Seven Months

I couldn't decide on which one to use!

Weight and Height:  Just under 18 pounds and about 26 inches

Sleeping patterns:  Same as the last few months - he basically sleeps through the night, with lapses here and there because of colds. Poor dude has double ear infections again and that wicked cough (that leads to lots of spit up) so he was waking up more frequently this past week.

Eating habits:  He's a little piggy. We added meat to his menu of options. So far he's had turkey and liked it. We can't bring ourselves to give him chicken yet because we really don't want to smell that puked back up...

New discoveries he's made:  He now realizes when he has a hat on. It's so funny to watch him reach for his hats and try to see them sitting on his head.

Accomplishments:  He reliably signs for milk when he's hungry, across different environments and people. As a behavior analyst/school psychologist, this is so amazing to me. I seriously think he's this genious kid, but then my view of what's normal is so skewed because of the students I work with. It's so awesome how much giving him a way to communicate with us cuts down on crying (hello, Functional Communication Training). All that training I have in verbal behavior was very handy! I love when he makes eye contact and starts making the sign. He also knows what it means when we sign "milk" or "eat". Next step - getting him the to sign "eat" so that when he wants food he doesn't say "milk".

He is also learning how to drink from a cup. First attempts aren't going so well - he'd rather look at the cup than drink what's in it. So I put the lid on it and let him go to town.

Marbles and Coco creep on him during meal times, so now meals are always in his high chair. Moochers.

Dominic is also able to stand for longer periods of time while holding on to something, like his activity cube that he loves (thank you DSM Autism Team!). It's pretty funny watching him playing with the beads on the cube with one hand, and gripping the metal thingys with the other. He just gets this serious look on his face trying to figure it all out. He's definitely a curious little guy. He loves to look around and take in everything. Grandpa Jeff says that Dom reminds him of me when I was a baby. And Dominic has a staring problem when we're out in public, just like Daddy. 

Places he went:  Brian's cousin got married so Dominic had his first trip to Cedar Falls. Then we had Thanksgiving in Sergeant Bluff, and an early Christmas in Minnesota.

After the wedding

Special friends he's made:  Dominic met Santa! Really he just sat on Santa's lap and was zoomed away before he even realized where he was.

Waiting so patiently for Santa

Santa! I know him!

Noises and babbles:  Sometimes I feel like he scolds us when things don't go his way. It's pretty funny to see his serious face when he's going on and on.

Firsts:
Thanksgiving
His first Thanksgiving was spent in Sergeant Bluff. He had his first serving of mashed potatoes, and wasn't a big fan. But at least he and Bennett matched! Our Thanksgiving trip also included visits with his new buddies, Madelyn and Cashton, who were both about a week-ish old. He was interested in all the little babies, but was confused as to why they weren't responding to him. We had a late Thanksgiving with my fam that weekend, so he got plenty of play time in with Laney and Brinley to make up for it.

Um, hello? I'm trying to get your attention.

Apparently she missed us after we were out of town for so long. Dom's like, "Get her off me!"

5K
His first race was the Jolly Holiday Lights Tour de Lights race. We did just the 1.5 mile walk because it was cold, but thankfully it was warmer than last year's. It was also his first charitable event - he helped support the Make a Wish Foundation! I hope that when he's older he'll want to run (well walk) races with me.

Not too thrilled about the mistletoe headband

Teeth
Dominic's first tooth is coming in! It's so darn cute. Teething, thankfully, hasn't been too rough on him. 

Horsey Ride
Okay it's not real, but still.

Minnesota Trip
He got to meet some of his extended family in Minnesota. First he met Great Grandma and Grandpa Michlitsch, Great Aunt Laura, Great Uncle Roger, and his second cousin Ben. He was the perfect little smiley baby at dinner, even though I was worried it was going to be awful since evenings are sometimes hit or miss.

With Great Grandpa Michlitsch

Laney reading to Dominic

The next day we ventured through his first blizzard to see Great Grandpa Lyle, Great Aunt Pam, and Great Uncle Ken. Because of the storm, several other family members weren't able to make it. I meant to take Dom out to see his first snow, but ran out of time. And of course we haven't had any snow here in Iowa yet - come on snow day Thursday!

Stylin'

With Great Uncle Ken

My favorite blanket of his from Little Hip Squeaks. I have like 10 of her blankets.

His big head sure is fun to accessorize! Here he's wearing a hat like the ones Great Grandpa Lyle always wears.

Every night since I first found out that I was pregnant with Dominic, I thank God for him, and I pray that God protects our little baby, that he keeps him safe and physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. I am so excited for Dominic's first Christmas and all the other milestones we have yet to meet.

I always knew my life would be changed once I became a parent, and after Friday's events in CT, I am starting to understand just how much that is true. I don't think any other event that I've been so distant from has felt so close. I pray that no other parent faces what those parents are facing, and I pray that God gives them the strength to go on without their babies. And most of all, I pray that God continues to protect our perfect-for-us family.

On a happier note, merry Christmas to you all! Enjoy the last few weeks of the holiday season, and cherish the time with your family and friends!

Love,
The Crauns

I'm obsessed with Frog & Penguin's hats! I want the bunny one next!

 

And one more of the Rudolph hat!

 

Six Months

Weight and Height:  He's just over 17 pounds and 26ish inches. His six month appointment is Tuesday so we'll have official numbers then.

Sleeping patterns:  He mostly sleeps through the night, but there are some rough spots. We had a growth spurt where he gained almost a pound in about a week, and he's been battling not stop colds. I think he's been healthy for only about one week since day care has started - poor guy.

You never know where you'll find him when you check on him when he's sleeping.

Eating habits:  He's eating pretty much any baby food, and has gotten a lot less messy. Usually he's pretty chipper when he's eating food, but one time he actually fell asleep during his dinner!

New discoveries he's made:  He hasn't really made any new discoveries, he's just more skilled at some things than he was before. He's more efficient at rolling over from tummy to back and back to tummy, picking up things, transferring items from hand to hand, finding his mouth with objects, eating, and operating his toys.

Accomplishments:  He's sitting up on his own, but sometimes he still will face plant if he starts leaning too far.

Places he went:  This last month has been pretty busy! Dominic was baptized on 10/21...just a little late! He snored through the first part, and woke up when the priest poured the water on his head. Adam and Jennifer are his godparents. We had a fun little party at our house afterward with some yummy cake and cupcakes from Carefree Patisserie.

The Godparents

The framed card is from my godparents on my baptism day.

The next weekend we traveled to Omaha, where he got to meet his great aunt Rhea and Great Grandma and Grandpa Craun. We're so glad that Dom got to meet them all!

 Then the following weekend was the annual Charles City weekend in DSM. This weekend last year was the year that we made the official pregnancy announcement, so it was cool for him to meet all those people that last saw me with just a little baby belly. Dom had his first experience with really rowdy Hawk fans and survived!

Yesterday we went to Brian's cousin's wedding, and Dominic got to meet his second cousins and Great Aunt Kathi and Uncle Dave. Kathi and Dave haven't seen Dom since shortly after he was born - and he looks VERY different now. Dom was very interested in his cousin Bennett. They inadvertently matched, so of course we had to take some cute pictures of them together.

Those eyelashes!

Special friends he's made:  No new friends this month, but Marbles is actually letting Dominic pet her. It's so cute to watch him smile big when he sees her. Some of his favorite toys include:  his crinkle fabric blocks, his kitty, his giggle toy, his piano gym, the bouncer, people's noses, and a tv remote (don't worry - the batteries aren't in there!).

Noises and babbles:  He talks all the time now. I know he's not saying anything functionally yet, but it sounds like he says "hi" and "Dada" and one time even "I love you Dad" (like it was all mumbled together). We started teaching him signs for milk, eat, and cat. I *think* he's done the milk sign a few times, but since we're just accepting approximations of the sign, it's hard to tell if he actually did the sign or if he's just opening and closing his hand. Regardless, he gets a bottle when he does it (unless he just ate). He likes watching us sign so hopefully he'll get the hang of it in the next few months.

Firsts:  Dominic celebrated his first Halloween dressing as Brian and as a tiger for daycare. Holidays are so fun now with a child!

I had a minor freak-out when his face wipes wouldn't take off his eyeliner beard. Turns out I just needed to use eye makeup remover wipes!

Of course he had to dress up for Halloween day, even if he was just going to daycare.

Other adventures this month:  We did a mini fall photo shoot in his sweet Timbs and hat.

Five Months

Weight and Height: Approximately 16 pounds and 26 inches

Sleeping patterns:  Naps mess with social time, so he's not sleeping much during the day. He's doing much better with sleeping through the night with his earlier bed time. We had a rough patch at the beginning of the month.

Eating habits:  He LOVES rice cereal! He eats solids soooo much faster than he drinks bottles. We started with rice cereal, moved on to carrots and sweet potatoes, then peas (not a hit) and green beans, and now he's on to fruit (peaches and apples). It's so funny to watch him dive onto the spoon and get so excited about eating. Who knew that feeding a baby could be so fun?! Here's a video of his first dinner time:

 
New discoveries he's made:  He discovered his tongue, so Brian has started calling him snake.

He's more aware of his feet, and he absolutely loves his jumper - thanks Jennifer, Ryan, Laney, and Brinley for sharing your's!

Accomplishments:  He's much more coordinated with grabbing things, and he's starting to transfer items from hand to hand. He's able to sit up on his own for a few seconds before his big melon starts making him tip over or face plant. He's standing for longer periods of time too. Laying down is boring to him. During tummy time, he is able to push his chest off the floor with his arms straight. He can roll onto his side from both his tummy and his back, but he's not very interested in rolling over all the way (and again, his big head gets in his way).

Sitting unsupported

Timber!

At least he's still happy after falling over. And aren't those socks super cute?!

Places he went:  We went to Sergeant Bluff for Mallori and Todd's wedding. He was a hit in his sweet bowtie.

Special friends he's made:  Brian said that Dom gets super smiley whenever he sees the other kids at daycare. I love that he's so social! Pretty much everyone we know having babies is having a boy, so Dom got to hang with his little buddies this past month. He got to meet his cousin Bennett and family friends Mac and Avery in Sergeant Bluff. At the Hofferts' wedding, he and Mac became BFFs. It was so fun to listen to them talk to each other! Dom also got to meet Beckett here at home, and hang at his house a few times. Let's hope Dom and Beckett don't do the same things together that their fathers do...

Bennett and Dominic

Buddies

Noises and babbles:  He's making all sorts of noises. His giggle is one of the best sounds in the world.

Firsts:  He had his first solids this month. And his first blowout at home - yuk. 

Other adventures this month:  He's very interested in animals right now - watching their tails, smiling at them, and petting them. Dom and Miss Marbles are buddies.

To come in next month's post:  Dominic's baptism, falling asleep during dinner, meeting his great grandparents and great aunts, fall pictures, and HALLOWEEN! I can't wait to share his costumes (yes plural - did you expect anything less of me?)!

Four Months

He's now one-third of a year old!

Weight and Height:  15 lbs 6 oz (47th percentile), 25 1/4 inches (44th percentile) - And don't forget head circumference:  17 1/4 (95th percentile)! When we were in Sergeant Bluff Labor Day weekend, he was by a 6 month baby. They had the same size heads. Dom must have a really strong neck since he can hold his melon up so well.

Sleeping patterns:  Little dude sleeps through the night mostly, but he absolutely hates napping during the day. He'd rather see what's going on than sleep. Although sometimes he'll pass out when he's not supposed to be sleeping...

Eating habits:  He has 6-7 meals per day with 4-7 ounces per feeding. He stares at us when we eat, and will open and close his mouth. His 4-month appointment was today (ugh, more shots), so we got the okay to start him on solids. Hello stinkier poos! We were also pretty sure that he has started to teeth - he gnaws on everything - but the doc said that it's just standard for infants this stage of development and it could be up to nine more months before he gets teeth.

New discoveries he's made:  He realizes that he has feet and he's more coordinated when he goes to reach for something. It's fun to watch him explore his hands and feet and the toys on his bouncer. He loves to stare and smile at himself in mirrors.

Accomplishments:  He is able to push himself up pretty high when he's on his belly, and he's able to sit up with very little support. He's also much more steady on his feet when we stand him up.

Places he went:  He made his second trip to Sergeant Bluff this past month for the annual Craun Labor Day Smokeout. Aside from that, he's just made a few trips around town to the doctor's office and Grandma and Grandpa Carlson's house.

Special friends he's made:  Sophie the Giraffe is one of his favorites. He also likes his cousin Brinley - they both were staring at each other last weekend (the weekend he turned 4 months), and he kept giving her his cute little flirty smiles.

With his BFF, Sophie.

Noises and babbles:  This little dude is super talkative whenever he gets his diaper changed. It's so cute! He babbles, giggles, laughs, and blows raspberries. Here's a look at what our morning is like:

Firsts:
First sleepovers
August 25th and the weekend of September 8th, Dominic spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Carlson's house. He did a pretty good job, but was kind of fussy with Grandpa during the Iowa/ISU game. He was just upset that the Hawks lost, and that Grandpa cheered for the wrong team.

First Craun Smokeout
Dominic survived his second party in Sergeant Bluff. He was absolutely perfect, and many people asked, "Is he always this good?" Mostly, yes. Yes, he is. And we are incredibly blessed!

The cool kids wear black and gold.

First swim
Brian took Dom for his first swim in Eddie's pool when we were back for Labor Day weekend. Let's just say that he wasn't pleased about going into the cold water. He seemed to not mind it as much once Bri stopped dipping him in and out.

Other adventures this month:
Meeting extended family
John and Celine came to visit on their way up to Minnesota a few weeks ago. I was a slacker and forgot my camera at home that day. I can't wait for him to meet all our other extended family!

Wonderful daycare illnesses
What haven't we had? Ear infections, colds, slight fevers, runny noses, pink eye, hives...And of course, he's shared everything with me. Thankfully he heals much faster than me!

Pictures with Bess
Bess came over to take his four month pictures, and Dom actually cooperated! As usual, Bess did a great job, and we have so many great pictures to choose from. Here are a few of our faves: 

Go Hawks!