i, ronin

Okay, so what has happened with Ronin lately? Ronin is still the same happy healthy baby. He has now two upper teeth with a gap between them. He continues to drink his formula and eat his pureed food (he prefers the fruits such as applesauce and peaches to the vegetables). He has also graduated to small pieces of mango and banana. Today he had pieces of a corn muffin and quite liked it. Anything he likes he will cry out with his mouth open to make sure you know he wants more. When he is finished he just pushes the spoon away.

He is a lazy eater. He doesn’t want to feed himself with the spoon despite attempts of mommy to try to teach him how to do it. Mommy even tries to teach him to hold his bottle and he will cry when you will try. Yet, he knows how to hold his sippy cup. Although the sippy cup is more like a teether for him because he tends to move it around his mouth to gum it. He also loves to gargle with it as well as with his formula bottle. He is a funny kid.

Is he a messy eater? Of course. What 7 month old isn’t? He loves to play with his feeding spoon, his bowl, and anything he could get his hands on and the bold little tyke loves to watch your eyes bug out when you see him dangle the dirty spoon, dirty bowl, dirty anything over his tray heading toward the floor. It is like he is daring you to do something. It is a mexican standoff. Are you fast enough to catch the dirty spoon, dirty bowl, dirty anything or he is faster in letting go the dirty spoon, dirty bowl, dirty anything? Trust me he is a quick little sucker but a cute little sucker. You can only be mad for so long once you see the twinkle in his eyes.

Ronin had his 6 month birthday two weeks ago and he sure has grown since August. No longer the bald headed crying skinny newborn, now he is a chubby friendly infant who loves to talk once he wakes up in the morning and who hates to be on his stomach. He has more distinctive facial features with his mom’s lips and his dad’s eyelashes and chin and he definitely has more personality. He loves to be with people and enjoys the company of women, especially.

He is no longer the passive baby either. He is more active despite the lack of ability to move around. He enjoys playing with toys especially ones that make noises. He will grab for toys or objects that interest him even if they are not within his reach. If he finds them unreachable, he won’t hesitate to make grunting noises so that mommy can move him closer to the object. Unfortunately, all the high tech toys (like VTech) can’t compete for Ronin’s interest as much as a plastic bag does. He loves the crinkly noise it makes. He also loves to play with tin plates that make banging noises when he hits it with his hand on or his tray table. He is especially interested in a bottle brush that we have hanging in the kitchen. He loves when it swings to and fro and he will often motion his mother to move the brush.

With whatever the toys he may be playing, his attention won’t be held for long. At the most he can play by himself for 15 -20 minutes. Since the apartment is small, Ronin gets bored quickly because nothing is new anymore. When he visits other people’s place or goes out on a trip, he is less fussy and less whiny. Just today, Ronin took a trip out to Hoboken with his father carrying him in the Bjorn and he was talking up a storm with everyone he came in contact. It was cold but he was happily talking to himself or to anyone who would listen.

Yes, Ronin is quite the communicator now. He still babbles but he has been saying “ma” alot lately and Vin thinks it is directed towards Mom. Mom is not so sure since Mom has heard him say it whenever anyone is around. He will also say “Da Da” and will string sounds together such as “Ba Ba” together. He will often try to get people attention by just shrieking altogether and when he does capture his audience’s attention, they are sure to get a smile out of him.

About Ronin’s smile, he is no longer showing off his gums. Ronin now has his first choppers. His bottom tooth has come in and now it looks like he is ready to use them. He will look longingly at you if you are eating in front of him. He makes his Lolo Pop feel guilty whenever Lolo Pop enjoys a snack or a meal. Just this past Superbowl Sunday, Ronin sneakily grabbed a chocolate cookie from his Mommy and put it to his mouth. Thank God, Mommy got it in time.

Not that Ronin is able to sit up with some support and he has his choppers, Mommy decided to give him solid foods this week. Mommy has been giving him rice and barley cereal. Despite Ronin’s Filipino heritage, Ronin hasn’t been taking to the rice cereal. It often ends up on his face than in his mouth and that often comes with a sour expression on Ronin’s face. He doesn’t mind the barley so much and he has eaten about a teaspoon of it at one sitting. Soon, Mommy will be trying out the pureed vegetables. Let’s hope he doesn’t take after his father.