MDG at 7 Months

Last week Little Mister hit 7 months!  He's still as happy as ever, smiling at everyone and laughing at the ceaseless antics of his older siblings.  He's sitting up pretty well and trying some new "real" foods, he's sleeping mostly pretty well, though there are nights when he's just not very happy for reasons (the tooth that's emerged and others not far behind it could be the culprit).  The biggest news is that he's mobile!  He's thiiiiis close to actual crawling but he gets around just fine in his own way, which of course changes the game pretty significantly.  He's funny and observant and sometimes pouty but his smile just melts me.

This is actually from before his 6-month mark but I missed it somehow and look at him!!!  And that li'l Hmong hat!

At Daddy's Christmas choir concert!  It's never too early to start them on Bach.

Christmas Eve vest buddies.

First Christmas Day! 

This is actually a still from a video but you can gather what's going on.  He's almost at his goal!

He really likes me, but he loves his Mommy, as is right.

What did I say about that smile?!?

He has this funny pose lately where he turns and rests his arm on his bum.  This is pretty close.

And that's that for now!  Who knows what will have transpired by the time he hits 8?...

MDG at 1/2

Half a year!  Not for the first time this year I'm wondering where in the world the time went.  It just goes past.

Little Mister had his 6-month checkup this week and he's doing just great.  He's finally dropped out of the 100% for height, but he's getting so nice and chubbsy with his knee rolls and all.  He still has this little darkish triangular type mark thing on his hand, which the doc last time thought was due to contact with limes and sunlight, but it hasn't faded or changed, so it could just be a later-blooming birthmark.  He's still happy and smiley and laughy and spends his days rolling all over the place.  It's so funny to leave him on his blanket and then come back just a few seconds later and find him gnawing on some toy all the way across the room (or Christmas tree ornaments, eep).  He's definitely our holliest jolliest baby at this age and though he has his moments -- it's only fair, everyone gets hangry sometimes, and I myself can be pretty cranky when I'm tired -- but mostly he just looks around and checks everything out and laughs easily.  He's just starting on solids, sits up pretty well, sleeps mostly regularly and is overall a delight.

He's always glad to see me but he likes Mommy best (rightly so).

Parallel MDGs at Thanksgiving

First visit to the zoo!  It was cold but he had a good time.

Evidently!  (THOSE EYES.)

I mean, right??

Hanging at the adults ONLY ward Christmas party.  C'mon, son!  (Put intended.)

6 months!

Let's try some solid foods, boy!

Not sure what to think... he ended up eat some sweet potatoes and more or less enjoying the new sensations.

Half a cake for half a year!  He didn't get to eat any but we all sure did.  (Julie was determined his six-month cake wouldn't be neglected just because he's the third child.)

And now he's all set for his first-ever Christmas on the outside.  He's a good boy and we're all so happy he's ours.

MDG Mo. 5

That looks like one of those old classical piece titles, you know, like Bach: Cantata "Christen, ätzet diesen Tag," BWV 63 (more on that after Christmas...).

SO our li'l boy is five months old!  He's smilier and laughier than ever, he's happy through sniffles and snuffles, he's big and tall and strong, he's sleeping fine, and really we have hardly a thing about which to complain.  He was the cutest Tigey at Halloween and spent a good part of Thanksgiving eyeing our plates (not yet, little man, but soon).  He's always quietly observing, though he can make his wants and wishes known.  The big excitement is that his labor and delivery and doctor and hospital bills are PAID OFF, after some distress involving unknowingly out-of-network hospitals, exorbitant, bewildering (not at all itemized...) bills, several calls to several places, and a major reduction of cost after making the right calls to the right places.  Sometimes that actually works.

Here he is!

Little Pumpkin.

Seriously, our other kids were happy but never as constantly smiley as he is.  He poses for the camera and everything.

Third go-round for this precious Sophie.  She cost a few pretty pennies but we've definitely had our cost-per-use.

Get some mileage out of those adorable Daniel Tiger ears!

He loves his mommy so so much.

 And now we're already just a couple weeks away from half a year.  Yikes!  Don't grow too fast, sweet boy.

Four Months Later for MDG

This week we had Little Mister's four-month checkup and he's doing great.  Tall and plumping up (but still pretty lean because tall), very happy and smiley and laughy, getting cuter every day, and beloved by all.  Julie noticed this little red mark on his hand and the doctor said it could be from touching a lime, which made us both kind of laugh but which I guess causes discoloring and a slightly darker tan if exposed to the sun, so that was interesting.  Anyway, he's healthy and happy and has a good appetite and is a little more wakeful at night these days I believe but still sleeping well.  He's definitely finding his voice but most of them time he sits in a swing or a blanket or a lap and happily observes all around him.  What else is there to say except that he's extremely photogenic and we're looking forward to his first round of fall/winter holidays!

What I'd usually like to spend most of church doing.

This needs to be shared because Julie made it and it is adorable.

Even cute when blurry!

Such a squishy smooch!

Increasingly happy Saturday morning baby.

Just a sampling of the amazing family photos my sister took.

Bonus because baby in a teepee.

Baby's first choir concert!  The initial applause startled him but he was perfect after that.

Cheering Mommy on for her 5K.

4 months!  I don't think I used to post these but I like that I do now.  Also I just need to take more pictures of this kid.

Sorry I don't have as many pictures of you, son!  I promise I'll take a few more this month!  Halloween is nigh.

Third Month for Mister M

We're a couple weeks past three months so this is overdue!  Little Mister is such a delight and we hardly have to remind ourselves how lucky we are that our third is so chill.  He's so responsive and happy and giggles readily (we're pretty sure he's ticklish).  Still eating and sleeping well, happy to spend time with brother and sister, and YAY, he knows me a lot better and smiles at me a lot more now. :D  He's still not quite rolling over, but he's doing better at tummy time and he loves to hold his head up and look all around.  At his last checkup he was exceptionally tall and is getting ever so nice and chubby.  Oh this boy!

He barely fits into this onesie!!!  Good thing we had at least one time with it.

Just about always camera ready.

AAAHHH post-bath baby.

We take him all the places but he still usually sleeps through them.

What a face.

Snuggly duckling

The lord of the manor surveys his domain.

Napping on Daddy.

Happy monthday!

Until next month!  Which will be like in two weeks.

2 Months (inc. Good and Blessed)

This boy!  He hit two months a couple weeks ago and he's doing so great.  At his checkup he was measuring two pounds bigger than either of his older siblings at his age, and almost as tall as the tallest.  He just seems so big already, about the same size as his four-months-older cousin!  He's starting to get some nice rolls too so all together he's a very cuddly squishy smiley boy, and such a good baby (which we definitely recognize, and for which we are ever so grateful, especially as the two others seem to have taken things up a notch, perhaps in an attempt to balance out how good the baby is, but also probably just because they're acting their age).  He sleeps and eats and etc. just about how he should and he'll occasionally make little talking sounds and he's just about to roll over.  I sometimes feel like he is more smiley at Mommy, but it does make sense.  It occurred to me recently that this is the first baby we've had during which time I have worked away from home, so I guess I was just lucky to spend more daytime hours with the first two and now I'm getting the experience that most working dads do.  Ah well, it just makes me appreciate our Daddy-Son time all the more.

Pictures!

Snuggling up during the summer work party at the 

He slept most of the time but I'm sure he enjoyed it.

Fresh clean baby! OoO

Good and blessed!  (See the drawing I did of this here.)

So cooperative for his Blessing Day photoshoot!

I mean really.

YESSSSSSS nightmare.

Sunday drawing buddies.

Sunday napping buddies.

Little fox at 2 months.

 See you in a few weeks!  We love him more every day if that's even possible!

(ALSO, I'll go ahead and say here that after a few weeks of several calls with insurance and the hospital and various people I did some negotiating and explaining after discovering only after we were discharged by the receptionist nurse at his bilirubin checkup that the hospital where he was born wasn't in our network [and WHY didn't anyone ever mention or even seem to notice this, including our doctors who DO deliver there???], and they were actually REALLY helpful and managed to cut our in-network/out-of-network charges significantly.  Sometimes a few calls can mean the difference of a few grand.  Sometimes.)