Arthur's First Theater Movie

Last week, Arthur was having a "difficult" time going to bed. He was being very fresh and testy. So we (well really Joanne) decided to try some of our mama friend's ideas and do a sticker chart with a reward for a set amount of stickers. The first couple of nights were a teeny bit better but not really enough to get that full sticker...but we worked on it. A few days later the idea "sunk in" with him and we had some really good nights. He still has moments but overall, the past week has been a lot better.

His reward for filling his sticker chart was to go see "Horton hears a who". I had to work this morning and since our schedules have been overlapping so much, this afternoon seemed the best time to try. We figured around 4:00PM on a Sunday, the theater would be less crowded so if either boy threw a fit, we could get up with them and step outside without disturbing too many people.

We went armed with snacks and when we arrived, I nursed Robin to his heart's content about the time that the previews started. Only one other couple arrived so we breathed a sigh of relief that at least we didn't have to work within the confines of a crowded theater. It was us, and a young couple sitting about 6 rows behind us.

Both boys were gloriously behaved. Robin maybe made two "peeps" in the whole movie and when I say "peep" that's pretty much what I mean...And Arthur and I had been practicing how to talk in a theater the whole ride there so he was already whispering even before we bought the tickets. He had a couple of louder "What's that Mum? What's he doing" but gentle reminders did the trick. He really did so well. I couldn't have asked for them to have been any better. It was an enjoyable experience for all of us. I was nervous about the baby but he was so content the whole time.

The best though, was the absolute giggles and glee from Arthur when he laughed at the funny parts of the movie. We'd been to the drive-in before, but this was an entirely new experience for him and it was great to see. It's definitely something we'll consider doing again in the future and I think we should aim for this most perfect time slot again. It was great.

Robin's 9 Month Well Baby Visit

We had our well baby visit today for Robin. I was hoping he would have gained more but I'm not surprised that he only gained what he did because he's been crawling for a month now and before that he was still pretty mobile and speedy. I call this "activity related minimal gain" ha ha ha. The doctor agrees.

Weight: 13 lbs 8 oz
Height: 26 3/4 inches
Head: 17 something...I can't remember what was on the sheet but it definitely grew enough to make them happy.

We discussed diet and they recommended to get as much breastmilk in him as possible and to not let food take the place of my milk. She actually said this to me first and I was so happy because I'm 100% in line with how she is thinking. Basically, keep nursing him and use food in addition. And try to get the foods as calorie dense as possible. Avocados, some egg yolks in a month or two, some olive oil mixed in his cereal...

She said I could try adding a little plain whole milk yogurt. No liquid cow's milk. Not until a year, and even then if he's still nursing it's better to keep him on the breastmilk. It has a lot more fat and calories than even whole cow's milk. This is stuff we knew already, though. For whatever reason, the plain yogurt doesn't have the tummy concerns that liquid cow's milk has. I think I might give him a small spoonful and see how his tummy does. We usually have plain yogurt in the house.

His iron was excellent. He's doing great with table foods. He can eat lots of things cubed (plain veggies and soft fruits mostly). She was very impressed that he could eat with his hands already and that he was so mobile.

She said that because his head size and his height were going up along a nice curve, that's really the biggest indicator of nutrition and health. His weight may just hit a spurt one of these days. But if not, he's still healthy and growing as a baby his size should.

The best thing is that it looks like his ear infection has almost nearly cleared up. Which is great because I didn't want to have to put him on more antibiotic. He's so miserable on it.

We discussed vaccines again because some of the ones that concern me are coming up at his next appointment. She's going to give some of my research to one of his pediatricians, who is also doing his own research on the issue. I'm hoping they can order one of the alternative MMR vaxes for us. At the very least, I know I'll be going into the appointment having done everything I could in terms of finding an alternative.

Happy Easter! 2008

Speedy Baby...

On March 9th I posted a video of Robin just learning to crawl. 9 days later and he's all over the house, crawling faster than I can catch him....kneeling, lifting himself up against things, and causing general mischief. I don't remember it all happening this fast with Arthur. I'll have to go back and read some of my older blog to see if I can jog my memory!

Oh, and I swapped out for an adorable new diaper today. I love the GADs diapers but Joanne isn't much of a fan so I compromised and swapped two (I kept our gorgeous embroidered ones with the dragon and lion). In exchange I got this one, and a cute print from Spooky Kitty!

Our name quest is over.....

...because it's a girl! And she looks great!

Arthur's Haircut

The first thing he said to me after we left Snip-its was "Mum, I don't look like a gorilla anymore!"

You can see the video "bananas and cheese" I posted for a reference of how shaggy he was.

9 Months Old Today

I can't believe it's been nine months!

Two Videos for Today - Part Two - Bananas and "Cheese"

Two Videos for Today - Part One - Robin Crawling

Moving along...

I think Robin may have crawled forward today for the first time. He's been mobile for about a month but mostly it's been a combination of skootching, rolling, and crawling backwards that has gotten him where he needs to be. He's also recently been moving from the hands and knees position to sitting up. He's been doing that a lot (unfortunately, also in his crib..which makes it harder to get him to settle down for the night).



But tonight he made his way forward a couple of feet. I wasn't really expecting it. I'm wondering if he's done it before but I just haven't seen it because there have been a few times when I've left the room only to return to find him across on the other side.



I'll count today as the first time though because I actually witnessed it this time.