can I try that?

Since we got the green light from the doctor to start trying fruits, veggie's and rice and cereal, we decided to give it a go.  The facial reactions we caught on video are priceless.  The rice and cereal was an OK success, but what he really enjoyed was a sample of my yogurt.  He literally starred at Mike until Mike gave him a little more.  If only I could share the video on here ... and of course in the end all he wanted to do was eat his bib.

Skip Hop bib.

He always wakes up a happy baby regardless of where he sleeps.  After this particular nap I was actually able to catch that sweet smile on film.  And don't worry, he didn't sleep with his blanket nearly wrapped around his neck -- it was after he was awake looking at me that he started to move around.  Trust me, at night time he doesn't get to sleep with anything in his crib besides his body, some PJ's, and a pair of socks.

As much as these two drive me insane sometimes (especially the one on the left), it's moments like these when they're super lovey-dovey that melts my heart and makes me feel bad for all those times Cali gets in trouble.

I tried (but failed) this morning to get a picture of them sharing a super small bed from when Cali was a puppy.  Cal was literally sitting on Fenway and they were both curled up in balls.

living in an igloo

Side note: the previous picture (from laundry time) was from the same day as this one -- I don't just dress him in the same outfit two days in a row.

Our home is a legit ice box (hence why I turn the A/C off when Mike steps out) but while we were waiting for the house to de-frost I set up Dec in this number.  Can't you tell how much he loves it?

Tummy time = Declyn works on his neck muscles and push up's while Mom gets some work done in the room where ever tummy time is taking place.  In this case it was the bedroom.

perfect

I'm not one to brag, but I have to give a shout out to my son.  Today at his four month check up the pediatrician called him, quote, "Perfect".  The only reason I'm bragging about this (and I'm sure it will come back and bite me in the ass) is because it took us awhile to get him a. even on the charts (since he was a preemie) and b. to where we are today -- in the weight department.  So hey, if at his four month check up the doctor wants to pay him such a high compliment, I'm all for it.

Measurements:

Length: 25.875" Weight: 17 pounds

Since he's drooling uncontrollably, we spent our down time chewing on a burp cloth while participating in some tummy time (his new favorite past time).

One of my favorite things in the world -- a baby in just a diaper.

Helping me put away laundry.  Normally I don't like to be matchy-matchy, but I figured since we were just in the house it'd let it fly.

Match that J.Crew onesie with some booties.

crackhead turns one

A pool day catching rays turned into a pool day catching flies for our boys.  I have to give Kristen credit for the catchy phrase -- props, girl.

This angel turned one today, and still acts like she's two months old.  But hey, at least she looks cute!  One of her gifts was a frisbee since she was obsessed with one at the dog park. Her reaction?  Could care less.  She does, however, like the new rope toy we got so at least that's a plus.  The only downside is she's currently picking at the rubbery plastic handle, and leaving nice surprises of its existence throughout the house.

hail to the redskins

Declyn's first ever football game -- Redskins v. Bills.  For those of you who know Mike, you may wonder why we're at a Redskins game (especially at a pre-season game).  Well, after about 7 years our name came up to purchase season tickets for the Redskins and so we did.  We figured we can encourage our children to root for the Ravens, but growing up in this area they're bound to like the Redskins ... or at least go to the games.

Best part -- Declyn literally went to sleep the moment we were in the car and slept an hour into the ride (and the hour back) after we got a call from our security system saying someone had set off the alarm in the basement.  Surprise, surprise, Miss Cali had gotten out of her crate.  Long story short, our tailgating became me chugging a Smirnoff and a half and shoving a cheese sandwich down my throat before entering the stadium.

Declyn's view from being Bjorn'd on my body.  Spiked lemonade to the left, field straight ahead.

As soon as we took our seats he was sound asleep.  We found these adorable headphones for him online to keep the loud noises out during the game and they worked like a charm.

Once things calmed down we decided to give his head a rest and let him experience the game in its entirety.

After his bath, the night before, we tried the bad boys on.  This naked little boy loved them.  The color of the earmuffs were an identical match to his eyes.  No joke.

Keep those ears protected here.

Just a little mother and son selfie.  nbd.  

And of course a family selfie.  Declyn looks like Mr. Wilson from Home Improvement.  Google it.

pumped up kicks

It has taken awhile to get to this point, but finally when Declyn falls asleep in his car seat his head doesn't tilt one way or another and instead he's able to hold it up somewhat more centered--wahoo!  Poor guy takes after his mama and has a larger head... sometimes we just need to let it fall where it wishes.

Surprisingly the youngest two cousins 'listened' and did as we asked for the pictures (I mean come on, Brent smiled and Dec held both his cousins hands!) but goofball far right just couldn't keep it together.  You should see the 15 before this one came along ... they just kept getting better and better.

And no, we don't have the three boys just lay on a blanket and stare at each other to pass the time.  We laid Brent and Declyn down together to see how they would react and of course James wanted to get in on the action.  I mean hey, he was here first.

I sent Mike this picture with the caption, "Hey dad, what's up?"

Hanna Andersson has adorable clothes here.

These days his mouth is the only place you'll find his hands.

four months

I was beyond pissed at myself for this photo shoot.  I have been in the process of making him a birth - 4 months Shutterfly book, so the memory card for the camera is in the computer.  You can see where this is going... we sat him down and the guy smiled for legit two minutes straight -- some of the biggest grins I've ever seen.  Mike snapped away and when we went to re-position him he noticed there was no memory card.  You'd think for such an expensive camera, it would save photos to an internal memory card.  Nope!

By the end everyone was over the shoot, including Declyn.

(and no, his shirt isn't dirty per say... it's covered with drool).

At four months we can't live without...

1. a wubbanub -- at this point it's solely used sometimes before he drifts off to sleep.  Try sticking it in at any other time?  Not interested.

2. our whale bath tub 

3. his crib!!  now that he's sleeping through the night we have finally made the transition to his crib!

4. the sheep sleep sound for night time 

5. this kid drools constantly so a bib and any sort of teether work miracles -- he seems to really like Soph

6. any book to read him before bedtime.  this charmer makes it entertaining for me to listen to.

7. working it out in his jumperoo

8. some new toys for him to look at it.  he loves his ball and enjoys grabbing this sassy during car rides.

9. tummy time and sensory development combo - zoo activity gym 

10. every one in awhile he sits up in his Bumbo, but his thighs get stuck exiting. 

11. a baby monitor to watch him sleep.  we use this monitor, but once our next one comes along we're going to switch to Summer Infant where you can have one screen with two monitors.

12. we got the green light from our pediatrician to start rice and cereal, veggies and fruit!

13. I ordered a baby food processor so he can start trying things we eat (again, a recommendation from our pead to let him try our food).

straight chillin

These boys always seem to catch each other at the wrong moment.  If one's sleeping, the other's awake.  I will say, though, that they got to do some tummy and back time together on the floor and they were adorable grabbing at each other without even looking at the other.  At one point Dec had such a strong grip on Caden's shirt that I thought he was going to pull him over.

Onesie here and matching shorts.

First time in a highchair.  I had to put the padding (and drool bib) in the front because that's where all the action was happening.

Stopped by my mom's house and got to see this.  Apparently he sleeps just like his Aunt. :)  Sitting up, tummy out?  Why not?

the green monstah

B and I took a little date trip to Boston and below are some of our fonder memories, via pictures.

The view from our first game on Saturday.  We met up with Mike's aunt and uncle from New Hampshire and spent most of the time catching up and cheering on the Sox.  What I love about this stadium is that no matter where your seats are, you seem to always have a great view.

Get 'em, boys.

For those of you who don't know, A-Rod was recently outted for doing steroids (for who knows how long of his career) and although he's suspended for the season, he still gets to play and get paid while the trial is going on (and I may have just butchered that entire story, but you get the gist).  At first I felt bad because literally every time he was up to bat the entire stadium boo'ed him.  However, I thought it was pretty great when the Red Sox's pitcher hit him with the ball and both teams met on the field ready to duke it out, old school style.  Twisted of me? Perhaps, but that's the love of the game.

Mike was such a good sport and posed with this statue solely because I asked him to.

A stroll through a garden downtown ... simply beautiful. 

I thought this Weeping Willow was gorgeous, and loved it even more when Mike photo bombed it.

This was one of the many memorials we saw for the Boston Marathon bombings.  Very surreal that we walked right through the streets and the town that took lives and wrecked havoc on beloved Boston.

The ribbons were endless.

This is how I shop for clothes -- take a selfie and send it to Mike for a second opinion if I'm undecided about something.  Today's conflict?  A pair of Joe's that were big in the waist but super cute and comfortable.  

Yes, you can make a joke about my selfie but it's the first I've posted and I'm proud of what I see when I look in the mirror four months post baby (and I work hard for it), so 'haters can hate but I just love, love, love.'

We ate lunch at a chocolate based restaurant and I ordered a waffle salad... declicioso.  I was just blown away by the concept.  And don't be fooled by what you see on the right.  That's not just Diet Coke, that's Malibu with a splash of DC.

This was our free entertainment while we were eating lunch.

 

Just me being a tourist.  I thought the fire house looked cool.

We got to our seats just as the sun was setting...

and this was our breathtaking view.  No filter required.

For the first time ever we had Green Monster seats and they were AH-mazing.  This is just a small glimpse of what we saw from our seats.

Staple Fenway Park picture.

After two flight delays we finally arrived at the stadium!

Try and guess what I drank ... I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with balternatives.

I love when I catch this smirk.  Love him.

For anyone who has ever nursed, you know that breast milk is gold.  Therefore, it breaks my heart when I have to pump and dump.  BUT, the feeling when that Malibu runs through my bloodstream is well worth it.

morning runs

Lately we've been successfully completing morning runs as a family and this is proof that they take a toll on everyone.  Hey, that is fine by me.

Who doesn't want some good luck with the main source that helps them grow?

Peace.