Improving at Eating

We have our highs and lows when it comes to Brennan and eating. Some days, he loves his oatmeal, but doesn't want to touch any vegetables. Other days, he only wants milk and snubs the cereal. On occasion, he even leaves 3-4 ounces of milk behind at feedings in daycare. I guess this can been expected as we venture into solid foods. However, we recently had a few exciting days that were all around good eats! Prior to this, the only vegetable he visibly enjoyed was butternut squash, but all of a sudden, he seemed happy to eat sweet potatoes (as seen in the video), carrots, zucchini and even peas! Yes, the peas surprised me because of the previous disdain he showed for them, but he all of a sudden, he was eating them like a champ! Hopefully, we'll continue on this trend!

Big Boy Cart

Brennan and I rarely go food shopping with Brian. Our car seat base doesn't fit that well into the top of the cart and I always feel like he is sitting so high that it's hard for me to see where I'm navigating the cart. Brennan is starting to reach the height limit of the infant seat though, so we know it will soon be time to switch car seats. We decided to give the supermarket a test run on Sunday with him sitting in the cart itself. We pulled out the shopping cart cover and strode through Wegman's in style. Brennan seemed quite happy with the experience. I think he enjoyed being able to more easily see what was going on around him!

A Glimse at Brennan's First Teeth

Brennan's bottom two front teeth are coming in quite well, although it is sometimes a challenge to see them. He won't let you pull his lip down and look at them, so I haven't really tried to get a picture of them. However, we were doing tummy time on Saturday and one of my random photos managed to get a shot of his teeth. It may be hard to see, but the white you are seeing in the picture above are teeth.

This weekend was pretty low key for us. We continued doing a little research for our window project (we're considering replacing all the windows and the sliding glass doors in the house.) We also spent a lot of time at home. This is our longest stretch without company since Brennan was born, and as much as I love having everyone come and visit, it's been nice to have the weekends to ourselves. Brennan was trying out his puppy hat and matching outfit in the picture below. I am pretty sure the hat is from Aunt Debby, and matches another outfit from Gymboree that she bought him. He ended up with a few pieces from the same collection, so that makes for easy mixing and matching (Stacy and Clinton would approve!)

Snow Baby

We got the first snow of the winter this weekend. I took Brennan out for a few minutes to experience the snow. He was intrigued by white things falling from the sky, but didn't really enjoy touching it, since it was cold!

Yes, this weekend was FRIGID! We stayed close to the house and spent a lot of time by the fireplace. Brian and I both had Monday off from work, and due to the inauguration madness, Brian had Tuesday off as well. It was nice to have some extra family time. We used the extra day to start cleaning out the basement, which has become a dumping ground for everything we don't know what to do with!

It was so exciting to see the inauguration events on TV yesterday. Many of my coworkers actually went down to the mall for the swearing-in ceremony, and the concert on Sunday. They were all impressed by the positive energy that filled the air. I feel hope for this nation as we begin the next 4 years with Obama at the helm, and hope that he will be able to fulfill at least some of his campaign promises.

I Love Jumping!

I initially did not want to get a jumperoo. I felt like it would just be another large plastic toy that would only be used for a few months, but that I would have to store for years to come for the next baby. I even turned down Grandpa Pecorino's offer to buy one for Brennan for Christmas. But, after seeing how much fun Mariah's girls had in their jumperoo, and noticing that Brennan has outgrown this stage of his excersaucer, but still loves jumping in it, I decided to bite the bullet. I bought one off of Craig's List for $30. The best part about doing it this way is that when he outgrows this item, I will not feel compelled to store it. I will gladly pass it along to someone else.

If you aren't sure what a jumperoo is, Brennan was happy to give this demonstration for you.

Picture Perfect

We took Brennan to Portrait Innovations on Sunday to get his 6 month photos taken. It's hard to believe 6 months has gone by. It's amazing how much Brennan has changed, he's really turning into a little boy. Portrait Innovations did a great job! They took over 100 photos in a number of different poses with different backgrounds. The staff was wonderful with Brennan and kept him smiling through most of the shoot. I had more than enough pictures to choose from. The prices were reasonable and they print the pictures there while you wait. I did get the photos on disc and will upload them to a slide show, but here are a few fun ones. Keep in mind that these are all uncropped, so there is more dead space in the pics below than in anything we ordered.

Peas Please!

The subject line should really read 'No More Peas Please!' Our debut into peas was NOT a hit! When he first tasted them, his face said it all. He didn't like them. From there, each bite got worse, he gagged some of it down (proof was in this morning's diaper), but he spit much of it out. The only part about the meal he enjoyed was mashing the peas that he spit out all over his face. After giving the peas a good college try, we fed him oatmeal and tried to sneak a little oatmeal/pea mix into his mouth, but he wasn't thrilled with that either. After talking with Mariah, whose doctor had given her much more guidance on starting foods than mine did, we are going to move to the yellow/orange veggies... carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, etc... something that he might find a little more appealing. That was in line with my Mom's advice as well, who was surprised that I was starting with peas. I should have known that Mom was right!!

6 Month Stats

We went to the doctor today for Brennan's 6 month well baby visit. He weighed 18 lb 8 oz (65%) and was 27 3/4 inches long (90%). Brian was disappointed that his weight percentile dropped since the last visit. He wants Brennan to be large... it's funny. But, I think long and lean is just fine! And, the doctor is pleased with his growth and overall development. We were in the Pirate Room today.

On Sunday, Brennan's first tooth broke through. It's still not big enough to actually photograph, but as it grows in, we'll be sure to post a shot. It makes me feel a little sad that he's getting teeth, soon I won't have that adorable toothless smile to look at anymore. But, I know I'll love each new phase as it comes. We have the doctor's okay to start solids other than cereal, so tomorrow, we're going for peas. I made a batch tonight in my new Beaba Babycook (thanks Mom!). I also made some zucchini for later in the week that I froze in an ice cube tray. I'll let you know how it goes!