7 Months & Counting!

Today is Preston's 7 month birthday. Time flies! It's amazing how much he's changed just in the past month. Preston is sitting up easily by himself now but prefers to roll around on the floor. We're sure he'll start crawling within the month as he loves to lay on his belly and push up to try and get on all fours. When he's successful, he tries to lurch forward but can't quite get the leg and arm movements together to crawl. He's also very vocal and loves to either mimic the sounds you make or just babble. Squealing and screeching are really big with him right now! Still no teeth, but his gums feel really rough and he's been crankier than usual and is drooling up a strom. Surely some will come in any day! He loves to be tickled and does laugh but it's funny...kind of a weird chuckle. Describing it here doesn't do it any justice, so we'll have to post a video soon. Another big milestone for this past month...Preston saw his first snowfall! A couple of video links of Preston's latest and greatest are below.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4887751766951560629
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6215983984932221027
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-656849665910450984
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8537218902413494701
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8715758052363850833

Preston & the Holidays

So...we're a little behind on the blog postings, but better late than never, right? Preston turned 6 months old today at 2:51pm and a lot has happened since our last posting. At 6 months Preston:

• Can sit up by himself for long periods of time (he's a little wobbly at times, but can generally catch himself from falling over to the side)
• Can roll easily from his back to his stomach and stomach to back and of course uses this as his primary mode of transportation
• Eats lots of solid foods-- rice cereal, apple sauce, pears, bananas (mashed up ripe ones are his favorite!), carrots, sweet potatoes, and peas (which he hates). We're eager to try more new foods now that he's reached the 6 month milestone.
• Loves to stand! He can push himself up easily but of course he's a ways away from doing any of this on his own.
• Doesn't yet have any teeth but loves to chew and has been drooling steadily for months.
• Has finally met his cousin Elena and Aunt Kristi and got to spend more time with his family over the holidays including Aunt Mische, Uncle Bub, and all of his grandparents.
• Hates his car seat and generally needs some entertainment in the back seat to keep him happy.
• Loves to smile big when he greets you
• Giggles when you get his good tickle spots-- especially under his chin
• Loves bath time with Daddy every night
• Has finally started to show interest in Jeffrey and Dylan (and no they don't like him at all)
• Got tons of Christmas presents-- toys, books, clothes, pjs, etc. Not sure where we'll put everything but surely it's enough to keep him entertained until he's 12.
• Was baptized at St. Andrew's in Nags Head
• Has had two cases of the sniffles (including 1 right now)
• Is a good sport at the doctor until the needles for the shots come out!
• Is mesmerized by his cousin Elena crawling around the room

We're enjoying every minute of Preston and feel so lucky to have such a sweet little boy. It's hard to believe that this time 6 months ago we were in the hospital with our new arrival and could only guess what was in store for us. We're really looking forward to what's to come in 2009!

What a Month!

Preston turned 3 months old last week and is 14 weeks old today and he's had lots of big changes! His nanny, Lauren, started last Monday and she's doing a great job with him...she will definitely be one of his favorite new friends. Preston also welcomed new girlfriends Alexandra and Riley as the baby boom continues. Here's a couple of short videos that we've taken recently and a photo-- who can guess who Preston looks like in this one? :)

11 weeks!

It's hard to believe but Preston is just shy of 11 weeks old. He's growing like a weed and changing every day. September has proven to be quite the month for him so far. Nancy went back to work on September 2nd, so days at home with just Mommy have pretty much become a thing of the past. Nancy was excited to have the intellectual stimulation again but misses Preston terribly during the day. The exciting part is who Preston has been spending his days with...Daddy stayed home with Preston the first week (it's not as easy as it looks, huh?) and then Grandma Jackie and Grandma Linda will split duties until Preston's nanny starts on the 29th. Preston's babysitters are doing a good job-- Preston rolled from his stomach to his back the first time on September 3rd (which he has yet to do again) and was a crazy man for Grandma Jackie with lots of kicking, cooing, and smiles.

We swear, he's smiling!

Yes, Preston is smiling socially now (it's not just gas)! The best time to catch him smiling big time is in the morning or just after he wakes up from a nap. We've tried to capture it for days now and we're getting closer, but pretty much every time we break out the camera, the smiling stops! Maybe Preston just likes to make us look and sound ridiculous trying to get him to smile for the camera...you be the judge.

Jeffrey & Preston

Many of you have asked how Jeffrey is dealing with the new arrival...well, the jury is still out. Jeffrey was curious at first, then resentful and jealous, then somewhat affectionate followed by periods of depression, and now he has resigned himself to the fact that yes, Preston is sticking around and his own standing in the family has fallen. But things are looking up. Some nights Jeffrey can even be found snuggling up on the sofa with Nancy and Preston.

Preston's Summer Vacation!

I know, I know...it has been much too long since we've updated Preston's web site and blog. But we have a good excuse-- we've been carting Preston around North Carolina on his summer vacation! Here's a video of Preston swimming in the pool at the Outer Banks (seriously, he likes it):

What else has Preston been up to? He's finally starting to smile (for reasons other than gas), he loves his new swing (see pics below), and he's 6 weeks old today!

(awake)

(and asleep!)