Six months! I can't believe our little man is already half a year old. Seems like it was yesterday that we were just bringing him home unexpectedly almost three weeks early. At six months, he has quite the personality, and is so much fun to be around. Honestly...in the entire six months he's been with us, I can only count one or two times that I felt like I needed a break from the whole parenting thing. This, I'm sure, has a great deal to do with the awesome support from our friends and family while we adjust to this new lifestyle.

C is a pretty serious little fella most days, and really likes to sit back and take everything in. He is not fond of surprises, and has quite the inquisitive little spirit thinking about the world around him. Contrary to many of the pictures I was able to capture this month, C has some of the biggest face splitting smiles that absolutely melt our hearts when he has a little extra attention or a good story.

Love those chubby baby thighs...

Fun with Grandpa T and Cousin J!

This month, we had a good time celebrating T's birthday!

6 MONTH FAVORITES

Snuggling

Sucking on fingers and thumb

Oatmeal

Hot tub swimming
Church

Outside

Football...attending games, reading about, watching on TV...you name it!

6 MONTH LEAST FAVORITES

Big crowds of people (when everyone is focused on C)

Loud noises

MEMORIES & MILESTONES

We took our first family vacation to Florida! I'll post more about this later after finishing unpacking our 30 bags and uploading photos, but know that it was a success, and we had an absolute blast. Carter did better than any of us expected with the flights, and by our return trip was quite the seasoned little traveler. Some of the firsts included swimming...and liking it..., playing in the sand and ocean, and walking and watching sunsets on the beach. So much fun!

Oatmeal. Otherwise known as the substance that we can't shovel into Carter's mouth fast enough. After starting out slow with the recommended one tablespoon sized serving (pretty much a joke), things gradually progressed to 2...3...4...and even occasionally 5 tablespoons in one sitting. Needless to say, due to my great difficulty with pumping (and the fact that we were on vacation and there was no chance in h-e-double hockey sticks that I was going to haul along a breast pump), we transitioned to mixing with formula instead of breast milk. C was very unsure of his feelings about this the first couple of times, but after the initial bite, has since warmed up to it. He is particularly fond of the addition of prune juice to the mix, and seems to like it better with prune juice rather than without. Good thing too, because I doubt anyone else on the planet is going to keep those prune juice companies in business. Seriously though, the latest prune juice we had to purchase was on vacation where the store carried only a fancy all natural artisan prune juice in a glass bottle. I think it cost about half a paycheck. Of course the shelf life after opening the bottle was 7-10 days, so it's not like we were ever going to get our money's worth. Ridiculous!

Carter is officially a giant. Near the middle of month five, we had to transition to 12 month sized PJs so that our little guy could have his feet in them comfortably (a necessity during the upcoming freezing cold winter). Our official 6 month checkup isn't for a couple of weeks yet (had to coordinate with T's day off so he could come along for the immunizations and the snuggling afterwards), but I've got no doubt that Carter will be top of the charts for height. At T's latest at-home-unofficial-measurement, he was about 29 inches and 18.5 lbs. We ended up purchasing this snowsuit in the 12-18 month size! He fit perfectly in the 6-12 month size, but once we picked him up after trying it on, he maybe had about one inch of extra space before it would be too small. He's still swimming in the 12-18 month sized snowsuit, but with any luck, by the time he really needs it (a.k.a. we feel like venturing out for snow activities rather than just the quick trip to the car), it'll be late December or January, and he'll fit in it a little better. Old Man Winter will likely stick around for at least the next five months, so it'd be unfortunate to get a snowsuit that wouldn't last the entire season. Let the vacation planning begin!

No more bassinet in the Pack'N'Play. Carter isn't sitting up yet, but he's exceeded the weight limits for the raised bassinet...probably around the time he was 4 months, but we didn't think to check the limits until we went on vacation. Oops! A real bummer for my back! It may be time to bust out the monitor, and move him to his own room. And cue the tears... 

C's latest trick since removing the bassinet is rearranging himself so that instead of laying the long way, he likes to lay the short way...there's a scene from Austin Powers that matches exactly what he's doing if you want a good laugh. So far, he gets to the very most narrow crammed in spot and stops with the turning, so my theory is that it's a security issue. He loves to be snuggled, so maybe this is a comfort thing. Little sweetheart. In other news...I stumbled across a baby horoscope while perusing Parents Magazine website, and the baby Taurus perfectly describes our little guy! Sweet and affectionate...likes the outdoors...craves routine...loves to snuggle. Sounds about right!

Strolling without sitting in the car seat. C is now big enough that he can sit securely in the main stroller without having to worry about bringing the car seat. We transitioned to this while on vacation, and C had so much fun walking on the beach and looking at the ocean and various sea birds on the beach, along with the rest of the world. He particularly loved when we brought the stroller up to a table when out to eat so he could be in on all of the action of the meal and watch what was going on. Our stroller, the BOB, did an awesome job on the beach while on vacation. We had no idea when we left on vacation that the sand and salt that we broke in the stroller with while walking on the beach and being in the ocean air would still be around when we got home to a snow covered landscape also filled with sand and salt to melt snow!

First wedding and hotel stay. A high school friend of T's got married in Minneapolis the weekend we returned from the Sunshine State. Luckily, C had no trouble with all of the shuffling around of sleeping situations (four different places in four nights!), and did pretty well with all of the commotion of the weekend. He enjoyed the afternoon wedding in an old church with fancy crystal chandeliers, intricate ceiling designs, stained glass windows, and music, and didn't fuss at all throughout the entire service. By the time the reception rolled around, he was pretty much topped out, and as soon as the DJ started talking on the microphone (our table was right next to the speakers on the dance floor), he got a terrified look on his face and cried for about the next hour and a half off and on until he fell asleep in my arms. In hindsight, taking a newly minted 6-month-old who is scared of loud noises and crowds of people to a wedding reception may not have been the best idea. Waaaay too much for him to handle. That being said, I know T appreciated the chance to catch up with many of his high school buddies whom he doesn't get to see too often, so we stuck it out until 9:30pm before taking C back to the hotel to get ready for bed.

First trip to The Mall of America. C LOVED the mall! He was fascinated by all of the bright lights, high ceilings, and general awesomeness that is the mall. Wonder where he got that from?!?

And just in case anyone is wondering...C looks just like his Uncle B. Seriously...they could be twins!

Trick-Or-Treat

Happy Halloween! The day has arrived! Pumpkins, ghosts, goblins, and who knows what else may be gracing our doorsteps tonight for Halloween. Get your candy ready!

While C is obviously too young to go Trick-Or-Treating this year, I still wanted to get into the spirit to commemorate the occasion of his very first Halloween. Our neighborhood doesn't have many kids, so it will be interesting to see if we have any costumed visitors come knocking tonight. As you can tell by the blurry photo above (it never fails...every time that GIANT smile comes out, my photos don't turn out), C is beyond excited to celebrate Halloween either way!

In preparation for the day, we've been reading Five Little Pumpkins and Room On a Broom on a daily basis for the last week or so to learn all about Halloween. We haven't yet carved a pumpkin, although T is adamant that this happen so we can make some delicious Roasted Pumpkin Seeds to munch on over the weekend. We'll have to see about that. Separating pulp from pumpkin seeds is a project I'm not exactly sure I'm terribly interested in spending time doing this evening. 

Making these yummy looking healthy candy corn snacks, however, might be just the right amount of festiveness. Don't these look delicious!? I don't like candy corn at all, but this healthy fruit version is calling my name! Heck...maybe I'll even convince T to whip up something Halloween-y from the bar after C calls it a night. There's got to be a pumpkin or candy corn themed cocktail recipe out there somewhere right?! 

  

Happy Haunting from our little munchkin!

Happy Harvest!

Ahhh...fall is officially in full swing. Along with the beautiful fall foliage, hunting season, cozy sweaters, and bonfires, another key component of fall in the midwest is harvest season. If you find yourself like us, traveling to and from football games most weekends, you've probably noticed the many farmers in the fields harvesting crops, baling, and getting everything ready for the next planting season. 

After a sprinkling of John Deere visits, the Clay & Humboldt County fairs, and reading about Johnny Tractor and Corny Cornpicker over the past several months, it was inevitable that C would want to get out in the fields for the first time this fall to see what it was all about. My family has an extensive background in all things farming...not to mention a strong affinity towards the color green (seriously though, the first color associations I had as a child were green means good and red means junk), so when the combines started going, it was only a matter of time until we took a little road trip to see what C thought of the real deal.

Before any serious farming, Great Grandpa K (yes, of K.C. Nielsen Ltd.) took a little time to chat with C about how combines work. He learned all about how to drive, read the yields, and operate the corn head. As you can tell, C was eating it up, and completely fascinated by the whole ordeal.

One of my favorite memories of my grandpa when I was little was going out for a ride in the combine during harvest, and I'm so glad that it is a memory that C & I can share. Taking C for his first combine ride was a very momentous occasion that I'm sure will be repeated on a yearly basis. I imagine next year he will find it even more interesting to watch as the corn and beans are harvested! 

Thanks to Grandma J for being our photographer for the occasion!

Happy Harvesting!

Four & Five Month Favorites

As we head into our six month with baby (yikes!), I thought I'd share a list of favorites from the last two months. Without further adieu...our four and five month favorites.

Comotomo Silicon Baby Teether & Sassy Teething Tail Fish // Hand-eye coordination had a drastic improvement during months 4 and 5, and C has loved nothing more than having something to chew on now that he can find his mouth. After trying several different teethers, the Comotomo Silicon Baby Teether and Sassy Teething Tail Fish have been our favorites. Both are easy for baby to grab from all angles and bring directly to his mouth to chew on. They are both soft and have different textures to explore.

Footed Pajamas // With the cool down in temps lately, footed pjs are absolutely necessary. Offspring makes some that use a heavier weight cotton that work great for cooler temps, and hold up well with many washings. Bonus if you find some that are zippered instead of buttons!

ErgoBaby Carrier // We love the Ergo! After baby hit that four month mark, he was too heavy to wear in the K'tan for extended lengths of time, but the Ergo has a lot more structure and better weight distribution with padded shoulder straps to help save mama's back. C goes in the Ergo on grocery shopping trips, football games, when I'm making dinner, and everything in between. The fabric melds to baby's body, and cocoons him against me...perfect for little snuggle monsters! The Ergo can be worn on the front, side, or back, and is made for kids from 7-45lbs. The recently released Ergo360 allows baby to also be worn forward facing.

Oatmeal // Around the 5 month mark, we started giving C oatmeal. While he wasn't acting any more hungry than usual (a sign it's time to introduce solids), our Doctor recommended starting him on oatmeal since recent studies have shown decreased likelihood of allergies the sooner solid foods are introduced. While T isn't fully on board with that thought, after seeing our little guy smack his lips and watch us like a hawk at dinner night after night, we thought why not? Ever since, C has been loving his oatmeal. We've tried both the All Natural Beechnut and Organic Gerber brands, and don't think it seems to matter which one. I usually choose whatever has the least amount of ingredients. Oatmeal is oatmeal is oatmeal. There is no reason to have a bunch of extra additives. As for the whole rice vs. oatmeal dilemma, I never even considered giving C rice cereal. I pretty much viewed it as worthless for its extreme lack of nutrition and flavor, so after our Doctor gave the OK for skipping over rice cereal straight to oatmeal, we were all hands in.

Prune Juice // Since the introduction of oatmeal, our little man has been seriously backed up if you know what I mean. Prune juice to the rescue. Strangely enough, he seems to like the oatmeal even more with the addition of prune juice. Win win. Check the baby food aisle for smaller portion sizes of prune juice before you resort to the expensive giant jug that you'll only use a few tablespoons from.

BabyBjorne Soft Bibs // After a couple weekes of cloth bibs, and endless laundry, I discovered these soft plastic bibs, and I haven't looked back. Cloth bibs are great for liquid only diet, but with the introduction of oatmeal, these plastic bibs are so nice and keep cleanup quick and easy.

Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion // Due to all of the drooling around here, a daily moisturizer has been key to help prevent dried skin. Depending how dry things get, we use Aveeno or Aquaphor around baby's nose and chin on a regular basis.

Fleece Bunting & Stocking Hat // A warm fleece bunting is a must for chilly days. There are many different styles and brands to choose from - Carters, Columbia, Patagonia, etc. I plan to use ours during the winter as well so that I don't have to worry as much about baby overheating in a big snowsuit when we're on longer road trips.