Twins!

Dear Conor,

You already know that there was one little boy in my life before you arrived (Hunter) but I bet you didn't know that long before either you or Hunter there was another - his name is Clinton.  I was given Clinton by my mommy and daddy at Christmas in 1982.  Clinton is a cabbage patch kid and I was very lucky to get him because that was the year that they were all the rage and people were standing in long long lines and still some people didn't get one to bring home to their little girl or boy.  My mommy stood in line for my Clinton and since finding him under the tree he has gone everywhere with me.

Clinton has been on more sleepovers that I can count, he has been camping, skiing, he's been to college and then lived in Boston apartments.  He traveled to Spain and to Canada.  He has been there for every big and little step I have ever taken in my life.  He has cried and laughed with me (well, mommy has cried on him and laughed while holding him).  And when your Daddy and I returned to our suite after getting married he was waiting for me in a tuxedo that your Daddy had bought him.  He is a very special little guy to me and since you are also very special to me I wanted to make sure I captured pictures of the two of you together. 

It was hard to figure out what type of pictures to take but eventually I decided that the two of you should wear the same outfit and since I loved the pajamas that you took your 4 month pictures in I found a premie pair for Clinton.  We took some pictures of you playing with him and sleeping with him.  Here are my favorites:

Checking Clinton out for the first time.

Getting an even closer taste :)

"brotherly" love

Kisses for the baby

Smile!

Just another taste

My two cabbage patches!

As of right now you do not have an identified favorite toy, blanket, or stuffed animal.  I often wonder if you will make that type of attachment and so we will just have to wait and see.

xoxo
Mom 

Beach Party

Dear Conor,

On June 15, 2012 you and I went on our first beach party play date with all your friends!  We went to Willard Beach which is in South Portland near Miss Amanda's house.  We were very worried about parking but we were able to find a spot in the parking lot so we didn't have to walk far at all!

You wore your new lime green sunhat for the first time (Daddy picked out the color) and your turtle swim trunks. 

Smiley Baby

Serious Baby

You love beach toys.  You play with your red bucket and yellow sifter at home all the time and you were very excited to see that some of your friends brought their beach toys for your to play with.  Of course, you went right for the sifter and the bucket!

Because this was the first beach day we decided to try to get a picture.  Greyson fell asleep so he stayed in his mommy's lap for the picture but everyone else was awake.  We tried really hard to get a nice picture but it is very hard to get seven babies to look at the camera at the same time.  I have lots of fun blooper pictures but this is one of the best picture of all of you.

Back Row: Stella, Leela, Carter, Greyson, Luke
Front Row: Conor, Braden, Robbie

We stayed at the beach for about 3 hours and you did really well.  You kept your hat on the whole time and seemed to enjoy playing outside with your friends.  We did go and visit the water but it was very cold and you did not like that one bit!  You also tasted sand for the first time - you weren't that impressed but I am certain you will try it again (at least once)!

xoxo
Mom

A Cousin for Conor

Dear Conor,

On June 13, 2012 (just 1 day shy of being 6 months old) you became a cousin!  Your Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Sean welcomed your cousin Nolan into the world at 4:20am (that's very early in the morning)! 

I hope that you and Nolan grow to be good friends!

xoxo
Mom

SEVEN MONTHS & Doctor Check-up

Dear Conor,

I truly can't believe it - seven months!  You are now closer to being ONE than being a newborn!  Mommy has some great ideas for your first birthday and since the days are now flying by I better get started on the planning!

While physically you haven't grown that much in the last month developmentally you have blossomed.  You have become so much more mobile.  You use your arms to reach for things to grab and then you pull yourself towards those items.  When you can't reach something you use your toes to push off the floor or any object behind you to give you some momentum.  You are also pulling yourself up onto your hands and knees and rocking back and forth.  You also now LOVE to stand and walk!  Taking you to see Erika the Chiropractor has really made a difference in your gait and stability.  You are walking much straighter now and you are using both legs equally.  While you right step is still shorter than your left we are very happy with your progress.

You love to observe things.  You take them into your hands and you turn them around and around or you drop them and pick them back up.  You explore your toys in this manner - sometimes shaking them so much that we watch you bop yourself in the head!

You are very aware of your surroundings.  You look for us when we come down the stairs if you hear the creaking of the steps.  You cry/whine when someone you want to play with leaves the room, you turn to the voice of both Daddy and I when you hear us somewhere in the house call your name.  You are such a smart little boy already!

We took you for your 6 month check-up (which was really at 7 months) and here are your stats:  weight 18obs 14oz (58%); height 26 inches (20%); head 45cm (72%). You were such a good boy at the doctor's office until the final shot.  Once it was in your leg you gave a swift kick and the needle tracked down your thigh.  The nurse felt terrible because she wounded you.  I felt terrible because I hadn't held you tightly enough and Daddy felt bad because the nurse felt bad.  We all laughed and said next time we were going to put you in a straight jacket but on your legs!

While we waited for the doctor you had a great time ripping up the paper on the exam table!

Of course, as soon as we got home I had to check and see how your stats compared to your old ones - here they are (in order):

As you can see, your weight gain has slowed down and instead of gaining 2lbs a month you are gained 2 pounds in almost 3 months.  Your head circumference is back up which is a good thing because it means you will not be evaluated for further treatment on your flat spot (more on that later).  You are still a little shorty but you have plenty of time to grow so no one is worried since you are still growing.  They would only be worried if you had stopped!

I don't know what else to say Conor except you are wonderful in every way!

Happy 7 month birthday!

xoxo
Mom

PS.  Look how you have grown!  As each month passes its getting harder and harder to remember you as the little red faced baby in the first picture!

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.