7 months

Our big boy is 7 months old! Here's an update about our sweet boy at 7 months:

• He has his 2 bottom teeth! They are about 1/4 in and popped through a few days apart from each other. The day they each broke through the gums, Kyle would wake up in a pool of drool, and had a hard time falling asleep. Just as he would doze off, the pain would wake him up. No fun! But now that they've cut, they don't bother him at all. And they look so cute.
• We're trying a new food every 3 days. So far he's eaten rice cereal (which he loves), peas, green beans and avocado. He's a great eater when he likes the taste. He'll grab the spoon and keep it in his mouth until all the food is off, and open his mouth wide! Today he ate half an avocado, and I had to go back and scrape the blender because he wanted more. On deck is zucchini, sweet potatoes and carrots.
• He's turning into an amazing napper! A couple months ago, I never thought it would be like this. I can remember trying to lay him down in his crib after he fell asleep and getting so upset because he would wake right up. I spent many, many hours sitting in the glider letting him nap on my chest so he could get some sleep. But now that he's older, we did some sleep training and he's old enough to sleep on his tummy, he's been taking two great naps in his crib every day. Usually 1-2 hrs in the morning, and 1.5-2.5 hrs in the afternoon. I'm loving this phase!
• Our nighttime routine is pretty fun. We start with eating dinner as a family, if Brian's home in time. Kyle sits in his high chair at the table, and I'll feed him his cereal while I eat. Then bathtime (he's still in his baby bath on the kitchen counter), then about 30-45 mins of play/reading as a family, a quick nurse and then it's off to bed! Kyle seems to love the routine and is so mellow as we turn off the light, turn on his sound machine and sing a couple of songs before I lay him down. Sometimes he even lays his head on my shoulder, which melts my heart to pieces.
• He can jump like crazy in the jumper! 

• He hasn't really gotten the hang of crawling yet, but this boy LOVES to stand up. If you're sitting in front of him, he'll reach out, grab your hands and pull himself up into standing position (like a skier!). He also loves to be held up to a table and act like he's standing there himself, and can scoot around on his butt a little bit.
• He actually likes drinking water out of his sippy cup and is getting the hang of doing it himself.
• His favorite show is the Baby Einstein Old MacDonald. We watch it in bed sometimes in the morning :)
• We'll sit on his play mat, and bring a basket of toys over. It's fun to watch him pull them out one by one and decide which ones he likes.
• He loves to grunt, and we call it his lion impression. Sometimes he makes a low grunting sound almost all day long! He also likes to scream sometimes and blow air between his lips.
• Other kids crack him up more than anything. He loves to be around little friends and will laugh at anything they do.
• His hair is still red! I thought it would have changed by now, but maybe he really will be our little redhead for life!
• He still loves Penny. If she's around, he'll stare at her and always tries to grab her little tail. She's very patient with him.

Every single day I just stare at my baby and feel so grateful to be his mama. He is definitely the cutest thing I've ever seen and I'm loving every minute I get to spend with him.

15 weeks

Kyle, you are 15 weeks old!

I feel so lucky that I'm able to be home with you right now. I'm enjoying every day getting to know you better and loving you up!

This week you:

• Had your first professional headshot taken. Well, mommy had hers taken for work and you looked so cute that the photographer wanted you in a shot, too :)

• Were such a good boy for Mammie Day - we went to the mall, shopped around (making a nursing pit stop in Nordie's and taking a good nap in your stroller) and even ate dinner at Red Robin. You love taking in all the sights and sounds around you!

• Hung out with your friend Sophia. You showed her how you like to play with your toys now, and how much fun it is to be SUPER BABY! You tried to sit up in her back yard, but you still need to work on your upper body strength a little bit more to be able to sit up without mommy's help.

• Spent time with your Papa John, GG, auntie and cousins Harlow & Jacob when we went out to dinner to celebrate mommy and auntie's birthday. You were a trooper sitting out on the Denny's patio for over 2 hours! You always get so much love from your auntie and your cousin. They love you to pieces.

• Drove your mommy a little nuts by only taking good naps in her arms. I know this is just a phase and it won't last forever, but mommy is trying hard to train you to nap on your own without making much progress! Hopefully next week's update will be a different story... at least you are sleeping great at night and we are both getting good rest then.

• Sat like a big boy in your Bumbo while mommy & daddy ate dinner!

• Stayed home alone with daddy and Grandma Suzie for a couple hours while mommy went to dinner with some friends. I think we both suffered from separation anxiety that night, but maybe mommy a little more... when I came home, you looked pretty content in your grandma's arms!

14 weeks

Kyle, you are 14 weeks old!

I've said to Brian so many times that you have grown up so much this week! You are grabbing onto your toys (and still love to grab onto blankets and burp cloths), batting at toys above your head, wanting so badly to sit up (you still need some help from mom), drooling all over, sucking your fingers non-stop, grabbing your feet and laughing! It still takes some coaxing from us, but we can get you to giggle by talking or singing to you.

there is a smile behind that paci!

It is so funny, you sometimes start laughing so hard when we take off your clothes. Something about the movement of pulling your arms through the onesie really cracks you up. I think it's the funniest thing I've ever seen. You also started laughing in the middle of a cry fit this week! We were driving home from dinner and you were getting upset. I sat in the back seat with you and started talking to you, and you went from crying to laughing - and right back to crying. So funny.

We had a pretty big week this week! It was my birthday week, so we made a trip to Grandma Suzie's for dinner on Wednesday, then on Thursday had a playdate at the park and went to Ruby's for dinner. On Friday, you drove with mom to Costa Mesa to attend an awards ceremony for mommy's work. You got to meet all of my co-workers, who loved you of course. Daddy met us there to watch over you while mommy attended the luncheon, and you gave him a pretty hard time. I think it was because you missed your morning nap... lesson learned!

This week you reached my favorite milestone - sleeping an 8-hour stretch, 2 nights in a row! Thank you! You're still in the sleeper next to our bed... I'm not ready to move you to your room yet. Maybe at 4 months :)

3 months, con't

When Kyle smiles, his whole face lights up from an adorable toothless grin. I can make him smile all day long just by looking him in the eye and smiling at him, or even just by talking to him. But when there's a camera around (even my iPhone), getting a smile out of this boy is a very different story: he gets a concerned look on his face and just stares at the camera, wondering why it's in his face.

Ugh! I want nothing more than to capture the sweet smile I see every day, but so far I've been pretty unsuccessful. This is the best Brian & I could do for his 3 month picture with Penny:

a little smile peeking out!

what's going on, mom?

Hopefully I can capture his huge toothless grin that I love so much sooner than later!

13 weeks * 3 months

So I'm realizing that the week-by-week posts don't really correlate with the monthly updates. Today, Kyle is 13 weeks old, but he turned "3 months" on Thursday. I guess I'll eventually transition to doing just a monthly update, but for now I'm still having fun posting these every week. So, here is what Kyle is up to at 3 months/13 weeks.

First of all, we took 3 month pictures. How cute is this little man?! And where is his neck?

(We still need to take his photo with Penny in his 3 month onesie - coming soon, I promise!)

We went to breastfeeding workshop to find out how much milk Kyle is taking in a each feeding, and to get an update on his weight. At 12 weeks he weighed in at 14 lbs, 7 oz and gained an average of 1/2 an oz each day since our last weigh-in at 6 weeks. Right on target!

He's not a huge fan of tummy time, but I make him do it a few times a day. He'll be a happy boy (see above) for about 3 minutes, then it's all over. But he is very strong and I swear he is already trying to crawl. No movement yet, but he has the motions going on. Slow down, buddy! 

One of his favorite things to do is take long walks with mommy in the Baby Bjorn. He loves being outside and looking around, while licking the Bjorn. Mmmmm. Our walks sometimes last an hour! We're pretty lucky to have a park as our backyard, so we'll walk all through it and watch the kids play in the playground, or the little boys practice for their baseball game, or the high school kids make out on the benches.

If Brian gets home from work early enough, he'll join us:

Typically, Kyle is a pretty good sleeper at night. He'll sleep 12 hours, waking twice (or sometimes once!) to eat. But of course I'm laughing as I'm typing this because last night he had me up 17 times. Ok, maybe it was 3 times, but it felt like 17. He went down at 9:30 pm, then was up at 1 am, 4 am, 6:30 am and then up for good at 9. I'm hoping we just had a bad night and will be back on track tonight. Life is much more fun when mommy is not up at all hours!

We got him a mobile for his crib, which has been nice. It doesn't put him to sleep (yet), but he likes to watch it for a while so mommy can get dressed! Yay!

I guess maybe it would help him sleep if I laid him in the crib the correct way. Oops.

Kyle's starting to grab onto more things, which is fun. He'll entertain himself in his carseat by holding onto his burp cloth, and he'll hold onto my clothes for dear life.

"reading"

holding his links

12 weeks

Kyle, you are 12 weeks old!

This week, we took you on a few family outings:

1: To your first restaurant - Super Mex. You were pretty good while mom & dad could enjoyed our #31s, and you looked so cute all bundled up.

2: To Stroll & Savor on 2nd Street in Long Beach, where you loved people watching while mom & dad pigged out on taquitos, hot links, rib tips, gelato, pizza, mini pizookies, pulled pork sliders, breakfast burritos and chocolate covered pretzels (in no particular order).

3: To your first bar to celebrate your dad's 40th birthday with lots of friends and fam. You were such a trooper and lasted almost 6 hours, wow! Mom had to go to the car a couple times to feed and change you, which was a new experience, but you didn't seem to mind. You were a hit with all the customers and bartenders in your Joe Jost's onesie!

Kyle & Jake sharing a "cold one"

A Joe Jost's fam

You've really grown this past week. You're wearing size 3 months or 3-6 months and graduated to size 2 diapers. You're grabbing onto things, like your burp clothes and blankets, and you're always trying to sit up - even when you're strapped in your car seat. 

You sat in your Bumbo seat a couple times this week but we're not sure how you felt about it...

Oh, and did I mention that you're drooling like a maniac? (See photo above for evidence.)

You absolutely love laying on a blanket in the park and checking out the trees and leaves, so mom takes you outside almost every day. It's our favorite time together!

11 weeks

Kyle, you are 11 weeks old!

Last night, your daddy & I were talking about you after you fell asleep. He said that every day you do something that is the cutest thing he's ever seen in his life, and I agree. Every single day you melt our hearts with your sweet smile! You're talking and laughing like crazy and have become much more easy going. You love the bath now (and lotion!) and have started to enjoy the toys hanging from your car seat. When I put you in the car you smile at them for at least 10 minutes! You also started to notice that you can touch the toys dangling from your bouncy seat. You haven't grabbed them yet, but you're starting to realize that when you move your arms that way you can touch them.

This week I was still recovering from my back injury, so we had lots of time at home. But by Thursday I was feeling well enough to lift you into the car and drive to daddy's work to visit him for his birthday! You met lots of daddy's co-workers and had lunch with mommy, daddy and cousin Nicholas. Then, we went to Grandma Suzie's for a special birthday dinner. You sat in your carseat at the dinner table with us, then Grandma Suzie held you for a long time and you were loving every second. On Friday, you were my little helper as we ran around town for some errands to prepare for Mother's Day lunch at our house.

so serious!

Brian's b-day dinner

Daddy's rock star!

I'm so looking forward to my first Mother's Day weekend! We're having your grandmas and auntie over today for lunch, and I'm not sure yet what's in store for tomorrow, but I can't wait to spend it with my two loves. 

10 weeks

Kyle, you are 10 weeks old! Double digits.

This week you LOL'd for the first time! You were sitting on my lap last night and we were listening to kids songs on Pandora. I was singing the wrong words to The Circle of Life and you actually laughed. Of course you don't know I was singing the wrong words, so I'm sure you LOL'd at the funny noises and crazy animated faces I was making at you. You giggled at me a few times, so Brian ran to get the video camera and as soon as he turned it on, you put on your stone cold mean face and stared at us like we're crazy - which made us LOL.

You've had a pretty mellow week, and it looks like we'll have a very mellow weekend since mommy's back is still out and I can't really walk. Yesterday your excitement was watching mommy eat an entire pint of sea salt caramel gelato - oops. Hopefully with lots of rest and help from daddy my back will get better soon, but at least we can enjoy lots of snuggles and hopefully some more laughs in the meantime!

no self control.

9 weeks

Kyle, you are 9 weeks old!

This week, you discovered how fun it is to stick out your tongue. You do it almost every time you smile now, and it's usually covered in milk. I even caught you licking the Baby Bjorn on our walk. Yum!

I have a tongue!

Mommy has been taking you a few more places and you've been a good boy this week! Our 2nd trip to Target was a success, as was our 2nd attempt to watch cousin Harlow at her ballet class, our first trip to Babies R Us for a new sleep sack (you grew out of yours!), Baskin Robbins with daddy for $1 cone night and a couple more trips to the grocery store. We still haven't braved a restaurant yet... that's next!

just hangin out with mom...

We're still working on getting you to nap in your crib and I think we're making good progress. You're sleeping in there right now, going on 30 minutes. Yay! Big improvement from last week, when you napped in there a total of 0 minutes. I discovered that bending over the crib and keeping my hand on your chest for a few minutes after I lay you down keeps you calm - yay for discovery, boo for my back.

*update - today's crib nap lasted... wait for it... 1.5 hours!

You still love the mornings, and so do I. Nothing better than hanging out with a happy baby first thing in the morning, especially after a "good" night of sleep (new definition of good = 5 hours without waking up).

Tomorrow we're taking Mother's Day pictures, just mommy and Kyle. Can't wait to put you in your cute new outfit and see how our first professional photo turns out :)

2 month check up

Kyle met Dr. Wong today for his 2 month check up and seemed to love every second! I was a proud mama. He smiled and held still while the doc checked his ears, eyes, mouth, heart, belly button, head, height and weight - everything looked great! He asked if Kyle was following objects with his eyes, talking, kicking his feet and holding his head at tummy time - all yes! Then he (and mommy) only cried for a minute after his first round of shots.

The doc recommended we move Kyle to his crib at night soon and not to tend to his every cry throughout the night, which gives me a little anxiety. Maybe next week I'll feel more ready? Right now we have a good thing going and I'm trying not to over-think "sleep training" so I don't end up like this mom.

2 month stats: 12 lbs, 12 oz (80th percentile); 23.5 inches (75th percentile)

waiting for the doc!

grandma Suzie came with us for support... and to take a picture :)

he took it like a champ!

More pics from Kyle's 2nd month

8 weeks

Kyle, you are 8 weeks old... and you won't stop growing! I can't wait until your 2 month check up on Thursday to see what you're measuring. Your face and legs have really filled out and you're looking more like a baby boy than a fragile infant.

week 2 vs. week 7 - look at those cheeks!

You're sleeping more than ever, growing boy! You'll wake up in the morning and be ready for a nap just an hour or two later. Then you'll take 2-3 more naps before dinner and 1 after dinner before we put you down for the night. This week you gave us your first 6-hour stretch of sleep, 2 nights in a row! It was the best 10:30 - 4:30 of my life :) We're back to 4 hour stretches now but we're starting to get on more of a schedule, which is nice.

Also this week, you had your first inconsolable cry for no apparent reason... at your cousin Harlow's ballet class. Your auntie was holding you outside as we watched class through the window and everything was great, and then BAM! A cry fit like I haven't seen. For 15 minutes. In public. And then you fell asleep. Oh, babies.

You are smiling and cooing like crazy, it's the cutest thing ever. And you'll stretch for a good 10 minutes at a time, a few times a day. It must feel so good to stretch all those muscles out after months of being squished up! You still don't like to be in one place at a time for very long, but you do enjoy tummy time for a few minutes every day and still like driving in the car and being outside (well, except for those 15 minutes at ballet!).

cheese!

big streeeeetch!

strong boy.

talking to daddy.

I'm excited to take your 2 month pictures with Penny on Tuesday! Also excited to take you to the doctor, but dreading your first round of shots. I think we need to take Grandma Suzie with us for support.

7 weeks

Kyle, you are 7 weeks old!

Is it just me, or are these weeks flying by like crazy?! It's weird, I can actually see you growing before my very eyes. It feels like every day I wake up and I can see changes in you. Your face, tummy and legs are fuller, your diapers and clothes fit differently (on Monday you weighed 11 lb, 7 oz and you're now wearing size 0-3 months, or some 3 month PJs and onesies), you're moving your arms and legs like crazy - just right now you're laying on my chest and I hear you sucking your hand! This is a first.

Yesterday you were in your swing while mommy & daddy ate dinner. You started to fuss a little, so I went over to you, sat in front of the swing and said hello (ok, maybe it was more like a squeal and instead of hello it was "who's my sweet, precious, handsome boy?!"). You looked right into my eyes and smiled from ear to ear! We were having kind of a bad day, but the second you did that all frustration flew out the window and my heart melted into a puddle. 

You've also been "talking" a lot more. I've been trying to catch it on video but was only able to get this one little coo! I'll keep working on it :)

Daddy went to Angel stadium for Opening Day this week. You're a little too young still, but we hope we'll be able to take you to your first game later in the season. Since the 2 of us stayed home, I got you dressed in your Angels gear and sent a picture to daddy. Let's go Angels!

I took you to Barnes & Noble twice this week and you were so happy both times! I think you like the soft music and all the colors. This makes mommy very happy :)

future bookworm?

my big 7-week old!

hanging with daddy in your Joe Jost's gear.

6 weeks

Kyle, you are 6 weeks old!

You had an exciting day today - you went to your first party for Emily's 4th birthday, where you slept in the Baby Bjorn the whole time and wore your first party hat (and made dad wear one too). Later, your cousins, auntie KK and Mammie came over to visit and give you lots of lovin.

party hats!

Every day is a new adventure with you since you're still learning what you like and what you don't. One day you love taking walks in the park, and the next day you cry the entire time! You are starting to like baths, but don't like the lotion part; you seem to like your diaper changed and love to lay on your changing table, where you stare at the picture of the Ferrari on the wall; you sometimes like tummy time and sometimes fight me the whole time; you like it when I sing you songs at night and usually love to take drives. You're starting to notice toys but aren't quite following them with your eyes yet. You still like your big swing, where you'll sleep for a couple hours in the afternoon. We're figuring it out together!

I'm so amazed by how strong you are. It seems like you were born holding your head up, and I can't believe some of the things you try and do. When I'm burping you on my shoulder it's almost like you're standing up on my tummy! You like to push off with your legs and hold up your body and look around. Strong boy! And your eyelashes seem to grow by the day - long and curly. I'm pretty jealous of them, actually.

This week we made a trip to Target and I don't think we'll be doing that again for a little while. Turns out you're not quite ready for shopping trips yet. Or maybe mommy isn't ready :)

Also this week we saw your first tear! You were crying in the car on our way home and a teardrop came out of your eye. Oh so sad.

Penny loves hanging out with her brother. When you're in the swing, she'll lay on the couch near you the entire time. And she loves laying on the blanket/mat with you - wherever you are, she's there keeping her eye on you!

buddies