Baby Mark's Adventures

Mark at five months old

2006-02-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

We first thought that this month Mark was focusing on his motor skills, but he surprised us the other day by starting to practice "talking" during car rides. He is happy to look out of the car window and repeat sounds like "hi", "ha", "ma", for long periods of time. He also surprised his Dad one night by giggling and laughing out loud. Then Dad laughed, which made Mark laugh louder. That made Daddy's night! Good thing, since we need moments like that to keep us going when Mark routinely wakes up at 4am.

This month we practiced going away for the weekend. So, we visited Grandma and stayed overnight. Mark did well - Grandma was really nice and let him sleep with her for a good portion of the night.

Mark is 19 weeks old in this picture. Mommy and Daddy look tired, but he is having a great time at Grandma's.

One big accomplishment for Mark this month was mastering eating with a spoon. Under Grandma's guidance, he is now a pro at eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and squash.

Mark and Gradma enjoy this special time together!

We had a playdate this month with a couple of Mark's friends. The two girls, Eva and Emilia, are almost seven months old in this picture. They taught Mark a thing or two about his toys.

Emilia, Mark, and Eva looking as cute as can be.

There is a little video of Mark on my webpage - check it out!

Mark's progress at five months

No doctor's appointment this month, but we estimate his weight to be 20lbs and his height 29''. He is overall bigger, wider, stronger, and more mature looking.
He can stand for long periods if well supported.
He can almost say "hi".
He discovered his feet - he'll spend time looking at them while sitting, touching them, and pulling his socks off.
He routinely puts his arms out when he is ready to be picked up.
He can anticipate an event if part of a repeated set of actions.
He shows emotions: he is happy to see Mommy after a morning at daycare (he used to give me dirty looks before!), and frustration when we don't understand what he wants.
His giggles are infectious now. He thinks that being squirted by his ducky during bath time is the funniest thing ever.
He met our outdoor cat and was very interested in it.
He likes riding in a swing at the playground, going on stroller rides around our neighborhood, and spending time outside.

Mark at four months old

2006-02-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more rewarding to us as parents as our little boy greeting us in the morning with the biggest smile you can imagine. It's as if he saved up smiles during the night and uses them all up when he sees us. Yes, Mark is smiling now and smiling plenty! And was that a giggle that I heard??? Favorite activities: playing in his Einstein gym, "chating" with his family and friends, and pulling on his balloon. But the most entertaining activities are dancing on music from the Madagascar movie, and playing peek-a-boo games.

Having fun with Daddy in the Einstein gym.

Tummy time is more fun now. Especially when there are mirrors to look into and toys to grab. And he figured it out: although he cannot crawl yet, Mark will pull on the towel, or the blanket, until the toys come to him.

It takes a lot of concentration to get the bird to come to you!

This month Mark started solids. Rice cereal was only OK at first, but he likes it more and more now. Bananas tasted great to start with, and he could not get enough, but then his tummy got upset, so no more for a while.

Mark in his high-chair for the first time. We think he likes sitting up at the table with the big people. What do you think?

Mark's progress at four months:

Mark is 28.5in tall and 19.5lbs
He started teething maybe???
Mark is on a three hour cycle during the day: sleep, eat, and play; at night he typically sleeps for about six hours on the first stretch, has a snack, and sleeps another four or five hours after that.
Communication is a lot easier now. Mark can often tell us what he wants without crying.
He can roll over from his tummy to his back, and he can almost sit up.
He can hold his bottle (if he wants to), and will reach for you if he wants to be held.
He is starting to show preferences for places to sleep, toys, and people. He greets Grandma with a big smile, even if he has not seen her in several days.
His second set of immunizations went OK. Much better than the first time. Phew!
Mark started going to daycare, or "school" as we call it, twice a week. Let's just say it's not his favorite.

Mark's First Christmas

2006-01-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Very Happy 2006!

This Christmas we are blessed with the most wonderful gift any family could have. We are spending our Christmas season with our little boy! Mark is three and a half months old this Christmas! That is three and a half months of joy and happiness for his parents and family. We spent this holiday season mostly in Portland, with lots of family.

Mark just before his First Christmas Day party.

Mark had fun getting to know his aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins a little better. The days before Christmas were busy with family activities.

Having fun with Aunt Tammy.

Grandma got Mark two Christmas outfits. You have to understand, that is no easy task! The smallest size clothes that Mark fits into is 12 months, but he needs the clothing style that fits a three month old. So, thank you Grandma for the nice gifts!

Baby's First Christmas

Santa Clause was kind to Mark this year. Mark received lots of toys, books, new outfits. One of his gifts is an exersaucer that he really liked at the store.

Mark at three months old

2006-01-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

What a fun month this was! Mark has discovered that his hands can grab toys and bring them to his mouth! He shows his excitement by kicking twice as fast as before. Well, that makes other toys rattle and move!

Mark grabbing his rings for the first time.
(He didn't even notice that we were watching him)

We went to visit friends this month and Mark is borrowing this car from Claudia. It took a little while for him to get the hang of standing up, but look at him now!

This car is fun!

This month we had to say goodbye to Bica. We miss her a lot. Bica took care of Mark while Mommy was teaching two days every week and helped Mommy and Daddy with cooking, cleaning, decorating for the holidays... She also taught us how to take care of a crying baby. Bica had all sorts of tricks that helped Mark calm down when he was upset, or put him to sleep when he was tired.

Thanksgiving Day.

We spent Thanksgiving at the Barn. Mark slept through most of the meal, but woke up long enough to say hello to our friends and family. He really liked being carried around by Jim B. and shown all the decorations inside the Barn. The next day Daddy and Vickie started their concerts at the Keller. Bica was able to enjoy a Singing Christmas Tree performance for the first time.

Mark's progress at three months:

No doctor's visit this month, but we suspect he grew some in height and is over 18lbs.
Mark still wakes up a couple of times every night - Mommy is starting to get tired, so Daddy has to take over some night duties.
He can hold his head up well.
He likes to sit up and kick his toys, or watch his parents around the room.
He went to school with Mommy and did not mind spending time with Rachel, while Mommy was giving an exam. He said hello to everyone in the department!
Mark can return smiles now and will frequently do so, especially when he meets a new smiling face.
Mark's hands make wonderful toys. He takes time to look at them, open his fists, count his fingers, taste them...
We tried some tummy time, but he does not like it very much. In fact, his favorite position is sitting up aided by Mommy, Daddy, or Grandma.
Mark discovered TV! He loves to sit on Daddy's lap and watch TV with him. In fact, if Mommy gets in the way, Mark will lean sideways so he can see the TV screen again.

Mark at two months old

2006-01-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

Mark "talking" to grandma on the phone.

Mark is starting to recognize the voices of people he spends a lot of time with. He gets all excited when he remembers grandma's voice.

Bath time is Mark's favorite!

Not yet two months old, and Mark is ready to listen and almost talk back to Daddy. He has started to coo and recognize words that are spoken to him frequently. He smiles at the words "Mommy", "Daddy", "Bica", "Grandma".

It's Halloween!

That night we went trick-or-treat'ing at Grandma's house in Silverton.

Mark's progress at two months:

He is 26in and almost 16lbs.
He sleeps in his own room.
He wakes up full of smiles for his Mom, Dad, or Bica who is staying with us for a few weeks.
He coos frequently and is particularly amuzed by the hard consonants sounds.
He is starting to move his lips when he talks.
He had his first set of shots - ouch!
He is starting to be able to hold toys and spends lots of time looking at them and occasionally trying to reach them . Colors are fun! Also, books are fun. He likes to listen to his Mommy and Daddy read to him.
Mark went on his first overnight trip. Mommy, Bica, and Mark spent the weekend with uncle Paul at the beach house, while Daddy and Vickie were at the Singing Christmas Tree CD recording. Daddy joined us Saturday night and we spent a wonderful Sunday together!
Mark has his first party: Mark's baptism took place on his second month birthday and we had a party at the church, followed by more partying at our house.

Mark at one month old

2006-01-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

One week old Mark

Mark's progress at one month old:

He grew 2 inches and put on weight at the rate of about 1lb/week.
Met most of our local family and friends.
Figured out the difference between day and night.
His routine is like clockwork - Mommy knows that Mark needs to eat every two hours exactly.
Everyone comments on how alert Mark is.
People watching is his favorite activity, but he especially loves to watch and listen to his Daddy talk.
Not so keen on the carseat! Our outings are limited.
We think he will inherit the Williams' ability to sleep with his eyes open.

Baby Mark Adrian

2006-01-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

Our little Mark Adrian was born around 11:00pm on September 13, 2005. He was 7lbs 13oz and 22in tall! The doctor said that Mark started his life as a todler already! And of course, he was the most beautiful baby she had seen in a long time! His parents agreed!

Mark has been growing really fast. At 3 months, Mark was 28in tall and weighed around 18lbs. His parents have already seen a chiropractor due to back problems. But we are overjoyed to share our days (and nights) with such a wonderful miracle. We saw him first as a dot on an ultrasound screen, and now he is a little boy who is smiling, talking, and playing with us. We are amazed by every new thing he can do. So, we thought we would share with you Mark's adventures during the begining of his life via short stories and pictures.