Sleepless Nights

Daycare is going better. Dominic still cries when I leave, but not for long. He's eating more through out the day and is still taking his two naps. The crazy thing is he's so tired by the time he comes home that we wants to sleep. His bedtime is 8pm but I think we're going to have to move it to 7 or 730pm. He spends all day crawling around and playing so by the time I go pick him up he's dunzo.

We're still working on the "cry it out" thing. He does great (for the most part) with going to sleep but he just won't sleep through the night. There is the odd night here and there where he will, but it's not consistent. Most of the time i repeat the process of letting him cry, waiting five minutes, going in to comfort him and then repeating. But when it's 2 in the morning and I've been doing that for an hour, it can be frustrating. I find myself torn between keep going through the process or just bring him into bed with us. Rob has to get up early for work, and it keeps him up. Not that he complains about it, but it's just hard. Plus, when I'm up in the middle of the night going back and forth into his room, trying to get him back to sleep, I'm exhausted. Part of wants to just to bring him in with us so we can all get some asleep and my heart is shattered after hearing him cry for so long. But then I worry about not staying consistent with him and breaking the pattern we're trying to teach him. It's a very confusing and tiring place to be. I thought he'd be adjusted by now, but 2 weeks in and we're still struggling. I suppose it's all part of the process and we'll find a way that works for us.

Daycare Bound

Yesterday was a huge milestone for us. It was Dominic's first day of daycare! I had mixed feelings about the whole situation. I was super excited for Dom because I knew he'd love interacting with other kids, playing with new toys and having fun all day. but part of me was a little uneasy. I would be leaving him with a stranger. Someone that I had only met once. Yes, she is licenced, insured and has been doing this for over 30 years, but still she was a stranger to me. I'm sure this is something all new Moms go through the first time, but that didn't make me feel any better. Although I was a little nervous about the whole things, I still was pumped for Dom. It would be great for him to play all day and it would be great for me because I'd have a couple hours after I dropped him off and picked him up to myself. I could get laundry done, run errands or, ahem, update my blog.

Connie runs the daycare out of her home and she's a grandma type of lady that loves all her kids. When we went to interview there, Dom had a great time. He went straight to her, let her hold him and crawled all around, playing with the toys. I had no doubts that we would drop him off on his first day he'd have no problem saying goodbye, probably wouldn't even notice us leaving because he'd be too busy playing. Some people told me to be strong and that I would cry, and I thought they were nuts. I was stoked for Cub and had no qualms about the whole thing.

Ok, so first morning scenario. We get up, get dressed, take our family photo (see above) and hit the road. Five minutes later, we arrive at Nonnie's Daycare (cute right?) So far, so good. We walk in and there are 3 kids there, one of them 7 months old...she's she's wailing. Crying, tears, the whole bit. Uh oh. This instantly makes Cub on edge and he just kind of stares at her. Connie comes over and welcomes us and Cub's grip on my arm gets stronger. It's time to leave so I put him on the floor with some toys, and he starts to panic. He looks at me like "Mom, where you going? Dad, what's happening?" My heart starts breaking and I pick him up to comfort him. "I love you baby, try to have some fun today." Ok, it's time to go. Connie reassures me that he'll be ok so I put him down again and he cries harder. Wow, ok, this is much tougher than I thought it would be. I look at Rob and make a beeline for the door. The faster I can get out of there, the faster I won't hear my baby crying for me. Sitting in the car, I tried to fight the tears, but they were stronger that me. Yes, I admit it. I let some tears fall. Rob comforted me but I still just felt like I left my baby somewhere where he knows no one.

About half an hour goes by and I'm feeling sad. I think the crying baby left me uneasy also. The scene was a little chaotic for our first time and I wasn't feeling totally at peace with the whole thing. I just kept imagining Dom looking around for his Mommy and Daddy, crying and feeling abandoned. I had to make sure he was ok. I called up Connie and she said he was doing fine. Phew! i felt so much better.

When I picked him up he was definitely happy to see me:) Connie said he did pretty good. He didn't eat a whole lot and cried a couple times through out the day. But he did take his two naps and played for a bit. Not bad for his first day.

Taking him this morning I was a little worried because at this point, he's onto me. He knows I'm going to leave him there and I had a feeling he might just cry even more then yesterday. When we walked in, something was different. It was quiet! only one other kid was there, and she was sitting quietly playing on the floor. I instantly felt better. When Dom saw Connie, or "Nonnie" as the kids call her, he broke out into a smile. Ok, ok, this is good. She extended her arms to him and he went to her. In mid lean, he suddenly looked over at me and then her as if to say "wait a second, this feels like a trap..." Connie told me he'd be fine and to get going, so I gave him a kiss and told him to have a good day and headed for the door. I could hear him kind of crying, but not screaming, so off I went.

I feel 100 times better this morning. I don't know if it's because the atmosphere was much calmer or maybe it's because Dom didn't scream and wail when I left. Maybe I'm just getting used to the idea of him being safe and ok in someone elses care for the whole day. Hopefully there will come a day, soon, that Dominic is excited to go to Nonnie's and will eat and play and have a blast. Until then, baby steps.

Name Change

I think it's interesting that people just assume I got married, and not divorced. When I call someone that asks for my name I say "Gina Cretikos," and if what they have on file is Gina Kincaid, they ask if my name has changed to Cretikos. When I tell them yes, they say "congratulations!" I have never corrected them because that would just be an awkward conversation to have.

Great Cub Progress

Success! After being restless last night, Dominic finally settled down around 10:30pm and slept through the night! Yahoo! He woke up at 6:00am and I brought him into our bed to snuggle, because there's nothing better then that. Oh wait, yes there is....he went back to sleep for another 2 hours! That's what I like to call a great night. I hope we can have a repeat performance tonight. So far, so good. He went to bed at 8pm, cried for about 5 minutes and then went to sleep. It's almost 10pm now and not a peep. Come on baby, you can do it!



He's growing up so fast. I had been a little worried about his eating because when it was meal time, he wouldn't eat a whole lot. A couple bites of baby food, some "lil crunchies" snacks, maybe a few bits of apple. But over the past couple of days he is doing so much better. He eats a whole jar of baby food, a good helping of apples, some Jello pudding. It's so cute to see him mash his food up with this two front teeth!

It was so nice out today, so we went down to Shiffer Park to have some fun. He absolutely loves the swings. Every time I'd push him, he'd break out into the giggles with his little toothy grin on display. We went on the slide and cruised about the climbing stuff. I think once he starts walking, he's going to love going to the park. Rob and I are keeping an eye out on Craigslist for a little jungle gym to in the backyard for him. We now have the space and it would be awesome for Dominic to be able to play out there. Plus, his cousins would have a blast when they came over too.

Tomorrow is Cub's first day of daycare. I'm really excited for him because I think he's going to love playing with the other kids and checking out all new toys. I have a strong feeling he will jump right in and not cry when I leave, and I'm hoping that's true. I have to admit that I'm a tiny bit nervous about leaving him with, well, strangers. I mean, the ladies there are great, and have been doing this for over 30 years, so I know he's in good hands. But at the end of the day, they are strangers. Kind of nerve racking, but that's just the Mom in me. People do this every day, and I just need to trust in our choice of daycare and roll with the punches. All in all, I'm excited for him and can't wait to see how it goes.

Heart Ache for Momma

The whole "cry it out" thing went so well at the beginning of the week. Right now, not so much. He goes to bed with almost no hiccups. I lay him in his crib at 8pm, he cried for about 5 minutes and then goes to sleep. The problem is, he wakes up around midnight and I have to repeat the whole process over again, but he always puts up more of a fight. Last night it was from midnight to 2am that he cried with me going in there every five minutes and I admit it....I gave in. I KNOW! I'm WEAK! But in my defense, Rob was in Phoenix and I heard a weird noise outside my window. I felt much better with him snuggled up in our bed where i could see him and the bedroom door locked.

Tonight started well. He went to bed at 8pm and only cried for a few minutes. But then he woke up at 10pm and has been crying on and off for the past 40 minutes. I'm listening to my baby scream and cry and it's killing me. I'm heart broken and just want to go swoop him into my arms and hold him tight. But I can't. I have to let him cry. I can go back in and let him know every thing's ok in five minutes. but then I have to leave him again, and that's when he really starts wailing. Brutal.

Time's A Flying

Someone please tell me who this kid is? He can't possible be my little Cub, because this kid is obviously all grown up and at least 23 years old.

Time is flying by. It seems like just yesterday we brought Dominic home from the hospital, tiny and new, and felt a tiny bit panicked because we realized that he's in our care now. We are totally responsible for this young pup, and it's our job to protect him and raise him right, Everything was a learning experience and even though we soon got into the swing of things, it was still hard to believe that this perfect little angel is our son.


He was totally dependent on us for everything. Eating, sitting, sleeping....we had to gently hold him in one arm and hold his bottle with the other. Now he holds his own bottle and sits in high chair, picking up his food from his tray and feeds himself. Bath time meant one of us lowering him into his little tiny tub and holding him while the other washed his hair and got him all nice and clean. Now he can't wait to jump in and splash away, trying to eat the bubbles. We used to have to hold his little head up so it didn't get all wonky. Now he sits up by himself, crawls all over the place and is climbing onto anything that he can get a leg up on.

All this progress and it's only been 9 months. I'm in awe of Dominic and all that he has accomplished so far. It seems like every day is something new and I can't wait to see what's next.

Refreshing!

Daddy and son enjoying a nice cold one after a long day at work:)

One tough cookie

Dominic is really such a great little kid. he always has a smile on his face and loves to play with his toys. You'd never know it, but he has an ear infection in both ears and an eye infection in both eyes. It's just one of those things that baby's have the no so lucky pleasure of getting. But even though he's not feeling so great, his disposition is still cheery. His doctor said he has a huge tolerance for pain because most kids would be screaming non stop. What a brave boy. Just like his Momma. Well, I thought I had a high tolerance until I went into labor. That was something that I can't even begin to describe. Luckily, Dom won't have to deal with that haha.

He's a curious little boy and likes to test his boundaries, so not crying after every little bump and spill is a good thing. He usually just picks himself up, dusts himself off and moves on to his next adventure. right now he loves to climb. Boxes, couches, on us, on the cat. He also LOVES to crawl under things. If there is a way to get under something, he'll find it. He crawls under his chair, his stroller, the dining room chairs. He loves tunnels and forts and is pretty much a typical little boy:)

Cry It Out

For the most part, Dominic has set his own bedtime. We let him stay up as long as he liked until he was tired. This would usually be around 11 at night. Hey, what can I say? he's a night owl like his Momma:) I would rock him to sleep and gently place him in his crib. Everyone told me not to do this because he would get used to it. But try telling that to a first time Mom that loves nothing more then holding her baby as nuzzles up to her and drifts off to la la land. I loved glancing down and seeing his sweet little mouth, his eyes closed and long eye lashes fanned out. His little tiny fingers curled around mine. It would be in those moments, sitting in the rocking chair in the darkness of his room, that I would thank God for this incredible gift. I would breathe deeply and hold him close, realizing that this is my life now. I would feel incredibly humbled and grateful for the blessing that is my son.

I wouldn't change all that for the world, but now it's time to buckle down and get him onto a schedule. We decided it was time for Dom to get used to a regular bedtime and sleep through the night. I have been dreading this moment because i can't bare the thought of him crying and me not comforting him. I knew it would take a lot of strength for me not to rush in there and scoop him up and rock him to sleep. But he needed to learn how to go to bed when he was still awake. It would be better for him and us.

Our doctor recommended letting him cry for 5 minutes then going in and comforting him, then leaving again and repeating every 5 minutes until he finally goes to sleep. She warned it could take 25 times and not to give up. Monday was the first night we let him "cry it out." Bath, bedtime at 8pm, some snuggles and then in the crib. My poor baby screamed bloody murder and i thought i was going to die. I felt horrible. but I followed the docs suggestion and after the third time, he went to sleep! he woke up at midnight and i repeated the process and it worked! Tues night same thing. Wednesday night he slept all the way through. Tonight, he cried for 2 mins and then went to sleep. I am totally amazed and proud of my boy!

Toughest so far

Being a parent is hard. I mean, I knew it was going to be hard, but you have no idea until you're living through it. Dominic is 9 months old and I have come to learn that this age, while rewarding, is also exhausting. He's crawling up a storm, climbing on everything he can get his hands on and has no fear. This means eyes on him at all times. No exceptions. Gone are the days where I could put him in his bouncy chair and not worry. Now there isn't really anywhere I can put him and leave the room for a second to grab a tissue, or his sippy cup, or pee. It is, by far, the most challenging age so far.

There are tons of things that are awesome, and the totally out weigh the tough parts. He's really curious and loves to touch everything. He's learned how to do peek-a-boo with his blanket and loves playing that game over and over. He's totally into books and will take his time turning the pages, looking at the pictures and squealing in delight.


He's totally obsessed with our cat, Cuddles. Whenever he sees her he claps his hands and makes a mad dash towards her. He pets her...ok..more like pulls at her fur, but Cuddles is actually pretty patient with him. Every time she's around I say "cat!" and now when he sees her he says "Ca Ca Ca." It's amazing that he's trying to say cat!

There is nothing better than when he looks at me with a big smile, crawls into my lap and gives me a big hug. That is the just the best and always makes me feel like a million bucks. So even though I'm wiped out by the end of the night, it's worth every sleepless night and stressful moment. Because those pass and the overwhelming love I feel for my son never will.

Settling In

I'm thankful that packing is behind me and now it's just a matter of unpacking. I love our new home and can't wait to be done with all the boxes and mess. It's the first time I have moved out of Costa Mesa, which is a big step for me. Ok, ok, I know I'm still practically in Costa Mesa, but according to the U.S. Post Office, I now reside in Santa Ana. And I'm happy about it.

It's aweome to have a driveway where we can park three cars in the driveway. And I love that we don't have to cram everything into two small rooms. We have a backyard where Cub can learn to ride his bike and splash in a kiddie pool. Our neighborhood is so nice and quiet. I can take Dominic for walks and not worry about traffic or tons of people. It feels like a grown up home and I guess we are grown ups now, so it's pretty fitting.

Long Awaited Tooth

After months and months of teething, drooling and chewing everything he could get his hands on, Dominic finally got his first tooth! It's amazing to see a little white nub sticking out of his bottom gum. It's tiny and sharp, kind of like a shark tooth. I have to say, he looks so cute with a little tooth in his gummy smile. The one right next to it seems to be coming right behind it, so hopefully it won't be as painful as the first.

My Little Leprecahn

Happy St. Patricks day! I remember when this day was all about drinking green beer, partying it up and having a good time. This year it was a little different. I picked up Dominic from his babysitter, went home, gave him a bath and played together. Then I went to my weight watchers meeting and dinner with Lanie. I have to say, it was a pretty great way to spend St. Paddys day. There was no drinking involved, no drunken toasts, no Irish drinking songs, none of that. But I didn't really miss it. I had a great time with my baby and then a great evening with my best friend. I guess that means I'm content with the way my life is now.

Not to say that drinking it up means unhappiness. No, not at all. But I remember when I was pregnant, it was really tough for me to not be able to party because I missed that part of my life so much. I wasn't sure how things would go and if I would always feel like I was missing out on a good time. Well, I'm happy to report that I feel good about things. I have a different focus now. Don't get me wrong, I still love to have a night off and hang with Rob and my friends, let loose and go drinking. But I don't miss it as much as I feared I would. I'm in a different place and it feels pretty good. Before the highlight of my night may have been doing shots with my friends, but today, my highlight was that Dom stood on his own, without even realizing it.


He was playing and let go, Rob and I both were looking at each other thinking "oh my gosh!" Once he realized he didn't have anything that was holding him up, he kind of panicked and plopped back down on his butt. Another milestone accomplished!

Home Sweet Home

Moving sucks. I really really hate moving. I'm much more of a stayer. I move somewhere and then stay there for a long period of time. I lived with my parents for 21 years. I lived in my first apartment for 6 years. I lived in my second apartment for 4 years. You get the idea. I'm a total creature of habit, so it's been kind of rough for me to live in 4 different places in two years. Rob and I moved into our place on Pomona Ave (dubbed the Jungle House) in March 2009 and it has been good to us. But now with Cub's toys and realizing we still have boxes unpacked, we have come to grips with the fact that we have run out of room. It made sense to find a new place to live, but we had only been living there for a year, so i wasn't ready to move on. As it turned out, fate intervened. Our landlord raised the rent and it was just too much for our place, so the search began.

We looked at tons of different places, some great, some not so great. But none of them felt right. We were running out of time, and then it happened. Rob found our "diamond in the rough." For the same price and we would have been paying if we renewed our lease, we scored a four bedroom, two bathroom single family house. It's perfect for us, with a huge back yard for the Cub and a two car garage for Rob. It's somewhere that I can see us staying for a long while and setting our roots down. We move on March 20th, and there is a lot of packing to be done before then. Did I mention how much I hate packing?

A Bed For Three

Dominic used to do really well sleeping through the night, but over the past three months, he wakes up in the middle of the night and just won't go back down in his own bed. At the time he was teething pretty badly and so I would bring him into our bed to calm him down. That then turned into him going to sleep in his own bed (around 11pm, after rocking him to sleep) and then every night, making his way into our bed and sleeping there until the morning.

This is something that I never thought I'd do. When I was pregnant, I swore that we would never fall into this pattern because once there, it's hard to break. I have to admit, this turned into a nightly habit more because I was exhausted and just couldn't find it in me to stay up for an hour trying to get him back to sleep and into his own crib. It's hard not to when he snuggles up to me and falls asleep in my arms.

And now we are paying the price. Truth be told, we both like having him in our bed....he loves to snuggle and when he wakes up in the morning he laughs and smiles and just makes the day a great one right from the get go. But this is habit that isn't really benefiting anyone. He needs to learn to sleep in his own bed, and Rob and I need to reclaim our bed.

I know what needs to happen, but I'm just not sure I'm ready to go there yet. The idea of letting him cry breaks my heart so i guess I will need to toughen up. In the meantime, I'm glad we have a king size bed!

I love you because

I saw this on a website today and realized how true it is!! Having a baby changes a mom's life, but the bundle of joy also alters the way she looks at the world and lives each day. Here are some of the purest perks that come with being a mother.

1. You see everything for the first time again through the child's eyes — even ants are amazing.

2. A single gummy smile can save even the biggest wreck of a day.

3. When the infant fusses, your mere presence calms him.

4. If you rest your child on your chest, your hearts beat in unison.

5. When he laughs, he shakes, drools, and almost keels over, but it's the most adorable thing you've ever seen. So you make him do it again and again.

6. You think about the future in bigger and brighter ways. You picture him heading off to kindergarten and graduating from high school.

7. You anticipate and even dream of little things like a cutting tooth, a single step, or a two syllable utterance: "mama."

8. You forget about things you used to care so much about, because they actually don't matter at all.

9. You finally understand what "a mother's instinct" means.

10. Your will to live intensifies because you don't want to miss a moment of your child's spectacular life.

His futures so bright

Cub on the move

We're in big trouble now! Guess who learned how to crawl today! YES! Dominic! Woo hooo! I was at the office and he was on the floor, creeping around like he has been doing for a while. Scooting himself across the floor on his tummy, but not able to actually get up on all fours. I was sitting at my desk and suddenly I heard Tina say "Gina, Gina, Gina!!!" I looked over at her and she was standing up, leaning over her desk pointing at Dominic. I jumped up and there he was, on all fours, moving forward! I couldn't believe it! My baby boy is crawling!

It seems like he has been wanting to for a couple weeks now, but this was the first time he actually did it all by himself. Once he figured out how to do it, he couldn't wait to try it again. He's a little wobbly but he's definitely on the move. Go Cub!!!

Doggy Heaven

Cleo is one of those dogs that you can't help but love. She's sweet, gentle, loving and fiercely protective. If she doesn't know you, there's a good chance she'll bark at you. If you approach one of her family members, there's a good chance you should run. I have never felt so safe then when she's here with us, chilling in the backyard. She is part of our family and we all love her so much.

Tonight a horrible thing happened. Cleo got out and was hit by a car right outside our house. We think she was maybe sick because was trying to get out for a few day and no matter what Rob did, she would find a way out. It was almost like she wan'ted to leave so that we wouldn't have to watch her suffer. I know that sounds crazy, but we just had this strong feeling.

Now she's gone, and I feel so gutted. I miss her already and don't know what we're going to do without her. We think she missed Lucifer and wanted to be with him, so at least they are both in peace now.

Thank you Cleopatra, for all the love, wet kisses and happiness you brought us all. You will be forever missed.

Cub say what?

My little cub is growing up so fast. He's seven months old and every day he does something new that just amazes me. Today was a big milestone. He said his first word! Rob and I were sitting on the couch and he was just hanging out, playing. He was making his usual noises, talking his cute baby jibberish, and then out of no where he says "Dada!" Rob and I both whipped our heads around to look at each other in disbelief. "Did you just hear that?" "Yea! Did you?" "Yea!" Maybe it was a total fluke, and he doesn't even realize he said it. Then, he looked up at us with his big brown eyes and said "Dada!" Oh my gosh! He said his first word! And it was Dada! Rob was so happy and I'm so proud of my baby:) And I have to say, Dom looked very proud of himself too!

It still blows me away every day how much he is changing and evolving in his own way. I remember when we first brought him home and he was so tiny and fragile. Now he's rough and ready and all over the place. He has the best personality and the best smile I've ever witnessed. He giggles and laughs at all kinds of different things and is such a curious cub. I think he's super smart, but I'm sure all Moms think that about their kids. But no, really, he's totally on the ball. He really concentrates on certain things and you can almost here the wheels spinning. I look forward to every day with him and to see what he's going to do next. Maybe it will be saying "Momma?"

So hard to say goodbye

Romeo has been my little buddy ever since I brought him home with me when he was only 6 weeks old. He's been by my side through so many ups and downs. He has comforted me when I've been sad, cheered me up when I've been down and has been the constant in my life for over eight years. Last year, as you know, he had some troubles with eating and his liver, but with lots of care and affection, he bounced back.

Today was a very difficult day for me. Today I had to say goodbye to my sweet Romes. After much turmoil I finally made the decision for the following reason, He has always been an outside cat. He loved coming in and out as he pleased and has always done so his whole life. When we moved to the Pomona house, we kept him inside because our dogs were outside. He actually didn't seem to mind. When I would open the patio door to see if he wanted to check it out, he's tip toe out onto the grass, sniff around for a bit and then bold back inside. I think he was nervous about the puppies. Then he started going pee on the dining room rug, No matter what we did, he kept doing it. I knew he was trying to tell me that he wanted out, and I just felt like it wasn't fair to him to keep him locked up when he wanted to run free.

I could have done the selfish thing and kept him at home with us, but I love him too much. I made arrangements for him to move in with Matt, because he loves Matt and I knew he would take good care of him. Marcus came and picked him up tonight and I just couldn't watch them leave. I said my goodbyes, gave Romeo lots of hugs and kisses, told him I loved him and then went outside. I stuffed my headphones into my ears and turned up my iPod so I didn't hear him meowing as he left. I let some tears fall and just kept telling myself this was for the best.

I know that Romeo is going to be just fine. He'll be happy to be back with Matt and I have comfort in knowing that he's with someone that loves him just as much as I do. Thank you Romes, for bringing me so much love and joy for so many years, I love you and will never forget you.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Look at that gorgeous head of hair on my sons head! He has the perfect "bang swoop" and I admit it, I'm jealous. His hair grows so fast. I wish mine did, then I could do all kind of crazy cuts and have it back to a good length in no time. I actually really like his hair this length but the poor kid is constantly brushing it out of his face, and I've even used a bobby pin to hold it back while he eats. So, it was time to get it snipped again.

His first haircut we did at home, but now he's 6 months old so for his second haircut, we took him to "Cool Cuts." I wasn't sure how'd he do having to sit still and not be a wiggle worm, but he did great. He got to sit in a car while his stylist cut away and even wear a cape. People couldn't believe that he was already getting a haircut at such a young age but they were totally shocked when we told them it was his second one.

I love the finished product and thinks he looks awesome as a little slick Dom!

Cub Love

I suck, I suck, I suck. I know. I'm sorry for the long silence....again, time had flown by. I'm giving a special shout out to Jasmine for reminding me that I'm a big lagger so, thank you Jas!

Dominic is now 14 weeks old and growing every day. He has morphed from this little tiny blob that needs delicate hands to hold him and does nothing but sleep, eat and poop...to this adorable little boy that is discovering something new every day. He is not longer a fragile piece of glass, he's rough and tough now and has thickened up nicely. Last weigh in at the doc he was 11lbs 12oz and I'm sure he's closer to 13lbs now. He is starting to grasp and hold things in his little hands. When I feed him, he loves to hold the bottle too, running his fingers along the side, feeling all the different ridges and bumps.

He can hold his head up pretty good and loves to sit and stand (with our assistance of course.) He's not much for tummy time, although we get him to do it. He'd much rather stand and bounce like a big boy. He coos and talks when he's in the mood. He can be a real chatterbox sometimes. He makes the sweetest little chirps and mumbles, getting a kick out of hearing his own voice. He has tickle spots and loves to laugh and chuckle out loud. I swear, it's the cutest thing ever.

He loves taking a bath and doesn't ever fuss when he gets into the water. Rob and I tag team him, one washing hair, the other washing him. He just sits back and enjoys it, kicking his little feet in the water. He's almost outgrown his bath tub and pretty soon he will be moving up to the regular bath.
He's outgrown most of his newborn clothes and has advanced onto 3 months old clothing. That is starting to get really fun. All the cute clothes look adorable on him and I have to admit, I love putting on his outfits. My son has amazing style and just knows how to rock out an outfit:)

One of the coolest things is he recognizes Rob and I. He knows we are his Daddy and Mommy and it's the best feeling when he smiles at us. He does that quite often, especially when we tickle him. Did I mention that he's pretty ticklish? His little laugh just kills me.


He's sleeping through the night for the most part. He'll hang out with us in the living room and usually falls asleep in his chair around 8pm. About 10pm he'll wake up, I'll change his diaper, feed him and then put him in his crib. He'll usually sleep through the night and wake up around 6:30 or 7:00am. If he does wake up in the middle of the night, it's usually because he's congested or having a growth spurt. I'll feed him and lay him back down and he goes back to sleep. He's such a good boy, I'm so glad and thankful for that! It definitely helps to get more sleep!


We sing songs every day. I usually sing about whatever we're doing, and sometimes he'll sing along with me. He has his own theme song.....I sing it to him every day and I swear he's starting to recognize it. He loves the TV. I know this is a controversial subject, but I'm not against him watching some boob tube. When I'm home with him and I need to clean the house or make dinner, it keeps him entertained for ten or fifteen minutes. We Tivo'd this show called "Wow Wow Wubsy" and he loves it. We really want to get him the baby Einstein dvd's since he's so interested in the screen.

The newest thing for him is that he's teething. I can hardly believe it! He's drooling up a storm and that was always my worst fear....drool. Never been a fan. Always gave me the heebe jeebes. But this kid drools all day long, all over me, all over him...and it doesn't bother me one bit. I don't even think twice about reaching right up and wiping it away with my hand. He's constantly got his hands in his mouth and is blowing little spit bubbles. These are all classic symptoms of teething but it could go on for months before the first signs of a tooth appears.

His next doctor's appointment is in November and they want to talk about solid foods. Whaaaa? My baby on solids? Wow! We have been putting rice cereal in his formula for the past month because he was having issues with acid reflux. It has seemed to really help and he gobbles it right up. He's developed a chubby chin and pudgy cheeks.....his cuteness is incredible.


One of my favorite things is when he falls asleep in my arms. His tiny little lips curled, his almond shaped eyes closed, his face nuzzled into my neck. The absolute best is when he takes a big sigh and snuggles up even closer and then passes out. I could do that forever. Just hold him and stare down at my perfect little boy. When I wake up in the morning, I've missed him. When I hear that he's awake, I go into his room and peer into his crib. He's usually just hanging out in his crib, chatting with his mobile friends and kicking his feet around. He always has turned himself around and is always facing a different direction from where I put him the night before. I pick him up, cover him with kisses and get ready to start another great day with him.