Today is cold! At -5 degrees Fahrenheit , it is the coldest day of Mattimeo's life so far. Thus, today we will probably relax and stay warm indoors with some good books, board games and a few nap time cuddle sessions. We could use a restful day anyways since we have had so much excitement already this weekend!
Jumparoo
Last weekend Mattimeo started getting a bit bouncy. He has always liked to stand up supported (even the first week be was born) and last weekend he started bouncing up and down in place while he was standing. He also appeared to be trying to spring up and down and try to launch himself to where he wanted to be. We decided that perhaps he would enjoy a jumparoo. We don't really like to just leave him in babysitting devices while we go off and engage in other activities; we usually wear him so that he can see, hear and learn about mundane things around the house because for him that is exciting and fun. Nonetheless, we thought a jumparoo might be something fun we could have him do for a bit now and then, so we ordered one and it came in this weekend. We went with a Fisher-price brand rainforest jumparoo and Mattimeo loves it! It is the funniest thing to see him get all excited and jump around like a crazy person! Plus it makes cute little sounds and has lots of toys for him to play around with and explore. So far we are happy with our decision.
Dogs are Funny!
On Friday we went to visit my mother for a little while. Like all the women in my immediate family, she is an animal lover and has surrounded herself with adoring animal companions. Not surprisingly, Meo has become quite the little animal lover himself and loves watching my mom's dogs. That day Socks and Sammy started wrestling in front of him and he thought it was hilarious! Fortunately my mom was able to capture some of his laughter on video.
Sammy kissing Meo
Meo and Sammy
Sammy and Meo
Sammy napping by the heater
Socks napping on the couch
Meo with Mema
Taking a nap on Mema
Play Date
I was kindly invited to join a mothers group by someone I took a birth roots class with. My involvement with the group had mostly been on Facebook however until this weekend. We have a group Facebook page where we let each other know baby friendly opportunities in the community to go to and ask questions and share experiences with each other. I decided it was probably about time I meet some of these other moms in person. On Tuesday we went to the breastfeeding group at Mercy (which is where a lot of these moms met I think) to meet some people. We hadn't been since Meo was much smaller (right before I got mastitis for the second time), so it was fun to see Meo interact with the other babies this time. One little girl, Nevie is crawling at 6 months (she started at 5!) and Meo thought she was amazing. He was so awestruck seeing her crawl around in her rainbow colored hat and crazy tutu. We also saw his Birth Roots pal Cater which was fun. Meo took his O-ball though and wouldn't give it back; I suppose I should teach him how to share hehe. After about an hour Meo started getting tired, but was still excited from all the babies which led to him screaming at the top of his lungs (something he started last weekend and thankfully is already growing out of). He wasn't screaming in a frustrated way...he was smiling the whole time...but I know from experience that this means he needs to be taken out of stimulation zone and go to sleep. He excitedly screamed at two newborns on separate occasions and made them both cry! I felt so bad! By the time I got out of the room Meo was crying in frustration because he didn't want to be put down while I tied my shoes and I ended up blushing and scampering out without putting his jacket on and just wrapping him inside mine. Oh Me-oh-my-oh!
Looking at Nevie crawling
Meo took Carter's ball
Friday we went to a play date one mother kindly decided to host at he house. We had so much fun! All the other babies were around the same age as Meo. Meo tried playing in a johnny-jump-up and seemed to like it. He jumped a little bit, but mostly wanted to eat the ropes that suspend the seat from the door frame. He also was cute interacting with the other babies. He pulled off their socks and played with their hair. Nevie was there again (crawling baby), and Meo continued to be amazed by her. I wonder if he will start crawling soon.
Carter and Meo
Meo and the music block
Eating the music block
Renovia and Dominic
Sarah and Carter
Brayden and Ella
Big, beautiful eyes!
Trying to get Brayden's head
Got it!
The babies
Carter and Ella holding hands
In the Johnny-jump-up
Carter and Ella
Eating the Johnny-jump-up
trying out the Johnny-jump-up
Robbie
Allison and Robbie
Moms and babies
Erika and Nevie
Nevie
Nevie
Playing
"Crawling baby, we meet again!"
checking out Nevie
Meo and Nevie
Ella
High Chair
Since Meo was 4 months old, he has really started to be interested in what we've been eating. He tries to grab everything I put near my mouth! I even let him drink some expressed breast milk from a cup once, and he loved doing that. We want to wait until he is 6 months old to start him on solid foods though (doctor recommended), so in the meantime we let him play with his fake fruits and vegetables in his new high chair. The fruits and vegetables are from the company Under the Nile, which is a great company that participates in the "13 villages projcect":
The '13 Villages Project' is a campaign co-conducted by Under the Nile and its Farm in Egypt (Sekem). It takes place in 13 rural villages in Sharkeya, Egypt. Through vocational training and infrastructural development, the project is improving the health, skills and overall well being of the village inhabitants. We provide excellent health care, as well as education on dental and overall physical health. We begin by educating the villagers on how to make our fruit and vegetable toys. Each village receives an advance for their work and the materials needed to produce that toy. Upon completion, we pick up the finished goods and pay them fair wages for their work. We are very excited to see the end result: happy, educated, and healthy human beings.
The toys are made from 100% organic Egyptian cotton and are super cute (Thanks Mema, Grandpa, Memere and Pepere for getting him these!)
Organic Veggie Crate
Organic Fruit Tote
For his high chair we decided to go the the Keekaroo Height-Right. Keekaroo is another great company that is located in upstate New York. Their high chair is both environmentally friendly, safe for baby, and really nice looking:
From the beginning, Keekaroo designers have kept in mind the safety of their own children and the children of the world. Keekaroo continues to offer products that are safe and sustainable.
The Height Right Wooden High Chair is made from a renewable natural resource; Rubber wood. The finish on the Height Right Wood High Chair is a standard clear plant based lacquer with no pigments or lead and environmentally safe low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
So far, Mattimeo seems to like it, and we are impressed by the high quality of the wood and infant insert.
Eating dinner with Daddy
Mmm, grapes!
Meo's First Horse!
Yesterday, Robbie and I went to one of his coworkers house to play a board game with them. They just happen to have lots of horses (they board horses there plus have two of their own) and two goats. We brought Meo out to see all the animals before we played games and he loved that! He was very brave around the horse, even though Norbert was by far the biggest animal he has ever seen. I was very impressed! Towards the end of visiting the horse he started getting fussy because he was ready for a nap, and Norbert was concerned for him....so cute! We had a lovely time visiting Nick and Laurie, they are truly kindred spirits! We hope to visit them more in the future. I am excited because they told me I can come ride their horses whenever I want. I haven't been able to go horseback riding since I was in the Equestrian Club in England! It's been too long, I can't even begin to describe how excited I am.
wonderfull!
ReplyDeleteLove the videos!
ReplyDeleteThanks! His laughter is my favorite sound :)
ReplyDelete