Roll Over, Sit, Good Boy!

So excited Pax finally rolled over onto his tummy in his crib, yesterday, 7 months old.  Though was a bit freaked that the helmet might have prevented him from lifting his sweet little head to breathe.  Not to worry, he's strong like bull and was fine.
Another milestone achieved.....now, we're on our way to crawling!   Still no sign of teeth, but I'm sure they are going to pop out in mass w/ the amount of drool thats been drippin' round these here parts and the digit feeding frenzy.  If mamas fingers are not the ones being drafted into  Pax' mouth, his  toes seem to do the trick.

PS thanks to Staci for making our boy, a 'boob' man  :)

A Merry 1st Christmas for Pax

Second airplane trip to Texas for Pax and it went very smoothly.  Many strangers on the flight complimented our little man for his calm demeanor and general good manners.....'momma raised him right'  :)
 Went to visit Nanny and Pops in San Antonio and was spoiled w/ fun toys, boat loads of clothes and a coupla really cool piggy banks....not to mention a college fund underway....TOGA, TOGA, TOGA!  :)

Though Pax was not able to  enjoy the multitude of sweets(homemade fudge, nanny's chocolate brownies, cherry shortbread cookies, oatmeal cranberry triple chocolate chip cookies, rum cake, etc) bestowed upon us, he was enjoying his very own sweet apples...a first on his menu thus far.

Looking impossibly RAD in my new, blue, snakeskin print helmet....my head is gonna be so round it will be sick!

Thank you Weezie for helping me make sure all my toes were there!

A fun Christmas Eve dinner complete w/ King Ranch casserole, tamales, guacamole and the most amazing Chocoflan cake, mom said I sure missed out....maybe next year, when I have a tooth or two .

Pax and his favorite furry buddies...ie Santas helpers

the magical Santa, given to Pax by Weezie and Debbie...quite possibly the best gift EVER!

Twas the night before Christmas plays while being lit up and rotating...all in the belly of Santa

thanks ladies for mesmerizing my little man  :)

6 Month Glamor Shot

5 Month Glamor Shot

You can have too much of a good thing!

Yes, too many bananas caused a bit of a backup, the poor man was enjoying them, until he realized all the fiber was creeping up on him.  Will need to check w/ my oh so knowledgable pediatrician(major sarcasm) on stool softener use for infants  :(
Also working through a cold he got last week at the gym daycare...good times.
On the menu this week, Carrots!

Independence and preferences
At this age Paxton may show a strong preference for your partner over you, or vice versa. Try not to take it personally. Babies generally will go to one parent for a specific need, such as comforting, and the other for play. Remember that parenting isn't a popularity contest, and showing a preference isn't rejection.




Interesting, I wonder which one I will be?

Whats on the Menu ?

Pax has been enjoying brown rice cereal since last month and enjoyed his first homemade vegetable last week....sweet potatoes, Yum!  Bananas were introduced today and they were also a big hit, we'll give these the customary 4-5 day wait/watch and move on to homemade, organic carrots.
I think we got ourselves a good, happy eater, at least it seems so for now.
I wonder when he can eat pureed brats/sauerkraut?  :)

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

in fact, I swore I saw Rudolph at the breakfast table,

Pax has also been visiting his mancave to get ready for the holidays, a boys gotta get his rest,

Gobble Gobble!

Thanksgiving was at our house this year and my brother Mike and his family joined us...lots of fun, food and, well, libations  :)
My nephew, Jake, really enjoyed his new cousin, "Aunt Mari I really like Paxton and his big head", as he pet his head.
Sweet Peaches, their dog, was not so sweet, chewing holes in our runner and taking a poop/pee in our dining room.  Bohde and Brie were not used to having such a vocal dog in the house, but enjoyed romping around with her anyway.
The turkey was deep fried, but dry...next year, we are taking it to the oven.  Mashed potatoes, sausage stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberries, rolls and gravy, also graced our plates.
For this bounty we were most grateful...and oh, did I mention the wine and bubbly.....really grateful for that!!!

Grandma and Grandpa arrived on Friday and played endless rounds of  Peek a Boo w/ Pax and many rounds of Go Fish    w/ Jake....we love that they are game lovers and tireless  :)

Oct Visit to Dallas

sadly, we were in Dallas for the  funeral of Jays uncle, however,  having Paxton with us  lightened the mood and he quickly became a plaything for Jay's cousins

6 Month Tourettes

well, I don't think this is considered a milestone, but our little man has adopted(temporarily only, I hope!)  a phantom cough, which seems like a tick and a sort of hyperventilated breathing style....which sounds as though he is getting ready to wail.  He knows it will get my attention, as I  see him looking at me for a reaction as he is doing it....clever little bugger.
The care givers at the community center daycare asked me if he was alright, while he demonstrated his heavy panting for them the minute we walked in for our first babysitting session with them...I'm sure they thought, 'what the'.....
This to shall pass!
PS what happened to those wonderful nights..sleeping through?  Good grief little mister, you have been waking up every 2-3 hours.  Blame it on a growth spurt, I guess!

6 Months

starting rice cereal this week...so excited.
Pax is super happy we got his high chair last weekend, sitting upright at the table w/ mom and dad is fun, he doesn't like to miss out!

Time for mom to try her hand at baby food making...here we go!   :)

The Agony of DeFeet(and not being able to get them in the mouth)

Pax has discovered his feet are pretty cool toys, if he could only fit the darn things in his mouth, it would be the perfect toy!  At least the straining effort it takes to get one foot to the mouth is working his abs and he is well on his way to a 6 pack by summer!

The Pick Up Game

'If you feel like Paxton is dropping his toys over and over again only to get your attention, remember that this is how he tests the world and he is fascinated to find that dropping an object, such as a rattle, will have the same result every time. He now knows the sound that the rattle makes and can anticipate it. If the rattle hits another toy or surface on the way down, he may look to see what happened and why the sound was different that time. He is also delighted to discover another predictable result: that you will pick it up for him. '
 
We also have discovered sticking our tongue out is fun and have started to practice the sound, 'th' .....all fun developments.

22 Weeks...Holy Moly, I'm 5 Months Old Already!!

...and to think next month, I will get to start  eating, actual food!
Bananas, sweet potatoes and rice, oh my!

Paxton in the Halloween Spirit!

Thank you Aunt Susan, for my cool and spooky Halloween jammies!
Boo!!

Up, Up and Away!

when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but an infant projecting himself forward in his bouncy seat.  What a funny sight, Paxton straining to sit up to see what mommy is doing in the kitchen....working his baby abs, he is so strong ...but not strong enough to roll over yet  ..
He will be 5 months on the 17th..sheesh, time does fly!

Babys First Hibernation

Goodness....12 hours of straight sleep on mom and dads 12 year anniversary....how ironic!  :)
8pm-8am!!   a sleeper, like his dad

Pig in a Blanket Meets a Pea in the Pod....

Paxton is not yet familiar w/ Pillow Talk, but Brie is patiently teaching him

Poopalooza!

thats right it was a poopfest here today at the Rohde house!
Geez, I had heard of the infamous, up the back, poop through...but this was a ridiculous explosion, that we both  ended up wearing....GAG!  :(
Guess I'll need to keep an extra set of clothes for myself upstairs in the nursery  too.

Brie and her new religion

'Body of Ritz'?

Brie: Yes please

4 Month Glamour Shot

OH NO!.....I FOHR MONS OYD.

Feeling Blue

my blue Bumpo, my blue dog and my blue jammies and 'that's all I need'  :)

Superman in His' Batmobile'

Superman getting ready to propel himself outta the sweet lamb swing.  No phone booth for this Superman, he plans to use those thunder thighs to shoot him right into the night.....well, not yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time till he figures out what those two legs can do..he has, afterall, orchestrated the in sync lift, as demonstrated in this photo.
So, in the spirit of  Halloween, I thought we needed to soup up his swings mobile.
Paxton had no objection and rather liked one of the lambs  being 'silenced', replaced by one  cool, hairy bat  :)
Gotta keep that boy on his toes and mix it up!

Speaking of toes..is it normal for a little man that does not crawl or walk to have sweaty/clammy feet?  I thought babies had sweet, soft feet, not the clammy variety...should we send him back?  :)
A question for the pediatrician.

Trader Joe's!!!!

Well, you heard it hear folks, The Wichita Eagle confirms Trader Joe's  will be coming to Kansas City in 2011, on both KC and MO sides..  I could not be happier!!
http://www.kansas.com/2010/09/16/1496404/trader-joes-coming-to-kansas-city.html

Not long till Two Buck Chuck will be pulsing through my veins  :)

Week 16

Having fun sitting in the Bumpo...why didn't mom put me in this sooner?  

"Bohde, please help me brush my hair over my fontanel"

Fun discoveries for the Pax....he can control intake at  mealtime. Learning to work w/ those little hands to push things away and pull, cute to see his satisfaction w/ this ability.  Working on hand/eye coordination and constantly doing 'the itsy bitsy spider' w/ my chubber hands and realizing the effect of pulling on my hands.  Cause and effect are  fun discoveries for me at this stage, I like to see that I am controlling something.

 Mom said she couldn't afford a bear rug, so she got me a Brie rug for my room....learning to compromise.

Babblefest!

Well, this was the week Pax discovered his voicebox and starting up a babbling storm....too cute!
I love it and am hopeful  we will have a talkative boy.....oxymoron?..I guess they do exist, I am just too used to his quiet Daddy  :)
Pax had a full on conversation w/ his sweet lamb mobile on the swing the other day...luckily it was caught on tape!
I will cherish these days, especially when the day comes that he will have actual vocabulary to backtalk me while discovering his superego----then I will most certainly miss the days of non-sensical babble!

14 Weeks

Your baby can probably open and close his fingers. Most can also put their hands together and grab at things.

Most babies have started to laugh by now, and they also smile when something - like you talking! - makes them happy.

More than a third of babies this age sleep for six hours during the night; nearly three quarters of them will be doing so by 9 to 12 months. ...We are very fortunate to have the sloth baby that can and has slept in excess of 8 hrs a stretch...holy sleeper! He's a good boy and very joyful!

Pax' 3 month Glamour Shot

Sweet Home Chicago!

Our first road trip w/ the little man and we were worried how the 8 hour drive would treat him.  Seems he is a natural traveller!  The drive to Chicago was in the middle of the night, so he slept most of the way, we stopped once to feed/change him.  On the way home, we stopped 3 times, to feed/change him since we left during the day, but he was a champ w/ no crying  :)

Check me out in my car seat after an 8 hour trip!

And sleeping while away was no problemo, slept straight through the nights 8 or 9 hours...Yippee!

Just a coupla  White Sox fans!

We were treated to a 2 hour boat cruise, complete w/ all you can eat  lunch buffet on the Odyssey, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa.  It was wonderful and we got to see the Blue Angels practice their stunts for the next days Air/Water Show.

Love Navy Pier!

The Blue Angels Rocked!!

Me and my man, aboard the Odyssey!

The lovely Chicago Skyline

13 Weeks

babies are now at the stage when they love to wave their arms, pump their legs and swat at whatever they can. They're practicing their gross motor skills.

Most babies are starting to coo vowel sounds like "oy," "aah" and "ee" at this point....mama loves this!  :) Pax is such a great sleeper, like his daddy!   8, 9 hour stretches are here ...hopefully for good.  I love that he is also a mild waker upper, not screaming for us to come get him, once he is up...he calmly waits for room service and is content to look around his crib/room.   Yeah, no sleep training 'round here, the boy got it! Next week, more shots...holy vaccinations!  :(

12 Weeks

the 'full-body smile' is wonderful!   A full-body smile is just what the name implies; a smile that uses all of your baby's body. He may kick, wave his arms, and squeal. There will be no mistaking that he is happy. By the end of the first year, full-body smiles are pretty much over...so enjoy them while they last  :)


So enthralled by the discovery of his fingers this week.  Really examining those digits intensely, trying to figure out there use, while trying to force his entire fist down his throat. 


 Still trying to work through those little reflux moments, whereby mom goes running for cover when the projectile milk flies....gag!    I find myself singing 'The Reflex', by Duran Duran, remixed as the 'Reflux', to reflect the mood.
The doc says it's nothing to worry about, as long as he is gaining weight.  He now weighs a healthy 13 lbs, that was w/ clothes and diaper on...so give or take a few ounces.


About to embark on our first road trip w/ the little man....here we come Chicago!!  

11 Weeks

No longer a limp biscuit, our little man is an active bobble head, currently being challenged to the dreaded 'tummy time'.  Geez you hate to watch this uncomfortable squirming about, but, as they say, that which does not kill us makes us stronger!  :)
Seriously, 10 minutes on his tummy, must be like 50-100 push ups to us, he even breaks a bit of a sweat, I'm convinced it's a great workout for him, he seems exhausted afterwards...poor guy.

Good thing Brie was there for moral support  :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_ni3nt2T4

Holy Cake Balls !

My niece, Sam turned 11 yesterday!  I was so happy to learn Central Markets catering department will deliver cake balls(a delight we all experienced last Thanksgiving, thanks to my other niece, Madeline...shes always in the know!)
A selection of red velvet, lemon, carrot cake, italian cream, mint chocolate chip and chocolate peanut butter cake balls were artfully created for her birthday celebration...wish I was there to try one!  :)

Paxtons 2 Month Photo

Time flies and my head just gets bigger!

10 Weeks

'A few babies sleep for five or six hours at a time now; most still wake up in the middle of the night.' Blame it on a full day out w/ brunch/ shopping and riding in the car....but Pax slept from 10pm-3am and we could not have been more excited!....nervous too, I still got up at 2:30 to check on him to see that he was still breathing, so we welcome 10 weeks and the longer  sleeping hours in the evening! But wait, hold the phone, later in the week, he slept 8 hours...HOLY CANOLI!....while I'm sure it was a fluke, I still was not able to enjoy it in all it's glory as I had dreams that something was wrong with him and got up multiple times to check on him to be sure he was breathing, etc.    :( I guess being a nervous mom is par for the course......for the rest of my life.

•	At this age, babies smile at strangers, and they now grow excited when someone they know well is nearby; they reach out their arms to be picked up.

•	As your baby's muscles develop, her arm and leg movements are becoming much smoother and more coordinated.

Is that a fact? Babies use 25 percent of the calories they take in for growth.