Michael Said His First Word!

Little Michael has coincidentally said words in between his babble which we haven't paid much attention to but starting early Sunday he let us know he was excited about his first word. All day Sunday you could hear him saying DADA over and over again with a big smile on his face. Obviously he hasn't matched the word with Mike yet as he called his giraffe, the bath tub, the TV and everything else around him Dada. Still it was and still is very exciting! I cant wait to hear mama for the first time.

Little Michael seems to be changing everyday. At the moment he is mesmerized by ledges. He loves looking over the side of the bed, the side of the bathtub and over the deck railing. He also wants to taste everything on your plate and licks his lips when anyone has food around him. Bouncing is still is favorite hobby and bath time is still very exciting for him.

He now has two very sharp teeth which makes feeding a little more difficult and painful. We think he is getting more teeth because he has been biting everything in sight and drooling like crazy.

Happy 6 month birthday!

Saturday was all about Little Michael and his big 6 month birthday. We celebrated by going to Tomato Street for lunch. Its a family friendly place where the staff wear funny hats and everyone pays MJ lots of attention. They line the tables with paper so the kids can color on them. He obviously cant color yet, Mike tried and he just put the crayon in his mouth, but he does love the sound the paper makes when he crinkles it. The most exciting part of the lunch was he got to sit in a high chair for the very first time. Before that we took his Bumbo everywhere we went. We fed him baby food while we ate so he felt included the whole time. Plus just about everyone who walked by had to say hi which made him especially happy. Then it was shopping time. We have learned that he is a picky about what toys he likes so we decided to let him pick out his presents. We started at Baby's R Us where nothing seemed to excite him, he did however pick up a new teething ring. From there we went to The Baby Depot where he took his time playing with multiple toys and ended up falling in love with a xylophone. When we got home it was dinner time and we brought up his highchair for more feeding fun. He once again loved having his own throne. Since he was 6 months we tried pureed turkey for the first time and its his absolute favorite, he practically ate a whole jar. All and all it must have been a great 6 month birthday because he crashed and only got up once that night.

6 Month Check Up

The doctors office only had excellent things to say about little Michael's progress. They told us height is the best indicator of overall health and since he is 27.5 inches tall and in the 75-90th percentile for height at he is doing really well. He is still skinny and sitting in the 50% for weight at 17.35 pounds.

They were impressed by his strength mainly how well he stood up and his control when sitting by himself. He recently got his first tooth and they said another one looked to be poking through soon. He was an absolute angel at the doctors and only fussed for about 10 seconds after getting his shot.

Now that he is 6 months he can have pureed meat, he will be having turkey for the first time tonight. So far he loves his vegetables but isn't a fan of the fruit.

Oh, and his daycare pointed out the other day that he is the most advanced out of the other kids his age. He can roll from one end of the room to the other, loves to bounce and talks all day long. Not to brag but we were obviously blessed with a baby who is a genius, that's incredibly social and as strong as an ox.

Halloween Weekend

Little Michael had a great Halloween. He was especially lucky because it fell on a Friday which is Grandma Patrick's day with him. So he got to go to church in his costume and have everyone swoon over him. Then they spent the day running around and playing. He had so much fun he didn't nap all day! Once he got home we dressed him up to hand out candy to the Trick or Treaters, he loved seeing all the kids. Then we packed him up in the stroller to Trick or Treat at his aunt Julie's. He enjoyed playing with his cousins and showing off how he can stand up as long as he has something to hold onto.

Saturday was Eastern Washington Universities Homecoming football game. Mike and I took this opportunity to spend a whole day and night just the two of us. Grandma and Grandpa Monek came over and watched little Michael. Mike and I had a blast at the Homecoming game where we hung out with his Fraternity and his friend Eric, who has a very cute baby girl. After the game we headed downtown and stayed at the Davenport. The Davenport is absolutely gorgeous and the rooms have a soaking tub so I got to take a bath by myself for the first time in 6 months. It was great spending time with each other and we enjoyed sleeping through the night. But we were very happy to see little Michael Sunday morning, 24 hours was a long time to be away from him. We thought he would have been super clingy when we got home but he must have ahd a blast with Grandma and Grandpa because he acted like we were never gone.

Time of our Lives

It seems like every month we say "this is our favorite age" and month 5 is no different. MJ is getting to be such a little man. He still loves bathes and is strong enough now to splash water out of the tub. He also loves going for bike rides. Grandma Patrick takes him for a bike ride every chance she gets and he laughs and sings the whole way. Speaking of singing he has a pretty good voice and can jump to the rhythm of a song. He is all grins when we put music on and dance around the house as a family. Dancing while holding a 16+ pound baby is quite the exercise!



We attempted to take him to a EWU football game but we only lasted through pregame tailgating. It got too cold so we packed up, headed home, and listened to it on the radio. Hopefully we will have more luck when we take him to EWU's basketball games since they are all indoors. We have also been over to Julie's to visit his cousins. Riley is already over a month old and is absolutely adorable. I have decided Monek's just have gorgeous babies. Although MJ is not too interested in Riley he is fascinated with his cousin Taylor and for the first time yesterday they kind of played together. By kind of I mean Michael sat there while Taylor showed him how to make the toys make noise. It was very cute and I am sure they will have lots of fun together once MJ can crawl.


He has lots of fun activities lined up for Halloween. He was invited to his very first kids Halloween party by Carissa, an old co-worker of mine, and my work is throwing a party as well. Plus we plan on tricker-treating at a couple houses Halloween night.



Oh, I cant believe I almost forgot to mention MJ has learned how to give kisses! Granted they are big, open mouthed, super wet kisses. But aren't those really the best kind?

Big Boy

Little Michael or MJ as most of his family calls him is growing like a weed. We went to the doctors office and he is 26 inches tall which puts him in the 85th percentile for height. The doctor said to keep it up with the solid foods because at the rate he is growing he needs the extra food. He talks like crazy now, rolls over, laughs, blows raspberry's, jumps and practically sits up by himself. It seems like he learns a new trick everyday. He is also starting to like toys which is a lot of fun. Although no matter how many toys we buy him his two favorites are still his giraffes. Being the little genius that he is he has already figured out what buttons to push to make his toys make noise.

He is also getting quite the personality. Daycare says he is a flirt with all the girls and is really social with the other kids. Hearing him laugh always makes my day. He will usually laugh for you if you talk with a funny voice or tickle him right under his rib cage.

Taking a bath is still his favorite thing to do. He has learned how to splash and loves to kick his feet.

We have a new addition to the family as his aunt Julie had a baby boy, Riley Lawrence Cope. That makes 3 little boys all within 18 months of each other. We can not wait to see how they all interact as they get a little older. I am thinking the will be the three amigos!

Happy 4 month birthday

Little Michael celebrated his 4 month birthday with trying rice cereal for the first time. Mike and I are pretty sure he didn't swallow any of it but it was a blast trying to feed him. Little Michael enjoyed spitting it out and making spit bubbles with it. He also liked putting his hands in it and then getting it all over his head. He may not have realised he was supposed to eat the cereal but he did pick up his candle and try to eat it. Mike and I are looking forward to feeding him lots of fun new things, hopefully we get a little more efficient at it.

Baptism

Little Michael's baptism went beautifully. Tons of family and friends helped celebrate the occasion and even sat all the way through mass, thank you. Deacon Kevin who is a family friend performed the baptism, it was only his second baptism and he did great. Although he splashed the water in Little Michael's eyes which made him arch his back and scream like crazy. Julie and Nathan did a great job as God parents. We especially appreciated Julie who as you can tell from the picture was due any day. Afterwards we invited everyone over to our house for a BBQ. Where Mike whipped up some fantastic BBQ pulled pork. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it such a special day.

First Laugh

Little Michael laughed for the first time last night, it was so adorable. Mike and I were playing with him on the couch and when I kissed his belly he let out this huge laugh. It completely shocked Mike and I! We were able to get one more laugh out of him that night but nothing since. He is getting SO big and at his last doctors appointment he weighed 14 pounds. Even though he is up to 14 pounds its all height and no chub.

It seems like he changes everyday, he even got his first little knot in his hair. His favorite toy right now is a giraffe that he got from his family in Buffalo. Its small enough for him to hold onto and he loves it when we pretend like its giving him kisses. His grip is getting extremely strong which is fine except when he grabs onto your hair and will not let go.

He has also discovered his thumb! He doesn't suck on it though he chews on it. We think he might be teething because he chews on everything and slobbers like crazy. You have to be careful because if he gets one of your fingers in his mouth he really chomps down tight.

He is talking up a storm and becomes very proud whenever he makes a new noise. He is also a jumping maniac these days. He used to be content with standing, then he went to stomping and now its full on jumping. He is big enough for the jumper at daycare and just goes crazy.

Luckily he still loves daycare and they love him to. He gets the royal treatment. They even have a little excerise routine they take him though and it ends with a little massage. He is becoming more aware of the other children and even interacts with them a little bit. Needless to say he never has to fight for attention.

All Smiles All the time

What haven't we done in these past few weeks? As everyone experiences summer is go go go and before you know it its over and the snow is falling. Little Michael has been enjoying BBQ's, birthday parties and tons of walks through the park. I had an overnight conference to attend and had to leave him overnight, talk about heart breaking. But Mikes parents came over to help him out and they had a ball; Grandma even gave little Michael a bath.

Bath time is still his favorite thing to do. His whole face lights up when he first hears the water running. He loves to float, with me holding his head. He also loves to stomp at the water and stare at his feet, in fact he loves to do everything in the bath minus staying still.

He smiles almost non-stop right now and is finally starting to like his toys. Much to my delight he loves reading books too. His favorite book is a colorful counting book, go figure he likes math already. He also loves the books with different textures too and enjoys batting at the pages. He is getting so strong that I really have to hold onto the book or he would easily rip it out of my hands with his new hulk like grip.

Dads been busy too and just finished installing a brand new floor in the kitchen. He has also refinished the deck, replaced his brakes and rotors, and done about a million other projects. With little Michael's baptism party coming up all the projects we had on the back burner have been moved up.

Stay tuned for baptism invitations.

Make sure to check out our new photo's!

8 Weeks Old

Little Michael is getting to be so big and even more fun. His new favorite thing to do is stand up, you have to support him because at 8 weeks the balance in obviously not there but he looks so proud when he stands. He also loves to jump especially in the bathtub because he likes watching what it does to the water. Bath time lasts for at least an hour every night because we have so much fun.

He started daycare yesterday which killed me and Mike, little Michael did great. I broke down and visited him on my lunch break and he was being held and fed. I sat with him for a little while and then went back to work. While I was holding him he kept doing the one eye peak to see if I was still there. When we picked him up they said he did great and was a very happy little boy. There is a cute little girl in there that's almost 3 months old that everyone says he will be dating in no time.

Developmental changes include keeping his hands open instead of clutched into a fist, smiling more and talking up a storm. He is also content by himself for small periods of time and is starting to get interested in toys. He mostly likes to look around outside and with all the flowers in bloom he has plenty to stare at.

Dont forget to visit our photo album

6+ Weeks

Where has the time gone? Little Michael is already 6 weeks old and has developed a full personality of likes and dislikes. For instance he loves eating, baths, being held, kisses, walking with daddy in the Baby Bjorn, car rides and tooting- I call him mommy's little tug boat. He also loves licking everything that comes near his mouth whether its your face, his clothes, a toy... its adorable. He hates being changed, his stroller, his swing, taking naps, and red lights -he is only happy in the car if you are going above 35 MPH. He also seems to think its funny to somehow poop or pee on mommy and daddy. He has a knack for blow out diapers and going to the bathroom the moment you put him in the bathtub.

Daddy has been home with us the past two weeks and its been great to spend family time together. We even took little Michael to Moses Lake to visit Grandma and Grandpa Monek. We also went to Coeur d'Alene the other day. With something planned everyday for the past 6 weeks it really flew by. I started work yesterday and leaving my baby was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I cried most of the day but daddy was nice enough to bring him to my office at lunch time. In fact daddy is bringing him by today as well so I can get my baby fix.



Check out our album to see pictures of everything we have done for the past 6 weeks. Including cute pics of Little Michael with his horse that were taken when he visited Grandma Patrick last weekend.

2 weeks 2 days

We can not believe Little Michael has only been around for 2 weeks, so much has happened. He has filled the diaper Genie about 4 times, had two doctors appointments (one being his circumcision, hopefully he will forgive us one day), had his first bath, went with mom to the dentist, visited with Deacon Kevin and attended his ordination, met Aunt Ginger and Ethel, attended his first horse show with Grandma Patrick and David, and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa Monek while mom and dad had a date night.

The one thing people comment on after how cute he is is how strong he is. He already can hold up his head and he can scoot using his legs and his face which makes it impossible to leave him laying anywhere by himself because he might scoot away.

Make sure and check out our photo album.

6 days

Its been a wonderful last 6 days. We went into the hospital at 5:45 on Wednesday to be induced. Little Michael was born at 3:57 that afternoon. He gave us a little scare because he came out purple and didn't cry right away. It turns out the moment he was born he decided to poop and pee all over the doctor and had managed to aspirate some of it. After some suctioning he was fine and believe me his lungs are working fine.

We stayed in the hospital for 2 days just to get the hang of things. Luckily for us when we went home on Friday Mikes mom came to stay with us. She was great with Little Michael and let mommy and daddy get some sleep.

Its been 6 days of firsts for us and Little Michael. His first bath, first car ride, first story time, first doctors appointment. Its so exciting to see him experience everything for the first time. His favorite thing to do is cuddle. He loves to lay on you and sprawl out with his arms and legs spread out as far as they can go. He is not the type to enjoy being swaddled instead he is a serious bed hog.

My first Mothers Day was perfect. We went to church on Saturday and I have never been prouder. Mike held little Michael and took him up for his first blessing. We also took our first walk that day with little Michael in the stroller. A great husband and a wonderful son, I am one lucky woman!

He is also extremely strong! He can already roll onto his side and practically hold his head up. In short he is absolutely perfect in every way.

Today he also had his first doctors appointment. His birth weight had been 8 pounds 8 ounces but his discharge weight was 7 pounds 14 ounces. So we were very happy to hear that he weighs 8 pounds 2 ounces today. The doctor also said his coloring was perfect and everything looked great. Our next appointment is next Thursday and unfortunately he will also have his circumcision at that appointment.

Sorry this update took so long but its been hard for Mike and I to focus on anything but the new addition to our family.

Week 40

It's a boy!!! 8 pounds 8 ounces.

Born: May 7th at 3:57 PM

39 Weeks 5 Days

We had our doctors appointment today and are 3.5 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced. The doctor recommended we go ahead and speed up the process and get induced. We are scheduled to be induced at 6:00 am Wednesday, May 7, 2008. We have known that he could come at any minute but to have a date down where we will definitely get to meet him is a bit overwhelming. Everything is ready for little Michael and he was nice enough to wait until after Bloomsday so Mike could get a good run in. Please keep us in your prayers.

39 Weeks

We had a doctors appointment yesterday and we are currently 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. Although I would love to go into labor at this exact moment we are hoping he waits until after Bloomsday so Mike doesn't have to miss it.

We have run out of baby projects so we have moved onto house projects, just small ones though. Mike planted some tomatoes a few days ago and we will be having some rock delivered so we can work on our planting beds in the front yard. I would love to redo the kitchen floor but that is going to have to wait until we have some free time which may not be for another 18+ years :)

Thank you to everyone for all of the loving calls and support! We feel very blessed to have so many people excited for Little Michael's birth. I assure you that we will call or text everyone we know as soon as I go into labor.

38+ Weeks

We are completely ready, well as ready as anyone can be, and still no baby. I have had contractions on and off all week but they are sporadic. In an effort to enjoy these next couple hours or days or weeks till the baby decides to come we have been out enjoying our freedom. Last night we went to the symphony with Mikes sister Julie and her husband Terry. Tonight we are going to dinner and then going to see a movie. Mike and I would both be very happy if little Michael decided to come on Sunday. I am even doing some work from home this weekend just in case I cant make it in on Monday. Our next doctors appointment is Wednesday, our doctor is out of town for 10 days so I am not sure who will be seeing us. I am tempted to start trying all the tricks to inducing labor but I figure little Michael will come out when he is ready. Its not exactly a big surprise with Mike and I as his parents that he is a little stubborn.

On a side note our friend Kevin is getting ready for his ordination as a Deacon. Please keep him in your prayers.

Little Michaels first horse Legend

Talk about spoiled, little Michael is not even born yet and he already has a beautiful horse. Legacy, Bryce's horse, gave birth to Legend last week. He is so adorable and very friendly. Its sweet how he clings to his mom who looks absolutely exhausted . He is 2 days old in these pictures. Its going to be almost impossible to get Little Michael to leave Grandma Patrick's considering she has horses, dirt and tractors.

Baby's Room

We finally finished the baby's room!!!

37 Weeks

Little Michael hasn't decided to join us yet! The picture is of me at 37 weeks and was taken right after I got home from Central so keep in mind that its after I stood on my feet for 8 hours and then drove home for 3, its not exactly a flattering picture. The Braxton Hicks are coming on more frequently which is a good sign and for the most part we have everything ready for the baby. Mike has been great at cleaning, child proofing and shopping. He even went out and bought some receiving blankets and burp clothes because he read that we should have tons on hand. This week we also had our infant CPR and breastfeeding classes which were informative. Hopefully we will never have to use the CPR!

36 Weeks

We started to realise this week that our time, with just the two of us, was running short. Soon it would be all about the baby and his needs. So we spent the week having fun. We went to Cheney to have Gatto's pizza and watch some Karaoke, we BBQ'd, we went to the PI and played the bar games, and we even built a fire in the back yard. Mike even had one last guys night on Friday. Dave was up visiting from Costa Rica, Charlie came in from good ole Tri-Cities, and Derek made it from all the way over on the other side of the South Hill. All and all I would say it was an excellent week. The doctor also told us on Monday that the baby could come any day now. I am dilated and he is in position. I have a big trip to Central Washington University scheduled for this week so I hope he stays put. I don't want to go into labor 3 hours from home!

Week 35

This is what pure desperation looks like. Little Michael keeps me very warm at night so I was asking that Mike sleep with the windows open. Yes, I know it’s been snowing out and below freezing every night but I still sweat like crazy when I sleep. After multiple nights of almost catching Pneumonia Mike decided to "fix" the problem. He ran a pipe from our window to a fan on my side of the bed so the cold air would blow directly on me and miss him for the most part. It actually works rather well and although he is still freezing cold at night its much more livable for him. He also built me the little shelf next to the bed to house the fan, my lotion for when my belly itches at night, Tums and my glasses.

Week 34

Our Baby Care class was a nice change of pace from the Lamaze classes we went to last week. Mike looked like a pro while he practised bathing, changing and swaddling his doll. He said that the class should have been longer then 3 hours but even so we both thought it was worth attending.

Week 33

Much to our excitement the toy box is finally finished! I am definitely the luckiest woman alive to have a husband that can make something so amazing. Hopefully, Little Michael loves books, teddy bears and sports. Yes that is a hand painted football bank in Buffalo Bills colors but to be fair I painted the back in Sea Hawks colors. Next to it is Mikes favorite part of the whole nursery. Its a basketball autographed by Dick Vitale.

As a family we are trying to continue with some traditions and build some of our own. The picture to your left is of the baptism gown my grandma made for me when I was a baby. Since then my siblings and my cousin's son have all been baptised in it and little Michael will be as well. Its laying on top of a beautiful white blanket Mikes mom made which will be used at the baptism.

Week 32

We are hard at work on the nursery and almost finished with the toy box/bookshelf. I had my first run in with an unwanted belly toucher this weekend. I was washing my hands in a public restroom when I lady who was obviously drunk came out of a stall and without washing her hands grabbed my belly. While she was grabbing and shaking my belly she kept saying he was going to be a monster because he was already so big. She said she could tell it was going to be a boy because of the way I was carrying and that my skin looked too nice to be having a girl. I don't mind the random people that touch my belly at work or in elevators but I do prefer people are sober and have clean hands before they touch me.

31 Weeks

We are 31 weeks pregnant and can not wait for little Michael to arrive. Things seem so busy and I am sure they will just get busier. We had our baby shower this past Saturday and he is already spoiled. This week we are working on getting the nursery all put together and Mike is finishing up on the toy chest/ bookshelf he is making. We also signed up for all the baby classes we would find. Coming up we have infant CPR, Lamaze, baby care and breast feeding.

Hopefully little Michael has as much fun with his toy box as his daddy does. We still need to put on the trim, the sliding doors and the stain but its coming a long great.