Eight Month Update

Michael celebrated his first Christmas this month. We traveled to Erie and spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Platte. As always he was the star of the show. He opened a lot of presents, but he liked the wrapping paper more than he did the presents. Although he does have a new favorite toy - a vibrating teether (you can watch a riveting video of him with his new toy at the end of this post). He spent most of his time with family, but did travel to see some of Mommy's friends.

Not much is new on the development front. He has stopped blowing raspberries, but continues to find new noises that he can make. We are still waiting for him to roll over from his back to tummy. We think he is getting closer. He is not crawling yet or trying to pull himself up, which means he's easier to manage at this point. He doesn't go back to the doctor for a weight or height check up until his nine month appointment.

In the middle of January he'll begin day care when Mommy returns to work. It will be an adjustment for everyone. He will go to a place that is near his house and Mommy knows a few other parents who take their children there. He'll be visiting there a few times before Mommy goes back just so he can adjust to his new surroundings.

Here is the video of his First Christmas: First Christmas

Here is a link to new pictures: Month 8

Seven Month Update

Michael had quite an adventure this month. He took his first plane trip to Florida. He did great! Dad was quite nervous that he'd cry inconsolably the whole time, but he rarely cried. We left on Monday, 11/24. We had two flights, the first to Tampa and then to Fort Lauderdale. He was fascinated by all the people on the plane, the lights and the noises. However, he eventually fell asleep during take-off. He might have stayed asleep the whole flight if Mom didn't move her arm since it was falling asleep. Once he woke up he wouldn't fall back asleep as there were so many things to look at. He had to smile at everyone who walked by him. He had to grab anything new he could find - the tray, our drinks, our peanuts, and the magazines in the seat pocket. We got him to sleep on the second flight (Tampa to Ft. Lauderdale) around 8:15 PM (about 30 minutes after his bedtime). However, once we deplaned and gently tried to put him in the stroller he was up and ready to go. He was too excited with his new surroundings. He couldn't fall asleep in the car as there were new people to look at (Payner grandparents). And it took awhile to wind down at his temporary residence as that was all new. Finally by 10:30 PM (3 hours after his bedtime) he was asleep and slept in the next morning. The flight home on Tuesday, 12/2 was similar. He smiled at everyone and slept very little. Although he finally lost momentum when we were an hour from Pittsburgh. He crashed on Dad's chest and the people around us were shocked that he stayed asleep during the entire landing.

Our time in Florida was good. Michael was a good sport. He seemed to adjust quickly. He didn't cry a lot when people held him and he didn't mind his new bedroom (the walk-in closet). The weather was great - in the 70's and only a few days of rain. We didn't make it to the pool though - none of the ones we had access to were heated. He adjusted to the dogs (just cringed his face when they would come near him) and they adjusted to him. He enjoyed spending time with his cousins, Zoe and Jake. He managed to fall asleep in the car a few times despite Nanny's best efforts to keep him up.

Other things that are new in his life are carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, apples, pears, and bananas. So far we don't think he has a favorite - he just likes to eat. He babbles a lot and still has yet to roll over from his back to tummy. He loves to blow raspberries; sometimes so much that his shirt is drenched with spit (see photos). He has a new bathtub (see the photos), so he no longer bathes in the sink. He seems to like his new tub. He doesn't really like the cold weather that much. Mommy and Daddy don't like it that much either since it requires putting more clothes on him.

Here's a link to the new pictures: Month 7

Tooth and Roll Over

November 11, 2008 was a big day in the life of Michael Payner. In the morning Mommy realized a tooth is coming in (front lower right tooth) and in the afternoon Michael rolled over from his stomach to his back. The roll over was a result of the motivation to get off his tummy (Michael hates tummy time). I'm not sure if we'll ever get him to roll over from his back to his stomach. He thinks life is pretty good staring at the ceiling. Click on the below link for the video.

Tummy to Back Roll Over

6 Month Update

Our little baby is growing up! Michael turned 6 months old on Sunday. It is hard to believe that 6 months has passed. We went to our 6 month check up today. He is 20 lbs. and 8 ozs. and 28 inches long (90th percentile for both). He got another round of vaccinations. Fortunately we don't have to get anymore vaccinations until his 12 month appointment.

He's had a lot of adventures this month. His diet now includes rice cereal, oatmeal, and breast milk! However, it will soon be expanding to include vegetables and fruits. He went hiking at McConnell's Mill Park. He enjoyed it; however, he wasn't very happy with us since we almost choked him as we had the sternum strap a little to high on his chest. He also went to his first block party outside the womb (he was inside the womb last year). It was a good time, but it was a little cold. He went to a fall festival at an orchard where he was not allowed to drink the apple cider or eat the apples or delicious apple pie (with black raspberries). Grandma and Grandpa Platte came to visit him. It took him awhile to warm up to them since he is suffering from stranger anxiety at the moment. But once he realized they were not leaving or taking him away he warmed up to them (although Mommy continues to be his favorite). We all went to a farm to partake in some more fall activities to celebrate his 6 month birthday.

He is still not rolling over; however, he does sit up very well. The pediatrician said that bigger babies are sometimes slower to do these things since they have so much weight to lug around! He is still grabbing everything and it still ends up in his mouth. He probably won't be able to ever eat his toes since his belly gets in the way! Next month will bring a new adventure as we are flying to Florida for Thanksgiving - his first plane ride! There are new pictures in the link at the bottom of the blog.

Five Months Old

Michael turned five months old on Friday. We've been trying new adventures lately. This week we went to a Mommy and Me yoga class. But that didn't go so well since Michael wanted to be held for most of the class. Also, Mommy didn't find the yoga very relaxing since there were multiple kids coming over to her to hand her their toys or snacks. Today we went to a music class. Again, Michael wanted to be held for most of the class. He's currently in an attachment to mommy phase. We attempted to give him rice cereal last weekend. We thought it went well; however with each day that passed he seemed to like it less and less. So we took a break and will try again later. Here is a link for a video of Michael trying to drink Ian's water. Also, there are new pictures below.

Michael Drinking

Michael Laughs!

This past weekend Mommy and Michael took a road trip to Erie. Dad traveled to Florida for the weekend. Thank goodness Mom and Michael didn't go with him - Dad's flight was delayed on Friday night which resulted in him sleeping at JFK airport! Dad did have a nice time in Florida when he finally got there. Our road trip was good; however, Michael wanted to be the entertainment for the weekend, so it took Mom over an hour every night to get him to sleep. He loves smiling at all his relatives. Michael's first laugh was on August 24th; however, it has been difficult to get him to repeat it. Just when we think we know what makes him laugh it doesn't work the next time. Aunt Holly was able to make him laugh this weekend by snorting (like a pig) at him. The video for that is on the right of this blog below the slideshow. You just need to click on the title below the picture to get it to play. We are sure Aunt Holly will be thrilled as well for you all to know what a fantastic snorter she is. He's still working on rolling over. He seems to be more interested in using his hands. He's becoming a nuisance during meals. It seems as if he wants to eat our food. He'll grab our glass and try to drink out of it. He'll grab the plate and try to bring it to his mouth. We think it is time to start cereal! That will most likely be our new adventure this weekend.

Four Months

Michael is four months old today. We had our doctor's appointment and he weighs 17 lbs. 14 oz. (the 95th percentile) and is 26.5 inches tall, but we think they measured wrong and he's really only 26 inches (this is the 90th percentile). So he's finally caught up in length to his weight! Dad is already planning on no longer contributing to Michael's 529 because he has Division I written all over him! We also had another round of vaccinations. This time Mom gave him Tylenol a couple hours before we got there and he hardly cried at all!

He giggled for the first time this week on Sunday (early afternoon). We are not sure what we did, but he laughed. We haven't been able to repeat it though! He is no longer swaddled at night (for the most part). We still use the swaddle blanket, but just wrap it around his lower body. We don't put his arms in the swaddle anymore. His sleeping habits did not change. For awhile we were worried that he was addicted to the swaddle. Naps are still a bit of a struggle - he's a cat napper. It's a work in progress. He is getting better at coordinating his hands. It's fun to watch him realize that he has control over them. He's discovered that he has feet and likes to grab him while he is on the changing table (still one of his favorite spots in the house). Tummy time is still not his favorite; however, Nanny Payner bought a new tummy time toy for him and that is helping (see the pictures in Month 4). That's all for now.

Three Month Update

Sorry that it has been awhile since we've updated the blog. Here is what's new: Michael took his first road trip fourth of July weekend. We went to Erie to visit the Platte grandparents. We drove up on Friday morning (the fourth) and returned on Sunday. He slept most of the car ride and did a good job sleeping at night while there. He was a bit crabby during the day, but we attribute that to new surroundings. This month he also made a visit to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh with his mom and Grandma Platte. He slept most of the time there but did watch the two toed sloth slide across a branch. He finished off the month celebrating his three month birthday with the Payner grandparents as they visited at the end of the month. He's going back to Erie this upcoming weekend (August 2nd) for his first wedding. Else, he just passes the days by spending time with mommy's friends who have little babies. Lastly, we don't return back to the doctor until his four month so we have no updates on weight or height (but we think the weight gain may have slowed down a bit). There are new pictures from his thrid month on the link below.

2 Month Appointment

Today was Michael's two month appointment. He weighs 14 pounds and 12 ounces! He gained a whole 3 pounds and 5 ounces in one month. He is in the 97th percentile for weight. He is only 23 inches long (I think he is 23 1/2), which is the 50th percentile. (When he was born he was 7 pounds 9 ounces and 19 1/2 in length. So he's almost doubled his birth weight!) I'm officially putting away the 0-3 months clothes and we are moving into the 3-6 months clothes. He had to get his first round of vaccinations today. That was not fun for either of us. He screamed and I almost cried. He seemed okay afterwards, but he was really sleepy in the afternoon. We'll see how he is in the next few hours/days. We (Ian and I) celebrated his 2 month birthday with cupcakes.

He is starting to figure out that he can bring his fist to his mouth and suck on it. We've also noticed that he is (slightly) pinching us. He still enjoys playing "peek-a-boo" and loves his changing table. He is now sleeping in his crib still swaddled in his Miracle Blanket though (see the photo). We'll try to ween him off that in the next few weeks. He takes his naps during the day all over the place - swing, pack-n-play, bouncer chair. We are still working on getting video on this blog.

Greetings

Hello! As a result of much prompting from friends we are going to try to maintain a blog on Michael's life. This is our first time blogging, so we are really not sure what we are doing. Hopefully, we'll figure out how to get pictures up and possibly videos. Right now, there is a link below to some slideshows in Picasa. You should be able to click on the link and then click on a button for a slide show. We hope this is a way for our friends and family to get an update if they want to see what is going on. And it will be an electronic memory book! Not sure how often we'll update at this point, but we'll try our best. Hope you enjoy the blog and feel free to send comments or suggestions.

Toni, Ian, and Michael