Tea Party

Tate: 6 Months!

I just found the 5 month post in the draft box. Boo. I'll post this one in a day or two so I can get that one up.

This little chunker is 6 months old - and worth more than his weight in gold (which for fun, today would be just over $358,000). Tate is the happiest, sweetest baby a mama could ask for. The main things this guy does is put everything in his mouth, eat and kick. He rolls around the floor and gets points for some scooting attempts. He usually ends up pushing with his feet leaving his bum in the air and his face on the rug. He'll play on his tummy in push-up form and pivot around on the floor as well (he rolls to get where he wants to). He can sit, but is very wobbly. His dexterity is improving so he has better accuracy at getting everything from point A to point mouth. We started feeding him solids a few weeks ago and he does well. He loves sitting in his highchair and having dinner with the family. The first time he tries any new food is funny because he scrunches up his face and makes gag noises. He usually ends up finishing the bowl. I think he has liked butternut squash the most. He is undecided on the pacifier, though I still encourage it (to avoid thumbsucking and have it for desperation-quiet-times like church and the subway). 

Tate is more vocal these days and especially loves the "d" sound and has started doing more "n" sounds too. Sometimes it sounds like he is saying, "Hi Dada!" over and over again. I love his sweet little voice. His laugh is wonderful - it takes a little bit to get him going. He definitely smiles more than he laughs ( feel like June laughed at everything?). He still "sings" himself to sleep on occasion, and his singing is turning into a little more of a grunt. My friend today said it sounded like a car engine :) Tate has started to cry purposefully more lately - meaning, when Anson yanks a toy out of his hands, Tate will cry because he wants the toy back. For the first time on Sunday he seemed to exhibit a little "stranger danger" and cried because he wanted me back. He is much more aware of what is going on and able to resopnd. 

He has rosy little cheeks and a bright smile--which lights up the second anyone engages with him. The rolls on his arms and legs attract all sorts of attention (too bad it's not summer and they stay hidden most of the time!). He's a decent sleeper (should have asked me that a couple of days ago when it was better). He usually eats 4x/day: 4:30, 10, 2 and bedtime (730 or 8ish). I have started giving him his solid meal with our dinnertime. Last night he woke up at 3am and I couldn't stave off his hunger and gave in so we could both go back to sleep. He still waited to eat until 9:30 so it didn't shift things too much. I am still working on how to get that early morning feeding a little later...At least he goes back to sleep until 7:30 or so after eating!

June is a great helper and is good at helping. From getting diapers to entertaining him with toys, she is quite the big sister. Anson can get Tate to laugh really easily. I trust Anson more with Tate, but he still likes to walk dinosaurs on Tate's head, help him roll over, etc. and one of them (Tate) usually ends up in tears. Anson better figure out really quickly who the larger brother will be! As a side note, I just realized that Anson may be over his biting phase! YAY!!!

I can't seem to find the paper with his measurements from his 6 month check up, but I'll fill in this gap later. I can say he is about 23 lbs and >97% in both height and weight. His head is on the chart - maybe in the 70s or 80s

Tate: 5 Months!

I just found this in my "drafts" box when I went to put up Tate's 6 month post. Sorry for the delay! Up goest 5 months and 6 months (then 7 months will be here before we blink)

Tate is 5 months old and 22 pounds! He's a tank! This boy continues to be happy, calm, sweet and everything wonderful a baby can be. He eats 4x/day and sleeps from 8-5 most nights. I say most, but that may be a little optimistic as he did wake up at 3 to eat today. Anyhow, we're getting there and he's so easy going I don't really notice that much. He is very aware of his surroundings and LOVES people to talk to him. He rewards with smiles as large as his mouth can go and everyone who encounters him leaves feeling happier. My favorite thing is to hear him laugh. I can get him to laugh usually by scaring him (boo!). He is getting better with his hands and everything goes hands --> mouth. He rolls over from back to tummy constantly but hasn't hinted toward back to tummy. If he gets sick of being on his tummy, he cries or just lays his head on the side and sucks his hand or a toy. Oh, and he drools like crazy - just like Anson. Oh my boys who always have soaking wet shirts. June and Anson take good care of Tate, well mostly June does. I don't think Anson can have the credit since he has been known to bite Tate or move Tate if he is in the wrong place (that's only happened twice, but Anson can pick Tate up, surprisingly). June is sweet and will sing to him or just talk to him and can get him to laugh. My only complaint would be the blow outs. His poop projectile could be a lot better. I think I end up scrubbing out at least 5-7 outfits / week. No fun. He and Anson actually are wearing the same size of diapers, which actually makes it a lot easier. I'll bet they'll stay in the same size until Anson is potty trained. 

Tate: 4 Months!

Tate had a fun day today (11/7) and took us all by surprise. He is a cute little guy who loves to be held, snuggled, patted and talked to. Sometimes when he is fussy and I know it's not any of the usuals (hungry, poopy, tired, etc.), I find it's because he just wants to lay on the floor and be unrestricted. It happened a few Sundays ago in Relief Society at church. I couldn't figure out what was bothering him until I had an 'aha' moment, put his blanket on the floor, laid him down and voila! Kicking and smiling immediately. So anyhow, he likes to spend a good portion of time each day on his back. He just looks around and kicks. Yesterday was the first day he did anything other than lay/look around/kick: he went onto his side, just to get a better view of whatever was there. Then all of a sudden today he rolled over--again and again. He's no small kid so we were all surprised when it happened. He's only mastered back to tummy.

So now it is 11/19 and I am finally finishing the post. I took this sweet boy to his 4 month check up and he tipped the scales. He weighs 20lbs (>97%, off the chart still), is 26" long (81%) and his head is 43cm (66%).

This is the face he makes when he breathes really quickly and moves all limbs as quickly as he can.

So oddly enough Tate has rolled over maybe 3x since the 7th. Silly boy. He eats well,  loves the swing, likes going on walks in the stroller, has fun in the bathtub and lights up when his siblings talk to him. He giggles, grunts and screeches-it's a happy screech, and I swear he does it most during quiet times (think Sacrament meeting). Tate has started to really interact more. He is at the cute stage where everything goes straight to his mouth. I love watching him play with toys and suck on them and his blankie. The pacifier is now a friend - but not naturally. I am encouraging it a lot to avoid the thumb. I was a thumbsucker and it is a hard habit to break. Tate wears size 3 diapers and they are snug. If I hadn't bought a case, I'd just use the size 4 on him and Anson. It's just how his body is distributed. His pudgy rolls are so adorable. He is a decent sleeper, but for whatever reason he has decided 4am is the time to wake up?? Hoping we can stop that soon.

Tate: 3 Months!

And when I think Tate can't get any sweeter...Really. I don't think I could imagine a better baby, and he keeps getting better. Tate is the most cheerful, sweet, calm and plump baby around. He absolutely loves anyone who will take the time to look at him and talk to him. He coos back and smiles so big he doesn't know what to do but keep smiling. He sticks his tongue out a lot and has had several bouts of laughing. His laugh is so cute I can't wait for it to be a more consistent thing.

 Tate still eats (obviously) and is much larger than any of the babies even close to his age. Today I put him in 9 month pajamas. All of the 3-6mos clothes need to be removed from his drawer. He is getting more folds in his arms and legs, and I can't but blame him for not liking tummy time very much. He just sits with his face on his hands or the blanket. Almost no efforts to look up. I think it will be a while before this kid rolls because he has so much mass to move. My sister lovingly nicknamed him "Tank."

 Sleep wise Tate is okay. I haven't really made any efforts on that front other than swaddling him and feeding him when he's hungry. He'll go in 7 hour spurts at night but since I haven't invested much time, the 7 hour spurts often begin at 8 or 9pm, which means he's up and ready to eat about 3 or 4am. At least he goes right back to sleep, so I can't complain at all. I think we're on a good track right now.

Tate is a poop-saver like my other kids. A few days will pass and I just brace myself for the 2 diapers-in-a-row that will be so full if I don't change them immediately.... Oh. So I guess one thing I could do without is Tate's random projectile vomit episodes. They are full-on soaking vomits (ask Jessica Coleman, she was once a recipient). Once it happened during the prayer in Relief Society at church. That was exciting. Another time while standing on a street in SoHo waiting for June's dance class to let out...and other times usually at home on the couch. It is probably a couple times per week so I can't complain at all. There is no pattern to the madness so it's just bad luck I guess.

 June and Anson love their little brother. June has a fascination with putting Tate's hands in his mouth (generally with her finger in his little fist...we're working on this one). Anson likes to drive his cars and walk his animals on Tate. I have to be near always because in a flash Anson will poke an eye or squish Tate. I have to say Tate is a good sport and very forgiving thus far. The life of a little brother (especially the little brother of rambunctious Anson). They do love giving him hugs and kisses and talking to him. They get especially excited when he smiles at them and usually quite concerned when he cries. Both LOVE to give him a bottle and try to give him a binky now and again (but he's just not that good at using a binky - he can't seem to keep it in, though it will help him fall asleep)