"Holiday, oh Holiday"

To say that I LOVE holidays is an understatement!  I love them all... Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day... etc.  So, I plan months in advance of how to introduce each holiday to my Bubby.  After all, it is his first year experiencing all of these fun traditions!  And... there are sooooooooooo many holidays in the spring that I am looking forward to!  First, Valentine's Day, then Saint Patrick's Day, Easter, and MY VERY FIRST MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My To Do List is as follows:

Valentine's Day... check!

St. Patrick's Day... check!

Easter.... still working on it!

My bubby is too young for eggs, chocolate bunnies and the like, so I've been trying to figure out what the Easter Bunny will bring him.  While searching for great basket stuffers I came across the CUTEST basket!  I couldn't resist...

His is the one in the middle... and of course it says Connor, not Jacob.  So far I have a book for his basket... Peek-A-Boo Peter Rabbit. Bubby LOVES peek-a-boo!   I LOVE getting him a new book for each holiday too.  He LOVES to be read to.  Let's hope he keeps of love of books later... it will make teaching him how to read soooooooo much easier ;o)  If you have any great ideas for Easter basket items for a 9 month old, let me know!

You are my "I LOVE YOU"

Dear Connor James,

Thank you for snuggling with me.  I know you are beginning to get too busy for cuddle time with Momma, so I appreciate your sunggles today!  You will ALWAYS be my baby boy and the center of my universe!

Mommy was sleepy too! LOL

You are my "I LOVE YOU!" 

Love,
Mommy
xoxoxoxo

6 month Check-Up

Wow! I am soooooooooooo behind on my posts.  Last week we went to Connor's 6 month check-up!  My Bubby is DOING GREAT!!! So exciting.  He has met or exceeded all of the milestones a 6 month old should reach. He is sitting up all on his own and trying very hard to crawl! He makes his way across the floor, but I wouldn't call it "crawling" yet. LOL  He weighs in at a very healthy 21 pounds 5 ounces and was 28 and 1/2 inches long!  He was in the 97th percentile for weight and the 95th percentile for height.  I LOVE every ounce of my cute little guy!

Check out my little Uof L Cardinal:

Look at me sit up and play!!! :o)

Don't you want to squeeze those cute little chubby cheeks!?!?!

Eyebrow raise in full effect.  "What is this thing in my face???"

Totally uninterested now! LOL

Look at those cheeks! Momma can't get enough!

Let me help you with that, Mom!  I bet cameras are tasty!

***I would just like to say, on the note of weight, that my baby is perfectly healthy.  Some people have made comments to me hinting that my baby is overweight or overfed.  Usually I don't say anything, but I currently feel in the mood to vent. :o)  First of all, my doctor is the only one qualified to make that judgement.  What many people do not know is that Connor started out over the 100th percentile for weight when he was born.  Not only has he decreased a few percentage points so that he is actually on the charts now, but he is also proportionate to his height.  My doctor would be more concerned if he was the 97 percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height.  My nephew, Tyler, was just as chunky as Connor, but once he started moving (crawling, walking, etc) he really slimmed down.  So, Connor will too.  What IS important is that my baby eats a healthy diet.  I have made sure to give him as much breastmilk and healthy, organic foods as possible.  I'm even making some baby foods!!! I know, shocker!!!!  LOL So, before you judge me, or my baby, make sure you are qualified to make that judgement.  Or, better yet, we could all support each other as we raise our babies and accept that while we all parent differently, we all have the same goal.  ;o)

Jumperoo!!!

I mentioned in Connor's 6 month post that I wanted to get him a jumperoo because he loves to jump up and down.  Well, we went to Wal-mart today and stumbled upon a Jumperoo ON SALE!!! We got it for half of what I was expecting to pay!!!!! SCORE!  He absolutely LOVES his jumperoo.  I'd say its his new favorite toy!!  The best thing about this jumperoo is that it folds flat so you can store it easily under a bed!  So, it will be easy to put away to save for baby #2. (and NO, I am NOT pregnant... just thinking ahead!) Check out my little monkey:

Isn't this the cutest video!?!?!??!  LOL   I'm glad you love it, Bubby!

* 6 WONDERFUL Months *

Well, it is offical... Connor is 6 months old!  I can't believe half a year has gone by!!!  If feels like moments ago that I met my sweet baby boy for the first time...

Its amazing how quickly things can change in just 6 short months!!!  Here's some updated on all the exciting things going on in the the Shacklett house:

1.  My Bubby is teething, MAJORLY!  Now, this isn't exactly an "exciting" milestone, but nonetheless, it is a milestone!  That first tooth has not made its appearance YET, but I have a feeling it will be here anyday!  I FINALLY found some teethers that Connor will use!!!  As I've shared before, Connor is not a "paci" baby.  I have tried relentlessly to get him to take a paci, but everytime I put one in his mouth, he scrunches up his nose like its gross and spits it out! uggg!  (Naptime and bedtime would be soooooooo much easier with a paci!) Anyway, pacis are great for teething, but Connor won't take one.  He really loves his hand teether and Sophie the giraffe!  The last picture is a fresh food teether, and it is great!  I put a little chunk of a banana in it and he sucks away!  They are a pain to clean, but he's happy for at least 20 minutes!! LOL  Highly recommend these teethers:

2.  My little Bubby is also progressing leaps and bounds with his mobility!!!  Some very exciting developments have occured!  The most exciting news is that Connor began sitting up ON HIS OWN shortly after turning 5 months!!!!  He LOVES to sit on the floor and play with all of his toys (of course Mommy puts the Boppy behind him just for her peace of mind ).  He is so funny when he plays now too!  He looks for toys he has dropped and he picks up the tiniest objects and observes them very closely. LOL For instance, he has a giraffe that he picks up by its tiny ear or by one little strand of its tail!  He LOVES to stand in your lap and dance for you!  Its really bouncing up and down, but we call it dancing.  I REALLY want to get him a jumperoo (not the door way kind, but the stationary ones... the doorway ones have been recalled many times and have warnings against infant concussions for hitting their heads on the doorways!?!?!?!?)  Anyway, they are pretty expensive, so maybe after we get our tax return! LOL  They are pretty neat! Connor is also quite the monkey!  He now picks up toys with his feet and then brings them to his hands! It is hilarious!!!! I have it on video on my phone.  Once I figure out how to get the video off my phone and onto the computer I will share.   Check out my  6 MONTH OLD SITTING UP!?!?!?!  

3.  It is offically time to start solid food!!! Yay Connor!  We have been giving him a little here and there to get him used to eating from a spoon and to spark his interest in fruits and veggies.  However, now he is six months old and he MUST start eating solids regularly for proper development.  So, this is our new adventure we are setting out on!  Look for future updates!  Right now, Connor enjoys rice cereal, pears, apples, bananas, peaches, sweet potatoes, and carrots! Yummy.  I'm looking forward to introducing him to many new and HEALTHY foods!  Since I don't have a clue what I'm doing (LOL), I do lots of research on the internet, buy books, and talk to other moms for advice.  This is my new favorite book:  Super Baby Food.  Lots of great ideas!  After researching and talking to my pediatrician, I have decided to feed Connor organic foods as much as possible.  I have received lots of judgement from others for this decision, but it is a decision I stand by no matter what anyone else says.  He is my world, and I plan to make as many healthy decisions as possible.  Just to clear up a few things... I chose this route because we really don't know the effects the chemicals and preservatives in processed foods have on our bodies, and processed foods just aren't healthy!!!  No, I do not plan to shelter him from resturants and the like.  My decision is to feed him organic food AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, not to ONLY feed him organic food.  I plan to make this change for my family too (as much as possible).  Hopefully in the future we will have the time for our own garden!  We'll see ;)

4.  We have quite the talker on our hands!  Connor says, "Da-Da" all the time now!  Of course he didn't say, "Ma Ma" first!  :(  LOL  I'm sure he doesn't realize he's saying "Daddy," but he will soon enough.  He has also started to mimic things we do, which has been pretty exciting.  He mimics me and says, "Hi!"  Its a very high-pitched squeal of a "Hi," but its still hi! He also mimics me and sticks his tongue out!  I say, "Show Mama your tongue." Then I stick mine out and he mimics me!  hehe!

I'm pretty sure I'm leaving several new developments out of my list, but I can't seem to remember the rest at the moment.  Probably because I hear Connor starting to wake up from his nap!  So, I'll leave you with his 6 month professional pictures!  Best. Photographer. Ever.

More updates to come later... Bubby beckons!  Happy 6 months Bubby!  It has been the most rewarding 6 months of our lives!!!  Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back! XOXO

The Sleep Situation :o)

As we all know, Connor does NOT like to go to sleep.  Well, we have been working on making naptime and bedtime a little easier on Bubby, and we are actually making some progress, thanks to some useful info from the Babywise books (highly recommend)!!! (Insert celebratory happy dance!)  Part of "the sleep situtation" (okay, all of it) is my fault because I love to cuddle my Bubby and rock him to sleep.  I know, I KNOW, what you're thinking... He's five and a half months old and we SHOULD have started this a long time ago... but the good news is that we are NOW putting him in his bed AWAKE and he is putting himself to sleep.  Most of the time it works like a charm.  He babbles and coos to his moblie that is a projecter/music player and "eventually" falls off to sleep.  Usually in an interesting position such as this:  (LOL!)

Every once in a while he REFUSES to lay in the crib awake, usually because he is soooooooooo tired and I didn't get him into the crib in time (while he was still in his happy, sleepy state).  I just REFUSE, ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to let my baby lay in his crib screaming hysterically.  Fussing and wimpering is one thing, but screaming is a whole different level.  Luckily, we are making tons of progress and Bubby is beginning to get used to putting himself to sleep -- so the screaming doesn't happen very often.  I'm looking forward to seeing how many more funny pictures I can get of him sleeping in awkward positions.  I'm sure he would love for me to share them with his future girlfriend when he starts dating (but not until he's 30, of course)!! LOL

Look at Me!

When other people told me that Connor would grow up too fast, I was like "Yeah, yeah.... sure."  It seemed like my teenage years, when I wanted to be nothing but independent, CRAWLED by.  Well, they weren't kidding!  It literally seems like yesterday that I was in the hospital and saw my baby boy's sweet face for the first time.  In reality, it has been 5 and a half months!!!  With that said, we have offically reached our next milestone!  I can't believe I'm saying this, but my BABY boy is sitting up all on his own!!!!  CRAZY, right?!?!  Well, here he is...

And the shirt couldn't be more true!!! It is all about him, and I LOVE every second of it!