Simon [6 months]

I've had to attempt keeping myself from succumbing to tears several times this month, as Simon has been hitting milestone after milestone at lightening speed.  Of course, the constant threat of tears stems from happiness, but it's difficult as a parent to not feel a bit sad about watching your child grow and change right before your eyes even when feeling excited and proud at the same time.  But, as rain is meant to fall and the sun is meant to shine, our children are meant to advance and develop into wonderful, older, human beings.  That being said, I am delighted to share with you the many new things Simon is now doing all on his own.  His sixth month was sure full of surprises and fun.

6-month checkup

chew monster

last toothless smile

 

At 27 weeks, Simon had his 6-month well baby checkup.  His weight came in at 16 pounds and 14.7 ounces, putting him in the 35th percentile, and his height measured 27 3/4 inches, making the 86th percentile.  Our pediatrician was very pleased with Simon's progress and even called him "perfect," and Eric and I were proud to watch him sit unassisted on the scale all by himself.  We are also happy to announce that our boy has begun to cut teeth!  He started the teething adventure around month 4, and we're now seeing the final result of a few little chompers sprouting through.  The craziest thing about Simon's teeth showing up is that he cut his first one without either of us knowing!  He's been drooling and chewing on everything he can get his little hands on for weeks now, but nothing in his behavior signaled that he was in any pain or discomfort from his teeth coming in.  I'm now of course checking his mouth at every chance I get, looking for new teeth and tracking the progress of those that are about to cut.  Only our kid would get his first teeth under the radar without Mommy and Daddy knowing about it first! 

 

1st ride in the big boy part of the stroller

practicing sitting upright

snoozing in his crib

Simon is showing us that he is less of a baby and more of a Big Boy everyday.  Being so tall, I can no longer hold him in a cradle position in my arms without him flailing about until he wiggles free to roll away.  I've also been nervously checking his height to see if he's getting close to outgrowing his infant car seat and needing to transition to a convertible, but luckily we still have some time.  Out of curiosity, I decided to try him out riding in the "big boy" part of his stroller instead of clicking his car seat into the stroller base during one of our morning walks.  The change of scenery to front-facing from rear-facing seemed to pique his curiosity, but he still has a bit of growing to do before he can permanently ride comfortably in the front.  Simon's also been getting a lot of sitting practice with the help of his Bumbo chair and spending time in Mommy's lap.  I've been giving him lots of opportunities to sit with his hands propped up on a toy or other surface to help him steady his own balance, and I think all this practice has really been helping to develop his abdominal strength.  The other major Big Boy milestone we began working on this month was crib training.  With it being my last month at home before going back to work and poor Eric being constantly roused by Simon's frequent wiggles in our bed, I decided that it was finally the right time to begin the transition of Simon sleeping on his own.  The first night went pretty well, which led me into having too great of expectations for the second night and resulted in a disaster, but I've now learned to just follow Simon's lead for success.  Because he screams bloody murder when put down in his crib awake, my tactic is nursing him in our bed until he falls asleep and unlatches, and then transferring him to his crib.  When he wakes up, I nurse him again until he goes back down, and I repeat the cycle.  In the beginning, I was staying awake by reading or playing on my phone until he was done eating, but I quickly learned that I was loosing too much sleep.  Now I fall back asleep with him while he nurses until he unlatches, which wakes me to return him to his room.  He was up every few hours during the first few nights of training, but by the end of the first week Simon was back on his routine of waking only twice during the night for feedings as he did when we were co-sleeping.  While I sometimes miss cuddling with my baby in our bed, it's also nice to be able to cuddle with my wonderful husband again!  

yummy teether

face plant into mashed potatoes

investigating the spoon

It was hard for me to admit it, but Simon started showing signs he was ready for solids kind of early.  He's been working on his hand-eye coordination for a while now, and watching him pick up or grab his teethers when handed to him and bring them to his mouth with such ease was one of the first clues that he was ready for food.  Another was when he began watching me eat; his eyes would not leave my food as it traveled from the plate to my mouth and he'd stare with intent focus.  Then he started grabbing for my food, whether it be on a utensil or in my fingers, by reaching for my hand and trying to direct it toward his mouth instead of mine.  When he couldn't make the food come to him, Simon decided it was time to take himself to the food, and thus began the roll or scoot in the direction of whatever tasty dish being enjoyed by Mommy or Daddy.  Finally, there came the day that our darling boy lunged himself at my dinner and took a premeditated face plant right into my plate of mashed potatoes!  It was here that I could no longer deny the fact that this kid wanted real food, and he wanted it now.  I started letting him play with silverware as an introduction and even successfully spoon-fed him his liquid Vitamin D supplements as a tryout.  Now that we have cleared the 6-month mark, we are now diving into the world of introducing solids.  Check back next month for a recap of our experience!

best buddies

always in each others' business

twinsies

Our silly boy has recently discovered the awesomeness of his doggy and has completely fallen in love.  As I mentioned in Simon's first month blog post, Courage has been curious of and protective over Simon from Day 1, and Eric and I have had no doubts about their future budding relationship.  Over the last few months, Courage has learned to calm down and relax around Simon, although greeting baby first thing in the morning and covering him in kisses is still one of his favorite things to do.  In the recent weeks, Simon has begun to reciprocate Courage's advances by giving that dog a taste of his own medicine.  He's not quite licking his canine brother in the face, but Simon does find joy in pulling Courage's tail, climbing on him, and practicing his own version of "petting" (gathering a handful of hair and skin in his little palm and squeezing it tight).  For the most part, Courage is actually a really great sport about it, and even when Simon tugs at him a little too hard, Courage always returns later for kisses.  My favorite part to watch is the smile that lights up Simon's face when Courage enters the room, and we actually have our beloved dog to thank for causing Simon to have his first official laugh!  We've always known our dog is silly, but Simon finds him to be downright hysterical.  It looks like the two of them are off to a great start on becoming the best of friends.

 

Simon's first time swimming 

testing the water

the reaction

Late into summer, we finally took Simon swimming for the first time.  Our friends, Jeff and Kerry, invited us and a few other families to their home for dinner, and they generously allowed us to use their awesome pool for Simon's first dip.  As you can see from the photos, he wasn't quite a fan of the water.  We made the mistake of waiting until after dinner to get in, when the sun was no longer over the pool and the water was considerably less warm.  Simon cried the minute the cold water touched his little legs, so we tried moving him to the spa where the water temperature was more comfortable.  Simulating a bath, the spa was more comforting and less scary, and Simon almost immediately fell asleep in my arms.  We made swim attempt #2 the next weekend at Pappy's house, this time in the early afternoon when the sun was still plenty high in the sky.  While the weather was warmer, our second attempt initially bombed when Simon began fussing and crying instantly.  After catching a snack and a small nap, we gave it another try and our sleepy baby almost wasn't having it.  Then to our surprise, he fell asleep in my arms while I was holding him in the pool, and later woke up smiling and began enjoying the sensation of the water.  We hope that with more experiences in the pool, Simon will learn to love swimming and become the little water baby we know he can be.

1st State Fair

Robyn's baby shower for her son, Baby Boy Parvin

 

coolest baby ever

During my last few weeks at home before returning to work full time, I made the most of my remaining days alone with my boy.  Simon was often back in our bed in the early morning after spending the beginning of the night in his crib, so when we woke up together I would start each day by strapping him in my Ergo carrier and taking Courage for a walk.  We went on lunch dates with Mommy's friends and enjoyed lots of family time with Daddy, either hanging out at home in the evenings or on outings to go shopping on the weekends.  I was so happy that we were able to make it to the State Fair this year, and we just so happened to go on the same day as several of our friends.  Our darling son hung out in the Ergo and was a happy little clam, completely in awe of all the lights, sounds, and spectacles to be seen.  Simon and I also went to our fourth baby shower, celebrating Robyn and her soon-to-arrive baby boy... finally, a boy!  Other fun things we did included spending mommy/baby time with two of my mom friends and their babies; Kesley invited us to a few moms group meetups at Sutter Roseville with her daughter, Kinlee, where we got to see lots of other babies and talk about life as new moms, and we spent a lovely afternoon out at the Roseville Fountains with Nicole and her daughter, Lila (neither of which I got photos of, grrrr).  I will forever cherish all the special time that Simon and I had together when I was home, and I will now look forward to the day when I will be able to stay at home with my love bug again.

 

learning the bass with Daddy

monkey business

silly baby

If I could stop time to keep my baby boy from growing up, I might seriously consider it.  But then again, as I keep saying, it is so fun and rewarding to see Simon achieve something new.  I haven't talked about it much yet, but I've of course been signing American Sign Language (ASL) to our boy.  I believe in the concept of Baby Signs, but am signing the true ASL signs instead of modifying them.  Naturally, I began with the sign MILK around 2 months, when I was sure he'd be able to see clearly enough and pay attention to me while producing the sign.  After a few months of repetition, Simon is now producing the sign on his own, first signing MILK during a feeding (nursing and bottle), then signing it when he was fussy and most likely actually hungry, and now sometimes signing it arbitrarily, like when he's being changed.  I'm now showing him the sign CHANGE for diaper time and getting dressed, and he is somewhat starting to show me that he seems to be getting an idea of what it means by calming down after I sign it, although he is no where close to replicating the sign himself.  Which is fine... because trying to keep up with his constant rolling/crawling attempts, hair pulling, object grabbing, reaching for Mommy, and big smiles when Daddy comes home is sometimes almost too much for my heart to handle!

Simon [5 months]

Simon is now 5 months old!  He has really blossomed over the last few weeks and his growth blows me away everyday.  Our boy truly is the happiest baby, constantly smiling and making friends everywhere we go.  I've been trying to take more pictures of him with my nicer camera, both for better-quality photos and because I've been running out of space on my phone.  We've had a fun and busy first month of summer with many big changes for our little family. 

a day with Daddy

 

watching TV at Pappy's

Boppy sleeper

The biggest news in our house as of late was that after 18 weeks home with my love bug I finally had to return to work.  I agreed before Simon's birth that I would teach summer school this year, and during the days leading up to my first day back I was completely dreading it.  4 hours a day for 4 weeks should've been an easy transition for me, but I found it difficult to stay organized, find the time to prep, and figure out a pumping schedule.  While the change was a struggle for me, Simon adapted with such ease.  Eric was off work on my first day back, so he stayed home with Simon and had great daddy/baby time and sent me many pictures.  Kristine then watched Simon for a couple days and also had a good time, although he would only sleep while in her arms and would do so for hours at a time.  Finally, my dad offered to babysit, which turned into our best setup yet.  He got Simon to take naps in the Boppy pillow, fall asleep with his pacifier, and quickly picked up on all of Simon's fussy cues (hunger, tiredness, gas).  Eric and I loved having my dad here to watch Simon and felt better about not having to drop him off somewhere else.  It worked out so well for us and we were so thankful for my dad's help.  And now that summer school is over, I'm thankful to be off work again for another month!

   activity mat fun

eyes everywhere

watching Daddy's phone

Simon decided one day that his tummy is the place to be!  When we began tummy time at 1 month, Simon was not a huge fan and would only tolerate the belly activity for a few short minutes here and there.  After meeting an acquaintance's baby who is almost a month younger than Simon and appeared to have stronger head control, I realized that we really needed to step up the tummy time in our house.  It definitely paid off because after only a few weeks, Simon is loving the belly-down position!  Lying him down tummy-first is a piece of cake now, and he'll willingly stay in this position for long periods of time.  As I observe him, I think Simon has found that he has a better view of what's going on around him when he's on his tummy; he lifts his head quite high to look at the TV or to watch us walk around him.  And of course if there's anything bright with lots of colors and movement nearby for him to look at (laptop, cell phone, Eric's PSP), Simon's attention is immediately caught.  He also enjoys his large variety of toys that always surround him while he's on his play mat or the Boppy pillow.  His interest in his colorful noise-makers and teethers grows by the day.

dog park visit in the Ergo

 hanging out the Bumbo chair

first time in his jumper

We recently introduced Simon to the Ergo carrier, Bumbo chair, and doorway jumper.  Near the end of May, I scored my Ergobaby Carrier on sale at Target for $20 off ($20 gift card with purchase).  Simon is no stranger to being carried, as he's spent time in my Moby, so the transition from the wrap was no problem for him.  Right on cue, he falls asleep easily and comfortably in the Ergo, as he did when we recently took him to the dog park with Courage for the first time.  This carrier is perfect for summer since it is open in the back and allows for more air flow around both of us than my wrap does.  It's definitely a winner, and is even more comfortable than I expected it would be!  Simon has also started spending some time in his Bumbo Floor Seat.  It was given to us by a friend of Jen's, whose youngest child outgrew it.  Upon sitting Simon in it for the first time, Eric and I thought it was the cutest sight ever and took several pictures.  Simon seems to really enjoy it, too, and will sit in it for longer than I ever expect him to.  Another place where he loves to spend lots of time, surprisingly, is our Graco Jumpster® Doorway Jumper.  Given to us with several hand-me-downs from one of the families from Eric's hockey team, the jumper is pretty much the best baby item ever made.  Simon LOVES it!  I was so excited to set it up and have him try it out, and it just blew me away how quickly he figured it out and fell in love.  Simon jumped so hard in it one day that he fell asleep!  All these new toys just remind me of how fast Simon is turning into a big boy, but it's completely worth it to watch him have so much fun.  

Father's Day at Apple Hill

with Pappy, Daddy, & Cho-Cho

our family

Eric's first Father's Day was quite the success.  After opening his card from Simon and me, we started the day up in Apple Hill at the Jack Russell Farm Brewery.  We enjoyed delicious brisket sandwiches with coleslaw and watermelon for lunch and tried their amazing Cyser, a combination of wine, mead, and cider.  We then made a quick stop at Boa Vista Orchards for apple juice, apple-blackberry wine, pumpkin butter, and apple cookies before heading to Lester's for dinner.  We picked up my dad on the way and made burgers with cream cheese and raspberry Chipotle sauce (The Squeeze Inn's special at the BerryFest we went to on Mother's Day).  It was the first day that Simon had spent with us and both of his grandfathers in a while and it was a nice get-together.  I look forward to many more future celebrations with our entire family together, surrounding Simon with lots of love and the most important people in his life.     

driving to IKEA

4th of July BBQ

Simon's 1st Independence Day

We also celebrated Simon's first 4th of July, which was really more of a relaxing day than a night of partying like years past.  IKEA was having a big Independence Day sale, so we drove out there in the early afternoon with my dad, who treated us to lunch in the cafe when we arrived.  My dad was the one who ended up making out with a bunch of great finds, but Eric and I were happy with our dollar treats and the end--hotdogs for him, a cinnamon roll for me.  Later in the evening, we got together with all of our friends for a BBQ and passed Simon around to visit with everyone.  I held him outside in the front yard briefly during the neighborhood fireworks in the street and he did surprisingly well.  I think he was more intrigued by the bright colors and lights than scared of the loud screeches and booms.  With the holiday falling on a Thursday this year we couldn't stay out too late because of work, but we had fun as always spending time with our friends and sharing so many delicious treats.  Our gang really does know how to throw a food party! 

Simon's 2nd wedding

 Jen and her dates

Mommy & Simon

I took Simon to his second wedding; we went with Jen to Rancho Cicada Retreat in Plymouth to watch our friend, Shannon, from college get married.  The drive was about an hour each way and the weather was a little warm that day.  I wasn't too worried about how Simon would do, so of course he was absolutely perfect and didn't fuss a bit.  I brought a bottle to feed him during the ceremony and nursed him during the reception.  My hands felt a little full not having Eric with me... I had to keep the car seat on the ground and I didn't want to rely on Jen too much to hold Simon since she was 8 months pregnant herself, but he was awesome and even took a little nap while I ate.  And as always, complete strangers kept coming up to us to tell me how adorable Simon was.  I never get tired of hearing how cute my baby is, but I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing it from people I don't know.  The wedding was very sweet, and we were thankful to Shannon, who looked lovely, for having us to share in her special day.  It was also very nice of Jen to ask us to attend with her, as I would've hated for her to have made that drive alone!

happy boy

cool baby

talkin' away

It was a quick and busy month for our family and I'm glad to be back at home with my boy.  My short stint back at work was just a taste of how life will be when I return full time when the school year begins in the Fall, and I am still in shock over just how difficult the transition was for me mentally more than anything.  I'm happy to say that I now know what to expect come mid-August when school starts, and I actually have many positive thoughts about being back this new school year.  We were so thankful to have my dad and Kristine's help with watching Simon, and while I would be a stay-at-home mom in a heartbeat if I could, I have faith that hopefully I can stay at home at some point down the road.  Eric started his new job with SCP Distributors and is really enjoying it and doing well so far.  We have the same hours when I'm working, but the tradeoff is that he's home in the evenings and on the weekends and we have dinner together as a family every night.  With the continued help of family and friends to babysit, I feel okay about our identical work schedules.  But since I'm not working for the rest of the summer, I can focus on my number 1 job of being a mommy and spending as much time with my little man as possible!

Simon [4 months]

I can't say it enough: time FLIES when you're having fun!  As he continues to grow, life with Simon becomes more and more fun with each passing day.  Everyday he is constantly doing something new for the first time, amazing us with the many new things he discovers and learns.  As we've settled into a comfortable lifestyle as a family of three, it still seems like it was only a few short weeks ago when we brought our little bundle of joy home from the hospital.  In reality, 4 months have flown by right in front of our eyes as our boy quickly grows out of newbornhood.

 out and about with Mommy and Daddy

hangin' with Auntie

my uncle rocks

Simon had his 4-month well baby check up at 18 weeks.  He received boosters for the vaccines he got at his 2-month appointment and had his height and weight recorded.  Our pumpkin measured 27 1/2 inches long and weighed 15 pounds and 1 ounce.  Eric and I weren't surprised by these numbers, but we were shocked to learn that Simon is in the 37th percentile for weight and the 99th percentile for height!  So, he's tall and skinny; the skinny I totally get... but tall?  We're not sure where that came from, but from very early on in my pregnancy Eric knew that our son was going to be big.  Boy, was he right!

playing with his owl rattle

 trying to hold his bottle

lovin' on Sophie

Simon is learning how to use his hands and is doing a great job.  I've been working with him for a while trying to get him to grab for objects, particularly his toys, and he's figuring it out.  We always have his owl rattle out since it is a noise-maker and an easy attention-getter, plus the handle is a large enough opening to allow for me to put it around Simon's arm for easy access.  He's now grabbing at the handle more and bringing its soft surface to his mouth.  He is also trying to help hold up his bottle during bottle feedings.  His little hands and arms aren't strong enough or coordinated enough to allow him to hold the bottle upright to enable milk flow, but I was able to snap a few photos of him balancing it in his mouth.  Speaking of his kisser, we think Simon has entered the beginning stages of teething!  Our boy has become quite the drool fountain as of late, and when our fingers are near his mouth he bites down very hard.  I decided it was time to break out his Sophie the Giraffe teether so he could have an appropriate chewing accessory.  It only took him about a week to figure her out; I repeatedly placed Sophie in Simon's hands, showing him how to grab her by the neck or by one of her legs, and gently put either her ears, nose, or feet in his mouth to bite.  He loves her now and understands exactly what her purpose is, and our little giraffe friend comes with us everywhere!

Mother's Day at the Berry Festival

I love Mommy

Mommy's 1st Mother's Day

My very first Mother's Day was a fun and special day.  My dad left chocolate-covered strawberries and Cupcake Red Velvet wine with Eric to surprise me with that morning.  Simon and Eric gave me a beautiful Mother's Day card that made me cry, and then took me to the BerryFest for an afternoon of yummy strawberry eats and treats.  Ashley was home from work for the weekend, so she met up with us at the fairgrounds and came over to our house later in the day for some Simon time.  In the evening, we all went to watch Eric's hockey game and got to visit with Pappy the other hockey families (mommies and kiddos) on Eric's team.  My first Mother's Day was such an incredible day and I was so happy to spend it with family and friends... and most importantly, my two favorite guys who made me a mommy!

 Vanessa's law school graduation

ready for the Ely wedding

Jen's baby shower for her daughter, Baby Girl Hawhee

Simon had quite the busy month attending many parties and functions with Mommy and Daddy.  He got to see Mommy's best friend, Vanessa, graduate from law school at Memorial Auditorium.  The commencement was very nice and Simon did great despite the constant loud noises of cheers and applause from the audience.  He nursed and slept and played with Vanessa's husband, Roy, during the ceremony and afterwards we went to dinner with her family.  The next weekend, Simon went to his first wedding with Mommy and Daddy.  He watched Mommy's good friend, Michelle, marry her wonderful fiance, Jay, at Forest House Lodge up in Foresthill.  This time, baby wasn't too fond of the hoots and hollers during the bride and groom's entrance and toasts, so Eric had to take Simon out of the room.  Other than that, he was as cool as a cucumber and was dressed to impress.  Simon also attended his third baby shower, for Mommy's other close friend, Jen.  She is having a daughter, whose name is yet to be determined, and we joke that Baby Girl and Simon are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend.  As fun as an arranged marriage would be (haha), I do sincerely hope that our babes will be great playmates and wonderful friends.

 2nd visit with Aunt Sami

 Daddy and Simon

 silly Pappy

Eric's aunt, Simon's great aunt, Sam, returned for a visit during Memorial Day weekend.  It was such a treat that Simon already got his second visit with her so soon, as she had just been here 2 months prior.  We went over to Pappy's house for a BBQ joined by Sam's boyfriend, Matt (who lives in Chico) and our friends Jonas, Jason, and Brandon (who was in town from Southern California).  Kristine took a bunch of photos of everyone playing with Simon, who was of course the life of the party.  He was passed around so much that I barely held him the entire time we were there, which at first made me feel guilty before I reminded myself that I deserve a much-needed break every now and then.  Simon had been awake the entire day before getting in a little catnap with Kristine, and to our surprise he wasn't fussy in the slightest.  I know he is beginning to enter the stage where he will be awake for longer stretches during the day, but sometimes I think Simon is just so curious and interested in what's going on around him that he'd rather stay up to join in on all the fun.  I really don't mind--especially when we're with family--because who wouldn't want to hang out with an adorable, happy baby?  We enjoyed Sam's short and sweet visit and hope it's not too long before she makes it out this way to see us again.

 

meeting baby Kinlee

ready to watch Daddy and Pappy battle in hockey

 playing at the mall

Simon is so wonderful everywhere we take him, and we feel so lucky that we are able to bring him out of the house with us so much.  Eric and I were happy to take our boy over to visit our friends, TJ and Kesley, and meet their new baby girl, Kinlee.  While they are only 3 months apart, their sizes vary drastically in comparison!  Simon looked huge compared to Kinlee, and seeing a newborn for the first time since we had Simon really made it clear to us how much he's already no longer a little baby.  Next to going to Pappy's house and our favorite stores, Simon has spent his fair share of time getting to know the ice rink where Eric plays hockey, and we were very excited to see Daddy's and Pappy's hockey teams play against each other.  Baby fell asleep toward the end of the game, but he had spent most of the time watching with great interest and cheering on Daddy (whose team won by a landslide).  Our boy is also a great sport anywhere else we take him.  Recently, Simon and I spent a morning walking around the mall just for fun.  When it came to be his lunch time, we found a cozy chair in the outdoor promenade and I comfortably nursed him while reading my Kindle.  When he was finished, Simon was all smiles as I changed his diaper in the sun and let him chew on his burp cloth.  It was one of the simplest, most enjoyable moments we've spent together just the two of us.

post-bath baby

watching "The Muppet Movie"

happiest baby ever

Being this little boy's mother is such a joy.  I've come to the realization that if I could be a permanent stay-at-home-mom, I would do it in a heartbeat.  Alas, that choice is not in the cards for our family at this time, and I've accepted that reality.  For now, I'm soaking up as much Simon time as I can.  Not much makes me happier than our morning cuddles in bed, the way he now smiles back at me when I smile at him first, and the look on Eric's face when he greets us at the end of a long work day.  I love our family so much, and both Eric and I are head-over-heels crazy about our boy.  The minutes are just passing by too quickly, and I'm doing everything I can to enjoy each moment of our son as he breezes through this wonderful, yet terribly too-short stage of his life.