Pool Party

On Monday Jon was able to leave work a few hours early because of the Memorial Day Holiday, unfortunately our air conditioner decided it should stop working as well!!! Although the pool is still a little chilly for my taste, the four of us gladly took refuge outside to help cool off. Reed and Jon had a great time playing basketball and Reed kept saying over and over again how excited he was to be hanging out in the pool as a family. We got Kieran in up to his knees and he decided that was just about enough for him, he did love getting splashed by the boys while we sat on the edge of the pool though. Given how much he likes bath time I think he will love the pool once it gets a bit warmer.

Showering Auntie Amanda with Love

On Saturday my friend Lee and I had the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower thrown in the honor of Auntie Amanda. The three of us have been friends for almost twenty years. Even though we have  been close for the last two decades this past year has been extra special - Kieran was born in November, followed by Lee giving birth to twins (John and Alice) last month, and Amanda is due with her first child in July.  Being able to share pregnancy, gender reveals, child birth, and newborn sagas with them has and will continue to be so fun. Also the thought of us having kiddos the same age is so great.

Amanda is the Queen of creativity, so it is always daunting to throw a party in her honor as she is normally my go to person as far as themes, décor, special touches, and invitation ideas go. We ended up going with a "Twinkle, Twinkle" theme in a nod to some of the things she is doing for the nursery. Basically everything was done in navy blue and various shades of pink with lots of gold stars. It was a great day and so special to see Amanda surrounded by so many people that love and adore her and will feel the same way about her baby girl.

Lee and her Mom Lynda

Laurie, Auntie M, and Auntie Amanda

Laurie, Shannon, and Clara

Amanda and Vanessa

Auntie M and Grandma

Auntie Amanda and Me

Me, Amanda, and Lee

Biz, Vanessa, Amanda, and Lee

Opening gifts

Lee, Vanessa, Amanda, and Me

When Amanda co-hosted my baby shower three years ago she made a quilt for the baby. It was the first quilt she ever made and it has had a special place in Reed's room ever since. He sleeps with it in his bed every day and often reminds me that "Auntie Amanda made this quilt for me." Last year she gifted me with another lovely quilt that now resides in Kieran's room. It is also a beautiful piece of work and I can't wait for him to be a bit older and start to appreciate the treasure that it is.

I have taught myself to sew over the last few years, but am still very much a novice. However, I decided that I would try my best to return the favor and make Baby L a quilt of her own. It was a big undertaking since I didn't know what I was doing and I also have a toddler and an infant at home with me on the days I don't work. I learned a lot in the process and know if I ever undertake a project like this again it would take a lot less time and involve a lot less errors!!! The quilt is in no way perfect, but it was made with so much love, and isn't that the most important part of something like this anyway?

Solids

Kieran showed no real interest in food until last month. Jon and I were actually talking about how he didn't seem intrigued by food yet while I ate an apple and Kieran sat in my lap. As if to prove us wrong, he started grabbing at the apple and put it to his mouth. Anytime I took it away to take a bite he would cry until I returned it to him.

We waited a few more weeks and then when K hit the 6 month mark we let him try some avocado at dinner. He was in love and has been eating "dinner" with us every night since. So far he has had avocado, yams, carrots, pears, peas, and apples. All of which he has seemed to like. We try to let him feed himself using chunks of soft food he can pick up with his hands and also stuffed in the Munchkin mesh feeder.. He is pretty good at making a mess and I usually assist with a spoon. Since we are experiencing such warm weather right now we've been stripping him down nudy to minimize stain removal. Here are a few pictures of the K-Man in his first forays into eating (and one with a straw cup).

Family Celebrations

The last two weekends we have spent time at Jon's parents' house celebrating family in one way or another. Last weekend they hosted a family reunion for Pepe's side of the family. We got to the party a bit late because I had been out of town and the boys both went down for early naps so we decided to let them sleep for awhile while I got caught-up and then we headed over. We missed the amazing food, but since Reed couldn't have eaten it anyway it all worked out. Pepe rented a bounce house for the day and Reed spent 99% of the party recruiting family members to jump with him. Nonna, Pepe, Mom, Dad, and Jon's second cousin Megan all had a turn or two in the "jumping house" as Reed called it. I even got inside holding Kieran while sitting down and the Little Daredevil loved watching his Big Brother hop around while he was being bounced in Mom's lap!!!

Yesterday afternoon we celebrated Mother's Day with Nonna's side of the family. Benny and Aunt Di Di both got in some snuggle time with Kieran, while Reed was up to his usual antics of entertaining everyone and "helping" the Moms open gifts.

Do you see Reed's hand (Nonna is holding it) in the picture below? We wanted to get a picture of the three ladies and Reed ran over and tried to join in. They all thought it was hilarious and we got some really good pictures of everyone smiling, so I guess he didn't ruin the picture after all!

Six Months

A few people have recently commented on how much older Kieran seems. These are people that see him fairly regularly and I don't think they are referring to his size. He just seems so mature all of the sudden. I feel like six months is a pretty big age for a baby and Kieran seems to be progressing just great. We are still waiting for his first tooth and swear each week that it has to be poking through soon, but nothing yet. He's also gone from not caring at all what we are eating to trying to grab any food he can reach out of our hands or off of our plates. He got his first taste of food tonight. He actually ate a bunch of avocado and absolutely loved it!

In general, Kieran has a great demeanor and still is pretty mellow. He definitely has gotten more particular about sleeping and won't really crash out in someone's arms anymore. I also almost exclusively nurse him in his room, usually when it is quiet or a sound machine is turned on. He is easily distracted and once he hears something going on he will immediately stop nursing even if he was all about it 30 seconds earlier. You can imagine the challenge this brings with a toddler in the house!

We think Kieran is going to be our adventurous kid. He loves being tossed in the air, flown "airplane" style on our feet, and nothing gets a bigger laugh out of him than surprising him with a "boo" or jumping out from around the corner.

He has started to roll a few times in succession and I will find him completely off the quilt I've laid him down on when I've quickly gone to the kitchen. He is definitely becoming mobile so that will bring a whole new set of logistics to our daily routines. He likes to be standing and can hold himself up really well, even unsupported. He's not as big a fan of sitting but is getting closer to being able to do so unassisted.

This week I am taking him to the allergist. We still don't know if we will be going forward with allergy testing at that point or not, but we are hoping to get some clearer answers on my diet, his future diet, and the timing of testing if that's what should be done. Keep your fingers crossed and send good thoughts and prayers our direction.

Monthly Statistics

Weight: 16lbs 3oz

Height: I'll have an update for you next month after our doctor's visit

Clothing Size: Short sleeves, shorts, and pants are all size 6 month. He can still squeeze into 6 month one pieces but I have him mainly in size 9 month. He continues to be long and lean so things are tight from neck to crotch but then super baggy around his tummy and even legs.

Kieran likes: His play mat, his car seat, tummy time, sensory books, teething rings, taking baths, Mam pacifiers, bouncing/jumping, being sung to, dancing, being tossed in the air, playing patty cake, watching Reed do anything, watching Dad make silly faces, bedtime books, being held by Mom, and his lovey (Max).

Kieran dislikes: Having his clothes changed/taken off, losing his pacifier in bed, being distracted while nursing, and being overtired.

 

Nicknames: Kier, K, K Dawg, K-Man, Kierito, Baby Bear, Goldilocks (this is from Reed), Lovebug, Cuddle Bug, and Sneezy.

How Kieran is sleeping:  Kieran sleeps with a pacifier and a lovey, he's zipped into a sleep sack and we have a sound machine playing in his room. He typically takes 3 naps during the day. Usually one of these is around 30-45 minutes and the other two are 1.5 hours or slightly longer. He is usually awake 2-2.5 hours between naps. His bedtime is 7:30pm and then he usually wakes around 1:00am for a feeding. He goes back down easily but then is up again around 5:00am. Lately he is ready for the day at this point. He coos, screeches, and babbles and wants nothing to do with sleep. I usually rock him or walk with him but give up around 6:00am and let him "wake-up" for the day.

Favorite Moment: We were over at C and Tio's house and they had an old helium balloon which Kieran fell in love with. First he was mesmerized just looking at it, then Jon would run toward the balloon while holding him and he would let out a loud guffaw and then grab on to the balloon. It was amazing seeing how much his hand eye coordination has improved but even more special was how much fun he and Jon had together. It was one of their first real fun solo play sessions.

Milestones:

04/05/14 First time wearing a bow tie
04/10/14 Screeching begins
04/11/14 K's first trip to the river (unfortunately it only had about 2 inches of water in it)
04/21/14 Kieran begins to be able to support himself standing while holding on to something
04/22/14 We let Kieran try a sippy cup of water for the first time
04/24/14 K-Man starts making the funniest sniffing sound with his nose - he looks like an angry little rabbit when he does it
04/28/14 Kieran is now able to roll over multiple times and can "move" across a room doing so
05/04/14 K's first taste of solids - Avocado was a huge hit

 

Favorite Photo Shoot Outtake: