Beni is extremely mobile now. He's taken a few "crawling" steps, but otherwise generally gets around by dragging his lower body around with his upper body, rolls over, sits up to adjust his angle, lays down and rolls in the new direction. (It reminds me of an action movie where the character has to avoid the alarm lasers and stays low to the ground.) He has already started to explore uncharted territories... this is one little boy who is no longer safe by himself!
Baby proofing will be in the works throughout the next month as we've recently started phase 2 as far as major renovations in our home go. (Painting in the living and dining area, new hardwood floors, crown moulding, baseboards, water heater, AC ducts, constructing our garage into an office... the list goes on for what's to come!) I simply cannot wait until everything is complete!
It occurred to me the other day that when I wrote Beni's 7 month update I forget to mention one really cute and absolutely amazing thing that Beni does that I absolutely love! He responds to simple commands! When I ask him for his hands ("gimme' hands"), he quickly places them in mine, and from there when I asked him to stand up, he eagerly wobbles his way up to a standing position and smiles so bright as if to say "Look Ma, I did it!!" Ahhh, it's instant happiness in my heart. Occasionally he understands when I tell him to give me a hug, but he has to already be in my arms for him t make the connection. Still no sign of words, really, aside from saying Mama on Christmas eve, and maybe once since then... but he's very vocal in other ways. He is constantly squealing in delight, of course babbling, and we play grunting games all the time. He grunts, I grunt, and we mimic each other for several minutes thereafter. It may not quite be wordplay but we still think it's a lot of fun.
He's also started to show a little more of his personality this past month. Whenever hes around a new person, he clings pretty tightly to me and gets very shy and serious. He takes a few minutes to decide what he really thinks of the person. Then, if I make a funny face or poke at his tummy, he bursts out laughing.
As far as his stats go... right now our pudgy little shortybutt is about 26 3/4" tall and between 20-21lbs. God, I love our little Buddha baby!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Tooty McTooterson's first tooth!!
Our little boy is all grown up. Well, kind of. Yesterday morning I discovered that Beni's bottom left tooth (central incisor) finally burst through the gum and the days of the gummy smiles are slowly slipping away. It's... bittersweet, really.
We've expected it for quite awhile now, so in a way we've had time to get used to the idea, but it's still sad in so many ways to see him growing up so quickly. We could see and feel the teeth under his gums forever and a day, but it took months for this one to actually 'sprout'. I thought the top right would surely come first (because it literally looks as if it will burst at any moment) but Daddy called this one, he must have a knack for these things.
Le sigh... our baby boy. He handled it surprisingly well considering he's usually so sensitive when things aren't going quite his way. Take nursing for example, which we're still doing,"YAY US!". But... he gets pretty fussy if things aren't "just right", distracted by things going on in the room, and whiny if I take too long to whip the boob out or just generally mess things up, according to him, hahha. Or heaven forbid he drops a toy... he has a pretty strong temper for a 7-month old!
In other milestone news, he is this close to crawling! He can support his weight by both his arms and his legs, it's just a matter of coordinating them at the same time. But don't think for a second that holds him back! He gets around by rolling all over the floor and he's starting to sit up from lying down all on his own. He's really had no hitches in standing since the get go, and for a couple months now he's been able to pull himself up to standing position... but more recently he's discovered that he can cruise on by holding onto furniture or anything else he can get a grip on. It's so fantastic! Although, we really should start childproofing soon!
Oh, and one more thing... bananas are a no go! We attempted to give him a taste of the sweet life of fruit last week, and thinking bananas would be a good start... we were definitely mistaken! I've never seen so many sour faces!! Oh well, we'll stick with the rice and veggies solely for a little while longer and see how things go down the road... we'll let him call the shots while he can!
Update: Tooth number two came in on April 2nd! (Lower right central incisor.) I read recently that they come in pairs, so there's no surprise there! My big boy now has two beautiful pearly whites coming up!
We've expected it for quite awhile now, so in a way we've had time to get used to the idea, but it's still sad in so many ways to see him growing up so quickly. We could see and feel the teeth under his gums forever and a day, but it took months for this one to actually 'sprout'. I thought the top right would surely come first (because it literally looks as if it will burst at any moment) but Daddy called this one, he must have a knack for these things.
Le sigh... our baby boy. He handled it surprisingly well considering he's usually so sensitive when things aren't going quite his way. Take nursing for example, which we're still doing,"YAY US!". But... he gets pretty fussy if things aren't "just right", distracted by things going on in the room, and whiny if I take too long to whip the boob out or just generally mess things up, according to him, hahha. Or heaven forbid he drops a toy... he has a pretty strong temper for a 7-month old!
In other milestone news, he is this close to crawling! He can support his weight by both his arms and his legs, it's just a matter of coordinating them at the same time. But don't think for a second that holds him back! He gets around by rolling all over the floor and he's starting to sit up from lying down all on his own. He's really had no hitches in standing since the get go, and for a couple months now he's been able to pull himself up to standing position... but more recently he's discovered that he can cruise on by holding onto furniture or anything else he can get a grip on. It's so fantastic! Although, we really should start childproofing soon!
Oh, and one more thing... bananas are a no go! We attempted to give him a taste of the sweet life of fruit last week, and thinking bananas would be a good start... we were definitely mistaken! I've never seen so many sour faces!! Oh well, we'll stick with the rice and veggies solely for a little while longer and see how things go down the road... we'll let him call the shots while he can!
Update: Tooth number two came in on April 2nd! (Lower right central incisor.) I read recently that they come in pairs, so there's no surprise there! My big boy now has two beautiful pearly whites coming up!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sweet potatoes, anyone? (7 Months)
I can hardly believe our little sweet potato butt is already 7 months old! He has been sitting up completely unaided for a couple of months now, and has recently begun to bang on everything around him (including the air). Sometimes when you wave at him, he'll flap his left arm in the air and I swear it looks like he's returning the gesture. He's our little mimicking wonder child. He's still incredibly dependant on being in my arms at all hours of the day, and at 18lbs now, my arms are feeling to that effect! It's an exhausting cycle. We're trying tirelessly to break him of that dependence, but it's much easier said than done. He definitely has a bit of a temper (yes, at 7 months!) and cries to a point where it's almost scary (veins popping, red face, hyperventilates for more than a half hour following) when more than a few seconds pass without picking him up, generally right after I've placed him down to begin with. I've come to realize that you can indeed spoil a baby before 9 months of age, despite what our pediatrician tells us. Beni is without a doubt spoiled with affection. He's still co-sleeping, still breastfeeding, still teething (but no teeth yet, but you can certainly see them underneath the gums), still not a strong fan of tummy-time, still grabs at absolutely everything (including his toesies)... and of course still adorable as ever. Despite his little tantrums, he's SUCH a happy little boy, so full of giggles at smiles all throughout the day... it completely warms my heart without fail every time. Not to mention I've never felt more like a comedian in my life than I do with him, he really thinks I am one funny mommy! :)
When he can handle being on his tummy for more than a minute, he can completely support the front half of his body on his arms, but usually just scoots his knees around in an attempt to figure out what they are there for. It's pretty silly to watch, but I can tell that it really frustrates him. I'm surprised actually that he's not yet crawling because he's been able to stand on his legs for several months now, with virtually no help from us. All the moms at MomClub think that he will skip crawling altogether and go straight to walking. I think he's got a long way to go either way, but hey, we still have a lot of baby-proofing to do, so that's okay by me!
Eating... well, well, well. We started him on brown rice cereal at 6 months of age, and one day before he turned 7 months we gave him his first taste of sweet potatoes. We mixed a little with the rice, and because it was such a hit we decided to give him the whole jar. Success!! His solid schedule isn't very consistent yet as far as timing or frequency goes, but I think throughout this month we'll figure it out. He has had three days of sweet potatoes, and three days of peas... we were told to stick with every new introduction for at least three days to ensure there is no allergic reaction. I'm not quite sure what we will start him on today...
I'm sure I'm failing to mention a lot of the cute a quirky things that he does, but it's early and I've actually just woken up... I figured I may as well try to squeeze a quick update in there!
Baby's calling!
When he can handle being on his tummy for more than a minute, he can completely support the front half of his body on his arms, but usually just scoots his knees around in an attempt to figure out what they are there for. It's pretty silly to watch, but I can tell that it really frustrates him. I'm surprised actually that he's not yet crawling because he's been able to stand on his legs for several months now, with virtually no help from us. All the moms at MomClub think that he will skip crawling altogether and go straight to walking. I think he's got a long way to go either way, but hey, we still have a lot of baby-proofing to do, so that's okay by me!
Eating... well, well, well. We started him on brown rice cereal at 6 months of age, and one day before he turned 7 months we gave him his first taste of sweet potatoes. We mixed a little with the rice, and because it was such a hit we decided to give him the whole jar. Success!! His solid schedule isn't very consistent yet as far as timing or frequency goes, but I think throughout this month we'll figure it out. He has had three days of sweet potatoes, and three days of peas... we were told to stick with every new introduction for at least three days to ensure there is no allergic reaction. I'm not quite sure what we will start him on today...
I'm sure I'm failing to mention a lot of the cute a quirky things that he does, but it's early and I've actually just woken up... I figured I may as well try to squeeze a quick update in there!
Baby's calling!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Halfway to a year!
Mommyhood is without a doubt the greatest blessing of all. I can't even express how much love it brings out of a person. Even throughout all the chaos (i.e. Beni's horrible colic for the first four months...), it's like, here is this little miracle who's life is completely reliant on you, from growing to learning, ethics, safety... absolutely everything. It's so overwhelming, but in a good way... absolutely life changing.
Beni had rice cereal today for the first time... so exciting! Wild Oats carries a product called "Happy Bellies", a really neat brown rice cereal fortified with vitamins and probiotics that we picked up for todays "big event". It's the first bit of food he's had aside from 'mommy nutrition', in celebration of turning 6 months today. With that being said... it feels like he JUST came into this world, and already half a year has flown by! Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time and enjoy these moments forever...
Beni had rice cereal today for the first time... so exciting! Wild Oats carries a product called "Happy Bellies", a really neat brown rice cereal fortified with vitamins and probiotics that we picked up for todays "big event". It's the first bit of food he's had aside from 'mommy nutrition', in celebration of turning 6 months today. With that being said... it feels like he JUST came into this world, and already half a year has flown by! Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time and enjoy these moments forever...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
"A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule"
For several months now, vaccination research has consumed much of the "free time" I've been able to steal for myself... today I found an article that flawlessly addresses everything that I've felt regarding the issue...
A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule
I know it's a very controversial subject, but I feel that it's an area that deserves attention... or at the very least some consideration.
To date, Beni has had 2 HebB, 2 Rotateq, 1 DTaP, 1 Prevnar. (Bearing in mind that's only 6/15 shots recommended at his age by American Academy of Pediatrics under the current Immunization Schedule.
I'm strongly considering taking this recommendation to heart and halting on all vaccines for another year, or so. I've already unquestionably decided to halt the last dose of Rotateq, and the 2 additional shots required of Prevnar... realistically, the risk greatly outweighs any presumed benefit. As far as the more traditional vaccines go, they will resume when Beni is developed to a point where his body can defend itself if something were to go awry... I'd rather err on the side of caution when my child's safety is at stake. Wouldn't any parent?
A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule
I know it's a very controversial subject, but I feel that it's an area that deserves attention... or at the very least some consideration.
To date, Beni has had 2 HebB, 2 Rotateq, 1 DTaP, 1 Prevnar. (Bearing in mind that's only 6/15 shots recommended at his age by American Academy of Pediatrics under the current Immunization Schedule.
I'm strongly considering taking this recommendation to heart and halting on all vaccines for another year, or so. I've already unquestionably decided to halt the last dose of Rotateq, and the 2 additional shots required of Prevnar... realistically, the risk greatly outweighs any presumed benefit. As far as the more traditional vaccines go, they will resume when Beni is developed to a point where his body can defend itself if something were to go awry... I'd rather err on the side of caution when my child's safety is at stake. Wouldn't any parent?
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Four months and growing!
(Just a forewarning, this is a VERY lengthy overall update on Beni's personality development, feedings, milestones, and general physical stats. It's probably a bore for anyone else to read, but I like keeping track because I think everything he does is remarkable and adorable... and will likely want to reminisce about later in life. Maybe even a week from now at the rate he's growing!)
"With dimples on his knees and his elbows, a belly to rival any Buddha's, an extra chin to tuck, and an endearing amount of pinchable flesh on his cheeks, he's the picture of baby cuteness from head to chubby toes."
It amazes me how full of life and energy he is these days. He's always had a very vibrant personality, making sure we're well aware of his likes and dislikes, but within the past month he's really just taken off... he's always "talking" up a storm, and giggles too! We've made a habit of having regular "conversations" throughout the day. He's so full of smiles when interacting. It's absolutely adorable! We've also discovered a few of his ticklish spots; behind his neck, under his arms, the sides of his little tummy, and simply poking him and laughing at him seems to do the trick. You can tell that he's really thrilled when he starts kicking his legs and flailing his arms all over the place. It's one of my favorite sights!
He's at a fun stage now where he'll just stop whatever he's doing and stare at me and smile. Almost like he's trying to memorize everything about me. He really makes me feel so blessed.
Feedings are still a bit of a challenge... he's made the association that when he eats he feels reflux pains, so during the day he sometimes goes on 'nursing strikes'. He'll start nursing eagerly at first, but suddenly gets very frantic, arches his back and cries until he simply exhausts himself. It takes so much persistence (and patience) until he finally decides to give in... so, that in itself pretty much consumes most of my day. We're still not having luck with him taking a bottle either. We've tried just about every style (even bottles made specifically to mimic the breast) to no avail. This is really no surprise to me since he also rejects pacifiers. He's no dummy; he knows an artificial nipple when he sees it! I have a feeling he'll go directly from boob to sippy cup at this rate, hahha. His eating schedule now is about every 3 hours during the day, and every hour or so in the evening. He sleeps about 10 hours during the night and only wakes for maybe 3 meals... it's definitely improved greatly from the beginning where he woke every hour to eat... phew!!
Aside from that, he's still extraordinarily dependant on being held all the time and seems to only accept being put down when he's on the verge of passing out, and even then it's very short lived. He's become so reliant on falling asleep either in my arms or Angelo's, and especially lying on his side, chest to chest with me... he's only 'successfully' slept on his own (in another room than the room I'm in) maybe two or three times since he was born. We've tried to make the transition, but in so many ways he's showing us he's just not ready quite yet. He cries hysterically as if he's being tormented, relentlessly. It will have to be a very gradual process...
As far as his milestones go... after the first month, he started pulling himself up to standing position completely unassisted aside from balance, and this really completely amazes me. I know most babies tend to do that instinctively, but the strength it takes for someone so tiny to do this is just unbelievable. To me, it's like seeing tiny ants haul around crumbs five times their size. He's hasn't had any trouble holding his head up on his own for about two and a half months now... this has made our outings really exciting because he can face outward in his Snugli (front carrier) and completely take in his surroundings. He still prefers to face inward, but even then he still observes everything around us. I looove his Snugli! We'd be so lost without it, considering he practically lives in it. When he's on his tummy, he can raise his head and chest supported by his arms and roll over onto his back again. He hasn't yet tried to go from back to stomach, but I think it's because in general he's not a big fan of tummy time. He also has recently really started interacting with the toys on his Jumperoo and has grown really fond of his little sock monkey. He likes wrestling with it when we place it in his lap on his bouncer. It's one of those toys that when he sees it, there's an instant smile. His "talking" consists of "ah-goo!", ehhh (grunting), trying to mimic the alphabet when I sing it to him VERY slowly (A-B-C for him is aahh bweh caaa... but he's definitely is getting the idea!), mimicking "HI!" without actually saying it, but more so "mouthing it", blurrr, gweee, bwahh, goo, pherr... oh my goodness his little noises are just endless!! My personal favorite mimic ever is when I repeat "I love you" about a million times, he actually starts saying "Iwhhhuuyuu". Angelo and I go totally nuts for this!
Now onto physical stats... I know he's at least 14lbs and 24in long (an increase of 8lbs and 6 1/2in since birth) but I won't be sure of the exact amounts until his wellness check-up on the 17th. (I wish they could have scheduled it closer to his 4 month mark, but evidently this is a very busy season for them?) He's such a tubby little boy, though, I love it! Oh, and his toes can now finally reach the ground when playing in his Jumperoo! This amuses him (and us) greatly!
Motherhood has transformed my life in so many wonderful ways... I get the beautiful advantage of so many new angles of the feelings of love, appreciation, joy, reward, wonder, worry, laughter... bliss... every feeling is intensified because he makes everything a new experience. Even throughout the times where it feels like we're in over our heads, I could never ask for anything more extraordinary in life. He is our light and a constant reminder to thankful for the life that we have. I couldn't be more blessed...
Update: As of December 12th, Beni is 14lbs, 14.4oz, 24in long... and 4 months and 4 days old. Now that's a lot of 4's! :)
"With dimples on his knees and his elbows, a belly to rival any Buddha's, an extra chin to tuck, and an endearing amount of pinchable flesh on his cheeks, he's the picture of baby cuteness from head to chubby toes."
It amazes me how full of life and energy he is these days. He's always had a very vibrant personality, making sure we're well aware of his likes and dislikes, but within the past month he's really just taken off... he's always "talking" up a storm, and giggles too! We've made a habit of having regular "conversations" throughout the day. He's so full of smiles when interacting. It's absolutely adorable! We've also discovered a few of his ticklish spots; behind his neck, under his arms, the sides of his little tummy, and simply poking him and laughing at him seems to do the trick. You can tell that he's really thrilled when he starts kicking his legs and flailing his arms all over the place. It's one of my favorite sights!
He's at a fun stage now where he'll just stop whatever he's doing and stare at me and smile. Almost like he's trying to memorize everything about me. He really makes me feel so blessed.
Feedings are still a bit of a challenge... he's made the association that when he eats he feels reflux pains, so during the day he sometimes goes on 'nursing strikes'. He'll start nursing eagerly at first, but suddenly gets very frantic, arches his back and cries until he simply exhausts himself. It takes so much persistence (and patience) until he finally decides to give in... so, that in itself pretty much consumes most of my day. We're still not having luck with him taking a bottle either. We've tried just about every style (even bottles made specifically to mimic the breast) to no avail. This is really no surprise to me since he also rejects pacifiers. He's no dummy; he knows an artificial nipple when he sees it! I have a feeling he'll go directly from boob to sippy cup at this rate, hahha. His eating schedule now is about every 3 hours during the day, and every hour or so in the evening. He sleeps about 10 hours during the night and only wakes for maybe 3 meals... it's definitely improved greatly from the beginning where he woke every hour to eat... phew!!
Aside from that, he's still extraordinarily dependant on being held all the time and seems to only accept being put down when he's on the verge of passing out, and even then it's very short lived. He's become so reliant on falling asleep either in my arms or Angelo's, and especially lying on his side, chest to chest with me... he's only 'successfully' slept on his own (in another room than the room I'm in) maybe two or three times since he was born. We've tried to make the transition, but in so many ways he's showing us he's just not ready quite yet. He cries hysterically as if he's being tormented, relentlessly. It will have to be a very gradual process...
As far as his milestones go... after the first month, he started pulling himself up to standing position completely unassisted aside from balance, and this really completely amazes me. I know most babies tend to do that instinctively, but the strength it takes for someone so tiny to do this is just unbelievable. To me, it's like seeing tiny ants haul around crumbs five times their size. He's hasn't had any trouble holding his head up on his own for about two and a half months now... this has made our outings really exciting because he can face outward in his Snugli (front carrier) and completely take in his surroundings. He still prefers to face inward, but even then he still observes everything around us. I looove his Snugli! We'd be so lost without it, considering he practically lives in it. When he's on his tummy, he can raise his head and chest supported by his arms and roll over onto his back again. He hasn't yet tried to go from back to stomach, but I think it's because in general he's not a big fan of tummy time. He also has recently really started interacting with the toys on his Jumperoo and has grown really fond of his little sock monkey. He likes wrestling with it when we place it in his lap on his bouncer. It's one of those toys that when he sees it, there's an instant smile. His "talking" consists of "ah-goo!", ehhh (grunting), trying to mimic the alphabet when I sing it to him VERY slowly (A-B-C for him is aahh bweh caaa... but he's definitely is getting the idea!), mimicking "HI!" without actually saying it, but more so "mouthing it", blurrr, gweee, bwahh, goo, pherr... oh my goodness his little noises are just endless!! My personal favorite mimic ever is when I repeat "I love you" about a million times, he actually starts saying "Iwhhhuuyuu". Angelo and I go totally nuts for this!
Now onto physical stats... I know he's at least 14lbs and 24in long (an increase of 8lbs and 6 1/2in since birth) but I won't be sure of the exact amounts until his wellness check-up on the 17th. (I wish they could have scheduled it closer to his 4 month mark, but evidently this is a very busy season for them?) He's such a tubby little boy, though, I love it! Oh, and his toes can now finally reach the ground when playing in his Jumperoo! This amuses him (and us) greatly!
Motherhood has transformed my life in so many wonderful ways... I get the beautiful advantage of so many new angles of the feelings of love, appreciation, joy, reward, wonder, worry, laughter... bliss... every feeling is intensified because he makes everything a new experience. Even throughout the times where it feels like we're in over our heads, I could never ask for anything more extraordinary in life. He is our light and a constant reminder to thankful for the life that we have. I couldn't be more blessed...
Update: As of December 12th, Beni is 14lbs, 14.4oz, 24in long... and 4 months and 4 days old. Now that's a lot of 4's! :)
Friday, November 2, 2007
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