Happy New Year!

Ok, so it's halfway through January, so it's not really the new year anymore. But we've been busy! We've had several playdates, storytimes at the library, and an illness or two to keep us occupied.

Among our food adventures... Baby K tried avocado for the second time (it'd been several months since the first try) and he enjoyed it much more this time around, as the photo above shows you. Before the meal was over, he had a Cheerio stuck to the avocado that was stuck on his tummy! In addition, he's had grits for the first time, and as a good Southern boy should, he enjoyed them. To my surprise, they didn't cause a reflux flare either, so they're now on the list of "good" foods. This morning he ate apricots and bananas mixed together, and so far no reflux flare, so apricots may be ok for him too.

The second photo was taken this morning. Daddy and Baby K had their first Kinderquatics class, offered by the city's parks and recreation department. According to Daddy, Baby K did well for the first half or so, then realized how cold the air was outside of the (indoor) pool, and cried the rest of the time. After they got home, Baby K had a bath and a snack, and then napped for a little over two hours!

Baby K is trying to talk to us. He can say "mamama," "babababa," "dadadada," "tatata," and "duhduhduh." Nothing has any meaning yet, but it's still exciting to hear him say it all. He's also trying very hard to crawl. He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. If he does manage to get anywhere, it's by scooting on his belly, and he goes backwards. Inevitably, he winds up getting frustrated and angry because he's not going where and how he wants to, and he starts pitching a fit. This happens in the middle of the night as well, when it's significantly less cute than during the daytime.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

But it doesn't feel like Christmas here! Last Saturday evening the three of us went to Bellingrath Gardens to see the holiday lights, and we didn't even need coats! Before we went through the gardens, we stopped to see Santa Claus in the giftshop/cafe. He and Baby K were equally fascinated with each other, and his photo with Santa turned out wonderfully. (I don't think I can legally post it, though, due to copyright issues.)

Today our playgroup met at the mall. Some took pictures with Santa, and others of us rode the carousel. This was Baby K's first time to see a carousel, and he was fascinated. I parked his stroller right outside the fence of the carousel, and he immediately threw his arms out and started waving them up and down, giggling and grinning, and kicking his feet. The two photos above show him watching the carousel go around and around. I think he enjoyed watching it more than he enjoyed riding it! At least now I know a fun activity to do on a day when we're bored and just need to get out of the house-- we'll go watch the carousel!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby K celebrated his first Thanksgiving in Kentucky with his daddy's family. We had a nice time and enjoyed seeing all of our relatives. Baby K did surprisingly well on the nine-hour drive one-way. We did divide it into two legs, stopping to spend the night going up and coming back with my family, to make the drive easier on us all.

For Thanksgiving lunch Baby K gnawed on turkey, apple, and grapes using his mesh feeder. He has turned into quite the solid-food eater. He's had his first cold and is still suffering from nasal congestion, and as a result his formula consumption has dropped. This worried us at first, but our pediatrician reassured us it's normal, and sure enough, he's slowly increasing the amount of formula he drinks each day, while continuing to devour whatever solids we'll feed him. He enjoys carrots, apples and applesauce, grapes, peas, green beans, turkey, bananas, peaches, sweet potatoes, and squash. When he's really liking what we're feeding him, he'll lunge toward the spoon and chomp down on it with a "rarrrr" sound, like he's attacking it.

It's the Great Pumpkin!

Of course I'm talking about Baby K, not the Charlie Brown show. We took Baby K to the pumpkin patch today, his first time. He was having a great time, as you can see in the picture-- until he fell forward and his awful Mommy didn't catch him in time. He got a facefull of grass and CRIED. So we picked a pumpkin quickly and took him home for a well-deserved nap.

He's getting his front upper right tooth; the gum is hard there, and it's white as can be. Perhaps when we wake up tomorrow it'll have come through. His second tooth, on the bottom, was horrible-- he cried for two days and nights. I hope this one goes much smoother, as I don't know if Daddy and I can handle that.

Speaking of Daddy, he came home from Alaska Tuesday. Baby K was a little hesitant at first, but seemed to recognize Daddy's voice from all the phone calls and warmed up to him quickly. He enjoyed the beard that Daddy grew while gone; he liked to poke his fingers into it and feel the hairs.

We have a playdate Wednesday with other babies (kids under a year or so old) from our playgroup, and all the kids will be in costume. Baby K is going as a fisherman: he's going to wear a white long-sleeved onesie, overalls, boots, and carry a "fishing pole."

They were right...

Experienced parents always tell new parents, "They grow up so quickly." Many people told me and Baby K's daddy this at the beginning. I of course did not believe them. Until this week, that is. Monday afternoon, Baby K rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time, to excited applause from myself, his grammy (my mom), his great-granny (my dad's mom), and his Auntie A (my sister). He did it five more times that afternoon and evening, receiving great adulation each time. Then, Tuesday afternoon, he was quite fussy, so I ran my finger along his gum-- and felt the tips of his first tooth poking through. Grammy had felt his gums the day before and nothing was there, so the tooth popped up literally overnight. He's been cranky and drooly and gnawing everything within arm's reach, poor baby. This evening at church, Baby K turned pages in his board book, stood on his own holding onto the back of the pew, and realized that he is the one who pulls his pacifier out and therefore can (attempt to) put it back in. He came very close to succeeding on the last one. He also patted Grammy's arm after I showed him how, which was really sweet to see. Also, before church, I fed him carrots after his bottle, and he grabbed the spoon several times and tried to feed himself. Auntie A took some pictures-- I'll upload one soon and post it here. When she was little, she used to say, "I do it myself!" no matter what "it" was. Baby K seems to have inherited the same determination to be independent.

Baby K's First Baby Food Adventure

We were going to start cereal with Baby K at four months of age and veggies and fruits when he was six months. However, this week our pediatric gastroenterologist said that many babies with reflux have trouble with cereal, and she recommended skipping cereal and going right to fruits and vegetables. I was a little bored Saturday evening, and the big stash of baby food we have (thanks to the incredible Target/Gerber coupon from July!) was starting to break down what little patience I did have. So I got out a container of carrots and fed some to Baby K. As you can see in the top photo, Mommy and Daddy need to work on their feeding techniques. In the bottom photo, his face is cleaned up, but the carrot carnage is still visible on his bib. We knew he liked them, because he does not ever hesitate to inform us if something is displeasing to him! We put the leftovers in the fridge and got some out this evening after his last bottle. He eagerly sucked the puree up and cried when I wouldn't give him any more!

Today he's been a bit cranky. For some reason, Sundays are hard on him, and his daddy and I aren't quite sure why. Yes, his routine is interrupted, but no more than any other day when we go to playgroup or have a doctor's appointment. So we have yet to figure out what the difference with Sundays is. Any suggestions?

4 months old!

Today is Baby K's four-month birthday. At his checkup today, he weighed 13 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 24 and a half inches long. He cried when he got his four shots, but just minutes afterwards was smiling at me. He napped for about two hours when we got home, then woke up and was his regular self the rest of the evening. I'm sure the poor baby's legs will be sore tomorrow.

Sunday morning during church Baby K's daddy was leading singing. Baby K was sitting on my lap, and I took his hand and touched his foot with it. Suddenly, it was like a lightbulb went off, and he realized that that was his hand and his foot, and he's been grabbing for his feet since, even while the pediatrician was trying to examine him today. When he's not reaching his feet, his fingers are crammed into his mouth. Yesterday morning he was on his back on a blanket on the floor, sucking the middle two fingers on his left hand, and his right hand wandered up to his head and he felt his hair, and another lightbulb went off: he realized that was his hair he was touching with his hand, and he laid there sucking his fingers and rubbing his hair. It was absolutely adorable and Daddy was mad I didn't get a pic.