We’re erecting fences everywhere these days. Maybe it’s a subliminal ploy to forever keep Spencer protected within the confines of our home. Who knows. But, now that he is sitting, he can entertain himself for longer periods. And since he’s rolling as a mode of transportation, we have to protect him from the hard floors in all of the living areas. So … we’ve set up a pack n’ play near the kitchen and a play area with some softer floor in the family room. He’s having a great time with them both!
Coincidentally (or not! hee hee!) we just finally had the fence in our backyard re-done. Tony liked to call the slats in the old, rotted, wood fence “piano keys” because they flapped in the wind like someone was playing the piano with them. As such, we opted for PVC this time. We also didn’t have any fencing along the lakefront, which was a problem for dogs and kids alike. Now that the monster job is complete, we can put the dogs outside without worrying they’ll escape, go swimming in the lake, or get eaten by the neighborhood gator. The lakeview isn’t quite as pristine, but safety is more important, right?
{Commence evil glare}… All of the King Children are now protected within the walls of our secret compound…Muhaa haa ha.
First swing ride at the park
First tractor ride on Tony's new (used) lawnmower from my parents' PA house
Happy Half Birthday to you, Happy Half Birthday to you, Happy Half Birthday to Spencer. Happy Half Birthday to you!
Modeling his fall attire
I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BELIEVE IT’S BEEN SIX MONTHS ALREADY. It’s so crazy to think about how quickly humans change in their first year of life. He went from a helpless 7 pound infant that could barely open his eyes to a 19 pound little boy with two adorable teeth that:
- Is sitting up on his own like an old pro;
- Is rolling around like crazy;
- Has traveled cross-country;
- Is once again talking up a storm and adding new sounds all the time (he had stopped vocalizing for a while, I believe because he was really focused on some of his new physical skills);
- Has endured major surgery;
- Is loving anything that’s delivered by a spoon;
- Is willing to completely give up his pacifier like it ain’t no thang;
- Is grabbing for anything and everything … our food, my hair, my earrings, our facial features, the dogs, and absolutely any toy that is within eyesight and not already in his lap; and,
- Is so fun it’s incredible.
What a little life you’ve led already, Spence! Your Dad and I cannot get enough of you!!!
But, he’s still hugely challenged in the sleep department. He needs a lot of it and just isn’t willing to accept that. I’m beginning to feel like my only choice is to quit working and become a prisoner in my own home so that he doesn’t miss any sleep in his crib. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but I feel like it’s really that extreme right now – just one incomplete nap and we are completely out of whack. *Sigh*
On Sunday (Nov. 1), Spencer was dedicated to the Lord at our church. Here is what we promised:
Afterward, we had a gathering at our house to celebrate this wonderful milestone.
On Friday night, we carved a pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seeds. I have such fond memories of doing this throughout my childhood, so we thought we would let Spencer start getting used to the sliminess of pumpkin early.
Then on Saturday night (Halloween), we met at Jamie and Heather’s to go Trick or Treating with their kids and neighbors, as well as Brian, Kirsten and Madison. Spencer didn’t seem to mind the steaming hot giraffe costume even with the 85 degree heat. He was more interested in watching the other kids and taking it all in. But we didn’t make him wear it for long anyway.
I made this slideshow when I was still pregnant, but I just now got around to finishing it up. I wanted to do something with the belly photos I’d taken and try my hand at iMovie editing.
He used to topple over after a few seconds. And then after a few minutes. Now, he’s really getting the hang of it.
Filed under: Day in the Life
Our backyard at sunrise.
Filed under: Spencer
What I’m discovering:
- Sleep begets sleep. And if I want my child to sleep, he needs more sleep than I thought. In fact, I think he’s been overtired since after our trip to California and he’s continued to experience sleep issues. Things got better for a little bit; and, then they came to a head this week when I went four sleepless nights alone (Tony’s in Texas) because he was up every hour or so crying and sometimes stayed awake for an hour or more. This was especially hard because we thought we had sleep all figured out months ago.
- Sleep associations are a real threat to being a well-rested (read: happy) family. Apparently the pacifier (or whatever crutch we use to get our babies to fall asleep) is kind of like their pillow. When they wake up and it’s gone, or they’re no longer being rocked/fed, music is no longer playing etc., they can panic. Something like this: “Where’s my damn pillow?!!!! Who took my freaking pillow??!! Can someone PLEASE get me my pillow? HEY YOU, I’m stuck in this spot and I want my pillow NOW!! HELP!!!!”
- “Crying it out”, aka CIO, aka Ferberizing, aka sleep training is a very controversial topic. I had no idea how controversial until I started reading. First I thought I was for it, then I thought I was against it. Then when I’d tried everything else, I decided that CIO is okay (for me and my family) as a last resort. And I thought it was time for last resorts. I have more specific thoughts on CIO than that, but that’s all I’m going to say.
- Don’t underestimate babies. I thought Spencer needed a pacifier and we had been relying on it at night. But it turns out he doesn’t need a pacifier (2 and a half days and counting without it); and, the pacifier was actually part of the problem (see sleep associations above). I also thought I would spend days or even weeks crying while he cried. But there’s been nothing to cry out, for either of us. We’re on our third night of good sleep. All we needed to do was dump the pacifier, slightly alter the bedtime routine and add an optional third nap in the late afternoon. Day one of implementation equaled immediate success. While I’m not counting my chickens before they’re hatched, I am thanking God for the rest. After all, it’s not healthy for anyone to continuously experience sleep interruptions, especially Spencer.
What he’s discovering:
- He can get somewhere on his own! On Tuesday, he figured out that rolling from his back to his tummy more regularly can be a really fun thing. Whether or not he’s actually trying to go somewhere, he can go from one end of a room to the other. He’s also rolling over in the crib to sleep on his tummy and he’s now “swimming” when he’s on the floor.
- He actually likes food that comes on a spoon. It took almost a month, but he finally got the bug and now we can’t shovel it in there fast enough. We’ve even added applesauce and green beans to our repertoire.
- He can squeal and giggle. Even though he laughed a while ago, he wasn’t really doing it very often. We began to wonder if he had had actually started laughing. But now he is showing his delight more openly.
- He can sit unsupported for longer than a few seconds before toppling over.
