Your Eighth Month - In Review

Hi Nugget,

Summer flew by. I cannot believe we are into September already. Your eighth month was a very low-key month and I think that is exactly what it needed to be. June and July were so jam-packed with new people, new places, new bed time routines (!) that you needed this month of low-key awesomeness to get settled back into life and to really work out and master some skills (like toe-eating).

This month was full of play time, story time, cuddle time and silly time. You loved playing with all your toys this month and now that you are a professional sitter, you got to experience your toys in new ways. You have a new favorite book called "So Big." It's a baby Elmo book and at the end is a pop up of Baby Elmo going "SOOOO BIG!". We read it almost every day and you help me turn the pages like a big boy.

You love your cuddles too, especially in the morning and evening. My favorite thing in the world is to feel you lay your head on my shoulder for some cuddles. And of course, cuddle time is often followed by silly time. We will lay on the bed together and just be silly. Blowing raspberries, making faces, crawling all over the place just to tumble back onto mommy. It fills my heart, nugget. :)

 
This month you perfected your Salamander Shuffle. It has been so cute watching you learn how to explore your world. The only thing I didn't like is the few blisters (and later callouses) you would get on your feet from doing the Salamander Shuffle. You've also figured out you can pull yourself up on things! It is quite a nerve-wrecking skill and has unfortunately caused quite a few bruises, but you are fearless. Your favorite thing to climb up on are the ottomans in the living room. You'll also try and climb up on the couch. The crazy thing is sometimes you actually use your TEETH to get yourself to standing position. Luckily I've noticed you do that less and less now that you are getting the hang of it, but talk about mama-heart-attacks!

You went to another parade this month that your brother Zippo was marching in. You had a lot of fun and crashed out by the end of it. Your Auntie Mo came back from her summer job and you were very excited to get re-introduced to her. You two are already good friends again. But of course, your favorite friend remains your loving brother Zippo. He loves to play with you and make you laugh, which isn't hard. No one can get you to laugh like your brother. All he has to do is make one face or flap one arm around and you are all giggles. When you hear his voice, your head will turn in every direction until you find him. It has been so beautiful watching your relationship with him grow. I think there are many precious moments to come between the two of you.

This entry is pretty short, because like I said, we had a lovely low-key month. Your 9th month promises to hold lots of new adventures. I still cannot believe how much my heart expands every month to make more room to love every centimeter of the person you are growing into.

 

Don't grow up too fast, my lil' nugget.
Love,
Mama

You and your daddy love to nap together. :)

< rant >

I have to say... I am SO tired of being asked "So... how is he sleeping? Is he sleeping through the night?" Anyone with me on this? It bothers me that seemingly all of society wants to judge how good of a mother you are and how well-behaved of a baby you have based on this ONE criterion. And the kicker is ... there is NO GOOD WAY TO ANSWER. The way I see it, there are only four ways to answer this question.

Here's how this scenario works itself out:

You say "Yes" and are LYING THROUGH YOUR TEETH and therefore contributing to the grossly inaccurate assumption that ALL babies should be sleeping through the night by 6 months of age.

You say "Yes" and mean it and are hence BRAGGING about your special/advantaged child and therefore contributing to the make-another-mama-feel-inadequate movement we see all the time these days.

You say "No" and wait for the other person to look at you like you grew a third eye (which they always do) and then suffer through some of these awesome comments "He should be sleeping through the night by NOW! Right?" (The "Right?" part kills me. Like you know the answer to that question. Yes, please put me in a position where I feel obligated to confirm I'm doing "it" wrong.) Or even worse, you'll get something like "Pssh! I TAUGHT MY kids how to sleep through the night by 2 months. I wasn't having ANY of that!" Well, I guess I forgot to buy my super-mom cape at Target. Damn it.

Or... you say "I don't know. We bed share, so I hardly wake up when he wakes up. I just stick a boob in his face and we both go back to sleep." This is usually followed by blank stares. Sometimes a nod, like I've heard that before and ok. But mostly blank stares and then the conversation moves on because they don't know how to even address that. Or you'll get a really opinionated person who will say something like "Oh, THAT'S not a good habit to get in to!" Like you haven't really thought this decision through? Sorry but if I'm throwing around terms like bed-sharing or co-sleeping, this was not a fly by the seat of my pants decision.

Anyway, here's my point. The next time you see a baby and mama and you feel the words "Is he sleeping through the night?" start to fall out of your mouth like rabbit poop. Please stop yourself. Keep that poop in your mouth and instead say something like "Wow, he looks healthy and happy. You must be doing an excellent job." Because really, what do you *really* care if my baby wakes up every hour on the dot. How does that impact you? Does it validate your experiences as a mother? No, it doesn't. And you know what, new mamas are somewhat fragile things! I know. I am one. We are fierce in a lot of ways, but c'mon, we just don't need MORE guilt when we already feel like we don't know what we are doing.

So keep those rabbit poops to yourself. New mamas deal with enough poop as it is.
</rant>

Your Seventh Month - In Review

Hi Nugget,

All the fun of your 6th month melded right into the fun of your 7th month! We were still visiting your Grandma and Grandpa for a good portion of your 7th month. On the very first day of your 7th month, we were traveling to your Grandparent's second house. The houses are a few hours away from each other plus we were dropping Zippo and Burst off at their mom's house on the way. So we made a little side trip to visit our friends L and G and their girls. You had quite a bit of fun there and who won't. They are a fun family. You even got to eat a banana on her front porch and look at all her wind chimes.

Then we finished our drive up to your Grandparent's second house and you had quite a bit of fun on the family room carpet. Their other house didn't have carpet, so you were always on a red blanket. But in this house, you could roll and play on carpet. You seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

Grandma and Grandpa's second house has quite a bit of land, including an old apple orchard. Your dad and I took you for a walk around the land. You enjoyed looking at all the trees and tall grasses, things you don't normally get to see. Your dad, on the other hand, enjoyed putting you on top of posts. Don't worry, he never let go.

After spending a week out in the country / mountains, it was time to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's other house. My work headquarters are near there and I was going into the office for three days to meet with colleagues I don't normally get to see. That meant you and I were apart from each other for at least 8 hours for three days straight! It was not easy, at least for me, but your dad and Grandma said you had done well drinking from a bottle and eating food for them. As much as I enjoyed being in the office, I was so happy to be home each evening.

There were a few more days when Zippo and Burst were visiting. So we decided to do something as a family and go to a zoo in the area. There was a petting zoo which you enjoyed immensely. Also, the park had some rides for younger kids. You weren't that interested in the rides, but maybe in a year or so you will be. We had fun on them anyway. There was also an actual zoo, but by the time we got to that part of the park you were completely asleep. Catching your Zs comfortably in the stroller.

Before we left California, your cousins came over once more for a short visit. We were able to get some great photos of all the cousins together. And of course, we needed one more photo session with your grandparents!

3 Generations of Love

Then it was back to Minnesota where you could visit with your Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa H. So many grandparents! A few days after we got back, we went out on the river again with Grandma and Grandpa H. This was a very different experience for you compared to your first trip to the river because now you could sit up on your own! Much easier to get sand in your mouth when you can sit and reach down for it. LOL!

There were a lot of little moments of fun through out this month too. And like usually, you rocked some pretty awesome outfits.

Don't grow up too fast, my lil' nugget.
Love,
Mama

All that fun just knocks you out...

... no matter where you  may find yourself.

Your Sixth Month - In Review

Hi Nugget,
Well your sixth month has come and gone! This review is quite late in the making, but in my defense we were on vacation for 28 days! But we'll get to that.

You had a lot of firsts this month. So let's just 'dive' right in. At the beginning of your sixth month, we went out on the river. Your very first boat ride, your first time playing with sand, your first time going in the river (for just a minute). See, lots of firsts! You were not so much a fan of the water, probably because it was kind of cold. But you enjoyed the sand and I was impressed with how well you tolerated the strangely bulky life jacket you had to wear!

The next weekend, my mom and I had a garage sale and you hung out with us all day! You smiled at all the people stopping by. I was worried people would think you were for sale, which of course you aren't!, so I wrote a sign that said "Baby Not for Sale" and taped it to your exersaucer.

Since we are on a role with all these 'firsts' let's keep going! Our town has a yearly festival that ends with a parade. Your brother Zippo was playing drums with the middle school marching band, so you went to your first parade. You liked looking at all the cars and people, but there were a few loud noises that quite surprised you and by the end of the day you were konked out!

Your cousin Z came for a visit right before we left for our vacation. You had a lot of fun meeting him. You love watching other kids and Z was a fun one to watch. He was just learning how to walk.

 
Then on June 28th, we started on our grand adventure! (The reason this review is so late!) We went all the way to California to meet your Grandparents (Mr. K's mom and dad). You went on your first plane ride and did quite well. You would get fussy from time to time, but we were sitting in the back near the bathroom and there was always a line to use that tiny thing. So that meant there were always new people for you to smile at. And 9 times out of 10, once you smiled at someone they would become so enamored with you that they'd sit there making faces and silly sounds at you until it was their turn. Which meant practically the entire plane entertained you!

We landed in Los Angeles and took a rental car to our hotel. Your dad was going to VidCon, so we had to go to LA first. Funny, last month I wrote about him going to a YouTube convention and here he is going to another one but to be fair VidCon is MUCH bigger. While you and I were hanging out alone in the hotel room, waiting for your dad to come back from having so much fun, you decided sitting was quite a bit of fun. And you started working hard on sitting on your own. I would prop you up on the bed with pillows around you and you'd sit rather wobbly for a few minutes before laying down and relaxing.

After VidCon, we drove quite a few hours north. We luckily had a friend to visit half way so you were able to get out of the car and roll around on her floor some. She had a great wooden toy you really enjoyed. Then after a very long day in the car, we end up at your Grandparent's house. They were so excited to finally meet you! There were lots of hugs all around. And it was nice to be back, since it's been 3 years since Mr. K. has been able to go home. We stayed with them for over 3 weeks. We wanted to give them the chance to get to know you and didn't want to try to cram it all in to one week. It was a good plan. You absolutely LOVED them. You loved hearing Grandpa talk and having him hold you and you loved playing with Grandma. While we were there, you perfected this whole 'sitting on my own' thing. It was amazing to watch. One day you were all wobbly and within a week you were sitting solid on your butt!

Another first that you experienced at Grandma and Grandpa's was your FIRST FOOD! That's right, you are no longer a boob baby only. We thought since we were in California, it was only appropriate that your first food be a California avocado. It was fun watching you figure out how to eat. It took you a few days but eventually you were figuring out how to swallow on purpose and a few days after that you were getting the hang of this chewing thing (or in your case, mostly 'gumming'). It also helped once we switched to banana. You seemed to like that much better!

It was a great month and I can't believe you are half a year old already. Truly, that just blows my mind.

Don't grow up too fast, my lil' nugget.
Love,
Mama

With so much activity this month, who can blame you both for catching some Zs.

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Your Fifth Month - In Review

Hi Nugget,
I can NOT believe you are 5 months old today. I can only imagine how floored I will be when you hit the 6 month mark. It is cliche, but it is true when mamas say they can't imagine what life was like before you came along. Because yep, that's me. I'm in that boat. It is 90 degrees right now and we don't have our AC set up yet. In fact, we only have one fan going. And yet here I am thinking about you sleeping in the other room and wanting to cuddle you more. My baby boy. Ok, enough gushy-gushy stuff. Let's get down to business. This month!

This is my beautiful baby boy.

You had a lot of fun this month. Mostly because you are just a happy little nugget. People are always commenting on what a happy boy you are. And you are. Your smiles brighten up the dreariest days. Mother's Day was this month and I had a great day. Zippo made me sticky buns for breakfast. Then I got to have some me time to make some homemade lotion. We went for a nice walk, Zippo, Mr. K, me and you. We even got to explore the mystery shop by the tracks that is only open for a few random hours here and there. Then we took care of my mom's cats and left her a little Mother's Day lotion and then we went PURSE SHOPPING! It was a great Mother's Day treat and I found the cutest purse ever that was large enough that I now use it for my everyday diaper bag! Then we went to Grandpa's house and he made us chicken on the grill - YUM! This is where it gets exciting for you, Nugget! When we were inside, hanging out on the living room floor, you 'scooted' for the first time. It was the Cutest.Thing.Ever! You would get up on your arms, chest way in the air, then dive down, push your face on the floor, push with your arms and scoot forward. We were all very excited by this!

Practicing those smiles!

We played it fairly low key for Memorial Day weekend. It was REALLY hot, so we went over to Nana's house and Zippo and Burst set up Nana's slip-n-slide while you partied in your own inflatable tub! You had a fun time being able to play in the water as long as you wanted and it was nice to cool off under Nana's gazebo. It was a great day with laughter and smiles floating through all the memories.

Things you learned this month... how to scoot. How to make an M sound, so now we get to here your baby babble start to sound like MA-MAs and MOM! How to stick out your tongue. How to make silly monotone sounds when you are in the car. How to rock a faux-hawk. How to handle two, count them TWO, teeth coming in! We could feel your tooth starting to come through on June 4th and you were kind of cranky, but not too bad. Then on June 7th, we could feel them out!

It was hard to get a picture where your awesome faux-hawk was visible.

At the beginning of June, we had a fun weekend out of town. We drove for two hours and then had lunch with our friends L, J, D and Ro. Ro loved hanging out with you! And his older sister, D, wanted to keep  you mighty entertained. We though we might have to dig you out of the toys she was piling up in front of you! Then we went over to Auntie J's to hang out with little M. and Iz, while Mr. K. went to a YouTube gathering. And you got a LOT of little M's hand-me-downs! Then the next day, we went to Iz' baptism and you were very well behaved during the service. And you would think that was enough fun for one weekend, but oh no... there's more. After Iz' baptism party, we went and hung out with Uncle J. We went over to Grand Ave. for Grand Ole Days and got ourselves some yummy Grand Ole Creamery ice cream, although you didn't get to have any on this trip. Maybe next year. Then we went home. What a weekend. And what a month!

L and Ro hanging out with us on the steps! It was like college but with babies. (LOL)

Ro trying to figure out how your cute little face works!

You can tell your friend Iz had a LONG day!

It has been a great month.

Don't grow up too fast, my lil' nugget.
Love,
Mama

You were very excited when a package arrived for you with a miniature version of Mr. K's hat!