Tristan's Story

Tristan is learning and doing so many new things every day now, it's just amazing to watch him grow.

He can now sit up independently, crawl, pull himself up into a standing position... He picks up anything and everything he wants. He loves to watch his dog play and run and I know that it won't be too long before he starts joining in.

He now eats 2 meals a day, plus table food snacks in between. Yesterday he got his first taste of a pickle - and loved it!

I got him on the waiting list for Lil' Ones Academy several weeks ago, but it looks like they might not have a spot for him before I start back to school, so on Monday, the husband and I are going to tour Pecan Ridge School. They have individualized curriculum, internet cameras, and lots of other things that I'm really interested in. They teach the babies sign language along with all the basic concepts you would expect. It's a little more pricey, but it's worth it to get him into a quality center where the staff will really care about him. :)

Tristan had his second playdate yesterday.

I met Alena through CafeMom when Tristan was first born; she lives about 15 minutes away in the next town over, and has a son that is just 2 months older than Tristan. Back in May, we met at the city park and let the boys swing, but Tristan was really too young to do much interacting with other babies.

Yesterday, we went to Alena's house and Tristan and Russ got to play together. They're both crawling now, though Russ is almost ready to start walking! They didn't really understand the concept of sharing (of course!), but I think they did great to be as young as they are.

We look forward to having lots more playdates when them in the future!

Tristan is napping at the moment... he finally got some relief from his teething tablets and was able to rest a little. The poor baby screams in agony sometimes, his gums hurt so bad. :( I ordered him an amber teething necklace. When we were in Killeen, I heard lots of good things about them, so hopefully it wasn't a waste of my money. :)

Yesterday, Tristan stood straight up on the bed, put his arms above his head, and growled. He's growing up so fast.... Of course, he can't *stay* standing up for very long, but it's cute just the same. He also rode in his 'big boy stroller' for the first time yesterday, when we tagged along to Brandon's VA appointment. He loved it, but we need to find a toy bar or something to keep him entertained.

I'm trying desperately to get in the habit of posting regularly, but Tristan is 6 1/2 months old today and it just hasn't happened yet.

The baby is cranky and grumpy most of the time now. He's teething, and miserable, and so are the rest of us. But he's started cuddling and saying words and he's so sweet that it's pretty hard to hold it against him.

He crawls now, in his own special way... he would much rather use his feet than his knees and if he could just work out that balance thing, he would be walking instead. He can pull up, too, but the same principles apply.

He's eating solid foods... he has oatmeal with fruit every morning for breakfast (his favorites are bananas and peaches) and then a veggie for dinner (likes: green beans and sweet potatoes, hates: peas). I've snuck him a taste of a few table foods, but nothing too serious.

We're still waiting on news of his daycare arrangements for the fall. I'm really looking forward to finishing my degree, but I know that after the first hour or so, I'll be missing my little boy.

Little Monkey is six months + 1 week now... today was his well-baby check-up with Nurse Rossell.

He now weighs 17 pounds, 9 oz. and is 27 inches long. He's five ounces shy of being double his birth weight and has grown by half a foot! =-0

He got 3 shots, with another due at his next visit (they were out of the vaccine). He's already eating fruits and veggies, but he got 'permission' to eat soft table foods and he can have meats at 8-9 months.

I can't believe my little man is already half a year old!

We took Tristan to see the Canton fireworks show last night to celebrate his first-ever Fourth of July. While we were waiting for the show to start, he held on to his blankie and loved just watching all the people go by. He climbed all over us so he could see what all he could see. ;0)

When he heard that first boom, he jumped... but then he looked up at the sky and his eyes just lit up. He was so mesmerized by all the bright colors. He really enjoyed them for several minutes, but then the noise started hurting his ears and he wouldn't let us cover them for him. He got a little fussy, but by that time, the wind had shifted and debris was falling right on us, so we all got back in the car. We watched the rest of the show from there and he was craning his neck to see the fireworks through the window. =)

Today was Tristan's four month check-up.

He now weighs 15 pounds, 3 oz. and is 26 inches long. He got 3 shots with 5 vaccines and is *super* cranky, but other than that he is doing okay. His dr gave the go-ahead for him to start baby foods when his cereal isn't filling enough for him, but he could take or leave the cereal right now, so I think it will still be quite a while before he moves on to veggies.