Connor's such a trooper!

 

 

Last night, Connor was in tears as he was really nervous about his dentist appointment. I explained that it's OK to be nervous and that everyone is afraid of the unknown. I tried to ease his fears by reassuring him that he can ask the dentist what he's going to be doing exactly and I would be there right next to him, holding his hand...which I didn't end up doing since there wasn't much room for me to do it. :(

Why did he have to go to the dentist, you ask? Well Connor went in for a check-up last week and the dentist found that he had a very mild ("almost a cavity"?) on his bottom left molar. So today, Connor went in to get it taken care of and they used nitrous to take the edge off. I've never used it before so I was kind of worried how it was going to affect him. Surprisingly, he wasn't loopy or anything like what I've seen those kids do on "Ellen". LOL. The whole procedure took less than 20 mins and Connor did awesome! Dr. Cottrell said that most boys are a little more "active" in the chair and Connor was pretty mellow. Shocking. Connor and mellow in one sentence. LOL. :)

The real test will be next Friday. He will be having oral surgery. Apparently, he has an extra tooth growing upside down in the middle of his two front teeth. Imagine that! (Totally explains the monstrous gap between his 2 front teeth!) It's causing such a protrusion and is preventing his smaller upper teeth to come in that it has to be removed soon. I am really nervous about the whole thing and I KNOW that he's going to do just fine, but you know how it is. You just want to protect your baby from anything that might seem painful. He's going to be put under so please pray that he doesn't have any complications. Thanks! :)

Kids say some of the funniest things sometimes...

CONNOR

We were driving by Dove Creek Church yesterday and Connor noticed the banner they have posted in front of the church.  It said "FREE FAMILY FAIR FESTIVAL"... 

C: "Look Mom, that church is having a carnival on August 13th!"

M: "Oh cool, maybe we should go.  That sounds like fun!"

C: "You know Mom, I don't know about going to these free events."

M: "Why would you say that?  I like free events."

C: "Well you know, they say it's free, but all they really want is your money."

(I'm just about as shocked as you can be hearing this coming out of my 7-year-old son's mouth)

M: "Oh really, why do you think that?"

C: "Because every time we go somewhere that's free, they make you spend money there by making you buy things or if you want to do anything."

M: "Yeah I guess that's true, come to think of it."

Funny kid...

ISABELLA

So Isabella and I were snuggling on the couch this morning and talking about things we want to do for the rest of the week.  We're planning to go back to the Mid State Fair on Friday with Daddy (we went yesterday to ride the carnival rides while Daddy was at work) and the kids are super excited to go back.  Well Isabella fell in love with this nail polish set called the "Migi Nail Art" set that a vendor was selling at the fair.  She really really really wants them for her birthday...which isn't until September.  But there was just noooooo way I was going to spend $25 on a set of nail polish for her 5th birthday.  Mind you, I thought it was pretty cool too, but handing out that much money for something incredibly overpriced (and those who know me, I have a tough time buying anything without a coupon to begin with!) is just insane to me.  So Isabella was trying to reason with me and trying to persuade me to buy the nail polish...

I: "Mommy, I really want the nail thing.  Didn't you like it?"

M: "Yes I really liked it too.  But it was kind of expensive."

I: "Well you can get it for me for my birthday."

M: "You're right, I could, but I don't think so..."

I: "Well maybe I can give you 10 kisses and then you have to buy it for me."

M: "Really? 10 kisses huh?  How about 10,000?"

I: "Oh Mom, come on, I can't do that."

M: "Why not?"

I: "Ummm Mom, I can't count that high!"

LOL!  :)

Nature's Touch

I am so sad that Connor came to me today and started crying because he "hurt nature". I asked what he did and he said that he played with a butterfly today at school w/ his foot and hurt it (by accident) then it couldn't fly anymore. He was so sad by it and he was scared that I wasn't going to love him anymore because he hurt one of God's creatures.

We've had many talks about before but making sure to be careful not to hurt God's creatures. That every living thing has a family, has a home to come home to, has a life that is just as precious as our own. I just told him to pray about it and that he needs to promise to himself that he will never hurt a butterfly ever again. It just makes me feel sad that he would even think I would stop loving him because of this?

Have I done anything to make him think that I would ever stop loving him? Have I become that kind of mother to make their kids think that they have to do "good" things to be able to be loved? I had a long talk with him tonight to reassure him that I will always love him no matter what, that I will always love him for the rest of my life and nothing will ever make me stop loving him. I just don't know how to make him believe and honestly, it hurts my heart to know that he thinks that there is even a POSSIBILITY that I could ever stop loving him. :(

 

I don't think Connor knows what to think of basketball yet. I have heard a lot of "high-spirited" kids like playing basketball because it's very fast-paced. He's tried T-ball and soccer now, both of which he did fairly well in towards the end of the season, considering he was the kid that was making grass angels the first few practices. Once he puts his mind into something, we know he can do really well at it. But it takes a lot for him to get interested in sports (or anything that requires moving really, LOL), so we'll see where this leads!

Happy 5th Birthday to our little guy!

Well, he's not so little anymore! That's for sure. It's amazing how fast time really flies. It's unbelievable that we have a 5-year old boy whose going to be in Kindergarten! I never thought this day would come. Happy Birthday to you dear Connor!!! We love you sooooooooooooo much!

Heartbreaking...

Today, Connor came home from preschool and was very excited to show me something. I was outside tending to my roses so he kept asking me to go inside. I finally went in and he reached under the pillows on the couch.

C: Mommy, I'm so excited. I have a gift for you!
M: a gift?
C: For Mother's Day!

Out he pulls a beautiful card he made for me with a gift bag attached to it. In the bag was a lovely key chain that said "MOM" that he decorated w/ puffy paint and a lovely ribbon. I was so surprised. It's such a lovely gift! (Ofcourse, I attached it to my keys right away.)

Later on that day, we were supposed to go to Bible Study but we were all too exhausted and the kids were just DONE. I didn't want to cook dinner so I took Connor with me to get some food. But before we got our food, I went to get gas and as I'm pumping the gas, I looked at the back of the key chain and noticed that his name was spelled wrong.

My mistake...I mentioned it to him, knowing that he personally didn't write it.

M: Oh no Connor, I think someone spelled your name wrong on the keychain ("Conner")

(C breaks down crying....covers his eyes with his hands and everything!)

C: I knew you weren't going to like your gift!
M: Oh Connor, I LOVE it. I know you didn't spell your name wrong. Someone else did.

(He continues to cry and is sobbing at this point...just BREAKS MY HEART...so I end up breaking down too)

M: I'm so sorry Connor. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I know YOU didn't spell your name wrong. I LOVE IT. I love everything you make for me. Really...

(At this point, I'm pleading with him telling him just how much I appreciate everything he does for me and I just love the gift...etc)

C: They were supposed to copy my name and they didn't do it right. Hmph.
M: That's OK, we can fix it if you want.
C: Ooooh, I have a good idea! We can just make a new one.

Anyway, I was sooooooooooooo sad to see that I hurt my son's feelings. Granted, he was tired as hell and he becomes really sensitive & emotional when he's overtired. But still, that just broke my heart. I really need to pay more attention to the things I say. I'm just so afraid I'm not raising my kids right. :( I forget that kids take everything literally and they take things to heart so easily (well as a matter of a fact, adults do too sometimes).

I just wanted to say I'm sorry Connor for "criticizing" your lovely gift. It's perfect the way it is. I love you!

I love my kids...

They are just the most sacred things on this earth. I look at them and wonder how they got to be so smart and so darn cute. Can't help but think that they are just the most beautiful kids in the world. :) I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm their mommy either!

Potty time!

Gosh, it's been a long while since I've written anything in here. How sad! There's just more important things to do these days. haha! Anyways, our little boy is growing up! Today he went wee wee on the potty for the 1st time!!! He actually initiated the whole thing himself. We were getting his bath ready when he reached down and grabbed his pants. Then he says, "Momma, Connor needs to go potty." I didn't think anything of it since sometimes he says that just for fun. So I take his pants off and seat him down on the potty. I'm sitting there next to him making the "ssshhhhh ssshhh" sound to encourage him to pee. Next thing I know, his little potty machine starts singing "Yay! You went potty..." He then asks me for toilet paper so I hand it to him, he wipes, then stands up. I look down and there it is...PEEEEEE!!! Yay! I was so incredibly happy, I couldn't contain myself. You have no idea how long ago we introduced this whole potty thing to him and he has had no interest whatsoever. I mean, he'll play pretend and play with his little potty machine but has never really taken it seriously enough. We don't push him or anything since it's really up to him. So yeah, after he wipes, he pushes down the little flush thing and I just kissed and hugged him for like 5 mins. I was so stoked. So I take the little potty cup out and pour down the pee in the toilet and flushed it down the toilet. After I washed the little potty cup, I took his little hand and ran to the kitchen with him. "You get a popsicle for being such a big boy. You went potty!!!" He was sooooooo happy. I can tell he was just feeling so proud. I had to call Jeramy ofcourse and that made Connor even happier to hear how excited I was to tell Daddy. Anyways, I am soooooooooo happy that this has happened (can't you tell?). I have been reading books about potty training to him for months now and he got the whole notion, but it was just so nice to see everything being implemented in real life. What a big boy! To top it all off, after our bedtime routine (play music, read books, kisses and hugs, tucking in, etc)...I was on my way to leaving the room and as I was saying "Nite nite Connor, I love you...I'll see ya tomorrow". He proceeds to tell me that I need to put his baby gate up so I can't come in to wake him up. Can you freaking believe it? We've been leaving the gate down because he's been waking up in the middle of the night every night for the past few weeks. I really think he knows that the baby is coming really soon since he's been acting up lately and become really clingy again. But then again, he's acting like such a big boy too...like he says "I'm a big brother!". Gosh, I am so proud of him. I can't even explain in words how good it feels to have such a wonderful loving boy...

Happy Birthday Connor!

I can't believe my little boy is now 2 years old. It seems only like yesterday that he was born into this world! Connor has been such a wonderful blessing in our lives. He is such an intelligent, friendly, caring, just amazing little boy. It's funny how we can see how he's developed different aspects of our personalities. I am glad he has more of Daddy's than mine. LOL! He definitely has my temper though...as is it is becoming more prominent now that he is 2.

We had two birthday parties for him. One on his actual birthday and another one during the weekend after for all the friends & family to celebrate with us. He had a wonderful time, even though it proved to be more stressful for me. I doubt we're gonna have another big bday party until HE can decide who to invite. It's just too much of a hassle really...even though I LOVE planning parties. It's just hard to actually carry out when you're preggers.

Connor got a lot of cool (and not so cool) toys. A lot of it's going into storage for future use. He just has wayyyyyy too many toys in the house and in the backyard already. Maybe our little baby girl will make use of it someday? Well I just wanted to commemorate my little boy's special day!!!

Baby steps!

I can't believe Connor is now 11 months old!!! Wow, time flies when you're having fun! It's been since February since I've updated this thing so I have A LOT to write...YIKES!!!

First off, Connor has been standing on his own and finally taking baby steps! He's been working on this for the last month and is really close to walking!!! He takes 4 or 5 steps until he falls down or purposely sits down cautiously. It's so cute!!! It's been very exciting here at the homefront these past few weeks and we truly are so proud of our little boy. It seems like he's learning something new everyday and is continously surprising us with his new tricks. He's becoming such a big boy now and as exciting as all this has been, it's also quite saddening to see that he's growing up SOOOOOOOOO fast! He's no longer the helpless little baby we brought home from the hospital 11 months ago. He's becoming quite independent, though he's still pretty much "Mama's Boy" and clings to me like crazy. haha! He's a really social and outgoing little boy and thrives on attention, especially from "older girls". He has no fear of strangers, but has some serious separation anxiety issues still. We've tried leaving him in the nursery at our church numerous times and he's still putting up a fight each time he's left in there. It takes him about 15 mins to calm down...which is much better than the 30-45 mins it took in the beginning! I had to stay in there with him the first few tries. But as soon as I left later on, he would freak out! This is still a constant battle with him. However, on a more positive note, he doesn't mind being left with Grandpa and Grandma Moen, since he knows them very well. They watch him for us a couple nights a week so I can work out at the gym or Jeramy and I can have some alone time together. This has been a true blessing!!! We consider ourselves pretty lucky! :)

We've just begun our transition from having him sleep in our bed to having him sleep in his own room. He absolutely despises the crib so we are trying to find out what a good situation will be for all of us. He likes sleeping on his fold-out Spiderman sofa in his own room and we're thinking of just taking the crib out altogether and having him just sleep on his sofa on the floor (with the room fully secure and baby-proofed ofcourse!). But it's all a work in progress, so we will see! We're hoping that this transition will only take a month, so he can be sleeping in his own room, through the night, by his 1st birthday! (We're not going to hold our breaths! haha!). I'm also hoping that this transition will help with the weaning process, as I would like to stop breastfeeding completely by the time he is 13 months old. Here's to hoping!

Let's see, here's a list of what Connor's been doing these days:

- crawling like mad! and starting to walk!!! WOO HOO!

- Clapping on command or when he's thrilled at himself (sooooooooo freakin' cute when he does this and he does it ALL the time!)

- Words he uses everyday: Mama, Dada, ball, doggie, truck (he emphasizes the "ck" sound), fan ("fahh"), chimes ("chh"), kitty ("key"), book, baba (AKA milk), go, cool or wow or whoa (when he likes something), and is trying very hard to say his own name!

- points at everything!

- knows where the "nose" is (points at it and grabs it) and nipples are "baba" (haha!)...yes, I'm still breastfeeding (we'll be starting the weaning process very soon!)

- "sign language": bye-bye (waves), I want that or look at that (points), Pick me up (throws both arms up in the air), Feed me Mom! (tries to pull my shirt down or nuzzles his face into my neck), I love you (kisses or lays his head down on our chest), No or I don't want that (turns head away), Yay! (claps), etc.

- games he loves to play: "I'm gonna get you" (start chasing him when he's crawling, grab him, then pick him up...and start all over again), "Tickle tickle" (self-explanatory), "Catch" (bounces or throws the ball back and forth), "Soccer" (he pushes the ball around the house with his hands and literally goes all over the place "kicking" the ball with his hands and sometimes when we're walking him around, he kicks the ball with his feet), "Rock n Roll" (when we are lying down on the ground, he lies on top of us and we rock side to side together), "Airplane" (when we're lying down on the ground and have him up in the air when he's lying down on our lower legs)

- Books he loves reading (and he LOVES reading!): Goodnight Moon, Veggie Tales: God Made You Special, The Little Cricket, Caterpillar Spring/Butterfly Summer

- Songs he loves singing and dancing to: ABC's, Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Farmer in the Dell, You are my sunshine (I've sang this to him every day since he was in my womb!), If you're happy and you know it

- Movies he LOVES (thanks to the library!): Elmo's "Let's Make Music", Elmo's World shows...these are the only movies/shows he'll sit still for longer than 15 mins! We've tried Winnie the Pooh, Blue's Clues, Clifford, Disney movies, Baby Mozart, etc and he didn't like those!

- Favorite toys: any type of ball, Brainy Baby spin/rolling toy, Learning Puppy, dump trucks, Ball Popper, walker, blocks

- Favorite foods: sweet potatoes, cheese, crackers, sweet corn, yogurt, Cheerios, bananas, pasta

- Things he enjoys doing the most: playing with animals (dogs and cats), being outdoors (he LOVES nature, trees, flowers, birds, grass, dirt, etc.), bath times, playing with the dishwasher, fridge and vaccum, reading, singing & dancing, watching Elmo's "Let's Make Music", being in the backpack carrier, pushing his ball around, cuddling with Mommy and Daddy, shopping

- Things he dislikes: having his face wiped, Hokey Pokey Elmo (he is deathly afraid of it! so funny!), stuffed toys that "talk" (except for his Learning Puppy), being put in his car seat (unless he's super tired or doesn't have the energy to fight), going to sleep, hearing "no", teething (we absolutely hate it when he's teething! talk about CRANKY PANTS and NO SLEEP!)

There's so much more to write but I'm afraid it's time for me to go nite nite. Connor wakes up around 7 am these days and our days are full of activities with the Mommy's group! Hopefully, I will write more tomorrow but we'll see!

Roseola Infantum

We had to go to ER today. We were getting ready for b-day BBQ and Jeramy was changing Connor when he noticed that there was a rash all over the trunk and back of his body. I checked him throroughly and found more on his head, neck and starting to get on his face. SOOOOOO...we cancelled our BBQ and headed over to Twin Cities hospital only to find out that there were way to many people already waiting to be seen. So we drove down to San Luis and went to Sierra Vista hospital. We were the 2nd ones there...BUT since they had this Triage system, we ended up waiting 2 1/2 hrs before Connor was finally seen. The wait in the lobby was quite interesting...since most of those who were there were ummm...Jeramy's "inmate-friends" from work. heh heh

Anyways, I guess Connor has a classic case of what's called Roseola Infantum. It's a common baby virus that occurs mostly during the spring and autumn months. It starts with 3-4 days of really high fever and when the fever goes away, a rash all over the body develops. He has been nursing quite a bit more frequently and will hardly touch his solid foods. He also seems really tired in that he wants to sleep every hour, but is quite active while he's awake. He's just a bit more grumpy than usual. The rash started on the trunk and back of his body but has spread to his legs, arms, face and head. I guess it's not common for it to spread to the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet. The rash is basically the end of the virus and the fever was supposed to be the worst end of it. So PHEW, thank goodness it's almost over. For his sake and ours!

Poor sicky Connor...

We had Connor checked out by the nurse today since he's had a fever of over 103 for the last 2 days now. It started on Tuesday night. The fever subsides with some Tylenol but for some reason, the fever keeps coming back and is getting higher. He's beenr really cranky the past few weeks and has had a slight fever now and then, which I just associated with teething. But I never expected a fever this high!

Well, the nurse says that his ears and lungs are clear. So it looks like it's just the common flu. We're supposed to expect a fever for another 24 hours for a total of 72 hours. If the fever persists, then we need to call the doc's office again. Well, I hope it goes away! Our poor baby!!!

1st tooth for the boy!

OMG! Connor's 1st tooth is finally peeping through his gumline. IT's on the lower left and he's totally gnawing on everything. I can tell he's in a lot of pain...poor boy! But how cute...he's finally got his 1st tooth!!! yAY!

7 months and counting...

Wow, two more days and Connor will be 7 months old. I can't believe it!!! He's growing up so fast!

He's definitely wanting to act like a grownup. He's always wanting to get up and walk around (with our help ofcourse). He's always pulling up or climbing on us. It's kinda funny because he's so ambitious. Once he gets up on both his feet while holding on to our hands, he lets go of one hand and just stands there with the biggest smile ever. He's definitely working on his balance and is getting better at it each day. He even manages to take a few steps this way and then falls on his butt. He used to get so scared when he landed on his butt but I think he's getting used to it now.

He doesn't like it on his tummy as much, but he's starting to get the hang of it. He lifts up his chest and holds his butt up, then tries to get on his knees. When he does accomplish the all-fours stance, he starts rocking back and forth. But then he gets really frustrated and starts whining like a little baby...LOL

He has also learned to scoot with his butt. When he's reaching for something while sitting down, he lunges forward with all his wee might and then he just kinda inches forward...closer and closer until he reaches his goal. It's really neat to watch. We can see his brain working and he's very intent. He focuses on everything so well, then kinda snaps out of his focus once he sees us watching him.

Oh yeah, when he climbs on me...it is so darling! He turns to me and gives me a hug. He loves to cuddle and just loves being close to us, especially to me. He is definitely VERY attached to me. I guess this is expected since I'm with him 24/7!

He's still very interested in nature. He loves plants, trees, animals, being outside...I took him to the zoo the other day and he was so mesmerized with the tigers. And lucky us, the damn tigers sprayed VERY closely to us. That was our cue to leave...heh heh

Then I took him for a 3 mile walk in his jogger stroller around the lake. He loved it so much, he was asleep for most of it!!! It was such a lovely day. I'm glad the nice days are back, but I miss the rain. We need it!!

Well, Jeramy's at work and it's 2 AM. I wish I could sleep but I've tried and I just can't. I'm so used to hanging out with him until the wee hours of the night, so now my whole clock is set to his schedule. But then again, I've always been an insomniac. I just feel the tiredness more now than I did when I was younger. I can still function though and that's all that matters.

Connor has been in bed since 10:30 and he's only woken up once, so that's pretty good. I love watching him when he sleeps. He's sooooooooo adorable, especially when he smiles in his sleep. I think my mom said that babies smile in their sleep when they're full, or something like that. Whatever the reason is, I think it's so damn cute when it happens!!

Oh yeah, we have our webcam set up now so people can watch us over the internet. When I say people, I mean people who KNOW us. We gave both my mom and my sister (the mom of my nephew DJ) webcams for Xmas, since we all live so far from each other. Now we just talk to each other online and view each other's webcams. It's pretty neat. My parents LOVE it and Connor really enjoys interacting with the monitor. :) I think it's so hilarious when my parents act all silly on the webcam. My mom starts singing nursery rhymes to Connor and since the broadcast is a bit slow, Connor is just trying to figure out what the heck is going on. But I can tell that he's into it, 'cause he'll sit in front of the camera and try to be cute for them. Not that he needs to try! heh heh

Well, our 1st wedding anniversary is coming up and I need to start shopping online for Jeramy's gifts. I don't know what to get him!!! I mean I do...but I don't know which styles and such. Ok, I'm gonna go shop now. CIAO!

6 month appt...

Connor had his 6 month appointment today. I'm surprised he only weighs 19 lbs 4 oz. I guess his weight is finally slowing down. He's measuring at 29 inches, so he's getting pretty tall too. The doctor says he's extremely healthy and that we are doing a good job taking care of him. :)

Poor baby had his shots today though. Like always, it didn't phase him at all until the last shot (only had 2 done today). He cried for a mere 2 seconds and was over it. A few hours after he got the shots, a fever started so I just gave him some Tylenol and he's a bit better. I can tell he's gonna be groggy all night though 'cause he's not himself.

What's new with Con-man?

We just came back from having dinner with some friends and I have to say, Connor was awesome tonight! He actually played with the other kids and didn't fuss at all until it was time to leave. He is also sitting for longer periods of time, so I think he is having a better time now because he can view the world a little differently. He still can't quite get himself to sit by himself yet, but he's getting there. He's always trying, that's for sure. He's also trying to get up by getting a hold of things and pulling himself up. It's kinda nerve-racking but exciting at the same time.

He still likes to babble ALOT. He has been saying BABA continously for weeks now and starting to move on to MAMA, which is awesome because it just melts my heart. He seems to say only when he feels he needs to (like to get my attention)...and I must say, it works like a charm! He also has this thing about putting his hand to mouth to make the "baba" sound, kinda like the way you do it when we pretend to be Indians. It's really neat to see how he excels at such a silly act. At first, he seemed to be hitting his own face more than anything but now, he is actually hitting the target!

He has been eating solids regularly now for about a month. He's tried rice cereal, oatmeal w/ bananas and peas. He really likes eating! He didn't like to eat peas at first and you can tell he has a harder time trying to eat it (it's obvious from his gagging and trying to spit it back out) but he's not completely rejecting it, which is good. He takes it in, makes the cutest "yuck" face, and then tries so hard to swallow it. It's all a work in progress, I figure. But he's doing awesome overall, so far. I've also been letting him try different kinds of flavors: such as pumpkin ice cream, pears, bananas, mashed potatoes, etc. He really likes to take part in eating while we're eating, and I just don't have the heart to not let him join in on the fun. I like that he's open to new experiences and as long as he's enjoying it, then I'll continue doing it! There's no harm in letting him try things...

Well, let's see...what else is new? I think we basically have some kind of routine down now. He goes to sleep at about 10:30-11 PM (sometimes even midnite), still isn't sleeping through the night (is waking up 4-5 times throughout the night; sometimes to feed & sometimes just to fuss), wakes up either at 8, 9, 10 or 11 am (depending on what time he slept the night before), change his diaper, play with him for about 10-15 mins, put him in the crib so he can have some alone time to play and watch his mobile, go eat some breakfast, take a bath (if it's bath day; he takes one every other day), takes a nap, play time for 2-3 hrs, I nurse him, he takes a nap, wakes up...blah blah blah. Then when it's bedtime, we or I (if Jeramy's at work) change his diaper, read him a story from the Picture Bible, say a prayer, breastfeed and then night-night time! He's not really on a schedule or anything but it's nice that he's a lot more predictable these days. He hates having to go to sleep, 'cause he'd rather be awake to enjoy the day. Sometimes, he won't go down for a nap at all but we're getting better at reading his cues on when he's ready to eat, sleep, needs a diapey change or is bored. It only took 6 months! haha

Connor's just fantastic and Jeramy and I are enjoying these days so much. He totally laughs and giggles all the time, which makes our lives that much brighter. He knows how to hang on now (sometimes for dear life, it seems), hug and even give sloppy kisses. He's still drooling all over the place and putting everything in his mouth, especially paper. He LOVES paper (as do most kids, I think) so when the Sunday paper comes...I let him go at it. I'm sure some parent or doctor would advise me against it (e.g., "he might get ink poisoning" or "he might choke on it"...trust me, I've heard it all) but I'm sitting right there watching him the whole time and he has his limits. If he starts shredding the paper into pieces, then to the trash it goes. So don't worry, he's in good hands!

Well, here's some interesting tid bits you might not know:

-He actually stays put while I cut his fingernails and toenails...as long as I'm singing! He just LOVES singing and music period. Sometimes, he even tries to sing along!

-He loves getting his hair brushed. And I don't know why, but he loves getting the act of getting undressed, especially when you take his arms out. He just thinks it's the funniest thing ever.

-He found his private parts 2 weeks ago...it's funny! He loves grabbing his balls and starts squeezing them, especially when he's getting his diaper changed and during bath time. He just squeezes and squeezes...I guess boys do start early! haha Like Jeramy says, he's got another 70 years of that ahead of him! :)

-He doesn't like watching TV very much. I try to get him to sit and watch Blue's Clues or other kiddie movies and he loses interest about 5 mins into it. I guess this is a good thing, but sometimes, I wish he would watch TV so I could get things done!!!

-He still LOVES to be out and about. He likes to travel and see the world. I guess, what baby doesn't?

-He loves his Jonny Jumper, exersaucer, and high chair. These are the only places he can stay in for longer than 15-20 mins...and for us, they're life savers!

-He loves people and animals. He loves nature in general, especially plants, trees and flowers. He will stare at the leaves for long periods at a time, as if he's mesmerized. It's kinda weird seeing him in a trancelike state like that, but I think he's just trying to soak data in.

There's so much more that I want to write but our little boy has woken up and I must now tend to his needs!!! TATA!

Day trip to Lockwood!

We brought Connor to one of Jeramy's friends house for dinner today. We're trying to expose Connor to other kids as much as we can so that he doesn't have severe separation anxiety later on. I mean, we know he's gonna go through that anyway but he needs to know how to deal with other kids!

Jeramy's friend Richie has two kids: Zachey (3 yrs old) and Ian (10 months). Ian actually weighs less than Connor does, only 17 lbs! It's just so weird seeing a little boy crawling around and he's so much smaller than Connor. Zachey just admires "Jeramy Moen" to pieces. He even sings about him when he plays, his Daddy told us. Zachey also LOVES Connor. He's always trying to kiss Connor and Connor just hates it. Connor is learning how to play with kids though, which is awesome since I don't want him to end up like other kids that weren't exposed to other kids at a young age and freaked out when they finally were. I can tell he's still trying to figure things out, because he tends to cry out when they get too close.

Connor is beginning to sit down for longer periods now. He is learning how to balance on his little tush better and can control his "tumbling over" a little better. I did have a wee bit of an accident the other day when I sat him down on the kitchen floor for what I thought were just mere seconds while I tried to reach for the phone, which rang at the time. Next thing I know, he fell backwards and hit his poor little head. OMG, talk about pure guilt on Mommy! He cried his little eyes out for a few minutes, but he was just fine.

I'm also feeding him rice cereal twice a day now. It's such an awesome "event". He gets all messy and tries to use his cute tiny hands as spoons. He's always shoveling the food into his mouth with his grimey little fingers. When I finally get past the baricades, he either blows out the cereal or it comes dripping off his mouth. I don't know why I even use a bib! He just think

5 months old!

Happy 5 months old Connor!!!

So what's new with the little boy?

- 18 lbs and 27 inches

- can almost sit on his own, he tries to pull himself up (looks like he's doing sit ups) but he needs help to get to the sitting position...but once he's there, he can actually sit for a few mins without tumbling over!

- He has really strong legs. He is always trying to stand up, rather than sit. He loves it though, so he can see the world better (I guess). He even tries to take little steps. I just keep hoping he won't be mobile anytime soon. I like him the way he is now...heh heh

- He got his 1st haircut on the 17th. His hair was growing all funky. One side of his head had longer hair than the other hair so we needed to fix it. Now he looks OH SO MUCH CUTER than before! Who knew he could be CUTER?!

- He's not only blowing bubbles but he's learned to spit. Now...I always wondered if men went to a special school for that, but now I know that it's an innate thing. LOL!

- He's gotten his 1st cold & cough. He dealt with it fairly well but I feel so badly for the little guy. He just acted as he would if he wasn't sick, but with his runny nose and coughing spells, he was feeling pretty run-down. But he's OK now. He was a super trooper.

Well, I think that'a all for now. I'm tired of typing and I gotta go tend to Precious' needs. CIAO!

Charming little sucker...

Connor is just awesome. He lights up my life. He may cry a lot more than usual these days. Maybe it's due to teething or whatever, but one little smile or laugh I get out of him and my heart just melts. He really wants to act like a grownup, already grabbing for food and wanting to get up and walk. He can't actually sit on his own just yet, but with a little help from us, he can sit by himself for a few minutes. The Dr says his weight makes it extra tough on him to sit up on his own. He is in the 97th percentile as far as his growth is concerned. Most babies at this age are between 12-15 lbs and Connor's already weighing in at 18 lbs!!! The Dr also says we can choose to wait on feeding him solid foods until after he's 6 months old since he's so "healthy". :) I kinda wanted to wait on feeding him solid foods anyways, so we'll see. With the way Connor has been wanting to eat, I might just have to start sooner.

Connor's a real talkative boy. My dad thinks he's gonna be a comedian when he grows up because of his bubbly personality. It's so fascinating to see that he's already expressed such facial emotions since he was 2 months old. He's literally such a happy ho-lucky boy. I mean, don't get me wrong...he gets REAL cranky and irritable real quick. He definitely has good days and bad, but he just has so much personality. Not only does it amaze Jeramy and me, but it amazes everyone else. I wonder what kind of person he's gonna grow into? Not to be conceited or anything, but with a mixture of mine and Jeramy's personality...he's gonna be one hell of a CHARMER! :)

Sicky baby...

Yup, he got a slight fever all right. 101 degrees to be exact. But I wasn't too surprised since it's just part of the process when getting shots. Jeramy and I had prior engagements and we hate always having to cancel, so we dropped him off at Aunt Carol's for a few hours. I know, that sounds like such a shitty thing to do but he was in good hands. Aunt Carol was more than happy to have him and we were only gone for a couple hours.

But...yes, I felt guilty for leaving him. Trust me...