He's getting old

My little Cedric is getting big. It seems like he turned 6 months and decided it was time to grow up. 

First, we've been working on standing. If you give him your hands he can pull himself up or you can stand him next to a rail or toy to balance on. He stood here at his toy for over 5 minutes. 

 

Eating has been going much better lately. We've been relaxing a little on the rules and letting him taste whatever it is we are eating. So the other day I was at Panera, eating potato soup, and decided to let hem have a try. Did he like it? Watch for yourself! I finally figured out how to load videos :). 

He always makes that little sour face when he tries something new. Even when he goes for more, we still get a funny face. I think it is the consistency as much as the taste. Now he has tasted lots of sauces, pureed black beans, cream cheese and just about anything mild and soft that I've been eating. I never give him very much but he seems to enjoy the new foods. It has helped him open up and eat his meals at home. Still no teeth though. 

Cedric is also doing a great job grabbing things. He can use his thumbs to grasp tightly, like to grab round balls, my hair, my glasses, my skin . . . if he can reach it, he can grab it. He loves to make this "motorcycle motion" when he sees something he wants and makes a cute grunting noise. 

Cedric also started mumbling on Monday. This is the first audible "mama". He has said the ma sound a few isolated times but he woke up this morning and just couldn't stop talking! So sweet :)

The photo below shows Cedric's first bruise. It is next to his left eye, though you can't really see it. He has been working on crawling and can now get on his hands and knees. He still isn't moving a lot but he is working on it! 

Cedric remembers so much. Every time we walk in the bathroom he wants to play with the faucet (he loves faucets and sticking his hands in the running water). He remembers which books have pop outs he can play with. Also, he loves watching himself in mirrors and grabbing on shiny things. He likes to look out the window and watch the cars go by. He gets really still to listen when the dog barks or when a fire truck goes by. He likes stripes.  So many likes for such a little boy!

Seriously, look at this little man -isn't he growing up so fast? I think it is the nose. It has been morphing from baby button nose to a proper long nose. Keep growing little man, I can't wait to hear what you really think!

6 Months!!!

Happy Half Birthday to our little Cedric! Can you believe 6 months have gone by?

Here are the stats from his appointment on Friday:

Weight: 18 lbs 6 oz - 68th %

Length: 28 in - 95th %

Head Circ: 46 cm - 99th % 

As you can see, he didn't gain much weight and what he did gain all went to his head, literally. The doctor isn't worried about his slowed weight gain. "Long and lean" she said and that next to me it looks completely normal. She did say that we need to start feeding him food on a more regular basis as he will need more calories. He is kinda eating bananas and I mixed in some oatmeal cereal today for the iron. Baby needs to eat some food. We had a small mess one day with some apple baby food. I can't turn my back on this babe for even a minute!

Here he is enjoying some banana. It helps to use different kinds of spoons. 

Cedric is a great little sitter. He can keep his balance when he wants but most of the time he wants to lunge forward. He is working toward crawling. He will raise his little bum in the air, reach, roll, scoot, turn, and move backward in his attempts to crawl. Then he gets frustrated and upset and needs a hug. The doctor thinks he'll be crawling soon, so the baby proofing is starting early!

Above is a good photo of him working on his crawling. He is much happier on his stomach now than he ever was - he has even taken to sleeping on his belly!

As you can see from the two photos above, Cedric also really likes to stick his tongue out. He likes to try and copy us when we make silly faces. 

Cedric is also getting very curious about his surroundings. The other day he was very into the Playstation controller. Bob set the controller down and Cedric did a very good job of moving the joystick around. 

Here is a cute photo of Cedric getting ready to go out. He is just so cute! He is dealing well with the cold, I guess he doesn't know any better!

I can't believe how long and short the past 6th months have been. I am no longer considered a "New Mom" but now a bonafide Mom. Funny how much can change in a mere 6 months!  

Baby's First Blizzard

Last night (and into this morning) Cedric experienced his first blizzard. Winter Storm Nemo (love the name!) was our first blizzard as well, unless you count all of the Blizzards I've eaten from Dairy Queen. When I was pregnant I drove 25 min to get a cappuccino chocolate chunk Blizzard and a chicken tenders basket. I digress . . .

Here is the "before" picture I took yesterday at about 10 AM. 

The snow had just started to fall. Bob worked from home on Friday as the T was closing at 3:30 that afternoon and the Governor of Massachusetts banned all road traffic after 4 PM. I went to the grocery store on Thursday (along with everyone else in the Boston area) and we were all ready to make homemade pizzas and wait out the storm. 

Here is a look outside our door around 9 PM, the snow was probably about 6 inches high. 

Here is the "after" photo. The snow is over half way up the fence. I'm not sure how much snow we officially got but I'd guess it is 20" - 26" in our yard. 

The snow was higher than Siena's back. It came up to Bob's knees in the shallowest areas. Needless to say, Siena had a hard time deciding if she could relieve herself on this much snow.

Traffic was suspended until 4 PM Saturday, so people were walking around in the streets, assessing the snow. There really wasn't much damage to the trees, which is surprising because the winds during the storm were as high and higher than Hurricane Sandy. I guess the hurricane knocked down all of the dead trees and branches. 

We each took turns shoveling the drive. I accidentally agreed to helping with the snow removal in our lease. Whoops. 

The snow was up to my waist and higher on the drive way. Needless to say, Bob and I are both very tired and are planning to be sore tomorrow. 

We tried to do a little photo shoot with Cedric but it was too cold to stay out for very long. I did want him to see the aftermath of the blizzard, even if he had no idea what he was looking at. 

Cedric wasn't phased by the snow, I think it was too plain to get his attention. Now if it had fallen red or orange he may have noticed it, those seem to be his favorite colors right now. 

PS. Thanks for the snowsuit Mom, it has really come in handy!

All in all, the storm didn't affect us much. We don't really go anywhere anyway. We never lost power and are used to staying home all weekend. Thanks to everyone who called and texted today, I haven't felt this popular since August!

Cedric's First Bubble Bath - In Pictures

Bubbles?

As head of this bathtub and ruler of the bathroom I decree that bubbles are interesting. I will now be cute for the remainder of bath time. 

My new rubber ducky also looks interesting.

Is there something on my face?

Whoa. The bubbles can fly through the air? This is serious. I do not understand how this is happening and I'm not sure I approve. 

Comfy cozy in my frog towel. Is it too early to start protesting bedtime?

Cedric's First Meal - In Pictures

Sweet Potato? That sounds interesting. Is it a kind of milk? 

I guess it looks okay, I do put most things in my mouth right now anyway . . .

Umm, I'm not so sure about this . . .

Why Mom? Why did you put that gross stuff in my mouth? Don't you know I eat milk?

I'm on to you. Don't think I'm going to let that spoon in my mouth again! I'm not angry, just disappointed. 

So far we have tried sweet potato, avocado, oatmeal cereal and straight milk. He hates the chair, he hates the bib, he gets sad when he sees the spoon in my hand. We are going to give it a rest for a week or so and then try again. Right now I'm trying to make the chair a happy place. Baby steps. 

So, I'm old now . . .

Well, I turned 30 this month. I have been feeling very old ever since I had little Cedric, so the number just verified the feeling. 

Here I am, on my way to dinner (at 4:30) with my family. 

We went to The Melting Pot, which turned out delicious but a bit problematic. Turns out trying to eat while holding a baby with a boiling hot pot on your table is probably a safety hazard. Don't worry, no one was hurt :). Also, eating a four course dinner with a 4.5 month old is probably pushing it. We tried to rush it and dinner still lasted 2 hours. Probably should have hired a babysitter. Probably :)

Don't worry, I found a way to relax after Cedric went to bed. I bought a fancy bottle of rose champagne as my "last irresponsible act" the day before my birthday. Thanks to the fancy champagne corker Bob gave me for Christmas I was able to enjoy it over the weekend!

All in all, I feel good about turing 30. I feel like I did quite a lot in my 20's and feel ready to be a bit more responsible and adult-like. Anyway, all the friends I've been making here are over 30 and all my school friends are turing 30 this year as well. And if all the cool kids are doing it . . .

5 Months

Well, little Cedric is working on not being so little anymore. How big is he? 

Weight: Heavy
Length: Long
Head: Filled with new ideas and awareness
Health: Sick with RSV - poor baby has a chest cold!

He is busy being the cutest baby ever. He loves to grab things now and reach for toys and things he shouldn't grab. He has reached for his Mama a few times when he was being held by Bob. :) He also really enjoys playing with any toy that moves or blinks lights. If he is upset you can put him in front of the window and he likes to watch the cars go by. Or you can go to the bathroom and turn the tap on and off. Or you can bring him by Siena for a cuddle, though she usually runs away after he grabs a handful of her hair. Or there is the old stand by - TV. 

Technically, Cedric doesn't watch TV. We are trying not to have it on around him, I guess the lights and colors flash too quickly for baby's brains. But everyone says if they must watch TV that sports is the best option, because the people are all moving in real time. Well, in this house watching sports IS a must - it is KU Basketball season! How else are we going to brainwash him? (Disclaimer, he is only seated that close to the TV for the photo.) 

Cedric also loves to put everything in his mouth. That is probably how he got the cold. He loves to chew and feel everything but hasn't any teeth yet. I'm sure they will come shortly! He also is enjoying new textures, weights, and shapes with his hands. He loves scratching things and wants to put his hands on anything I'm holding. He's already realizing that iPhones are neat, I need to work to keep it away from him. No more multitasking while feeding!

Our little man is also doing very well at sitting up unassisted. He can do it for short times on the floor and for longer with a pillow or rail to hold on to. We put him in a high chair at a burrito restaurant (Boloco) and sat happily while we ate. It was after an outing with our New Mom friends and he was the only one able to sit like that, I was a proud mom. Here he is on his first grocery cart ride with me. (Attention Shoppers: Cutest Baby in the World in the produce section)

Cedric is quite the babbler now, when he wants to be. Some days he is very quiet but some he seems to want to talk and will go on and on. He will coo and babble now instead of cry occasionally, which is nice for my nerves. 

We still get together with my New Mom group, even though the class officially ended in November. Here he is on a play date and then at a music class. It is nice to have some other babies for him to play with (or will be soon enough). 

Cedric is also enjoying reading. He really seems to listen and will calm down when story time starts. His favorite book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The illustrations must really speak to him because he is always trying to feel the pages and grab the caterpillar. 

I've saved the best bit of news for the last. Cedric can fall asleep on his own. Now, at bedtime, we do our little nighttime routine and then I lay him down, eyes open and still awake, and he will fall asleep. Amazing. He wakes up only once (maybe twice) to feed and then goes right back to sleep. We used the very wrongly criticized book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber. Turns out Dr. Ferber works in Boston, lives in Newton like a mile away and knows what his talking about. And his methods are nothing like what they said they were in "Meet the Focker's". Funny how Hollywood exaggerates things. 

I will leave you with two goofy photos. The one on the left is a "your crazy" Tom Mason look if I've ever seen one.

 I love this little man, I hope he gets over his cold soon!