Baby Byron and Baby Elise

After a conversation with friends about whom Leo looked most like, I decided it would be fun to post some baby pictures of Byron and I and see what everyone thinks. I thought he looked more like Byron until I found this picture of myself, at about a year old (and look how blond my hair is!). Kinda reassuring to see that I had no eyebrows to speak of either when I was a baby. No idea how old Byron is in his picture.

Leo is now 5 months old, and currently enjoying the make-loud-screechy-noise-for-no-reason phase. It's pretty cute, though occasionally very very loud. Sometimes it feels like we're living with a terodactyle. Or a howler monkey. But a cute cuddly one.

First bite!

my spoon, originally uploaded by Click Click Chick.

We gave Leo his first few bites of rice cereal this weekend, and he seemed to like it! Though as this photo shows, he also very much liked the spoon. There are a few more photos on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clickclickchic/

4 Months Old

Our big big boy is now just over 4 months old! We went into the pediatrician last Friday for his check-up, and confirmed that he is indeed gigantic. He is now 19 pounds 2 ounces, 27 inches tall. Yep. Which is apparently the 97th percentile for weight and height, and oh yeah head size too. So it's official, he's enormous, already in the 9 month size clothing range! And about to outgrow his carseat too, that maxes out at 22 pounds. Time to start browsing reviews for the next bigger size.

Leo has become super duper smiley as of late, and has started to laugh too. He LOVES to be bounced up high into the air, and that almost always makes him laugh. He's still drooling like a fiend, and has enjoyed chewing on his frozen teething ring lately. Actually besides chewing it, he also seems to like just licking it.

In crafty news, I'm working on some cute decor for Leo's room: a big felt giraffe and tree to go on the wall. The giraffe is mostly done, and a bunch of the leaves are cut, just need to get the tree cut out of felt and the whole thing tacked up on the wall. I'll post pictures as soon as it's done.

The pediatrician said we could start feeding Leo rice cereal anytime between now and 6 months - given how intently he watches me when I eat and tries to steal my fork, we think he may be ready to give it a try soon. I'm sure it will make for amusing photos!

Roll Over Leo

Roll Over Leo, originally uploaded by Click Click Chick.

I just happened to catch this footage of Leo rolling over this morning - maybe the third time he's rolled himself over on a flat surface. He's getting big in a rush!

Thumbs Up

It's finally happened. Our little man has discovered the thumb on his hand, and its apparent deliciousness. He had seemingly accidentally found it and sucked it a few times in the last month or two, but in the last two days (and especially today) he has really gone to town on that sucker. Which, as a breastfeeding mom of a baby that hates pacifiers other than the mammary variety, I am A-OK with. When he needs soothing and won't take a pacifier, I've always had to nurse him. Now hopefully he can soothe himself a bit and give Mommy's parts a rest. I know everyone has their own opinion about thumbsucking. Byron has confessed that he was an avid thumbsucker as a kid, a habit which was apparently hard to break. Personally I don't remember being one myself (but I do remember chewing on my hair... which of course sounds gross now). We'll see if this thumbsucking continues - given his love of sucking on my pinkie, I'm pretty sure it will.

flying with mom

flying with mom, originally uploaded by Click Click Chick.

...in an attempt to stop some fussin', I lifted him up into the air above my head. Which did indeed stop the fussing. But what this photo misses is the glob of drool which dripped onto my face from his drooly mouth just moments later....Ah, babies.

A happy drooler

a happy drooler, originally uploaded by Click Click Chick.

This photo is a testament to just how drooly our little man has become - note the drip about to come off his chin! This photo also shows just how smiley he has become - he'll almost always smile back at you when you smile at him. And he gets especially smiley when Byron comes home from school, he just grins and grins at him. He has also inexplicably taken to smiling at the ceiling fan above our bed. Go figure. Developmentally, things are progressing well too - Leo is really becoming much more aware of his surroundings. Those mobiles and crib toys have become mesmerizing for him. There's one musical sun toy that we have attached above his changing table, and if you change him without turning it on he get visibly disappointed. He's just about achieved complete neck control, and pushes himself up quite well when on his tummy. And he loooooooves to stand up, with just his hands held for balance. An early walker, I bet. He's just starting to be able to control his hands well, and he loves to suck/chew on them. He gets noticeably better at grabbing things with each passing day. Pretty soon he'll be handy enough to mow the lawn or something and earn his keep! :)