Chillin' In My Crib

It was another week of big steps for me, but then, when isn't it these days?

On Saturday night Dad and I went to see Mom at work. I have these doctor's scrubs that Auntie Coop bought me, so I put them on before we went, and all of Mom's co-workers just ate it up. I was all, "Hey, if you've got any deliveries or hysterectomies that you need any help with, say the word and I'll be in there," but I guess you have to go to medical school before you can do that. Also you have to know how to stand up and not put the scalpel in your mouth. But I'm almost there, I tell you. Mom doesn't want me to be a doctor, because she has to work so hard. I might love it like she does, though. I've got lots of time; I certainly don't have to make up my mind yet.

Monday I had my doctor's appointment. The vitals:
Height: 25 3/4 inches (93rd percentile)
Weight: 15 pounds, 8 ounces (90th percentile)So maybe I'll be a WNBA player instead of a doctor. They also measured my head circumference (41 1/2 centimeters, 50th percentile) and my temperature (98.3), but that's not so exciting. Dr. B was very excited by the fact that I could hold my head up so well by myself and watch what she was doing across the room, and I did so well that she let Dad hold me for most of the exam. This was a good thing, because the appointment fell right when I was napping, so he had to wake me up for it and I can't claim that I was exactly thrilled about that. I had four shots again, and I still didn't like them, but this time I recovered even faster than last time. (So did Dad.)

Then on Tuesday night I started going to bed in my crib. This is a pretty big deal, because my room is across the house from Mom and Dad's. But the fact is at over two feet, I am just plain too big for my bassinet anymore. And I sure can't be in a bed with Dad all night -- that guy likes to hog my space, and until we're both asleep we can't figure out how to share it. (When we stayed in Tampa, we had a full-sized bed. I tried to sleep in a pack-and-play that the hotel sent up, but it didn't work and Dad ended up on the floor.) So Mom and Dad made sure the monitor was set up right, and instead of putting me in my bassinet they're putting me in the crib. It works pretty well so far. I generally sleep about three hours in my own room, and then I get hungry and Dad comes to get me, and we spend the rest of the night in the big bed. In another month or so, I'll try going back to my own room after I eat and see how that works for us all.

The only complaint I have right now, really, is this whole rolling over business. It was the only thing at the doctor's office where I got marked down. Apparently, by four months I'm supposed to be going over on both sides with regularity. But I just can't figure it out. I get up with my head, and then I can't make my hips go over, and when I manage to do that then my shoulders can't turn. And if I do manage to get all of that stuff coordinated, the other arm is sticking out and blocking my progress. I'll get there soon, I hope, but if I don't rolling over is for babies anyway and I'm already thinking about this whole crawling thing.

Four Months

Tomorrow I'll officially be four months old. Dad says he's pretty impressed with himself that he's kept me alive this long. He's kidding, though. I think.

I have my doctor's appointment on Monday, which means I have to get more shots. I did NOT like the shots last time, so I'm gonna make sure to take some Tylenol in advance to help stave off the pain. Dad unofficially weighed me yesterday (by standing on the scale while holding me and then standing on it by himself) and I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 pounds. He also has to be really careful carrying me in and out of my room, because I'm long enough to play havoc with the 30-inch doorjamb now. Yeah, that's right, I'm a big kid, and I'm doing some big kid stuff.

Last night I started rice cereal. Mom wanted to wait until I was six months, but I just can't stay asleep on breast milk alone anymore. I was a little too hungry to put up with learning a spoon the first time, but tonight Mom and Dad caught me before I put on my crabby panties and I ate almost two ounces of milk with about four teaspoons of cereal mixed in. It would have been better if I could have sucked on the spoon, but you can't have everything. It seems to be doing the trick for sleep -- last night I did three hours at a stretch again, where this week before I'd been waking up hungry about once an hour.

I also busted out with my first real laugh tonight. Dad was blowing raspberries at me while he was changing my diaper, and it was enough to send me over the edge. He got so excited that we ran into the living room (where Mom was on the phone with Nona) to see if I'd do it again -- and sure enough, I did, on the phone even. They were all excited, but heck, I just thought he should know I appreciate his silly jokes and faces.

Dad took me out every day this week. Monday we went for a long walk with the puppies, and I sat forward in the Snugli for the first time. It was a little tricky, because the top strap should have been a little tighter and so I wobbled around a little bit and rubbed my cheek on the part that should have stayed folded down (and would have if the strap was tight enough). Also, Dad forgot the puppies sort of like to pull on their leashes. Still, we're going to try it again. We did a little bit of shopping Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and I came out of a trip to Kohl's with a new stegosaurus friend (who we named Stella). Today we just went for dinner at Chili's, but that was still nice -- I got to sit next to Mom and spend more time with her.

Next week I'll have an official height and weight measurement for all my fans. Be prepared to be shocked, I think.

Growth Spurt

A lot has happened since my last update. Fun times!

Auntie Shauna, Uncle Jacob and Ally spent a week in town, and we got to hang out a lot. They came over for dinner for three nights, and it was really nice. Mom and Dad say that the six of them (plus Auntie Coop and Uncle Jason) used to have dinner together all the time when they all lived in the same city. Ally and I didn't have any trouble fitting in or being accepted to the table, either. I guess when we go back there it'll be six again -- maybe seven -- until Uncle Jason retires and they move back too.

On Friday, all of us went to Tampa. My grandpa was there for a work conference, and he was nice enough to get another hotel room so everyone could be there for the night. (Ally and her parents left Saturday because they had a hotel by Universal starting that night; the rest of us stayed until Sunday.) We got to check out the old Cuban part of town (called Ybor City), eat at a restaurant that was over 100 years old (obviously, I ate later), go to Clearwater Beach (it wasn't very clear, but it was still my first time in the ocean), play in the pool at the hotel, and otherwise enjoy the company. The hotel was really nice -- warm pool, good scenery for walking, great restaurants. The bed was so small, though, that I ended up kicking Dad out of it.

Thursday morning, Auntie Coop and Uncle Jason left. It was weird, because she'd been here for almost half my life, but I guess she needed to go to her own home. Mom and Dad say they live in Ohio now, and I don't know where that is but I guess it's far because Mom was really sad. Dad says it'll be better, though, because he didn't like driving to Panama City and getting on a plane is faster anyway. I'm already looking forward to seeing them again. And their little dog, too -- Kael was funny and silly running around.

The other big thing that happened this week is I'm figuring out how to sit up. Sunday night we were at Downtown Disney (Auntie Shauna wanted to shop a little bit) and I was getting tired of laying back in my stroller, so I sat up. I'm still not quite doing it by myself -- I can get upright from almost lying down, but then I wobble over to one side. Dad makes me a nest on the couch out of a blanket, and I like to sit in there and watch the fan or the puppies.

See you next week!

Calm Before the Storm

Before the calm again, though, I guess. This week we didn't have any new visitors -- it was just me, Mom, Dad and Auntie Coop. Relaxing, if a little boring without so many friends fawning over me.

Friday night we went bowling. It was my first time, but Mom and Dad (they're still new at this) forgot the camera. It's not like I could actually bowl, anyway -- the lightest ball was six pounds, which is a third of my total body weight. But I still had fun. Friday nights at the bowling alley are what Mom and Dad call "galactic bowling." Basically, they turn on black lights and have disco balls and colored strobes and louder music. I could not get enough of those flashing colored lights!

In fact, that's one of my favorite pastimes these days -- watching lights and reflections. The best one is the ceiling fan in the kitchen. It's dark against the white ceiling, but it has shiny brass brackets and it turns slowly enough that I can make out the movement. I could watch that for an hour, and sometimes I do, kicking and giggling the whole time.

We have one more big batch of visitors. Uncle Jason arrived this morning, and Auntie Shauna and Uncle Jacob got into town a few minutes ago. They should be here with my cousin Ally pretty soon, maybe before I even finish writing. Then on Friday we're going to Tampa for the weekend, where I get to see my Grandma and Grandpa! (He has some kind of conference, so she came along because it meant she gets to see me. I guess she can talk to Dad too, if she feels like it.) We're looking forward to going to the beach and out for dinner for their wedding anniversary.

But then, when everybody goes, Dad's on his own with me! I smell a meltdown in the imminent future.

Great Aunts

Another week, another set of visitors. This time, it was my mom's dad -- my Pappy -- and his family. He, Grandma and my two aunties stayed nearby and we spent a lot of time just playing at home.

I couldn't get enough of my aunties, to tell you the truth. They were so cool! Auntie Georgette jumped right in and snuggled with me at the start, and Auntie Lourdess didn't want to give me up at the end. They just wanted to hold me the whole time, and I tell you what, I'm not about to argue with that.

I also got to go to my first theme park last week. The family still had passes to Universal from when they were here earlier this spring (I wasn't here yet then), and Mom and Dad have annual passes, so we decided to go out and have some fun. Wednesday we went to Islands of Adventure, which really doesn't have anything I can ride, but I got to see the Sindbad show even though Dad didn't want to leave my stroller outside. Thursday we went to Universal Studios, which was more of the same except we didn't see any shows and didn't stay as long.

It was really hot on both days, so Mom and Dad took turns keeping me in an air-conditioned shop while the other went on a ride. (Their high points: Mom got totally soaked on Popeye's Bilge-Rat Barges and Dad scored over 264,000 on Men In Black Alien Attack.) I think when we go to Disney World later this year, I'll be big enough for stuff like It's a Small World and maybe even the Haunted Mansion. There just aren't low-key rides like that at Universal.

We also got to go swimming at their hotel, which was my first time in the water that wasn't a bath. I wasn't so sure about the pool at first -- it's colder than a bathtub, and quite a bit deeper -- but since Mom and Dad never let go of me, I did all right. Next weekend Mom's friend invited us to her new house to test out the pool, so I'll get some more practice.

The other cool thing that happened this week is Mom got me a new toy, a stuffed turtle that crinkles and rattles. Well, it's been in my room, but she got it down for me and I'm playing with it. It has become my new life goal to get the turtle's head inside my mouth. In fact, sucking on things is my favorite pastime these days -- I found out that my hands go in there pretty easily sometime last week. Dad better keep the floor clean, is all I'm saying.

Oh yeah, and I mentioned my photo shoot. I didn't put the pictures up because Dad doesn't have a scanner. If you want to buy him one, that's OK with both of us.