One year ago today we went for our first ultrasound. David was just a yolk sac with a heartbeat and now he is a perfect, healthy, happy, beautiful little boy. If that doesn't convince even the biggest skeptic that there is a God, I don't know what will. I am lucky to stare into the face of a miracle, the answer to countless prayers, and the embodiment of unconditional love everyday. Sometimes it's the only human face I see all day- lucky for me it's a cute one and I never get tired of seeing it!

If you listen closely you can hear that little heart beating. It still brings tears to my eyes just the way it did that day.

One year ago....

Today (playing with his new favorite chew toy):

David makes all sorts of noises while he eats. He "talks" more at meal times than any other times of day. I can't figure out if they are happy sounds or not, though. His face says he doesn't like the food, while his mouth is ready for the next bite. Sometimes I think he is trying to tell me about each individual bite- it's tastes, it's texture, it's temperature, it's consistency- all while trying to get to the next bite as quickly as possible. Either way, this little boy sure does crack me up!

David absolutely loves Bogie, and Bogie loves him. He is always with us. Whether we are playing in David's room, going for a walk in the neighborhood, taking a nap, or changing a diaper- Bogie is right there (you may have noticed he's in the background of many pictures). David is starting to recognize him and gets excited when he sees him. He reaches for him and loves to pet him. Bogie likes the attention he gets from his little baby brother.

David is 5 months old today!!! I can't even believe it. These last 5 months have gone by so fast!

To celebrate he played with his cousins, Ricky and Cate:

And he got to try the squash that Ryan grew in our garden and my mom and I turned into baby food for him. He really liked it:

I've been happily surprised at how quickly he has taken to eating. He's getting the hang of it very easily and already gets excited when he is in his chair with his bib on.

David saw his first parade today in Rome. I didn't know what he would think about it, if anything, but he seemed to like it.

He was happy just sitting in his stroller before the parade got to us:

And then, he heard the band coming:

He enjoyed watching the police motorcycles, cheerleaders, and bands go by:

David has some seriously crazy hair these days. He gets it from my side of the family. My brother, me, and my nephew, Ricky, all had this out of control, afro-type hair when we were infants. Most of David's hair is about 2 inches long and standing straight up in a nice uniformed manor. But, there are a few strands that have to be nearly 5 inches long and go in every direction imaginable. It's hard to get a picture of it because it's so lightly colored, it doesn't show up. So with the help of the sunlight, I snapped this photo.

And yes, that is one of those 5 inch hairs sticking straight out to the right.

David rolled ALL the way over today at his Great-Aunt Rhonda's house! From his back to his belly, a short break, and then to his back! He was so exhausted from his accomplishment that he fell asleep in his chair while we ate lunch.

It was a fun afternoon, except we were really missing Jessica.

David slept GREAT last night! I put him down at 8:30. We let him cry for 10 minutes around 9:15pm before I couldn't take anymore. I went to comfort him (he had rolled onto his belly and wasn't happy about it) and put him back to sleep. I fed him at 12:15am before we went to bed, not because he woke up just because I wanted to make sure he had enough for the night. Ryan got up a few times in the night when he was fussing to check on him so he wouldn't smell me and get hungry. David woke up this morning at 8:45am!! I couldn't believe it! I hope we have a repeat performance tonight!

He Did It!!

Wow! What a very BIG day this was! At about 3:15pm David rolled over with so much ease you would think he's been doing it forever! It was great. He had just woke up from a nap, so we played a little bit before it was time to eat. I put him on his back just to see what he would do. I noticed his nails needed to be trimmed, so I went to get his clippers (still in his bag from our trip to the beach). As soon as I sat back down...he flipped to his left side and just kept on going to his belly!!!!! I was SOOO proud of him. (I did cry, so Ryan was right- I cried today). I ran downstairs to get my camera, put him on his back and away he went again! He did it several times until he realized he was hungry and it was time to eat.

I thought it would be anytime now because last night I put him to sleep on his left side and when I went to check on him a little later he was on his belly. So, I knew he could get from his back to his side and from his side to his stomach, he just had to put it all together and HE DID IT!! Here's two videos of him rolling over because I couldn't choose which was cuter.

Food, Glorious Food

Today was a BIG day! David got to have cereal! As I suspected he took to eating rather quickly and enjoyed it very much. Last night, I let him play with the spoon (which meant, for him, see how far he could put it in his mouth before gagging) and we practiced "eating" a little bit too. This morning he got to have the real thing. I put him in his highchair, fixed the cereal, secured the easy-to-wash bib, got the camera all set up and we were ready to go.

At first, he really liked checking out the brightly colored bib he had on. Then I put a bit of cereal in the spoon, held it up for him, and as with anything near his face, he reached for it and opened his mouth. He made a funny face at this weird new texture in his mouth. But, once he decided he liked it, there was no turning back. He ate way more than I thought he would, nearly all I made.

We laughed and played and made the whole experience fun. It took much longer than his usual breakfast, of course, but it was so worth it. The end result was one messy, but happy baby.

He nursed a little after eating and I pumped the rest for mixing with the cereal in the future.

Although I didn't cry like Ryan thought I would, I was so proud of my little boy. It seems like we just brought him home from the hospital a few days ago and now he's sitting in his highchair eating! My little boy is growing up too fast and I can hardly stand it.

Here's a video too:

I hope that extra food helps him sleep better tonight!

Another Week at the Beach

Last week we went to St. George Island, FL with Ryan's family. David loved the beach again. He had a great time playing with his toys at the beach, napping on the beach, taking evening walks on the beach with his Mama and Daddy, playing with his toys inside, napping inside, hanging out with his grandparents and aunt, going out to dinner, staying in for dinner, sitting in the shade on the front porch, going for a ride on Daddy's boat, taking a nap on Daddy's boat, and swimming in the hot tub. Here are a few pictures from the past week:

With all the fun things to do at the beach, David didn't find much need for sleeping at night. Needless to say it was not a relaxing, restful vacation for his Mama! There were several nights of 2-3 hr feedings and one night he just wanted to play!

What a difference 4 months makes!

I took this picture on May 1st.

Then I took this one today, in the same onesie. WOW! David has grown so much. (and gotten cuter, who knew back then it would be possible?)

4 Month Check-up

Well, Dr. Glassman was not concerned in the least that David has yet to roll over. He said his daughter was the same way- sitting up at 3 1/2 months and didn't roll over 'til she was 7 months. So, that was a big relief. He did, however have plenty to say on a few other topics.

First, David's measurements were great! He is 15lbs. and 8 oz. (5oth percentile) and 26 inches long (75th percentile). The doctor was very happy with his growth and other developmental milestones. All the nurses thought he was SO cute and loved his hair.

Secondly, which was his biggest concern, was David's sleeping (or lack of) at night. He says it's time to teach him how to self-sooth for my sanity and his health. This means letting him fuss a little (10 minutes at first) if he wakes up, not giving him his pacifier at bedtime (and preferably at nap time too) so that he doesn't become dependent on it, and putting him down before he falls completely asleep. All three are going to be very difficult for me. But, he said a child who gets good sleep, good food, and, later, good physical activity is a much healthier and happier adult. And now that he is 4 months old it's time to start working on it. But, since we are going to the beach tomorrow for a week, he wants us to wait until David is in his own crib and home to start our new routine. But, he did say we could go ahead and start working on fazing out the paci. Not that he can't ever have it at all. When he needs comfort or just something in his mouth it's okay for him to have it. Dr. Glassman also said that co-sleeping is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with my sleep. I've never really been a big fan of co-sleeping but, David does sleep wonderfully when he's next to me and I sleep well too because I know he's okay. It's just harder to break the older they get, so I'm a bit weary.

Next, I mentioned to the doctor that David LOVES to stare at the tv. If there is one on in the room he will find it and his eyes will lock on it immediately. Dr. Glassman suggested David be exposed to as little tv as possible before he is 2 years old. At that age, he will be able to watch the tv and actually get something out of it (assuming it's educational). But, right now it's just a distraction from his toys, books, and human affection which he needs more right now.

Lastly, David has been given the green light to start on baby food sometime between now and 6 months!! I can't wait for him to try the squash and green beans my mom and I made for him!! He will start on cereal and then we will introduce a new food every 5 days or so. I'm sure we will also start that soon after we get back.

At the very end David got two shots, one in each thigh. His reaction was a bit delayed but very heartbreaking none the less. He cried for a good while, but finally calmed down enough for me to put his clothes on. He got two blue camo band aids for his pain and suffering. He seemed to have some pain at the injection sights this evening and was a bit whinny and clingy to me. Hopefully we will sleep well tonight 'cause we're off to the beach early in the morning!

A few of my favorites from yesterday and today. David can sit up as long as he wants to now a days. He loves the view and pretty much never wants to lay on his back.

He goes to the doctor tomorrow for his 4 month check-up. I sure hope the doctor is impressed with how well David sits up and doesn't give us too much grieve for not rolling over yet. We try to work on it, but he just doesn't like it!

Labor Day Weekend

WOW! What a very busy, fun weekend we had. To celebrate the last weekend of summer we started off in Rome at Ma and Big Daddy's. They hosted their annual get together with 4 other couple who have all been friends for 20+ years. Their good friends Evan and DeLane Haren and Charlotte and Greg Partamian were there on Friday morning before we left for the lake. David enjoyed showing Ms. DeLane how he can eat his hand:

Demonstrating his dislike for tummy time to Ms. Char:

Talking to Mr. Evan about waste management:

And one final shot with them all before we left:

Okay, one more with Mama and Daddy!

Then it was on to the lake house for one last weekend of boating and lake fun for the summer. It was nice to have time as a family before Ryan gets busy with his work. We went out on the boat a few times and David really thought it was fun to sit in the driver's seat. (He had to wear his pj's every time we went out because the air temperature was surprisingly cool)

We went over to dinner at Mr. Alan's not one, but TWO nights during the weekend. We had a terrific time visiting with lots of wonderfully nice people. David also had a chance to visit with little Miss Tessa Ann. She is 2 1/2 weeks younger.

She seemed to like a man in overalls:

And he was mesmerized by her crazy hair:

It was the perfect ending to a fun-filled summer! I'm already looking forward to next year.

My absolute favorite video yet! Just before bath time last night Ryan was kissing David's belly and he was laughing so hard! It was the most precious moment ever.

Like his Big Daddy (my Dad), David gets the hiccups when he laughs.

It was a year ago this weekend Ryan and I found out our little family was going to get a little bit bigger because I was...

We seem to be taking a few steps backwards when it comes to sleeping at night. David needs his pacifier to go to sleep but, as he is sleeping it falls out of his mouth. He wakes up several times during the night because it is either directly under his cheek and it's keeping him from getting comfortable or he needs it and can't put it back in his mouth on his own. So, this means I must help him. As a result, at some point he smells me and wakes up completely because he thinks he is hungry. I fed him, but he doesn't go right back to sleep- he wants to play! I have to convince him it's still night time (this is usually between 4 and 5am) and he finally gives in. All this nighttime activity makes for a very exhausted Mama. I hope we can figure out the paci issue really soon so we can both get better sleep at night and have more energy during the days.

This is no ordinary exercise ball. It is a miracle worker. David has always liked to bounce, especially when he is sleepy. As soon as we start bouncing he is relaxed and starts to fall asleep. It is so important to his happiness that we have 3 balls- one at every location we frequent. We do NOT want to be without it. Ryan broke the one at the lake house one night a few weeks ago while bouncing David and we absolutely had to get a new one first thing the following morning before David's morning nap. I am so thankful our chiropractor, Dr. Allison, suggested we try this to help take some pressure and stress off my back!