Soooo Big!

We were both sick last week. Spent lots of time reading books, sleeping and (gasp) watching children's television. However, even sick, N learned one new thing... if you ask him "How big is N?" he gets up on his knees, lifts his hands up in the air and waits for you to shout "Sooo big!"

Talking and sneezing

OK, now I'm sure N is saying 'cat'. We went to Vancouver to visit my sister and her family. They have a cat and two little dogs. N referred to them all as 'cat'. I'd point, say "there's the cat" and he'd point at them and reply "cat". Then squeal and scare them off. He even figured out the lucky cat at a restaurant we were at was still a cat.

One other thing he did last week. We were in bed and he started sneezing. After 3 sneezes each followed by my "bless you", he faked a few more sneezes. Very cute.

Wait there's more!

Yes, one more tooth. Didn't even notice this one coming in. Monday, N was a bit cranky and not napping well. He got a bit of a fever and flushed cheeks. Hubby asked if maybe he was teething. We checked, and a new tooth was already in!

Then there were six

One more tooth appeared this week. That's 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. The drooling has definitely slowed down, and the runny nose has stopped completely. Yay!

Cats

We went to the farm last weekend. There are 3 dogs, 4 indoor cats, and 2 outdoor cats. N was still a bit afraid of the dogs, especially after Gamma came up to him and gave him a big lick, but he was crazy about the cats. Every time he saw one, he'd let out a short high pitched squeek. It sounded almost like he was trying to say "cat". He didn't actually want to pet them, but did want to get nice and close.

Super Standing Guy

N's cousin loves playing Superhero. When he asked what N's superhero name was (N was about 3 months old), Super Baby was already taken. He became Super Standing Guy (since he loved to be pulled to a standing position). His superhero power? His great ability to barf.

Well, he's definitely Super Standing Guy now! He stood by himself at Kindermusik on Wednesday night, and has done it again a few times yesterday.

He doesn't spit up like he used to, so I'll have to figure out what his new superpower is.

They're in.....

Two new teeth! Let's hope the drooling slows down for a while.

Standing and a big fall

On Monday, N stood unsupported for the first time! I don't think he's quite ready to do this regularly... we were playing on the bed and he was standing and just let go. He stood by himself for about 5 seconds. Surprised both of us.

This was after the weekend of The Very Big Fall. He fell off the bed after a nap. I wasn't quick enough getting upstairs and I guess he crawled over the pillows I surround him with during his naps, and tried to get off the bed himself. He was fine. No bumps or bruises. He's now napping in the playpen, and the mattress is now on the floor. Box spring and bed frame are in the basement for now.

Feeding himself.

N is still not too interested in solid food, but last week, he started to feed himself. We were visiting friends and he was given a Baby Mum-Mum to try. He was quite happy to hold it and feed himself. After that, he started with the O's. Still not too interested in feeding himself his fruit or veggies, but I'm sure that'll come soon.

More teeth!

I knew it was coming... there's been a whole lot of drooling lately, and N has been waking up more at night.

Yesterday he got one upper tooth (not a middle one, but one to the side), and I can see 2 more making their way out!

Puzzle

We have a number puzzle (not exactly as shown) covering the hardwood floor for N to play on. He's recently figured out that it's a puzzle and can be pulled apart. He can get the edge pieces off, but has some trouble with the number sections. One, each piece is a fair size, so when he grabs a piece and stretches out his little arm all the way, it's still attached to the rest of the mat, and two, he's usually sitting on the piece he's trying to remove.

I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.

What do you call them...

So I meant to post about this before, but didn't know the word to use...
Over the last month or so, N has become quite proficient at giving fraps/zerbets/foops. It's quite funny. He usually starts doing it when I'm trying to get him to sleep. He knows it'll get me laughing and maybe get a few more minutes of awake time...

Waving

N started waving last weekend. We were out for dinner and I was walking around the restaurant with N (it was getting late and he was tired). A waitress passed by us and said 'hi' and waved. N automatically waved back! He's done it a few more times since, but not regularly yet.

Oh, and he has a new sound. Loud ear-splitting screech. Screamed in his dad's ear while dad was sleeping. Works better than any alarm clock in our house.

Noticing His Shadow

N found his shadow today. We were in bed... he was trying to not fall asleep. The lamp across the room was on, which cast a shadow on the wall at the head of the bed. He made a bee-line to it and started hitting the shadow with his hand. Then he'd move over and would notice the shadow following him. He yelled at it for a while.

Oh, and now that he's started to crawl, he's decided he wants to stand. All the time. He'll grab on anything or anyone and pull himself up. Then he doesn't know what to do.

Crawling

OK, I think I can now say N is crawling. For the last few weeks, he'd take one or two tentative steps and then sit back down. Today, he made it down the hallway. He still would stop after a few steps, but then he's get back up on his hands and knees and move a bit more. He tried the stairs too. Managed to get up the first step, but then wasn't sure what to do after that.

Finally... solids

N has had no real interest in solids since we started at six months. He might try a spoonful or 2 of something one day, and then would have nothing to do with it the next. It's still all breast milk for my little boy.

Well, last week I bought some Barbara's Breakfast O's (like Cheerios but sweetened with fruit juice). He'll eat those, if you give them to him one at a time. Then, a couple of days ago, I offered him some of my smoothie (banana, blueberry, watermelon, kale, rice milk and water) and he was all over it. He was trying to grab the glass out of my hand. Today, he had applesauce and sweet potato. A few spoonfuls of each!

Maybe it's the start of something.

First sign?

I've been trying to use sign language with N. I'm not all that consistent with it, but I'm trying. I think he used his first sign on Saturday... we were in the car, and I was sitting in the back seat with him. He's gotten into the habit of wanting to nurse while we're driving (started that bad habit when we were driving the 4 hours to visit his Babka), and I'm quite sure he made the sign for 'milk'! Usually, his sign for milk is to grab at my shirt and try to pull it off.

You don't want to see me angry....

N has a new angry cry... a deep loud groan. Sounds to me like he's turning into the Hulk! Maybe that should be his Halloween costume.

He also likes to make a new high-pitched short laugh. Over and over and over.

Peekaboo!

We play lots of peekaboo... I hide behind the shower curtain and do the peeking. He also enjoys having a blanket, his clothes or whatever else I find put over his head. He'll pull it off and I'll call peekaboo!

Last night, he ran the whole show. He pulled the blanket up to cover his face and waited for me to call "Where's N?". Then he'd drop it and giggle when I'd shout "Peekaboo!".

First Tooth!

Today was the day... N finally cut his first tooth. I should have guessed since it's the first time he's shown any interest in his Raz-Berry . He was chewing on it like crazy most of yesterday. However, he's determined to not let me touch it (his tooth that is). Any time I try to feel his gums, he clamps his lips shut and pushes out my finger. I only noticed when he gave me a bit of a bite while pushing my finger out.

His other new thing is gargling. We were playing on the bed and he would lie down on his back, gather up a bunch of saliva, and make gargling noises. Aaaah, he's a classy boy.

Six months and starting solids

Six months old last week... the time has flown by!

My little darling started eating solids with limited success. First off we tried a baked sweet potato. That went ok. The rice cereal was a huge disappointment. First day, he would push it out of his mouth and let it dribble down his chin. Then he remembered he can blow raspberries. N had a great time blowing it back out, mostly all over me. After 2 tries of that, we gave up. Then he caught me eating watermelon and thought that might be good. He gummed his way through a few small pieces, mostly getting the juice.

This weekend we went to visit his aunt, who gave him a pickle. That was even better than the watermelon! (not really on any first food lists, but it didn't seem to bother him - at least it was home made).

Today we tried a steamed pear. Again, back to blowing raspberries. We'll try that for one more day and then move on to a new vegetable.

Looks like it's time to move the high chair off the hard wood floor and onto the kitchen tile if the raspberry blowing keeps up. That and I need to start wearing a bib.

Pushups in his sleep

N has been having a more difficult time falling asleep recently. Usually I would nurse him as soon as I saw the first yawn and he'd go right to sleep. For the last few days, he would nurse for a bit, then roll around, nurse, roll around and cry for a couple of seconds, then eventually roll on his stomach, do a push up and look at me and smile. This would go on for a while and eventually he would fall asleep.

Tonight, after he had been asleep for a while, I heard a cry on the monitor. I went up to check on him and saw him lying on his stomach. Then, he did one of his push ups and smiled. When I got close to him, I noticed his eyes were still closed. Then he would lay down again for a few seconds and do another push up. Smiling and sleeping all the time.

He is just too cute!

First Folk Fest

N went to his first Folk Festival last weekend (unless you count last year when I was pregnant). We only went on Sunday, as the weekend was stinking hot here and spending the whole time outside would be too much for my little boy. We brought an umbrella for shade, his cute new hat from his aunt and uncle, and a few toys. Didn't really need the toys, as he was quite happy to flirt with anyone close enough to catch his eye.

It was a good day. Maybe next year we'll go for the whole weekend.

Check out N sitting all by himself! Just started last week and already he can sit alone for 10 minutes at a time. He likes the new view.

Swimming

N loves the water. He splashes like crazy and gets him, me, and anyone near by soaked. Notice the totally drenched hat.

Time to start looking for swimming lessons.

Mr. Grabby Hands

Until recently, N was more of a passive observer in life. He would play with his toys, but wasn't too interested in things out of his reach. Now, his little hands are constantly reaching out for whatever catches his eye; car keys, wind chimes, grocery bags. I've also noticed he's more likely to stare at what he wants, like to get in that bouncy car!

N's mirror buddy

N has looked at his mirror for a while now. He'll smile at the baby there, but it wasn't his favourite thing. Yesterday, he suddenly realized the mirror could move and that the baby in it was fun to talk to. Now he grabs it and pulls it towards him. Much giggling follows.

Chronology

My cousin said I should start a blog when Little Kicker was born, but I've put it off until now... I'm a really bad writer for one, lazy for 2.

Now that I've decided to do this, I was going to write everything about N's first 5 months before I wrote anything new. Well, that's not going to work. It's easier to write things as they happen. I'll still write about older things, just nothing will be in the correct order for a while.

Oh well.

What's in a name...

So, where is the name Kicker from?
When I was getting married, my nieces were discussing what they would call my soon-to-be husband Richard (should they call him Uncle, or stick with just Richard). Abby, who was 5 at the time, thought Kicker was a good name for him. Not sure where that came from.

When I got pregnant, Little Kicker was named.