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! 

Connor's First Christmas!

I'd say that Connor was a VERY good baby this year!  He made out like a bandit with quite the loot!   : )

Christmas is a very bittersweet holiday for our family.  My sister passed away in a car accident two years ago, on December 23rd, 2008.  So, Christmas brings about many mixed feelings:  Feelings of sadness and grief for our loss, but also warmth and happiness to see our baby enjoy his first Christmas.  This year, Connor was able to participate with us in a remembrance ceremony our church has each year on the anniversary of Jennifer's death.  It allows us all to celebrate her life in a positive way with others who are also grieving the loss of someone special.  Connor celebrated Jesus' birth at my parents' house on Christmas Eve and at James' parents' house on Christmas Day.  His grandparents didn't spoil him at all!!! LOL

My favorite gift for Connor was actually from us, hehe!  I wanted to get Connor something really special that he could hold on to forever, so we had a book made for him called, "Who Loves Connor?"  It turned out soooooooooooo neat!  It tells him about all the people in his life and how much they love him!  He loves to hear it read aloud to him, too!

We all know that Jesus is the reason for the season!!! So, thank you God for sending Your Son to die for our sins.  I can't express in words how grateful I am for your many blessings!  Expecially the ones in the picture below!!!  : )



Happy 5 Months, Connor!

My Bubby is offically a 5 month old!!! What!?!?!?!?  If feels like he arrived 5 minutes ago, not 5 months!!!

Momma and Connor meeting for the first time!

My little guy is growing leaps and bounds!  Here's a few updates on what is up with Connor at 5 months:

1.  My little, or should I say BIG, guy weighs in at 19 pounds and 6 ounces!  He such a chunkster!  Momma and Daddy are very blessed to have a healthy and thriving baby boy!

2.  Connor rolls over (both ways), stands up, sits up on his own ...for a few seconds before falling over ; ), and is starting to like tummy time a little more.

3. My Bubby FINALLY goes to sleep on his own... meaning that we can lay him in his crib and he will go to sleep on his own.  Now, this is mostly Mommas fault that we haven't done this unitl now. Momma didn't want to give up her night time cuddle time.  It kills me to miss out on rocking my baby to sleep!!!

4.  My baby boy melts your heart with his smile.  That sounds cheesy, but its true!  Literally, it is the CUTEST thing you have ever seen!  He also smiles back when you smile at him, squeals, giggles, and (my personal favorite) talks to you!  It is so adorable!  He babbles to you like he's carrying on a conversation.  Hopefully soon I'll get to hear Ma-Ma!

5. Connor LOVES his solid foods!  I give him a few spoonfuls of food at suppertime each day.  So far he's tried rice cereal, apples, and pears.  He thinks they're all pretty great!  He even holds the spoon with you the entire time! LOL  He's a pretty helpful little guy.

6.  Right at 5 month old, we had our first real "health scare" with Connor.  We found out three days ago that Connor has RSV, the respiratory virus.  Now, here is the shocker... His Momma hasn't freaked out or melted down throughout the entire ordeal!  Everyone should be VERY proud of me!!!  We all know I can be quite the worry wart when it comes to my little guy!  He is on the upward swing of it now, so it looks like he will be all better soon!!!  It all started on Friday night.  Bubby started coughing, wheezing, and was running a low-grade fever.  He couldn't sleep laying down, so we had to put him in his bouncer to sleep upright.  The poor thing woke up every two hours choking on mucus.  His Daddy and I had to put saline drops in his nose and suction him.  We also put a humidifier in the room, which helped.  On Saturday morning he was diagnosed with RSV.  He is on an antibiotic and we give him breathing treatments with a nebulizer every 8 hours.  Needless to say, he is doing MUCH better!  We are soooooooooooo thankful that it did not get any worse than it was!!!

7. Lastly, in my "4 month" post I told you about how Bubby has discovered his toes, we they have offically made it to his mouth!  That's right! My chunky little boy can get those toes to his mouth and chew on them!  He must think they are pretty tasty too, because they are in there a lot!

I'll leave you with a picture of my adorable 5 MONTH OLD...

Without hesitation, I can say that it has been the best 5 months of my life!  I didn't have A CLUE what mommyhood would really be like when I was pregnant.  It is COMPLETLY different than I ever could have imagined.  It is amazing how much you can be consumed by one tiny person and so in love!!! This little boy is my world! 

Happy 5 months Connor!  You are our world and we love you to the moon and back a thousand times!!!  We can't wait to see what all you have in store for us!

XOXO

Love,

Momma and Daddy

Mommy & Me

Mommy and me time :)

Connor and I have to get in our Mommy and me time when I get home from work.  It's sooooooo hard to leave my Bubby each day, so we really love our cuddle time!



Look at my Christmas pajamas!!!

Bubby lovin on his Momma!

Why do you always have that black thing attached to your face Daddy?

We missed each other today!!!

Hey! What's going on over there???

Momma lovin on her Bubby!