We have moved!

I have started a new blog. Find it at losquatrogarcias.blogspot.com

Seems like something new everyday!

Last Sunday Marcus went to spend the evening with Gramma while I went to work. While he was there he rolled over from back to belly! The next morning I tested to see if he would do it again and sure enough, a couple minutes on his back and he rolled over in no time! Now he does it all the time. We have even had to stop swaddling him for fear he would smother himself in his sleep! Here is a video of him doing it on Wednesday:

We also started allowing him to play with a sippy cup with a tiny bit of water in it so that he would learn how to use one. Well after he rolled over that night, he found that sippy cup and went right for it! After I got him turned back over he figured out how to use it right away! Though he did smack himself in the face a couple times after that. But it looks like we may have someone weaned from bottles pretty early :)

In other news, we have decided to make most of his baby food from organic produce. Our first try was yesterday and it went extremely well. I will say the kitchen looked like a disaster afterwards but I successfully made the equivalent of 13 jars of organic pureed butternut squash for about $2.50. It was pretty quick too, roasting the squash took about 45 minutes but the actual process of making the food only took about 15 minutes. And it only took up the space of two ice cube trays in the freezer.

And just for your enjoyment, here is a video of Lorenzo helping Marcus "walk" around the house.

Just thought I would add a cute video of Marcus that I caught last night before bath time. He was on his changing table looking up at the balloons. I walked into the hallway to see what he would do while I was "gone." He started just chatting them up like they were old buddies, until he noticed I was there that is.

Another first. . .

Yesterday we took Marcus to his four month well check. He weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs 8 oz (96th percentile) and measured 26.5 inches (93rd percentile). We have a big guy on our hands! He seems to be in perfect health and is right on track developmentally. He got three shots. It took about a minute to console him but he stopped crying before we left the office and was done whimpering by the time we got to the car.

The doctor did mention that Marcus seemed to be eating a lot of formula and suggested starting him on solids. So that meant a trip to the store. We got some organic rice cereal, pureed organic bananas, an avocado, and a butternut squash. And we picked out a new high chair. I happened to buy the avocado under ripe so his first real food was organic baked sweet potatoes. He liked them but he thought I was slow and kept grabbing my hands and the spoon. He got tired of the high chair quickly and we ended dinner but he polished off about 1.5 Tbls!

4 Months Old Already!

Wow it has been a long time since we updated! A lot has happened in the past 2 months and Marcus has grown like crazy. He turned 4 months old a few days ago. Here are some comparison pictures:

He is learning so much everyday. He giggles like mad (especially at his Daddy) and plays with his toys. He loves his excersaucer and reaching for the toys when he is on the floor. He is also getting MUCH better at tummy time. He can push his entire chest off the floor. And he is already starting to try to crawl. He gets his butt up but his head goes on the floor, then he lifts his head but doesn't lift the butt. He can scoot around a little though. He has also learned to sit up. He does very well supported and is getting the hang of it by himself. He lasts about 30 seconds and then starts sliding down to one side. But he loves to sit up! No more leaning back for him, he even hates sitting in the car seat now.

In really great news, Marcus has moved into his crib. Into his own room! He now has his own little nursery where he can play and sleep. The same night we moved him in there, he slept through the night! Now I wish I could say he has been doing that ever since but it only lasted two weeks. Now it varies. One night he will be up 10 times just for the paci, another night he will only be up once but has to be rocked back to sleep for 30 minutes, and some nights he will sleep right through. It is a toss up.

Marcus has also survived his first cold and ear infection and staying away from Mom/Dad for a whole day. He has already spent a whole day at Gramma's (for a Cedar Point trip), another whole day at Grandpa's (for a Tribe game), and spends a few hours every week in the nursery at church. We have learned he LOVES the doggie Athena and he likes to watch Gato at home. He also likes to be outside. He will just sit in his stroller and watch the world go by. We went to his first Lyndhurst Home Days and he was mesmerized by all the people and rides there. His spitting up has not gotten any better but we are hoping with the introduction of solids in the next month or two it will reduce some. Right now we just have lots of burp clothes, bibs, and extra clothes on hand.

I would love to show pictures of all the things we have done but our computer crashed about 2 weeks ago and all the pictures were in it. I have a few from Facebook and I'm hoping we can retrieve everything else soon. Here are a few recent photos. The first is him playing in his new excersaucer at almost 3 months. The second is him sitting supported at 3 months. The third is him learning how to move the toys with his feet to his hands also around 3 months. The fourth is him practicing his tummy time at 4 months.

Morning Conversations

Every morning Marcus and Mommy chat and play. Here is a video of Marcus talking away to me.He does seem to know when the camera is around though so this isnt even as much cooing as normal!







Here's a picture of us this morning. Mommy looks tired but what new mom at 8 am doesn't?!

Two month dotor's appointment

Marcus is now 8 weeks old and very active! He will "talk" for hours on end! He also smiles and giggles all the time! He loves when you kick his legs for him or wiggle his body. He loves to stare at the little teddy bear mobile in his pack n play and he has even learned to love the bouncy chair (as long as you are bouncing it with your foot.) He also enjoys to watch Mommy cook. He will sit in his chair and watch, eventually falling asleep near the end of the process. Marcus also has started to "swim" in the bathtub. Every night after he is all washed, mommy helps him float around in the water and he LOVES it! He has also started to sleep in his crib. He is no where near sleeping through the night (goes down around 9:30, up at 1:30, up at 4:00, then up for good around 6:30) but it is a step in the right direction.

On July 9th we went to see the doctor for his two month well check. We updated the doc about his acid reflux and how much better it is on the Zantac. He weighed in at 12 pounds 11 ounces (95th percentile) and 23.75 inches long (90th percentile) so he is a big boy! As the doctor was examining him, Marcus was chatting away. I felt so bad because he was so happy and then, out of nowhere, the doctor stuck him with a shot. And then two more!! He was so upset he turned beat red and held his breathe. But after the initial shock, he stopped crying in about 2 minutes. Good thing mommy remembered the sugar water pacifier! The whole process was so much for him he passed out and slept for a long time that day. But other than the sleepiness, he had no adverse effects to the vaccines.