I know every day is another first for a baby...but Steven has had a particularly high number of very important firsts over the last two weeks that I thought should be cataloged...

-First Road Trip: 9 1/2 hours up to Cashiers, NC for my family reunion and then over to Andrew's family's house in Balsam, NC and then an 8 1/2 hour car ride home from there.  Oh, and with the two dogs as well...yes, we are crazy to attempt this, but it was actually not that bad.  We left Jax at about 4 a.m. for North Carolina and this morning we headed home at about 5:30 a.m.  We didn't have major issues on either journey.  He's a pretty good traveler.

-First out of town trip anywhere: I, of course, was paranoid about his schedule getting out of whack (those of you who know me well know that is my worst nightmare) and him become a monster and not sleeping through the night.  He did absolutely fine though...we managed to maintain his nap and feeding schedule, as well as his ultra early bedtime (7 p.m.) with no big issues.  He slept through the night every night, even the ones when he was in our room.

-First visit to the mountains, a very important part of his parents lives: Like I said...High Hampton in Cashiers for the family reunion and then Balsam.  I think he loved the cool weather...in fact, some days at High Hampton were so chilly, he had to stay in his PJs all day!

-First time meeting many of Meredith's relatives, including his great-grandfather McLennan:  Steven was quite taken with Grandaddy and wanted to hold his hand.  It was a special day.  Grandaddy predicts Steven to be quite a golfer because of his long fingers.  Steven met too many other people to recount, but he enjoyed everyone and was very tolerant of everyone playing “pass the baby.”  Mom's arm muscles got some much needed rest because so many people were willing to play with him.

-First time sitting up:  Just a few weeks ago, he was barely able to tripod sit, but he caught on very quickly and on June 28, he sat up all alone (with mom and/or dad sitting very close by).  His new mantra: “Weebles wobble but they don't fall down...well, sometimes they do!”  We haven't had a big painful tumble on his face yet, but we also don't leave him alone yet either...he's still practicing!

-First time sleeping on his belly:  No, not on purpose.  Once Steven found out he could roll over on his tummy, he discovered that sleeping on his back is for the birds.  Sleeping on his tummy or side is much preferable, much to the chagrin of his parents, but then again, we are both tummy and side sleepers, so its no surprise.  We still put him down to sleep on his back, but no sooner that we can leave the room, does he usually flip to his tummy.  He's pretty impressed with himself, too, normally squealing a few times in delight before settling down for a nap.

-First Foods:  He's been navigating the world of baby food for about a month now and his current repertoire consists of rice cereal (warm soggy cardboard), carrots (not bad), butternut squash (his gourmet food), and green beans (ick, but he LOVES them...too bad they give him gas).  He's like a pinwheel during food time, we almost need a baby straightjacket to keep his arms and legs still so we can get the food in his mouth because he gets so excited.

-First sip out of a cup:  Up in the mountains he started watching us drink from a cup intently, looking like he thought that was pretty cool.  So i put a little water in a cup and tried it out.  More spilled than was swallowed, but he still found it pretty cool.

So the first five months have been a blur of activity.  He's squealing and giggling and blowing raspberries like a champ, making the first scary months but a distant memory for both of us.  We may do this again afterall!

I have a ton of pictures to put up from the reunion and the mountain house, but we're getting hit with a major summer thunderstorm, so I'm getting off the computer now. I'll post them later this week.  Now i'm off to unpack...it's unbelievable how much stuff babies “need.”