Louis is 5 Months Old

This past month Louis has been so much fun and such a sweet baby! The major milestone happened around the middle of the month when he decided to roll over! He rolled from his stomach to his back 2 time in a row and then Mike and I spent the next few weeks trying to get a video of him doing it again! He doesn't roll all that consistently yet but it is a start! The other thing is that the cute laugh from last month disappeared when my parents left town and no matter how funny I am I have not been able to get Louis to laugh. However, I was relieved when 2 days ago our neighbor, Bob had him laughing up a storm for about 5 minutes straight - I guess mom just isn't funny enough!

Louis is also now known as "Thumper" since he's started kicking his legs up and down on the bed when he is either falling asleep or waking up. At first we couldn't figure out what the noise was that was literally shaking the house and after a few nights we were entertained to realize that Louis was bringing both lets up in the air and slamming them down on the bed repeatedly!

Our little thumper also doesn't like to lay back anymore! I can hardly give him a bath by himself because he refuses to lay back and instead tries to sit straight up in the bath tub but of course falls over when he does. He also can't relax in his bouncer or swing because he is constantly trying to sit up and we have to keep a careful eye on him or he will end up leaning over the side of the swing - I guess that is a sign it is time to put the swing away - sad!

Louis is also able to recognize the bottle and Mike says he can even hold it himself! He is just now starting to pass objects from one hand to the other, like his pacifier or a little rattle - he often drops it in the process but is getting better! He loves grabbing his feet now and has managed to get a couple toes in his mouth a few times. Louis also LOVES patty cake, peek-a-boo, and kisses, and these are bound to get a few good squeals!

He's doing great with his nap schedule - very consistent with his morning nap which has been about 2 hours and he goes down well for the second nap but we just need to get this nap to be longer than 45 min to 1 hour!! He barely cries when we put him down - sometimes not at all and sometimes just for a few minutes! This new nap schedule produces a very happy and loveable baby!! Mike and I always say how great Louis is and how much fun we have with him!

Pictures from the month

...And here's the video Mike put together of Louis rolling over. You can see a much bigger version by clicking here.

Kate's Back to Visit

Kate was on Spring Break from her work so she decided to spend half of her week off with us (it ended up being her entire week and then some but more about that later). Kate arrived Tuesday afternoon and I left work early to pick her up as she had taken the bus to Federal Way and was waiting for me at Starbucks - Sorry Mary :). Unfortunately the weekend before I had started "nap training" Louis so Kate and I were pretty much stuck at home. I was feeling bad but Kate assured me that there was nothing more she would rather do than nothing!

I was off Wednesday and Thursday and we spent these days playing with Louis, drinking coffee, tea, (beer in the evening) playing Scrabble, RummiKube, and making awesome dinners (Kate introduced me to Guiness Pie - which is AWESOME!) It was a good thing that Kate was here and was able to get the hang of "nap training" because I explained to Mike how we were getting Louis on a schedule and what to do with him but on Friday, but Mike apparently forgot everything I told him. He kept wanting to go give Louis the pacifier, saying that if he could just give it to him it would put him right to sleep. Fortunately, Kate was there to explain (again) that Louis was learning to soothe himself to sleep and that going to him would only cause him confusion and make him cry longer! I started this training because he would cry when I put him down in his crib and I would go to him every time and before I knew it I was spending much of the day trying to get him to nap. After only 1 week of nap training he barely cries at all for his first and second nap and bedtime (we still need to work on his short third nap).

So... (Kate was flying standby on my dad's passes) Originally, Kate was going to leave Friday, but the flights out of Seattle were so full that she didn't even try to go. Friday evening we ordered carry out from our favorite Thai restaurant and watched a Stupid movie (things haven't changed Mom and Dad). Saturday, Kate sat at the airport all day and by the time she called at 3pm (she and Mike left the house a 440am for her 6:10 flight) she was in tears! We picked her up and Kate and I walked to the store to get stuff for dinner and a movie. We watched "Man on Wire" it is a documentary about the guy who walked across the Twin Towers on a tightrope and it is worth renting!

Sunday, Kate decided that it was totally not worth it to go sit at the airport all day and we went hiking instead in the Cascades (it rained the whole trip but stopped just in time for our 1 hour and 15 min hike in the snow). When we got back Kate looked at the flights for Monday and they looked awful! Reluctantly, I drove Kate to the Greyhound station in Tacoma and she caught an 8:40pm bus to Vancouver. She arrived there at 2am and took a Taxi to the airport where she spent the rest of the night until she was able to get on the 8am flight to Dallas. The poor girl had to wait all day in Dallas and didn't get out till late in the evening for St. Louis.

Kate said she had a great time despite the 25-hour drama getting home. We had a great time with Kate and it was so WONDERFUL having her get up with Louis in the morning. It was great getting to sleep in a little bit. Plus, she kept beating me to him at night and offering to rock him back to sleep but I didn't need her because for the most part Louis does well at night and goes right back down after I feed him! (Kate did get up and give him the pacifier a few times though!)

More Pictures!

The Heidemann's In Town (Again)

My mom and dad arrived Thursday March 5th for a visit (and Anne arrived from Kansas City the next afternoon). It was a typical Heidemann Family trip - Each day began with my dad making the coffee and driving to the grocery store to get the paper. Then we mostly hung around the house and played with Louis all day, making sure to get in our traditional walk with dad pushing the stroller and 9 steps ahead of everyone else (yes, we counted). Each evening we would make a fabulous dinner, followed by an equally delicious desert and then watch a terrible movie before bed (The past few trips my parents have been in town the movie selections have left something to be desired). We only ate one dinner out - at our favorite Thai restaurant down the street.

We did ride the bus into Seattle on Saturday and spent the whole day doing the same things that we always do in Seattle and consequently the same things that we did with Brianne and Mary - including buying salmon from the market, Beechers cheese (and mac and cheese to go with the salmon), getting coffee at Caffe Darte, eating lunch at Pikes Brewery and walking to Pioneer Square - probably on of my dad's favorite places in the world.

I had to work 3 of the day's that my parents were in town and they said they enjoyed watching Louis - they even put together his jump-a-roo which he LOVES!! He is pretty strong and does a great job supporting himself. My mom and I gave Louis a bath and I distracted him while my mom used a little comb and was able to completely get rid of his cradle cap!!! His head looks so great! My parents were able to get Louis to laugh all the time - which so far never gets old and they were impressed at how well he tolerates his tummy time and how well he can grasp objects!

My mom and dad were supposed to leave on Tuesday morning but Monday night I told them they should stay one more day. When I didn't get a "no" right away, I knew I had a chance. I grabbed a cute picture of Louis and held it up (Louis himself was already in bed) and said "grandma I love you, will you stay another day?" It must have done the trick because they didn't leave until Wednesday morning.

Earlier in the week I was able to talk Anne into staying longer (which was very easy to do!) So she didn't leave till Thursday morning! Wednesday, after dropping my parents off at the bus stop Anne and I headed to the mall. I finally came to terms with the fact that none of my pants fit anymore and I bought a couple new pairs (I was desperate)! Anne and I then had lunch at Panera and proceeded to come home and make cookies (none of which helped my cause). We spent the evening playing scrabble, making home made pizza and watching American Idol!

I miss my family so much and always wish we lived closer (maybe someday)! It was so sad to say goodbye but we DO have fun when they come up to visit! We are looking forward to Kate coming up next week!

More Pictures!

Hiking with Katy and Ed

We have fallen behind again due to the company in town but here is an update. Two weekends ago (March 1st) we decided to take Katy and Ed for a little hike. These two haven't done much hiking since they have been in the great Northwest, so we wanted to make sure we gave them the full experience. We told Ed he would need some boots because there was sure to be snow in the mountains so Katy and Ed spent Saturday buying him some boots.

We picked them up Sunday morning and headed out to the McClellan Butte trail in the Cascade Mountains. As promised, there was a nice snow pack on the trail. After we had been hiking for a over an hour Katy and I were ready to turn back - I thought Louis was going to get antsy and Katy was afraid that she was going to have trouble walking back down the trail. It was then that we noticed Katy's shoes - less like hiking boots and more like casual boots with a little heel and even less traction. Sure enough, Katy had to pretty much slide down the mountain and even took one pretty hard fall on her knee. She was in good spirits through it all though!

Mike wanted to try Louis facing out in the carrier. I told him that it would be fine and if we thought his neck was getting tired we could turn him back around. Louis loved facing out and taking the world in! He was content the whole time and his neck was just fine!

We ended the trip with a lunch at a Mexican restaurant in North Bend before dropping Katy and Ed back off at home!

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Louis is 4 Months Old

Louis has changed so much in the past month! The most exciting news is that he has started laughing out loud! The first time he laughed was 4 days ago and we are constantly trying to get him to laugh ever since because it is so amazing! Louis is getting much more coordinated with his hands and he loves reaching for toys on his Baby Einstein Gym. Any toy that he gets into his hand immediately goes to his mouth. He has also really taken a liking to the tag blanket that Amber gave him and he loves chewing on the tags! Tummy Time is getting much more fun - when propped on a small roll he will play for about 10 min on his tummy and he has just started attempting to reach for toys on his tummy too!

Louis is getting so much better at taking the bottle (We had a little trouble with it at first). Mike is enjoying the 2 days a week he gets to stay home with Louis and usually Louis does really well napping and playing with dad all day! For the most part Louis does well at day care and loves the other kids and is constantly smiling at them. Last time I picked him up from there I walk in the door and hear "honey, don't bounce him so hard" and I thought, "I hope that's not my baby." Well, sure enough the kids are all around him bouncing him in the bouncy seat and Louis was just all smiles. Fortunately, he spends most of the day in the infant room! Louis is so exhausted after his day at day care that it is a challenge to keep him up till 5:30pm.

On the downside, Louis is getting less portable. If he is not in his crib he is not sleeping. This makes it harder for us to be gone all day hiking or to go out to dinner, as he looks so tired but he just cannot fall asleep and then we risk him getting overtired and crabby.

Louis has been continuing to sleep well. Usually he goes to bed around 5:30 or 6:30 and he sleeps till 7am with 2 feedings. Last night, however, Louis slept 9 hours in a row and I only had to feed him once! (Maybe it's because he is 4 months old now!)

Pictures from the month!