Happy Independence Day!

 And Mac wants you to know that:

 

9 Months Old!

I can't believe it has been 9 months since Mac was born. He wasn't even in my belly for 9 months! And he's come a long way.

Here's what he's been up to:

• Now that he's perfected crawling, he's moved on to pulling up. As of this week, he pulls up on everything.
• He also enjoys cruising.
• He can climb the stairs. Unfortunately, the only way he knows to get down is to roll like a log. Fortunately, the one time he did that, the MacDaddy caught him before he hit the tile. 
• He and the Doggie-wog seem to be getting along better. We are working with Mac on "Gentle" and the Doggie-wog is very tolerant. Especially when Mac grabs his feet. The Doggie-wog won't let anyone grab his feet. Except Mac.
• He's eating table foods as well as finger foods. He likes Cheerios. He'll eat pretty much whatever we eat, or at least whatever we put on his tray. 
• Except broccoli. He refuses to put broccoli in his mouth. We don't know if he likes it or not because he won't even try it. (He gets that from Papa.) Tomorrow we're going to try broccoli with melted cheese. That will be the true test.
• He drinks water from a sippy cup pretty well if you hold it for him. He's an expert at drinking from a straw, and loves it.

Wanna See Mac's Impression of Oz?

It's still a work in progress, but Mac is working very hard on getting up on all fours, just like the Doggie-wog!

6 Months Old!

It's hard for me to believe that it's been half a year since we met the Mac Man. The best and hardest half year of my life - and I suspect the MacDaddy would agree with that. The Mac Man gets more fun every day. It's like he's this whole other person, and he's kinda my favorite! (Well, maybe he's tied with the MacDaddy...)

He's sitting up very well. Seriously, he has better posture than I do! He's pretty chatty, especially when he's getting bored or cranky. He's starting to play peek-a-boo. By "peek-a-boo," I mean that I can put a burp cloth over his face, say, "Where's Mac?" and then he'll take it off and smile as I say, "There's Mac!" He thinks clapping is awesome. He doesn't do it himself yet, but that's probably why it's so incredible when the MacDaddy and I do it.

He's trying really hard to get up on all fours. He can get his chest and torso up, but then when he pushes his bum up, he face-plants! It's very frustrating for him, but I know he just needs to work through it. He's also starting to try to scoot on his bum in a sitting position. He doesn't use his hands; they just wave in the air while he "hops." He doesn't get very far at all that way.

And he LOVES the naminals. Every time Mr. McKitty or the Doggie-wog go by, he stops whatever he's doing to watch. He giggles when the Doggie-wog sniffs his hand. And I have to say, the naminals tolerate him remarkably well. Mr. McKitty lets Mac "pet" him, which inevitably turns into grabbing chunks of fur. And the Doggie-wog lets Mac kick him in places he doesn't let most people touch. (The Doggie-wog is very sensitive about his feet and hind legs.)

He loves eating solids. If by solids, you mean purees. He eats the rice cereal, but likes it better when you stir the veggies in. As for veggies, he has tried sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and peas, and he LOVES them all! We should try green beans on Monday, but I may skip ahead to bananas. I love bananas, so I can't wait to share them with him!

You'll have to wait a bit for photos and stats. We have our monthly photo shoot this weekend and go to the doctor next week. Until then, how about some video? This was taken today:

Happy Halloween!

[Click on the photo to see it larger.]

Tennis [Balls], Anyone?

I managed to survive the glucose tolerance test yesterday. The rumor is correct and the orange drink tastes a lot like Orange Crush. The worst part is the 1-hour wait in the lobby of the lab. I couldn't really focus on reading, so I did crossword puzzles on my phone until I hit the sugar crash and couldn't do it anymore. Fortunately, by then I had less than 10 minutes to wait. Special thanks to the MacDaddy for going with me. I hate blood draws and I appreciated his support. Stay tuned next week for the results...

After that, we headed to our first Lamaze class. The instructor is very enthusiastic. I'm sure the class will be helpful, even if she does say things like, "The average time for a first labor is about 18 hours, and that's probably a little low."

At one point, the MacDaddy asked what a focal point was. As part of my explanation, I mentioned that the Doggie-wog would probably recommend using a tennis ball as a focal point. Not ten minutes later, the instructor recommended that we bring tennis balls to the hospital to use for back massage during labor. That's when the MacDaddy and I lost it. Maybe we will have to use a tennis ball as a focal point -- and massage. (Don't worry, Doggie-wog. I won't steal your beloved, nasty, slobbery ball. I'll get my own. And then you can have it when we get home.)

The MacFamily

Introducing Mac's family:



That would be me (the MacMommy), the MacDaddy, and the Doggie-wog. Yes, this is a "birthday" photo for Oz. Yes, we got him a cake. It was all the MacDaddy's idea. So this is what Mac has to look forward to. Yes, Mac, if the Doggie-wog has to do birthday pictures, you better believe you will!

And here's the only family member who doesn't have to do family photos:



Mr. McKitty. Don't get any ideas, Mac. Just because you both have Scottish names doesn't mean you're going to get away with half of what the cat does.