First Foods!

Dear Conor,

Your 6 month of life has been a busy one full of lots of firsts.  A big one was your first taste of 'real' food! On June 9, 2012 we started your road to first foods.

We decided on Sweet Potato for your first food because it is not too sweet but not too bland, it purees well, and one potato would make enough food for one week so we could try a little each night.

To prepare your first food I had to use our Baby Brezza. Its a machine that steams and blends the food for us and then reheats it via steam at a later point if you need it.  Because we don't have a microwave I loved this idea!

All chopped up and ready to steam.

Pureed Goodness!

One Sweet Potato made several containers of food.  I was not sure how you would take to this new experience and so I divided the puree into small amounts so that we could defrost little bits at a time so as not to waste and have to repeat.  My plan was to have you on Sweet Potato for 2 weeks to allow you to get used to the consistency of purees and also to allow for the flavor to stay the same while you did this.


All your containers ready for the freezer.

 Once the puree was cool enough to place in the fridge before it went in the freezer I knew it was also time to scoop some into a bowl for you to try.  Because we try to include Hunter in everything you do we also scooped some into a bowl for him.

Sweet Potato for both my boys

Of course, I firmly believe in learning through all five senses so I dumped some sweet potato onto your tray for you to squish and touch.  You were very delicate at first and then you really got the hang of it.

Squishing Sweet Potato

 The actual eating of the Sweet Potato did take some time.  You weren't quite sure about me putting the spoon into your mouth with something on it.  But, we took our time and by the end of the meal you were opening your mouth just a little bit to accept the tip of the spoon.  Your first food experience was caught on video but I have to figure out how to cut it down so that the blog will accept it.  Either way - we have those first few precious faces you made as you tried your first taste of solid food!

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you for trying new things!  And judging by this picture - yo uwere pretty proud of yourself too!

Here's to a new adventure with you Con-man!

xoxo
Mommy

Happy 6 Months 6.14.12

Conor,

Mommy is behind in her posts but since you turn 7 months old tomorrow I wanted to get this post up so that they stayed in order.

On June 14, 2012 you turned 6 months old.  Mommy and Daddy simply couldn't believe that you were 1/2 way to one and that you had been in our lives for half a year.  You continue to amaze us each day with all the things that you are learning.

Your 6 month birthday cake!

This month you have become very good at manipulating your hands.  You love to reach for things, pick things up, and bring them to your mouth.  Toys, shoes, our fingers, basically anything you can reach. You are grabbing things with an open fist and drawing your fingers closed around the object.  You have not mastered the pincher grip just yet.  As you can see from the two pictures below you are even able to grasp thin items....I have a feeling our monthly photo sessions are going to get tougher!

One of the things you love to do is pick things up and shake them.  You spend a lot of time shaking your toys and the ones that make noise excite you the most.  You have a renewed interest in some toys that you haven't touched in a while such as your links and sophie the giraffe.

You are now a champion at sitting up.  You don't need anything for support though we often still put the boppy pillow behind you because when you get excited you throw yourself backwards :)

You are very aware of your surroundings and you have a need to touch everything!  Its really cute to see you look at something, reach for it, and then get excited when you are able to touch it.  You are so inquisitive.

Not only are you rolling over like a champ these days but you love to do 'push ups'.  You push your body up with your arms till your elbows are locked and you smile because you are so proud of yourself.  This is the first stage in preparing to crawl and while this mom is excited to see you developing she is also so sad because it means pretty soon you will be on the move all by yourself.  You are already so very independant at 6 months old.

You are wearing size 6-9 months clothes (more 9 months than 6) and you have a pretty decent sleep schedule.  You tend to take 2 naps a day (though they are short) one in the morning and one in the late afternoon.  You go to bed between 7:30 and 9pm waking at least once but usually twice (midnight and 3am).  You wake for the day between 6:30 and 7:30am.  After your 3am wake-up I usually crawl into the big bed with you because you seem to need extra love to get back to sleep at that hour - your body just wants to party!  You are still exclusively breast fed but we are going to start solids this month!  Your hair is also starting to grow in - its still has an auburn hue to it but we shall see what happens as it fills in more.

We love you so very much little man.....Here's to another 6 months of fun!

My how you have grown!

xoxo
Mom

Balance

As we grow we are always looking for ways to find balance in our lives.  Lately, that balance has been very hard to find.  Between being a mom, a wife, an attorney, a business owner, a homeowner, a daughter, a friend, a sister, and just being me - life has gotten complicated and balance is something that I long for once more.  Tonight Conor went to bed and I was going to spend sometime updating this blog as I am one month behind (he will be 7 months in a few days and I haven't even posted about his 6 month birthday yet) but I realize that I will feel better in the days to come if I spend the night organizing my work files and making a new "to-do" list so that in the upcoming weeks the balance I am needing in my life will slowly fall into place and we can take some time to enjoy the summer that is slipping away.

I promise to update this blog.  I promise for your pleasure and so that I can look back and remember all the little things about Conor's first year. 

Stay Tuned.

First Hat & Highchair

Dear Conor,

After your very first chiroprator appointment we met up with Grandma Janet to do some shopping in Freeport.  We had to find some clothes for our family pictures that were coming up.

While out shopping we saw the new LL Bean Boot truck and I just had to get a picture of it and I made your Grandma get in the picture!

After Grandma's picture we finished the shopping for adult clothes and decided to have a little fun looking at Conor clothes!  We stopped at the children's place outlet and had you try on a litlte straw fedora.  I texted Daddy a picture and he said to buy it but we didn't because it was scratchy and I didn't want it to itch you.

But, I did get your your first baseball cap!  I love this little hat on you and you love it too!  Grandma Janet bought you a matching onesie and so you are going to be the coolest kid on the block!

After shopping we were very hungry so we went to get something to eat.  Since the dinning area was on the top floor I decided that we would try you in a high chair.  You are still a little small for them without some type of padding but you enjoyed being at table level!

Having you in a high chair at the restaurant was a big step for both you and Mommy.  It made me realize that it was time to get you one for the house because you were ready to be part of meal time and not just an observer.  You are still my little baby but you are growing up and reaching BIG milestones!  To commemorate the occassion we asked the waitress for a cup for you - your first kids meal cup!

I promise that I will embrace all your BIG STEPS in life and I will support you every step of the way but little man - this first year is going by so very fast......I really wish I could hit pause once in a while.

xoxo
Mom

Adjustments

Dear Conor,

When you were born your Daddy and I promised that we would do everything that we could to make sure that you grew up to be a strong and healthy man.  So when Mommy noticed that the back of your head was looking flatter than what she considered 'normal' she began looking for ways to help fix it.

One thing that can be done is to get a helmet.  We talked to your doctor about this and she wanted to follow-up with you at your 6 month (really 7 month) appointment to see if we needed to go that route.  Mommy did some research and learned that there is a 2-3 month wait here in Maine to see a specialist and that by that time the helmet would do little good.  So, Mommy did some more research and learned that chiropractors can use adjustments and manipulations to massage the muscles of the scalp to relax them which allows your plates to shift back into a more circular (round) head shape.

Well, wouldn't you know - Neve's mom is a chiropractor and she has worked on many infants with flat heads so we went to see her for the first time on May 24, 2012.

checking your alignment and making little adjustments

You loved getting straightened!

At our first visit we learned that your jaw was very tense on one side (likely due to your tongue tie) and that your right hip was misaligned causing your leg to over rotate.  So, Miss Erika said she would continue to observe and make adjustments to those areas as well (while we love your crooked little smile I don't want you having jaw problems)! Your head was flat and you had little bulges behind each ear.

We have now seen Ms. Erika 4 times and your head is coming along nicely.  So nicely that you have graduated to biweekly visits.  Your leg/hip is also making improvements that we notice when you practice walking.  While you still occasionally step with your right foot over your left or you attempt to do two left steps before a right - when you do use your right foot it is most often going straight.

You have your next pediatric appointment in about a month so you will have had 2-3 more visits with Ms. Erika and it is my hope that we will have made enough progress that your Doctor will feel that a referral to the helmet doctor is not necessary!!!

xoxo
Mom

Our Cyber Stalker - So Happy for Her!

I have this Cyber Stalker - but since I have now met her in real life I don't think I can qualify her as a 'cyber' anything anymore - or can I since she seems to mostly stalk me in the cyber form (the blog, facebook.....).  Anyways, I don't think those particulars matter very much because she is (1) still a stalker and (2) I actually don't mind!

It's very flattering to think that someone is enjoying reading this blog and wants to know what is going on in our daily lives (though I am doing terribly at keeping up with this blog - I have so much to post about!).

About 2 weeks ago I got some amazing news about my Cyber Stalker.....I learned that she was expecting!  I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly happy I am for my C.S. and her husband (who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting but I hear that he once in a while might read this blog too - when prompted by the C.S.). 

While life was wonderful before the arrival of Conor, nothing could ever have prepared me for how complete and full like would feel with a small little person to call my own.

Since I'm not sure how public the news is about my C.S. I won't name her by name but I wanted her to know that I am so very excited for her and I can't wait to hear more about things (and of course now she will have to start a blog!).

                 CONGRATS CYBER STALKER!!!  I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN :)

Happy First Father's Day Daddy!

Happy Father's Day to an incredible first time Dad!

xoxo

Conor and Hunter