Got his own toilet!

Well, we finally got around to getting Mr. JJ his very own toilet.  This is especially good for Mommy who's back has been KILLING her trying to dangle his fast growing tuckus over the toilet.  Now he can rest in splendid comfort on a cushy seat to do the deed.  Ah JJ, such a big boy you are!

Sitting up

Two new milestones today - sitting up and blowing raspberries!  Yeah, I didn't know that second one was a milestone either, but there you have it.  Apparently it indicates that he's got some kind of muscular control important for speech going on.  It certainly make meal times interesting (can you say technicolor raspberries?)

And, by "sitting up" I mean, if I set him down in a sitting position, he stays there on his own.  Not that he can sit up on his own.  But it's coming - all too fast...

Salto!

Salto arrived today! This is the 2nd toy I've gotten for JJ. He has so many toys from other folks, I've hesitated to buy him anything. The first thing I got him was Piro, an absolutely wonderful wodden clutching toy from Haba. It is his absolutely favorite toy! So, I was making some purchases from Amazon and saw Salto (also from Haba) - a great little chew ring/rattle made from wood. So far, it's a huge hit! I love that he gets such a kick out of the wood toys and seems to like it better than plastic stuff.

Da da da da da

I know it's not deliberate, but we officially have "da da" (albeit sandwiched in with "ga ba do ga zzzzzzz") He's turning into quite the little talker! Just gabbling away at us all day. Got to love it!

Moon and Stars Melon

Every Saturday, we get up and go to the McKinney Farmer's Market.  It's great fun and the food is fab.  Well, this week we were walking around and saw this amazingly cool melonthat was dark green with big yellow polka dots and just had to get it.  It's called a Moon and Stars Melon, which is a type of heirloom melon. Apparently, it's called Moon and Stars because of the yellow spots on the skin – large yellow spots (moons) surrounded by small yellow spots (stars).  Related to the Black Diamond watermelon, this melon can get up to forty pounds!

I did a little homework and found out that it was available from seed catalogs as late as the 1920s but disappeared during that time and many people thought it had been lost forever.  However, in 1980, the Seed Savers group was contacted by Merle Van Doren, a farmer in Macon, Missouri – it turns out he had been cultivating this unique watermelon on his farm!  He gave them some of the seeds and now this melon is back from extinction.  Pretty cool!

Update on EC

The increase in milk/formula volume has made it a bit more tricky to catch all the pee events, but it's made it way easier to catch the poos. And boy are we getting good at it! He's consistently using the toilet for poops every time! And it seems like he's actually holding it which is TOTALLY amazing. When we take him to the potty, he will wait until he's in position before he pees or poos. And, if he doesn't really need to go, he'll still try to squeeze out a few drops. What an amazing kid!

6 month appointment

Lookin' good!

14lbs, 8 oz
24.75 inches long

Dr. says he's looking great and thriving. We're back on the charts and cleared to start backing off the formula as long as he continues to gain weight. Whoohoo!

Gaining weight, but snifflin'

Good news! According to the bathroom scale, the little guy is gaining weight. Also, by having them give him formula and pumped breast milk during daycare, I've been able to get my work done a lot more easily (so less stress on the mommy - hooray!)

However, he's come down with allergies or a cold or something and snores worse than his daddy these days. Poor little guy! I hope he can get on more breastmilk soon to help him fight whatever it is. Having a snotty nose and no way to blow has to really suck.