Four months!

Hanging out in the lobby of Stillwater Medical Clinic

Zach had his four month checkup yesterday and he passed with flying colors! There was only one item on the checklist he wasn't able to do yet - rolling from his stomach to back (although he's VERY close).

Here are the things he passed:

• raise his head high when lying on his stomach
• raise bondy on hand when lying on stomach
• play with hands and/or hold a rattle
• look at mobile and move hands
• start social contact by smiling, cooing, laughing and squealing (he tries to do this with Annie)
• cry when parents move out of sight
• recognize when a bottle is being prepared and be able to wait for it for a short time.

 Here's the result of the doctor's visit.. Zach now weighs.......... 17 pounds, 14 ounces (93rd percentile). He's also 2 feet, 1.5 inches tall (71st percentile).

"He's wearing 6 months clothing, isn't he?" Why yes. Yes he is.

I love my little chunky monkey.

Speaking of monkeys ... check back in a few days for Halloween photos!

What a big boy.

"Hi Auntie Maddie!"

My baby is growing up. I can almost see the gears turning in his head as he stares at his little fist in front of his face. When you wiggle his “crinkle lion” in front of him, his arm moves to reach for it.

A few days ago, I was in the kitchen working on dinner and Zach was in his bouncy chair. I had my back to him when I heard it.. “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands...” I whipped around to see Zach flailing around excitedly as the music played. He had just pulled the musical cord by himself. What a big boy.

In other news, I’m convinced that Zach is going to be one of the babies who skips crawling and goes straight to walking. He loves to stand. He’s gotten to the point that he’ll grab your fingers in both of his hands and pull himself up to the standing position. There, while still unstable, he turns his head to examine the world from the higher view.

Zach's ready for winter

One year ago...

A year ago, on a whim, I took a pregnancy test (and then another, and another and another) ... that's when my life changed (for the better) forever. I can't believe it's been a year. It feels like just yesterday...

My mornings.

Here's a typical schedule for me.

~ 3 a.m. -- wake up to crying - change and feed Zach.
3:30 a.m. -- back to sleep
6 a.m. -- wake up to get ready for work
6:30 a.m. -- change and feed Zach
7 a.m. -- hand Zach off to Jamer, who still hasn't gotten out of bed.
7:05 a.m. -- prepare bottles (thaw breast milk and put them in fridge all ready to go) for the day
7:15 a.m. -- say goodbye to my boys, who have usually fallen back asleep while cuddling.

Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family. Ever.

 Zach with his Godparents, Paul and Maddie

Zach was Baptized last week at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. He was the first of the fourth generation to be wear the Simmet family Baptismal gown (my grandfather, mom (and her siblings and all their kids), myself (and my siblings) and Zach were all Baptized in it). Jamer would've preferred we waited until Zach was old enough to make his own decision to be Baptized, but I wanted to make sure he got a jump start on it - he can decide whether he's confirmed or not.

My little one was a trooper and slept through most of the ceremony, waking only for a minute when the holy water was poured on his head. He was asleep again before he was toweled off.

It was a special event - but even more special because Deacon Jim Meyer, a close family friend, performed the Baptism. Jim, who lived next door to my family, was like a second dad to me. His daughter, Melissa, and I were best friends growing up. Zach has no idea how lucky he is.

By the way, for those of you who don't know (I'm very disappointed if you don't), the title of this post is a quote from The Godfather.

Zach being Baptized by Deacon Jim Meyer

A budding musician

Budding musicians
Mothers naturally tend to sing to their babies, but a recent study suggests that a mother’s song not only soothes her baby, but also helps the baby to understand and process music and music-like patterns. This ability may help develop logic and math skills later in life. Babies take pleasure in the sounds and rhythms of sung and spoken language from the start, the study found. Mothers tend to sing in the high-pitched, slow-tempo, and expressive style that babies prefer. This melodic give-and-take sets the stage for an understanding of music in humans all over the world.

 

That square that shows up about 6 seconds in marks Jamer.

He's having a blast playing on the Skol Line, the Minnesota Vikings' drumline.