7 Month Letter

Dear Nikos,

How on earth did you get to be seven months old already??? I was just sitting here, surfing the internet, when it suddenly hit me that you were seven months old today and that I hadn't yet begun to write your monthly letter. This past month went by in a heartbeat!

There are really five things that I've noticed about you this month. One is that you have become quite the little piglet when it comes to eating solids and drinking from your sippy cup! Gone are the days when I could barely get you to take a bite of rice cereal. Now you gobble down two meals a day! You usually have oatmeal with applesauce or bananas for breakfast, and a veggie mixed with rice cereal for dinner. While you were initially slow to warm up to new flavors, you now eat just about anything you're given. You are especially fond of sweet potatoes, though they seem to move through your system a bit too quickly, if you catch my drift. You become quite the little poop machine when you eat them!

My second observation this month is that your sitting ability has improved dramatically. You are completely capable of sitting unassisted for great lengths of time. However, you haven't yet realized the hazards of launching yourself backward when you're in the sitting position, so we will continue to surround you with pillows for now. You do, however, LOVE to sit and play with your toys, and will keep yourself occupied in this fashion long enough for Mommy to wash dishes or get other chores done. You especially love to play with your shape-sorter and blocks, often grabbing one block in each hand and banging them together. You are so cute!!

My third and fourth observations have to do with your overall level of happiness and zest for life... You are SO HAPPY these days! You laugh hysterically at almost anything-- such as the cat walking by you when you sit on the floor, or Mommy peeking in at you through the bars of your crib. You have also become a crazy little jumper when you're in your jumperoo... You bounce and laugh and make all sorts of funny noises! You really have a fantastic time, and your happiness is infectious. I have never known a baby with such an adorable smile or amazing laugh!

Finally, you have started doing something completely magical this month: SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! This development coincided with your sudden interest in solids, and it has made such a difference in all our lives! You still wake up for a small snack, occasionally, but not more than once a week. I think that all three of us are more rested now, and able to enjoy our days more. Keep up the good work, kiddo!

In short, you continue to become even more wonderful and amazing with each passing day, and we adore you endlessly. Your big brown eyes and gummy smile are such a welcome sight after a long day of work, and we can't wait to see what your future holds. We love you, peanut!!

All Our Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Bouncing Baby Boy!

Yes, another video... This one is of Nikos enjoying his jumperoo this afternoon. He is so stinkin' cute!! Sorry about the shakiness of the film-- I had it slightly zoomed in, and didn't realize it would affect the quality so much!

Giggle Fest!

This was so cute, I had to share it... I'm glad somebody thinks I'm funny! :)

Feeling Hot-Hot-Hot!

Is it summer yet?? For the past two days, our high temperatures here have been in the triple digits. It has been H-O-T indeed! And while the A/C is nice, we didn't want to stay cooped up inside all day. I purchased an inflatable kiddie pool at Target this morning, thinking we'd go for a dip. But when the time came, I didn't really feel like getting in the water. So instead, I busted out his travel bathtub (a giant rubber ducky)! It was just the right size for him, and he really enjoyed himself out on the back patio in the shade:


A little while later, I cooled him off again by getting his hair wet and playing beauty parlor. Do you like his new style? :P

And finally, he spent the rest of the afternoon wearing nothing but his diaper (okay, and a burp cloth I put on his head for my own amusement):

We had a fun day, after all was said and done! I can't wait for school to be over-- this summer is going to be great!

Food, Glorious Food!

We've made big, BIG progress in the P. household lately... See if you can guess what's been happening around here!

     A. Nikos has started to really like eating solid foods
     B. Nikos has been eating two relatively large meals per day
     C. Nikos has been sleeping through the night
     D. All of the above

If you guessed D: All of the above, then you're RIGHT! :) It has been amazing, absolutely AMAZING to watch him change this week. His entire attitude about solids suddenly improved, and the kid can't get enough! He grunts and whines if I don't shovel the food in fast enough! As a result, he's eating much more AND sleeping through the night (7:30pm-6:00am). I can't believe how suddenly things changed. And while I am thrilled that he is sleeping through the night, I am also sort of sad about missing out on our late-night nursing sessions. As much as it stinks to have my sleep interrupted every night, I have grown completely used to it-- and I like seeing my little guy looking up at me with those big brown puppy-dog eyes! And who knows-- this may just be temporary, and he may not continue the trend. But for now, I am going to catch up on some sleep. Hooray!! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

In honor of the occasion, here are some (rare!!) pictures of me and the reason I get to celebrate today. I love my little man!

Odds & Ends...

• We have a tooth!!! Or rather, we will probably have one very soon. (and by "we," I mean Nikos... Gus and I have plenty of teeth already) We can see a bump on his lower gums where his first little tooth is preparing to pop out. Nikos has been teething like a madman, too!
  
  
• Feeding solids is getting better by the day. Nikos has been eating larger and larger portions of oatmeal at daycare in the mornings, and he's doing much better with veggies at dinnertime. So far, he has grown to like peas, carrots, and green beans. I introduced pears the other day (his first fruit!), but he's still getting used to the sweetness, I think. In the coming weeks, our little guy will be sampling squash, sweet potatoes, prunes, applesauce, and bananas. Hooray!
  
  
• We bought a Dyson!!! I know it's just a vacuum cleaner but OH MY GOD! It is amazing!! My trusty old Dirt Devil started falling apart last September, so we went shopping and replaced it with a Eureka. The Eureka was seriously the worst vacuum I have ever used-- it actually made more of a mess as it "cleaned." I had been coveting a Dyson for quite some time, and then found a really good deal on a factory refurbished model ($250 with free shipping and a 3-year warranty... this model usually retails for $400!). It arrived this week, and Gus and I have been fighting over who gets to vacuum-- it's incredible to see how much junk it sucks up from a seemingly-clean floor! It's like a science experiment! Anyway, our new vacuum has been the highlight of my week. Seriously! Once Nikos starts crawling, I can feel confident that the floors are actually clean. Hooray!
  
  
• Speaking of crawling... Nikos is starting to do some little inchworm moves when he's on his tummy... this kid is going to be moving all around before we know it! Yikes!
  
  
• ...which is why I went around the house today and made a checklist of all the things we need to buy in order to babyproof. I am thinking we will need one wide gate, 10 cabinet locks, 13 drawer locks, 2 door knob covers, 2 toilet locks, and 2 shower caddies (to move shampoo and whatnot up higher in the shower, out of reach). We'll also need to move our coffee table into the garage, since it's a total death trap (sharp edges EVERYWHERE), move Charlie's food and water to higher ground, and construct some sort of screen to put around Corky's cage (which also has many sharp corners, not to mention easy access to the poop tray and dropped morsels of bird food... yuck!). It's so overwhelming to even think about it!
  
  
• Finally, a funny picture from today... He was playing with Daddy's glasses (as usual!), and I was taking lots of pictures. He suddenly looked surprised in this one, and I thought it was cute! :)

Mother's Day

I had a Big Thought today: Mother's Day is a big deal. Of course, I've always remembered my own mommy with cards and presents (Hi Mom!), but I have a whole new appreciation for her now. So much time and energy (and love!) goes into raising a child. And to have raised two children to become well-adjusted, productive members of society, well... that's no small accomplishment!

Anyway... being a mom has changed my life in so many ways. Just take a look at my day-to-day existence:

A DAY IN MY LIFE
1:30 AM Feed Nikos, then put him right back in his crib
5:45 AM Wake up. Brush hair and put on makeup. Make bed. Tidy up bedroom. Set out clothing.
6:00 AM Wake Nikos up and feed him while I watch the morning news
6:20 AM Change his diaper, get him dressed for the day, brush his hair
6:30 AM Hand Nikos off to play with Daddy. Quickly make my breakfast and set up my pump
6:35 AM Pump while eating breakfast and sitting in front of my computer
6:45 AM Get dressed, brush teeth, finish getting ready
6:55 AM Get Nikos into his carseat. Load up his bag with bottles of milk, a bowl of cereal, a spoon, a fresh bib, and a change of clothes
7:00 AM Drop Nikos off at daycare. Rush back home and make my lunch for the day, pack up all my pump parts, grab my purse, and then drive to work.
12:30 - 12:45 PM Spend almost half my lunch break pumping in front of my computer
3:05 PM Rush home and pick up Nikos before he falls asleep at daycare.
3:20 PM Put Nikos in his Jumperoo while I wash his bottles and all my dirty pump parts/bottles
3:40 PM Naptime! One of my few real breaks! :)
4:10 PM Nikos wakes up, and I feed him while I talk to my mom on the phone
4:30 PM Play time! We play on the floor together for half an hour
5:00 PM I take a shower while Nikos plays in his doorway jumper (in our bathroom). His happiness level determines the length of the shower!
5:20 PM Gather a bib and a washcloth, prepare a sippy cup full of milk, and mix together a portion of veggie puree and rice cereal into a bowl. Get Nikos into his highchair.
5:30 PM Feed Nikos solids
5:50 PM Clean Nikos as best as I can using a washcloth, then load him into the Ergo backpack while I clean up the rest of the mess. Load dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Wipe down countertops. Start laundry, tidy up, etc. Maybe cook dinner (on a good day!). Set up everything for Nikos' bath.
6:15 PM Gus comes home, plays with the baby for 20 minutes, then gives him his bath. I eat dinner, then prepare bottles and food for daycare the next day.
7:00 PM I feed Nikos one more time, until he is very sleepy. Gus reads him a quick story or two, and he's fast asleep by 7:30.
7:30 PM Conk out in front of the computer or TV
9:00 PM Bedtime

Whew, I get tired just reading it! And of course, that's just a weekday... Weekends and vacation days are so much more intense, constantly cycling between naps, feedings, diaper changes, and playtime, all the while attempting to run errands or do chores. Yes, my life has become quite regimented (practically to the minute!). Yes, I spend almost every waking minute taking care of my little man. And yes, it's completely worth it. I don't think I ever fully comprehended just how much my life would change, and I do sometimes yearn for the days where I could sleep in on the weekends or just go anywhere, whenever, without having to plan around naptimes and feedings. Being a mom is a HARD JOB! It's the hardest, most thankless, most important, and most rewarding job I have ever had in my life. And I think that we should all remember how hard our own mothers have worked to raise us, on Mother's Day and every day. HAPPY (early) MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMMIES!!

Sunday at the Park

For the first time in probably about two months, we had the entire weekend to ourselves at home! It has been soooo nice, and it feels great to catch up on some rest! Anyway, we had some perfect Spring weather today, and decided to walk to the park for the afternoon. Here are a few pics from our adventure-- notice what a good little sitter our guy is turning into! (he was really into daddy's glasses, by the way... they were WAY more interesting that the toys we brought with us!)




I had to share this picture, too... While we were at the park, a party of some sort was going on, complete with a sack race and mariachi band (of course!). I think we need a mariachi band for Nikos' first birthday, hehe!

And finally... A picture from yesterday afternoon of one of Nikos' new favorite things: hanging upside down! He really is a little monkey! :)

*sigh...* If only every day could be this relaxing! I am soooo ready for summer vacation!