Baby (#3) Summary: 11 weeks

by Meghan // December 29, 2014 // Comments off

(written a few weeks ago, Ila is now 14 weeks)

Baby Summary- 11 weeks {QuietInTheChaos.com}

(she has watermarks so crazies online don’t steal her sweet baby face)

Yep- it has been ELEVEN weeks since Baby Ila (or Ila-Dila, as the kids call her) was born. I can’t believe it! And unlike my first two, she has yet to have a baby summary post! I do these for two main reasons: as as journal for myself to remember what my babies were doing when, and to help readers looking for baby sleep schedules/routines.

Schedule/Routine

I will just start with our schedule, and go into details after that. Right now we are doing a 3 hour routine, but I think she is about ready for 3.5- 4 hours between feedings. (YAY)

7:00-wake/nurse/bottle/play
7:55- down for nap
10:00- wake/nurse/bottle/play
10:55- down for nap
1:00- wake/nurse/bottle/play
1:55- down for nap
4:00- wake/nurse/bottle/play
4:55 down for nap
She has been waking at this nap, and fussing because she is swaddled (which she normally loves) which makes me think she is about ready to drop this nap and move on to a 4 hour routine. But I am just hesitant yet, because she sleeps SO GOOD at naps and night, and I don’t want to mess that up!
7:00 wake/nurse/bottle BED

She is in bed every night before 8. The process of nursing and bottling takes us about 40 minutes, and there is no play time before bed at this stage. Lately, she has been having a hard time falling asleep at bedtime (again, a sign we need to drop the 4th nap and extend time between feedings), but is generally happy.

—

Before the last few days, we have steadily been at a 50 minute wake time since about …6 weeks? Before that we were at 45 minutes, which was just enough time to change her diaper, feed, and re-swaddle her for bed (mainly because feeding takes us so long). But this week she jumped up to a 55 minute waketime YAY. So you may wonder, how do you know when they’re ready for a longer wake time? She was staying up and talking at naps, happily, and then would fuss a bit before falling asleep (Because by that point she was over tired). So I knew it was time to push WT; I always jump in 5 minute increments and give it a day or two to work itself out before moving another 5 minutes, if it is needed; especially when they are this little. When they are older (2yrs+) I may move in 15 min increments.

For feedings we nurse, then she takes a bottle. But I have to sneak the bottle in, or she won’t take it. She just wants to nurse, which makes it hard for anyone else to feed her. In that way she is different from my other babies. With Lexie, from 4-9 months I was doing my internship/graduating from college, so we only got to nurse morning and at night; Max was in so much pain he just wanted a bottle then refluxed it all back up … he refused to nurse from about 5 months on. Ila LOVES to nurse; she goes crazy with excitement when it is time to nurse and does not want that bottle. but since I have a low supply, she has to take a bottle… I am pumping after 1-2 feedings a day to help with my supply. I just don’t have time to pump after every feeding.

Personality

Overall, Ila is a very happy girl. She rarely cries, smiles all the time, loves to snuggle and lights up the minute she sees or hears Mister and Lexie. They *LOVE* her. They want to hold her, talk to her, snuggle her, hold her hand, and read her books non stop. They join me for putting her down for all her naps and happily sing “Jesus Loves Me” each time- it is pretty precious.

Personality wise, she is so easy going compared to the other two. Well, Lexie was colicy some days, and had a very strong willed, determined personality. Max was easy going but had so many issues with reflux, that made him difficult. God knew I needed a break when he gave me Ila!

Development

Developmentally, she is on target I guess? I am not really keeping up this time (funny how that happens). She has discovered her hands, kicks her legs a lot, and talks. Oooh, how she talks. I love it! =) She isn’t in a rush to do anything, doesn’t care much about moving around; Lexie and Max were both trying to roll at this point. She just enjoys talking and being tickled.

Hopefully I will keep up better with her development/summary posts; probably not weekly, but monthly.

A Peek into Our PreK Day with Pictures {Crew Carnival}

by Meghan // October 6, 2014 // Comments off

Our Homeschool Day in Pictures {Quiet in the Chaos}

This week we are linking up with the Review Crew’s “Our Homeschool Day in Pictures.” Click on the image above to read other Crew members’ posts!

This week Lexie’s reading EXPLODED! She has been reading her AAR readers like crazy; we love this program. I am so proud of her, but mostly I am just thankful her confidence has gone through the roof. She will try read just about any word I point to. We are working on using her finger to point to the words (she doesn’t like to do this, but reads much better when she does) and not using the pictures to guess what the sentence says. As you can see, we used an envelope to cover the pictures so she will read the words first, then look at the pics.

And now we do a whole lot of this ….

We have snacks outside, twice a day. (I think this is their favorite thing to do …)

The Mister enjoys playing “connect four” and reading books.

We have also been gardening (LOTS of tomatoes coming off our plants), and just adjusting to having a baby in the house. Overall, everything is going smoothly and everyone is adjusting well! =)

Dear Lexie

by Meghan // April 14, 2013 // Comments off

It has been a while since I did a Dear Lexie post. Looks like now I need to add Dear Max posts, too. Tonight was a fitting night for this selection on my list of topics to blog. It turns out today was national siblings day, so that created a bit of a somber night for me. J.Tom is out of town until tomorrow, and the kids are in bed asleep. All I want to do is go hold them (but Lexie has been feeling insecure the past few nights, crying a bed time, so i def think going in to hold her would make that situation much worse. Tonight she didn’t cry, and went right to sleep). My thoughts of my brother always bring me to a sad place. I just miss him so much, and I feel like I forget more of him every day. I’ve tried to write things down that I’ve remembered over the past 3.5 years, but I know I can’t remember it all. Anyhow, on top of those feelings and just the need to write something down, I decided it was a good night for a Dear Lexie post.

Dear Lexie,
Tonight, as I was working on some Bible scriptures for us to talk about in the coming weeks, I came across a verse that stopped me in my tracks. The minute I read it, I thought to myself “If there were only one thing I could say to her for the rest of her life, this is it.”

The section was titled “Shining as Stars“

Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

In which you shine like stars in the universe.

Please don’t be afraid to be different. Please don’t be afraid to shine like a star. Not a movie star, or a music star, or any star of the flesh, but a star in which God crafted every prism of light, every twinkle and every color for a purpose. His purpose. Don’t let anyone ever make you feel less than good enough; God created you piece by piece in His image so that you may one day live in His kingdom. When you are judged (and you will be) or talked down to (and you will be) for your faith, your convictions, or your kindness, remember you are a shining star, and that despite what others may say or think, there are people who love you for you. And one day, you will find someone, like your daddy and I found each other, that loves you for your love of Christ. For the love that pours out of your every pore. For the funny personality, the smart mind, the beautiful spirit that you share every day.

As your mama, I am going to do everything I can to mold your character into a Christ loving and following young lady. Never be afraid to go against society. Society is full of evil, malice, and selfishness; and you my sweet girl are non of those things. Don’t hide in a closet, of course, but arm yourself with the Word of God, and ask that he arm your heart and mind that you might live the life he has envisioned for you, to do His work. Your daddy and I are trying to build that foundation now, and I pray that we take more right steps than we do wrong; that we may hide His Word in your heart so you have the protection you need in life.

Grow. Grow every day. When your life feels stagnant, open your Bible and read. Do something good for another person in need. Make cookies for your neighbor. Volunteer to work with small children who may not get love at home. And in everything you do, seek Him and He will fill your life full of blessings. He loves you for who you are, but despite this He wants you to be like Jesus. Kind, compassionate, patient, loving. Those are big shoes to fill, I know. But today, when you put on your new “summer play, pool shoes,” you looked down and said, “Oh! I have shoes like Jesus’s shoes!” And my sweet Lou, you were made to fill those shoes.

I can’t protect you from every evil, every hurt, every harsh word. But I can prepare you for it. I can show you how to love, and I can lead by example. I wish I had always had a love for reading the Bible as I have now. I was blessed enough to fall in love with your daddy, who had a strong Christian faith and lead me to wanting an even stronger relationship with Christ. But not everyone is so fortunate. Some people settle for less, because they think they will never find someone who shares the same beliefs, the same convictions. Just know this- you were created by the Master Creator, and in His plan for you there lies happiness and love; if you strive to live close to his heart and in the light of his Grace, you will be blessed on earth beyond your comprehension, and have an everlasting life in Heaven.

“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”
― Max Lucado

This is so true. Don’t chase boys or men or love. There is no need to go searching for love; when you establish the foundation for love through a relationship with Christ, a love on earth will come. The same goes with friends. Not everyone will be kind, or understand who you are. A nd that is okay. You don’t need everyone to like you, life is not a popularity contest. Try not to fall into the ways of the world, for the world is corrupt and unkind. Instead, surround yourself with Godly people, show them the bright, shining star you are. Set the example so that others might want to follow. And above all, give glory to God; for without him we would all have and be nothing.

I love you Lou,
Mama

…

Beans, Beans

by Meghan // April 12, 2013 // Comments off

With Spring in the air, Lexie has bee learning all about plants and how they grow. So, we decided to plant some beans! I wanted her to see how the beans change from a seed to a plant, but didn’t really want to do the baggie thing. SO I did a little googling, and I I found this great idea over at The Imagination Tree. (People like to make fun of my glass jar obsession …) But she used a glass jar and cotton balls to grow beans! Genius! The best part is, it is easy, not messy, and Lexie could do it all on her own.

So I grabbed ~~one of my many jars~~ a jar, and gave her the cotton balls.

She put them in the jar..

Then she added the beans to the side of the jar, so we could see them.

Next we watered the beans. And this is what we have a few weeks later!

The great big bean didn’t do anything for a week, then one morning it had started growing!
It is going at a slower pace than the other.

This one is really taking off, and is probably ready to be planted. I am not sure why it took them 2 weeks to grow this much? They are in an east facing window, so maybe that is why?

Lexie loves telling everyone about her beans, and checking on them every day. She does so good not to touch them, but likes to pick up the jar and stare. =) This was a very fun project for her, and for me!

Hopefully this week/end we are going to get our herb seeds planted!

Max Baby Summary: 29/30 weeks

by Meghan // April 9, 2013 // Comments off

Wow, I know. I’m behind… Max is now 7 months old/31 weeks. This is the update for his last (month) week, which was 30weeks old/the week he turned 7 months.

We have two teeth! The first one was his bottom center right, and it came in about a week ago. 3 days later the left tooth came through. The left one seems to really be bothering him today; he’s been pulling on his ears and chewing his fingers … but of course he hurts himself now when he chews them because there are teeth in there! Haha! It won’t be long before we will have to make a dentist appointment for him; he’s growing up so fast. I want to make sure that for his first dentist visit, we go somewhere who offer Children’s Dentistry as at least that way they know how to properly treat young children so that they are used to going to the dentist and not scared, (like I am). My friend takes her children to this Dentist in Sarasota, which is where they live, and they are supposed to be very good in treating children. So, I think I may look for a dentist local to us that offers a similar service so that his first visit is a good one.

He is sitting up all the time by himself (that actually started about a month ago). He is much more balanced. I noticed when Lexie was his age, in the middle of April she was pulling up on things and turning herself around while sitting. I’m wondering if it is harder for him because we have carpet now? Lexie had hardwood floors to spin on. If Max were sitting on hardwood floors, then everytime he leans over or reaches for something he would realize, ‘Hey, I can move!” haha I may get the foam ABC mat out that Lexie used and put it down instead of the quilt they play on.. But I’m not sure how well it will work on carpet.

He is babbling a LOT! Lexie taught him to say “dadadadadada” a few weeks ago. I’ve been working with him to say “dada” when JTom comes home or is holding him. Two days ago, the boy looked at his daddy and said, “dada,” then when JTom didn’t say anything back Max said, “dada,” until his daddy replied. Then he just beamed! JTom was very proud. =) So we are pretty well convinced he knows JTom is DaDa. He has a few other babble sounds he makes and is so proud of himself. Max is also signing for milk. He signs it when he is waiting for me to make his bottle, when I sign it to him, while he is drinking his bottle… so next we are going to do “more” and “please.”

He is wearing 12 month clothes (he has a few 9mo that he can wear). About 5 days ago, he woke up and had a head full of hair?! Prior to that he had a “mohawk.” Then 2 days ago he woke up with lighter hair! It’s crazy how babies literally change over night! His eyes … well I am going to let you decide from the pictures. I really don’t know. The centers look light green, but overall they’re just really blue.

Max’s 6 month dr apt went well. He started a new medicine, I think it is prilosec for babies. They compound it at the pharmacy. The taste is terrible so he has a hard time swallowing it (even with added flavoring) but it has helped tremendously! He went from barely eating and taking bottles to eating a LOT more! I think he has gained 5 lbs in the last 3 weeks. haha He has been eating peas, green beans, carrots, apples, apples w blueberries, and avacado with no problems. Bananas constipated him for a day or so, so he hasn’t had them anymore. But there have been no problems with anything else as far as reflux goes! What a blessing and answered prayer.

His sleep has finally gotten a little better for naps, and here is what his routine looks like:
6:45/7:15 wake
7:00/7:15 up, medicine, eat
7:45 independent play in pack n play
8:00/8:15 go downstairs to do calendar and activities with Lexie
8:50 wind down for nap
8:55-9 asleep (usually a 1hr10min-1.5hr nap)
10:15-10:45 wake up
11:00/11:15 eat, play
12:30-1:00 down for nap; we do 12:30 if he was SUPER tired from a short first nap, but 1:00 if not
2:00-3:00 wake up; time depends on what time he went down for second nap. (Usually a 1hr10min-1.5hr nap)
3:00 eat, play
sometimes he takes a cat nap (he is in the process of dropping this nap)
Ideally, his dinner is 6:00, bedtime is 7pm
On days he doesn’t get good sleep (usually if naps are interrupted it’s with a poopy diaper, or we go to the library for story time…) then we do bedtime an hour early, so asleep at 6pm. That helps his catch up on sleep, and keeps him from getting in an over tired cycle which can take weeks for a small child to get out of.

Lexie is doing great. She still enjoys gymnastics, and has all her “imaginary” friends. We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, along with Billy Goats Gruff and the Three Little Pigs recently … now everything is a “daddy fill in the blank” “mommy fill in the blank,” or a “baby/Lexie fill in the blank.” Obviously this goes according to size of said object. =)

reading

She started letting me wash her hair in the kitchen sink, so hair washing and bath time are no longer a fight. She was doing great, and then about 4(?) or so weeks ago, it became an absolute screaming, tearful battle to get her in the tub so I could wash her hair. She doesn’t like teh water to get in her ears or eyes. Of course we did EVERYTHING to prevent this, but when
she is screaming and moving around, it becomes impossible to keep the water only on her hair …. After I convinced her the kitchen sink would be fun, and that my Memaw washed my hair in the kitchen sink, she was okay with it. =)

Two weekends ago, Spring hit Nebraska. Although this coming week is supposed to be stormy and cold, the last two weeks have been warm and sunny. We don’t do the Easter Bunny, so Lexie got a spring basket with some new learning toys and a few necessities. We gave her a Thomas the Engine (electric) toothbrush, some new PJs, new dry erase markers for her dry erase board, a pair of fiskar kid’s scissors, and some accessories for her light table. (The light table is a whole other post! Look for it later this week or next!)

She also got her first real kite! In Nebraska it is very windy, and out where we live used to be cornfields, so there are no big trees around the house, they are all a street over at the park and school. So it’s the perfect place to fly a kite. She had so much fun!

In many of the pictures I am posting, the grass was just barely turning green, now it is all green and trees have started budding and blooming(?). Our garden season is off from the south by about a month, so we don’t need to get anything in the ground for a few more weeks, at the latest May 1st.

JTom has been traveling some with work. He went to Milan, Italy last week. He brought back three bottles of Italian wine and some parmesean cheese. I still haven’t tasted the Italian wine, but I am sure it will be great. The cheese … well it’s good! =) In Italy they put (very expensive) balsamic vinegar on a little piece (like a cube) or parmesean cheese and eat it. So when we went to Grand Island last weekend we got some of the good, “gourmet” (though no expensive…) balsamic vinegar and tried it on the cheese. YUM! New favorite snack, for sure.
He brought back some “monies from Italy” for Lexie and she was beyond pleased. haha I got a beautiful rosary, and the wine.

Turkey season in Nebraska has opened, so JTom may be hunting Saturday. He joined a hunting lease here, that covers hunting land all over Nebraska, and in other states as well. I told him if he brings home meat so I don’t have to buy nasty store meat, it will be worth it. He said “it’s called hunting, not killing. I can’t promise I will bring anything home.” So, we will see if we end up w a turkey in the freezer. =)

We have started planning our garden. We know we are going to get in tomatoes and maybe a few other things. We have to get the fence done soon, hopefully in the next few weeks. All of the pictures below are from March, so they are actually a few weeks old, or older. You will notice Max’s hair isn’t very thick. Look at his hair and fat rolls in the next posts with pictures! It’s crazy how quickly they change.

reading to Bubby

Mister Bear playing in the bath

reading her Bible to Max

I love to be upside down

new outfit

playing outside in the dirt

Happy Bear

Angel Baby

just minding my own business…..

Until now ….

picnic outside

happy bear

Mister outside in the exersaucer

Hi Mama- look at me!

28 weeks old (6.5 months)/ First update since February

by Meghan // March 22, 2013 // Comments off

Well, it’s been a while huh? So … we have moved! We successfully moved our children, the animals, and our belongings a month ago. Whew, it was a little crazy, but we did it!

Sweet little mister

First I will do a quick update on Max and Lexie, then an update on everything else. Max has outgrown most of his 6 month clothes and is sitting for long stretches of time now. He still likes his feet, and loves his Lexie. We have been signing for “milk” for a month or two now, and he has started to do it back while eating or waiting for me to finish making a bottle. I am not sure if he has put the meaning of it to the actual result, but he signs back at me. So he is either good at imitating and will get the meaning soon, or he already gets it. He has been less than a good sleeper since we moved.
For the first 3-4 weeks his room was too bright while we waited on blinds to arrive. He was also getting used to his new surroundings, which I think was very distracting for him. He has started having good naps about every other
day. I’ve noticed when I get him up he smells SO BADLY of acid, and his sheets have been stained, so I do believe we are dealing with reflux again. This could be due to many things: A)not taking his medicine. We were doing probiotics and no dairy which were both helping. But at this age reflux tends to flare back up, and teething can make it worse. B) his baby food could be contaminated with dairy. Did you know food companies are not required to put ingredients on their products if it is cross contaminated, and not an actual ingredient? So it is possible his baby foods are coming in contact w milk. Also, I don’t have the carton to his oatmeal, but it’s possible it contains whey. We are going to the grocery store today so I am going to double check. We go to the dr tomorrow afternoon.

As for Lexie, since we cut back on milk, yogurt, etc. her eczema doesn’t seem to flare as much on her face. I just want to know for sure that Max has a dairy allergy, and what is causing Lexie’s eczema. I had some of his Prevacid left over so we started it again… with our new insurance we have to pay for all of it, and here it will cost us …. wait for it ….. $224.31. for a 31 day supply. When the insurance lady told me this I cried all morning. How is it possible these medicine companies can sell pain meds for $10-$15 a bottle (which many people turn around and sell on the street for $5+ a pill) and my son’s medicine, which he needs in order to EAT costs more than a car note? I don’t understand how this is possible?! And they don’t make a generic for the SoluTabs he has been prescribed. So at the dr tomorrow we will be asking what else we can do, if the dr. feels it is the reflux flaring up again.

snuggly girl after bath

So, because of the possible reflux flare up, the move, teething, etc. Max has just not been taking good naps. On good days he will take 1.5hr naps. On bad days, he sleeps for 20-40 minutes at a time. It’s exhausting for everyone, because it effects everyone. But like I said, about every other day is a good day for him. Then we try to replicate it the next, and it’s awful. I really have no idea what is going on. Hopefully it will smooth out in the next few weeks.

Lexie loves her new gymnastics. It is much different than the gym we went to in AR. Her tot class is in the evenings, and there is a lot happening in the gym at that time. It is really overwhelming for her, and it takes her about 10 minutes to become cooperative and pay attention to what we are doing. She has always been this way; at MDO she stood back and watched the other kids until she was comfortable a few weeks into it. The same went for playing at the Y while I worked out. And also at our play dates. Now instead of quietly standing back and watching, she just wants to go do something else, and won’t pay attention. I think this just comes along with her age, and being overwhelmed. After a few weeks I think she will be more comfortable. She has learned a lot of new, more advanced things, and has also shown the teacher a lot of things she could already do.

She LOVES her new house- her favorite room is the basement. I have set up a little area down there for us to play and learn. It is also plenty big for us to “practice” her gymnastics in the mornings when we can’t go outside. =) Gotta get some of the wiggles out. She is obsessed with Thomas and Friends (although she has’t watched TV since our first week here-more on that in a minute), and to ~~definitely not~~ help out with that situation, a train runs through the corn field on the other side of the house. They all have names from Thomas-Gordon, Charlie, Rose, Emily, etc. All names are the same as her imaginary friends that showed up after Christmas… and are still around. Nap times are now spent talking to them, instead of not napping. But I’ve convinced her to tell them she needs to sleep, so they need to sleep. She tells them no talking, but that lasts all of 15-20 minutes. (hey- I think that’s pretty good for a two year old!)

We have been doing a lot of fun activities; it is a lot easier now that I have a place to keep all our materials and things. I am going to do several separate posts on those.

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks around the house:

helping daddy

telling daddy how to do it … no doubt.

good morning!

reading Thomas with Daddy

oh garsh!

sharing her Baby lamb with Mister, and asking for a kiss on the hand

just playing and watching Sissy Lexie

I can sit up really well now!

bath time

Lexie reading to Max (and she got all the words right!)

Scarlet’s new normal- she can see in the back sliding glass door and windows. She and Lexie talk to each other.

Going for a walk

I know- so dang sweet!

This is how they clear the roads out here-they push the snow into our backyard! Lexie liked it though

“Oh- Im going to show daddy I wear his hat!”

Max vs Lilly- the stare down

Before the BIG cut

This is hair after- it now sits right at her shoulders when wet

Good times!

18 Week Development & Lexie Development

by Meghan // January 13, 2013 // Comments off

Mister has completed his 18th week of life. We have to make his 4 month dr apt … I sorta haven’t done that yet. =/

He is on a nursing strike … not fun! He really isn’t eating well at all, from the spoon or bottle. I am attributing this to his teeth, since they are so close to breaking through, but this is also a normal thing for the 4 month growth spurt, and wonder week 19 development. The last few days have not been good sleeping days, and I am assuming this is because he isn’t eating well due to his teeth, and just overall probably doesn’t feel good. He is more snuggly and clingy right now, too.

He has started back rolling around a lot; he spins in complete circles in his crib and on the floor. Of course, he thinks this is great! On the floor, he will roll side to side, and has even made it from his back to his tummy once or twice.

His cradle cap is still pretty bad, but since his hair is getting thicker, you can’t tell too much, unless you’re close to him. He still hasn’t found his feet … just doesn’t care about them that much yet. haha Lady begs to play with him, tells us to hurry up and finish eating so he can play with her! He is, of course, still “my M” to her, and she does not like other kids coming near him. =) She is only a little protective. haha

Lady is doing all sorts of amazing things. She can name and point out: California, Nevada, TX, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma on the map; she knows where Idaho is, but she can’t ever remember the name of it. Her back-bend is incredible, and of course she still loves gymnastics. We have started doing some handstands and cartwheels at home; that’s fun! She speaks in clear, complete sentences unless she is being silly around a big group of people. She tends to act a little nervous around a lot of people; most people wouldn’t say that about her, but her behavior at home compared to being around a large group is different. She is shy around certain people, usually men. Second to gymnastics, she LOVES to sing. She has so many “favorite” songs, and asks me to sing with her all the time. She is constantly humming while playing independently.

Here are a few pics I don’t think I have posted before:

playing with her doll house

reading to her Moose (obviously she picked out her socks)

Our 8″ snow on Christmas

17/18 weeks old baby summary

by Meghan // January 7, 2013 // Comments off

Mister has finished his 17th week of life, but wasnt 4 months old until the 2nd. So, his weeks are a litttle off from his monthly age. He is really starting to come into his own; last weekend we had a play date and we were talking about how quiet and laid back he is. Then that evening, he just suddenly started squealing, yelling, and growling non stop! Now, if he is awake and in a familiar place w familiar people, he is talking!

Eating
This boy is devouring solids! He watches me while i get everything ready and then sits there with his mouth open like a little bird. Its funny; he loves sweet peas, green beans, apples, and pears. Oh, and he likes oatmeal mixed into any of those. Those two bottom teeth? Yea, theyre trying to cut through. Some days they bother him more than others, but mistly he is doing okay with them. His little cheeks stay red (due to the teething) and he drools a lot. I have also started signing with him, when i think about it. I do the sign for “milk” right now, but should probably start doing, “please,” “more,” and “eat” as well. L was signing “milk” at about 7 months i believe.

Development
He isn’t really rolling over much anymore. He doesn’t like to be on his tummy, and after a few minutes he cries and fusses, like Lexie did. I need to start making him push back over, because i know he can, since he used to do it. He does like rolling side to side on his back, though. Lady makes him laugh a lot a lot. He likes this rattle ball his aunt gave him for Christmas, and loves the wooden squish toy; it was L’s favorite too.

His hand movements have gotten smoother, he reaches for and grabs whatever he wants, and he has found his feet a few times, but isnt really interested in them. Im wondering if this is because he always has a toy to play with, thanks to his big sister, Lexie. Haha. She makes sure he has plenty of toys, at all times. He really enjoys sitting, and standing up these days. He is very strong, and is so proud of himself while standing.

Lady is a big help. When we get him ready for nap, she sits in the glider while i stand and hold M, and we sing “Jesus Loves Me,” then I put him down in the crib, and Lady e sneaks out past me. She loves to “help” put him to sleep. I cant remember if I mentioned it in his last update, but he is in his sleep sack now, no more swaddle.

Lady has been out of Mother’s Day Out for the last two weeks, but starts back Monday (the 7th). Last friday we started back at gymnastics after a holiday break. It was much needed, and she enjoyed it. Her backbends are amazing, and now she can do hand stands! She doesn’t really know shes doing them, it just sorta happens during her donkey kicks, but none the less, she is so strong!

Week 15/16 Baby Summaries

by Meghan // December 31, 2012 // Comments off

Max is 15 weeks old-OMG how did that happen? He is almost 4 months old- that’s crazy. I feel like we spent so much time trying to fix his reflux that the first 3 months just flew by!

Eating
Max has been feeling pretty good, reflux and eating wise. We have started eating oatmeal- he loves it! The child just took it right off the spoon like he knew exactly what to do. We started oatmeal because he just didn’t seem satisfied anymore. He was taking so much formula, and would then spit up a lot of it, but still wanted more to eat. So, I tried the oatmeal and he loves it! So at 10, 1, and 640 he nurses, then get some solid food, then takes 4oz of formula. He is a growing boy! =)

Development
Mister has really started talking more. He does it mostly when he is by himself playing in the pack n play w all his toys. He likes to roll onto his sides and kick. He is raising his shoulders and chest way off the mattress- but still hasn’t found any interest in his feet yet. He seems much more laid back than Lexie was. She was a determined little thing, and he just kinda doesn’t care … If he is fed and dry he is a happy boy.

Lexie loves to pay with Max. Today she had an empty wrapping paper roll, declared herself a “sheepard” and then said, “Max is Baby Jesus.” It was hilarious! We have all been enjoying the fire, Max and Missy Cat especially. He loves to watch the fire, and Missy loves to lay in front of it.

This past week was Christmas- we had snow! It started Christmas afternoon, and didn’t stop until the next morning. We literally had 8″ of snow. I will post pics later. Lexie didn’t like it much- she just enjoyed walking in it. haha But, we lost power. There was a lot of ice before the snow fall. We heard limbs snapping one after the other, and about 7:45pm we had no power! So we toughed it out that night, with a fire. The next morning we went to the inlaws a stayed the day, and night. The next morning we had power.

I will try to get a post in on what our Christmas was like. Things are just really busy here, and about to get even more busy. So, it may be a while before I get it up!

Happy New Years!

Week 13 Baby Summary

by Meghan // December 7, 2012 // Comments off

Mister was officially 3 months old on December 2nd (also JTom’s birthday)! But because of how the weeks fell, he is 13 weeks old.

Sleeping
Max has been sleeping from about 7:15pm until 5:30-6:30am. Today (December 4th) I let him cry it out when he woke up at 5:20am. I went in and checked on him, calmed him down, then put him back in the crib and left the room. He cried and fussed on and off for about 30ish minutes. But he went back to sleep until 6:50am! So we have been CIO today. It’s not easy, but he is getting it. After his first nap he only cried (on and off) for 10 minutes before falling asleep. I am keeping one arm unswaddled, because he can use that hand to soothe himself if he needs to. (Oh yes, he is in love with his hands this week!) If it takes him longer to relax and fall asleep, I go in after 10 minutes, pick him up until he is calm, then place him back in the crib. I know today is pretty much going to mean very little sleep for him, but after a few days, he should be sleeping on his own. I think he is ready; I feel that way because when I try to get him down he struggles, wiggles, and fights me. He just can’t settle with me holding him as well anymore. So, I think it’s time he tries to settle himself. I will update at the end of the week on how it has gone.

*update*. It has been 3 days now and Mister is doing great with his day time sleep! We have rough patches through the day, but overall he is putting himself to sleep with very little crying or fussing. I watch him in the monitor, and he usually is just sucking in his hand, with his eye closed, while he rolls around some until he settles. He has been paci free for 3 days, and I think he is nursing better as a result.

Eating
He seems to be feeling better, reflux wise, so it looks like the dairy free is helping! One week of no dairy and he is like a different boy during the day. Looks like we have a dairy protein allergy. (I will make another post on that later).

Devleopment
Max is starting to try to raise his shoulders up, and he can do it pretty well. He rolls from his tummy to back easily and Lexie LOVES to watch him do it! He is already rocking/rolling onto is sides, and can almost make it to his tummy from his back! Im sure this will happen before the end of the month. I am still not sure if he is teething… I really want to say yes because of all the chewing and drooling (oh my!) but developmentally this is when babies’ saliva glands start producing more (it was part of evolution to help break down food/breastmilk as it changes with baby’s growth. Also to help build the stomach flora as baby grows bigger). And since that falls right in line with baby discovering his hands and enjoying chewing … I just don’t know! His gums have looked like he may be teething since the middle of October, and he started chewing in the middle of November … so we should have something happen by the end of this month if he is in fact teething. They do seem to be a bit more puffy and white there at the middle bottom, than the rest of his gums. So we will see.

Max is laughing, smiling, and starting to find his voice a lot! He is squealing some, especially when he is tired and ready for a nap, he starts really jabbering. He blows bubbles non stop and spit just flies every where! Lexie thinks this is a serious problem, “He’s dwooling, Mama. He’s dwooling!” She is so serious! It’s sweet.

Love Bug
Lexie has started napping again at home! We seem to have found her sweet spot during the day for tiredness, and now that those molars are in and she is no longer scared of going poopy in the potty, things are getting back to normal. But who knows how long that will last before we get more molars, or something else changes and throws her off for a while. Regardless, I will take any sleep she can get! =)

She’s enjoying gymnastics, and can do her bridge, straddle, pike and tuck. She really enjoyed the foam pit last week, and got brave enough to kick her leg up in the balance beam. It will be interesting to see what she does this week (tomorrow, Friday). We are doing Advent activities each day, and taking about Baby Jesus, Christmas, love, being kind, and God’s love for us. Sue Sue has given us some really great resources to use during the month of Advent. She has really enjoyed the Christmas stamps I got out.

She loves her daddy getting her up in the mornings, and doing her bed time routine at night. My favorite part about her being in a toddler bed now, is climbing in bed to snuggle with her when she wakes up! She makes me a spot, says “here, Mama, you need lovie.” and we snuggle. It’s wonderful! She walks around talking on her phone like a grown up (and Im never on the phone in front of her?), and loves to cook in her kitchen. Now she wants to play with Max all the time, which is basically just them laying on the floor together.