"Welcome Letter!" From President Obama

The White House
Washington

Welcome to the world! Your arrival is a cause for great celebration for your proud family. We wish you a long and happy life filled with chances to learn, ideas to explore, people to love, and dreams to fulfill

Sincerely,
(hand signed by the Obamas)

This is by far the coolest keepsake for Baby Declan.

Old video & new milestones

This was only 3 weeks ago and Declan has changed so much!

He is now a champ a tsitting and he rarely falls over.

He reaches, lunges and tries to figure out how to get toys that are out of reach

He has mastered grabbing the blocks and other objects and he passes them from hand to hand.

He did the most amazing thing today. A block was out of reach so, he lunged a few times swiping at it. When he still couldn’t reach it he grabbed another toy, a teething ring, and tried to use that toy to drag the block towards him. It worked! After a few attempts the teething ring caught the block and he pulled it back to himself.

I was so amazed, our little guy is so smart!!

Oh, and earlier a binky was way out of reach when I left the room to use the bathroom and when I cam back the paci was in his mouth.

I was all like "What the deuce!! How did you get that??"

BTW Declan is 7 months old today!

Little Dudes

Is thier anything cuter than baby butts?

"I didn't do it! Nobody saw me do it! You cant prove anything!"

Baby Legs

Pardon my dorky, naptime outfit but momma wanted to show off my new babylegs that just came in the mail.
Babylegs are the best winter accessory ever made! When he is in our arms or in the carrier his little pant legs always bunch way up into pseudo-shorts. This awesome little invention has eliminated that problem, keeping little Declan’s legs warm and snug in the winter chill.

Paci

Declan discovered the joys pf a binky today.

I have been trying to get him to take a pacifier ever since he decided he didn’t like his 3 months ago. I have probably spent $50 on all different types and for some reason I never listened to my sisters suggestion to get a Nam paci. I finally broke down and spent another $6 just in case he would like this one. Voila! He instantly started sucking. He loves the darn thing already. I REALLY this helps make car rides a bit smoother.

I don’t believe in the cry-it-out method so getting him to take a paci is my first step in getting him to go to sleep without breast in mouth. I want him to start sleeping in his crib so Shane and I can have our bed back. I miss spooning :)

We are going to start a bedtime routine, after the holidays, that we will strictly follow each night to help with the transition.

I think the routine will go like this:

Bath

Nurse

Swing

Story

Rock to sleep

Haircut

30 minutes of driving - $5.00

Shampoo & a haircut - $40.00

2 hours of adult conversation - priceless

I was so spoiled yesterday. I know getting a haircut might not seem like a big deal to some, but for a stay at home mom who's life revolves around the little one for 24 hours a day, it was heaven.

I think the best part was the fact that we didn't talk babies for more than 5 minutes. The rest of the time we just b.s'ed about pretty much everything. It has been a long time since I joked and laughed as much as did yesterday.

Dude, I think I need more/new friends.

My new do

Tush Tush

Tummy time aint so bad, well, for a couple minutes anyways :)

I like baths again!

A moment in the life of Declan

"Hey Mom! Hows it going?"

"Ooohh, a camera. Let me see!"
"I got it!"

"Huh? Don't take it away."

"Give it back Mom!"

Look at me grow!

May

June
July

August

September

October

November

6 month Dr Appt

We had our 6-month check up yesterday and the boy looks great! He is 19 pounds and 28 inches putting him in the 75th and 90th percentiles. He looks well and is thriving but the only thing concerning the doctor is his constant mucasy and often bloody stool. It appears he has a form of colitis, most likely allergic colitis that is caused by an allergy to things like eggs, milk, soy, wheat, nuts etc. The doctor told me that if I want to continue to breastfeed then I need to eliminate these food sources from my diet or I can wean him and get him on a hypoallergenic formula. I am going to go ahead and try to eat with out the allergy sources with the help of a rice protein and other supplements. The Doc also said that this is the most likely reason Declan has been having diaper rash issue his entire life and once the allergen is removed the rashes should go away.

We had our first round of immunizations yesterday. It wasnt nearly as bad as I expected! He only cried for a minute and he seamed more upset then in pain. We were only going to get him the DTaP but since he is going to be in childcare the Dr. recommended we do the HIB vaccine aswell. He was a little grumpy and tired that night but he passed right out at 6:30 and pretty much slept he rest of the night.

I joined the gym yesterday! Now that Declan is 6 mo old I can leave him in the gyms daycare while work out, take a class, or even read a book in the hot tub. I am so frickin excited! I finally get "me"time!

Declan is just amazing, the changes in that last month are like night and day. He grabs everything in sight, he giggles all the time, he is SUPER ticklish, he loves to flirt with the ladies and he is really interested in other kids. We can’t eat in front of him any more with out him getting really upset that he isn’t having any food. I need to carry a jar of baby food with me now J He has also learned that he can fuss. When he is in the car now he doesn’t cry he yells and screams and fusses with out tears. If he wants to stand instead of sit he tells you, if he wants anything boy does he ever let you know.
Photomontage soon to follow

Happy 1/2 Year Bierthday To Me

Today is Declan’s 6-month birthday! Our little dude has grown and flourished so much in the last 6 months
Starting out in the lower 25% in height and weight he is now approximately in the upper 90%.
Last night was so cute and to me it marked a new level in his development. He was hanging out in his playpen playing with his soft books when he suddenly started to squeak his little “I’m bored, get-me-out-squeak” Assuming he was done playing I picked him up, at which point he started to full on cry. I tried to rock him and even offer him the breast, after a minute I just set him back down in the playpen and he was just as happy as can be. I think he was just fussing a little because he wanted me to resituate him and/or put a toy in reach.
This week also marks a big week for mom and dad; we got a babysitter, twice. The first time my sister took him for a couple hours so I could clean. I spent over two hours straightening, scrubbing and de-cluttering the kitchen. This is my first step towards baby proofing the house. It would be nice to be able to babysit my niece Melissa, she is 1.5 so, her little hands can grab anything in sight and she is one curious little monkey.
On Wednesday night we recruited the help of Kris and Dianne who were more than happy to assist. This was a huge step for us! This is the first time a non-family member has watched Declan and also the first time he was away from us at his bedtime. Honestly, I had no idea how it would go. I guess he was fine for a little while, he was just sitting on the floor playing with toys, when suddenly out of nowhere he lost it. He had a total melt down and was just wailing inconsolably. They were able to eventually calm him down enough, with the use of a baby carrier, to put him into a swing. Then to every ones amazement he slept for like 3 hours straight in the swing until we came back to pick him up.
We had a great night! We went out to dinner at Departure, a really cool restaurant that resembles the inside of an airplane, and then we had a drink at the Florida Room. Our first real date since Declan was born!
We are going to try and get a sitter once every week or two just for and hour or two and then have a big night out at least once a month.

Zoo!

I went to the zoo for the first time today and guess what I did.

I slept almost the entire time!

ROCKNROLLA!

This Sh*t is Bananas B. A. N. A. N. A. S.

I'm not sure what I think about these bananas, kinda weird.

mmm, on second thought they are good.

Yummy! Let me at it!

Gandma!

Bumkins

2 months

6 months

Vogue

Naked is the new black

Learning to Sit

I am getting REALLY good at using my muscles to balance!

I was super excited about my toys tonight :)

I like to eat!

We went with rice cereal prepared with breast milk for Declans first feeding. He really liked it! It was so funny, if Shane waited too long to give him another bite, he would start to fuss until he saw the spoon coming.

Hurray for happy hungry babies!!!

Halloween

My first Halloween party!!

The Sheriff and his prisoner

Playpen

Mommy introduced me to the playpen last night. I like it until I toss all the toys outta reach

Look at those chubby legs in action!

Rosey Cheeks

Maureen this post is for you.

Here is the update answer to the question you asked about the giraffe.

Yes, it is as cool as every one says and it is his favorite toy now.

Being Sick

Getting ready for a walk

Just got out of the bath

It's snuggle time!

The cate stole a kiss! I didn't like it.

Bad Kitty! Go away!