9 Months

9 months old. Woah.

This month you are sitting and playing like a pro. You will attempt to commando crawl but are very content just sitting and watching your big brother. You like your who-zit toy, Sophie the giraffe, rings and other teething toys. You are also starting to put in/take out objects from containers.

You still love to eat. This month we introduced meats and "fun" foods like chicken soup and meatballs. Naturally, you love everything and continue to eat more than Mikey. You love fruit-- especially bananas and peaches. When the food comes at you, you get so excited and twirl your ankles and wrists in anticipation.  Even after you have finished eating and I sit down with my food, the ankles and wrists twirl!  

You make lots of cooing sounds and we have heard you babble "da-da". 

Sleeping has not been the best this month but you have a valid excuse....TEETHING. I called you vampire baby and "fang boy" this month due to your lateral top teeth being well established and no sign of the front top teeth. They are starting to break through this month. You are also getting the laterals on the bottom and we can also see the whites of the top incisors. You have been waking two to three times per night, nurse and quickly go back to sleep. You get one good morning nap and then usually take a short snooze while we are out in the afternoon (usually at the pool during Mikey's swim lesson). We are lucky you are so cooperative and easy going. 

On a sad note, because you are eating so much solid food, my milk supply has dropped drastically. I still nurse you for comfort but am starting to give you formula 1-2 times per day. So sad!! (You don't even notice a difference!)

Here is the latest info from your doctor visit:

Height: 27.75" (28th%)
Weight: 19 lb 7.9 oz (48th%)

Another fun month, Nicholas!  We love you!

2 more teeth!

So it appears that Nicholas gets his teeth two at a time!  Now the top two laterals are coming in....not the two top front teeth.  Hmmm...I wonder what his dentist thinks about that! (Four total teeth at 8 months!)

This is (hopefully) the reason why N has been having difficulty sleeping through the night.  We get up 1-2 times before 5am.  Last night I asked Mike to go in and calm Nicholas down instead of me going in and feeding him.  N screamed his head off until I went into his room.  He didn't even try to eat my face like he usually does--which means he wasn't hungry/didn't want to nurse--he just wanted me.  As flattering as that is, I would much rather prefer that at 9 am rather than 3:15 am.  Sigh.....

Funny little side note: When I do go into N's room in the middle of the night and Michael is already in there (changing his diaper or rocking in the chair),  Nicholas will push Michael away and watch him walk out of the room.  He looks at Michael like "Thanks, Daddy but I got my Mommy now!".  Too funny....

July 2013

Whew!  Where did July go? Here are the highlights from our July (it was a BIG month for us!):

Happy 4th of July!

                                           



Our schedule looked like this:

Mondays and Wednesdays: School 12:00-2:30
Tuesday: PT & OT: 1:00-2:00
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: My Gym camp 9:30-12:30

Mikey started "The Happy Mouth School" on July 8th.  It was such a smooth transition.  I was a little emotional in the car after dropping him off for his first day but he was so happy and excited (as it should be, I guess...).

Ken the Music Man 

Mikey would love to come home and play with what he used at school.  One week it was the farm.  Nicholas enjoyed playing, too!

My Gym craft--wrestling belt 

                                             

Nicholas started eating more "fun" food this week.  Here he is enjoying his meals...

 He also rode in the shopping cart for the first time....

Nicholas changed to a rear facing big boy car seat after he was getting too heavy for his "bucket" car seat.  Mikey had some difficulty sharing in the beginning (he got promoted to a booster car seat) but then came around.  

                                   

 Mikey got a buzz cut this summer.  His barber loves to give him colored spray after his haircut!

Prior to starting school, we discussed with Mikey that he is now going to be attending "big boy school" and big boys don't use loveys.  The next morning he woke up and decided he was going to give his loveys to baby Grace--our friends Sean and Maryanne's new baby.  We saw Sean at a birthday party that day, Mikey ran over to him and gave him the bag with his loveys.  It was THAT easy.  He went to bed that night and every night thereafter without a problem.  I feel like we always dread big events (stopping the breast feeding, toilet training, cutting out the lovey) and it never seems to be as a big of deal as I envision it to be.

His gift for being a big boy and not using a lovey anymore.  It is the "Octopod" from his favorite Disney show, Octonauts!

We spent LOTS of time at the pool so far.  There are many pools to choose from so every day is a different experience for us.  Sometimes we are at the "frog pool", the "whale pool",  splash pad, "beach" pool (with a small water slide) and always having fun!  A few nights we have grabbed dinner there, had Mikey take a shower and change into "jamas" before heading home.  So convenient.  Nicholas typically takes his afternoon nap while we are there, too!

                                         

The "beach" pool with the gradual decline.  Most days were not very busy (like in this picture) which made it relaxing and fun.

On July 20th, Michael and I went to see Bon Jovi at Gilette Stadium (my Valentine's Day present!).  We had a really nice dinner at Davios before the concert (just the two of us) and then met up with our friends, Bob & Katie.  Grandma and Bob watched the boys for us.

The last Sunday of July we went to Newport, Rhode Island for the day to visit Mimi & Papa Fred as well as Mark & Meredith.  We went on a sailboat ride, walked around the town of Newport and then had dinner before heading home.  It was a fun day trip and visit!

                            

                           

                                         

                                           

I got a new car!  Michael got me the Mercedes GL 450.  It is my birthday present, anniversary present, Christmas present, etc!  I got the car on a Friday and on Saturday we took it for a day trip to Rockport after Michael finished at work.  We walked around the town and checked out all the cute shops and scenic points overlooking the ocean.  We attempted to eat at our favorite restaurant (The Lobster Pool) but it was too crowded.  Just another reason for us to visit again!

I love this picture.  Nicholas is so adorable smiling for the camera while Mikey wasn't being as cooperative!

And that was only HALF of our summer!  Wait until you hear about August!  :)

8 Months

Feeding:

You prefer to feed yourself with your fingers and if you are really hungry, I can spoon feed you.

Your diet goes like this:
Wake up (you nurse either around 5 or 6 and typically go back to sleep until 7:30 or 8)
Breakfast includes rice cereal or oatmeal mixed with a fruit (usually banana, applesauce, pear or mango) and then you pick up Puffs and pieces of banana;
Nurse mid-morning
Lunch around 1:00 consists of soft foods that you feed yourself (usually butternut squash, carrot, canned no-salt green beans, steamed zucchini or yellow squash) or "stew" (pureed yellow potato, apple and butternut squash);
Nurse again in the afternoon 1-2 times
Dinner around 6 with barley or oatmeal cereal mixed with pureed veggie (same veggies as above)
Nurse before bed--around 7.
When the food comes at you, you twirl your wrists and ankles and you grunt with excitement.

The week that you turned 8 months you have been waking up around 2 and then 5.  Boo to that.  I also introduced meat into your diet.  You had chicken soup---drank the broth from an open cup (no spilling!) and finger fed yourself the carrots and chicken.  You also enjoy your mesh feeder which works out perfectly for when you still want to eat but when I cannot feed you.  I put grapes and watermelon in the mesh bag, fasten it to the handle and you are able to hold it and chew/suck on the bag to get the juices out.  I don't have to worry about you choking and it also feels good on your gums.

You are starting to get the concept that you want to move.  When I am holding you, you will pump your legs like you are jumping.  On the floor you are just starting the looks of commando crawling.  You can sit briefly unassisted.  I am trying my hardest to give you a lot of floor time.  Since Mikey's summer schedule isn't so busy these next few weeks (read: you aren't spending most of your time in the car going here, there and everywhere), we should be able to achieve this goal.  You bang up and down and I have seen some hands together which looks like clapping. You open and close your fingers like you are waving, but not yet realizing that it IS a wave.  You cover your eyes with your right hand to play "peek-a-boo".  You are doing lots of raspberries with your mouth, "ra-ra-ra" utterances and vowel sounds come out from time to time.  You are very passionate about what you are doing.  If you really really want something, you won't back down until you get it.  All you have to do is look at Mikey and you crack up.  This happens a lot in the car.  Daddy and I love to hear you laughing and often look at each other and laugh, too.  Daddy says "Baby boy please don't grow up any more.  You are getting too big!" AT LEAST ONCE A DAY.  I tell him that you get cuter every day which makes it okay---but we would like you to stay a baby for a little while longer.

I know I write this every month, but I cannot believe another month as passed.  We love you, Nicholas!

7 Months

Wow!  I cannot believe it has been 7 months since you have been born.  Although it has passed so quickly, it is also hard to imagine life before you were here!

You are rolling everywhere--which makes it quite difficult to change your diaper!  You are beginning to sit up and it has been quite helpful during bathtime.  We try to read books but they aren't very interesting to you yet.  You LOVE your Sophie the Giraffe, rings, vibrating star, cool teething toys from the fridge and anything else you can get your mouth on.  

This month you have expanded your culinary horizons and branched out to Cheerios (broken in half), Puffs, sweet potato and avacado you now like (yay!), yellow squash, carrots and mango.  I am feeding you two meals a day of cereal with a pureed vegetable or fruit.  For "lunch" I give you soft "table food" items like soft cooked carrots cut into small pieces, avocado and banana.  You attempt to pick it up in your hand but it usually gets stuck in your palm and then you forget about it (object permanence---out of sight, out of mind during this phase!) so I wind up feeding you.  You get very upset if I don't feed you fast enough.  You LOVE to eat.  Sometimes I need to put you in the highchair while I am doing something and you expect to eat while in there!  You also still love to drink from a cup.  I swear you think you are four years old---just like your big brother!  You nurse 4-5 times a day for 5 minutes or so. I don't think you are getting much--more like just going through the motions.  You communicate that you want to nurse by eating my face.  You have done this in previous months however now with two teeth IT HURTS!  

You went on your first extended trip from home as we ventured to Pennsylvania to meet two sets of Great-Grandparents and then headed to New Jersey to celebrate Gran-ma's retirement.  You were an excellent traveler.  You slept most of the time in the car and/or entertained yourself with toys or by watching your brother.  You slept great in your travel bed (thank you so much for that).  Since we have been back you have been waking around 2am.  I'm not sure if it is teething related, hunger or just wanting to see my sleepy face at that hour but either way you fall fast asleep after a quick nursing session.  

We never would have guessed that you were teething since you acted no different than before.  You are getting a bit long and heavy for the infant car seat.  I am thinking of upgrading you to Mikey's car seat soon.  We should also consider lowering the crib and baby proofing this house before you get any more mobile.  Those will be on my "to-do" list for the month of July.

Love you little boy!

Make that TWO TEETH!

FIRST TOOTH!

Yup, you read that right.  I can feel Nicholas' first tooth coming in.  It is his lower left front tooth.  I cannot believe this is happening already!  Okay, part of me can believe it since he chomps away on everything but why can't he stay my baby just a tad bit longer?  I know he can not wait to "catch up" to his big brother!  Mikey has no idea what he is in for!

For now I will continue breastfeeding.....until I get bitten.  (Mikey was 10 months old when his first tooth erupted and coincidentally he also weaned himself in that same month---biting was a non-issue.)

As soon as I can catch a glimpse of his tooth it will be posted here immediately!  Stay tuned!