Strummer is on the move...kinda

Strummer is officially going forward! He tends not to do it on his own will, he still seems to prefer the 'roll' technique to get to his destinations, however if you entice him w/something he wants, he will crawl forward! For the last couple weeks, he started crawling backwards and in circles, now he can now go the 'normal' direction. He every so often will get up on his hands and knees, but he doesn't move, just swings back and forth. I guess the army crawl is one more step to him doing a regular crawl!!! Time to get ready for baby-proofing! 

The video consists of Strummer crawling across the living room w/his pacifier as 'the prize'. He has a few distractions like Bosco's bone and our blanket box, but he eventually gets to the end of the living room!

BTW - the video is pretty rough!! I was holding the camera, while moving his pacifier to get him moving. So lots of little shakes and things here and there! You will also be hearing some of brad's songs in the background! We sometimes listen to his music that he has recorded on my computer, which I now have in my iTunes!

ENJOY! :D

Happy Mommie's Day!

I had a wonderful 1st Mother's Day!! I played at church over the weekend, so that was fun! On Mother's Day I woke up to get ready to leave for Cornerstone and Strummer was not up yet, so I was able to get ready w/out any interruptions! Finally when I was ready to go, it wasn't time to go yet, so I went to go check on Strummer since he still wasn't up and saw a card taped to his crib. There was a nice card inside from Brad, Strummer and Bosco. Attached to that was a gift card from Bella Salon and Day Spa! The info card had the package of a 60min Swedish massage, a mani and a pedi! I'm looking forward to having a few hours of relaxation! Plus w/my mom's gift to me of a 30 min facial from Innovations, I'm going to be a new and improved mommy! :P

When I arrived back from church, I saw the Brad had also cleaned the house! So that was also really nice!!! Strummer was very glad to see me though. He's been going through some attachment issues and is not a happy camper when I'm not around. Poor kid! 

It is such an awesome gift from God to be a mom! I look forward to many more years of watching Strummer grow up and seeing how my mom's mothering skills were instilled in me to use w/our own kids! 

Strummer's 'Big Boy' Carseat

Last Friday I went to Super Target in Urbandale and bought Strummer's new car seat. (It is awesome they sold it in the store, b/c not all stores had it on hand, just on the website....and extra awesome that we just received a $50 gift card from brad's co-workers to Target! Thanks everyone!) 

He actually could have stayed in his infant carrier for another month or so, however, he was getting really heavy to carry in his carrier and his legs were sticking out of the edge of the seat! So after much research on deciding what to buy, we decided to go with The First Years True Fit convertible car seat. I read tons of reviews and looked on the websites that sell it, including Babies R Us, Target and Amazon. I love the seat so far. Some of the main reasons I decided to go with this one is because you can use it til your child reaches 50 inches and 65 lbs. Which is why it has the removable headrest. You do not need to use it until the child reaches 22 lbs. However, you can keep the seat rear facing until your child reaches 35 lbs. Which is the more safe way for them to travel. Another reason is because there is a lever on the side of the seat where you can raise and lower the straps. Very easy to change things! Another good thing about it is that the cover snaps off. So incase it gets dirty from spit-up or what not, you just snap it off the seat and wash it! Very handy! It also had a 4-star rating for ease of use from the NHTSA. 2 other things are just cool, is that it's very soft and plushy, and has a removable cup holder that you can place on either side. Plus not that is really matters, I think the car seat is super-cute! However, those are just extra bonus! 

I thought it was very easy to install in my car, it probably took like 10 minutes. Plus, it fits in my Fusion. I was very happy about that! I had read some things about converter seats not fitting in some vehicles in the rear-facing position. It is on the passenger's side and I'm still able to have the seat put all the way back! So when I do have someone in my car, they aren't squished! Hurray!

We had our first 'test' this past weekend when we traveled to Omaha. Strummer fell asleep w/in the first 1/2 hour and stayed asleep during the 2+ hour trip! So I think it's a hit. Of course, I really can't ask him about it, but basing by his mood when he's in it, I believe it's A-Ok in his book!  He also seems to enjoy being able to look back at me by turning his head and looking out the sides. I guess it's a whole different view from his carrier! :P

Here are some pics of the new seat! 

Testing out the new seat before it goes in the car

With the headrest

From the side

A pic from the front seat

From the other side of the car

From his side of the car

Strummer the first 6 months...boy has he grown!

6 months have just flown by! It's hard to imagine on how much Strummer has grown and changed is just a short period of time! It's been fun watching him learn new things and how his personality becomes more his own the older he gets! He has gone from just nursing for eating every 2 hours, to now nursing about every 4 hours, along w/eating all of the 1st stages of baby food and now going into the 2nd foods! He has also enjoyed Gerber puffs, and drinking water and apple juice from a sippy cup! He is also starting to sleep through the night which is such a wonderful blessing for me being able to sleep more :P 

He also loves to talk! He will get especially chatty if he's in a room where a lot of othert people are talking.

He has been acting like he will be getting a tooth anytime now, so we are STILL waiting for something to show up. Dr. Parsons thought it should be soon, because she could feel it at his appointment.  All though he didn't grow his usual amount (from his 2

 and 4 month apts), he is still a big boy! He is now 27-3/4 inches and 17 lbs! 

So here are his stats thus far:

0 months - 8 lbs 14 oz, 21-1/2 inches

2 months - 12 lbs 5 0z, 24-1/2 inches

4 months - 15 lbs 13 oz, 27 inches

6 months - 17 lbs, 27 3/4 inches

Here are some pics of our little boy growing up.

1 month

3 days

3 weeks old

2 months old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

4 months old

5 months old

5 months old

6 months old

6 months old

6-months Old! CRAZY!

Strummer's 6-month birthday is today! Where has the time gone?? He is still a very mellow happy baby! Very laid back! It's hard to think of what life was like w/out him! So to celebrate his birthday we went to go visit Sara at work! Since ChildServe is a pediatric therapy center, they have lots of kid-things to play with! So we grabbed a therapy ball and Sara did some therapy with him. We also did a tour of her area so all her co-workers could see the little guy! They seemed to enjoy it! :P

Then after that we headed to Ankeny to have a playdate w/Holly and Brayden. We met at a park and had fun swinging (and Strummer fell asleep!) Then played on the foam mats (of course, Strummer decided he would rather play in the grass! Very interesting!) Then Strummer and I scoped out the big kids playground and tried out the slides!

Then we headed home, went to the library then did a few more photos. Strummer had a very big day and started getting cranky soon after we arrived home. So therefore, he was asleep at 6:30! (He usually goes to bed at 8). He also had quite a few naps during the day, so my theory is another growth spurt!

It was a very fun day! His appointment isn't til the 29th, so I will be making another post after his appointment!

Hope everyone has a lovely day!  (PS - you can click on the title and the link will take you to my facebook  photo album and you can see all the photos from the day!)

Visiting Aunt Sara at work!

First time in a swing and it's w/his pal Brayden!

First Time on a slide!

His hat from Dr. Doran finally fits! (Rest In Peace Dr. Doran! You will be missed)

All this fun tuckered me out!

Beautiful Day For A Walk!

Yesterday afternoon Strummer and I went on a walk because it was GORGEOUS outside! It was extra exciting, because we saw the signs that Spring is finally here! Trees were starting to bud, grass is starting to turn green and we even saw flowers! The sun was out and there was slight breeze every so often. A PERFECT day for walking!! Here are some pics from stroll. 

budding trees!

a flowering tree!

Strummer is excited to begin our walk

1/2 way through our walk

After our hour long stroll. I guess he became tired after exploring!

Strummer's First Easter

We headed to Omaha for Easter this year! It was hosted by the beautiful, talented, overly awesome Jensen's! (AKA - my sister Erika and her hubby Brad!)

It was Strummer's first time visiting Omaha! So he had fun exploring the Jensen household! (Okay, technically, he had been to Omaha, he just didn't see it...hee-hee-heee)

We had lots of fun spending time with family and celebrating Christ's resurrection! (Which is what Easter is all about, not bunnies, candy and eggs) 

Sunday we met mom and dad at church. Our family as well as Scott and Sara all stayed w/the Jensen's Saturday night, so we all headed to church together (just in separate cars, to many people for 1 car!)  This was Strummer's 2nd ever church service. His first was Christmas eve at my parent's church and he was only 2 months then, however at nearly 6 months, I wasn't sure how he would act during the entire service (which, was pretty long!). He actually did fairly well. I was very proud of him! He hung out w/Grandpa, then Grandma, then Aunt Era. Grandma gave him a bottle that I had made up 'cause I KNEW he would be HUNGRY! He even played w/one of his books, then towards the end he started getting, well, vocal. So he was passed back to me. 'Cause he kept on 'talking'. I think people around us thought it was cute, b/c they kept on looking back and smiling. Nevertheless, I headed to to the back of the room so he wouldn't be as distracting! 

When we arrived back at the house, Mike, Crystal, Hannah and Ian were waiting for us! So everyone went inside, and while lunch was being prepared, (we had a BBQ-style meal) the eggs were hidden for the kids to find. Hannah and Ian love finding the eggs. I'm sure Strummer will have lots of fun w/it next year! He was just a bit to little to enjoy the festivities! 

Lunch was super yummy! Then afterwards, we had dessert. Erika made a Peanut Pie for my dad's b-day and a cookie tower for my brother's b-day! Both equally delicious!!! As Usual! (Fab Job Era!)

Strummer even ate some food! Crystal blended up some leftover sweet potatoes and she and my mom fed Strummer! He really liked it! Plus, it was a bit more chunky then his usual baby food, but he still loved it (And - it was less messy!)  Then during dessert time, he had a few small bites of some homemade whipped cream from the pie. 

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend w/the family! I always love when we are able to all get together! Love You Guys!!!