Tongue Tied

Gage's latest discovery is his tongue. It has created lots of entertainment for us! Watch this:

Look at Him Touch and Chew!

Just since Easter I have been seeing Gage using his hands. It is so neat to see him deliberately touching and holding things. It became time to get out the teethers since he is putting things in his mouth to chew on too. It seems early but I am wondering if teeth are on their way...?

Letting Go

Someone once told me that raising a child is a long process of letting go, right from birth. How true it is! Last Wednesday night sweet baby Gage slept in his crib for the first time. Yes, that's right, I finally let go. I have been dragging my feet to make the transition from his pack 'n play, snugly and safely in our bedroom, to his crib, far far away downstairs in his bedroom. It wasn't just because I didn't want to make the long trek downstairs in the middle of the night for a feeding (although that didn't help). It was because every night I had him within arm's reach, to hear him breathe, to enjoy those precious sighs, and to know he is safe. What can I say, I am a goofy-in-love, over-protective, first time mother! I never imagined I would be quite so much this way, but I guess I wouldn't want to be any different.
Well, after 5 nights of sleeping in his own bedroom, in his cozy crib, Gage is doing wonderfully! He even has slept for 8+ hours for the past two nights in a row. I love going to get him in the morning and seeing his happy face so excited to see me. He is taking longer naps now too. So I have decided that "letting go" will always be hardest on me, but ultimately the best for my baby boy.

He Likes to Move It Move It

This morning Gage was hanging out on his favorite floor blanket (okay, my favorite floor blanket). This is how he looked:


I left the room for a few minutes and when I returned he looked like this:


So it's official - I can't leave him alone on the ottoman anymore! I thought "rolling" would be the next step, but I guess it's "rotating"...

A Fun Walk

Gage and I went for a walk yesterday, and for the first time we didn't need any sort of cover (except when the sun was in his eyes)! I really enjoyed being able to look at him. It was so fun to smile at each other and watch him lean forward and check out his arms and feet! Lately I've been so privileged to witness those wheels spinning as he is figuring out those things belong to him! I realized that soon he'll be big enough to face the other way. I am sure walks will be even more fun for him when he can look at more things than just Mom!

A Growing Boy

It seems like overnight Gage has grown, both physically and mentally! Last Friday while Gage was in his stroller I noticed, for the first time, him squirming in his car seat carrier because he wanted out. He was arching his back and scootching downward. I have never seen him do that before - it was such a sight! Then on Saturday morning he was working on sitting forward in his bouncy seat! It looked like he wanted to see his feet!

And yesterday I realized that he is now getting bored just lying on the floor, or sitting in the bouncy seat. Now when I add the toy attachments he can actually hit at them!

(Still checking out those feet too!)

Look at my big boy in the Bumbo seat! He likes to sit in it for short periods until his neck gets too tired! He is so cute to watch as he is happily working hard!

So I feel a little torn about it...it was nice to have him be so content just lying around! Now he doesn't necessarily want to be in the bouncy seat or lying on the ottoman. (I have been telling Craig his stubbornness is coming out!) But progress is always good, and I am so glad he is growing healthy and strong, always my prayer!

Does anyone have a suggestion for something that has kept your child or grandchild happily busy during those months before sitting up on their own? Please leave a comment and tell me about it!

Our Little Honey Bunny

Gage's first Easter! I couldn't resist the Easter outfit I bought for him. It even has a soft little bunny tail on his backside! He looked so cute!

Daddy said that "he felt sorry for the poor kid" but I know he really liked it too! :)

We spent Saturday at Craig's grandparents' house near Winterset, IA for an Easter dinner with that side of the family. It was the first time Craig's grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins met Gage. He was a little overwhelmed by all the activity, but overall he did great!

Four generations: Great Grandpa Francis (Craig's mom's dad) Grandpa Arley, Daddy and Gage!

On Sunday we went to church and then drove to Cedar Falls to visit my family. My mom always hosts for holidays and prepares a feast! This is Gage and his Easter basket from GrandMary. (These pictures were so cute I had to share them all!)

Gage's First Trip to the Windy City

We found out that we can do it! Travel with a baby that is. Craig had business meetings in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday so we decided to make it a mini vacation and Gage and I went along. We stayed at a Mariott in Schaumberg, a suberb of Chicago. The room was a good layout for us because it was L shaped so we could put his pack n play around the corner from the bedroom in the "kitchen". That way we could still watch tv after he went to sleep! When we first got there on Saturday night the little man was quite fussy. I started to wonder what we got ourselves into! I got him ready for bed and he quickly fell asleep. I couldn't believe it! After sleeping most of the 6 hour drive he could actually sleep some more! The four days were pretty low key. This is how Gage spent much of the time in the hotel room:

andand putting up with Mom's "photo shoots".

We had fun eating out at some great places. This was one of the most noticeable differences from our past trips as just the two of us...a tired baby cutting the meals short! But how can you blame that little cutie pie?!

(It looks like he is sleeping here in Dad's arms, but oh no, not the case!)

Our last night there we drove into the city and ate at Ed Debevic's.

We decided to walk down to the Hancock Building from Ed's but on the way I realized Gage was way past his scheduled bottle! I felt horrible, but he didn't seem to mind since he was happy as can be! We spotted a Border's, a great feeding spot!

After that it was getting late so we decided to make the long walk back to the car. It was a little windy (surprise surprise!) but Gage was bundled and he did great! I say when's the next trip?!

3 Months Old!

Well another month has gone by and I am beginning to tell Gage that he can stay right here, no more growing! I think 3 months is such a fun age! He is so cute and cuddly and very entertaining. I know it will only get better!

How he has changed...

- I guess he's gotten bigger... And I say "I guess" because since I see him everyday I don't notice it until he's around new newborns and he is SO much bigger! I can't believe that just 3 months ago he was that little and I've forgotten already!

- He is sleeping through the night...if you consider a 6 hour stretch sleeping through the night! Sometimes it's even 7 or 8 - yippee! (If he keeps this up he will be moving downstairs to his crib...bittersweet to me!)

- He is loving the tv! I can't even have it on anymore when I feed him because he gets distracted by it and won't eat! Since I don't want him to watch tv we have quiet days at home with just music playing. It's good for me too!

Here he is twisting around to see the tv:

- He still doesn't like to take baths, but just yesterday he got mostly through one without crying. That is a first!

- Gage has really become a very content baby! He can hang out in the bouncy seat or on a blanket on the floor for a long time now. He basically only cries when he is tired, or if he is in his car seat carrier too long. What a blessing!

- He can usually fall asleep on his own now. Many times he does need me to come in 5-10 minutes later to give him his paci and rub his head, and then he quickly falls asleep. I still can't bear to let him cry for long!

- He takes longer naps and eats 5 oz. per bottle now!

- He laughs! Craig and I can get him to laugh when we tickle him on his chest and armpits. It is so cute. He also loves to smile and open his mouth with an "ahhh" a lot, especially when he is looking at Daddy!

What I've learned...

- Just how emotional I am when it comes to Gage. I will be talking to anyone about him and about what a privilege it is to be his mom and my eyes well up with tears! Craig laughs at me. :)

- I love him more everyday. I didn't think it was possible, but I can see that as he grows and begins to give me the love back, I am overwhelmed.

- Gage handles transitions much better than I do! He did a good job going to sleep on his own for the first time and going from his bassinet to his pack n play.

- I can read his tired cues and understand his cries now, which is such a great thing! He is becoming somewhat more predictable.

An Unusual Morning Nap

This morning Gage shocked me. He fell asleep on the ottoman! I could hear him talking while I was taking a shower. When I was out I peeked at him and this is what I found:

He was in good company with Teddy sleeping next to him and Al watching over him. :) My dilemma now was do I risk waking him and put him in his bed? I decided to leave him there since he looked so comfy, until about 20 minutes later when he started to stir. Now I have a softly crying boy in his bed, so we'll hope that he goes back to sleep!

Update: Nope, he didn't. :)

A Little Modest?

Today we took Gage to get his 3 month photos taken. We found a wonderful photographer right here in Ames called Sweet Pea Photography. She works out of her home and is absolutely fabulous! Well our photo shoot didn't start out quite like I had hoped... I was relieved that Gage took a long nap this morning and ate his "lunch" right before we left. He was very happy and smiling...until we got there and started taking his clothes off. It was then that the screaming began. I was reminded that my little boy does not like to be cold (therefore he takes very short baths!). He was cold today or a little modest, but either way he would not have any of the nakedness. I grudgingly let the bare-bottom photos go and dressed him in his cute little sweater again. Thankfully his smile came out eventually and we got some great shots. When we got home I took some very amateur shots and he wouldn't smile for me either!

Stellan McKinney

I have been holding my baby boy a little tighter these past few days. I was introduced to a precious baby named, Stellan, through his mama's blog. I don't even know his family but feel like I do! Stellan is only 5 months old and he is fighting for his life. I choke up with tears everytime I read his updates, and everytime I think about how lucky I am to have a healthy, thriving (almost) 3 month old baby boy. It is difficult to understand why God would allow a precious, innocent little baby to suffer. But his mom, Jennifer, has a beautiful way of expressing herself and her knowledge that, "God is still here." Please check out her blog and pray with me for baby Stellan.