Fall Carnival

This afternoon was the annual fall community carnival at our church. We had a lot of fun, and Mommy even let me try some cotton candy. I couldn't really play any of the games yet, but I love being around new people and all the activities. It was such a beautiful day. There was a little chill in the air (60's) and the sun was shining. We have had a lot of rain lately, so it was nice to have a pretty day for a change.
I have still been sleeping good through the night. This makes Mommy and Daddy very happy! Mommy says she still has a lot of sleep to catch up on from the previous 8 months of sleep deprivation! Daddy just tells her, "Welcome to parenthood."
I have been learning to talk more and make all kinds of sounds. My favorite thing to say right now is "Da da da da da da . . . " I do say "Ma ma ma ma ma ma" sometimes, and I seem to associate the words with Mommy and Daddy. I have just started this funny yawn that makes Mommy and Daddy laugh. It's not just a long "Ahhhh," it's several short "ah ah ah ahs."
I am getting more brave each day with standing. I will let go of whatever I have pulled up on and maintain my balance for a good 5-6 seconds.
My Nana and Pops are in town this weekend, so I have enjoyed visiting with them. We celebrated Nana's 61st birthday. They are going home to Mobile in the morning.

A Mouth Full of Teeth!

I am working on 2 more teeth which will make #7 and #8. I already have 4 on the top and two on the bottom, and the two new teeth are poking through the bottom gums. I like to bite everything because it just feels so good on my gums. However, Mommy doesn't like it too much because I usually bite her finger when she brushes my teeth. I have a pretty good appetite these days. I eat 3 jars of level 2 baby food each day. Plus, I have about six 6 oz bottles each day. I haven't turned away any kind of baby food. The only thing I'm not real crazy about is green beans, but I will still eat them . . . a little hesitantly. Mommy has recently introduced me to the sweet potatoes and turkey dinner. I like it pretty good - an early Thanksgiving feast! Also, I am getting accustomed to eating puffs. Mommy makes me take small bites because sometimes I get choked up. I have been learning to drink from a spill-proof sippy cup for quite a while now. I pretty much just bite on the spout more than anything, but I still get some water out that way and most of it ends up on my clothes.
I am a very active little fellow. I can crawl around the house like a little speed demon. I can pull up on just about anything, even the bare wall by pressing my weight into it and standing. I have started cruising around the couch and tables some. I will even let go and maintain my balance for about one or two seconds before I fall to the floor. Mommy and Daddy know what this means: I will be walking in the near future!
Oh, I almost forgot. I have some BREAKING NEWS. I started sleeping through the night about a week ago. Just out of the blue I started sleeping from roughly 8:30pm to 6:30am. Mommy and Daddy figured out a few tricks: formula keeps me full much longer than breastmilk and they keep me up until I am totally exhausted and can't make it another step before putting me to bed. It works!!!
I am not as interested in my toys as I once was. I would much rather be exploring and playing with the remote control or laptop or basically anything Mommy and Daddy don't want me to have. I like to check out my surroundings and bang things together to make NOISE! Along with my new exploring endeavors, Mommy and Daddy have been teaching me the meaning of NO. Fortunately, so far I have caught on pretty quickly. I have started to experience separation anxiety. When Mommy or Daddy leave the room I begin to cry - but not every time - mostly just when I am tired or hungry. Things get me much more upset under those circumstances. I still do not like to get dressed . . . typical boy. I am VERY strong and full of ENERGY. I am at the point where I don't really want to be held most of the time, I would much rather be crawling or standing. I make this known by the way I squirm around like a wiggle worm when I am held. I will climb up your belly and over your shoulder, or I will arch my back and fling my head backwards. When I don't want to sit down, I will lock my knees. Yes, I am a stinker. Mommy and Daddy call me a little monkey.
Daddy likes to sneak up on me and chase me around the den. I just squeal and giggle loudly and crawl as fast as I can in the opposite direction or toward Mommy. It is so much fun.
I still love my jumper that hangs in the doorway. Only I don't really jump. I just love to run as fast and far as I can, then the tension makes me swing backwards and I start all over again laughing and squealing all the way! I entertain myself in my jumper mostly in the evenings when Mommy and Daddy are preparing dinner. Another one of my favorite things to do is stand in my exersaucer by the back door and watch my doggies: Buddy and Daisy. They come up to the window to see me, and I just love it! I am crazy about dogs!
I will soon be 8 months old! My how time flies. Mommy is supposed to dress me up like Charlie Brown for Halloween if she can ever get my costume together! We will have to post some pictures! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and we are so excited about spending time with family and friends. Toodles!

Feeling much better!

I have recovered from my sickness, and I feel SOOO much better! Still have to finish up my antibiotics this week, and I have a raging diaper rash! This is a cakewalk compared to what I have been through!
Mommy took me to the optometrist today. I haven't been having any problems, my pediatrician just wanted me to get my eyes checked. Thankfully, everything looks good!
There are a few new things I am doing since my upper teeth are coming in. I make a chewing motion with my mouth like I am a cow chewing its cud. Also, I have started grinding my upper and lower teeth together. Mommy and Daddy do not like it when I do this. They just cringe and tell me to stop!

Poor baby!

Recent visit with Grandma, Grandpa and oldest cousin Corrine.

Mommy and Daddy often find me like this after I wake from my naps

Notice the Duke apparrel. I am definitely my Daddy's boy! Maybe one day I'll play basketball there!

Concentrating hard playing my piano. Grandma thinks I'll be a pianist one day with my long fingers.

Playing with my blocks.

I am going through my first illness. I have been running a fever since Tuesday night this week ranging from 100.5 to 103.3. Mommy has to give me this yucky medicine which I really do not like. My flu test on Wednesday was negative, but my pediatrician felt I still needed to be treated for the flu since I have flu symptoms. Also, I've had a runny nose for over 2 weeks which has worsened and with the added fever, the doctor said I need to take an antibiotic too. I had to get blood drawn from my arm. My white blood cell count is high, so I am fighting off some kind of infection. I can barely breathe out of my nose which makes eating very difficult, and Mommy and Daddy are constantly wiping my nose. The medicine upsets my tummy so I have been throwing up and have diarrhea. Plus my gums have been bothering me because I am still teething. What a rough week it has been for me plus my mommy and daddy!

I got my 2 upper teeth in and actually I am about to have 4 upper teeth in - the other 2 are about to break through! Now my lower gums are starting to get red and swollen.

I had a "photo shoot" this week before I got sick. The proofs are adorable, I must admit. Can't wait to get the pictures. I have such a BIG smile!

I am pulling up and crawling and climbing on everything! When I wake up from my naps I like to stand up and play in my crib until Mommy comes in and finds me.

I am really starting to enjoy many new foods. My favorite veggie is sweet potatoes; I gobble them up! I like lots of fruits, but my favorite is probably bananas.

Exponential Growth!

Let's see . . . where do I begin? Within the past week, I pulled up for the first time, and I began crawling! It is so much fun being able to get around to things I want to investigate. My favorite item to crawl to is Daddy's remote control - so many colorful buttons to press! I have tried all kinds of new foods - from squash to peas to green beans to carrots to pears to bananas. I haven't turned anything away yet, although I'm not a big eater. On Monday I went to my pediatrician for my 6 month checkup. I had to get FOUR shots! I cried and cried and broke Mommy's heart. I sniffled about half of the way home, then I fell asleep and took a record-breaking 2 hour nap! Of course, we were at the doctor's office over 2 hours, so that wore me out! I had a fever that night, but I was feeling better by the second day. I am now 17lb 8.5 oz and 27 3/4 inches long. Mommy and Daddy tell me I'm growing like a weed! I've had lots of family come to visit me over the past month. My daddy started back to work with a new school year, so I started daycare at my church a few weeks ago. I have fun there. I'm still not sleeping through the night, and my mommy says she is always tired. Maybe one day I will be able to make it through the night and give her a break! We'll plan to post some updated pictures. Too-da-loo.

My new tricks

My how time flies! Yesterday Mommy let me try my very first REAL food - squash! I didn't really know what to think of it. I've never eaten anything with taste. I made some funny faces. Today I had more squash, and I liked it better. In a few days Mommy will let me try some green beans! Also, I just figured out how to sit up from a lying position. Today Mommy saw me do it for the first time, but Daddy saw me do it a few days ago. But now I've really got the hang of it, and I do it all the time. In fact, tonight Mommy put me to bed and I woke up, sat up, and started crying. Mommy came to check on me, and I was sitting up in my crib! I coo and giggle now. I am even starting to teethe again. I am working on my 2 upper front teeth. I got my first cold this week too. I have a little bit of a runny nose and cough, but not too bad. I still feel fine. Daddy will go back to work tomorrow, and I will start daycare next week. Grandma and Grandpa and my cousin Corrine came to visit me today. They will stay and keep me for a few days. More updates to come.

I'm 5 months old!

Can you believe I am already 5 months old? I love to roll around on the floor and play with my toys. I can get up on my hands and knees, but I haven't really put it all together to start crawling yet. However, I can get just about anywhere I want by rolling.

This morning Mommy fed me some rice cereal. I just gobble it up. I only eat a tablespoon or two, but I sure do enjoy it. Sometimes I like to blow it all over the place, but Mommy doesn't like when I do that too much because it makes a BIG mess!

I take some very relaxing naps in my swing. You never know what position you might find me in when I dose off. Here I have my arm propped up on the tray, and other times . . .

I even rest my head on the tray!

It's difficult to see, but I now have 2 teeth! The second tooth just came in within the last couple of days. I had a few really fussy nights, but since the tooth finally broke through I have rested better. Last night I woke up every 3 hours and the night before that every 4 hours. My mommy wants to know what happened to those days when I slept 6-8 hours because I have not done that in months!

As you may have read, we went to Mobile for July 4th. My mouth was hurting on the way home, so I fussed most of the way. Traffic was bad so it took us 6 hours to get home. That night we came home, Mommy decided I was going in my own room. I have been sleeping in my crib ever since.

This morning I woke up around 7:15. Daddy came in to check on me only to find my legs stuck in between the crib rails and poo poo all over the place! He said, "May Day, May Day!!!" Mommy heard him on the monitor and came to check out the situation. Mommy had to give me a bath and wash my sheets and pajamas right away.