5 AND 6 Months

Wow, we did it---we kept a whole new little human being alive for 6-months!!! If you don't have children you might not realize what an accomplishment that is, but any parent can probably understand our elation. It's so crazy though to think that he's already 6-months. What a wonderful time it has been!

6 months:

• You weigh 21lb 4oz and are 28.5inches long.
• You wear clothes from 6-months (shorts) to 9-months (onsies & rompers, though you're quickly outgrowing those in length, & pants) to 12-months (PJs). Soon though you will be in all 12-month stuff. You're just so long!
• You eat a variety of baby food now: beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, & pears. Some of it I [Mommy] makes, & some of it is store-bought. Either way you like it---you just still don't like peas!
• You roll from back to front in nothing flat. It's actually hard to keep you on your back anymore. Which is funny, because you still get upset if Mommy lays you down on your tummy. Apparently only you are allowed to do that...
• You are still working on sitting. You tripod very well, but then you sorta just slowly fold in half, letting your tummy sink to your feet.
• You can get up on your hands and knees---AND you can rock! It won't be long I bet before you figure out crawling, and attitude wise you are more than ready to go.
• You finally take naps really well. It makes for a much happier afternoon for both of us.
• You outgrew your infant carseat & we had to move you into a convertible one. So far you seem much happier in it. Yay!
• You are such a people person. You smile & talk to anybody who even glances in your direction. Also, to stuffed animals =)

5 months:

• We don't see the pediatrician this month so I'm not sure how much you weigh & all, but I think you're around 20lb and around 28in
• You wear 6mnth clothes but are moving into 9mnth sizes (and are outgrowing 9mnth PJs)
• You tried food for the 1st time this month! You HATED peas but have liked green beans, squash, & applesauce so far.
• You have rolled over from tummy to back a few more times.
• You sleep ~12hrs a night
• You discovered your feet this month---and that you can eat them =)
• You tripod sit, but you quickly wabble & then fall down
• You drank water straight from Grammy's glass!
• You are fascinated by everything & have started trying to hold the book pages while we read each night
• This month you: had your first trip to Cabela's and had your first portrait studio pictures taken.
• You cover every inch of your crib at night you little mover & shaker
• You are generally happy but you are stubborn & quickly get bored (at least I guess that's what it is since you get cranky after doing pretty much anything for more than 5min)

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!