5 months old!!!

I can't believe how this child is growing. LOOK! JUST LOOK!

The little man is just growing all the time and I don't even know that to do with myself. So, the round up-

The good: LAUGHING. Laughing like crazy. Holding onto us when we carry him, big smiles when he sees us, new tricks like rolling, squirming, sitting up with some help and being able to hold things much more steadily.

The bad: 

My first time being dreadfully sick as a mom and boy did it suck. Stomach bugs are terrible enough but add in a baby who doesn't understand why mama is messing up their bed time routine by suddenly putting them down and running for the toilet is just no good. That was the night Z stopped sleeping through the night and I can't help but feel like somehow it was because of me being sick. Thank God Joe was able to leave the bachelor party he was at and come home to take care of us and thank God again that Z didn't get sick like I did.                                                                                         We've also been fighting a mysterious rash for the past couple weeks. The pediatrician said he thinks it is a contact rash and I think it's because Z is so active right now and it seems like his prefolds have gotten a little crunchy or are just not soft enough not to rub and give him a rash. He's in disposables mostly until I figure out this mystery because every time he goes back in the cloth the rash flares up again. Wish me well in my quest.

The AWESOME: 

We found a babysitter and while it was sad to say goodbye to our interim sitter who doted upon Z, it feels good to know that we're no longer trespassing on anyone's good will and to feel comfortable when dropping of Z, knowing he will have a great day with our sitter and her kids. He comes home from her house happy, well rested and ready for afternoon play time with mama and papa. Big load off of my mind and a big blessing. 

Nom nom nom

Z is a solid food munching fiend. By solid food I mean rice cereal and mashed bananas, pureed peas and applesauce, but still, it's a whole new world for him. And he's diving in like a CHAMP! Behold:

It's so fun!

Here Mama, let me help you with that.

Rice cereal with applesauce is the STUFF!

The child is very enthusiastic about sitting in his chair and getting to try different things. He's been a big fan of the bananas and applesauce but he seems iffy about the peas. When he first tried the applesauce he looked like he'd just sucked a lemon but he still dove in. With the peas he made a sound like "kack kack kack" and then stared a me like, "Really?" I would say, "MMMMM!" and give another bite and once again, "kack kack kack" I can't really say anything because I'm not a fan of peas either. Today he tasted a cherry tomato off of my little plant and seemed to think he should get to eat the whole thing but I disagreed. It was my tomato!

This Too Shall Pass

Z's been waking once a night to eat for the past several weeks, which was a sad step backwards for us after having enjoyed blissful full nights of sleep for several weeks prior to that (I know, lucky), but we figure it's a phase, he's a growing boy, ain't no thang. He goes to bed really well so I can handle getting up to give a bottle once a night. Not a problem. Then, for the last two nights he's gotten up twice, once to eat, once to... I'm not sure. Last night it was because he had peed through his diaper and was all wet and probably cold. You know what is fun? Being very tired and having your baby scream his head off while you strip off all the pee clothes and saturated diaper. DE-LIGHTFUL. It leads to illogical thoughts like, "He's the only baby who isn't sleeping through the night at his age!" or, even more illogical, "He's the only baby who would scream like this while getting his clothes changed!" or, heck, even better, the thought, "No other babies cry at night!" Sleep deprivation is fun and makes you think that a 5 month old can understand logical reasoning like, "I'm just changing you clothes, shhhhh, it's fine! Shhhhh! Z! Shhh! Why are you crying?! I'm just cleaning you up!"

Of course now, in the light of day with my second cup of coffee steaming gently before me, I realize that Z is not the only baby who isn't sleeping through the night, one wake up is perfectly reasonable for a growing boy, probably everyone would cry if they suddenly were stripped naked in the cold night (I would) and all babies cry because that's all they can do to communicate. So I will continue to sip my coffee, fortify my sleepy brain and think of the big smile my little man gave me when I said, "Good morning" and the warm  baby cuddles in the dark that will soon be gone when he stops needing me in the night. Life is sweet.

Three and Four Months!

Soooooooooooooo.......... we missed the three and four month post but not the pictures. Here they are!

3 Months!
The good: smiles! Lots of smiles! I loved our little 3 month guy. He started to really light up and show preference for us and certain toys and activities.

The bad: ? We had a bout with constipation. That made mama sad for her little guy.

The awesome: getting to see all the grandparents and uncles and aunts during this month! (And great aunts and uncles, great grandma, etc, etc)

Four months!

That one just snuck right up on me. Z handled his shots really well, though he was a bit fussy the day after. The stats - 18 lbs and 27 inches!! Yep, we have got a tall baby on our hands and who needs weights when you're toting around an 18 lb 4 month old?

The good: first laugh! Slept through the night!!And he goes to bed really easily 90% of the time. Naps pretty well, but seems to hate napping in his crib when he's at home. We don't get it at all.

The bad: Sitter stress. I don't even want to go into it.

The awesome: Uncle Luke moved to Syracuse!

Roll Over, Roll Over

Z rolled over last week (technically, the week before last) and it was hilarious. He looked shocked and I screamed (in excitement) at him, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!?" which probably frightened him even more. He did it again straight away and I was much more calm so then it was time for smiles and giggles since crazy mama wasn't screeching anymore. He would still get stuck a lot, which was hilarious, because he'd be leaning as far as he possibly could and just couldn't make it that last little bit. He knows it's there, a shimmering possibility just waiting for him, but he just can't grasp it with regularity.

In fact, at his point, I think the shine has come off the penny. He's like, "Meh, if I roll over, all I get is on my back." That's just not good enough people. He has no patience for these shenanigans. He needs to MOVE! Now when we place him on his stomach, instead of pushing himself up really high and leaning, he flattens himself down and begins vigorously, if incredibly inefficiently, squirming his way around or attempts to hoist himself up into a crawling position, like that's a pretty reasonable option at this point. No, son, no. It is not. Who am I kidding? He does what he wants. :)

Waking Up With Vomit

There's really nothing quite as horrifying disgusting shocking as reaching down to pick up your dear baby from their crib when they've cried and woken you from slumber and, as you slide your hand under their little back, you feel mystery wetness. Possibly slimy (if it's vomit or a massive spit up) but most certainly some sort of bodily fluid that is now all over both of you. The fevered thoughts that run through your exhausted mind, immediately sending you into a half asleep frenzied are approximately as follows, in no particular order as they basically assault you simultaneously like a screaming crowd in your brain:

"OH NO!" 

"YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!"

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

"IS HE OKAY?! IS HE SUFFERING? FREEZING?!"

"WHY DIDN'T HE CRY SOONER!?"

"YUCK!! SERIOUSLY!! YUUUUUUCCK!!!"

This has happened a few times to us, most recently this morning when Joe came into the bathroom this morning while I was showering to announce:

"His back is all wet!"

"What?"

"His back is all wet! I don't know if it's pee or spit up! I don't think it's pee. He's all wet!!"

"What does it smell like?"

"I can't smell well!!"

Conclusion- he did indeed spit up or vomit (hard to tell with a baby) a copious amount at an undisclosed time of the night and then went ahead and slept in a gnarly puddle for who knows how long. When I peeked out of the shower, there he was, huge smile on his face like, "NBD guys! GOOOOOOOD MORNING! Look how Papa's got me sitting on the sink! SINKS ARE FUN! WEEEE!"

I am not being remotely sarcastic when I say I love those boys, I love my life, and babies are ridiculous. 

Whoops!

The lack of posts is because we've been remarkably busy entertaining family, visiting, etc every weekend and work has been crazy for me. I certainly have zero interest in typing when I could be with Z and after he goes to bed I have to make up for all the things I can't get done on the weekend. BUT! Life is good! Great!

Z has grown and changed so much! I'm just going to do his 3 and 4 month pictures in one post, so you will see how much that little guy has changed. He's always learning and I love to watch it. I really think one of the most rewarding parts of being Z's mama is seeing him go from knowing nothing, to learning EVERYTHING. He's very chatty and his range of sounds has gotten quite varied and impressive. He smiles big smiles at us and is just on the verge of a real laugh, especially when I blow raspberries on his tummy after bath time. He's very interested in everything around him, staring at people and things with rapt attention. He still wants to do more than he really can- loves "walking" with us holding him under his arms, loves sitting up, likes to sit and watch us eat (which is great since we used to have to take turns. Now we rarely do.) He is starting to be able to choose toys to grasp and put in his mouth, which is hilarious to watch because he gets so concentrated.

Right now, one of the most entertaining things for me is his reaction to the toy bar on his bouncy chair. For some reason that I cannot begin to guess, Z is very intense about this owl that hangs there.

He stares at it, sticks his lips out in concentration and then proceeds to have some sort of extreme staring contest with it during which he flails his legs and grunts constantly. Every now and then he'll deliver that owl a satisfying whack. I have no idea what is going on between those two but right now I think the score is like Owl - 2, Z-8. (I consider the owl has won when Z doesn't get a smack in and gives up the intense staring contest)