Edmund Chows Down

Edmund's Dedication Sunday

Last weekend was an eventful one for Edmund. On Saturday Edmund took his first bite of rice cereal. I had really wanted to wait until Edmund was 6 months old before he got his first bite of food, but his signs of readiness could no longer be ignored. He had been trying to pull the fork from my and Steven's plate for several weeks. At Edmund's 4 month check-up (much closer to 5 months) he chugged the rotavirus vaccine causing the doctor and nurse to comment that he would probably take to solids well. At 5 1/2 months we decided to take the plunge. Steven put a bib on Edmund as I carefully mixed Edmund's cereal and milk. After deciding the consistency was perfect I brought the cereal to Edmund's mouth. To my shock he opened his mouth wide and leaned toward the spoon. He didn't even give a face of disgust when the cereal hit his tongue. I'm hoping Edmund is as thrilled with the homemade peas his mommy is going to make for him this weekend, as he was with the rice cereal. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that this means Steven and I won't have a picky eater on our hands.

Edmund also had a weekend surrounded by grandparents. This marked the first weekend he has had both sets of grandparents together since he was one day old. My mom and dad traveled from Harrisonburg, VA for Edmund's dedication at Chapel Hill Bible Church. We feel so blessed that both sides of the family could be there for this important milestone. Aunt Becca was unable to make it as NYC is quite a drive for a weekend, but she was there in spirit as Edmund donned the argyle socks she got for him. Edmund was quite the well-behaved baby as he stood with his mommy and daddy on stage. He even refrained from spitting up until the final parent/baby introduction. Way to go Edmund!

The next few weeks bring many more firsts for Edmund as he celebrates his first Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family, and look forward to establishing new traditions and ushering him into the old. I want to thank you all for helping make the first six months of our life with Edmund such a joy. It really does take a village to raise a child, and what a phenomenal village you all are.

Edmund Develops a Sense of Humor

Edmund the Comedian

I have recently taken to going to bed immediately after putting Edmund down for the night. After spending much of the day with Edmund and six other roly-poly babies I am exhausted. In order to go to bed after giving Edmund his nighttime kiss, I have started doing my nighttime routine while Steven plays with Edmund. This means that when I go into Edmund's room to start the bedtime routine I am wearing my glasses.

One night last week I went into Edmund's room and sat down in the rocking chair while Steven finished putting Edmund in his pajamas. When he was done, Steven handed Edmund to me. Edmund studied my face intently for half a minute. I thought he was going to cry, perhaps because he wasn't accustomed to seeing "glasses mommy" at night. To my surprise Edmund didn't cry, but quickly reached his hand up and yanked my glasses off my face. Edmund looked intently at "no glasses mommy" for a few seconds and began to laugh hysterically. I took my glasses from Edmund and quickly put them back on, since without my glasses Edmund was simply a blob. Edmund stopped laughing, and again with a quick motion yanked off my glasses. If Edmund was capable, I'm sure he would have been on the floor rolling with laughter. I let this exchange go on a few more times before putting it to a halt.

Although it wound him up a little more than I would have liked before he went to bed, I saw this "glasses on-off" game as a cognitive milestone. For the first time Edmund laughed at something he caused, and not simply his mommy or daddy saying "ah to to to to to."