A few fun facts for you, Cassius

* You peed on the potty twice yesterday!  (You've pooped a couple of times in the past, but peed for the first time!)
* I think I saw that you can roll your tongue yesterday.  Your dad and I both can roll our tongues but Mimi Tanner can not.  It's so much cooler to be able to roll your tongue.
* You almost rolled over the bathtub today and got a whole face full of water.  You didn't freak out too bad!
* You are starting to love to eat and look forward to it (new in the last week or so!)

You are so incredibly cool (and cranky on occasion!).  Love you!

Mama

5 months

Dear Cassius,

Five months! Really?  Already?  Yep.  Sure thing.  You are now over 5 months old and you continue to amaze me.  Let's see.. where are you now....

Right now you are sleeping, so we'll start with that.  You are starting to sleep like a champ (atta boy!!!).  You wake up at least once during the night to eat, but that's slowly going away.  You wake up a few other times too and sometimes (but not every time) you can get yourself back to sleep.  Your dad has been playing the part of "HeroDaddy" and going up to check on you.  He's doing a great job.  You are pretty darn consistent with a 6am wake up to feed.  That's one of my favorite times of the day because your dad brings you into our bed, you nurse and then we both fall back to sleep together.  We've been known to sleep past 9am if your dad is really quiet!

You are also starting to nap in your crib.  It all started with the intro of the lovey and it led to 2 long naps today!  You seem to prefer napping in there to the stroller or carseat now, which I think is a good thing.  You still love to be worn but you seem to prefer to look out.  Just today I wore you on my back on our walk and you seemed to dig it, until you fell asleep.

You still love being outside.  It will soothe you almost every time.  You've been hanging out on our newly sodded lawn and with your dad outfront.  You guys check out all the plants together.  Today you watched Sibley play with her ball in the grass and were completely blowing your dad off.  He was trying to sing to you, to tap your toes, anything... but you were fixated watching the dog.

You also love music.  Your Papa Ron loves to sing to you and you love to listen to him.  His newest song is "Shake, Rattle and Roll".  It sent you into giggles and Grandma caught it on video.  I can usually get you to giggle by flying you in the air and twisting you back down.

A couple of weeks ago, your dad was feeding you some solids (sweet potatoes, I think) and he got the giggles because you were trying to put the spoon in your mouth but were getting it everywhere but in your mouth.  He couldn't stop himself and you started to giggle too.  It was so freaking cute!

You kinda stopped rolling over from your belly to your back but you are almost rolling from your back to your belly.  You just haven't figured out how to move that last arm.  You are grabbing anything and everything.  We really have to watch you when you sit in your chair because you'll grab anything within reach (and your reach is bigger than I'd expect).  You are almost sitting.  You can sit for a couple of seconds, but then you topple over.  You do sit for quite awhile but you're all hunched over. 

Your new food faves are sweet potatoes.  We have started to use that to mix with other foods.  We're on to squash now which you seem to like most days. 

Your Mimi came to visit you this past weekend.  She didn't want to put you down.  I'm not sure Vic got a chance to hold you much.  We walked at Top of the World and a reporter took our picture.  I'll let you know if we make the headlines :)

You continue to light up my life everyday.  That first morning smile melts my heart. 

Love you little man,

Your Mama

Job Drama

I stink at writing things as they are/were happening.  I'm always a week behind, after the shit has hit the fan and dried up on the floor.  But I don't want to forget what life was all about for just a short period of time... so here goes the job drama that ensued last week and will continue this week (I think).

My dream job came up in January- the Animal Care and Adoptions Manager at the shelter where I work.  It's a great combo of my loves- supervising, working with animals, working with volunteers and instituting change.

But the drama comes in the timing.  Cash is just 5 months old and I've got a sweet gig going on right now with my dog training business and my work at the shelter.  Combined with watching Cash (and a neighbor baby in trade for daycare), I kinda have the best of both worlds.  I get to work, but I get to spend a lot of time with my kid and my hubby.

Lots of dramatic conversation with mom's group members, with my mom and sister and with Matt ended with my application.  But once the interviews start (if they do), then the drama will continue.

If this was even 1 year in the future, I would snap it up... but what to do, what to do??

Sleep, Glorious Sleep!

Dear Cassius,

In the past two days, you've figured out how to sleep.  THANK YOU! (and yes, that's screaming, and hooting, and hollering and jumping up and down!)

On Saturday, we went to a sleep class and apparently it was just what we needed to get the job done.  That night, you slept for 10 hours.  You woke up once and "Hero Daddy" went up to check on you just a few times before you put yourself back to sleep.  You completely skipped your typical 1:30 am feeding and you skipped your 4:30 am feeding!  Holy Shit Batman!

Then, last night, you did it again!  But this time, you slept until 5:30, ate a bite and then slept in until 7:30.  That's 12 hours!  "Hero Daddy" went in once around 12:30 and didn't have to go back in... you are that good!

We've also started some nap training with you.  You are too funny since right at the 10 minute mark, you crash.  You've got your  new little lovie and you crash.  We're right about at the 45 minute mark, which is quite impressive.  Your previous clock was set to wake you at 30 minutes... no make that 32 minutes, give or take 30 seconds.  This 45 minute business rocks! 

Keep it up baby boy!  Keep it up!

Love you more and more (especially when I can sleep a bit!),

Mama

A great weekend

This weekend was awesome!  A bunch of little things but the best was tonight.  Matt was feeding Cash some sweet potatoes and Cash wanted to feed himself, so Matt let him have the spoon.  He couldn't quite get the spoon in his mouth on every try, so he would hit his eye, his chin, etc.  Matt started cracking up- a serious case of the giggles- and then Cash started to laugh too!  It's the first time he's laughed in relation to someone else laughing.

My kid is so freakin' cute!

4 months

Dear Cassius,

Just this Tuesday you turned four months. This last month has been a bit of a whirlwind.. you see, you are actually becoming a great little baby and not some terrible infant.

You smile more and more, you cry less and less (for the most part), you eat more and more, you sleep more and more, you move more and more and I love you more and more each and every day. I didn't know that was possible since I've loved you from before you were born, but I actually really like you. You are neat, spiffy, groovy and rad!

Let's see.. some specifics.

We just got back from the doctor. You weigh in at 16 lbs, 12.2 oz (90th percentile). You are 26.5 inches long (96th) and your head measures in at 42cm (51st). You are slowly coming down in the charts, which I have to say I'm quite happy about. From your measurements in the beginning, I was starting to think you'd be a giant...or that you'd grow up too fast. But you are slowing down just a bit... (though 90th percentile is still HUGE!) and I thank you for that. I kinda wanna keep you this size for awhile.

You are standing a ton now for several seconds, if not minutes, in my lap. You still love to watch Sibley where ever she goes/is. If you are unhappy and she comes into the room, you immediately stop crying and watch her. Unfortunately, I don't think she shares the same admiration just yet (but I'm betting when you start eating Cheerios, you'll win her heart). You rolled over from front to back a few weeks ago and just yesterday morning you started to twist while on your back so back to front rolls are not too far off. You sit really well when assisted and you love to sit in anyone's lap- it must make for a better vantage point. You love to suck on your fingers- specifically your right hand's thumb and your left hands pointer finger.  You love to look at yourself in the mirror after you take a bath and have the towel around your head- you smile, beaming, at yourself.  You love being out and about- walks, shopping, strolling. You tried rice cereal for the first time in the last month and I think I even snuck in avocados and a teeny bit of a coconut popsicle. You see, I thought you were ready since you intently watch us eat, but it turns out, you really just like our fingers in your mouth. We are off to buy you your own spoon soon. Oh, and you started a bit of formula this month too. It's still mixed with mama's mil, but it's helping you get full before bed because you just want to eat so damn much before you hit the sack!

This past week you started going to our neighbor's house one day a week. Her name is Lyndsie too, so I hope we don't confuse you. She has a little girl Haven who is just one day older than you. You two seem to get along pretty well and seem to enjoy your time together. She comes to your house for a few hours a couple days, so you get to see each other often.

We have started to call you Cashy Pupu Tray for no apparent reason, but this weekend we hope you get to experience your first Flaming PuPu Tray from Uncle Yu's. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cassius D, you are the joy in my life. I can't stop snuggling you (or cleaning out your ears). I can't stop melting when you smile. I love you.

Love,
Mama

PS.  You were quite serious for your 4 month photo shoot.

Snippets of my life...

*Cash is asleep right now, in his crib. He fell asleep completely on his own. I just put him in there, watched him smile at me for a bit, then left the room. 15 minutes later, I'm guessing he is asleep because I hear nothing.

Yup, just checked. He's conked out, with his little sheep nearby. My god, he's cute!

*Changing the sheets on the crib sucks. He's been in his crib for almost 3 weeks now (maybe longer) and I've kept meaning to change his sheets but I would only remember at nighttime, just as he was about to be put in the crib- not the ideal time to change the sheets. So I did it just before nap above and it sucks.

*If you aren't supposed to use bumpers, then why do they make them? Why do they come in sets with sheets? What if they get their hands/feet caught in the bars? I'm so annoyed.

*My kid wakes up to eat a full meal every 3-4 hours (sometimes 5) at night. Shouldn't he be sleeping longer?

*Cash is more fun, more smiley every day. It's awesome to start a new day with him.

*There is more to my life than the baby, but right now, I can't think of much outside of him. sigh