Avi Hangs Out in NYC

This weekend our Avi made his first trip to New York City, where we hung out with our friends Bat Ami, Jay and Caleb Moses, and Moishe and Hannah Steigmann in the Union Square area. Avi absolutely loved the hustle and bustle of the city (he takes after his Ema!), and had a great time despite the oppressive heat. Next time, when it's a little cooler, we'll head to the Central Park Zoo!

Open Wide! Avi's First Food

At Avi's 4 month check up, we learned that he has gone from the 80th percentile for weight at 2 months, to the 25th percentile at 4 months. Our former chunker is now long and lean--good for later in life, but not ideal for such a young baby. Our doctor suggested we start solids a bit early, even though I was hoping to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months. However, Avi has definitely been showing an interest in our food, and when we gave him his first spoonful of rice cereal mixed with formula this morning, he gobbled it up like a pro, grabbing the spoon (and my hand), and pulling it into his mouth. Sure, a good bunch of it ended up on his cheeks and his bib, but he swallowed the majority of the few spoonfuls we offered him, and we can't wait to see how this little experiment continues!

Fun Times in the Summer

Avi's first summer is off to a great start. He is blossoming--giggling, rolling around, eating his toes, and making our hearts melt with his gummy smile. This weekend Aunt Daya came for a long visit, and Avi had his first picnic in the "park" near the Walnut Street train station in Montclair. He's getting bigger all the time, and is wearing 6-9 month outfits, even though he is just 4 months old! Can we say football player??

15 Weeks: Tossing and Turning

At 13 weeks, Avi started rolling over. At first it was just in one directions--from back to tummy, usually on the left side. Then he started doing it on both sides. Then the rolling got faster and faster. Then he learned how to flip back from his tummy onto his back. At 15 weeks, Avi has decided that playing on his mat is only fun when he is lying on his back, and when in the crib, he only wants to roll onto his tummy, and back and forth and back again, then staying on his tummy and pushing up onto his knees, scooting up and up and up until his head hits the top (and sometimes the corner) of the crib. We had rough time with this for a few days, until Avi learned how to go in reverse. Now he loves to sleep on his tummy with his tushy in the air. So cute!

Avi Goes to Philadelphia

Last week Avi made his first (of many!) trips to Philadelphia to finally meet his cousin Hannah, and to hang out again with Saba Raba Joe, cousin Daniel, and the whole Goldenberg clan. We had a great day including a long walk in downtown Philly to visit cousin Debra at her office, plenty of fun play time with Daniel's toys, and good naps in Aunt Susan and Uncle Ron's bedroom! We were very happy that Avi managed to eat, sleep, and poop as if he were at home, and Ema and Abba enjoyed showing off his big smiles and cool collared shirt to the family. We know this will be the first of many family visits to come.

Mommy and Me: Home Alone

This weekend, Avi and his Ema were home alone for the first time EVER, since Abba was away in D.C. on a business trip. Believe it or not, we are surviving, though Ema is very tired. We've played lots of games, sung lots of songs, and taken a bath every day (well, at least Avi has!). Avi's been very compliant with going to bed around 6:30-7pm, but he still wakes up every four hours or so and wants to eat. On Friday night, I was so zonked from a whole day home alone with baby in the rain that I fell asleep in my bathrobe after a much needed shower, and only woke up at 11pm when Avi started to cry in his room. So much for shabbat dinner! Last night Avi was up so often that I probably only slept for about 3 hours all night, and then it was time to get up and play at 6am. So when we got home from our walk this morning, and Avi kept sleeping in his carseat, Bernard and I joined him, even though there was clean laundry to put away (on the bed!), and plenty of other things to do. Wish us luck. Just 24 more hours till Jeremy comes home! Yay!

The Fourth Trimester is Almost Over

Baby experts say that the first three months of a baby's life are really an extension of pregnancy, the fourth trimester. Avi is 11 weeks old today, and he is growing by leaps and bounds. At 8 weeks he weighed 13 pounds, 7 ounces, and measured 24.5 inches long. He is quite the chubby little fellow. With every week, a new challenge surfaces. First it was baby acne, then cradle cap, and now we are dealing with the results of having a little guy in the 80th percentile for weight--folds of fat that irritate his sensitive skin and create red patches under his chin, elbows and knees. Hopefully he will start holding his head up 100% soon, to help out the situation. He's getting there! He rolls from his back to his side, and picks up his head when he's on his tummy to look from side to side. He's also doing that adorable pre-laugh laugh--something like a sharp intake of air combined with a gurgle--and babbling up a storm. We are excited to see what Avi has in store for us as he turns the corner from his newborn stage to "real" baby! We also hope that when he gets to the 3 month mark, he will be closer to sleeping through the night, and that he will go back to taking long naps in the afternoon (which he no longer likes to do--instead, he prefers to be up ALL day long, with reluctant 30 minute naps twice a day, usually while we go for a walk or a drive in the car)!