Leonard the Watch-Cat

We went to visit Nathan's parents today, and we brought both Leonard and Harrison. They still live in the home that Nathan grew up in, so it was fun to bring H there.
Leonard, on the other hand, was very nervous. He 'meowed' the whole way there and then kept trying to climb under the couch. Once he found a window that he could look out of - he felt a lot better!


But, when we came home, H was sleeping in the swing and I looked around the corner to find this:
He stayed there for a few minutes too, like he was trying to make sure that we didn't try to do anything like this morning's adventure again!

Well...

When do you decide that your baby just won't take a bottle?

Do you just accept it?
Or keep trying?

Distractions

The result of cooking like this:

Is this: (milk in the cabinet)

The latest

This is my favorite card that we received after H was born. It was from a dear family friend - Lynn Siliman. The card was homemade and says:
"Dear Nathan, Janie & Harrison
Congratulations! Harrison looks so gorgeous and healthy. I just want to cuddle him, rub his soft head and kiss his cheeks! You must be so happy and so tired. He was a big baby so I imagine he is always hungry. We are so happy for you!
Love, Bryant and Lynn"
Reading it makes me want to go wake up H and "cuddle him, rub his soft head and kiss his cheeks."


I am happy when he reaches his milestones..... but I was sort of hoping for a late walker so that he would not be into everything so soon. I would like to put off child-proofing until as late as possible. But, this boy is strong! He can already sit up in the Bumbo seat (for short periods of time), and likes to stand (with our support). It seems that walking may come sooner than I hoped....




We have also discovered that he thinks he is the cutest baby ever! He enjoys smiling, laughing and flirting with himself.



Bottle update: Today I got a new bottle to see if that would help matters, and finally after trying previously frozen milk, fresh milk, Daddy giving the bottle and Mama giving the bottle, I was able to get him to take it while walking with him outside. The birds and leaves were just enough distraction to get him to not put up a fight - but he only drank about an ounce and then refused more. You wait to give them the bottle so that breastfeeding is established, but then if you wait too long - they reject the bottle....

Reasons why monograms are nice:

1. In case you forget their name after becoming frustrated in a battle to get the baby to take a bottle. (In this case the baby won and then wore himself out.)


2. If you are so overwhelmed by their cuteness that you forget their initials!



3. Just in case there are several babies laying on their tummies and they all look similar from the back, you can identify your child by their name.

The latest...

H has started to love 'flying' in the air. He normally will stick his tongue out and/or start laughing - but not if you put him in the air too fast, then he just looks a little scared.


Other news - we finally found a way that the sling works for us! When he was smaller, he would lay in it and just looked a little uncomfortable and cramped. So, we tried the MaiTai baby carrier which he liked, but I think he needed to be a little bigger for. Then at the recommendation of a friend, we tried the Moby Wrap which we both just adore! It is extremely comfortable for both of us. The only problem with the Moby is that we live in the south and H has eczema. The Moby is a lot of fabric wrapped many times around you so it gets a little warm - and with the humidity and heat here, it gets a little to warm and sometimes aggrivates his eczema. So, we've gone back to the sling and now that H can hold his head up pretty much on his own, we tried a new way to use it - facing out - and it is much cooler and works for both of us. Still not quite as comfy as the Moby, but much cooler. So, that was a lot of words to say that we are back to the sling.



H is able to hold his head up for a longer period of time during tummy time. He is getting a little stronger! He can only handle it for short periods of time though. This picture is of him during tummy time. I think I got a little too close. You can see the double chin he is trying to grow. Exercising still wears him out though....

First Mother's Day

It was my first Mother's Day on Sunday, and it was wonderful! It started at 3 am with a feeding, 5 am crying for the pacifier, 6 am with Leonard scooting things off the counter, and then again at 8:30 to feed and get ready for church.... But, then when we came home from Nanny's he slept for two hours straight, so we were able to take a nap too!



He gave me a wonderful pair of sandals for my mother's day gift, and wrote the sweetest card (via Daddy). It's hard to see in this picture, but his pacifier says "I love mommy." Very appropriate for Mother's Day. Motherhood is a wonderful calling in life.... when I was young, I remember saying that when I grew up I wanted to be a singer and a Mama - I have accomplished both, and I cannot imagine being happier doing anything else. Wonderful husband, wonderful baby, great jobs, great home, cat, etc.... I can't ask for anything else!



Play time with Nanny - we visit her on Sundays after church and she comes to see us on Thursday mornings. I used to get a hello from her when I saw her, but now the first words out of her mouth are "let me see my baby!" and from there I might as well not even be around - she and H talk and smile and talk some more! I am very thankful to have my grandmother here to spend time with her great-grandson!

He's growing up!

There are many reasons why we know he is growing up - he smiles more, can hold his head up, laughs, can find his face with his hand, plays more, sort of has a schedule, and the list goes on, but he has also figured out how to get his arms out of his swaddler! This also means that he can suck on his fingers more....which he does so loudly that it wakes me up in the night sometimes! Another thing he does in the night is "ooching." He'll start out at the top of the cradle and when I wake up he has ooched himself to the bottom. It may be time to try sleeping without the swaddler, and maybe even in his own crib!

Exhibit A: approximately 6 weeks old

Exhibit B: almost 3 months old

ILY

One day old - still in the hospital, he loved to watch GrandMelissa and Pawpaw sign. He was able to focus on them signing before he could focus on much else!

Eleven weeks old- now at home, and he still loves to watch them sign! If he has been a little serious, and they come and start signing to him, he is almost certain to smile or laugh! (This time Leonard wanted to get in on the conversation.)

H has the mitten on his hand to try to keep him from sucking on his fingers. We give him the pacifier, but he has decided that fingers taste better. If he has the pacifier in his mouth, it seems like we turn away for one second and when we turn back, he has spit out the pacifier and has his fingers in his mouth! I have even woken up a few times in the night to the sound of him sucking on his fingers - he figures out a way to get his hand out of the swaddler and into his mouth. The only bonus to this? We know without a doubt that he is right-handed.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

What words would you put to this picture?
Sometimes this is how he looks when he wakes up - I wish I knew what he was thinking.

Thankfully that serious look can quickly change to this smiling face!
Sometimes to get a smile, we have to make silly faces and sounds, but sometimes, he just smiles without any prompting!

Sweet dreams... recently he has been waking up every two hours in the night, or not wanting to go to sleep at all, but last night he went to sleep and stayed asleep (except for the 4am feeding) like an angel! Makes a mama happy!

Little party animal

Today, Harrison went to his first birthday party! Nathan's childhood friend Amanda's son Nolan had his first birthday! Soon after Nolan was born, we found out that we were expecting and Amanda helped us out with a lot of advice and information. It is hard to imagine that Nolan is a year old and that in less than a year we will be celebrating H's first birthday!

Amanda, Nolan, Nathan and Harrison

Our little family -
I didn't realize how coordinated our outfits were!

The little party animal!
H even got his own bag of party favors!
(You can see Leonard's ear by the stuffed lion.
Leonard has adopted the lion as his new best friend!
The second I put it out, he had his eye on it)

Harrison liked the glasses much more when Daddy wore them!

Taste and See

Tonight we went to a fundraiser for the church that Nathan is music director for and that I sing at on Saturdays. It was fun to be out as a family and be able to show our little guy off. We have been working at this church together for about two years now, Nathan playing the organ/piano and me singing. Everyone was so excited when N and I got married and then even more excited when they began to see that we were expecting! They have been asking when we were going to bring the baby with us to church - which we think is silly. Would I hold him while I am singing, or should Nathan strap him in a baby carrier while he is playing the organ? So, needless to say, everyone was very excited to see Harrison tonight. It really felt like I was carrying around a celebrity child!

Not the best picture of any of us - it was hot and humid.

H's great-great aunt and uncle, and a cousin many times removed. One thing that I love about being here in Monroe is having all of the extended family around! I miss being near my parents, but it is nice to have all of this family here, and I am glad that Harrison has all of this family - even if he is unaware of it at this point.

He looked so precious in another one of his smocked outfits. I have found that people looove baby feet. His toes were touched, stroked, yanked, and "this little piggy'd" more times than I can count!