38 week baby summary

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

Max is now 39 weeks (9.5 months), so this is the update for last week, his 38th week of life.

Let’s just say Max is now moving, fast! He is crawling everywhere, and is pulling up on everything! If he can get his hands on it, he pulls up on it. He likes to chase Lexie all around the house.

His new favorite thing? Dancing! He loves to dance and bounce.

He is still eating tons of finger foods. I have been steaming him fresh veggies, freezing them on a cookie sheet, and then storing them in bags for quick meals. I can’t get him to eat much off of a spoon anymore, he wants to chew!

Speaking of chewing, we have two top teeth! That was not fun, but they are here.

His days look like this:

7am wake and bottle
730 breakfast and play
8:55 down for nap
10:30 up from nap
11:30 bottle
12:00 lunch with mommy, daddy, and lexie
12:40/1:00/1:30 nap, depending on how long his first nap was
2:30/3:00 up from nap (nap is usually 1.5 hrs from whatever time he fell asleep)
3:30 bottle and snack, offer juice in sippy
5:30 dinner with family
6:30 bedtime- we shoot for 7pm, but he is usually begging for milk and bed at this point.

His naps have been SO great. He has been feeling better since the teeth finally got here, not as whiny and clingy as the last week or two. Literally, overnight he became my happy boy again.

We went to the pool Friday, and Daddy surprised us by leaving work early to join. We had a great time, and max loved the pool! We tried again, without daddy, to see if I could manage everyone by myself, and it was a success. So it looks like we will be getting a membership for the summer. They also have a toddler time from 12-1 certain days of the week. It is time just for the littles to play and enjoy the water. We may try once or twice a week, since that is lunch and wind down time for nap. It’s not usually hot enough for the water that early here, or at least it hasn’t been yet.

I have reduced his reflux meds from 4ml, to 3ml. So far so good. He has some spitting up while playing and crawling, but nothing that seems to bother him. Getting the medicine in him is still a challenge; we will both be so happy when he doesn’t have to take it anymore.

He did great at the chiropractor last week. His lower back was out of alignment and Dr C asked if he had been constipated … as a matter of fact he had been! Kinda crazy. He got adjusted, took a nap, and woke up poopy. True story.

Lexie has been her usual sweet self. She loves playing with Max, and looks forward to our snuggles in the morning and after nap; daddy has been traveling and she gets extra affectionate when he is gone. I think she needs that extra security.

She randomly sleeps for naps throughout the week, but always lays down for 1.5-2 hours for rest. Her bedtime is still 6:30 with no nap, she falls asleep right away and sleeps until 6:45-7am the next morning (usually). We have tried a later bedtime, and get an earlier wake time, which tells me she isn’t getting enough sleep when she goes down later. So we are sticking with early bedtime to keep from waking up at 5-6am! On days she naps, bedtime is closer to 7:30pm.

She found mama’s favorite heels before church one morning

First time at the pool

Our roses from Arkansas

Big girl on her bike

Lima beans- yum!

Mama left me alone with avocado for 2 minutes….

Baby Summary Week 38: reflux and chiropractors

by Meghan // June 1, 2013 // Comments off

Max is almost 9 months old. This is the post for his 38th week of life.

He is EVERYWHERE. He is eating well, and is still loving finger foods. Like as in, LOVES. He will eat a few jars of baby food, and then sit in his high chair and eat finger foods for 30 more minutes. haha And most of the food is making it to his mouth now.

He is crawling all over the house, chasing Lexie Raye, pulling up on everything, and really trying to stand …. on his head! He loves to stand on his head and look through his legs. It’s hilarious.
But he is also trying to stand on his own. He finally picked those feet up and walked while holding my hands. It’s like he has realized, “hey, I can move!”

Sleep is good; two naps a day. One is at 9:00 and the other is either at 12:40, or 1:00 depending on how long his first nap was. I think he is trying to tell me it’s time to push his nap back, to 9:15 or 9:30, because lately the morning nap has been short. I may try it this weekend and see what happens.
——–
Yesterday we went to the chiropractor (it was one similar to these Activa Clinics). Yes, we. I am so excited, we are praying this helps improve his reflux, so we can get off this awful medicine. If you haven’t read about chiropractic care in babies, you should Google it!

Illness such as SIDS, reflux, allergies, chronic ear infections, and poor health in general have been linked to poor spinal alignment. Spinal alignment affects our nervous system and our overall health. When adjusted correctly, these illnesses can be prevented and healed. Ear infections and reflux are two of the biggest reasons parents seek chiropractic care for their babies and children. If after reading this post you think you need to make an appointment with a chiropractor for your child then visit https://www.cobbchiropracticclinic.com/ and you can organise an appointment with a reputable chiropractor in no time with no hassle. On Natural Parents Network, Gretchen has a great story about her baby’s ear infections and how the chiropractor she booked an appointment with helped get rid of them.

If you’re thinking, “Well Meghan, babies didn’t go to the chiropractor 1,000 years ago, or 100 years ago,” This is what I would say:
If you think about our evolution, (and I haven’t read proof of this anywhere, it’s my own thought) babies were carried in cloths, wrapped around on their mothers, with their hips appropriately below their knees (fellow baby-wearers know what I am talking about here) for centuries.
They weren’t strapped into car seats on a daily basis, strollers on the weekends, or sitting in highchairs, exersaucers, etc during their day. I’m not saying these things are bad, albeit, these things are necessary.

For the last 8 months I have hesitated taking him to the chiropractor, although JTom and I have both used a chiropractor with success and there are many different chiropractors that we could have used such as the round rock chiropractor. If you are looking for a chiropractor then just ask around and I’m sure you’ll find yourself a good reliable one. ~~I think~~ it was fear. I wasn’t sure about someone adjusting my baby, and I honestly didn’t take much time to read more about it.

But I’ve had enough.

This medicine is awful, it’s not good for him long term, I have to ~~torture~~ hold him down while he screams, gags, and coughs to get him to swallow it, and most days he spits it back up.
(We have tried all ideas for giving him the medicine, but if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments for me!) If the chiropractor doesn’t work, we will need to get back on the meds until we find something that does. I’m pretty hopeful though as there have been high reviews of the local chiropractor, we’ve got our fingers crossed though! We were either going to go to our local chiropractor or go a bit further and go to one of flspineandinjury.com chiropractor clinics.

Our doctor was amazing; he was gentle and used an activator to adjust both max and Lexie. He used me as their “tester” or “surrogate,” to muscle test both of them.
I’m not a medical professional, so I won’t go into the long details of what a tester is. But, if he can push my arm down, while touching a certain spot on their bodies, it means it is a weak area for them. On an older child or adult he would use their arm, not a tester’s.

While doing Max (who was calm, relaxed, and happy, btw which I was surprised by since he screamed bloody murder at the family dr office the other day), my arm went down super far between his shoulder blades and his middle back.

I looked at the doctor like, “what is that?!” and he said,

“there’s your reflux. These areas are digestion, chest and esophagus.”

I cried.

Although we may not have success with chiropractic care for Max’s reflux, I couldn’t believe I waited THIS LONG to do it. I felt ashamed, in a way; this is so much better for him than those dangerous chemicals in his medicine he has been ingesting, against his will.

But I am glad we are doing it now.

I stopped the meds this morning; so far no reflux today. *edit: this is a weaning process, not something that happens immediately. I will be reducing his dosage, every other day, until we get down to nothing, or almost nothing.* We will make weekly visits for a month or so for adjustments. Then I will probably do once a month or so, if we have success.

Lexie was also adjusted; my arm dropped for her in a few different places. One was her middle back, and the other (which was worse) was her lower back. So he used the activator and adjusted her. He couldn’t test on her eczema, because it wasn’t flared. But he said if it does flare, bring her in and he will try muscle testing for it.

That was it. It was gentle, and easy. Nothing painful, forceful, and torturous about it.
I held Max, and of course Lexie was miss independent, but I could have held her if I’d needed to. The dr. was wonderful! Wonderful! I highly suggest him if you are in the York area. Contact me for more info, if you’d like.

I am not suggesting this for everyone, I am not a doctor or medical professional (I have to say this stuff to cover myself). However, if your baby suffers from reflux, ear infections, colic, internal body infections (like yeast build up, etc), you should research chiropractic care for you child.

Read personal testimonials, because it isn’t something the mainstream medical community is going to say, “Yes! Go try it and see if it helps. I won’t worry about the kick back I won’t receive from these medicines that only mask the baby’s symptoms!” No. That’s not the general response you will get. =)

My main reasons for finally trying it were:
A) it cannot harm them. It isn’t painful, or scary. It isn’t like filling their tiny bodies full of medicines that are not natural or meant for them.

B) I believe in nature. I believe in God, and His science in the body. I believe our bodies were made to protect and heals themselves.

C) I’ve always considered taking both of the kids to a chiropractor. It wasn’t until one of my dear friends told me her family’s story that I decided we would do it. A baby in her family was scheduled for surgery due to chronic ear infections; he had reflux, and in general had been sick a lot. He was taken to a chiropractor and adjusted. Later, the family took him back to the pediatrician to see about the surgery and the doctor said the baby no longer needed surgery. *true story, friends!*

That was proof enough for me. (This baby also happens to be the same age as Max)

Some of you are skeptical, and judging me right now. =) And that’s okay.

I may be an “extreme, counter culture crazy,” but we are trying everything we can to get Max well, and off medications. Like many of our decisions, this was done prayerfully, and I do pray next month I have a success story to share with you!

Or maybe you are interested, and curious to learn more.

Either way, I suggest reading and researching about chiropractic care, its risks, and benefits. Also, while reading, read comments written by others on the articles and blog posts; you will always find a wealth of information and links to blogs, websites, research, and studies in comments!

There are many videos like these on Youtube (the first one is our doctor):

Here are a few blog posts with personal experiences, websites on the subject, and my resources:

I hope if you have been considering this type of treatment for your baby, that this post will help you make your decision. I also hope if you are a skeptic, you will be encouraged to read, and educate yourself more. You may come out a skeptic, still. But maybe not. =)

Have you tried “alternative” medicines for your family? I would love for you to share your stories and experiences with me!

Baby Summary Weeks 35-36

by Meghan // May 21, 2013 // Comments off

Max hit the 37 week mark yesterday, so this is a post for the last two weeks of his life.

To say Max ha started eating is an understatement. The boy is devouring finger foods. Everything from dried blueberries and apples to sausage and sauerkraut! He ate the sauerkraut like it was running away from him! This weekend he enjoyed my cucumber and tomato salad in oil and vinegar … with garlic! We still do pureed foods just because sometimes I don’t have a meal made that doesn’t have dairy in it, but he is eating a LOT more finger foods. I can’t wait for him to try watermelon and cantaloupe this summer.

We still only have two teeth, but I think he is working on the top two. They’re a little white but not puffy yet. He has been napping great! Most days are 2 1.5 hour naps, sometimes a cat nap at 4:30 if he is really tired. But we usually just do early bedtime at 6:30pm instead.

Crawling … well, he is moving about 2 feet at a time before he falls on his belly and decides to roll over. So yes, he is crawling, but not for long distances. He rolls and scoots around a LOT more than he does crawl. **EDIT: he crawled all the way across the living room floor today! I know, it’s a 37 week update, but had to add it! YAY MAX!**

He enjoys being outside, and playing in the water. We have had beautiful, warm weather as of late. So Mama has been laying out while the kids play. He sits in the baby blow up bath tub and Lexie plays in her kiddie pool. Speaking of which, they are finishing our fence! Woo hoo! I am so excited. It should be complete tomorrow morning. They did most of it today. Lexie is so excited, she has been waiting on her fence for a very long 3 months.

Helping mama make the salad …

Last weekend was Mother’s day; we went to church at the Methodist church (which I liked a lot, surprisingly, coming from a full gospel girl. It was really homey). JTom got me a bread maker for Mother’s day- woo hoo! We have already used it several times and LOVE it. way better than doing it by hand, any day.

This past weekend we stayed home and worked around the house. JTom and Lexie got the garden in and JTom got the sprinklers set up in the flower bed. He cut into the sprinkler system and put little sprayers in the flower beds. They’re really cute. Our garden this year is just: tomatoes (roma, big beef, early girl, burly boys, and cherry), red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and butternut squash. We put the bed in on the south side of the house, where they dug out for flower beds. It’s the perfect spot, and J.Tom may cut in some sprayers for the garden as well. I sure hope so.

I got some petunias for the back porch and filled the hanging baskets for the front, like I do every year. Lexie and I planted some giant impatience in a big pot for the front porch; they smell SO good. (I love having a front door that we use to come into the house)

JTom also got some new burners for the inside of his grill, so we can get back to grilling again soon.

Overall it has been a low key couple of weeks. Some how things have seemed really busy, but in all honesty we haven’t been super busy.

How have you spent your last few weeks? Anything exciting happening?

water play

she couldn’t resist; we didn’t have a kiddie pool yet

Mmm blueberries

Our record heat one day last week- 100 degrees here in lil ole York (we had snow on the ground the week before …)

Daddy and Mister

Reading a gymnastics books while waiting on class to start.

My morning Yoga

Mmmm Cucumber!

My Mister’s curls

wearing Daddy’s hat and looking like my cousin Wesley’s twin when he was this age. Like, if she didn’t have on the lace night gown, she would look exactly like him.

wearing daddy’s hat

34-36 Weeks Baby Summary

by Meghan // May 10, 2013 // Comments off

*I have been building this post all week, so “today” isn’t actually today ….*

Max has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 5 days! He suddenly went for a bitty baby to a big boy! He is almost crawling (edit: AAAAh! He crawled 2 knees worth today!), waving hi, giving wide, slobbery, open mouthed kisses, and laughing more than ever. Tonight for bedtime was the first time he put his head on my shoulder and his arms around me while we sang for night night. I usually hold him like a baby while he sucks his thumb and winds down. He’s such a sweet bear. Today, he also went from the crawling position to sitting position for the first time.

…. see, lots of firsts!

He said Mama while we were playing downstairs, hiding out from the rain. I was so excited. He is trying really hard to talk. A lot. The past few days I have had the living room fan, he is mesmerized; and I know all babies love fans. But this boy like instantly smiles and is hypnotized by the fan! He likes to play games now, like throwing his head back so you will hold him upside down, and putting his chin up so you can tickle his neck. It’s so funny. These are all things Lexie was doing long before 8 months. But it’s like he just decided, “Hey, I think I’m ready to move and have fun!” Before, he was so lazy and laid back. He is still laid back, just enjoys moving around now.

He gets so excited and is so proud that he can get up and rock on his knees, push up on his toes, and crawl backwards sometimes. He will be crawling more by the weekend, we are sure! Lexie gets very excited with him. She likes to show him how to do it.

He really enjoys playing in the grass. One of the great things about having a real lawn, is he can play and feel the grass without the fear of stickers.

I have him his first asparagus this week. He loved it! He also likes dill pickles (did I mention that last time?) and blueberries.

Lexie has been the sweetest most affectionate two year old ever this last two weeks. She is constantly telling me how much she loves me, hugging my neck tight, kissing me, playing and teasing, loving on her bubby even more, and just growing more kind and loving every day. Lexie has a tender heart; she doesn’t like for other people to be hurt or upset, but has had her share of not being so nice (like a typical two year old)… Pushing, chasing the dog, hitting Max … terrorizing the chickens comes to mind too.

But lately she has been so affectionate. Last night we were doing bedtime routine, and she just wrapped her arms around my neck, hugged me and said, “i love you more than this much!”

I’m sure my monster toddler will return soon, but until then i will take all these loves i can get! Her new favorite *obsessive* topics to talk about are the things that make God happy, and being grateful. It’s wonderful to see Christ in your child’s life, even before they completely understand the implications of their relationship with Him.

sweet Mister Bear

reading her Bible outside

talking to her buddy

I can do it, I can do it!

Heh

She is crazy about her umbrella!

Mmmm Blueberries!

Yes, I like them!

monkey girl

Mama, look where I can climb!

I’m doing it!

Did you see me?!?!

Mommy and Lexie

water play!

Max Baby Summary: Week 31

by Meghan // April 18, 2013 // Comments off

Max has been very clingy this week. His second tooth is here, and he is chewing like crazy with his side gums, so I am wondering if he is getting more teeth?! But I’m not sure. For the most part this last week was good. Minus the screaming. Oh my! The screaming. And it isn’t screaming like, “Oh, I’m mad so I’m screaming.” Or “feed me now!” (though he does that sometimes while I get a bottle ready.) No, it is just screaming. For FUN. A high pitched “Wheeee!” sounding scream. He was doing this while we ate lunch the other day. Lexie leaned over, put her hand on my forearm and said, “Mama. I do not like that sound.” Oh sweet girl, neither do I! Hopefully he will grow out of it before long.

He is signing milk all the time now. While I make his bottle, that little hand is just going to town signing for “milk.” It’s so sweet. He has been eating okay, but not great. Since the first tooth broke through he has good days and bad; he usually is only taking 4-5ounces, but will finish the rest mixed into cereal. However, because his new meds are working for his reflux, he is able to eat lots of real foods he couldn’t eat before, and now protests plain oatmeal! The boy wants real food. haha So we have been doing lots of avacado, carrots, peas, green beans, pears, apples and blueberries, etc.

His sleep has been better this past week, with only a few short naps. This weekend he had *perfect* sleep. All. Weekend. Long. It was amazing, really. I also found the activity table; it was hidden in the garage. We started using it this past weekend, and he did really well. For a baby who doesn’t seem the least bit interested in crawling or moving around at all, really, he stood up on his own for a long time playing at the table. He hasn’t mastered the art of bending his legs when he falls; so rather than fall onto his bottom … he just topples over like a stiff log. haha He doesn’t think it’s very funny, and usually gets really scared when it happens, so I try to avoid it… but the boy needs to learn how to fall onto his booty. So we are working on bending his knees and bouncing while standing, but those feet are firmly planted; I just don’t think he’s ready for all that yet really.

Considering Mister has been having such good sleep as of late, it is fitting that Lexie has been a little hit or miss. A few weeks ago, she went from not wanting to go to bed at night (read: saying she is tired, wanting to sleep, but also wanting us to pat her or rock her, which we don’t do because she has always gone right to sleep) to sleeping in her rocking chair. For some strange reason she has decided she wants to fall asleep in her rocking chair; and despite our attempts at keeping her in the bed, she gets up. But we have been going in and putting her back in the bed. The craziest part about all of this is she has been NAPPING. Consistently. For an entire week! I think this is partially because she is done teething. All her two year molars are in, and now she is back to eating and sleeping well. We considered taking the rocking chair out of the room, but I think we will just wait and see how long this phase lasts. Maybe she is just ready for a big bed… I am not sure. The 2.5 year mark usually is a developmental milestone for children when you generally see added clinginess, sleep disruptions, and new fears develop. She is definitely more clingy to both JTom and me, and has mentioned being afraid a few different story characters were going to “get me.” We have reassured her nothing is going to get her; she doesn’t mention this at bed time or anything, just sometimes while playing alone in her room.

Moni, Shelby, and Lilly watching us play doll house

Her imagination is wild! We still have engines that are beyond wearing out their welcome. haha I think I tell them things 200 times a day. “Will you tell me engines what I am eating? Will you tell my engines they need to sleep at nap time? Will you tell my engines they need to stay on the swing set and leave Scarlet alone?…..” Oh my. Then, the other night we had dinosaurs. On the ceiling. The engines go everywhere with us; she even includes them in her stories during stretching at gymnastics. They really like the museum. As long as I don’t have to feed them, I guess they can stay. 😉

Right now, Lexie is really into reading her devotional and Bible. I mean … like they are attached at her hip. As a matter of fact, the devotional is falling apart, and she can read every day, word for word, from January until today. Not kidding. That’s what we read for every nap and bedtime. It is her favorite. She is now acting like a little Mama to Max and her dolls. When Max cries she says, “Oh! Let me go see what is wrong to Max. Max, what is wrong to you? Tell me why.” haha I am not sure why she says “to” instead of “what,” but I’m sure she will figure it out soon enough. Her new favorite words are “fantastic!” and “earlier.” Hearing her say earlier is hilarious.

chewing on a pear

dyeing Easter eggs … a week late =/

painting her fingernails

We visited a church this past Sunday. It was really nice; it reminded me of my church growing up, which was a Full Gospel church. This is a non denominational church, it is small but has many young families. I am excited to maybe visit it again this coming Sunday. J.Tom was raised Presbyterian, so it is different than he is used to. But I actually felt like I was in church. For the past 5 years in Hot Springs I just didn’t get what I needed from our church; provided I didn’t give much back to them in way of serving. I never felt like it was home. The sermons were more like the new school way of thinking-motivational sermons or get people involved in serving the church, but let’s not talk about sin, salvation, the devil, or how to grow in Christ. That’s how I felt, anyway. The church we visited Sunday had an amazing sermon, though a little long, and a great worship service. Lexie walked into children’s church like she owned the place. haha She enjoyed herself (although she was supposed to be in the nursery since she isn’t 3 yet..) I don’t know if we will visit a different church this week or try this one again. We will just pray about it and see. We just hope to find a church that gives us what we both need, and that we can be a serve as well.

How did you find your church home? Is it one you grew up in or one you found after marriage, college, children…?

21 Week Baby Summary- baby 2

by Meghan // February 2, 2013 // Comments off

Baby 2 is 22 weeks tomorrow, and 5 months old! Wow, how the last 2 months have flown by! The first 3 …. well, those seemed to drag on forever, and that’s probably because he didn’t feel good. But now, they are going by so quickly.

Developmentally, during his 21st week of life, he started really grabbing and reaching for things. If a toy was on the blanket next to him, he rolled to his side, and reached for it. It was pretty cool the first time he did that. =) He can sit well in the corner of the chair, but isn’t really anywhere near ready to sit on his own.

Something I notice with #2, is they don’t get to do as much as early as #1 did. Well, for mine anyway. I think this is because I still have to be careful where I put Mister, can’t leave him etc., with Lady able to reach. She will try to lay him down so she can lay with him, roll him over, sit him up. She knows not to, but being the 2 year old she is, she thinks he “needs to, Mama!” haha

He is rolling over consistently now, from his back to his belly. Mister is a side sleeper! When he falls asleep, it is often on his side. Oh the joys of having a video baby monitor =)

I think I mentioned last time, Mister’s reflux has seemed to flare up. The dr. said although the dairy allergy aggravates it, babies with reflux will have flair ups between 4-6 months old, it just happens. She suggested medicine, which our insurance doesn’t cover and is …. $132 a month! Not happening. So, I got to thinking and remembered I had some powdered probiotics (this brand) left over from Lady having thrush. I started googling and read that many parents have calmed reflux flare ups with probiotics. We tried it, and it is working! Yay! $17 (I think they were) vs $132, I’ll take that any day!

Because of the reflux flare ups, I have taken him back to only formula mixed in oatmeal, no more solid foods; he was’t tolerating them well. Everything came back up. He is eating the oatmeal/formula mix like crazy, and that’s good enough for me, for now. =)

JTom came home last weekend, and everyone was so happy to see him. L was excited, of course, and Mister laughed and talked to him a lot. Baby2 definitely knew his daddy! I think we were both a little nervous he wouldn’t after 2 weeks. But, he did. The first thing Lady did when she saw her daddy was show him her fingernails. Then she hugged him and asked him to play.

We are anxiously awaiting the move; I have started packing. Warning to all grandparents: NO more stuffed animals or dolls. EVER! For either child. I do not care how cute they are, how fluffy they are, or how much they look like our own animals. No more! Please … =) I have thrown out I don’t know how many stuffed animals that L doesn’t play with. Oh, and no more battery operated toys, unless they are the trains that go to her Thomas set. Those are okay. Books, age appropriate puzzles, art stuff, educational toys, that stuff is fine. Just no more stuffed fuzzy things, please. =)

Anyhow … oh! Good news! We found a chicken! We thought the dog killed and drug off the missing chicken, but it turns out she was at the neighbor’s house … so Lady and I went down yesterday afternoon and got her. The only problem we had was Lady eating the banana we were going to use as bait… But we got the chick. She is happy, being back with her buddies again.

That’s it for now. I will try to keep updating through the move, but it may be hard for a while.

Meg

Week 20 baby Summary/Lady 28 months old

by Meghan // January 26, 2013 // Comments off

Here we are at the beginning of week 21, which means Mister has finished week 20. I’ve moved him back to a 3 hour schedule. I did this because his wake time lengths aren’t 2 hours yet, which puts him sleeping between 2.5-3 hours between wake times- that’s just too much day time sleep for him, when he turns around and sleeps 12+ hours at night. So, we are tweaking maybe a 3-3.5 hr schedule. The onyl downfall with this is he really isn’t hungry at 3 hours, so he doesn’t eat very well … It’s just something I am going to need to tweak; I will let you know how it goes next week!

Eating
Mister is eating pretty well. He likes solids, but he still needs the major calories provided by the formula, so I try to do formula first now, then solids, followed by offering more formula if he wants it. Solids just don’t provide as many calories and he needs all those calories to grow and help his brain development. Like I mentioned, he is eating every 3-3.5 hours and seems fine with that, but I know he can go 4 hours easily.

Sleeping
Lately, he has been napping pretty well. I think he may be getting past that terrible wonder week 19, so his sleep is back to being more routine, thank goodness!

Development
Mister is becoming more interested in his feet, but mostly only when he is naky. I guess then he can actually see and feel them, so it makes it more fun. He is shrieking and talking more, and really wants to sit up more. He can lift his entire chest up from laying flat, and gets so mad that he can’t sit up. Thinking back to Lady again, I had the glider in the living room when she was this age, and I sat her up in it a LOT. The seat is at an incline, so she didn’t have to risk falling out of it. I should probably let Mister do that some so he can build his back muscles more. He is also doing SO much better on his belly now, and can push up with ease; while on his belly he holds his head up so well, and looks around.

We went to the dr for his 4 month well child visit; he is just under 16lbs and I think 25.5″ long. He is perfectly healthy. The dr said he has great head control. She suggested I start trying to scrub off the plaques of cradle cap, and continue using head and shoulders. She prescribed some hydrocortizone cream to apply. I’ve never heard of this? But we are going to start using it today- she said it is like eczema and can really itch. So, we are going to see if that helps. The dr. also suggested since he isn’t nursing, that maybe we try the prevacid again to see if that helps. So here comes a long explanation for a short point, stay with me: Just before JTom left his job in Hot Springs, the company changed insurance. We have this insurance until the first of Feb.

With this new insurance, Mister’s prevacid is not covered; it is $132 a month. Honestly, with the way we budget we don’t have $132 for prevacid. We are already paying $36 a can for his non-dairy formula, and he goes through one can every 6 days! So for now, there will be no prevacid …. J’ snew insurance with his new company will start March 1, so if it covers the medicine, we may try it then, but for now he can just be on a nursing strike and I will pump.

Lady
She is just growing leaps and bounds every day. She knows her left from her right, and has for a while now I just keep forgetting to post it. She can identify many states, I may have mentioned that before. I am working on uploading the video to YouTube so I can share it with you on my blog. She is obsessed with being naky- she refuses to wear clothes at home most of the time, and I don’t make her. It’s easier for her to go potty by herself, and it means less laundry for me. =) I do try to get her to at least where a shirt, but it doesn’t stay on long.

She is getting better at gymnastics; she can do small jumps on the balance beam (with help keeping her balance) and some small sweeps. She LOVES the doing the bar, and her forward roll is perfect. She likes for me to take down the hall mirror and put out the yoga mat for her to play. She likes to watch herself … typical girl.

We read her devotional daily, usually before nap time. Our mornings are a little hectic with Daddy gone. But, he has been home this weekend and it has been wonderful! She loves having her daddy home and behaves much better; I think him being gone for so long is just emotional for her and the only way she really knows how to express that is by acting out. She has been talking back and not listening very well since he left. I figure this is also an age thing. So we are just working through it. After JTom was home for about a day, her behavior got better.

We are really starting to get to crunch time on the move. We have a few companies coming to do quotes for the move, then we will turn those in to JTom’s company so they can do the financial end of things. Then next week I will start really packing up things for us to take, that we don’t want the movers moving. The following week, we will close on the house (Feb 15th), JTom will come home that Saturday (Feb 16th), we will have the movers here the week of the 18th, and hopefully be in the house in Nebraska that week. Whew, it’s going to be fast, stressful, and a lot of work. Once it is done, we can really start settling in and getting comfortable with the new neighborhood and town. The sad part is, we can’t take the chickens. The bylaws for the neighborhood specifically say no poultry; there isn’t a law against it in the city so we were going to take them and jus put up a fence, hoping no one would really make a fuss. But, the problem there is we can’t put in a fence until the ground thaws in spring …. so for now we are going to get rid of the chicks. =*(
What’s even worse, is we lost 2 girls. I am very angry; the neighbor’s dog got under the fence and came in our yard while the chicks were free ranging, and he killed two of them. He got one red, and one barred girl. I think JTom is more furious than I am. So, we are down to 6 chickens.

Anyhow, back to the move …. all things are contingent on us closing on the house Feb 15th. Hopefully everything will go smoothly (we are praying!), all the papers are/will be together, and there aren’t any glitches or major bumps in the road. I refuse to get super super excited until everything is signed and done on the house, because if it gets moved to the end of Feb, we will be a part that much longer. =/

Anyhow, so this is our 20 week update. I will try to get some pictures posted soon.

Week 19 Summary Baby #2

by Meghan // January 26, 2013 // Comments off

This week Mister really started moving more. He loves to laugh at Lexie. He is eating solids 3xs a day. One day, he just pushed himself to a 4 hour schedule! However, he is on a BIG nursing strike and I have to trick him into nursing. Like, wake him up and nurse him while he sleeps, but as soon as he wakes up, he’s done. Some days are a little rough, but mostly this is what our day looks like:

7:00am wake/nurse/6oz bottle (I usually have to wake him)
8:15am down for nap asleep by 8:30
8:30-10:30 or 11 nap
11:00am eat
12:15pm down for nap asleep by 12:30
12:30-2:30ish nap
3:00pm eat
4:30pm-5:30 nap
6:15pm eat
7:00pm bed

Ive started signing with him. Maybe he will pick up on it by 7/8 months like big sister did.

This post is going to be a short one, because I am behind and need to get week 20 done, too! Aaah, where do the days go?

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!