Grandpa Douglas Welcomes You On Christmas Morning.

His was the first lap you sat upon and the first person to make you smile on Christmas Day. He really enjoyed you.

Grandma Becky Reads To You On Christmas Eve.

And you were an excellent listener!

New Toy

This is your first ball! I think its a bit more colorful and silly than any other athletic equipment you might own in the future. You REALLY like this thing!

This is Lucas.

He is your distant cousin.

He lives in Hermann with his mom and dad. We have nick named them The T-Bones.
He is related to you in a confusing way: His grandpa is your grandma's cousin.

Your fathers went to school together and were later college roommates for awhile. We all went to the same college and for awhile, his mom and I lived in the same dormitory.

Lucas is about 9 months older than you, so he has lots of things he could teach you. You have visited him three times so far, and each time he was kind to you.

Mr. Christmas

Your Grandma Becky dubbed you Mr. Christmas when we arrived her door on Christmas Eve. You were wearing this festive outfit. I think the name suits you well, because you are so joyful and sweet.

Tummy Time

He's now five months old and confident while playing on a blanket. However, he does often throw up in this position, so the lovely farm blanket made by Trudy and quilted by GGma Landolt and Gma Haid is quite smellly and damp after a few moments of play.

Mr. Curious

Exploring EVERY new thing that catches his eye. The consequences... many objects are pulled over or down, such as in the case of this flower arrangement, which was knocked over more than once. I think he learned that it made a loud clink and that the counter got very wet.

I am happy to report that he didn't learn any swear words or mean phrases because I didn't get upset at all from his learning experiences.

Daniel and Daniel

Smile and Smile.

Jumperoo

Look How Old I AM!

I'm getting hair.
I sleep on my stomach.
I am using a 6 month size pacifier.
I am wearing a collared shirt.
I know just how to raise my eyebrows and show off my lovely blue eyes to get the attention I want from others!

Swing Nap

If he awakes an hour before what is best for him, I try out the swing. Sometimes, it works to lull him back to his dreams. And its SO cute to watch him sway back and forth.

20 Weeks

Hello, baby. 

This week you got your 4 month vaccinations.  You had three shots and one oral vaccine.  You were so brave that I consented to have my vaccinations, too.  I had two flu shots, so I could sympathize with the discomfort you felt!  It was hard to see you so uncomfortable and listen to your screams, but I was relieved that you didn't cry too long and that you were seemingly as good as new after Tylenol and a warm bath.

This week you really started to dsicover your legs and feet. You started to swing your legs back and forth on the changing table and walk your feet along the wall.  You also started pushing off your crib rails and using your feet to help you roll around.  Its really common to see your feet high in the air and you studying your toes.  You did the same things with your hands a few months ago. 

Another thing I've noticed about your development has to do wtih your hearing and comprehension.  You look around to see who is talking when you hear a voice.  It is very confusing to you when you hear a man's voice on the radio, but I am the only person in the room.  Cell phone conversations on speakerphone are also confusing to you.  You try to put the cell phone in your mouth and are very surprised to hear a voice!

You've started to recognize when we are paying attention to you, and when our attention is elsewhere.  For example, if I am typing on the computer or working in the kitchen and you are nearby, I can tell you are looking at me.  When I turn to you, your face crinkles into a big smile.  This, of course, makes me want to quit what I am doing and play with you!

You spent three hours with some friends one afternoon while I was working.  This is really the second time I've left you with a sitter.  You did wonderfully, laughing at their daughter and being content playing with their toys.  You waited patiently and didn't get upset when you couldn't eat right away.

Another thing that happened this week that was really LESS adorable was sleeping disturbances.  You would have a difficulty staying asleep for naps, and so I resorted to letting you finish out your naptime in the swing.  Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn't.  Either way, it was probably better for you to still have some downtime after playing and before eating.  Probably the worst sleep disturbances came at 8:30 PM for three nights in a row.  You'd gone down to bed around 7 or 7:30, but would wake up screaming as if in terror or extreme pain.  It was alarming and bizarre.  Your dad would bounce you on the exercise ball, rock you, or since a verse of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and you'd go back to sleep as if nothing had happened.

So you are 20 weeks old, which is sort of neat.  It means you are in your fifth month.  I didn't have any clue you'd be this great as a 5 monther.  Not that I didn't enjoy you as a newborn... you are just WAY more fun to be around!  I imagine this trend will continue as you age.

I love you.

-Mom

This Is Your Uncle Wes.

He is your dad's only brother. When you were born, he was almost 25 years old. He was at the hospital on your birth day and met you about a half hour after your birth.

He is two years younger than your dad, but three grades in school younger than your dad. In high school, he was a quite good basketball player and an even better baseball player. Your dad often brags about how he hit over 500 for two years in a row!

He went to college in Springfield, MO and studied geography and urban planning. He has not had a job in that field yet, but he probably will one day. He also has many friends from his hometown who went to the same college. They had a great time during college.

The first time I met Wesley he was a senior in high school. He had curly hair, just like your dad. Now they keep their hair cut very short. I often saw him while I was visiting your father over the weekend or during summers. He was usually resting because he'd gotten tired from playing sports, working, or staying out with his friends.

I hope that one day you will be as well liked as your Uncle Wes. He has many, many friends and has been lucky enough to have some of them as roommates for the past seven years.

I also hope that you will have his natural athletic and academic abilities!

You At Another Baby Shower

Daniel, this is a photo of us at another baby's party. You did a great job of not stealing ALL the attention and leaving some for baby Jack, who is due in December. You will be five months older than him! Its strange to remember that I had a party for you while I was expecting. It would have been much more fun for me (and probably all the guests!) if you were there to show your smiling face for that party, too.

19 Weeks

Hello Dear Child,

This week, your Grandma Becky came to stay with us for a few days.  She took a vacation to come visit you! Usually, I take a vacation to visit a beach.  So that means you must be pretty special to her!  She also stayed here to watch you while I went to a meeting at the University. 

We set up our Christmas tree this week.  You just stared at it.  Once you reached to touch it, but it was prickly, so you made an unhappy face.  You make that same face when you taste something new or unfamiliiar.  I think ratther than being disgusted, you are just processing new information that doesn't make sense with what you already know!

You are nearly on a four hour schedule during the day.  Or that is the goal, anyway.  This allows you to be a good eater and a good sleeper.  When you are both of those things, you are able to have more fun playing during your wake times.  Here is a rough schedule of your day:

4:30 AM - wake to eat, but fall asleep easily

7 AM - wiggle around, but back to sleep when Dad gives you a reswaddle or pacifier

8:30 AM - wake for the day and eat, play

9:45 AM - Nap - sometimes happens earlier in the morning!

11:30 - Eat, play

1:40 Nap

3:30 wake, eat, play with Dad after he gets home from work

5:00- short nap

6:30 PM- Bath, watch us eat or watch TV, cuddles from mom, eat, story time

7:15 PM - tucked in for bed

1 AM - wake to eat (but usually don't eat much... probably not really hungry, just in the habit of waking).

So, that is your typical schedule. I hate seeing it typed out, because I know its far from perfect.  Ideally, you should be awake less than 2 hours in the morning and afternoon and be sleeping about two hours.  Its really difficult sometime to get you to sleep longer than 45 minutes, which makes your next feed come too soon.  Each day, I try to extend the time between your feeds so you will eat more at those times. I  am getting so much better at helping you to fall asleep for naps, and you are getting so much better at communicating your need for food, sleep, and entertainment.  I think if we could rewind our lifes and start over, we'd both be much better at this newborn/mother relationship!

You really thrive on attention and cuddles.  When I am with other friend who have babies of similar age, they are always surprised by how you sit on my lap and relax.  Sure, you do roll over and around your crib, but you do seem pretty content to be held and talked to or serenaded.  This is so nice for me, because I like how you calm me down.  It helps me to take time to relax, too.

This week you had your first encounter with Santa.  We went with Grandma Becky and Uncle Wes to the Columbia Mall Santa after we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. You wore a green velveteen jumper with a reindeer, very festive.  This Santa was amazing.  Such a cheerful old soul.  You smiled at him and obliged as we took your photos.  I sort of expected you to cry and make a fuss, like other children do, but then I remembered that you are friendly to all the people you've ever met.  And you had good naps and good eating habits, so you weren't terribly fussy.

We had a few more outings this week.  We went shopping at the mall with our friends, the Dorrs.  It was three carseats in the back of their SUV!  I cannot imagine having three small children under age two. I was glad there were two mommies there, even though all the children were well behaved.  I think we will continue to do outings wtih the Dorrs.  Their daughter Taylor really loves you and loves on you.  You smile at her a lot.

Overall, this has been the best week of you and me.  I have really loved being your mom this week. You've been so happy and so delightful.  You started to cock your head to the side and really grin.  Also, my mom told me that these 19 week photos look like ME when I was a baby.  Of course, this made me feel great because you are just so cute and darn loveable.  That means I was, too, twenty seven years ago!

Thanks for bringing me joy this week.

Love

Mama

Photo with Gma andGpa Haid

Grandma Becky and Grandpa Zeke had a good time selecting your Christmas gifts. It was so obvious! You received several books, a special ornament to remember your first Christmas, a brightly colored and very entertaining exersaucer, CDs of nursery rhymes, a John Deere tractor toy, and a small ball.

You didn't open many of the presents this year, but that is okay. We opened them for you and one day you will be old enough to play with all of the gifts! Now, you are old enough and big enough to only play with the ball and exersaucer. We have read one of the books to you, but I think it will be more fun for you to see and listen to when you are a bit older. Its so neat for you... because its like Christmas all year! I imagine that when you are a bit bigger and can enjoy the toys, you will not remember that they are "old toys from Christmas". They will seem brand new all over again!

First Haid Family Christmas Picture

Each year, Grandma Landolt's families pose on the stairs during the family Christmas party. EVERY YEAR. Its easy to see how people change and grow and how some families grow (actually... only our family has grown since I'm now in it and you are now in it, Baby Daniel).

Next year, we'll do the same thing. I am sure everyone will remark about how you can sit up for yourself or will be worried that you will fall down the stairs.

You are 18 weeks old

Dear son,

You are my dear son, my sweet boy.

This week, we began to decorate our house for Christmas.  Your dad put lights on the house, which meant that he climbed on the rooftop.  Last year, I didn't have to do this because I was pregnant.  This year, I do not have to do this because I need to be around the house while you are napping.  I know, we have baby monitors, but really, I do not want to go tromping around on the roof. I think I am afraid of being on the roof.  So you have been my excuse for not helping for two years in a row!

We celebrated Christmas another way this week.  We were in our church's Christmas play.  We played the Holy family.  Your dad was Joseph, you were Jesus, and I was Mary.  The director of the play saw you at the church's Halloween party while your dad carried you around.  You were peacefully sleeping, and he had a good start to a beard.   I was enthusiastically volunteering. We were obvious choices!

We had to practice last Sunday for the entire afternoon, as well as Saturday morning for dress rehearsal.  You wore a cloth diaper wrapped around a disposible diaper and had a loosely swaddled blanket around your torso.  So many times we heard, "Your baby is so beautiful!" and "He is the perfect picture of Jesus!" and "What a calm, sweet baby! How did you get him to fall asleep on stage?" and "He smiled during the songs! He reached for the actor's face! What a star!".  People just could not believe that you weren't fussy and that you didn't cry out when other actors held you during the show. We know how easy going you are, but we agreed to all the compliments you received all the same.  You were a perfect actor!  I think you enjoyed being on stage and seeing the bright lights.  You also watched the conductor's arms wave around. 

All four of your grandparents came to see the Saturday evening show, and your Aunt Rachie came for the Sunday show.  That meant you had lots of family to visit you over the weekend! My parents brought up your exersaucer and you played and played in it for them. It was a real pleasure to see you so happy!

Another thing we did this week was take our Christmas card photo.  Our family has never done this before!  We felt a little silly doing it when it was just the two of us, and both of our families didn't do this when ew were small.  I thought it would be nice for us to do this, though.  So our friend and neighbor Abbie took a few photos of us in our yard and also in front of her Christmas tree (ours wasn't up and decorated yet!).  You really didn't know how to look up at the camera, much less smile or pose.  That's okay though, because we took many photos.

This week you started to roll over successfully and purposefully.  You do sometimes get frustrated while you are on your belly, as if you have forgotten how to finish the roll.  You do not roll around the house or really roll off a blanket on the floor.  Mostly you just go from front to back and then back to front. Its so cute to see your head pop up and your back arch while you are on your belly.

I took you to your four month check up this week. Yes, you are technically four months and one week old.  I sat next to a mother with a six day old baby while we waited for Dr. Wheeler.  You looked enormous compared to that little one, yet she was 6 pounds, 10 onces, so similar to the weight you were the first time we took you to Dr. Wheeler's office.  Sitting next to that cute baby and her anxious mother made me realize just how much you and I have both grown in the last four months.  You've grown in size and attractiveness, I've grown in confidence and praticality, and we've both grown together.

You weighed 15 pounds, 4 ounces.  And this was AFTER two huge pukes in the waiting room that soaked my jacket, pants, and spare burp rags.  This was in the 60th percentile, but your height was in the 96th percentile. Yes, you are growing!  Everything else checked out fine.  Dr. Wheeler was impressed with your growth and robust health.  We were a bit worried about this lumpy knob on your head, but it turns out that its due to you switching sides with your head while you sleep. Its the opposite of the dreaded "flat head syndrome", and it will even itself out in a few months.  We have nothing to worry about.

Thanks for being so kind and happy to us this week. I really appreciated your friendliness and easy going personality.  It was fun to take you grocery shopping or to nap together.

I love you.

From Your Mom