Monkey's 6 Month Check-up

Today was Monkey's 6 month check-up. Here's the run down:

• He weighed in at 20 pounds!!! He measured 26.5 inches and his noggin is 18 inches around (he must be full of brains!).
• He is in the 90th percentile for weight and the 50th for height - still.
• The doc said he looked, "absolutely perfect!" She also said each one of those cheeks must weigh a pound right there! :-)
• Poor Monkey had to get poked three times for vaccinations and had to drink the rotovirus one. He screamed for the shots, but was ok once Mama snuggled him.

Gordon

So Jack has an imaginary friend. His name is Gordon. It absolutely cracks me up. We hear at least once a day about Gordon. Yesterday, Jack got a juice box out for Gordon. He also told me Gordon lived in the house on the other side of our fence. Apparently Gordon has moved because a few weeks ago Jack told me Gordon lived in California. Jack will often tell us Gordon is going to be wherever we are going. Jack will come up with complete stories about what he does with Gordon. While this is incredibly cute, I did wonder if imaginary friends actually serve a psychological or developmental purpose for children. I was pleased to find that children with imaginary friends tend to develop language skills and retain knowledge faster than children without these pretend pals. They also help children to develop coping skills because they provide children with a "confidant" to talk over problems with and share feelings. Perhaps my favorite opinion I read on imaginary friends was they they are simply fun for chldren in that full-of-imagination and the world-can-be-however-I-want-it-to-be way. I like to think that Gordon provides Jack with a sense of fun and allows him to enjoy the world on his own terms. Far too soon he will realize that the world is full of moments that are not what he wants them to be. Thanks, Gordon, for making my little guy happy! I owe you one!

Chunky Monkey

Brett was quite the character last night! When I first tried to feed him, he was literally falling asleep in his booster seat. It was hilarious! So I knew he was never going to make it to bed time. I cleaned him up and set him in my lap. He was asleep in about one minute! After a short cat nap, he woke up and ate like a true Chunky Monkey! New record - three tubs of baby food plus his oatmeal cereal! Although I think I have discovered Brett's philosophy on baby food - "If it's not carrots, it's crap." He loves his carrots! If I let him eat them as much as he wanted, the kid would be orange! After that huge meal, Brett was ready to play. He already has favorite toys - his Fisher-Price mailbox is his current fave. He already has been rolling from his back to his belly, but last night he also rolled from his belly to his back! I think it may have been accidental because he looked shocked!

New Goal and New Time

Since I have a terrible time trying to keep the blog updated, my new strategy is to try to make blogging a regular part of my day. So you (hopefully) will see some kind of post here daily, even if it is simply what is on my mind for the day. Today I am both loving and hating the time change. I am hating that I am exhausted today since I basically got up at 4:30 am according to my body's clock. I also was not excited that Jack was still awake at almost 11 pm last night thanks to a late nap and the time change. However, both kids slept later today, which allowed me to get ready for work in relative peace and quiet. I hated that it was so dark when I was leaving this morning, but I'm sure I am going to love the longer daylight this evening. Despite the positives, I still like the fall time change much better and getting that extra hour rather than losing one!

Brothers

Just before I got pregnant with Brett I secretly wondered if having another child was really what I wanted to do. Life seemed so perfect with our little family of three. Obviously now that I have Brett I can't imagine life without him. But I also cannot imagine life without seeing the relationship and interaction between my two boys. My boys would most certainly have missed out on something amazing without each other, but I would also have missed out on something that brings me such wonder and joy. Brett is in awe of Jack. Everything Jack does elicits a smile from Brett. This is sometimes cute, like when Jack plays with Brett, and sometimes hilarious, like when Brett laughs at Jack throwing a fit because he is getting in trouble. Jack already shows this sense of responsibility for Brett. He will sometimes very seriously remind Troy and I that we need to not leave Brett at home if we don't put Brett in the car first. Then there are the moments that just melt my heart. The other day Jack was home sick and after we were home about 20 minutes he said, "Where is Brett?" I told him Brett was at daycare because I didn't want Brett to get sick and I wanted to be able to take care of just Jack all day. He looked at me with these sad eyes and said, "I miss him, Mommy." I can't wait to see them grow together and to experience this journey together!

Brett at 6 Months

Chunky Monkey has had quite a month! Here are the highlights and some of his 6 month pictures:

• Brett got his first two teeth in just after turning 5 months. They look absolutely adorable!
• Brett smiles ALL THE TIME! He has got to be the happiest baby ever. He also laughs quite often. No one can make him laugh as much as his brother can. Jack can say or do just about anything and Brett thinks it is hilarious.
• I think the phrase "fat and happy" was coined just for Brett. He is perhaps the fattest baby I have ever seen. He is just about in 12 month size clothes. Just today I unpacked some clothes from Jack that he wore the fall he turned one; Brett is ready for them now!
• Brett loves to play. He is also very curious and sometimes looks at new toys like he is actually studying them. He has a very focused look and will turn toys over in his hands like he is trying to figure them out.

Brett at 5 Months

Brett is already 5 months! Here's some highlights from his last month and some pictures:

• Brett continues to be Chunky Monkey - he went to the doctor at the beginning of February and weighed over 18 pounds! He's already wearing 9 month size clothes and some of those are getting too tight!
• Brett has been a great baby food eater (hence the Chunky Monkey). So far he has seemed to like all the veggies and is starting on the fruits. He still wants to eat often and a lot - including a bottle in the middle of the night most nights.
• Brett seems to be very good with his hand eye coordination already. He grabs toys and moves them from hand to hand. He has also figured out how to pull his pacifier out so he can stick his thumb in!
• Brett loves to play. He has really been getting into toys and I have seen him actually get mad if I put a toy away that he was playing with.
• Brett continues to be a blankie boy. He LOVES his little blankies and snuggles his face right into them when he is tired.
• Brett is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. If you look at him, he smiles. He hardly ever fusses or cries - usually just when he is hungry or tired.
• Much to my delight, Brett is a bit of a mama's boy right now! :)