Wow, time flies! We’ve been busy lately and my family came for a visit at the end of July. This makes for poor blogging habits on my part. Here are some pics to tide you over until an appropriate post can be written.
Porter managed to pull himself up to a squat this week. He then proceeded to beaver chew the table with his two new bottom teeth.
Introverted? Stranger danger? I don’t think so. At Baby and Me we had a guest speaker talking about baby sign language. Porter rolled right to the front and center, threw his leg up on hers and made himself at home for the rest of the hour. He’s going to be top of the class if he keeps this up.
In the name of all things tender! I thought it would be cute if I taught Porter how to give kisses, and cute it is. What I hadn’t intended was the amount of slobber that would end up on my nose or in my mouth, hmm. We were able to catch a couple of kisses on film, and it’s pretty cute if I do say so myself.
According to just about everyone, when a baby is 6 months old they should be introduced to solid foods. I thought Porter would start with sweet potatoes, but when I tried that he gave such an adverse reaction that I thought I should start with something a little more tame. Otherwise I feared that I may be nursing him forever. That was a serious moment of panic in my mind, but when I gave him some rice cereal with breast milk things went a lot smoother, phew. I’d say it was a success.
He’s also teething, which leads to some basic gnawing on anything he can get his gums on.
I’ve been putting Porter in this jumper every month to see if he would like it. I usually get immediate crying and general hatred of this jumping contraption…until today. The weight limit for this jumper is 25 pounds and Porter’s at 20. He seems to have figured it out just in time.
Heads up: turn your volume down when you watch it because I was way too close to the microphone and baby boy is channeling his inner howler monkey.
It seems like forever since I have posted! We have been on our great California adventure tour and I have much to share with you all. First things first though. Sadly, I forgot my camera on this monumental trip. Luckily, everyone else had one available and I distinctly remember many photos being snapped. If you have any pictures of our encounters, please please please pick the cream of the crop and email them to doulamegan@gmail.com so that I can not only have them for posterity but might also include some of them in a post.
I would also like to say to everyone that met Porter- thank you for being so wonderful to my baby and for all your kind words about how fabulous he is. I agree! He really had an amazing trip and loves each and every person and pet that we came across, especially Rumpus the dog. I have never seen anyone, other than me, make Porter laugh in such a happy and carefree way. For that, I love Rumpus too! Thanks again Hamkaufs.
Porter is 5 months old as of June 10 so I thought it would be nice for everyone to see even MORE pictures of my baby. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. Time moved pretty quickly for me before I had a child, but now it seems to move at lightening speed. My boy is a floppy dough baby no more! He’s rolling, moving and trying to sit up on his own already. Luckily, he gets more fun everyday and I get to discover the world again through him.
I feel really lucky to be his mom and couldn’t have asked for a better baby. Being a mom can be really hard, and mostly tiring these days. But I have to say that when I wake up next to my baby and he smiles at me, or we go on a laughing tangent, or he lights up when I walk into the room there is no better feeling in the world. I am savoring being the person he turns to for comfort and tenderness. There was no doubt that being a mom would be rewarding, but I wasn’t prepared for how wonderful it would make me feel. I’m gushing, I know, so on with the pictures!
One week. I like this picture because Luke looks just how we felt after the first week with our baby.
One month. Luke was able to finally get his smiles on camera.
2nd month. Characterized by scratches from his razor sharp nails and hickeys on anything he could get his mouth on.
3rd month. This is when he started to get really fun as he became aware of his surroundings and finally recognized us as his parents.
4th month. Tummy time finally became fun. He is staring at the cat, just out of frame. He is constantly amused by our 3 kitties.
5th month. He is seriously fun now. He laughs with his whole body, lights up when Luke or I come into a room and talks with reckless abandon (this is my karma coming back at me). I don’t know that life gets much better than this!
As promised, I made dinner using leftovers from last night’s roasted chicken. Tonight was quesadillas. What I noticed was that the chicken tasted more chicken-y. The roasted chicken has way more flavor than if I bought the chicken breast or thighs in a package, plus it cost less since I bought the whole chicken. I still have some leftover chicken and all of the broth. Tomorrow is a soup day, especially since it’s June and I still have the heater turned on.
Tillamook Colby Jack Cheese and leftover chicken, chopped.
Cooking lettuce is all the rage these days, so I thought I would add some lettuce to my quesadilla. It wasn’t the best choice I’ve ever made in the kitchen.
Cheese, chicken and lettuce.
My mom had these awesome mermaid plates special ordered for me at Many Hands Gallery. I love them.
Here are the final quesadillas with a side of salsa.
Porter can read! Or at least turn the pages of a cardboard book, kinda.
I want to give thanks for all my mommy friends, for my own mother and my husband’s mother. When I was in labor with my son I came to the realization that as a doula I only partially understood what birth was about. Now that I’m a mother I can say that while I always loved and appreciated my own mother, and the mothers in my life, now I more fully understand the depth of love, concern and strength that mothers posses.
In all honesty, being responsible for a tiny life has brought out my own insecurities as a parent. I have read books that claim to have the answer to parenting, and here is what I’ve learned. Mothers have been mothering for eternity, long before books and through passing fads and parenting theories. While there are good ideas that I have utilized from these books, I think I’m ready to venture out on my own as a mother. With my supportive husband, my own mother, and a collection of strong mother friends to lean on and watch as they raise their children, I think Porter will turn out alright. So, on this Valentine’s day I give love to all the mommies out there, doing their best to be good at what they do.
Here is a video of Porter taking some floor time to work out, happy Valentine’s day!
Birthing From Within, Dancing For Birth, and Inclusive Women's Circles for Women and Families in Boise and the Treasure Valley
