9 month checkup

We had our 9 month checkup today. Casey wooed the office staff and his nurse with his smile, cooing and overall genial demeanor. He also flirted with a little girl in the waiting room. He weighed in at 17lbs, 27 5/8 inches. While extremely pleasant for most of the visit, he was not happy after he got his shots. He's doing well developmentally and has 6 teeth.

Today Casey had fajitas for lunch at prison daycare. He's been a fan of the Mexican food here, so I was not surprised to hear he ate heartily. He also took 2 naps and spent some time doing manipulative play. We drove Aunt Cristen home from work and stayed for dinner. Please note I did not say we ate dinner. That would mean we all ate, and that would not be the truth. Most of us ate and Casey threw food on the floor, ate some puffs and yelled excitedly.

After breakfast Casey crawled out of the kitchen and sat, shaking this ball to make it jingle while he yelled. At the top of his lungs.


He spent at least an hour playing with these FiberOne bars (which are not only fun toys, but are also delicious). Seriously, they were in the box, out of the box, intently stared out, shaken heartily. And they were yelled at...loudly.


To get him to sleep we gave him a cocktail in his cup.


Last night we dined with the grandparents Rubin and Aunt Jessica. For dinner Casey ate some fruit, Cheerios, and threw his chicken on the floor.

I do not know why I am able to access the blog from work today, but I will take advantage during lunch. Daycare has an inservice for the staff this afternoon, so we would have had to pick him up by noon. So, Casey is home with his dad today while I'm hard at work. Yesterday he had ribs for lunch & quite enjoyed them. Perhaps he will love BBQ as much as his dad does. After a little nap after we got home last night, Casey was all smiles. He enjoyed his bath and even went to sleep without too much of a struggle.

Casey takes after his father...he likes a sauce on things. Tonight we had pork chops with apples and thyme. He ate half a pork chop, some rice, fruit and then, of course, puffs and Cheerios. He's now in the bath, getting the food from the day off his body.
I really can't believe how big he's getting. He's starting to look and act like a little boy already!

The boy has been enjoying lots of new food lately, the latest being Rice Krispie Treats. He loved them.

Casey enjoyed ham for dinner. Ham on rye with mustard, to be exact.

9 Months Old!

Believe it or not, it has been 9 months to the day that Casey was born. It's amazing how much changes in that amount of time ... time that sometimes seems will never end (2 a.m. screaming) ... time that seems has gone by too fast in how much Casey has changed - he looks more like a little boy and less like a baby everyday. The 9 month checkup will be delayed by a week or so, however it appears that Casey has re-gained most of the weight lost from the illness. He hasn't quite got all of the fat rolls back, but the gut looks healthy. He has 6 teeth, and counting. The hair is filling in nicely - he officially now has more than his father. He is discovering new things all the time, especially himself. He crawls, traverses steps, chants, waves, and bangs. He walks with the aid of furniture and toys, and while he can stand on his own for a brief second, has not taken any steps yet. He doesn't like an audience for dinner - he seems to eat better (read real food) when only Carrie and I are around. He hates a hat and anything on his feet. Oh, and Matt's bloodline is definitely strong with this one - he loves to stay up / sleep late, anything electronic, appreciates a fine automobile, a groovy tune, and loves to grope. Speaking of the no sleeping...

This is from the 16th, Casey's 9 month birthday. He enjoys a good book.

Yesterday we had a belated Christmas celebration with Ken, an old family friend. Casey enjoyed talking to & smiling at Mr. Ken. He also enjoyed untieing his shoe. We all had a lovely time, and we enjoyed Grandma Z's cooking. We forgot our camera & therefore have no photographic evidence of the event.
In more recent news, Casey ate chicken again for lunch today. And he took 2 naps on his Sponge Bob couch.

Here comes trouble!

Casey strolled around using a walker push toy yesterday & was quite pleased with himself. His love of Cheerios continues. He ate cut up chicken on Wednesday night, but wouldn't eat it Thursday or Friday. In fact last night he put it in his mouth, then spit it out, then threw it over the side of his highchair. Perhaps someday he'll eat something other than Cheerios.
We have a busy day ahead of us. We're going to take advantage of the nice weather & spend a little time outside. We're also expecting a visit from Nicole & Susie. Then the grandparents Rubin & Zukowski & the NJ aunts (Cristen & Jessica) are coming to dine with us.

new pictures

There are some new pictures posted from Dec 26th & 27th.

Merry (Little) Christmas

Because today brings to an end the Twelve Days of Christmas and we were all sick on Christmas Day, we decided to have Casey open his gifts this morning. So here are a few photos of him. He enjoyed playing with the paper and trying to eat tape more than he enjoyed any of his actual gifts. (I also have to get the pictures of him opening presents at my parents house a couple days after Christmas with Caroline.)

Casey doesn't make this face. This was an accidental shot, but it shows off his bottom teeth very well. He's feeling much better, is eating and keeping us on our toes. Friday evening he knocked down one of the baby gates and laughed.

At our visit to the dr yesterday Casey weighed 15.8 lbs. That means he's lost over 1 1/2 pounds with his latest illness. He DOES NOT have an ear infection, contrary to stupid doctor from the 26ths diagnosis. He is still getting over a particularly bad bout of a stomach virus. Due to his constant pooping, he's got pretty nasty looking diaper rash, which he now has some magic cream to cure. Because he's had the squirts for so long, the very nice new pediatrician sent us home a stool sample collection kit so she can rule out a bacterial infection. I can now say from experience that it takes more time than one would think to scoop a vial full of baby poo out of a diaper with a tiny scooper--think of the old coffee stirrers from McDonalds, the white ones with the little spoon on the end. I can also say from experience that you will do things you never imagined when you have kids...you won't throw up when they puke on you, you won't mind having bananas all over your clothes, and you might be lucky enough to scoop poo.
Grandma (Z) watched him today so he didn't have to go to baby prison (daycare) today, which was lovely of her. Per her report he was very good all day, but he screamed for a good hour this evening and wouldn't sit in the tub. Perhaps his rashy bum is causing him pain? Perhaps it's the new teeth he's working on? If only babies came with a decoder ring...

Happy New Year!

Casey seems to be getting back to his regular self. He's been crawling up a storm, talking, eating. Gone is the week of him laying limply on someone. He still has a hacking cough though, so we will be going to the doctor tomorrow. A new doctor, as I hate our current pediatrician with the fire of a thousand suns.