Afternoon Snack

Robbie has really been enjoying tasting new foods and consistencies, so today we got adventurous.  A friend of mine suggested offering Robbie teething biscuits, and that's what I did today.  As you might have already suspected, he loved it.  Here are a few pictures of the biter biscuit experiment, and after that I figured why not go big?  So we busted out the Cheerios.  (He only ate 2, and we're going to wait on those for a while as they tend to make him gag!)

The biscuits of choice

Mmmm... apple juice and a biscuit!

Pulling himself up towards the tray and grabbing his snack

Washing it all down with some diluted apple juice!

Holding his own cup!

Mom gets brave and offers the Cheerio

Gnawing on the first one, and not minding it too much!  (The second Cheerio didn't go over so well... and might have involved some gagging and my finger in his mouth, fishing for said Cheerio on the back of his tongue.)

New Tricks

Before I forget these fun little things Robbie is doing, I thought I'd share them with you.  (Sorry, this is a picture-less post!)

- Sucking his breath in and out, in an out rapidly to try and get our attention

- Drinking from a big-boy sippie cup

- Grabbing his bottle with 2 hands and putting it to his mouth, by himself (still can't hold it in place for the duration of the feeding, though)

- What we have coined 'the baby gorilla dance' in his exersaucer - running and bouncing from left to right

- Being shy when people talk to him and turning into my shoulder

- Sitting up on his own in his high-chair and stroller

- Eating 3 meals a day of solids (and yogurt is a new favorite)

- Falling asleep for 3 naps a day and bedtime in 30 seconds flat, no fussing

- Pointing at everything with his index fingers (mainly his left one!!)

- Cracking us up with his raspberries, another ploy for mom and dad's attention

- Playing with mom's hair

- Pooping on everything

This week I have realized that I often have baby poop on things without realizing it.  It started with the underside of the exersaucer, after a blowout during one of his gorilla-esque romps.  Then (and not necessarily as a result) I found smudges of it on the bathroom rug, my arm, the wall, a random pair of pj's (supposedly freshly laundered), a box of wipes, the high chair and the stroller.  GROSS!   It just travels, or multiplies.  I don't even really know what anymore.  But I am waging war on the poop.

A Party in Wauconda!

Yesterday we went to Wauconda to Matt and Becki's house, and Jeff and Becky and Charlotte met us there.  We BBQ-ed, chatted, and watched babies roll around on the floor!  It was fun to spend time with good friends, and compare how much Robbie and Charlotte have grown since the last time they saw each other.  (Also funny to us - how much lighter and overall dainty Char was compared to Robbie!)

The dads with their babies (please notice the Notre Dame jersey Robbie is sporting, courtesy of Matt and Becki!!)

"Well hello, Charlotte!  You keep getting prettier every time I see you.  Want to hold hands?"

They both rolled over at the same time, but when Char tried to roll back Robbie wasn't sure where to go or what to do!  Time to learn how roll go belly-to-back...

Observing Charlotte with wonder and amazement.  Is he trying to sneak a little kiss?!

What the girls could be found doing for much of the day.  We can never have too many pictures of these cuties!

Happy (belated) 6 month birthday, Robbie!

Robbie turned 6 months old on September 15th!  We can't believe that we have a 6 month old... he is growing and developing so well.  We are very thankful to God for this, and see as an answer to prayer as well as a huge blessing.  

Robbie's 6 month pediatrician visit was great - he was so brave for his shots, only crying a little bit and was immediately consoled by being in my arms.  And his new stats are quite entertaining:

Height: 29 1/2 inches - 99th percentile

Weight: 19 lbs 13 oz - 86th percentile

Head circumference: 18 1/4 inches - 97th percentile

He threatens to shed his nickname ('Meatball') since he's growing taller faster than he is putting on weight, proportionally.  His favorite activities these days include standing tall (while holding someone's hand, of course), trying very hard to sit up on his own, grabbing both feet and chewing on his toes, running in his exersaucer, rolling onto his belly (can't quite figure out how to go from tummy to back yet), and sleeping and eating on a predictable schedule.  

He's also becoming more social - when women stop to admire him in a store, he takes them in for a second, gives them a huge smile and then shyly turns his head into the side of the stroller or buries his face in my neck.  As far as personality goes, he's very studious, calm, go-with-the-flow, snuggly, content, happy, and gentle.  If I had to make a prediction, I think he will turn out much like his dad.  He lights up when Rob comes home from work, and for the hour or two they get to play together before bedtime, Robbie can be heard belly laughing and shrieking with delight at whatever it is Rob does with him.  Best sounds in the world.  :)

"Quit jabbering, and show us the pictures!"  Ok... here you go!

New favorite picture, to date.

(Standing up in front of the living room picture window.)

My little puppy.

Well hello, Hippy!  It's been a while... Did you shrink since we last hung out?

I still want to eat you.  

I like to stick my tongue out when I smile for Mom.

Being 6 months old is awesome!  I can sit in this chair without falling over, aren't you impressed??

My toes are one of my favorite toys.

*Milestone!*

So as you all know, Robbie (aka Meatball) is not a small child.  He's long and always has been - and now that he's eating solids, he only continues to grow faster and faster.  I would be a little nervous about just how quickly he's growing, if it weren't for my good friend Jen in Florida whose little boy is built the same way Robbie is.  Thankfully her little guy, Tyler, is a few months ahead of Robbie - so I am always comparing notes with her.  "Did Tyler gobble down his first-ever bowl of cereal as if you had been starving him all this time?"  "Did Tyler practically skip the 6 month clothes and head straight for 9 month clothing?"

And today, while on the phone with Jen... "Did Tyler last longer than 6 months in his infant carrier?!"

Because Robbie did not!

Today I installed Robbie's big-boy car seat. He's 5 days shy of his 6 month birthday. He is pushing 30 inches long already, and I have got to believe that he's closing in on 30 lbs too.  And babies officially outgrow their car seats (at least the Chico one that I have) at 1 year old or 30 inches/3o lbs, whichever comes first.  Honestly, do babies last an entire year in these things?!  I don't believe it.

I have to say, I'm not sad in the least.  Would you be, if you had to haul around a quarter of your own body weight dangling from a plastic bucket on your right arm wherever you wanted to go?  I was literally starting to have strange muscle tingles at night as I lay in bed - along my spine, in my shoulder...  I was even beginning to give those little Gerber plastic containers of baby food the evil eye, knowing that their contents would stick to my baby's insides like glue, weighing him down even more.  A mommy shouldn't have to think bad thoughts towards innocent pureed fruit just because it contributes to her baby's necessary growth.  Plus, the carrier was starting to have its own 'funk' from all the lovely spit up I wasn't able to wipe out, and maybe from a blowout diaper or two somewhere along the way.  Gross.

Dear Infant Carrier,

Thank you for safely transporting our precious baby home from the hospital, around Wheaton's Town Square as I attempted to re-learn how to shop (with a baby - tricky), to the Lake House all summer, and through the grocery store (even though you took up all my space inside the cart and I had to strategically balance food items all around my sleeping baby, attracting dirty looks from old ladies).   

Love, Me.

So here is Robbie this afternoon, trying out his newly installed Britax Boulevard!

Gosh, he looks like a little baby again!!!

I wasn't sure if he'd like it, but he caressed the soft velvet along the inside of the seat while we ran errands today (I was watching him in my mirrors) and even talked to it.  I have never wished I had a video camera more in my life.  I was laughing so hard!  He loves those little flaps by the sides of his head.

(Don't worry - if you can't tell, the seat is still rear-facing.  He doesn't get to face forward until he is actually 1 year old, regardless of how big he gets.)

In other news, the home repairs seem to be endless (although we're not complaining - just amazed).  Our dryer wasn't drying clothes properly, so we had someone come out and look at it.  It turns out our dryer duct was all backed up with lint.  

Based on the amount that was extracted, we think we had lint from the '80's.  No joke.  About 2 gallons was removed, the worker said.   I had to take a picture.

I can't believe I'm blogging about dryer lint.  I promise we are not as boring as dryer lint.  It's just that dryer lint in large quantities... it's fascinating... 

Tuesday at the Arboretum

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Morton Arboretum with Cheryl, Kim and Kim's boys.  It was a beautiful late summer / early fall day, and I am now officially in love with the Arboretum.

The beautiful sky...

My beautiful boy... enamored by the little stream in front of us.  He loves water!

Precious baby Levi, 3 months old

Robbie decided that Levi had the right idea, and cashed out.

Kim and Levi

Beautiful pond...

Tait and Noah hopping across the flat rocks in the shallow part of the pond.

Aunt Cheryl and Robbie

OOPS, I missed Labor Day!

How could I forget to post these pictures?!  Robbie had a fun Labor Day Weekend - and we thought it was just going to be a quiet weekend at the lake house. :)  He got to meet his Great Aunt Judy for the first time, show off how much he's grown to his Great Grandparents Bob and Edie, snuggled with his Auntie Cheryl, and was introduced to one of his biggest fans at Taylor - Aunt Kelsey's friend Jenny.  

If you are reading this and you've spent any amount of time in Indiana, you know that there's no comparison to the sunsets in Indiana.  They are the most beautiful, tranquil thing you've ever laid eyes on.

We went out for an early morning ski and caught the best water - Rob's really a great slalom skier now.

Hanging out with Auntie Cheryl after a nice nap on the boat

A bit warm in his fuzzy pj's on the boat, so we stripped him down!

Kelsey and Jenny show Robbie some love (he's not sure what's going on)...  

I'm loving the 'cape-bib' look.

Great Grandpa Bob and Great Grandma Edie

Oh gosh, Meatball is looking especially chubby in this one - getting to know Aunt Judy!

This one cracks me up!  He was looking at his reflection in the boat's rear-view mirror, and talking to himself!  Low-pitched 'whooooo's.  Endless entertainment - for him and us.

Robbie hearts Aunt Megan

I am catching you up on a fun evening we had with our friend Megan 2 weeks ago!  Megan is one of our dear friends from Taylor, and she also works with Rob now at Performance Trust (has been for a little while).  She lives in the city, but is awesome about coming out to visit us and for the last year has made it a habit - usually one night during the work week, but on the weekends too if our schedules line up.  I know, bless her heart.  She eats anything and everything that I cook, and swears that it's good.  Oh, and she usually helps me MAKE it, sets the table, and cleans up the kitchen afterwards.  Embarrassing confession: if I haven't cleaned my kitchen before she comes over, she does that too.  This is why my blog isn't public.  Anyways, we love Megan to pieces and she is one of our favorite people.  We're especially thankful for the place she has in Robbie's life as an adopted Aunt.  He just adores her and loves the attention she lavishes on him when she's here.  Here are a few ::breathtaking:: pictures from her last visit! 

We love you, Megs!

Home Sweet Home

We made it through the week, thanks to Grandma! Our hotel stay during my meeting went really well - Robbie swam in the pool, took his naps, and read tons of books (all with Grandma's assistance, of course).  It's been a few days in the making, but our snotty little meatball might have developed his first baby-cold.  He's not feverish or miserable, but he sounds like a piglet when he breathes at times (worse when he cries or is drinking a bottle) because of the congestion in his nose.  It could be seasonal allergies, which wouldn't surprise us since both Rob and I have it.  Can babies have that this early?  But we're not overly concerned since he's eating and sleeping like a champ and is still our happy little guy all day long.  We just give him some Baby Tylenol for Colds and continue on with the day.

Last night I made a very startling discovery.  So startling, I had to take a few pictures to prove it to you.  Look closely.  Do you see this?:

THESE ARE SIZE 9 MONTH PAJAMAS!!!!

Seriously, this baby has got to stop growing.  I had these in the closet for him to wear in the late fall. It just so happened that due to all of our traveling recently, and the fact that we couldn't use our dryer this week due to clogged ducts... I know, more home maintenance - just what we need, Robbie was out of clean PJs.  So I decided that even if the legs were still a little long on him, it wouldn't be terrible to put him in bigger PJs for one night.  You can imagine my surprise when the 9 month size PJs not only FIT HIM, but threatened to be too short in the torso, pulling up slightly on the diaper area!  We've got a month in these, if we're lucky.  Seriously?  Are we almost into the 9-12 month clothes with our 5 1/2 MONTH OLD BABY BOY!??!

All I have to say is that I should be the one (not Rob) calling for a DNA test.  I know that he's mine simply because I birthed him. And some days he does look a lot like me. But Robbie is going to be twice my size by the time he starts kindergarten.  He is all Rob when it comes to his build!

Meatball is getting stronger and stronger every day.  He now flips himself over in his crib every chance he gets, often falling asleep in the corner with his arm hanging out between the slats, face planted. I have a mild heart attack every time I see him like this when I check on him.  He's getting good at staying asleep when I flip him back over.

He's also starting to scoot across the floor on his belly, but yesterday I caught him while he had only a diaper on pushing himself up off the ground on his elbows and knees!  His entire belly/torso was off the ground. I thought he might never crawl, since he's so into standing up and has shown no interest in moving around on his belly.  But we might have a crawler soon.  We will of course keep you posted, as this will be the most monumental thing to happen in our lives to date.  We'll try not to send out baby announcements.  :)  "He's crawling!"  Did/does everyone feel like this with their first child?

Holding his big old head up so high!  If you look closely above his ear, you'll see the bit of hair that is starting to always flip out.  I'm on curl-patrol, but for now his hair really seems straight.  Pictures always make it look sparse, but his hair is filling in with downy-blond fuzz, which thrills me to no end.  Speaking of hair, last night Rob and I were watching the NFL kickoff special and when Keith Urban came out on stage, Rob started in on the whole 'I don't get why women like him' thing.  I tried to explain, but really - there are no words.  Most disturbing to him were Keith's haircut (or lack thereof) and highlights.  He made me promise that if Robbie ever asks to highlight his hair in high school, that I won't let him.  I said if it made him look like Keith Urban, we might have to consider it.  We compromised at no highlights, but maybe letting Robbie's hair be longer than Rob's beloved 'high and tight' cut through elementary school.  Fair enough.

 

And finally, if you are still reading, I just had to take a picture and post the creative baby gift we received from our friends Zach and Alynn.  Alynn is one of the most talented, creative and thoughtful people you will ever meet - and she gave us an Alynn-Original to hang in Robbie's room!  Check it out:

I had to take a close up of Robbie's name because she customized it to things that relate to us.  The New York Yankees, the Bulls, the Giants, Taylor... isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen!?  Inside the "J" she listed Robbie's birth information, and the image is a birthday cake. The "C" is a painter's palette.  Also hard to see is inside the "K" - a lake scene, complete with boat and beach.

As soon as she has her website up and running I'll post a link to it on our site.  I know you want to commission her after seeing what she is capable of!

Thanks so much Alynn!  I didn't think you could out-do yourself with the diaper cake you made for my shower, but somehow you did it again!!  You amaze us.