Spring has sprung
April 24th, 2008 - 5 months, 4 weeks, 3 days

Lance has enjoyed the beautiful day!  It hit 91 degrees!  I took this photo early this morning, by afternoon, he was in shorts! yay!!

Tubby Monster
April 23th, 2008 - 5 months, 4 weeks, 2 days

Lance still loves to take his baths!  He even loves to wash his hands!  I cant wash mine without letting him wash his!!

Laughing Babysaurus
April 22th, 2008 - 5 months, 4 weeks, 1 days

Lance has enjoyed his long weekend of perfect weather!  We got in lots of walks and playtime outside and especially, time with Daddy home!  We worked on the pressure washing and stripping part of refinishing his swing set.

Lance has also tried strawberries and green beans this weekend... he does not like strawberries yet, and green beans are kinda' iffy.

Here is a video of me making him laugh... not a very hard thing to do these days!!

Sweet Potato Bliss!
April 18th, 2008 - 5 months, 3 weeks, 3 days

Lance has not been very enthusiastic about eating and had seemed to loose interest after the novelty wore off... but a few days ago I gave him a MumMum (rice cracker) inside his munchkin fresh food feeder (a little mesh bag attached to a handle) and he now cries real tears and pitches a fit if he drops it or I try to take it away! he loves it!  eating is now a favorite activity!

I gave him sweet potatoes for the first time this afternoon and tried a different tactic for feeding him.... letting him feed himself and having him sit in his bouncy seat rather than the high chair... it went really well.  You can see Jake, my dog, patiently waiting for anything to hit the floor!  This video was taken after about 15 minutes of his eating..and smearing/spraying them all over himelf! He was still kicking and squealing after all that time.. and a whole jar of food.  My little Lance is just so much fun!!

Jade and Orren Visit!
April 17th, 2008 - 5 months, 3 weeks, 3 days

Lacey came over today with Jade and Orren and we all went together to pick up Jade's gerbils!  They are very sweet little girls.. the woman that we got them from made sure that they were well socialized!

Another tooth!
April 16th, 2008 - 5 months, 3 weeks, 2 day

Lance has two teeth now! I do not think that he is as excited about it as I am... they sure have caused him a bit of discomfort!

Here he is with his rocking bouncy zebra.. he doesn't quite get it yet, but he likes for me to bounce it for him.

Here he is sleeping on my mum..... awwwww

A walk in the park at Bradley Palmer
April 15th, 2008 - 5 months, 3 weeks, 1 day

Lance went to the state park today with his cousins and aunties :) It was beautiful outside and we just could not resist an afternoon in the sun!!

Lance's silly tongue..and a couple neked pictures
April 14th, 2008 - 5 months, 3 weeks

Lance has been playing with his tongue these last few days.. silly guy! Maybe he is investigating his new tooth.

Home Depot trip with Dada
April 13th, 2008 - 5 months, 2 weeks, 6 days

Lance went to home depot with Mark and I today :) he rode happily in the cart the whole time... went went shopping for products to refinish his swing set.

First Tooth! 
April 12th, 2008 - 5 months, 2 weeks, 5 days

Lance got his first tooth today!  you can hardly see it at all, but you sure can feel it, it is a sharp little thing!  He had peaches for dinner, and I felt it for the first time after he had thrown all three spoons on the floor and I resorted to using my finger to feed him.  Lance went to see the doctor 3 days ago after I got worried that he had been crying and more upset than normal for Lance.  The nurse practitioner felt that his discomfort and irritability was from teething.. she was right!

Swingset! 
April 12th, 2008 - 5 months, 2 weeks, 5 days

I went with my father to pick up a swing set for Lance today.  Two vey nice little girls in Marblehead outgrew their swing set and gave it to Lance.. that was so nice of them! It is not set up yet, as we have to prep the yard and refinish the set... soon!!!  I can't wait!

Spring is finally here 
April 10th, 2008 - 5 months, 2 weeks, 3 days

Lance and I love love love this warm weather! It hit 70 up here on the hill this afternoon.  We went for a nice long walk and Lance smiled and talked the whole time... he really loves this nice weather!  He has never experienced it before!

Dinner with Grammy
April 9th, 2008 - 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days

Lance and I had our monthly dinner with Grammy tonight.  It was lots of fun as always! The kids enjoyed watching SpongeBob Square Pants while we were getting dinner ready!

Updates
April 8th, 2008 - 5 months, 2 weeks, 1 day

Lance and I are doing awesome... I just love being a Mum so very much, I can't even put it to words!

He is 19 1/2 pounds and wearing 9 month old clothing and size 4 diapers already. 

Lance still sleeps with me, we tried one night in the crib, and I couldn't stand it!  He slept for the first 3 hours in there and then when he got up to eat, I brought him in with me.  Normally, he spends the first stretch of sleep in the cosleeper (a bed attached to the side of mine.. essentially an extension of my bed, and then the rest of the night is spend snuggled next to me.  In the daytime, he naps in his hammock still, or in my lap.  When I make my updates to his blog he is almost always sleeping in my lap, he is right now actually! 

I am very proud to report that I am still happily nursing him and plan to for as long as Lance wants to, he would not take a bottle anyway.  He eats one solid meal a day, usually in the afternoon, and nurses about every 2 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night.  Yesterday we tried carrots for the first time. yummy! he really likes eating his veggies!  

His favorite thing right now is to go out and see new things... he thinks the grocery store is a great place.. tons of things to see and people to smile at.  He is not shy at all!  He either rides in the front of the cart or in my ergo baby carrier.

He loves toys that light up and move, but he loves nothing more that paper!  I indulge him with cardstock when I can give him 100% of my attention because he desperately wants to eat the paper!  I crunch it up to save from paper cuts.  This week he has been shaking his toys and swinging them around the full range of motion that his arm can get I have had to either tether them to something or only give him soft ones in fear of his hitting himself with a hard toy.  He has started to be upset when he drops a toy or I take something away from him, he definitely lets me know when he is not done playing with something.  

And as for his distaste for the car seat, he has gotten slowly better as his dexterity has improved.  He is more able to play with the toys that I give him.  He will ride for about 15-20 minutes before he gets upset. I have to change the toys every 2-3 days to keep his interest!  He is such a curious boy, he has an insatiable thirst for discovery!  I have tried my best to give him every opportunity to learn and see new things.

His Jumperoo is still very popular and the Exersauser is getting to be more fun because he can better play with the toys.  He still does not really like tummy time... he will do about 5 minutes at most.. usually he just rolls over onto his back.  He likes to spent time on the floor playing with toys, more so if they are suspended above him.   The carriage is a new popular activity... walks are filled with new things!

The doggies have been a constant source of entertainment for Lance lately.. he loves to watch them run around the house and for Yoshi to shake his toys.  Lance will smile and laugh at them when they are just sitting near him.  The dogs have the easiest time of everyone getting a laugh out of him!  Lance loves to pet them too, he really wants to pet the kitties, but the kitties are not so enthusiastic.  I am happy that my dogs are so good, they have accepted Lance as a family member and respect him as being above them in the pack order so far.   

Carnival time
April 6th, 2008 - 5 months, 1 week, 6 days

Lance went to a carnival today with his cousins Jade and Orren and auntie Lacey :)  He really enjoyed all the sights and sounds!  No rides for Lance yet though, maybe next time.  I got to go on the Ferris wheel with jade though.. here I am about to go on.. a bit apprehensive about getting up there in the very cold wind!.   

The artistic side of Lance
April 4th, 2008 - 5 months, 1 week, 4 days

Lance went to Art Soup today with his cousins. He painted hand and footprints on a few pottery pieces... I have to wait a week to get them back though. 

He also got to try squash today... wow he loved it!  I had to cut him off at two servings.. he will have to wait until tomorrow for more, I have to be careful introducing new foods in order to look for reactions..

We started to feed him with two spoons because he loves to help feed himself.. so he gets his own spoon to hold. 

Riding in the big boy seat!
April 1st, 2008 - 5 months, 1 week, 1 day

Lance got to ride in the big boy seat at Target, (the safety strap holds him up and in there... otherwise he would still flop over)  He thought it was totally awesome because lots of people stopped to talk to him.. he loves to see new people...he has yet to meet someone he did not like.  I am enjoying this stage alot, I just get a total kick out of how he lights up when people talk to him and make goofy faces. I sometime have a hard time deciding who to watch.. my son or the stranger trying to get a smile out of him, it can be quite comical!  I will be sad when he starts being afraid of strangers... like all babies do sometime between 6-12 months. 

He also got to try mixed grain cereal (rice/oats/barley) which he likes better than just plain oatmeal or rice. 

Warmer weather is soooo nice! Goodbye March!
March, 31st, 2008 - 5 months, 1 week  

Lance has been enjoying walks down the street in the carriage! I have took him out when he was tired and ready for a nap... he didn't fall asleep, but he totally relaxed, like I have never seen him do... ever... it was like he was asleep, but he still had his eyes open, taking everything in.  I am so thankful for this warmer weather so that we can get out and see the world.. up until now, Lance wanted nothing to do with being outside in the cold.

You can see the last (hopefully) bit of snow we have left! and in the bottom right you can just see my daffodils coming up... just the leaves now.. the crocuses are up and in bloom though! yay

Lovin' his Daddy and his fishies!
March 30th, 2008 - 5 months, 6 days

Here are some cute photos of Lance with his daddy and his trying to "catch" one of his fish.

So, oatmeal has not been going over so well either... he has only been eating a few unenthusiastic bites before he decided that the meal is over.. maybe when he gets over this cold he will be more interested again.

Hey! Lance has feet!
March 28th, 2008 - 5 months, 4 days

He found his feet today!! It was extra fun because my Mum was there to see it.. very cute.

He has seemingly lost interest in solid food since I gave it to him for the first time... he eats a few bits and then turns away.  I am going to try oatmeal tonight to see if he likes it better.  His loss of interest might have to do with the fact that he has a cold and has been teething... poor guy

One last snow....
March 28th, 2008 - 5 months, 4 days

We got a surprise snow fall today!  And a chance to use Lance's sled!!

Sleep....
March 25th, 2008 - 5 months, one day

Lance slept for 7 1/2 hours straight last night!  It was a first for him.. I was so excited... he stirred a few times, because he has managed to catch another cold and was coughing, but he went right back to sleep without my help... I hope that he keeps up the trend :)  I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I started feeding him cereal.. although he is only eating about a tablespoon of cereal in the middle of the afternoon at this point... *ponders* they say that starting solids will not make a difference in sleeping, but it sure is a coincidence!

*Update at 9 months old... Lance still has not done that again...*

5 months old today
March 24th, 2008 - 5 months

I can hardly believe that 5 months have gone by.... time really does fly when you are having fun!

Today we played in the leaves at Jade and Orren's house and then we drove the chickens to their new home in Ipswich.  the chickens really have been growing fast too, I am amazed at how big they got in one week! 

Happy Easter
March 23rd, 2008 - 4 months, 4 weeks

Today was Lance's first Easter.  We had a great day.  We enjoyed a big family dinner with lots of family to smile and coo for!!

A Walk with Cousin Alex
March 22nd, 2008 - 4 months, 3 weeks, 6 days

Today Lance went for a walk with Alex in his red wagon and a swing on his swing set.  He liked the swing so much he decided to take a 30 minute nap!!!

Ergo Carrier
March 21st, 2008 - 4 months, 3 weeks, 5 days

There is a photo of Lance and I at the Mall... he is riding in my Ergo carrier!  I love this baby carrier.. I have a bunch of others, and this is the only one I use.. it is so much more comfortable for both of us.  I have a stroller for him.. but I think he has only been in it twice... I took it out of the car because I think it too much of a hassle to use it at this point.

Easter Portraits
March 21st, 2008 - 4 months, 3 weeks, 5 days

Today Lance had his photo taken with his cousins at a portrait studio... Lance's first professional photo shoot!!

The First Supper
March 20th, 2008 - 4 months, 3 weeks, 4 days

Lance has been eating and eating and eating lately, at least every 2 hours around the clock... and he watches me longingly as I eat my own food.. following every bite from the plate to my mouth... I had planned on holding him off until he was 6 months old to introduce his to solid food, but him waking up every 60-90 minutes all night long to eat, is getting old really fast.  So tonight I gave him his first bowl of "solid" food, milk mixed with rice cereal.  He couldn't get the food in his mouth fast enough!  he loved it.. he seemed to know what to do right away!  I think it is because he has been spending so much time studying me eat!

Here is a video of him eating his first meal... just ignore the silly commentary from Mark and I.  From the video, you can not really appreciate that he is spearing the cereal all over his face, but trust me, he is :)

Easter chicks
March 17th, 2008 - 4 months, 3 weeks, one day

Lance got Easter chicks today! (After Easter, they will be going to live as free range chickens at my friend's house with her 24 other chickens)

My Toad...aly Awesome Baby
March 16th, 2008 - 4 months, 3 weeks

This is one of my favorite shirts that I got for Lance... at the time, while I was still preggers, I thought that he would be wearing 9 month old clothing during the summer time... not so much... so he gets to wear it as an under shirt, because it is still cold here in New England in March!

Irish feast
March 14th, 2008 - 4 months, 2 weeks, and 5 days

Today we went to an Irish Feast in honor of St. Patrick at our friend's house.  It was awesome as always!!

Rolling over unassisted! (yay) and a video of him laughing!
March 12th, 2008 - 4 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days

Last night Lance did his first pushup on straightened arms!  And this morning he used his new found talent to roll from his front to his back (to the right) totally unassisted.  What a proud moment for Mum!!  He looked as though he had done it a hundred times, it was seemingly effortless, but he has yet to repeat it!    

Finally!  Here is a video of Lance laughing!  If he catches sight of the camera, he gets mesmerized by it.. and there is no chance of him laughing... so I had to recruit Mark to grab this video :)

Adventures in babysitting
March 12th, 2008 - 4 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days

Today I spent my morning with Alex and Lance.   I will start by saying that I don't know how anybody can have more than one child!  Both Lance and Alex are very very good boys, but they both like to be active!  It makes for a fun time though!

The boys  
March 11th, 2008 - 4 months, 2 weeks, 3 days

Lance loves my doggies. He loves to watch them run around.  Both of the dogs are very well behaved around Lance, I am very thankful for that!  However, as much as I love my pups, I know I can never never trust them unsupervised with Lance... that goes for all dogs in my opinion.   

Auntie Katie's Birthday
March 9th, 2008 - 4 months, 2 weeks