For those of you who continue to read this blog on a daily basis (hoping that I update it), here is a little secret.

Connor will be visiting Daddy at work on Friday around 11am.  So, stop by and see him if you like.

Have a good night.

Donnie

We went to the doctor’s office on Wednesday for Connor’s 4 month checkup.

Here are his stats:

13lbs 3oz

24″ long

The doctor said we can now give Connor some solids.  We are going to start with rice cereal and some formula this weekend.  Dr. Baust also commented on how strong Connor’s legs are.  Connor proudly demonstrated for Dr. Baust how he can stand on them with very little assistance.

Connor as also learned to push up from a sitting position to a standing position (with Daddy’s or Mommy’s help of course).  My hunch is he will learn to walk before he learns to crawl.  Connor does not enjoy being on him stomach at all.

Sleeping continues to be great!  He goes to bed at 9pm most nights and wakes around 7am.  Usually Victoria and I will peek in his room in the morning and see him playing with his toes (he started grabbing his feet and toes last week).  When we go in during the morning, he gives us our “good morning smile” and then we give him our kisses.  What a wonderful time of the day.  He is so relaxed and so loving that I hate to leave the house to go to work.

Well, the blog is just over a year old now.  It was over a year ago that I came home from a golf trip to Richmond to find Victoria swinging out back in the hammock and a batch of brownies in the kitchen.  Several batches of brownies later (not to mention 15 additional pounds — on my body), we have become a family.

I went through the blog about a week ago reminiscing about the entire journey.  From reading all the books, going to baby class, attending the doctor appointments, worrying about anything and everything, and then experiencing the amazing miracle of being there when Connor was born.  It truly was/is a miracle.

Victoria has some brownies sitting on the kitchen counter downstairs  — aahhh, trust me it is just a bit early to be thinking about having a little brother for Connor.  Yes, I said brother.  That is what Victoria hopes to have if we have another one.  Just give us some time.

Alright, now this might not be a big deal for some of you and some of you might have infants that were doing this sooner, but I absolutely love this!!!

Connor and I actually exchange growls.  When we are playing together, I give him a growl for about 2-3 seconds and he usually responds back by imitating me.  It is so cool.  Victoria absolutely loves it too!  She will turn the T.V. off so Connor can concentrate on my sounds and we wait anxiously to have him respond back.  He usually responds back and then gives us a smile (probably because we are smiling, proud parents at that moment).

Of course I then try to get him to say “Daaa-Daaa”.  I guess it is still a little early from that.

For right now, I’ll take a growl from him — “DaDa” will soon follow.

We love you Connor!

Daddy and Mommy

As I have written before, Mother’s are very special people and I have always had great admiration and respect for them (especially my Mother and Grandmother).

Victoria and Connor share a wonderful bond together and if my son is anything like me, he will grow up to give respect and love to all mothers.

You all are very special people and I just want to take this moment to say “thank you”.

Love,

Donnie

Mommy,

I wanted to wish you a Happy 1st Mother’s Day!  I only wish I could tell you how much I love you.  I know right now I can only smile, cry, eat, poop, and sleep but some day soon I will be able to give you a kiss, a hug, and tell you “I LOVE YOU”.

You are a very special Mom!  You tried breastfeeding and did a very good job with me.  I am sorry if I bit you a couple of times — I was very hungry.

You were a wonderful Mom while I was in your tummy.  Heck, we had ice cream and chocolate brownies quite a bit.  I miss having chocolate and can’t wait until I am older to have some.

You took me for walks while I was in you tummy, I really enjoyed that because I got to move around.  Now you take me for walks almost everyday and I really like that.  You see how I am staying awake during the walks now.  Thanks for using the jogging stroller, I can see more during our walks.

When I am crying and Daddy is having a difficult time getting me to be quiet, you always seems to have that magical touch.  You can come into the room, touch my cheeks with your two fingers and say “goo-goo” and I SMILE!  I like that!

I love how you wake me in the morning.  You let me sleep and then slowly open the door to see what I am doing.  It is always great to see your beautiful face in the morning!  Thanks for letting me wake slowly, you know how I don’t like to be woken very quickly.

I love having you as my Mom!  I would not want it any different way!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy!

Love,

Connor

I took the day off today and spent time with Victoria and Connor.  It was a nice surprise for Victoria.  We had lunch at TGI Fridays and then I took Connor out with me so Victoria could have some alone time.

After I got home, he decided to have a major blow out.  This takes the cake as far as blow outs and beats the Easter day surprise.  We struggled to get him out of his outfit without making more of a mess.  What a mess!

I got home from softball a couple of hours ago and Victoria informed me he had another blowout while in his swing.  She had to change him and wash the seat cushion used in his swing.

He ate quite a bit today (8 ounces three times), so that is why I think he had to go so much.  We think he is going through a growth spurt because he has been a little more fussy lately, eating quite a bit, and sleeping a little more than usual during the day.

Victoria continues to have problems with one of her breasts and she hopes to visit the doctor next week to have them check it out.  She has slowly been weaning Connor off of the breastfeeding the past 3-4 weeks and now is down to feeding him only twice a day (morning and evening) with her breasts.  Bottles of formula or expressed breast milk are what Connor has the other 3-4 times a day.

He continues to do well with formula, expressed breast milk, or breast feeding.  We just have to make sure the bottled meal is warmed.

Connor’s legs are quite strong now and he stands for quite a long period of time while I hold on to his little hands.  As Jaime put it during a recent conversation…”Getting him to stand is a guaranteed smile.”  He loves to stand on my lap, in the bed, or on his changing table.  Usually, I will lay down on the our bed and let Connor stand on my chest.  I think he loves this because it gives him a different viewpoint.  “He is on top of the world” at that point.  He’ll look down at me and give me a big old smile!  It is wonderful!

This week, I took Connor for a couple of walks with the jogging stroller.  No, we are not jogging yet because it says he should be 6 months old and recommends talking to the doctor before starting this.  Anyways, the jogging stroller allows him to look forward and see quite a bit.  He really enjoys this as we took 25 minute walks and he did not even fall asleep.  Very attentive and looking at everything he can see.

I’ve talked about what a great sleeper Connor has been since we brought him home from the hospital. Well, the last 4 nights have been difficult to say the least. Connor is now at a stage where he does not want to go to sleep. I think he has too much fun when he is awake, so he doesn’t want to go to sleep.

I’ve continued to stick with the tradition of changing the diaper, dimming the lights, and reading the story, but Connor is not buying it anymore. Mommy has had to relieve me the last two nights (I am beginning to think I am losing my touch).

Once he falls asleep, he sleeps all the way through until 7am without waking. It is just getting him to fall asleep that is the tough part.

Swaddling might be back in Connor’s routine if things don’t start to get better.