8 Months

Want to hear something scary?  Jase is fully mobile!  It seems like it took forever, but he finally learned to crawl!  For awhile, he did this weird scooting move that enabled him to get where he wanted to go, but now that he's figured out crawling, there's no stopping him.  Even after he got moving, it took him a few days to fully realize his capabilities.  But once he did... Well, we've been baby-proofing like crazy around here.  So, I'm guessing if you're reading this, you probably want to know what my little dude has been up to in the past month, so let me tell you a little bit about Jase at 8 months old:

• He suddenly hates getting his diaper changed, or getting his clothes changed, or pretty much anything that prevents him from moving around the room like a madman.  Except for eating.  He still loves to eat.
• If I mix carrots in with lots of other stuff, he might actually eat them.  Sometimes.
• He has learned how to open cabinets and drawers.  His favorite game is to open and close them.  Over.  And over.  And over again.
• He is still the happiest kid I know.  Even when he's teething, I frequently get asked, "Is he always this happy?!"  Yes, yes he is.
• If anyone around him has food, he MUST have food, too.
• He now has four teeth.  The top two are still slowly making their way down, but they are actually through his gums, so I count it.  
• His LOVES peek-a-boo.  Sometimes I don't even have to hide, I just look in the opposite direction, and he's still surprised when I turn around.
• His giggle is still the best thing in the world.
• He can fully pull himself up on furniture (or mama's legs, or daddy's arm hairs, or anything else that happens to be within grabbing distance), and will even take a few wobbly steps to either side. 
• He holds my fingers and loves to walk around.  I swear, he's practically running.  As long as he's holding on to my fingers.  The look on his face while he does this is totally awesome too, it's a combination of "Wow, this is so cool!" and "Man, I freaking rock!  Look what I can do!"
• He is still his mama's best friend, and everyone around him thinks he's the best thing in the world.  And they're totally right. 
• He knows how to feed himself now.  And I'm pretty sure that's the best thing ever.  At dinner, he sits happily in his high chair with some food from my plate, and Mike and I get to eat a nice, (somewhat) quiet family dinner.
• He's pretty close to being able to climb the stairs.  Which scares me.  A lot.

I love that I get to be home with him every day!  He makes me so happy.  We took him to the zoo this month, and it was super cute.  He absolutely freaked out over the rhinos, he thought they were so cool.  He also loved the otters, but he didn't get what the big deal over the giraffes was.  We're hoping to take him to the aquarium sometime soon, I think he'd really like seeing all of the fish!

And here's the little dude!

7 Months

As of yesterday, Jase is officially 7 months old.  What the heck?!  How did that happen?!  He is getting so big, and changing in so many ways.  I can't believe how fast it all happens.  But it's been forever since I posted, and I thought the many people who love him might want to know a few things about my baby boy, and how awesome he is.

• He dislikes carrots with a fiery passion.  Don't even try to hide them in his other foods.  He will find out, and he will not be happy.
• Other than the dreaded carrots, he loves food.  Any kind of food.  And if you feed him, you will be his best friend (for as long as you are feeding him).
• He has an intense hatred for being on his stomach.  I believe this is why he isn't crawling.  He'd rather sit up than lie down.
• He has already started pulling up on random pieces of furniture.  So far, he's only pulled himself up onto his knees, but that's enough to make his mama extremely nervous. 
• If you let him hold onto your fingers, he will pull himself up to standing, and then he will start walking.
• He has a huge desire to be moving, but can't quite get there yet.  He can turn in circles while he is sitting on his bum, and he can use his knees to scoot along on the floor (sometimes) but he hasn't figured out a good, consistent way to get where he wants to go.
• He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Channel.  
• His giggle makes everyone else giggle.
• He no longer needs to be swaddled at night, and for the most part is a fantastic sleeper.  He takes great naps and falls asleep all on hi sown.
• He gives awesome little hugs and kisses.
• He is most definitely a mama's boy.
• He has 2 teeth.   And teething kind of sucks.
• He is his mama's best friend, and is loved fiercely by everyone who knows him.

So far this summer has been awesome.  We went on our first vacation as a family to St. George for the eclipse in May, and Jase absolutely loved spending time in the pool.  We have so much planned, and hopefully I will stop being a slacker and update more often so everyone can hear about what we've done.  We want to take him to the zoo, to Wheeler Farm, swimming, and on at least one more mini-vacation before the summer is over.  I plan on taking at least some pictures, probably nowhere near what I would like to take, but better than nothing. 

And because he is so fantastically adorable, here is a picture of my little guy:

Sweet New Trick

Lately Jase has been so close to rolling over, so every time Mike and I put him on his tummy, we watch closely to see if he'll be able to do it.  On Saturday, Jase and I were watching TV with my younger sister when I decided to see if he would roll over this time.  I put him on his belly, with his arms propping him up.  He spit up a little bit, so I grabbed a burp cloth, wiped it up, and turned around to put the cloth back into the diaper bag.  Bailey says, "Did he just roll over, or did you knock him over?"  I turn around to see Jase on his back, with a wide grin on his face.  I started crying.  I can't believe I missed it!  I swear I didn't touch him, so he must have rolled over for the first time.  I was turned around for only a second, and he decides it's the perfect time to learn a new trick?!  I totally got ripped off with that one.  Yesterday Mike and I managed to get him to roll over a couple of times, so we both got to see it for the "first" time.

Needless to say, I'm completely disappointed that he rolled over while my back was turned, but it's a lot of fun to see him doing something new.  Of course, we're going to have to keep an even closer eye on him now that he's at least a little mobile, and I'm sure that rolling from back to front can't be too far behind.  He's getting so big!  He has certainly developed his own little personality, and I can't believe that he'll be four months old on Wednesday!

And now, for your viewing pleasure: Jase rolling over (for the fourth time).

Bragging Rights

I've decided I'm probably posting too much stuff about Jase on Facebook.  But I can't help it, a mother is supposed to brag, right?  Since I created this blog just to brag about my baby, here it is:

JASE SLEPT FOR 12! HOURS LAST NIGHT!!!!

Jase was officially asleep in his crib at 9:30 last night, and he didn't wake up again until 9:22 this morning.  So he was 8 minutes off, I'm calling it close enough and celebrating!  He is one amazing little boy.  He used to wake up around 5 for a feeding, and then go back to sleep until 8ish.  But out of the past 8 days, he's skipped his 5:00 feeding on 6 of them.  I'm liking this new routine!  It's awesome.  But.  I'm not counting on it yet, as I've stated before, 2 steps forward and 1 step back.  

Here's what he looked like when he woke up this morning:

Good morning, Mom!

So, from our extremely well rested family to yours, have a great day!

2 Things

Tomorrow, Jase will be three months old.  Which sounds crazy, but when I look at him, I totally believe it.  The kid is huge!

Minutes old.

Three months old!

As I've been looking back at the past three months, I've realized that there are two big things that I've learned as a parent.

1. Parenting is a two steps forward, one step back process.  Don't get too excited when your baby first starts sleeping through the night three nights in a row.  Because for the next three nights, you'll be woken up for a 2 a.m. feeding.  Don't get to used to the baby sleeping in his own bed, because tomorrow night he'll wake up at 1 a.m. screaming for no apparent reason, and will only stop once you've sleepily pulled him into your bed.  Eventually, these things will actually happen for realsies.  But for now, it's two steps forward (celebrate!), one step back (cry quietly to yourself when you realize that it's 1 in the morning, and you're awake).

2. The people who tell you to "Sleep while the baby sleeps" may be giving sound advice, but they obviously don't know what they're talking about.  While I was pregnant, that was probably the biggest piece of advice anyone gave me.  But here's the problem: when you have a baby, you truly realize that there are only a finite number of minutes in the day.  And an awful lot of them are taken up by the sweet little munchkin.  Feeding, rocking, burping, changing diapers.  The list is almost endless.  Everyone says "The laundry can wait.  The cleaning can wait.  Order in dinner."  The problem lies in that, one day you will actually need clean clothes.  One day, the cleaning will actually need to be done.  And when you've just had a baby, there are (most likely) limited funds available to have dinner delivered.  What this tangent all comes down to is one simple fact:  Most people cannot "sleep while the baby sleeps."  Instead, countless moms use nap times to wash the dishes, do the laundry, sweep the floor, and scrounge up something for dinner.  Preferably something with actual nutritional value, but in reality, you do what you can.

Other mamas, do your experiences agree or disagree with what I've learned?  What did you learn in the first few months of being a mom?

Intro

This is me and my cute husband.

And this is my sweet little boy.

I know, you're totally jealous right?  Because I definitely have the cutest little family ever.  I can hear the uproar now.  All of the mamas out there are screaming, "No!  My family is cuter!"  And I respect every single one of your opinions, but I still win. :)


So here's a little intro to our family:
My name is Courtney, and my husband's name is Mike.  Our favorite things include watching movies, playing Marvel v. Capcom on the PS3, and ice cream.  Our least favorite things include driving in traffic, shopping in busy stores, and bad service at restaurants.

Our cute little boy is named Jase, and his favorite things include warm blankies, his binky, and 6 oz bottles.  His least favorite things include waiting for food, sleeping in his own bed, and having his clothes changed.

This blog is where I will chronicle our adventures, because having a baby is totally an adventure, right?  I am very blessed to have such a sweet family.  My boys are my favorite people, and I love them to pieces.  I'm so excited to share our story with you. 

Anyway, the laundry is calling, and I'm guessing Jase will wake up from his nap soon.  So check back soon!  I have lots of stories to tell.