The new Royal and thoughts...

Pictures from eonline.com

Congrats to Will and Kate and Baby Cambridge, haha! Interested to hear what the little babe's name will be. I'm betting on Charles or William but I bet I will be surprised!

The unveiling!

...Yes I am an obsessed Royal watcher. I bought the commemorative Magazines, bought the DVD of the Royal Wedding, even had a replicate of the engagement ring until I felt like a weirdo wearing it lol. I think it MAY have something to do with them being married a few months before Jesse and I, and having baby boys the same year (we TOTALLY have a special, unspoken bond - ha!), but also, as a lover of European History (I hope to someday in the not too distant future have a degree in it (aspiring to be a historian or curator one day), or be entering a masters program for archaeology. I dream of one day living in England. Whether it be for a summer, year or the rest of our lives, I very much hope it will happen some day. Honestly, I detest the instant gratification or whatever the word is that I am looking for of America. I hate that we tear down old buildings for modern giants, disregard tradition and elegance and culture, and especially that we don't travel. Now I am sure there are people in Europe that have limited traveling history but here we work to live and it takes SO much time and money to travel and see what our country has to offer. In Europe, it's much more relaxed, much more about the past and respect, and traveling is so much easier. They seem to really make it a priority to see their sights and I adore that.

Okay, long rant. Long story short, I cannot wait to jump the pond with the hubby and kid(s).

Can I say again I love these two?? So refreshing to see them put baby in a car seat....

...and the dad drives away with mom gushing over baby in the back. So relatable. So "normal"

In other news, I don't know WHAT to do about Andrew's poor face. The soy seemed to clear up his rash for a bit but it is back. We haven't tried any new foods, detergent, soap, etc. but there it is. Next step is getting hypo-allergenic formula. Also, Jesse and I are both reluctantly accepting that we are going to feel like horrible people bringing Andrew in for his circumcision on Wednesday -- so not looking forward to this. I'm sure if Andrew understood what was going to be happening, he would probably feel even more so that way.

Today marks only 3 weeks left before we travel to Minnesota to see friends and family!! Our plans while there have changed a bit, and somewhat disappointingly in some areas, but being able to introduce our besties, and families to the little munchkin is going to be wonderful. We just gotta make it through the plane rides. Which I am starting to get nervous about. 2 crashes recently...not good for my worry-wart tendencies... I know we'll be fine I just get anxiety.

Here are the sites I used/ am using for info and inspiration:

• planning
• ticketing
• baggage
• etc.

Well, off to get some cuddle time with my main man-- wish us luck tomorrow!

Leaving you with a few pics of our happy, full baby boy <3

Updates!

Well today was Andrew's six month check-up.

He is in the 90th percentile for head circumference, around 60th for weight, and off the charts for height lol...

Andrew is now just over 18lbs and is 29" long!! He is growing SO FAST.

At this doctor's appointment we got to chat a lot with the doc-- I wasn't sure about him in our pre-baby interview but now I am so glad I went with Jesse's gut because Dr. Shah is fabulous! He is so great with Andrew, very patient and understanding and SO helpful! We got tips on travelling-- the standard bottle or paci during take-off and landing and the benadryl (yes we will test it out beforehand if we decide to go that route).

Not sure if anyone has noticed his slight face rash but it's relentless. It started around 3 or 4 months and gets SO bad sometimes. We began rubbing Aquaphor Eucerin into his cheeks and forehead every night and morning but it still never really goes away, just doesn't get AS bad. So Shah is switching us to soy-based formula. He thinks it may be a reaction to the formula (He started on formula around 3 months). So we will start trying this out today and fingers crossed it takes care of the issue!

Lastly, we have had SUCH a time trying to get Andrew circumcised. At the hospital it got lost in translation so we lost the chance to have my OB do it, then during our stay a nurse said she didn't think our insurance covered it (which we later found out it did), so we lost that chance. We have contacted SO many places and now Andrew's insurance will no longer cover it. So our plan was to use our Care Credit card, but we've been so busy with working, blogging, plans, and baby that we haven't yet looked around for who does it.

Well, turns out Andrew has something called Phimosis, which is a medical condition which allows us to get Andrew circumcised under his current insurance. It's nothing too serious, and in the end it all works out.

We're starting to get things together for our trip to MN next month, it's coming up so fast!!! Thankfully Jesse's parents have a Pack n' Play for us to use while up north which helps SO much. Now it's just a matter of getting the rest of the baby crap into our checked bag haha!

Okay and for real, lastly.... today we introduced Andrew to the Soy formula, sippy cup, and organic rice cereal!! He did great! It took a few bites but then he loved it and it seemed to go down well too. So excited for this new chapter! :)

Leaving you with many rice-cereal-eating photos! TTFN! <3

First bite!

Andrew is SIX MONTHS OLD!!!!

"Paging Mister Personality! There he is, smiling, waving, talking, and entertaining anyone in his orbit. Your baby is also ready to explore a bit more, so beware his impulse to touch (and taste) everything and anything within his reach (including dog biscuits and poop!). He's probably able to bear weight on his legs when you hold him upright and may even be ready to hit the road, albeit at a crawl. Some little acrobats can pull themselves into a standing position or get into a sitting position when placed on their tummies. Stimulating your now-older baby requires new activities that'll help boost large and small motor skills as well as social, intellectual, and language skills. Get ready for the third round of immunizations (and remind your practitioner in advance of any previous reactions) at the 6-month checkup.

In other news, plenty of babies (really, not just yours) are still not sleeping through the night— so this may be a good time to consider some sleep strategies. Your growing baby may also be ready to make the move to the big bathtub: Start slowly (a dry run in the empty big tub can ease the way), and always practice safe tub-time. Nursing moms who have yet to offer a bottle might be in for a bit of a battle once you do, but there are ways to win over your picky man. If your baby's got teeth, it's not too soon to start brushing baby's teeth (with a baby toothbrush only, please). And speaking of teeth, the best way to keep your baby's choppers (and gums) in good shape is to avoid baby-bottle mouth (the result of falling asleep regularly with a bottle — or breast — in her mouth). What else is up? Perhaps your baby's appetite — so now's the time to consider dietary dos and don'ts, such as introducing new foods one at a time and avoiding certain foods altogether (steer clear of citrus fruits until the eighth month and honey until after her first birthday)."

--Whattoexpect.com

...Wow. Our little man is SIX MONTHS OLD today!!! SO insane.... I cannot believe it has been six whole months. Although in a way it seems like just yesterday we came home from the hospital with him.

New developments (I'm thinking this should be a regular occurrence on these posts from now on):

• Sitting on his own, supporting himself on his hands-- he even catches himself if he begins to fall over and is now experimenting with letting go of the floor and sitting straight up!
• He is getting EXTREMELY interested in solid foods. We really wanted to wait the full 6 months, and our pediatrician agrees so I think next week will be the week Andrew gets his first taste of Rice Cereal (organic o'course!) It is so cute, he stares open-mouthed as you eat and even reaches for the food. He is gonna gobble that cereal up haha!
• STILL sleeping through the night. Funny how everyone says immediately "Wait 'til your next one"... what is with parents who constantly say things like that?? We know we are dang lucky, we say it all the time. If our next kid is nuts, whatever but can you let us enjoy our many blessings for a while without being pessimistic?? LOL
• Andrew is now sleeping extremely well without a pacifier OR swaddle pod. And putting him down for bed is heart-achingly precious. We give him a  sandwich kiss (which gives him the giggles), lay him down, I hold his arms up while Jesse swoops in with the blanket and tucks him in, and then we hold out his stuffed elephant. He smiles and reaches out for it and usually ends up smiling, gabbing away and waving the elephant around as we whisper good night and sneak out. SO sweet.
• He reaches for things like a pro. My new favorite activity with him is to lean him up against the back of the couch and line toys up on the top. He reaches for things one by one and examines them.
• He also ADORES this toy. We sit him up, hold it sideways in front of him and ask him to take each ring off by color. He looooves taking them off and examining/ tasting them and is starting to be interested in putting them back on but has not figured that one out yet.
• Babbling!! Lots of bah-wah and ba-ba and even an om-nom here and there :)
• He loves taking showers!!! After swimming or the beach, we wear our swimsuits in the shower, strip baby down and wash him off-- he can't stop grinning and chatting!
• We THINK he is teething. For quite a while now he has been drooling buckets and chomping on his fingers but now he is starting to also chew on everything else he can get his hands one, has one or two white spots on his upper gums and really like cold teething rings. Also a bit more fussy and some grabbing his ears (yes we are on the lookout for signs of ear infections as well due to that last one)
• He loves touching peoples faces.
• He imitates sounds-- most recently, blowing raspberries  The other day he and I blew them back and forth at each other :)
• One of the funnest things is when you say something or make a sound or laugh-- he will stare SO fixedly at your mouth and then look up and grin or giggle until you do it again and then gets all focused on your mouth again. So clever. But I may be biased ;)
• And last but not least, he stares intently at every page of every book we read him and even helps turn the pages!

Our little man sitting all by himself!

Wellllllll, we have baby's 6 month check up on Monday-- of course y'all will get another post after :)

TTFN! <3

Saying bye-bye to the Paci and yay for new jobs!

So most of the things I've been reading have said to not let your baby go over a year with a pacifier, and me being so OCD lately of course began thinking we immediately needed to work on this (this was at 4 months). Jesse calmed me down and we agreed we'd begin trying at 6 months. 

Now, Andrew isn't THAT attached to his paci. He often doesn't use one whatsoever when he is awake but he sleeps and naps with his paci, so we weren't sure how well this would go down.

About a week ago, I put Andrew to bed at night without his pacifier. He screamed and cried for about 40 or 45 minutes. I went in every ten minutes to rock him, re-start his lullabye music, and just calm him down.

The second night, it was about 30 minutes of half-hearted crying.

Third night, maybe 15 minutes of crying pretty hard.

Fourth night, 5-10 min.

Fifth night, hardly a peep.

And he's been quiet ever since.

They say it takes between 3 and 5 nights to make changes like these.

Lol

Jesse has been a big advocate for swaddling and we have a Swaddlepod we use for every nap and night sleep. Well,we recently did some research and found that they suggest to stop around 4 months. So we started taking it away for naps. It took two days but it seems to be working out fine now. Plus when you go wake him up he has is legs uncovered and up in the air and has a huge grin on his face so I think he is enjoying it hehe :)

Currently we are at a lull using the swaddle pod only at night and the pacifier only during naps but once he's good and used to it we will start taking away the paci for naps as well. It happened a lot faster than I thought it was going to but in hindsight, it's really great! 

We are travelling to MN to visit friends and family in August and so it's working out nicely. This way, we're hoping he will be able to sleep anywhere. But we will have the pod and the paci along just in case :)

In OTHER news, congrats to the hubby for landing a FULL TIME JOB!!! Yay for regular, scheduled hours and healthcare for our whole family! :)

In addition, I was able to start doing transcription work at home so I am hoping to pay our rent and *maybe* utilities every month so we can start a real savings account. Our whole $30 is gettin' pretty lonely haha

Well, I think that's all for now. Just looking forward to the summer-- we have fishing, beach dates, a wedding, etc. to be had PLUS our 8 day trip to MN, my 25th and our 2 year wedding anniversary! We're going to try to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter tee hee :)


***UPDATE: Andrew does NOT use the swaddle pod OR paci for sleeping or naps anymore and he is one happy bambino! :-D

Happy Independance Day!!

Went straight to the beach after breakfast

And we were COLD-- I know, I know... BAD NATIVE MINNESOTANS! haha

Grilled for late lunch-- baked beans, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, mexican grilled corn and apple pie bites and s'mores for desert :)

Play time on the patio

Daddy grilling-- it stormed for a bit so we lit candles to brighten it up a bit

S'mores, gin rummy and lots of beer

Fireworks in Channelside!

...So, yeah. This kind of sums up our day! Beach in the AM, came home and grilled while slurping strawberry cocktails. Ate a late lunch while Andrew played. Enjoyed Andrew's smiles and showed him a sparkler. Put him down for a nap and played Gin Rummy while making s'mores and drinking beers. Then went downtown for fireworks. We got a great seat, and it was a great display. Andrew ate for about 1/2 of it, and then we cuddled him from either side and all watched. When the finale started he did a double take and made THE cutest "Ooooooooooo" face, it was priceless!

We came home and put him to bed right away (It was an hour after his usual bedtime). He was so smiley and happy! When Jesse is home to put him to bed we give him a big sloppy kiss on either cheek and he giggled!! So fun :)

He also is weaned off of the swaddle pod and paci for sleeping and naps- yay! He adores being tucked in and gleefully grabs his elephant, cuddles with it and smiles up at us as we turn on his mobile and leave-- how cute is this kid??????

Cannot believe he will be 6 months old in 4 days..... he is growing up way too fast!!!!! But we are loving every moment of it :-D