6 Month Letter

Dear Nikos,

I can hardly believe that I am sitting here typing up your six-month letter! I know I say something like this every month, but I am truly shocked that you are already half of a year old. Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday that you were this little peanut we brought home from the hospital, squinting your eyes and getting your first glimpses of the outside world. By now, you've become a seasoned veteran of life-out-here. You continue to grow and change by the minute, and your sixth month has been filled with all sorts of wonderful memories that your daddy and I will treasure forever.

One of those moments was when we first fed you cereal from a spoon. Up until that point, you had consumed nothing but milk (and a few ounces of formula right after you were born). We knew that cereal would rock your world, and it most certainly did! As I put the first spoonful into your mouth, you gagged, made a horrible face, and proceeded to spit the cereal all over your face and bib. Daddy's high school friend, Seyi, was visiting that day, and she had you all figured out from the get-go. She said that you are going to be the type of boy who knows exactly what he likes and what he does not like, and you won't hesitate to let your opinion be known. So far, Seyi's prediction seems to be correct! Since your first cereal experience, you have made slow progress toward actually eating and liking the stuff (it helped when we switched to oatmeal instead of rice cereal, I think). You still haven't quite gotten the hang of swallowing it, but it doesn't seem to repulse you the way it once did!

Another great memory I will have of this month is your discovery of Charlie, our kitty. You'd been noticing him for quite a while, but this month you suddenly became obsessed with him. If he walks into the room while one of us is holding you, you start squirming like crazy and reaching for him. If he gets within arm's reach, you automatically reach out and stroke his soft fur, chattering to him all the while. And if we try to take you farther away from him while you are petting him, you begin to fuss until we bring you back. You really like our little kitty, and it shows!

One thing I've really noticed this month is that you have gotten so much better at actually playing with your toys. You love to pick up and dump out your little bucket of blocks, and you know how to make the music start on your stacker toy. You actually jump and spin in your jumperoo, an you carefully examine the different textures on your soft blocks when you play on the floor. You love to bang your toys against one another and make lots of noise, which delights you tremendously. You squeal happily when you see Sugarbear (your favorite teddy bear), and you are endlessly entertained by helium balloons, especially when one is tied to your wrist or ankle. You crack up when Daddy and I pretend to eat your belly, sing silly songs, or just generally act goofy. You are one happy and playful little guy!

There's so much else I could say, but I suppose that I should bring this letter to a close. You continue to be the light of our lives, and we love you more than you will ever know (that is, until you have children of your own). Happy half-birthday, little peanut!

All Our Love,
Mommy and Daddy

P.S. Your 6-Month Stats: 16 lbs., 10 oz., 26 inches long

Progress!

Lately, Nikos has been starting to get the hang of eating from a spoon (although he doesn't actually swallow much-- I guess that's the next step!). At the suggestion of a friend, we switched from rice cereal to oatmeal, and his whole demeanor changed instantly! I guess he likes oatmeal, just like his mommy! Anyway, he's actually started leaning forward, opening his mouth, and even helping guide the spoon in with his hand. It's so cute! We are very proud of our little man!

And then, last night, Nikos surprised us. Since day one of solids, I've been giving him a little sippy cup of water. He had enjoyed banging it on the table and gnawing on the handles, but that was about all. Until last night. And then, poof! Like magic, he grabbed the cup, put the spout in his mouth, and sucked on it! He made a horrible face, and spat water all over himself. But then he put the spout back in his mouth and did it again... and again... and again! He figured out how to work the cup! He did the same thing this afternoon, too. This kid never ceases to amaze me!

Anyhow, I had to share... I wasn't expecting him to figure out the sippy cup for quite a while, so that was a bonus! Hooray for Nikos! :)

Spring Break: Week in Review

What a fun week I have had, being a full-time mommy for a change! This past week was my long-awaited Spring Break, and I wasn't sure how things would go. When I was on maternity leave, the days were soooo long and exhausting, and also somewhat depressing because I felt pretty much confined to the house. But because Nikos is older now, and a LOT more interactive, we've had a great time together! Here's a rundown of all the fun things we did together:

Saturday: Gus' high school friend, Seyi, drove down from L.A. for a visit, so Nikos got to meet her for the first time. Their connection was cemented when our teething little man decided to gnaw on her fingers for quite some time! Seyi even stayed to watch Nikos eat rice cereal for the first time, even though it didn't go so well.

Sunday: Nikos met his great-grandmother Alexandra for the first time! She has been staying with family in Chicago for a while now (she lives in Greece), and flew out to visit Gus' parents for the week. She brought him all sorts of nice presents!

Monday: In the morning, I took Nikos to run errands, and he was an absolute angel! I had never even tried taking him to more than one store on the same trip, but we were very successful. After lunch, we went out again-- this time to buy him some swim trunks and a rash guard (swim shirt) at Old Navy. And before dinner, we took a nice long walk around the neighborhood and got to enjoy the smell of all the blossoming orange trees.

Tuesday: We made an exciting trip to the mall so that I could get my bridesmaid's dress for Grant and Melissa's wedding in July. Nikos was so well-behaved and happy, and he even let me try the dress on in the fitting room without making a fuss!

Wednesday: I already wrote about this, but we had so much fun getting Nikos' portraits taken for the first time! He was a natural when it came to posing, and it helped that we got a photographer who was good at getting him to smile. I had been hesitant to even try getting portraits done, because I was afraid he would freak out/cry the entire time. But my coworker gave me some good advice. She told me I should just do it-- because no matter what happens, that moment in time will be captured, and it will be priceless-- even if it involves crying! :) All in all, though, I was pleased with how they turned out... and can't wait to get the prints in a few weeks!

Thursday: We were supposed to meet up with Kori and Owen to go for a walk but, alas, the two kiddos appear to be on conflicting nap schedules. Instead, we ran a bunch of errands (now that I knew it could be done). We went and got some things for Gus' business trip, and bought a bunch of baby things at Target (I got a little carried away). When we got home, my Ergo had arrived and was waiting for me on the front porch! So naturally, we had to try it out. It is seriously the best baby carrier ever invented!

Friday: We went for a swim and Grandma and Grandpa's house! (see previous post) The "swim" itself lasted for less than ten minutes, but just seeing him in his little swim outfit was worth it! :)


Saturday: Early in the morning, we said goodbye to Daddy as he left for Chile (business trip). We made a trip to Babies R Us, which was jam-packed with other mommies and babies, and then stopped off at Jamba Juice on our way home. After naptime, we went out to the supermarket. Nikos was an old pro, and didn't fuss at all!

Sunday: That's today! We've stayed close to home today, since it's so hot outside. We called Grandpa (my dad) this morning to wish him a happy birthday, and zipped over to the store to get a few things. Nikos has been in a really happy, playful mood all day, so we've had a great time! In the evening, we'll probably take a walk around the neighborhood (once it starts to cool off a bit).

Little Swimmer!

Nikos and I drove up to visit my parents today, and the weather was perfect for his first dip in the pool! He wasn't really sure what to make of it... He didn't cry, but he wasn't overjoyed, either. And he definitely didn't like it when the wind started blowing as we got out to dry off! All in all, though, it was a successful first swim. Hooray!Testing out the water...
Ok, I think I might like this... (with Grandpa swimming in the background)

Lots O' Pics!

We just got back from the mall, where Nikos got his first-ever professional portraits taken! I think they turned out well, especially given the price (I used coupons and paid $25 for a ton of pics!). I had to share! :)

Teething & Flipping

Well, it's official: our little guy is officially growing up! He has been teething like a madman for the past few days, and we can see a white spot on his bottom gums where a tooth is likely to emerge sometime in the near future. And boy, is he C-R-A-N-K-Y about it! He has been gnawing on anything that passes near his mouth, with a definite preference for adult fingers. Naturally, he seems to dislike all of his made-especially-for-teething-baby toys! In addition to fingers, he likes to gnaw on Sugarbear's face (his teddy bear), burp cloths, and this great toy that Alayna, Sacha, and Mateo sent him when he was born. I'm positive that it was not intended to be a teething toy, but I guess he really likes the way the wooden knobs feel on his gums. Whatever works, right? At any rate, we are trying to make our little guy as comfortable as possible, but it's clear that his gums are really bothering him. I hope that little tooth hurries up and pops out soon!

In addition to teething, Nikos has gotten into the habit of flipping himself onto his tummy almost as soon as he is put into his crib. Why he does this is beyond me-- especially since he seems to hate being on his tummy and starts crying hysterically! Last night, he was up for almost an hour and a half past his bedtime because he kept doing this. Once I finally got him calmed down, I decided to let him sleep in his carseat for the night-- that way, he wouldn't be able to move around and wake himself up! Sure enough, he conked out right away and slept peacefully until around 3:30, when he woke up to eat. After feeding him, I decided to try putting him back in his crib, and then didn't hear a peep from him until I went in to get him at 6. And guess what?? He was on his tummy again-- but completely asleep! This is major progress! I am hoping that he won't freak out as much now when he flips over. But only time will tell!

Anyway... it's been an interesting week! I'm on Spring Break, so it's been great to be a full-time mommy again. And Nikos has definitely been keeping me on my toes! :)

Rice Cereal, Day 2

So we tried rice cereal again today, and still haven't been very successful. It could be that our little guy just isn't ready for solids yet! We're going to keep offering cereal once a day, though, and hopefully he'll get the hang of things in a week or two. I have to keep reminding myself not to force him to eat if he doesn't want to, because he'll do it when he's ready. In the meantime, though, he's pretty entertaining to watch. Behold, a video from today! (yesterday, the video camera wasn't in a great position, so today's turned out much better)

He wouldn't sit up straight in his chair today, either... He keep sticking his hand out of the leg opening! Silly little guy! :P

Rice Cereal

Big News: Nikos started "big boy" food today! Well, sort of... I don't think much, if any, stayed in his mouth, but it was a start! We will stick with rice cereal until he's doing well with the whole concept of eating-from-a-spoon, and then we'll move on to veggies and fruits. This could be a slow process-- he was not too thrilled with rice cereal, as evidenced by his facial expressions!



I'll post a video, too, when I get the chance... :)

Spinning

Nikos has been doing this for a while now (at least a month, probably longer), but I finally decided to capture it on video. Whenever the little guy is on his back, he starts to spin! I first noticed this when I put him on his playmat just outside of the bathroom so that I could take a shower. I showered for a minute or two, then peeked out from behind the curtain to check on him-- and he had already completed a 180-degree turn! A minute or two later, he had done the whole 360. And by the time I got out of the shower, he'd been spinning himself silly!

Anyway, here is a little video I made yesterday (I had fun in Windows MovieMaker-- one advantage of using the actual video camera is that I can edit things!). I sped things up so that the spinning was clearer-- the actual footage was about 5 minutes long, and this video is only about a minute and a half:


(Side note: Can you tell how much he loves that bear?? His name is Sugarbear, and Nikos tries to eat his face off whenever he gets close enough. :P )

The Big 3-0

Well, there's no point in mincing words: Today, I am 30 years old! I remember thinking that 30 was so old when I was little, but it's funny-- I feel like I was in college only yesterday! And I graduated eight years ago! It's amazing how time speeds up as you get older... and the years start to run together in my memory... it's crazy!

I was talking with a student's mother the other day about being 30. I realized that, in my mind, I had always kept a sort of checklist of things I had hoped to achieve by the time I was 30. And you know what? I've done it all! Call me somewhat old-fashioned, but I always imagined that I'd be married, have a stable career, own a home, and have one child by the time I was 30. And, lo and behold, I have all those things! So instead of moping about being another year older, I really feel like this is a great milestone in my life, and I'm really pleased at how things have gone. Just this afternoon, as I was washing bottles, I looked over at Nikos as he played happily in his jumperoo. It was such a happy moment, and I felt so... fulfilled? I'm not even sure of the word. But long story short, 30 is good. Life is good. And I honestly think that things are only going to get better from here! :)

Giggles

We finally captured a few of Nikos' elusive giggles on video today! He wasn't in a big laughing mood, but at least we got a little bit out of him! :)

On another note, it seems as though our little guy has really started teething. He's fussy, has run a low-grade fever off and on, isn't sleeping as well as he was, and chomps down on anything that comes near his mouth. Keep your fingers crossed that his first tooth will emerge sooner rather than later-- because this isn't terribly fun!

Some Videos From Today...

5 Month Letter

Dear Nikos,

I can't believe that you are already five months old! The days are beginning to fly by faster and faster. You are a completely different child than you were just a month ago!

You have been a very busy boy this month, to say the least. One day, while you were enjoying some tummy time on the floor, you just decided to roll over to your back like you had been doing it for years. I was such a proud and excited mommy, but it didn't faze you one bit. A few days later, you rolled the other way (from back to belly) at night in your crib, causing you to scream bloody murder until we went in and flipped you back over. Most recently, you've started sitting up on your own for a few seconds at a time. You get better at sitting every single day, so I'm sure you'll be a pro by the time I write your six-month letter. :)

Another big discovery you made this month was your feet! You love to play with them when you are sitting on the floor or when you're on the changing table. Changing your diaper has become quite a challenge, because you are constantly rolling from one side to the other, grabbing everything within reach, playing with your toes, and kicking your cute little legs! You've also started bouncing a bit in your jumperoo and your doorway jumper, and you've learned to arch your back dangerously while sitting in your Bumbo chair so that you can get your legs out (a skill which scared your mommy quite a bit!).

You've also turned into quite a vocal little guy this month. In addition to your existing repertoir of shrieks, coos, growling sounds, gurgles, and babbles, you now laugh and scream! The sound of your laughter is something that Daddy and I have waited to hear for a long time, and it is the best sound in the universe. You had giggled periodically for a month or two, but you just recently started really chuckling. So now, in addition to having the cutest smile ever, you have this fantastic laugh! No matter how bad my day at work might've been, it all gets erased if I can get some laughs out of you. (the screaming, however, isn't the greatest sound... I think you're just experimenting with the power of your lungs. We'll work on that!)

All in all, though, I'd have to say that your fifth month of life has been the most amazing so far. You have a definite personality now, and you are growing and changing by the day (by the minute, even!). Your smile lights up your entire face, and our hearts, and we love you endlessly, Brown Eyes. I hope that your sixth month is just as magical as this one has been!

All My Love,
Mommy

Happy Easter!

Surprise!!

Yesterday afternoon, my parents came down to visit, and my mom took me out shopping for birthday presents (since my birthday is in a week and a half). After a productive trip, we arrived back at the house around 4pm. I got out of the car, collected my shopping bags from the trunk, and retrieved the mail. Nothing exciting. But then I opened the front door and... SURPRISE!!!
Gus had planned a surprise 30th birthday party for me!! Not too many people could make it (largely due to the fact that it was the day before Easter), but there were probably 15 or so guests. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we grilled up some hamburgers, enjoyed cold beverages, etc. It was such a nice treat! I was impressed to learn that Gus had been working on this for a few months now. He had decorated the house and everything!

Now if we could just get Nikos to like parties a bit more, then life would be perfect (he started screaming as soon as everyone yelled "Surprise!" and then didn't really calm down until bedtime...). :P Oh, well... Maybe next year!

(P.S. I'll post more pictures later, if people send them to me... This is pretty much all I have right now!)

Progress!

So this week, we're working on sitting... And we're making progress! Nikos can sit with limited assistance for a very long time, and with NO assistance for about 10 seconds. Not bad, considering he couldn't sit alone at all just last week. Here is the little man performing his new trick!



And, just because he's so stinkin' cute, another picture of our lovebug:

(and yes, we are getting a lot of mileage out of his St. Patty's Day outfit... He grows so fast!!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

He Did It!!

He can roll from his back to his tummy!! And when did he decide to accomplish this feat for the first time? At 9PM, of course-- an hour and a half after bedtime! He woke up and started wailing about 15 minutes ago. I was going to wait a bit before checking on him, but something about this cry was different. I thought it sounded a bit muffled, like maybe he had something in his mouth (??). So I went in to check, and there was the little guy lying on his tummy. He was none too happy about it, either!

Anyway, Gus and I were both excited. This has been quite a week, in terms of milestones! :)

Logging Off

Every afternoon, after Nikos has had his nap and a meal, I quickly check my email while he sits in my lap. After I'm done, I usually let him play on Kneebouncers.com for a few minutes, since he loves to pound on the keyboard. Well... I decided to record him playing on the computer, since it was so cute...

hahahaha!!!!! I love it!!!! :)

Giggles and Good News!

First, the good news... I will have a job next year! This may not seem to be too earth-shattering, given that I am a tenured teacher and all, but I had fully expected to receive a pink slip this week. Given the current budget situation in Sacramento (thanks a lot, Arnold), my school district is projecting a loss of $15 million in funding next year, which means that they are doling out pink slips right and left. ALL temporary employees, plus 108 other probationary and tenured teachers are going to be cut next year. At my school, there are four of us who fall into the "newly-tenured" category, as we were all hired at the same time. After handing out the pink slips to all the probationary teachers, the district needed to cut seven more (newly-tenured) teachers. Those seven teachers were chosen at random, and one of them happened to be my coworker. It could have been me, just as easily. I am hoping that, in the end, the budget situation will get straightened out, and everyone will get their jobs back... but in the meantime I am so, so, so thankful that I will have a job next year. Thank God!

And now for the giggles! Because that's what Nikos does now! He has done a few giggles here and there over the past month or so, but today he really started going at it. He giggled a bunch for me when I blew raspberries on his belly, and he full-on laughed when Gus was getting him ready for his bath. It is the best sound in the universe!!! And a perfect day for it, too, given the good news. Everybody here is happy! :)