Tate at Six, Seven & Eight Months

Tater is now eight months.  To say that time is flying by would be an understatement!  I am long overdue for posting about Tater’s latest milestones. So here goes….

Tate at Six Months. 

Let’s start with his six-month stats from his check-up in July (where we once again confirmed that he’s much bigger than Reid was):

Height: 29.25 inches (still off the charts!)

Weight: 19lbs 5.5 ounces (75 percentile)

He practiced rolling over and got really good at being a baby “airplane.”  He was sitting up but often tipped over so he spent most of his solo time laying down.

Speaking of airplanes, in July he took his first plane ride, met his big cousins in Ohio (more on our vacation in a future post), and started solid, pureed food. 

He was really getting good at big belly laughs around his half-year mark.

Tate at Seven Months.

He got much more stable while sitting (so long as a big whirlwind brother didn’t bump into him). He started scooching around the floor at the beginning of the month, but it was mostly a combination of reaching and rolling, not really crawling.

Tater is becoming quite the ladies man.  (Sorry, Reid. Looks like Ava has moved on to a younger dude.)

We got Tate on a sleep schedule (yahoo!) during his seventh month.  It wasn’t easy, but just like his big brother, he really thrives when he knows when his next snooze is coming!  He has a very specific “tell” when he’s ready for bed:  he puts both hands behind his head.  Believe it or not, this is the face of my sleepy baby.

He continued exploring new foods and by the end of his seventh month had tried carrots, sweet pots, peas, apples, avocado, yogurt, prunes, pears, pumpkin, asparagus, peaches and broccoli.  And what do you know:  he likes them all!

He loves watching his big brother play and getting into his business, too.

Tay-Tay loves to be outside.  It’s the sure-fire way to stop a crying fit:  go outside.  We swing a lot while Reid plays in the front yard and he LOVES it.

He has been babbling a lot and mostly says “ba-ba-ba”.  We have heard him “da-da-da” and “mmm” but nothing official, yet!  Oh, and no teeth.  Lots of chewing.  Lots of drool.  But no teeth.

And before we knew it, he started army-crawling on his belly!  (Videos to come.)

Tate at Eight Months.

We can’t wait to see what this month has in store for our little Tot.

Reid at Two Years

Reid is growing and changing right before our eyes.  He learns new words, new concepts and new “tricks” every day.

At his last well-check he measured 3 feet tall (88 percentile) and 30 lbs (69 percentile).  He is right on-track from his 18-month appointment.

He has an amazing memory – something that has us intrigued, and worried!!  When he meets a new person, he learns their name and doesn’t forget it – a trait Jer and I are quite envious of! At the playground, he’ll walk up to other kids and in a quiet voice say, “Hi.  I’m Reid.”  It’s about the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.

He is energetic and has a playful imagination.  He often will play with his animals or toys and will have conversations with them.  He will even put them in “time out” when they are bad!

We still read a lot.  His favorites change every day.  He has some of his books memorized, and knows the name of every book by looking at the cover.  He requests a different set of books every night before bedtime.  I hope this love of reading continues!

We also still do a lot of sign language, too.  He loves the sign language videos, and learning new words.  Signing never slowed down his talking, in fact, he loves to show off his signs when he learns new big words or phrases.  His two favorite new signs are “School” and “pay attention.”   

He loves everything with wheels or an engine.  His favorites are school buses, garbage trucks and motorcycles.  When our garbage is picked up on Saturday mornings, Reid likes to go out and wave to the workers.  And when the school bus drops off the big kids in the afternoons, he squeels with happiness.  “Look, Momma!  A SCHOOL BUS!!!”

He often has a skinned knee, or hand, because he falls down with his hands full.  Here he is a a “dance party,” with his arms full of trains.  Of course.

He is still *mostly* a vegetarian. His  favorite foods are grapes, cottage cheese, PB&J sandwiches, peas and cookies.  He has started eating chicken and turkey sausage…as long as it is smothered in “dip” (ranch dressing or ketchup).

He loves to color with chalk in the front driveway…

…to ride with Dada…

…to play with friends…

…to do puzzles…

…to help Dada around the house…

…to hold his baby brother…

…and to play ball.  He  is a lefty so look out!  (Seriously, Uncle Jeff, you won’t believe this kid’s arm and coordination!!) 

Reid is a loving, talkative, happy and wild little dude.  We are so happy to see the amazing little guy he is turning into.

Tate’s Two Week Stats

Little Tater Tot did a lot of growing in his first two weeks! Here are his stats from his two week doctor appointment. (which was last week...I'm catching up... :-) )

Weight: 9lbs 5 oz (92 percentile) up a full pound from birth!!

Height: 22 in (99 percentile)

Our pediatrician took one look at his feet and hands and said, “Oh my. He’s gonna be big!” He’s a healthy, big and sweet boy!

Here’s a link if you want to see how Big Brother compared at his two-week mark.

Tate's First Few Days

Thank you all for your well wishes for our new little Tate, for me, and for our growing family!

We had a (thankfully!) short stay in the hospital and have been home for a week now getting to know our little guy...and trying to figure out who this crazy toddler is. (He looks a lot like Reid, but he's a complete WILD CHILD!)

While we were in the hospital, our very good friends Beverly, David and Baby Miles came to visit us and Beverly snapped a few photos of our tiny little bundle:

For those of you who are connected to us on FaceBook, you may have heard that Reid came down with pneumonia soon after we were released from the hospital. He was really sick and we felt so bad for the little guy. It was a big challenge to keep Tate (and Momma) quarantined for several days. Thankfully, Jer's parents have been here helping us. They have kept us fed, and helped us juggle between the two boys. It wasn't exactly the homecoming we imagined, but it was short-lived. (Now we just need the Cedar Fever to give Jer a break!)

I'll try to post more soon, and more pictures, of course. Again, thank you all for your love & prayers.

Introducing: Tate Allaire Remington

We are happy to introduce our new little man!

• Full Name: Tate Allaire Remington
• Born January 18, 2011 at 1:27 pm
• Weighing 8 lbs and 5 oz, Measuring 21 inches
• Right here in beautiful Austin, Texas
• Tate spent his first hours quietly observing his new surroundings
• After a much smoother ride this time around, Jenny and baby are doing great.
• Reid had the chance to meet his new baby brother briefly this evening, and can't wait for him to come home and play!

Please stay tuned for future for updates, photos, etc

Reid Meets Santa

Just this last week, Reid learned to sign “Santa” and “Christmas Tree.”  He was practicing that while we waited in line to meet Santa for the first time.

A we got closer, and spotted him, Reid got very quiet.

Once on his lap, Reid and Santa took one long look at each other……and decided they would be buddies.  Reid didn’t say a word, just smiled.  Merry Christmas!

Reid Goes Hollywood…Again.

We’ve already noticed one Hollywood opportunity for Reid, with his Danny DaVito hair.

What movie scene does this remind you of?

: )

Flashback: Summer Fun in the Water

Reid *loves* the water. He loves baths… …pools……lakes……boats……fish tanks……hoses……Barton Springs……puddles…you name it!! 

We are especially lucky that our favorite neighbor offered to teach Reid swim lessons this summer.  She has taught every other kiddo in the n’hood how to swim, and Reid just adores Ms. Beth.  Our friends Stacey & Charlie joined us for lessons, but somehow I never snapped photos when we were together!  (Argh!)

Here are some fun pics of Reid learning to swim this summer with Beth: Thank you, THANK YOU, Beth!!  We are so lucky to have you as a neighbor and a friend!  Reid just loves you and your family…and so do we!!