Twelve week growth spurt

I've been a very hungry boy this week - must be due to my 12 week growth spurt. Poor Mom had a hard time getting anything done around the house this week. This must be a transitional time period because everything is changing - my nap patterns changed, I really don't love going for car rides as much as I enjoyed before & I had some serious major poop blowouts. Mom ordered a ton of cloth diapers online that we're waiting to arrive. In the meantime, we're cycling through the six cloth diapers we have on a daily basis & using disposables when the cloth ones are being washed. Mom really likes the cloth diapers & I have to admit that I love them as well (the fleece lining is so soft on my behind). This week I managed to figure out how to break free from my Miracle Blanket swaddle. Mom & Dad have been calling me Houdini when they find me like this in the morning.

Even though I spent most of the week eating ravenously, we did manage to experience a lot of new things. Every morning, Mom & I worked out on the 3rd floor. Mommy loves that I can sit in my big boy chair & attempt to play with the activity tray, while she gets her barre workouts in. We skipped Stroller Strides this week because the weather was a bit iffy & she didn't want to take me out in gross weather.

On Monday, we went to the Audi dealer to get our spoiler fixed. They gave us a loaner car to use so that we didn't have to wait for 3 hours at the dealership. Mom was really nervous strapping the car seat base into the car because there weren't any child seat clips. She was afraid the seat belt around the base was not holding my carseat in tight enough, but I was quite happy in the back & napped on the way home. Mom & I baked Red Velvet Cake Cups that we brought to our playgroup on Tuesday. Tuesday's playgroup was at Theo's house & all the mom's brought cookies for their holiday cookie exchange. Everyone's cookies were delicious (Mom & Dad snacked on them for two days before Mommy sent the remainder to work with Dad to share with his colleagues). We had a blast at Theo's house - 7 babies & no major meltdowns. Of course Mom held me because I can't crawl around yet like most of the other babies. I wanted to nurse for half the time & then took a 45 minute nap while Mommy held me (every time she attempted to put me down - I woke up un-happy). On our way home, we stopped at a toy store to get some of the toys that all the older babies seemed to love. Mom told me to close my eyes because they were getting wrapped & put under the Christmas tree. Guess I'll find out soon enough which toys she ended up telling Santa I wanted. On Wednesday, we had our first cultural experience at a museum. We met up with ten other moms & their babies at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a lovely tour of the Johnson Collection entitled "Eat, Drink & Be Merry." Once we got into the museum, I didn't want to stay in my stroller so Mommy had to put me in the Ergo carrier which kept me calm for a little bit. Mommy must have looked like a crazy lady in the museum bouncing me around to keep me happy. I loved going to the museum. I was such a curious little boy checking out all the paintings, chandeliers & people. I'll definitely let Mom bring me back next month for the Mommy tour. On Thursday morning we met new moms from the Fairmount Moms group at a coffee shop in Philly. It seems like there are so many little boys born around my birthdate - I met a Conrad & Donovan and they were both equally as happy to be out & about with their moms. Friday Mommy & I spent most of the day hanging out home nursing. Mom is convinced that maybe she should start me on solid foods because all I do is eat, eat, eat. Friday morning a gunman killed 20 children, 6 adults and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Mommy cried and cried a lot on Friday. We kept CNN on for most of the day, while Mom squeezed me tight and kissed me a lot. She told me that her heart was broken for the 20 first graders that died and told me that they and their teachers were with God. I don't like seeing Mommy cry and I'm not sure I understand what happened (and I know nobody understands why it did). She told me how much she loved me & how she will do everything in her power to keep me safe in this scary world we live in. She also told me she promises to teach me how to be a good citizen in our society, how to be empathetic & she's certain I will be a caring, loving little boy that grows up to be a very loving, independent member of society. On Saturday morning we left for New York City very early in the morning. I was so excited for my first outing in NYC - I asked Mom to dress me up in my new holiday onesie (very trendy with a holiday tie & vest attached). Mom was getting her hair cut at her favorite curly hair salon, Devachan. While she got her hair cut, I hung out with Daddy. He showed me around Soho & the Village. We even got to stop for a slice of pizza at Joe's. Unfortunately, I had a major blowout on the way up to the city, so I was forced to change my super cute holiday outfit & had to wear my spare outfit (Mom forgot to pack a cute change of clothes, so I was in a light blue onesie with matching pants - I looked like I belonged in an institution). After Mom got her hair done, we headed to Brooklyn to have lunch with Dad's friends (Bryan, Melanie, Danny & Catherine) and Mom's friend Chris at Ici Restaurant. It was my first time meeting them & they brought me really cute presents. Here's me meeting Danny:

I was really well behaved & definitely can't wait to try Mom's duck hash when I get bigger - it looked delicious. Lunch was great, but we had to head back to Philly right afterwards in order to make it to the Longwood Gardens Christmas display by 5:45. Mom was frantic that we were going to be late & hold up the twenty other Junior Leaguers waiting at the entrance. I was trying really hard to be patient with all the traveling, but six hours in the car would make anyone cranky. By the time we got to Longwood Gardens I was not a happy camper. We were already half an hour late meeting the Junior League group & Mom was getting frustrated that I wanted a snack before we went in. Unfortunately, my fussiness only escalated. I didn't want to nurse with her, but finally took the bottle from Dad. Once we got inside, I hung with Mom in the baby carrier, while Dad pushed the stroller just in case we needed it. Poor Mom & Dad barely got a chance to enjoy the beautiful light display.

I was fussy from the moment they got their hot chocolates, until we got back in the car. The worst part of the entire night was touring the decorated greenhouse. The line was so slow & I was getting really hot from the heat cranking & increasingly more hungry. I cried & cried. I desperately wanted Mom to get me outside, but the line kept snaking around the greenhouse. Finally, Dad was able to convince an employee to show us the secret way outside. The entire time in the greenhouse Mom lost her cool with me. She spoke pretty harshly to me & told me I was embarrassing her and Dad. I felt terrible, but couldn't help that I was tired (it was past my bedtime after all), cranky & hungry again. Mommy apologized when we got back to the car & I know she felt really bad about getting upset with me. She apologized to Dad for being short tempered with him too - I guess in hindsight she realized that she packed way to many things into day. When we got home, she nursed me to sleep while watching more Sandy Hook Elementary news. They had released the names & photos of the deceased. Mom cried and cried again - this time because she was upset with me today & felt horrible that those parents that lost their children in Connecticut would give anything to be with their children again while she was frustrated & upset with me. She hugged me even tighter before she put me to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night & needed a midnight snack. Mom took a deep breathe & settled in for the hour awake in the middle of the night. I know we are both sorry for frustrating each other & we took the time to snuggle and show each other that we love each other very much. I didn't really want to sleep in my crib & she gave in letting me sleep in bed with her & Dad (she told me not to get too used to this, but she was allowing it during this awful 12 week transition phase). Sunday we had a very lazy day nursing, while Daddy worked on his "honey do" list. Sunday Mommy played a game with me on my activity mat. She & I have been reading Baby Minds during the weekdays and she decided it was time to play a developmental game with me. She tie a ribbon to the butterfly dangling above my head & the other end to my left foot. It didn't take me long to figure out that when I moved my leg the butterfly would move. I had so much fun making the butterfly fly. She switched the ribbon to my opposite leg & then my arms. I'm a pretty smart boy because it took me no time at all to isolate which limb would make the butterfly move. I tried to isolate the limb but was getting so excited that I ended up flapping my arms & legs wild a lot & laughed at how fast the butterfly was going. We also practiced sitting in my big boy highchair at the kitchen table. We're practicing so that I can sit at the dining room table for Christmas dinner. Mom's really hoping she can teach me table manners at a young age like her Grammy taught her. We'll see how that works out for us. In the meantime, I'm really enjoying sitting up like a big boy.

Mom & Dad finally decorated our gingerbread house (took them long enough - Mom bought it 3 weeks ago). Next year I'm going to be in charge of decorating, but I think they did a fairly decent job:

Mom & I are both hoping this fussy phase ends this week - we're both getting tired of being frustrated & can't wait to get back to our normal routines. For now, we'll chalk it up to a learning experience and continue to show each other lots of love in the wake of the elementary school shootings. Looking forward to the holiday party after our yoga session tomorrow - hopefully we'll both be able to get centered again at yoga & breathe out our frustration.