5 months old

Palmer turned 5 months old this past Sunday and I can't believe how much he has changed in just this tiny sliver of his lifetime. He loves to stand up now and push against anything with his legs. He has one leg that especially likes to kick too. We do a variety of activities during the day to keep him entertained- any one thing gets old after a while I guess! Palmer likes to lay on his back on his changing table and grab/talk to the sheer curtain on the window. He is getting more comfortable in the bumbo and is playing with toys in the exersaucer too! He spends less time in the Bjorn now since he's getting heavier and more willing to lounge somewhere instead of being carried.

I can definitely tell when he's sleepy- that's when most of his talking happens! He rolled from his back to his tummy yesterday for the first time on the floor and today he went from tummy to back in his crib while we were playing in the mirror. I couldn't believe my eyes on the first one! He is not a big fan of being on his stomach, so I think it was kind of an accident. Palmer is eating rice or oatmeal baby cereal mixed with some pumped milk most days, but sometimes he isn't interested or we just don't get to it! Maybe at 6 months I'll be a little more vigilant about convincing him.

We have had some sleep regression over the past several weeks, but generally it's just 3 am or later that he starts waking up. I give him the pacifier to put him back to sleep if it is anytime before 7. (Sometimes if I've had to get up multiple times I'm so tired that I'll just go ahead and give in at 6 and nurse him.) Our morning routine is nursing while I watch some of the Today show, then we go in the kitchen so I can get coffee from my Keurig. I drink my coffee and pump while he sits in his bouncer. If he stays happy long enough I check him email too! Next is a visit to the foster kitties to give them breakfast, playtime in the living room, a bath if necessary, and his first nap about 2 hours after he wakes up.

Mornings are my favorite times at home with him- he's pretty happy and mellow and it's cool enough that we can go sit on the porch swing together and watch the cars drive by! I'm really enjoying my time with him and keep reminding myself to soak it up and kiss his neck and belly and feet while it's still socially acceptable!

erbs and veggies

I wanted to share with y'all what we've done with erbs and veggies grown in our garden. (Thought I would experiment with leaving off that "h". . . it isn't really necessary, right?)

Thyme & Parsley

These are so easy and low maintenance! They are both growing great and are really convenient to have for lots of different recipes. Fresh parsley is SO much better than dried parsley flakes- I highly recommend it. Fresh thyme is so fragrant and its teeny tiny leaves are really easy to strip right off the stems and into your lasagna, quiche, etc.

Basil

I have used basil for a few different things, but the thing it has been the most useful for is PESTO! If you have made it before, you know that pesto requires a LOT of basil leaves which can get expensive. It's so nice to be able to pick it from the backyard. Usually I already have the parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil in the house and I just use whatever oily nut I have on hand. Walnuts work splendidly in the place of pricey pignolis (pine nuts).

Tomatoes

We had a bunch of ripe red chopped tomatoes in a salad yesterday- YUM! I've also been a little adventurous and tried a few new recipes. Roasted tomatoes with pesto turned out to be a yummy side dish with our spaghetti and meatballs the other night.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tomatoes-roasted-with-pesto-recipe/index.html

I also made a batch of fresh tomato salsa a couple days ago with the guidance of a more experienced salsa making friend- thanks Emily!

Cayenne Peppers

We have one ripe cayenne, and I'm a little scared of it. Suggestions?

Jalapenos

I have used our jalapenos in sausage meatballs. . .

http://jimmydean.com/recipes/zesty-sausage-cheese-balls.aspx

and the aforementioned salsa. Our jalapeno plant seems so tiny to be producing these beefy peppers, but hopefully it keeps 'em comin'!

Bell Peppers

Well, our orange bell pepper plant is alive, but hasn't grown an inch since we planted it two months ago. Maybe if the heat dies down a little it will have a sudden burst of energy, but I think it is destined to just sit there and do nothing. We do have two yellow bell peppers though (one of which is almost changed completely from green to yellow so I think I might pick it today!!). I haven't used any of our own bell peppers yet, but I see some delicious omelets in my future.

father's day

Before I recount the fun times we had yesterday, I need to brag a little. I've pumped 13 five ounce bottles of milk since school got out! I'm trying to stock up since I'll be away from Palmer for a two night girls trip in July. I think I'll shoot for 20 bottles and then take a break from my morning pumping session for a while.

Palmer and I gave Tyler a trendy Shutterfly version of the obligatory photo mug for his first Father's Day! Tyler rode his bike for a while in the morning, we had a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon, then after Palmer's first nap we headed to Allen to visit Tyler's dad and his wife Kendra. They just had a pool put in and it was wonderful! Palmer and I got all slathered up with pasty baby sunscreen since we've spent about the same amount of time in the sun during his 4 3/4 months. . . zero minutes. Palmer gave a couple little gasps when the water got to his belly, (don't we all), but otherwise tolerated "swimming" very well! He actually fell completely asleep at one point when I was holding him. We're looking forward to many more swim days to come.

Later in the afternoon we had dinner at my parents' in Lewisville with the highlight of ice cream sundaes with bananas foster! All in all, it was a busy day but a good day with lots of family loving on Palmer. . . lots of food too :)

a whole new world

Palmer is getting in tune with everything going on around him lately! He notices people coming in and out of the room and turns his head to find me and Tyler when we talk to him. I never thought this would happen, but he's actually been getting distracted while eating! I used to talk on the phone sometimes when he was nursing, but now if I'm on the phone he stops nursing to look up at me and smile every few seconds! Guess he thinks I'm talking to him. He's doing other sweet things now like laying his hand on my arm when he's on my lap and resting his head on my chest when he's sleepy. This morning we just laid on the bed for 15 mins or so to talk and smile and cuddle! He also likes to stick his legs straight up in the air when he's on his back and work those ab muscles.

I got to take him to Kindermusik today for the first time since my maternity leave and it was so fun! He's changed a lot since the last time I went with him and he's watching the other babies and moms the whole time. Something else that's changed since then- his weight! Geez that infant seat is getting heavy and awkward! He does so well in the car now- just looks out the window or plays with one of the jingly toys on his car seat. If he's sleepy when he get in the car, I just give him a pacifier and he's out after 10 minutes or so on the highway. This is such a difference from his first couple of months when he though the car seat was a baby torture device.

It just fills me up with warm fuzzies that I get to see his sweet smiles and touch his soft baby skin anytime of day now that school is out. We've been listening to NPR lately on the radio in the kitchen while I cook or do dishes and he chews on a rattle. After the first 6 weeks (the painful stage), nursing has been going really well and that's special time for us too. Since we aren't rocking him to sleep much anymore, it's relaxing to sit in the glider and feed him sometimes. Here are some pictures of our big boy on his tummy and holding his toy with both hands!!

sweet new photos

Palmer is growing so fast! I thought I would post a few pictures that are very "babyish" to savor the moments.

4 months!

Palmer went to the doctor on Wednesday for his 4 month well check. He is still doing great! The doctor was impressed with his big size having never had formula- he's 15 lb 5 oz and in the 75th percentile for weight. His height is 90th %! That's why this long baby can't wear footie pj's in his size I guess. He squealed and smiled at the doctor, held his head up on his stomach, and passed all his other developmental "tests" too. The nurses always tell me how cute he is which I completely agree with. His shots were not nearly as traumatic as the 2 mo visit, which was a relief. He was a little concerned after the first, then when the second one hit he burst into tears. They didn't last long though so it wasn't a big panic attack like last visit.

We started rice cereal once a day upon the dr's recommendation. I was excited and stopped at Target on the way home from the appointment to pick some up. I just mix it with an ounce or two of breast milk and he definitely enjoyed it! It's kind of weird to think about this being the first food other than my milk that he's eaten! Doc said to wait on veggies and fruits til closer to six months. Last night was the first night in a while that he (and I) got 6 hours of straight sleep, but I don't know if it's a coincidence or has to do with him being more full from the cereal. I'll keep feeding it to him and cross my fingers!

Here's a recent picture of our sweet boy :)