Charlie giving Baker a kiss.
Dinner at our place
Daddy and his mini-me
The Laughlins

Anna getting cuddles from Baker and Charlie

Dinner Swaps

Now that our friends, Jeff, Anna and Charlie, are living here, we are going to be doing a lot of dinner at each others' homes. Just this week, we had them over at our house on Wednesday for Patty's recipe for Hot Chicken Salad and last night, they had us over for Morrocan Chicken Stew, yum yum. It's always a lot of fun to get together with them. Charlie keeps us well entertained...he thinks he's a rockstar like his soon-to-be Uncle J-Roddy and runs around playing his guitar and piano. We can't wait for more of these nights to come!

Cheesin' - "I'm ready for it!"
"Okay, I think I can do this spoon thing."
"As you can see by the empty bowl, I figured it out!"
"I didn't do it."
"Mmmm, is there anymore left in that bowl?"

Let the Feeding Begin!

Well, Baker is officially a big boy now. Yesterday we decided to give the solid foods a go since our pediatrician said that it would be okay. So for breakfast, I broke out the baby spoon and bowl and gave it a try. I sat a naked Baker (might as well not ruin his outfit for the day) in his Bumbo chair, whipped up a little rice cereal and formula and attempted what I was afraid could be a huge disaster! Brad and I were shocked! Baker did so well with it and loved it! For starters, I only made a tablespoon or cereal mixed with a couple tablespoons of formula. I wasn't sure if he would like it or understand the concept of eating from a spoon but he totally got it and ate the entire thing! Baker would get really impatient with me as if I wasn't feeding him fast enough. He even tried to eat the bowl and kept grabbing at it. With the first bite, he was a bit confused but by the 2nd or 3rd one, he started smacking it...it was really cute! We made a bit of a mess and managed to get all over his face, running down his neck and up his nose but I think there are messier times to come! It's definitely a challenge trying to put a spoon into a small, moving hole of a mouth that is constantly going from one side to the next...you need good aim for this! This is definitely a photo op!

All seemed to go well and he ate about 6 oz right after the feeding but at his noon feeding, he acted like he didn't want his bottle and almost as if he had gas. He was a bit fussy and it was a fight to get him to eat 4 oz when he normally takes about 7-8. He had a hard time with his next nap and all that I could associate this odd behavior was with the rice cereal. So I called his doctor's office and they said to try giving less this morning and wait a few minutes before feeding the bottle. So we did and he has done great today! Brad and I do think that we are going to give it a couple of more weeks just to make sure his little system is ready for it before we start the cereal again. If anyone out there has some advice they'd like to share, feel free to comment! Overall, Baker did great with it and seems to enjoy it. I just hope he doesn't get mad tomorrow morning when he only gets the bottle!! :o)

Brad took a short video of Baker's first feeding so check it out below!

In a 12 month onesie...not so sure we're gonna make it to 12 months before he's wearing this!

4 Months Old (and 5 days)

Well, with all of the craziness of the past week, I was a little late getting Baker's 4 month photo shoot together. So, I did it yesterday. Baker was fully cooperative, as usual, but for the first time in a monthly photo shoot, he was so cheesy and hamming it up for the camera. I guess he thinks he's a pro at this! I'm amazed at how much bigger he is getting. There are some mornings that we wake up and think he grew overnight. We already had to move his exersaucer up a notch because his feet were flat to the ground. When we first put him in it a few weeks ago, he was on his tippy toes. So, he's a growing boy!

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'Pushers' pushing people on a crowded Japanese train

This video is absolutely crazy! Thanks Shannon for sending it to me. I take back all of the complaints that I ever made about the NYC subway. All those years of cramming myself onto a crowded train will never compare to this!

Now that Baker has been given the "ok" to eat solid foods, we bought spoons and bowls this weekend! That's crazy! So the other day, I let him play with one of them to see what he would do and get used to it. He is really checking it out in this photo.

Then he decided to eat it, of course. He puts everything in his mouth but I guess they all do!
Grabbing his foot! He's so smart...doing two things at once!
In his Bumbo chair with his new tray table.

He likes to play with his toys on it, sometimes that is.

Oh the New Things!

Well, on Saturday, Baker turned 4 months old! Hard to believe, I know. It's amazing how he changes each week with the things he does. Just this week, we've noticed that he is starting to notice his feet and has even started to grab them. We got a cute picture of it. I guess he's moved on from his hands to his feet. He is still sucking on his hands, more than ever, but it's more about his thumb now as opposed to the whole hand.

Baker is also a crazy sleeper and has been since he was 6 weeks old sleeping through the night. But it seems to be getting even crazier now that he isn't swaddled at night anymore. Before when he was swaddled, he would have inched all the way down to the bottom of his crib by the morning. Now, he has usually done a 360 degree turn in his crib come morning but Monday night was a record. Brad laid him down at the usual 8:45 pm and in a matter of 10 minutes, while he was getting settled, he had turned completely around to starting position and then fell asleep. I guess I would be tired too if I had worked that hard! Now you know why we bought the Breatheable Bumper for his crib! He's a maniac!

Baker enjoying rocking in Sam's chair.

Baker's 1st Memorial Day!
Beth, Susan, Casey and Marna
Trevor, Gisla holding Micah and Brad
Jamey Arcara and Melanie with Elias
Sara Beth Arcara, Christine and her mom

Memorial Day Cookout

On Monday, after hanging out with the Laughlins, the Arcara's held a holiday cookout at their place in Capitol Hill. So, Brad and I took Baker out there for his first Memorial Day cookout. It was a lot of fun to be able to bring in the summer with our new friends. This was really the first time we've actually been able to celebrate this holiday as a couple. In NYC, no one ever had outdoor space to host something like this. In London, well, they don't celebrate it...ha! So, we had a nice time eating burgers and hot dogs and getting sprayed with water guns by the youngsters running around. Baker was chilled out, despite sweating because of how hot it was here, and seemed to enjoy being around some new faces. Funny enough, he really seemed to want to eat Brad's food. Every time Brad moved his plate from side to side, Baker just followed it and was fussing at it. It was pretty funny. I took a video of it but I apologize in advance because I was all over the place. Overall, we had a really fun time! We hope you all enjoyed your holiday as well, spent with friends and family.

Taking a break from unpacking - Having lunch at Jeff and Anna's new place
Charlie enjoying his new backyard and pool! He doesn't know

what to think of all this space compared to their little saltbox in NYC!

Brad surprised me with an ice cream cake for my birthday!

James, Cara, Baker an Jeff enjoying the backyard!

The Laughlins Have Arrived!

So, after returning from NYC on Friday, Jeff, Anna, and Charlie moved to Old Town on Saturday! Most of you know that Jeff is going to be starting his residency at the Children's Hospital for pediatric dentistry. They found a cute townhouse to rent on our street about 10 blocks away! You can imagine how excited we were of this news. So, their family and friends along with Brad helped them move in on Saturday. Crazy as it is, Anna's sister, Sara and her fiance, Rod, are moving to the neighborhood too after they get married but for the time being, Sara is going to be living with them in their basement. They've been living in Baltimore so they're just moving a bit closer. PLUS, Jeff's sister, Cara and her fiance, James, are moving here from Cleveland, TN! They are moving some of their stuff on Friday to an apartment just a few blocks away on the same street! How crazy is this? I see some fun, fun times in our future! We have already spent a lot of time at their place helping them unpack on Sunday and on Monday, Brad had a small surprise party for my birthday over there. I spent a few hours over there yesterday so it's truly a great thing to have friends so close by! Welcome home Laughlins!

Our First Family Trip - The Big Apple!

First off, I apologize for not having updated the blog in a week. Things have been ca-razy! Last week, Wed through Fri, we went on our first family trip to NYC. I mean, could we have chosen a more difficult city to travel with a baby? It was Jeff's graduation from Columbia's dental school and we had to go up to celebrate with them. We were living in NYC when they moved there for school so it was only appropriate that we go for the finale. We had a great time but Brad and I had an awakening as to why we don't live there anymore with a baby. That city is hard enough as it is but throw a baby into the equation and it is even more so! Let me just say that baby strollers and subway stations do not work well together. We were so over carrying our heavy stroller up and down the stairs by the end of the trip!

We did, however, have an amazing time strolling through our old neighborhood and seeing good friends. We arrived at the Hudson Hotel on Wednesday night after taking the train up from DC's Union Station and arrived in NYC's Penn Station. Baker was so good on the train ride up and didn't make a peep. Everyone was amazed at how good he was. Thursday morning we went to the graduation along with Jeff and Anna's family and a few other friends. He is officially Dr. Laughlin now! After a group lunch at their favorite Cuban place in town, Brad, Baker and I hit Soho for a little shopping. We were so exhausted by the end of the day. Poor Baker was totally off of his schedule as it was nearly impossible to keep (he probably napped a total of 2.5 hours compared to the usual 5.5) but believe it or not, the little guy managed to sleep through the night both nights despite the typical NYC noise and sirens and being in a hotel crib! I swore that if he was able to sleep through Thurs night after being so grumpy and tired from the day's events that he was officially an angel child and I was right...Baker is an ANGEL! We are so blessed! Friday morning we headed to PhysioArts to see my other family there. It was an amazing feeling to be able to introduce Baker to all of them. After strolling through the UWS, we had to catch our train back. It wasn't as pleasant as the ride up because Baker was so tired but he still did reasonable well. Needless to say, we were thrilled to get back home and truly appreciate living in DC now! And, on Saturday, Baker turned 4 months old!!! So, there will of course be his 4 month photos to come...stay tuned! FYI - Our camera was left sitting in our living room chair so we had to buy a disposable digital camera. We haven't had chance to get the photos developed yet so watch this space for pictures to come.

Have you ever seen a baby so happy the day he got 4 shots?
He is very happy after his bath this evening!
Big stretch from a long nap
Face of an angel

Tuckered out from all the shots this morning!

Yes, he still has to have his arms swaddled for naps during the day but not

at night...very strange. We take the wings off the Halo Swaddle Sleepsack and wrap him up!

Playing with daddy while we wait for the shots!
Showing how strong he is for Dr. Fleming
"Look at my neck!"
"I'm one big tub of love!" - 15 lbs 12 oz

4 Month Check-up/Shots

This morning, Baker had his 4 month wellness visit at Kidz Docs and just like last time, we were a bit anxious. I don't think we will ever enjoy those visits that require vaccinations. It just hurts us to see Baker hurt but this time, he was a champ! He got 4 shots and one oral, just like his 2 month visit and he didn't even start crying until the 3rd one!! We were all a bit amazed by that. I had my syringe full of sugar water that I was going to squirt in his mouth as each shot was administered but on the first go, I somehow pushed a little too hard and doused him with it! It went everywhere, so maybe that's why he didn't cry...ha! He's been great all day, just slept very hard for his naps and didn't have much appetite for his noon feeding but overall, very happy and so cuddly (which we LOVE)! Baker weighed in at 15 lbs 12 oz (75th %ile) and was 26 3/4" long (95th %ile...he grew 3 inches since his 2 mth visit!). So, he's definitely healthy and eating well. Dr. Fleming even told us that we can start to feed him rice cereal! How exciting and scary at the same time! Brad and I noticed that Baker has been watching us when we eat lately and that's a sign that he's ready too. He's definitely growing up!

Other news...Baker's doctor suggested today that we send Baker to a neurosurgeon to check on his head. The back of his head has been a bit flat since he was at least 6 weeks old and the doc was hoping that it would have improved by now but it hasn't. She isn't sure if he'll need to wear a helmet to correct the problem but thinks that a specialist should take a look at him so they can make that decision. Obviously, this news hit hard with Brad and I. It's not the greatest news a new parent can hear but it's certainly not the worst. We had friends whose baby recently underwent heart surgery at 7 mths old so we definitely feel blessed. A flat head is something that can be fixed so we're trying not to worry. Of course, I've cried a lot today about it! It's frustrating because we have taken every effort to keep Baker off of the back of his head while he is awake for months (doing tummy time, playing on his exersaucer, Bumbo, sitting on us) but we can only do so much. He loves his floor gym so he definitely gets time on that. It is what it is and we're taking the steps to correct it. His appointment at the Childrens' Hospital in DC is on June 5th with a highly esteemed neurosurgeon on the East Coast. So, keep him in your prayers!

I love this blankie!
So sweet! Cuddles Mmmm...tasty!

Me and My Blankie

Baker has really started loving on his blankets lately but one in particular...his Little Giraffe one. He really likes to suck on anything he can get his hands on these days but especially blankets. We can often hear him sucking away even if we can't see him, like in the car. He really finds comfort in it now...it's really sweet!

Our two little boys doing tummy time together.

Yeah, I had to pose this shot with Bleeker!
Chilly day out in DC
Ready for church
" Hmm, I like this thing!"
Like father like son...watching TV together.
"I love my daddy!"

Some Random Pics From this Week