Lots of pictures

By the way, mama finally posted a bunch of pictures. She added the links to the left, or you can get to them here:

Pictures:
Feb 24, 2008
Mar 2, 2008
Mar 9, 2008
Mar 16, 2008
Mar 23, 2008

I suck

And when I say that I suck, I mean I suck EVERYTHING. My fingers, my fists, my arm, mama's arm, mama's neck, mama's cheek, mama's nose...anything that comes in range of my mouth goes right in. And now I'm starting to figure out how these "hand" things work, so I can grab things that I like (e.g. my horse toy, my taggie blanket, mama's hair, mama's necklace, the strap from mama's hooter hider...) and put them into my mouth if they don't happen to be close enough for me to just suck them in.

I've even started sucking on a pacifier, which apparently is made specifically to be sucked. Can you believe they make something that has no purpose other than to be sucked?? It's awesome. I can't believe that I've been holding off for so long! But I still prefer my fist (actually, I've narrowed it down to my left thumb -- that's my favorite digit).

You may have noticed that I suck on anything that belongs to me, including my mama. You see, she's just an extension of me. She's the part of me that's a little more coordinated, so I often use her to get me things or take me places. But lately, and this is the part that confuses me, she's been going somewhere without me in the mornings! I don't know how a part of me can just up and leave without my consent. She calls it "work" and it doesn't even seem like it's a very nice thing, because she always looks sad when she leaves.

I actually don't mind that much -- I know that she's coming back soon, and in the meantime, I get to stay at home and play with Tori. I like Tori. She sings to me, gives me bottles of the milk-drug (shhh -- don't tell mama that I've found another source), plays with me and takes me for walks. I would really like to play with Tori every day, but mama tells me that starting next week, she'll be taking me with her and leaving me downstairs while she does this "work" thing upstairs. I wonder if Tori will be there?

Pictures, pictures and more pictures

Happy Birthday Jammy's mom!

Last night, we went to Jammy's house to surprise his mom for her birthday. It was fun -- we hid in the dark and jumped up to scare her when she came in. I like this whole "scaring people for fun" thing. I do have to admit that I was a bit distracted, considering that I was in the midst of nursing when she came home. So mama squatted down behind a chair while I kept on nursing, and when she jumped up to surprise Jammy's mommy, I didn't even unlatch. That was a proud moment for me.

After we scared JammyMom (JamMommy?), I said hi to Jammy and sang a little duet with him (he sings bass while I stick to the upper ranges, so we've got a Barry White/Justin Timberlake thing going on). Then I was whisked home to go to bed, where my FG (fairy godmother) Margaret watched over me while mama and daddy went back to JammyMom's house to celebrate her birthday.

Birthdays and birthday parties sure seem like fun. Although I wouldn't know, because I haven't had a single birthday party in my entire life! C'mon mama and daddy -- what's a guy got to do to get a little love around here?

We interrupt this blog for an important message

Hi, this is babyhill's mama. I just wanted to let you know that I've updated the layout of this blog to remove the slide show that was displayed at the top of the page. It was too much of a hassle to maintain, so I decided to go with the simpler one-image slide show now displayed at the top of the left column. The new slide show will automatically show the most recent babyhill pictures posted to flickr. I will continue to add links to the full flickr sets below the slide show.

I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled blog...

Thanks!
- mamahill

Roll like an Easter egg

To celebrate Easter today, I "sorta" rolled over from my back to front. I don't know if it really counts because I used some help, but mama and daddy think it's pretty neat. I was on my play mat staring at that really handsome guy in the round thing mama calls the "mirror". I decided I wanted to hang out with said good-looking guy, so I grabbed the side of the mirror and pulled myself over. Who knew I'd end up putting myself into tummy time?? I quickly rolled back over, because I was not the least bit interested in tummy time.



In other news, today mama was acting kind of strange (moreso than usual). I think something is going on, but I'm not sure what it is. I'll keep you posted.

Rock chalk Jayhawk

Today we watched basketball and ate corndogs.

We go to the same stylist

Yeah, David and I get our hair done at the same place...


...and sometimes John and I share the same bottle of Millefolium.

busted

Now mama holds my hands to stop me from sneaking my fingers into my mouth while I'm nursing. She won't let me have any fun at all. Hmph.

Size 1s are for babies

Today I used my last Size 1 diaper. Now that I'm such a big boy, Size 2s are the way to go! I just hope they still have the pictures of Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster and Big Bird on them.

I've also discovered, the hard way, that I am exactly as long as my crib is wide. I found this out the other night when I decided to kick my way around in my crib so that I was perpendicular to the way I'm supposed to sleep. I got my head wedged up against one of the crib bumpers so I started to cry, and since I was upset I stretched way out (that's what I do when I'm screaming) and my feet were pressed up against the opposite bumper. Then I couldn't move, so I screamed even louder. Mama came in and started laughing because I was locked in place with my blanket folded neatly beside me and she couldn't figure out how I'd done it. At least she moved me back, so I was able to go back to sleep. But since she laughed at me, the next night I woke up 3x during the night.

Speaking of which, I've been sleeping pretty well for awhile now. I go to bed every night by 7 PM and I usually only wake up once around 4 AM. When I wake up, I call for mama to give me some of the milk-drug (it's her fault...she's the one who got me hooked on it so now she has to continue to support my habit). She's usually half asleep and she doesn't even turn on the light, but I find my way to get my fix while she dozes off in the glider. When I'm done (with both sides...I know that there are two sides and I will not be short-changed), she puts me back in my crib and we both go back to sleep until about 7 AM. This system seems to be working for us.

Mama's been super busy trying to find someone to take care of me when she goes back to work next week. She's also been spending a fair amount of time trying to convince me to keep up with that bottle thing, but that's not working out so well. Why would I take a bottle when I know the source is right there?? Silly mama.

Since she's been so busy, mama's also really behind on posting pictures. Now that my hair is coming in so nicely (I believe it will be wavy when it gets longer but for now it's just fuzzy), I want to make sure everyone can admire me! My Dunlavey hair and Hill legs make quite the charming combination, after all. So I convinced mama to post a couple pictures to give you a taste of the cuteness that is me (lots more on mamarazza).

F = ma

Today I was lying on the my back and mama was leaning over me. Without warning, I suddenly projectile vomited up her nose. Pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

Interesting facts about me

• Turns out that I have perfect sky-diving form. When daddy flies me around the room, I keep my arms and legs nicely extended. My mama says she's envious of my ab strength.
• I'm ticklish. Especially around my neck.
• My long legs turn every outfit I have into "manpris" (capris for men). I'd be terribly trendy if we lived in Europe.
• I'm able to make one sock magically disappear when mama tucks me into the car seat. I also turn into a space heater when I'm in the car seat, so I end up sweating through the back of my clothes.
  
• I can now reach for and grab the toy monkey that hangs off of my rocker. I can also grab mama's hair and twist it around my fists so that she can't get away.
• I've developed a two-bib-a-day habit.
• I'm a flirt.
  

I may reconsider

You know how I was saying how terrible that bottle thing is? Well, maybe it's not too bad. I mean, in general it's pretty awful...but if you put things together just so, it's bearable. Bearable enough for me to drink an ounce or so out of it. But I'm still going straight to the source for the majority of my milk-drug.

A favor, please

Someone please get my mama some new music. Anything released after 1991 would be great. You see, she likes to sing to me but she can only seem to remember the words to cheesy songs. I don't mind when she sings tunes from musicals, but today was over the top when she started with the soft rock ballads. I made it through Every Rose Has Its Thorn, More Than Words, Somebody, and Open Arms, but when she started with Right Here Waiting for You, I had to protest. That's just too much.

By the way, when I get bigger and can drive, I'm going to go see Avenue Q so that I can figure out what words mama bleeps out when she sings to me. Yes, she provides her own censoring.

Snappy

It turns out that Opa can't say my name very easily because it uses an "a" sound that is very difficult for Germans to pronounce. Mama should have known better, considering that her first name (Patricia --> Patti) has the same sound and Germans couldn't pronounce it correctly either*. She was either "Petty" or "Potty". So Opa has been calling me "Zack Zack" (pronounced "tzok tzok"), which is a German expression that means "hurry up" or "make it snappy". It is one of mama's favorite German expressions, and even though I use my full name in general, I don't mind Opa calling me "Zack Zack". After all, I was rather impatient about the whole 40-week gestational period thing.

By the way, I rolled over again today. My days of the dreaded tummy time are numbered.

*If you're wondering why it mattered that Germans couldn't pronounce "Patti" correctly, it's because mama went by "Patti" when she was growing up and she grew up in Germany.

That's how I roll

Today I was on my tummy (which I absolutely hate) on my play mat (which I like quite a lot). I don't know why mama insists on putting me on my tummy, in spite of my very clear distaste of it. She calls it "tummy time" and even The Dude* says I'm supposed to do it. But then again, The Dude is the one who gives me shots every 2 months, so I'm not convinced that he has my best interests in mind.

Anyway, there I am on my tummy. I decided that I wasn't going to stand for it anymore, so I did some kicks and rolls and shoves and grunts. Then, miracle of miracles, I rolled over to my back! I was a bit startled to find myself facing up, and mama and A-mah were surprised and excited (and a little concerned because I thumped my head on the floor when I flipped over), but I didn't cry or fuss at all. You know why? Because I realized that it meant no more tummy time for me! Now if only I could figure out how to do it again, I'll never have to endure another moment of tummy time.

*The Dude = my doctor

Singing the bottle-time blues

"They tried to make me take a bottle
I said no, no, no..."

~ Baby Whine-Pouts

What part of "no" don't you understand?

They tried that blasted bottle thing again this morning. The operative word is "tried".

I don't think so

I thought yesterday was bad, but today mama and daddy are really trying to make me miserable. I was super hungry and ready to chow down, when suddenly mama passes me to daddy and he tries to stick this weird thing in my mouth. They call it a "bottle" and it's just awful. I made it very clear that I will have NOTHING to do with it.

Not my favorite thing x 4

Today I had my 4-month check-up, and no one mentioned that I'd get poked by the evil needle-wielding nurse again. FOUR times! My legs are really sore now and I've had a fever all afternoon because of it. Tell me again, why are we doing this? Is that line from Juno ("Doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream") true? It sure seems like it to me, and The Dude (my doctor) sure got to enjoy some serious screaming from me today! Mama got to enjoy it too, because whenever she moved me I screamed again.

When they weren't busy torturing me, my check-up was pretty good. I weigh 11lbs 12.5 oz now, which keeps me squarely in the 3-5% range for weight. The Dude isn't concerned about that though, because I've always been in the same range. He says I'm gaining weight just as I should be.

Where I'm excelling, if I may say so myself, is my length and head circumference. I am now 24.5 in long and my head is 41 cm in circumference (and no, I don't know why they measure my head circumference in centimeters when everything else is in inches). My head is in the 10-25% range, and my length is in the 25-50% range. Way to go, me! I guess that explains why most of my outfits are super baggy but still too short. My mama tells me that I put the "man" in "manpri".

Speaking of which, in addition to being really uncomfortable from the shots, I spent most of the day with my legs cramped up inside a one-piece that's too short for me. I had a little episode in Starbucks which required a full outfit change. When mama looked in her diaper bag, she realized that she never replaced the back-up outfit when she put away all of my NB and 0-3 month clothes. Hmph.

Now I'm sleeping (with the help of a bit of baby Tylenol for my fever) and planning my next wake-up. I've been sleeping 6-8 hours for awhile, but in the past couple of days I've decided to start waking up after 3 hours again. The Dude said that it's normal for me to "regress" at around 4 months, but that mama and daddy shouldn't feed me when I get up because they'll just reinforce the regression. So I think they plan to withhold the milk-drug from me if/when I get up tonight at 10 PM. We'll see how well that works. My scream is satisfyingly shrill and piercing now -- and it seems even more so at night.

Secret milestone

Mama's been reading the books to find out why I've been so fussy and have been refusing to nap even though I'm exhausted. She read something about how babies go through these mental developmental growth spurts or "wonder weeks". Our brains are working so hard, sometimes we can't sleep or we don't want to eat. But then we get overtired and fussy. Plus, it can be overwhelming and uncomfortable for us when we learn new things.

4 months is a common time to hit one of these wonder weeks, and guess what? I'm 4 months old today! So mama thinks she's figured me out. But you know what she hasn't figured out? She hasn't figured out just what I've developed. Ah hah! I'll surprise them yet.

Today was yoga day, and it was pretty fun. Usually I'm not very happy about it because mama doesn't pay me enough attention, but today I got to hang out with Oliver on a yoga rug. That was cool for awhile. Then I realized that no one was entertaining me, so I started to fuss until the instructor picked me up and bounced with me on the yoga ball. Next thing I knew, I was asleep. That's sort of how my entire day went.

I was pretty tired after not taking naps for the past several days, so I did my best to make up for it. I slept in my swing, I slept in the car, I slept in the yoga instructor's arms, I even slept in my crib! For three hours! And then I slept again in the baby carrier while mama took Cowboy and me to Greenlake. All in all, I've only been awake for 7 hours today so far. I'm about to get a bath now and then I'll go to bed for the night, so it's been a pretty uneventful day.

Here's a picture of me holding hands with Oliver during yoga. He's got enough hair for both of us.

A little behind schedule

Gosh, I haven't posted much lately! It's been super busy around here. Plus, in the last week I've decided that I don't want to nap during the day anymore. This severely impacts my blogging efforts, because I do my best blogging during my naps. I'll try to catch you up.

Two weeks ago, Gramma Hill came for a visit. I spent lots of time fussing so that she would walk with me and rock me. We also hung out while mama and daddy went out. They took a bike ride, went out for pho, and even went downtown for a "date night"...all without me!! Can you believe it? I couldn't either.

Gramma Hill brought me some great new outfits too. I wanted to wear them all, so I blew out my diaper in one outfit so mama had to put another outfit on me. I was planning to spit up on the second one so that mama would put the third one on me, but I must have gotten distracted.

Gramma Hill, mama and I went to the zoo together! It sounds really cool in theory; in practice, however, I slept through the whole thing. Next time I'll try to stay awake at least long enough to see the monkeys. Mama calls me her little monkey, so I want to see exactly what she's talking about. (For the same reason, I want to see a "peanut" and a "Drooly McStinkyPants".)

The next week, I went for a walk to Gasworks Park with my fairy godmother Margaret (mama came too). Mama and I also went to yoga (where I fussed until the yoga teacher picked me up and bounced with me) and we wandered around Ballard with Oliver and his mom Holly.

Oliver's a lot more mellow than I am. He's pretty happy to just look around and observe things, whereas I keep busy with my kicking and fussing. Actually, when I think about it, my friend Benjamin is mellow like that too. And so is Lilah. And Thomas. Hmmmm. I'm sensing a trend here. I must be a very calming influence.

Well I have more to catch up on (my Auntie Trisha came for a visit!) but I need to start screaming in terror at the top of my lungs right now so that I can scare mama and daddy, who think I'm fast asleep.

Pictures: February 10, 2008 and February 17, 2008