carmen fable: seven months

Today, Carmen is seven months old!

So far, Carmen has:
- No teeth!
- Been out of Florida (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Attended her first wedding

She is currently wearing 3-6 month clothing and has finally started to outgrow the 0-3 month clothing that I thought she would be in forever. She's sitting, albeit still a little wobbly, and has begun rocking on all fours. She is a plank master and has completely figured out army crawling and rolling across rooms. Carmen is determined to be on the move and can't stand being still or sitting in one place for too long.

So far, Carmen has eaten:
- Butternut squash
- Carrots
- Green beans
- Peas
- Pears
- Apples
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Lentils

She takes two long naps per day and sleeps for 11-12 hours per night. She currently eats 6 ounces of formula per feeding -- but I think that's going to be increasing soon. Carmen's absolute favorite person in the world is her big brother. She lights up whenever he walks into the room! (Ethan is also 99% sure that she says "bruh bruh.")

What an amazing seven months it's been!

carmen fable: six months

Our incredible, amazing Carmen is six months old today! Half a year old, already, somehow.

Carmen had her six month check-up at her doctor on Thursday afternoon. She weighs 13.4 pounds (9th percentile) and is also in the 9th percentile for height. (We read through Ethan's six month statistics today -- he was in the 75th for height and the 80th for weight. One on each end of the chart, I suppose.) Carmen is in mostly 0-3 month clothing but I can get her to pull off some 3-6 month clothing if it runs on the smaller size and with the help of her cloth diapers.

Carmen loves being worn in the Boba carrier. She wears her Magic Sleepsuit for both naps and at nighttime and is sleeping 11 hour stretches at night. We completely transitioned her from bassinet to crib over the last couple of weeks and she is loving having more room to wriggle around and sleep comfortably. This little one is a mover! She can roll front to back as well as back to front, and she can scoot on her belly across an entire room.

Perhaps her most exciting six month milestone is that she tried her first solid foods!

Ethan has been looking forward to making his sister food since the moment she was born. Ethan's first food was green beans and we purchased the same organic, local green beans that Ethan had for his first solid foods (oh, my heart). He had a blast steaming and pureeing them, but he had the most fun giving her the first taste.

The first day didn't go so well, but now she's enjoying her green beans a little bit more. (Next up: peas!)

Carmen shockingly still has no teeth! Ethan had two by this age and she definitely began teething earlier than he did. I'm guessing teeth will be coming sooner rather than later!

eight months.

Ethan is eight months old today. As plans for his first birthday party start to come into focus, I find myself utterly in awe and disbelief that he's this old already. Gone are the days of newborn clothes so tiny that they appear to be made for dolls and here are the days of trying to figure out how my not quite crawling child has brought a handful of clothing hangers inside his ballpit. Eight months is proving to be an age already full of unpredictability and surprises.
At eight months, Ethan is feverishly learning to pull himself up on the bars of his crib and the sides of the couch. Being in the standing position is his favorite thing to do, the smile unable to be wiped off of his face until the moment his legs quiver and he plops himself down into the sitting position. He's still trying his hardest to master crawling, something that both captivates and frustrates him and sucks up all of his attention and determination. He has mastered scooting sneakily around on his belly, figuring out how to spin himself in the direction he needs to be to grab hold of my Blackberry or whatever else he has his eye on. Eight months is the age of unstoppable determination.

He's still a big boy, fully in 12 month clothes at this point and holding strong in his size four diapers. His sleep schedule is becoming just that -- a schedule -- and it's becoming a rarity that he wakes up at all during the night. At eight months, his favorite foods are zucchini, plums and apples, greenbeans and lentils and, most recently, YoBaby organic yogurt. He enjoys trying to feed himself, though it takes a couple of tries before he successfully figures it out, and is starting to seek out more independence than he previously wanted or needed. He's filled with his own opinions, desires and wants, and it's been so incredible watching them play out as he continues to develop his own personality.

He is a busy boy, too, what with his My Gym class, swimming lessons and our Stroller Strides class along with the occasional playdate here and there, but we always make time to snuggle up together and read stories. Those fleeting moments of tranquility as we lay in bed or sit on his glider and turn the pages of our favorite storybooks are my favorite moments of every day. Ethan is also busy developing his own strange sense of humor and once he starts laughing, there's nothing that can curb that laughter. Case in point, there is a collage of photos we had taken of Ethan back when he was a month or two old. He thinks these photos are absolutely hilarious and we can't walk past the wall it hangs on without stopping to smile and laugh at the photos of Ethan "back when he was a baby." At eight months, he has totally found his voice and is constantly singing, babbling and screaming. We have some pretty awesome conversations, of course.

Just when I think it can't get any more fun or incredible, Ethan proves me wrong. I really don't know how anything could be better than this. Life with an eight month old is pretty great.

seven months.

Ethan is seven months old today. He's now on that upward climb up from half a year, making him even closer to one full year. I've been spending more time thinking about his first birthday party and doing some party planning, but it never actually hit me how quickly the time was flying by.

At six months, Ethan began solids with his first taste of homemade organic vegetable purees. He has had sweet potatoes (his least favorite), zucchini (his most favorite), butternut squash, summer squash, green beans, carrots, peas and a medley of carrots, green beans and lentils. It all has been going wonderfully save for peas which caused Ethan to break out in a skin rash. This month, we are beginning fruits. Ethan received his first taste of organic fruits yesterday with a homemade avocado puree which he loved.

Ethan is wearing clothing in 9-12 month sizes, depending on the brand. He's officially in Size 4 diapers, a change which seemed to happen overnight when his size three diapers just no longer fit when he woke up in the morning. His eyes are still a beautiful shade of blue which I'm holding onto hope will stick! He has his two bottom teeth and is getting incredibly close to cutting top teeth, too. This 7 month old also has one heck of a social calendar: we do Stroller Strides, My Gym, weekly playdates at friends homes and -- swimming lessons. This coming Thursday, Ethan takes his first ever Water Smart Baby class at the swim school. I just might be more nervous than he is.

He isn't crawling yet, but I've had a gut feeling for some time that he may skip crawling altogether due to the discomfort that his reflux causes him whenever he's flat on his stomach. He is, however, standing like a pro and can hold onto the couch or the crib rail while holding himself up with ease. Sleeping still isn't as perfect as it was, but we have gradually reduced the number of wake-ups in the night from two to one so maybe this is a sign that Ethan won't completely detest the idea of his crib in the near future.

His current favorite toys are his Green Sprouts stacking cups, his musical drums and our cat, Amelia, who allows him to stack the aforementioned stacking cups on her without protest. The YouTube video of Feist singing Counting To 4 on Sesame Street might win above all of these things. Let's just say it's Ethan's most favorite song.

I think this age right now is my absolute favorite. I've said this in the past and I know myself well enough to know I'll probably say it again in the future, but I am loving every last thing about this age. I've been watching him absorb the world since he was born, but watching him implement the things he has learned into his daily life has been incredible. He knows to hold his arms out for me when he wants to be picked up. My husband has graciously showed him how to bang on his tray when he wants more food. It has simply been wonderful watching him learn and develop and become the person who he is.

Accepting the fact that the 8 pound, 4 ounce newborn we brought home from the hospital is now closing in on 25 pounds and creeping uncomfortably close to one year is another story. Really, where does the time go?

six months.

Today Ethan is six months old. I'm the mother to a six month old; a concept I'm having trouble grasping. Six months is half of a year, a milestone age that represents the halfway point between infancy and first birthday parties. In a few days, he will be starting his first solids and I'm struggling to hold onto these fleeting days of Ethan being my itty-bitty newborn.

As with most parenting endeavors, I've learned to not feel failure when my resolutions and best-laid plans end up being a bust. If you asked me last month where Ethan would be sleeping when he turned six months, I'd proudly boast that he made the transition to his crib just as I had planned. Truth is, Ethan is still shoved into his bassinet and sleeping pushed up against the side of our bed. It isn't completely my fault. Exactly one month ago, Ethan was in the throws of battling a nasty case of RSV and our plans to transition him to his crib were obviously put on the back burner in exchange for sleepless nights of monitoring his breathing even more meticulously than usual. He'll get there. I've also traded in my desperate concern for his sleeping habits for a desperation to keep him a baby forever. Six months. Did I mention that's half of a year?!

Ethan has his two bottom teeth and is working on some more, meaning he's rarely seen without his entire fist jammed into his mouth these days. Natural maple teethers have become a necessity in our daily lives, as has a $5 stuffed Winnie The Pooh that he slobbered on while holiday shopping at The Disney Store. (Years of working retail in college has taught me that if your child slobbers on it, you buy it!) Winnie has become our best friend these days, making Ethan fall into a fit of hysterics each time he "kisses" his nose. We've been spending wonderful, warm winter days (how's that for an anomaly? Thanks, Florida!) in the company of our new friends and My Gym playmates. Ethan continues to surprise me with how social and happy he is, never too overtired or agitated to flash a smile to a stranger who smiles at him in passing. A few weeks ago in Target, a crowd of tired, frazzled holiday shoppers -- all mothers to teenagers or adults, they pointed out, missing the charms of a baby -- gathered around him for games of "peek-a-boo!" and giggles that put a little more light in everyone's day. He's good at that, knowing just when to turn up the sides of his mouth in a coy and loveable little grin and flash a sparkle in his bright blue eyes.

well, no one else is gonna love you like i do

Ethan is five months old today. He's also still so very sick and our lives lately have been as crazy as his hair. (By the way, excuse that maniacal mane of his. By ten this morning, he'd already had two streams of vomit wind up in his hair, followed by consecutive hair washings. It's not a good day for beauty and proper grooming skills in this house.)

He weighed in on Monday at nearly 18 pounds and is still in his size 6-9 month clothes but starting to trickle into his 9 month wardrobe as well. We have one more month until he starts solids and he's doing great at making the (albeit slow as molasses -- my fault, I fully admit) transition to his crib. He's starting to really love playing with toys and I mean that in the sense that he isn't just clanging, shaking or sucking on toys, he's getting really into actually playing with toys. He loves his Exersaucer and is doing a fabulous job at figuring out how to utilize all of the features.

However, five months is full of congestion and runny noses and -- god help me -- the nebulizer. He's started to recognize the sight of the albuterol packets that go into the nebulizer and begins screaming accordingly. Having to hold the mask to his nose and try to calm him as he wails in unmatched hysteria has been one of the greatest challenges I've faced in some time. It's heartbreaking. He's managed to learn how to pull the plug out of the nebulizer and by the time his breathing treatments are done, I'm both exhausted from the struggle and covered in the result of Ethan's hysteria and protest (see also: vomit -- and lots of it).

It was a rough "month birthday" for Ethan today, but we finished it off snuggling and slow dancing to Taylor Swift in our living room. I wish I could blink my eyes and make him all better and send off the nebulizer to a land where it's never to be seen again but I can't, so I'll just hang onto hope and optimism and love. It's been five wonderful months and even as I trek to Target for more Boogie Wipes with vomit dried down the back of my neck, I couldn't possibly feel luckier.

i just want to be where the sun shines down, i just want to be with you

Today is the 22nd and that means that I am now a mommy to a four month old. It's cliche and overdone, but still I'm not sure where the time went. It seems that it was just yesterday my water broke as I stood in the bathroom at my parents' house. It seems that it was just yesterday when the doctors called out, "dad, get ready with the camera!" followed by a long wave of newborn baby cries. It's really mindblowing to think that it's already been four months!

We have Ethan's four month check-up with his pediatrician on Monday and I'm already preparing a list of things I want to discuss with her. He is in this developmentally rich time in his life, each day opening another door to another phase. I now have a child who is alert and soaking up so much of the world on a daily basis. He spends so much of the day laughing and learning, smiling as he discovers so much of what we as adults take for granted.

It seems that the fragile newborn has left and been replaced with a precocious child who loves to laugh, has an affinity for Fleetwood Mac and an extreme distaste for birds. He spends storytime and mommy & me classes immersed in the music and studying the room, fascinated by all of the children who are also engulfed in song.

My favorite part of having a four month old -- aside from the daily adventures as no two days come close to resembling one another -- are the belly laughs. The ones where he laughs so hard that he squishes his chin into his chest as if he's suddenly become coy and timid; bashful, even. There are parts of having a four month old that I can't share the same fluttery feeling of love for: teething and Ethan's newfound abhorrence for the carseat. Teething has rendered Ethan unable to spend fifteen minutes without shoving his fists into his mouth, letting out a miserable cry as he pushes at his gums. We've replaced pacifiers (which Ethan has no interest in any longer) with teething chews in the diaper bag. A Teething Bling necklace has become part of my daily wardrobe.

Ethan is in a size three in his diapers. He's wearing 6 month or 6-9 month clothing, depending on the size and the fit. As of a few days ago, he's officially said goodbye to his infant seat and is now solely in his convertible seat! It's still eerie to peak in the backseat and see him sitting in a Britax Roundabout 55 instead of the Keyfit 30 we brought him home from the hospital in, but I'm trying to accept the fact my little guy is growing up and has no desire to lay like a baby in his infant seat anymore. On that same note, he has started to love stroller rides now that the infant seat is no longer involved...and prefers to face the outside world, to soak it all in, rather than me. I won't take it personally!

Life is a constant adventure these days but in the very best sense. These days I wake up with a desire to see what the day brings, to watch him learn and blossom and develop as he grows up (albeit oh so quickly!) in front of my eyes.

two months.

Yesterday Ethan turned two months old. Two months! The time has positively flown by and I am amazed at how he's grown. It seems like each day brings a new milestone or a new change in some way.

These days, he's eating around 7 ounces per feeding. Sometimes he's feeling up to 8. He's eating at around 4 hour stretches during the day and 5-6 hour stretches at nighttime. He's holding his head up like a champion during tummy time and can even hold it up to look around when he's in the Ergo. Speaking of the Ergo, it's his absolute favorite thing in the world. I do 99% of everything while wearing him in the Ergo all day, every day.

He's wearing 3-6 month clothing. His 0-3 month clothes don't come close to fitting anymore and his 3 month clothes are definitely way snug. He's wearing a size 2 for about a week now in his Seventh Generation diapers. He loves "talking" and "having conversations" with his mobile animals or us. He's awake so much more during the day and only has two real naps a day excluding the snoozing here and there he does (in the car or in the Ergo, mostly!). I'm loving how alert and focused he is these days.

We have his two month check up (...and shots! I'm already crying whenever I think of it) coming up tomorrow. I'm eager to hear how much he has grown and how much he currently weighs...but I'm still begging someone to invent a way to pause time. It's exciting to watch him grow but also so very crazy! He isn't my newborn anymore and that boggles my mind!

Ethan Is One Month!

Ethan turned one month old today! It's so hard to believe it's already been a month and it's even crazier to see how much he's grown in comparison to his newborn photographs. (By the way, how cute are his onesie stickers?! Bethany at The Momma Monologues got them for him as a gift! Aren't they adorable?!) It's been such a whirlwind month, but I mean that in the best of ways. Being a mommy has been the most wonderful thing in the world and even with all of the health issues that I had at the beginning, I can honestly say this has been the greatest month ever.

I was super excited to do his one month photo shoot today. Ethan, however? He decided this was all he was going to give me:


...So we called it quits and waited until right before he fell asleep in his Rock & Play Sleeper to get those cute shots we began this post with. Another lesson in the fact that motherhood often means going with the flow! I decided to make prints of both for his baby book. I'm sure one day he'll find humor in the outtakes!

Ethan had a pretty exciting one month birthday, though! My husband and I took him down to visit his great-great-grandmother, Jennie, today for a visit! He slept for most of the visit but still got lots of cuddle time in with his great-great-grandmother. I still think it's pretty great that Ethan gets a great-great-grandmother! Here I was thinking I was super special for just having a great-grandmother! It was a little bit tough being there and looking at my Nonno's empty chair. It was hard not to look at it and imagine him still sitting there and those thoughts prompted ones of thinking how much Nonno would love to hold Ethan in that very chair. It's moments like this where I feel so thankful for my birth (despite the trauma, really) and for the fact that Ethan made his arrival into the world on Nonno's birthday.

Ethan also received a special gift from his Uncle Mikey:

It's an ocean themed mini-guitar to match his nursery theme! Isn't that awesome?! Ethan is one spoiled little boy with so many people who love him! (But how can you not love him?! He's pretty darn lovable, if I don't say so myself!)

Ethan's excitement didn't end there! My aunt Fran is in town visiting from Pennsylvania. She flew in to meet Ethan and stay for ten days (we'll call her Granny Franny from here on out, as I'm desperately trying to make that one stick!). She brought with her Regal tickets for Aaron and I, and she and my mother (who I affectionately refer to as The Babysnatchers!) saw Aaron and I off to dinner and a movie while they took custody of Ethan for the evening. Now, Granny Franny is another one of those super-special relatives who I know Ethan will be extremely close to and love very much just as we do! She claims to not understand the blogging world ("People actually go on the computer just to read your crap?!") but I know she's reading this right this very second! I caught you, Granny Franny! You love reading my crap!



My husband and I then set off for dinner at Seasons 52 followed by a movie (A Little Help). Towards the end of the film, I was admittedly getting a bit antsy because I missed my little boy so much!



All in all, it's been a great month. My first month as a mommy has been nothing short of perfect. My little Ethan, thank you for being the best son anyone could ever ask for. I love you more than there are stars in the sky and with every last fiber of my being. You are my world.