No way...3 months old

Connor turned 3 months old today. Can you believe it? I know I can't.

My parents were in town last night for a quick stopover before they flew out of town early Saturday morning and we were reminiscing about what I was doing three months ago at that time. Although Connor's birthday was technically on Friday the 19th, most of the real action of my labor and delivery was on Thursday the 18th. That's the day I was induced. Connor barely made it on the 19th as he was born at 12:22 AM. We rehashed the memories and even though I was reminded of the severe pain, it did not change the fact that it was all worth it. Nothing good comes easy. He made me work for his arrival, but that made it all the more fulfilling and gratifying. I wouldn't change a thing about my experience.

In three months much has changed. Connor can now put pressure on his little legs. He is also so much more sturdy when you hold him as he can really support his head. He also is able to sit up without flopping over when you prop him up on the couch or in the bumbo seat.

He loves to suck on his hands and just recently he found his feet, which he stares at all the time. He hasn't tried to suck on them yet, like I've seen many babies do, but he is fascinated by them.

He has also begun sleeping in his big boy crib at night and what's even more impressive, he is actually taking naps in his crib too.

He "talks" a lot and it seems like every day we are introduced to a new noise. He's got this cute little scream even.

He is still a big boy and almost entirely made up of cheeks. He has even started wearing some clothes marked 6 months. Wow. I'm not ready for that.

He has also started to gaze at the pages of the books we read to him at night. It's just cool that he is starting to put two and two together. He is still not that interested in toys. Our faces tend to be the most interesting thing to him right now, although he is grabbing at toys more lately.

I officially have to watch his TV intake because a few weeks ago it was clear that if I had the TV on in his eyesight he would watch it. Connor doesn't like anything longer than 5 minutes, yet he gets into a baby trance when he watches TV. It's terrible. Now when he's awake we mostly listen to music. No couch potato baby for us.

He still has hair, although his bald spot in the back is getting bigger every day. He also still has beautiful blue eyes. I know they still have plenty of time to change colors, but for now I am appreciating them and staring at them as often as I can. Not to brag as a Mom, but we do get strangers telling us how cute he is very often when we're out and about. In my head I'm thinking, "Yes, I know I made a darn cute kid."

His personality is definitely starting to develop. Connor is a serious boy. When we get in groups he rarely smiles. Instead, he takes in the scene and just observes everyone. He's not necessarily sad or upset, just serious, maybe even a bit shy. Clearly he doesn't get that from me...ha! Our doctor has consistently told us how alert he is and I think he uses that skill to analyze his surroundings. I usually see the most smiles when it's just me and Connor at home. As long as I still get to see a couple smiles a day, I'm happy.

It still amazes me that he's been here for 3 months. I really can't imagine my life without him. As I said before, my labor and delivery process was challenging and Connor really made me work for him, and that much hasn't really changed. Connor makes me work for his affections every day, but like his birth, I wouldn't change him or our life together for anything. Taking care of this bundle of chubbles every day is my new job and for that I am very grateful. As he gets older, he won't let me snuggle with him as often, so I am going to take advantage of that while I can.

Happy 3 month birthday buddy. Mommy and Daddy love you very much. Thank you for joining our family.

Grandma Roach sees Connor for just a couple of hours Friday night. He's a lot bigger then when she spent a lot of time with us for the first 3 weeks of his life.

Even Connor is a little stunned that he's 3 months old.

There we go. He's pretty happy about it.

Jolly Michigan fan. He's a lucky charm, because Michigan is 3-0 for the first time since 2006.

This is a sight we see very often with Connor staring at his feet. "What are those things? Do they belong to me? How cool."

Connor will occasionally grab at a toy, but usually he just looks at them.

He holds his head up very well during tummy time but still no rolling over. Don't worry, take your time. I'm in no rush for a mobile baby.

Connor likes what we refer to as "flying baby." We can usually get a few smiles out if it.

Chillin' with Mateo

Yesterday, Connor and I spent most of the day settling back in at home, but we did manage to squeeze in a visit to see 3 week old Mateo and his Mommy, Andrea. At 3 weeks, Mateo is 8 pounds 4 ounces so even now he is smaller than Connor ever was, so I just can't get over how tiny he seems. He's very precious and Andrea and Mateo seem to be figuring each other out just fine. He seems to enjoy waking up for long stretches in the middle of the night, which doesn't make Andrea happy, but he'll soon grow out of that. As the "experienced" Mom, that's certainly easier said than done.

Andrea and 3 week old Mateo.

Connor and Mateo hanging out. Don't elbow Mateo Connor.

Little Mateo isn't quite ready to sit up yet. He's so much smaller than Connor, but soon enough they'll be playing together since they are only 2 months apart.

Sleepy Mateo.

As for Connor's sleeping, it's too early to call, but so far so good as far as him sleeping in his crib during naps. We discovered this amazing trick in Amarillo (see yesterday's post) and I have continued to have him sleep swaddled in his crib ever since. Today was the best yet, because as he was getting a bit fussy and he had been up for almost 2 hours, I swaddled him and sure enough his eyes started to get heavy and within minutes of laying him in his crib he fell asleep. The best part was that he slept for 2 full hours. It was awesome and I know the little man needs that sleep so it feels so good to find something that works for him and me. We'll see if this is just a passing fad, but I'll take it for now.

Getting good naps makes me happy.

Amarillo Visit Success

Well our visit to Amarillo was a sweet success. We packed up everything and headed to the airport with our fingers crossed Friday morning. We fed Connor right before we checked in, hoping for the most contented baby possible. Well, who knows what it was, but something worked. HE WAS AMAZING! I mean, honestly, I don't think he could have been more perfect. All through security, while we waited for the flight, on the flight...everything. He was a cherub.

We had to feed him on the plane and he ate like a champ and we even changed his diaper and he smiled the entire time. We thought he might sleep, but he didn't and so we were worried what we would do with him in a confined space, but wouldn't you know it, he was an angel. He laid across my lap and smiled and sometimes needed the pacifier, but mostly just smiled and cooed. It was unbelievable.

Grandma Robbyn met us at the airport and we headed home. When we got home, we set up all the supplies Grandma and Grandpa had bought Connor. It was so nice to have all of the baby gear he was used to at their house. It made him feel right at home. Grandma and Grandpa are already spoiling the little guy.

Friday night, Jeff and I were planning to go to his high school's football game against their rival as part of his 10 year high school reunion activities, but we decided to stay home and hang out with his parents instead. We had a nice evening and a delicious dinner. We even got to eat outside, because the weather in Amarillo was in the 60's at night. It felt so good compared to the 90's we are still experiencing in Houston.

Saturday morning, Jeff and Grandpa took Connor to a local Farmers market to give me a chance to rest. Connor didn't have a great night in his new surroundings, so I really appreciated it. Connor enjoyed himself and wore pants and a jacket for the first time. He looked so cute all bundled up. When they got home we had a yummy pancake breakfast and enjoyed some time together.

Connor was fighting his nap and getting fussier and fussier, so Jeff decided to try and swaddle him like we do when we put him to bed and it was like a switch went off. Connor melted and immediately closed his eyes, so we rested him in his crib and TWO HOURS LATER he woke up.

The only problem with this was that the second hour of his nap overlapped the first hour of what was supposed to be a little gathering for friends from Amarillo to meet Connor. Ha! Just when you think you can predict his schedule, he throws you for a loop. Everyone understood and knew not to wake a sleeping baby, so when he did get up and I fed him, he was ready to meet his guests. He did well and all of the guests thought Connor was a cutie pie. His hair was of course a crowd favorite.

On a side note, I was telling Jeff today that I have seen quite a few stray hairs recently. I hope for goodness sake he isn't losing his hair. I have heard from other Moms that it can all fall out at once and it is possible, but I would be so sad. Connor wouldn't look the same at all if he were bald. I am hoping it's just a few stray hairs that will lead to others growing in. I am not ready to give up his adorable hair.

Anyway, back to the trip, after the party it was time to catch up on some College football. Connor luckily behaved like a trooper and let Mommy watch the entire Michigan game, which ended in a victory over Notre Dame with just 11 seconds left on the clock. It was hilarious, because when Jeff and I cheered loudly when Michigan scored the game winning touchdown it startled Connor and he cried. Sorry buddy, but it was kind of funny.

Saturday evening Jeff and I put Connor to bed and left to go to his 10 year high school reunion. It was fun and he caught up with quite a few high school friends. Of course we talked about Connor a lot and Jeff showed pictures of him at any chance he got. What a proud pappa.

On Sunday, Jeff's friend Aron Tipton came by to see Connor and then we had a tasty lunch and packed up our stuff. It was a quick trip but very fun and I think Grandma and Grandpa Treadway enjoyed spending time with their little grandson. It's funny how long it took us to pack up our stuff. For such a little guy, he sure does have a lot of stuff.

Then it was time to head back to the airport. Of course we expected the worst because no way could perfect baby lightening strike twice, but yet again Connor amazed us. Yet again Connor was shockingly perfect on the trip home from the minute we got to the airport to the moment we arrived back in town. Sometimes it seems like Connor is only happy and content when it's just us at home and then he is fussy when we're around others like he's storing it up or something, but in this instance I can't complain. He saved his best behavior ever for the perfect time.

Jeff checking us in while Connor shows us how patient and angelic he can be.

Happy Mom, proud that her son made it through security without any trouble.

Easy going Connor couldn't care less that Mom is changing his diaper. I'm telling you, he was so chill.

"I like this air travel thing."

Grandma welcomes us at the airport.

His onesie said "Off to Grandma's"

Connor felt right at home under a similar looking play gym.

Grandpa gets some quality time with Connor. We all enjoyed the cooler weather. It was beautiful.

Connor looked so cute all bundled up. He probably won't wear that coat again in Houston for another couple of months.

A Saturday morning trip to the farmer's market.

Visitors ooo and ahh at Connor on Saturday afternoon after his long nap.

After the party, the Treadway men chill while watching some College football. I couldn't resist taking this picture. He just looked so cute with his arm propped up like that.

While I don't like Connor watching TV, as I'd rather not have my little boy turn into a couch potato, I made an exception for some fantastic Michigan football. It seems like educational programming to me. As you can tell, Grandma and Connor are very intrigued.

No more TV. Now it's time to smile and coo under the play gym. What a happy boy.

Grandpa got to read Connor his stories Saturday night.

Connor and Grandpa were eye to eye. It was very sweet.

We attended Jeff's ten year high school reunion. Go Amarillo High Sandies class of '99.

Aron Tipton (the best man in our wedding) stopped by Sunday morning to meet Connor.

Our flight back on Sunday was filled with smiles from both Connor and his parents. Thanks buddy for being such a good boy.

Going bald?

Ok, don't be too alarmed by the title of this post. Connor is not losing all of his hair, but he has managed to give himself a nice little bald spot in the back. Hopefully this picture is clear enough for you to see it. It's pretty funny in person. He rubs his head back and forth at night and has rubbed the hair right off in this one spot. Silly boy.

On an unrelated note, Connor went back to the doctor today to see about getting a prescription for a reflux medication. As you know, he spits up a ton, but we were told just to keep an eye on it, since he was gaining weight and he didn't seem too upset by the spit up, even though it seemed to be coming out of him like a geyser some times.

The past couple of days he has seemed very irritated and I have noticed that he has been spitting up more and then arching his back and neck and letting out these almost painful sounding cries. It is really sad and it's very difficult because during these spells he is almost entirely inconsolable. You'll get him calm for a minute and then he starts back up again. Poor boy. I hated seeing him in what I believed to be pain or at least discomfort so we went back to the doctor to see about a reflux medication.

The doctor said if this works, we should see results in a week or two. Here's to hoping. Oh and we did get him weighed and the big boy currently weighs 14 pounds 2 ounces. Right on track.

And we're back

We made it back from Plano (a suburb of Dallas) and had a good time. We got stuck in lots of traffic on our way out Friday night, but Connor did well. We stopped for about 40 minutes to feed him, let traffic die down a bit, and let him get out of his carseat for a little while. All in all, the trip took about 6 hours, but we made it around 10pm Friday night. My Aunt and Uncle greeted us and got to take a few peaks at Connor. They'd have to wait until Saturday to actually see him in action.

Just like in Austin, when we arrived he was asleep in his carseat and we had to transition him into a pack and play. Thank goodness, he fell right back to sleep.

Saturday was a big day. It was the first day Connor got to sport his college football watching gear, namely Michigan and A&M onesies. They must have worked, because both of our teams were victorious and sadly that may be hard to come by for both teams this season, so it was quite a nice treat.

Connor seemed to enjoy the college football festivities. He played and napped and kept on schedule fairly well. He became a little fussy at times and he did spit up a fair amount on my Aunt and Uncle's carpet (sorry), but I would say overall it was a good day.

Around 6pm, Connor's second cousin (my cousin) Hilary came over to meet him. It was a brief visit as we were feeding him and starting the getting ready for bed process, but she got to help with the bath and see him. She also brought him this cool outfit complete with a faux leather jacket. He's going to be so styling in that.

I had originally thought the wedding we were attending was at 6pm, so I thought my Aunt would have to bath him and put him to bed, but it was actually at 7:30 so we were able to put Connor to bed right before we left. It worked out great and he didn't make one peep while we were at the wedding. Good boy.

The wedding was a blast and I just love hanging out with my high school girl friends. It is always such a good time. Plus, I got to see my best friend Erin Shea, who just recently got engaged. Congrats! The only not-so-smart decision was the one to stay out until 1:30AM knowing Connor would be up around 3AM and 6AM. Oh well. As I've said before, it was worth it, but I was certainly dragging a bit on Sunday.

Sunday was a different story for Connor attitude wise and it may have been my fault. I had arranged for my girlfriends to meet Connor, while I also got to meet my friend Molly's son Benji and my friend Hilary's son Cade. It's surreal that three out of our group of 9 friends have babies now and they are all boys. Benji is 6 months, Cade is 4 months, and Connor is 2 months.

The timing was a little off so I tried to stretch his feedings and his naps. Boy did that backfire. At home he was OK, but about 30 minutes before I was leaving to go over to Molly's house, Connor started wailing. My Aunt took a turn at calming him and sadly she got a big earful of cries. She did great and he would calm down sometimes, but then strike right back up again. I was very worried as this wasn't a good sign of things to come for our visit with the girls. Oh well. I drove over there, hoping feeding him might help. Unfortunately, not so much.

Connor spent most of the three hours pouting or full out crying while we were at Molly's. I knew everyone understood, but I felt bad, because I'd get him calm and see if he could be held by someone else and then he'd start crying again. The person holding him felt like it was their fault of course, but I tried to tell them not to take it personally, Connor was just having a bad day. I think there is something to be said for traveling, because now both times Jeff and I have gone out of town, one day Connor is not happy at all.

We did manage some calm time and were able to take a couple shots of all three boys and the boys with their Moms. Despite Connor's temperament, we still had a really good time. It was fun having a play date with Connor's new buddies and my best friends.

The drive back from Plano was much smoother, but we are all pretty pooped. It's a short week this week, but it will be a full one, because on Friday morning we leave for our first flight to Amarillo to see Jeff's parents and attend a few 10 year high school reunion activities at Jeff's high school. I am nervous about going through security and flying with Connor, but you never know, he might just surprise us and be a perfect angel.

Connor in his jammies Friday night ready to drive to Plano.

Decked out in Michigan gear on the first day of the 2009 College Football season. Yeah!

Go Blue, Wear Maize. Connor was fascinated with Aunt Joan who he couldn't stop looking at while we were taking these pictures. He's thinking, "She looks like Grandma Roach, but she's not."

Daddy and Connor dressed to support the Michigan Wolverines.

Aunt Joan making Connor giggle.

Uncle Dave shares his theories on the playoff system in the BCS.

Clearly Connor's infant hat doesn't fit his big head. Chunkster.

Now it's time for Aggie football so we all do a costume change to support the Maroon and White.

What a cute little Aggie.

Connor is showing no favoritism by wearing an A&M onesie with Michigan booties.

Cousin Hilary gets to meet her second cousin Connor.

Mommy says goodbye to her little boy before the wedding. I always miss the little guy. Of course I talked about him a ton at the wedding. He's always on my mind.

On Sunday, we went to my friend Molly's house to give everyone a chance to meet Connor and to have a play date with the other little boys. This is Erin Shea's Dad, Mike.

Connor and Jessica give each other the once over.

All the gang gathered around the babies. A lot has changed in the 10 years since we've graduated high school that's for sure, but we're all still really great friends and that will never change.

Hilary, Cade's Mom, knows how to get Connor to smile.

Connor is truly the center of attention.

Erin Shea holds Connor.

I'm not sure why these next two won't rotate but here's one of Connor and Cade looking at each other. I think Cade is telling him about how cool rice cereal is. It's what big boys eat.

Sorry it won't rotate. Anyway, Benji (6 months), Connor (2 months), Cade (4 months).

Moms and best friends, Hilary and Cade, Me and Connor, and Molly and Benji. Miss you guys already.