October 2007

Blake has now been with us for six months. He's been growing fast and is now in the 97th percentile for height.

He's also been gaining new abilities. Blake can now roll over in both directions and sit up unassisted. He is really getting good at using his hands to play with toys and just about anything else that comes within his reach. If he spots a pacifier nearby he can grab it and stick it in his mouth.

However October has been a difficult month for the little guy. His rashes continue to persist and we haven't yet pinpointed their cause. As a result Becky was ordered by his doctor to cut dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, and wheat from her diet to see if that helps. Try going out and eliminating all of those items from the menu and there isn't much left. He also has had issues with constipation, though his doctor prescribed him some medicine that seems to do the trick every time.

As a result he hasn't been sleeping well, which means Becky and I haven't been sleeping well either (especially Becky). This has been a bit of a strain. Between six and seven in the morning he usually decides it's time to get up and starts smiling and cooing. After a night of broken sleep it's hard for anyone to wake up happy, but he does a great job of lifting my spirits.

One of the big differences between Blake and Kyla at this age is that Blake is more likely to let me sooth him and put him to sleep, whereas Kyla just wanted Becky. This might be just his personality, but more likely it is because he has to share Mommy more than Kyla did and has just learned to be comfortable with me.

This month we saw Kyla reach what I consider to be a major milestone in a person's life: she has learned how to use a computer. Every kids television show has a website with Flash-based games and activities, and I used to do them for her, but I finally decided it was time for her to use the mouse herself. She picked up mousing and clicking in minutes and I was able to leave her to play without any assistance. She has used both my Mac and our Windows desktop and she definitely prefers the Mac, but mainly because the Mighty Mouse is more intuitive than a normal two-button mouse for her.

She's also been going to gymnastics class with Grandma Linda again after taking the summer off. What's different about her new class is that she no longer has a parent help her and one of her instructors is now Uncle Casey.

For Halloween the kids dressed up as Shrek and Princess Fiona (which was Kyla's request). We went trick or treating up and down our block with Asher (who was Pepe Le Pew), his parents, and Kerry. Kyla amassed an impressive haul from which she selected her favorite pieces of candy to keep and then left the rest out for the Candy Monster, who ate her remaining sugary plunder and replaced it with a remote control Corvette.

Our first holiday season as a four-member family is fast approaching. This is typically our busiest time of the year, but I hope we make it to New Years with a some holiday cheer left over.