Loads of Pictures!

Bubeaner loves to have a lot of close face to face contact.  He really enjoys playing and touching the different parts of the face: cheeks, nose, eyelashes, lips.  He also likes being close by because then he can sneak some kisses.

"I love you Momma"

Trying to mimic the sounds Momma is making

He does get distracted every once in a while by the puppies

"Hi there!"

"Yeah, I'm just that cute!"

"My aunt Lari thinks I am all that"

Bubeaner continues to take daily nightly baths.  He is used to his bedtime routine: bath, food, and bed.  The only problem arises when he is in need of a bath earlier in the day.  For some reason, he expects the rest of his bedtime routine at that time.  

He loves to read his bath time book every day.

He likes to look at the pictures almost as much as eating the pages

Bubeaner the Crab

Bubeaner now knows he can move in his walker.  He looks like a crab moving.  It's still not easy for him to move around, but he is getting the hang of it.  

He is currently moving sideways/backwards down the hall to Aunt Lari's room.  He's not happy with the Momma that won't pick him up so he's headed for the aunt.  Silly, Bubeaner! 

Bubeaner being bribed by shiny soda can to crawl.

Aunt Lari is the Bubeaner's new ally.  Fittingly, this morning we woke up to him calling out "Lala Lala Lala".  

Bubeaner has also discovered his shadow.  He enjoyes playing with it.  We are not sure of what he thinks of it other than that it's interesting... and always there.

Bubeaner hiding in clothes hamper

Today he also started crawling.  But typical Bubeaner, he went backwards instead.  Sometime soon he will get going in the right direction.

Swimming Bubeaner

Bubeaner spent the morning with Aunt Lari, Aunt Pau and her roommate Mary while Momma ran some errands.  He regaled them with non-stop chatter and flirty smiles.  We then all helped Aunt Pau clean her old home.  It was cooler today, but it still felt unbelievably hot with all the activity.

We took advantage of the warm afternoon to break in Bubeaner's new pool.  He loved it.  We have tried teaching him to splash with his hands in the tub unsuccessfully; he only uses his feet.  Yet he started splashing on his own the moment he was in the pool.  We didn't even have to tell him anything.

He loved his pool.  We plan on taking it out often.

Bubeaner Splishing & Splashing

Fascinate by the dripping water

Mommy & Bubeaner

Practicing floating on his back

Poor Little Bubeaner

We spent and exhausting weekend assisting Aunt Pau in her move.  Even Bubeaner was exhausted with the change in routine.  Aunt Pau is finally in her new home and almost completely unpacked.  

Can't help but fall for those big brown eyes 

and cute cheeks.

We almost went through the weekend without any injuries.  I was holding Bubeaner at the end of the day while we relaxed.  As I reached for something Bubeaner reached in the opposite direction and face planted against the wood arm of the chair.  It was horribly loud!  If he'd had teeth there would be some missing, I am sure.  As it is he has this horrible purple bruise on the  jaw.  It breaks our heart to see it.

He had his bath and ate and even fell asleep by 7p.  However, he was up again by 730p.  Right now, he is cuddling with Dad.  We are resigned that maybe his new bedtime is at 9.  No matter how we alter his naps, feedings, bath, he keeps staying awake late.  We are going to go with the flow as long as he doesn't stay up too late or get too fussy.

Happy July 4th!

We hope everyone had a safe and happy celebration of our nation's birth.  Our Saturday was quite busy.  We spent the early part of the day helping Aunt Pau move.  We admit we did not assist as much as we could have but at least it was some help.  Dad, who is not allowed to lift heavy stuff yet, ferried Bubeaner to and from the old and new place while we packed and moved some of the items.

Uncle Gary and Aunt AA with the Bubeaner

Mom, Dad, Aunt Lari and the Bubeaner then headed to see Uncle Gary, Aunt AA and Uncle K for a 4th of July dinner.  Bubeaner enjoyed the extra attention.  Unfortunately, he also refused to go to sleep at his bed time.  In fact, he did not fall asleep until we walked out to the dock to watch the fireworks.  We counted over a dozen firework displays from the metroplex communities around the lake.  It was a great way to end the day.

Aunt AA fed Bubeaner his dinner of green beans and prunes.

Bubeaner up way past his bedtime...

Spoiledness knew he could get away with it.

Sleeping Dilemmas

Bubeaner wins.  He slept in our bed last night.  We were exhauted and he just would not settle in his bassinet.  We opted for the quiet night.  We all did sleep a lot better and longer than in the previous nights. 

 Our sleeping angel.

However, we now have a crying Bubeaner.  Yes, he is currently wailing.  He expected to sleep in the bed with us and is not happy about it.  We are not thrilled but know how much harder it will be to break him from it if we give in another night.  

At one point he had taken over half the bed

Other than the sleeping dilemma, we spent a quiet and low key day at home.  Bubeaner has been having more trouble with reflux/vomiting.  But we believe it may be in reaction to Mom's diet.  Hoping he was outgrowing his allergies, I had slowly been adding soy into my diet.  For now, it appears like it's still a no-no.  

It's still amazing how such an angelic-looking baby 

can cry so loudly when he doesn't get what he wants.

Poop Happens

Bubeaner has been fighting our bedtime since last week.  He will play, cry and try to con us into letting him stay awake a little longer.  We are surprised at how good he is considering his age.  (Teenage years will be interesting.)  

Last night he finally fell asleep by 930p.  Then he woke up at 1a then again at 3a at which time he wanted to eat again.  He then was up again at 6a for his normal breakfast time.  Overall not a good night for sleeping.  Bubeaner woke up in a great mood as he usually does, the parents not so much.  

Bubeaner sitting ON HIS OWN and reading

"What? I am just reading."

"Mmm, do bunnies taste like chicken?"

We took a small trip to the hospital today where Aunt Pau received an employee appreciation recognition.  Bubeaner was there to cheer her on.  In fact, he started making noise right as the speaker announced Aunt Pau's name.  But I had forgotten how long those presentations can run, so Bubeaner and Mom went off to find Meme 'Licia.  We met many people Mom had worked with during the years.  Bubeaner was reserved with all of them except Meme 'Licia.  She was the only one that got smiles out of him from the start. 

Our visit was cut short due to a dirty diaper.  We made the mistake (yes, mistake) of changing him in the car before heading home.  This was no measly dirty diaper; it was the worst BLOW OUT OF ALL TIME!  It was EVERY WHERE!  Legs, back, hair... even the car seat!  And we were in the parking garage!  We used up all the wipes and an entire box of tissue.  We made it home with a naked and diapered Bubeaner sitting on burp cloths buckled in his car seat.

"I am INNOCENT!  

I know not what Momma speaks of."

"Momma I LOVE the YOUS!"

As disgusting and upsetting as the incident was, having Bubeaner giggling and giving kisses after his bath tonight made it all right.  

Bubeaner Crib

Bubeaner took the long nap in his crib today.  He went to sleep without any problems.  The monitor is still set in his bassinet so paranoid Momma checked on him at least 10 times during the 60 minute nap.  We (mainly Momma) are working on transitioning Bubeaner to the nursery.  We don't believe Bubeaner will have any issues with the transition... hopefully.

Peacefully sleeping in the crib.

Trying to escape from the crib.

Once he was awake, I turned him over for some tummy time while we put away his clothes.  He was happily babbling to himself.  Then we heard a thud... thud...thud...thud.  

Some one was trying to turn over like he usually does when he doesn't want to do tummy time.  He kept hitting his head on the rail!  Bubeaner was not amused.   

On His Own

We took Dad to the doctor today for his 3rd and 4th steroid shots to help with the herniated disk.  We are hopeful that this will provide enough relief for him to start physical therapy later this week.  Overall the pain is manageable, but we pray that with the steroids and PT Dad can resume his normal activities.

On the way back from the doctors, we found out Bubeaner enjoys listening to Gun$NRo$e$.  $weet Child of Mine was playing and Bubeaner would imitate @xl's vocal gyrations.  He actually did a pretty good job too!  

And on to more good news, Bubeaner is now sitting up on his own!  He doesn't last very long, but it's a start.

First Play Date

Bubeaner enjoyed his first play date today.  A group of friends got together today at the house to say farewell to one of the group who is moving out of state.  There were 10 bambinos including the Bubeaner from 6 years to 8 months.  And we did not have everyone!  In the last 6 years there have been 16 babies born in the group!    

The kids actually stayed still long enough 

to get a picture.

And as an added bonus, we were all surprised by Sandra, our old boss, driving 4 hours one way to visit with us!  (We all met at work.)  Bubeaner enjoyed getting to know Sandra.  He was held the entire time.

Boy's Day Out

Bubeaner and Daddy escaped this morning for a Boy's Day Out and went to Uncle Jeff's house to watch the USA v. Brazil Confederation Cup Final in South Africa.  Bubeaner was a little freaked to be without Mommy at first but soon enjoyed being with the guys and hearing "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL" after the USA took a 2-0 lead. Thankfully Bubeaner was asleep on Daddy when the Brazilians rallied to win 3-2. After that Bubeaner enjoyed trips to Costco and church before calling it a late night.

More Words?

Well Bubeaner is really just amazing!  Today he started saying Pau.  And this time it's on video!  Aunt Pau had spent the last 15-20 minutes repeating her name to Bubeaner.  Then he just said it!  Of course, he then proceeded to repeat his "b" sounds.

And today was the birthday of our first "baby":  Sandy our cocker spaniel.  she is now 9 years old.  We took her to the pet store to buy a new collar, bed and treats sans Bevo.  She then had a burger and tater tots from sonic.  She is not allowed human food, but today was special.  She LOVED it.  

Sandy checking out every isle in the pet store.

Unfortunately, we chose to brake our one big rule regarding Bubeaner for tonight's celebration.  We delayed his bedtime by a little over an hour.  And it was not a good decision.  He was extremely fussy and cried a lot.  It took a long time for him to finally fall asleep.  It definitely reinforces our decision to be strict with bedtime.  And Bubeaner does not even have to be in his bed.  He just needs to have eaten and have his sleeping outfit on for it to count.  We took him to a wedding last month.  At his bedtime, we fed him, changed him and placed him in his stroller/car seat with the privacy cover down.  He slept without a problem even after we transfered him to the bassinet upon our return home.  Some rules should just not be broken.

A fussy Bubeaner getting love from Aunt Lari

Talking Bubeaner & BisBis

Bubeaner keeps adding to his vocabulary.  The first word was "hi" followed by "Dada".  And today Dad and Mom awoke to hear him repeating "Mama" over and over.  Bubeaner very clearly annunciates the words.  He is also working on a "b" word.  He repeated the "b" sound throughout the day.  Dad believes it may be the beginning of "Bevo" but for now it's just cute. 

BamBam Bubeaner:

The unfortunate result of all diaper covers being washed

and Bubeaner getting the one he was using dirty.

(Lesson learned:  Stagger the washings.)

And today Bubeaner's great grandmother "BisBis" celebrated her 89th birthday!  WooHoo BisBis!  Damos gracias a Dios por los anos que nos ha dado con BisBis.  And we look forward to visiting with her next month.

Grandma & Bubeaner

Bubeaner, Lari and Mom joined Grandma and her high school friends for lunch today.  He behaved so well during the whole outing he kept getting compliments.  And one of his "grandmas" taught him a new trick:  he now makes the "indian" noises.  (The one where he makes sounds as his hand is moved against his mouth at the same time.)  Bubeaner enjoyed showing off his new trick to Aunt Pau and Dad.

Bubeaner with Grandma's friends.

Bubeaner enjoyed spending time with Grandma.

Naked Bubeaner showing off new sounds.

Father's Day 2009

Bubeaner enjoying sitting by Dad during Father's Day lunch.

"Yo Solito"

Bubeaner had a wonderful surprise this morning when Dad came home from his business trip. Dad was exhausted but Bubeaner insisted on cuddling with him.  We are thrilled to have him back home.

Dad took a little nap while Bubeaner had his follow up appointment with Dr. O, the gastroenterologist.  We found out that Bubeaner now weighs 14.3 lbs (6.5 k) and measures 25.5 in (64.5 cm)!  He is getting HUGE!  

Dr. O was happy with his weight.  He also said Bubeaner's recent fussiness, lack of appetite, crying, and increased reflux/throwing up could be due to teething.  However, he changed Bubeaner's medicine to Nexium just in case Axid is no longer working.  We are also supposed to watch his weight since Bubeaner has not been eating well the last few days.  Dr. O checked his ears to eliminate the possibility of an ear infection which could also cause his symptoms.  He also checked Bubeaner's left eye; yesterday he woke up with it red and it worsened during the day.  It appears Bubeaner managed to scratch his eye and all the crying made it worse.  By tonight it was almost back to normal.

Recently Bubeaner has taken more interest in feeding himself.  He attempts to take the spoon or the food container, and insists on holding the bottle or sippy cup.  We have been letting him experiment with holding the spoon prior to eating.  Yet today, he was determined to do it himself.  

He actually TOOK the spoon from my hand and 

immediately placed it in his mouth.

Unfortunately, Bubeaner is still figuring out 

that you need to refill the spoon once the food is gone.

Looking confused as to what happened to the food

but would not take food from me.

He decide to go for the source of the food.

(He was angry because I tried to move the container to help him)

Bubeaner did a pretty good job in eating

 the rest of the food.

Bubeaner was a complete mess at the end, not to mention his chair and anyone within the food-flinging- zone.  But he really enjoyed it.  And we enjoyed watching him refuse any help.  It appears he can do it himself.  The days of "yo solito" are just starting. 

Bubeaner Update (Part II)

More Bubeaner updates!

Aunt Lari found out that when we say Bubeaner "talks" all day long, we mean ALL DAY LONG!  He babbles non-stop.  It's almost like a running commentary of everything he is doing, seeing, wanting, and eating.  It is adorable, but does take some time to get used to at first.

Working on pushups makes for a tired Bubeaner

Last Thursday we weighed the Bubeaner.  He is 13 lbs 15 oz.  We are a little concerned that he has not gained more weight.  It is just something we will discuss with the pediatrician at our next well-baby check up.  Developmental issues, like weight, are hard for us to decipher if there is a problem when factoring in his prematurity.

Bubeaner knows what this is used for....

He tries to grab it when we feed him.

We do not know if maybe my milk supply may be drying up and he is just not getting enough; he is still eating every 3 hours during the day.  And for a few weeks Bubeaner has been waking up at 4-430 am rather than his usual 6 am to feed.  Right now I am taking Fenugreek and feeding more often to try increasing my milk supply.  We are not sure if it will work.  There is nothing wrong with formula, which we are currently also using to supplement.  But it is also heartbreaking to think he may not need to nurse soon.  Never thought I would feel so strongly about it.  One of the many surprises of motherhood.

Bubeaner and Sippy Cup

On the bright side, he continues to enjoy his baby food.  Bubeaner eats squash, green beans, pears,  prunes and oatmeal cereal.  Green beans are now his favorite.  We have to give him those at the end.  Otherwise, he refuses to eat any of the other foods.  Silly boy!  But it bodes well for the future.  And, either we have learned to feed him better or he is getting the hang of eating.  Most of the time we don't even need to change his bib!  

Bubeaner cuddling with his aunt

This is good since bath time has become more challenging.  Have you ever tried to bathe a greased piglet?  Neither have we, but we are convinced that bathing Bubeaner is pretty close.  He will not stand still.  He wants to lean back, sit up, reach forward, to the left side, or the right side.  Gone are the days of Bubeaner relaxing in the bath tub.  It's adorable, but quite challenging. 

Bubeaner telling Mom to back away....  

Aunt Pau was his!

This boy refuses to slow down and not grow up so fast.  We have been debating when to move him to his nursery.  Yes, Bubeaner still sleeps in his bassinet in our room right next to our bed. But he will soon be too long AND heavy to use it, much to my dismay.  But now his nursery seems SO FAR AWAY from us.  Our plan, pre-parenthood, had been to move him down to the nursery at the 3 month mark.  HA!  We were full of "plans" in regards to Bubeaner.  We were pretty naive.  Now we understand our friends when they would just nod and smile at the mention of our detailed plans and expectations.

Mom and Bubeaner on his playmat at the church group.

He did quite well the first meeting; we were there for 3 hours.