7 months

Dear Cassius,

You are now over 7 months old and you change everyday.  Just today you slept for over 2.5 hours for a nap.  That's a first!  I took advantage and squeezed 2 hours in there as well.  Thanks little man.

You officially have 2 teeth (bottom front).  You got your first one 2 days shy of turning 7 months and the second one creeped in there about a week later.  Maybe it's because you have always been a little fussy, but we didn't notice any difference when the teeth were coming in.  You are still a super drooler and continue to drool like crazy, even though it appears that those two teeth are the only ones coming in right now.

Your dad has been taking care of you all day on Saturdays recently as I started my soon to be full time job and work on Saturdays now.  You guys do all kinds of things.  For his/your first true Saturday together, you went to your second Giants baseball game with Jeff and Haven.  The Giants won and you were a rockstart.  

You sit like a champ and are starting, just starting, to scoot with your butt.  Just this morning I sat you on your toosh in the crib and you were bouncing up and down.  You didn't get anywhere, but it was damn cute.  You have also started to move over your legs as you are sitting.  You haven't gotten anywhere but occasionally you'll topple over onto your belly.   You can lift your belly off the ground when you are on your belly but haven't figured out the leg thing yet. 

You are a regular morning pooper.  You go to sleep like a champ.  You just started to sleep until 6am but then you are up... but only for about 1 hr and then it's back to sleep.  Just last weekend, your dad and I took you to a party at Chuck and Marby's for Casey's 30th birthday and you were great!  You were a real charmer and then you charmed your mom!  You fell asleep in their office, on the floor and transfered just fine to and from your carseat and into your crib. 

You eat like a champion.  You even feed yourself those puff thingies and the teething biscuits.  You've now tried cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken, turkey, and today, you tried some bread for the first time.  Generally on the first try you make a funny face, but by the second or third time it's served, you are all game.  Your favorite right now appears to be kale and rice.  Grandma Miller would be proud!  You also tried a lime the other day and made the cutest face!  It was a bit tart, but you kept wanting more. 

You and I are just about done breastfeeding.  It makes me a bit sad, but you are happy bottle baby.  You squeal in delight when I bring you a bottle. 

You weighed 19lbs the other day but we'll get your official weight next week. You surprisingly still fit into some 6 month clothes.

You still love music.  Your dad plays the guitar to you almost every day.  You've started to experiment with playing the drum and the tamborine. 

You love to sit on the kitchen floor as your dad is getting ready.  You chew on all kinds of things, but your favorite is the spatula. 

Your dad took you to the park and you got your first swinging session in.  You loved it!  You also go to the Berkeley Warm Pool on many Fridays.  Your dad is more patient with the silly songs than I am, so he usually takes you.  You love to splash in the water. 

You are quite the flirt and smile huge smiles for some women (and some men too) but for others it's a straight face.  You are too funny.  You love to be out and about and you elicit smiles from just about everyone. 

Your hands and feet are constantly going.  You open and close your fists and your feet are often twirling in circles.  It makes me smile just thinking about it.   You also just started to clap.  You've always loved it when we clap for you and now you can clap for yourself.  It's too cute!

You also whine.  A Lot.  In fact you are whining now... so I must end your letter.

Love you,

Mama

Mom Swim Suit

We've been taking Cash to the Berkeley Warm Pool for the past couple of weeks.  The first week I went I just threw on my swimsuit (that I have had for ages... I'm too embarassed to tell the story on the internet) and then I realized.... it really has no support. 

So I went on a hunt for acute non Grandma but decent for a mom with some deflated boob suit (for under $75 none the less!).  I looked at a bunch of places, but found one at TJ Maxx.  Here it is:

http://base0.googlehosted.com/base_media?q=http://www.actionoutdoors.net/images/products/1122282.jpg&size=17&dhm=e2715ac7&hl=en

But, I really wanted something cute.  The above is functional, and not half bad, but it's far from cute.  Simple is giving away a suit from Lime Ricki Swimsuit- and they are cute!!!!  I think I want this one:

http://www.limericki.com/graphics/LR-071-1PC-SAMANTHA_FULL.jpg
 

6 months

Dear Cassius,

You are 6 months old!  1/2 a year! Holy shit! Your parents survived an entire six months!

You keep getting bigger and better and cuter and more loveable and more squishy and more, more, more! every day!  You are shrinking in your height/weight/head percentiles but Dr. Bean says that's normal. You've gone from being ginormous to being middle of the road.  It's kinda nice not having to explain that you look like a 6 month old when you are only a month.  Now, you just look a 6 month old.  Kinda nice!

Just for posterity... you were 27. 75 inches tall, 17lbs 14oz with a head circumference of 43 at your 6 month checkup.

Let's see what else is new:  You sit up like a champ.  You do fall occasionally but not very often anymore.  You can even kareen your neck around to find either me or your dad (or grandma or the cat) without falling.  You still love to stand on your feet with our support.

You've also started to snuggle.  It's the best.  Just yesterday, you were getting kinda sleepy (read: cranky) so I picked you up and snuggled you.  You just put your little head on my shoulder and settled in while I sang to you.  It was pure heaven for me.  And then last night, you fell asleep on the bottle tucked up into my arms.  You looked so peaceful and content. 

Let's see...what else happened:  You went to a San Francisco Giant's game with your dad while he was on Spring Break (you guys had a blast!).  You went to your first swim class at the Berkeley Pool (you loved it!)  You've expanded your food repetoire 10 fold.  You have now tried the following: bananas, avacados, artichokes, watermelon, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, celery, kale, sorrel, pears, apples, oatmeal, rice cereal, peas, broccoli, papaya, orange, and pineapple.  You definitely prefer the vegetables over the fruit (weird- you must take after your father).  The sorrel is the funniest!  Your dad grows sorrel in our garden.  He was pulling it out the other day and you just grabbed a piece and started to eat it.  It's so sour, but you were just chomping on the stalk.  Apparently, you squealed in delight at the sight of food yesterday.  That was previously reserved for my boobs, so I'm a little sad, but also glad that they are becoming less and less of interest to you.

Alas, I'm typing this as you are napping.  You have become a great napper for the most part and your sleep at night is quite rock star...so Thank You!

I need to get ready for work.  It's your dad's 31st birthday today!  Happy Birthday Daddy!

Love you,

Mama

Drool Bucket

I felt inspired to post a picture of you, but I really don't know what to write...

You drool, a lot. 

Love,
Mama

Visitor...

Aunt Flo arrived this week for a visit.  I hadn't seen her in about a year.  I also hadn't seen her accomplice Tammy in over a year.  Can't say that I really missed them but I guess those are the ropes.  It also means Connie will be always be ready and waiting in our bedroom because we are not ready for another Cassius. 

A Gardner Says...

"If I go at this right now, I think I can desimate this population!"

Matt Peters, at 10:07 on Monday night, with not one by two headlamps on his head.  He's referring to the snails. 

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