Sitting!

New things all the time

Ack, the time, she flies.

Theo is sitting on his own, mostly. He usually falls safely, just gotta make sure there aren't any hard objects around. He rolls back and forth but hasn't figured out that he could get around with this talent. Crawling is still a ways away, as he can't seem to put that together either.

He does love to walk...that is, while you're holding him up. If we had level floors I'd consider getting him a walker, but with our rugs it really would be a tipping hazard. I've played walker for him all over the living room and his bedroom, and I'm already finding out what we need to baby proof.

For instance, we thought he loved the bunnies; actually, he loves the cage. When he gets close to it he gets very excited, and if he is allowed to he grabs the mesh and tries to suck on it. Yeah, there are some sharp edges. I've figured out how to cover some of the angles but it's still going to need some work.

Theo has adopted a squeal that is so loud and high-pitched it's stunning. Adorable, of course, but you don't want your eardrums too near it for too long. Thankfully he isn't so chirpy all the time, only when he's very excited. So far it seems he is quiet in public but squealy at home.

We started him on veggies this week. Our pediatrician recommended high iron foods, like spinach and beets. However, you can't get those in jars as first foods, so instead we tried peas. Not a fan. After getting him through that jar I made my own jar of spinach - just cooked in water then pureed in the Cuisinart. The homemade spinach was much more tolerable, though the rice cereal is still his favorite.

New videos will be up soon.

Everyone keeps asking how I'm holding up. It sounds silly but after 6 months I think I've finally hit my stride. I know how long it takes for us too get ready for to go places and it doesn't (usually) stress me out. We've been inside for so long that having to face leaving seems more attractive. I'm now trying to get us out of the house once every day for a bit. Lately there have been lots of things going on to keep us busy - out-of-towners visiting, etc.

Theo's been swimming a few times and while he doesn't love it he does have fun moments. Jumping up and down is always fun, whether in or out of the water. I'm surprised there are any times of the day that we can use our complex's pool without anyone in there, but before noon is a good bet. In the past I've never been one to go swimming unless it's blazing hot and the water is nice and warm, but I'm overcoming my picky nature to make sure Theo begins to get used to the water.

Ooh, and we've stepped up the babysitting! My sis-in-law was kind enough to come down last minute to babysit so we could see Toy Story 3 (we're Pixar fans) and my parents actually stayed over at our house so we could attend a large birthday party for a friend. The more we go out, the more we want to go out.

July 4th

Ok, yes, dropped the ball, failed to blog. I better get past this intro or I'll never get an actual post done.

Theo actually watched fireworks on the 4th. It was not in our original plan, for multiple reasons. Theo's bedtime is about 7pm and the fireworks didn't start until 9. If he fell asleep by showtime, there would be no way for him to sleep through it, since my family likes to sit as close to the launch point as possible. Waking during explosions doesn't sound like fun. If he stayed awake late enough, he'd be a disaster anyway and there would be no way he'd enjoy it.

Turned out, Theo had other ideas. He stayed awake all afternoon while we visited family, hours past his naptime. When we drove to the fireworks spot at the park he fell into a deep sleep and slept for 2 solid hours. We had to wake him at 7pm so we could feed him dinner before it got dark (he's at the rice cereal stage now). By 9pm he was doing just fine and we figured we'd give the show a shot. If he freaked out we could always carry him away from the action - historically he's done just fine as long as we are holding him.

So we clamped our hands over his ears and he watched the whole show. For perhaps the first half he was entranced by it. I've seen the same expression when we show him things like screensavers. During one section a long sequence of extremely bright fireworks went off one after the other and Theo blinked quite a bit, finally turning his head away and only looking back after those bright ones went away. After that I'm pretty sure he wasn't too happy but he's not the type to cry in those circumstances - he just waited it out with his big eyes wide.

I know, we're crazy. No one else would expect a 6 month old to watch fireworks. I guess we err on the side of giving him a chance to rise to the occasion, and 95% of the time he does. I only try these things because I know he's usually calm, and because I know I can deal with whatever the worst case scenario would be.

Ok, I'm posting this so it gets done. More soon. Make sure to check the Flip Share Video site. There's a permanent link on the side of my website, or if you want to get emails every time I post a new video there, email me at jenniesloan77@gmail.com and I'll add you to that list.