Visit with Family

Stephanie, Brian, and Brandon came for a visit last Friday. It was like Christmas around here with all the clothes, puzzles, blocks, and the Graco "Entertainer" they brought. All these things were Brandon's when he was a baby. Linus figured out the Entertainer pretty quickly. He obviously likes the mobility of being able to turn around the table and play with everything. Brandon fed Linus peach yogurt and played peek-a-boo with him on the couch. Brandon does a good job of explaining toys to Linus and is very good at remembering to keep little objects away from him.

Art for Linus

Linus has an original hanging in his room. The artist is David Berger, Matthew's longtime friend and the Intinerant Philosopher at our wedding. David has a Ph.D in philosohy and is working on another Ph.D. in the classics. Needless to say, he knows his Greek gods. It turns out that there is a Greek god named Linus. To learn more, check out this entry: Linus.

Pretty neat! The picture is really special to us.

Awareness

Linus has become more aware of his surroundings. One example is that he has started to notice patterns on his clothes. When I took this photo, Linus was checking out Bucky Badger on his bib. He's also started listening to the radio when it catches his attention. About two weeks ago he got really excited about a bassoon concerto. When we look at the fish tank together, his eyes appear to be following the two remaining fish.

New Trick

On Saturday I sat Linus down in his crib in front of his mirror toy to play while I washed my hands. I came back about one minute later and he was kneeling. He'd pulled himself up, put his feet back, and kneeled!!! I yelled for Matthew to come see. We enjoyed watching him chew on the crib and Linus was obviously pretty pleased with himself.

After a while, Matthew went and grabbed the tools and lowered the mattress a couple of notches. I had Linus sitting on my lap while Matthew worked on the crib and Linus intitiated peek-a-boo with Matthew through the crib slats. Then when Matthew made eye contact with him, Linus wiggled around very excitedly.

(Blogger won't let me post photos lately. I've been trying to post this since Monday. I'll add the cute photos later.)

Beautiful Morning

It doesn't matter if it is cold and rainy outside, for we have our very own sunshine residing in our home and hearts.

Finger Food?

The clinic gave us a great handout listing appropriate finger foods for various ages. Oddly enough, for Linus' age it listed apple sauce as a finger food. Hmmmm. We gave him some mashed banana, but it was too difficult for him to pick up. When I realized it wasn't a successful finger food, I put some in his mouth and it was too chunky for him. We'll try again another time. We received a couple of little mesh food sack things. You're supposed to put soft food in it for baby to gnaw on to get through the mesh. I tried banana in it and I really don't know that he got much. He did squish some out and get it on his nose, though.

Favorite foods continue to be fruit: bananas, pears, apple sauce, peaches, and now plums. He leans forward and gulps it down. He is still allergic to carrots. I gave him some squash with a bit of carrot in it and he got the same rash on his face. No more carrots now until he's a year old.

Snuggy Baby

For the last couple of weeks, my main craft project was sewing sleep sacks for Linus. I'm pretty proud of myself for creating pattern pieces out of grocery bags and figuring out how to construct them. I used left over fleece from my stash and Lyz also generously contributed some. The buttons are from my button jars. Since new fleece sleep sacks run $20-25 each and used ones on eBay are running about $10, I saved us quite a bit of money. In addition, Linus' sleep sacks were made just for him by his mama. I dubbed them Snuggies, because they will keep him snuggy warm.

When I layed them out for this photo with Linus sitting by them, he fell backwards and then pulled one up on him like it was a blanket. Adorable!

Prep Cook

Linus has become my assistant in the kitchen. Now that he can sit without tipping over much, I have him sit in the middle of the kitchen floor while I'm cooking. I give him measuring spoons, a hand mixer beater, measuring cups, etc. to play with and he has a grand time. It it pretty common for me to discover a little pool of drool on the floor when I pick him up. Talk about incentive to mop more often!

I baked cookies on Saturday. It was a fun weekend activity. It was nice to have Matthew home all weekend for us to putz around the house together.

Lawn Mower's Peek-a-Boo

Last Friday I had the most fun I've ever had while mowing the lawn. Linus was playing on a blanket nearby. As I approached with the mower, I'd say, "Peek-a-boo!" and he would smile and laugh. Then I'd turn and mow in the other direction and he'd keep watching for me or grab a toy until I returned into his line of view and say, "Peek-a-boo!" and get him laughing again. It was a blast. He also watched me plant bulbs and it made for a wonderful afternoon.

I took this picture that day and this is the response I got when I asked, "Are you a happy baby?"

Duck Soup?

On our way back from the park on Sunday we stopped to visit with our neighbors who were out in their yard with their duck, Dilbert. Sue held Dilbert up so Linus could check him out. Linus reached out and held onto his beak. He didn't pull hard so Sue said it was okay. He let go, but then a bit later reached out, grabbed the duck's beak, and proceeded to put it in his mouth! Sue and I backed away from each other and we were all laughing really hard. Linus looked around with an expression that said, "What? What?" Then Mark noticed Linus had a feather in his hand. I didn't realize until I saw the photos that Linus was holding onto the side of the duck with his other hand. Mark was telling us about Polish duck recipes, so maybe Linus thought he'd try a taste of duck. I reminded him that we don't eat birds.

Visit to the Park

On Sunday afternoon we took a walk to the ice cream shop for what we expected to be our last ice cream cones of the year. We stopped at the nearby park and Linus liked checking out the kids on the swings and a little pug dog on a leash. A little girl called over as her swing went up high, "That's a cute baby!" She later came over and wrapped her little hands around Linus' cheeks.

Catch of the Day

Actually, Linus is our catch of a life time! These photos are of Linus in his lobster Halloween costume on Saturday. Linus and I joined Linda, Alex, and Johanna for Pumpkin Palooza downtown. I've never seen so many children in costumes in one place. The weather was perfect for being outside and it was fun hanging out together with our cute babies. Matthew joined us later after he finished working.

Linus had his six-month check-up today. Here are the results of his measurements:
Weight: 17 pounds, 15 ounces. He's in the 50th percentile. (He gained about 2 1/2 pounds)
Length: 27 1/2 inches. He's in the 75th percentile. (He grew an inch and a half)

Fall

We are having some incredibly beautiful weather. The sun is shining and it is warm enough to be outside without a jacket if you are in long sleeves or are one of those warm kind of people. Yesterday Linus and I were out in the front yard watching the leaves fall from the trees and watching the neighbor's dog run around. A Democratic campaign volunteer delivered our yard signs and even put them in the ground for us. Life was good.

Linus' joy in sitting to play is palpable and a very beautiful thing. Poor baby woke up an hour early, sopping wet and cold. Matthew changed him into dry jammies and brought him into bed with us. Sure was nice to snuggle with him and warm him up. He had a bottle and went back to sleep in our bed.

P.S. Babies in overalls are irresistable!

Linus Sitting on Settee

The title of this post is not what this photo is. The title is what I said when I saw how Matthew had Linus sitting on the settee next to him while Matthew put on his boots. He looked like someone posing for a painting. I'm still amazed at Linus' sitting skills. He was sitting on his bedroom floor playing with toys while I changed his sheet and put away his laundry. I kept looking at him and thinking, "Wow! Linus is sitting!" I need to wash a throw rug to put under the quilt he plays on downstairs. The hardwood floor isn't so nice to Linus' head when he tips over.

Linus and I have a bit of a cold. I have a sore throat and wonder if Linus does. He's got the same little bit of runny nose that I do and he has a little cough. Yesterday he was out of sorts, but looks like he feels better today. We skipped baby class today because I didn't want us to infect other little ones. I'm disappointed because it was about infant oral care and I was interested in the subject.

So what is going on in this photo? Linus is playing with Johanna and the new baby in the group, Ana. Ana was born a few days before Linus and recently moved to Green Bay. I got quite a few laughs out of watching three babies doing similar things, like grabbing toys and putting them in their mouths, and I also enjoyed noticing the ways in which they are different.

Silly Goose

For about a month I've had conversations with Linus similar to this: "Are you a silly goose? No, you're a silly gosling! Mama is a silly goose. Do we live at the Wildlife Sanctuary? No, we live in our house." Saturday we all went together to the Sanctuary and bought corn for Wesley to feed the geese and ducks. We also checked out the indoor exhibits. There is a table with animal parts for people to touch and Matthew held out various things for Linus, such as antlers and fur. He had to hang on tight to keep Linus from putting them in his mouth.

It sure felt funny, and great, being a grown up taking my child on outings this weekend. I especially felt it when we entered the zoo and were surrounded by children and their parents.

Six Months Old Today!

Six months seems like such a milestone. I'm convinced that he's at his cutest. He is so much fun right now. He's ticklish and smiley and laughs a lot. Many random things delight him. He is getting pretty good at sitting on his own and has renewed a relationship with some of his toys. I guess they seem new from a sitting up position.

Yesterday I fed him zucchini and he detested it. It made him gag. It turns out that he also doesn't like green beans and I have a great picture of the face he made. When I get it from Matthew's camera, I'll post it.

Here are more photos of Linus and Wesley.

Zoo Babies

We had a fun weekend with Peter, Betsy, and little Wesley. I loved seeing a toddler run around our house making laps where I walked Linus when he was quite wee. Linus watched closely as Wesley did things like eat bread. On Sunday there was gorgeous weather and we had an enjoyable visit to the zoo. Our zoo recently acquired giraffes and you are allowed to feed them during particular times from a platform. That was my favorite part. I'd never touched a giraffe before.

Stringy Green Beans

My first attempt at making Linus some baby food was a flop. I made him green beans and they were way too stringy after I put them through the food mill. He ended up just sipping the juice. I've since read online that it is hard to make green beans and peas into baby food at home because of their skins. So I bought him a few jars of green beans at the store. I'm going to try making him some zucchini and peaches. Plus, I think I'll put them in the blender instead of through the food mill and see how that works.

We had fun together at baby class yesterday. He was the oldest one there this time. The youngest was next to us and he was five months old and very tiny. He was born three weeks early.

Peter, Betsy, and little Wesley arrive this morning and I'm excited to see how the two little ones interact.

Sippy Teething Toy

On Sunday we let Linus have a go at his new sippy cup. The packaging says, "Cup spout is not intended to be a teether. Please do not allow your child to chew or teethe on the soft material of the spout." What did Linus do immediately? Gnaw on the spout. Matthew and I got a good laugh out of it. Of course a baby would chew on it! Linus isn't drinking from it yet, but does like gumming the spout and banging the cup around.

Play Date

Linda and Johanna came over yesterday and it was so much fun watching the two babies interact. Johanna is quite good at sitting and Linus is getting better. The toy they kept taking away from each other isn't even a toy. It is a plastic handle that was on a box that a toy came in. It was amazing how quickly the time flew with Linda and I playing with the babies and talking. Linda took these and many other great photos.

Mmmmmmmmm

Linus has started speaking! He says the following things repeatedly throughout the day: mmb, mmmba, ma, and muh. It is adorable and very exciting to have some of his personality coming out. Of course I'm thrilled beyond words that m sounds and ma are his first things to say. It is especially endearing when he says, "Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma," even though he isn't referring to me. He has the cutest little voice.

Speaking of cute .... isn't this the cutest photo? I captured this yesterday when we were playing in his room.

Yesterday afternoon we had a glorious time together outside. I was attempting to weed a flower bed, but he got restless after about twenty minutes, so we played together in the grass instead. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds, the sun was shining, the breeze felt good, and we were enjoying life.

Another Pumpkin Photo

First Pumpkin

We were out doing yard work yesterday in the gorgeous fall weather and our neighbors invited us to bring Linus over to pick out a pumpkin. Mark has a bit of farmland and grows pumpkins for fun. He'd loaded up his truck with some and had them in their backyard. Linus chomped on this pumpkin's stem, so we knew that was the one he wanted. Mark showed us a newspaper clipping of their daughter, Stacie, from 1986 with a photo of her standing in one of their very large pumpkins. She was 7 months old at the time.

It was great to be outside together cutting the lawn and cleaning out a flower bed to put in rudbeckia and echinecea Matthew brought home from the Garden. Too bad the weekend went so fast and Matthew is back at work.

BryAnn's Visit

We had so much fun with BryAnn visiting from Atlanta. She brought Linus this stuffed Roo, a board book version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and a wonderful hat that she had knit for him. Linus showed his affection by drooling, gnawing, and spitting up on her. I sure hope the sweet potato spit up doesn't stain her light blue sweater! The temperatures even cooperated and were in the 60's so she wasn't too cold. We took her to our local yarn shop and Linus was so patient. One of the shopkeepers commented that he was probably the best baby they'd ever had in there. We were in there an hour and he didn't cry once.

He has developed a couple of new skills. While lying down he sometimes puts his hands on his head. His other skill is that he hunches his shoulders and kind of tucks his head down. He does it with a playful look on his face. He is so much fun to spend time with. He's our golden boy.

Life is Lip Smackin' Good

Linus just started smacking his lips. He hasn't done it when he is eating, but just when we were hanging out and playing. He did it after tasting my shirt though. I'm wearing a shirt he has never seen before because it is a winter shirt and he was very interested in the stripes. He leaned down to taste them.

We had a fun lunch date with Johanna and her mom, Linda. The best part was seeing how the two babies do similar things. When the waitress brought us our food, both babies leaned into the table to grab at the food. Johanna has started using a sippy cup! I'll have to get Linus one.

It is 37 degrees here, so rather nippy. BryAnn arrives today and she is used to hot Atlanta temperatures and is going to freeze. Can't wait to see her and for her to meet Linus.

In this picture Linus is napping with his lovey.

Mobility

Linus is becoming mobile and he likes it! Yesterday I had him on his quilt on his back. He flipped over to his tummy and proceeded to slowly spin himself clockwise by using his arms to pull himself around. He had fun looking around and grabbing at things. I'm having to keep a closer eye on him because he managed to scoot himself out from under his play gym the other day.

He still loves playing tall baby and standing a lot, but now he bends down in the direction of interesting things. In this photo he is enjoying the grass at Lyz's.

Very early Sunday morning Matthew and I were laying on the living room floor at Lyz's trying to get Linus to go back to sleep and not wake up Lyz and Andy. Linus looked in my eyes and gently stroked my hair (not yanking hard like usual). It was so sweet. They say babies can't love at this early age, but I sure felt loved.

Adventures

We spent much of the weekend in Madison at Lyz's house. She knit Linus this wonderful hat and he said, "Thanks. I'll cherish it forever. Or at least until I outgrow it." We got to see all the hard work Lyz put in on landscaping this summer and then she and Andy played with Linus while we went to our final show of the season at APT. It was Shaw's Arms and the Man. You Madison folks still have time to go out there and see it. It was hilarious. We are all very tired due to not getting enough sleep, lots of driving, and then Matthew even had to go into work today when we got back to Green Bay. When we got home, Linus was visibly excited about being in his home. I told him, "It is fun to travel and then it is really nice to come home."

Giggle Box

Linus giggles at lots of things and recently became ticklish. Yesterday was the first time I got him to laugh when we were not making eye contact. He was in the back seat of the car and after he coughed a little baby cough, I mimicked him from the driver's seat and he laughed. I loved it!

He has started sleeping on his side sometimes, and not just when we put him that way to help him fall asleep. Just to let everyone know, it is dreadful to let your baby cry itself to sleep. I hate it! It makes me feel mean, even though I'm supposedly teaching him to fall asleep on his own.

First Khaki Pants

Linus wore his first khaki pants for a couple of hours the other day. Reminds me of a little Matthew. His cool weather clothes are big on him, but it has gotten rather cool lately and he needs to wear more than his onesie outfits. He wore a zip up sweatshirt with a hood yesterday and that also looked adorable.

He still has a runny and plugged up nose and napped more yesterday. I hope his cold starts improving soon.

Matthew has to work late tonight and won't see Linus until tomorrow morning. That makes all of us sad.

First Voting Experience

We went as a family to our polling place yesterday for the primary election. Yesterday was actually the second election day since Linus was born, but he missed the first one because he wasn't even 24 hours old yet and we'd voted by absentee ballot the week before. We didn't wait more than a minute and Linus got to see the election booth and ballot. He was also admired by a friendly election worker. He gave her a smile.

Bathing Beauty

Many people give their babies baths before bed time as part of their routine to relax them. This wouldn't work for us because Linus gets so excited during his bath. He usually prefers to stand much of the time, so maybe he'll start showering at an early age.

He's doing okay with his cold, but when he babbles you can hear that he is congested. I have the cold, too, but at least I can blow my nose!

First Virus

Linus has his first cold. Poor kid. He is doing okay for the most part. He isn't finishing all of his bottles, but is eating pears okay and isn't too fussy. I figure he caught it at the doctor's office on Thursday. At least this didn't happen when he was two months old. He is quite sturdy now and I'm not worried like I would have been when he was tiny and like a baby bird. Matthew put the vaporizer in Linus' room. Other than that, there isn't much we can do for him.

It feels like fall here. A week ago we saw geese heading south and yesterday I saw a squirrel bury a walnut in the yard. We were under a frost warning last night, but it didn't get that cold. I'm glad for a number of reasons, the main one being that I didn't bring in my potted plants and I'd like to winter over the geraniums in the basement. Plus, it is too early to have frost. Plain and simple.

We have a primary election on Tuesday. I hope everyone votes for the Democrats.

In the last week we've carried Linus on our shoulders a few times. He likes being up high and looking around at things.

The Mayor Stood Us Up

A friend told me that the mayor was hosting a corn roast at a particular city park today. Linus and I went and no one was at the park. And Linus was looking quite spiffy in his monkey hat from Star and the sweater from his great-grandmother Margaret. (It is rather cool here today.) So we came back home and I've been Linus' personal handkerchief. He has his first runny nose. When I go after his nose with a tissue, sometimes he turns his head into me and wipes it on my shirt. Inadvertently, of course. Today I have snot, spit up, and drool on my shirt. I must be a mom!

He had pears today and I cracked him up with a simple dance routine I made up. He is pretty much cute all of the time. Here's a photo from this morning while we were all getting ready for the day.

Charming Baby/Hat Update

Linus charmed just about everyone within sight at the clinic yesterday: receptionists, people in the waiting room, the lab tech, the pharmacist. He smiles at nearly everyone who interacts with him and is curious about everyone. It is really cute to see. Matthew had to work last night so Bonnie very kindly looked after Linus so I could attend my book club. She said he was an angel. I was really glad to get to meet with my book club pals. We are still discussing The Tipping Point. I recommend this book to anyone interested in how change happens.

I got a great response to my call for hats. Thank you to those who are unable to knit Linus one, but would like to. And a big thank you to those who offered their talents and time. Here is what I know so far:

Pat - a cool simple hat that is in with big kids right now. Not sure what to call that design.
Bonnie - a hat with ear flaps
BryAnn - a hat with un-itchy wool yarn in blue and red

Hooray! Thank you everyone for helping keep Linus' noggin warm.

Gazebo Picnic

Linus and I joined Bonnie for a picnic in the gazebo along the Fox River. The weather was perfect for being outside. Linus got lots of attention when I stopped in at the Chamber. Many of the people there are quite fond of babies. All agreed that he has grown a lot and looks much like me, except that some of his expressions remind them of Matthew,

I planned to post last night, but my allergies were dreadful and I sat on the couch watching a PBS show about Ground Zero and blowing my nose repeatedly. I can't take any allergies meds other than the inhalant kind because they interact negatively with my blood thinner. The Nasalcrom isn't doing much good. Hopefully whatever is irritating my nose goes away soon.
Linus isn't sneezing anymore than usual.

Nanners

Linus had bananas this morning and seemed to like them. He likes everything we feed him, but not one over another. We've had a pretty mellow holiday weekend doing chores around the house and yard and playing with Linus.

This photo shows Linus yelling at his rattle. He is frustrated with many of his toys lately and yells quite loudly at them. If you look closely, you'll see that he's flung the rattle away from him. For much of the last week I've kept his toys away from him, except for a few that don't bother him, like his links and fabric books.

Wanted: Fall/Winter Hat

It is getting down into the fifties here at night and I turned the calendar to September, so I'm already thinking about the cold weather to come. I realized that Linus doesn't have a winter hat because the lovely ones we received when he was born don't fit anymore. Any of you knitters have a burning desire to knit a hat for my munchkin? I measured his head and it is 18 inches around, so plan on maybe 20 inches around. We can always buy him one or two I suppose, but I know how knitters are always looking for someone who wants a hat or scarf or something.

Linus' favorite color, you ask? He loves them all, so you can knit up whatever strikes your fancy.

New Discovery

Linus discovered his feet! Last week he started holding onto his feet while we changed his diaper. On Friday I heard a slurping sound and thought he was sucking his thumb. He was sucking on his big toe! Yesterday afternoon he spent about an hour on the sunporch playing with his feet.