Future Cake Boss?

My first attempt at baking a cake! I really do like to bake, but I usually do pies and cobblers and things of that nature. However, when I saw the recipe for a rainbow cake on a Facebook friend's wall, I new I had to try it! Here's the different colors of batter. Look how pretty! The batter has been mixed into the pans to create a rainbow effect. Time to bake. Piper loves to lay on the stove when the oven is warm

The finished product. I'm horrible at cutting those nice wegde slices, as evident by the mess on my plate.

I Can Do It Myself, MOM!

When I went to give Graham his bottle, he grabbed it out of my hands and decided that he would be holding it himself. He held the bottle in the perfect position throughout the entire feeding. Way to go little guy!
(And my apologies for the quality of the pictures. They were taken with my cell phone, which does not have a good camera)

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

My mom asked me the other day if I felt like everything we had gotten for Graham was worthwhile, or if I could do it all over again, what would I decide I didn't need. That got me thinking about the baby gear the Pretekin family loves. So in true Mom fashion, I'm going to spend a little time giving kudos to our favorite baby gear. Feel free to stop reading if you care nothing about baby products!

Lovies: Graham received many Angel Dear lovies (7 to be exact). Graham cannot get enough of these things. He is constantly hugging them and sucking on them - sometimes two at a time. They wash up great and are super cute. I'm also sort of obsessed with them and want to collect all of the different animals. I mean, just in case he wears one out or we lose one, we will always have another, right?

Bouncy Seat: This thing has been a lifesaver in so many ways. Graham is content in it when we need ot put him down for a few minutes. It has also saved us when he has had a cold, as it helps him sleep more upright. I didn't have a bouncy seat on the registry for a long time and added one at the last minute. Luckily someone scooped one up for us, and I'm so glad that they did!

Blanket: We got a Pottery Barn Kids blanket as a gift. We all refer to it as "The Softie." This blanket is the softest, most cuddly blanket I have ever seen. It has stayed in perfect shape through many washing. I seriouly wish they made these blankets in bigger sizes for adults.

Cloud B Sleep Products: We have the sleep sheep, the sleep girafee, and the turtle night light. The sheep and giraffe play soothing sleep sounds. The turtle is a night light that puts constellations on the ceiling in the color you choose. I wasn't super into all of the sleep stuff (especially the sound machines) at first, but I have been converted! The sheep or giraffe goes with Graham whenever he has an overnight somewhere.

Other things we love: Manhatten Toy Winkle, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, large swaddle blankets, activity gym, cloth diapers (the BEST burp cloths by far), California Baby products, car seat bundler, Baby Trend Expedition Travel System, Fisher Price space-saver high chair, and warm-mist humidifiers (life-saver when you have a baby that a cold and/or cough).

Things we could have lived without: Bumbo, Boppy, all nursing products (I should have tried it before I bought these), swaddlers, sleep sacks, and baby carrier (I like the Baby Bjorn, but should have tried them out first because now we have 3 carriers).

Things I'm Glad I Never Wanted: Bassinet (our pack'n'play and bouncy seat worked fine to have him sleep in our room), wipe warmer (total waste of money), bottle warmer (warm tap water is just fine), a sling (just another carrier I probably wouldn't have liked), and an infant sleep positioner (these still don't make sense to me). And no post is complete without a picture of the little man who made it possible for us to have endless amounts of gear in our house and our cars:
Notice the lovie and the foot of the sleep giraffe...

A Terrific Tuesday

After getting over bronchiolitis last week, we are doing much better and becoming very interested in attempting to hold our own bottle and spoon!

Four (and a little more...)

The little more is because I am a few days late posting this. Last Friday, Graham was 4 months old. He spent part of his evening having a nap with dad. Last Tuesday he had his 4 month checkup. Graham weighed 14 lbs. 2 oz., doubling his birth weight. He was 24.75 inches long. He continues to be in the 40th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height. We got a great report from his pediatrician, saying that he was growing perfectly and meeting all of the necessary milestones. We also got the ok to start giving him rice cereal. It should be no surprise, since he's had so many eating issues, that his first go at rice cereal was not very successful. However, since then we have given it to him a few more times, and he has taken a liking to it, even finshing the bowl I prepared for him this afternoon.

First try:


Today:

He continues to be on Zantac and the hypoallergenic formula to help with his reflux. Fingers crossed, he has been doing very well.

One of my students made these awesome hats for Graham and I! I wanted to get a picture of us wearing them to write a thank you on for him, but this was the best pose Graham would give.

Guess he's still not a fan of hats. He probably doesn't want to cover up his awesome hair. It looks pretty slick when he's been sleeping and rolling around on it!
Lately he has been much more aware and has really enjoyed playing with his toys. He has also begun to show an interest in the cats and watches them closely when they are near him and even pets (ok, pulls their fur) on occassion. He grabs at everything, but his favorite seems to be my hair. Thank goodness I am not an earrings person! He continues to smile, coo, and laugh almost constantly. He is such a happy little man!