  I don't really notice a difference (no dingy hair or clothes yet) Maybe Bobby is a little slimy in the bath.  Not as bubbly lathers.

Bobby has a "summer cough" He's had it for a while.  No fever, irritability or other symptoms, but either in the middle of the night or morning, he hacks pretty bad.  Nurse said to give him honey, or warm juice, plus use the humidifier etc, but nothing works.  Any ideas anyone?  When should I worry?

Happy Birthday Emily

13 months

I can't believe I've been here a week.  It feels like a month at least.  I've walked the whole town.  Mostly in 90 degree heat.  Nothing left to explore.  Except for the nail salons I guess.  Maybe we should get a babysitter and actually go out, but I don't even think there's places to eat, just ice cream.  And I don't think Rick will see Twilight.

I put Bobby to bed a little later tonight, in hopes that he will sleep past 5:30am.  He is sleeping through the night, going down super easily, but only sleeping about 10.5 hours.  He's not walking too much yet.  Standing up and down lots but not taking the steps.

He is crazy exhausted.  We play all day in rocks, mulch, grass, pebbles, swing, slide and in heat.  He's not eating that much which I hate, but I keep trying.  We're on a pasta kick now.  Probably since we don't have access to Harris Teeter mac and cheese.

I'm enjoying all the new pics and news when it comes.  I realized today I have no interaction with anyone but Bobby and Rick.  Small town yes, but not southern friendly.  Maybe they know I'm an outsider.  We'll try the library again tomorrow, haven't seen too many moms of little ones.

http://nymag.com/news/features/67024/    Okay, I haven't actually read this whole thing yet, so can't really push it as a recommended read, but here it is nonetheless.

Michigan (out of order)

The day had come and we sadly had to leave.  I wanted to be with Rick and I am more than ready to settle down, but not into a temporary place, and we loved our situation; so I had a lot of trepidation. We got packed up slowly. I had to send about 4 boxes of clothes and miscellany ahead of time.  Then packed two 60 pounds suitcases, so mom will be sending another box along.  So I had one 47 pound bag, a 49 pound bag, the giant car seat, my giant jogging stroller and the umbrella stroller. But we got it all checked along for free, thank god.

I've never spent more than a few days up here, so it is interesting already.  Flying into Detroit over some great lake was cool. There are a bunch of islands in the middle of it.  Also, it is soooo flat up here.  We are about 45 minutes SW of the airport, through a couple small towns.  So I was viewing this trip as a big adventure and actually got excited in the last couple days. I want to go to Canada, and go kayaking, and boating, and biking and explore things I don't know about, now that Bobby is a little older.  So all that was a positive thing, but then I realize Rick is working 6 days a week and often nights and weekends.  So I'll probably have to do it alone.  If anyone wants to come visit me, I want to rent an RV!

I can't even describe this town b/c I've never been anywhere like it, but I'm sure there are thousands of them around.  Lots of Victorian homes, with sidings, lots of lattice and colors etc.  There is a couple blocks of "Main Street" then the more commercial end with the Family Dollar store (yuck), grocery, Walgreens and CVS and fast food.  It will do.  Also, the Rooneys are lending us a truck that we'll pay insurance on and then I'll have my car to use for aforementioned adventures.  There are lots of people walking around  the neighborhood.  And there are those walk up ice cream stores all over this area and they're packed at night.

Also it's light here until at least 9:30, close to 10pm.  A little disorientating at first.  I'll be in touch and document it all as we hit up all the parades, pig roasts, festivals and whatnot in the next month!  And if you have any rich friends, tell them to donate to Rooney!

The House

Ok, I'll try to keep this short.  Here is the condo! It is in a little community of 13 condos.  We have a stand alone garage and there is a swing set and slide in an open area.  So I posted photos on flickr, but it is a good find.  The Rooneys lent us a changing table and crib.  But they couldn't find the screws, so Rick called Pottery Barn looking for some info and they freaked out it was a drop side crib, so are replacing it for free.  Bobbys room originally had twin beds in it, so now one is on the floor and one is in the basement.  There are two sinks upstairs and lots of cupboards and two linen closets, plus lots of hanging space. 

So there is one for sale across from us for $110K (which now that I think about it, it may be over priced)

First Day

Still so many thought to share, guess I just need to start typing!  And since the boys have both been asleep since before 7pm, I might as well get to it!  I guess they wore each other out. 

So the place is great.  It's small but for our needs, it's good.  It's about 30-45 minutes from everything which is the worst part, but for a no lease, no security deposit, month to month, fully furnished, all utilities and cable included, we got lucky.  And everything is here, collander, can opener, oven mitts, trash cans, hangers, cleaning supplies, ironing board, etc. And lots of closets and cupboards, and they provided several dressers and shelves.  So having done this before, I appreciate this set up.   Rick had totally been living like a bachelor.  One plate, one fork, one pot, precooked food etc.  So he's glad to have it.  It is quickly becoming a home.  Anyway,

Rick had the day off, so he wanted to show me around, go shopping, go to the park etc, but we really needed to get settled and get our bearings.  So we hund out here in the morning, Bobby napped, we activated Ricks new Blackberry (woo hoo), had lunch, then got our act together.  We drove up to Ann Arbor to pick up a $35 rocking chair - which made bedtime a heck of a lot easier.  Then while there, we found a kid consignment store! And found some toys and a diaper champ ($13) which saved our trip out tonight to get the craigslist one. 

I realize I'm rambling, so I'll try to edit myself in the future!!  But oh yah =  we saw a BEAVER in the front yard when we were playing!!!  Just walking across the front like a cat or something, then scampered away before I could click it with my phone!

We made it

Lots to share, but I'm pretty tired. Bobby is still a good traveler, but oh boy,  is he (hyper)active!  Did not stay still, let alone nap, for 5+ hours.  We are settled in for the night, busy day tomorrow.  It is good to be with dad, but we miss Grammy lots and lots.   Hope I can find some time to recap all the thoughts about the new place, and getting four big pieces of luggage checked!  We are here though and the adventures begin!  Photos will be forthcoming so don't overanalyze this one ;)

Lean Little Guy

Weight:  21 pounds, 13 oz. (25%)
Height: 30.5 inches (75%)

Another reason, this isn't my kid:  he's tall and skinny.  Height measurements are pretty inaccurate however.  I guess he's doing fine. Motor skills are good, communication is probably average. He blabbers lots but says few words.  Doc says he's on track and nothing to worry about.  Not worried that he's a picky eater.  He got 4 shots and a finger prick for an iron blood test.  Iron is fine.  The shots were right leg, left leg, right tricept, left tricept.  OUCH.  First prick- nothing.  Second - a cry. Recover from that and she got him right in the fleshy arm.  Then again.  But he was a champ.  Then we walked home and he fell asleep right as we got to our street.  It was about an hour past naptime.

Karma

Okay, last post of the day, promise.

We went to Walmart this afternoon, breaking my "don't go on a weekend, or after noon in general" rule.  But I got zen and went for it.  So Walmart has the diagonal parking spots, meaning they also have one way rows in the lot.  I am slowly driving down my lane, and in zooms a car going against the arrow  (and me) and takes a hard left into a spot.  This is a good spot, about 3 from the store, and one that I hadn't even seen yet. But since the rows are one way, the spots are angled meaning she had to take about a 120 degree turn.  So she flies into it hard, obviously since I was 1. in the middle of the driving lane and 2. probably going to take it.  Totally cuts in front of me, you get the picture.  Point is: she hit the car in the space next to her.  HAHA.  Of course, I honked when she cut me off (it was sort of close, but very rude) but then she stops the car and I see her start to get out ("Oh shit") thinking she would yell at me but she was looking at the car she had just hit.  I guess there was a noise (or my horn)  b/c everyone was looking.  But then the lot security geezer came over and I went and calmly parked. With a big ol' smile on my face.

Weaning

So I guess when I'm alone, literally and with my thoughts,  my dear readers get a lot of entries.

So in his missing his father mode, Bobby bit me last week while going down to a nap.  He thought it was very funny, but now I have a lot of pain when nursing.  We were playing in my room today since it is so very hot out, and I have some bottles in a bin.  He seemed very interested in them and started sucking one.  Since it was approaching nap time, we ran down to the kitchen, nuked some whole milk and went to the rocking chair in his dark room (just like naptime)  He drank up almost 4 oz (in about the same time he would use to nurse) and then I put him in his crib.  3-4 minutes of crying later, he's sleeping.  He held the bottle himself and was wide awake the whole time, so I think this is good.  I didn't want to wean to a bottle, since he isn't on them currently, but we have to start somewhere.

I wasn't actively trying to do that (and 1 day does not a habit make)  but I think I'll continue to cut out that 2pm feeding.  We'll do this very slowly since he's a picky eater and I don't know where his calories are coming from otherwise.  I'm going to follow a "Don't offer, Don't Refuse" methodology.

He Walked!

Not just me propping him up a few steps away and having him fall at me.  Bobby planted his feet, planted his hands, stuck his butt up in the air and stood up.  Then I saw he was thinking about it, so I held out my arms and he came a good 6-7 steps towards me before buckling.   He is a lot more secure walking with help and will do it with one hand.  Guess I need to keep the video camera close.

Bobby is feeling better and acting like it too for the most part.  We went to the Little Gym and he had a lot of fun, but was still clingy toward the end.  Might have been hungry.  He napped for 1.5 hours.  I thought he banged his head really bad yesterday because he had a big red bump, but he never cried and I was on top of him all morning yesterday so had no idea how he did it.  But today it isn't bruised and looks more like two bug bites.  Guess he didn't need the ice on his forehead.  We do have his check up on Monday which is good in case his ears are bothering him (which today he has yet to touch so far)

I put Bobby on the scale at the vets and it said he was only 22.2 pounds.

Mother ... Nature

So Elizabeth noticed last weekend that we had some baby birds living in a potted fern on the deck and since then Mom and I have been keeping an eye out for them.  This is hard because of the hawks that live next door.  Their nest was out front, but our backyard seems to be their new hunting ground.  Often I see one sitting in the grass right out the back door, and 2 on the fences, and this morning there was one in the tree that Wiley always climbs! (very close to the nest)  Plus Sophie had sniffed around there once or twice and Lacey was supposed to visit, so these birds had the odds stacked against them.  But today, I just saw them hopping around the glass table in back.  They were pretty fuzzy still and more jumping between the railings and ground, instead of flying.  So I just hope they were practicing and will go back since the sprinklers had been on.  They seem to be hanging out under a bush behind the grill, which is a little safer from hawks, but not great being at ground level.  I'll keep you posted.

Bobby is standing a ton now

If this is separation anxiety, we didn't time it well.  First Rick leaves.  Then Grammy goes away today for a weekend trip. Then we take Sophie to the vet.  My normally independent laid back kid is gone.  He wants to be held and picked up all the time and is super cranky and needy.  Plus, he's pulling his ears a bit and has a snotty nose and woke up at 5:30am and his morning nap was only 45 minutes, so he's been a handful today.

ONE!

Bobby is going through something this week. It may be a cold, but it's more likely that he misses Rick.  He is super clingy and wants to be held all the time.

He is super good at standing on his own and squats down to get stuff and back up etc, but he hasn't really tried to walk on his on.  We can sometimes prop him up and he will take 2-3 steps/fall to get the thing in front of him, but if he's not in the right mood he will fall to his knees and crawl.

Rick left on Monday and has started working.  He moved into a little house in an Ann Arbor suburb.  I think it will be really nice and seems like Main Street, USA and all that small town goodness.  It will do for a couple months.  Then I want Target, a gym, a Little Gym and all that back.

Best place to live  93/100  Tecumseh, MI:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/snapshots/PL2679120.html
We can get a four bedroom house for $103 K or less.

Longest Nap Ever

Granted, he did play hard outside in the water and the heat, and his morning nap was only an hour, but Bobby slept from 1:45 to 4:10 this afternoon.  He hasn't broken the two hour mark since he's been taking structured naps.  Unfortunately this is probably a sign that the morning nap might be on its way out within the month. 

Just becuase

Just because it still boggles my mind, and you all can appreciate:
My friend just had twins, due 6/1.  so 39 weeks
7# 15oz and 8# 11 oz twins born vaginally.

Sunday night

Rick refuses to watch Lost with me.  We considered going to a movie but could not agree on one.

The ACC baseball tournament is in Greensboro this week.  We are going to a few games.

It is Rick's 40th birthday this Saturday.  He says send your presents now.

Bobby is more and more like the dog every day.

He is also quite clever. He figured out at dinner to hold his sippy cup upside down then pinch the soft nipple so all the water ran out; he then could play with it all over his tray.

Dinner

Bobby apparently likes pesto and frozen blueberries. He is a bit of a picky eater though, anti-veg and pro-carb and sweets.

We are excited to see Grammy tomorrow!!!

Growing so fast!

Bobby is getting good at standing without holding on and often does it while clapping.  He loves to bounce and clap along with music.

He also likes to hold onto things and "jump."  He never leaves the ground but he will jump in his crib, or holding your hands or a table.  Pretty funny stuff.  He was also in a booth in a restaurant, looking over the back and would squat down and stand up quickly - playing peek a boo.

He apparently got his 7th tooth.  Lower right outside.  Just noticed today, don't know when it came in.  If you try to feel around, he'll bite, so i stopped looking in there.

Rick is probably going to stay here until Bobby's birthday (6/4).  We MIGHT have him baptized that Friday night. SUPER LOW KEY CASUAL. 5 minutes ceremony before/after/during? 5:15pm mass with his coffee friends. We don't even have godparents as of now, so it might not even happen. Same with his birthday party, we might celebrate on Saturday if Elizabeth and Emily can come visit.  SUPER DUPER NOT A BIG DEAL.  But Rick hasn't left yet and is not organized enough to leave yet and gets paid for a couple more weeks, so he's just enjoying his son right now.

Quick Trip to DC

Metro stop
Originally uploaded by sld78

More on this later. 30 hours round trip. Saw Kirin and GW rowing graduates and NCS sophomore rowers. Stayed in Chinatown with Kirin. Some walking, kept it simple, didn't do too much. Rainy on Wednesday, cold on Thursday, but still lots of fun and so far not disruptive. Bobby slept 11.5 hours last night and then a 1:45 morning nap. So recovering probably, but on schedule.

So cute

006
Originally uploaded by sld78

And

Bobby can go down the stairs backwards alone! Yay.

He also can blow on his hot food. Of course this means he also blows on his yogurt and applesauce!

He motions his palm to his mouth to blow kisses and has also been seen to pucker his lips once or twice.

11 Months

Wow, times flies.  No more talking today. but he is definitely in a copying phase.  lots of repetition will get similar noises out of him.  He has a blast walking behind his walker and he makes laps across the house all by himself - even on the hardwood.  He is really enjoyable to parent these days. Maybe b/c I'm not doing it all around the clock anymore.  Or maybe b/c i'm finally getting some sleep, but he is just a really good kid.  We've been shopping a lot lately and he's a super good sport, same with going out to eat.  We're having fun playing family. 

I am getting a sore jaw from feeding him since I apparently open my mouth every time I want him to. 

Getting so big

Bobby sort of said his first word today. he definitely said "bye bye"  after we had said it several times.  so he copied us but i'll say it was clear.  he makes some 'da' sounds but no mama. and the dadadada isn't to a person, just a noise.

he's getting good at walking with the walker and stood behind it for several seconds with no hands a couple times today.

we all went to the park and the dog park today.  it was a nice afternoon.  the dog is pretty depressed but we're trying to cheer her up.

4/28

We are really enjoying having Rick around.  Obviously, I do as he has been put to work!  He watches Bobby all the time.  I take long showers and don't have to rush through emails and whatnot.  So far I don't think Rick is sick of it and he has adjusted to earlier mornings and being 'on' all the time.

Bobby is really fun right now.  He imitates really well and we're working on high fives and blowing kisses, but he's good at shaking his finger no, no, no and okay at waving bye bye (it's usually delayed until after you really leave)  As most babies do, he loves music and bops along.  Likes songs with hand motions especially (twinkle/twinkle, itsy bitsy spider, hokey pokey, head,shoulders knees and toes, patty cake)  He is having fun in the pool for the most part and loves the Little Gym where he can crawl and climb and roll around.  Not really close to walking, but does push his mini bike around and cruises the furniture really well.  Won't walk if you hold his hands though.

He had his first pbj sandwich the other day and ate it all up (no crusts)  No peanut issue, hope I didn't cause one by giving him that too early.  He's finally got an appetite and is eating pretty heartily.  He likes the jarred food more than my homemade stuff, but we get a variety of everything.  He eats a lot of fruit.  Hasn't really taken to cheese or meat by itself.

I am thinking about weaning him.  Not now, but thinking about how I would even do it and I have no clue.  He only really nurses first thing in the morning, going down to his two naps and at bedtime.  I don't want to go to a milk bottle, but can't see him taking a sippy cup while cuddling.  I guess I'll start experimenting in a couple of weeks.  I should take advantage of having Rick around to mix things up and share that burden.

Now that all our house guests who couldn't listen to crying at night are gone, we are back to sleeping better.  He goes down to bed and his naps with no or very little protest (<2') but had been waking up around 3/4am - which is 9+ hours after he goes down to sleep, so of course he's hungry and I go feed him.  He has stopped staying awake and usually just eats, but he's often hard to re-crib and then after some crying I get in the bed in his room with him and we sleep the rest of the night.  Interestingly, the last two nights this has been to 8/8:15am, which is very bizarre, but tonight I am not going to rush the feeding, I will change him and put him back in his crib alone.  End of story.  (or so I say, if he sobs, I'll go in there)

Had a nice date last night and a nice day today,  bought myself some birthday cupcakes with lots of buttercream icing, plus we shopped a little for Bobby (so hard not to buy him clothes!!) and Rick got some new jeans.  then napping and more playing!  Off to Basking Robbins tonight (for takeout unfortch though)

Bobby is really enjoying his visitors, although Cash might not agree as he gets followed around and has to defend his toys and food and dummy.  It is totally true that you need two of everything.  Whatever one has, the other wants (both ways)

Bobby is into putting things in containers

Rick will be here tonight!

I'm on a roll

Swim "lessons" were good today.  I'll get some photos when Rick can come to class.  Bobby did really well, he wasn't scared at all and by the end really loosened up and was splashing and jabbering.  He loved when I blew bubbles, he reached after toys, paddle on the kickboard. We have six classes and I think he'll get pretty far by then end and will figure out kicking (maybe) and try to put his face under and maybe even paddle a bit.  Mostly because he's really into imitation now.  He liked jumping from a sitting position into the pool/my arms.  Hopefully we can continue around town until some neighbor pools warm up.

Grammy can get Bobby to wave bye bye.

He is still pretty afraid of the grass, but that doesn't stop him from eating it.  Or just putting it in his mouth, because then he dislikes the feeling and spits it out.  He also knows that he shouldn't do stuff like that; when he eats pebbles, he knows to open his mouth for me. He doesn't seems to try to swallow them, or at least not very fast.

And

5:19am this morning. He knows. If he wakes up earlier, I’ll be there. Must break this.


So I turn on the tv. He’s interested in it for about 30 seconds and probably only because it’s bright.

Somethings wrong with my laptop. Sucks. It has slowed down a lot and I hate that I can’t find anything wrong.

He is also really cute. Natch. A while back I was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while nursing him and he started opening and closing a fist – the hand motion for a star. I wasn’t even doing it. Now he does that and sometimes, the Itsy bitsy spider.

He wakes up with a dirty diaper. I think it’s a wake up poop, not an overnight one. And then after I change it and we play for about 20 minutes, he poops again.

10 MONTHS

I am blogging because I rarely do, but to me, our lives are dull, so continue at your own desire. 

We had a nice trip up to DC/NJ/PA and got to see Rick and Roseann and a couple of my friends. I wanted to do more in DC but was a bit unorganized and sort of unable to get it together with transportation and naps and all that.  I will have to go back to see my NCS and GW girls and my yoga teacher. I really really miss coaching right now - that it's racing season and so nice out.  I don't even think UNC has any home races to get my fix.

Bobby is doing great though.  Sleep is still our big 'issue'  but it's a lot less of an Issue, just something I'm always working on.  Last night marked the fifth time, in his entire life, that he slept through the night.  That being 7pm to about 5:45am.  I am really trying to get him to stay asleep until 6am.  This might mean a little crying until then, so the question is, if he's smart enough to get up earlier and earlier if I go to him at 5:55/5:37/5:42am, does the reverse hold?  If I dont' get him, will he just chill out in there?  Probably not the time to work on it with house guests!  Also he went down for his 2 naps today without any fuss.  However, this second nap seems to be over right now. And I didn't even get to eat lunch yet! 

He is a bit of a picky eater but gets enough good stuff in.  He is quite cheeky but of course adorable.  He will imitate you (eventually) so we are working on our sign language, but he just ends up clapping.  He tries to make his fingers snap if you do it in front of him.  He often will plant his feet, straighten his legs and stick his butt up in the air as if he's about to stand up.  He cruises down the coffee table, but won't walk if you hold his hands; he just leans foward.

Swim "lessons" start tomorrow!

Updates

So, in case you didn't get the whole story, I went to a junior league meeting the other night way down south Elm street, almost near Lee, and was the first car parked on a side street off Elm and sometime in the 1.5 hours I was inside, my car window was smashed and my GPS was taken.  That's it.  didn't even rifle through the console or diaper bag etc.  Annoying more than anything.  Replaced window for $200 and GPS for $120.  Would have waited, but would like it for my roadtrip next week.

Bought a big boy car seat for Bobby.  $280 and I paid $128 thanks to coupons and gift cards -THANKS ROSEANN.   I shopped around Babies R Us for other stuff, but found I didn't need anything there anymore.  I guess I don't have a little baby anymore.  He's on to bigger and better things.  Not really that sad about it though. 

We are learning how to sleep here and it is going pretty well.  He cries for either 0 minutes or 30-40 minutes then falls asleep on his own and wakes up once or twice tops in the middle of the night - in which he is able to put himself back to sleep in about five minutes.  He had been sleeping until at least 7am, but the last 2 mornings were 5/5:30am.  Today though, I nursed him and then slept with him until 8:30am!  Totally messed up nap time of course, but he needs it and we'll deal with napping after travelling is over. (mini brag:  he slept 7:10pm to 5am on Thursday, of course I was still up hourly though)

We are driving up to DC next week then onto NJ where we'll get to see Rick again, very excited about that.  Not sure how he'll do in the car for that long (Bobby, not Rick) but we'll take our time and see. Will pass on going to St. Louis for Ricks last weekend there (4/11), I really want to, and even found good flights, but the boy needs to be in his crib.  And I signed up for swim lessons and want to be here for them.  And I'm supposed to run a 10miler with Emily that weekend.... I guess I need to find a babysitter for that. 

Bobby doesn't like to eat off a spoon, unless it's yogurt or something sweet.  Only likes to feed himself and even then is really picky.  I think it's a phase/transition so I just have to give him time and keep trying to make sure he eats more than carbs!

Otherwise, he is a happy healthy baby with ridiculous amounts of energy and curiosity.  He is very fast and a good climber, so watch out! (And now that I look at this picture, I would have not let him in there at all, (moot point now since he then broke that table)) He loves the bath and I can't wait to get him in a baby pool this summer.    This is a really busy month and we are excited to have Rick back and see the Martin boys again soon.

He's a Machine

I may have a robot for a baby.  He doesn't seem to need sleep or food to survive.  He continues to take really short naps and they seem to be getting farther apart which makes for the possibility that we only nap twice - no big deal for a 9 month old but not when they are barely over an hour added together.  he plays so hard and so nonstop, I don't know how he doesn't crash for hours at a time.

he is a really slow eater too, and pretty uninterested in food.  I try to feed him often since he doesn't take in very much at all at one setting.  Breakfast is pretty light, second breakfast is just a little fruit,  lunch varies and if we get it timed right, dinner can be substantial.

so what does he like?  baths and water - from the water dispenser in the fridge, sinkwater, showers, cups of water - all fun.  "brushing" his teeth, climbing stairs, climbing anything actually, opening doors, knocking down blocks. laptops, banging his head against the wall, dancing to music, the dog - a lot, throwing things on the floor and me.

i mention this because he is particularly attached to me.  fine playing by himself, as long as he can locate me.  this makes childcare at the gym difficult and my workouts get cut short.  this part is lousy.

we are gearing up for spring and summer and happy the weather is getting better.  we can go walking more now, but he is getting over the stroller and wants to be out of it.

He wore his Virginia jersey for the ACC tournament, but they lost to Duke, oh well.  He was also trying on some shorts, which are a little small, but show off his calf nicely (right Allison)  He also likes to put blocks on his head, hence the pose.  He is really not my kid though,  those skinny legs, sheesh.  maybe the pasty white part though.

Stats

9 months
19 pounds 8 oz (50 percentile)
30 inches (75%)

Shout outs

Interesting week here. Rick came to GSO for 3 days. Yay.

First, huge huge THANKS to mom for watching Bobby lots and lots. Not because Rick and I went on dates and movies, but because we were soooo sick. Lots of puking and other stuff, Rick was way worse than me, I'm just tougher actually, but we were just tired and weak and nauseous for a good 2 days. Rick also had a fever - which you don't usually get with a stomach bug. So I was a waste of space, and Mom thankfully stepped in to feed, walk, play with Bobby etc. So his trip was pretty lousy, no dates, no home cooking, no rest, very little playing with Bobby, and then his flight was delayed and we had to get up at 3:30am to catch a 6am plane in RDU. But he's now in St. Louis and doing better - for now. Work situation is still iffy. I think Bobby missed the bug, but actually he did puke a couple times Sunday night, but I just attributed it to his rough cough /post nasal drip and my infection if anything. And he was over whatever he did have right away.

Second big thanks to Elizabeth. Who brought Archer up to NY state for a quick 36 hour visit just to babysit so we could attend Kirins wedding. It was the longest period for me away from him (over 7 hours) but I wasn't really bothered. I knew he was in good hands - even if he was awake too late, I didn't mind b/c I know he hates sleep. I was also happy to hear Wiley survived.

So I am very lucky to have family around and able to help me out in such a big way.

Bobby is crawling decently, not super motivated to get around, but he gets it done. He is super noisy too, just non stop rambling. He seems to want more than anything to stand and walk. He pulls himself up on anything and then will let go of one hand and tries to jump to another object. He climbs up on me all the time. He's gonna be trouble. He still is a very bad sleeper. 2-3 very short naps, I don't know how to consolidate them. Still waking 2-3 times overnight on a good night. Bedtime can be 15 minutes, but it can be an hour long battle too. We've had no schedule/routine so I don't blame him for being messed up, but it's getting a bit old.

Oh, and while all of this is going on, there's also this. When we were in California, Bobby was fussy, so I was trying to help him nurse. Sometimes when he gets overtired he needs a little help starting nursing to settle down. Guess I forced him a little and he wasn't interested so he bit me. Hard. That was Feb. 10. It bled later that day when he did nurse (bloody mouth). And I don't remember what happened between then and now, but sometime last weekend the cut just got infected/bigger/deeper/who knows, but it hurts like hell. So I'm either going to have to find some medical super glue, not use that side or see a doctor soon.

I'm ready for my kid to get to the funny and silly personality blog posts.

mini milestone

this was so good, i had to turn the computer back on. When Bobby woke up at 11:15 tonight, I went him to find him STANDING in his crib! This is a big deal for him since it takes several steps to get there and I've never seen him pull himself up during the day. He's been trying for months but I guess now he can. This could be bad b/c anytime he's on his tummy, he'll want to get into seated position.

of course, he's up again, the first 30' of putting him down didn't take. gotta go!

cALIFORNIA

We are having a nice visit with Rick. The weather is phenomenal. Bobby is being really good although his sleeping is sometimes messed up. He is in the hotel crib which helps us all sleep better. He has had some late bedtimes but weathers them fine. We had a great visit with Judy, spent the afternoon touring and playing, then Rick came up for a home cooked dinner. Uncle Rob had a show in town so it just worked out to see him. Rick made a quick call to go to Islands since it is so convenient and pleases all and is baby friendly. I actually offered Outback.

I leave on Monday then Rick meets me in Saratoga Springs for Kirins wedding. Then he will go from there back to St. Louis for work for 2-3 months. I'll give him a week or two to get the lay of the land and we'll see what is next.

Bobby is still not crawling but can pivot really well. His teeth are very goofy, it will be silly when you see them when he smiles. i also hear him grinding his teeth occasionally. And, he likes to bite. You think he is coming in for a hug but he ends up trying to nibble on my shoulder. I am concerned about his eating. He is really hard to get food into. Not interested in being spoon fed, and likes finger food but will not stay still to eat. Sheesh.

SO you've probably figured it out now, but I am in California. Literally bought my ticket about 4pm on Saturday, then at 4am left for Raleigh airport for a 6:30am flight Sunday. Called Rick at 6am his time from Cincinnati and he came and got me at 11am. We got a car, some lunch and settled in to watch the Superbowl in his hotel room in Oceanside - which is right outside the base gate. Bobby did really well on the flights again, took some short naps and wasn't fussy or even that bothered by the cramped quarters for 4+ hours. I think he went to bed at 5/6pm and slept rather well but got up at 5am! I thought he had adjusted today, he took his 3 naps at usual times, but was not able to go down while we went out to dinner. He is actually now in that hotel crib (see flickr) but the mattress is so hard, I doubt he goes back in there after he awakens and I don't blame him. I get the idea of co-sleeping. It's so easy for the mom and quite comfortable/comforting for the baby. I just don't want to make it a long term thing. He is going to be all sorts of messed up sleep wise but it's worth it.

Today we drove around, went to Kohls, ate lunch with Rick, got some groceries, then went for a walk around the marina for about an hour. It was so warm and sunny and just lovely out. Rick worked until about 6, which is silly b/c no one else has anything to do but a couple of guys and him. Boo. Then Dinner at Islands!!! Rick is good though. Bobby is taking some time to warm up to him, but it's probably less him and more "not mom" so that sucks b/c I had visions of going running and stuff like that without the dear child, maybe later on.

8 Months

It's very hard to put a baby to sleep when it won't stop clapping. I think there was a little interpretative dance in there as well.

He is getting better at feeding himself, often having to put several fingers in his mouth in order to release the food though. He seems to be not interested in the food if it's on a spoon and just wants finger foods, even if the delivery is difficult.

Not surprising, but I am putting away a lot of 6 month clothes since he is getting too long for them. Still room in other directions.

Still only crawling backwards. but he does get up on hands and toes now.

Snow

at least 6 inches, now it's freezing rain/sleeting and packing it down some. just yucky out.

bobby finally rolled over from his front to his back. and he seemed really proud of himself. he did it repeatedly on my bed, but since he leads with his head, he seems not wanting to repeat it on the floor.

he slept well enough last night. doc said antibiotics would take 3 days to work but we definitely got some peace, slept 7p-2a straight, then i couldn't put him in his crib so we slept in my bed 3-7 with some wakeups, but so much better than the last 2 weeks for sure. he skipped his morning nap and is down now, i want to go shovel but might give him 10 minutes to make sure he's under.

local paper came, but NYT and WSJ did not... (i actually thought the same guy delivered them all)

sophie attacked the diaper pail yesterday. carried it into bobby's room, several feet and chewed the handle, but thank god, was unable to penetrate to get to the poop!

Wah

I feel like I've been giving Bobby a lot of Tylenol lately, so I decided to not give it to him last night since he had a fine day. I don't know if it was coincidence or what, but Bobby has an ear infection. I wonder if the Tylenol had been suppressing his fever and it just came out last night or what. Probably not, but I hope he hasn't been sick for long and I ignored it. But I guess if you have a cold for a month, it's going to turn into something like this. He wasn't draining liquid from his ear or pulling at it so the 101.0 fever this morning told me to go to the doctor. He had a very sleepless and irritable night but has gotten 2 good naps in today and when he wakes up, I'll start him on the amoxicillian. He was 19,5 pounds at 7 and 3/4 months - still a lean little thing.

The cold has come in. It is suddenly very bitter out and I guess the snow is coming. If they say 6-12", it'll be about 3-5 I'm guessing. Enough to make us stay home of course. I wanted to have a big errand day and hit the gym before it came, but the boy needs sleep and cuddle time, so that's the new plan. Also, wanted to see the Wilson's this weekend, but that might have to wait.

Jan. wrap up

nothing special going on, except our chronic nonsleeping, so I haven't written much lately. napping is a bit of an issue now, he's just not interested in staying down (or can't make himself) and likes being awake in general. sometimes takes 2 naps, then gets cranky at night.

i screwed him up majorly at bedtime. i can get him to fall asleep fine, even without the swaddle, but now i can't get him into the crib, out of my arms, without waking him up. it usually takes 3 tries even when i was sure he was asleep.

we almost have all 4 top teeth fully through. he likes to try to bite us with them.

still working this cold, no fever, just snot and an occasional cough

he's still pretty happy if not just a bit short tempered.

rick is getting out of iraq next week.

my new month resolution is a spending freeze. airplane tickets, shower gifts, wedding gifts, new dresses, new makeups, trainer sessions, new car tires, little gym. i am stopping as soon as i find shoes for the wedding.

MLK Day

A sleeping blog- what a surprise. Either out of sheer exhaustion or some tylenol, Bobby slept from 7pm to 3am last night, then ate and slept again until 5:30am. And he was even going down again, but I think he had swallowed so so much snot all night, he vomited up everything in his tummy. It was so sad seeing it go everywhere. He got in a quick rest from 6-7am.

I think he feels absolutely lousy, but only acts like it when tired. So the Martins are watching him currently since he only managed a 40 minute nap and cried literally as soon as I turned on the computer and settled down with a diet coke.

These teeth are probably the beginning of a rough period for the little guy while more teeth come in! I had said recently, teething only causing teeth, but I amend that. No diaper rash or fever for us, but mucous for sure. He had a snotty cold for several weeks that just dried up and this different than that.

Sunday 1/17

Having a great time visiting with the Martins. Lunch out yesterday, then Cash's birthday celebration. Baptism today. We had a super rough night, two actually, but last night he was up probably 8 times in the (only) eight hours he was in bed. We figured it must be teething, He's been mouthing everything. I hadn't checked in a while, so I went in, and sure enough - teeth!

Top four teeth. The middle two seem to be right under the surface, one for sure you can see, but what's sort of goofy is that the two outside front teeth have come through. Very vampire-esque.

1/16/09

Bobby can clap! He's been banging things he holds together for a while now and would hit things in his hand with his other hand, but Grandma Vegas taught him how to clap with flat palms tonight. Yay.

Off to the new City Center tomorrow and having a little birthday celebration for Cash.

Las Vegas

Back on the road again. 7 months old is very different than 7 weeks or 4 months - the last times we flew. Bobby was still really good, very charming, and quiet. Luckily I was literally the only one in security line in Greensboro. Followed no one, no one else came up. Good thing b/c I took my time. Baby/carrier/stroller/purse/shoes/belt/diaperbag (with laptop and kindle in it!). I think I took 10 minutes, but the TSA folks did come and help load me up, maybe I looked that pathetic.

Short flight to Charlotte felt longer, was cramped, but I dealt and we were able to just play a bit since the flight was 4-4:40 ish. Was able to stop in the USO when changing terminals since I didn't leave until 6pm. Changed diaper, tried to nurse, had a little snack, went to gate, boarded close to last - to see where the empty seats were and to shorten the amount of time we were cramped in there.

Luckily I had an aisle seat and no one was in the middle. This was huge b/c I could nurse him and use the seat for his junk. There was a 6 year old girl across the aisle who loved him and Bobby just liked watching her - and everyone and anyone else on the plane. I guess he fell asleep around 7 (i'm guessing) for maybe an hour and a half, I guess I should wear a watch, but he was definitely up at 9pm and then stayed up. Sleepy but unaffected and definitely not interested in going back to sleep. luckily we got in about 40 minutes early. Got our bags, met Carolyn and then he finally lost it in the carseat - just sobbing.

So quickly to bed (now on to pacific time, 8:30pm). I thought he was just adjusting to the time change wisely, but at 3am he seemed to forget he wasn't on Eastern time. He woke up 11pm, 3 am - wouldn't go back down until 4:30 and then was up at 6:30 but very chipper. He wouldn't nap this morning until after 10am but he's a trooper and enjoying Cash and Allison and Slider, and of course Carolyn and Chandler.

We're babysitting Cooper currently and it's quiet time for a little bit longer I hope. It's crazy how quickly I forgot how 'new' babies are. Just awkward, noisy little things. But sweet too.

Last Night

Bobby slept from 6:40 (-7:20) - 3:40.
Chugged a bunch of milk, projectile spit up a ton, then slept again, 5-5:40-7:30.
That shouldn't be impressive for a 7 month old, but for him 8+ hours is really unusual, after several nights of midnight/2am/4am/5:30am wakeups. I actually got up at 2am to check on him. He had rolled onto his tummy and that is probably why is slept for so long. Naps are still generally 40 minutes but the second one has been 2 hours a few times, but that also means he's awake from 2 or 3pm on and gets cranky way before what I would like bedtime to be.

7 Months Old

Thought I'd just put some notes up. Bobby is still a good bit snotty, going on 3 weeks now, but no other symptoms and seems to act just fine. It seems to be manageable and we suction out a lot in the mornings, b/c I worry about that all draining when he's nursing, but it doesn't bother him.

Sleep issues are still the same. In bed about 11.5-12 hours at night, maybe just under, but still waking up 3-5 times. Up around 6:30am usually. Naps are where I would like to improve if I could. He usually takes three 40 minute naps. You can set your watch by it. So there isn't a lot of time to get a ton done, usually a shower and he's up e.g. Sometimes it's less, but it's often all he needs and it takes the edge off and we go back to playing.

He is ridiculously energetic and curious. Grabbing for everything and anything. Likes to bang things together.

He is about the same verbally. Occaisonal da/ga/ma/la sounds, but more often just grunts and giggles and squeals.

His favorite method of communication is spitting though. It's like a raspberry on steriods. I don't think I taught him this, I don't know what triggers it, he just does it, and follows it with a cheeky smile. Even if you don't react shocked or at all, he still will do it a couple times, including during a meal. I have tried to get it on video but not successfully yet.

Some Firsts

Bobby took his first nap in his real crib today. He had previously been sleeping in a portacrib (about 25 x 37) but he'd been scooching up against the sides and sticking limbs through and sometimes even turning perpendicular in it, so it was time to get the man some more real estate. So we brought Grammys crib down from the third floor and it is now in Bobbys room. Cousin Archer is actually using it tonight, but we'll get in there soon.

Also, we took a bath in the real tub tonight! We are not done with the blow up duck bath yet, but he sure does look comfortable in there. He actually started out with Wiley and Archer for about 30 seconds but was soon all alone and seemed to enjoy it. He sat very well and didn't slip around at all. It was even fairly deep.

Duh

Forgot to mention, best Christmas present ever, Rick's unit is leaving Iraq in January!!!

They are the last Marines in Iraq, and they're getting out. Assuming he's on the last plane out, I tell myself February. Also, a lot could change between now and then. What we really don't know is, if he 1. is cut loose altogether, 2. still has to work in California, 3. still has to work in St. Louis, where the unit is from, or 4. has to go to Afghanistan. Some men are going to Afg. but he isn't one of them as far as he knows. Better ramp up the job search. Don't want to be one of the statistics and make him move in with his in laws for too long.

Best present would be him actually coming home, but this is great news compared to May.

More

Continued.... Doctors appt went well, talked about eating and development and such, all seems to be going well. He thought Bobby sat up very well, which he really does, He has excellent body control, he's just a bit lazy and doesn't roll over. I forgot to ask about sleep. It doesn't concern me, but I think it should and I think we can be doing better and I don't want to ingrain habits that will bite me later, but it is what it is.

He said we are okay to eat 3 times a day, eat meat, even more finger foods etc.

We also went to open play time at the little gym with the 11-19 month olds. Bobby had fun, mostly watching but also holding on (in lieu of climbing) and assisted jumping.

Oh yah, he has a really nasty cold. Super serious snot. Very congested and not even a runny nose, it's just all up in his head - if only the poor thing could blow his nose, he'd feel a thousand times better. I just keep hoping for big sneezes. I measured a little fever with it, but at the doctors they said only 98.3. He is a bit irritable but otherwise still happy. We can play normally, but he'll cry a little when I lay him down to change his diaper. Just seems to have a short temper. It sounds so slurpy when he's nursing and he won't let me suction it out, and it doesn't work well enough anyway. And, he really won't even let me wipe the 2 green streams that come from his nostrils. Very irritated when i wipe, same with food after dinner. So we'll see how the night goes, he's down already at 6:30, but I'm sure he'll be up in about 30 minutes. Might bust out the tylenol to give him some relief.

Six Months (and 17 days)

17 pounds, 15 ounces. (50th percentile)

27.75 inches (75%)

44.5" head circumfrence (50%)

4 needles, including H1N1

SNOW

Snow, and sleep. I've pretty much decided not to let him cry it out, It probably does work, but still can't do it. I think every 3 hours is unnecessary, but there's not much I can do about it. Maybe things will change when we get down to 2 naps, but with upcoming travel disruptions, it's not the time now (and he's still young).

It snowed a good bit today, started at 1pm and hasn't stopped, just lightened off and on. It's really wet snow, but has a good accumulation. It's actually really pretty and peaceful. We'll venture out if the sun comes out. Don't know if I'll drive to the gym yet. no rush to get out there with the southern folk.

12/18

It's snowing here!

Last night, Bobby went to bed for good at 7:30pm, then was up at 10:30pm, 1:30am, and 4:30am. At 4:30 it took an hour to get him back down, he was very drowsy but wouldn't go back to sleep all the way. Then he slept from 5:30am to 7am. Any advice out there? Our friends pediatrician just told her to do some sleep training b/c there's no reason she shouldn't be sleeping through the night at 6 months. We'll see what they say on Monday. I am not looking forward to that but I know something should be done as he's getting worse. Now I don't have to go to work or anything, but we'll see. He is also taking very short naps and is still swaddled and nursed to go down. I forsee problems with this down the road, especially when I stop nursing, and he doesn't take a bottle or a pacifier.

He continues to do well at eating. Both feeding himself and eating his mush. Very interested in whatever I eat. So far likes all the veggies plus apples and pears and crackers and a bit of pudding too. Advocado was lunch today. Had some banana at breakfast and we'll try some oatmeal and maybe vegetables for dinner, making this our first three "meal" day.

Happy Baby

I wish you all could be in my bedroom in the morning while we hang out and get ready for the day. Bobby is so chatty and smiley and seems really like he is having fun. He's so charming. When he gets out and about, he's a little more mellow, although today he did really well with strangers while shopping and he is getting used to the crowd at the library and at the girls at the gym. (It seems like all my pictures look the same lately, but it just happens to be where I charge the camera and he's so happy, I want to capture it.)

12/14

Bobby loves to play with drawstring cords, all cords basically - you know, anything he could strangle himself with...

I think I've mentioned it before, but Bobby loves Sophie. He watches her all the time, to the point of distraction. And now that Bobby might have some food around him, Sophie likes him back. And of course, the teething biscuits look like dog treats.

He was up at midnight, 2am and 4am last night.

12/13

Quiet weekend here.

Bobby had a good visit at the gym day care today. No tears. He was rested and well fed and is hopefully getting used to it.

He continues to not really nap though. He went down three times, yes, but for probably 3.5 hours combined. And we've reverted to being held a lot and waking up a lot in the middle of the night. He went down around 8 tonight in the hope to stay asleep a little longer than 5:30am. I didn't keep him up late, he just woke up from a nap at 5:30pm so it was natural.

Christmas shopping is almost all done, presents are wrapped and cards are sent. Still don't have the holiday spirit though and I'm really fighting the urge to bake the cookies that I want to so badly.

December

• We are now eating oatmeal with carrots. delicious.
• Took him to the child care at the gym. They came and got me out of aerobics class after about 40 minutes. He was crying. This wrecked me b/c if your kid never cries, its so hard to see him with wet red eyes. It was probably the tons of toddlers and loudness and crazy colors and tv and whatnot. We're going back nonetheless tomorrow.
• He's a really good baby. Very chill and very happy. Easy to take care of. I'm lucky.
• Soooo excited to see Cooper J.
• Rick is good. Probably a bit bored. Mentioned that it is good that everyday is the same b/c there is no build up to Christmas.
• 6 month check up and vaccines isn't until the 21st
• Thinking about driving up to DC to shop and kill time

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Update: Holy Crap

So about that last bit. Bobby pooped today and made up for yesterday. All at once, I actually have a picture but think it's improper to post it, it's that bad. Sometimes it leaks out his back along the waistline of the diaper (in a little line) but this went about 5 inches up his back AND then back over and down his bum, about a handful, for lack of a better description. WOW. And getting his filthy shirt off meant his arms and back and pretty much everything else got covered. Pictures upon request (sicko)

Six Months

So big news of the day... Bobby did not poop today. First day ever. He has been down to one big messy poop a day with the introduction of solids, but I didn't give him any yesterday so no poop.

He is doing great. I think I forgot to mention he has cut his first teeth. Two on the bottom. Not enough for a picture, but they're there. They came in without event, no rash or fussing or runny nose. He has a pretty legitimate bite too, mostly gums, but he'll clamp down on you.

The big thing we're dealing with is sleeping of course. He didn't take a nap until 3pm today. Crazy boy. It doesn't bother him either. He did fall asleep in my arms at 12:30 but when I went to put him in the crib, he was awake and ready to go. He also woke up 4 times between 7pm and 7am last night. That is a lot.

We had our friend over for a little play date. She is 5.5 months and tiny, but can crawl and get up on all fours. Not sure what this weekend will hold. Too cold and late for holiday activities downtown.

Rick is doing well, he is doing some intense training so he can get his grey belt in combat training (hand to hand, wrestling, mma, stuff like that) I just hope he doesn't get hurt doing that.

So big.

We haven't quite mastered the Johnny Jumper (or whatever it's called) yet but he loves to be held and jumped. Also loves singing Jingle Bells. And LOVES sweet potatoes. More than carrots and peas, but I don't blame him.

Don't worry family, I will keep the Gobbler tradition alive. By myself. Slowly.

Sleep

Bobby slept for 8 hours continuously last night, a new record. Then up at 6:30am. Combination of full belly and too-short naps.

November

A lot is going on in Bobbys little life right now. He is almost sitting up unassisted. He can for a few seconds and almost seems to right himself when he starts listing. He is reaching for EVERYTHING. And if he gets it, he puts it in his mouth, or tries to. He is so curious in everything around him and also checks out people a lot.

The other big development is food. So he's getting two small meal a day (mostly) , one cereal and one vegetable. Usually they go down well enough, although he hasn't really mastered the mechanics yet. Doesn't open his mouth willingly, or at the right time to accept food. But at least it doesn't come spewing out.

I am writing this while he lies in his crib awake, and trying to see if he'll put himself to sleep. He was pretty tired at bathtime and I nursed and rocked him for half an hour but he was having none of the sleep part, so we'll see if I go back in there (my bet is yes)

(still chattering away in there...)

All in all, he seems to be a very laid back, tough kid. He is very easy going and smiles a lot, rolls with the punches (figurative and literal).

Carrots

I'd call this a success. We did carrots and he seemed to like them. Was also pretty hungry I think. He hasn't necessarily gotten the mechanics of eating down, but if I get it in there, he can get it down. We're still taking it very slowly, but he has shown a lot of interest in food that I eat. I am committed to rice cereal daily, starting now. He also might be starting to teethe and mouths things even more.

Friday

Today, Bobby took a 4 hour morning nap?! But I guess it wasn't morning by the time he finished it though. My sleeping experiment last night didn't work. That was to feed him before I went at 11 in hopes he'd sleep until morning. He went down first at 6pm and for good at 7pm. Instead he woke up a little after 1am, then 5am, and for good at 7. The alternative is him sleeping 7pm to 2am or so, then up at 4 and 6. So which is the lesser of 2 evils?

Then we went swimming. He liked it well enough. Only a little spit up in the pool, oops. I feel dehydrated from it though so am trying to get more fluids in him.

Last night

Bobby slept from 7:20pm to 4am YAY

And from 5:30am to 7:30 UGH

The Latest

bobby rolled over yesterday (11/1) from back to front for the first time i think. he's done it on a soft bed but that doesn't count.

he also rolled over the day before from front to back. he did that for the first time around 9/15 but doesn't do it often. he gets plenty of tummy time but just stays there

as far as eating, we have tried the rice cereal 3 times. if you can call if that. it's been about 10 bites or less each time. i basically pump less than an ounce then mix up a very watery paste. he doesn't react poorly to it, i think it's okay to start now if for nothing else to get him to the spoon. once he sees it coming, his hands go to it and i usually spill it on him. if i get to his (closed) mouth, he sort of laps it up. If i get the spoon in, he sort of takes it. sometimes it all comes out, but sometimes not. i consider this progress. usually it comes out about 20 minutes later. i do however think he's ready (5 months old on Wednesday) he just seems to want something else sometimes. i know all babies put stuff in their mouths, but i think he's ready. of course, we'll take it way slow as we are, hardly a meal replacement at this stage, it's almost a novelty.

i have also introduced a sippy cup, which he likes. grabs it with both hands and aims for his open mouth. he never gets it there though. i know this is early, but we will skip a bottle at this rate, he's never taken it easily and has had probably 2 bottles in the last 2 months so it might be hard at this stage. again, just familiarity with the sippy cup, like the spoon.

he is drinking a lot of bathwater that he sucks from the washcloth. even if i take it away from him, he just sucks his wet fist. hmm... he has taken some sips of real water and loves it. also spills a lot but i won't give him much (think like droplets) since he needs nutrition from milk and don't want him to fill up.

and oh yah. he moved into his own room! (thanks mom) so far so good, although we did battle it out last night at 3:30am. I won, if you can call it that at 5am and he went back in the crib. woo hoo.

We went The Little Gym Monday, 45 minutes assisted exercises - tapping feet and shaking things. 4 other babies. i think he was hungry but seemed interested in it. will have to price it out, but might be something we want to do. going to the park later to walk.

October

One handed typing b/c I'm a sucker and want my baby to get a good nap. i do have to put him down soon to feed the dogs.

couple nice days here so we got a lot of outside time, even went to the dog park - what was i thinking! He is still easy enough to take care of but getting more demanding as in, he is actually worth playing with now, so we do, also needy and doesn't like to be left alone.

sleep continues to be irregular, took a 3 hr nap the other day, but last night didn't get to bed until 9:45pm! i would like a routine for naps but am not going to be a slave to a forced schedule, he gets to sleep often, if not for too long.

we have no Halloween plans but will still get dressed up, for a while at least, its supposed to be 80 almost

rick is good, they have storms so power and internet have been iffy. we talk just as if he was in california but i guess just not several times a day.

4.5 months

15 pounds, 7 ounces - 50th percentile
25 3/4 inches long - 50%
42 cm head - 75%

lungs, heart good, head shape good, eyes straight. very simple appt. looked in ears, mouth, etc. nothing really to report. will keep an eye on the spit up in case he starts to get bothered by it, i can start food anytime now, got vaccines but no flu shot for under six month olds.

he can roll over, but doesn't. he is getting more stable at sitting up - assisted for now. very good at putting weight on his legs.

doing well at night, sleeping about 5 hours, then 4 more. continuing to find a routine for naps, it will be better now that the house is back to normal.

going to start back on the vitamin drops since it's getting wintery.

Sleeping

So it's been up and down. Mainly inconsistent, but we're sticking with it. He's been in the crib all night, generally waking up every 3-5 hours still, but last night was better. We went for a 2 hour walk so that might have tired him out, but he took a little cat nap at 5:30 or so, so I let him stay up later than usual. So bath was at 7 instead of 6:20.

He was asleep by 7:45pm, woke up at 12:20, back in the crib at 12:50am and then I got him out of bed at 7am! YAY. napping now in the crib too.

it's cold here, which I like b/c he looks really cute in sweatpants.

Day 1

I know this makes for dull material, but it's my life right now.

7pm Last night went to bed well in the crib. was very tired, didn't eat much, didn't expect a long duration here

7:40 awake, easily put down again. (I guess he's one of those babies who can't put himself back to sleep easily after a sleep cycle)

8 up for a little burp, down quickly

9:10 up and down easily again

10:50 up and down still in the crib

2am awake and ready to go

3am still awake, not drowsy. here i give in. we go to the big bed.

4am he finally nods off after chattering the whole time

7:30am awake for the day

so far i have interrupted 2 good naps, by putting him in the crib. got about 75 minutes out of him b/c i had to sleep too, see above why.

Operation Crib Sleep

Get the baby into the crib to sleep has begun. I know I'm doing it wrong but it doesn't work anyway. I nurse him in a dark room with white noise and he falls asleep, put him in the crib, he wakes up, i burp him, he falls asleep on my shoulder, put him in the crib, he wakes up. Lie down with him in the bed, he falls asleep.

I get the whole, put him down drowsy but awake thing, and have tried, but that just leads to cranky and very awake. I would prefer that b/c trying to transfer him to the crib when he is asleep is asking for trouble.

He does sleep on his stomach (for supervised naps) very well. Will ask the doc if this is okay b/c he has good chest and head control.

Meanwhile, I have to move him out of 3 month pajamas. he is just too long.

Jackpot

Just got back from our second Giants game in two days. And it was all free! Last night we were coming up the elevator and the other family in there asked us if we had tickets yet, we said no and they gave us some, for free! And they were good. lower deck, right field line. The uy worked for Petco and just had extras!

Today, we met Julie for the game who was in town for a ENT conference. She had gone out last night and met some relative of Jon Miller (the Giants (& ESPN) radio guy) and gave her tickets. Also good ones, same area. It was a good game too, but we were in the shade and it was breezy. It is October, but SoCal's supposed to be sunny and 70 all the time right! So we paid $35 for parking for 2 days right next to the entrance. Good to go!

Anyway, final dinner at Outback tonight then an early morning!!!

Four months

Still in California, so no unofficial weigh in. And b/c we were late with the 2 month appt and shots have to be 8 weeks apart, we don't go back to the doctor for a week or so.

Having a really nice time with Rick, he only worked til about 6:30pm (early for him) so we got to hang out this week a fair amount. Bobby and I just killed time, walking, some errands, went to the Ocean, not much. It also meant bedtimes were a little later, but he seemed to do fine with it, he just had to get in some Dad time.

Carolyn came in for work Thursday night, so it was a great coincidence and we were lucky she was able to bring Cash and stay at our hotel. This meant I got to babysit Cash on Friday, which was actually super easy. Mostly due to the fact he took a 3,5 hour nap in the middle of it, and then we just read and explored the rest of the time. Bobby even got his morning nap in undisturbed. There was only one little boo boo ("hurt"). I was watching closely actually but nursing I think and Cash slipped on a book and whacked his eye on his truck I think. He barely whimpered but it looks bad and it's right on his eyebrow so could have been worse, but he's a tough kid, who now looks Tough.

Saturday Rick didn't have to work like usual and we went to breakfast at Mimi's, (they had a seasonal pumpkin spice muffin, yum) Then to the SeaLife Aquarium at Legoland. It worked out so well, it is about 2 miles from the hotel and opened at 10, and we got there 10:30 or something. Plus the cashier gave us coupons so tickets were $5 instead of $18.95! Kids free. It was worth about that. Not crowded, inside, cool fish. Cash was a little stubborn and Bobby slept the second half, but it was a good day. Then Carolyn got on the road earlier than planned so she could get home and rest, but it was a lovely visit.

Saturday afternoon we rested too, because the Giants are in town. So I felt pretty bad driving down to San Diego as the sun set, thinking what am I subjecting my kid to? But he did great at the 7pm game. Didn't sleep b/c it was just too loud and bright, but here it is 10:30 the next morning and he's still asleep. Got to get his 12 hours. (non continuous of course) Silly me thought I'd be able to run a few errands for us this morning.

I leave early Monday and fly all day. Rick leaves midnight Tuesday, direct to Iraq.

Back To California

We made it uneventfully, got to the hotel at 2 am eastern. Plane rides were good, baby slept about half of the way to Detroit. Detroit is a long way from San Diego, basically Canada to Mexico, so it meant for a long second flight (4.5hrs), right about bedtime. It was also 30+ minutes late leaving. Bobby was really good, very happy and quiet. He fell asleep right before 7:30pm takeoff for about 30 minutes, but then was up until 10pm Eastern. Wide awake, very happy. There was another baby, probably closer to a year old, who cried 90% of the flight. Yikes. Then he slept from then on, through landing, baggage claim the drive home. Fed him and got a few more hours out of him. The problem is a one room hotel rooms, means for early evenings and early mornings for everyone. We'll see how that goes. Same with nap time.

He spit up a lot. changed his outfit during the layover. Could have changed mine. Was also one burp away from his third shirt. And he continues to this morning, All done with a big smile, but I think watch my diet, although I had very little dairy (cheese on sandwich) yesterday.

I thought Ricks computer could take my camera card so I didn't bring the connecting cord, so photos will have to wait.

Well, I spoke too soon, the last 4 nights sleep have been really lousy, after his first chunk of sleep 8-12, maybe 1am, he is waking OFTEN. Growth spurt? or just being a stinker. I pretty much hate bed time. I'm just impatient and it's such a crap shoot whether and how I get him to sleep.

He is able to suck up to 3 fingers right now, but doesn't seem to do it at bed time.

Our days in the bouncy seat may be numbered. If he is strapped in, it doesn't take long before he is trying to sit up. Same even in his car seat. Both during his walk and riding around, he does a mini crunch and just leans forward as much as the straps allow. He just can't wait to grow up and sit up :(

Got my nails done, updated for fall season.

We are coping, as we should.

We did it

So the queen bed is a little cramped lately and I'd been meaning to use this week to transition to the crib, so I did it. I put Bobby to bed as usual, just a little late, but nurse, burp, lay down in the bed and nurse while he drift off. But at 10pm when I went to bed, I moved him to his crib (still in my room). He slept until 1am there, back to sleep 1:30-4:30 in the crib, then 4:50-7:30am in the crib! This is good. Harder on me to get up and nurse in the rocker, but I am glad he can sleep "on his own"

He also slept in later, usually he gets up around 6 and can stay half asleep but squirmy until i get him out of bed 7/7:30ish. Sometimes if he wakes 5:30am -ish, he will go back to sleep 7-8. Yesterday we woke at 6am, but nappped 8-10am. So we'll see what today brings. But hooray for the crib. The next step will be moving him down the hall.

Baby Bobby

What's new with us? Let's see....
He actually rolled over twice (front to back) unprompted during tummy time yesterday. He was in mini push up/cobra position and then just went over. I didn't turn him or anything. He had gone over back to front on the bed before but that was b/c it was so soft. He is doing really well on his stomach, where as it used to bother him after about 5 minutes, he now seems to like hanging out there.

He seems really strong for a little guy. You can see it in his quads, calves and shoulders, but probably b/c he's so lean. He doesn't like to bend at the waist. So when you pick him up from lying down, he basically goes straight to standing. One day laying on grammys chest, he straightened his legs and basically stood up. He does though like to be upright in general, mostly sitting propped up or over a shoulder. Sort of past the cuddling, depending on his mood.

Still spitting up a lot. Yay.

Sleeping is hit or miss. Sometimes good, other just okay. I think he's getting enough sleep, but I end up holding him to get in a good nap, and putting him to bed is a solid process. I can usually go from the start of his bath to asleep in 45' but it's a crap shoot whether he sleeps 1 or 3 hours at that point. The other night he slept 8pm to 2am, his longest stretch yet. I think we are still recovering from visiting Timberlake, having the Wilsons here, then picking up Rick from the airport at 9pm. Several days of wonky napping threw us off, but we're back on and today was a good day, napping 8-10am, then 3 other naps of about 45-60 minutes each (including now) so again, bedtime is any ones guess.

What else, still not taking a pacifier, I've abandoned that effort. He can sort of suck his pointer finger and sometimes a thumb (knuckle at least) but not in a soothing manner, just sort of something to do. He likes looking at his hands, sometimes holds his own hand and his grip is very strong when he gets something.

Rick is here, he has lost 10 pounds, I am struggling to keep these same 2 off, so it's tough trying to fatten him up and stick to my plan. Especially when it's so fun to eat out and get ice cream etc. Need Will power this week!

3 Months Today

Approx 13.5 pounds, so that's 1 pound in 3 weeks, about 5 ounces a week. On the slow side of gaining weight, but he's great. Very chatty. And strong. Instead of just kicking the air now, he is able to put his feet down and arch his back while lying down. Have to be careful of this one. He's studying his fist and hands and I think is just starting to reach and grab for things. Just barely though. He's been slow to open up his fisted hands but that's changing as I type. He has a good grip once he gets something, intentionally or not. He is also a "happy spitter." He spits up a lot, but it doesn't seem to upset him, just is a bit gross and stinky and means a lot of laundry for both of us.

Sleeping is hit or miss. Spends about 11-12 hours at night asleep, in bouts from 2-5 hours long, depending on the day. Naps 3 times usually, anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, either in the Pack and Play, big bed, Port a Crib, or even his swing and bouncey seat. I would like this to be about 45-75 minutes 3 times, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. And even if that's enough sleep, I don't like how he's getting it. Needs to be nursed or rocked to sleep, and he sleeps in my bed. I didn't plan it this way, but I will admit, it's much easier in the middle of the night but once he starts crawling and Rick is around, it won't work. I am going to try to get him into his crib more, but he just doesn't sleep as well there.

He's in size 2 diapers. I bought a couple new outfits, 3-6 months size. He is pretty true to size but we are getting ready for cooler days. There are 3 consignment sales next weekend, so we'll be busy! Then Rick comes Monday 9/14 and we are super excited to see him and just allow him to get some rest and family time.