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