Fussbutt

This past week, the teachers at daycare have noticed that I've been kinda cranky. Usually I'm outgoing and smiley and happy, but oh no, not this week. I cried and whined and was generally not a fun baby to be around at times. The reason? I'm getting my first tooth! It's a bottom right one, and it's just poking through my gums a little bit. After Mommy and Daddy noticed it, they gave me some baby Tylenol, which really helepd my mood, and some baby Orajel, which I HATED! I tried to spit it out, but seeing as how I can't spit yet, and it was rubbed on my gums, I didn't have much luck with that.

Despite being fussier than usual, I still had a pretty good weekend. Saturday Mommy and I went on our second playdate, with Owen and Rosco. Owen taught me a really fun noise, kind of like gargling, that I've added to my repertoire for when I'm tired and fussy (which has been a lot the last couple days!). We're on to pears now, and I LOVE them cold mixed with applesauce. Sunday morning Mommy had to give me seconds of them, I enjoyed them so much! She tried to sneak me peas and carrots instead, since they were already thawed and ready to eat, but I wouldn't have anything to do with them. I made my happy raptor noise (kind of a shriek, like, "Ahhhhhh-Eeeeeeeeeee-Ughhhhhhhhhhh") until my second helping of fruit was ready. On Sunday Mommy and I got up early (I refuse to sleep late on weekends) and went to Lowes to pick out flowers and vegetables. I helped her push the cart and put everything in it. I loved looking at all the bright flowers. Later in the day, I helped Mommy plant everything. I lay on a blanket and watched her. It felt so nice to be outside in the sun!

I'm hoping my new tooth comes in quickly, because I don't like being fussy. Plus, Daycare Tyler's grandma thinks he may be getting a tooth soon too, and I want to beat him! Not that growing up is a competition. But it's still nice to be hitting milestones before other babies!

Just a fluke?

I slept through the night last night! I've been sleeping longer and longer at night all week. Will I be able to do it again tonight? Mommy and Daddy sure hope so!

It all started Sunday night. Daddy realized that I'm "playing" Mommy. See, all mommies are wired to react when they hear their babies cry. I don't like sleeping by myself, so I figured out that if I cry enough at night, Mommy will come into my room and either rock me to sleep or, if she's tired enough, just take me back into her bed, where I can snuggle up to her like a little heat-seeking missile and kick her to my heart's content. Daddy caught on, though. He realized that I wasn't hungry, just manipulative, so he said, "No more." Sunday night I was left to cry in my crib for about twenty minutes before I fell asleep.

But:

• Monday night I fussed for about two minutes, then went right to sleep and slept until 4:00.
• Tuesday night I fussed for about 30 seconds, rolled around for about ten minutes, and then slept until 2:00. Someone stuck a pacifier back in my mouth and I went back to sleep until 5:00.
• Wednesday night I didn't fuss at all. I went right to sleep at 7:30 and slept until 5:00!

I don't know what's helping me sleep through the night - the bubble bath that's "clinically proven to help babies sleep" that Daddy's been pouring into my bath, eating solids, or the new lady at daycare who seems to have a magic touch with babies - but whatever it is, Mommy and Daddy are happy and hope it continues!

Banishment

Since my umbilical cord fell off when I was about three weeks old, Mommy and Daddy have been giving me baths in a baby tub in the sink. I love my baths! They're part of my evening routine - dinner with Mommy and Daddy, solids for me (if I'm feeling cooperative!), bath, PJs, milk, story, sleep (again, if I'm feeling cooperative!). We only use soap every other night so my skin doesn't dry out. The other nights I get to splash around and chew on my rubber ducky. Well, Saturday night Mommy and Daddy decided that they had had enough. Not only did I kick water on the floor, but I also managed to get it all over the counters, window, wall, and parents. I made a HUGE mess! So, it was decided that my baby bathtub and I would be moved to the big bathtub. That way, when I kick like a motorboat, I won't make quite as big a mess.
Well, Sunday night was my first night in the big tub, and boy, did I prove Mommy and Daddy wrong! Mommy was pretty well drenched when I was through. I hunched myself down in the tub, as submersed in water as I could possibly get and kicked up a storm. Unfortunately Mommy sat me up before I could drink any of the water, so I just contentedly chewed on my duck and enjoyed my transition to the big tub.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Here's a list of things I like, for those of you who don't get to see me on a daily basis:

1. Food. I've changed my mind and will now eat everything. So far, Mommy's given me bananas, applesauce, carrots, and sweet potatoes. The best by far are applesauce and carrots. I like carrots so much (probably because Mommy ate them everyday while she was pregnant) that I've started storing them for later. Best hiding places: my nose and my ears. I rub my hands all over my face, then stick my fingers up my nose or in my ears. And voila! Orange boogers!
2. Hawaiian shirts. I think I inherited this from Daddy, who really likes them too. But don't I look good?
3. Baths. I splash water all over Mommy, Daddy, the counter, the walls, the floor... basically, anywhere and everywhere! Then, when I'm done splashing around with my rubber ducky, I get to become Burrito Baby as I roll around in a big fluffy towel. Definitely a highlight of my day.

4. Noises. It doesn't matter who's making them, either. I laugh when Daddy blows raspberries on my belly. I've recently started sounding like a "demented Gremlin," as Daddy and Mommy describe it. This noise goes best with when I try to fit my whole fist in my mouth. I'm almost there!
5. Sticking stuff in my mouth. Anything and everything; whatever I can get my chubby little hands on. I also enjoy holding on to stuff (blankets, stuff I'm putting in my mouth, my clothes, etc.).
6. Books! Mommy or Daddy reads to me every night, and I've just recently started paying attention to the stories and the pictures. So far, I'm a big fan of Dr. Seuss's rhymes and the drumming monkeys book.

Trip to Iowa

I just got back from the best trip ever! We went to Iowa for Easter so I could meet some of Mommy's family and friends. Here's a recap of our trip:

• 
  Thursday: I got to fly on a plane! The security lady at RDU was really nice - she let us take the elevator and bypass all the people trying to get through security. I slept on most of the flight from Durham to Minneapolis, and I didn't cry or fuss at all. At the airport during our layover, I got a little upset during lunch because I had the charm turned on, but no one was paying attention to me! I stayed awake during the whole flight from Minneapolis to Moline and played with the new toy Mommy and Daddy got me, an orange lizard with eyeballs that fit perfectly in my mouth. Grandpa picked us up at the airport, and I was so happy to finally meet him! We went over to his house for the afternoon, where I met my Uncle Kyle. He held me just long enough to take a picture (because Mommy made him), then went off to do who knows what. I threw a tantrum at Grandpa's because I was overwhelmed by all the traveling, but I calmed down eventually and went to sleep. Grandma picked us up and ran some errands with us. By this time I had my second wind and didn't fall asleep until almost 11 PM!



• Friday: Mommy and I woke up about the same time we do during the week, only with the time change it was 6 AM! Mommy made us breakfast, then we went shopping. I got to go to Mommy's absolute favorite store, Hobby Lobby. Daddy and I walked around making fun of the knickknacks while Mommy shopped in peace. After that we wandered around a mall, waiting for Grandma to get off work so we could go to lunch. That afternoon two of Mommy's friends from high school came over. Mary got me the coolest playmat! I love laying on it and grabbing and kicking the stuff hanging down. Mary brought her son, Kaleb. I can't wait till I'm big enough to play with other kids. We all went out to dinner together. Mommy and Daddy put me in the highchair, but I'm not quite big enough for it yet - plus I can't sit up on my own yet - so I kept falling over. I was a perfect angel during dinner! When we got back to Grandma's house, Grandma gave me a bath in the kitchen sink. She said it was like washing a turkey on Thanksgiving! I had fun though, squirming and trying to get my head under water.


• Saturday: Grandma took us shopping and bought me a bunch of cute new clothes. Then Mommy, Daddy, and I went to breakfast with Grandpa and Great-Grandma. She has two other great-grandsons and a great-granddaughter, but she was still so excited to see me! Daddy told me that the first time she met him (also out to breakfast at Village Inn, where they always meet for breakfast), she poured sugar on her pancakes and asked him, "Does this gross you out?" Well, she explained this time that she prefers sugar because syrup makes her pancakes too soggy. We took tons of pictures after we were done eating. Great-Grandma wanted tons with all four generations together. We went back to Grandma's house so I could take a nap and play. Grandma babysat me that night so Mommy and Daddy could go out to dinner by themselves. They had a good time, but it felt strange to them for me not to be there.


• Sunday: Since Grandpa Don has retired, he's starting dressing the part, which to him means wearing overalls. I sat on the couch with him to watch Nascar, and Mommy realized that the two of us matched! Grandpa Don loves cooking meat in his various smokers and deep fryers, so Grandma hosted Easter dinner for her family so they could meet me. There were so many people at her house: Great-Uncle Charlie and Great-Aunt Jean, five of their six kids, two spouses, and four of their grandkids; Great-Aunt Rose, her daughter, and two grandsons; Great-Aunt Liz; and my step-Uncle Kenny, step-Aunt Melanie, and step-cousins Cameron, Christopher, and Carter. I was on my best behavior! Everyone wanted to hold me, so I was passed around from person to person. I didn't cry at all! All the kids were running around the house yelling, but I still managed to get in a long nap. All my relatives were happy to see Mommy and Daddy, since they hadn't seen anyone since they were married, but they were especially happy to see me, since it's been about three years since anyone in the family had a baby. After all Mommy's family left, Kenny and Melanie and their kids stayed around for awhile. Carter, who's four months older than me, taught me how to make monkey noises. I can't wait till I can crawl and standup like he can; I'll get into so much trouble then! That evening, we went to Grandpa's house to drop off his birthday present, but we didn't stay too long because Mommy wasn't feeling very well.


• Monday: Time to fly home! Grandma took us to the airport, and Grandpa met us there to see us off. Mommy was still feeling pretty yucky, so I was a good baby and slept during the entire first flight. At the Minneapolis airport, I played on a blanket on the floor for awhile, so I was nice and tired for the flight and slept during most of it. Mommy and Daddy got mad at the airline because they didn't let people with small children board first, so they had to fight the crowd getting on the plane. Mommy thought we could get back at them if I cried during the whole flight, but I was nice and didn't. After I woke up from my nap, shortly before we landed in Durham, Mommy and Daddy lifted me up like a baby Whack-a-Mole so I could see all the people. One of the flight attendents complimented me on my behavior during the flight. Mommy and Daddy were very proud of me!

I had lots of fun this weekend! I had the chance to meet a bunch of relatives, fly on an airplane, and play with new toys. I was so well-behaved that Mommy and Daddy think they'll take trips with me more often. I can't wait!

Too big for my britches

I'm such a big baby! I was 22 inches when I was born, and now I'm up to about 27, which is about the 75th percentile compared to other babies at five months. I seem to be taking after both my parents; I have Daddy's height and Mommy's build, so basically I'm a beanpole. That means that it's very difficult to find me clothes that fit. I have a narrow waist and long legs. Sometimes when you hold me up and I wiggle, my jeans fall right off! This also means that I can't wear clothes with feet in them. Mommy had to modify the pajamas that Aunt Marsha bought me, since my legs were too long. All Mommy did was cut off the feet, not any of the leg part. And these are the PJs for 6-9 month olds!

Premonition of things to come?

Well, I've decided I like bananas (or banana-anas, as we call them here). Mommy and Daddy caved in to my daycare teachers' recommendations and bought me some of the nasty smelling pre-made bananas. I eat them all up! Maybe it's because Daddy sings the banana-ana song to me while I'm eating. I laugh and smile, and Mommy sticks the bananas in. Mommy is worried about me though. If I prefer store-bought, chemically-altered bananas to the real thing, what's next? Kraft macaroni and cheese rather than home-made Velveeta macaroni and cheese? Growing up to be a mullet-wearing Nascar driver? I better be careful, considering what my hair already looks like!