Petite-o Mussolini?

We are raising a tiny dictator...Simon shows his evil side during lunch.

6 Months old!!

I can't believe it, but Simon is already halfway through his first year. It's unbelievable. I've already waxed poetic about how it feels simultaneously like he's always been here and and also just arrived yesterday, so I'll just focus on fun stuff. First, his 6 month stats: weight, 20 lbs 4 oz and height, 28 inches. 92nd percentile for both!

Let's see, what are some of Simon's new tricks...he is starting to roll over both ways, but only when very determined. He is getting much better with his hands, and anything he grabs goes directly into his mouth. Finally, he is getting very close to being able to sit up...he certainly can't get there himself, but when we place him just right, he can stay for a little bit, and knows to use his hands to keep from falling over--at least for a few seconds!

Speaking of, we took him outside on a beautiful day and took a few pictures. One turned out so adorable that we decided to use it for his official 6 month picture, even thought Peeks the Puppy isn't there too.

So, enjoy!

PEPS update

We hosted our PEPS group this weekend-now that the official 12 weeks that we all paid for is over, we have decided to continue meeting every other week on Sunday mornings. We have now hosted 3 times: the first time, the babies were around 2 months old, and when we set up chairs in the living room we had to leave room for the car seats too, since all the babies pretty much just hung out in those the whole time.

The second time we hosted was right before Christmas, so all the little ones were closer to 4 months. They were spending more time up on laps, bouncing, smiling and generally checking the world out, while staying close to mom or dad.

Now they are all just about 6 months old, and what a change! Today we were all on the floor with the babies, who were rolling around, checking each other out, playing with toys, giggling...it's amazing how much has changed!

And the parents are all much more comfortable together too, which is great. To be able to really bitch about sleepless nights or a baby who is refusing to eat to people who not only understand but who are likely experiencing something similar is such a relief. I think I said this before on the blog, but I think we got really lucky with our group, and I hope the parents--and the babies--stay friends for a while to come.

so check them out! Yes, Simon is wearing leg warmers, he will hate us for these when he's 14!

It's Magic! (sometimes)

When Simon was born, we started swaddling him to sleep--and he loved it. Apparently swaddling mimics feelings of being all warm and cozy in the womb. So we had all kinds of swaddling tools and techniques...there was the traditional blanket swaddle, which Matt was a master at:

And there were a couple of different ready-made, brand name, velcro-assisted swaddle products that we used as well, much easier for me to manage:

In fact, Simon was swaddled to sleep up until 4 months old...here he is at Grandma's house at Christmas, all bundled up:

But we knew the day was coming that we would need to transition him from the swaddle, for a variety of reasons. We we hadn't thought much about it until we went through a horrendous week of sleep after we got back from Christmas. We knew something had to change. Sigh.

Our friends Amber and Richard had been using something called "Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit" and said that their son, Max, was doing really well in it. So we ordered one online and patiently waited for it to arrive. Those few nights were excrutiating...so on New Year's Eve we desperately texted Amber to see if we could borrow Max's old suit and give it a try.

Lo and Behold, on December 31st, Simon slept through the night! Now don't get me wrong, it's not a magic cure...in fact, just this past week we barely made it through the worst week of sleep I think we have seen since the first month. But for the most part he is doing well and the Magic Sleepsuit is a great transition from a swaddle to regular PJs.

And, making it ALL worth it is the fact the Simon looks like the Michelin Man in the suit, it's hysterical. I finally took some pictures of him in it today:

In the second picture above, Simon is napping in our bed with me--he's a terrible napper for us on the weekends, but if he and I nap together, he'll sleep for 2, sometimes 3 hours. And I won't ever say no to a nice long nap myself! Cuddling up to a sleepy baby on a Saturday afternoon? There are worse things in life.

Giggles with Dad

Simon loves to giggle, and two of the most reliable ways to get him going are tickling and ZERBERTS!!

Simon's Lullaby

All the baby books say that creating a nighttime routine will help babies become better sleepers. Until now, we've had a pretty basic routine...Last feeding, diaper change, into PJs, then to the glider where we all read a book together. Lights out and one of us rocks with him until he's sleepy, then into the crib.

We wanted to add one more step to make bedtime special, so we decided to start singing him a lullaby. I love the tune of Brahms' Lullaby ("Lullaby, and good night...") but the lyrics are very outdated and just don't work. So we decided to write a version just for Simon. And here it is:

Lullaby and good night

Lay your head down my baby

Little Simon, little guy

Stars are twinkling in the sky

Close your eyes, go to sleep

Settle in now ‘til morning

Safe and warm , in your bed

Sweet dreams dance in your head

Lullaby and good night

Soon the sun will be shining

We will play the whole day through

Always know that we love you

We debuted it a few days ago, and when I forgot the last two lines I swear Simon rolled his eyes at me...but I think overall he enjoyed it and I hope it becomes a special part of our bedtime routine.

Good night!

Recent Simon

I just love this picture. So serious. Heavy thoughts happening inside that head.