42 Weeks Old!

42 weeks old. They can't all be happy pictures!

We were out most of the day on Sunday, so I couldn't take his weekly picture until the late evening, right before his bath. Because of this, he was cranky. That's ok - it shows a different side of him.

Since we were outside for a total of about 5 hours Sunday, Cael slept AMAZINGLY that night! He slept from 8pm to 5:45am, woke up and ate, then fell back to sleep until 9:00 am!! It was glorious, amazing, incredible, etc. I has to be because of all the fresh air he got. Of course, I couldn't fall asleep until 11:30 that night, so I didn't get as much sleep as I could have, but I still got a pretty good chunk of sleep.

Part of why I couldn't get to sleep was because Matt is away. He went to VA for the entire week to see his best friend. He really needed a vacation, as he hasn't had any time off since Cael was born. Plus, it will give us a healthy break from each other. It sucks because I'll have to take care of everything on my own, but I'll manage.

I'm also excited for Thursday. My best friend (Matt's best friend's wife) is coming up from VA and visiting from Thursday evening to Sunday. I cannot wait! I haven't seen her since Cael was a month old. She's not going to believe how much he's grown, changed, and how he is all over the place. It will be so good to see her for a few days. I do a countdown every day. :)

We've learned that, if given the choice, Cael will choose pasta over chicken. He LOVES pasta with sauce. He loves chicken too, but if we're having both for dinner, he'll pick the pasta. He's pretty much eating everything that we're eating now. Even if it is full of spices (I usually cook with garlic powder, salt pepper, seasoned salt, parsley). It seems the more flavor it has, the more he likes it. That works for me, because I have a very bland palate. I would love for him to enjoy more types of food, unlike myself.

He's still eating purees for breakfast, because I mix it with his cereal, but nothing much more beyond that. He loves yogurt, too. I found this yogurt from YoBaby that is like a "meal" because it has pureed fruit/veggies on the bottom. The one I gave him yesterday morning was peach and squash. Since I don't have any pureed fruits made yet, I just mixed his rice cereal in the yogurt. He loved it! I've also learned that he's not too fond of oatmeal cereal. After experimenting for a few days and rotating rice and oatmeal, I've realized that he didn't want to eat anything with the oatmeal mixed in. So we'll just avoid it from now on. He also had a waffle for breakfast too, for the first time. He loved that as well! The boy can eat, that's for sure!

Sleeping with his tush in the air. I love how he's hugging the blanket.

Today, Cael and I were supposed to go to a water park with the local Mom's group I'm in. However, it was really chilly, windy and overcast, so we ended up staying home. Plus, since Cael and I have been out for most of the day the past 2 days, I figured it would be best if he got a good, solid nap. And he did - he slept for about 2.5 hours. Only one nap, of course, but it seems to be all he needs. 

So while he napped, I cleaned the apartment like a crazy woman in anticipation of my friend visiting in 2 days. I'll be completely honest - other than vacuuming every morning and doing some dishes every day - I haven't really cleaned the apartment. It was truly disgusting. And I hate to admit that. So I scrubbed both bathrooms everywhere (around the toilets, the toilets, the floors, tubs - you get the gist), dusted and organized the entertainment center - which was horrid with all the dog hair, and burned all the cardboard. I felt very much accomplished. I feel like a terrible mother for putting this off for so long, especially since Cael is very mobile now. But now it's done. Tomorrow, I plan on going through the "junk drawer" and throwing away quite a bit from there, and then cleaning off the kitchen table. I'm just happy that I finally have the motivation to clean. I feel like such a lazy bum.

Hit & run.

Cael is into everything more than ever. And he doesn't listen to the word "No". In fact, when I say it (and sometimes I have to repeat it several times), he'll turn around, look at me, and then go back to what he was doing. He's too young for punishment, so right now, if he doesn't listen, I have to redirect him. So I'll go over to him, pick him up, and sit him down on the other side of the room. Sometimes it works because he gets distracted by a toy, and sometimes it doesn't, and he'll go right back to where he was. Regarding punishment, I like to think that we will be spank/slap-free parents. I really don't want to use any type of physical punishment, but instead use other options. But as of right now, I'll just redirect.

One thing that he loves doing, is pulling the DVD stand down. First he'll start by pulling one or two Blu Ray discs down at a time. Then he'll just grab the stand, and pull it down. He's done this a few times already, and luckily, he hasn't dropped it on himself yet. I'm sure it's bound to happen. Getting a new entertainment center and DVD stand is on our list of things to-do. Unfortunately, that stuff requires money to get.

Playing with his puppy, Tyson

Cael is working on his 5th tooth. It's right there! So to-date, he has both bottom middle, top right lateral incisor, and top middle right teeth. His top middle left tooth is the tooth that is about to break through. I am starting to feel it poking through the gums. Speaking of teething, Cael has started to bite me after he's done nursing. It could be because that top tooth is starting to cut through, but part of me thinks it's just him doing it on purpose. After he's done nursing, he'll take the tip of my nipple in his mouth a couple of times (like he's testing the waters), and then go in for the kill. He'll bite down, and then look right at me like he's waiting for a reaction. I'll give him a firm "No", and say, "You don't do that!", and he'll just stare at me. Then sometimes he'll try to do it again, and then I'll just fasten my bra and take the boob away from him. I initially thought he wanted to wean, but now I don't think that's the case. I think he's either a) fucking with me; or b) just saying he's done, and/or teething. So far he hasn't broken the skin, and I hope he doesn't.

Bath time!

My lil' shark

9 Month Appointment

Being out of the house for 4 hours in the morning
was just too much. He passed out in Wegman's

Yesterday, Cael had his 9 month well visit. I can't believe he's 9 months old already! Honestly, where has the time flown to?? This appointment was with a new doctor, and although Matt and I have been going to him for the past 6 years, and he's a wonderful doctor, I was still leery. For what reason, I have no clue. As it turns out, he's wonderful (as I should have expected), and Cael didn't cry once - even when he was having his private parts poked and prodded. He'd always cry with the other doctor when he was examined.

He didn't need any shots today, which I was happy about. So it was a fairly simple, and quick appointment. He weighs 18 pounds 11 ounces and is 27.5 inches long! The doctor couldn't give me the percentages, but according to my phone app, they're in the 10-25% range. I just found a calculator online (http://www.infantchart.com/), and for weight, he's in the 20th %, and height the 23rd %. Still a peanut, but a consistent peanut. I'm so happy that he's been consistently growing despite the tons of moving around he's doing! He's just perfect.

Yay for having a real lunch for the first time!
Steamed apples and carrots!

I had a few questions regarding his sleeping issues for the past 4 nights, and whether he had another ear infection. Fortunately, his ears looked good. After explaining his normal bed time routine, and how he was waking a few times during the night for the past 4 nights (where only nursing would put him back to sleep), he concluded that he's in a growth spurt. Wonderful! However, it does make sense, because he has seemed way more hungry during the day (we went from 2 cubes to 4 cubes for breakfast within a week!). He suggested feeding him more solids during the day, including giving him lunch, and continuing to let him nurse when he wants, which is still around every 3 hours. Of course, I was concerned that letting him nurse at night would get him into the habit of waking every night, and undoing what we started at 6 months old, but last night he was back to normal. Yesterday, he had lunch, and a big dinner, and was asleep by 8:15. He slept until 4 am this morning, nursed, and then went back to sleep until 6:30. I hope it's not just a coincidence, and that feeding him more yesterday is what he needed.

We also started a multivitamin with fluoride in it, for Cael's teeth. Cael's cousin has been taking fluoride for a while now, so I figured I'd ask about it. I didn't know they had it combined with the multivitamin, so that makes it much easier! He's only got 2 & 1/4 teeth (counting the incisor that's starting to come through), but since we have well-water, I'm glad I asked about the fluoride. I want him to have nice, strong teeth like his mommy, so it's best we get a head start on it.

Doing really well with the big-boy cup

The doctor decided that we won't get the 9-12 month blood work to check his iron and lead levels. Because the house we live in is only about 10 years old, he's at a reduced risk for lead poisoning. And I guess he's not too concerned about his iron levels, since he's been getting a multivitamin since he was about 3 months old. I know most babies get the blood work done, so I hope it's not a big deal that we don't. So overall, it was a great appointment. We got back on September 10th for his BIG appointment - 1 year well visit with shots! It's going by so fast!

Speaking of being 1 year, I'm finally coming to terms with the idea that my baby is going to be a year old in 3 months, and realized that it's really right around the corner. I haven't done anything yet for his party, not even picking a date. I think Matt and I decided that we'll have 2 parties for Cael - one here in PA, and one on Long Island for my family, some of Matt's family, and our friends. I feel like it's "tacky" - for lack of a better word - but since we're stretched so far from family and friends, I want everyone to be able to join in on the celebration of Cael's first birthday.

 So I took the first step today in party planning - I picked a date, and booked a place to have his PA party. It literally only took 10 minutes, fortunately. There's only so many Saturday's around September 4th, and I knew where I wanted to have the party. It's going to be at a local township park, that rents out pavilions for the day for only $75. There's a playground near by, and the pavilion has electricity and a refrigerator. And we have it all day, from 8am to dusk. It should be fun! Now, I just have to figure out everything else! A theme, picking and mailing invitations, decorations, food, getting CAKES, favors. Jeez! But it will be a blast, and the more I think about it, the more excited I get. I should have bought the "It's My 1st Birthday" onesie I saw at BRU yesterday, but I decided against it because I was naive, and thought I had a ton of time left. Uh yea, reality check - I have 3 months! I have a feeling the next 3 months are going to fly by.

9 Months Old!!

Happy 9 months, Cael! (39&1 weeks old)

I have to admit that I've been slacking horribly in updating my blog. To be quite honest, Cael is a HANDFUL! He is just everywhere, and getting into everything. I can't turn my back for more than 2 seconds before he's into something. Mostly, it's the entertainment center, in which he likes to touch Matt's XBox and tug on its' wires. The kid is obsessed with power cords, controllers and any and all wires. So because of that, I'm finally getting to write his 9 Months Old post on Thursday.

I didn't take a "39 week" picture on Sunday this week for 2 reasons. First, being he turned 9 months old on Monday, so I might as well just take one picture (especially since it's horribly difficult now to get him to stay still on his back for more than a second). And two, Matt and I were away all.day.long. We went to Atlantic City for the day SANS CAEL!!! That's right - for the first time in 9 months, I left Cael for the entire day, from 5:45 am to 11 pm.

We went with our Sunday night bowling league, and we left Cael with Matt's mom. I had major anxiety the night before, and didn't get much sleep, but in the end, I was ok. I had fun (for the most part), and didn't cry at all like I thought I would, from missing Cael. I had my pump in tow, along with a cooler, so my shoulders are not happy with me for carrying around so much weight for 10+ hours. It was very stressful figuring out where to pump during the day. I'm extremely pissed with the casino's, because they are obviously not nursing/pumping-mom friendly. At all. An employee in one casino (I can't remember which one), had no idea what I meant by "pumping" after having me repeat it three times. So SHE made me announce loudly, in front of a lot of people, "pumping, you know...breast milk?" I'm not normally embarrassed by stuff like that, but I think it was her arrogance and rudeness that bothered me the most. She told me that I would have to pump in the bathroom. Say what!? Uh, yea no.

It's getting impossible to get good
 weekly/monthly pictures of him now

We went into the next casino, and the accommodations were the same. So, reluctantly, I went into the ladies room, sat on the edge of the toilet seat in the handicapped bathroom, and pumped for 20 minutes. Gross. I was NOT happy. At that point, I didn't care one iota that I was occupying the only handicapped stall for such a long amount of time. They can deal with it, like I'm having to deal with my lack of accommodations.Do they eat their food, or prepare their food, in the bathroom? I think not, so why should I have to do that with my son's food?? Needless to say, as much as I had fun, I don't think I'll be doing such a lengthy day trip away from Cael again, until he's weaned. I would have much rather sat in the corner of the casino floor, facing the wall, and pumped in front of everyone, than pump in the bathroom. But Matt didn't exactly want me doing that, so the bathroom it was. Fortunately, I left AC $111 richer than when I went, and Matt left up as well. He won enough money to break even after buying Oakley sunglasses. I was very happy about that.

39 weeks old

Unfortunately, after all the stress of pumping while in AC, I had to throw away all the milk I pumped. About 16 ounces in all. I was really heartbroken and upset over it. I brought 2 ice packs with me, but they were already not cold enough by the time we arrived in AC. So we went into a nearby RiteAid and bought 2 instant ice packs. I popped one right away, and put it in the cooler, expecting it to last a while. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, the cooler was no longer cold, and the milk was at room temperature for longer than 5 hours by the time we got home at 11 pm. I went to use 4.5 ounces on Tuesday, and it smelled spoiled. So that means the rest of it was spoiled. How upsetting. But Cael only managed to drink 8 ounces all day (which wasn't that much, but he ate a lot of solid food while with grandma), so I'm only down by 8 ounces in my stash.

Cael had fun being with grandma all day, and she kept me updated with texts and pictures. I needed some pictures of him for Sunday (when he turned 39 weeks old), so I was happy for the pictures. He was out most of the day with her at a library function, and according to Laureen, everyone loved him. I'm glad he wasn't cranky, or crying all day, like I thought he would be. We figured out that if he doesn't see me, he's fine. The second he sees or hears me, it's over. He cries and claws to get to me. But if I'm nowhere around, he's fine.

Climbing!!

Regarding mobility, Cael is still amazing me. It seems that every passing day, he gets braver and better at moving around. Today (Thursday), he proceeded to climb up onto his walker (the bottom part with the wheels), and step sideways around it, keeping his balance. He did this right in front of us, and Matt and I couldn't believe our eyes. He is now able to climb on things. We.Are.Screwed! However, although he has already proven that he can stand unassisted for about 30 or so seconds, he hasn't had any desire to do it again. Not even for Matt, so he still hasn't seen him do it. I'll stand him up and hold his hands, but he immediately sits down. Oh well, that's fine with me! If he's happy just crawling and pulling himself until a year or older, I'll be perfectly fine with that! We thought he'd be walking by now, but I'm thinking it will be closer to a year - which, again, is fine with me.

Getting messy eating blueberries
with grandma.

Cael loves food. There's no if's, and's or but's about it. Well, maybe except some pureed foods, but for the most part, the kid can eat. And he'll let you know if you're not feeding him fast enough. He loves feeding himself, and prefers it. He's had a wide variety of foods by now. Countless, actually. It would take me a while, I think, to name everything. His favorites are chicken, puffs, cheerios, mashed potatoes, ground beef and pasta. At this point, he can pretty  much eat whatever we're eating for dinner. I still give him pureed food (apples, pears, mango, etc) for breakfast mixed with cereal, and he takes that happily. I think it's because they're so sweet. He loves his fruit. It's his veggies that he won't eat pureed, but if he can pick it up and feed himself, he'll eat it. He's getting much better at his pincer grasp. He uses mainly his right hand to pick up foods, so he's not as good with his left hand. We'll have to start putting some food on the left side of the tray, so that he's more apt to use his left hand as well. His old pediatrician said that if they start favoring one hand over the other at this age (earlier than 2 years), it's not usually a good sign. I'm not too sure what that entirely means, but I'm not concerned about it. He can still use both hands, but I honestly think it's us just putting food mainly on the right side of the tray.

Cael is back to teething again. He's been up in the middle of the night screaming for the last 3 nights. It's exhausting, as I've become used to him sleeping from 8 to 4:30am. But the past few nights, he's woken up anywhere between 1 and 3 am. After Advil, Orajel, and my attempts at soothing, I've given in and brought him to bed to feed him. This is NOT something I want to get him used to again, since we did so well weaning him off overnight feedings. I hope it's just the teething, and not him regressing. He had a low grade fever yesterday, so I'm pretty sure it's teething. No signs of the top middle teeth, but his right lateral incisor is continuing to come down, and now his left lateral incisor is just visible under the gums. You can't feel it yet, but you can see it. He's going to be a vampire!! He'll look so funny with only fangs up top, and no middle teeth. It's a little weird, but I'm sure it's normal at the same time. Again, not something I'm going to worry about.

So I think that's all the updates for now. I'll (hopefully!) update tomorrow, as Cael has his 9 month appointment at his new doctor tomorrow. I'm convinced that he doesn't yet weigh 19 pounds, so we'll find out. I'm really curious to see what he weighs, and how tall he is. I'm almost positive that he doesn't get any shots tomorrow, so it should be a relatively short visit. Hopefully all is well (as I expect it to be!).

37 Weeks Old!

Walking for Dylan!

Today, Cael and I walked in another March of Dimes walk, in memory of baby Dylan. This walk was here in PA, closer to us. I joined a local moms group last month, and I found out that they had a team, and were walking in the same walk today. So I joined them, and walked with them. It was nice to not walk alone, but I don't think I would have minded. I would have years ago - I would have been uncomfortable being by myself (even though I had Cael with me) - but not anymore. It turned out to be a beautiful day for the walk. it was around 82 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. Unfortunately, there were no trees for shade, because it was on a track at a college. So the sun was beating down on us. I got some color on my arms and face, but luckily I had pants and a long sleeve shirt on Cael. It was really hot though, so by the end of the walk, I stripped Cael down to just his onesie.

We finished Cael's antibiotic this week, so hopefully it worked for his ear infection. He's been really fussy the past few days, but that upper side tooth is finally breaking through. He constantly has his fingers in his mouth, and he's drooling a TON. There's no doubt he's teething.

We've introduced a few new foods to Cael this past week. I made pasta fagioli and chicken & dumplings in the crock pot. When Matt and I sat down to eat, we decided to give him some of what we were eating. It was very exciting! I loved the fact that he can now eat whatever I make for dinner. He loves chicken and ground beef, and enjoyed eating beans for the first time. Over the past few weeks, Cael has been getting more and more away from eating purees. Some nights are a real challenge to get him to eat purees off a spoon. He's enjoying feeding himself, so sometimes the only way to get him to eat a puree, is to put it on toast. That's his new favorite food - toast. I can put any puree on it, even if he's not fond of it, and he'll pick it up and eat it. I wrote previously that our Baby Brezza broke, and I sent it back. Well, we got the gift card to replace it, but I'm not going to buy a new one. I guess it was luck that it broke, because I have the feeling that I'm not going to need to make purees for much longer. Plus, I still find it pretty easy to steam food in a put with a little water, and then use the food processor my mom gave me to use when I was down on Long Island. Works just as well! So now we have a gift card for Babies R' Us that I have to figure out what to use it on :).

Napping on Mommy

Cael is still having some issues with going to the bathroom. I feel so bad for him. Lately, I know exactly when he goes to the bathroom (again - this happened a month or so ago too), because he cries and screams while sticking his butt in the air. We call it the poop stance. He has another bad, bleeding diaper rash, so I'm sure going to the bathroom burns as well once "it's out". My heart just breaks for him. I'm not sure if it's from the antibiotic, teething, or from not going to the bathroom for several days, and then going. Or a combination of everything. But it's not like he sits with poop in his diaper for several hours. I change him right away, as soon as I know he's gone. I keep putting Butt Paste on him, so I hope that helps.

Some of Cael's Likes:

• Water bottles
• Drinking from a cup or water bottle
• Finger foods
• His bink-a-bink
• Pear juice

Some of Cael's Dislikes:

• Diaper changes (even if he doesn't have a rash)
• Prunes/prune juice
• Being away from me (he has some pretty bad separation anxiety)

36 Weeks Old & Happy Mother's Day To Me!

My first Mother's Day. It was an absolutely incredible day, made perfect by having Matt and Cael around. I didn't get breakfast in bed, or to sleep in while Matt took Cael, but at the same time, I wasn't expecting that. Last year, when I was pregnant, I hinted that I wanted breakfast in bed, and Matt came through. It was nice. But this year, Matt, Cael and I slept in until around 8:30, when we were awoken by Cael slapping us in the face. He's so mushy in the morning, and I absolutely love it. I couldn't imagine a better way to start my first Mother's Day - waking up next to the most important men in my life.

Cael and I on my
first Mother's Day

Matt went WAY overboard with getting me gifts. I wasn't expecting much, since he said he was limited with how much he could spend on me (he gets bonuses that we have agreed would be his spending money, since he earned it). Which is fine - I never expect him to spend a lot of money on me. I would have honestly been happy with just a nice card and a bouquet of flowers. But he went well over that. He gave me 2 gift certificates, to Gap and Charlotte Russe, so that I could get myself some nice clothes that fit me. None of my summer stuff fits me because I've lost so much weight with breastfeeding. The shorts I have just fall down on my waist. I was really excited about that, and thought that was my gift. And then Matt pulled another shocker out of his ass.

Nomming on a rice cake :)

My favorite picture of Cael and I thus far

He bought me a tablet!! I absolutely love it! We both share Matt's laptop, and I'm sure he is tired of that by now - lol. By getting me a tablet, I'll use the laptop less, and have my own means to do all internet stuff. It's powered by Droid, which is also awesome, because I'm used to the platform. Ah.Maze.Ing!

You can see his teeth!

So typical of Matt, going way overboard. I was mad at him, but that didn't last long. I guess he had saved up more money than he led on that he had. The best part of it all though, is when he had Cael hand me my card. It was the sweetest and cutest thing ever. The card made me cry. Like, not just tear up, but actually cry. What Matt wrote in it just tugged at my heartstrings. I really made me feel loved and special.

So now about Cael. He is getting more active and more promiscuous with each passing week. Whenever he gets into something that he's not supposed to (i.e. wires by the tv), and I tell him "No", he just looks at me with a grinny smile. I try not to smile or laugh myself, but it's hard. He can't possibly understand defiance at this age, right?!

He loves his baths even more now that he's in the main tub. I fill it with only a few inches this way it's shallow enough that he can lay on his belly with his head up. He loves having all the extra room to swim around in, and chase after his toys. It's so cute seeing his little baby butt when he's on his belly. I'm glad he enjoys moving around the tub now. And I'm sure he likes all the extra room.

Another thing that he has started to do is pull up on me and Matt. He will crawl up to me/Matt, and hold on to the pants, and pull up. If I'm sitting on the couch, he'll crawl over, pull up on the couch, cruise over to between my legs, and grab my shirt while whining to pull up on me. He'll even pull my shirt down and claw at me. It's cute, but I can see it getting a little too much in the future.

Still no signs of more teeth. The lateral incisor looks like it's still peeking through the gums, but doesn't look like it's moved out anymore. It's just right there. And no signs of the two top middle teeth. The gums still look swollen and white, but no signs of teeth immediately under his gums.

My 2 favorite boys

For a couple of days this past week, it seemed as though Cael was turning against purees, and favoring solids/chunkier foods. He just wasn't eating for a couple of days when I offered him purees, but would gobble up real food, like toast and pearsauce or pasta. After a few days of that, though, he started eating purees again. I have to realize that I need to cater to what Cael wants if I want him to eat. I don't mean spoil him with whatever he wants, but I have to be more aware of what he wants to eat, and changes in his food preferences. Another option is that he still wasn't feeling well from his ear infection, so he just wasn't feeling like eating. We'll have to see how he does over the next few weeks.

Cael has shown a dramatic increase in his interest in food. If he sees you with something to eat, he will do anything he can to get to you. And then when he does get to you, if you don't give him any, he cries, whines and pulls at you. He'll follow you all over the house if he has to. And then if you give him some, and stop, he cries even more. The kid does love food, that's for sure.

8 Months Old!

In just 4 short months, Cael will be celebrating his first birthday. You have no idea how upset that makes me. This means that he is now 8 months old. The last 8 months have flown by - or at least it feels like they did. I feel like I have so much to write about regarding Cael, that I'm going to break everything down into groups.

Mobility 
Cael is becoming much faster at crawling. And he's realized that by crawling, he can go where he wants, when he wants. For instance, if I walk into another room, or across the room, he figured out that he can follow me if he crawls. Of course, lately, he'll cry while crawling because I'm not holding him, and he's desperate for me to pick him up.

He can also easily pull himself up on anything and everything - couches, toys, chairs, and even his Pack n' Play. He's still pulling himself up by pushing off both feet at the same time - as opposed to putting one foot forward and pushing up with that foot. He'll roll his ankles inward at the same time in order to stand. It looks very uncomfortable, actually, and I'm surprised he is able to do it that way. He's been standing up like that for weeks now, so I attribute it to his ankles not being quite strong enough to support the weight of him standing.

He has started doing one new thing, though. He can now put himself into a sitting position. Whether he's crawling or laying on his belly, he's able to get himself sitting up. So now, I consider him very mobile. I figured it was only a matter of time before he started doing this. His balance is MUCH better. He's less wobbly while sitting, and also less wobbly while standing. In addition, because his balance is better, he can also bend over while standing. He's figured out how to get from a standing position, down to the floor. He usually bends over and reaches for the floor while holding onto whatever, and then he lets go and lands on his butt. He's become very good at doing this, and I'm less nervous watching him do it. I barely flinch when I see him doing it.

Food/Eating

Cael has figured out how to "chew" his food. He's not doing much chewing, since he has only 2 teeth, and they're not even fully out yet, but he's got the motions down. If he gets a puff, cheerio or chunks of food, he'll gum/chew it, and move it all around his mouth. It makes me feel a little better about him eating chunkier foods, because he knows he has to move it around his mouth, and chew it before he tries to swallow it.

This past week, we tried giving Cael pieces of chicken. I cut them up small, a little smaller than pea-sized, and put them on his tray. He's now fully capable of feeding himself, so anything we put on his tray in front of him is game. If it's something he really enjoys, like puffs, he'll ravenously grab them and shove them in his mouth. There's no doubt he's got that motor skill down!

So as of now, the list of food that Cael has had includes: peas, carrots, sweet potato, potato, zucchini, pear, apple, mango, avocado, butternut squash, plums, prunes (HATED), bananas, watermelon, puffs, cheerios, chicken, asparagus (only small pieces), cous-cous, pasta, yogurt, and egg yolk. There's still so much more that I want to try. I have broccoli already made, and I have a cantaloupe that I'm waiting to get ripe. I also can't wait to try beans and spinach.

Sleep

I think we've finally figured out a sleep schedule that works for Cael. He's been consistently going to bed around 8pm, and waking between 4:30am-5am to eat. During the day, he'll take 2 naps, and we're still following the 2-3-4 nap schedule. It's been working wonderfully, and I look forward to his nap times during the day so I can get things done, shower, and/or have "me time". It's also nice having him in bed kind of early, because then Matt and I have time with each other. His bed time used to be 9pm, and then we'd have only a half hour together to converse, watch tv, etc. It's much better with Cael having an earlier bed time.

Personality
I think he's going to be a goofy kid. He's very into everything around him, and any noise, flash of light or movement distracts him, and he has to investigate it. Especially while nursing. I've taken to nursing at night in the bedroom as to limit the distractions. He screeches with excitement while he's playing, and has started actually playing with his toys. He enjoys pushing his trucks around, and banging everything to make noise. Then he'll look up at you with this smile, where his lower lip is sucked in, and give a little giggle. He'll suck on his pacifier backwards, and crawl around with it like that as if it's normal. I'm really enjoying seeing his personality starting to come out.

30 Weeks Old!

Cael turned 30 weeks old today. That is right around the time in my pregnancy that I was put on bed rest, and taken out of work. That was exactly 9 months ago. Completely unreal to me.

He is getting closer and closer to crawling each day. Just today, he started lifting his hands/arms, and moving them slightly forward. He definitely had a forward motion on the floor today, and was able to move towards a toy I had in front of him.

We even had to lower the crib mattress down a notch on Friday, because he pulled himself up onto his knees right in front of me. It made me incredibly nervous (I get these visions of him pulling himself up to a standing position, and hoisting himself over the railing of the crib, and landing on the floor head first), so I took him right out of the crib, and lowered it within 10 minutes of him doing that. I did get the whole thing on video, too.

And then yesterday, he had woken up from a nap, and I was watching him on the video monitor. He, again, managed to pull himself up onto his knees using the crib railing. Shortly after he pulled himself up, he lost his balance and slammed his head into the rail. It made a loud :bonk: noise on the crib He immediately started crying, and I ran in to pick him up. He had a red mark on his forehead for a few hours. I guess you can consider it his first boo-boo.

We also introduce butternut squash on Friday. It took a little longer to prepare than I thought it would (I've never prepared it before, so I didn't know what to expect), but it came out really, really good. I try everything first, before I give it to Cael. He LOVED the butternut squash just as much as he did the plums. He kept opening his mouth for more, and very little came out of his mouth. He immediately started crying when there was no more left. That's how much he loved it.

Today, Cael had more to eat (solids) than he normally does during the day. Bowling is over for Matt, so we was home for dinner. We ate upstairs with his family. They were having chicken, and had steamed carrots as a side. I mashed up a carrot for Cael this time, and gave him some of that. We also tried a little bit of grilled chicken, with some mild spices on it. We held it for him, and he mostly gummed and sucked on it. He LOVED that, too. He was using his one little bottom tooth to try and scrape some chicken off, and he got very little of it. It was so exciting to see him try it. Our Baby Brezza says you can introduce chicken, turkey and tofu at 6-8 months, and wholesomebabyfood.com says 7 months+. Cael is almost 7 months, and he wasn't getting that much, so we figured it was ok to try. He then also had his butternut squash a little after that, and then a homemade teething biscuit. He had it made today, food-wise!

Plums!

We tried pureed plums for the first time 4 days ago, and so far, they are a hit! He loves them, and after each bite, he immediately opens his mouth for more. He made only a few faces, but they weren't "dislike" faces. More of "this is sweet and a little tarty" faces. But he thoroughly enjoyed them.

Then yesterday, we gave him a piece of plum (as is, but peeled) in the mesh teether a friend of mine gave me. He LOVED that too! He would bring it to his mouth, pull away and look at it, then go at it again. He really like sucking the juice out of it. I was excited to finally try this with fruit. He likes sucking on an ice cube, but fresh fruit is completely new to him. I'm glad he enjoyed it, and I can't wait to try other fruits.

The plums have also done a number on Cael's bowels. He had a massive poop this morning! It was very soft, and runny (insert gagging sound here). He hasn't had any problems pooping before, but I'm sure having plums everyday has helped move things along.

29 Weeks Old! And The Easter Bunny!

I tell ya, this kid has had something "fun" and exciting almost every new week. Last week it was St. Patrick's Day, the week before, we went to a St. Patty's Day parade, and today, Cael met the Easter Bunny. I was fully expecting him to cry hysterically when I handed him over to the Bunny. Let's face it, the Bunny is scary looking! But to my astonishment, he didn't! At first, he looked at the lady squeaking the toy like she was crazy and had 4 heads. He just stared with a perplexed look on his face. Then I tried coaxing a smile out of him: "Can you give mama a smile? C'mon, give me a smile!", in my high-pitched, excited voice. It worked! Of course, the lady wasn't paying attention, and missed his first smile, but I was able to get several more out of him, and we got a good picture.

I also must say that I am in LOVE with the outfit I got him for Easter. I thought it was cute on the hanger. But my gosh, when I put it on Cael, and saw what a handsome little old man he looked like, I melted and my heart turned to goo. I became all giddy, and had to run upstairs to show everyone. Matt isn't fond of the outfit, because it's a sweater vest, and sweater vests are "gay" (no, my husband doesn't have anything against gay people. He calls everything "gay" that he wouldn't wear or use himself), but his parents loved the outfit. The outfit was made complete by the navy blue shoes, and my favorite, a cabby hat. I just wanted to eat him up!

Cael's Likes:

• The Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr.
• Sweet peas
• Moving around on the floor
• Jolly Jumper
• Mommy's cell phone

Cael's Dislikes:

• Anyone poking around his mouth
• After-bath time (getting lotioned up, dressed, etc). He screams the entire time.
• BOTTLES! Which could be a problem

Cael is SO CLOSE to crawling. He easily gets up onto all fours without a problem. He even lifts his butt up in the air by pushing off the ground with his feet. He just can't figure out that he can move forward by moving his arms forward. He barely moves his arms at all when he's on all fours. I'm sure he'll figure it out real soon. But he doesn't need to be crawling on all fours to move all over the floor. He wriggles, rolls and shimmies where ever he wants to go. But you can see how determined he is to crawl forward.

Cael's tooth is coming in fast. It's so sharp, too! I forget he has a tooth now, and I let him gum on my fingers. Well, he gums hard, and he bit down, and his tooth got me. It didn't really hurt, but you can definitely tell there was something there! So far, there aren't any visible signs of another tooth coming through, but honestly, it was only maybe 2 days between when I saw the tooth under his gums, to when it actually broke through. To me, that's quick, and I have a feeling his other teeth will be like that. He's definitely been a Stage 5 Clinger the last 2 days, and only to me. That along with an increase in fussiness leads me to believe it won't be long until we see another tooth. Or teeth.

We're going to introduce plums to Cael tomorrow. I'm excited to see how he likes (or doesn't like) them. I'm not a fan of plums myself, but Matt likes them. We decided to try a fruit after 2 vegetables. We'll see how it goes. Overall, Cael has been doing really well with solids. He seems to like the different tastes and textures so far. However, I made my first big mommy-mistake tonight. But after talking to some fellow Sweet Peas, I feel better. I was upstairs last night while Matt's family was having dinner. They had steamed carrots as one of their sides. I had figured that it would be ok to give Cael a carrot, since he'd been introduced to them already, and didn't have any problems. I took a bite of the carrot first to make sure it was soft enough, and it was (by carrot, I mean a baby carrot - which was probably my first mistake). I then held onto it while I let him nom and suck on it. Well, the damn carrot was so slippery, that Cael sucked the whole thing into his mouth. He pushed it out though, and I grabbed it. I was a little nervous when that happened, but figured I would try again. This time, I dug my thumb nail into the carrot, so that I could get a better "grip" on it. Well, it worked for about 10 seconds, until the carrot broke. He sucked in a piece a little smaller than half a baby carrot. Matt's mom, dad and I watched him carefully. He made a face, held his breath for a few seconds, did a slight gag, and then started crying in hysterics. Between the gag and the crying, I quickly leaned him forward on my arm, and hit his back to try and help him get it out. But he must have swallowed it. I knew he wasn't choking, because he was breathing and crying. We figure he got scared because it was a big piece - something he's not used to - and because of our reactions. We weren't screaming or hysterical, but I definitely tensed up and became alarmed. I'm sure he sensed that, especially since he was sitting on my lap.

I felt so bad with the way he was crying. His eyes were filled with tears, and he just clung to me. I felt just horrible. And to think I wanted to do Baby-Led Weaning!? I think I'll pass on that. Although, I do plan on giving huge chunks of apple, pear and whatever else (cut it in half, and give him the whole half) to him to nom on after he's been introduced. My heart was definitely racing after that. And I felt like a horrible mother, too. But he's ok, and that's all the matters. Lesson learned. Cael has a very powerful sucker!