Bath Time Fun

Just a couple of cute photos from a recent bath. As I've said many times, Fenn really enjoys bath time. And he especially enjoys these bath toys by Boon. Right now, he particularly enjoys sucking and chewing on them. Don't worry... we're keeping our eyes on him. Any clue that he's starting to bite through (not likely right now because he only has teeth on the bottom), and we'll put a stop to that. Eventually, he'll lose interest in chewing on them and will start sticking them to the sides of the tub.

First Boo-Boo

Fenn started his new daycare this week. And on the 4th day, he got his first ever "boo-boo". He was sitting on the floor playing. Still a little unsteady while sitting up unassisted, he apparently toppled over and bumped his head on a nearby bouncy seat. Bad bouncy seat! If you look closely, you can see a red spot on his left brow bone. They said he took it well. He, of course, cried. But they put some ice on it and gave him lots of hugs and kisses. Mommy and Daddy are okay with it. We know those things are going to happen. And Fenn seems to be happy at his new daycare.

Cute Photos with the G-parents!

Just wanted to post a few more photos from our visit with the G-parents!













Fenn had fun bouncing and jumping in G-ma's lap. Hang on, G-ma.... you've got a live one there!


And Fenn seemed to like G-da's bald head and scruffy beard.

There's a Shark Fenn in the Pool!

Over the weekend, we visited my parents in Alabama. We were really excited because this was going to be Fenn's first time to swim in a big pool. We were not disappointed! He LOVED it! The water temperature was perfect and the weather turned out nice (after a rainy morning). First, he just hung out with his Daddy. Daddy bounced him up and down, supported him on his tummy, and swirled him around. Then it was time to get in his new float. He loved that because he could lean forward, lean back, splash the water with his hands, and kick his feet. After an exhausting swim, it was time to stretch out on his beach towel and catch a few rays. (Really, we don't allow him to be in the sun without sunscreen! Gotta protect that beautiful, perfect skin.) While G-ma took Fenn inside to change his clothes and get him down for a nap, Mommy and Daddy got to goof around in the pool. Dan showed me some lifeguard moves from his days of lifeguarding on Jekyll Island. It was a nice, relaxing weekend because this time we devoted most of our time to just hanging around my parents' house and visiting with them. We did visit a couple of friends we didn't see at all on the last visit. It was nice to not have to run around from place to place all weekend. We have decided that's what we'll do going forward. We'll try to only visit one or two people (other than family) each visit home. It's easier when we visit Dan's parents because they live in North Georgia and we don't know anyone else there.

Fun with Music

I stole this idea from my neighbor, friend, and Blog Mentor, Nicole. She found this fun website recently and posted a "mix tape" on her blog. I liked it so much, that I decided to copy her! Some of the songs I chose for my mix tape are the same as those on a cd Nicole burned for Fenn before he was born. It is called "Miles presents his favorite sleepy songs" and is full of great songs. (Miles is Nicole's 2 yr. old son.) Yes, the cd was meant for Fenn, but Mommy and Daddy also love listening to it. I also added a few of my own selections to this mix tape. The first one is Close To You by The Carpenters. I have been singing that song to Fenn since the day he was born. If you listen to the lyrics, they're so perfect. One of them is "On the day that you were born, the angels got together, and decided to create a dream come true. So they sprinkled moondust in your hair - of gold - and starlight in your eyes of blue." Too bad I don't sound ANYTHING like Karen Carpenter! But Fenn seems to like it, anyway. Sometimes he'll be sitting in my lap and I'll start to sing it. He'll hear the first 3 words, recognize it, and turn to smile at me. And then Mommy's heart melts! Confession Time: I got hooked on re-runs of Dawson's Creek when we first moved to Knoxville. In the episode where Joey gets mugged, she talks about how her dad would sing Close To You to her when she was a little girl. That's where I got the idea to start singing it to Fenn.

Oh, in case you want to know... the one that says "unknown" is Lullaby by The Dixie Chicks. Not sure why the title and artist are not showing. There were a few more songs I wanted to add (such as Catch the Moon by Lisa Loeb), but they weren't available on the website. Enjoy! (Just click on the middle of the "tape" to start the music.)

Thank You, Miss Taphne

Well, today was Fenn's last day at Miss Taphne's house. Mommy was a little sad to take him away from there, but I know it is for the best. Taphne has loved Fenn so much and has been so good to him. His face would just light up as soon as he saw her each morning. She is a great person and really does love all the kids. To her, taking them on little outings is part of the fun. But I'm just one of those parents who would rather wait until Fenn is a little older before he starts going on field trips. He starts his new daycare on Monday. The infant room has 3 teachers and about 7 or 8 kids. We don't think he'll be in there for long, though, because he'll be ready to move up to the creepers room in a couple of months. He's already sitting up pretty good on his own, but he hasn't started trying to crawl yet.

Thank you, Taphne, for loving our little bean so much. Fenn will miss you very much, and we'll miss you, too. We'll try to stop by from time to time for visits so you can see how he's growing.

Handy DANdy Husband

Just wanted to brag about my very handy husband. I know I demand a lot of him, and he always does his best to give me what I want. So I wanted to take a moment and thank him here on my blog. We recently replaced the windows across the back of our house. (We replaced the windows across the front during the big remodel last year.) On the first windows, we hired a carpenter to do all the interior trim around the windows. But this time, we decided to try and save a little money. So Dan, along with his dad, trimmed out the new windows weekend before last. Check out their handy work. They did a great job! We still need to caulk, fill nail holes, and paint. But we'll get to that sometime this summer. Anyway, we saved a lot of money. Thanks to both of you!

Daddy's First Father's Day

Since this was Daddy's first Father's Day, we splurged on the gifts. Fenn, Asha, Petey, and I gave Daddy lots of great stuff. First thing Sunday morning, it was time to open gifts. The fur kids gave him a Georgia tag for his car. He's been driving my old Explorer with my AU tag still on the front, so he really needed a new tag. Mommy gave him a leather catchall for his keys and change, a Michael Buble' cd, and special photos of Mommy and Fenn together. The photos were actually from both Mommy and Fenn. Fenn gave his Daddy a mirror for the car so he can see Fenn in the mornings while driving him to daycare. It plays fun songs like "Wheels on the Bus" and even has some counting lessons, plus it has a remote control so Daddy can turn it on from the driver's seat. After opening gifts, we made a breakfast of eggs and cinnamon rolls for Daddy. We decided to skip church this week because we wanted to get an earlier start on our hike. We went back over to Cade's Cove to hike the Abram's Falls Trail again. When we hiked on Memorial Day, we only hiked in a little more than half way because we didn't want to push our luck and end up with an unhappy baby. But this time we felt like we could make it all the way. It is a 2.5 mile hike one way. We made it to the falls in about an hour. Once we got there, we ate lunch and let Fenn play for a while before having to put him back in the backpack carrier. Check out the "big smile" photo of Fenn. If you look closely, you can see his two teeth! (Or click on the photo to enlarge it and then click your "Back" button to get back to the blog.) We had a great time, and Fenn did great on the hike. So we think he'll be fine when we go to the cabin in Eldora, CO for July 4th.

Oh, and we had another first for Fenn. By the time we were leaving Cade's Cove, it was between 4:30 and 5:00. It only takes about an hour to get from our house to the entrance to Cade's Cove. But once inside, it is a one-way road all the way around the park, and it takes another hour or so just to get to the Abram's Falls trail head. Anyway, knowing we wouldn't be home in time for Fenn's normal dinner time of 5:30ish, I had to give him a little snack in the car to hold him over until we got home. For the first time, I used one of those little mesh bag teething feeders and put part of a banana inside. Oh, he LOVED that. He gnawed and sucked on that thing until the banana was all gone. Every minute or so he would grunt "Huh Huh" and give me the biggest smile.

6-Month Visit to the Pediatrician

I really have a hard time editing my photo selections. There are so many great ones. These are a couple of photos from a recent bath. Fenn loves bath time and anything that has to do with water. He never cries or fusses when I pour the water over his head. He just shakes it off, rubs his eyes, and continues to play.

Fenn went to the pediatrician today for his 6-month checkup. Once again, he is right on schedule with where he should be developmentally. He gained a little over 2 pounds in 6 weeks, but look at how his length shot up from the 45th percentile to the 71st percentile. He got another round of shots. I think these hurt a little more than the ones in the past. He cried out briefly, but once Mommy picked him up to console him, he settled right down. He ended up not feeling great that afternoon, so I kept him home with me all day. He took a nap from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. He slept through his 5:30 dinner feeding, but I decided he needed to sleep instead.

These are his stats at 26 weeks old:

Weight: 19 lbs. 1 oz. (77th %)

Length: 27" (71st %)

Head: 44 cm (57th %)

Compare this to his stats at 20 weeks old:

Weight: 16 lbs. 14 oz. (73rd %)

Length: 25.25" (45th %)

Head: 42.5 cm (43rd %)

I Do Not Like Them Here or There

I do not like them anywhere. We found out Fenn does NOT like Turkey and Turkey Broth. Since they had it available in the "first foods", we decided to give meat a try. Oh goodness... Poor little guy. He gagged... he harked like a cat trying to cough up a hair ball... and he did the "heebie jeebie" body quake. It reminded me of my college roommate, April, whenever it was her turn to clean out the litter box for our 3 cats. (Sorry we made you do that, April!) So... lesson learned. We won't be trying meats anymore for a while. And what's up with the baby food companies making that stuff? Have you tried it? I decided to try it (figured it was the least I could do after traumatizing my child with it) and it tasted like cat food. No wonder he gagged.

He is a very good eater, though. He has liked everything else we've given him. So far, he has had squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, pears, green beans, apple sauce, sweet green peas, the dreaded turkey & turkey broth, peaches, and prunes (in that order). 10 out of 11 is great!

Celebrate!

To celebrate Fenn's 6-month birthday, we really didn't do a lot. Dan made sure he got home before 6:19 p.m. (the time of Fenn's birth) so we could sing to him. Fenn ate dinner, played with his new Penguin Bowling toys, got a bath, got his bottle, and went to bed a little after 8:00 p.m. These are a few cute photos from the evening. You can see how well he is sitting up. Dan is behind him, but that's just in case he falls backward. You can also see him reaching for his toys and "palming" the bowling ball. Future basketball player??? Maybe his cousins, Tucker and Griffin, can give him some tips. Or maybe that's a baseball grip??? Cousin Jesse can help with that.

Fenn at Six Months Old

This is Fenn at Six Months. This is the sixth installment in the "12-month onesie" series. That onesie is getting tighter and tighter. We may be breaking out the crotch extenders in the next couple of months. Thank goodness it is made of stretchy fabric. Over the coming months, don't worry if he looks a little uncomfortable in it. I only put this onesie on him when it's time to take his monthly photo. He doesn't have to wear it for long. As you can see from all the recent posts, Fenn's 6th month of life has been extremely busy. And he has changed so much. He's sitting up by himself, he lunges forward to reach his toys when sitting up, he changes objects from hand to hand, he has two teeth, and he "talks" all the time. His favorite phrase these days is "Day Day DAY Day Day". But he hasn't started associating the "da da" sound with his daddy. A couple of times recently, I think we've even heard the "mmm" sound coming out of his mouth.

To sum up the last month, Fenn has rolled over several times; celebrated Mother's Day, Mommy's 40th birthday, Daddy's 44th birthday, and Mommy & Daddy's 3rd anniversary; had out-of-town visitors; been to 2 neighborhood parties; had 8 hot women in his room at one time; had his first swim; gone on his first hike; tried lots of new foods; started sitting up without assistance; and gotten his first two teeth.

Change is Good

It was another busy week at the Piper household. Early in the week, we decided to check out another daycare for Fenn. We have been very happy with his current daycare, Miss Taphne, with the exception of one thing. During the school year, she has to load up the kids in the afternoons and pick up her daughter at the bus stop. We knew about this when we started, but thought we could possibly become okay with it because she is SO great with the kids. Well, school is over and Fenn has been there since February, and Mommy and Daddy are still not okay with it. Thus, he still has not been in the car with Miss Taphne. Now it is Summer and we find out Miss Taphne likes to go even more during the Summer. She has to take her teenage kids places (like the pool, VBS, etc.) and she likes to take the little kids for ice cream, to the park, etc. So, in an effort to make Mommy's life easier (i.e., to no longer have to pick up Fenn at 2:00 each day and then try to continue to work until 4:00), we have decided it is best to move him. Am I an overprotective, paranoid, new Mom? Would you feel the same way as me? Give me some feedback ~ I would love to hear what other Moms have to say. I just want to know he's in one place all day long. I realize one day there will be class field trips. But I'll know about those in advance and will have the opportunity to give my permission. He won't be coming and going to different places at different times of the day. And there will be more than one adult trying to take care of 4 or 5 small children. I just can't see how one woman can adequately handle and supervise 3 infants in car seats AND 2 active toddlers. Taphne says she loves kids and just does it. But I couldn't do it. How does she get all of them in and out of the car? How does she carry THREE car seats and hold the hands of 2 toddlers?

Now to another topic. Fenn has 2 teeth now! On Wednesday morning, we could feel the bottom left front tooth. And on Thursday morning, we could feel the bottom right front tooth. Sorry Greg (my orthodontist brother), I don't know the names of those teeth. I'm sure I'll learn soon enough. Anyway, you can barely see them, but you can definitely feel them. Ouch! Those little things are sharp! And true to Fenn's sweet nature, he was never fussy. In hindsight, the only indication we had that he might be cutting a tooth (other than the normal drooling and everything going straight in the mouth) was that he kept wanting to eat early on Monday and was maybe a tad bit clingy that afternoon. That's it. Speaking of teeth, it's a good thing he's getting them, because this boy loves to eat. Since starting on something other than formula and rice cereal, he has tried (and liked) squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, pears, green beans, applesauce, and green peas. The picture at the top is of his first taste of green beans.

The busy week took us right into a busy weekend. I hosted Bunko at our house on Thursday night. Big turnout, great food and drink, and lots of fun... and we never got around to actually playing Bunko (or "Drunko" as Dan calls it). When Dan came home with Fenn later, he found me and 7 other women in Fenn's room. Janna (mother of 2 yr. old Morgan, who also lives down the street) commented "One day, Fenn will be bragging about the fact that he had 8 women in his room." On Friday, Grammy and Poppy were coming for a visit. Shortly after they arrived, the 3 of us had to head out for the 2nd Front Yard Friday of the summer. It was hosted by Broderick and Heather down the street. That's Heather and Nicole (our next door neighbor) in the picture. Fenn got to hang out with his "friends", Audrey, Ann Claire, and Kiley. And he also met 4-week old Sam, who lives down the street. We joked about how Fenn and Audrey will be signaling each other with flashlights from their rooms, which are right across from each other. Notice how Fenn is already checking out pretty little Audrey!

The rest of the weekend was lots of fun. Dan put his Dad to work helping him put up trim around our new windows. It's okay... he likes to have a project when he's here. Otherwise, he gets bored. Fenn got to spend lots of time with Grammy. And Mommy got to work on a couple of small projects. (No pictures from Fenn's visit with Grammy & Poppy yet. We took some cute ones with their camera, so I'm waiting to get them.) Next up on our agenda: Fenn's 6-month pictures are tomorrow (Monday), Fenn's 6-month Birthday is Tuesday, and Fenn's 6-month checkup is on Wednesday. Another busy week ahead. I can't believe we have a 6-month old!

More Squash Please!

The time has come for Fenn to venture into the world of "variety". He is no longer limited to just formula and rice cereal. He's been eating rice cereal in the evenings since April 19th.... so for a little over a month now. It's Monday night (Memorial Day). First on the menu: Squash! We chose squash because our pediatrician recommended starting with a "yellow" vegetable first... something not too sweet and something that doesn't have a really strong "green" taste like green beans. He took the first bite... pause.... serious look... hmmm... smack, smack... what's that taste?...okay... swallow... next. It continued to go about like that. He would take the bite, think about it, have a brief moment of "serious face", and then swallow. The funniest part was after about 5 or 6 bites, he took a bite... paused... grimaced... and did the upper body "heebie jeebie" quiver. It was very subtle, but it was definitely there. I wish now I had gotten it on video, but we chose to only take pictures this time ~ not wanting to be labeled one of "those" parents who videos every single moment. (Instead, I choose to blog about every single moment... but I digress). We repeated this on Tuesday night with similar results. He seems to like squash so far. We'll wait a little while to make sure he doesn't have any reactions, then we'll try something else. Also, it's about time to start feeding him cereal and such in the mornings, too.

Little Hiker

On Memorial Day, we decided it was time for Fenn to go on his first hike. We're thinking of going out to Colorado later this summer and needed to make sure he likes hiking. As usual, he loved it. He seems to love anything that has to do with being outdoors. We went to Cades Cove, almost an hour away, and hiked part of the Abram's Falls trail. Fenn was getting a little fussy in his car seat (a very rare occurrence) as we were arriving at Cades Cove. But once we put him in the backpack carrier, he was all smiles! We didn't make it to the falls since this was Fenn's first hike. We didn't want to push our luck and hike in 2.5 miles then have a miserable baby on our hands. We kept it short and only hiked in about 30 minutes and then 30 minutes back. We heard lots of "AWWWWs" and "What a cutie" on the hike. Fellow hikers are a very friendly bunch, always saying Hi to the people they pass. A couple of times, it even sounded like Fenn was saying "Hi" back to them. It was a really pretty hike, and hopefully we'll make it to the falls next time. Our plan is to start hiking every weekend.... key word being "plan". As suspected, by the end of the hike Fenn was worn out. That photo was taken back at our car. He had passed out with his face down and a pacifier in his mouth.