He's not a newborn anymore!

The little man of the house is almost 6 months old. Bill and I say it every day... "I can't believe how big he's getting!" We continue to be amazed at all the new little things he's picking up and learning. How do babies just learn certain things, anyway??? It's pretty incredible!

Now that I'm on summer break from school, I can really enjoy my time with little Drew. I love waking up and spending every day with him. His morning coos and babbles are the best alarm clock ever! I have to admit, at first it was a little weird, because I wasn't used to being with him all day, and I found myself getting a little frustrated. He's not the little newborn that he was when I was on maternity leave. I laugh at myself, because I thought it was SO hard when I was on maternity leave. Hubby went back to work and I was left with a little 2 week old. Ha! That was sooo easy compared to having a 5 month old. Ahhh, the days when he would sleep the whole day away and I could watch all my TV shows and lounge around all day with a newborn snuggled up against me. He took forever to breastfeed, so I was guaranteed an hour to watch TV, or take a little snooze, for the first few months until I went to pumping exclusively.

You can imagine my confusion when I started summer break, thinking that I would have ALL this time to clean the house, take a nap, get some sun, or (gasp!) watch TV. I quickly came to the realization that the times have certainly changed since Drew was a little newborn. He's now an infant who wants to be entertained all day long! Once I figured out his "schedule", it made things easier for me. I'm still adjusting, but it seems to be getting better with every passing day.

Good Morning! 

A typical day in the Pantuso household, you might ask?

6ish- Drew wakes up (Although he has surprised us with a few 4am wake-up calls over the last week). Diaper is changed and baby is fed.

7ish- I pump (I am trying to quit breastfeeding because I am annoyed at being tied to the pump. My goal is to get him to the 6 month mark, but I don't know if I can make it!!!)

7:30-9ish- Entertain the baby (and hopefully scarf down some breakfast for myself!) Entertaining the baby usually consists of rotating "stations"... I always try him in the big brown chair first, with some toys... then the jumperoo, the playmat, taking him for a morning stroll, sitting outside on the patio (he loves it outside), the bouncer, or just laying him on the ottoman and tickling him and making silly faces.

9ish-11ish (hopefully!)- Feed, diaper change, and a nice, long morning nap (usually about 2 hours) for Drew and mommy! Most of the time I can't sleep during this time, so I get a little housework done... or watch a show that I've recorded on DVR.

11-4- Repeat the entire cycle again until hubby gets home and takes over and mommy gets a little break!

4ish-6:30- Drew's time with daddy

6:30-7- Baby food! So far he's tried only veggies and he eats them like a champ: Sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas, and green beans. Next up... fruits!

7ish- I pump again (will be so glad when I am done with that!)

7:30- Bath time

8:00- Swaddle the baby and either hubby or I put him to bed for the night.

Feed me! 

Drew is such a good eater! He really loves solids. The only veggie that he hasn't really liked so far is peas, but he still ate them. He opens his mouth wide for every bite and gets really upset when the bowl is empty. I'm really surprised that he has taken to it so well, since we started him early. I just felt like he was ready. He shows so much interest in what we are eating and wants to reach for everything. He just wants to be a big boy and eat at the dinner table with mommy and daddy!

He's still sleeping really good, other than waking up a handful of times around 4am. He takes a really good morning nap, and will take several 45 minute naps later in the day too. We are really lucky that he sleeps so well. I take it for granted that I have the opportunity to sleep 8 hours every night!

We've started being able to get him laughing too, which is hilarious! We just have to do something repetitive over and over again and he just giggles like crazy. My latest thing is getting really close to him and saying "You're so silly!" and he just laughs it up! He also laughs when Bill blows raspberries on his belly. I love hearing his little laugh. He's such a happy little guy.

He hasn't mastered rolling over from his back to his belly yet, but I attribute that to his big head. He's almost there though... he gets about 3/4 of the way, but gets his arm stuck. I think he'll be rolling over from front to back any day now. Same thing with sitting on his own. He's almost there... it's just all that weight in his head tips him over! :)

One thing he is doing really well is bearing weight on his legs. He loves being lifted high in the air and set down on his legs. He is so strong! I keep telling Bill that he'll be standing before he crawls!

Up, up, and away! 

Strong legs

We also celebrated Andrew's first Fourth of July this past week. Bill had to work, so I took the baby over to my parents' house for a few hours. Drew loves all of his grandparents, and of course entertained us thoroughly. I was so glad my sister was there too. She doesn't get to see her nephew too often these days because she is living and working in Ann Arbor.

I was so afraid the baby would be woken up by all the fireworks by our house. Our neighbors love their fireworks and light them off at all hours of the night. This is great for Bill and I, because we can sit out on our back patio and enjoy the show. There were some really loud ones that shook our house, but Drew slept through the entire thing. What a great baby!

Our all-American baby, just chillin' 

Laughing at Auntie Dez

Hanging out on the back deck with Sito and Auntie Dez

Gramps tired me out!

I know I say it every time I blog, but seriously, we are so, so, SO blessed to have our little guy. This summer will bring some fun firsts, and I'm so excited to see how he handles it all!

With Bill's Aunt Beth 

My lil' monkey

So happy!

Being fed by daddy for the first time

Going for a stroll!

Gerber baby!

I was at a graduation open house yesterday and started talking to my third cousin, whom I only see every few years. We have a lot in common... we both live and work in the same town, we're the same age, we both got married last year, and now she's pregnant with her first child, a girl, due in August. As I stood there talking with her about "mommyhood", I was struck with the reality of how far Bill and I have come as parents. I'm pretty sure I overwhelmed my cousin with all of the talk of things we went through, or what she could expect... but as I was talking, I was smiling on the inside... because things change so quickly. 

Now we have an almost 5 month old. Gone are the days of surviving on 2 hours of sleep (and feeling like a million bucks after 3 straight hours of sleep). Little Drew has been consistently sleeping through the night for 2 months now (8-11 hour stretches). He's taking 2-3 regular naps during the day now (1-2+ hours), and it seems like we're finally getting on a schedule with his sleeping and eating. I always wondered how you put a baby on a schedule, but with Drew, it's all come naturally.

Such a happy baby after a long night's sleep!

Gone are the days of feeling like you're talking to a little being with no response in return. I love that Drew's personality is out in full swing now. He smiles in response to others, babbles and squeals (to himself and others), and can entertain himself for small stretches of time, so mommy can do important business like wash bottles, fold laundry, or cook dinner. He is fascinated with his hands and feet, and will try to grab everything in sight... even noses, cheeks, and the hair of others. He interacts with his toys, playing with his rattle and chiming toys, and he loves music. We'll often hear him on the monitor as he wakes up in the morning... he'll babble a little bit and squeal a good morning greeting to his friends, the animals on the mobile above his head. 

Grabbing his toy with one hand and his foot with the other

Two weeks ago, we took Andrew for his 4 month well visit with the pediatrician. Bill couldn't wait to see how much his "little linebacker" weighed. Much to Daddy's enjoyment, the little guy weighed in at 14 lbs 14 oz, placing him in the 50th percentile. His length was 25.5 inches, placing him in the 75th percentile. His head circumference was 17.5 inches, which (to none of our surprise) was in the 90th percentile (big head like his daddy!). Dr. Fisher said Andrew was doing great and we all laughed at the little guy as he repeatedly kept trying to get mommy's attention, by cooing, squealing, and smiling as I talked to the doctor. Since Andrew has been eating so well (30 ounces of breastmilk/formula daily), he advised us that we could start him on solids as soon as we wanted to. We had tried rice cereal about a week before seeing Dr. Fisher, and Drew did not like it AT ALL... 

Doesn't look too appetizing

Getting ready...

First bite

Not happy... this stuff is disgusting, mommy! 

Needless to say, when Dr. Fisher told us we could start the "good stuff", we were so excited! I couldn't believe that we were already to the point of feeding him "real" food. Dr. Fisher told us to start with Stage 1 foods, just a couple of teaspoons to start getting him used to it. He advised us to start with sweet potatoes, since starting with fruit would make him only want sweet things and starting with the "gross" veggies (in my opinion- peas, etc.) might turn him off to the idea completely. He also told us to try the food too, so we can see what he's tasting. Bill said that was taking it too far, so he has opted out of the trying baby food (at least the gross stuff, like veggies)... so mommy gets to be the guinea pig! So far we've tried sweet potatoes for 5 days (you have to do everything in 5 day increments to make sure there are no food allergies). He LOVES sweet potatoes, often opening his mouth wide as if to say "More, mommy!" I can't get those sweet potatoes in his mouth fast enough! We also tried peas, which he HATES! I tried 2 days, but he was so miserable... crying and turning his head away, that I couldn't force him to eat them... I hate peas too, little guy! :) 

Yummy! Sweet potatoes! 

Not sure yet...

These are pretty tasty!

A success! 

It's so fun seeing the little human being he's becoming. He sits with us in his high chair at dinnertime, watching us eat, waiting for his turn when we're done. I love that he's observing everything we do, and I'm sure he's taking it all in. 

We're also so excited because Drew has finally started rolling over from his tummy to his back. He has been rolling from his back to his side for awhile now, but it has taken him longer to roll completely over from his tummy to back (because of his big head... lol). I was so happy to be able to get a video of his rolling, since it happens so fast! Here is his rolling debut... so cute! 

It is just so fun to see all the new things happening every day with our little guy. I'm so blessed to be a teacher, so that I can have every day this summer with my little man. School is officially over, so let the mommy-baby time begin!

Mid-squeal in his highchair

Learning to sit up in his Bumbo

Chillin' with Daddy in the backyard

Drew and his new jumperoo

Happy Father's Day! 

Visiting mommy in her classroom during the last week of school

Our favorite things!

You know how Oprah use to do her "Favorite Things" show??? Well, this is my baby version! It's amazing how I went from knowing absolutely nothing about baby "stuff" to now being able to shop the baby aisles with ease, and not feeling like I'm in a foreign land.

Before Drew was born, a friend from work gave me a list of items she recommended based on experience and from a therapy standpoint. I was so glad to have even a little advice, because it's daunting when you're looking at 20 different kinds of bottles, trying to figure out which one is the best for your little peanut. I know I have a lot of friends that read my blog that don't have children yet, or that are just starting off with babies of their own. Hopefully this post helps you like some of my friends' advice and recommendations have helped me!

Our favorite things over the last 4 months...

Soothies pacifiers

I already planned on using the Soothies paci before Drew was born, because it was recommended to me by a friend. We also received our first one in the hospital. I like it because the nipple mimics a real nipple and there is a little hole that you can put your finger in and feel the baby sucking on your finger. It was the neatest feeling the first time I felt Drew sucking!

Asleep with his paci

Dr. Brown's bottles

I love these bottles, even if they are a pain to clean. They come with more parts than any other bottle I've seen, but the venting system allows baby to take in less air while drinking, preventing a lot of gas bubbles. I like the accessories that Dr. Brown's makes, too. We'd be lost without the microwave sterilizer and the bottle warmer. Little things like these make life so much easier!

Holding the bottle all by himself

Swaddle

We love the "Summer Swaddle-me" brand  the best. They come in all different patterns and it's all one piece, which is nice. It's the only kind that Drew has not broken out of. He tends to try to be a little Houdini and kicks and pushes his arms against the sides. This is the only kind he can't escape from. Since we've been swaddling him, he has been sleeping about 8-10 hours at night and has been taking 1.5-3 hour naps. It's so nice, because mommy and daddy sleep great when little Drew is swaddled!

Wakey, wakey! Happy baby!

Diaper wipes warmer

Only the best for my baby... he's already being spoiled by warm diaper wipes with every changing. It's not a necessity, but I know if it were me, I'd prefer warm wipes too! :)

Pack n' play (with changing table and napper station)

We would be lost without our pack n' play. This has gotten more use than anything since Drew came home from the hospital. Originally, we put it in the living room, expecting it to stay there for just a week or so until we transitioned Drew into the bedroom with us. It has not moved from the living room yet! Drew slept in the napper every night for almost 4 months and having the changing table with it is such a bonus. It's still in the living room. The napper station has been removed and now we just use the changing table portion. It's nice to not have to walk all the way to his room to change him every time. Convenience is key! 

Glider and ottoman

This is another thing we would be lost without and something I miss when we're trying to calm Drew down when we're not at home. Originally, the plan was to put the glider and it's gliding ottoman in Drew's nursery once we got home from the hospital. Bill asked me if I wanted it out in the living room for a few days just to have something comfy to nurse in, and it hasn't moved from the living room since! I love it because it doesn't look like a "normal" rocker that would be in a baby's room. It fits right with our furniture in the living room, and will most likely stay in the living room for quite awhile. It's the "go-to" chair when our parents come to watch Drew during the day. It's like a big hug when you sit in it. Everything I read before the baby was born said to splurge on a good rocker because you'd basically be living in it, and boy am I glad we spent a little extra money, because it's so worth it!



Little boy in the big brown chair

Bouncer

An absolute lifesaver. I cannot tell you the many ways we use this bouncer. We've put it next to the dinner table to have Drew near us when we eat, we've placed it outside the bathroom door so we can see him as we shower, he's slept in it, and now he loves trying to catch the "fishies" as he bounces for 30 minutes to an hour. It has music and a vibrating chair. Best invention ever!



Watching mommy make dinner




Fast asleep- so soothing!



Boppy

Oh, how we love the boppy! I had no clue how we would use this odd shaped pillow when we registered for it. Now, I can't imagine my life without it! You can use this pillow for everything! We have primarily used it to prop Drew up during feedings, but now he's gaining control of his head movements and getting stronger, so we use it for tummy time and as a prop to help him learn how to sit up on his own. I think the dogs wish we would have gotten them a boppy too. Any time I leave it unattended on the couch, they try to curl up in it.

Boppy time!

Playgym
Drew love his play mat. At first, he would just look at the dangling toys and loved all the colors. Now, it is so fun to see him actually interact with the toys. He reaches for the toys and pulls them, trying to put them in his mouth. He loves to kick the chime toy and will entertain himself for up to an hour on the mat if he's in a good mood. This has been a lifesaver!

Investigating the chime

Lullaby music

For the longest time, we would just turn on the soothing music on the music channel on TV when we would put Drew to bed. The music was great, but the only problem was the lights from the TV keeping Drew awake or startling him when it got too bright. My mom bought Drew a CD of lullabies that we just adore. It's called "Blessed Slumber" and it's made up of lullabies and bible songs in instrumental form. In fact, it plays all night and much of the day because it is so soothing. It never fails... Drew is usually asleep by the third or fourth sonce when I put him down at night.



Best lullaby CD!



I'm sure this is just the beginning of many blogs to come about favorite things we've discovered. It's so fun learning about and trying new baby things.  :)

Every little thing he does is magic!

I feel like I could watch Andrew for every minute of every day and never get bored. He is at that age right now where I just want to soak everything up. I love seeing the world through his eyes and watching him discover everything around him. I think there is something new every day that he's learning to do that he's never done before. There is never a dull moment in our home, that's for sure! When Bill and I are together with the baby on the weekends, we don't get much "me" time, because the other one is always yelling from the other room, "Honey! Come watch him! Come and look at what he's doing!" It is pretty phenomenal how the littlest things can be so exciting.

The last few weeks have brought many "firsts" for Drew, as I'm sure I'll be saying for a long time now...since he has a lot of "firsts" yet to go! He's growing so much and is gaining so much more control of his body. His movements are smoother and his head isn't "wobbly" anymore. He is so strong and just loves to be sitting up, supported by cushions or pillows. He has discovered that he has toes and loves touching them, and everything else in sight. He's taken an interest in his toys and can reach for and grasp them when dangled or placed in front of him. He laughs and squeals all the time and has started testing out his voice... whether it be a loud shriek or just a monotone "ahhhhhhhh". We definitely encourage ALL sounds and find ourselves imitating him so that he can learn that there will be a purpose for all those sounds.

I can also see the "teacher" coming out in me with him already... especially the special ed part, where I'm kind of obsessed with making sure he's meeting those developmental milestones. I make sure that we take time for play (on his playmat) and am already telling him all the names of the animals on the mat as well as the colors (hey, it's never too early!). I read books to him almost daily (a few of his "faves": "Guess How Much I Love You", "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Pat the Bunny"). I think it's important to expose him early to many different learning opportunities. I want him to have the same zest for learning that I had, and continue to have.

Among some of the interesting things Drew is learning now:

He's starting to roll over! I can foresee in the very near future that my days of putting him down and not worrying about him going anywhere are going to become a distant memory. This kid is a mover and a shaker... always moving his legs. About a week ago, he started getting ready to roll over, by pulling his knees in the air and lifting his booty clear off the ground. I knew it wasn't too far off, since all it would take is some momentum to get him rolled onto his side... and lo and behold, a few days later he rolled onto his side, and has been doing it ever since!

Get ready... get set... 

GO! 

Now he can roll all over his playmat if he wants! 

I was also so happy that since Drew has such good head control now, I could take the baby sling out of the baby tub and just bathe him in the tub without it now. It makes it so much easier to give him a bath and he LOVES it. I put the baby sink in the kitchen sink and run the tap water on warm-ish and he just goes to town, kicking the stream of water and just having a good old time!

My first bath without the infant sling! 

He is also starting to hold his bottle when we feed him now. It's so cute! Before, he would ball his fists and hold them close to his body. Now, Drew is interacting more with objects and wants both of his hands on the bottle. He has actually held his smaller bottles up by himself for most of some feedings. It is so fun to watch!

My first time holding the bottle

I think within the next few weeks, Drew is going to start trying to sit up by himself. He does so well when supported and prefers to be sitting up and opposed to lying on his back. He is able to turn his head and visually track you throughout the entire room. His favorite spot to sit up is in the big brown chair in the living room. He'll just smile and squeal the entire time. He's getting to be such a big boy!!!

Sitting up on the big brown chair with Mr. Monkey

Every little thing he does really IS magic, because mommy and daddy are mesmerized!

Getting better at tummy time

Fast asleep after some hard work on the playmat

Visiting with Sito & Gramps (16 weeks old)

Before I was a Mom...

I can't believe my first Mother's Day is here. What a beautiful day. I am so blessed to have such a sweet baby boy and a great husband who appreciates me for who I am.

Bill went all out for my first Mother's Day, surprising me with beautiful flowers and yummy chocolates and a really pretty inscribed frame from Andrew. We took advantage of this beautiful day by taking the baby out to Partridge Creek for a stroll and a little window shopping for Mommy. Andrew was so well behaved and loved watching the people and all the dogs (just like his mommy- so curious!) I loved spending the day with my boys.

This poem was sent to me by one of my coworkers. I think it describes how I am feeling so perfectly!

"Before I was a Mom..."

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry about whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.


Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.


Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.


Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.


Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.


Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,  the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom. 

Daddy surprised Mommy with my cute new onesie!

I heart Mom!

Trying on hats at Baby Gap at Partridge Creek

Strolling around Partridge Creek

Being shy with Daddy

Shopping with Mommy

I love Mommy! 

Mommy's gifts- the best gift of all is baby Drew!