Monday, November 19, 2012

Whit is 4 months old!

Our baby is 4 months old! Many people have told us that 3 or 4 months to 6 months is their favorite baby phase, and I'm beginning to see why. Whit's personality is really showing, and he is starting to enjoy playing and having fun with us!

Whit @ 4 months:
14 lbs. 3 oz (44%)
25.75 in (90%)


-Has started playing with toys! He will now grab for, hold onto, and chew on certain toys. This tells us his brain, eye, and hand coordination are right on track!
-Has rolled over 4 or 5 times, but only around Ben so I don't believe it's actually happened ;)
-Tries to laugh but doesn't quite have the sound yet- he sort of stops breathing then squeals really loudly as he smiles and his body shakes. It's pretty cute, but I'm eager to hear a full-blown laugh!
-Jabbers to us all the time! His coos have changed, and are now more high-pitched squeals than soft gurgles. We think it's hilarious and end up laughing, which startles him into not cooing anymore :(
-Has experienced a sleep regression this month. I think it's a combination of lots of things; he is strong enough to break his arms out of a swaddle thanks to his uncontrollable Moro Reflexes but can't sleep if he has too much freedom, and his sleep patterns are becoming more adult and he is still learning how to sooth himself back to sleep during a light sleep phase. These two things combined have been sending me into his room once or twice a night to re-swaddle and calm him back into sleep :( I think they are both temporary, though, so his reflexes should calm down and he'll learn to self-soothe soon. Hopefully.
-Still has his newborn hair at the nape of his neck! Can you say, "Party in the back?" :P
-Still loves being put into the carseat and getting changed on his diaper pad. I know that is unusual, so I am very grateful!!!
-Has started wearing cloth diapers. It's new, but seems ok so far! He has sensitive skin and he seems to prefer the feel of cloth diapers. At least he doesn't cry at a wet diaper as quickly anymore :) They can be a pain to change because there are two pieces instead of 1, but I love that they are re-usable, he is more comfortable, and, let's face it, are SUPER CUTE!
-Can sit in a Bumbo seat without help! The leg openings are too large for him, though, so he only lasts a few mins before he can pull one leg toward him and start to topple off balance.

A squeaking conversation:



Showing off his big accomplishment this month of holding onto toys:



Next big accomplishment: Sitting in the Bumbo!


Love to stand up!


Now wearing cloth diapers!
(Ben's Korean is starting to rub off! Baby Gangnam Style)


I LOVE this one!!!

 We picked up this hat at Children's PLace while taking a family stroll around our outdoor mall on a cold night. He hasn't worn it since,but I think it looks so cute and funny on him I had to document it!
 I love these pictures!










We are really enjoying his fun personality and anxiously waiting for the next cute things 
like laughing and sitting up, but I already miss my tiny little newborn.
 So yes, I know he's getting big, but try not to remind me :(




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Saturday, November 3, 2012

Greensboro Zombie Run

Have you ever seen a large group of relatively sane-looking adults willingly run into a closed course filled with zombie-clad actors who are planning to stop at nothing to track you down and grab something off of you? I have. And it was AWESOME!

This weekend we had courtside seats to the biggest Halloween freakshow I've ever seen-- the first annual Greensboro, NC Zombie Run.

Participants signed up in advance to run a 2 mile course blocked off downtown. They were each given two pieces of CAUTION tape to tuck into their waist. Every 10 minutes 100 (or so) runners were released onto the course. They ran through 140 zombies dispersed throughout the course, dressed and acting the part, who tried to take their flags. Anyone with at least 1 flag by the end of the course got a prize.

One group as they were let loose (notice how fast and excited they are): 

Some people at the very end (notice how tired, scragly, and anxious they are): 


There were fun decorations around the streets of the course:



Zombies hanging out at the beginning of the route for the next group to come:

Zombies towards the end. We guess they were mostly all members of Greensboro Roller Derby teams. These women were intense! I guess they saved the most passionate and athletic zombies for the end because  the group thins out so participants have more personal attention, more onlookers were at the finish who wanted a show, and to make sure they could gang up on anyone who might still have a flag (which was only small children, really. I think the zombies were easier on them.)







A group waiting to be released: 


Ben's best zombie impression:


And Whit's zombie impression:



After the last group had been released we asked some zombies hanging around to take a picture. 
Me: "Will you guys take a picture with my baby? Does that make me a bad mother?"
Girl on the right: "No. THIS makes me a bad mother." (Because that's not a fake belly)


Things we heard as we walked the track:

Onlooker on the phone: "We're on the left-hand side. Just look for all the zombies."
Runner to a staffer after being told where to run (which happened to be near zombies): "That wasn't very helpful!"
Staffer: "It's not my job to keep you alive. It's my job to make sure you don't get hit by a car."

One zombie to another as a group of runners finished going past: "Wow. Being a zombie is HARD." 

I learned about the Greensboro Zombie Run from a Groupon offering half off admission and thought about signing up to run, but decided not to. This was so much fun to watch, though, that I would love to participate next year! Not as a runner, because I hate running. And because I would FREAK OUT if I saw a zombie coming near me. But what I do enjoy is dressing in costume and putting my all into playing a role. Oh yes, zombie-ville here I come! 


Our town is SO COOL!