277 Days -- or -- 39 Weeks and 4 Days

So much has been happening lately. You started "waving" about 5 days ago. Actually, you hold up your right hand, palm facing you, and open and close your fingers. It is very cute! I think you know that everyone likes it so you do it upon request now.

You've had your second cold for the past couple of nights. Last night you didn't have much appetite and rejected baby food, formula, and even people food. You took a good nap this morning though.

Your dog, Champ, went poo-poo right in the middle of your room at about 5 am. You weren't in there at the time. Good thing because it smelled really bad. Daddy says he's officially an outdoor dog again. Daddy almost went all Micheal Vick on Champ.

You are so very close to crawling. You can squat on your knees and hold yourself up on your arms. That is a pretty new development because last week your arms weren't quite strong enough to hold up your body. Now you can rock on all fours and sometimes inch forward by bending one leg underneath. It's fascinating to watch you struggle and make progress.

234 Days -- or -- 33 Weeks and 3 Days

Here you are in all your bathing glory!

 

232 Days -- or -- 33 Weeks and 1 Days

This is a picture of your sister holding you on Friday morning. December 14th, 2007.

 

231 Days -- or -- 33 Weeks and 1 Days

Tonight (December 13th) we decorated your first Christmas tree. You were a little tired though and missed most of the festivities. You sure were excited to see it the next morning however!

 

On the vocabulary front, you're trying to make the "Ffff" sound so you can say "foo-foo" or something to that effect. You're also saying "Vvvv" which doesn't mean anything to me.

229 Days -- or -- 32 Weeks and 5 Days

In the last week you've been trying to make some new sounds such as:

* Woo. I think you're trying to say "Woo-Woo" or, in English, "Dog."
* Vee
* Hey
* Buh, as in "Buh, buh, buh."

Where are you in terms of physical development? At your last checkup you weighed 18 lbs and a few ounces, which means more than double your birth weight. You can sit up, lean forward to get toys, and even rotate around to the left (going to the right makes you fall over for now.)

You love to pick things up, study them with your eyes and hands for a minute or two, then sample them with your mouth. If you discover they aren't food, you usually try to press them against your gums and hum. Perhaps you're testing for musical qualities?

You love to eat yogurt right now. We don't give you too much because it is a dairy product. Mixed with baby cereal, it seems to make a filling meal for you. You also love Gerber mixed fruit (bananas, apples, pears) and some of the vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.) but not green beans, to my delight.

You can stand on your feet with support for a few minutes, though you are pretty unstable. You love to hold onto things such as the bed rails for stability.

By the way, here is a website to count the number of days between any two dates:
http://www.easysurf.cc/ndate2.htm

Jump Video

She was jumping one day shortly after the Van Halen concert. We put on the song "Jump" and she just kept going. I got the whole thing on video but overwrote part of it by accident. Only the first 2 minutes were saved.

Gurgling Sounds Video

Da Da Sounds

Happy Fall!

Day 199: Your First Cold

Today is Monday, 11/11 (Veterans Day.) The day the armistice ending WWI was signed (between the Allies and Germans) to go into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918.

You had a rough night, waking up with a stuffy nose and grabbing your ears a little. Just to be on the safe side, we'll take you to the doctor to check for an ear infection.

Your smile is changing a little these days also. You're doing more of a "cheesy" grin now with squinty eyes and all. You're also smiling at everything, even inanimate objects. The other day, Mom took you shopping and she said you were smiling at all the mannequins. You even smile at your pacifier, the TV remote control, anything you can get a reaction out of. It's very cute.

Sitting up and reaching

Today is Sunday and before going outside I captured a few pics and movies of you sitting up and playing. You're able to sit up straight pretty much at will now. You're also able to bend forward, grab a toy (or just beat on it) and straighten back up. All the while you're either talking, screaming, or blowing bubbles.

Right after these pictures were taken we went on a short "nature walk" with Champ. You were in your "baby bjorn" carrier. Funny that you don't make a peep when you're in there. You just look around at the trees and wave your arms around.

Day 185: First Halloween!

Well you tried your first lollipop last night and no surprise, you took to it like a fish to water.

In the last week you've gained the ability to sit upright for minutes at a time. Only occasionally do you topple over. Your back muscles are getting stronger and more coordinated every day. You also still love to be held up in standing position and bounce. We're anticipating you walking any day now!

About to crawl?

You're pulling your knees up under yourself these days. You're also eating saltine crackers.

You love to grasp things and put them in your mouth.

Busy Bee

Your talking is getting better every day. You're trying hard to form words and every now and then a recognizable consonant or phoneme gets out. We think you've said "Ay" and "Hey" every now and then.

You're also doing a lot of bubbling. Last night you looked like you had rabies for a minute.

Your crawling skills are also improving every day. Last night you were having tummy time and tried several times to pull up your knees. You even managed to move a few feet by a combination of rolling and squirming.

Mostly you like to like on your back, grab ahold of your feet, and talk/sing to yourself.

First Plane Trip

Went to Newark, NJ, on Monday. Felt OK except got sore on left side of pelvis after walking. Took one crutch. I think I would have been OK with a cane.

Felt very sore in the morning after all the walking. Probably too soon to be walking without a cane or a crutch.

24 weeks yesterday

So what are you up to these days? Rolling over on your stomach at will. You seem to be making a range of different sounds these days.

You're into gumming saltine ers a lot these days also.

Day 151: Update

I was injured in a car/bike accident about 10 days ago so your Mom has had two babies to care for lately.

You're doing a lot of cool things lately such as:

• Singing. You go off on singing sessions lasting a few minutes to an hour or so (unfortunately you had a long one last night between 2 and 3 am.) The pitches are all over the place. Sometimes you sound frustrated and other times happy.


• Scrubbing. You love to scrub your face into the sheets whenever we put you down. Also, we put you down on your back and you immediately flip over onto your stomach.


• Reaching/grabbing. Whenever something is within arms length you spread out your arms and kid of grab for it. This morning there was loaf of bread right by your Bumbo chair and you got ahold of it and almost got the bag off. The amazing thing is your focus and concentration during all of this.


• Mouthing. Everything you can pick up gets tasted at this point. Actually, you've already seemed to grasp the concept of cups and you try to drink out of our glasses all the time. Yesterday you had were sipping from a water bottle at John's tennis match.

Day 137: 360 rollover!

OK. You're starting to really knock out the firsts these days. Here are a few of your latest achievements:

• Rolled over completely from back to stomach to back again a couple of days ago.
• Yesterday, Sunday 9/9, you ate your first applesauce (Gerber 1.) Up until yesterday you'd only had banana cereal mixed with formula and bananas from a jar.
• Your voice has definitely changed and it almost sounds like you're making words.

Day 133: Happy Birthday!

Nineteen weeks old and boy how the time has flown! This morning I noticed that not only can you grab the toys in your bouncy chair very well, but you can sit forward without a towel or pad behind your back. It seems like only a couple of weeks ago that you were swallowed up by that seat. You couldn't reach your arms up and slumped back and to the side.

Also, yesterday your mom showed me that you can easily turn over from your back to stomach. You just tuck in one arm and pull your legs up and to the side. It's amazing! You get a little frustrated once you're on your stomach however.

Day 124: Found her voice

Last week, I think it was Wednesday, you found your voice. By that I mean instead of just cooing and gurgling, you suddenly discovered how to "shriek." It's hilarious and loud.

Another first, baby food! You had your first "solid" food on Saturday. It was banana flavored cereal and you took to the spoon like a duck takes to water.

Day 109: Princess Grrrrrrrr

You have made a lot of progresss lately. Probably too much to write about so I'll just make a bullet list again:

• You still mostly say "Grrrrr" or something similar along with "Oooooo." You're definitely trying to talk though. Every now and then you let out what sounds like a laugh. You make other cute noises but not on a regular basis.


• You love books! We hold books in front of you and you love to try and grab the pages and turn them. You don't quite have enough dexterity though but you're close.


• You love to try to put everything you can get ahold of into your mouth. We bought you a teething ring though but you aren't real crazy about it. You love to try and put blankets in your mouth. You're still drooling like a fountain also.


• You mostly love to put one or both hands in your mouth and get them all slobbery. Mommy thinks you have sweaty hands but I think its just drool.


• Sometimes when I check on you in your crib you've turned almost 90 degrees perpendicular to the length of the crib. I think all that kicking and writhing is making you turn. It's hilarious.


• You fall asleep cuddling your "baby bear" or other stuffed rabbit rattle. It's incredibly cute.

Last week the temperatures were in the 100's for about three days. It was oppressively humid as well. The paper quoted people from Africa as saying it was hotter than home. Saturday it was only in the mid-90's and felt so much better, we took you shopping and you got a new table for your Bumbo chair.

Day 94: Developmental Update

For the last few weeks, since around the beginning of July, you've started to drool a lot more. Sometimes you even wake up in the middle of the night in a little puddle. For the last few nights, you've been waking up around 2:30 or 3:00. This is unusual since before that you were sleeping until 5 or 6 am. The book says these might be early symptoms of teething! I can't believe how fast this is happening.

Your language is improving every day also. You really like to say "Grrrrrrrggggg" and love it when people say it back to you. You still aren't crazy about letting anyone but Mommy hold you right now. Except yesterday you let me hold you for awhile and even let me put you to bed. This morning we went to Starbucks, just you and me. A lady there told me you were beautiful!

Day 76: Progress Update

Well you have made a ton of progress since my last update. I'm beginning to lose track of the milestones but will try to piece the last few weeks together.

Yesterday you had a doctor's appointment...at 76 days which is around 11 weeks old. Actually you are 11 weeks old today! You got 4 shots, 2 in each thigh. Mom said you were surprised at the first one then outraged at the remaining ones. You got a sucker though which your siblings took off your hands.

What else are you doing? Let's see. You can roll over...from your back to front, somewhat accidentally. It tends to frustrate you a lot though.

You are also gaining a lot of control over your hands. Last week, we visited Grandma and Grandpa Banks in Vienna, VA. You had been trying to get your right hand in your mouth for several days and pretty much got the hang of it during that week. You brought your fist up to your mouth and started sucking on your index finger. Every now and then your thumb uncurled and got into your mouth. I couldn't tell if you were having early signs of teething pain on your upper gums. Probably not, but you sure liked to push your hand up there.

This week you're getting a lot better at putting the hand to your mouth. In fact, this morning Mom placed a little toy in your hand and you held onto it and moved it around and up to your mouth all by yourself. You didn't like the taste of it though.

Day 52: Playing at the beach

Day 60?

You're a little over 8 weeks old now. Let's run down your talents so far:

• Able to lie on stomach for short periods and hold up your head.


• Able to turn head side-to-side completely while lying on stomach.


• You love to kick straight out with both legs.


• When lying on your stomach on a pillow, you can actually almost move yourself with a kick.


• You're trying very hard to talk...you make "ooo's" and "aah's" in response to people talking to you.


• Sometimes you let loose with your own sounds when you look at your toys.


• You move your hands in the direction of toys but can't get ahold of them.

Day 53: Home from the beach

We just got back from your first beach trip. You were exhausted but today you're talking up a storm! Actually the sounds are more like "aaahs" and "ooos."

Here's a closeup of you sitting in your Aunt Rachel's lap:

Day 38: Falling asleep by yourself

We're trying to teach you to fall asleep by yourself. That's the premise of a book Dr. Stein recommended called "on becoming baby wise."

The idea is that parents need to establish a schedule and get the baby to conform to it. It helps stabilize their feeding/wake/sleep cycles which leads them to sleep all night. It takes about a week for the baby to adapt to the process.

The hard part is getting the baby's buy-in on the process. Instead of going to sleep, babies will cry for awhile. The book says this is normal and we should just let them cry, as long as nothing is physically wrong with them (wet diaper, bad position, etc.) The biggest problem is getting Mom to let you cry.

Day 37: Sitting up in the Bumbo seat

Somebody is putting on weight! I'll bet you are up to 11 or 12 lbs by now....mostly in the cheeks I think.

You allowed us to put you in your Bumbo seat for a few minutes and you even cracked a smile! You can't quite hold your head straight for a long time but you're making great progress!

Day 39: Seeing things?

Today it seemed like you were reacting to the kitty going by. You were lying on the floor looking up at the ceiling skylights, etc. When our black cat Ezzy walked by you definitely noticed. Your eyes tracked her movements and focused in on her. I think you're seeing the contrast very well!

Day 31: A very busy day

Day 30: Sister's Dance Recital

You almost made it through an entire two performances of your sister's ballet school. I had to take you outside for awhile though. I think this was your first exposure to the tall buildings of Charlotte.

Day 25: Nine pounds

You had a check-up today with your pediatrician and his assessment was that you're outstanding! You are at nine pounds, which is perfect. He also said you're extremely alert and advanced. I expected no less.

The afternoon was very warm but our backyard is shady and cool. We (you and me) went on a little nature walk to check out the bird feeder and trees. The whole time you were quiet and serene, just looking around at all of the different colors. I don't think you can quite look at faces just yet but you aren't far away. I think you're also beginning to try and make talking sounds.

You're about 3 and 1/2 weeks old now and already you're changing. I know that before we know it you'll be crawling, cooing, and responding to our faces. I'm sure we'll miss these days.

Day 24: Sunday

Today you went to watch your brother John play another tennis match. He did really well against the number one seeded opponent from some other club. His backhand is pretty awesome and he had several great drop shots. Perhaps you'll be a player someday!

Mom put a knitted hat on you but you didn't like it. I don't blame you. It looked kinda dumb to me too.

Day 19: A little fussy

You were a little fussy last night. Mom had trouble getting you to sleep in the late afternoon and evening. Mom even tried giving you a bath which made you shriek!

Finally we got you some simethicone infant anti-gas which seemed to do the trick. We think you're swallowing too much air with your milk and it's making you feel weird.

You also got up around 2:30 am and stayed up until 4:30. Mommy wasn't very happy.

Day 18: Not much time for web updates

It's hard to find a few minutes to do these web updates. But I want to do them since she changes so fast!

Today Doctor Aviva Stein came to see you. Dr. Stein delivered you 18 days ago! She brought you a present called a Bumbo. It is a baby seat that is made out of injection-molded foam rubber. It is designed to hold your back at an angle that keeps you upright. It also locks your legs in so you won't fall out. It's ingenious really. We'll see how you like it in a few weeks.

You're able to hold your head straight up and look side-to-side now. It's pretty amazing really. We put you on your stomach and you kicked your legs out and pulled your knees up like you wanted to roll over.

Day 17: John's Confirmation

Your brother John was confirmed today. We had a breakfast before hand then the ceremony followed by a catered lunch with cake. It was a hog's delight. As you can see from the photo, you were still very small.
You actually didn't make a sound until about 10 minutes left in the ceremony/service. Then you let loose out in the vestibule.

Day 14: Two weeks old!

I got home today after not seeing you for almost 2 and 1/2 days. It seems like you've put on about two pounds! Your legs and wrists are starting to get chubby and wrinkled...baby style.

We took you to lunch with us at a restaurant named "Roosters" in SouthPark. It wasn't very good. Apparently they specialize in indiscriminately hacking chickens to pieces and serving them in various manners (chicken salad, chicken thigh pizza, etc.) Actually the name fits....everything tasted like rooster meat.

Day 12:

Another day, another outfit

Day 11: Your first bath

Your mom thought you looked kind of nappy today and decided you needed a bath.

You got shampooed and wiped down in the kitchen sink. You didn't seem to mind at all, in fact, you really liked it.

Here you are afterward all back to normal!

Day 10: Do I hear music?

Today I discovered that you like music, I think.

You were on my chest and I was trying to get you to sleep after a meal so I hummed "Row, row, row your boat." Suddenly you smiled! I tried a couple of other melodies (Old MacDonald) and you smiled again! I think you like the changes in pitch.

Your eyes are starting to look more hazel and you still like looking up at the lights. I think you can see our faces now. You definitely respond to faces within 8-12 inches of your eyes. You may even be able to see my expressions since I think you smiled back at me once.

Day 9: Your two grannies and Aunt Melissa

Day 9: Meeting Grandma Banks

Today you met your Grandma Banks for the first time.

We picked her up at the airport at around 4:45 pm. She was so impressed that you came to the airport. But she thought you were to young to travel anywhere because it was hard for you to hold your neck up in your car seat. Mommy sat in the back with you to keep padding around your head just in case. You're actually a very peaceful traveler...so far.

Day 8 : KISS, ALIVE!!!

Friday May 4, 2007

Today you were visited by a slew of family friends including Stu Hankinson, Leigh Frame, Carla Haughton, and Lisa Strause.

They all think you look like your daddy. What do you think?

You were so good natured during the whole thing...a real trooper.

That night, Mommy and I took you for your first stroll in public. It was about 7 pm and Mommy was going a little stir crazy from cabin fever. She had spent the last 7 days in a tiny hospital room without a view.

We got to SouthPark Mall about 8:30 pm...not much time since most of the stores closed at 9. But it was quiet and not very busy.

We down the main hall and then I remembered Paul Stanely, the lead singer of KISS, was having an art exhibition there that night. Since we were close we went over. When we got there several police officers were at the entrance to the gallery and a few people inside.

We recognized Paul immediately from his jet-black long hair and rocker outfit (leopard skin shirt.) A couple of minutes later he left escorted by more police and his handlers. He was probably off to some swanky bar or restaurant.

He didn't notice you all bundled up in your stroller. It's probably just as well.

Day 7: Your 1st week already!

You will be one week old at 8:31 pm tonight and what a week it has been!

Last night was your first night at home. You slept most of the afternoon, only waking up to gaze serenely at the recessed lights in the kitchen ceiling. We all wonder what is so fascinating! It's too early to tell what color your eyes will be but if I had to guess I would say hazel.

You're also very strong! When you hold one of my fingers, I can't believe how strong your grip is. And when we change your diapers, your legs are so strong it's almost hard to move them out of the way.

Here's a video taken on May 2nd.

Day 1, Part 2: Meeting Mommy for the 1st Time

You were born at 8:31 pm. Because of the way you were delivered, Mommy wasn't able to see or hold you right away. The nurses took you away and made sure you could breathe right and were strong.

Finally at 10:40 pm, the nurses brought you into Mommy's recovery room and you met face-to-face for the first time. Mommy couldn't believe how beautiful and precious you were. She was enthralled to see you after feeling you inside her for several months.

Gammie, Me, and your big brother and sister were also right there. We were all speechless when we saw you.

Day 1: You were born

At 5:15 in the afternoon on April 26th, 2007, you decided you'd had enough of waiting. Mommy was taking a nap and woke up startled by one of the cats.

We grabbed the hospital bag, made a quick call to Gammie, said so long to your brother and sister, and headed out the door.

Carolinas Medical Center was only about 4 miles from our house and we made the trip in about 15 minutes. I dropped you and Mommy off at the Emergency Room then parked the car.

By the time I found you two at about 5:45, Mommy was in bed surrounded by nurses. Everyone knew you were indeed on your way.