Catching Up

James threw my iPhone into the bathtub the other day, and videos of his first steps are gone, gone, gone. Why didn't I post them here as they happened? No excuse, except that I still had December and January photos to sort through, and I had taken so many videos lately that I needed to sort through those too. I had been meaning to get to it.

The other thing I've been meaning to do is get back to writing regular updates on the boys. Patrick loves looking at old pictures of himself and hearing the descriptions of what he was doing then. And I don't want to forget the little stories and details! So here goes...

James is 21 months today. How is that possible? He is active and curious, always into something. We call him James, Jamie, Jamie-James, JJ, J, Tiny, and Trouble. He is currently obsessed with "Choo-chooo," "lel-la" and "shoooz." If he spots a mitten within reach he'll start shrieking "lella, lel-la!" put it on and run around the house waving his hand in the air. Needless to say, this leads to many mismatched pairs...

After months of cruising and taking a few steps here and there, he started truly walking right around the first of the year. The drunken sailor phase went quickly, and now he's steady on his feet and looks like he's been walking all his life.

We've been spending a lot of time at the Y lately. We had tried off and on, but J was usually too fussy. Now he loves playing with all the toys and the other kids while Mama works out, so we've been going 3-4 mornings a week. Patrick's in school then, but he gets to go Thursday nights for a soccer class. The track circles the gym overhead, so we can look down and watch him play while we're running. He'll be switching to T-ball next session, and can't wait.

Patrick has become really proficient on the computer. After lunch while James naps, he'll launch the browser, find pbskids.org, and surf from one game to the next. Because it's so precious to him, computer time is the first privilege he loses for bad behavior.

The other day, Patrick adopted a new pet: Brown Eyes the boxelder bug. Brown Eyes eventually escaped his jar, and we decided he was playing hide-and-seek. The next day we saw Brown Eyes (or was it his brother?) on the curtain and have been finding him (or his brothers) popping up here and there.

The past week, Patrick has come home from school each day taking about his new "best friend." In the past he's talked about playing with Ryleigh, Daniel, or Mikey and Paige, and he had an early crush on Sofia. The other day he came home all excited: "Mommy, Aaron is my new best friend! I've never had a best friend before! And Aidan, Jack and Brady are my best friends too!" The next day I asked about his best friends and he said oh no, Isabella is my best friend now. And the next day, "Marlisse asked me if I'd be her best friend and I said sure. And she's in kindergarten!"

It's funny to see the influences these friends have on his interests. He now apparently loves Spiderman, because the other boys at school love Spiderman. But his true loves are still Curious George, the Cat in the Hat, and the characters from Toy Story, Dinosaur Train, and Cars.

The boys usually both wake up around 7:00 and watch a couple of shows before Patrick gets ready for school. If James gets up first, he'll start pounding on the television cabinet: "Choo-choo! Choo-choo!" asking for Thomas. But he's usually too busy destroying the downstairs to watch for long. Patrick on the other hand would watch for hours if we'd let him. Curious George, Dinosaur Train, Between the Lions, The Cat in the Hat, and Sid the Science Kid remain his favorites.

For months now, whenever James sees anything Sesame Street, he'll immediately burst into song: "La, la la laaaaaa" (The "Elmo's World" theme song.) And whenever he sees Bob the Builder: "Baaaa ba ba ba, ba ba ba ba" It was really odd because he had only seen each show once or twice when he started this, yet he made that instant connection and his pitch was dead-on!

Both boys have turned into really good eaters, especially compared to some of their friends. The other day in the produce section: "Mommy, can we get some green beans? Pleeeease? And broccoli? We looove broccoli! And those things [parsnips]!" I got some amused smiles from other shoppers that day. Patrick still loves BaNilla yogurt and Mama Cereal above all else, and James remains Meat Boy, although he also asks for "boo-bee" (blueberries), "ah-pull" and "ba-ba-ba." ("How do you ask?" "Peeeeeeees!")

James is talking quite a bit, but he still doesn't have a name for Patrick. When Buckley was visiting the other day he immediately started chanting "Bup-bee, bup-bee" but just called Llama "woooof" (that's woooof, not "wuf").

Patrick is finally potty trained! During the day, anyway. That was a long time coming. He was almost fully trained last February, then completely lost interest. We had phases of underwear-with-accidents and just going back to Pull-Ups. Not sure what the turning point was, but he finally started wearing underwear to school around Thanksgiving. He still wears a Pull-Up to bed, but changes into underwear first thing in the morning and is good for the day. He hasn't has an accident since Christmastime, and even did really well waiting for rest stops on a couple of recent trips to Maine.

What else? The boys have a pretty good relationship, but it should get stronger as they are better able to play together. Patrick is quite patient, but James is always wrecking the train tracks, grabbing books out of his hands, or turning the television off. But they love to wrestle, splash in the bath together, and make each other laugh in the car. Patrick summed it up nicely one day when J kept destroying his playdough creations: "Let's send James back to the hos-apital because he always gets into my things. But we'd really miss him, so let's just keep an eye on him instead."

27 Months

This month, we survived our first Missing Babbick Crisis. We returned from Irvington on a Sunday night without Patrick's treasured friend. Since we were planning to meet Alex at the Children's Museum that Tuesday, we had to somehow get through two nights and a naptime. We explained to Patrick that Babbick was spending the night at Gran-D's house. "Mama's Froggies" (flannel pajama bottoms) turned out to be an acceptable temporary substitute. He handled the separation much, much better than we could have hoped for, but was glad to be reunited.

As Robin's belly is becoming more noticeable, we're starting to talk to Patrick about "the baby." He was very cute the first time, saying hello to the baby and even kissing the belly repeatedly. Since then, he's brought it up on his own quite often, either to yank Robin's shirt down and say "No baby!" or to say goodnight through the belly button.

In preparation for the new family member, we've started the transformation of the guest room into Patrick's room. We gave "Sophie's bed" (the queen) to a neighbor, and found a "Big Boy Bed" (twin) and dresser on Craig's List. Patrick enjoys climbing up on his BBB to read books (George and Thomas) before bed. Once the room is ready, we'll let him start sleeping there if he wants to. But for now, he's still happy in his crib...

We're continuing to follow Patrick's lead when it comes to potty training. Every once in a while he runs to the potty and asks to read "Harold and the Purple Crayon." And he's actually used the potty properly a few times! He's very proud of himself when he does, and is getting better about telling us when he needs a diaper change.

Patrick has continued watching a show most mornings, Curious George, Thomas, or Super Why. We still record Sesame Street, but he hasn't watched it in months (to Mama's dismay). The other day when asked which show he wanted to watch, he replied "Super Why first, George second." The little negotiator got to watch both that morning...

Patrick is enjoying music more that ever. He's often overheard singing ABCD... F and G" to himself. As long as his head's on his pillow, Mommy and Daddy will sing a couple of songs when he's going to bed. He usually requests "Wheels on Bus," "Itsy Spider" or "Farm Song" (Old MacDonald). Not the traditional lullabies...

Besides singing, we hear a lot of "Where'd it go?" "Right there!" "Ta-da!" and "Mommy/Daddy, (where) are you?" His favoite number is 4, and says his favorite color is orange, although that seems to change a lot.

We skipped Soccer Tots this session, but Patrick is enjoying storytime at the library, music class, and playdates with Joshua and Kevin.

26 Months

Very independent and curious, Patrick's favorite phrases these days are "My do it" and "'zis, Mommy?" (what's this)

We spent time this month with the Yoga Boys and the Yoga Mamas (two entirely separate groups!), at Soccer Tots, music class, the Albany Art Room, and dinner at Friendly's.

22 Months

Patrick's language skills continue to grow. He constantly amazes us with words we didn't know he knew. "Octopus," "violin," "matches," "hippopotamus." He creates a running narration of his day -- "run," "kick," "kiss," "push," "open," "hug." He's starting to use adjectives with almost every noun, usually big/small or colors. "Big am-blance," "small am-blance," "loud train," "big rock," "red truck," "yellow bus."

His first color was orange ("or-nange pum-kin"), but he knows most of the rest now and loves to point them out in everything he sees. He still confuses purple with pink.

Patrick has counted to ten on his own several times, but only when he doesn't think we're listening. When asked to count, he'll just laugh. Michael still thinks Robin's making it up...

Our picky eater still loves bread, cheese, and fruit. Still won't touch vegetables or most meat. Asks for "mama's coo-kies" (pumpkin raisin oatmeal), "big cheese" (slices, not cut up), "open" milk (without the sippy lid), and "mama moo" (yogurt).

His favorite activity these days is helping Daddy "cook" in the kitchen. He'll pull over a stool, climb "up high," and ask for a bowl and spoon. He has fun with the toy kitchen and play food we found on Craigslist, but prefers the real thing. He'll be making breakfast for Mama in no time!

He also loves to play with trains, especially since Grampy and Bubbie's visit. The Thomas books are some of his favorites.

Patrick still watches Sesame Street from time to time, but Signing Time is back to being his favorite. Most mornings, he'll request either the "farm" or "choo-choo train" (zoo) episode so he can see all of the animals. He enjoys making the appropriate noises.

He also loves to sit on Mama's lap and look at "pic-purs" on the computer. He breaks into a big grin when he sees family members appear on the screen. "Bar-bra" was the first name he used consistently, but he's mastered all of the grandparents' and cousins' names by now. He still has some trouble with the other aunts and uncles, but that will come as he spends more time with them.

"Pap-ick's bab-ik" (Patrick's blankie) continues to be the favorite at bedtime. It's the green alien blanket that Auntie Tamara made. He still sleeps from 8-8:30 to 7:30-8:00 (or 6:30 or 9:00). He also still takes a long afternoon nap from 12:30ish to 3:30ish. He's very slow to wake up, making it difficult to get out of the house in the morning!

Once out of the house, he enjoys school, music class, toddler hikes, storytime at the library, or just trips to the store...

21 Months

The past couple of months, we've seen an explosion in Patrick's language skills. He was slow to start talking, and until recently only had a handful of words that he used regularly. But suddenly he's labeling everything he sees, and loves to parrot whatever we say. He's very concerned about possession, talking about "Mama's ban-ket," "Daddy's shoes," "Pap-pap's house" or "Llama's bowl." He's also very interested in opposites: "up-down," "off-on," "in-out," "open-close." We've been encouraging him to say "pease" and "tank-you," but he usually needs to be reminded.

Patrick has mastered the alphabet, recognizing all of the capital letters. He loves to point them out in books and signs. He'll sing snatches of the alphabet song on his own, often muttering "ABCDFG... LMNOP... RSTV... WXYZ" from the backseat of the car. He's working on colors -- he knows that Big Bird is yellow, Elmo is red, and Cookie is blue, but applies it inconsistently to other things. The default is always blue. He loves to point out "two!" of something, but doesn't really count yet. There's so much to learn!

Patrick's started telling us when his diaper is "dir-ty" but has shown no interest in the potty. We haven't been doing any training yet, waiting until he seems more ready.

School has been getting better. The first three weeks were rocky -- dropoff was tough, and he'd cry for Mama off and on throughout the day. But his teachers have been great, and the past couple of days, they say he's had a real turnaround. He still cries at dropoff, but recovers quickly and has a great day. He loves to be outside in the playground, and enjoys the art projects they do on rainy days.

We joined a toddler hiking group, and have enjoyed our Thursday morning nature walks. Patrick usually spends the first half in the "bak-pak" looking for "mar-mers" (trail markers). Then we stop for a snack, and he walks the rest of the way. Stopping often, of course, to look at leaves, sticks, rocks, and the occasional frog or newt. It's been a great way to appreciate the beautiful fall weather, discover new trails in the area, and meet new friends...

Nineteen Months

Highchair 8/3/08 from snyderdailey on Vimeo.

The summer is just flying by! Patrick is keeping us very busy, and we're having loads of fun. We traveled to Maine and Irvington six weekends in a row, and spent the weeks in between filled with trips to the library, playgrounds, and Soccer Tots. Patrick has become very good at entertaining himself in the car, although the last hour usually requires a sing-along CD at top volume.

Our little climber loves to scale ladders and monkey bars at the playground, and terrifies us by regularly climbing into his high chair or up onto his changing table when we aren't looking. Luckily, he hasn't managed to get out of the crib (yet).

His latest trick is pointing out and saying "S," "O," and "R." He started by identifing these letters in the bathtub, and will now find them in books. Whenever he finds an "I" he will make the sign for "ice cream."

His morning ritual of watching "Rachel" (Signing Time) has turned into the occasional request for "Elmo," as much as mommy is pushing for Big Bird instead. We watch one show most mornings, but that's it for the day.

Patrick loves to clomp around in mommy's heels or daddy's shoes, and learned to somersault the other day (but hasn't repeated it since)...

Eighteen Months

We've discovered something fun about living on a busy road: Patrick's favorite activity these days is sitting on the front porch, pointing out cars and trucks. He especially loves the big yellow school buses. He'll sign and say "more" when things quiet down, thinking we have some control. He also likes to point out airplanes and birds in the sky. He'll always wave at flowers and doggies.

Slowly but surely, Patrick is adding new words to his vocabulary. Dada, Mama, ball, more, bear, nose, bubble, and his own version of "cheers!" He's very good about signing "more please" and continues to learn new signs as fast as we can teach them.

Patrick loves music. He dances to his CDs, and plays the harmonica, egg shakers, and recorder. At Aunt Harriet's, he started banging away on her piano. He still loves to cuddle with a good book, and has definite opinions about what he wants to hear. The current obsession is "Good Night Maine," a book we picked up on our vacation.

Seventeen Months

May was a great month. We've had beautiful weather and spent most of our time outside. We finally had our fence installed, so Patrick can spend hours poking around at the rock pile, throwing balls for Llama, blowing dandelion seeds, picking up pinecones, and climbing off and on the deck. He loves to venture out of the confines to inspect the garden or sit in the middle of the water line, digging out rocks.

He still loves to cuddle up on a lap with a good book, but we're spending so much time outside these days that he's reading less than he used to. His newest favorite is "All About Me" because it points out body parts, a game he's enjoyed for a while. Another new one is "Sesame Street Firehouse," surprising because it's a long book that he will sit still for.

Patrick finally has a word! He says "ball" every chance he gets. Since he loves to throw and kick, this happens a lot. He'll still say "Mama" and "Dada" when prompted, but "Bah" is the only thing he'll consistently say on his own. He signs "more," "milk," "all done," "grapes," "hat," and "please." He's great about following directions, and is showing definite opinions abut things. He'll shake his head "no" to two shirts, then reach excitedly for the third...

We spent some time touring daycares, and found a great one. Patrick will be going to Bethlehem Preschool on Wednesdays and Fridays, starting in the fall. It'll be great fun for him to play with other kids, help with social skills, and allow Robin to work a bit more. In the meantime, Kristie has started spending three afternoons a week with Patrick.

He went through a "mommy clingy" phase, but is getting better. Once he warms up to his surroundings, he's ready to work the crowd, toasting "cheers" to everyone in the room...

He has at least one new tooth, the bottom left cuspid. He won't really let us get in there to check for the others. He bit Robin twice in one day, but luckily hasn't repeated it. It was very strange -- he didn't seem to be angry or frustrated, but just experimenting.

We've tried to limit Patrick's exposure to tv, and he hadn't shown much interest anyway, until recently. He'll run to the cabinet and beg to watch the "Rachel show" (Signing Time).

We're still going to Music Together class on Tuesdays, playgroup on Wednesdays, Storytime at the library on Thursdays, and getting together with the Yoga Boys from time to time. The weeks just fly by!

Sixteen Months

New favorites this month:

- "Helping" around the house (sweeping, emptying the dishwasher, stuffing the washing machine)

- Signing "all done," "milk," and "eat" (thanks, Alex!)

- Climbing up on chairs (thanks, Alex!)

- Playing with rocks and sticks in the backyard

- Walking to playgroup with Dermott

- Banging instruments at music class

- Screaming when Mommy leaves the room

- Climbing the ladder of the new slide

- Digging in the dirt

- Running after balls

- Using a fork

- Shaking his head "no"

- Two bottom molars, and two upper molars

Fifteen Months

More of the same from Patrick this month. He's a happy, active toddler who's into something new every day.

Still not much talking out of the boy. He calls everything "da-da" and says "hah-lah" when the phone rings or as he holds something up to his ear. He communicates mostly by pointing and grunting "uh-uh-uh." Quite insistently, as he knows what he wants and gets frustrated if we don't respond to his demands. Distraction doesn't work so well anymore.

We've been trying to sign with him for a while now. He consistently signs "more" when eating, but has expanded it to mean just about anything from "read to me" to "open this." Every other sign is greeted with a blank stare.

He understands a lot of what we say to him, and is starting to follow directions. He'll pull pajamas out of the drawer when prompted, run to the appropriate door to go "outside" or "upstairs," and try to open the fridge when asked if he wants some milk. He loves to find his nose and his belly button, and he'll reach for his coat or hat when asked.

Patrick's favorite toys these days are books, balls, and blocks. He loves to bounce balls and roll them down his slide, but hasn't mastered kicking yet. His favorite books are "Wake Up, Papa Bear," "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" and "Let's Go On a Bear Hunt."

Sleeping continues to go well. After the time change, we shifted his schedule so he now goes to bed around 8-8:30, waking up between 7:30 and 8:30. He takes a nap around noon, often as long as 2-3 hours. Now that he's completely weaned, he goes to the crib with a grumble sometimes, but settles down quickly. His friends Z the sheep, Pig, Pooh, Eeyore, the hippo and the duck, and his alien blanket keep him company. The big news is that he slept through the night and even napped in the pack & play on a recent visit to Maine!

Eating continues to be a stuggle. He has a good appetite, but is very picky. He won't touch vegetables, and just pokes at anything unfamiliar. Day after day he eats tofu, raisin toast, veggie sausage, waffles, eggs, cheese, grapes, bananas, and apples.

Our little monkey loves to walk up and down stairs (with help), and climbs up his indoor slide and new swingset ladder (without help). We found this swingset on Craig's List and are busy designing a treehouse structure around it.

We still get together with the Yoga Boys from time to time, and with our local friends from the library storytime and the Wednesday playgroup.

Fourteen Months

It's been a while since we've written one of these monthly snapshots. Patrick grows and changes so much every week, it's hard to remember what happened when.

The biggest change must be his mobility. In a short but gradual span, he has become very stable on his feet and it's hard to keep up! The other day he went running out of a play area and down the hallway of the local mall (after he pick-pocketed two cellphones from diaper bags). We're looking forward to running around in our new backyard once the snow melts.

His lastest thing around the house is emptying out the cabinets so he can climb inside. We have to watch him very carefully -- he tried to use the cabinet shelves to climb onto the counter.

Patrick's not talking much yet. He will say the occasional "DaDa" "MaMa" or "LaLa" but not very consistently. He also says "Hah-lah" when he holds a cell phone (or something he's pretending is a cell phone) to his ear. We keep on reading and talking to him, knowing he'll pick it up soon.

Sleeping is going very well (as long as we're home). After a rough patch of weaning him in the morning to overcome the 5am wake-ups, he now sleeps consistently from 7:30-ish to 7:00-ish. The other day he slept in until 8:15! He also naps very well. He's down to one a day, usually 2+ hours long. When home, he usually goes down around 11, but he's pretty flexible if we have plans.

When traveling, on the other hand, he doesn't sleep well at all. Pretty much every short trip from Halloween, through Christmas, to our recent trip to Burlington, has been a disaster sleep-wise. He falls asleep just fine, but wakes up in the pack & play, doesn't know where he is, and refuses to fall back asleep. He just screams and screams, even after we take him to bed with us.

Socially, Patrick is slow to warm up to new people, but once he does he is the life of the party. When we keep him up late on special occasions, he gets his second wind and outlasts his parents! Boxing Day, his birthday, and Susan's birthday party come to mind.

Sadly, the Delmar location of Cartwheels for Kids shut down. Patrick had enjoyed the music classes and the indoor playground. Instead, we've been spending time at story hour at the library with some local friends, and Joyful Jumpers, Book Club, and birthday parties with the Yoga Boys.

Around the house, Patrick loves to read; play with blocks, trucks, and Noah's Ark; talk on Daddy's cell phone; help Mommy with the laundry; and splash in the bath with Cousin Alex's cups.

Eleven Months

Our voracious eater has become pickier. He loves waffles, "bug cheese," chicken, tofu, bananas, melon, and veggie sausage, but spits out all things vegetable. Even beets, a former favorite. Llama has learned to stay on her bed during Patrick's meals, and she gets rewarded with leftovers when he's done.

Cruising remains about the same. He loves to be up and exploring, but has yet to stand on his own or take a first step. He seems to discover new cabinets every day, and gets frustrated when some suddenly become childproofed.

We've joined the YMCA, and Patrick loves to go to the children's corner to play with all of the toys and chase after the big kids. The fitness center overlooks the room's big window, so it's fun to see him crawling by occasionally.

Ten Months

How is it possible that Patrick is ten months old? He gets stronger, faster, and more inquisitive every day. He has seven teeth, and is becoming very sturdy on his feet as he cruises along.

Mealtimes have been a struggle to keep him sitting in his highchair, but he loves almost everything he tries. Favorites include bananas, melon, fresh mozzarella, black beans, and veggie burgers. The only thing he's flatly refused was butternut squash. Everything continues to be soft chunks that he can feed himself, although he'll allow the occasional spoonful of yogurt.

Patrick loves to watch and play with Llama, and she's learning to put up with it. Rather than fleeing the room, she will now sit quietly with a pained expression on her face as Patrick grabs fistfuls of fur. He laughs and laughs whenever she enters the room.

My work/life balance has been going well. Michael has been spending Mondays with Patrick, and Samantha comes to babysit three afternoons a week. Between that, naptimes, and bedtime, I've managed to squeeze in quite a few projects with Resonant. There have been a couple of stressful days with no help, short naps, and tight deadlines, but for the most part it is the ideal situation.

Patrick's on a pretty regular schedule these days. He wakes up far too early (5:30 most days), has two good naps and three big meals, and is usually in bed by 7 or 7:30. In between, he loves to explore the kitchen, splash in the bathtub, chew on books, and go for walks.

Eight Months

Lots going on this month as Patrick is growing and changing every day. He's become very mobile, eager to explore his world. He got so proficient at his inchworming that we thought he wouldn't bother crawling. But he figured it out in Steamboat, and hasn't looked back. He loves to grab power cords, empty out the baskets that hold his pajamas, and pull himself up on anything he can find.

Sleeping continues to go well (at least when not traveling), and we've overcome the eating hurdle by serving soft chunks that he can feed himself. He loves tofu, avocado, Cheerios, and fruit. Just about anything that's firm enough to grasp, yet soft enough that we don't worry about him choking.

Patrick hasn't yet mastered clapping or waving, but his smile lights up the room when someone walks in. He loves to say "Buh" and "MuhMuhMuh" when he's not silently surveying his surroundings. We've started signing with him sporadically -- "more," "milk," "ball," and "eat." It'll be so much fun when he's able to communicate back.

Seven Months

Patrick has always been a wonderful baby, but in the past month he has become even more fun. He's smiley and interactive, charming everyone he meets.

Sleep might have something to do with it. He usually sleeps through the night now, from 7-ish to 6 or 7. The biggest change is his napping. He now takes two long (1-2+ hour) naps in his crib each day. Lets him (and his Mama) recharge.

Eating is another story. He's still a great nurser, but has little interest in solids except to play. He thinks it's great fun to blow food-filled raspberries all over whoever's feeding him. We might have better luck once he's coordinated enough to feed himself, as he's always grabbing for the bowl and spoon.

He's been strong on his hands and knees for a while now, but is just starting to make some forward progress. He does the "inchworm" -- on hands and knees, lunges forward, down on his belly, then up again. This gets him moving pretty quickly from one side of the room to the other if there's a ball or his stuffed pig (or a shiny, crinkly bag of potato chips) to attract him.

Patrick also enjoys playing with blocks, chewing his lobster, bouncing around at cardio class, splashing in the sink, and sucking his thumb or toes.

Six Months

Patrick had his 6 month check-up with Dr. Sheridan yesterday. 18lbs. 6oz. (75%) and 28-3/4 inches (over 95%). He endured his shots bravely, then ran some errands with his Daddy.

Developmentally, he seems to be right on track. He's still not rolling from front to back, but continues to get on his hands and knees instead. He can sit without support (as long as we're there to catch him when he topples over), and is very grabby these days. He loves to babble and blow raspberries.

Mealtime has been hit or miss. He loved his first feeding but has been lukewarm ever since. We've tried rice cereal, peas, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and bananas, with no clear favorites. He still prefers his milk.

It's been a fun and active month, but it's also been the month of Sleep Issues. After months of sleeping well at night, he regressed for a while. Once he learned to roll onto his belly, he started waking several times each night and would sometimes refuse to go back to sleep. His napping problems persisted as well.

We have finally had luck with letting him cry a bit. Rather than rocking or nursing him to sleep, we put him in his crib awake, shut the door, and let him mutter for a while. It usually doesn't take too long, and he's back to waking once at night and finally taking regular naps!

Patrick has just about outgrown his Bumbo. While he still fits and we use it for feeding, he grows restless and tries to climb out. One of these days he will succeed, so we can no longer just leave him sitting on the counter while we putter about the kitchen. It was great while it lasted...

He's gotten better about staying in the stroller during walks, and doesn't fight the car seat quite as much. We use the Bjorn for cardio class, and Annie's backpack comes in handy for hikes along the water line and elsewhere. We enjoy playing on the floor in his bedroom, reading stories at bedtime, listening to music, and laughing at Llama.

He'll be mobile soon. Time to start childproofing the house...

Five Months

At five months old, Patrick is a very active baby. He STILL hasn't learned to roll over (he twists his entire body, but his arms get in the way), but he's very strong on his arms and legs and anxious to crawl. He loves tummy time, but gets frustrated when he kicks his legs and just moves backwards or in circles.

He'll entertain himself for short stints in the exersaucer or Bumbo, but prefers to be either moving on the floor or held. He hates his "evil bucket" in the car, and walks these days tend to be in the Bjorn until he falls asleep in the stroller.

Napping had been sporadic, and only in the stroller or car, but we've started to have success the past couple of days with naps in the crib. He has slept through the night a handful of times (7ish to 5 or 6ish), but still usually gets up at least once.

Patrick is finally noticing and interacting with Llama. He laughs when she licks his face or runs up with the ball, and once he played "lizard" when she stuck out her tongue.

We've kept busy with marathon walks, garage sale treasure hunts, picnics in the park with the yoga boys, and poking around the back yard now that the weather is nice...

Four Months

At four months old, Patrick is so much fun. His belly laughs are the best sound in the world.

He loves to stand holding on to our hands, and will even pull himself up from a sitting position. He enjoys sitting on the counter in his Bumbo, watching us cook or wash dishes in the kitchen. Still no signs of rolling over, but he will "swim" on his belly, as if trying to crawl.

Patrick sucks constantly on his hands or his thumb, and has been drooling a lot. He figured out how to use his hands, and is finally enjoying playing with toys. His favorites are the pink plastic pig, the frog wrist rattle, or a dish cloth.

Aside from one night when he was trying to keep up with Cousin Alex, he's not sleeping through the night yet. But it remains one quick feed, so we're not complaining.

Robin hasn't gone back to work yet, so we've spent time visiting family, having lunch/play dates, and going for long walks...

Three Months

March has been a great month. Patrick has grown more and more interactive, and we've been getting out of the house quite a bit. We've been going for long walks to the library or coffee shop on warm days, hanging out with some other moms and babies we met through prenatal yoga, and attending a Wigglers music class at Cartwheels for Kids.

Patrick is very strong on his legs, but hasn't really figured out what to do with his hands. Napping is still hit or miss, but he has been sleeping 7ish to 7ish with usually one quick feeding during the night. He gets cranky when overtired, but is so much fun when he's in a good mood. He loves to dance, laugh, stand on our laps, and play airplane.

It just keeps getting better and better!

Two Months

Patrick had his two month check-up today. He weighs 13lbs 9oz (90%), and is 24 inches long (90%). He's one big baby!

The past month has been spent smiling at visitors, hanging out in the Baby Bjorn, cooing at the baby in the mirror, and going for walks in the mall. We're looking forward to nicer weather so we can spend some time outside.

The boy does not like to nap. He will be yawning and rubbing his eyes, but the minute we put him in his cradle, his eyes pop wide open, and he grins from ear to ear -- he just wants to play!

After easing us into parenthood the first few weeks, he has developed into a decidedly moody baby. He can be very fussy at times, wanting to be held constantly. But when in a good mood, his smiles will melt your heart.