Easter 2012

Sorry y'all, this is a pic-heavy post, but only because our boy is so cute that I couldn't chose just one! This was Robert's first Easter, and even though he won't remember it, we did our best to make it special. Below is a picture of his Easter Basket with it's many, many items from us, Oma/Opa, Grammy/Grandpa, & Aunt Annie. Because he's so little it's mostly full of stuff that we would need to get him anyway, but there are some extra's thrown in there:

So, in the basket (or around it) are: soft-tipped spoons, a teething "necklace", next size up pacifiers, a sippy cup, a camo bib from Cabela's, an adorable onsie, a pull-down jittery chick toy, some bunny ears, and two books. Whew!

 
As you can see above, he was quite taken with the jittery chick. Actually, he was happy with it all:

After breakfast & the Easter Basket, we all dressed up & headed to church, then spent the rest of the day with the Ryals family. What a great 1st Easter for Robert!

4 months

Ahhhhh, how on earth are you 4 months already?! Oh my sweet little baby boy, it is amazing how much joy you bring us each and every day. The last 4 months with you have been the hardest, scariest, most joy-filled 4 months of my life. It is amazing to watch you grow and change, and you've done a lot of both this month. This month you:

• Are 26.75in long & weigh 19.4lbs (in or above the 95th% for both)
• Wear size 3 diapers
• Have been ALL OVER THE MAP when it comes to bottles
• Added back in a 2:30a feeding for a few weeks
• More about bottles: You try to hold it yourself now, and sometimes succeed. I don't really let you though because I love our feeding times. You also talk around the bottle now, which is super cute.
• Try to sit up all the time. What you think you'll do when you get there I'm not sure, but it sure is cute to watch you strain against your stroller, swing, and carseat straps (and you'll have the most awesome abs ever seen on a baby)
• STILL don't like time on your tummy (or really even on your back) or naps, but we're working on it
• Have become much more vocal, both in "talking" and in complaining
• Have reached the stage where Mommy is not allowed to leave your sight or bad things (a screaming baby) will happen; related---sometimes Mommy is not allowed to set you down period.
• MIGHT be settling back into a routine after being off since Christmas (boy it's been a long couple of months): rise at 8a & take a bottle, 30min nap at 10, bottle at noon, nap at ~12:30p for 1.5hrs, bottle at 4p, 30min nap between 5p-5:30p, start bedtime routine at 7:30p, then a final bottle at 8p & Mommy rocks you for a while before bed
• LOVE going for walks in your new stroller
• Are starting to use your lovey (which Oma bought you)
• Wear size 9-12month PJs
• Wear clothes from 0-3months to 6-9months, depending on the brand
• On 3/6/11, you rolled over for the first time (from tummy to back)!!!! Mommy missed it though =( I'd left you on your tummy on a blanket while I ran down the stairs to throw something in the wash, and when I came back up you were on your back on the floor. SOOOOO exciting, and also so sad because I missed it. You haven't even tried to do it since.
• Have started chewing on your thumb and forefinger
• Have started rubbing your eyes and burying your head in Mommy's shoulder when you get tired. SO CUTE!
• Sit in a booster high chair, as long as Mommy puts some padding around you to help support you (there's a lot of extra space right now)

 So far you have proven to be very much like your Daddy. Things about you that are like your Daddy: Your looks (almost everyone says you look just like your Dad), the wrinkles on the back of your head, you get bored quickly, you like to be in the thick of things (Mommy likes to be invisible), you're hot natured, you get grumpy when you're hungry, you are ALWAYS moving, you are quick to laugh and smile, everybody loves you, you make Mommy laugh

Like your Mommy: Your eyes (some say), your button nose, the way your mouth turns down at the corners, you get grumpy if you don't get enough sleep, you love to observe, you love books (although so does Daddy)

Over the River and Through the Woods...

to Oma's house we go!

Yesterday little Robert and I took a road trip to South Carolina to visit Oma and Opa for a week (thanks for the ride Grammy!!!). It was a LONG day for the poor little guy. He spent 10 hours in the car, which is a lot when you're past the "put me in the car and I'll sleep" stage. He actually did amazing well...until the last 2 hours of the ride or so. And the last 10minutes was total "get me out of this seat NOW" baby. We were both thankful to be at our destination and had a great night getting reacquainted with Oma and Opa. Can't wait for the rest of the week!

Our New Stroller

When Robert was born we opted NOT to register for a travel system. We both just couldn't imagine having to lug around those huge, heavy strollers, not to mention they would literally take up my entire car trunk. We decided instead to get one of those Snap-and-Go frames to use with his carseat until we could better figure out what kind of stroller would meet our needs. The time to figure that out though has been quickly approaching as Robert is growing so quickly that he'll soon outgrow his carseat. We decided we wanted a lightweight stroller with wheels that would at least work on our horrible roads/sidewalks, and a huge canopy to protect our little one from the burning sun. It also needed to have a compact fold and a snack tray for when he gets older. I found a stroller I liked to fit these requirements, but being a stay-at-home Mommy really limits the budget, so we watched Craigslist instead. And though it's not the one I originally found, here it is folks---our 2008 Peg Perego Pliko P3 stroller. Robert is already enjoying it, and so are we!

Mardi Gras 2012

This year is Robert's first Mardi Gras. Now really, Mardi Gras isn't such a big deal for Trey & I, but we actually announced we were expecting last year on Mardi Gras (it was much later in the year---in March instead of the middle of Feb). So it seemed only fitting that we make sure to take the little one to a Mardi Gras parade. We steered very, very far clear of anything actually in New Orleans, and went across the lake to a family friendly parade instead. Of course, very quickly into it this is what we had:

 Yup, he simply curled up on Mama and passed out. Now most parents use their little ones to help garner more attention from the floats and get lots of beads and stuffed animals and such. That was kind of hard to do in this case, although one nice lady still threw us a cute little stuffed dog in Mardi Gras colors (purple, green & yellow for those of you who don't know). He did eventually wake up, but even as he caught the rest of the parade he apparently wasn't too impressed:

Oh well, at least Mommy and Daddy enjoyed his first Mardi Gras Parade.

3 Months...

Dear Robert,

Today you are 3 months old. It is absolutely INSANE to us that you have been a part of our lives for 3 months now. And my how you have changed! This month, you:

• Wear size 2 diapers. But not for long---you'll be moving up to size 3 tomorrow!
• Drink 5 bottles a day---a 5oz one in the morning and 4oz ones the rest of the day. We add rice cereal to them too because you were diagnosed with Reflux this month. Because of this, you also take Zantac now.
• Generally sleep 9.5hrs at night.
• Discovered your hands. You shove them in your mouth all the time, & it's adorable how you use the palm of your hand (with your fingers curling over your nose) to hold your paci in as you go to sleep.
• You figured out that you could REALLY put up a fuss if you're unhappy. Fortunately, you only do so if you're hungry or tired, and you usually turn a little fussy first as warning that it's coming.
• You also figured out that you can squeal when you're mad. Not that we don't care you're upset, but your Dad and I find it hilarious. :-)
• You can sit up in a Bumpo seat. 
• You do NOT like naps. During the day you fight sleep like it's a monster trying to get you. You refuse to be calmed and accept your paci and go peacefully; instead you continually eject the paci (because you know it makes you go to sleep) and cry, sometimes almost screaming. The only thing to do is hold you & love you until you finally pass out. Then, as long as you're being held, you might sleep for a little while.
• You smile all the time and talk nonstop. 
• You follow us now with your eyes if we leave the room or walk behind you. You observe EVERYTHING.
• You JUST snuck it in under the wire, but you laughed this month---a real, cackling, grown-up laugh. It's the most amazing thing I've ever heard!!!

I think this month has brought the most changes in you so far. You've really blossomed into your own little person with definite thoughts, feelings, and opinions. You remind me very much of your father. He constantly needs to be moving or doing something. At this stage for you, that means someone needs to be entertaining you and you don't generally like any one activity for more than 5 minutes at a time. You also still constantly have your feet and arms going. Like him you are quick to smile and generally get along well with everyone. You crack me up every day and make my heart so happy sometimes it feels like it will explode. You are amazing and I [we] cannot wait to keep getting to know you over the next month!

2 Months

It's hard to believe another month has gone by already and that our little man is 2 months old today. I'd like to say that it seems like you've always been here, but it doesn't---we are definitely still trying to get a hang of all this. Some days you make it harder than others, but we know that these times will soon be gone and we're loving getting to know you. Here's some highlights from this month:

• This month you learned how to smile and "talk", and how to sort-of laugh. It is SOOOOO much fun! You are especially talkative/smiley in the mornings. 
• You're still not sleeping through the night yet, though you are very close. For awhile we reached that milestone, with you sleeping from 10:30p-5a, but our trip to SC for Christmas definitely messed that up. 
• You eat ALL the time, though I suppose that shouldn't be surprising given that we determined last night you're probably around the 50th percentile for a 5 MONTH OLD (we'll find out more definitively at your 2-month checkup in a few days). You are not overweight or anything--in fact I believe you're right on given your height--but it's really crazy to have you already be such a big boy. Dad's already dreaming of you playing in the NFL or NBA. =)
• You are staying awake longer and longer, and by that I mean you pretty much don't nap during the day. Already you FIGHT sleep, which doesn't really bode well for your toddler years, but hopefully this too is just a phase. You need your sleep little buddy!
• You are a very strong boy. You already hold your head up much better than you should be able to at this point, and you can use your legs to push yourself up and even to hold much of your weight. 
• You are starting to recognize Mommy and Daddy---you'll follow us with your eyes, light up with a smile when we walk in to get you in the morning, etc. 

Yup, it's been totally awesome. We cannot wait to see what happens in this next month!