butternut squash

Jack's first taste of real food...butternut squash. He seems to enjoy pretty much anything he's been given to eat (milk, formula, cereal, now squash), so I think the transition to real food will not be a problem at all. This was also my first attempt at making baby food and I have to say that making your own food is completely worth it. I bought 1 butternut squash for $1 and it made 13 servings for Jack. Besides being cheap it was incredibly easy too. Here's a look at his first bites...

the exersaucer

This was one of those moments where I felt like I really understood Jack. He's been a bit unsettled during playtime recently. You can see that he's bored with laying flat on the floor, but he's not strong enough to sit up and enjoy the world that way on his own just yet. So, in efforts to entertain and make life more interesting for him, I bought an exersaucer. And when I say "I" bought it, that's because I'm the one who found it on craigslist and carried it (literally carried it) the 12 blocks home. It was totally worth it too. We put Jack inside it and he lit up! He started spinning all around taking in each and every toy. It was pure joy. Now Jack has a better playtime option and I have a new babysitter:)

little giggles

Baby laughs have to be one of the sweetest sounds ever. Jack has sort of a grunting laugh that you have to work for, but it's totally worth it.

back on track

Jack had his official 6 month check up today and it was a good day with Dr. Grant. After 2 months of "extra care" to Jack's weight needs (meaning he is about 2/3 breastfed and 1/3 bottle fed), I think we have it all figured out since he now weighs 16lbs 1 oz! He has moved from the 9% to the 21% in just 1 month! Way to go Jack! And if I may say so, Way to go Mommy!

Apart from the good news of weight, we also talked about introducing Jack to solid foods. Since we won't see Dr. Grant for another 3 months there was a lot to go over. I expected the conversation to include things like vegetables and fruits, but she threw me for a loop when she said at the end of our conversation to start giving him cheerios and a sippy cup....WHAT?!? How is it possible that Jack can be allowed to have these things? Dr. Grant saw the shocked looked on my face and laughed. "You'd think I just told you your son is going off to college!" I'm not overly dramatic about Jack's growing up, but this one really threw me. Cheerios and a sippy cup mean a baby much older than Jack...and in my mind it means you're moving out of the "baby stage". Needless to say, I haven't run out to buy these things for him just yet:)

rooftop photos

Just a little rooftop photo shoot...Jack's first, although I'm sure it won't be his last.

cooking with mommy

Happy 6 Month Birthday Jack!

Each month that passes always poses the same question...how did it go so fast? 6 months is a big milestone in my mind and I am definitely asking that question right now. Jack is such a big boy and I feel like we're on the verge of a lot of changes.

6 month thoughts...
*"That boy's got a lot of face!" We say this to Jack out of love because as he catches up in weight, he shows it all in his face:)
*We're a big boy now and proof of that is that he can hold his own bottle. He's been doing it for a little while now, but he's only gotten better at it.
*Oh the spit up! We thought we were in the clear the first few months of Jack's life with this, but it was not so. Turns out, the reflux begins to show itself around 4-6 months and it definitely has shown itself with Jack. He's as cute as can be, but be sure to have a burp cloth when you hold him.
*Jack's new love language? Patting and smacking. It's truly adorable. He just puts his little hand on you/your arm/your face and pats away. It's such a sweet little gesture.
*First self-inflicted injury this month. I thought he needed new toys this last month, so I bought him 6-12 month toys to play with. Most of these toys are just a bit harder than his other toys and since he's used to being able to just fling things around, it was inevitable that he would fling one into his little face. It really was so sad! He was happily playing and then he bonked his head, paused, then wrinkled his face and started screaming. Cause and effect is still a little lost on him, so I'm sure this won't be the last time it happens, but hopefully we'll learn quickly.
*Another sad first, Jack's first cold. I suppose I should be grateful that it took 6 months before this happened, but mostly I was just on edge about it. It wasn't serious, but it was the most pitiful 4 days for sure. Poor baby was all stuffed up, so he couldn't sleep (which also means I couldn't sleep), he was sneezing all the time, and just looked all around sad. But we got over it quickly and all is well now.
*Some happier firsts...first trip to the beach! First time swimming in dumpster pools. First time celebrating Alan and my birthdays. First time sleeping 10 straight hours. First time in the BOB stroller.
*We still LOVE to kick. Something about this just makes us so very happy. Soccer player? Maybe.
*We don't like to be held like a baby and we don't often like to sit still, but we always like to stand. It's actually a full proof way to know if he's tired too, if he's cranky even when he's standing it's time for bed.
*So many new sounds. We're exploring our voice everyday. We can scream now (and we do). We talk a lot. And we have this sort of breathy exhaling sound we do pretty often too.
*We sleep on our stomach now. The big no-no of infancy matter no more since Jack can move and decide how to sleep on his own...and he chooses to be on his stomach.
*He still is such a happy baby! We are constantly falling more in love with him each day.

BEACH WEEKEND

It's the end of summer and it's about time for a beach trip with Jack. To make it more fun though, we decided to do a full weekend getaway with friends in the ROCKAWAYS! (Oh, and it also happened to be my birthday on Friday.) We already knew we had the best friends, but this weekend only reaffirmed this. The Rockaways gave us lots of entertainment...it's not quite the beach town most people vacation at, but we made the most of it. We may not vacay in the Rockaways again, but I do think we've started a summer tradition with friends.

Day 1...waking up with friends.

One of the highlights of the location had to be the walk up coffee stand (Jack's coffee) and taco stand.

Jack's first day at the beach!!

We were fine with the waves and the water, until it touched us...just a little too cold.

Aunt Katie lives up to her name...Aunt Awesome:) Truly, one of my favorite pictures.

Picnic dinner on the beach? Yes, please.

Happy Birthday to Jenny!

Day 2 waking up with friends!

True story...there were sharks in the water. So, of course we had to go look.

Jack loved the beach so much!

THE END