8 months and still not a crawler!

Pajama Time!  

Funny shirt, funny hair, funny expression

Life is good here at the Noble household.  Brian’s about to start school again and has made some career planning decisions that we’re really excited about.  I’m thrilled to be at home this year, and while I did miss a little of the back-to-school excitement, that all ended when I started imagining doing lesson plans and grading papers!  I plan to take advantage of the extra time and travel to see family more when Brian’s busy during the week. 

 

Will is STILL not crawling, the little stinker!  We see progress though, just slow progress!  Now he is lifting his bottom off the floor, so I can picture it happening any day now.  It seems most of my friends’ kids were crawling by this point, so it concerns us a little.  I’ve spoken to several people though who say that their kids were late crawlers or skipped crawling altogether.  It’s so hard not to compare your child to others, but I know it’s true that all kids do things at their own pace.  He’s pretty mobile though and can roll around over and over to get across the floor.  Changing diapers is a challenge, since he always tries to flip around mid-change.  At least I change less dirty diapers now.  I won’t ramble on about the pottying because I know most people are skeptical, but I really do think he’s understanding.  As long as I give him opportunities at prime times, he’ll go within a minute or so.  It’s only taking a total of maybe 10 extra minutes a day to do this, so I don’t feel like it’s a burden on me in any way.  I guess time will tell if it has any lasting effect on his ability to get out of diapers altogether. 

 

In other Will news, he is eating more finger foods now.  Rocky and Mick are a little disappointed that he’s caught on to getting almost all of the puffs and cheerios in his mouth instead of dropping them on the floor.  He also can feed himself teething biscuits, little bites of banana, Baby Mum Mum rice snacks, and little veggies and noodles from soup (I rinse the broth off and just put the pieces on his tray – thanks to my sister Midge for this idea).  I’ll also puree vegetables in the food processor for him.  He doesn’t like them alone (who can blame him with no seasoning), but I mix the veggies with store-bough baby food.  Since he’s approaching 9 months, I’ll start trying to give him little bites of what we’re having more often.  He still gets four 8 ounce bottles a day, but I’m very excited about getting him off formula in several months.  That stuff is expensive! 

 

He loves his toys, especially his Leap Frog activity table and more simple toys like his Fisher Price Roll-A-Round balls.  He also likes his monkey puppet, which I make sing and dance.  Although he still really enjoys his jumperoo, we are limiting his time in it since we think it’s contributing to his tippy-toe standing.  He likes his Jeep walker too, but he doesn’t stay in there for too long for the same reason.  It’s so nice that I can put him on the floor, and he'll sit by himself and play with toys for quite some time.  My days are numbered as I’m sure he’ll soon be bored with staying in one spot very soon!

 

Naptime is almost over, so I’ll cut this short.  Hopefully I’ll have more mobility news in the next blog!  I also hope to hear that wonderful word, “Mama” come out of his mouth in the near future.  

Momma's boy (but he still thinks his dad is pretty cool)

Just shy of 8 months

Will is going to be 8 months old in just a few days.  So what is he up to these days?  Lots of eating, playing, sleeping, and even pottying.  

Will’s not a picky eater so far, and unless he’s teething (he has two teeth now) and not wanting a lot of solids, he eats a fair amount.  His favorites are yogurt with oatmeal mixed in and the new stage 3 mixes we’re trying.  He is getting better with the sippy cup although there’s more playing going on with it than actual drinking.  Cheerios and Gerber puffs are also lots of fun for Will, and for Rocky and Mick too for that matter.  Most of the time, Will can self-feed and get them in his mouth.  For the rest of the time, Rocky and Mick get a treat on the floor!  They’ve learned that when Will is eating, a tasty snack could fall down at any moment.  Will LOVES to watch the dogs and sometimes squeals with delight when they come nearby.  They’ve learned to keep a safe distance though, since Will doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “gentle!”

We know that we are very blessed in the sleep department to have a little one that gets 12 solid hours a night with 2-3 hours of nap time each day.  He's been sleeping 12 hours for months now, but the naps developed consistency about two months ago.  When I know it's that time, I just put him in his crib, hand him his special blankie and his paci, press the magical seahorse, and it's off to sleep he goes.  It's wonderful.  I credit the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child for a lot of our success, but I know that our very routine sleep rituals plus Will's laid-back personality might come into play too. Whatever the reason, we're thankful!

All of that sleep gives Will plenty of time to grow.  Our long little boy wears 9-12 months in most clothes, and 12-18 months in pajamas.  I really can’t believe how big he’s getting, especially when I think of when we took turns rocking our little five and a half pound newborn in the NICU.  Every month or so, I open up his container of newborn clothes and find myself in awe that he was ever that small.  Those clothes swallowed him in the beginning.  They’re just one of many reminders that my baby boy is on his way to toddlerhood. 

Recently we’ve had to retire the bouncy chair (skwirmed straight out of it), the swing (reached up while buckled and tried to hang on the mobile part like a basketball player making a slam dunk), my beloved baby slings, and the infant car seat.  While it was sad to disassemble and stow away these wonderful inventions that helped us all stay happy for the first half-year, we’re finding new favorites as he gets older.  We rely on the pack n’ play a lot more to keep him contained while playing if I’m trying to multitask.  Instead of shopping with him in his infant carseat or in my sling like when he was tiny, he rides like a big boy with the help of his Floppy seat to make things comfy and clean.  We’ve even taken the plunge in restaurants to let him sit in the highchair (with the beloved Floppy seat).  Recently, when I had to travel with Will alone, I was able to use a great invention called the Baby K’Tan to “wear” him hands-free when I needed to so that I could easily go into rest stop bathrooms or unload my car at the hotel.  I know that a lot of these baby items aren’t needed, but wow, they make life with a baby a lot easier, especially when out and about.

Speaking of being out and about, we’re staying busy with our three stroller exercise classes each week.  For two more weeks, we also have “Mommy and Me” water classes.  Will loves the water and gives me lot of happy sounds when we first get in the pool.  He kicks his legs like a pro and doesn’t mind getting splashed.  When water class is over, I may try to join a playgroup to meet more moms in my area.  It’s amazing how just having one or two regular activities really helps the days pass.  A lot of people ask if I get bored or lonely being at home with Will all day.  I guess if I didn’t have things to do, I could easily feel like that.  Thankfully we have enough going on to where I actually like days when we don’t have something planned to do. 

On days we are home a lot, Will gets lots of playtime on the floor.  Our Mr. Rollie Pollie, who is still not that interested in crawling, has learned that he can roll around in order to get what he wants.  He’ll roll several times to reach a toy so that he doesn’t have to try to crawl.  He’s started rolling over to sleep on his tummy some and he looks like such a little “big” person while sleeping!   On weekend mornings, sometimes we put him in bed with us around 6:30 or 7 to see if we can sleep an extra hour.  He often rolls back and forth between Brian and I, touching one of our faces for about a minute before flipping to the other to do the same.  It’s really sweet, especially when he gives us that sweet grin of his.  I get a little concerned that he’s not crawling yet, but if it’s like everything else, it may happen suddenly without a lot of build-up to the big event.  Even though I dread the increase in housework it will create (hello vacuum and mop!), I’ll be relieved when he’s crawling. 

While he’s not totally mobile yet, Will is doing something that not a lot of young babies do – going to the potty.  No, I’m not kidding; we’re taking a light, part-time approach to infant potty training.  Now wait … I know what you’re thinking … crazy, right?  I thought the same, but I kept reading about people’s successes on my favorite baby website forums. In a nutshell, I just put Will on his potty during times when I normally do a diaper change (after waking, before/after naps, after eating, etc.).  When I change his diaper, I just give him about 5 minutes of potty time if we’re not in a hurry.  He loves his little potty.  I won’t invade his privacy by posting a picture of him on his cute little potty, but here’s what it looks like:

It's much tinier than it looks - really more the size of a pet's food bowl than a normal potty size. While he sits, I read to him and let him look at the pictures in his board books.  If he doesn’t go within those five minutes, then no big deal.  We diaper and move on with our day.  BUT, you’d be shocked at how often he DOES go during those five minutes (sometimes *both!*).  Obviously a lot of the success revolves around me putting him on the potty at the right times, but eventually, he may get the connection and go more quickly and maybe even predict when I’ll put him on at normal times and hold it until then.  My goal is not to get him “trained,” but to give him the chance not to have to go in his diaper.  I figure, why not?  He may still be in diapers until he’s 3, but at least he’ll know from early on that a diaper is not the only place he can go.  Now if you still think I’m bonkers but are fascinated by the thought of infant potty training, you can go to this site to read some frequently asked questions about it. It makes more sense if you think about how other cultures handle potty training, or even American culture back before disposables or decent cloth options.  Brian thinks it’s great, plus my text messages about Will’s daily potty progress keeps him amused when he’s immersed in law at work. 

Will always lights up when Brian comes home from work, and he’ll usually start bouncing since that’s his favorite activity to do with daddy (Brian pretends his legs are a trampoline and lifts Will into the air, much to Will’s delight).  To get the big Will smiles, Brian plays the guitar for him.  The guitar amazes Will, and he looks fascinated when Brian gets it out.  It’s really sweet to watch, especially when Will coos to the music.  Recently Will thrilled Brian when he said “Dada” over and over again not long ago, but the sly little guy has kept mum on it lately, causing us to believe he’s just holding out to use it when he really thinks he can use it to his fullest advantage! 

He hasn’t said “Mama” yet, but we always hear “WaWaWaWa” over the monitor when he’s upset.  We wonder if that’s his way of calling for me, but then again, maybe it’s wishful thinking J.  The boy loves his momma though, that no one can deny.  He even gives me slobbery kisses on my cheek. In the morning, he gives me big hugs when I lift him out of his crib.  I get the best giggles when I tickle him. We are still amazed that we created such a special, sweet little person. 

 

I’ll close for the night.  We don’t have as many pictures as usual since we’ve had a lot of things going on, but I’ll make it a priority to take some more soon.  Here are a few recent ones of Will playing with his animal flashcards.  

Amazed

One of my favorite college courses was developmental psychology. A good chunk of the course focused on babies and their developmental stages. I found it fascinating then, and I find it even more so now. The human body never ceases to amaze me, and the process of pregnancy, childbirth, and now watching Will grow makes me truly appreciate it all. I'm amazed when I compare pictures or think about all of the many milestones babies go through.

Here is Will in his carseat at one month vs. 7 months

Will at 3 months vs. 7 months. Same stroller, almost the same scale, but BIG change!

 

Long overdue update

He knows what to do, but forgets to tip it upward to get a drink

I realize it’s been quite awhile since I did a true written update, so let me go back in time a bit.  In June, we went to Destin – an annual family tradition that I look forward to all year.  Will was a great traveler and only cried the last few minutes of both 5+ hour drives.  He loved “swimming” in the pool and showed no fear at all in the water.  He wasn’t as impressed by the beach, but he sure liked that pool.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get to get in too much after the first full day.  Brian and I could tell that Will wasn’t his happy-go-lucky self, and judging by the low-grade fever and the never ending drool facet, we concluded that teething had officially begun.  Because our little man didn’t feel good, most of our time was spent chilling out in the condo.  Thanks to Brian and Mom, I did get a little solo beach time, but it was definitely a different kind of trip than previous years.  Even though he didn’t feel good, Will still had plenty of attention from his Grandmonty, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Here is a picture of our whole crew.  With the exception of any future children Brian and I may have, the rest of the crew is complete.  Will has 8 first cousins, ranging in age from 3 years to 18! 

     

       After our Destin trip, Will and I headed to Louisiana to his Grandmonty’s house.  Although Will and Alex were the only men there, they managed to put up with all the estrogen.  I can only imagine that in a year or two, the girl cousins will coerce Will into trying on some of the costumes they dig out of the box every year.  It should make for some good embarrassing pictures to show future girlfriends!  Will still felt bad in Louisiana, but he did well nevertheless and stayed on his normal schedule. 

            Brian joined us in Destin, but he didn’t go to Louisiana.  By the end of the week, he was eager to see us (ok, well mostly Will, but I think he may have missed me a tiny bit too J.  As soon as I pulled in the driveway and opened the garage, he came out to get the carseat and see his little boy.  My little creature of habit was happy to be home, and after a pediatrician’s visit, he felt much better and got rid of the pesky cough he had developed in Florida.  Since our travels, we have enjoyed being at home.  Home is definitely Alabama now, and while I like visiting Louisiana and Mississippi, I am always so glad to be back. 

Will is now seven months old, and it seems like we hit a new milestone every few days.  It’s all going by so quickly!  He’s sitting pretty well on his own, and while he doesn’t stay sitting up 100% of the time, he isn’t content just to lie back anymore.  For example, he won’t lie against the back of his baby tub anymore.  He has to be sitting up to be content.  We tried one bath in the big tub (pics in last update), but it’s still easier to bathe him in his baby tub. 

He isn’t crawling yet, but he’s starting to raise his bottom in the air and roll around more.  He “creeps” a little and is a skwirmy wormy when he wants to be.  No matter how far down in the crib I put him, he somehow wiggles up to where his head is in the very top corner.  We need to drop the crib mattress down soon, as I’m sure he’ll be pulling up soon.  I was pulling myself up to standing when I was 6 months old, so Will doesn’t seem quite as ambitious as his mommy about getting mobile.  This is fine with me, as it gives me a little more time to complete my baby proofing.

Mealtime is always fun, as Will loves to eat and rarely dislikes anything.  Recently, we’re tried yogurt (Yobaby).  He LOVES it.  He’s been on antibiotics lately for his red throat and to prevent him from catching Brian’s flu, so we figured it was a good time to start yogurt.  I’ve also started feeding him mashed bananas and some unseasoned table food like mashed-up baked potato.  He still likes his babyfood sweet peas, carrots, sweet potato, green beans, and pretty much any kind of fruit.  The only thing he’s hated was fresh mashed avocado.  I read that it’s a good first food for babies, so I gave it a try.  Maybe one day he’ll like it in guacamole, but for now, he’s not a fan.  I noticed about a week ago that he was randomly imitating me chewing throughout the day, so I decided to give puffs and cheerios a try.  He gobbled them up, watching me carefully as I chewed and following my lead.  Now he just has to master feeding them to himself!  He tries so hard, but they usually end up on the floor (much to Rocky and Mick’s delight).  He’ll pick it up, have it in his hand, and have the hand up to his mouth.  Somehow though, he can’t quite seem to get it in before it falls to the floor.  I’ll continue to feed him some each day until he gets the hang of it. 

Other new things: we’re beginning a “mommy & me” water class Wednesday.  Will loved the pool so much that I thought he’d enjoy it.  It’s not a swimming class, but a pre-swim class designed for infants 6 months to two years.  Hopefully we’ll meet some people in the class.  I’m also taking Will with me to “Strollerstrides,” a stroller fitness program for moms (http://www.strollerstrides.com/index.php).  It’s a bit slow attendance-wise since it’s summer, but I’m going anyway.  The workout is great!  I’ve only been for one week, but I think it’ll help me tone up.  It’ll be nice once I’m used to it though.  For now, my arms feel like they’re going to fall off when I’m done.  The program alternates various cardio with strengthening exercises with tension bands and weights.  We also do ab work at the end.  It’s good for me, because I’m not a self-motivated exerciser.  So what does Will think of it?  He loves it!  He has a group of women singing kid songs to him and talking to him adoringly.  Of course, he bats his baby blues at them and smiles – such a little flirt. 

Yes, Will knows how to make people adore him, especially his Dada.  Will is learning a new tactic to make even his tough-guy dad beam with joy – he throws in random “Dadadada” in his babble.  Sure, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he doesn’t say it directly to Brian, but it gives us an idea of what it’ll sound like when he DOES know what he’s saying.  Ah, it’s simply awesome.  Brian’s been sick for several days and not able to hold or play close with Will.  It’s been hard on Brian, but I know that Will has cheered him up a lot.  Mr. William is also giggling a lot these days.  Things that make him laugh include: me proclaiming enthusiastically that he’s a “stinky monkey,” getting his belly, tickling his feet or his neck, and sometimes, just laughing at him makes him reciprocate.  This is truly a great age.  He’s so much fun, he’s able to entertain himself for short periods of time, and yet he’s not into everything YET.  I love it.  I don’t want to keep him little forever, but I wish I could slow down the clock a bit. 

Oh, and one more milestone, the first tooth is coming in.  Will has been showing teething signs for ages now, and I've been feeling his gums every day expecting to feel something.  Finally, on the bottom front, I felt a little sharp tooth yesterday.  

For the final picture of the night, here's a pre-Will, VERY pre-Will, photo of his momma and dad.  This was taken TEN years ago in 1999 at a Rhyme's electronic Christmas party. Thanks to Susan Rhymes for posting it.  We look so young!  We WERE so young!  Until next time, love from the Noble household.  

New Pictures

Can it really be that our little boy is 7 months old? 

The pics. above and below are of Will's first bath by himself in the "big" tub.  I think for now, he would just as rather sit in his whale baby tub.

Will in his monkey towel.  I'm a sucker for a cute baby in a hooded towel!

I plan to do a long blog later, but just in case I can't, Will wants to be sure to wish his Grandmonty a Happy Birthday.  

June flew by!

I know that I'm behind on my written updates, but things have been busier than usual in the Noble household. I promise a long update in the near future including a rundown of our Destin and Louisiana trips. Until then, here are some new pictures of Will from this week. He looks so big!  It's hard to believe my baby will be 7 months old tomorrow!  

Still enjoying the jeep walker!  I love his expression in this first one.  

Typical Will these days, pulling off his socks and chewing on his fingers!

Trying to wear a baseball hat like his daddy, but it's still a little too big

Taken at Grandmonty's, sitting up fairly well now.

Will in Destin before the teething made him feel bad

Love this one - what a funny little sleeping position!

Picture Update

Will practicing his sitting skills in a tote bag!

Looking like a mini-Brian in this picture - waking up from a nap

Trying so hard to crawl

Working on sitting by himself - he did it for 30-something seconds today before toppling over - improvement!

This child knows the camera.  He will now pose and smile for it.  He must know it makes his momma happy!

Trying on a shirt I bought last summer on clearance while still pregnant.  I couldn't imagine having such a big baby, and I thought the 9 month clothes looked huge!  

Random pictures

Will's not in a hurry to crawl.  This is how tummy time begins.  He's happy for a few minutes.

He picks up a toy and starts chewing it.

Gets tired of chewing, tries to crawl but doesn't know how, ends up making swimming movements and getting frustrated.  He is not a happy camper anymore!

*********

Trying the sippy cup was so tiring that he fell asleep in his highchair.

And what's cuter than a puppy and cooler than a pirate?  A puppy pirate, of course!  Here's Will in his puppy pirate pjs.  

Will at 6 months

**disclaimer, I'm not proofreading this and I'm sleep-deprived from not being in my own bed last night.  Read according :-)

            It’s hard to believe that half a year has passed since Will entered our world.  Just looking at the comparison photo amazes me.  I can easily say that these have been the best months of my life.  Being a mother is so much more than I imagined.  There is nothing in this world like looking at your child’s face and seeing a smile. 

            So what’s Will been to up these days?  He took his first trip to the zoo.  He stayed happy the four hours we were there, so I consider that successful.  We saw monkeys, gorillas, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, kangaroos, snakes, and more.  Will especially enjoyed the train ride.  Hopefully we’ll get to go again soon with Will’s new buddies Cole and Tate.

            We’ve had visitors, for the past week, so Will has received tons of attention.  First, Erin came for two nights.  Will thought she was funny and enjoyed laughing with her.  Then, Aunt Pi arrived and stayed two nights also.  She read to Will and even exposed him to the New Yorker.  I’m not sure what he thought about the content, but he enjoyed the pictures.  After they left, Will received some special one-on-one time with Daddy while I went to my class reunion in Mississippi.  As you can see in the picture I included, I tried to make it as easy as possible for Brian.  Will was a sweetheart for his daddy, and they had lots of fun.  Brian learned that as long as Will had his naps, he was a happy camper.  I’m so proud that Will is on such a good schedule and that he’ll follow the schedule even when I’m not around.

 

            I want to document some of what Will is doing/interested in currently.  He still isn’t that interested in rolling over, although he has done it .  He looks like he’s trying to swim when placed on his belly.  After he “swims” for awhile, he gets frustrated that he can’t crawl.  He can sit up on his own for only a few seconds, then he usually topples over.  He’s getting better at it though, so I foresee this being something he’ll do on his own soon.  He still loves to stand on our legs, and he LOVES to jump.  He found that his daddy is a great jumping aid, so when Brian holds him, he immediately starts trying to bounce on his legs.

 It seems he understands some of what we say now.  When we shout, “Kick your legs!” he’ll start kicking away.  He does this consistently, so we know it’s not a fluke.  He also anticipates the little books I recite to him over and over.  There’s one that goes, “Yawn, stretch, touch your toes, shimmy, shimmy, shimmy, wiggle your nose!”  He knows to look at my nose at the beginning, because I’ll wiggle it soon after.  My silly little recitations (most of them compliments of the hilarious children’s author Sandra Boynton) make Will smile, so I can use that to my advantage when he’s getting upset. 

The sweetest thing Will does now is that he likes to touch your face softly and stare at you.  He’ll babble sometimes too, and his babbles, while still jibberish, are sounding more like mimicked conversations.  Today, I got back in from my first day and night trip away from Will.  Will was asleep, and when he woke up, I knew he’d be hungry.  I gave him his bottle first thing, and he was still groggy.  Halfway through his bottle, he looked at me, took a double-take, then got this huge grin on his face.  He stopped eating the bottle to smile and “talk” to me while stroking my face and hair.  Talk about SWEET.  Melted my heart.

Let’s see what else … solids are going well.  He eats cereal with fruit in the morning and usually a veggie (sometimes with cereal too) at night.  He still drinks about 30 ounces of formula a day.  So far, he’s eaten everything we’re tried – green beans, sweet peas, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, pears.  I’m starting to move on to the combination foods.  My doctor basically said that as long as I avoid some certain foods, introduce new things one at a time, and puree everything really well if not packaged baby food, we were free to branch out (within reason) and try new things. I think I may cook some of my mushy split-pea soup soon and just not add salt.  I think Will would really like it.  We’ll start trying to introduce the sippy cup soon.  He’s very interested in whatever I’m drinking and watches me carefully.  He even reaches out for my cup, so I think those are signs that he’s ready to experiment.  Who would have ever thought something like trying a sippy cup would be exciting to me, but it is.  I’m just fascinated by the physical and cognitive development babies go through and the new things they are able to try at different stages.

I’ll wrap this up now since I haven’t had good sleep in awhile.  This week we have at least one playdate (possibly two), and we’re visiting Will’s “BawBaw and Pock,” his former sitters from when I went back to work.  I think they miss him a little!  Their granddaughter is our babysitter, so they get to keep up with him through her sometimes. 

Oh, and quick brag about Brian – he landed a federal clerkship last week, which is a major accomplishment.  We’re so proud of him! 

Recent pictures

Will on his 6 month birthday!  Happy Half-Year Love!

Erin making her second visit to see Mr. William.  He thought she was quite funny.

My little monkey loves to jump!

Will took a catnap during lunch at the zoo.  His cheeks aren't sunburnt, just red from the heat.  Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took at the zoo.  

I took my first overnight trip away, so Brian and Will had guy-time.  I tried to make it as easy as possible though.  Here is photographic evidence of my attempts to try to make things simple (and let's face it, evidence of my OCD tendencies).