7 Months Old

 

Growing, and Growing, and Growing...

Size 3 diapers

Size 9 mo. clothes

Around 16.5 pounds

Eating Well...

5 milk feedings a day, but she will probably drop the supper/evening one soon

Likes to eat two 'meals' a day: cereal and fruit in the AM and cereal and veggies in the PM

Added lots to her palate: applesauce, peaches, pears, peas, green beans, and LOVES carrots

Feels proud to hold the sippy cup and get some good gulps of water

Loves Baby Mum Mums

 

Snoozing...

Same bedtime of 7:30/8:00, but has been getting up around 5:30 AM lately

Dropped the nighttime feeding, but wakes several times per night-Nuk usually works, but sometimes snuggles are still needed

2 or 3 naps per day, afternoon nap is starting to be more consistent

 

Likes...

Being in the high chair

Rolling, slithering backward, and spinning around on her belly in the living room

Cooper making her laugh with his silly sounds

Putting everything in her mouth

Playing peek-a-boo... she likes to pull the blanket off her own face now!

Stroller rides

Playing 'chase' around the kitchen island

Snuggling and playing with daddy on the bed while mommy gets ready for work in the morning

Sleeping in our arms

Bath time-especially with her big brother

Grabbing anything she can get her hands on

Sitting in the Bumbo seat

Smiling

Other Stuff...

She is still a good snuggler :)

Bangs two toys together, and loves amusing herself with the new sounds they make

Rocks on all 'fours' and is SOOO close to crawling!

Still no teeth

Izzy lights up when she sees Mom, Dad, or Cooper enter the room

Cooper gets her best giggles

Is a pretty good sitter, but still topples over sometimes

Her forehead is acquiring some scuffs and bruises with her new mobility

She is becoming very distractable... mommy and Izzy need to find quite, calm places for nursing now

Fought off that ear pesky ear infection with a 2nd antibiotic that did NOT agree with her tummy :(

Bring on summer!  We are so excited to spend time outdoors with both kids.  Izzy thinks the grass is very interesting, so it will be fun letting her explore and crawl around outside.  I am sure she'll love the pool, too, since she's getting more confident sitting up.  We can no longer lay her on the floor without doing a good check of the area to see what could be within her grasp.  She can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time!  

Dimples! (And can you see that her head is 99+ percentile?!?! So full of brains!!)

I LOVE my brother!!

Our little pianist... banging the piano with a hammer makes beautiful music

Izzy slithered under the couch and got stuck.  But we still got smiles!

More admiration for her big brother...

Yes, Izzy, you still look VERY much like your father's daughter...

Date Night

Cooper took mommy on a date to the Twins game last weekend.  It was a beautiful night, and he did AWESOME being up late.  It was 4th Grade Night at Target Field for kids at my school, so many of my students got to see him.  Ella even shared her cotton candy with him.  Cooper loved it!

He definitely remembered where we were going, since he had just been to a game a few weeks prior with grandma and grandpa.  It was funny taking him up and down the stairs... the height of the stairs came to his knees, so it took a lot of work for him to climb up and down.  He was a trooper, though!  I think he felt like such a big boy.  He only asked to be carried a couple times.

He was such a good boy the whole night.  We had a great time, and it was fun to get out with just my big boy for another date night :)

Cheese!

Mommy's Boy

I love you, Cooper!!!

A Baby No More...

Dearest Cooper,
You are such a little man.  With each passing day, I come more and more to the realization that you are in no way, shape, or form a baby any longer.  You are becoming so much more independent, you are so very observant, and you make connections about your little world that I can't believe. 

You are smart, sometimes too smart for your own good.  There isn't much we can get by you these days.  You are hilarious... you know how to make us laugh, and you can even make yourself laugh :)  You easily ditched your Nuk a couple months ago (we sure underestimated you on that one), you use 'please' and 'thank you' without too much reminding, and you sleep in a 'toddler bed' (another transition we underestimated you on!).  I cannot believe how much older you look asleep in your bed with the simple removal of your crib rails. 

Tonight, after I put Isabelle to bed, I got the urge to snuggle with you, too, so I stopped down to your room.  You were still awake, and a little confused why I came in.  I just whispered, "I just came to say goodnight again, buddy.  And mommy needs another kiss."  You just said, "K," and gave me a sweet little smooch.  I said, "I love you, Cooper," and you whispered, "Wuv," as you rolled back over.  I love your little "Wuvs." 

As you walked out the door on Saturday afternoon to go to the Twins game with Grandma, Papa, and Jackie, you looked like such a big boy.  As I watched you walk out the door and down the sidewalk, I couldn't help but wish you would look back and want another hug and kiss.  I suppose I should get used to you not needing me every second ;) 

I love you so much, buddy.  I do love watching you grow up, but there sure are nights I wish I could freeze time and have you stay little forever.  (Tonight is one of them!!!)   I love you, Cooper, and I hope someday you realize just how much.

 

6 Month Update

Growing, and Growing, and Growing...

Size 2 diapers

Size 6 mo. clothing, but will be switching to 9 mo. very soon

Around 15.5 pounds

Her hair fits in a little 'sprout' of a ponytail

Eating Well...

5 milk feedings a day

Started solids--still just practicing by eating a little for supper

Has tried brown rice cereal, regular rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, sweet potatoes, and Baby Mum-mum

She LOVES bananas (rip-the-spoon-from-my-hand LOVES bananas)

Figured out how to hold on to and get a little water out of a sippy cup

 

Snoozing...

Same bedtime of 7:30/8:00 and up between 6-6:30

Is getting feistier at night about wanting to be rocked to sleep

Eats one time in the middle of the night.  I gave in.  We all get more sleep this way.

Well-adjusted to sleeping with her arms out, and often rolls over in her crib while 'trying' to fall asleep

3 naps per day - one 45-min AM, one 2-ish hour afternoon, and one 30-min PM

 

Likes...

Her jumperoo

Cooper blowing raspberries on her belly

Cooper tickling or kissing her feet

Instantly rolling to her belly when on the floor

Watching us eat

 Chewing on her toes

Playing peek-a-boo

Stroller rides

Sleeping in our arms

Bath time

Grabbing hair

Smiling

Other Stuff...

Pushes up really high on her arms when on her belly

Scoots backward, and gets her knees underneath her every now and then

Slobbering slowed down-most days she doesn't wear a bib at all

Still no teeth, but I think her bottom gums are looking whitish

Knows when mom or dad are not around... definite stranger-danger

Giggles more easily now!

 Really concentrates on objects in her hands

Is really close to sitting without support

Had her first ear infection this month :(

New nickname: pterodactyl, due to her crazy shrieks and squeals

We're putting the bouncer away this week...

This kid is a dream of a baby.  She is still very laid back, she just makes sure no one forgets about her by 'reminding' us she's still here when we spend too much time out of her sight ;) I almost forgot how much fun this age is... having a 'meal time' with FOOD, so many smiles and giggles, lots of new discoveries, and the sweet way she can go from all riled up to sweetly snoozing in my arms in just a few minutes.  

Isabelle, we love you.  Now stop growing so fast.

Hmmm... when I walked away, she was on the blanket...

"Here I am, Mommy!"

Loving the jumperoo

Practicing with the sippy cup

These mini photo sessions with mommy get more interesting every month!!

And we've entered the chew-on-anything-and-everything stage

Check out the sprout on the top of her head!!

The Winter That Never Ends

So, last week's snowstorm was kind of funny.  A little peculiar to have an April 11 snowstorm, but at least most of us could chuckle about it.  But to get socked again on April 17?!?!?!?  6 inches of slushy, heavy snow that caused an early-release from school and a subsequent snow day?!?!?!? That's just plain wrong.  It's seriously the winter that never ends!  Not that I'm complaining about an extra day at home with my family, but we do have to make up the time.  4 snow days is apparently not a reasonable amount of days to just let students and teachers have off ;)  One school day gets tacked on to the end of the school year (June 5 is now our last day with students), and teachers must attend one of a variety of 2-day workshops or spend 16 hours curriculum mapping this summer. 

Jeremy, on the other hand, is not too concerned.  His back surgery has been scheduled for May7, so he'll be taking the rest of the school year off.  If his district makes up the time, he won't have to worry about it.  He has reminded me of that at least three times today. 

We keep thinking THIS snowstorm will be the last one...  so we bundled Cooper up and let him enjoy what's left of this ungodly long winter.  He doesn't mind this long winter one bit.  He's learned to eat 'clean' snow, and he thinks it tastes like ice cream.  He knows how to make snowballs and snowmen.  And he uses his sand pail and shovel to play in the snow. 

At least the snow is pretty... right?

Shoveling the walk.  Well, taking a break from shoveling that walk.

Looks like Cooper will be helping daddy plant the garden in, um, NEVER.

"The raspberries go here, and the strawberries will go just over there, and..." Hey, a kid can dream!

Looking for 'clean' snow to eat :)

April Showers Bring SNOWMEN!

The Kalal Family of Four!

And April 11, 2013 brings a SNOW DAY.  This feels so completely wrong in so many ways, but we made the best of it... we had a really relaxing day hanging out together, being snowed in... and Cooper was in heaven to get another day to play in the snow.  It hasn't melted as fast as we thought, so I'm sure tomorrow morning, he'll be begging to go back out and play :)

And Izzy couldn't go out because we no longer have a snowsuit that fits her.  But she still had a fun day, too.  Can't you just tell by listening to her?!?!?  We love our little pterodactyl!!

Jeremy is just beside himself with the thought of how this softball season will play out.  They snuck one game in on Monday night, but they've already had five cancelled games, with next week and next weekend's tournament not looking very promising with highs in the upper 30's and low 40's.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Spring... Where are you?!?

Well, we just can't wait around anymore.  And thank goodness we did head outside this weekend, seeing as we're forecasted to get 8" of snow in the next couple of days!!!  Yikes!

The first of many, many batting lessons...

Cooper seems to prefer swinging from the left side... imagine the excitement of his mom and dad!!!

Swing and a miss...

Tapping the plate.  Well, 'pretending' to tap the plate. Er, grass.

Okay, now we'll try swinging right handed.  Maybe a switch hitter?!?!

It was pretty darn cute watching dad and son hit the ball around the yard.  I think it's going to be a really fun summer!

And Izzy didn't exactly get in on the action, but she did get to watch, take pointers, and breathe in the fresh air...

Cheekers

I love the stroller!!

And, in a little self-celebration, I got out for a neighborhood jog, and it felt sooo good.  I'm not sure on distance, but I was going strong for 37 minutes.  That's the longest I've run in just about one year!  Maybe I will be ready for that 5K on May 10...