Nixon: Twelve Months

Can we just take a moment to marvel at the fact that this little guy is one year old???  I guess he's not so little anymore.  Each day he looks more like a toddler and less like a little baby, which both hurts my heart and makes me so excited for this next stage.

At his twelve month check-up yesterday, he weighed in at 24 lb, 8 oz and measured 30 inches tall, putting him in the 76th percentile for both weight and height.  His head is still in the 99th percentile.  At least it's still on the charts!

What he's been up to lately:

• Walking!  He took his first steps a couple weeks ago, and has been slowly but surely getting better and more confidant.  Crawling is still his method of choice most of the time, but if we stand him up he'll usually take steps until he loses his balance.  
• Speaking of crawling, he occasionally crawls backwards (which is hilarious) and when he's on a mission to get somewhere he'll put his head down and go full speed ahead.  Yes, he sometimes runs into things when he does this. 
• Seven teeth so far, with an eighth one just starting to peek through.  
• He eats three meals a day, but still nurses quite a bit as well.  He isn't showing any interest in stopping anytime soon, and I'm totally okay with that.
• If he doesn't want a particular food, he will deliberately drop each piece off his highchair.
• He's learned how to turn around and slide feet-first off the couch.  This is a huge improvement from his previous head-first attempts.
• He's learned how to shake his head no, but we're still not sure if he understands what it means.  Occasionally he uses it correctly, but mostly he just does it all the time.

Nixon's faves this month:

• Cheese - he would eat cheese all day long if I let him (for the record, I don't).
• The fridge - the inside of the fridge is a magical and mysterious place, and if he hears the door open, he drops what he's doing and power crawls as fast as he can.  If he makes it before I close the door, he stands there staring at everything until I pull him away so we stop wasting energy.  Perhaps he knows the cheese is in there.  
• The dishwasher - not quite as fascinating as the fridge, but still worth thoroughly inspecting and sometimes attempting to climb in to.
• Roughhousing with Daddy - nothing gets more giggles out of him than wrestling on the floor with Daddy.

Nixon: Eleven Months

Our little man is only one month from being a big one-year-old!  It's unbelievable how quickly the time has flown by, but as always we are having so much fun watching Nixon grow.  He is a very busy little guy, and sitting still is definitely not an option most of the time.  There's way too much stuff to explore!  I spend my days following him around as he pulls things off shelves, empties laundry baskets, scatters his toys, and opens all the cabinets we haven't locked shut.  He hasn't attempted walking on his own yet, but he loves walking with help.  His record for standing on his own is about six seconds.

He's eating three meals a day and is still having fun with eating, although he recently figured out how to purposely drop food on the floor if he doesn't want it.  Not a habit I want to encourage, although it can be pretty funny, especially when he uses his whole arm to sweep everything off his tray.  He has seven teeth so far and with the amount he's drooling, I'm guessing there are a couple more on the way.

Nixon's faves this month:

• Walking with his lion walker
• Emptying the kitchen cabinets
• High-fives - he loves getting high-fives

Baby-Led Weaning - An Update

I mentioned before (in this post), that we're loosely following baby-led weaning with Nixon.  Well, our little man has been munching on solids for over four months now, so I thought it time for an update!

When we first introduced solids, I generally prepared something special for Nixon, rather than including him in the same meal we were eating.  I use the term "prepared" loosely, because many times that meant simply slicing an avocado.  We started out with really simple foods, such as steamed or roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, avocados, etc.  These are still some of his favorite things to eat (this boy could munch on broccoli all day), but more and more I'm giving him the same things Donovan and I are eating.  I do generally either season things less or keep out a small portion for Nixon that is less salted and without any strong seasonings.  We've introduced grains in small amounts, as well as dairy (yogurt and cheese, no milk yet).

In case anyone's curious, here's what a typical day of Nixon's culinary adventures looks like.  Breakfast is usually some fruit, most often banana.  I'll try to get some yogurt into him for the protein, and while he enjoys yogurt, I usually only manage about five bites before it turns into a game of "grab the spoon before it goes in my mouth," although I do sometimes hand him the spoon and let him try to feed himself.  Sometimes it works, most times it gets flung.  If I make eggs for myself, I'll give him those as well.  For lunch, I usually keep a container of cooked squash or sweet potato in the fridge, or I'll warm up some frozen peas or other type of veggie.  Dinner is typically whatever we're having, either the finished dish or I'll pull out ingredients as I'm cooking and set them aside for him.  For example, I made chili and cornbread the other day, and Nixon had some beans I left out, cornbread, and some peas for a veggie.

Munching some broccoli and sweet potatoes

I should also state that I firmly believe in the idea of "food before one is just for fun."  He's still having his nutritional needs met through nursing, so if we have a day in which he doesn't consume hardly anything, I don't stress about it.  As he gets closer to turning one, I'm making it more a priority to sit down for three meals a day in order to at least get him accustomed to having three meals a day, but again, I'm not stressing about how much he actually eats at this point.

Having a bite of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving - I typically don't give him things with added sugar, but this was a special occasion!

Nixon will try just about anything I put in front of him, but some of his top favorites include banana, broccoli, clementines, pasta, and cottage cheese.  When we first began solids, he wasn't too thrilled with carrots, but now he can't get enough of them!  It definitely pays to keep offering those foods he's not sure about.

I'll do another update once he hits a year and transitions over to solids even more!

Nixon - Ten Months

Our little man has reached double digits, and we are just two short months away from having a one-year-old.  Unbelievable.

He continues to be an active and curious little monkey.  Nothing is safe from his curiosity!  While it would sometimes be nice for him to sit still for five minutes, we love watching him explore and learn.  He's figured out that doors open and close, and will swing them back and forth for a few minutes before inevitably locking himself in and requiring one of us to come rescue him.  He loves opening cabinets and seeing what's inside (and usually pulling all of it out).  He's getting more brave about letting go with one hand while he's standing, and I don't think it will be too long before he's standing on his own.

This month has also brought the appearance of teeth!  After waiting so long for them, he cut four in rapid succession and is working on five and six now.  He's definitely been feeling the effects of actual teething, but it's only slightly dampened his mood.

Nixon's favorite things to do this month:

• Climbing the stairs - we only let him on the stairs when one of us is right there to catch him, but he loves climbing all the way to the top
• Pulling off his socks every chance he gets
• Climbing through and over obstacles - the tighter the squeeze, the better.
• Opening drawers and cabinets and pulling things out
• Eating clementines 
• Escaping while we try to get him ready for bed
• Walking - he still has to hold on to something for balance, but he loves practicing.

On The Move

The little munchkin is officially mobile!

He's been crawling for a couple weeks now, and while I'm not convinced he actually likes crawling (probably the fault of his huge head), he does like being able to get around.  Nothing is safe from his curiosity.

He's already moving on to pulling up on anything and everything, so I'm giving it another couple months before he gets fed up with crawling and starts walking.

Eight month update coming soon!

Adventures in Eating

Now that Nixon has passed the six-month mark, we've started incorporating some solids into his diet.  It's been so much fun watching him discover new tastes and textures and experience food, although sometimes that experience is consuming the food and other times it's squishing it and watching it fall on the floor.  He's slowly getting the hang of chewing (although he has no teeth yet, so it's more like sucking) and swallowing.

As with most things pertaining to parenting, I went into this with a pretty clear idea of how I wanted to do it, only to have that dissolve within a few days as we figured out what works best for Nixon as an individual.  I've planned all along to follow baby-led weaning, which basically means we skip the traditional baby food and offer him pieces of soft foods that he can easily hold, and he'll eat at his own pace.  He's still getting all the nutrition he needs from nursing, so right now food is simply a learning experience.  I like this method for multiple reasons, mostly that we're not spending extra money on baby food or taking the time to make our own.  And while we've been able to follow this plan pretty well, we've also been feeding him some foods with a spoon instead of strictly letting him feed himself.  For one, some foods are just easier to eat with a spoon, such as applesauce, and I'm not thrilled about wiping the applesauce off the wall if he were to attempt to feed it to himself.  Secondly, there are times when he just really wants to eat, and he gets frustrated at his inability to get the food in his mouth fast enough.  So, it turns out that a hybrid of baby-led weaning and traditional baby food is what works best for our little guy.

So far, some of his favorites include bananas, sweet potato, avocado, and peaches.  The other day, we gave him a puree consisting of blueberries, plums, and spinach, which he gobbled up surprisingly fast.  One thing he's tried that he doesn't seem to be a fan of is carrots.  Baby cereal wasn't a huge hit either, even with applesauce mixed in, but I can't say I blame him.  Other than those two things, everything we've offered him has been a hit.  Mealtimes are definitely a lot more fun (and a lot more messy) now that he can join in!

Nixon: Seven Months

I feel like I just wrote Nixon's six month update yesterday, and here we are at seven months already.  The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of adjusting to our new home, unpacking, and settling in.  Thankfully, I think the worst is over, and we've found our new normal.  I mentioned last month that Nixon had been having a rough time sleeping, and while he's gotten a lot better, he's still waking up pretty frequently at night.  I think it's just a growth spurt plus being on the verge of a developmental milestone (crawling!!), so I know his sleep will get better before too long.

Speaking of developmental milestones, he is so close to crawling.  As soon as I put him on the floor, he flips over onto his tummy and gets up on his hands and knees.  He'll hold that position for a few seconds, or even rock a bit, so once he figures out how to go forward there'll be no stopping him.  He's also quite the pro at sitting up on his own, although we usually still prop him with the boppy pillow just in case he topples.

Thinks Nixon's been loving this month:

• Eating solid food - I have a post coming soon on Nixon's adventures in eating, but I will say that he loves to eat (and play with) actual food.
• Vacuuming - we never had a vacuum in Italy, so the last month has been his first experience with one.  I put him in his walker, and he follows me around completely transfixed while I vacuum.  Let's hope he's still as fascinated by it in ten years or so.
• Standing practice - obviously, he can't stand on his own without help balancing, but the kid loves standing up.

Nixon finally got to meet Uncle Tommy, his godfather.  They had a blast playing together.

Six Month Stats

Due to all the moving business and getting settled and taking our time scheduling Nixon's six month check up, he had his appointment a little late.  I'm sure he didn't mind putting off the shots a few more days, although he handled them like the brave, strong little guy he is, with only a few moments of screaming and tears.  I was curious to see what his stats are this month, since he's definitely been growing.  6-month clothes are starting to get tight, and he's moving on to 9-month and 6-12 month sizes.  As it turns out, his head is unstoppable, clocking in at the 94th percentile.  Obviously, we have an extremely smart baby.  Weight is up to 18 lb, 13 oz (67%) and he's getting taller at 27.5 inches (75%).

This child's going to be crawling before we know it!

Nixon: Six Months

Somehow we're at half a year already.  Time, please slow down.

Nixon's biggest accomplishment this month has been rolling over.  After weeks of trying, he finally made it all the way over while we were visiting my parents in CO.  Apparently, he was just waiting until Grandma and Grandpa could watch.  Now, he doesn't tolerate being on his back for more than a minute or two before he flips over to his tummy.  He's already moving on to pushing his little butt up in the air, so crawling will probably be happening soon.

This has been a tough month for the little guy, full of upheaval as we moved back from overseas.  He's been a trooper through it all, but I'm sure he's ready to settle down again (as we all are).  We've been trying to keep things as normal for him as possible, with the same schedule, same bedtime routine, etc.  However, we're living without our furniture right now, so the poor guy is also having to adjust to sleeping in the pack n play rather than in bed with us (an air mattress isn't the safest for babies).  I also suspect that we're in the middle of a growth spurt plus possible teething, so all that combined means naps and bedtime are a bit of a struggle right now.  Aside from sleep issues though, Nixon continues to be his smiley, happy, playful self.

Things Nixon has been loving this month:

• His walker - one of the first things we did after we arrived in NC was buy the little guy a walker.  He's been taking advantage of our lack of furniture and cruising all over.  It's so much fun to watch him enjoy his new-found independence and explore his surroundings.
• Sitting up in the boppy - he can sit on his own without any support for a few seconds before toppling over, but with the boppy he's a pro at sitting.  He loves being able to see what's going on around him.
• Evening walks in the stroller - right before dinner (Nixon's fussiest time of the day), we head out for a loop through the neighborhood.  The fresh air and being in the stroller helps him get in one last quick nap, which makes bathtime and bedtime much, much more enjoyable.

Meeting Great-Grandma

Nixon - 2 Weeks

Somehow our little baby is two weeks old already (as of Tuesday), and although this is super cliche to say, time is flying.  The last two weeks have been full of precious baby snuggles, a few sleepless nights, and figuring out this parenting thing.  He still sleeps a good chunk of the day, but his alert periods are getting longer and longer and we're having so much fun interacting with him.  

Nixon had his two-week check-up a couple days ago, and his doctor was impressed by how well he's doing.  Our little guy has gained back all the weight he lost after birth plus another five ounces (bringing him up to 7 lb, 9 oz), putting him in the 19th percentile for weight and 73rd percentile for height.  Looks like he's going to be tall and skinny!  

  

Now for the important stuff - the pictures!