9 Month M

 Lots of mischief happened this month. M is getting faster with his crawling. He has left the 'worm' behind and is traditionally crawling everywhere.

He not only likes to crawl but the older kids found him standing up in the crib after waking up from a nap the last week of November.  M pulled himself up to a standing position on the clothes basket on December 1.
He took first steps alone cruising along the couch on December 4th. He is a man on the move!

Peering into the school room is a favorite past-time. He wants to join the big kids so badly...there is so much stuff in there to explore and examine. It is a little boy's dream! He spends a lot of time gazing longingly through the parlor doors.

Chew, chew, chew. M loves to chew. On Sunday, he was very interested in Jut's lapel pin...he kept trying to figure out how to get it in his mouth. He slobbered Jut's suit all up. He was tenacious in his attempts. He could not be distracted from his objective.  It was pretty funny.

M met Santa at Cookies with Santa out at G'pa and G'pa's church.  He couldn't quite figure him out. He examined him pretty closely and for as stranger shy as he is, he didn't fuss at all.  He even gave some spectacular smiles for the camera but I didn't get a great shot.

M hates the nursery at church. He won't stay in there without screaming. They call me back every week. Poor guy. I think he has stranger anxiety. He loves his mommy and wants her right next to him. He figures out that I'm gone with sixty seconds. He is quickly becoming the proverbial spoiled baby of the family.

M decided that he LOVES food this month. He really enjoys his food. The baby food with spouts was great because then he can feed himself. That is the best!

M got to experience his first Black Friday shopping excursion with Mom, Aunt Stacey and G'ma. He was a trooper. He enjoyed watching all the crazy shoppers...although, he was very confused at being taken out of his bed and put into a carseat at 6:15 am.

He did so well that G'ma and Mom even took him Christmas shopping again later in December.

G'm is one of his favorite people. He always goes to G'ma and gives her a snuggle when he sees her.

M got to go to a 100th B'day celebration for Dad's G'ma Cappy in Dowagiac. He didn't particularly enjoy sleeping in a hotel. However, he did really well in the car. Thankfully the days of screaming in the car appear to be behind him.

He took his first tumble down the stairs tonight. Thankfully, he appears to be okay. It just scared everyone and was a needed reminder that we need to keep the door closed at the top of the stairs at all times. The craziest thing was that he went right back and tried to do it again less than an hour later. Silly baby. So, we started lessons on going down the stairs on his belly.

Sleeping is generally better. He is taking a good nap most mornings. He is only getting up once or so most nights...unless he is having tummy troubles. However, last week he had two nights that he was up for 1+ hours in the middle of the night. So, sleeping is somewhat better but we have a long ways to go before I'd say it is great.

M is just really becoming more and more of a person. He loves watching the big kids and trying to connect with them. He spends lots of time watching C play with Legos on the landing to the stairs. He wants to do what they do...it has started already...Life is just going to keep getting more and more fun.

C is 4!

My vivacious boy turned 4. He is fun...challenging at times but very fun. He takes life at 90 mph. It is all or nothing with him.

He loves Star*Wars. He got money for his b'day and chose to spend it on a Kilo*Ren mask along with the matching light saber.

However, he did love dressing up as TinkerBell all fall. Mom sent the costume home with his cousin Lydia and he was very upset when he found out it was missing. He did make an adorable TinkerBell.

He embraced the roll of a big brother wholeheartedly this spring after he decided that baby wasn't leaving. While he doesn't always enjoy sharing the limelight and cuddles, he does love his little brother very much. He ALWAYS wants to hold him and cuddle him. It seems like almost all of my pics of C involve M. He loves him to pieces.

C spent the summer riding his "XWing" down the driveway. It is amazing how fast he can get the balance bike to go. He could ride X's 2-wheel bike without training wheels in August, but I think the pedals hurt his feet without his shoes. He'd rather not wear his shoes...so he stuck with the balance bike all summer. I couldn't even register a guess how many miles he put on his bike this summer riding up and down the driveway...always barefoot, of course.  Unless he had on his "gardening boots" aka his winter boots. He wore his winter boots until August. Crazy guy. I think G'pa always wore work boots...and so C had his on too.

Now it is December, and we can't get him to wear boots, coats or pants. Thankfully, it has been a very warm fall.

Our days of Thomas*the*Train are dwindling. He still has them out and plays with them, but it is our first year in many that there is no Thomas on the Christmas lists. He is definitely growing up.

 He is trying to spell things and he's learning to add. However, he is adamant that he will NOT do school.  We might have to trick this one into his learning...although he seems to be doing okay on his own so far.

Night time Pull-ups are finally a thing of the past.

The boys discovered Paw*Patrol at the library in November...and that is their latest obsession...it is almost bigger than Star*Wars...go figure.

He doesn't like being four. There are too many rules for four-year olds...especially at church. He wants to constantly go back to the 2's and 3's class.

I think my little guy (who is 1.5 inches taller and 4.5 lbs heavier than his 'big' brother) doesn't like change and will do what he can to avoid it. He is head-strong and persistent. He is one to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. He is a challenge on many levels and so different than his older siblings. But, I wouldn't change anything about him. He is sweet and sensitive (in a different way than X) and has a heart of gold. I'm excited to see the developments age 4 brings.

One thing I forgot...C loves pretending to be a cat...the name changes...but he loves being a cat. He eats like a cat, curls up in my lap and meows. He's pretty adorable in his cat mode when he's not lapping up peas from his dinner plate.

M is 8 months...

 Month 8 brought M's first Halloween. That was fun. He didn't mind the costume until he got too hot, but since it was a rainy, miserable, cold night that wasn't much of a problem.

October 23rd brought Mom and Dad 7 consecutive hours of sleep. They were ecstatic, but it didn't last and M was back to his up a couple times a night shenanigans.

Tooth #4 and #5 erupted this month.  Tooth #4 surprised Mom. She was waiting for the top right one to come in, but the second one on the top left snuck in first around November 4th. Tooth #5, the top right one, erupted on November 6th. The drooling has slowed down and sleeping patterns got a bit better with M usually only up once or so each night.

M took his first bath in the big tub with his brothers. He loved it, but he's still a bit wobbly and slippery. He's been back in the baby tub for our peace of mind (and the older boys have been showering lately).

Baby mischief started at the end of the month. Jut came home on the 19th to find the trash bin sitting up on the island away from little hands. He is a boy on the move that wants to explore his surroundings. 

He also pulled himself up to a standing position on the landing to the stairs on the 19th. He thinks he is getting to be big stuff.

On the 19th, M also took his first few 'traditional' crawling movements. He has been worming his way everywhere, but he finally got the hand-knee movement going. He is going to start getting fast.

He's never been a tiny guy, but when E hold him, he is starting to look very big. She is smart. If he needs held for a minute, she quickly finds a chair.

M is a smiley guy. He just lights up for the camera. He is fun to photograph and hang out with. With the exception of his middle of the night wakeful times, we enjoying our last baby play times. He loves to stand up. He loves to chew on anything. Peek-a-boo is always a hit. Simple things bring such joy and amusement. I am trying to soak up and enjoy these moments.

He does give our nursery workers at church a hard time. I get a distress text every week as he's upset and inconsolable. As soon as I get there, everything is right with the world again. He might be a touch of a stinker.

Family Photos...A 'Hoot-shoot' :)

A wonderful friend from the 'Nac popped in one windy, blustery day in mid-October and did a 'hoot-shoot' for us. It was a hoot...even in the cold and wind. M was confused by all the shenanigans and the other three weren't super cooperative but we had fun. More importantly, we had a great chance to catch up with our friends. It was a great time and we even got one really good photo for our wall. 

Halloween Madness

   Halloween was a bit crazy this year. We had the boys' birthday celebrations on November 1st. So, we had a full house on the 31st. Jut's mom, sister, brother-in-law and niece made our weekend even more fun. Mario, a bee with super kitty, a little adorable witch, Princess Leia and a chick made our ensemble. It was a crazy crew but we had a good time. The weather was wretched. But, we made the best of it.

We carved pumpkins again. I think we missed last year. We raised our pumpkins in the garden this year. X had his 'perfect' pumpkin picked out in September and waiting until Halloween to carve it was so hard. But, finally it was time.

The boys weren't super helpful cleaning theirs. But they enjoyed watching the process and designing their pumpkin faces. E was amazing. A couple of years makes such a difference. She cleaned and carved hers all by herself.  I was impressed.

I did take E's pic with her pumpkin right away...but I forgot with the boys'. So, the bottom picture isn't the best as it was a few days later but at least there is some pictorial evidence that they got to carve pumpkins another year.

7-Month M

7 month old M is a delight.  He smiles and laughs. He says, "Ma ma ma ma ma". Sometimes it even seems to be directed at me. He is making other consonants sounds too but they aren't recognizable enough to write out. He loves playing 'peek a boo'. It gets a giggle out of him every time. He loves 'getting' people by whomever is holding him to lunge at someone else. He is a fun, little guy.

He finally started solids, but his face shows his opinion on that craziness.  However, if his food is mixed with either apple or banana, it will at least go down and not cause him to gag. Plain pumpkin or avocado causes all sorts of faces...and subsequent gagging.  He was finally starting to eat pretty well and he got a cold at the end of the month and is back to not eating much. But, he'll pick it up again when he's ready.

I don't have a picture of him standing, but he loves to stand up. He'll be doing it independently far too quickly. He doesn't like to sit. When he's being put down, he keeps his legs straight. He wants to stand. It is easiest to lay him on his belly when he's being deposited on the floor because otherwise you have to bend his legs to get him to sit. Silly baby. I had almost decided that he was going to stand independently before he sat independently because he didn't practice sitting nearly as much as standing.  However, just before he turned 7 months old, he started sitting independently. He can almost get himself back into a sitting position from his belly but he's not quite there yet.

He's really getting up on his knees and rocking. He can even make some forward progress, but it generally involves pushing off with his feet and vaulting himself forward into a nose-dive to the floor, which may or may not result in tears.  It isn't horribly efficient but it gets him what he wants. Choking hazards are a concern because he seems to get where he wants to go and can now pick things up and shove them into his mouth. He loves paper and plastic. While holding him, he is becoming a 'Grabby-McGrab-Grab'. He tries to get whatever is in your hands. Meal prep while holding him is beyond challenging anymore.

He went to the doctor on Oct 23rd. He weighed 18.75 lbs and was 27 inches tall. He is pretty close to the 50th percentile for both.

Sleeping is still challenging. He did give us 2 good nights of sleep this month. One night he did 7 straight hours and the next was 6.5. However, then the next night he only allowed me 4 hours. Go figure. I blame it on teeth...although sometimes gas bubbles wake him up too. My least favorite part of this stage is that he tends to be up for 2 hour chunks in the middle of the night when he's unhappy. That tends to make me unhappy too.

M has 3 teeth (#3 erupted on the 19th) and the 4th is visible but it hasn't erupted yet. However, based on his drooling, I expect it to pop through any day.

Swaddling is a thing of the past. He just likes to sleep normally and not a burrito anymore. I miss my burrito baby but do enjoy not having to swaddle (and reswaddle) anymore.

He started taking a pacifer this month to go to sleep. Once his teeth erupted, I decided that chewing on my fingers was no longer an option and so we tried the paci again. After a little convincing, he accepted it.  That has made a HUGE difference in getting his to sleep easily. There is no longer much screaming. I pop the pacifer into his mouth, bounce on the ball a bit, and he is out like a light. He's my first baby to take one and I love it! I probably won't love breaking him of the habit later, but for now, it makes my life so much easier.

C is still loving him to pieces. Life is never dull.

6 Month M

M is half a year old! He is our little man. He loves to talk to people. He loves to laugh. He is generally a happy guy when he's not tired.

He adores his siblings. They can make him laugh and entertain him like no one else. He gets so excited when they pay attention to him. C loves 'furburping' his belly. Makes M laugh and laugh.

M started grabbing his toes this month during diaper changes. However, he gets frustrated when he has a cloth diaper on and can no longer get them to his mouth.

He is getting less and less content in the bumpo, swing and bouncy seat. He'd rather be on the floor where he can roll and spin himself.  However, he loves the stroller. He'll sit for an hour in the stroller. We spend many evenings walking him up and down the driveway for a bit of exercise and to keep him awake (and happy) until bedtime.

He is still taking about 3 naps per day. If he takes a long nap in the afternoon, he doesn't need that early evening nap. But, most days he has to have a short nap at 5.  One of these days sleeping will improve and he'll get to the two naps per day.



 Tooth #1 popped on September 17th on the lower left. Tooth #2 popped September 22 on the lower right, and tooth #3 sprouted a corner on September 23 on the top. Poor boy has been a teething mess for the past couple of weeks. Sleeping has been difficult and awake time hasn't been great. Hopefully the teeth will slow down and life will be a little better the little guy.

 He is just starting to get up on his knees. Crawling will be coming soon. He also loves to stand up. Anytime he is held on a lap, he wants to stand up. He may be an early walker, if he can get that core developed. He no longer leans against the person holding him. He is working on those core muscles. He can't sit independently yet, but he's working on it.

He does adore his siblings. However, I think that he'd prefer to view them from a distance or from the safety of Mom's arms. Generally, he looks scared in all the pictures that they are holding him. But, they love to hold him and help care for him.  E walks him in the stroller when he's fussy. X fetches toys and keeps him company when Mom is busy. C just loves him to pieces.

 M took his first train ride at CrossRoads Village this month. He slept through almost the entire ride. He wasn't nearly as impressed with the ride in the caboose as the older three. The trip equated to another long car ride and he wasn't too thrilled with that.

Chilling and drooling at home

He can get toys easily to his mouth. He loves to chew anything. Today, he was chewing on a broccoli leaf that he pulled while he was hanging out with me in the garden. He generally grabs anyone's hand and tries to shove it in his mouth. He loves sucking on my finger to go to sleep. However, that is going to stop now that he has teeth coming in.

It has been a fun month of growth and discovery. Month 7 will be more of the same!

**Interesting note: We noticed today that his umbilical hernia is no longer visible. His little belly-button is turning into an innie instead of an outie.  Dr thought it would take until age 2 for it to 'disappear'.

First day of school

Happy, dancing baby

Furburped belly

Outgrowing the bassinet

Loving his new skill

Adoring E