Saturday, August 2, 2008

19 weeks (adjusted)

Carter is just a week from being 7 months old, and today his adjusted age is exactly 19 weeks. He seems to be right on track developmentally. He's getting better at sitting (with support) every day, though he seems to have lost interest in trying to roll over. These days when he's on his tummy he seems more interested in trying to crawl than anything. When I put him on his tummy with a little pillow under his chest to prop him up, he'll go right over it. He winds up stuck with the pillow under his hips, which is sort of funny. He doesn't have the upper body strength to crawl yet, but as soon as he gets that, I think he'll really take off. NOT looking forward to that, I have to say.

He's gotten quite good with his hands lately, and likes to hold and manipulate objects. I've been giving him larger and more complex toys to play with, and he seems to be doing just fine with them. He still likes to lie under is baby gym and play with the various toys I hang from it. Everything he picks up goes in his mouth these days, which is really cute.

He loves blowing raspberries and often entertains himself by doing that. Here is a better version of the video I posted a few days ago. (For some reason YouTube mangles the sound on my cell phone videos, but they seem to do just fine on Flickr.)



I have a bouncy seat upstairs that Carter sits in while I'm showering and getting dressed. He's almost too big for it now!



He weighed 15 pounds 12 ounces this morning, just two ounces less than his cousin Emma (who was born close to his due date). He's still less than 24 inches long, so he's just chunky. He's getting little sausage link arms, and he has dimples on his tummy! Today I put a 6 month size Bailey Boys bubble on him, and though it was too long for him it was actually tight around the middle! I doubt he'll be able to wear it again.

We went to IKEA today, and Carter did really well while we were out. He slept in the sling for most of the time, and when he woke up he was really curious and just looked around. I've been using ring slings a lot lately since it's been so hot (wraps are really warm), and I've come to prefer them. Once I got good at positioning Carter in the sling, I found it really convenient. It's easy to slip in and out of quickly, which is a real plus. I found one online made of solarveil, which is a very light fabric with SPF built in, and it's so much cooler, for both of us. I can even pull it up over his head while he's sleeping, and it doesn't bother him. (He has his father's tolerance for heat..)

I wasn't planning to buy anything at IKEA (famous last words, right?), but I found a cute little high chair that was only $19.99. It looked like it would take up a lot less space in the kitchen than the one we have, so I bought it. It's actually the perfect size for our table. And dude, it was $19.99! Carter liked it the moment I put him in it:



I also bought an inflatable insert for it that supports him really well. You can see a top view of it here:



Isn't that a great idea? He sat there and played while I ate dinner, and he seemed comfortable the whole time. I think I'll take it with me when we go out to eat so I can use it in restaurant high chairs too. It's a perfect support for him right now. Here he is playing with a book at dinner:



I took a short video of him too, and it really shows how he's using his hands these days:



I also got a great baby tub at IKEA ($7.99) that will be the perfect size when he starts sitting on his own. I love IKEA!

Speaking of bathtime, he's finally discovered how to splash with his hands. He'll flail his arms through out the bath, splash, splash, splash, splash, making a huge mess. I'm going to have to start putting his baby tub in the bathtub now, I think.

2 comments:

Mattison Grace said...

He is the cutest thing ever! I just want to pinch his chubby cheeks. He has such a BIG smile. It is so sweet. The blocks on your table in front of Carter look VERY familiar. Soon, Carter will be trying to sit upright in the bouncy seat. You will have to get an entertainer, which he could probably use now. It will help with sitting and strength arms and legs. The crawling-you think you have lost weight now, wait until you are chasing him around!
All I can say is he is growing so fast and he has really changed so much every day. It is so great to read about him and see videos and pictures. IKEA seems like the store to shop in. I think we are getting one in Charlotte. To bad, not Raleigh!
Give Carter big hugs and kisses.
Love,
Julie

Anonymous said...

Awwwwww! The cutie!