17 Pounds of Ham!

Our sweet Ham had his six month check up yesterday!

 

 He would not be a second child if we didn't compare him to his brother, right?  So, it appears Sam continues to be smaller than Henry in every area. At 6 months, Henry was 19lbs, 7oz.  Sam is 17 lbs.  Henry was 28 inches, Sam is 27.  And Henry's head was in the 95th+ percentile.  Sam's is nice and average.  Sometimes I wonder if I just don't feed him as much... or maybe I fed Henry too much?  Or maybe this is just how God designed them?  Okay yeah, that seems right.

 

Forgive the ugly bib, but I figured what bib would be better to get baby peas smeared all over it? Ham is lovin' the food.

 

Bang bang bang! I. WANT. MORE!

 

 I want to cry, but mom is holding up the camera, so I think I'm supposed to laugh.  This is so confusing!!

SO, Sam kind of sits up, but not really.  He is, however, very mobile.  The other day he was on one side of the room... I left, and when I came back, he was on the other side of the room by the toys, trying to pull Henry's Fischer Price Helicopter off of the shelf.  He mainly moves by rolling and scooting, but he has gotten up on all fours a few times, which is only a litttttle scary.

Anyway, his nickname continues to fit him quite nicely.  He is definitely a little Ham.  The kid wants to party.  Love my man!

6 months?

Sam turned 6 months old last Friday the 8th! He is such a joy and loves all people but especially loves Henry. We go tomorrow afternoon for his well check- so they can give him shots and prolong this getting back into a routine thing. Perhaps I will bore you with stats after the appointment, but for now... Look at this cutie!

Overposting, Oversharing

It's my blog, I can do what I want to.

I thought I'd share (since I'm in the business of oversharing) this very ironic story about our "Henry" song.  Ironic considering some of the names that are in the lead over there on that poll.

My mom makes up songs for all of her grand-kids when they are born.  (Or more accurately, changes the words to songs that already exist.)  One of Henry's songs is just different words to the song, "I'm Henry the 8th."

It goes like this:

I'm Henry Webb I am, Henry Webb I am, I am
I was born into the Gibson clan
They welcomed me with open hands
Everyone called me Henry
They wouldn't have a WILLIE or SAM
I'm the first grandson, I'm Henry
Henry Webb I am I am, Henry Webb I am.

And looky there! William and Samuel are up there at the top of the list.  (At least as of now.)  So would we have to change the words to Henry's song?  And my goodness, I had no idea people liked the name "Sam" so much.  Seriously.  Or maybe you just don't like any of the other names, but I don't really care.

Anyway, here's to spending way, way, waaaaaaay too much time thinking about this over the last 48 hours.

VOTE for a NAME!

Okay, friends, we are feeling desperate for a baby name.  When I'm asking my five year old nephew and my less than two year old son what we should name our child, it's bad.  It's worse when I start typing into Google, "What should I name my baby?"  Then I get routed to a site called "baby genie" and it literally just produces a random name for me.

So, if you'll direct your attention to the side of my blog, there is a poll with FIVE NAMES in no particular order. I made a poll last night on Baby Center, and the names on that poll were different (some were the same- oh, and one is spelled wrong, but it's out anyway).  Quite honestly, I don't love or hate any of these names more than the other.  Some of them Matt likes more than me and vis versa.  Our families seem to have strong opinions in opposite directions, so most likely, this poll won't get us any closer to a decision.  There's a chance that the name we give our child isn't even on this list. (Matt has been trying to make up his own names.)

Anyway, please vote, so we don't end up leaving the hospital with a baby named "Brother Gibson" or "Boy Gibson" or "Gibblet Gibson" (as Matt has been fondly referring to him against my will).

Oh and feel free to be brave and comment with your own potential name ideas.  We could have literally added five more to this list.

Thankful: Day 15 [Mom's Group]

Tuesday is mom's group day.  I'm so thankful for my mom's group- or whatever you want to call it.  It's a group of women, not necessarily from my church, who love God and help me love Him more.  Our kiddos go upstairs or outside with babysitters (also thankful for them), while we get some adult time over coffee and snacks to read and apply the Bible to our lives and to pray for each other.

Thankful: Day 3 [Big Boy Bed]

I like this series because I literally spent the whole day today thinking of things and trying to think of things that I am thankful for... so that's good.

I've thought of quite a few, but for today, I am going to say that I am thankful that Henry has officially switched to a big boy bed.  And, to add onto that, I am thankful that it doesn't so much seem like he realizes that he can get out of it by himself.

And, even though initially I don't feel particularly thankful that we have to re-endure him crying before he falls asleep (you all may remember I don't handle that well), I am going to choose to be thankful for it.  At least he has vocal chords that work, he loves us and misses us, he understands transition, he's growing up!  And, I'm sure enduring those tears does something else good in me, Matt, and Henry - though I can't say exactly what that is. :)

Here's a picture of his unfinished big boy room.  We just need to hang a few pictures on the wall and he will be set!

P.S. Today we are going to the annual follow up appointment for Henry's craniosynostosis. FOUR HOURS LONG! I will be sure to post an update. :)

uh oh, getting weepy

I would apologize that all of my posts are about pregnancy, but I wouldn't really be sorry, so that would be a dumb thing to do.  The short of it is that this is the easiest thing to talk to you about right now, and if I didn't write about easy things, then I probably wouldn't write enough to justify having a blog.  Glad you understand.

Anyway, I went out this weekend and bought these.  I almost started crying when I picked them up at the store.  Then I almost started crying when I showed them to Matt.  Clearly, the hormones are kicking in.  I got weepy at the end of my last pregnancy.  I should just be thankful that I haven't been weepy the whole time.

moms vs. dads

I have recently been accused of "coddling" Henry... I was accused by the guy in the picture up there at the top, my sweet husband.

I guess, naturally, as a mom, I am a nurturer.  And as a dad, Matt is supposed to provide strength and security.  It makes sense that he wishes I coddled a little less... and I wish he coddled a little more. :)  It's nice to be able to even each other out.


Here are just a few examples. (I realize this post is not going to be "fair" because Matt will not have the opportunity to defend his case, and I will probably defend mind endlessly, but as long as you all know that and know that we respect each other, it's okay. Right?)

The other night, we kept Henry out WAAAAAAY too late, and he was so tired.  That's an RX for a meltdown, by the way.  So, when we got home, Matt gave him a bath, and he slipped just a tiny bit in the bathtub - didn't hurt himself or anything- but it caused him to start crying like a little baby.  So, I of course, hate to hear him cry so I dash into the bathroom, where Henry is clearly looking for comfort.  From Matt's perspective, nothing happened.  He isn't hurt, so he needs to get over it and stop crying.  From my perspective, he is too tired to have the self-control to stop crying, so he needs sweet words of affirmation and a back rub to be better.  Sure, if he had started crying for no reason and he wasn't exhausted, I would probably agree that he needed to just get over it, but he was so tired!

Matt, and other guys in general, think it's "fun" to "mess" with little kids... BABIES! They get a sick pleasure out of it - or maybe they think they are making him into a MAN... not sure.  So even if it is clearly unpleasant for Henry to be tripped over and over again, or poked in the tummy, or what have you... guys think it's hilarious to keep doing it.  Once again, mom ears can't stand baby cry.  I can't tell you how many times I've said, "Leave him alone! He doesn't like that!"  And somehow it's funny to the dudes.


I try very hard NOT to be overprotective, since really, what happens to Henry is not in my control anyway, but I'm telling you, I feel like I am constantly gritting my teeth because I am afraid he's going to... trip on the concrete and chip his tooth in the process? (Ooops, already did that.)  Fall off a chair? (Oh, he fell about 2 feet, face first out of his stroller today - thank goodness I wasn't there.)  Poke his eye out?  (Almost did that yesterday - he tripped over my foot while holding a thermometer and poked himself in the cheek.)  So, even though I spend a decent amount of time feeling anxious that he is going to hurt himself- as if I could really protect him from it- he still hurts himself.  Matt, on the other hand, does not seem to have this feeling of angst.  As a result, if Matt is supervising Henry, I am constantly saying things like, "Can you go watch him?"  "Make sure he doesn't [fill in blank]..." I guess I stress enough for the both of us, which is probably why my blood pressure has been a little on the high side this pregnancy and why Matt is constantly telling me I need to RELAX!


So there are probably at least 100 real life examples that I could share, but here's a short comparison.  Mom vs Dad. (This could easily be changed, since I am sure these traits have more to do w/ our personalities than our parental roles, but whatev...)

Mom- Hates to hear baby cry.  Dad- Do you hear him crying?  Do you have ears?
Mom- Sees every potential danger to child and tries to remove it.  Dad- Does not see potential danger, or does not care.
Mom- Baby falls down and hurts himself, so I want to pick him up and hug him.  Dad- Baby falls down and hurts himself, so he needs to get up and tough it out.

Okay, that's it for now.  For the record, I have noticed that if we tell Henry that he's okay or if we clap for him when he falls down, he gets over it really fast.  Whereas if I try to coddle him, he will milk it for all it's worth and cry like 10X longer... so what we actually do is a case by case scenario.  I just wanted to share the way each parent naturally bends in this post... THE END.

my brain can't think of a title so deal with it.

Deceptively Delicious FAIL.  This morning, I used steamed, pureed cauliflower in a Jessica Seinfeld recipe for peanut butter and banana muffins.  Sounds delicious, right?  Oh my goodness.  They were bearable right out of the oven- Henry had half of one- but I came home this afternoon and after one bite I couldn't have forced myself to finish it if I had wanted to.  Matt actually thinks they are good, which only tells me one thing... they must really be healthy.  (I must admit that the recipe called for an egg, which I didn't have, so Google told me to use mayo instead. Sick out. I still think it's the cauliflower that makes them disgusting though.)  This recipe was neither deceptive or delicious.

How bad would it be?  Would it be wrong if I just hid all of the toys that have a gazillion parts - even though Henry LOVES them - so that I don't have to get my pregnant self down on my hands and knees to fish them out from underneath the couch, the table, the bed, etc.?  I mean, Henry loves himself some mega blocks, but I seriously find blocks hiding in every corner of the house!  If mean mom emerges, she might hide all toys that have removable pieces.

Foot in Mouth.  In the 18 month update, I mentioned that I don't really have to chase Henry all day. Maybe that's because until this week, he never actually RAN.  Today at Target, he ran away from me, and he ran FAST!  Pregnant mommy chasing toddler = laughable.

I am beyond exhausted, so this post is over.

where have I gone?

I usually don't announce our vacations in advance... since there's a good chance that all you readers out there would try to rob my house.  Hopefully you know I'm kidding. Sort of.

Anyway, we just got back from a week-long trip to Orange Beach, Alabama with my pregnant sister, her hubs, her two crazy boys (5 yrs and 2 yrs), my mom and her hubs.

As luck would have it, I forgot to bring my camera, so we relied on Matt's iPhone to document Henry's first trip to the beach.  Pictures to come.  (Oh and I promise to get those ultrasound pics up soon.)

Thoughts on the trip?

-Vacation is NOT the same w/ a toddler.  It is still work.  To actually get R&R, there'd have to be no children there.  But I loved watching Henry have fun, which must be why parents ever take their children on vacation!

-That being said, it was nice for Henry to have a 24/7 playmate, his cousin Bennett, who is about 10 months older than him (and could easily beat Henry up if he wanted to).  They just LOVED each other and were so freaking cute together.  So we weren't responsible for entertaining baby boy 100% of the time.

-Call me crazy, but hanging out in a maternity swimsuit (an ugly one) on the beach isn't really my idea of a good time.

-To add to the last thought... hanging out in a maternity swimsuit next to my also pregnant sister isn't very fun either.  My sister and I currently weigh about the same and she is due in 4 weeks. (I'm due in 18 weeks.)  We are 14 weeks apart, but we looked more like 4 weeks apart.  It was lovely.

- I wore 50 spf the whole time.  My family looks like we have been in an igloo... not on the beach.

-On our way home, at about 11 pm at night after driving all day long, I was barely awake trying to decide on names for our next child (and surely I was not helping Matt stay awake as I spewed my thoughts about the names incessantly), and we just might have finally settled on one... but we aren't 100% sure so I'll work on that and get back to you.

And I had two diet cokes at dinner tonight, definitely putting me over the limit for the amount of caffeine I should have in one day... so that is why this post was written from 4-5 am. :)  Where would my blog be w/out insomnia?

just waiting for Starbucks to open...

Seriously, maybe the reason Starbucks is not open 24 hours isn't because of the lack of customers they'd have between the hours of 11pm and 5am. Maybe it's because they don't want to be full of crazy insomniacs like me who shouldn't be drinking caffeine anyway.  Whatever.

I have been tossing in bed since 2:45 am thinking about a slew of things.  Lucky you, I'm just gonna divulge.

1.  What in the WORLD did I DO before I had children?  I'm not going to lie, I hate when people say this.  And I hated it even MORE before I had a kiddo because I was like, "What, you don't think I'm busy?"  So to answer your question, person without kids, trust me, I know that you're busy.  Not the point.  I'll just leave it at that.

2.  Thank goodness babies aren't born as toddlers.  It's really nice that kiddos start as newborns.  Cause their needs actually grow and grow as they get older.  They actually demand a lot more from you as they become toddlers and so on.

So instead of having to start with a toddler who requires SO MUCH attention, it's nice to start with a little baby who doesn't move, talk, eat real food, and who, honestly, sleeps most of the day.  Not that you don't need to give that sweet baby attention!

I remember feeling like it was kind of a pain to have to sit Henry down to feed him real food because it took for-freakin' EVER!  A lot of the transition phases were just rough because they required more work and more time.  (AKA less time for me, which btw is a good thing.)  What's amazing is that eventually you get kind of used to it and you start wondering what you did before you had kids... ha.

3.  Baby in tummy is preparing me for 3am wake-up calls.  Little guy or gal inside of me likes to be active in the wee hours of the night apparently.  He sent me straight to the pantry for a peanut butter sandwich.  While we're on the topic... can I just share a pet peeve?  (Which, mom brain, I have probably shared before.)  There's some certain terminology that people use in the context of nursing babies, which literally makes me want to curl up in a ball and BARF MY BRAINS OUT.

The first one is the word "FEEDING." (When used as a verb in reference to what the baby was doing.)  I used to HATE when Matt would say, "Is Henry feeding right now?"  NO! Henry is EATING.  He is not a pig at the trough.  We don't FEED. We eat.  Don't ask me why, but I cannot STAND when people say that their baby woke up to "feed."  You woke up to feed the baby. The baby woke up to eat.  People do it all the time.

Next.  "I'm just going to give the baby a little SNACK."  (This in reference to breastfeeding just a few minutes instead of a full "feeding.")  A snack? That is just SO GROSS SOUNDING to me!!! Yuck.  I'm sorry, but my kid will not be getting "snacks" from my body.  I mean, if a short feeding is a snack, then why don't we just name ALL the meals?  The first feeding can be breakfast, then brunch, lunch, a snack, dinner, and dessert. Why not?

This is coming from a person who didn't so much love breastfeeding to begin with, so just excuse me if you feel offended right now. 

(Don't worry, that's just about a tenth of the stuff I was thinking about at 3am.)  All that, and Starbucks still doesn't open for another hour!

Nap Time?

Ever since I got pregnant, Henry's naps got really regular.  Actually, let me rephrase that. MY naps got really regular, and Henry didn't really have a choice.  Crib or?  Crib it is.

This extreme feeling of, "Oh my gosh I have to go to sleep right now, or I am going to fall asleep standing up," was wonderful in the sense that I FINALLY had the motivation I needed to let Henry learn to fall asleep in his crib during nap time by crying it out. (Forgive me if I have already told you this before because it's very possible that mom brain + pregnant brain = stories told multiple times, even on a blog.)

In that first two weeks of CIO, he might have actually cried for two hours straight, but I had no idea because I slept through it all. Unconsciousness is bliss.

Anyway, I thought this whole nap thing would go away after the first trimester, so I could actually get some stuff done. But I have pretty much slept every single weekday that I can remember.  Here's my little confession though...

I NEVER know how long Henry's naps have lasted.  He always wakes up before me.  There are days where I am pretty sure he got a dirty diaper like 15 minutes into his nap and didn't sleep at all, but just cried the entire time that I slept.  Based on how he was acting yesterday afternoon, he might not have slept more than 30 minutes.  I think this happens 2 out of 5 days of the week.  Bad momma!

But today I woke up before him!  And now he's awake.  So I gotta go get the guy.  Peace.

Videos!

Forgive the fact that these videos were created in extremely poor lighting.

Here's Henry walking, playing in the sink (one of his new favorite things to do), and then in the third video he is doing this weird thing he does that's hard to explain... but I will try.

About 6 weeks or so ago, he started this thing where he just tenses up his whole entire face and body like he is flexing it all or something. Apparently it is genetic because Matt's mom said he did it as a child. It is really weird, and he does it totally voluntarily. The funny thing is that Matt still does it (but usually when he is angry). Henry, on the other hand, just does it to make us laugh. Hopefully you can see what I am talking about on the video, but it's kind of tough to get the total effect this way.

silly kiddo

Enjoy!

my kid has food allergies

Not gonna lie... Before I became a mom, I kind of thought kids who had food allergies were... well (don't hate me for saying this)... wimpy.  As if they could help it.  Of course I was an idiot.

And of course, it turns out, my kiddo has got some food allergies of his own.  I would be lying if I told you that I'd never expect any of my children to have food allergies - mainly bc I didn't have them, and neither did Matt.

Back in January, I was eating some Nutella (hazelnut spread), and H seemed to have a pretty intense reaction to it.  Note, he didn't even eat it.  So that was episode one.  I'll spare you the details.

Episode 2 was Sunday.  He got some mild-looking hives during breakfast, and the only thing new that he was eating was cantaloupe. Really?  An allergy to cantaloupe?  We'll see.  It could also have been strawberries, but he eats strawberries a lot.

The part of this story that I shouldn't admit to is the fact that I was supposed to take him to get blood drawn like two months ago so we could figure out what he was allergic to... oops.  I FINALLY did it yesterday.

My little man was a champ.  He sat there still and quiet as they poked him w/ that needle and took out 3 tubes of blood.  Didn't even cry!!  (He also did 10000 times better than back in August when we were prepping for surgery.)  You better believe he earned himself a blueberry muffin from Starbucks afterward.

a whole new mom level

So, I'm not really a storytime, library, gymboree, play-date type of mom.  Like, up until now, our "play dates" are really for me because I want to hang out w/ the other moms.  This is why H and I spend a good majority of our time at Target... because I like it, and because it has a Starbucks.

But, I've realized that I no longer have the capacity to entertain H all day long on my own.  So, for my sanity and for his benefit, I've started to do some more mommy-ish activities.  Like... story time at the Library and Barnes & Noble. And we've thrown in some play dates here and there.  And we've even gone to the park EVERY DAY since the weather's gotten nicer.

I'm not really an outdoor person, if you haven't noticed.  (I'd run on a treadmill every day of the week.) So, going to the park isn't my idea of a good time.  And neither is walking outside for a long time. But, like I mentioned, there comes a point in your child's life, when going outside to the park is more than necessary - and we have reached that point. Let me tell you, it's been so worth it - makes the days go by faster, Henry is happier, and I actually have started to enjoy it.  And I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but his nap is a lot longer now too. ;)

Like I said - whole new level.  And also, can I just throw this out there - I might take it back, but so far with the first kid, I'm thinking year 2 is much easier than year 1.  Just sayin.

melts my heart...

Henry and Matt are both asleep, semi-snoring (we'll call it breathing heavy).  Matt is on his back, Henry is on his tummy on Matt's tummy, if that makes sense.  It's the SWEETEST THING EVER.  I don't have a picture uploaded but maybe I'll post one later.

Anyway, they fell back asleep after Henry smacked his head against our iron bed this morning.  :(  He was bleeding and may end up with a swollen eye, but for now he's happy and safe with daddy. :)

not how i envisioned the morning...

Little bud woke up crying UNCONTROLLABLY at about 4 am.  Determined not to give in, we let him cry for about 45 minutes, then when Matt and I were both miserable enough, we got him out of his cribbo... That's when you think the crying would stop, right? But NO.

We tried everything... food, singing, playing, rocking, praying, even a BATH (which calmed him down a little bit, but not much)... the kid was inconsolable.  Which, as a parent, makes you feel pretty helpless and well... the mom in me was beginning to think that something was wrong.  But nothing was wrong...

So our last resort was taking him for a drive while we played some of his kids worship music CDs.  He was calm as soon as the music came on, and then after about 10 minutes he finally fell asleep.  I drove around while H and Matt slept in the car.  I know, that's a no no, but it beats inconsolable screaming.

Of course when 5:30 am finally rolled around (when Starbucks opened) I got some coffee.  We came home, and successfully transferred Henry into our bed (thank you, Lord), where he and Matt are now sleeping.  But I had coffee... so I am awake.  Which means at about 2PM today, I am going to be REALLY sleepy.

This is when I start thinking thoughts like... "Who can I pay to take Henry on a walk today for about 1-2 hrs so that I can 1-sleep, 2-clean?  Surely there is someone out there..."

Other things I think about when I can't sleep...
- rearranging the furniture in my house
-painting my house a different color and getting different furniture for my house
-getting a maid
-hiring an interior decorator
- could I cut out Starbucks and eating out if it meant I could have a maid/interior decorator/daytime babysitter?
-in Heaven, will there be monotonous chores like the laundry and the dishes and constantly putting things back where they belong? surely not... Surely Jesus can find a way to keep our clothes completely clean and to use plates and utensils that are perfectly recyclable and/or reusable, etc.  That, OR, I will just miraculously enjoy that stuff in Heaven?
-maybe I will be artistic and have the ability to decorate things in Heaven

There's more, but if I write it all I might leave you w/ more questions than answers...

Pull through, Dr. Ferber

Disclaimer: boring mom post.  Skip if you don't care.

You may remember back in March or April when the little guy was about 6 or 8 weeks old we were doing some sleep training, and I was blogging while I listened to him cry it out.  Well, in the last couple of months we have regressed, and we're back...

Yesterday, in desperation, I went out and bought Dr. Ferber's book "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems." (Excuse me, I know that should be underlined.)  Then, after a long night of NOT SLEEPING, in desperation, I have started the "progressive waiting" method for nap time.  To those who have never read Ferber's book, it's really not as cruel as I originally thought.  And it's much easier to read than some of the other books that were recommended to me.  Just saying.

Anyway, I have learned that it is common for a child between around 6-9 months of age to start waking up in the middle of the night again because they are more aware of their surroundings.  This book's goal is to get the little one to learn to fall asleep on his own, without mommy and daddy's help. No rocking, no nursing.

*Note, learn from my mistake - do it right the first time.  We were cheating and putting our kid in his crib after he had already fallen asleep.  This works for a few months, but it stops working.  When it's a little two or three month old, it's hard to put them in their crib awake because you don't want to hear them cry.  HOWEVER, it doesn't get any easier to listen to your kid cry, and the older they get, they will just get louder and last longer.

I nannied a few kids in my pre-mommy days, and I was pretty darn good at the Ferber method (even though I didn't realize I was doing that).  It's 1000000000 times harder with your own kid, even though it works in a matter of days. Yeah, yeah, everybody says that.  It's true! Don't judge!!

Here's to sleep!

6 Months! (One month for each chin.)

I turned 6 months old yesterday.  Here is my best attempt at a picture with a 6 month sign...

My mom wants me to tell you that the flash on her camera usually causes me to make this face.  I always smile right AFTER the picture is taken.

Stats. 19 lbs 7 oz (88th %).  28 inches (90th %).

Newest skills. 

• I try to crawl, but I go backwards.  This frustrates me.  
• I can sit up for approximately 5-6 minutes by myself, but no one has actually timed that for accuracy.  After a little while, I usually tumble over big time.  I try to sit up in the bathtub, but it's slippery in there.  Still, I refuse to recline on my infant bath thingy... this makes bath time a little more difficult for mom and dad.  
• Today I had peas for the first time, and I looked at my mom like, "What in the world are you putting in my mouth, woman?!"  
• She also tried to give me some water in a sippy cup, but I really just wanted a bottle.  And water? What happened to MILK?
• This isn't really a "skill" per say, but my hair growth pattern is sort of funny (like my dad's).  I sort of have a Mohawk. It's cool.