Snapshot - 7 months

I got this idea from another  blog I've been reading lately and it struck me as a wonderfully fun idea.  The point, of course, is just like a photo, just another way of helping us remember down the road some of those little things that we are so prone to forgetting.  I've no idea how frequently I'll be doing this, but as he sits on my hip watching me type, I just want to capture everything I can.

What he is saying:

• Blowing lots of very wet raspberries, frequently accompanied by projectile drool.
• "Plah" & "Bwah" no apparent meaning, just trying out his tongue and mouth shape apparently.
• VERY excited squeals and grunts when Daddy appears after work or after being elsewhere for an extended period.  (Similar excitement when a cat appears unexpectededly as well, though not as consistently.)
• Groans while being walked to sleep, sometimes while nursing to sleep as well.  The louder he gets, the closer to completely crashing.

What he loves doing:

• Tasting EVERYTHING.  Except food.  Go figure.
• Scrolling the mousewheel on Daddy's mouse.  It clicks!
• Chew on the TV remotes.  Extra fun when he changes the channel or volume while Daddy's watching.

What I am loving about him:

• Absolutely everything?
• The dozen hairs scattered over his head that are 10 times longer than the rest of his hair.
• The way he feels snuggled in my arms after nursing to sleep.
• His great big belly laugh when he's happy.

Some of his quirks:

• When he's tired and nursing down if he has to pee/poop he gets a look in his eye and a little half grin and then bites my nipple.
• In order to prevent me from removing said nipple SMASHES face into breast (often accompanied by a raspberry).
• When he's being held one of his ways of letting us know he wants to nurse is by licking our shoulders.

What I want to remember from today:

• The look of peace and contentment on his face when I went in to find him awake after breakfast and the way his face lit up when he saw me.

Bread!

We had our first adventure with bread! I made fresh ciabatta this week so we thought we'd try that out, no worries about any wierd ingredients as I made it, nice that way. He started sucking/gnawing on it almost right away. Being nice and chewy, it held up to a good bit of gnawing before it started disolving but he did eventually break off a piece. That's what prompted the face in the third picture. Took him a bit but he eventually worked it out and spit out the chunk. Still nothing swallowed but we're having fun. Those last two shots are of Gracie claiming and eating the drooly remnants of Peter's snack. She thought that was a great treat, the other cats came to see what she had and then just walked away. Yeah, she's funny like that.

On the other hand, travel is becoming imminent. He's actually moving around pretty well already, but just backwards and turning so far. He's working on the forward direction though and I must say I'm glad we've kept babyproofing in mind as we unpacked everything. The finishing touches shouldn't be too bad and I know he'll show us quickly enough what we forgot to worry about. :)

He's making more different sounds now too instead of just different volumes of the same sound. I already think my little boy is the cutest thing in the world, how is it possible that he gets cuter every day?? Yet somehow, he manages.

6 Month Checkup

So Peter had his 6 month wellness checkup last night.

Our monster is 21 lbs 7.5 ounces!

His doctor was very happy with all of his skills.  He happily demonstrated how quickly he's moving backwards now and he was talking to her in his cute tired pterodactyl-talk.

He's also done a very good job of making her fall in love with him, I can't imagine very many patients giggle while getting their vaccines.  He did!  At least the first one, the second one he wasn't so thrilled about, he cried for a minute but he got over it and actually fell asleep in the car afterward.  For those who don't know, Peter is not one of those children who falls asleep in the car, he's actually VERY resistant.  He's great for short trips, but for long drives I have to sit in the back with him to help him fall asleep.

Speaking of sleep, it's time to put the boy to bed right now.

Pictures!

I just can't get enough of the baby/kitty snuggles. I rarely get to actually get pictures of it though as it usually happens in my lap. Such sweetness!

 These pictures were after Daddy decided to let the baby play with his "empty" coffee cup.  He had a blast playing with the lid and he's got an early start at wearing his morning coffee.  :)

He seems to enjoy having all of his toys together in the basket so he can dig through them for his favorites and then eventually dump them all on the floor.  I think it's so cute watching him search and shuffle through them all.

 The baby led weaning has been fun.  This apple slice was his first positive encounter, he actually nibbled and chewed a bit, though I really don't think he swallowed any.  He also tasted a slice of onion the other day.  He reacted more positively than I expected.  He simply put it in his mouth, licked it, then looked at it, and finally dropped it on the floor.  We've tasted broccoli, banana, carrot, apple and onion now.

Childhood

I'm finding some very inspiring and thought provoking words as I look deeper into homeschooling Peter.  The two quotes that follow hit me upside the head particularly hard and will make it into my Words to Live By (along with my mom's favorite "Be of use").

"When we adults think of children, there is a simple truth which we ignore: childhood is not preparation for life, childhood is life. A child isn't getting ready to live - a child is living. The child is constantly confronted with the nagging question, "What are you going to be?" Courageous would be the youngster who, looking the adult squarely in the face, would say, "I'm not going to be anything; I already am." We adults would be shocked by such an insolent remark for we have forgotten, if indeed we ever knew, that a child is an active participating and contributing member of society from the time he is born. Childhood isn't a time when he is molded into a human who will then live life; he is a human who is living life. No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied him by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation.

How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize the child as a partner with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing him as an apprentice. How much we would teach each other...adults with the experience and children with the freshness. How full both our lives could be. A little child may not lead us, but at least we ought to discuss the trip with him for, after all, life is his and her journey, too."
- Professor T. Ripaldi

Our first taste of food!

Our first taste of real food was pretty fun. He was certainly not impressed but after tasting it he did have fun swinging the broccoli around and then trying to pick up the little bits that broke off. The smaller pieces seemed to interest him more than the big bit, sadly his pincer grasp isn't reliable enough for him to actually pick up those pieces so they just stayed on the floor.

After the broccoli we tried giving him a big chunk of banana to see if he would be more interested in something sweet (apparently that's the case for many babies) but that was a no go too. We video'd that intro but Daddy was playing with the zoom button while he tasted the banana so Peter's all fuzzy because the camera was having trouble keeping up the focus and you can't see his expressions. Oh well, there will be many more chances to get cute baby faces.

He's stolen a slice of apple and a leaf of lettuce now while we've been eating our own dinners. As long as whatever he's reaching for isn't too salty or messy I've just been letting him experiment. So far he still hasn't done more than lick anything more than once before proceding to just swing it around and hit things with it but the mantra I'm seeing on the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) forums is that "Food is fun until they're one" and that it may be months of simply playing with food before he gets interested in actually eating it, any then even more before he makes the connection between eating and hunger. We'll be working out my new washing machine over the next few months, good thing bathtime is fun around here!

More Pictures

Sleeping peacefully.

"No, Mommy you can't have the remote, Daddy and I are watching football."

Peter & Thomas

Oooh! Kitty!

Here kitty kitty!

Awww...

Poor Peter, Thomas still just doesn't have much (or any) patience for his grabby little hands. Luckily Daisy & Gracie are more tolerant. The sequence perfectly depicts his relationship with both Thomas and Ethel.