Week 21

Week 21 was perhaps not the most fun week for us. Matt battled a stuffy nose (cold? teething-related congestion? both?) all week plus had a few more attacks of the teething monster and had a little growth spurt. Needless to say there were some days when he was definitely not his jolly usual self. We did manage to get to play group and library story time, and with slightly nicer weather we took a few walks around the neighborhood plus a longer walk at the local state park on Friday. But first I had to wait for him to finish his nap:

Sunday Matt went to Costco with us for the first time. He found that a fascinating experience; he was wide-eyed the whole time we were there. We had a repeat of the nap in the car on the way home!

Matt loves to grab anything he can get his hands on, and as many things as possible go into his mouth...

...including his feet.

He is sitting up on his own better and for longer stretches of time, and he's watching the cat more and for longer stretches of time (as well as reaching out to grab her - so far no luck).

Staring contest!

Awesome like Auntie

Inspecting Jon's progress on his high chair

Enjoying a lazy weekend morning

Let's close with a smile or two.

Week 20

Wow, 20 weeks!

We kicked off the week with play group, but then we had a few new adventures.

Wednesday we went to the new baby story time at our local library. Matt is a little younger than the recommended age, but I want to support the program, the librarian (who is very good) was fine with us giving it a try, and he does enjoy his books.

Technically I got the library card, but it'll be in heavy use for him until he can write his name well enough to get his own.

Thursday I took Matt into the city to my places of work. The weather cooperated; the chance of rain didn't materialize, and the temperatures were in the 50s, making it actually feel like spring could be around the corner. We enjoyed the nicer weather even more when, on our way home, we stopped to go for a walk with some other moms and their kids.

Friday Matt started showing signs of teething again, so we stayed home rather than go for a walk at the state park. Matt woke up with a stuffy nose Saturday, so we stayed home all weekend, too, although Matt did enjoy helping to move some things from the garage to the garden shed and checking out Jon's work in organizing both.

Matt continues to be obsessed with picking things up, which he's getting better and better at. In fact, I may not be able to do laundry while he rides in the carrier much longer, because he is reaching out and grabbing everything, not just clothes and towels but also hangers and clothes racks. By Tuesday he took his skills at picking things up to its next logical step: deliberately dropping them. Fortunately he still likes retrieving what he's just dropped, which is why this new game is so fun for him. By the end of the week he was showing another new development related to all of this: when he wants to pick something up while standing, he now squats down rather than folds at the waist (all still with some help from us). And he also started realizing there are things just beyond his reach that he can't yet grab but has started to want to have. The stage for further movement has been set...

I'll close with a few more cute photos.

Happy baby lounging in pajamas

Forgive the blurriness, but this is one of the biggest grins I've been able to capture on camera.

Getting ready for his big outing

Still having a good time on his "jungle gym"

Week 19

Sorry for the delayed post; I just got too distracted to finish and post this yesterday as intended.

We had several play groups / moms' groups get togethers in the first half of the week, during which Matt met even more baby friends.

Matt continues to explore his feet.

And he managed to wiggle some of his toys off of his "jungle gym."

Another growth spurt then hit mid-week, disrupting Matt's newly established pattern of sleeping through the night (5-6 hour stretches) but allowing him to check off milestones and make other developmental leaps in rapid succession. In a 24-hour period, starting Friday evening, Matt

- figured out how to pull glasses off faces. Jon's are easier; mine didn't come off until Mon.

- started pulling himself upright when leaning back in a seated position. He can't pull himself all the way up to sitting by himself yet, and if he's leaning forward or to the side, gravity still takes over. But his strength and sense of balance is improving, and soon enough he'll be able to sit on his own for more than a few seconds and then seat himself.

Seated at his keyboard

- began rolling from his back onto his belly. He realized he could use momentum to continue his back to side movement in an effort to grab a toy just out of reach. Unfortunately for him, since he still dislikes being on his tummy, he hasn't figured out how to reverse that motion yet. Anyway, this video shows maybe his 5th attempt. Sorry about the camerawork; I wasn't expecting him to pick up the pace that quickly!

Before I get to this past week's final big event, I want to share a couple of cute photos:

Our final big event of the week was Matt's first parade. We went with some families from my moms' club to a nearby town's family friendly St. Patrick's Day parade. It was great fun, and we weren't even interested in catching all of the candy the participants tossed! Here are some highlights:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We wish you a happy St. Patrick's Day!

Week 18

I've already reported on our major outing last week, Matt's 4-month doctor's appointment, so I'll post about some of Matt's recent developments and share a few photos and videos.

Some new things Matt has been doing recently:

- The Friday before last he had his first big laughing fit. He laughs a little here and there, but this was the first time he broke out in a good session. Jon had just gotten home from work and was holding him when Matt looked at us and started chuckling. He hasn't done a repeat performance, but hopefully I can catch one of his future giggle fits on video.

- About the same time he started sucking on his bottom lip, an action undoubtedly related to his teething. (That darn tooth isn't in yet!) I guess it gives him a break from gnawing on his hands (and giving himself a drool-aggravated rash, which fortunately is doing much better with his new doctor-prescribed skincare regimen, although as you can see he doesn't like wearing mitts while we try to give his skin a chance to soak up the lotions).

- Monday Matt realized he could touch his feet. He's already started to play with them, and I'm sure he'll soon be pulling off his socks and putting his feet in his mouth.

- Starting on Saturday Matt can now sit in a "tripod" stance for a few seconds. In other words, he can sit on his own for several seconds by putting his hands on the ground in front of him. (Forgive the blurriness; I was trying to get the photo in before he lost the position.)

Now for a few other cute photos:

Hello, there!

Trying to fit his new car in his mouth

Here are two videos of Matt really going at it in his jumperoo. The first one, from earlier in the week, is shorter, and the second one, from later in the week, has more two-footed hopping.

Matt's 4-Month Appointment

Today Matt visited the doctor's for his four-month appointment. He checked in at an ounce or two under 18 pounds and measured 26.5 inches, keeping him in the 90th-95th percentile for both weight and height. He's continuing to progress well. Matt thinks the doctor's office is an odd place, though, where he gets undressed and dressed, picked up and put down, poked and prodded, and, most unpleasant of all, stuck with needles.

A happier Matt pre-visit

The Cat and the Baby: An Update 4 Months on

I've been meaning to post an update on our cat's adjustment to life with baby, but after last week I knew it was time. That's because Matt finally took a long, good look at the cat. He doesn't quite know what she is, but he now seems aware of her existence and unable to ignore her. From talking to other people with cats, around four months seems to be the time babies start paying attention to feline members of the family. I hope the cat appreciates this time period: the baby is aware of her (probably resulting in extra pets from us as we point her out) but can't get to her.

At Christmas, trying to figure out what all the commotion in the rocker seat is about

Around New Year's, each in their own corner of the loveseat

In January, trying find room on my lap

Denied! The bassinet is already occupied

A few weeks ago, hoping to share Jon's lap

Last week, watching from a safe distance

This weekend, thinking about taking a closer look

What do you mean, "is not a cat toy!"? I'm playing with it; therefore it's a cat toy! (To be honest, she's getting more mileage out of the pacifier than the baby...)

Happy 4-Month Birthday, Matt!

Today someone is 4 months old!
In honor of his birthday, he taught himself a new trick last night: how to turn himself 180 degrees in his crib - perfect for confusing a barely awake parent in the wee hours of the morning.

Week 17

I'm a little behind posting this week because we had our first visit from grandparents. Jon's parents were in town this past weekend, so needless to say we were all very busy paying lots of attention to Matt. He is going to be disappointed with how quiet the rest of this week will be (well, quiet with the notable exception of his check-up, and I know that will not be an acceptable substitute!).

Even before our visitors' arrival we had a fairly eventful week. We went to a small but cozy playgroup on Monday. We also survived having Jon away on a business trip; fortunately he was only gone one night. He and I each had a quick night out with friends and my moms' club, respectively, earlier in the week, and we needed to recharge because teething started in earnest on Wednesday. Poor little guy: he's very uncomfortable. (If I thought Matt was somewhat cranky during growth spurts, I hadn't seen just how cranky he could be.) Since we don't yet see the tooth it might be a while before he's his usual jolly self all the time. I was worried he'd be cranky all weekend, but his grandparents' visit served as a very welcome distraction. Teething discomfort struck again today, which is why this post is so late, but we did manage to squeeze in a lunch at a nice sit-down restaurant for some last moments with the grandparents before they caught their flight home.

I'll add some photos since someone is napping for the time being.

Matt looks so big, both in terms of size and age, in this pose!

Matt discovered the banana on the jumperoo and was batting away at it. It was apparently fascinating.

Here's our happy little guy. And, yes, there's a dog on his shirt and another one on his socks.

Sneaking in a quick nap. All that playing with grandparents can wear a baby out!

Despite Matt's face here (he was just hungry, as per usual), he really did enjoy his Grandma and Grandpa's visit. They had only seen each other on Skype before this weekend, so it was exciting for both them and him to meet each other in person. They brought lots of toys and books and clothes for him to enjoy, but he most appreciated spending time with them and interacting with them face to face. He certainly had a lot to say this weekend to his appreciative audience! Now that they're on their way back home he's going to miss being passed from one set of arms to another, hearing how cute he is even more often than we tell him, and having a great time with people who love spoiling him (and by whom he loves being spoiled).

Grandpa and Grandma especially made sure to take lots of photos, even more than I normally take. Here's a nice shot his grandma took of Matt snuggled up in my wrap for a nap. Thanks to her for snapping and sharing this one!