Simon @ 7 months

It's hard to believe how fast Simon is growing - it almost seems like there is a change in him daily now as he is fine tuning his existing skills and learning new ones. At seven months Simon:

-is eating apples, peaches, apricots, pears, bananas, prunes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, butternut squash, creamed corn, rice, oatmeal and barley
-absolutely loves bath time - you have to be careful about taking him into the bathroom because he gets excited just seeing the tub - he basically just sits up in the tub and splashes like a maniac
-is sitting like a pro and usually only "falls" when he wants to squirm around on his belly
-is in the midst of another cold and is a total pain when you try to remove the snot crusties
-is wearing size 4 diapers - they are totally huge but the size 3s just didn't cut it anymore
-loves to screech at the top of his lungs - especially when you repeat it back to him
-is a happy baby - we always joke about how he needs to be more expressive
-sleeps on his tummy
-is not crawling yet but moves around like nobody's business - he is proficient at the pivot and moving backwards
-wears mostly 6-12 month clothing although it's still a little big on him
-loves Ba Ba Black Sheep
-is starting to recognize his name - although like Matt, he has selective hearing
-loves his solid food which has it's downside sides - solid food = solid poop
-giggles like a madman when he's tired
-has a predictable cycle in terms of naps/bedtime although the timing is different each day because he never wakes up at the same time
-loves to play with his stacking cups - we build towers, he knocks them down
-loves his train - first he knock off the blocks that spin and then he turns it on and off repeatedly
-has his first and second tooth through - the middle two on the bottom
-is all about his jolly jumper and exersaucer
-is out of his bucket seat and into a gorgeous new car seat covered in cow print
-is totally fascinated with his hands
-is starting to become difficult with diaper changes since he's on the go
-is still nursing 4-7 times a day
-is not even close to sleeping through the nights - in fact, he's regressed in terms of sleep
-loves nothing more than to grab a fistful of hair
-is getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth
-weight to be updated once I get him in to be weighed

A Brookstreet Thanksgiving

Well this year was a little different than most. With Mum laid up with a broken leg, Dad overwhelmed with work and taking care of Mum and Matt and I tired out by our little guy, our options for a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner were limited. So we decided that this year we would all take a break and order Thanksgiving dinner from the Brookstreet Hotel. Nothing compares to homemade, but it was pretty close and the fact that prep. and cleanup were minimal made it a perfect day. Simon even got in on the festivities and had a Thanksgiving feast of pumpkin, apple and oatmeal. He also serenaded us throughout dinner, first with his piano on his jumper and when we turned that off his high pitched screams. The other bonus, the cleaning lady come on Tuesday so any residue mess was taken care of the next day! I'll post a few pics when I download them from the camera. Nothing of dinner but of Simon in his Thanksgiving outfit.

No Stopping Now

Food is no longer an issue with Simon - he's like a baby bird with his mouth wide ready for each and every spoonful that you're willing to give him. Overnight he went from 1 tbsp. to 4 tbsp. of cereal per serving. Now his repertoire has increased to corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, plums, apples, peas, butternut squash, oatmeal and rice. We're going to try out barley soon so that he can eat Cheerios and we've got a lot of other combinations both homemade and store bought. The only downside to this all - the output is nasty.

Bank Account and an RESP

It's official, we finally got around to getting the paperwork done for Simon's RESP and bank account. Matt and I were both lucky to have lots of financial help to get through school and it's a big part of why we're doing well for ourselves now so we wanted to provide the same advantage for Simon (and future siblings). Since we get that $100 cheque for Simon monthly for the next 6 years, we figured we might as well put it all into savings and hopefully by the time he goes to school he'll have enough to do whatever he wants without having to worry about the financial aspect of it.

Prelude to Crawling

Simon's started to figure out what he has to do, he just hasn't managed to put it all together. He can get around on the floor now by rolling and pivoting and he can move backwards quite easily by the forward motion still stumps him. For the last few days, he has been getting up on his knees and rocking - it's the cutest thing - but then he falls before managing to go forward. He should be on the move anytime which means that Matt and I have to get our butt in gear and start baby proofing.

Carrots are a Hit

Finally Simon is responding to solids. I think now that he has the hang of the spoon and a flavour for something other than breastmilk or gripe water, it will only get easier. We tried carrots mixed with oatmeal. The first day he liked it enough, the second day got better and by the third day (and the end of the jar) he decided he liked it so much that he wouldn't waste any by spitting it back out. Aside from the slight orange stain on his face, you almost couldn't tell he ate.

Lunch with Alana

Simon and I met my old colleague Alana for lunch in Wellington Village. Alana and I have been meaning to meet up for awhile and it's just been a bit more complicated with a little shadow to schedule around. Alana is pregnant with her first baby, a girl, due around Christmas. She's the first person I know who is pregnant with their first since I've had Simon so finally someone who can benefit from my 6 1/2 months of experience with motherhood :) She seems ready to go especially since Simon was such an angel. I am so proud of my little boy when he is a model baby especially around people who are soon to be parents. I can't tell you what we did right but there must be something there.

Accident

We were involved in a minor traffic accident on Sunday on our way over to Matt's parents. Some yahoo was riding up Matt's tail all along Hazeldean and then brushed us at the corner, stalled and then hit us again. It was not a big deal and there was no damage but as is customary, we wanted to exchange insurance information and as we reached into the car for a pen, the guy took off. I was in total shock. The best part was that he left his buddy standing on the sidewalk. We got some information and we're hoping that it was truthful because it's all they have to go on. This guy is going to be kicking himself it he gets caught because hit and run is pretty serious compared to an accident that caused no damage.

Mont Tremblant Vacation

Matt arranged for us to use a friend's condo for a few days this week at the base of Mont Tremblant. We were a bit worried after our Toronto ordeal but we decided since there were two rooms in the condo, that we were willing to risk it. After a nauseating trip up, we arrived in Mont Tremblant the town - the furthest point that Matt had printed directions for. It took a bit of time to find our resort but thankfully Simon wasn't too crabby. The first day we walked a bit around the village, and then I had a nap while Simon and Matt went for a swim. It turned out that the pool was closed so they played on the exersaucer and then had a bath to kill some time and give me a bit of a break. Day 2 was much more hectic, we took the gondola to the summit and wandered around in the clouds. The views were spectacular with all of the leaves on the trees in full fall colours. Simon was a hit with everyone. He looked cute and he was the perfect baby. Apparently the mountain air agreed with him because when we went back to our room, he napped, and napped and napped the afternoon away (probably almost 4 hours total). Then we had a quick photo shoot and packed up to golf with Daddy. Matt booked a round of 9 holes and Simon and I were able to tag along. At this point of the day, the course was pretty deserted so we didn't have to be wary of flying balls. Mental note for me for next time - don't strap a 20 lb. baby for a walk around the golf course - especially one in the mountains. I got quite the workout from walking up and down the mountain. I'm thinking they need some redesign of the course before I'd be willing to do that again :) Sunday morning we had a lazy morning before checking out and heading over to the pool complex. We actually had to wear bathing caps for the pool which Matt and I weren't thrilled about - Simon looked adorable but we just looked stupid. I kept Simon's bathing cap so I'll have to get a photo of it someday soon. The trip back was uneventful and we had a nap before picking up the puppies. Here's the result of our photoshoot:

A Fuller Family Affair

We shipped the dogs to the kennel, packed up our gear, strapped Simon into the car and headed off to Oakville for a family wedding. To stay it was a long weekend is an understatement. Simon does not sleep in the car for even close to the length of time that he sleeps at home - 1/2 hour is about his limit (while he'll nap for up to 3 hours at home). He also doesn't like sleeping in his play pen, or sleeping in the same room as us. We had a few rough nights but it was a great wedding so overall worth the craziness of a rough weekend with Simon. He of course was a trooper barely letting out a peep for his adoring audience. He only made a few little noises at the church thanks to the ceiling fan entertainment and we thankfully had a baby sitter for the reception who he saved all his crankiness for. Mel and Colin if you're reading this thanks so much - you guys went above and beyond with our cranky baby and it made our evening so much more enjoyable. Adam and Cheryl had a beautiful service followed by a fantastic party and we were so glad to be able to celebrate with them - we first met Cheryl at our wedding 2 years prior. The food was awesome, we had some fun with Octopus, and generally gave Bill a hard time about it being National Proposal Day. I got to hang out with Matt's cousin Jen's little guy Justin and he is so polite and well behaved and he was a great source of enjoyment for Simon - he played "eat toes" with Simon since that's one of the only games he knows :) Jen's daughter Rachel was also in the wedding and she did such a good job and was awesome with Simon during Sunday brunch - even when he fussed she didn't try to pass him off and just bounced him up and down. Barry and Pegi were great hosts and it was nice to see Ray and Judi again (even though Judi said that Cheryl and Adam's wedding was the nicest she had ever been too :) ) and to finally meet the other Fuller sibling Cindy and her husband Brent. Simon was spoiled again and thankfully so since the teddy bear (from Cindy and Brent) and the books (from Ray and Judi) helped to bridge some of the time between naps in the car.