First Cereal

Devin had his first taste of organic rice cereal today. And he loved it. He recently expressed a strong interest in real food, so we thought he was ready. And so far, he's gobbling it up. I was expecting the sour face and all, but not this boy! He was a happy camper.

Love My Toys

Ah...which toy will it be.
Yes, my grapes. Now I have to get a good hold on 'em.

That's better.

Success!

Devin's Buddy - Grandpa Fred

Devin loves hanging out with his Grandpa Fred.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My shirt says that I'm "Mommy's Good Luck Charm."

Must be my legs!

Devin was sporting a cute green outfit for St. Patrick's Day thanks to Vickie. We are having a great day and are really enjoying this awesome California weather! The last picture is from just the other day when Devin fell asleep on a walk. Somehow he managed to find a comfy spot in the stroller.

5 Months Old

Look at me...sitting up all by myself.
I can even look around without falling over!

Devin is five months old now. My how time flies. Just this past week, he's changed so much. He now can sit up pretty well on his own...he's more upright versus falling forward. And he is very interested in our food. He will intently watch us eat and follow our fork with his eyes. He also is starting to grab our plate with his hand. All these are signs that he's getting ready for his place at the dinner table...with some food of his own. We'll start him on some organic rice cereal pretty soon.

The weather has been nice, so long walks in the Bob jogger have been a hit. Grandma Casaday has mastered the art of pushing Devin while walking the dogs, Piper and Brandi. The dogs are leashed together so it works out great. Devin still loves his swing and exersaucer. He also is a big fan of tummy time and now can spin himself in a circle. He still is not rolling over, but I keep thinking it will happen soon.

Devin is a big time drooler still. We must go through 8 to 10 bibs a day. He always has a hand or two in his mouth at all times. I don't see any signs of teeth coming in yet. He also is a big time chatter box. He makes a bunch of new sounds now. It is almost as if he is carrying on a conversation. I wish I knew what he was saying. Wonder if Piper knows? In the mean time, we are going to start using some basic sign language. We've heard how babies can start signing before talking. Wow, that would be so great!

We aren't quite sleeping the night still. But his naps are getting much more consistent and are starting to lengthen out a bit. That's a solid step in the right direction. Devin goes to bed by 7 p.m. and gets up around 7 a.m. He wakes up a few times to eat, but goes back down just fine. Now, that he has an earlier bed time, he is much more rested overall and a much happier baby too. He is such a peach in the morning talking and smiling up a storm.

Our Trip to Florida

We just returned from our trip to Naples, Florida. I qualified for this vacation through my work, so we decided to make a family trip out of it. We had a wonderful time and Devin did great on his first airplane ride. He was an all-star traveler and didn't really cry on the plane except for the landing back in Sacramento at the end of a very long day...and moving back to the pacific time zone.

While in Florida, Devin had the opportunity to swim in the pool for the first time, put his feet in the Gulf of Mexico, and see an alligator up close. Each day, we had different activities. Rich would kayak in the morning and I'd hit up the spa in the afternoon. Devin didn't seem to mind as long as one of us was around to play. Thankfully, Devin was great about riding around in his stroller. He's just too heavy to carry around for very long. Included below are a few pics from our trip.

Devin enjoying the comfy king size bed after a day of travel to Florida
What a cutie pie. Still loving those fingers.
Devin doesn't seem too interested in the Allie, the baby alligator.

Yeah...Sleep

Devin slept so great last night. He went to bed at 6:45 p.m., only got up once, and still is in bed (and it is almost 7 a.m.). I've found that putting him to bed super early helps him avoid getting overtired and then he sleeps better at night. He also took really good naps yesterday, so he was such a happy camper. What a breakthrough. Although we'll throw his schedule completely off when we leave early tomorrow for Florida. But I have confidence knowing good solid sleep is a possibility. :-)

Birthday Weekend

All the boys. From left to right - Cousin James, Grandpa Phil,
Malcolm (Phil's brother), and Devin.
Roger and Devin hanging out.

This weekend I was spoiled having a wonderful weekend with family and friends. I really enjoyed having all my family, Rich's family, and friends together to celebrate my upcoming birthday. A special thanks to everyone who traveled from afar. Turning another year older isn't usually this much fun. Thanks so much to everyone!

As you can see in the pictures above, James and Devin are still growing like crazy. It is fun to watch the boys hang out together. I look forward to the day when Devin and James are rolling around on the ground together giggling and playing with each other.

Devin is doing really well. He is napping and sleeping a bit better. I just love the weekends when I get to spend all day with my sweet boy. Being a Mom is the absolute best.

Rich was making dinner and cut his finger pretty good tonight. But our wonderful neighbors came to our rescue and saved us a trip to the emergency room. It is great having doctors in the neighborhood. Thanks Darin and Heather!