TEMPERAMENT

This is a little boy in love with exploring his world. He'll watch wide-eyed, taking in everything around him when we go in a store or on our morning stroller walks.  He doesn't smile at strangers easily; whoever said all babies "flirt" with people has never met Ellis. He did go through a bout of shyness towards strangers, but that's not it exactly. He just looks very serious a lot of the time, even if he's having the time of his life. His big, dark eyes just amplify that sense of seriousness too. Which makes what I'm about to say next even funnier, but when he does smile and laugh- hoo-boy! It is such a huge grin.

For the most part, he's become so much more easy going. That's not to say he's had a personality transplant. He definitely does best when he's on his routine (and boy, we have routines!) and he's a boy who needs his sleep or he turns into a crank monster, but.... looking back on those first few months with colic, it is amazing to see where we are now.

MILESTONES

So many exciting things are happening! Ellis is now sitting- on his own for short periods and with support  (like mom and dad to lean on) pro. He's.... sort of...rolled over. He's gone from tummy to back three times, but mostly shows no interest in doing so, and, I'm not even sure he remembers he ever did it. More than gross motor skills, his fine motor skills have improved. He passes things from hand to hand, and examines everything. He's mastered that "pincer grip" and loves to examine a toy and manipulate it all around. His current favorite is picking off all the pieces of a block rocket ship one by one.

But the absolute best new thing Ellis has learned- hugs. Oh, he's so happy to see his Mommy in the morning, and now every day starts off with a big hug as he squeezes my shoulder and neck. Daddy and Grandma, his other main hug recipients, think these hugs are pretty peachy too.

LIKES

 What doesn't this kid love? Okay, so he still makes his dislikes very vocally known, but Ellis is so engaged with the world and loving so much. He loves his Grandpa. He's more open with men in general actually, and is fascinated by beards. He will light up and reach out to be held by Grandpa though! My dad will bounce him on his knee- very  "Heigh-ho Silver!" Ellis also loves his exersaucers. He's got one at home and one at his grandparents, where we go almost daily to visit. I think he actually likes the one at his grandparents' best, in part because there's more adults to cheer him on as he does anything. More seriously though, he seems to enjoy practicing standing in the exersaucers and all the many do-tads there are to twist and spin and otherwise manipulate.  Rattles have become a big hit in our house; Ellis has a fallback career as a great tambourine player, if nothing else. What else does he love? Lte's see: stroller walks, his puppies, his daddy, library visits, reading, Mommy snuggles, teddy bears, Bun-Bun the lovey, being tickled.... the list goes on and on nowadays!

EATING

Food before One is Just for Fun. Ellis still mostly gets his substance from his bottle, but But we did try out that fun for the first time a few days ago. The American Pediatrics Association just said any easily digestible food can work for babies just starting out, so instead of baby cereal, we started with Gerber's fruit pack- specifically with banana puree, since supposedly its taste is the most similar to mother's milk. Must not be too similar, going by the look on Ellis' face after his first taste, but things improved with each try (it can take up to 10 tries before a baby takes to a taste. Plus they're learning how to open their mouths, and push food to the back of their throat and swallow it. So much we dont' even think about that they have to learn). We're taking a week with each new food before adding in other tastes; this ensures we don't miss any allergies. Real food won't be replacing any bottle feedings any time soon, but what a big milestone!

SLEEP