Author: Marci

My Dad visited this weekend and we took a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It’s cherry blossom season. Although, they weren’t in full bloom. Next week they will be for the festival. We got some gems, though. Definitely a few framers in the bunch. Theo had a blast with Papa. We also had Jay’s mom and Hank this past weekend after my Dad left. Unfortunately I forgot my camera when we went to NJ for Easter with Hank’s family. Theo was looking quite dapper. He had such a great time being around so many people. He hardly complained once. Hank’s grandkids were so sweet with him. It was really nice for us to have family around for 4 straight days. Oh, yeah, and Theo’s first tooth is coming in! I will post pictures once it’s all the way out.

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I had dinner the other night with my work girls from Spence-Chapin. It was supposed to be a night out for me but the ladies couldn’t resist a visit with this delicious little fellow. Since he sits up really well now, he can go in his very own high chair! The pics are a bit blurry since they were taken on an iPhone. You get the picture, though.

Theo is doing really well. I can’t believe he’s 7 months already! He is sitting up very well – still needing pillows around him and to be supervised, of course, but he’s strong. He likes to stand on your lap, or holding onto something. He loves peek-a-boo and being lifted high up in the air. He still plays in his exersaucer and jumperoo daily. He laughs and giggles a lot. Especially during tickles and peek-a-boo and when I sing badly to him.

He sleeps pretty well. Goes to sleep around 7-7:30 each night and doesn’t usually wake until about 6:30 in the morning. Sometimes he wakes at night and whines back to sleep, or we need to soothe/nurse him. His naps are up and down. Sometimes they are great, 1-2 hour naps twice/day @ 8:30/9am and @ 12:30/1 each afternoon, and sometimes they are not so great. We are still trying to figure this out. Mostly trying to break the swing habit.

He has been eating solids every day for the past few weeks. Mostly pears and sweet potatoes so far. He has tried avocado and liked it and I made him homemade brown rice cereal (Super Porridge!) that he also really likes and I plan to make for him regularly. We are ready to move on to some new foods. We have been doing the 3-day wait rule (introducing a single food each time) to make sure he doesn’t have any reactions. So far, so good.

Tomorrow is our first day of swimming class! We will be going for the next 10 weeks. I am really excited. I hope he likes it!

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That’s what Jay told me. It was brief. He said that he looked like, “she didn’t just leave, did she?” In a way, it’s super sweet and I feel so loved and special. On the other hand, I feel so sad that I have to be at work and away from my little baby.

I know he is now much more aware of his surroundings and his place in the world. He may have stranger anxiety at some point, he may not. He may get sad and upset when Mama or Daddy leaves, not knowing for sure if or when we will return. I guess we get through it and all we can do is (try to) ensure that Theo feels loved, safe, and secure no matter who he is with. We are lucky that he gets to be home with his Daddy so much. And that when he has gone to Rich’s (our babysitter) he has seemed really happy. I just wish that I could be there more during the week.

Just a day to document. There will be a time when he is so happy that I am not around! Like, in his adolescence. So, I will try to take this with a grain of salt and cherish the many wonderful days that I get to spend with him. I love him so much.

I know I posted a couple of pictures from the day Theo was born back in September. We didn’t have many good photos right after he was born because it was super dim in our room and we weren’t going to use a flash. This photo was taken at the Birthing Center, in the morning, just before we left. It was the birth announcement posted on their website. It brings back so many memories and I want to keep it all as fresh as I can for as long as I can.

Well, it’s not going so great just yet…

He has eaten Earth’s Best rice cereal a couple of times. I was excited for this weekend so that we could try some new foods. First I tired pureed banana on Saturday. He didn’t seem to like it. I think it’s too strong of a flavor right off the bat, or too sweet, or both. He had a bite or two and was like, “no thank you!” So, I steamed and pureed sweet potatoes and stored them in the fridge to try on Sunday. We tried today and, again, he didn’t seem to like it. He tried a few bites and he was just not into it. He was sort of gagging on it. I also pureed some mango and tried that. Same thing. I gave up and he had the usual instead. I am thinking that maybe I didn’t mix enough BM/formula into the sweet potatoes and that’s why he was sort of gagging? After all, he is learning for the first time how to swallow something other than liquids. And without sucking first. I am following the book, Super Baby Food, and they do say that the consistency should be just thicker than BM/formula… so, back to the drawing board. I will try again tomorrow. Some other foods I’m planning to try this week are pears and avocado. He’s got to like the sweet potatoes! Tomorrow I think I’ll try some rice cereal and mix either mango, or sweet potato, into it.

Here are some pics of him in his new highchair and with sweet potatoes all over his face.