Milo's first art session

We turned Milo loose with finger paints this evening.

He is quite the artiste, don't you think?

He obviously thinks so.

Baby's first blood draw*

Milo had to have a blood test yesterday.

He was actually quite brave.

He wasn't very happy about it. And unfortunately, it revealed that he had a bacterial infection. On the other hand, it explains why he's had a fever since last Tuesday evening, and why we've spent the past week doing a lot of this:

He's been so lethargic. On the upside, I have been getting lots of cuddles.

Today, we had to go back to the doctor, and Milo had to get a catheter to check if the infection is in his urinary tract. It is. So, all the pain was worth it to find out that we can start antibiotics and he will start feeling better soon. In fact, since the nurse gave him an antibiotic shot, his fever has stayed down.

He even played for a while this afternoon.

Smiling

There's still a worry that perhaps he also has a kidney infection, but the antibiotics should take care of that too. We have to visit the doctor again tomorrow to make sure he's progressing as expected. But right now, he's sleeping quietly -- with no fever.

This isn't the first time Milo's been sick but it is the first time he's had such a high fever. And it's the first time we haven't really known what was wrong right away. It's been a stressful few days. Seeing my baby in pain has been painful for me. Wondering what was wrong and thinking of all the possibilities has been maddening. Even now, I worry about what caused the infection. Is it something physiological? Is he going to suffer from UTIs often? Was there something I could have done to prevent it? I may not have all the answers -- to these questions and others. No one ever does.

We just have to do the best for our kids and hope for the best. Sometimes you just have to let go and trust yourself. That's probably the hardest part for me.

*First from his arm. He had heel sticks as a newborn.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

Toothy grin

Ho ho ho!

Santa made an early visit to Milo last night. He brought along the Mrs. and one of his elves.

Milo wasn't quite sure what to make of the big man (or his friends) but he took it in stride. I think he might even have whispered his Christmas list to Santa while I wasn't looking.

Countdown to Christmas

Yesterday, Milo, the S.O. and I went to the Merry Christmas Tree Farm to harvest our Christmas tree. It was a very brisk day, so we bundled Milo into the new snowsuit Gramma D gave him.

We picked a blue spruce that is much (much, much) smaller than last year's Griswold tree.

Not so spooky

Milo's first Halloween was more geeky than spooky.

Trekkie family

Detail of Baby Spock ears -- made by yours truly

Baby Spock dispatches a baby monkey

Milo vs Peas

Milo's first attempt at peas didn't go as badly as it could have. My side of the family hates peas, so I'm glad Milo didn't send them flying. I don't want him to be a picky eater like his Mommy was (is). Still, I think he wore as much as he ate.

And he looked damn cute doing it.

5 months old

Dear Milo,

I can't believe you're 5 months old already. Where did the summer go? Those hot days have been replaced by much more temperate ones and cooler nights. You'll soon experience your first autumn.

At this stage in your life, I really shouldn't be surprised by the number of firsts. This past month you got your first cold. You went to your first baseball game. You experienced your first evening with a babysitter. You got your first kiss -- from an 8-month-old baby girl in your Little Gym class. You petted the dog all by yourself for the first time. And you had your first food that wasn't breast milk -- brown rice cereal -- and your first taste of sweet potatoes.

Your first sweet potato mask

You handle new experiences so well that when you got sick and had a few fussy days, it caused Daddy and me a lot of anxiety. If you weren't normally so happy-go-lucky, we probably wouldn't have worried so. Still, even with a stuffy nose, even through your restless nights, you managed smiles for us and allowed yourself to be soothed with songs from Mommy (your current favorite is "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral").

You've been working really hard at sitting up and even standing with support (until you got sick, then standing seemed like a little too much work).

Like father, like son

At the Little Gym we do an exercise called the flagpole (your feet rest on Mommy's tummy while she stands and holds you around the waist) and you have been rocking it. You make the older kids look like amateurs.

Not your best flagpole, but look at the bubbles!

You've started reaching for me when I go to pick you up. Daddy was holding you one day, and I said, "Do you want Mommy?" and held out my hands. You reached for me. I almost cried. Of course, you also reach out for my water glass and coffee cup, insisting you can drink out of a cup now. You've even given it a try -- with your own sippy cup, of course -- with some success.

Note the water down your front

With all the firsts and the fact that you're such a big boy, I sometimes forget that you're still so young. Sometimes I feel like it's taking too long for you to sleep through the night or to sit up on your own. But then I think about not getting up with you in the middle of the night, I think of not holding you while you drift back to sleep, and it makes me realize how quickly time really is passing. Someone said, "The nights are long, but the years are short." How true.

Just a year ago you were a tiny little creature, little more than a bean with a heartbeat. And now you're you -- giggly, cute, chubby-checked (the pharmacist called them "grandma cheeks" because "grandmas like to squeeze them"), playful Milo. My love.

One day you'll read these letters and probably roll your eyes at my sentimentality. But I hope one day after that, you'll read them and realize how much you are loved.

Always,
Mommy

Milo's big day

We left Milo in the care of the folks at VillaKids last night for an entire 30 minutes! It's only the second time he hasn't been with Mommy or Daddy (the first time was with my aunt). It was the first time he's been in the care of someone not family. It was a big step for all of us. Milo was great. The VK folks said he was smiling and happy the whole time. I don't know why I ever worried he wouldn't be.

Earlier in the day, I took Milo to a free introductory class at The Little Gym -- another first for us. There was one other baby in the class -- a six-month-old boy who was actually smaller than my big boy -- and Milo was fascinated by him. The other little boy had been to the class before so he was able to show Milo the ropes, so to speak.

Milo enjoyed most of the class. He didn't like being put down on the parachute. And he didn't like the leg stretches (even though we did the exact same leg stretches at home later and he giggled his head off). The class was 45 minutes long and pretty tiring for the little guys. Both boys were asleep before Moms got them into the cars.

It was a big day for Milo. It was also a tiring day. He napped really well but didn't sleep through the night as I'd hoped. He woke at 2 a.m., seemingly hungry. But I think he just wanted a cuddle because he ate for a few minutes before dropping back off to sleep. He did the same thing at 6 a.m. Who can blame him. Change can be hard.

Milo's first cereal

Milo had some brown rice cereal yesterday.

Once he got the hang of it, he really seemed to enjoy it.

Milo's first trip to the zoo

Milo's cousin and I took him to the zoo yesterday.

I don't think he was all that impressed with the animals.

"A giraffe? Oh, yawn."

But at least he let his cousin and me enjoy our time at the zoo.

My little marsupial

The only hiccup of the day was when, for some reason, Milo wouldn't take the bottle of breast milk I'd brought for him. I ended up having to feed him from the tap, so to speak. This is the first time I've breastfed him in public. Granted, I tucked us away in a corner of a mostly quiet cafeteria, and my niece sat next to/in front of us. I had left the cover-up in the car because I didn't want to carry a million things. I know I shouldn't be embarrassed to feed him in public -- everyone else was having lunch in there -- but I guess I'm shy about whipping out a boob when someone might see it (never was a Girls-Gone-Wild kinda gal).

But, you know what? It was fine. He ate and fell back to sleep. And with the large number of families there with small children, I'm pretty sure no one was judging me. And if they were, that's their problem. I'm sure they didn't want to listen to Milo scream.

It was a beautiful day at the zoo and an adventure for all of us.

Just not as exciting for some

Forward, march!

Milo can face forward in his Baby Bjorn. Now he can see there's more to the world than Mommy's chest.

Granted, not a whole lot more, as my chest (and what he gets from it) is still his main objective in life.

Baby's first Wranglers

Milo's Great-Aunt D visited this past weekend. As I've mentioned before, she is very special to me. And now, she'll be very special to Milo. In fact, I have asked her if it's OK if we call her "Gramma D." I think my mom would have liked that.

Milo loves his "Gramma D"

Well, Gramma D, being the super generous woman she is, took really good care of us during her visit. Now only did she bring gifts, she took me shopping (ala "What Not To Wear"), took us all out to dinner and even babysat for an evening so the S.O. and I could go out for sushi.

Among the gifts she brought was a pair of baby Wranglers. They're a bit big for Milo but we just had to get pictures.

Ride 'em, cowboy!

She also brought Milo a menagerie of critters.

Hippos and duckies and bunnies! Oh my!

And last, but far from least, she gave me a rocker that my grandparents gave her when she was a teen, along with a teddy bear and cross-stitch my mom made for her.

Milo may never get to meet his grandma in person, but he will certainly know her, thanks to the love she spread. Years ago, I wrote an overly sentimental poem that for all its cheesiness still rings true to me.

It ends like this:

Love grew in the garden
Among the vines and flowers
Love sat among us quietly
While we talked away the hours

Magic came and magic went
was passed down to the daughter
Now love grows in my mother's house
And flows again like water

First Father's Day

The S.O. celebrated his first Father's Day yesterday by hanging out with his son.

Aren't they adorable?

But if you want to know what Milo really thinks, check out his pacifier.

Obviously.

Baby's first boo boo

The S.O. and I haven't quite got the hang of trimming Milo's nails. Usually, we keep his hands covered with baby mittens. But this morning, during his outfit/diaper change, his hands were free and he managed to scratch himself pretty good.

I'll admit to a Mommy freak-out when I saw a bead of blood just below his eye. I'm sure the more experienced parents out there will tell me this is nothing. I know it's minor, but it's still scary.

First bath

Milo got his first bath last night.

It started out well.

Daddy was doing a great job.

Unfortunately, you just never know how a one-week-old is going to react to being naked and wet.

Don't worry. He survived the ordeal. He was napping quietly shortly after.