Thankful for . . .

Nonie asked everyone to bring something they appreciate/are thankful for to share with everyone at Thanksgiving. Daddy said he is thankful for the opportunity to read to Pennington. Johnny wasn't really read to as a young child so getting to opportunity to read to his child means a lot.

Daddy reading "Green Eggs and Ham" to Pennington.

Mommy said she was thankful for Nonie since Nonie has helped out sooo much over the last year taking care of both Mommy and Pennington.

Pennington isn't able to talk yet but if we had to guess what he is thankful for it might be that Mommy and Daddy let him lay around naked sometimes. With his diaper on of course.









Pennington laying around naked. Look how happy he is.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Mommy, Daddy and Pennington went to the Groves Family Cabin for Thanksgiving. All of the Groves Uncles were where as well as Nonie, Poppy, Great Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mike, and Second Cousins Brian and Issac. Below are a few pictures from the weekend.

Pennington and Brian.

Pennington, Uncle Mike and Brian. Brian is reading Goodnight Moon to Pennington. Goodnight Moon was Brian's favorite when he was little.

Pennington and Uncle Henry.

Pennington and Uncle Ben.

Pennington and Uncle Elliott "Loot" a card game.

Italian Cashmere

A few weeks ago Nonie went to Italy to visit with Pennington's Great Aunt Laurie. Nonie brought back a few outfits for Pennington from his Great Aunt Laurie and Second Cousin Cait. Thank you Laurie and Cait. Pennington looks very handsome in the clothes. Pennington also got a little hat that was to little to fit on his head but it does fit on his Monkey's head. Below are pictures of Pennington in his Italian Cashmere and a picture of his Monkey with a Venetian hat.

Amazing Evening

Tonight will be one of those nights I am going to remember for a long time. Johnny had to work late so it was just going to be Pennington and me. I picked Pennington up from Nonie's house around 5:30pm. Nonie told me that Pennington had a wonderful day going to Synagogue School and helping make food for Thanksgiving.

Pennington took a short nap on the car ride home. He woke up around 6:15pm and we spent time talking about everything he did today. I love talking to Pennington when he talks back to me even though he doesn't really talk in real words yet.

Around 7pm it was time for his final bottle before bedtime. After he was done eating we spent time hanging out in his room. Pennington hasn't really spent time in his room besides for diaper changes and sleeping. We talked about all the things in his room and cleaned out his dresser to make room for the 3 to 6 month clothes. I can't believe how sad I am that he doesn't fit in his 0 to 3 month clothes anymore. I remember being so excited when he outgrew his newborn clothes because I could tell he was growing up and he was going to start to smile and interact with me. Now I really miss him being a newborn.

Then it was bath time. Pennington loves bath time. I can tell he knows it is coming when I start to undress him. After bath time Pennington gets a "baby massage". Pennington has had really dry skin over the last month. So I like to spend time every evening greasing him up. I have tried everything and I finally think I found the best dry skin product. Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment. Trust me I have tried EVERYTHING and this stuff works the best.

After the massage I put Pennington's football pajamas on him. Then it was time to read stories. Pennington was able to pay attention while I read him four stories. He loves, loves, loves story time. He talks while I read to him as if he is also reading the story. We read "At the Beach with Dad", "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "Goodnight Moon".

After story time I turned the lights out and rocked him to bed. All I could think about while I was rocking him to sleep was how much I love him.

Pennington's First Piece of Art

On Monday Nonie took Pennington to "Synagogue School". Synagogue School is a weekly play date with other children from the ages of 0 - 3 years old. Moms, Grandma's and even Nanny's bring there little ones to the Synagogue on Monday mornings for a few hours of playtime, snack time, and some sort of organized activity. This week was Pennington's first week at Synagogue School. The activity for this week was to finger paint. Nonie said Pennington didn't really like getting his hands dirty but he did enjoy washing his hands after the art project was done.

Big Smile

I know I've mentioned this before but I think that Pennington is super advanced when it comes to physically movements but a bit behind when it comes to social interaction. I've been told by many people that it is just a boy thing. I've been trying to get a good picture of Pennington smiling for weeks now and I finally think I got one. Oh what a happy little boy.

Daddy thinks we can get good pictures of Pennington smiling when he places Pennington in his lap and does sit ups at the same time. Pennington really likes it when you blow on his face while doing sit ups.

Three Month Old Video of Pennington

Pennington turns three months old on Wednesday. Boy he is growing up so fast. I thought it would be helpful to videotape him so I could remember how he interacted with me when he was about to turn three months old. Below is a video of Pennington.

Favorite Things for a 0 to 3 Month Old

I thought it would be helpful to write down my favorite things for a 0 to 3 month old so when I have my next child I will be able to remember what a newborn needs/wants. This list will also be helpful to those of you that will have children someday or are about to become a grandparent.

1. Long Sleeve Oneies - For some reason most people get you short sleeve onesies. I prefer the long sleeve ones so that I know the baby is warm enough.
2. Pajamas - A must have. Especially for using as part of the nighttime routine.
3. Robeez - Pennington doesn't really wear them much yet but it is soooo true that they are the only shoes that stay on. I wouldn't bother buying anything else.
4. Organic Receiving Blankets or just any Organic Blankets - The receiving blankets can be used for the first two or three weeks as an actual blanket. After that you can use them as a burp cloth. Organic is the way to go. They are sooooo much softer and you don't have to worry about the baby chewing on it.
5. Books which big pictures. - Pennington loves to be read to. I think the bigger the pictures are the easier it is for him to see at this age.
6. Toys (Rings) - Pennington loves to hold wood or plastic rings in his hands. He is not really in to mobiles or stuffed animals yet. Sort of likes the rattle.
7. Playtex Ventaire Bottles (BPA Free of course) - These are a must have if you are bottle feeding or breastfeeding. The lactation people recommend them because they are the closest to a human nipple. The Avent bottles are also pretty good. I don't like Born Free. Also, if you are bottle feeding I would say to get at least 8 bottles if not more.
8. Bathtub with a foam pad - Pennington has a foam pad that is in the shape of a frog. I love it because it is comfortable for him to lay on, it can get wet, and you don't have be worry about the baby moving around.
9. Aveeno Baby Lotion - You have to buy the high quality stuff especially when the child has dry skin. J&J doesn't cut it. I also like Methods but Aveeno Baby is better. Baby oil, or other oils such as olive oil can also be helpful to keep your child's skin from getting dry.
10. Chlorine Free Diapers and Baby Wipes (Seventh Generation or Earth's Best) - You can feel the difference when you touch it. They are more gentle on the skin especially the wipes. FYI- these diapers are just as cheap if not cheaper than Huggies and Pampers when you buy a 40 to 50 pack. So ask yourself why you would buy Huggies or Pampers if the Chlorine Free ones are cheaper and better for your child. Huggies and Pampers are cheaper when you buy a pack that has more than 200. Huggies does make a chlorine free diaper but you only get 30 in the pack for the same price as a 40 pack from Seventh Generation or Earth's Best. Basically don't ever assume the chlorine free diapers are more expensive because most of the time that isn't the case.
11. Music - Doesn't really matter if it is baby music, classical, rock, or alternative. Any music works. I would just listen to the music I like. Pennington loves it when I sing the songs to him.
12. Chicco Infant Car Seat - There is a reason that mom's recommend this car seat. It is super easy to use. Only draw back is that the shade on the car seat doesn't move all the way around for when you put the car seat in the stroller. Having a shade that moves all the way around helps for when you are on a walk and the sun is shining.
13. Slings and Front Carriers - Honestly I don't really love either of the ones I have. I don't think Pennington really likes the sling all that much and the front carrier I have (Chicco brand) doesn't have clips all the way down the side of it so it is hard to get Pennington out of it without waking him up if he is sleeping. I don't think any of the other front carrier brands have clips all the way down the side. You would think that I'm not the first mom to complain about this but I haven't found a front carrier with clips all the way down the sides.
14. Pack and Play (aka Playpin) - I have the Chicco one and I love it. We used the Pack and Play (bassinet portion) for the first month or so in our bedroom so that Pennington could sleep in the same room with us. It is also helpful to lay Pennington in it when I am getting ready in the morning. It has a mobile and it plays music. We are planning on taking it up to the cabin for Thanksgiving so he can have a place to sleep.
15. Formula - While I am still really sad that breastfeeding didn't work out I have figured out how to get formula for about 50% off. Enfamil sends you a ton of $5 checks in the mail to use on your purchases and Fred Meyer gives you $5 off coupons for Enfamil. Today I was at Fred Meyer and they had a sale on Enfamil for $23. It is normally $25. So with the $5 check from Enfamil and the $5 off coupon I got a can of formula for $13.

Lots of Babysitters

This last week, Nonie was drinking wine in Italy so Pennington was watched each day by family and friends while Johnny was at school and I was at work. Johnny and I would like to thank Michal Voloshen, Julie and Kaitlyn Haller, and GG (Great-Grandma to Pennington, Grams to Jesikah) and Papa for taking care of our little one over the last week. Everyone mentioned to Johnny and I how much they loved watching Pennington.

GG said, "He is such an easy baby." (Note: He must be a really good baby since she has four children and more than 10 grandchildren.)

Michal said, "I didn't get enough time with him. Can I get a rain check for the day I couldn't watch him?"

Julie said, "He slept more than you had said he would." (Note: I thought he would be wake all day since he slept through the night. I guess he needed more sleep.)

Papa said, "Can I feed him chocolate yet?"

Below are pictures of Pennington with GG.

Sleeping through the Night

The most amazing thing happen this week. Pennington slept through the night for the first time. I woke up at 5:30am on Wednesday and realized that he hadn't woken up for a night time feeding. I went to check on him and found him sound asleep. He continued to sleep until I woke him up around 6:30am. Basically he slept from 8:30pm until 6:30am (10 hours straight).

I wasn't really sure why he was able to sleep for so long since he hadn't slept that long before. Come to find out the monitor had been turned off in our room so we probably didn't hear him cry when he did wake up. While Johnny and I feel really bad about the fact that we most likely ignored our little ones cries, he is sleeping through the night now and has slept through the night three nights in a row.

Last night he woke up once. I'm guessing it was because we skipped the "Bedtime Routine" since we were over at Nonie and Poppy's house until around 7:30pm. I can't believe how important a Bedtime Routine is. Our current routine consists of eating around 7:00pm, playing with Mommy and Daddy (tummy time, airplane, listening to music, ect), bath time, story time, and then lights out. If he sleeps through the night tonight I will know for sure that the Bedtime Routine helps him to sleep through the night.

Below is a picture I took on Wednesay morning when I went to wake him up from his first full night sleep. He was happy as can be. Didn't cry at all. Just smiled in delight to see that Mommy finally came to see him.

Sunday Morning Walk with Poppy

Poppy and Pennington.

Mommy, Daddy, Poppy and Pennington on a Sunday morning walk. Looks like Daddy has Penningtons binky in his mouth.