Harrison Can't Stop Giggling

Spring Break 2014!

The only way I could make it back to work was to count down the days until Spring Break 2014. An entire week home with Harrison was exactly what I needed. Nick also took Thursday and Friday off so we were excited to get some extra family time in!

#SpringBreakSelfie

Our biggest plan for Spring Break involved Harrison and sleeping. Since birth, Harrison had been swaddled up, rocked to sleep, and put in his Rock-N-Play sleeper. Since Mom had a week off AND Harrison wouldn't stop rolling, we figured this week was best to transition Harrison to his crib. We worked on teaching Harrison our new sleep routine: bedtime story, song, no swaddle, and being put awake in his crib. He wasn't too thrilled to say the least. He quite enjoyed when Mom and Dad did the work for him. The first night was really rough. However, by the second night he was rolling over and falling asleep on his own! Nap time is a little rougher but we are getting there :) Harrison loves sleeping on his side and belly. He currently also enjoys sleeping face down on the mattress and giving Mom and Dad a heart attack. With time, he eventually figures out it is more comfortable moving his head to the side. (Since his head control is so strong, we don't need to worry about the fact that he flips to his belly.) 

Trying to escape...

\

Such a big boy sleeping in his crib now!

Harrison also got sick over Spring Break. Yes, we've had a cold in the past but this was Harrison's first time getting really sick. He threw up 5-6 times on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, as soon as he was doing being sick, he was all smiles. He also had no fever. We still aren't sure if it was a stomach bug or just an irritated stomach from the congestion he had been having. Either way, it was not fun! Mom only called the doctor a few times.... :) My how times have changed, spring breaks in the past included lots of shots. Spring Break 2014 included shots...of Pedialyte! 

Right before throwing up all over the restaurant's bathroom

Poor kid doesn't realize the nose sucker is coming....

Harrison also got to experience his first March Madness. Dad was excited to have him fill out a bracket. Harrison predicted quite a few upsets in the first round. We are really kicking ourselves for not entering his bracket into lots of pools! We also went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch some games. Harrison was so stimulated by the 100+ TVs that he passed out the entire time. 

"No, Harrison. That's Daddy's bottle." (No worries, he did NOT come close to getting it!)

Party Animal! Spring Break 2014!

While there were some bumps along the way, we quite enjoyed spending so much time with Harrison this past week. Needless to say, I am NOT ready to go back to work. 11 weeks until SUMMER! (Having a baby really makes me appreciate a teacher's schedule!) Not like I'm counting or anything ;)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day! We will enjoy spending the day with this little leprechaun ;)

4 Months!

 

Height/Weight (per our doctor's appointment):

25 inches = 45th percentile
13 pounds = 8th percentile (<--- the doctor reassured Mom that he is not too tiny)
Head circumfrence = 88th percentile {I'm not sure the exact measurement but he's already got a big brain ;) }
 

Clothing Size:

We are beginning the transition from 3 month outfits to 6 month outfits. The brand makes a big difference on what size he fits into. However, almost all 3 month pants are way too short for Harrison now!

Favorites:

*Food- What do you think? If you guessed milk, you are correct! He does have one bottle of formula a day. He seems to like it but doesn't always inhale it in quite the same fashion he does with milk. It's crazy to think than in the next month or two, he will be eating solids! I'll be shocked if he doesn't like eating solids with the rate he eats everything else!

*Book- We are enjoying story time. He is much more interested in books than he used to be. He is trying to grab the pages while we read to him. His favorite book so far has to be the book he received for Valentine's Day. It's soft and very easy to gnaw on. He also really enjoyed looking at our honeymoon photo book. We think he must have recognized our pictures? His eyes were wide open the entire time we looked at it!

We also created a reading nook for Harrison. Obviously we know that he won't be using it much now but hopefully it will grow a reader in the future! He sits up very well in his chair and enjoys listening to stories while sitting in his nook :)

*Song- We discovered the Seasame Street radio station on iTunes radio and have been having lots of fun singing and dancing to it! In the car, Harrison enjoys listening to Mom and Dad signing "Wheels on the Bus". It can instantly stop crying, we are just that amazing of singers. At night, Mom sings him songs as part of his bedtime routine. His eyes always starting closing as soon as he hears his songs. It still amazes me that he loves hearing my singing voice. I think it won't be long before he realizes just how off-key I am. Overall, Harrison seems to really enjoy music. We are looking into joining a music class offered in Coralville when he is around 6 months. Hopefully he will enjoy it as much as we think he will!

 

*Toy- Pretty much any toy that is easy to shove in his mouth. This month has been all about being able to explore by taste. One present a friend gave to us was a doggy blanket/rattle. He LOVES it. It's easy to cuddle, eat, and makes noise all at the same time. It has been so much fun watching him love on his dog.

*Non-Toy Toy- His hands continue to bring him lots of enjoyment. They must taste delicious! He is also enjoying shoving Mom's hands into his mouth when he gets a chance. (It's definitely a good reminder for her to make sure they are always clean!) We sure do have a drool monster now thanks to everything he sucks on throughout the day! 

 

*Time of Day- He continues to be a happy baby as long as you feed him and make sure he gets some sleep. He can usually stay awake and play for an extended period of time in the morning. Morning is a great time for tummy time, he doesn't give up quite so easily!

*Things to Giggle At- It has been so much fun listening to his belly laughs. They are still few and far between but are so worth the wait (and the effort put in trying to get a laugh!). He loves laughing at silly noises. Grandma Judy discovered he laughs when he is tickled in the nook of his neck.

 

Observations/Firsts/Milestones:

*Harrison started rolling from his belly to his back! His big head helps in the process :) It doesn't happen often. He always seems startled after it happens. He's not quite sure how he got there.

 

*Harrison loves to look around. He is content just sitting in your lap and observing the world around him. He is quite easy to bring out to a restaurant. We just sit him in our lap and he will hang out happily the entire time. Try putting him in his carseat where he can't see, now that's a different story...He also really dislikes being held like a newborn. Now that he's a big boy, he always wants a view of the world.

 

 

*Harrison started school! He transitioned to daycare and Mom working full-time as well as could be expected! He's a happy boy during the day and he's charming all his teachers. He has a big smile when he is dropped off for the day and when he's picked up at night. Mom took it much harder than Harrison ;) One positive is that fun art projects are coming home. We'll have all new decorations in no time!

 

 

*Mirros are a must have in our household. Harrison could stare at himself for quite awhile. It's probably because he is so darn cute!

 

We Have a Roller!

Why hello there, blog. Remember me?? Things have been crazy with Harrison and Mom adjusting to going to school each day. Now that conferences are over, I finally feel like I can breathe again! Hopefully, this will translate into more posts. I'm currently working on his 4 month update but wanted to share a video with you.

 

A few weeks ago, Nick was playing with Harrison while I was cleaning in the kitchen. Out of nowhere, Nick started laughing because Harrison rolled from his belly to his back. Luckily, Nick happened to be filming this moment so I didn't miss out. However, I will gladly use that as my excuse to get out of cleaning ;) We thought we'd share with you!

 

Harrison has rolled a few more times since then but doesn't do it too often. We don't think he has realized that he could get out of his dreaded tummy time if he just rolled over!

 

Enjoy the video :)