Thursday, July 31, 2008

9 Month Stats

::drumroll please::

20 pounds, 6 ounces & 28 inches long! Our little guy continues to plug along at the 50th percentile, which is fabulous! :) And when the doctor walked into the room, the first words out of her mouth were: "Oh my goodness, his hair has gotten CURLY!" haha! Last time we were there, his hair was a lot shorter and hadn't started to curl yet. What a difference three months makes!

Oh, and Nikos got two shots today. He cried for two seconds, and went right back to being his happy old self. He just spent 15 minutes bouncing in the Jumperoo... I think he's going to be alright!

Grandparents Galore!

On Sunday, Gus' parents came to watch Nikos so we could go see "The Dark Knight" and then get some dinner afterward. Nikos had a great time with his Yia-yia and Pappou!


Then, on Tuesday, Nikos and I drove up to spend the night at my parents' house, since Gus has been gone on a business trip all week. We had *just* arrived at the house and unloaded all our stuff when Nikos got to experience his very first earthquake! At 5.4, and centered not too far from my parents' house, it was a pretty good shaker. We all stood in the doorway and waited for it to stop, and Nikos wasn't the slightest bit bothered! He just wanted to play on the floor with Grandma!

That afternoon, we went for a walk down to the playground and the community pool. We had tried putting Nikos in the swing before, but this time he actually enjoyed it! Grandpa even let him try out the see-saw, and then he got his toes wet in the baby pool...





The next morning, Nikos decided to read for a little bit in bed before getting up...

Then we went for a REAL swim in the pool, and he actually had a pretty good time! He didn't like his float, though...

Then we hung around the house all afternoon, and Nikos and Grandpa goofed around until dinner time...


We got home at around 8 last night, safe and sound, and are now gearing up to go to Nikos' 9 month checkup! I can't wait to see how much he weighs! And Gus will be back around lunchtime, so it will be a good day for everyone! :)

Monday, July 28, 2008

On the Verge

Lately, I keep getting this sense that Nikos is on the verge of doing about a million new and exciting things, all at the same time. It's just incredible! His motor skills are improving by the second, it seems. He loves to throw his toys across the room and then attempt to retrieve them by rolling/wiggling himself across the floor. He pulls himself up to standing on low objects, and he can hang on to higher objects (while standing) if someone puts him there. And changing his diaper has become a monumental challenge, because someone will NOT sit still, not even for a second! As soon as I put him down on the changing table, he flips over onto his belly and attempts to pull himself over the left edge (all the while trying to stick his hands in the diaper pail... ewwwww!!).

Then today, my parents were over, and they noticed that Nikos was starting to make some hand motions while watching his Baby Signing Time DVD. Could it be that our little guy is starting to use sign language??? My mom was convinced that he did the sign for "Mom," but I have yet to witness it (though I have noticed that he's starting to move his hands around while he watches). Still, I wouldn't be surprised if he started using some of the signs any day now. He LOVES that DVD-- it's one of the few things that will actually get him to sit still! It's incredible to think that he's actually learning from it!

Anyway, I definitely think that there's a lot going on inside his little head at the moment, and that Gus and I are going to be shocked once he's done processing it all... This kid has big plans, I just know it!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Just another day at the office...

Guess who went to visit Daddy at work today?

"Hmmm, how do I get one of those plush offices over there?"

"Don't worry, Daddy, I'll read the report for you."

"I love typing up proposals!"

"Neutron analyzing devices are cool! Where can I get one?"

9 Month Letter

Dear Nikos,

Wow-- nine months! NINE! You have been in the outside world almost as long as you were in my belly, which is a very strange thought to ponder. When I think back to those early days, they seem like a lifetime ago. It has been truly incredible to see you grow and change so quickly!


As is par for the course, you continue to amaze us on a daily basis. Just yesterday, you were sitting in the glider in your bedroom when you decided to pull yourself up to standing. Out of the blue! Now you do it every time we place you there-- within seconds of being put down. You're still not crawling, but we're beginning to wonder if you might be one of those babies who skips crawling completely and goes straight to standing/walking. Nothing would surprise us at this point-- you've made it clear time and time again that you will do things when you're ready and on your own terms! We're just spectators here! :)

The truth is that even though you're not crawling or walking yet, you ARE quite mobile. You use a combination of rolling, throwing your body weight around, and pushing with your toes to get pretty much anywhere you want. You love getting yourself to where the carpet meets the tile so that you can rest on the carpet while slapping the tile (which delights you endlessly). You also love rolling to wherever Charlie (the cat) is resting, and then proceeding to yank on his fur. Charlie must love you, because he never fights back. Most of the time, he doesn't even run away! He likes his little brother. :)

Nikos, you are becoming such an independent little guy these days! When it comes to food, you will eat just about anything we put in front of you (with the notable exception of peach yogurt, which you despise). You've fed yourself tofu, chunks of mango, steamed carrots, home-grown peaches, avocado, pasta, and lots of other interesting things! You prefer finger foods that you can pick up yourself, though you still allow us to feed you from the spoon most of the time. However, I think that if you had the choice, you would eat nothing but Cheerios twenty-four hours a day. We never leave home anymore without a bag of Cheerios, because they apparently possess magical baby-calming powers!

Along with your new independence comes a bittersweet development, however... You are starting to wean yourself from breastfeeding. The plan was for you to breastfeed until you turned 1, but it doesn't look like we're going to make it that long. You are so wiggly and curious that you never stay latched on for more than a minute or two. We end up having to give you a bottle while I go and pump, but my body is starting to get the message that you're not drinking-- and my milk production is slowing waaaay down. I've still been able to successfully nurse you in the mornings when you wake up, but it looks like we might be going to bottles/cups for the rest of your liquid meals. It saddens me that our special time together is dwindling, but it's still thrilling to see you so excited about the world all around you. Like I said, it's bittersweet.

In short, you are starting to make the transition from being a baby to becoming a toddler... Your gummy smile has been replaced with an equally adorable two-toothed one. You wave hi and bye, and smile with recognition at people you haven't seen in a while but still remember. You know who your pets are, and you shriek with happiness when they are near. You love pushing buttons on any and all electronic devices. You have conversations with us, even though you don't speak any actual words. You are a real little person, and we love you even more today than we did yesterday! Nine-month-olds are the greatest!

All Our Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Video of the Day

This kid is on fire... Another new trick!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Nikos the Puppet Master (and other new tricks!)

I can officially say that this kid changes every. single. day! It's so amazing to watch him suddenly do things that he's never done before. Case in point: In the last week or two, Nikos started acting as a puppet master, of sorts. There have been many times since he was born when I've sat in front of the piano with him on my lap. He happily pounds on the keys and makes glorious music (hehe!). Same with the computer keyboard... I sometimes hold him in my lap and let him tap away at the keys, usually while on a website like kneebouncers.com. But lately, he's not content to just hit the keys himself. Instead, he'll reach down, gently grab one or two of my fingers, and make ME do it instead! It is beyond cute! And if I pull my fingers away, he'll reach down and get them again. I got a picture of it earlier in front of the computer:

But wait, that's not all! Just today, I discovered something new about our child: he knows names! I had him sitting on the kitchen island (I was holding onto him, obviously), and the parrot was making all sorts of noises. I said something to the effect of, "Oh, silly Corky..." and Nikos instantly turned to look at her. A few minutes later, I asked him "Where's Corky?" and he did it again-- turned to look right at her, with no hesitation! A while later, we were playing on the floor. I said "Where's Charlie (the cat)?" This time he looked at the cat and smiled. I asked him about Corky again, and he swiveled his head around to look at her. I couldn't believe it-- he knows who Corky and Charlie are! He knows and responds to his own name, and has for a while, but it shocked me that he knew who our pets are. He's growing up!!

On a side note, Corky now says Nikos' name CONSTANTLY. We didn't even teach her-- she just picked it up from listening to us. It's pretty cute, too, if you ask me!

And finally, just for good measure: Some really excellent pictures of Nikos for you to look at!

>> Click Here! <<

Gus' friend Min came to visit last week, and brought his Canon Rebel EOS. We got some great shots of the little guy-- much better than I get with my junky camera! I have been dreaming about buying a digital SLR camera... maybe soon! :)

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Happy Day!



My little brother is married-- I never thought I'd see the day! :) The wedding was yesterday afternoon/evening, and it was SO much fun. It was our first real "vacation" with Nikos-- we've stayed at our parents' houses with him numerous times, but this was a three-day hotel stay! Nikos did really well, too. He had a few comments to share during the ceremony, but wasn't crying or anything and got to stay for the entire thing. He went with us to the reception for a little bit, too, before Gus dropped him off back at the hotel with our super-hero-babysitter, Aunt Maria (thanks, Maria!!)! Gus' sister watched Nikos on both Friday and Saturday nights, so that he could keep up his normal sleep routine and so we could go out and have a great time at the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. And it WAS a great time! It was fun to see some of my brother's old high school friends, and I had a fantastic time hanging out with the other bridesmaids and dancing until I thought my feet were going to fall off (they are throbbing today). Not to mention the fact that I got to enjoy more than a few glasses of champagne, which is a rare treat these days! It was such a fun (albeit exhausting) weekend, and I'm so thrilled that I can now offically call Melissa my sister-in-law. :)

Finally, one more pic before I go... Here's one of me and my hot date at the rehearsal dinner... I have *no* pictures of me all dressed up in my bridesmaid ensemble, so I'm looking forward to seeing the professional pictures when they come in! The photographer even took some shots with all three of us (me, Gus, and Nikos), so I'm especially anxious to see those!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

PB Catalog = Fun!

"We totally need this new console table, mommy... The espresso color would look much better than the mahogany we have now."

"Just kidding! You know I only wanted to chew on the pages!"

"But did you know that Pottery Barn is selling beer pitchers now? You can even get them monogrammed!"

"I'm serious!"

"Alright, enough of this... time to play..."

Monday, July 14, 2008

Mmm... Tofu...

We've been experimenting with finger foods around here lately, and we've found another hit: tofu! It doesn't have a ton of flavor by itself, but Nikos seems to like the texture. Hooray for trying new things! Here is photographic proof that he ate tofu (ignore the green beans all over the place):

He even washed it down with some water from his straw cup (which, by the way, he loves... he totally prefers the straw to his old sippy cup):

Also... a video from this morning of our little guy eating Cheerios. He is obsessed with them! I wonder what's in them (baby crack??):


And finally, on a completely (and I mean COMPLETELY) unrelated note... I went to Melissa's bachelorette party this weekend. I cannot believe that my little brother is getting married on Saturday-- aaack!!! But I must say that I am very proud of my future sister-in-law for riding the mechanical bull. She stayed on longer than anyone else we saw all evening-- and the guy at the controls was trying everything he could to throw her off! hehe!! :)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Swimming, Second Attempt

Yesterday, Nikos and I drove up to my parents' house to try out the pool again. Nikos went in the baby pool this time, which is only about a foot deep and is warmer than the regular pool. He seemed hesitant at first, but was slowly warming up to it... until a little kid decided to jump in and splash him in the face. I was so mad! But we are making progress. He will be a water baby, one day!



After we went back into the house, our happy guy returned. Here he is, sitting on Grandma's lap and flashing his pearly whites! I love those little teeth! You might have to enlarge the pictures to see them, but they are definitely there! :)

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Babyproofing Brainstorm!

Alright, I will fully admit that I am a little crazy. However, our coffee table has been bothering me for weeks. It's a complete death trap, once Nikos becomes more mobile and can pull up on it-- there are so many sharp edges/corners that he could crack his head open on! Exhibit A:

So I thought about it. I really wanted to replace it with an ottoman, preferably something with storage. Our couches are brown leather, so we could get a matching ottoman... but that would be a LOT of brown, considering our entertainment center is pretty much the same color, too. Then I had a brainstorm: a RED ottoman! We already have little accents of red in the room, so it would look cool! But I went searching for one online, and didn't see anything I liked. So then I thought: Why don't we just buy an old junky ottoman and re-upholster it ourselves with some nice fabric? We could get really great fabric, maybe with reds, browns, and tans in it! But wait... Then Gus said, "Why don't we just MAKE an ottoman? It's basically just a box, and we could make it out of plywood!" YES!!!!!!!! So that is the plan! Make a box and a separate lid, buy foam padding and upholstery fabric, cover them, and voila! Custom ottoman for our living room! It should actually be very easy, and I am so excited! I drew up plans for the woodwork portion this morning:

Hooray! I am so excited!!! I'm not sure when Gus will have time to make it, since we're totally booked for the next two weekends, but I think it will be great. We already have a lot of the wood, even. I can't wait to go and look at fabric! :)

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Sleeping Beauty


I took this picture during naptime yesterday afternoon... He looks so completely relaxed! Our little angel baby! :)

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Ode to my Ergo

Oh Ergo, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Seriously, I just need to take a moment to talk about how very, very much I love my Ergo! It's basically a baby carrier-- it can be worn as a front carrier, a hip carrier, or as a backpack (which is how I generally use it). I got the Ergo after Nikos got too heavy for the Baby Bjorn-- which was really quickly! My back was killing me, and I could never get anything done because the Baby Bjorn was a front-only carrier (so it was always in the way). A number of people recommended the Ergo, and after doing some research, I decided to get it. It's not the most beautiful carrier in the world, and it required quite a bit of practice to get the hang of it (Gus still doesn't know how to do it). However... I can officially say that it is one of my all-time favorite, indispensable baby items! I use it everywhere-- trips to the grocery store, Target, wherever. It leaves my hands free and my shopping cart empty. It puts all the weight on my hips instead of my back, so it doesn't hurt me AT ALL. And Nikos is super comfy and relaxed back there... he chatters happily and sticks his hands out to try and grab magazines at the checkout stands. I also use it to vacuum the house or wash dishes when Nikos is cranky. It is a miracle! I honestly cannot say enough good things about it. And there you have it... Ergos officially rock!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July!

Despite today's home improvement "excitement," Nikos and his best friend Charlie would like to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!
Nikos would also like to add: "Safety first when climbing in the attic! Remember to always keep your feet on the joists, lest you fall through the ceiling!" hehe!

And one more thing-- I got a picture of his TEETH! That's right-- more than one tooth! Both bottom teeth have officially broken through. You can't see much more than white bumps in this picture, but it's the only one I've been able to get. You need to click on it and make it bigger to really see them. Hooray!

Oops

Yeah... so Gus fell through the ceiling this morning while laying down some new insulation in the attic. He's fine (thank goodness), but the ceiling's not! Guess we have a new project to work on! The crash was incredibly loud... Nikos woke up from his nap briefly, but went back to sleep. Charlie, on the other hand, is still skulking around with his tail all bottlebrush-y. On a side note, Gus would like to point out just how thin the old insulation was. We definitely need the new stuff (though a ceiling is also helpful for lowering energy costs).


***UPDATE - 6:45PM***
After lots of advice from my dad and a hard day of work, we have a ceiling again! Hooray! We need to get drywall tape tomorrow, then spackle the gaps and apply ceiling texture, then paint it... but I think it's going to be okay! Hallelujah! Gus says he's a little bit sore, but he's not sure if it was from working in the cramped attic or falling through the ceiling. It is amazing that he did not get hurt-- not even a scratch! Here are some pictures from today's progress...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

I do my little turn on the catwalk...

Gus and I took our supermodel baby to Sears again today to get some more portraits taken. Why? Because I had a coupon, that's why! :) Anyway, we were happy with how they turned out. These are just some of the low-res, uncropped proofs, but we ended up buying the first two. Yay!