Oh Ira. He made some big strides this past month. He's really into solid foods these days and he's vocal about it. He likes to be spoon fed and is still working on feeding himself. He'll eat pretzels, toast, etc on his own, but anything mushy he's much more reluctant to eat with his hands. He won't drink water from a sippy cup. And I actually tried to give him a bottle this past month - that was a no go. He was not interested and was really angry at me for trying to put the bottle nipple in his mouth.

Ira is scooting around all over the place. He can pull himself along at a good clip. He rocks on his hands and knees lots and is beginning to pull himself up (on his knees) on the toy baskets. Ira can't get from sitting up to his tummy, so if the sissies want him to stay out of something, they sit him up on his bottom. I finally figured out why he looks so funny sitting up. Ira sits up with his legs straight out in front of him, not v shaped. His hamstrings must be incredibly flexible because he can dive and lunge with power from sitting.

Ira is not sleeping through the night. We really need to double down on that. He doesn't nurse very much during the day because he's way too distracted. Nighttime is another story!

I think Ira may be left handed, but it's still too early to tell. He's a joy and I love him.

Here are Conor and his dad, Jim, playing the longest game of chess ever. What do all these men/baby have in common? Their middle names are the first name of their fathers.

All of my babies have worn this winter toque! It's so nostalgic and adorable. And this guy wears it well.

Time is a thief! Ira is growing so quickly. Towards the end of this last month, Ira finally decided that solid food was acceptable and maybe even enjoyable. Turning that corner was a real relief. Ira is pulling himself around on his tummy all over the place and he's really fast. He winds his way through the lower level of the house occasionally getting stuck. Ira seems to really enjoy having so many siblings. Sometimes when I'm feeding him, he'll repeatedly yell and act as though he's listening for someone (anyone!) to respond. When his sisters want him to stop him from getting into their stuff, they sit him on his bottom. He can only rarely maneuver himself out of a seated position. Ira had 3 teeth along his top gums before his second bottom tooth came in, so his little grin was lopsided and funny for a while. Now he has a balanced mouth of gappy teeth. Ira loves baths and I just assume that I'm going to be splashed and wet by the end of it. If I could change one thing about Ira, I would wish for him to sleep through the night. Otherwise, he's practically perfect!

Ira had 2 costumes this year, one of which was this tiger costume. E wore it for his first Halloween, so obviously, I just had to put Ira in it. It was pretty funny to watch him wrestle with the hood. His cheeks look so round and yummy!