4 months old!!!

Connor is 4 months old today! I haven't been very good about posting his stats from his past doctor appointments so here they are for a comparison:

Newborn:
9 lbs. 2 oz. (left the hospital at 8 lbs. 8 oz.)
20 inches long

2 weeks:
10 lbs. 1 oz.
21 inches long (I think they measured him wrong at the hospital)

2 months:
14 lbs. 3 oz. (90th %)
24 inches long (97th %)

4 months:
15 lbs. (65th %)
25 inches long (75th %)

His growing has slowed a lot (although he looked a little scrunched when the nurse was measuring his height) but he has been eating A TON and more often than ever before. In the last few weeks, he's been waking up sometimes 4 or 5 times per night to eat, which he has never done! Not even as a newborn! I talked to his doctor about this yesterday for his 4-month appointment and she said he has great head control so I can start him on solids, which should help him sleep better and longer. Rice cereal to start, mixed with some prune juice to help his tummy adjust to the new solids. So I ran right home and bought some to give him that night, and TAH DAH... he slept for 7 hours straight! Woohoo! Now that's more like it!

Connor LOVED the rice cereal (probably because the prune juice made it sweet and yummy). He has really liked the foods we've let him taste before (oranges, grapes, bananas) with no weird faces or adverse reactions so I wasn't really surprised when he liked the rice cereal. It was just really messy. He is still working on swallowing his food rather than tasting it and spitting it back out. (Notice the band-aid from his shots - the other leg had a tweety bird band-aid.)





Some cute things he does already:

He is an expert at getting out of his swaddle (which I think may add to him sleeping shorter lengths of time at night), but boy is he cute when he's sleeping.


He actually doesn't mind tummy time as much as he used to, even though you wouldn't know that by this picture.


We are learning to love the bumbo, and he's learning to grab and suck on toys.


He really loves to suck his thumb or bite on yours.

He smiles so much now. This is how we are greeted when we go get him after a nap.

And, for some reason, he really loves to suck on my chin after he eats! (Video coming soon.)

He loves the camera and his new kick toy (he kicks the blue foot pedal and the toys at the top spin and play music).

He loves to fall asleep on Dad.


He is mesmerized by the TV (yes, we're watching the PIR), and still loves his swing.

He loves to smile and laugh when you play with him.

He also loves to talk, sing, and blow raspberries at you; to splash in the bath; to grab and play with (and sometimes eat) my hair; and to stand while you're holding him. He's rolled over twice now, but I can't get him to do it consistently. His favorite songs are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pat-a-Cake, and the BYU fight song; and his favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.

And, because this already sounds way too much like a match.com relationship profile, I think it's appropriate to add that Connor also enjoys long walks on the beach.



So what do you say ladies? Any takers??

We just love you Connor baby! Happy 4-month birthday!!

A fun weekend...

This weekend was so fun. Brad's Aunt Colleen, Uncle Glen, and cousins Kevin and Quinn stayed with us for a couple nights as they vacationed around southern California. They flew into the Long Beach airport, spent a few days in San Diego, and then drove up our way to go to Disneyland on Saturday before arriving at our house Saturday night. They took us out to eat at In-N-Out where we could watch the planes fly into LAX and the boys had fun playing the new Super Mario Bros. Wii game after dinner. The next morning they went to church with us and we enjoyed a relaxing day of games, food, the beach, and playing with Connor. The boys loved playing with Connor, and Colleen and Glen were so helpful with him! They put him to sleep for us multiple times and held him a lot so we were able do things like cook dinner and play games. Connor loved having them around (I think he's getting over his separation anxiety! Woohoo!!). They left us this morning (Monday) to play at Disneyland for a few days before heading back to Utah later this week. Their stay with us was so short but it was fun to see them. We will see them again in May when Brad's brother Jordan gets married in Utah!

Ode to an amazing mom...

I just have stop and give some credit to my friend Tanya (the same who watched Connor for us on V-day) who is an amazing mom. Let me tell you just one instance that illustrates my point.

A few days after Valentine's Day our friend Kristie in our ward needed some help moving. Tanya, having 2 kids and one on the way, offered to babysit (for free, needless to say) for moms in our ward who wanted to go over and help. My friend Becky and I decided we could get a lot done if we went over together and asked Tanya if she would be ok watching both Connor and Kevin, Becky's 8-month-old boy. Tanya was so willing and actually appeared excited - though maybe she is cursing us (well, me) now... sorry Tanya. Connor has been having a bit of a problem with separation anxiety, but I thought it was getting a little better. As Becky and I were leaving Tanya's house, Connor started to cry but Tanya assured us that she would be just fine. Reluctantly, we left her with her 4-year-old boy Andrew, 2-year-old girl Aly, 8-month-old Kevin, and 4-month-old crying Connor, promising we wouldn't be gone long.

When we returned a little over an hour later this is what we saw when we walked in... Andrew was watching a movie, Aly was playing on the floor with some toys, Connor (who had been screaming most of the hour) was sleeping in a swing that Tanya was bouncing with her foot while feeding Kevin in a high chair. (I knew Connor had been crying most of the time we were gone because I asked Andrew, who replied, "Oh yes he did!" I knew I would get the honest answer from the 4-year-old. :) ) I mentioned she's pregnant, too, right? And apparently Connor cried long and loud enough that he also upset Kevin. So she had 2 crying children at one point, and she was able to put one baby to sleep, feed the other, and take care of her 2 kids all in one hour!

Tanya is an amazing mom with incredible multi-tasking skills, and her cute kids are so sweet. I hope I'm just like her when we add a few more to our family. Thanks again Tanya!! (And I promise to never do that to you again!)

Valentine's Day

Brad and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Our friend Tanya insisted we go on a date together, sans baby, and she told us she was coming over to watch Connor. We weren't allowed to decline - what a great friend! We'd been out twice before with other couples and without Connor while each of our moms watched him, but this was our first date alone, just the two of us. THANKS TANYA! WE OWE YOU BIG TIME! It was such a great night. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but it was nice to date my husband again! We ate dinner at PF Changs and had planned on seeing a movie (Valentine's Day) but dinner took too long and we were having more fun just talking without having to worry about the baby in the next room. We sat and talked for a couple hours at dinner and then in the car as we hunted down our favorite Valentine's Day ice cream - Love Potion #31 from Baskin Robins - so good! We had to drive to Torrance (20 minutes away) to get it because everywhere close to us was out.

Not only is Valentine's Day a good day to rekindle the romance in one's marriage, but it holds special significance with Brad and me as that was the day, one year ago, that we found out we were going to have a baby! We love Connor and are grateful he has come to join our family.

Valentine's Day 2009:


Valentine's Day 2010:


Thanks for the great night out Tanya!