Yummy!

On Tuesday, Connor had his 4 month check-up, where he weighed in at 15 pounds, 11 ounces and 25 1/2 inches tall - both in the 75th percentile.  The doctor said he is still a big growing boy and that we could go ahead and start solid foods with him once a day.

On Wednesday, Connor experienced his first solid food experience.  It was pretty funny to see his reaction to rice cereal!  He ate really well at the beginning then decided it was time to start spitting it out and laughing.

Here are some pictures that Keith captured while I fed him:

 First reaction to the high chair - what the heck is going on?

 Rice cereal mixed with formula - starts out really soupy for the first few days

First bite! 

His expressions were so funny!

Trying to figure out what to do with it next

 He seemed more interested in eating his bib!

 

He got bored and started to spit it out.

Since Wednesday, each day has gotten a little better with him eating.  The doctor said that the first few times, more food will come back out than down the hatch... we have definitely seen this to be true!

In other news, our crazy boy is more and more active each day so we bought him his latest toy to help him get stronger... he loves his new exersaucer!

4 Months!

Connor Russell had his 4 month birthday yesterday!  He is working hard on sitting up without falling over and loves playing with his toys and "thumbie" blankets.  His current favorite I think is his soccer ball, which is the side of his head but he thinks he can fit it in his mouth!  He loves it when we sing songs while he sits facing us - he always loves "The Wheels on the Bus" and continues to hate "Old McDonald."

Laughing has become more regular when we interact with him... here's a video of him laughing while Uncle Kyle was over last week!

We have his 4 month check-up on Tuesday where we will see where he is charting for height/weight.  We're also hoping to get the green light from the doctor to start introducing rice cereal/baby food... I'm sure that will come with it's fair share of challenges!

Here are a few pictures we took to show his growth at 4 months:

I randomly caught this shot while Keith was making Connor laugh by looking in the mirror - thought it was too cute!

Future Michael Phelps :)

On Friday, Keith had the day off so we decided to do the only thing that makes sense on a super hot day - take Connor to the pool for his first swim!  After we lathered up our little swimmer with sunscreen and put on our suits, we headed to the pool in grandma and grandpa Slagle's neighborhood.  While we were en route to the pool, Connor decided to fall asleep so it was a bit of a challenge when we first got to the pool...

He wasn't very happy when we woke him up...

After some walking around with him, he was calmed down enough for his first swimming pool experience.  I think he saw it as a big bath tub - when he discovered he could splash just like he does in his tub, he was happy and splashing everyone!

Overall, we had a ton of fun swimming with Connor for the first time!  It brought me back to my days where I lifeguarded and taught babies and kids swimming lessons at Interlachen Country Club!  Whether Connor is a future Michael Phelps is yet to be determined, but here's to hoping!! :)

16 Weeks

I can't believe our big baby is 16 weeks today!  Keith weighed him today and he is 15 pounds, 6 ounces - still growing like crazy!

This past week has been a bit challenging for us, as Keith and Connor have both been sick with bad head colds.  While Connor has been sick, he has been an entirely different baby - lots of tears and at times, it's nearly impossible to console him.

Last week, Connor rolled over from his back to his stomach for the first time.  This is supposed to be the harder way to flip, as opposed to flipping from front to back.  He can do the harder one but not the easy one - go figure!  

When we lay him on his back, he immediately flips over and can't figure out how to get back and he either gets frustrated or, if he's in his crib, falls asleep.  He has also figured out how to turn himself around and face different directions.  Here is how I found him in his crib one morning (after I put him down with his head the other way and on his back):

Connor also experienced Sunday School for the first time on Sunday while Keith and I joined a new bible study at our church.  The teachers in his nursery room are nothing short of amazing!  They said he smiled and played most of the time - which made for a great nap when we got home!

Now that both of my boys are back to normal, Connor is a happy boy - as seen by this picture I took a few minutes ago! :)