February Holidays

This Valentine's Day I had a very special date:  Frankie & I went to the Mommy & Me showing of The Vow with a few other moms from my Mom Group, plus MK & Maya.  While the movie wasn't anything great, it was a great outing for the moms and I would definitely go back!  I wish we had known about it when Frankie was younger.  He was the perfect date - quiet and didn't try to steal my popcorn. ;) He was a bit fussy at the start, but after a feeding and a little rocking, he fell right asleep and slept in his carseat in the seat next to me.  I made sure to keep him facing away from the movie when he was awake; otherwise, I'm pretty sure he would have been glued to the fascinating huge screen. 

In honor of President's Day, Alexandria had a very small parade through old town.  Since the weather has been so gorgeous, Frank & I took Frankie to his first parade.  He loves checking out the world and was wide-eyed throughout the whole parade. At one point, a group dressed in Civil War garb pointed & fired their guns while walking by and Frankie didn't even flinch!  (This kid is terrified of the vacuum but the little nosey man doesn't jump at gun fire???)  I was worried that we'd acted like neglectful parents and damaged his hearing (who would have guessed those guys would have actually fired their guns?!), but the little man is hearing just fine!

Intently watching the parade

An attempted family shot

Meeting his first clown (don't tell Aunt Laura)

Like a Rolling...

Frankie! 

On February 16th, my mom and I took Frankie to get his baptism pictures taken. Back at home that afternoon we had him down on the floor playing a lot. And as soon as Grammy left...Frankie rolled over from his tummy to his back!  I was so excited and ran to get the flip video in hopes to catch it again, and sure enough, he showed off his new move for the camera. Since then he's also rolled over several times for his Daddy, so I think he's got this new trick down. 

Over the past two weeks, Frankie has also become much more vocal.  He enjoys telling us 'stories' and especially likes blowing bubbles still.  We've also noticed his hand movements become much more deliberate and while he hasn't quite mastered the jumping part of his jumper, he is able to spin himself in the seat to get to toys that he wants to play with (or eat) and reaches for them.  He is also on his way to sitting up by himself - He can practice his 'tripod' stance (sitting down and leaning forward, he supports himself on his hands). 

Guess what? I can roll over!

Getting ready to show off his move

He really enjoys spinning this toy

and it apparently tastes pretty good, too!

He's a fan of (eating) Sophie the Giraffe, too!

His tripod stance (we had no idea he was supposed to do this - or could do this - but his doctor showed us at his 4 month appt)

The Making of...The Baptism Outfit

I can't quite remember where I first heard of it, but making my baby's baptism outfit out of my wedding dress was one of those ideas that I kept tucked away in my mind, and when the time came for Frankie's baptism, there was no question that I wanted my mom to make his outfit from my dress.  After my Grammy from New Hampshire passed away in 2008, as we were going through her belongings, we kept a few of the infant sweater sets she knitted...hoping one day Laura & I would get to dress babies of our own in them. It seemed fitting that Frankie wear one of those sweaters over his outfit. And in a way, Grammy contributed more than just that sweater - thanks to her passing her amazing sewing talents on to mom, Frankie was able to wear a piece from his parent's holy marriage sacrament on the day of his first sacrament.

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God Bless Frank Thomas

Saturday, February 11th was a big day for Frankie:  His birth as a Christian, his Baptism.  We had about 40 friends and family come to witness this holy occasion at our church, St. Charles Borromeo.  Father Clement led the 9am mass which was followed by Frankie's Rite of Baptism.  I made a special request of the church to baptize Frankie during this mass and really liked that he was the only little one being baptized.  Frankie was so good throughout the mass and didn't even flinch when Father poured the baptismal water over his head.  As soon as the ceremony was over, Frankie passed out in Uncle Jon's arms and slept all through the celebratory brunch that followed at Liberty Tavern.  Mommy and Daddy were so proud of our little man today and thankful that so many people came to witness his special occasion!

The outfit

Dressed and ready to go

Proud Godparents

Proud Parents

Favors, made by Aunt Laura & Grammy

4 Months!

Happy 4 Month Birthday, little man!  You're already growing up so quickly!  It's amazing to look back at Frankie's first newborn pediatrician visit statistics to see just how much he's grown:

                     10/9/11                                      2/8/12
Height          19 3/4" (45%)                            26" (85%)
Weight         5 lbs 11.5 oz. (5%)                    16 lbs 4 oz. (77%)
Head             13" (8%)                                   17" (74%)

You've come a long way from that itty bitty little baby we brought home from the hospital and I'm so grateful that with just Mommy's milk, you've grown so much and are such a healthy little boy!

Our Blessing

Dear Frankie,

Mommy went through almost the entire day today, not realizing its significance - Until this evening when I caught the date on my phone and exclaimed to Daddy, "Oh my gosh, do you  know what today is??" (blank stare from Daddy) "One year ago today, we found out about Frankie!"  Exactly one year ago, we discovered that we were being blessed with a baby, but little did we know just how special of a blessing you would be.  Through those almost 40 weeks of anticipation, nothing prepared me for the moment when I first held you in my arms, felt instant and overwhelming love, and declared to Daddy, "He's perfect".  My love for you is certainly like no other I've felt.  I cherish our time together, from rolling on the floor during playtime to those quiet moments at night when it's just you and I in the rocker.  Each time I pry my tired eyes open when I hear you stir in the  middle of the night, I remind myself to embrace these moments and then it becomes hard for me to put you back down in your crib.  One year ago today, we knew you were our special little blessing, and each and every day you remind us just how special you are. 

Love always,

Mommy

Firsts & Second Attempts

Back on Jan 21, the three of us attended a soccer coach social; The coach that hosted has a daughter about one week older than Frankie and her parents were telling us how much she loved her over-the-door jumper.  When we got home, we decided to break out Frankie's jumper to see what he thought of it.  At first, he had no clue what to do and was overwhelmed by it all, but after placing a few books underneath him (his feet aren't touching the ground yet), he's somewhat getting the hang of bouncing.  He's definitely intrigued by the 'piano' and loves the lights and music and I think in a week or two will be jumping like crazy!

Oh - This is kind of fun!

Intently watching the 'piano' lights





For the past few weeks during dinner, we've been sitting Frankie in the Bumbo seat on top of the table, but Frank really wanted to try him in the high chair.  This Tuesday, 1/31, during dinner we gave it a go and Frankie seemed to like the new view.

One of Frankie's newest tricks is sucking on his bottom lip, so on Saturday, 1/28, I figured I'd give the pacifier another try and he took it!  He only held it in a few minutes, but that is major progress!  Since, I've even been able to get him to take it when he's upset and it's helped him to calm down - We might be on to something here!

And lastly, for the past few weeks, we've been trying the bottle every day with slow progress - sometimes half of an ounce, sometimes a few sucks, sometimes one or two ounces...But yesterday (2/1) I switched back to the Medela bottles and Frankie took 3 ounces and wasn't looking to nurse afterwards!  We tried again today, and he drank another 3 ounces but wanted to nurse after, which I'm pretty sure was only because he was extremely tired - and judging by my shirt afterwards, which was covered in spit-up, it was definitely a comfort thing.  You go, Frankie - Keep up the good bottle work!