Sawyer's Month in Review

Sawyer has started doing so many new things in the month that we've been back home. I'll try and get everyone caught up. Let's see, I took him off the bottle cold turkey the week that we got back. He always seemed to hate the bottle anyway, so I didn't think that it would be any big deal to go the cold turkey route and I was right. He's still not too crazy about the formula, but he's doing much better with a cup. I'm not sure that I should call them cups; they are more like bottles with straws. They're Nuby Sport Sippers. He also drinks well from the Nuby Gripper Cup which has a spout. The main thing is that he is off the bottle by one year of age which is apparently an important thing to do.

Last week I started slowly adding whole milk to his feedings. He drinks six ounces of formula three times a day and now we're up to half formula and half whole milk. Everything that I read recommends not starting whole milk until twelve months, but he's already eating cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt, so I didn't anticipate that there would be too many problems. Besides, what's a few weeks? He seems to be doing fine so far. Some of my friends use organic whole milk, but I'm not sure that it makes that big of a difference. That is one of my questions for his next well-check. Now I need to start getting rid of the pacifier I guess. He only takes it before naps and bedtime, but I feel like I should ask Dr. Darrow to see what she says.

Another thing that he started doing the week we got back was pulling himself to a stand. It is always amazing to watch him master a new task because it always looks like he has been doing it his entire life (all eleven months of it). After a few days of pulling to a stand he started cruising. He started pretty gingerly at first, but now he seems to be getting more adventurous. I'm hoping that he will be walking in the near future, or AM I? :)

I think that his Leap Frog Learning Band Walker is helping the process along. Lorne actually rigged two of the wheels to slow them down. He added some screws to the wheel so that they won't spin as quickly. Leave it to the engineer in the family. It kept getting away from Sawyer while he was walking behind it because it doesn't have brakes. He would start walking and then fall to his knees and push it across the floor. Now he is able to practice his walking a little longer before he falls.

He also started climbing the stairs. He learned the art of stair climbing while we were at Larry and Velma's house. There is a step between their utility room and kitchen and he quickly became enthralled with climbing from one room to the next. We knew it would be only a matter of time before he began climbing here at home too. We knew that we had to start babyproofing. We initially went to Home Depot and bought some plastic gates there, but they were so cheaply made that I ended up returning them and ordering the well-made (read: more expensive) steel variety online. We have one at the doorway into the kitchen and one at the doorway into the game room. Lorne installed a wooden one at the base of the stairs, and we'll be adding one to the top of the stairs soon.

Sawyer and I were at Rick and Priscilla's house on May 10th to help with an open house they were hosting for Rick's faculty and staff from the junior high where he works as a principal. I volunteered to make some appetizers and desserts and also to be there to help. Sawyer began to wave AND say bye-bye while we were there. He had been waving for a few weeks, but the talking was all new...his first official word! Yay! All of the guests waved and said bye-bye back like it was no big deal and I was freaking out because I'd never seen him do that before, especially not simultaneously. I was one proud Mama. He is still working on doing it on command though. Most of the time he waves after the person is gone which is gosh darn cute too I must say.

I can't remember the date, but he started saying "Mama" before "Dada" which I have heard is rare. Apparently the daddies usually come first. I don't think he is making the association with the word yet though. He actually started saying Dada yesterday. Lorne accused me of brainwashing our son, but I promise that he did it all on his own! Velma said that is an Old Wives tale that a girl is in our future. I'm leery of those Old Wives most of the time, but in this case I hope they're right!

Sawyer started clapping on Saturday. Larry and Velma were here visiting and we were checking out model train stores on Friday after having lunch with Lorne. Larry got Sawyer out of his car seat at each destination and he would start clapping when Larry opened the door. He spent the rest of the weekend clapping for himself pretty much every time he did anything. Sawyer is still a total ham in case anyone was wondering!

He has been trying to cut his one-year molars since the first of May. I took him to see Dr. Darrow on May 1st because his gums were very swollen and had purple bumps in two places. I looked it up in my book and they are hematomas. It mentioned that they would go away on their own. I figured that was the case but when I called the nurse said that I should bring him in just to be sure because she wasn't sure over the phone what I was describing. It was a periodontal hematoma just like I suspected. Dr. Darrow said that there might be more bleeding than normal when they cut through but other than that all would be normal. He cut the top two which makes ten teeth total, but those bottom two are being stubborn. His gums are so swollen that it hurts me. I just wish they would come through already. He has done pretty well during the process. He has been fussy at times, but still a great baby through it all for the most part.

I guess that catches everyone up on our little man. From now on I will be back to posting on recent events like I had been doing prior to last month. I hope that everyone enjoys their holiday weekend. Happy Memorial Day everyone!


I tried to get a shot of Sawyer clapping.


I can't get enough of this grin! The other day while he was in his high chair I asked him, "How big is Sawyer?" He raised his arms over his head on his own to answer me, "So big!" That was an awesome moment! He understood me!


Sawyer loves to throw his blocks and pretty much anything else he can get his hands on. He throws with both hands even though he is usually only holding one thing at a time.


I took this picture to show how much taller he has gotten. His feet will be reaching the foot rest in no time.


Sawyer in what I call baby jail. He is none too pleased with the addition of the gates. He pulls himself up and attempts to shake them.