5 months old

Dear Deven,
Last week you turned 5 months old. I'm sorry to say that aside from some extra hugs and kisses, it went largely uncelebrated because we were deep in the middle of moving.

Over the course of the past month, you have started SCREECHING. I'm delighted you found your voice and all, but really, screeching? I could do without it. You screech happily and angrilly. It's the cutest fucking screech I have ever heard, but I never thought any other screeches were that cute.

We have started to introduce you to veggies just over the past few days. I must say, you didn't seem to delight in the new flavors like I thought you would. We'll keep trying though, because veggies are important and you will learn to like most of them.

You are sitting up even better than before. I have seen you sit unassisted for over 5 minutes before you tip over because you are tired of sitting up. You also roll over, grab your feet a lot, and laugh a ton. You also recently started passing toys from one hand to the next.

We are so proud of you, Deven. We love your laughs, your smiles, the cute face you make before you cry, the snuggles. This parenthood thing is such a cool experience. I've never been happier.

Love,
Mama

So that birthday was a bit awful, actually.

i'm just glad it's over.

raj tried to make it nice.

Oh my gawd, my kid is cute

Every day of Deven's life, he learns something new. Today, he realized THOSE THINGS AT THE END OF MY LEGS ARE FEET. THEY LOOK DELICIOUS. I WONDER IF I CAN STUFF THOSE IN MY FACE.

The beginning of this realization was this morning, while I was changing his diaper, he grabbed each of his feet and started swinging his but back and forth. Yeah, I needed diaper changing to stop being so easy. I went off to work and when I did my email check in with Raj, I learned that Deven was laying on his dad's lap chattering away, trying to put those feet in his mouth.

I totally get it, kiddo. I've kissed those little feet every day since you were born.

Another important cute moment of the day was when I was giving him his rice cereal. About every third bite, he had to delay chewing so that he could smile at me. The world has seldom seen a smile as wonderful as the one belonging to Deven.

Notable from today- first daycare injury. I get to daycare to pick Deven up and his teacher immediately starts explaining to me what happened. It takes some time to process, because Deven's teacher is hearing impaired, so she can be difficult to understand. Finally, I take Deven from his teacher and gather his things. I have to sign off on an incident report. Another baby crawled over to Deven while he was in a Bebbe Pod (for you non-Parents- it's a molded chair that helps babies to sit up) and hit him, then clawed his face. He has scratches on his forehead and along the left side. I know the kid that did this didn't realize she was hurting him, but I am fucking pissed. Deven? Yeah, he doesn't give a shit.

We move into our new place a week from Saturday. I can hardly wait. Dev will have his own room, I will have a yard to play in. Yay

4 months old!

Dear Deven,

Today you turn four months old. This week you are more social, you smile at people, flirt with strangers, chatter in the cutest way imaginable, giggle sometimes, and this is my favorite, seek out our voices when we talk to you.

I will never forget the day I walked into your daycare to pick you up, and was talking to your teacher while I started walk towards where your things were kept. You saw me, smiled and threw your arms up. I have never felt more important.

You are starting to really play in your exersaucer, turning yourself around to look at all of the different toys. You seem to be connecting that when you pull on this, or push on that, they toy makes a noise.

We started you on rice cereal a few days ago at the suggestion of your pediatrician. You love this! At first, we had you in your exersaucer, but you were too excited, jumping around, to really get much food in your mouth. Now we use the bouncy seat and you are eating most of what we give you. As a result of the cereal, you are now sleeping 5 hours at a stretch, and your mama is starting to feel somewhat well rested.

Your sitting up is really improving. You can now sit up for about 10 seconds before you fall over. Speaking of falling over, you have a new game now. You will be sitting up and you will push yourself backwards so you can fall over. We only allow you to play this game on a soft surface, like into the down comforter, but you LOVE this game and don't seem to tire of it.

With all this good comes some bad. When you have cranky times, you REALLY have cranky times. You will fuss without resolution. But then you sleep. We've found even if you only sleep for 5 minutes, you will wake up and be the happy, smiley baby that we so adore.

You have also started to get scared. A loud noise will happen, and you will make a sad face and cry a very high pitched cry. This is a cry that breaks a mother's heart. The good news there is that you are very easy to soothe when this happens. We just hold you close, talk softly in your ear, and you feel better.

You are such an amazing little person, and I am profoundly privileged to be your mama.

Love,

Mama

3 Months Old

Dear Deven,
On Friday, you turned 3 months old. It's been a wonderful month, despite your insistence on having a runny nose.

You stopped crying for no reason and started smiling more and more. You coo, you squeal. You are trying pretty damned hard to laugh. You have decided that diaper changes are HILARIOUS.

You are such a strong boy. You are trying so hard to sit up all by yourself. You are still too little, but I have no doubt that you are going to get it all worked out sooner rather than later. You also stand a lot. You just haven't worked out the whole balance thing. That's ok. You are WAY too little to start that nonsense.

You still give your daddy a hard time in the mornings when he is hanging out with you before work. I know that this is because he doesn't have the magic boobs and is not Mama. Give him a bit of a break. He's trying really hard and he loves you so much.

I'm so proud of you. You and your dad are the best things in my life.

Love,
Mama

Morning at home

I had flex this morning, meaning I don't have to go to work until about noon. This morning so far (and it is only 9:40) Deven and I have enjoyed time in the Exersaucer, had tummy time, played with his puppy activity center, sang songs, had a bath, curled up in bed together and had a nap. We did an exercise where we stood up, sat up and lay down. Of course we have had a meal and some snacks (yay boobymilk)

Now he is sitting in his bouncy seat smiling, squealing and cooing. What the hell are we gonna do when he outgrows that thing?

He is at such a cool age. I am enjoying every minute. I just wish those minutes didn't fly by so quickly.

I'm really hoping we hear about the duplex today. I am ready to start thinning down our stuff to make moving easier. Even though we will have so much storage that we won't need to!

I'm also wanting to make a run to my hometown. We have quite a bit of stuff that my sister loaned us that Deven has outgrown. We have a swing that was my sister's sons that Deven is sooo not cool with. We have some maternity clothes to give back, too (so that she can work on giving me another niece or nephew)

With all this paring down, we might have to buy more stuff to fill the new place ;)

I am so not updaty McGee.

This post will be a random collection of thoughts. Semi-coherent at best, I'm sure.

I'm sitting here on the couch with my snoozing 11 week old son beside me. He isn't sleeping particularly well because he brought home a nasty cold from daycare, one we are both fighting.

I am seriously considering buying and trying a netti pot. I must have lost my fucking mind, because never before in my life have I considered not only pouring warm water up my nose to wash the snot out, but also PAYING FOR AN APPARATUS to do the same. This cold is just that bad.

We are currently living in a one bedroom apartment. Raj and I are on the lookout for a larger place. Yesterday we toured 2 places, a duplex and a townhouse. Both are available for roughly the same rent we are paying now, each with it's own charm.

We have decided we like the duplex. A lot. It has just about everything. It's 3 bedrooms, with one full bath and two 3/4 baths. The family room is roomy, the laundry is in a convenient place, there is more than enough storage for 2 families like ours, a huge yard, a deck and tons of kitchen cabinet/counter space. The only down sides are some unfortunately colored carpets and the smallness of the living room. I hope nothing happens to prevent the rental. I can really see Deven growing up there.

The townhouse was just ehh, but for the FANTASTIC kitchen and the great views. The tradeoffs there were that it still has an apartment feel and the SHARP drop to the street below from the microscopic backyard.

Deven has recently started squealing. This is even cuter than cooing. He is the most awesome little person. Yesterday, I bounced him on my leg and he was squealing and grinning at me. Made my day!

The phone keeps ringing, bothering the baby. It's starting to piss me off. Particularly because they don't say anything. Once I got a call waiting with them calling me again while I was still trying to get them to at least say who they were calling for. I hate the phone.

I think that is all I know. Sad, that's all I have to say.