Giovanni at 6 months old.

Waiting for breakfast.

In this picture you can see his birthmark very clearly.

Gio at the beach.

With Mommy and Lukie at the park in Sag Harbor. Daddy took this picture.

On Lukie's birthday, with Yai Yai.

"Hey, Lukie, what are you doing in the crib? It's mine now."

In position to try and get the red car toy.

Giggling boy playing with his toy.

I can't believe Giovanni is seven months old already. I'm ashamed I didn't update sooner. I don't have a lot of free time in the afternoon to sit down at the computer. I'm not sad but tired. Anyway, I still have time after both of my sons fall asleep at night.

I'll talk about Gio's doctor visit first. As I wrote earlier, Luke and Giovanni went to see the doctor on the same day. I asked the doctor about the birthmark on Gio's forehead. It's so light that she couldn't see it at first. The doctor said it is a "cafe olay" spot. I was worried that it might turn darker, but the doctor didn't seem concerned. Luke has a similar spot but on his ribs where it's not so noticeable.

Giovanni is very sensitive to grains. I started him on solids at 5 months. I noticed that his stool was hard (yuck, sorry). He had difficulty pushing and didn't poop for 5 days. The doctor suggested prunes and, when that didn't work, suppositories. After I stopped giving Gio rice cereal and oatmeal, he seemed to feel better and made a poop every day, but his stools were still hard. The doctor suggested I stop all grains and stick with complex carbohydrates like sweet potato.

I'm very happy with Gio's eating. He is an easy and reasonable baby who eats almost every food I offer to him. He will open his little lips when he wants to try something, and if he likes it he will eat until he is full.

Gio's development

-Gio was on the move since he was just 5 and a half months old. He used his two elbows to inch himself forward. He looked like a little alligator. Now he can crawl very well.

-He can sit up without me propping him up from behind.

-He can grab, hold, drop and bang an object.

-He does raspberries and makes baby talk like "dada, gaga, fugo." He loves to talk most when he wakes up in the morning.

-He laughs with Lukie. Whenever Lukie makes eye contact or talks to him, Gio will laugh with delight. He seems to think Lukie is very funny.

-He can pull himself up to a standing position and is starting to cruise.

Foods Gio has tried

-Basic baby fruit: apple, pear, banana, papaya, avocado, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries and mango puree.

-Vegetables: sweet potato, pea, white potato, butternut squash, zucchini, and spinach in puree.

-Grains: rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, whole grain cereal, brown rice cereal and cooked quinoa. He is sensitive to all of these.

-Dairy: yogurt, American cheese.

-Food allergies: None so far.

Gio growth at 6 months and 4 days

Weight: 17 pounds, 13 onces

Height: 26.25 inches

Here is Gio crawling at 5 and a half months old.

Picking berries (something spontaneous that worked out well)

Giovanni and Lukie in a wooden John Deere truck.

Luke the Pirate.

Arrr...

Lukie told me where and how to pick berries.

Get ready.

August 12, 2010

Lukie napped this afternoon, which is unusual. He got up around 3 o'clock. I knew that if he didn't get some exercise, it would be a long night for Charlie and I. So I took him with Gio to a farm in the Hamptons to pick berries. Lukie was excited and Gio was good for the whole 20-minute drive.


After picking berries, Lukie played in the playground on the farm. He was so happy, and had lots of fun running around like crazy. He has so much energy but I was tired and hoped he would fall asleep easily tonight.


Lukie doesn't like to pick raspberries because they are so delicate. They turn to mush in his hands and he doesn't like the mess. He prefers blackberries. I like to pick blackberries, too. There were huge ones at this farm. Lukie ate a couple "by accident" while I was handing them to him to put into the box.

Sometimes, doing something spontaneous works out well. Tonight, Lukie and Gio went to bed at their usual time and fell asleep. Thank goodness!

Lukie at three years old: checkup and birthday

Birthday boy.

Mickey Mouse bed set from Grandma and Grandpa.

It was the biggest Birthday present for Lukie.

Mommy's cutie pie.

I'm three now, people.

July 30, 2010

Lukie and Gio actually went to see the Doctor on the same day. Charlie came home early to drive us to the pediatrician's office in Southampton.

Lukie went first. He was pretty happy and not nervous at all. He asked the doctor if he would get shots and she said no. I think that's why he was relaxed. She checked Lukie from head to toe, even his hair. She asked about his sleeping pattern. When she asked how long he had been out of diapers, we told her he was trained since 2 and 1/2 years old. She thought that was pretty impressive. Lukie counted to 20 for the doctor and also sang a song. I asked the doctor if his weight was a little on the low side. She was not concerned at all. She said he is healthy and his height is tall, which might be why he looks skinny.

Lukie's growth at age 3...

Weight: 26.5 pounds, 5th percentile

Height: 37 inches, 50th percentile

Head Circumference: ??

At three, Lukie can identify the letters and is pretty good about the sounds they make. He can count to twenty. He also draws very well (in Mommy's opinion :) He understands some Thai but doesn't speak it in sentences.

For his Birthday, Luke received a Mickey Mouse bed set from Grandma and Grandpa. His bed (twin size) is right up against ours. I already miss him even though he is next to us at night. Am I crazy?