What a Busy Week!

Zachery has had a week full of firsts and adventures! Last Wednesday we started going to a playgroup with other babies that are around his age. These are mostly moms from my exercise group, Stroller Strides, and all of our babies are under 1. Every Wednesday we are alternating houses and getting together for a few hours to give the babies a chance to play and us a chance to have adult conversations, which is a welcome change! So far Zach hasn't been very "social", he has been pretty fussy and not wanting to really do much but be held and chew on me. This is how he was the first few times at My Gym and music class also, so I think he's just going to be a child who takes a little while to get comfortable in a new setting. He gets that from me for sure! Here is a picture from this weeks play date:

Zach and friends at playgroup

Zach and I will be hosting our friends at the end of the month so I am looking forward to that, and the housekeeper that Matt is getting for us that week so we don't have to do all the hard core cleaning!

We went to the Orange County fair on Saturday and that was a blast. There wasn't much of anything that Zach could do except the pony ride. We had so much fun taking him and watching him that I already can't wait for next year when he will hopefully be big enough for a couple of the rides. He reacted pretty well to the pony and really only got upset when they stopped walking to let other kids on and off.

Moms little cowboy!

He also enjoyed the petting zoo where he got to pet baby deer and goats.

Zach loved the animals :)

Over the weekend Zach also finally rolled from his stomach to his back. Of course we missed it but it and he hasn't done it again but I was so relieved that he did it. I put him on his tummy on the floor and looked back at him 30 second later and he was on his back. I was getting a little worried because he should be able to roll both ways by now so at least he showed me once. It's like he knew it was stressing me out and he wanted me to relax and stop rolling him that way. Zach has also gotten very vocal in the last few days and is babbling up a storm. I am waiting for all of the consonants to come but so far I am getting "Ga" and then grunting. At least ga is a start! I know once he starts talking he won't stop, especially if he is like his daddy :) but that's one of the things I love most about him! Another big step that happened on Saturday is that Zachery got up on all 4's for the first time with his tummy off the ground.

Zach's first time on all 4's

And last night he started rocking back and forth while on his hands and knees. It is so exciting but this means I better get baby proofing the house ASAP! On Monday we went to this park in Westminister called the Splash Pad. It is basically a small fenced in area with statues that shoot water out and sprinklers that pop out of the ground and spray water. It was organized by my work out group and it was really fun to watch all the toddlers play and run in the water. It was a little too old for Zach but I know next Summer he is going to love it!

We had our last music class this week so Matt and I decided that we wanted to start Zach in swim lessons and today was our first mommy and me class. It was so much fun and Matt was able to leave work for a little while to come and watch which made it even better! I hate that he misses out on some of these things but I am so glad he came today because this is the thing he has been most excited about Zach doing since we found out we were having a baby. The pool we did the class at is in Seal Beach and they keep the temperature at 90 so it was perfect for the little guy. He loved it and for the first time I didn't have to ease him into the water like we do at my parents house in Vegas, I just went right in with him and he was smiling and laughing. There were 3 babies/mommies in the class and we sang and practiced going under water, floating and kicking so it was fun. Matt and I have decided that we are going to do these classes once a week since Zach seemed to enjoy himself so much. It is also really important to us that he knows how to be safe in the water. After I get comfortable with him in the mommy and me class we are going to start the water safety classes. I got there early today so I could watch and they were dropping babies not much older than Zach in the water face down and they were flipping over and calmly floating to the side of the pool. Since my parents have a pool at the new house and Matt's parents have a jacuzzi we really want to make sure that Zach is able to do this if he were to ever fall in. Here are a few pictures from the class:

Zach loving the warm pool

Zachery learning how to float

Going under the water!

Zach is 6 months old!

Well, the time does certainly fly by! My little man turned 6 months last Friday and I cannot believe he is now closer to being 1 than a newbie!

Zach had his favorites for his 6 month dinner-sweet potato and carrots

Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't want to go back, the first 6 weeks were rough, but I miss my cuddly little guy. Zach is really starting to explore everything around him and is so squirmy that it's hard to hold him for very long! It is amazing to watch him discovering new things and I'm so enjoying every minute of being home with him so that I don't have to miss any of it! He had his 6 month check-up with the pediatrician last week and he is weighing in at 17lbs 8oz (50th percentile) and 27 inches (75th percentile) so for everyone who comments on how chubby he is, he is perfectly average in that department ;). I do have Zach involved in a few different activities; on Monday's we go to My Gym which is a children's gym. He really seems to enjoy it and I have noticed that he is really strong for his age and I think part of that is from going to the gym. They teach me how to do stretches and "exercises" with him to build his muscles and develop his motor skills.

Here is Zach doing "push ups" at My Gym

We are also doing a baby music class that is almost over. It has been fun for him, except that he gets a little fussy after a while. He wants so badly to be moving and doing things on his own that he gets really frustrated.

Here is Zach taking a ride during music class

The music class only has one more session and I am going to get him into swimming. Since my parents bought the house in Vegas and it has a pool I feel a lot more comfortable if he at least has some lessons and everything I've read says the earlier that you start swimming the better and more confident your child will be at it. That is my Zach project this week, to find a mommy and me swimming class that we can start. It will be fun and it will be great exercise for me as well! The other really exciting thing that has happened this week is that my best friend from college, Carly, had her little boy! Aiden was born on August 1st and from the pictures I have seen he is absolutely adorable! I am so excited for Carly, I know she is going to be such an amazing mother and it is going to be so fun to have our little boys grow up together since they are only 6 months apart :) Zach and I are planning to go and visit her in a week and a half so I can hardly wait! So congratulations again to Carly and Kevin, Aiden is a luckly little guy to have you two as parents!