Gobble Gobble Goo

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

So, today was my first Thanksgiving. I spent the day with Daddy's family. I had so much fun.

Grandpa and I played together, and he gave my toy turtle a name: Slowski.

Aunt Lindsey volunteered to change my stinky diaper. I don't think she's ever changed a diaper before....she put it on backwards. Next time, we'll have to label the front and back for her.

Grandma Mary gave me a big turkey leg to munch on:

Okay, that wasn't my real meal. After the photo-op, I got my real Thanksgiving dinner: green beans and sweet potatoes- yummy!

And, of course, I got to watch a lot of football. I just love watching football on TV!

All in all, it was a great day for everyone. Mommy says that we are very thankful to have family to share times like this with.

Breaking Free

So, last night was the very first night in my entire life so far that I slept without being wrapped tight in my special swaddle blankets. I did pretty well.

I went to bed a little after 7 as usual. I woke up at 2 AM, and I was a little confused. Then I remembered that I was wearing my big boy sleep sack instead of the swaddle blanket, and I fell right back to sleep. Then I woke up at 4AM. I had been sleeping later than that the last few nights, but I guess with things being a little different it will take me a few nights to adjust. I was tired and forgot why I wasn't wrapped up tight as usual so I whined a little bit. After a while Mommy came in to give me my pacifier and a kiss, but that didn't help much. Finally at 5 AM, Daddy came in with a bottle. That was just what I needed! I went back to sleep until 7 AM.

I think I like my arms being free when I sleep. Now I can get to my fingers to chew on them! Mommy is happy, too. She said that I did much better than she thought I would and that she is very proud of me. She said it's a little bittersweet that I'm growing up so much. She said that I won't be her little papoose anymore.

Mommy's keeping her fingers crossed!

Why? Because it seems that I have finally decided I don't need a bottle at three in the morning anymore. Yep, it all started on Friday night. I was so comfy and cozy, I decided not to wake Mommy and Daddy up until six in the morning. Yep, I slept for 10 3/4 hours straight! And I've been sleeping well ever since. Mommy hopes I keep it up...I haven't decided yet, but maybe if I do it will show Mommy and Daddy how much I love them.

Mommy told me I'm getting to be a big boy now, and big boys don't need to be swaddled to go to bed. So tonight is the test run. For the first time ever, I'm going to sleep without my swaddle blanket. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, and since you're reading this, I thought I would ask you if you could pass along a message to Santa Claus for me. Could you tell him that I updated my Amazon wish list? Maybe you could also tell him about some other stuff I could use. I'm eating lots now, so I could use some more plastic feeding bibs. I'm growing fast, too, and I could use some more 9 months-size clothes, especially sleepers. And, of course, I would never say no to some toys!

A Rotten Weekend

Well folks, I learned something new this weekend. I learned what a cold is, and I don't ever want one of these things again! I had just gotten better from my ear infection, and Thursday I started coming down with this cold thing. All weekend I've been coughing. Mommy keeps sucking snot out of my nose...I HATE the snot sucker! I've been trying to be brave for Mommy and Daddy and give them all the smiles and laughs I can muster. We even got my Christmas pictures taken yesterday, and I smiled for the camera. Today, my mood wasn't so great, though. Mommy and Daddy weren't in a good mood either because they caught my cold, too! Yep, we're all sick in my house. Mommy and I took a good, long nap together and I felt a little better. The doctor said it's normal for me to keep getting sick and that Mommy shouldn't worry. I just hope this cold goes away soon and that I stay well for a long time after!

In other news, tonight at dinner time there was a new color in my bowl, GREEN! I'd been eating lots of orange food: sweet potatoes, squash, carrots. I thought that maybe all food was that color. Nope, today I had my first taste of avocado. It was okay, but I wasn't really feeling up to eating because of my cold, so I didn't finish it all. I ate most of it, though. Here is a picture of my adventures in carrot-eating from yesterday.

High Five!

So, guess what guys? I'm FIVE months old! Mommy told me to slow down because I'm growing too fast. I turned five months old on Monday. I also had to go to the doctor on Monday to get my ears checked. The doctor says they are all better! I got weighed while I was there, and I'm up to 16 pounds and 9 ounces! I was wearing my clothes when they weighed me so I might be a little less...but not for long.

Latest in the eating news: I LOVE butternut squash. It's so yummy; Mommy just can't get it in fast enough so I grab the spoon and try to help. I think tonight we're going to try something new. The only problem with me eating real food is that now my spit-up is orange and is staining my bibs and clothes. Any stain remover suggestions for Mommy?

Mommy and Daddy also figured out the secret trick to my night sleeping. I usually go to bed at 7, and by 3 or 4 in the morning I would get soooo hungry. Mommy and Daddy are pretty sleepy at that time so I don't think they appreciate being woken up by my screaming. They finally figured it out though. Since Saturday, Daddy has been coming to my room at 10:30 to give me a bottle. I don't even really wake up all the way, but I drink it down. Now I don't wake up until about 5:30 or 6 in the morning. Daddy comes to get me ready and give me another bottle, and by 6:30 Mommy and I are headed out for the day. It works out perfectly and we are all much happier in the morning. This morning, I greeted Mommy with my favorite gurgling sound. Now, we just need to work on nap time.

Well, that's been my week so far. Mommy says she will be putting up some new pictures on photobucket in the next couple of days.

You are what you eat

So that must mean I'm a sweet potato!


Yep, that's right, I ate my first vegetable. Let's back up a bit. If you recall, I was giving Mommy a hard time with eating cereal. This week I started eating it at daycare, and it turns out, cereal is not so bad if I get it in the morning! I still won't eat it in the evening with Mommy though.

A couple weeks ago, we had tried some sweet potatoes. They were okay, but I really wasn't in the mood with my ear hurting and all. Since I won't eat cereal in the evenings, Mommy decided to try sweet potatoes again on Thursday. I wasn't too sure about it, but I ate most of them without a fuss. Then last night, I had them again, and I finished the whole bowl! Well, minus what got left on my bib. I think I like sweet potatoes! Oh, and by the way, these are Mommy's homemade sweet potatoes...yum, yum!


I licked the spoon



and chewed the spoon




Mommy, I wanna hold it!



Who ate more, me or my bib?

I did...did you?

This morning Mommy, Daddy, and I all went to VOTE. Ok, well maybe I just watched Mommy vote, but today will go down in history as my first election. Everyone at the precinct had to stop and tell me how cute I was. I bet if they had to vote on who the most cute baby is, I would win hands down!

All I Want for Christmas....

is NOT my two front teeth... the other kids at daycare told me that hurts!

Anyway, with Halloween done, it's time I started thinking about Christmas. Mommy is helping me put together a wish list to give you some ideas of what I would like. Of course, they are just suggestions for those of you who wanted to know what I might want or need. I'm going to keep the link to my wish list here on my blog. It's just got a few things on it right now, but I may add more here and there so you can just click on the link to see if there's anything new. It's the button that looks like this:



Oh, and if you know a guy named Santa, could you tell him to come see my blog and look at the list, too? I heard he's the man to talk to.

Happy Halloween!

So, Friday was my very first Halloween! All day Mommy made me wear this silly pumpkin outfit. It was a little small for me so the hat and shoes wouldn't stay on, but we "made it work". Then, after I had my evening bottle, I got into my real costume.

Trick-or-treating didn't start until 6. That's about the time when I start winding down for bed. Mommy and I were going to sit outside and hand out candy to all the kids in the neighborhood, but there were too many mosquitoes! So we snapped a few pictures and headed back inside.

By that point I was really getting tired, and my costume was really hot. I let Mommy know that I was not a happy camper. Soon after that it was off to bed for me. Don't worry...the kids still got their treats; Daddy handed them out.

Hardly anyone got to see me in my costume since I didn't stay in it for long. Hopefully, next Halloween will be a little more fun. I'll be old enough to go trick-or-treating!



Is this hat really necessary?



RAWR!




Even dinos have to sit down after awhile

Daddy's eyes, Mommy's ears

I haven't been feeling well lately. And even though the doctor gave me cold medicine, things were just getting worse. Mommy took me to the doctor again today, and she told Mommy I have another ear infection. Mommy and I are very bummed. That means I have to take that yucky medicine again. Mommy hopes my ears don't end up like hers, but I'm very young to have already had two ear infections so things are not looking good.

Roly Poly Part Deux

That's right, folks...I speak French, too.

Anyway, you'll remember a little less than a month ago, I rolled over from my tummy to my back. Well what I didn't tell you is, after I did that for about a week, I quit and wouldn't do it anymore.

Well, that's because I was gearing up for my new trick which I premiered today. I rolled over from back to tummy! It really took Mommy by suprise. And if I'm being honest, I kind of surprised myself, too. I didn't know if I could do it. I thought my arm would get stuck, but it didn't.

Mommy tried to get me to do it again for the camera, but I was too worn out...maybe next time.

Just call me Spike

If you remember, I was born with a head full of hair. Well, since then, it had mostly fallen out. However, the last few weeks, I've been growing lots of new hair. Mommy thinks it's funny because it stands straight up.

Mommy also wants to trim the hair that's growing over my ears, but G.G. says to leave it alone. What do you think?

My new method of conversation

Just in time for Halloween, I've been perfecting my scream. It's my new favorite sound to make. Whether I'm happy, sad, or mad, I just scream and shriek all day long. If I'm really happy, I add a gurgle to it. I like the sound it makes, but I'm not so sure Mommy does.

Daddy Day-care

So yesterday when we pulled up to Mrs. Monica's house, we were greeted with some bad news. She had just found out that her daughter, Mikayla, was sick. That meant I couldn't stay there because I might catch it and get sick too. Everybody was working so that meant no babysitter for Rex! So what happened?

Daddy to the rescue! Daddy came and got me, and guess what? He brought me to work! Yep, I spent all day "interning" at Daddy's office. I was very well-behaved, and I even got cozy enough in my car seat to take a couple of naps.

Of course, I made sure to make a poopy diaper for everyone in the office to smell...ha ha.

I was my usual charming self. Every time Ms. Yen would walk by me, I would flash her my flirty smile. She's really pretty. I'm all about the ladies. Mr. Steven is not a pretty lady so I just stared at him. Hey, I can't just give my smiles away to anybody!

No way, Jose!

She brought me in the kitchen, and put me in my seat.

She told me to get ready to have something to eat.

Daddy got the camera while she got the food.

Little did they know that I would not be in the mood.

Then she came toward me with that thing called a spoon.

Little did I know of the impending doom.

She put it in my mouth, this cereal made from rice.

In my opinion, it did not taste very nice.

I tried hard not to swallow. I didn't want it there.

Soon it was all over my face, my bib, my chair.

I cried for someone to help me; to save me from this fate.

I screamed and arched my back because, by now, I was irate.

She tried to console me, but I yelled more and more.

And when she gave me my pacifier, I threw it on the floor.

She hugged and kissed and rocked me, and although she tried to coddle,

Nothing could calm me down until I had my bath and bottle.

You can make it thick or thin. Serve it cold or warm.

But I much prefer to have my dinner in liquid form.

She says we'll try again tomorrow, but you can almost bet.

That no matter what she does, I won't be ready yet.

Ouch!

Today, I went to see my doctor for my 4-month well visit. It was all fun and games until the nurse came and gave me 2 shots in my leg. I cried, but not for too long.

I got measured, too. I weigh 15 pounds, 5 ounces which is in the 50th percentile, and I am 25 1/2 inches long which is in the 75th percentile.

The doctor told Mommy she can start feeding me cereal. I am going to have my first taste tomorrow. I'm excited! In a couple of weeks, I can start trying some fruits and veggies, too. Mommy will be sure to take lots of pictures of me making a mess!

We did get some not-so-good news from the doctor. My nose is stuffy and both of my ears have fluid in them. She gave me some medicine so that hopefully my ears don't get infected again. That wasn't fun the last time.

I have lots of medicine in me right now: my shots, my cold medicine, and the two medicines I take for acid reflux. Boy, all these drugs sure are making me sleepy. Off to bed for me. Hey, why don't you leave me a comment every now and then?

What a Week

This week was so crazy! My babysitter, Mrs. Monica, went out of town so I got to spend the week with all sorts of people!

On Sunday night, my G.G. and Grandpa Rick came over. They spent the night and took care of me all day on Monday. They even took me to see my Great Aunt MaryLou and Great Uncle Bennie.

On Tuesday, I went to my Grandma and Grandpa's house. I got to play with Corky, my Doggie-Aunt.

On Wednesday, Aunt Kristi came over. She let me play lots in my jumperoo.

On Thursday, it was back to Mrs. Monica's. I let her know how much I missed her by being very good. I even took a 3-hour nap!

I made sure to give everyone who watched me my favorite "present"- a stinky diaper!

One thing I didn't like about this week was that I didn't get to see my girlfriend, Carli. I thought I would see her on Thursday and Friday, but she was sick and had to stay home with her Mommy. I can't wait to see her on Monday, and tell her all about the fun I had this week.

So, thanks to everybody who watched me this week. I had so much fun! Mommy says thank you too!

I did it!

Mommy again...Rex said he doesn't have much to blog about so he let me take over yet again.

Well, Rex is not eating solid food yet, but it won't be much longer. I decided to go ahead and start making some stuff to freeze for when he's ready. Success! It was quite easy. In the freezer are several servings of sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, bananas, pears, and apples. Tomorrow, I will work on squash, pumpkin, and more apples.

Like anything, there's a learning curve. Lucky I found a mentor in my friend, Roni, who has also gone the homemade route. Her baby, Marshall, will be a year old next month so she is my baby guru.

Thought you might like to see the baby food-making in action:

Mommy takes over to talk about baby food.

Mommy here. I wanted to tell you a little bit about Rex's current poll. He wants to know whether I should make his baby food from scratch. He was a little suprised that so many of you said no. He told me I should tell you some things about baby food so that you can make an informed decision. Remember, the poll is still open for a few more days.

First of all, I have no problem feeding Rex the jarred stuff, and I will always leave that open as an option. However, I'm leaning more and more toward at least giving the homemade baby food a try.

There's really not much to it. In just a couple hours, I can make a whole month's worth of food. All you really have to do is steam or bake the food, puree it with some water, and freeze. You can use ice cube trays to freeze the food in individual portions. Say you want to feed Rex peas and carrots? Just take out a cube of peas and a cube of carrots, heat, and voila!

Why not just take the easy route and do the jars? Well, first of all it is a LOT cheaper...baby food is such a rip off! Second of all, homemade food does not have the additives and preservatives that some of the jarred stuff does. Homemade is less processed and that makes it healthier. Third, there's just something satisfying about the idea of doing this. Again, if it becomes too much to handle or I'm just not into it, I have no problem going with store-bought.

Anyway, I heard some of you were scoffing at me for even considering it so I thought I'd give you the low-down. Don't be so quick to judge!

Ah-goo!

I love to talk to Mommy and Daddy. My favorite thing to tell them is "ah-goo!". Well, I just figured out how to spice it up a little bit...with a gurgle! All evening I gurgled my "ah-goo" to them. They kept laughing so I kept doing it. I've got them wrapped around my little finger.