December already!!!

Time is just flying by!!!  Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, I've been busy crafting away.

Our little boy is showing so much more of his personality these days.  He is back to saying 'mom' all the time.  It almost seems like he knows what it means sometimes, but he's says it all the time so I'm not 100% sure.  We're still trying to catch him saying it on video, but the second I bring the camera out he wants to play with it.  He's started using his pointer finger to point to things in his books.  He has also mastered pushing buttons on the remote with his pointer finger.  He's great at hitting the mute, power and volume buttons!  He's still sweet and snugly also.  He loves to give hugs and if you have his full attention and ask 'Connor can I have a kiss?' he'll give you one!  I just can't get enough of those Connor kisses and I think Chris feels the same.

Connor still isn't a fan of solid foods.  He gags on anything solid that makes it into his mouth.  This past week he has taken to sampling my fruit.  He likes apple slices and thought the pear piece I gave him was delicious.  He really only got juice with the apple, but he actually got some pear.  He gummed half a quarter, before I lost his attention.

He still loves his 'command center' and is getting better and better at jumping and hitting all the buttons.  He also has one of those door jumpers and it's super fun watching him jump around in it.  He looks like a little tigger! We'll have to get a video of that too.

The long awaited Christmas stockings.  They are still not totally done.  I decided not to paint our names on them.  I was too afraid I would ruin them.  I'm going to put our names on those stars.  I still have to paint mine and I have a friend cutting the names out of vinyl for me on her fancy Cricket.

Connor loves looking at himself in this little mirror.  He thinks it's really weird when Chris and I wear hoods.  So when I put his hood up and he saw his reflection this was the response.  

Riley Blake is one of my favorite fabric designers and when they came out with this new line it was the perfect excuse to make Connor another quilt.  I just love the way this one turned out and I think Connor is going to love it too!  The prairie point border is only attached at the base of the triangles so the rest is totally grab-able, which is what Connor will hopefully love.

Connor's Christmas PJ's!  I searched forever for something I liked.  These are perfect!  I usually get Chris and I new PJ's for Christmas eve and Christmas morning, but we don't really new ones, so Connor will have to carry on the tradition this year.  

Connor in front of our Christmas tree.  He just got to watch Chris and I decorate this year, but I'm sure he'll be up for helping next year!

         

Thanksgiving

November is going by so quickly!  I can't believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone.  We all enjoyed some turkey and sweet potatoes (even Chris!).  I tried a new sweet potato recipe and it was a huge hit.  I'll definitely be making that one for years to come!  Connor tried some sweet potato chunks and some small pieces of turkey.  He gagged on both.  I thought we might have a winner with the sweet potatoes since he loves the mashed ones so much, but no luck.  We ended up giving him some sweet potato and turkey baby food, which he gobbled up!  I think he's just not crazy about the texture of finger foods yet.  He did enjoy squishing the sweet potato chunks in his fists.  

Let see what else is new...  Connor has started holding his arms up when he wants to be picked up.  I think that's pretty fun.  Chris got him to roll to the right.  He still favors rolling to his left, but at least we know he can do it the other way too.  We've started going through the stage 2 food.  Just the ones that combine the foods he's already tried (the turkey was an exception).  We'll branch out some more soon.  He is a wonderful little eater!  He is now eating 3 meals a day and a pretty substantial amount each time too.  Connor is down to two naps a day and is still sleeping wonderfully at night, usually 11 hours (yippe!).  He does still wake up at 3:00 am 3-4 time a week, but it's usually because he has worked himself out of his swaddle and wants to be re-swaddled.  We still can't get him to sleep without it and I think he's bonded with a certain blanket.  I have a hard time getting to sleep without it.     

We just got our first snow today and Connor was completely fascinated   It wasn't a very nice snow, it was pretty windy and icy so we didn't take him out, but maybe next time.

     

Enjoying a nice sunny day.

A happy baby boy!

Thanksgiving!!!

Trying some 'real' sweet potatoes. 

Connor's Thanksgiving dinner.

Connor in his "command center."

7 Months Old

I can hardly believe it's November and our little Connor is now 7 months old!  It's crazy how fast these little guys grow!  Connor finally figured out how to roll to his left from his tummy (so much for tummy time)!  He's super proud of himself every time too.  Each time he does it he gives us a huge smile.  He really wants to army-crawl and can with some assistance, but he can't do it on his own yet.  He has actually fallen forward a few times trying to get toys, but he just get's onto his belly and doesn't seem at all concerned that he just about face planted his little self.  He's completely fascinated with remotes and tries to eat them every chance he gets.  He loves playing with his toys while he sits.  He 'study's' any new toys very seriously before he plays with them.  He just loves figuring out how things work and once you show him, he's very enthusiastic about trying.   

He's getting much better with this hand eye coordination.  He can pick up little cereal puffs AND put them in his mouth (that last part is new!).  He can't quite decide if he likes the puffs, but putting things in his mouth is always fun.  Connor has now tried all the 1st stage foods, except prunes.  He tolerates peaches and hates bananas.  I couldn't really blame him there, the baby food ones are REALLY sweet.  I bought some fresh bananas this week and am going to try mashing those up for him, we'll see if he likes those better.  He thought carrots were okay, but they weren't really a favorite.  He eats two solid meals a day now.  I tried to give him breakfast yesterday, but he didn't really want it.  We'll try again in a few days, but I'm not worried about it.  He's such a great little eater!

Connor also started saying 'mam' this morning!  Hopefully that turns into 'ma ma' soon.  He also says 'ba' and just babbles in general.  It's pretty cute.  He definitely knows who we are and he tries to communicate with us all the time.  He's just turning into more of a little person everyday.

Connor also just loves his baths.  He can be in a terrible mood and a bath will cheer him right up!  He is able to sit in the tub now and really enjoys splashing and playing with his little rubber ducky.  

Chris was in Colorado last week interviewing and was off in San Antonio this weekend.  Chris really liked the VA in Colorado and he liked the program in San Antonio.  I don't know what we'll do if San Antonio calls this week...  The other three programs that he has interviewed at are all 'match.'  So we won't find out until the end of January if we go that route.  

I finally was able to finish sewing our Christmas stocking!!!  They turned out really cute.  As soon as I get our names on them I'll post pictures of the finished product.  

Chris outside the Alamo in San Antonio, TX

Connor in a onesies from our baby shower.  This one turned out really well! 

Connor contemplating eating some finger food.

Connor getting some finger food into his mouth!  He didn't really care for it, but he keeps putting them in his mouth anyway.

Yay!!! Connor now has his own cups and he loves them.  He still doesn't really care for water, but he also still doesn't need it.  So we'll just keep practicing. 

Connor LOVES his basketball.  He gets a little frustrated playing with it sometimes, he drops it quite a bit, but he still loves it.  His favorite thing to do with it is hit it while it's sitting in his lap.  I couldn't get him to sit still while I took this picture, but this one turned out pretty cool.  

  

Operation switch was a success!

Chris and I recently decided that we needed to move his desk down from Connor's room.  We thought Chris would be able to use it up there, but that was naive of us.  When Connor is up he's loud (and distracting, who can study with a cute baby around!) and when he's sleeping we don't go near that room let alone inside (okay we sneak in sometimes to see our sleeping little angel, but that's it).  So the desk came down to the living room and the love-seat ended up in Connor's room.  We all really like our new arrangement.  Having the desk down stairs really opens up the living room and now Connor has a nice 'book nook.'       

Decals above Connor's closet. 

The nursery.  This little scene still makes me so happy just walking into his room and Connor loves talking to that monkey above his changing station.  He also still adores his mobile, he talks to it every morning. 

The book nook (with a cute baby)!

Our living room.  There are bats on the siding glass door in honor of Halloween.

Our little tiger!

After looking at several baby Halloween costumes Chris and I decided that Connor would make a pretty cute tiger and we were right!  Isn't this the cutest tiger you've ever seen?

Calvin and Hobbes.  

Close up of our tiger.

Connor was really concerned with all the leaves on the ground.  I could hardly get him to look at me.

Family picture!

Mom and Connor.  I was going to be Susie Derkins, but decided that no one would know who that was.  

Da-Da

Connor started saying 'da-da' last Monday.  It's pretty fun hearing him say something that we understand.  I don't think he associate's these words with Chris yet, but I bet that's not too far down the road.  I'm also hoping he'll say 'ma-ma' soon. 

We bought Connor his first ball this week.  He doesn't really get rolling yet, but he likes tasting it and he loves hitting it.  It almost looks like he's going to dribble it.  

Connor has become way more interested in our faces.  He loves to grab our cheeks and put his fingers in our mouths.  He thinks it really fun when you say yum, yum, yum and nibble on his fingers too.

Connor tried peas and apples this week and he liked those as well too.  So far he's a terrific eater!  I'm hoping that continues into his toddler years!  Connor also made a grab for my water glass this week.  I was curious what he would do if I gave it to him...  He grabbed it with both hands and put it right up to his lips.  Chris was convinced he'd gotten some water!  He didn't, but the next time he tried it I did let him get some water.  Judging by his face, it was the worst thing he'd ever tired! 

Connor in his 'Tuffy Tooth' shirt! We got this from a dental friend whose family gives these out to cavity free kids.

Connor's Church outfit for the month of October.  Such a little cutie!

More Teeth!!!

Connor and I were sitting on the couch cuddling a few days ago when I heard what sounded like teeth grinding.  At first I didn't think anything of it, then I realized you have to have teeth on top to grind them and sure enough I looked in his mouth and he has 4 teeth coming in on top!!!  He has another one coming in on the bottom too!  Poor little guy has five new teeth breaking through the gums all at once and he has been great.  Once these teeth come in he'll have a total of 8 teeth.  That just seems crazy to me for a 6 month old!  So far he has been really good about not biting, hopefully that stays the same.  

Connor tried pears and sweet potatoes this week.  The pears were an instant hit.  I couldn't get them in his mouth fast enough and he ate double what he normally does!  The sweet potatoes took a little while for him warm up to, but the second night he wolfed them down.  I'd say they are a hit too.  

Connor has gotten very good at sitting.  I don't have to be by side constantly (though I'm still not very far away, just in case).  Connor is trying really hard to roll over.  Today he did it three times in a row.  I thought he might have figured it out, but he hasn't done it again yet.  He's getting better at tummy time, he can push himself up all the way up with his arms and hold the position for a few minutes.  Connor also discovered my hair this week.  Now that it's short, it's down a lot more, actually all the time.  He thinks it's the most interesting thing ever.  He gets his 'curious' look on his face and runs his fingers through my hair (he rarely pulls it) and then gives me this huge smile.  It's the sweetest thing ever.  I just love this little guy!!!

 

This is a street we walk down frequently and I happened to have my camera with me this day.  I just love fall here, it's so colorful!

Just smiling at Mommy

I know this picture is a little bury, but I just love it!  He loves that piano and was having a great time on his stomach today.

I just had to show off my very first wreath ever.  I have been waiting to make one because I didn't want it to get smashed when we moved, but then I realized we still have several moves ahead of us and well, I wanted a wreath.  Now I just have to find one I like for Christmas...

Family Pictures

Between Chris's schedule, Connor's schedule and the weather it's hard getting a family picture, but we finally got one!!!  We've had a LOT of rain lately and I didn't want to set Connor in a bunch of wet leaves.  We caught the end of fall, so the trees aren't quite as spectacular as I wanted, but I still think the pictures look nice.  We had a friend who was nice enough to help us out, Jeff Jensen.  I was hoping Connor would smile for him, but he was more interested in the cars driving by then Jeff.  These ones are my favorites...  

A happy little family

If Connor was smiling this would have been absolutely perfect.

I actually took this one.  Chris made him smile!

Growing So Tall!!!

Our little guy saw the doctor yesterday and we got some new stats for everyone.  He is now 16 lbs 2 oz and a whole 27 1/2 inches tall!!! He's in the 80th percentile for height and the 25th for weight.  All in all, he's still a tall, skinny, healthy Haven's boy!  He seems to be right on track with everything.  Chris and I actually woke up before Connor this morning, it felt a little weird.  The little guy always gets so tired after he gets his immunizations, but so far that's the worst thing that has happened.  This week he has improved on his sitting.  He'll even reach for things on the floor in front of him.  It's so fun seeing him want to examine the things.  His new favorite toy is a stuffed lion.  It has ribbons, crackle paper/fabric, and of course rings.  It fascinates him for 10-15 minutes at a time.  Connor tried green beans this week and decided he likes them, but they have to be warm (can't say I blame him there).     

Connor was in such an odd mood after this nap.

An outside photo session with mom.  He did such a great job sitting!!! I know he's on a hill and that helps, but he sat there for 25 minutes without help!!!

Leaves and wind are so cool.

Such a cutie!

Yay Daddy came home!!!

Eating green beans.  We should really get him his own bowl.

Fall is definitely here.  I just love all the colors Ann Arbor falls have!  I'm working on getting a family picture outside with all the trees.  Maybe this weekend...

Connor and Daddy.  This was the only picture for this family picture attempt that turned out.

6 Months Old!!!

I can't believe our little guy is already 6 months old! It just doesn't seem like he's been here half a year, but at the same time, it seems like we've always had this little guy.  I was planning to have a little photo shot outside with Connor this afternoon in honor of his half birthday, but it rained.  So we had to move our session indoors.  I'm still hoping for fall pictures with Connor outside, but these ones turned out REALLY cute! These are just a few of my favorites.

Had to show one with his fingers in his mouth.

Love his little face in this one.

 This penguin hat is almost as cute as Connor!

The shirt is another of my attempts at dying.  It's perfect for October!

Such a happy little dude!

We went to pick Daddy up at school and decided to continue our photo session.  I still can't get him to smile outside.

And our final picture before bed.  Connor loves to be naked (if you couldn't tell from his smile)! In fact he cry's when you try to put his cloths on.

This past week Connor got his 3rd tooth.  He was a little grouchy all week, but it was nothing a little snuggling couldn't fix.  He liking oatmeal much better then rice cereal, today he actually sucked some off the spoon. Yay Connor! I'm still working on getting that video uploaded of his first attempt at eating solids, I think it might be too big... Connor also sat on his own for several minutes unassisted today!!!  I was so excited for him!  We'll have to get a video of that when Chris and I are both home (learned that the hard way, oops.)  The Christmas stocking are still in progress.  I didn't get as far as I hoped this week, but I'll be sure to share them when they are finished.