Leonard's Words of Wisdom

If there is a lot going on, it is best to find a place out of the way.

 In the underside of  Nathan's chair

"we should get the worms out..."

Me(2) and Karen(6) in '85

H is starting to sit up by himself, and with that will come some bumps on the head. Today he was sitting and just toppled completely over before I could catch him, and his forehead landed on the floor with a thud. He was crying and I was trying to comfort him, and it made me think of when I was younger and would get hurt or upset and Karen (my sister) would come and say with conviction that "we need to do surgery to get the worms out." So, surgery would be prepared for in all seriousness and eventually would turn tears into laughter as the worms were removed from the site.

H needed AK today, and, I think we all need someone (especially a big sister) who can "get the worms out!"

Me and Karen at my wedding '07

Sweet potato boogies and cloth diaper love

I have cared for many babies for many years in my life, so I was aware of the fact that when babies begin to eat they have food all over themselves. But, what I was not quite prepared for was having it all over me!!! After I have made sure to clean H's face, hands, etc, I will find some food on my shoulder, in my hair and in my eyebrows. Eyebrows??? I don't understand. He also seems to constantly have sweet potato boogies and banana breath. What can you do....

bumGenius
I love the expression on his face in this picture: "Now, listen here..."

gDiapers

Would you look at that cute baby!!!! We cloth diaper - which I am a big fan of - and are bumGenius lovers. We have a big stash of the bG's one size pocket diapers. We started using them on H when he was a few days old, and they have continued to grow with him. They are simple to use, you never need to worry about running out, they hold in the dreaded blowouts, and are great for the wallet! Recently when he is sleeping he has been leaking a little bit out of the top of the diaper, so I purchased a couple of gDiapers to see if that would make a difference due to the snug elastic around the top.
We got them yesterday, and he stopped leaking a few days ago, but they are cute, so we will wear them anyway! Instead of buying the flushable liners or cloth liners that go with the g's, I am just using the bG's liners, and they fit perfectly!
We are still bG fans, but we can use these when needed, and they are just slightly trimmer - so if he is on the verge of growing out of something, g's can give us a little more wear.

'oh bother!'

cute bug

I think he likes the giraffe!!!! The ears and little horn things (I don't know what those two things are called on top of the giraffe's head...) are a favorite 'in the mouth' item!!! He was having a hard time grabbing onto balls and bigger toys, so this is perfect! Legs and neck are very grab-able (on giraffe and baby!)



Too cute! Notice all the hair that has been growing! I guess he is still bald, but there is definitely some hair there now. Also notice how well he is sitting up!!! He does pretty well by himself, but I try to stay close by in case he starts to make a nose or side dive. We have hard wood floors under his blanket...



Apologies for the blurry pics - partly due to a squirmy baby, partly due to the fact that I don't use the flash. If I do, H looks like a totally different baby, and it accentuates his paleness. If I use flash, it's not blurry; if I don't, he still looks like H but it is blurry. Any insider tips???

Crafting

Stacking rings. These were a little bit difficult to figure out - as I didn't use a pattern, but I like how they turned out. I think they are a little too big for H to grab onto and manipulate now, but eventually he will be able to.


A giraffe that ended up looking a little bit like Puff the Magic Dragon. H won't know the difference. Long legs, necks and tags that are easy to grab onto or put into mouths.

Both of these projects are great ways to use up scrap fabric (as are the balls that I posted earlier)!


I also have tried a couple of new recipes: graham crackers and buttermilk ice cream. Both of which turned out great, and were much easier than I expected them to be! (compliments of smittenkitchen)

Leonard's Words of Wisdom:

Always put your toys in a safe place.....

(favorite ball in water bowl, favorite mouse in food bowl)

...so that when you wake up you will know where they are.

We all like to have our buddies close by

Leonard's Words of Wisdom:

It is important to never leave an infant unattended.

Just give us a call or leave us a comment if you would like our cat to babysit!!!

6 months

Well, today H is six months old. It is very hard to believe! It felt like I was pregnant forever, and then after he was born, time has truly just flown! Other mothers had told me that this was what it would be like, but I didn't think it would be true. Before he was born and shortly thereafter, the 6-9 months and 9-12 month clothes looked so big, and now he is in them! We are now out of the "infant" clothing section of Target and into the "toddler" section.
To celebrate his 6 month milestone, GrandMissy and Grandpa Harry came for supper. We also gave him squash in addition to his cereal (which he still hates). We'll give squash a try for a few days and then maybe bananas will be next. I feel like he would be perfectly happy to just nurse for the rest of his life!!!
One thing he has doing lately (which I love to see) is when a new person holds him, he 'explores' their face with his hands. So sweet!

At 6 months H:
is beginning to sit up by himself
drinks water from a sippy cup
rolls over both ways
eats his toes
looooves to jump

Last night N and I went to a reception for a family from Cameroon(sp?), Africa. They had come to celebrate at mass (where N and I work) the healing of the patriarch of the family from a stroke. There was wonderful singing, ululating, clapping, dancing, and all around good times! At the reception everyone was dressed in beautiful traditional African dress. They had good food - gizzards, hen, plantains, and a lot of other things that I do not know the name for. The whole evening was quite an experience. How neat that the healing of a father from a stroke was cause for the whole family to travel from Africa to Monroe, LA to celebrate.

What is that???

What does my child have on his head??? It is my version of a Moboleez - basically a wide brimmed sun hat, intended for nursing. So, instead of you wearing a nursing cover or shawl, your baby wears this hat and the brim covers you. I made this one (it was very easy to make once I got the measurements right) and he actually handles it better than he does a nursing cover (which he is always trying to grab). The only thing I haven't figured out is how to get myself ready to nurse. Once I am all un-hooked and ready, I can latch him on and he nurses fine, but how do I cover myself while getting un-hooked???

I am still not entirely comfortable nursing in public - even totally covered - but there are some people who have it down!!! While we were in CA, I saw many people nursing on the street with no cover - while I was inside in the corner of a restaurant with a nursing cover and my mother strategically placed to give cover and privacy. I just like to be in the comfort of my own home, or among family while nursing.

Have you seen Michelle Duggar nursing on TV? She is always modestly covered, the baby is never waving it's arm around, and she always looks comfortable and natural. Teaching the kids - nursing, reading at a local school - nursing, shopping - nursing. Maybe I will become this efficient and comfortable with our next child...

Full and happy!!!

Excuse this post - I don't intend to talk about this all the time, I just marvel at how some women are totally comfortable nursing covered and uncovered in public. I love being able to provide my baby with the nutrients he needs, I feel strong that my body can continue to support his life outside the womb, I love the closeness and attachment that I feel to him because of the nursing relationship, but I just am not comfortable doing it in public. But, maybe this hat will be the answer!!!

Little toes and etsy banner

N and I were playing around with H's feet last night and came up with this cute picture. I then played around with it on the computer, and part of it will be my etsy shop banner. I loooove little toes!!!!


By the way, eating for H is going a little better, he doesn't make as crazy of faces if I give him the rice cereal on my finger. We're getting there though, one bite at a time!!!

But Mama....

Can't you see that I'm tired????

I was getting ready in our room, and H started out sitting up

and then slowly melted - it was definitely nap time!


Can't you see that I think Daddy is funny?

Somehow to get H to laugh I tickle him, nibble his toes, am really silly, etc,
and then he gives me a good laugh and a smile.
But if Nathan even just looks at H, he starts to crack up!!!


Can't you see that I don't like food????

This was H's second meal.
It is a little long, we took another video, but this one is the funniest.
He is very expressive. I am sure after a few meals he will come to like it -
at least until we try some yucky fruit or veggie.

Inheritances

Well, today we figured out another trait that he inherited from his Daddy - his gag reflex! We fed him rice cereal mixed with a little Mama's milk. He is usually pretty 'ok' with new experiences, and I have been letting him play with his spoon for the past few weeks - so at least that was not a new object. I could write some more about it, but I think I will let the pictures tell the story...

(gagging)

We stopped after this picture - we only got about four tastes into his mouth. We'll try again tomorrow!!!!



Nathan got back on Friday night from FL, and we are happy to see him! H was sleeping last night when he got home, so he didn't see him until this morning - but he sure was happy!
N also had his 29th birthday this week. We started dating when he was 24 - time flies when you're having fun! We will celebrating tomorrow (he has church and is playing for a wedding tonight. :( )


Uncle Duane came to visit a few days ago - and it looked like H thought "You look like my Daddy, but I know something is different..."

Until next time!!!

Who will you be?

As we see little bits and pieces of H's personality - an aversion to or a like for something, a giggle, a cry, etc, I am always wondering who this little one will become. A lawyer, a children's book author, a teacher, a coach? I just hope that we can do our best to mold him into a strong, loving, upstanding, honest, hard-working, good person (who loves his mama very, very much!).

A song and a jingle

Likes
Being snuggled
Eating
Being outside
Fabric/patterns
Jumping in the jumperoo
Having his diaper changed
Turning over from his back
Daddy's singing

Dislikes
Turning over from his tummy
Having his nose cleaned

Transitions
His bouncy seat
Too much of anything

Obsessive crafting and other happenings

Since Nathan has been away studying, we have been very busy! Aside from the regular diaper changes, naps, feedings, baths, and the like, we have been doing so much! H is now a pro at rolling from tummy to back and from back to tummy. He will often spend ten or so minutes just flopping back and forth. He still has trouble with an arm that gets stuck on occasion. He is also getting better at getting his toes into his mouth - he could find his feet before, but now loves to nibble on them (I do too!). He smiles more at strangers that smile at him.

Play time!

Scaling around the cradle, about to get stuck in the corner

In his own room!

Another big thing - he now is sleeping in his own room at night! He had gotten to where he would use his feet to scale around his cradle in our bedroom and would end up stuck in the corner with no where to go! He has more room to move now - and, we also just switched his wardrobe to 6-9 months (he is growing too fast!!!).

Other things we have been doing:

Making baby food:
Lentil, peach
Cauliflower, apple, sweet potato
(H will start eating food at 6 months)

Made an apron for Mama/SweetHart

A matching tea tote

A reusable lunch bag for Karen/AK/ my sister

Making and sewing buttons on pacifier clips
(A baby can never have too many!)

Making soft balls out of scrap fabric
(I didn't realize how easy these are to make!!!
They remind me of little roosters with their ribbons sticking up)

Other family members have been stealing blankets to sleep on...
We try to keep H's things fur free,
but someone forgot to put up the blanket before Leonard found it!