It's hard to believe that half a year has passed since our biggest blessing entered our lives.  Connor keeps us on our toes and makes every day a joy.  This month was a fun and busy month for us and Connor.  He got to meet his Great Grandma Connor and spend a whole weekend with her.  Anthony and I ran a half marathon together and we took a trip to Austin with my family for Easter.

At Connor's 6 month appointment he continued to rock the scales when he weighed in at 21 pounds 7 ounces (97%) and was 26 inches long (50%).  He is becoming more and more mobile.  He scoots and rolls around a lot!  I will lay him down on a blanket and turn my head for a minute and he will somehow have traveled a few feet.  They days of him staying put are long gone!  He also started sucking his thumb and he loves, loves, loves that thumb!  During his 6th month we fed him rice cereal a few days a week and when he ate it he loved it but somedays he just wasn't interested.  Connor still LOVES baths and playing with his toys.  He truly is a happy, happy baby and I can't imagine life without him.  Happy half birthday Connor!

Connor is now 5 months old!  Wow, how time flys!  Just a year ago he was a tiny little peanut in my belly and Anthony was having his open-heart surgery!  Now Connor is a fat, little man and Anthony is training for an Ironman.  I do know that Connor is not little but he is my "little man" and he is fat... so he is my fat, little man!  While we are on the topic, I absolutely LOVE baby fat (on him, not me).  Is there anything cuter than rolls and rolls of baby fat?  I am so thankful to have a healthy, growing baby boy but he is just growing too fast!!  He wears mostly 9-12 month clothes and a few 6 month items that are not quite skin tight yet that I just can't seem to pack away.  I keep telling myself that this has to slow down soon or we will be in 2T clothes at his 1st birthday and that is just wrong.  Either way, I still can't believe that he is ours and we are so so so so blessed to be his parents.

Connor is now rolling over from his belly to his back and seems to be quite coordinated despite his size!  He still LOVES his hands and plays with them all day long!  This is partially due to the tiny little tooth and is peeking out of his bottom gums!  It doesn't seem to bother him but it does cause a lot of drool!  He likes to play on both his tummy and back as well as in his exersaucer.  He reaches for toys in front of him and usually tries to put them in his mouth.  He is quite the chatterbox, especially in the morning. I like to think he is telling me all about his dreams from the night.  If you smile at him you are almost guaranteed to get a smile in return, that is, unless you are holding a camera/ phone and you will only get a blank stare!  He is already a little ticklish and will squirm and squeal if tickled under the arms.  The best part of my day is to laugh at him and get a laugh in return!

We started feeding him rice cereal in the evenings and he has grown to like it.  At first he didn't know what to do with the food in his mouth and usually just spit it out but now he can down a whole bowl in 5 minutes!  I think we will start some veggies in the next few weeks.

Connor is still a great sleeper.  He goes down around 8pm and usually wakes around 5 or 6am to eat and then goes back to sleep until 7:30 or so.  He has a pretty good routine of naps and feedings during the day but is pretty flexible if we are out and about running errands.

Connor is such a joy and we are so in love with him!  Here are a few pictures from this month!

I simply can't believe that Connor is already 4 months old!  How did this happen so quick?  He continues to steal my heart everyday with his sweet smile and laughs.  He has developed a little smirk that he saves for the right moment and I just can't get enough of him!  Anthony says he would pay a million dollars just to see Connor smile... good thing we get it for free! It amazes me in how much I love him and I can't bear to think of anything or anyone hurting my little guy.

At his 4 month appointment Connor weighed an astounding 18 pounds 4 ounces (97th percentile) and was 25 1/2 inches long (80th percentile).  The doctor and nurses couldn't stop loving on him and all his rolls.  He went from smiling and giggling to tears and screams when the nurse gave him his shots.  It just breaks my heart to see him like that and I won't tell you who had more tears in their eyes.  The doctor said that we can start giving him some rice cereal anytime between now and 6 months but we can hold off until as long as he is satisfied by straight breast milk.

Connor enjoys playing both on his tummy and back.  When on his tummy he scoots around and would be close to crawling if he could lift his belly off the floor (have you seen the size of that belly?!?!).  He really gets his legs and arms going... It's so cute!  He loves to kick and wave arms around when laying on his back.  He kicks his legs side to side and starting to get his hips over to try to roll.  His favorite things to play with are his hands!  He usually has at least one in his mouth and tries to get his whole fist in there.  He is just starting to get interested in little toys he can hold and I suspect that he will play with them in the next month.

He is still exclusively drinking breastmilk.  I am really pleased that we have been able to keep this up since I've gone back to work.  He has no trouble switching from taking a bottle at the babysitters and nursing at home with me.  While at home we use cloth diapers Bum genius and use disposable
diapers when we go out and while he is at day care.  I found this great brand Nature babycare which I love.  They are made from all natural products, are environmentally friendly and chlorine-free!  We have had no problems with diaper rash after switching to these and I recommend them to everyone!  

Here are some pictures from the last month of my favorite little man.

Connor is 3 1/2 months old now and just the absolute love of my life (well him and his daddy).  I am not sure exactly how much he weighs but probably around 17 pounds (possibly more!!).  Honestly, I don't really want to weigh him because it reminds me that my baby is growing up.  Can't I just have a cute, sweet, cuddly baby forever?

In mid December he started sleeping through the night but now he sleeps a good 10 hours straight each night!!  Every once in a while he will wake up around 2 or 3am but goes right back to sleep when I pop his paci back in his mouth!  I consider myself a lucky, well rested momma and thank him every morning for being such a good sleeper.  He takes 2-3 naps during the day that usually last 1-2 hours each.

I am still exclusively feeding Connor breast milk.  He nurses every 3-4 hours during the day and eats about 5 oz each time.  I am so thankful that my milk supply is keeping up with this hungry growing boy!

The first week in Janurary I started back at work.  I am working part time, 3 days a week.  It went much, much better than I thought and we are managing quite well!  He is going to a home day care run by a sweet stay at home momma named Dana.  Connor seems to love her and is always in a good mood when I pick him up at the end of the day.  I pump everyday at lunch and leave it with her to give Connor the next day.   After work and on my days off I can't get enough of my little man :)

Connor is smiling all the time and just started laughing!  He smiles a lot, except when I get the camera out and then he is Mr. Serious.  It cracks me up every time.  Maybe he thinks only his visitors should get to see that sweet, sweet smile.  He still loves bath time.  One night he was pretty fussy and we couldn't get him to calm down, so into the bath tub he went and  Ta-da!  He was all smiles!

We are overly blessed by this little man and overjoyed to be his parents!  Can't wait to see what the next few months have in store for us!

We had a wonderful 1st Christmas with Connor!  My parents had a full house for the week as Patrick, his dog and the three of us and our dog all moved into 304 Garden Grove for the week.  Sarah, Clint and their 2 boys also spent the night on Christmas Eve so we could all be together!  Mom was in Grammy heaven (i think!).  It was so fun watching Brooks discover all the fun toys Santa brought and we had a extra Christmas surprise... IT SNOWED!!!  This is very rare occurrence in north Texas and to have a white Christmas was special!

 pops reading the night before christmas

 look connor!  its snowing!

 go 'noles!

 cousins

 santa brought a pirate ship!

Our little man isn't so little anymore!

     Last week at his 2 month appointment he weighed 15 pounds (97+%) and was 22 1/2 inches long (40%)!   The doctor was pleased with his growth and said "he looks absolutely perfect".  I am hoping his weight gain slows a little bit so I can enjoy a "little" baby a while longer.

     His left arm is doing great and is just as active and strong as his right.  Connor is able to hold his head up pretty well on his own and loves stretching out and kicking his arms and legs around!

We went to Oklahoma City for Thanksgiving and were away from home for 10 days.  Connor got to meet a lot of our friends and family and was really well behaved.  Thanks to Anthony's mom "Cici" we were able to go out a couple times without the baby!

     Connor is such a good baby. We have been able to take him most anywhere and he rarely cries in public.  We have been able to go out to dinner, shopping and even went to a Christmas concert put on by the Houston Symphony.  He is starting to sleep through the night and sleeps from 6 to 8 1/2 hours straight!  This makes for a very happy and rested Mommy!

     Sarah, Clint and Brooks welcomed little Bennett Payson into the world in November and we are all able to be at the hospital to meet him!  Connor is excited to have a cousin his age with whom he will cause lots of trouble!

     I am going back to work part-time in the new year and am already dreading leaving my little guy but I am also looking forward to seeing patients again :) We found a great home daycare that Connor will attend 3 days a week.