Crawling Maniac!

So, it's official! I have a crawling maniac on my hands!

It was a little over a month ago I posted photos of Monster on all fours in the crawling position. I had heard from a couple other moms that once the baby gets the balance down pat you can expect your little one to be crawling within two weeks.

Well, two weeks came and went and Monster was not crawling. We kept practicing but ultimately I wasn't overly anxious to have a baby "running" around and getting into everything. The issue stemmed from our laminate flooring. A baby trying to crawl + Pant-covered-knees slipping around on a laminate floor = One frustrated baby.

Sunday evening I decided to remove Monsters pants and see what happened. After a couple sold tries he was finally off and crawling! The best inspiration? The dog food in the dog food dishes!

He's not quite as fast with his pants on, but he's mastered crawling fully clothed too! It's been eventful around here to say the least, but so far I always know where Monster is because he laughs the whole time he's crawling as if to say "Just call me the KING!"

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The Great Pickle Debate (Photo Blog)

To like them or not, for that is the question!







Hmmm, and what might you be?






Uuhh, Mom? What IS this?






... Ok pickle, your alright.

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Eighth Month Check List

A few months ago I was inspired by one of my mommy friends Enyo (please click here for her Facebook Blog Fan Page and become a FAN) to post a checklist of how Monster is measuring up against other babies his age.

I've been using the checklist from my What To Expect in the First Year book. In the book they section the month off into categories, here they are!

By the end of this month, your baby...
...should be able to:

• bear some weight on legs when held upright - Check, for a LONG time.
• feed self a cracker - Check, again, for a long time.
• pass a small object from one hand to the next - Check, long time!
• rake a small object and pick it up into a fist - Check. I replaced the word raisin with small object because he eats puffs and cheerios, however I think raisins are a little far off of his feeding scale.
• Turn in the direction of a voice - Check, for a long time!
• Look for a dropped object - Check. Monster's favorite thing to do is feed our pug LOLA his Gerber Puffs. Lola doesn't mind one bit.

...will probably be able to:

• stand holding onto someone or something - Check. We've been "walking" for a couple months now. 
• object if you try to take a toy away - Check. This one is new from the last couple of weeks. He didn't mind before. That was until he started to grab at things he couldn't have like a PS3 controller...
• work to get a toy out of reach - Check... Toy, dog food dish, microphone cord, curtains, etc.
• play peekaboo - He does something that resembles peekaboo, but I've heard (Thanks Mama to Triple H) that I'll *know* when it's peekaboo. We just don't play it that much...
• get into a sitting position from stomach - He has only done it once, so I'm chalking that up to fluke. He mostly "airplanes" until we pick him up.

...may possibly be able to:

• pull up to a standing position from sitting - Not with everything, just our hands. So I don't feel right saying yes.
• pick up a tiny object with any part of thumb and finger - Check! For about a week and a half! YAY!
• say "mama" and "dada" indiscriminately - No. But he can say "Hi", "Hey", and something that sounds like "Cat" 

...may even be able to:

• play patty cake or wave bye-bye - Check! We have had the waving thing down for almost a month, but the clapping thing just ends up being "Monster BANG" (both hands down).
• walk holding onto furniture - We're starting. He shuffles in his playpen while standing.
• stand alone momentarily - Definitely not.
• understand the word "No", but not always obey it - No, I don't think so. 

Well, there you have it folks! That is a checklist this mama can be proud of!   

What to Expect... In the 7th Month

Last month I decided to blog about Monster and how he's hitting hit monthly milestones according to the book What to Expect in the First Year. I'm a creature of habit, so here goes the 7 month milestone blog! It's just a few days late. Just a reminder that the milestones are separated into sections with different headings.

By the end of this month, your baby...
...should be able to:

• Sit without support - Check! For over 2 months now!  
•  Feed self a cracker - Check! Well, I've never tried a cracker but he really likes Mum Mums
• Razz - Check! He stared around 5 months, but then stopped after he mastered the skills. Now he does it every so often... Usually when we're trying to feed him something.

...will probably be able to:

• Bear some weight on legs when held upright - Check! His love for standing predates his love for sitting.
• Object if you take a toy away - Meh.. I'm not sure if this milestone is accurate? What if you have a passive baby who doesn't really care? He fusses about it sometimes, but a lot of the time he doesn't mind.
• Work to get a toy out of reach - Check! About a week ago the little Monster used a wooden spoon to reach for a toy I put a foot away from him. I was attempting to get him to crawl to get the toy.
• Pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other - Check!
• Look for a dropped object - Check! One day that whole exersaucer is going to topple over!
• Rake a raisin and pick it up in fist - Check! Only sub Cheerios for raisins
• Turn in the direction of a voice - Check! Wasn't this on the 4 months check list?
• Babble combining vowels and consonants "ma-ma-ma", "da-da-da"- I'm sad to say no. He doesn't babble he shoots out combinations that sounds like he's trying to say words. We've heard "Hey", "Hi", "Yeah", "Dad", but the only babbling he does is "mmMmMmMmmmMmm" at meal times.
• Play peekaboo - Check, kind of. If I put a receiving blanket on his head and ask "Where's Monster?" he will pull it off and that's when I say "Peekaboo!". Is that close enough?

...may possibly be able to:

• Stand holding on to someone or something - Check! Once we master crawling we will start practicing cruising.

...may even be able to:

• Pull up to a standing position from a sitting - Check, but only with mommies hands. He hasn't pulled up on anything else.
• Get into a sitting position from stomach - He has only done this once, so I'm not going to count it.
• Play patty-cake or wave Bye-Bye - Check, kind of. He's waved a handful of times without coaching. The rest of the time it's hit or miss. He might wave, he might play shy. No patty caking around here though.
• Pick up a tiny object with any part of thumb and finger - No, Monster has not mastered the pincer grasp. He tries desperately, can make the motion but has not actually picked anything up.
• Walk holding onto furniture - No. He walks while holding someones hands though.
• Say mama or dada indiscriminately - No. Boo.

Oh My Crawling -- Photos!

Last night I blogged about how Monster had mastered balancing in the CRAWLING position. See that post here : Oh My Crawling!

In the meantime, please enjoy some photos of the epic event!
Note: He is not wearing pants because we have laminate flooring and it's pretty slippery when you have pants'd knees.

Wish me luck! Now the fun really starts! ;)

Oh My Crawling!

Just when I gave up on the idea of Monster starting to crawl....

Ok, I hadn't given up on it ever happening but I had given up on thinking he might hit that milestone earlier then average babies. I don't want to gloat but he's hit most of his milestones early or exactly on time... He is a genius. :)

Today Monster and I were diligently practicing his crawling by lying on the floor playing with his toys on our tummies. My evil mommy plan was to lie facing him with his toys just out of his reach. My plan failed because Monster didn't pay any attention to his toys, he was totally entranced by our pug pet LOLA.

That's when my plan changed. I decided to just put him on his hands and knees and see how'd he do. Well, all our practicing paid off because it worked!!

No, Monster didn't take his first crawling "steps" but he did balance on his hands and knees for a couple minutes! He balanced long enough for me to let go of him, run for the camera, and snap a few pictures of his glory!

Once he lost interest he pushed forward with his legs and ultimately fell onto his tummy again. It's his first step to independence, maybe crawling isn't that far off!

I better get serious about this baby proofing business!



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New Infant Milestones!

Infant milestones amaze me every time! It is just amazing how much and how quickly Monster is changing!

As we reach the 6 and a half month mark Monster has reached three new surprising milestones! I am bursting with glee for my boy! In the last week Monster has started to:

1. Wave! Once Monster became more mobile I always waved Hello and Buh-Bye with his little arm in hopes that one day he would get the hang of it too. Well, it's not perfect but he's been enthusiastically waving his little arm up and down when we say "Buh-Bye" to people (I usually have to do it the first time but he mimics right after)!

2. Reach up! The first time I noticed he was doing this was just yesterday afternoon, and he hasn't stopped since! Last night in the tub was the most obvious, he grabbed onto the side of the tub, turned sideways to face me and reached his arms up to be picked up. He did it this afternoon at the play group when he was getting tired, and again this evening when he was finished in the tub.

3. Pull up! Ok, this one definitely isn't perfect yet but we keep practicing! Monster and I sit on the floor facing each other, I put my hands out in front of me and say "Hands" he then grabs my hands with his and pulls up to a standing. On anything else he only gets up on one knee and one foot but it's quite the start!

Seeing the 7 and a half month old girls at the play group made me realize just how much mobility Monster will likely gain in one short month. Having an infant reach milestones is just so exciting!




My little hunk! :)

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The Sixth Month Pt. 2

Continued from The Sixth Month Pt.1

By the end of this month your baby...

...may possibly be able to:
Stand holding onto someone or something - Check, he's still wobbly when he's holding on to anything but our hands.

Feed self a cracker - Check, just substitute mum mum for cracker

Object if you take toy away - I'm not sure, he just finds something else to do if we take a toy away.

Work to get a toy our of reach - Check

Pass a cube or other object from one hand to another - Check

Look for a dropped object - Check, he throws everything off his exersaucer.

Rake a raisin and pick it up in fist - Check, except replace raisin with Cheerio

Turn in the direction of a voice - Check, for like a hundred years.

Babble, combining vowel consonant sounds - No, he prefers to screech and squeal.

...may even be able to
Pull up to standing position from sitting - Not without a bunch of help, he tries though.

Get into a sitting position from tummy - Nope

Pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger - Check, but not regularly

Say Mama or Dada indiscriminately - I've heard him say "mum", but unfortunately not yet!

So it looks like he's pretty on par, and we have many things to practice for the end of the month.




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Review: 5 Months

Monster is coming up on his 6 month-iversary and with that comes a whole new set of milestones and experiences.

Despite my excitement, I have to admit that so far the 5th month has been my favorite (if I had to pick one)!

Monster has changed so drastically since his birth, and since he is my first child every little change and milestone reached is a cause for celebration.

In the 5th month Monster has a wide variety of foods he enjoys (moan worthy enjoyment) eating. Mostly fruits and veggies, some cereals, and a couple different finger foods.

His favorite way to play is sitting on the floor (on his own) and smacking his toys on the floor, or throwing toys off his exersaucer and onto our cats head.

My comedians newest fascination is with his own voice. Each morning I am greeted with an endless stream if screams and screeches between the most handsome smiles and giggles. Hubbs and I swear we've heard a couple words amongst his screeches, like "hi", "hey", and "mum". However I'm not sure he even knows what or how he did it.



Every single month I greet with sheer joy knowing it holds new things for our family and little Monster.




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Genes (Looks Vs. Personality)

Every single day Monster changes. His looks, his personality, his size never stay the same for long.

It's really no surprise to me when someone says "Holy he looks just like his dad!" or "Wow, Darryl Mini-Me!" because trust me, I see it too. Those genes are just too strong to deny. Even so, anyone who knows me well can see that Monsters personality is very similar to mine.

Once a bedtime routine was firmly planted into his day, and into his mind it is something that needs to be followed. One can chalk that up to an infants need for structure, and not just a personality trait passed down for his mommy but there are other things to support my theory.

When I am frustrated and on the verge of a meltdown I need to be alone. I need to retreat to my bedroom for about 10 minutes to focus on what the hell is the matter with me before I say or do something I will regret. Monster is already showing signs of following my foot steps.

As soon as he gets frustrated for one reason or another, simply lying him in his crib with the mobile going will calm him almost instantly. Sure enough when we collect him 10 minutes later he is all smiles and belly laughs.

Things might not also be this way for him, but it is ok with me if he continues to look like his daddy; but act like his mommy... As long as he ends up with his daddy's amazing sense of humor.

When it comes to infant personality development, only time will tell!





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Infant Bouncy Chair -- Help to Hazard

I married into a decent sized family who are all still very close. Most importantly, that means hand-me-downs are pretty easy to come by.

Amongst the hand-me-downs I received when Monster was born was a simple wire bouncy chair. My sister in law boasted that it was a godsend and for the last 5 months is certainly has been!

When I became a mother the only way that I could hang on to my sanity and independence was to do my hair and put on my face every single day. I feel good about myself starting my day if I feel like I look presentable. Somedays Monster wouldn't allow me to get to that comfortable point until well into the afternoon, but I made sure I got to it.

That's were the bouncy seat came to great use. It's been an almost permanent fixture on my bathroom counter since Monsters birth. Each day I would plunk him in it and start my personal morning routine while he supervised.

Recently though, Monster has surpassed the "Sitting up Unsupported" milestone and often uses his core muscles to lean forward in the bouncy seat to get a closer look at something on the floor or counter. Therefor my helpful morning tool has now become a deadly (maybe not deadly, but very painful) hazard for Monster.

Just like the infant carrier car seat, my trusty wire bouncy seat will now have to be retired to the storage area with the rest of the things Monster has prematurely outgrown. Not to mention that I will have to find some other way to occupy Monster each morning...

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3 Cheers for Cheerios!

Feeding Monster has definitely become a favorite hobby of mine since he began eating solids.

On my fridge hangs a chart of baby foods sent to me by Heinz along with a free sample and some coupons. Thank you again Heinz! The chart has a list of "beginner" baby foods, and places beside each food to write the date and how your baby enjoyed (or did not enjoy) the food. It also has lists of stage 2, 3, and 4 baby foods with the same charting system.

It's been very handy in the process of recording how long it's been between each new food. However I think I will be developing my own similar charting system once 6 months rolls around and the types of foods Monster can eat/try widens greatly.

For about two weeks now I've been giving Monster a baby Mum Mum rice snack here and there. It's the perfect food to judge how the chewing process is developing in your infant. They devolve almost instantly, but babies have to make the chewing motion in order to break off a piece.

(Please note the APP and BC Interior Health Authorities do not recommend feeding your infant solids until they are 6 months old, everything I feed my Monster is at my own risk.)

He does really well with chewing, but like I said in my previous post Preparing for Solids I'm not really surprised at how quickly he learns when it comes to food. Today I decided to give him Cheerios for his new food. I'm not nuts, our public health nurse gave us a list of 6 month appropriate finger foods and they were on it!

He did fantastically! He doesn't quite have the pincher grasp down, so when he picked them up they ended up in his fist as apposed to his mouth. He chewed them until they broke down and softened then swallowed them like a champion!

Yes, I am one proud mama! ;)

Infant Oral Health

I will admit, before becoming pregnant I did not realize how important infant oral health actually is.
BC Interior Health suggests that parents use a damp cloth to clean their infants gums at least twice a day basically from birth onwards. I am orally obsessed, yes that sounds dirty (haha), I love brushing, flossing, rinsing, and going to the dentist. Even someone so obsessed with good oral hygiene couldn't imagine why a parent would have to be so concerned with an infants gums.

In the beginning I wasn't very diligent with cleaning Monsters gums because I barely had time to breathe between feedings, diaper changes and everything else that comes with caring for a newborn.

Now that Monster is older and likes to grab and hold things he's been practicing brushing his teeth with his infant gum cleaning brush thing. Every morning after breakfast Monster joins me in the bathroom while I fix my hair, brush my teeth and put on my face. He sits patiently, with a huge grin in his bouncy chair on the counter (or floor -- depending on how much he feels like leaning forward or to the side) next to me. I run the cold water over his gum brush and the hand it to him. Like the spoon he's actually got decent aim when it comes to putting things in his mouth.
When he gets the gum brush into his mouth he mimics the motions mommy is making with her hands and tooth brush. Since oral hygiene is so important to me I am ecstatic to see Monster learning enthusiastically the foundation of tooth and mouth care.

Monthly Photo Shoots

I love to take photos. I wish to someday become an amateur photographer in my spare time. That is if I acquire an amazing camera, skills, and spare time. This inner passion of digitalizing every day and memory has sparked a monthly routine.

Every month on the date Monster was born (the 6th) we have our own personal photo shoot, just me, him, my pug-kid and sometimes the Hubbs. I hope to be able to make a collage of the first year of his life to hang on my wall, because everyone knows infants change so quickly!

Today was Monster's 5th month Birthday and so we celebrated by taking photos, and having plenty of laughs with LOLA on the floor for tummy time. I've edited a couple -- I love you picnik- enjoy!!

Preparing for Solids - The Pictures

Yesterday I blogged about Monster adventure in feeding himself his sweet potatoes (Preparing for Solids). Since I was blogging on my phone, I didn't have the opportunity to post photos of it!

Here they are! :)

For the last couple of days, he's been eating the whole jar! He loves his fruit and veggies!

Today was another new food/eating milestone. I gave Monster puree'd green beans for the first time, and he gobbled them right up. This is unbelievable because usually he cringes the first time he has a new flavor. Weird-oh baby!

All Clothes are Not Created Equally.

When it comes to baby clothes, sizes are all over the map for my Monster. Yes, it is overwhelmingly frustrating!

Ok, I get that he is a big boy! Why do the clothing companies have to conspire against us to make me feel like he looks like a toddler at 5 months? Warning: I've gone into dramatic mode.

When Monster was born, he was a little too small for the 0-3 month clothing we had on hand, but he was born far too big to make it worth buying anything in newborn. I was right, as he fit into his 0-3 month clothing by the time he reached about 2 weeks old.

Since then, he hasn't stopped! From what I've found, the infant clothing brands sold at our local big box store (Zellers, HBC); Cherokee and Little Tikes fit generally as the tags say they will. The swim trunks he wore at the beach today were 3-6 months (Little Tikes), fit him perfectly and he is barely 5 months old.

However, if we decide to shop at Walmart for any clothing we have to round up. A lot. Walmart does not have much to chose from in the way of size 6-9 month clothing. Rounding up? Monster is just a little too small for a 12 month outfit from George brand clothing. That is WAY off the charts for clothing sizes.

Please Mum is a higher quality children's clothing store (brand) that thankfully fits Monster dead on! It's obviously a little more expensive then Walmart, but in most cases to do with Walmart, you get what you pay for. I've never actually boughten him anything from Please Mum, except for 4 shirts on major clearance sale. The rest of his Please Mum has been gifts.

The rate of Monster's growth, and the differences in sizing wouldn't be too much trouble if I were a millionaire and could afford to buy him his clothes as he needed it, not having to result in SALE HUNTS! I love a good deal, especially on infant clothing that Monster is going to grow out of in a month or two. Ideally I would like to sale hunt, pre-buy his clothing a season in advance (example: buy out the clearance summer clothes from this year, in a size he can wear next summer) and be set. Who's to say what size he'll be in in a year?

As a parent, how did you live modestly with a growing Monster(s)?

My Son, the Klepto Baby

One of the greatest joys in birthing your very own offspring is watching them reach, and surpass milestones.

Monster started reaching for his toys, batting at them, and yanking on them just over 3 months ago. Since then he has been working hard to develop his fine motor skills, and dexterity. In the last two week, he has gotten ridiculously good at grabbing and stealing things!

I've nicknamed him Klepto-Baby, because each and everything I hold in my hands he reaches over and steals (ultimately to try and shove into his mouth). Actually, statement correction: I don't even have to be holding it, it just has to be in reaching distance. Monster enjoys very much "helping" mommy use her phone, or eat her food.

Which, in fact is where I think it all stemmed from. We started feeding Monster solids earlier then most. He first tired rice cereal at 3 and a half months old, and since then has a large list of fruit and veggies he enjoys on a daily basis. My theory is that since I feed him with a spoon, he thinks everything from my hands should go into his mouth.

That theory is easily dissolved with the shear fact that most babies pick things up, and stick them into their mouths.

Contemplating a 6 month old's diet: Bottle Vs. Solids

Since we've started Monster on solids, I've tried to develop mealtimes for him so that he learns a routine when it comes to eating. We feed him a fruit and cereal breakfast, then veggies for lunch and supper with all the appropriate bottles in between. He drinks approximately 40 ounces of infant formula a day, with said meals between.

Our current day looks something like this:

6-8am: Monster wakes up - 8 ounce bottle

9-10:30am: 2nd breakfast - Fruit and Rice Cereal
10-11:30am: 2nd breakfast continued - 5 ounce bottle

12:30-1pm: Lunch - Veggies
2-4pm: Afternoon pre-nap snack - 8 ounce bottle

5-6:30pm: Supper - 6-8 ounce bottle, and veggies
7:30-9pm: Bedtime Bottle - 8 ounces

Sometimes we end up skipping the veggies at lunch, and the ounces per bottle vary (give or take about two ounces) depending on his hunger that day, or his growth.

What I'm contemplating, is how much things are going to change once he reaches the six month age, and his food varieties grow immensely. When you start introducing foods and meal times it's supposed to begin replacing breast milk or infant formula (not completely) but at what time does the solids meal out rank the meal from the boob or bottle?

Monster and his Daddy

I was finally able to get a couple shots of Monster with his Daddy the other night. It's hard to catch them both in a willing mood at the same time! I think it turned out adorably!

I love my boys! :)

The Start of a Sturdy Monster

Monster practicing his next infant milestone. Sitting up on his own.