7 months

Technically I'm jumping the gun a bit here as he won't be seven months old until Monday but I have these sweet photos to share and Baby D deserves an update because a lot has been developing in the last few weeks.

As you can see, he's sitting up unsupported by himself for long periods of time. He still occasionally does the "weeble-wobble" thing and tips himself over but he just rolls over and scoots around. He's actually pretty close to being able to move from a push up position into a seated position.



Just yesterday he started really crawling on his hands and knees completely. He's deliberate, with big dinosaur-like hand movements and it's adorable to watch! He moved about 3 feet with his tummy completely off the ground.

And while Danny and I were chatting in the kitchen he crawled around our armchair and destroyed a page out of my new Martha Stewart Living...but I think he had a good time doing it!



He's definitely got a good appetite and rubs his lips together, fusses and says, "Mmmmm" anytime anyone is eating and not sharing with him! He's eating a good amount of puree every night now and I'm giving him soft bits (like smushed peas) to chew in his gums. I have some baby rice crackers that I break up and give him too but he doesn't have the pincher grasp yet so he doesn't know how to pick up the pieces. Good for not eating carpet lint, not so good when I'm trying to get him to feed himself!



He has started giving hugs too, but only to me. When I pick him up after a long day apart from each other, he will bury his head in my neck, scrunch up his little body and say, "Ahhhh!"
Totally heart melting!

Nervous...and excited

The Boy's school shut down for good last week. After 50 years, his sweet little Catholic school closed. It was certainly a sad day for many. We've grown close to the families we've come to know over the last three years. Many of them are moving together to another Catholic school, so I'm happy that some will start third grade together.



We had a fun party at the park after school complete with a bounce house and a lovely cake that featured all their happy faces. When we left, one of the boys hugged my son and moped, "Goodbye, I'll never see you again" in just about the saddest voice ever. I sure hope that's not true!



I've asked my son how he feels about the changes. His response: "Nervous...and excited". He's been asking questions that I don't always know how to answer. I'm in the same boat as he is, pretty much, but I try and answer him without showing how little I know about the situation. He wants to know where his classroom will be, who his teacher is and where he'll eat lunch?

He is used to his small school, where there is only one classroom per grade, where he knew all the teachers and they all knew him, and where there was only one lunch area and everyone ate together (preceeded by prayers, of course).



My mom took him to the new public school (which is just down the block from where she lives). My nephew attends the school right now so he was able to show The Boy where the third grade class rooms and the lunch area are. He told him that there will be a board on the first day of school that shows a list of students and who the teacher will be.


We're going to miss all these familiar faces

I'm glad he's not just nervous. Nervousness is to be expected...heck, I'm nervous too! I'm sure that will only build for the both of us as the first day approaches.

But excited...now I'm very happy to hear that.


"Make new friends but keep the old...one is silver and the other, gold"

Ups & Downs

Life has its ups and downs lately.



Baby D is starting to become more mobile. He started sitting up alone this week (though he still falls over frequently). He's not quite crawling yet but he's wiggling around the room and starting to get into things. Gone are the days of leaving him to lay on a blanket. My husband came downstairs this weekend to find the baby across the room, eating a pair of cardboard 3-D glasses from a DVD!



Also gone are the days of sleeping through the night. He's been waking between two and three a.m. to nurse. Fortunately he goes right back to sleep afterwards. I've been bringing him to my bed to sleep until the alarm clock goes off. Probably not the best habit to start, but a sleepy gal's got to do what she's got to do!



Baby D is starting to realize his own power, including phoney coughing, fake crying when I lay him down and blowing bubbles when I put a spoonful of food in his mouth, yuck. I would expect that dropping his cup from his highchair and throwing toys to get a laugh from his brother and sister will be coming soon!



Earlier this week he threw a fit when I took away a piece of paper from him. It was a full blown, arched-back fit, complete with a red-faced shriek. How did he learn to do that already?



He's developing a personality already. And we're experiencing a little of that vinegar along with the honey! Just as we already know the temperament of the older two, it will be interesting to see how this little one develops over the years.



He's already surprising us everyday!

Disney Baby - Photo contest

There is a baby photo contest on the Disney Baby website.

Babies have the chance to win $10K towards a college education as well as some other fun and unique prizes (like helping to open a new Disney store in LA, a "crawl on" TV role and a photo shoot for a Disney Baby print ad). You can enter pictures as often as you like and one is chosen each week by judges to win Disney Baby gear and to be a finalist for the grand prize.

I couldn't resist entering my little lump of love! I have this photo of Baby D entered (as well as a great many others, I couldn't resist!). This is my newest favorite picture of him, I love his sweet little expression! Even if you aren't chosen by the judges, the Fan Favorite (the photo with the most votes) wins a dream vacation!



Please put in a vote for Baby D, if you get a chance! You can vote once per day.

A little at a time - Nursery Project

Remember this project, the Under the Sea mobile? I started planning it first, here.

After much procrastination, I did finally get all the creatures sewn and the rings painted but then Baby D was born and all the pieces just sat in the craft bag. A few months ago I pulled them out and enlisted my husband's help in hanging everything up. We used fishing monofilament so the creatures look like they are just floating above his crib.






This little guy is my favorite.


But the button-encrusted sea stars are a close second!



Baby D does seem to enjoy looking at them, floating over his bed.



I realized I'd purchased these felted balls but never put them on! I'd intended to sew them along the fishing line to look like bubbles.

Source: etsy.com via Julie on Pinterest

Oh well, I guess I'll either save them for another project or put them on some other time.

I did finally finish his Finding Nemo cross stitch and I bought a big frame for it and everything...and that was the problem because the frame was too big! I was thinking I'd sew a little patchwork around the sewn part so it will fit in the frame but haven't had a chance to do it yet.



And everything matches this quilt that I made before he was born.



My next nursery project will be to finish painting this tryptec. I did the gradation of blues and greens but haven't figured out yet what I want to do on the rest.



I'm hoping I can at least have all this done before his first birthday...six more months!

Memorial Memories

Huh, it's Wednesday already?!

I loved the long weekend and we packed it full.

We kick started the weekend with burgers & fries at In 'N' Out, yum!

Saturday...hmmm, I don't even remember what we DID on Saturday! Oh, yeah, Danny took the kids to his mom's to do some work around the house (she's remodeling) and I stayed home with the baby, cleaning and sewing. It was a nice break, I don't have much time to myself these days so to be able to post myself behind the sewing machine for a solid hour is definitely enjoyable. I even got it listed on Etsy!



Sunday after church we took the kids to a party and they swam and we chatted and ate. The Girl discovered that she likes (no LOVES) bbq ribs! Getting her to try anything with a sauce was victory enough. We didn't drag ourselves home until nearly 9pm, a very late evening for us.



Monday was Memorial Day and Danny was back at his mom's, helping to resurface the walls. The kids went swimming again and this time my stepson joined them. He's in desperate need of a hair cut (as you can tell!). We don't get to hang out as often as we used to so seeing him is always a treat. He just celebrated his 14th birthday this past week and is gearing up for Jr High graduation shortly.



I swear it was just yesterday that he was this little guy in preschool (dressed like a little old man, so cute!).



The Girl was eating a cupcake and I don't even think she realized she had frosting on half her face!



Baby D was really enjoying being in his walker in the yard. Though he can touch the ground, he's not mobile in it yet but he likes to play with all the features and just look up and laugh at the leaves moving in the tree.



Whew, we were all wiped out from the long three-day weekend, Baby D included!

Leaps and Bounds - 6 months old

Last Saturday after we got home from our long day at Sea World, we ate sandwiches for dinner and then lounged around the living room with chocolate chip ice cream. Baby D was happily rolling around on the floor in his monkey pajamas.



Suddenly he pressed up on his arms and thrust his knees up quickly beneath himself into a crawling position! He balanced there for a minute or so before lunging forward onto his tummy, arms and legs off the ground like he was trying to swim. We cheered and made it a big deal, which he loved!

He did this a few more times until he got tired and wanted to go to bed.



But now that he has a new "trick", he's doing it all the time, each time we lay him down. Of course this also means he's doing it at 2:30am and then he can't go back to sleep!





In the past few days he's been up on his knees and now he'll rock back and forth, lunging forward to grab something. It is so adorable to see how his strength is growing. He does still fall forward a lot because his arms get tired and he doesn't like that one bit!


He's UP!


And then he's down!

Happy Half-birthday today Baby Boy! You've changed so much in the last six months, I'm excited to see what the rest of the year brings for you.

Splash!

We live in a tourist city. This means we have access to all the great amusement parks but we don't necessarily always get to go to them! For one, they are often very busy on the weekends with tourists. And two, they are  also really expensive!

This past weekend however my mother-in-law had special passes to Sea World through her work which meant we got to spend the day in the park and were also treated to a nice lunch buffet. We brought in snacks and bottled water to get us through the rest of the day and got out without spending a dime! We developed lots of memories along the way...


The kids were ready to go! The Boy is holding a tiny orca whale figurine he found in a toy bin at Grandma's house.


We dressed in layers because May is usually a weird month and can be really overcast and cool along the coast.

However the day turned out to be gorgeous and sunny the entire day and the kids quickly ditched their jackets!

I promise you we feed these kids and they eat quite a bit, but they both are so slim!

We spent the day hopping around the park, taking in various shows, checking out the indoor aquariums and going on a few rides. I love the Wild Arctic area with the beluga whales and the polar bears.



My mother-in-law and husband were such good sports, each taking turns riding all the super-soaker rides until they were dripping!


The Peak of Atlantis


Whew, at the bottom and sopping wet!

They dried just in time to jump on this rapids ride, only to emerge more dripping than the last time. They all LOVED it!



The Girl was brave and held a sea star (more brave than I... No way am I touching one!). Of course the sea star moved and freaked her out!





Baby D was great all day and took turns riding in his stroller or in the front carrier on Dad's chest.

We ended the day with my favorite, watching all those sitting in the "soak zone" at the Shamu show get showered head to toe with icy cold water when the orca flips his tail over and over...I could watch that ALL day and never get tired of it!!



Thank you Grandma LaVerne for inviting us to share such a fun day with you!