Arthur: 38 Weeks

After many days of non-sleeping, I think we've finally turned a corner. Arthur's slowly getting back to an actual sleep schedule. Woohoo!

Likes: Food (of any kind), computers, balls, cuddling, grass

Dislikes: Going to bed, missing all the fun

Sleeping: He's still not back on a great sleeping schedule. Thankfully we are inching our way back to a 7:30-8:00pm bedtime. Napping is still hit or miss.

Eating: Everything in sight! After many failed attempts to get Arthur to eat cheese, he finally ate some... it was feta on a fig, bacon, and feta pizza. Weird I know! But at least it's something.

Playing: Lots and lots of playing. I bought him a walker last week and he's loving exploring that toy. He's also rediscovering items that make noise (shaker eggs, tambourine, etc). I will have to get him some more musical type toys.

Medical Milestones:

Responding to simple commands -- He acknowledges a few commands, but doesn't always respond correctly. His new game is to "run away" while naked. It is a game for him...
Grasping small objects with thumb and index finger -- Check! He's got this thing done!
Becoming attached to a lovey -- Possibly. He loves having one of two blankets for naps and bedtime, but no specific stuffed animal yet.
Pulling up at furniture or even standing on his own -- Check on both counts! He's cruising along furniture. I've even caught him standing on his own a few times for about 3 seconds.

Schedule: None exists anymore... Ugh! I am not liking this.

Out and About: We had quite a week at the beach, BBQ, and park visits. Looking forward to another great week of activities.

Arthur: 37 Weeks

This past week was another bad one. I have no idea what is going on with Arthur, but he has decided to not sleep...

Likes: Standing, being held, eating

Dislikes: Sleeping in his crib, bread (weird, I know), sitting still

Sleeping: For whatever reason, we are yet again completely off our sleep schedule. Arthur refuses to be put into his crib to nap times and bed times. He cries and cries. What happened to my good sleeping baby? The other night we resorted to allowing him to sleep in our bed. Everyone's cranky about no sleep. We're going to keep working on it.

Eating: Still a great eater. He has eaten everything except for bread (not a big fan). We're attempting to experiment with more new foods and spices. So far, so good.

Playing: Lots of interaction between Arthur and the twins. He loves attempting to "play" with them. So cute!

Medical Milestones:

Waving -- Nope. Not yet.
Preference of right or left hand -- Not that I have noticed
Stranger anxiety -- Not really. He's never been a fan of random people picking him up. Those that he gets to know (give him about 20 minutes), he's fine with.

Schedule:What is that? Everything has gone out the window for the past few weeks. Here's hoping to reestablish a schedule in the next week or so.

Out and About: Check out my summer wrap up post (yesterday's post) for all the details.

Oakland Zoo
Pool
Rengstorff Park
Deer Hollow Farm
Library
Treasure Island Flea Market

Arthur: 36 Weeks

This past week has been a struggle. Arthur caught a cold on Wednesday night and was a cranky baby for the rest of the week. I spent many hours holding him and rocking in a dark room... Thankfully he seems to be getting better. We may actually be able to get out of the house this coming week.

Likes: Laying with mom; cuddles; food

Dislikes: Sleeping; not being able to catch the twins

Sleeping: Ugh! This week has been ridiculous. He has no set nap times or bed times. The other night he was up until 10pm until finally drifting off enough to put into his crib. I'm looking forward to a healthy baby and a return to normal bed times.

Eating: Such a pig pig lately. I think he eats more than the twins at this point. I need to modify our grocery list for more finger-friendly foods. He's much more interested in feeding himself than being spoon fed.

Playing: Lots of exploration, but his favorite "toys" are magazines and books. He loves ripping paper; just like a dog. Thankfully I very rarely leave any paper out that I don't care if he rips.

Medical Milestones:

Cutting out the morning (or afternoon) nap -- This week yes, but hopefully not for good.
Mastering stacking and filling -- Not really.
Recognizing names, words, daily activities -- Check! He answers to his name, knows "momma" and "daddy," recognizes but doesn't always listen to "no."

Schedule:Nothing has been set lately. I am so not amused by this. Hopefully next week

Out and About: Because of sickness, we didn't really get out of the house much. We did get out to the pool and to the arcade for a few minutes.

Arthur: 8 Months / 35 Weeks

Summer is officially in full swing and Arthur is enjoying all the crazy.

Likes: Following the twins everywhere; standing; his new caterpillar; eating

Dislikes: Not being able to move faster; missing naps; falling down

Sleeping: We've had multiple nights of no wake-ups this past week. This rested momma is rejoicing! Hopefully this keeps up. Unfortunately we aren't doing as well on the nap front. Some days it's three tiny naps, somedays it's two solid naps, somedays it's one solid nap, some days it's an all day struggle to get him to sleep. I may be getting sleep at night, but the days are sure busy and stressful sometimes.

Eating: Less and less purees, more and more big people food! I've resolved to not buy any more purees (we have about 6 pouches left) unless absolutely necessary. I only use them now if we are on the go at lunch time or if I somehow run out of big people food that's appropriate for baby (i.e. pizza night). I finally found cheese that he likes: Baby Bells. Everything else he spits out. And he still spits out any kind of bread. I don't understand this. I could live on bread and cheese. Oh well... tastes do change over the years.

Playing: When they think I'm not watching, I've caught the twins playing with Arthur. Too cute! On his own, he's explored every inch of the kitchen/dining/living room. He's also tried to escape onto the balcony (someone - not me - left the door open) and ventured under the twins' bunk beds. He's also rediscovering a ton of his old toys and playing with new ones (cardboard boxes are his favorite). My next purchase will be a standing push toy. Now that he's cruising along future, he needs something more mobile. The jumper is great but only for 15 minutes or less a day. He gets bored and wants to be able to go now.

Medical Milestones:

Lots of babbling -- Check! His babbling is starting to sound more and more like sentences instead of just repeating syllables. Very cute.
Understanding "no" -- Check! Although he doesn't listen very often. He clearly stops and looks at me when I say "no." Sometimes he puts it down, other times he looks at the object, looks at me, and continues doing what he was doing This one is going to be stubborn.
Discovery of his penis -- Sorta check! He's discovered it at bath time, but seems to forgot once I put a diaper on. I remember this phase from the twins. Not so much fun...
Personality development -- Check! I have a fairly serious stubborn little boy who's cautious around strangers but not around dangers (ledges, steps, sticks, etc). He's warmed up to mom and dad and even the twins, but seeks the comfort and safety of mom in strange new places. He loves exploring
Becoming more mobile -- Check! He is cruising along furniture. Every once in awhile he gets overly confident and takes both hands off of the furniture. Onto his butt he goes. I imagine he will be walking within two months.

Schedule:I thought we had a schedule in place once the boys arrived, but that has gone out the window. Everyday is some crazy new adventure. Thankfully today is a home day. Maybe I can get a few minutes to catch my breath...

Out and About: Check out my summer wrap week 2 for all our comings and goings.

Arthur: 34 Weeks

It's the first week of the twins being here and Arthur is loving it! He spends so much time watching them play and chasing after them.

Likes: The twins; standing at furniture; Sophie; meal times

Dislikes: Nap time; the heat

Sleeping: We're back to waking two times a night. It sucks. I want to go back to either one wake up or even better, sleeping through the night.

Eating: Since the boys have arrived, Arthur's much more interested in eating real food at the table. He now sits and eats with us at lunch and dinner. He's tried and loved peas, teriyaki chicken, mashed potatoes, clam chowder, and green beans. I'm loving this trend and hope it continues. I would like him to be able to eat off of my plate at all meal times. I hate making him separate food.

Playing: Lots of exploration and manipulating objects. He's found the Disney Infinity characters behind the fence. He figured out how to reach through the fence for them. And he accidentally turned on the Xbox the other day. Now he loves messing with it. I think we may need to move the fence out a bit. He also loves playing the game of "pull everything off of the ottoman." Usually it's empty but sometimes I forget.

Medical Milestones:

Throwing things -- Yep. Loves to do this although he doesn't have aiming yet.
Standing at furniture -- Check! This is his favorite pastime now. He's even started to cruise along the furniture.
Fear of strangers -- Nope. So far, he doesn't exhibit any fear of strangers, but he doesn't smile at them either.

Schedule:Since the boys have arrived, nap times have gone out the window. I never know when he'll want to go down. This has been a struggle. He is getting more predictable when it comes to eating times. At least that's something.

Out and About: Check out our Summer Wrap post to see all the places we've been this past week. We have lots of activities planned for the next few weeks.

Arthur: 33 Weeks

Our last week before the twins arrive. We filled it with tons of baby activities and lots of housework. Of course, Arthur made more messes than he cleaned.

Likes: Standing at anything; playing with things he shouldn't; dad; stealing all the other babies' snacks

Dislikes: Sitting; getting paper taken away; napping at his usual times; not eating all the time

Sleeping: We're back to going to bed at around 6:30pm, waking once during the night (usually around midnight), and getting up at 6:00am. I can deal with this, but I would love for him to go back to sleeping all night.

Eating: Lots more adult food lately. He tries everything, but definitely has his favorites. He's not a fan of cheese or bread. I don't think he's my son...

Playing: Our baby playdates have been going very well lately. Arthur's been socializing more and more with the others. I love seeing him play. His new favorite is me (or anyone) rolling a ball toward him. He doesn't roll it back yet, but still loves it.

Medical Milestones:

Understanding "no" -- Check! He definitely understands "no" but does not listen to it. He's stubborn just like his dad.
Furniture-assisted standing -- Check! This is his new trick. And now it's all he wants to do.
Playing with more complicated items -- Check! He's been trying to figure out stacking. Not quite adept at it, but enjoying the process of learning.
First words -- Not yet.

Schedule:Wake times and bed times have settled back into a routine, but naps are all over place. It's making our days a bit difficult to plan around.

Out and About:

Impromptu playdate with friends during crafting open house
Playdate at Rengstorff
Visit to Deer Hollow Farm with baby friends
Impromptu playdate at friend's house
Mom's group BBQ at Cuesta
Lunch at La Fiesta

Arthur: 32 Weeks

It was a big week for us. We went to the Oakland Zoo for the first time. Arthur tried out a swing for the first time. And we both got extremely sick with a nasty cold again...

Likes: Swings! Watching other kids! Puffs! Other people's puffs and snacks! Staying up past his bedtime! His pacifier!

Dislikes: Going to bed on time. Not being held. Getting his face wiped. Not being able to pull and chew on computer cords.

Sleeping: Hit and miss lately. Being sick really creates sleep complications. Naps have been especially difficult this week.

Eating: This week I've been giving him more food off of my plate. We're trying more soft foods that he has to gum. So far we're doing pretty well.

Playing: Arthur's been trying his best to explore all the areas of the house that he isn't allowed to play in. He even escaped onto the balcony and got himself covered in dust. We now have to be more vigilant about putting the gate up in the morning. He's also loving playing with his balls and all the teethers.

Medical Milestones:

Repeating sounds -- Sometimes. He's a pretty serious kid, but every once in awhile he does get to babbling.
Holding two objects at once -- Check! He often grabs two toys and then doesn't know what to do with them.
Starting to understand cause and effect -- Check! He loves playing tug of war. He also tries to grab my computer and then looks at me... He knows he's not supposed to play with it.
Lifting arms up when wanting to be picked up -- Check! All the time!
Trying to standing -- Check! He loves to pull himself up by using me and then leaning. Standing is his favorite position now.

Schedule:Being sick really messes with the daily schedule. Naps are varied. Bedtime is all over the place. The only times I can count on are wakeup (6:00am) and cranky time (5:30pm and after).

Out and About:

Mariposa Park -- Playdate with baby friends
Cuesta Park -- Walk and playdate
Oakland Zoo -- First time. We went with Arthur's friend and his mom. Tons of fun!
Lots of walks around the complex, dog run, and neighborhood.

Arthur: 7 Months / 29-31 Weeks

Since my last Arthur update, he's gotten much more mobile and had his first real illness. The outcome was a moving cranky snotting baby...

Likes: Cardboard to chew on, playing outside, other baby friends, cuddling before bed time, any kind of food, new crocodile stuffed animal

Dislikes: Being sick, waiting to take a bath

Sleeping: Arthur was sleeping from 7pm to 6am until getting sick. Now he's waking up multiple times a night. Thankfully he's taking 2-3 naps a day. This is helping, but I can't wait until he's feeling better and hopefully sleeping through the night.

Eating: We're experimenting with more and more nonpureed foods. Just last week he tried and loved fish, chicken, oranges, broccoli, potatoes, green beans, and rice. I'm hoping to move up his solid food intake this coming month. Plus, I've introduced water in various sippy cups. He prefers the take and toss simple spouts as opposed to the true sippy cup. He also drank water out of a regular cup the other day. Granted he got most of it on himself, but he did swallow some of the water.

Playing: Arthur's main goal this past two weeks was exploration. He explored all areas of the living room: behind mom's chair (got stuck), the bookcase near his room (need to put those things away), under the dining room table, under dad's ottoman (getting stuck again). Because of his exploration, we've had to install both fences, blocking off the entertainment center and dining room/kitchen area. Plus, we now have to put the hall gate up during the day so we don't have to chase him down the hallway every two seconds. Other than exploration, he's been loving his stuffed animals especially his mini sock monkey and any ball.

Medical Milestones:

Week 29

Playing peek-a-boo -- He likes it, but hasn't actively participated in the activity yet.
Smiling or waving at people in public -- Nope. Although I think this is due to his fairly serious personality and not his inability to smile at people. He gives smiles only after getting to know people.
Frustration when not able to get somewhere on his own -- Check! he wants to walk and run, but has to settle for crawling right now.

Week 30

Preference of one parent -- It used to be all mommy all the time, but he's now getting very excited when daddy comes home. Although while sick, he prefers cuddling with mom.
Faster and more coordinated crawling -- Double check! He's almost gotten a hang of proper crawling. Even without it, he's quick!
Preference for certain foods -- Check! He loves sweet potato puffs and most fruits.
Fascinated by his reflection -- Double check! Looking at himself in the mirror is his favorite pastime. A quick way to get Arthur to smile is to show him a mirror.
Developing a sense of empathy -- Not quite sure if this is happening yet.

Week 31

Testing limits -- Check! He knows the hallway and computer cords are off limits, but yet he goes straight for one or the other. The entire time he watches me waiting to be reprimanded.
Developing the pincer grasp -- Check! He's getting much better at grabbing small pieces of food.
Sitting without support -- Check! He's been fairly stable for a weeks now. Just this past week, he started moving from crawling to sit up in one fluid motion.
Clapping or waving -- Not yet.
Expressing unhappiness when toys are taken away -- Yes, however he hasn't yet developed object permanence so he forgets about the toy pretty quickly.

Schedule:We've settled into a weekly routine of mom's group activities. We have things to do Monday through Thursday. Arthur seems to thrive with the social interaction with other babies near his age. Unfortunately, our schedule will be changing once the twins arrive. Hopefully we can still attend baby playdates and activities at the park.

Out and About:

Multiple Parks -- For playdates and a mom friend's surprise sprinkle.
Library Storytime -- We're now regulars every Tuesday at the Sunnyvale library.
Friends Jakob's and Luke's houses for playdates (and mommy social planning sessions)
Sushi dinner with mom and dad
Book club -- Morning Starbuck's visit for mom's book club
Stamp club -- Went to mom's stamp club class but was pretty cranky
Deer Hollow Farm -- We visited the farm with the mom's group last week. It's a cute little working farm owned by the city of Mountain View. The farm is in a lovely nature preserve about a one mile walk from the nearest parking lot. They have cows, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and geese. Lots of fun for the babies. We plan on going back soon.

Arthur: 28 Weeks

J came back from Romania this week, but Arthur is still all over the place in terms of mood and schedule. I hope that since everyone is where they should be he settles down a bit.

Likes: Computer cords (always seems to find them), tags to chew on, splashing in the bathtub

Dislikes: Being barred from crawling into certain areas of the house, not eating what J and I are eating, 5:30pm (his witching hour)

Sleeping: After sleeping 12 hours through the night, he is back to waking up at least once. Some nights that 11:30pm. Some nights that 2:30am.

Eating: Anything and everything. Yesterday, I have give clementine slices and he loved them. Immediately grabbed them, stuck them in his mouth, and sucked out all the juice. Since I have an entire bowl on the counter, these will be a daily food for awhile.

Playing: With things that he shouldn't. But also with a ton of his toys. Most things he turns into teethers. He's especially loving having his monkey to sleep with at night. I can hear him "talking" to his monkey before finally falling asleep.

Doctor Visit Stats: We finally made to to the doctor for his 6 month checkup. The office had to reschedule us twice because of doctor issues. Thankfully this time went much better than his 4 month visit. He only cried during the vaccinations. And even that only lasted until I picked him up.

Height: 28 1/4" (96th percentile)
Weight: 19lb 10oz (83rd percentile)
Everything else normal and on track

Medical Milestones:

Sitting unassisted for longer periods: Check! He can go about 30 sec to a minute before flopping over.
Feeding himself finger foods: Check! Really getting the hang of eating puffs.
Getting teeth: Check! He now has both bottom teeth. I know because he bit me the other day when I was helping him get a puff in his mouth. Ouch!
Working on fine motor skills: Check! He's working on manipulating toys (and not toys).
Separation anxiety: Check! He has no problem if I leave him with another adult. He just hates being left all alone. Makes it really hard for me to use the restroom.

Schedule:In terms of eating and sleeping, he is all over the place right now. We still try to get him in bed by 7:00pm, but some nights he talks to himself for at least 30 minutes after that.

Out and About: It was a busy week

VW Dealership (take care of our key issue)
Shoreline walks
Playdate at Mariposa Park
Sunnyvale Storytime
Lots of shopping errands
Doctor's office
Playdate at Rengstorff Park
SFO to pick up daddy
Farmer's Market

Arthur: 27 Weeks

J's still gone this week for work, so it's just Arthur and I. After our car adventure this past weekend, we are hopefully back to normal.

Likes: Anything to chew on, mom cuddles (bit clingy this week), his blankets

Dislikes: Playing by himself, not eating fast enough

Sleeping: He's been sleeping straight through from 7pm to 6am. This is so amazing! I have no idea what I did to get him there, but I love getting some actual sleep.

Eating: Moving forward with trying new foods. He hasn't met one he doesn't like yet. He's especially loving the vanilla puffs. I even think they're pretty tasty.

Playing: We've had a few fun playdates with our baby friends this week. He's getting more and more interactive. He's especially been loving anything that makes noise: tambourine, shaker eggs, rattles.

Medical Milestones:

Throwing things (learning about cause and effect) -- Check! He loves throwing toys and then chasing after them.
Crawling -- Check! He's getting more coordinated and faster. Watch out world! Arthur is on the move!
Squirming instead of wanting to be held -- Check! He holds his hands up to get picked up but once in my lap, he squirms to get down. It's a never ending cycle.
Answering to his name -- Mostly check! He usually looks over if I call his name, but not every single time.

Schedule: While he was taking two consistent naps a day, now I never know when he's going to nap.

Out and About:

Post office and library for errands
Storytime at the library
Shoreline walk
Joann's for fabric shopping with other moms and babies
Round Table for mom's stamp club
VW Dealership for deal with car issues
Hobee's for Saturday brunch book club

Arthur: 6 Months (26 Weeks)

This past week we returned home, dealt with Arthur's first cold, and then ended the week with our mom's group Easter Party. It was a busy week!

Likes: Rattles, playing with anything he shouldn't (i.e. mom's craft supplies or computer cords), puffs

Dislikes: Being left alone for 5 minutes (I have to use the restroom at some point during the day...), waiting for mom to make his oatmeal or rice cereal

Sleeping: After a bad Monday night, he started sleeping 12 hours straight. That ended on Saturday after we dropped J off at the airport. He woke up three times that night. We seem to have gone back to 8-9 hours without waking. I can do that.

Eating: Anything and everything. We've tried most of the baby food combos and haven't found one he didn't eat. We're also starting to branch out into regular food. He wasn't quite too sure about Greek yogurt, but he did eat a few mini spoonfuls.

Playing: In our Easter goodie bags, we included a small egg shaped tambourine and three shaker eggs (filled with rice, lentils, and beans). Arthur's been really loving the tambourine and eggs the last few days. He really loves to shake one of them while I'm shaking another. We have our own little band!

Doctor Visit Stats: Our 6 month visit has been pushed until sometime next week. Doctor had to reschedule.

Medical Milestones:

Pays attention to small objects -- Check! Especially things he shouldn't have.
Transfers toys from one hand to the other -- Check! An old pro at this now.
Babbling -- Double check! He can be very serious and quiet or quite loud and talkative. There's been lots of talking on going on now.
Sitting by himself or with minimal support -- Check! He can sit by himself for about 15-30 seconds before he shifts his weight and falls over. Thankfully flopping over never seems to bother him.
Rocking back and forth on all fours -- Check! He's still not properly crawling, but he has a variety of ways to get where he wants.
Developing separation anxiety -- Check! So far he's been okay with other people. He just doesn't like being left alone so I can use the restroom or get a drink from fridge. It's pretty bad some days.

Schedule: We're down to two naps a day, but the times are still all over the place. I have tried to put him down right after lunch, but depending on where we are, it can be hard. Bedtime is the only set time of the day.

Out and About:

Traveling back from Indiana
Target, post office, and coffeeshop with mom
Shoreline -- Felt nice to get back out into the fresh air
Baby friend's house so the moms could prep the Easter bags
Rengstorff Park -- Easter party location. I'm really loving that park. We will have to frequent it more often.
Library -- Picking up books for mom and baby

Arthur: 24-25 Weeks

We're back from almost two weeks in Indiana. We saw a ton of people, watched some crap television, and played a lot!

Likes: Food (really all kinds); cuddling; television (he rarely gets to watch)

Dislikes: Cold weather and rain (not so fun in Indiana); being put down

Sleeping: Sleep was all over the map while in Indiana. Some nights he did eight hours straight. Others he woke up screaming after three. I hope our transition back home includes better sleeping.

Eating: We started eating lunch and dinner this past week. He's loved everything except for peas and the pureed chicken and rice. We'll try both again in a few weeks. He's also a fan of vanilla puffs.

Playing: Lots of exploring and discovering new places to get stuck. He still has his favorite toys, but he picked up a few new ones while traveling. He's really enjoying his new mini sock monkey.

Medical Milestones:

24 weeks

Performing actions to get predictable results -- Check! He's very interested in repeating actions and waiting for results. He's very intent on watching everything. Those little neurons are definitely making connections.
More expressive facial expressions and body language -- Check! He now has a tired expression, a happy expression, a dirty diaper expression, and a mad expressions. He has also started holding his arms up when he wants picked up.
Interest in names of objects, basic words, and sounds -- Check! He seems more and more intent on listening to me talk and point out objects.
Appearance of first teeth -- Not yet. His gums are definitely hard and he loves chewing on things. But no actual teeth poked through yet.

25 weeks

Becoming more and more mobile -- Check! While he isn't doing any proper crawling, he gets around just fine.
Babbling one syllable sounds -- Check! I'm hearing more and more varied sounds from him. He new syllable sounds like "Hi." He loves babbling and repeating himself.

Schedule: All over the place again. Hopefully we get back to normal this week.

Out and About: Lots of new and old places visited these past two weeks. We had playdates at our friends and a ton of family members. We ate in a few restaurants. We even visited the local Target. Fun times...

A Few Thoughts on Parenting

I don't often write about parenting concerns here. Mostly that's because there are so many great "mommy bloggers" out there. I don't feel that I have anything groundbreaking to add to the conversation. However I recent article sparked all kinds of thoughts in my head. Note: The thoughts in this post are my own opinions. Although I do pick a side of this topic, I do not begrudge anyone on the other side.

While reading through my blogroll, I ran across this article from Huff Post written by Bunmi Laditan: I'm Done Making My Kid's Childhood Magical. Immediately, I screamed "Yes"! Don't worry, I didn't scream out loud, but it was a huge internal reaction. The gist of the article is that we don't need to plan these elaborate activities and parties and buy our children the hip expensive clothes. Providing the necessities and showing love is enough. Allowing our children to explore and play by themselves is just fine. We don't need to plan every second of every day.

I don't have a daily schedule of crafts and activities. Somedays they are left mostly on their own to play and entertain themselves. Obviously that's not quite true with the little one, but I still make sure he has time to explore (safely of course) on his own without my direction, help, or interference. Somedays I have too many chores or a massive headache and don't feel like being an "on" parent. And that's okay. I am not harming my children.

I have often felt the mommy guilt that I don't do more on a daily basis. Occasionally I doubt my ability to parent. And then I turn around see my children exploring their worlds, happily playing. I see my 11 year olds actively seeking out new information and new games. I see my 6 month old finding his independence in play and mobility. And I didn't have to scour Pinterest, run to the craft store, and spend hours making something they probably won't even remember.

For the record: I do have a kids' activities board on my PInterest account. I do occasionally pull things off of it to try. But I try to resist the feeling that I have to. Those activities are fun extras not our day to day routine.

Laditan's last thoughts resonated deeply within me:

It is not our responsibility to manufacture contrived memories on a daily basis.
Planning elaborate events, daily crafts, and expensive vacations isn't harmful for children. But if the desire to do so comes from a place of pressure or even a belief that the aforementioned are a necessary part of one's youth, it's time to reevaluate.

Thank you for reaffirming my decision to step away from the perfect mommy race and be the parent I was meant to be.

Arthur: 23 Weeks

Last week was full of fun baby activities! We had a great week and even a return to a more normal sleeping schedule.

Likes: Crawling, food, baby friends, paper, grass

Dislikes: Not being allowed to eat paper, when mom spoons the food too slow

Sleeping: We're back to a fairly normal sleeping schedule. Down at 7:30pm, up at around 10:30pm or 11pm for a feeding, down until around 7am. Decent. I'll take it.

Eating: We now have a piggy pig on our hands. He eats anything I give him and still eyes all my food. We're attempting to add in more solid foods in addition to all the various purees. He's really warmed up to the vanilla puffs (think cheerios) and avocado.

Playing: He's so much more interactive now. He loves playing airplane, wrestling with the sock monkey, playing tug of war with mom, playing in the jumper, and "reading" books. At the playdate this week, he actually interacted with the other babies. He's shown an interest in other kids, but still prefers to play with mom.

Medical Milestones:

Working on language skills by conversing with people -- Check! We have "conversations" all the time now. He loves to "answer" my questions and ask his own. It's so adorable.
Experimenting with sounds that objects make -- Check! I loves making Sophie squeak, hitting various things on others, and playing with his rattles.
Rolling both ways -- Check! He finally started rolling from stomach to back this past week. Now he's a rolling fool!
Sitting unassisted for a few minutes -- Check! He is still a bit unsteady, but he's staying up for longer periods of time.

Schedule:We're trying to establish a better daytime routine, but most days I never know when he's going to nap. If we're home, he usually goes down for a mid-morning nap at 9:30 or 10. If we're out, who knows?

Out and About:

Shoreline walk -- Our usual, but only once this week instead of twice.
Playdate at Mariposa Park -- Amazing! Awesome! So much fun! We can't wait to do it again! Thankfully we have one schedule once a month.
Coffee at Bean Scene with Miss Angi -- We met Angi for coffee on Wednesday. We had a nice chat and Angi got her baby cuddles in.
Sunnyvale Library -- We walked to the library to return all of our books before our trip.
Morning at Washington Park -- On the way back from the library, we stopped off at the park for a bit. It was such a nice day, we had to take advantage.

Here Come the 11 Year Olds!

Today my twin boys are turning 11 years old! I can't believe it's been 11 years. Granted, I'm pretty I forgot most of the bad stuff, but I still think they were fairly easy babies. I loved their toddler years... so adorable. And now they are little men. I love having big conversations with them. I love their inquisitive nature. I love how much Alex cares and how much Nick wants to learn. I love that they are finally excited to spend time with their little brother. (I know, newborns don't really do anything and are kinda boring.) I can't wait to get back to Indiana next week to spend an entire week hanging out with all three of my boys.

Happy Birthday Nick and Alex!

Arthur: 5 Months (22 Weeks)

It's already been 5 months... Time has flown! We've had a ton of new developments this past week, but the biggest has been forward mobility. Yep, he's almost crawling! We are in so much trouble.

Likes: Our baby friends, the giant sock monkey, food of any kind, walks

Dislikes: Naps, playing by himself, waiting to eat

Sleeping: We've settled into a decent routine. He goes down at 7:30pm, sleeps until 4am, eats, then sleeps for another 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I can deal with this.

Eating: We're branching out with our variety of foods. We've cycled through prunes, pears, green beans, and sweet potatoes this week. He even tried a bit of scrambled egg and some baked oatmeal last night. He loved it! I'm hoping to transition him to more and more regular food and less purees within the month.

Playing: He finally figured out how to go forward. This has opened up his playing possibilities. He loves scooting around the blanket finding "new" toys. He especially loved the other babies' toys at our playdate yesterday. So much fun!

Medical Milestones:

Babies usually range from 23.5 inches long and 12.25 pounds (10th percentile) to 26.5 inches long and 17 pounds (90th percentile) -- Check! In fact, Arthur is over this range. I have a big baby!
Investigating sounds -- Check! Up until now, he hasn't cared about the train going by every few minutes. Now, if we're in the living room, he stops and looks out the window. He can't see the train from the living room, but he definitely knows it's there. He was super excited to see the trains going by when were at the cafe the other day.
Raking the floor to get at objects -- Check! He's moved beyond this and actually grabbing things.
Loving the mirror -- Check! One of his favorite toys.
Developing object permanence -- Check! He loves playing peek a boo.

Schedule:We're down to 2-3 naps a day. Usually the first one is around 9:00am. The second can be anywhere from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. It all depends on the day. Thankfully bedtime and wake-up time is fairly set.

Out and About:

Shoreline walks -- We're doing this twice a week now. The weather is so gorgeous. It's great to get out into the fresh air and get some exercise.
Lynn's house for co-op board meeting -- We got a ton of business done and the babies had fun playing with each other.
Corner bakery -- I met a few moms to plan out the upcoming Easter Party. We got through our business and even had a nice lunch (moms and babies).
Playdate at Mariposa Park -- We had a lovely playdate at the park. The moms put down picnic blankets and let the babies crawl around and explore. It was a great success! We can't wait until the next one we can attend.

Arthur: 21 Weeks

It's been a week of new discoveries (mobility) and trying times (sleep). Almost 5 months old and growing like a weed. He's already wearing 9-12 month clothing. And he's ahead on some of the developmental milestones. I just want him to stay a cuddly little baby a little while longer.

Likes: Classical music (especially Vivaldi and Bach), anything to chew on, mom, sweet potatoes

Dislikes: Dad (or as Arthur thinks of him as "Not the momma"), bedtime, not being able to chew paper

Sleeping: Well, we've been all over the place this week. Most nights he's easy to get to sleep. But then there are nights like Sunday when he proceeded to fuss and cry for three hours before finally falling asleep at 10 (bedtime is 7:30). Naps tend to be very hit or miss. I feel like he sleeps when he needs to (except for Sunday obviously), but I would really love a more consistent nap schedule.

Eating: This past week we branched out to sweet potatoes (which he loves!) and pears. I also introduced real mashed sweet potatoes along with the pureed stuff. I didn't know how he'd react to the texture, but he gobbled it right up. Pears were also a big hit. And he ate one of his vanilla puffs (like Cheerios). We will be attempting green beans and then apples next. My plan is to introduce the pureed either before or with the real mashed food. He still has some gagging issues with the thicker mashed textures of regular veggies, so I don't want to overwhelm him. But the sweet potatoes were a hit. I have high hopes for others. Lastly, I offered him some water in a sippy cup. He played with it for about 10 minutes intermittently attempting to drink it. We'll try again this week.

Playing: Lots of new toy discoveries this week. He's really latched onto the giant sock monkey and his wire ball (loves to fling it around the room). He's also discovered the fun of crinkling and then attempting to eat paper. Thank goodness it was just a completed grocery list. I've got to hide the regular books now.

Medical Milestones:

Consciously choosing toys -- Check! He definitely has his favorites and seek them out.
Imitating sounds -- Check! He loves making weird noises repeatedly. And he does love to imitate my noises.
Mimicking facial expressions -- Sorta check! He smiles when I smile, but that's about it.
Entertaining himself for short periods of time -- Check! He can do about 15 minutes before I have to get down and play with him. But it's a start!

Schedule:Once again, we are flying without a real schedule. He naps or he doesn't. He plays or he doesn't.

Out and About:

Shoreline -- We walked on Monday and Thursday this past week.
Dinner out with Auntie Pam -- She took me to a Korean food court for my birthday dinner. Arthur tagged along. He enjoyed watching all the other people and trying some shaved ice (just the plain ice part, not our crazy flavored dessert).
Dinner out with mom and dad -- J took me to get sushi for my birthday weekend. Arthur charmed all the waitresses while hindering my ability to eat sushi without dropping pieces all over my plate. Still, it was yummy and Arthur lasted through the entire dinner without imploding. I call that a success!
Target -- Random stop for some food items and house essentials

Arthur: 20 Weeks

Last week was a week full of new experiences and exploration.

Likes: Cuddles with mom, playdates with other babies, exploring

Dislikes: Pureed peas, not being able to see mom, naps

Sleeping: We have experienced a sleep regression. He hasn't sleep 8 hours straight this entire past week. Instead, we are getting 2-3 wake ups from 7:30pm to 6:00am. Not so fun. And he's fighting naps some days. But when he does calm himself down for afternoon naps, he sleeps 1-3 hours.

Eating: Big developments on the eating front! Arthur starting eating solids this week. We began with a few days of rice cereal (documented below). He wasn't a fun right away, but quickly warmed up to it. Then we added in pureed peas, which he did not like. We tried those for three days, but it was struggle. We then switched to bananas for week's end and he liked those much better. He still makes a horrible face when eating, but after swallowing, he opens for more. Today we are going to try a different vegetable, probably carrots, and hope for a better outcome than the peas. Or I might introduce him to avocado instead.

Playing: We went to our first true playdate this week at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. We were supposed to have a playdate at a park, but it got rained out. So we moved to the baby area of the museum. About seven babies aged 4 1/2 to 14 months arrived and proceeded to crawl around (not Arthur yet, but the others). Arthur contented himself by sitting (with a bit of help) and watching the other babies. I suspect that next time, Arthur will be crawling around with the others.

Medical Milestones:

Grabbing everything -- Check! He latches onto everything that comes near his hands. This includes my glasses and especially my hair. Ouch!
Displaying some personality -- Check! He recognizes and gets excited when he sees people and toys he knows. The rest he gives the grumpy cat face.
Possibly starting solids -- Check! We started this week, but it'll be slow going and small amounts for awhile.
Becoming mobile -- Check! He scoots on his stomach backwards and in circles. He rolls from back to stomach. He gets up on his elbows and knees, but goes nowhere. I'd say he's making some progress.

Schedule: Well... we don't really have a schedule anymore. Arthur tends to take 2 or 3 naps a day but they are of varying lengths and at varying times. On one hand, it would be nice to predict his naps. But on the other, we can still get away with going out to places at almost any time of the day.

Out and About:

Shoreline walk on Monday -- 4 miles down on a super sunny day
Doctor office well visit -- See last week's post for the details
Lots of errands on Wednesday -- Target, grocery, Walgreens, library
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo -- For a fun playdate with the mom's group
IHOP for brunch on Sunday

Arthur: 19 Weeks

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.

Arthur: 4 Months (18 Weeks)

This past week was a bit difficult. J was home most of the week with nasty cold. Arthur caught a little bitty cold on Wednesday. He had a fever and screamed off and on all day. It was torture. Sleep that night was practically nonexistent. Thursday he seemed back to his usual self, but Friday the fever and fussiness came back. Another round of Tylenol and a lot of cuddling with mom and he was back to normal by Saturday. I'm so thankful that he didn't completely catch the cold, but what he did catch was nasty enough. Because of scheduling issues, Arthur's four month doctor's appointment won't be until next Monday. Next week's update will include stats from the doctor's visit and hopefully a not cranky baby after this round of vaccinations.

Likes: Playing airplane, his Taggie Monster, other babies, mirrors

Dislikes: Bathtime if Dad does it (literally screamed the entire time, according to J), going to sleep (he fights it sometimes)

Sleeping: Sleep has regressed to 3-4 hours at a time throughout the night. Ugh! And he was doing so good with 8 hour stretches...

Eating: He eats 6-7 ounce bottles every 3 hours during the day. And he's attempting to steal food off of my plate. And he watches food go from my plate to my mouth. It's really a bit creepy. I think we are going to have to start rice cereal soon, like within the next week.

Playing:All the things! At this point, he turns everything into a toy. Loves exploring for new play opportunities. This week we're having a baby playdate with the mom's group. At some point, I'm hoping that he starts playing with other kids. Plus, we have a few new toys coming in the mail this week.

Medical Milestones:

Range from 23 - 25.5 inches and 11 - 15.75 pounds -- Check! Well, actually he's above both of these stats. At last home measuring, he is over 26 inches long and 17 pounds.
Sleeping through the night -- Previous check... By the end of the week not so much.
Rolling over -- Check! He's got back to front down pat. However, he gets stuck on his stomach and has only rolled from stomach to back accidentally.
Following objects from side to side -- Check!
Babbling and other noises -- Check! His current favorite noise to a crazy rolling sound. So adorable even if he's a bit loud sometimes.
Finding his feet -- Check! Changing his diaper has become an issue as he spend the entire time trying to put his feet into his mouth.
Exploring things with hands and mouth -- Check! Everything he grabs goes straight into his mouth.
Entertaining himself for up to 15 minutes -- Check! While he still relies on me to entertain him most times, he does play by himself for small amounts of time.

Schedule: We've moved into the land of three naps a day. He's fairly consistent with three, but the length varies each day. At least he still can nap while we are out and about.

Out and About:

Walk at Shoreline — Our usual walk got moved to Tuesday this week. We still managed to do 6 miles and then had lunch. Always a good start to the week.
Sunnyvale Library -- We walked over to the library mainly because I had a book that was due. But, it was a nice excuse to get moving again (2 miles!) and get Arthur out of the house after his sickness.
Lunch at Palace Cafe -- Sunday we headed down the block to the Palace Cafe for lunch. Arthur spent the entire time watching people walk by the window. J and I had a nice peaceful lunch.