2 months: April 30- June 4, 2015

I am growing up so fast. Mom and Dad love that I now stare right at them, follow their voices, and SMILE. I have even started cooing a very little bit. My eyes are still so big and blue. Lots of people comment on my baby blues. I continue to get better holding my head up and lifting it a little when I am on my tummy.


 


Dad was out if town A LOT this month for work. Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Meredith would come over many of the nights to have dinner and help with bedtime. Balancing Hannah's bedtime routine with my feeding schedule/crying, and Oakley needing to go out all at 7:30 pm proved challenging!


 
 


I don't do too much yet to report on. Lots of eating, peeing, and pooping. Mom and Dad still find changing me challenging. I like to pee all over the wall and on them while they are in the middle of changing me. I also like to pee about 10 seconds after leaving the changing table with a new fresh diaper.

Mom and I had an adventure. We went on a long walk one day when all of a sudden it started drizzling . We turned around to head home, but it started raining.... then POURING . At first she covered my stroller and we ran tree to tree. Then we found cover on somebody's porch and finally Claudia came to rescue us in her car.

Mom is in shock because she has already had to clear out a round of clothes in my closet. I have outgrown newborn and am wearing up to 3 month clothes! This makes Mom SAD. Although of course she wouldn't want it any other way, she is sad her tiny newborn is growing so fast.

We had a good Mother's Day. We had lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, Mimi, and G-pa and then a bigger family dinner. Dad came home from his trip early so he could spend time with us.


  


I have started to stay awake longer periods during the day. I still wake up every 2-3 hours at night to eat , but have gotten good at going back to sleep right when we finish.

Aunt Meredith moved back to town this month and I got to meet her. She has come over multiple times to help watch us. Uncle E has also been in town a few times and stopped by to see us. I can't wait to meet all my other relatives.

I also had special visits from Aunt Rhea, Aunt Tevia, Uncle Joel and cousin Rachel. It was so nice spending time with them. I look forward to seeing them again soon!








We went to a Memorial Day lunch with friends. Who knew that night we would have a hundred year storm. We were so lucky and are so grateful to make it out without damage. So many people lost everything and neighborhoods near us are completely devastated.

Mom and Dad bought an awesome double stroller that can even attach to a bike. We have been going on nightly walks. It's fun because I get to sit next to my big sister. She loves to kiss me, hold my hand, and talk to me. Oakley comes with us and we have fun family time.


 


I saw Dr. Koush for my 2 month checkup. She says I am doing great. I now weigh 12 lbs 1.4 oz-38th percentile for weight and I am 22.25 inches long- 12 percentile for height. I was very brave when I got all of my 2 month shots. Mom held me and talked to me. I screamed right when I got them, but stopped as soon as she picked me up. I gave Hannah my lollipop when we left because I love my big sister!







Here is a peak at my room. Mom and Grandpa put my name up on the wall and it looks so good!

 

 

 

 

 

 I love spending time with my big sister!

 

 

 

 

 Other fun photos from the past month...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 months- Sept 30- Oct 31

Hannah joined a soccer class a few weeks ago. I have fun going to all her practices. They are during the work day so Claudia and I bring our blanket, cheer her on, and get her water ready for her to run in for rest breaks.

We went to St Louis for my cousin Zach's Bar Mitzvah. Our trip started with Dad's favorite thing in the world Nacho Mamas for lunch. It is usually the first thing he does when he is in St Louis. On Friday, all my family came over to meet me and spend time together. I met Aunt Brandi, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Mikael, Uncle Rob, and my cousins Sophie, Maja, Alex, and Ashley. It was so great to finally get to know them. Friday we all went to a pumpkin patch to take family photos. It was really chilly! My first experience with "cold" weather.  We had services on Friday night and Saturday morning. Mom, Hannah and I spent most of our time in the hallway playing of course. We are not great at staying quiet during services yet. I went to my first big party Saturday night. Mom carried me in her Ergo carrier and we had fun dancing and talking with family. Grandma and Grandpa had fun introducing us to all their friends and carrying me around .  Sunday we went to the zoo. It was fun hanging out with my cousins, aunts, and grandparents. I was pretty good on all my flights. The 3 of us shared a row of seats which worked out well.

Mom had her first night away from me this month. She went on a work trip for 4 days. She was nervous, but we all did great. Grandma and Grandpa babysat the first night because Dad was out of town for a conference too. We all Face timed which helped. Then Dad came back and watched us the rest if the time. We went to the zoo had fun hanging out.

I am still trying new foods each week. So far I have had rice cereal, bananas, avocado, pea purée, and sweet potato. I'm excited to see what's next. I am a big boy and love to try new things.

This month I have still been rolling back to tummy. I learned how to sit and balance
before learning to roll tummy to back which is funny. Everyone thinks my cute chunky legs have slowed me down on that milestone :) I can now roll both ways, but tummy to back is done by pushing up into downward dog position and plopping over. Over the last week  I have started pushing up onto all fours and even started rocking back and forth. I'll be crawling soon ! Mom is happy, proud and sad to see me grow up so fast. I like to prop up high to look around when I am on my tummy too. I have fun sitting in my high chair now during meals. Hannah has loved progressing to her big girl booster seat. Another huge milestone this month was graduating from the bassinet in Mom and Dad's room to the crib in my room. This apparently was a hard move for mom, but I was ready and about to outgrow my starter bed. I have also started sleeping through the night 9-12, 12:30-5/6. I have been babbling a lot too. I am not saying words, but I love to make sounds.

I have been to the doctor a few time this month. I have had multiple colds and congestion that I just can't shake. I also had my first ear infection :( Hopefully I am on the mend now. I had my 6 month doctor visit this month and got all my shots. Besides these silly colds, I am a very healthy and happy boy. Compared to the rest of my family I am huge! I weighed 19lbs 2 oz. 71 percentile, was 27 inches long 53 percentile, and my head circumference was 75 the percentile! I am not too far off from Hannah on weight and we actually can share diapers because we wear the same now. Mom says I am a very happy, smiley, good natured, and easy going boy. She always says she hopes I stay this happy forever .

On Oct 23 we had our neighborhood Halloween festival. It was a lot of fun. I got to wear one of my 2 costumes mom handmade for me. I was a gum all machine. I entered my first costume contest and almost won. I was definitely in the top three, but unfortunately the only gave out a first prize.

Oct 31 was such a great day for us. First we celebrated my cousin Miles's first birthday. We wore our costumes, gumball machine for me, and got to see lots of family. Then I made a costume change into my what mom calls our " baby wearing " costume for our big nighttime Halloween party. I was an owl in mom's carrier and she was a tree. We were a dynamic duo. Everyone loved my costume. Once we went trick or treating , I changed into my pjs and she changed to match dad Clark Kent/Superman and Superwoman. She had to pair up with all her boys :) Mom stayed up until 1am for 1-2 weeks straight sewing our costumes. Grandma Angel would be very proud!

Hannah and I already have a special bond. For some reason , she knows exactly how to make me laugh. We feed off of each other and have lots of fund she makes me laugh every day.

6 months- Aug 30-Sept 30

I had a big month with lots of milestones. I am learning to sit up on my own. I can now sit up to 60 seconds with mom close by to catch me when I fall. I actually learned to sit upright before I  learned to roll. Towards the end of the month I learned to roll back to tummy and now I can do it quickly. I am not able to roll tummy to back yet which makes mom very nervous when I sleep at night. In the same weekend I learned to roll, my first two teeth on the bottom began to erupt! Teething is not as easy for me as it was for Hannah. It has made me a bit fussy and I have had a little discomfort so far. Not only did I start getting my first teeth, but I started solid foods! It was a very big weekend. I started with rice cereal for a few days and am now finishing up trailing bananas. So far I like everything. 

I had fun this month. We took a family trip to the zoo with cousins Miles and Rachel. It's great that they live so close. We are going to have so much fun growing up together.

I went to Tot Shabbat this month with Mom, Grandma and Grandpa. It was fun listening to the music. My Grandparents love to carry me around and show me to all of their friends.

Dad went out of the country on a work trip for a week. Mom was a trouper and we all had fun together. Claudia , Grandma and Grandpa all pitched in to help too!

La Shana Tova! My first New Years celebration was a bit uneventful, but special anyways. I stayed home so everyone could have a peaceful and meaningful service. I did go to break the fast on Yom Kippur. It was nice being with all my family .

I had one very fun weekend with Mom, Grandma and Grandpa before they left for all of their shows. We went to the Aquarium Downtown. We spent time at the Boardwalk. I went on the train, saw the sharks, and rode my first Ferris wheel. I loved staring at all the huge fish in the aquariums. 

Hannah and I already have a special bond. Somehow she knows how to make me laugh more than anyone else. She fake laughs from across the table which makes me laugh. Then everyone starts laughing at us!

Month 5: July 30-August 30

I have been working on tummy time this month to get my neck and back stronger. Mom doesn't want to transition me to the crib until I know how to roll back and forth. I can prop myself up high with my arms .

I am working on rolling, but can't do it yet. I am able to roll to my side, but not make it all the way over. Mom was being her PT self working in rolling with me when Hannah came over to help. After she initially just basically pushed me over, mom showed her the correct hand holds to facilitate rolling :) a baby PT in training. Everyone quickly realized it was not very safe because Hannah didn't understand "gentle". Mom encouraged her to practice on Minnie Mouse and so Minnie and I practiced rolling together.

We had a big transition this month at home. I started sitting in a high chair and joining the family at meals. I haven't started solid food yet, but at least I " joined the party" as mom and Hannah like to say. Hannah progressed to a booster seat. It is fun and special to sit at the table as a family of 4. Mom loves it!

Hannah started school this month. I go with her for drop off and pick up. 

We took our first family vacation this month. We travelled to Banff, Canada. I did pretty good on the flights with minimal crying. Mom and dad were so brave to take on the challenge of traveling. I think we had 12 pieces of luggage. Somehow my tiny self required SO much stuff. We had a pack and play, my stroller, double stroller, diaper bag, pump, 2 car seats, 3 suitcases and carry ons. We made it though and had a great time. We did some hiking, saw Elk, mountain goats, and some other wildlife. Dad promised Hannah black bears, but we never found any. So.... we headed to the zoo before we flew home. They had an amazing black bear exhibit. We saw lots of bears standing on very skinny tree branches VERY high on TALL TALL trees.  It was not so funny at the time, but on our first  attempt at a "short" 4 mile hike (before we came to our senses and reality set it,), Dad stopped about .25 miles in to ask for a wipe and we all realized that MOM forgot the diaper bag..... Well, that was the end of that. We made a quick turn back around and had a major change of plans. Mom and Dad realized that a 4 mile hike with two kids in backpacks was nothing like their fun pre kid hikes they remembered. We then started doing short walks in the forest and car rides to drive through nature and look for animals :) It was a perfect mistake that got us in the right direction. Mom became a fan of mini vans on this trip.

I have been drooling a lot lately and I love to put my feet in my mouth. I love to smile back at people when they look my way. I am grasping and holding small objects now. I also have started laughing out loud a lot. I especially laught whenever Oakley starts barking. I started sitting in the swing at the park this month. I am starting to push up through my arms when I lay down on my bellow and mom says I am doing great holding my head up when I lie on my tummy on the boppy pillow. I am really strong and already like to put weight through my legs.

Hannah and I have been playing together lately. Mom says it is so cute! She likes to play doctor on me- she gives me shots and listens to my chest. She has even said "I love you Justin" unsolicited. She also likes to say " I am a big sister".

We have spent time swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's this month.

Month 4 June 30-July 30

Aunt Meredith and Uncle Seth got married this month. It was great because I got to meet lots of new family members and family friends for the first time. I wore my first tuxedo ( tuxedo onsie) for family photos. The Sunday brunch was funny. I fell asleep in my stroller and cousin Miles fell asleep in his stroller. Uncle Joel babysat "stroller row" as we slept side by side. My Grandparents from St Louis came in town to celebrate with us. It was great spending time with them again. They babysat me during the bridal party luncheon. I loved the one on one time.

I had my 4 month doctor visit this month. I looked great and was right on track with my growth curve. I weighed 16 lbs 6 oz, 58%, I was 25.25 inches tall, 46%, and my head circumference was 16.73 inches, 71 %.. I was a nice brother and shared my lollipop with Hannah. She loves the doctor bc of those lollipops. I am getting so big that mom has noticed that some size 6 month clothing is  already small on me and I can wear 9 month. I also moved into size 3 diaper which is only 1 below Hannah.

Mom went back to work this month:( We had a fun start to the summer together, but the day had to come when she returned. It is admirable to see both my parents working hard and it makes them coming home that much more special ;) I give huge gummy smiles when I see them come home each day. I have been hanging out with Claudia and Hannah. Claudia takes great care of us and we are lucky to spend the days with her! We have started fun things like going to story time at the library.

Mom, Dad, Hannah and I have started going to the zoo a few times. I have even taken rides on the train.

I have started bringing my hands together at midline, I have started grasping and holding things! I am also getting better at holding my head up. Mom still loves that I am such a "smiley baby!"

I got another little cold this month....snotty, coughing and congested:(.  It makes mom and dad sad to see me feeling sick. Unfortunately, we go through a non fun cycle of everyone exchanging colds our the house.