Half way there!

Connor is officially half way to his 1st birthday!! I cannot believe 6 months has gone by already! We celebrated his big 6 month milestone with an introduction to the world of solid foods! I feel like I have been waiting for this day for months (6 to be exact). We went to the doctor for his check up and were given the green light on solids. I decided to start with rice cereal, but he wasn't a big fan so we have moved on to veggies now. He got his first sampling of peas last night and although he didn't eat much, he managed to take in a few spoonfuls (just enough for some interesting diapers this morning).

My little man is getting so big too. He now weighs 16 lbs and is 27 inches tall. I think he takes after his G-Pop because there isn't much tall and skinny going on in our house.

Connor dressed for success on his half birthday:

The next Picasso

Just in case I ever loose this, I wanted to make sure I had a picture of it somewhere. I mean, who knows, my son may one day become one of the most talented artists of his generation (something I doubt, but hey "yanvano"). Here is Connor's very first art project from daycare. At just 5 months old, I think he shows some real talent. I mean look at those crooked little fingers - I am sure that has to be some new art movement that no one has discovered yet.

A boy and his bouncer, a love story

I would like to personally thank Maria and Rosanna for introducing Connor to his new love - his bouncer. This was actually a baby shower gift that he has finally gotten big enough to use and he loves it!! I just had to share this video and Connor's "Riverdance" moves.

Baby's 1st Christmas

Mark and I made the decision before Connor was even born that we wouldn't travel up north this Christmas. We thought it would be too cold for his Florida blood to handle (although it's going to be 32 here tonight) and it would be too hard to travel with a baby (although Connor has been on a plane already and it was a breeze). Anyway, with that said, we stayed in Florida for Christmas, which in all honesty is just weird. Palm trees with Christmas lights, shopping for a tree in shorts, and having a BBQ just doesn't scream Christmas to me, but this year it did. We actually decorated our house and got a tree (a first since moving to Florida) and did our best to make it as "christmasy" as possible.

My parents and brother arrived on the 23rd to celebrate the holiday with us and stayed through New Year's. We did all our family traditions with Connor and added Mark's family tradition of 1 present on Christmas Eve (those were Connor's new Christmas pj's). We had a wonderful time and I am so thankful that my parents/brother made his 1st Christmas so special and were able to be here with us.

As for Connor, he didn't pay much attention to the presents, but he LOVED wrapping paper and cardboard boxes. He got more gifts than any 5 month old should get (thanks to his grandparents and the many family and friends who sent us stuff) and he did enjoy trying to eat every one of them (despite the fact that none of it was edible). Mark and I got a video camera from my parents and as soon as I figure out how to download the videos from it, I will post some. My mom also got a really nice digital camera from my dad and took a mere 572 pictures during their visit. Clearly, this little blog cannot possibly handle all that, so here are a few of my favorites.

Our 1st tree (as you can see Santa went NUTS):

Christmas morning, barely awake

Yummy wrapping paper

His Christmas day outfit (sooooo cute!)

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and we wish you all the best in the New Year!

5 months!

Since the holidays were so hectic, I am seriously behind on posts, so bear with me while I post a bunch now.

Connor turned 5 months old on December 28th and I left it up to my parents to take his 5 month picture since they were visiting. Unfortunately, my mother let my dad brush Connor's hair that day (this will explain the toupee look below).

Happy 5 months little buddy!

4 months old!

Connor turned 4 months old the weekend after Thanksgiving. He is now 14lbs 1 oz and standing tall at 26 inches. He still is in the 90th% for height and the 30th% for weight. He is doing great and growing just fine. He got another set of shots, which of course he was not a big fan of, but he did just fine.

That week my brother was visiting for Thanksgiving. We celebrated Connor's big 4-month mark by taking Connor on his first trip to the park. He LOVED every minute of it!! Thanks for spending time with us Uncle Moose - we can't wait to see you at Christmas!

A close up of my 4-month old baby...


First swing ride!

Take Flight

Connor had his first plane ride this month. We headed up to New Jersey over Veteran's Day, so he could finally meet everyone who didn't have a chance to come down to us when he was born. I was really excited because it's getting a little harder for my Nonni and Papi to fly and they desperately wanted to meet their great-grandson, so we headed off. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I realized that people with babies do have a life (that does occasionally consist of traveling). It also helped that Joanna has been my go-to person on all things baby (since she did have one first) and she has been on a plane with Will a few times. Her advice was perfect - "you only have to fly for the first time with him once". She was right, after the first leg of the trip, I felt soooo much better. Of course it helped that Connor was a perfect angel and that I had a mom, dad and 2 kids sitting with us who were so nice. People in general were AMAZINGLY helpful to me both in the airport and on the plane. I had random strangers offering to help with carry-on and pull my luggage from the turn style. It's amazing how a cute baby in a Bjorn will get people to do things for you. Anyway, like I said, Connor was just perfect on the flight - he ate during takeoff and slept all the way through the landing. The way back was almost as good, although he was a little hesitant to eat at first, but once he did he fell asleep and woke up right before we landed. I couldn't have asked for an easier "first time".

As for our visit, it was basically 5 days of my family just smothering him with love. He got to meet Nonni and Papi who just adore him. He met Sarah, Brandyn, and Kaylee (who equally adore him - so much so that Brandyn thought it was an absolute injustice that he had to go to school while Connor was in town), and he saw The Brennan's again and of course spent tons of time with Nonni, G-Pop and Uncle Moose. Then over the weekend (thanks to Sarah generously opening up her house to all the crazies that are my family), he got to meet the rest of the extended family This included cousin Zoe who showed me her iPhone full of pictures of Connor, as she admitted that she is obsessed with how cute he is. It was a great trip and I am soooo glad we went. Here's a few pictures with the family. Thanks everyone for making our trip so wonderful and taking the time out of your busy schedules to see us. We miss you guys already!

Proud Nonni and Papi

Brandyn and Kaylee

Spending one-on-one time with Tatie

All bundled up and ready for NJ weather

Connor so excited to see G-Pop

Uncle Moose and Connor (sporting his moose outfit)