I didn’t edit this video to shorten it, but if you watch the first 5-10 seconds, you’ve got the gist of the video. Barrett just body slammed himself over and over for a good 30 minutes taking shorts breaks every now and then. Too funny!
Barrett turned 4 months today! I can’t believe how fast he’s growing and changing! His head is totally and 100% under control and he can sit/stand upright forever!!! We’ve also stopped swaddling him to sleep and he’s now free to move around in his sleeveless “wearable blanket” (Sleep Sack). Such a big boy! Today was Barrett’s first time in the Johnny Jump Up- he’s a bit too small for it still but seemed to really like it, though doesn’t do much “jumping” in it yet. :)
Barrett loves the Excersaucer these days. He grabs at the toys and brings them to his mouth and LOVES to rock back and forth and stomp his feet. He played in that thing for an hour today!!
We went to two weddings earlier this month. The first was my cousin, Anne’s, in Richmond, VA. The second was Doug’s 2nd cousin, Andrew’s, in Pennsylvania. After that wedding we went on to Maryland to spend more time with Doug’s extended family.
And finally, another of Barrett’s latest tricks. He eats his foot!
I did another photo shoot today for Barrett. We haven’t had any professional (of any level) photographs made yet but I’m very happy with these, so we’ll save our money for now. After the first few pics, I realized I needed a nicer background, so ever the improviser, I hung a white table cloth from the ceiling fan using refrigerator clips. Worked like a charm! As you see, all the pictures are black and white, but if you click on the slide show and allow yourself to be taken to Picasa, you’ll see the same photo album there in color.
Barrett has been doing awesome as usual! He’s been to two weddings in the past two weeks- the 1st in Richmond, VA (my cousin Anne), the 2nd in Pennsylvania (Doug’s 2nd cousin Andrew)- pictures to come. He was a bit off schedule at the wedding in Richmond, thus a bit fussy in general most of the weekend, but he made up for it in PA where he was a dream for the 5 million people who held him. He never minded being passed around by everyone! We had a great time with both of our families these past two weekends. He doesn’t love being in his car seat for hours and hours (I hate long trips too)- he gets bored looking at the same things and gets fussy. It’s totally manageable though and he eventually just goes to sleep (me too).
He’s settling into more of a daily routine too… 3 naps with 3ish hours of wake time at a time and we’re starting to nail down general time frames too! I think it’ll just take me starting his day at the same time each day and we’ll have our time frames!
Barrett is so easy to make smile these days and loves to talk and shout. He still doesn’t laugh a ton, but instead makes other very loud, happy noises where laughing would also be appropriate. The laughs are coming, just slower and not as often. He’s totally found his hands (weeks ago) and is now using them to grab his feet and draw them in for a closer look. His grabbing for toys and other things in his reach is also becoming more intentional. It’s so fun to see him growing and changing!!!
He still startles sometimes too- he’s sitting beside me in his chair and he was watching me type. I said “aaah boo!” and he jumped to the ceiling (any of us would)! Hahaha! It doesn’t upset him though- usually makes him smile.
Chase, Barrett, & Miller
My life now. :)
July 7, 2010- The boys got together today- Chase, Barrett and Miller Mansfield! Yay!!!! Welcome home Mansfields!
July 6, 2010- Starting yesterday, Chase Graham will be joining us during the day, half the weeks of the next year. He just turned 1 and is as delightful and enjoyable as anyone could hope for! He and Barrett are already best buds!
This diagram got a lot of laughs.
Getting my teeth wired.
Our first look at Barrett.
July 1, 2010- One year ago today I fell while jogging. I broke my jaw, broke 7 teeth, split my chin wide open, and got serious road rash. I had 12 stitches in my chin for 3 days and had my jaw wired for 6 weeks. It took 6 months to get my teeth fixed, which resulted in two gold crowns and a porcelain one. Many other teeth had to be smoothed because of tiny and not so tiny chips. Just a few short weeks after falling, I found out I was pregnant with Barrett! He was just beginning to grow in me when I fell. Praise God for His protection over Barrett!
Doug and I have been going back and forth for weeks about how/if to do “the pool” this summer with Barrett being technically too young for sunscreen. After talking to my friend Aubrey about a play date at the pool and being wishy washy to her about it, I finally decided Barrett didn’t have to miss out on summer pool fun. I went searching for a long sleeved, long pants bathing suit and rockin’ sun hat. Doug and I found all of the above at Buy Buy Baby (the best baby store on the planet!!!) and even got him some sunglasses!!! I also emailed my pediatrician and asked what the deal about sunscreen on young babies is. He said “In general the hesitation [with kids under 6 months wearing sunscreen] is related to chemical exposure for young infants with sensitive skin. Though 6 months is the usual rule, it’s very appropriate to start sooner. I recommend loose clothing covering most body surfaces plus hat as a first line against sun exposure. Then I’d do my best to stay out of the sun around peak hours. Once you are taking those precautions I think it’s fine to use sunscreen beginning at 3 months. I’d keep it away from his eyes and use an SPF of 15 or greater.” So we’re following those guidelines and today, Barrett got to experience the pool for the first time! He was very tired so he only last 10 minutes before getting fussy, but otherwise he loved it! He fell asleep in my arms on the 2 minute walk back to our place.
Quick note about the suit: the first pair we bought (in the 1st 2 pics) was “6-12 mo/10-18 lbs” but the sleeves, length of shirt, and pants were way to short! So I went back and got him the “12-18 mo/18-22 lbs” pair and the lengths are much better. It’s too big for him in the chest/belly and around the waist (as you can see in the pictures), but we’d rather him be well covered that have perfectly fitting clothes.
And some of you may be worried that we’re going to turn our kids into “those kids” who wear this type of outfit until they’re 12 and finally tell their parents to quit making them wear such dorky stuff. Don’t worry, we won’t be those parents- nothing is dorky looking on a 3 month old though!!! :)
Newest pictures from the last few days. Our guy is growing and changing so fast! He still isn’t laughing much, but you just have to blink to make him smile so big! It’s wonderful! He slept 11 hours two nights ago and 12 hours last night (up from 9-10 hours/night), so maybe he’s starting a new trend! It’s been so fun to have Doug home right now too. He’s home looking for a new job but has become an expert on Barrett and care for him- he’s super relaxed and great with him! (I knew he would be, it’s part of what made me fall in love with him- that I knew he’d be a fantastic dad.) I feel like Barrett will be sitting up confidently in just another month or so- he’s already holding himself up mostly on his own and with a tiny bit of support (like a Boppy around him), can sit up very well. …Can’t think of anything else to mention…
Wow! Somebody’s head is getting big! That and he’s losing all his hair. Haha! He’s so stinkin’ cute though! This was his first ride in the stroller without the car seat since the early days (after a few rides in the first week, I decided his head bounced around too much not to use the car seat). He was entranced by all there was to see on our walk. And the sun was going down so we didn’t have to have him covered. What a good boy! He’s 3 months today and since he doesn’t go back to the doctor for another month, I took him to the gym and weighed him. He’s 14 lbs 10 oz!!! Wow!!!
