Week 0 - 23 :: Visually

Boy is he growing! So proud of our mid-sized man!

Filling his fathers shoes...

Someday but not today. Think this is such an adorable photo - Lina took this a few weeks back and everytime we look at it we chuckle. Wanted to share this with everyone. Its on our Flickr account, but I felt this was deserving of its own post.

Whoa

So it's been a long time, but we've kept ourselves busy with grandparents, siblings, cousins, and cortisone shots. Miles is growing and growing - here are some of the highlights!!

• -After a good month of rolling over onto his stomach in the crib, getting stuck and wailing, Miles has finally figured out how to roll back over!!! He still favors going over his left shoulder, but now that he has it all figured it, he can do it both ways.
• -Miles has become an inch-worm. He has figured out (probably has part of rolling over) how to lift up his butt while he is on his stomach, and slide forward on his face. He goes inches at a time, but between this and rolling over, he is all over his crib at night. I'll put him down in the middle of the crib and find him anywhere.
• -He has found his hands and his feet! In fact, we can't keep hands out of his mouth, and now his feet are in his mouth, actually, everything is in his mouth.
  
• -He took his first ride on a big boys swing! (okay, it's still a little kids swing, but it was definitely a wonderful event.) He took to it cautiously, but was never afraid. He started liking it the more he went.
• -He's started to get ticklish. Not all the time, and not always in the same place, but we can now tickle him and get him to laugh. What a wonderful thing.
• -He's starting to teeth... or at least I think. He has stopped sleeping through the night (dangit!!) and now wakes up crying 2 - 3 times a night. I am ready for that to be over, but it seems like we have a whole mouthful of teeth to go before that happens!
• -We started him on solid food. Well, it's really soupy rice cereal, but we started!!! I've been hoping that the night crying has been related to hinger, so we started him with an evening meal of rice cereal. As soon as I get a spoonful in his mouth, the spoon is immediately followed by a hand, then the other hand, then the first hand again. Needless to say, it has started being a very messy endeavor. Tonight as I fed him, Ihe got tired, and he started rubbing his eyes - with his ricey hands giving his face about 98% coverage in cereal. As you can imagine, meals are quickly followed by baths.
• -He's growing out of another set of clothes - so sad!!
• -We've started putting him in the stroller without the carseat. He loves looking forward.
• -He's found an "mm" in his cooing.
• -He is really happy kid. He greets everyone with a huge smile. Even when he's sad about taking a nap, once he wakes up, you get the biggest grin in the world. I can't believe we are so lucky to have such a happy little guy.
  

Another new 'Tone

Miles had another new milesTone today!!!! I was trying to take a photo of him and he kept leaning forward. So I decided to put him on the floor and see what he would do... and he stayed sitting up-ish!! It was only for a couple of seconds before he toppled over, but he can do it! He is changing so much and so quickly and we are so proud of him... and as you can tell, he is so proud of himself, too!!

More photos here, too.

Miles' New Trick

Miles has learned to roll over!! Yesterday, when Tim went to get him from his morning nap, he was on his stomach and crying. Later in the afternoon, he was super tired in the stroller and I expected to put him to bed and have him fall asleep quickly. There were a few noises (grunts and squeaks) from his room so I went to check on him - he was on his stomach again. So I rolled him over and stayed and watched him out of his view. He rolled over again. So I rolled him back over and he finally went to sleep. We heard him wake up, but he was fine in his crib so we left him for a minute. He then started crying so we went to get him - and he was on his stomach again. I caught the above on film last night as we were playing before bed.

He is apparently doing the baby thing of once they learn a new trick, practicing it all the time. He hasn't yet learned how to roll over onto his back (though he does it accidentally when he holds up his head too high).

He is growing up so quickly -- and we just crossed the threshold of mobility.

Social Reeths

Yesterday, we threw a very successful barbecue - and it was the first time since Miles was born, that it was almost like before we had him - but better because he was here!

It started with my weekend to host the Burlingame moms. I sent out an invitation to bring their babies and spouses, but only 1 of the 3 other ladies could come. So we invited to other couples we haven't seen in ages to come and join us. Then yesterday morning, I was on the phone with my mommy mentor and asked her how spontaneous she was feeling, and she, her husband, and son, got in the car and came over from Pleasanton to join us. I served some easy, but yummy recipes, some of which I picked up from magazines, others I "invented". (Like chicken satay sandwiches: marinated curry grilled chicken on sourdough rolls with cucumbers, cilantro and mint leaves, and homemade peanut sauce. YUM!!!!!)

Miles was the world's best baby. Right before the party started, we put him up for a nap, and he went down easily. A couple hours into the party, we put him down (easily again!) for a nap which he took as we laughed and joked in the living room right below him. And then at bed time, I took him upstairs, had a little Mom & Miles time, gave him a massage, read him a quick story, fed him and put him to bed. I was back in the party in 20 minutes and he was asleep for the night. (well, except for his midnight and 4 am feeding... can't figure out why he is doing that still...)

It was a wonderful afternoon / evening. Lots of good friends, lots of great conversation, and a day well spent.

Fun with Beebles!!

My mom came into town early this week on her way to Soda Springs for the remainder of the summer to help me out with Miles. She had a nice visit with her grandson, and was critical to me in terms of helping lift my 14 1/2 lb baby and start to heal.

Miles enjoyed the reprieve from boring old Mom and loved having someone else around to love him all day.

As for my back, things are going better and I am feeling encouraged. I have had 2 physical therapy sessions already and another 1 tomorrow morning. We're starting really basic trying to calm down the muscles that are still in total spasm, and starting to strengthen some of the ones that are atrophying. I got my hair cut today (first time in since before Miles was born) and sitting in the chair for the hour bothered my back. It's going to be a long road to recovery and a lifetime of trying to manage it, but at least I am on a road to recovery!!!

Thanks for coming out to help, Beebles!!!