Eric is 7 months & 2 weeks old!

What a wonderful holiday we had! Captions are below each photo:


Family Christmas Photo 2008


Eric in the Christmas shirt I made him!


Eric's Christmas haul!


Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bill open presents with Eric


Gran Susan and and Grandpa Steve with Eric


Grandpa Steve has the coolest Christmas train!


Gran Susan and Grandpa Steve got Eric his first motorcycle!!!


Opening presents with Grandpa Jim


After his fourth Christmas, Eric finally started to get the hang of ripping off the paper, lol!

Eric is 7 months & 1 week old!

This week Eric's first tooth popped thru! It's his bottom left tooth! Now that he has teeth (or should I say, tooth?) we bought him some veggie puffs. They are sorta like cherrios but better ingredients and made with vegetables instead of oats, I picked sweet potato (since they didn't have carrot). Eric thinks they are strange. He won't put them in his mouth, he picks them up and plays with them, but they don't look like his other food, lol! I will eat something and after I put my food in my mouth, I put his veggie puff in his mouth. He makes the most horrid face, like there is hard cardboard in his mouth, but I think he is starting to realize that it's food.

This week Eric has started using my throat as arm leverage so he can turn his body most of the way around as I carry him around the house, he wants to see where we are going!

Yesterday, in the middle of an activity, he stopped, looked at me and said, "yee-ing-u!" then went back to what he was doing. I'm not sure what he was trying to tell me, but it sure was cute!

This week I noticed he has also started to scootch around while in a sitting position. He sort of jumps up and ever-so-slightly forward. It doesn't get him anywhere very fast or far, but it seems to be lots of fun!

The first picture below is Eric's first tooth, the second picture is him tasting veggie puffs, the third picture is Eric featuring my favorite character from Suzy's Zoo... Witzy! Including the quilt I made for Eric, a blanket Twanda made (thank you!), the outfit and crib sheet from Grandma Linda (thank you!), and a book about Witzy's blocks I have. The last two are Christmas pix including mini santa and bare skin baby on a bear skin rug! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

Eric is 7 months old!

We are teaching Bailey how to treat Eric, it seems to be going very well! They just love each other! :) In the below pix, Eric's shirt has a picture of a dog that looks like Bailey and it says, "My Best Friend: I'm a cute short-haired dog with a long body, short legs and droopy ears. I love to run and play. My favorite words are woof woof. I will follow you around for hours and hours wagging my tail. I'm cute!"

Eric is twenty-seven weeks old! (6 months and 3 weeks)

This week Eric found a new favorite sleeping postion - with his little butt in the air!!! He also took his first bath in the big boy bathtub and loved it! I was so relieved since he doesn't like the baby bathtub that fits in the kitchen sink. (how cute is that little bare tush?!?!?!?!)

He is also fascinated by the carpeting, he will just sit and pet it - I remember doing something similar (when I was a bit older) at my grandfather's house with his thick green shag carpeting (I could write my name!) Other super fun things this week are trying to hang upside down, and playing peek-a-boo, as well as "what's that sound?"

Now, as I walk (with Eric in my arms) he places his hand on my neck for leverage to postion himself so he can see where we are going. Sitting can be a form of forward motion too, Eric is able to wiggle forward in a seating position. It doesn't get him very far very fast, but he is definately covering ground!

And the most amazing thing this week, he pulled himself up from sitting to a standing position without any help! I got it on video and will try to put that video on this blog as soon as possible!

Eric is twenty-six weeks old! (6 months and 2 weeks)

This week was a very special week because Eric's Great Grandmother Marge came all the way from New York to meet him! Pix below!!!

This week Eric got shots :( 4 of them, plus one he had to drink, poor little guy! But we did get Bugs Bunny and Wiley Coyote band-aids, cool! At his appointment, he weighed 15.11 pounds and was 26.5 inches tall!

This week Eric started moving objects from one hand to the other! He also will immitate some of the movements I make, for example, if I push the button on his toy that makes a noise, he will do it too!

Eric is twenty-five weeks old! (6 months and 1 week)

If it's possible, Eric is even more wiggly than ever! He is very interested in every sound we hear during the day (or night). Daddy's voice and Bailey's barks are of special interest and every activity comes to a screetching halt as Eric sharply turns his head to look where the noise has come from!

He is getting so good at sitting up to play, I still prop him up, but he is much more stable and if he starts to tip over he can catch his balance now!

His screetching is as loud as ever too. Sometimes if a toy is out of reach, he can really wail if he is frustrated enough. He isn't frustrated enough to crawl to the toy yet, but I can tell that's coming soon!

Eric made his first craft this week, check it out below! Also below is our Thankgiving Family Photo, plus an extra cute pix of Eric...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eric is 6 months old!

OMG, my baby is 6 months old already!!! Where does the time go? He is doing so many "bigger" boy things now (not Big Boy things - he is still my little baby!!!) He is really enjoying Mookie and Bailey, he laughs at things they do and his eyes watch them run around. Scott took Eric in the backyard and held him while kicking Bailey's soccer ball to Bailey. Eric thought it was the funniest thing, he just kept laughing and laughing! (I recorded his laughing, there is no video, just the sound of bailey barking and running around and Eric laughing, I can email it to you if you want to hear it, just let me know. I can't get it embedded into this blog for whatever reason.)

Eric can also hold a sitting position now, if I prop him up. He is very interested in patterns on clothing; as well as by our faces, he studies us by holding our faces with his little tiny hands then grabs our ears or plays with my hair by stroking it repeatedly.

The teething has slowed way down this week and he is much happier for it. He is also happy to hear that his 6 month shots got postponed because the doctor is taking an extra long Thanksgiving vacation.

This week we tried bananas as well as applesauce. Eric didn't seem to like the banana at all, I'm guessing it was a texture issue and we can try again later. The applesauce seemed acceptable, but the carrots are still number one with the sweet potatoes at a close second! Also, this week Eric started sleeping in his crib during the night. His co-sleeper is getting small (or I guess he is getting big, lol) and he seems uncomfortable in it, so we moved to the crib and he is doing wonderfully. I, on the other hand, am a complete wreck. I feel like he is growing up too fast because he is independent enough to sleep in his own room. I have the baby video monitor on my night stand and I stay up all night watching him and only stop watching to go into his room to feed him (or comfort him if he wakes up crying).

Below, I've got a cute pic and some videos to share, enjoy!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

What I love about Eric...

the way he opens his mouth to give kisses

his sweet baby breath on my neck when he falls asleep in my arms

the way the top of his head smells like brand new tiny baby

how he tells himself a story as he winds down for nap time

the little popping noises he makes right before bedtime

his gorgeous crystal blue eyes

how super soft his skin is

his giggle

his dimples

the antics with his tongue

those little blond hairs

that when he wakes up he has little tiny baby bed head

that he is such a good eater

those kissably chubby cheeks

that he lets me kiss him as much as I want

that he puts his arms around me now when I hug him

how he always seems to be able to get just his right sock off

how he always has a big smile for me

when he puts his hands on my face and looks me in the eyes and smiles

those super long eyelashes

how he patiently waits for me to put my hair up before I pick him up

how much he loves being outside

the way he looks at me using his carseat mirror while I am in the front seat of the car (so smart!)

the way he rubs his little eyes when he is tired

how active, curious, and observant he is

watching him learn and grow every day

everything!

And here are a few of Eric's favorite things:

Eric is twenty-three weeks old! (5 months and 3 weeks)

He is starting to wrap his little arms around my neck when I hug him!

He is starting to show signs of his first emotional milestone - stranger anxiety. Actually, its more like "everyone-but-moma anxiety."

He loves his high chair, not only is it for eating, but playing sometimes too so that Moma can make dinner or wash a few dishes (its also for picture taking, lol!)

We went kite flying on Nov 8th, Eric really seemed to enjoy watching (and tasting) the kite, lol! Below are some pix...

Eric is twenty-two weeks old! (5 months and 2 weeks)

Eric is teaching himself cause and effect, problem solving, and all about textures. The cause and effect is evident as he throws his toys and watches me pick them up; its also evident when I show him that my fingers are about to tickle him and he laughs before I touch him. His problem solving is amazing to watch. When he drops a toy, he looks around for it and tries to pick it back up. And the textures is hilarious to watch, he puts everything in his mouth now and the facial expressions he makes when he tastes a washcloth are very different from when he tastes his rattle or his own thumb - too cute!

He has also started to string together a bunch of consonant and vowel sounds, as tho he is making sentences to tell me a story! He is also starting to know his name! And its almost as tho he has just discovered his tongue, it is sticking out and he is licking things, i'm sure part of this is because he is teething like crazy all of the sudden!

This week we tried green beans and also peas. He's still the best eater I have ever seen, but I think the carrots are still his fav.

Eric is twenty-one weeks old! (5 months and 1 week)

This last week we ate yellow squash, green beans, and pumpkin. He seemed to like them all, but pumpkin was his favorite of the three. I'm not sure if it's better than carrots, but it's definately number 2!

On Oct 21, Eric rolled over from back to tummy all by himself! I was able to catch it on video (ah, the joys of being a stay-at-home Moma!) The video is below, cick the triangle to watch the video. The 23rd was the first time he ever slept on his tummy, I put him on his back as usual, but he rolled right over, I was so nervous - but of course, everything was fine. A pic is below.

We also switched from a pattern schedule to a straight schedule this week. This new schedule is based much on the old one (which was dictated by Eric) but it encorporates the 'eating then playing then sleeping' theory (popularized by BabyWise) which I prefer over the 'eating then sleeping then playing' method - who likes to go to bed on a full stomach anyway, especially if he is going to continue sleeping on his tummy!?!

And of course its almost that time and I have been dreaming of the little pea-in-a-pod costume since before he was born - too cute!!! A pic is below. Happy Halloween!

And one last picture - Someone gave us a cute little outfit with a boat on it, so I just had to find the nautical flags to spell ERIC!

Eric rolls over for the first time

Eric is 5 months old!

I cannot believe 5 months have gone by already! I feel so blessed to finally have my little guy here to complete our family and my life! I know Eric is the reason I was put on this earth and I am so thankful!

Our little miracle is getting good at rolling around on the floor and he will lay on his tummy and make swimming motions! We practice sitting up and playing with toys - this seems especially rewarding for him, I know sitting up is something he will really enjoy! He also really enjoys Scott's impression of Popeye The Sailor Man, I don't know why (Eric has never seen Popeye and has no idea who Popeye is), but for some reason it consistantly makes him laugh!

Eric is nineteen weeks old! (4 months and 3 weeks)

Peek-a-boo is starting to be funny and he loves for me to raise him up towards the ceiling as high as I can reach. How does he decide these things are funny and how does a sense of humor develop? I have no idea, I just love that laugh!!!

He is learning how to cough now and the first time he did it I was really concerned, so now he does it unpurpose and watches for my response. He sticks his tongue out when he coughs, its super cute!

Also, hockey season has started!!!

Eric is eighteen weeks old! (4 months and 2 weeks)

This week we tried carrots. At first Eric looked at me like, "Um, Mom, there is something really wrong with these sweet potatoes..." then after a few spoonfuls he seemed to be looking as if to say, "Oh, I get it, these aren't sweet potatoes... Carrots you say? These are the best thing I have ever put in my mouth!!!" After the carrots and cereal were all gone, he screamed for more - just wait until he tastes applesauce! LOL! Thankfully we have a good eater on our hands, but yikes what a mess he makes!

Eric is seventeen weeks old! (4 months and 1 week)

Researchers believe that at 4 months and 1 week, babies can understand all the basic sounds that make up their native language. With all of the new noises Eric is making, I believe the research! Besides the new noises, Eric's baby womb hair is being replaced with gorgeous blonde big boy hair!

Below you can see his "Handsome" outfit, the very first outfit I bought for him right after we found out he was a boy, (thanks for shopping with me Kellie!); his stuffed animal Bailey (thank you Gran Susan & Grandpa Steve!) and Bailey jammies (thank you Gramma Linda & Grandpa Bill!) along with the new blanket from Great Great Aunt Pinky, thank you; and a pre-curser to halloween (thank you, Jonna & Dan, he is wearing the cowboy boots too but they got covered up)!