Camden's Birthday

This weekend was my nephew's 3rd birthday.  We went to Nashville to celebrate with him and to spend some time with my sister and her beautiful family.  Camden had his party at a bounce house and we all had the best time!  Thomas and his cousins get along so well.  Camden is so sweet and such a big helper.  He watches over Thomas and makes sure he has plenty of toys to play with.  Every time Thomas would throw something on the floor (his new favorite game), Camden would laugh and then quickly pick it up for him.

I was able to take some pictures of my sister, Camden, and baby Eden.  Ben, her husband, had to work so I wasn't able to get him in any of the pictures.  I just love this little family and their warm and welcoming home. 

 

Seven Months and April Adventures!

-First Words: Dada. 

-Foods: Still breastfeeding and making homemade baby food.  I feed him milk about every 4 hours, and he eats three times a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).  This can range from 2 oz to 4 oz of baby food per meal.  Tried chicken and apples for the first time last week.  Favorite food so far is sweet peas and oatmeal with apple sauce.

-He started trying to clap his hands to “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” 

-He’s very ticklish and loves to laugh

-He gets so excited whenever daddy gets home from work.  He swings his arms around like crazy when he sees him.

-Sleeps for 10+ hours straight.  Goes to bed at 7:00-7:30 and wakes up around 5:00-5:30 to eat.  After I feed him I put him back down until 7:00-7:30.

-Takes two naps during the day. 

-Almost crawling! He scoots backwards now, but is definitely trying his hardest to figure things out. 

-Loves to stand! (With help of course)

-Bought him his first Sippy cup.  He still doesn’t quite have the hang of it, but its fun to watch him try to figure it out

I’ve fallen behind on my updates.  I completely missed the six month mark (face-palm).  April has been a very busy and eventful month for us. At the beginning of this month, of course, was Easter.  Thomas had a great Easter with his family.  With the help of his cousins he was able to hunt eggs.  I fully understand that a 6 month old doesn't really get the point of an Easter basket, but I got him one anyways, if only for my own enjoyment.  I loved picking things out for him.  I'm such a cheese-ball when it comes to sentimental traditions and occasions.  Thomas also went on his very first vacation to Charleston, SC.  I had prepared myself mentally for a terrible car ride.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I had visions of Thomas being miserable, stuck in his car seat for several hours, and us having to stop 100 times.  He, however, did wonderfully!  He only fussed a couple of times in the car, but it wasn't anything a few songs and toys couldn't help.  Charleston was a great place to take him.  We were able to push him around in his stroller a lot, which he loved.  We had so much fun looking at the different homes, shopping in the marketplace, and eating at new places.  I'm sure Thomas will remember it forever (sarcasm, if you couldn't tell).  It was a great family vacation and I can’t wait to go back!  I also found him a pair of adorable sunglasses at a store in Charleston called Babiators.  They are BPA free, really flexible and soft, and they will replace them if they are lost or broken.  I highly recommend them!

Right before Thomas turned six months, I started feeding him baby food.  I started him on baby cereal around four months, but wanted to wait a little bit longer before I introduced other solids.  I really wanted to establish breastfeeding with him, and I read that waiting until six months should help to do that.  Since he has started eating I have been making all of Thomas’ baby food.  Doing it myself has been saving us so much money.  Plus, I know it’s the best for him to have fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, although I have to admit that the money component is a huge motivator.  I bought a steamer pot to do all of my cooking in. I read that steaming is one of the best ways to maintain nutrients while cooking fruits and vegetables.  After I peel, chop, and steam the food I puree it in a blender.  I bought some 4 oz plastic containers for freezing and storage.  I've also found that silicon muffin pans work great for freezing and then popping the food out to put in zip lock bags.  So far I’ve made apples, summer squash, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, and chicken (I may be forgetting some things). http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ is a great website for recipes, information, tips, and ideas for making your own baby food.

This month I also gave Thomas his first bubble bath.  I decided I wanted him to have some fun with dinner one night so I placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of him and let him go to town.  It was so fun to watch him grab handfuls and shove it in his face.   Afterwards, we gave him a really good scrubbing in a bubble bath.  And yes, he did eat some bubbles.  There's no stopping that kid. 

I know I'm going to have a very active and busy boy on my hands soon.  I'm mentally preparing myself to be constantly chasing him.  I feel so blessed to have a fun and adventurous son and I've been having a blast helping him experience the world around him.  How do children manage to make you feel so old and so young at the same time?   

Here are some pictures from the month of April

Easter 2013:  

Charleston, S.C.

 

 

First Bubble Bath

 Trying to Crawl 

 

5 Months!

Thomas turned five months on the 26th.  Time is going by so quickly! Some of his new tricks (skills?) include blowing raspberries, sitting up on his own for longer periods of time,  rolling all over the place, and babbling.  He has been rolling over and sleeping on his stomach.  When he first started doing this I completely freaked out.  I would continually go in and try to roll him back or tilt his head.  After multiple times of various failed attempts (and seeking advice from experienced friends), I finally gave up and now I let him sleep however he wants.  He actually sleeps better now.

I am so grateful to have this time with him.  It's such a blessing to be able to watch him grow and change.  I don't want to miss a moment of it! Every day brings new changes and developments.

We've been going to story time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which has been so much fun.  Thomas loves the little songs we sing, and to hear the books read, but mainly he is fascinated by the bigger (more mobile) kids.  I've also met some great mommas at story time and highly recommend it!

Here are some of Thomas' five month old pictures.  He obviously loves playing with his toys.