Virtual Marathon

The official date to begin the Joggermom Virtual Marathon is tomorrow!  I signed up to run 26.2 miles in the month of May!  You should register too: http://marathon.joggermom.com

27 Weeks

So last week's first dinner out with Grandma and Grampy went well, overall.  Will sometimes likes to yell or squeal...in a happy way.  And while we think it is cute and funny, other people may not. So after some time, he ended up on our laps to quite him down.  It was a quick dinner; just the right amount of time before Will was hungry again and it was near his bed time.  So on Friday, instead of going out to dinner with our friends, we had them over to the safe haven of our house, so Will could just be put to bed when he was tired, instead of ending the party early.  I guess that is what we'll be doing for the foreseeable future, until we get a babysitter!

Babies are so cute in hats!!

We have had a total game changer with nap time.  Belly sleeping.  I was just putting him on his belly, still reluctantly after his first wake up at night.  But now I have found that I can get an hour or more nap if he's on his belly.  Which was just unheard of before last week.  I was doing chores around the house thinking, so this is how to get things done...not having a baby on your hip, or toting his highchair around the house so he can watch me do dishes, vacuum, etc.  So belly naps, it is!

The sixth month well visit went pretty much as expected. Shots - ugh and height/weight checks. As predicted, he's still off the chart in weight at 24.3lbs and in the 95th percentile for height at 28 inches. This time, I gave him Advil before the shots, which seemed to help. The silver lining of these visits are long naps! So does it seem like I love nap time? Because I do. And the rare chance that I get to turn on the TV, there are so many new shows on! I mean, Ryan Lochte has a show now? There is a new season of RHOC?

Will tried some avocado this weekend.  At first, he didn't seem like he was a fan.  But on Sunday, he was much better and seemed to want to keep eating.  I guess after six months of milk, it can be very confusing!  And so far, making our own baby food is super easy.  All I do is add water and blend.  I can handle that.

I took a couple weeks off from running because my knees hurt.  I blame baby.  But yesterday I hit the pavement again for 2.5 miles.  The countdown is on for the Mother's Day 5k.  With some peer pressure during the race, I think I can push through for 3.1 miles!  I would prefer to run sans stroller, but isn't that the point of the Mother's Day race?  We'll have to see.

6 Months

Will is a 1/2 year old! This month has been filled with a lot of firsts! I know I say this every month, but he gets more fun all the time!  During this past month he:
Got his two bottom teeth
Started sitting forward facing in his stroller instead of the infant seat
Moved into a larger car seat
Rolls both ways and all over the room
Started water babies at the YMCA
Went to the church nursery for the first time
Sits on his own (but can't get into the sitting position by himself)
Sits in the grocery cart

Water Babies was so fun this weekend!  He splashed the water around, and was so good about getting his whole head wet.  He was probably the youngest one in the class, because 6 months is the age requirement.  So yes, I did fib a bit on the registration form.  He was not the smallest though!  I think he only gained about a pound this month.  We'll see at his well visit on Friday, but I think he's stabilized around 25 pounds for now.  We hit the jackpot at the consignment sale last week, and everything I bought was 24months/2T, which is just a tad big now, but should be perfect for summer. 

Guess what else was fun?  Will in the nursery!  We went down to check on him twice through the window and he was having a great time without us!  I'm so glad it went well, so now we can feel good about dropping him off there each Sunday.

Solid foods will start this week!  Also our first dinner out with Mom and Dad(Grandma and Grampy) during their weekend visit.  I'm sure month seven will be a great one too...bonus points if I can get some more sleep though!

25 Weeks

April is the month of the military child.  I am so thankful that I had the experience of being a military child and  having the opportunity to move around, be pushed out of my comfort zone, and live in different places growing up.  That is why, even now, moving does not phase me.  I miss places we have lived for various reasons.  Obviously the weather in Florida, the shopping options in Pittsburgh, the open space and beaches of North Carolina, the walkability of Charlottesville and the familiarity of NoVa.  Billy and I will be married 5 years next month and we have already moved five times.  I know we will move again, too.

So moving to WV and having to make new friends again was not a new challenge.  In fact, other than the home improvement projects, I would say this has been one of the easiest transitions so far.  Having a baby provides built in social opportunities.  We're going on our third month here, and we stay pretty busy throughout the week with Stroller Strides, Moms Club and now Water Babies.  Ha - where's my minivan?

Will hasn't been doing too much more this week.  Just practicing sitting up and rolling around the room as his mode of transportation.  Sometimes I'll put him down in the basement, and walk into the other side to switch the laundry, and I'll come back to find him clear across the room.  I'll ask him how he did that, and he just grins.  He's napping better(not long, but in the crib a few times a day), and we have a pretty good routine down.

Six months next week!  Ahhhh!

So what is up with all the recipes in my facebook feed?  People, that is what Pinterest is for.  I want to see pictures of your babies and vacations!

I think we have have turned a corner.  Now that both teeth are through the gum, things have calmed down and sleep is better.  Just waking twice last night...and then up at 5:40.  I try to get him to go back to sleep when he wakes up that early in the morning, but it seems like he just lays in my lap with his eyes open, laughing at my efforts.

The swing has been so great now that it is warm out!  He laughs and smiles!

If he could live in overalls this summer, that would be great.  So much more comfortable for him, because they don't constrict his chubby belly!  Big consignment sale tonight, so we'll see what we can get for this growing boy!

24 Weeks

Look at Will drinking from the bottle! Ha! Not. He seemed interested, and I helped him drink it by tilting it up for him but it just lead to him being uncomfortable, skipping a nap and throwing off our whole routine. So we came, we tried(not very hard) and we quit. Not a big deal for me, since I don't mind feeding him and a sippy cup isn't too far away. This whole journey of having a baby has been uncharted territory of trying things, and figuring out what works best.

 What a glorious weekend! Even the weather man agreed that warm temps are overdue! We put up Will's swing in the backyard and he seemed to like it! So we'll add it to our daily entertainment circuit. Patton(the forgotten dog) loves being outside with us too. Will has started noticing Patton and putting his hand out to him. Patton is probably thrilled at the prospect of more attention!

We visited the church nursery on Sunday to get a feel for it. I thought I would be hesitant, but not so! Billy wants to wait a few more weeks, but I'm seeing a weekly hour of vacation on the horizon! :) I kid. I tell him all the time he needs to start walking bc I'm getting tired of carrying a 25lb baby around!

Teething is still ruining my nights and the occasional afternoon. Advil and frozen toys seem to work best. He's waking up 3 or more times at night. Every time I wake up, I look at my clock just hoping its closer to morning. We were up at 5:15 on Saturday, so we just went downstairs and I made blueberry oatmeal pancakes. I just sit him in his high chair, while he throws all of his toys on the ground. But in general, I think he likes being in the kitchen with lots if noise. He's not a quiet baby! I'm thinking he gets his personality from his dad!

What else...he's getting better and better at sitting! He can hold himself up for a few seconds at a time, so I was so happy when I got this picture! The outtakes are even funnier! If you have/had a baby, you know for every one good picture, there are give bad ones! Thank goodness fur digital cameras, because if not, his baby book would be full of messy pictures!

Let me start by saying I want to punch teething in the throat. I thought Will had been teething since February. But that was just the prelude. Tuesday night was the worst night since those first few newborn nights. I didn't know what to do for him, and I could see and feel the teeth pushing through. Lucky for me, at about 2am I discovered I only had about a half of a dose of Advil left for him. We are now armed with frozen toys, more Advil, teething tablets and gel. I always say it, but really, it must be hard being a baby! Poor guy has no idea what is happening!

In the midst of this, I realized that I had gotten out of the habit of putting Will in his crib for naps. Because I tried...over and over with no cigar. And then I realized, it was my fault! I had been feeding him in our bed in the mornings, so I could catch some Kelly & Michael and letting him sleep there. And then when I would feed him in his room, I would just let him sleep in my arms, because why bother him...and I could catch up on my very important emails and Facebook happenings. The pre-mom Jackie would scoff and say that I am spoiling him. I don't think that is the right word. But I am definitely creating sleeping habits that I don't want. So today, it was back to crib naps.

One other sort of funny thing to mention, is that when Billy tries to calm Will down, he always turns on Alan Jackson gospel songs. He says it soothes him. And from what I can tell, I can't say I disagree. :)

23 Weeks

A week of firsts for the little guy.  His first Easter, finally, a first tooth and making it through a whole church service!  I have been on tooth watch for almost 2 months now, because it seems like he has been in pain for that long!  Last week was especially bad, and I wish I could do more for him!  He seems to like chewing on frozen toys, so that provides some temporary relief.

His little Easter outfit was so cute, I just wanted to eat him up. Boys knee socks are not easy to find though! He was awake for the first half of the service, and then went to sleep until the end. The Easter angels were on our side.  One person said he looked like Mini Me from Austin Powers.  Not really my goal...

This picture makes me laugh because I swear, it looks like I'm holding a one year old. And it looks like he saying, "I will not smile.  I am cool and tough and I don't know why you put me in this ridiculous outfit."  I am constantly putting away clothes that don't fit. I have two plastic totes full already. As we approach 6 months, I am dreading solids, only because that means my easy diaper routine will become more complicated! I did locate the Baby Bullet food maker in the basement and am prepared to get started in a few weeks. Something tells me he's going to be a champ at eating!

 He's rolling both ways with ease now too.  I've given up on forcing him to sleep on his back, and everyone gets more sleep that way.  I love my video monitor even more now, so I can see that he is ok, even on his belly.  I ordered mesh bumpers, so we have no more limbs getting stuck in the crib rails too!  It also looks like he's trying to sit up on his own.  He's working on those core ab muscles!

Easter morning was quite chaotic, as is any time we try to leave the house.  It's especially fun when Patton is involved.  Trying to get an excited dog, a screaming baby, jackets and shoes on, and everyone into the car.  I woke up extra early on Easter, and even ironed the clothes the night before.  But without fail, we were still running around at the last minute.  I didn't brush my teeth and pictures had to wait for after church.

Off topic...I've used my mixer more in the past two months than in the past 5 years!  The latest recipe was mini cheesecakes!  I'm trying to show Billy that he is wrong, and this industrial mixer would not be best used as a boat anchor!  You should try these - so easy and delicious!