Every week Arthur has new and exciting skills.  I love watching him grow and change.  Even his personality is starting to show.

Likes: Walks, anything he can put in his mouth, his cloth books

Dislikes: Bedtime (fighting it every night now), not being able to eat my food

Sleeping:He fights sleep at nights now.  We have to go through a few times of putting pacifiers back in and/or rocking him before he drops off.  Plus, he is only sleeping 4-5 hours at a time again.

Eating: I bought him some rice cereal, but i've decided to wait until after his vaccinations to try it.  I'm still waiting to see if those vaccinations have any ill effect.  Maybe Wednesday or Thursday...

Playing:He loves hanging out on the blanket and checking out all his toys.  He's reaching and grabbing and figuring out stuff.  I love watching him explore!

Doctor Visit Stats:

• Weight:17 lbs. 11 oz (85th percentile) — I thought he was over 17 pounds and I was right!  He's almost doubled his birth weight.
• Length: 25 1/2" (65th percentile) — I don't think this measurement was correct.  The nurse had a heck of a time holding him still.  I measured him at 25 1/2" at 3 months and I know he's grown since then.  I'm estimating him closer to 26 1/2"
• This visit was a bad one. As soon as Arthur entered the exam room, he started screaming.  Not fussing, screaming...  It was horrendous.  We hardly got through the physical exam.  And then we got to the vaccinations.  He had one oral and two shots.  Amazingly enough, the vaccinations were less traumatic than the rest of the exam.  He cried the entire way home (thank goodness it's only about 4 blocks) and for another 1 1/2 hours at home.  I did a lot of walking and rocking to get him to calm down.  I eventually gave him a bit of Tylenol.  And after another 30 minutes of rocking, he finally fell asleep. Thankfully he woke up smiling and fairly happy.

Medical Milestones: 

• Averaging 11-14 hours of sleep each day with fewer day naps -- Check! He usually sleep 8-10 hour a night with three small naps during the day.  He averages about 13 hours of sleep a day.
• Attempting a sippy cup -- Nope. We haven't tried this yet.  Maybe soon.
• Insecurity around strangers -- Sorta check. He doesn't cry when others pick him up, but he doesn't usually smile either.  Smiles are reserved for those he knows.
• Developing preferences of toys -- Check! He definitely has his favorites: Sophie and Taggie monster.  He plays with other toys, but these two will always elicit a smile.

Schedule: He's settled into a fairly predictable schedule.  Three naps a day.  In bed by 7:30 with a bedtime routine of bath, bottle, and cuddles.

Out and About:

• Olympus Caffe -- We met the mom's group for coffee and a chat.  It was a nice little afternoon in the cooler weather.
• Mom's doctor appointment -- I had to take Arthur with me to my appointment.  Thankfully he was great and charmed all the ladies in the office.
• Campbell Community Track -- We met another mom's group to walk the track and chat.  We had a nice time and I hope to do it again.
• Book Club -- Sunday we met Pam and Angi for book club at Specialty's.  We had a lovely chat and brunch.