Ready, Set, RUN

This little man is on the move.

Our house has become an obstacle course, for both the baby and us. Lots of crawling around, and weaving through discarded toys and still-unpacked boxes.

We moved. Again. Our new little place is great! For a few years each new move took us to a house was a little bigger than the last. Our last two moves have been just the opposite and we have downsized quite dramatically from the house we were in just a year ago. When I was young I used to dream of a big house with a big yard. Now I am an adult, with a child. I am the one that has to clean the house and take care of the yard...at this point, smaller is better. Much, MUCH better. 

 

"Love grows best in little houses, with fewer walls to separate. Where you eat and sleep so close together, you can't help but communicate. If we had more room between us, think of all we'd miss. Love grows best in houses just like this."

The Mister and I have been moving around for the past 11 years. We've gotten pretty good at it. But no matter how well a move goes, the challenge always comes in finding a place that really feels like home. Our last two places did not. It makes daily life that much harder when you never really settle in. This little apartment feels *right*. And while we have only been here for a month and we still have a lot of settling to do... the feel of home has already set in. We are comfortable here, and our attitudes and energy are better for it. 

These chubby cheeks and the handsome little fellow they are attached to are loving the new place as well. He is busy exploring his new world and trying out all of his new skills. He loves to spend  evenings chasing the cats while mom and dad chase him from room to room.

I get to see this happy little face every day. What more could anyone ask for.

Growing and Growing

It’s amazing how quickly time passes. My little guy will be nine months old in a few short days. At this point, being pregnant seems like it was a lifetime ago, some days like it never happened at all. His birth a distant memory. And yet, it has been less than a year. In a world where change and growth happen on a daily basis, I feel as if time moves both at a snail's pace, and at hyperspeed all at the same time.

Being a mom has humbled me. I am not wonder woman, I cannot do all the things I thought I could do, or wanted to do. I have not done a million crafts with baby hand and foot prints (but they have at daycare). I do not keep a spotless house (then again, I never have). I feel distracted most of the time and have trouble staying in the moment (I continually work on this). I sometimes worry about the things I am not doing. But at the end of the day I have a perfect little family. I have a husband whom I love, and who makes my life better and I have a son who is curious, happy, and healthy. They love me for who I am, not who I wish I was.

One of the things I wish I did better was document this handsome little guy’s growth. Before I went back to work (yes I am making excuses), I was keeping up pretty well with monthly progress reports and pictures. Now that I am a working parent, the time I have with my family is too precious and too little to spend posing for photoshoots or fussing over the perfect words for a blogpost. But, a couple weeks ago, when met with some beautiful spring weather, we all got outside for some fresh air, and we took the camera with us.

Month Five

“Whats this? It doesn't matter, I’ll just put it in my mouth”

This little porkchop is five months old! At his last check up he weighed in at 16 pounds and 8 ounces. Woah baby! And at 26.5 inches, he is in the 80th percentile for height. I am not sure where this tall baby came from, but I am thrilled at his progress, and a little bit proud that all of his gains have come from nursing exclusively so far.

January brought us:

Stability - he is learning to balance on his own while sitting and getting much less wobbly on his feet.

Hand to mouth coordination - its amazing to watch as this little one grabs onto his toys and leads them directly to his mouth. Not long ago, said toys took a much longer route that included a stop at the forehead followed by being dragged down the nose before finally reaching the mouth.

Reaching - he has started to stretch out his hands for objects beyond his reach instead of just grabbing the things that are close to him. He reaches for his favorite toys and increasingly the cats as they walk by. Which leads us to...

Kittens - he has become much more aware of the fuzzy little creatures that roam the house. He loves to grab onto their soft, warm fur and “pet” them when they snuggle next to us.

High chair - I’ll admit it, we eat dinner on the couch. It is home cooked and usually healthy, but we don’t eat at the table. Even if we wanted to the “cozy” little house we currently live in does not have room for a table. That being said, the little guy was introduced to his high chair this month. He loves it sit in it while I make dinner and see how many of the toys he throws will magically reappear when mom comes over. One day, in the hopefully near future, he will be able to put these skills to use while we all eat dinner gathered around the table.

Giggles - it is getting much easier to get these heart warming sounds out of my ticklish little cutie. Every once and a while these giggles are accompanied by a snort and I can’t help but laugh. Baby giggles (and snorts) can melt any bad day away.

Month Four

 

Our four month well baby visit is right around the corner (closer to five months, than four actually) and I can’t wait to see how much my man has grown. He seems to get bigger every day! This month has been filled with milestones and excitement for us as new parents. Our baby is turning into a tiny little human. He is developing his personality and learning new skills and tricks by the day. It is so much fun to watch him learn and grow.

December brought us:

 

Teeth! - my fears were well founded. This poor little guy has been battling tooth pain for about a month now. Some days are worse than others. Daddy has made a number of emergency trips to the store to try a new type of teether that might help with the discomfort. No teeth have broken through yet, but the way he is chewing it could be any day now

Voice - his cute little wonderful voice. It seemed that just overnight he decided that he was going to start talking to us. He is currently focusing on the volume bit, sometimes whispering, sometimes yelling. He is also very curious about the sounds we make as well, listening carefully and watching our mouths move.

Rolling - tummy time is one of baby’s least favorite activities. He always does really well, but he gets fed up easily. This month he showed us that even the small amount of time spent on his tummy was enough to learn the tricks. He rolled over about six times one night while mommy and daddy proudly cheered him on.

Sitting - laying down is for babies! my little one seemed to say. He tries to do crunches anytime he is on his back now. With the smallest amount of assistance from mom or dad he can pull himself right up to sitting. He is still a little wobbly at the top, but his strength and balance are coming in strides.

Standing - this little boy has some strong little legs and he loves to use them. The only things that makes him smile more frequently than standing is flying!

Grabbing - he has got hands and knows how to use them! Play time now involves an assortment of toys in all shapes and sizes. A squeaky rubber cow, wooden blocks, a stuffed elephant rattle just to name a few. He loves to grab on and try to fit each one into his mouth. His success rate on that still varies.

Friends - playdates with his girlfriend and holidays galore found little man surrounded by friends and family of all different ages. For an only child that stays at home with mommy most days, he did surprisingly well around so many people. I'd say he probably handled the crowds better than his parents.

Dealing with tooth pain and the cold that I so generously passed to him after the holidays have made December a month of crab-itude. I feel bad for the little guy. He doesn't know why he is uncomfortable and I can't help him. But, amidst all of his cranking and crabbing he still finds time to sneak in some smiles and giggles to warm my heart and brighten the mood. He is such a wonderful little man, I am so thankful he is mine!!