10 & 11 month update

Development- 

Not walking yet! Which is fine by me : ) I know he'll realize eventually all the mischief he can get into on two legs and then we'll really be in trouble! Not much has changed as far as babbling goes, he says mama and something that sounds close to dada. He has four teeth now! He points ALL.the.TIME... His favorite thing is to point at lights...which are everywhere- big fun! :) He makes a gentle little high pitch noise for the kitties (meow?). And he makes a less gentle VERY high pitch fussy noise when you are taking too long to get his food. Really, kid? Not sure how to discourage him from doing it, I hope he just grows out of it because "no" just doesn't seem to work! 

Sleep-

He's doing so great, I can't complain. He usually goes to bed around 7 and sleeps til 7...some days even til 8..those days are extra special :) We stay over at my husband's parents house on the weekends sometimes and he has gotten pretty comfortable with that routine but he still will wake up extra early when we're there- at like 4... not cool. My heart goes out to mama's that are still going through the newborn sleep phase- it get's better! And when it does get better, you'll have a new appreciation for sleep like you've never had before :)

Eating-

Almost a year and mama is still breastfeeding! I was thinking of stopping a few weeks ago when we went on a little getaway to Vegas without baby, but when we got back he had a little cold and was teething and was overall miserable and it just didn't feel like a good time to stop. Surprisingly, my milk hadn't dried up.. ??? Everything I've read about breastfeeding seems like if you don't keep on a strict schedule of pumping then you'll dry up and that's that. We've never been strict about it.. I've always just fed on demand and haven't pumped since he was like 3 months old & we're still going strong. He only gets nursed to go down for naps and at night now, so 3 times a day. It's easy enough now and not bothering me to nurse so I think we'll just keep this up until he can start regular milk. In other food news- he likes eggs, waffles, french fries, strawberries, those little gerber "cheese" puffs, yogurt.. basically anything. The only things we have tried that he's not a fan of would be baked beans and bananas.

Likes-

Talking on the phone. (the phone=anything he wants to hold to his ear like a phone :).  Cars and Balls. Books. "Petting" the kitties. Swinging at the park. Lights (turning the switches on and off, pointing at the lights, really anything about the lights). Climbing. Pretending to play xbox, or playing with the tv remote. Giving stuffed animals kisses. 

Dislikes

He's not a huge fan of car rides.. he can last about 10 minutes then starts to get a little mad. He still gets pretty annoyed about getting his diaper/clothes changed. I think he just has so much he wants to do at this age that laying still for even 2 seconds is asking A LOT. That's about it, he is a pretty happy baby considering teething and every day baby angst. Being a baby is hard work but he's doing great! : )

9 Month Update

Growth

Development

So he's been crawling for a few months now and has mastered his craft! He's a fast little guy. Basically the day he mastered crawling he decided he wanted to stand up too. I was so worried he would just start walking and not give me any chance to catch up my baby proofing with his development! But I think he didn't really have any motivation to walk since he can get places pretty fast crawling. He's been using his walker a ton lately though and can stand on his own without it. We've been saying this for a while but I think he'll be walking pretty soon. No hurry though- stay little baby boy! : (

He's been babbling a lot lately too. He can say mama and uhhh (up), he's been saying what sounds like yay! & does this fake laugh that is pretty hilarious. He just learned to wave last week and is quickly learning that kisses get a big reaction.  He started kissing all of his toys recently which is pretty cute. 

Sleep

Little Al is doing great for the most part! Most nights he sleeps from 630ish to 630ish.  It's kind of nice to have the evenings to spend some grown up time with my hubby. He sleeps in his crib at home and most weekends we'll spend one night with the grandparents and he'll sleep in a pack n play there. We tried taking his bumper off (because he has completely smashed the crap out of it, it doesn't have any form anymore) but I didn't realize how much he depends on it! He slept really bad for a few nights before we just put it back on. He likes to cuddle up to it when we lay him down- whatever works little dude!

Eating

Still breastfeeding! *pat on the back* He's definitely started to self-wean though. I only feed him when he goes down to sleep now, so 2-3 times a day.  He eats just about any food we've given him so far! Three meals a day, baby cereal and at least one baby food each meal. He snacks on puffs and yogurt bites whenever mom needs 5 seconds to get something done :) He only has two teeth, so we have just recently started giving him a little more difficult foods to gnaw on. He does great though! It's surprising what damage he can do with two little nubs for teeth :) I think his favorite treat has been strawberries & honeydew. We've tried bananas a few times and he's not too impressed with that. 

Likes

Books. Dancing. Puffs. Cheerios. Climbing. Glasses. Hair. Noses. Water bottles. Paper. Remote. Kitties. Walks. Swings. Grass. Ceiling Fans. Other kids. Socks. Shoes. Balls. Cars. Daddy coming home.Light Switches. Stairs. Elmo. Sports on TV. Easter Eggs. 

Hates

Getting dressed/ Diaper changed. Waiting for his food to be prepared. Being told no. 

Six month favorites

1. The Bumbo- any parent should know what this is... It's really neat to help little kiddos learn how to sit up, but the last month or so we have realized it's the ultimate substitute for the high chair. I refinished an eddie bauer high chair with intentions of using that, but this thing is just so darn convenient!

2. Carter's sleep bag- when Alex started rolling over he kept waking himself up in his crib. This little bag solved two problems- keeps him nice and warm when we put it over his pjs &&& he can't really move around that much when he's in it. He's almost too long to fit in them anymore, don't they make these in toddler sizes!?  ; ) 

3. Vtech Walker- We had this on a "to-buy" list for Alex but luckily got it as a Christmas gift! It's awesome! He has already pulled himself up on it, and loves to press the cow over and over and over again.

4. Sesame Street Phone- Alex has been obsessed with our iPhones for months now... this was also an awesome Christmas gift that he plays with for minutes on end. He doesn't play with anything for more than 5 minutes. ha! 

5. Cetaphil- Little guy keeps getting the nastiest dry skin/rug burn patches. :( It seems to have let up a little since he has mastered his crawling. When we were in for his checkup the doctor recommended a handful of strong lotions to help clear it up, and this one works like a charm! It clears up the dry patches within a day, but then he gets a new one somewhere else. ugh. 

6. Little Blue Truck Book- this is my favorite book we have for Alex, and I think his too! I've been reading to him since he was born but he is finally enjoying it! We have piles of baby books under our coffee table ready to grab and rip to pieces at any moment. He hasn't done it yet, but I know it's coming.

Six/Seventh month update

It feels like this post has taken me three years to write! Alex is changing so fast- it's hard to keep up with him! 

Growth

At his last appointment around Christmas he was at 18 lbs and some ounces that I forgot... I remember he was in the 75 percentile though! Height and head were around average as well. He's wearing 6-9 months now. He's got all his fat stored in his cheeks and his thighs which still have about 6 rolls. I would be ok if he kept those until he is 8.. So cute. 

Sleep

He had a rough stretch around Christmas. I'm not sure if it was a growth spurt, possibly ear infection, teething, whatever it was he slept like crap for a good two weeks. He would wake up every 2 hours and need nursed back to sleep. Around six months I noticed when I was nursing him to sleep at night he wouldn't settle down and fall asleep on the boob like he used to. I started to put him down in his crib after nursing for a few minutes and he would fuss for a few minutes then fall asleep and sleepy for 4-5 hours! I'm not sure if this is really considered crying it out (which I thought I was against...) add this to the list of things I thought I would never do as a mom. After seeing how much happier he was after a good sleep I feel totally fine letting him cry a little to get to sleep. I'm still not sure if we're in the clear but he's had a few consistent weeks of sleeping at least 6 hours at a time. Now it's just a matter of mom and dad going to sleep while he is sleeping (bedtime at 7? Sure, why not! I haven't slept in six months...) 

Eating

Started baby food a month ago. Doctor recommended rice cereal first but Al was not a fan. We tried it a few times with no luck, and then just gave sweet potatoes a try and he was hooked. It was so nice not having to struggle to get him to like it! He's still not really taking a bottle. But since he gets at least two baby foods a day I'm not nursing him as much. 

Development

Our little guy is officially on the move- watch out ladies! ;) He started trying to crawl probably like a month and a half ago. He incorporated a little army crawl, scoot, roll, and even walking on his hands and feet. Usually all of those things combined moved him about two feet. It was basically overnight that he realized he didn't need to do all that & then he got really fast- and we were in big trouble. I didn't expect baby proofing to be a big deal. I put some socket plugs in awhile ago and figured I would just "keep him away" from the dangerous stuff. ha! what a joke. We are in the market for a new entertainment center since ours has everything out in the open. We took down our dvd storage thingy since it was way too tempting for Alex to climb. Our surround sound speakers are now off of their stands and sitting on the floor... not sure what to do with those besides mount them ($$$). Anyway my point is... caging the beast is the only way for mom to get 5 seconds alone to take care of mom stuff. (like, you know, brush my teeth, use the potty, pour a glass of wine) ha!
Before he realized he was caged...:)

Oh yeah, it was Christmas last month. It was fabulous. 

4 month update

Growth

Alex had his 4 month checkup this week. He is weighing 16 lbs 7 oz- which is in the 72 percentile. So. kinda big but mostly average. I thought for sure he would be in the 99% for height since nothing seems long enough to fit him, but he only measured 26 inch, which is 86%- still a pretty tall kiddo. He's wearing mostly 6 month clothes now, but still has a few 3 month outfits that fit.

Sleep

Sleep is not so great. I can't remember the last time I had a 6 hour stretch of sleep. Actually, it was probably a month or so ago when we left him overnight with grandma & grandpa.  We were still using his swing up until a week or so ago, but since the motor has given up trying to move his heavy butt & Alex is figuring out how to roll out of it (he never actually did-thank god) we decided it was time to suck it up and make him use the big boy crib. We're a few nights in and he seems a lot more comfortable stretching out in the crib, but doesn't sleep as sound and is waking up every three hours.  He's also much better at calming himself down now. We have let him fuss for a bit some nights and he's put himself back to sleep a few times, but more often he just wakes himself up even more, so it's easier to just nurse him when he starts to fuss since  it only takes like 10 min to put him back down. 

Eating

About the same, we're exclusively breastfeeding still. We did find a bottle that works better, this one- with this nipple, but he still has to be in the mood to take it- which is never at night. So sometimes he'll take some formula on the weekends when dad and grandparents are around to feed him. The doctor talked to us about trying rice cereal or oatmeal in the next few weeks. Can't decide if i'm excited for him to start other food or not, I know it'll be extra cost for us but breastfeeding all the time is really exhausting. I have at least another two months of boobie duty though- just have to keep reminding myself that it's what's best for my little boy!

Likes

His new favorite toy is this walker. It has lots of buttons he likes to pound on, plus it lets him practice putting weight on his legs which he's really good at- strong boy! He is also drooling like crazy lately, and loves anything he can chew on- particularly sophie the giraffe.  It seems like everyone has one, and it's because her little legs are perfect size for baby's mouth! Such a good purchase. The teething rings we got for him are hard and too big for his mouth. I'm going to look for some different kinds, there's got to be some good ones out there. We've been watching some disney movies together (ah, the joys of SAHM), Monster's Inc was a BIG hit, lots of coos and giggles.  Which reminds me, he laughs! I love it, it's really the best sound ever. He has the goofiest chuckle and will throw his head back with it- such a little cheese already!

Postpartum:

5 lbs left! I really haven't done much exercising , but breasfeeding does wonders!  I wonder if I breastfeed for 5 years if i'll be a size 2... ; ) But really, my hips will never be that small again. My goal is just to tone everything up now, big hips can be hot if you're in shape! (look at Sophia Vergara and Kim K!)  Am I really using a Kardashian as a role model- yup! Don't judge. ; )

Newborn Must-haves

Newborn Must-haves

I expected Alex to need every single product I read about online. I would say the first month is really simple: diapers, butt cream, and a good sleeping spot. Of course if you're not exclusively breast feeding you'll need bottles and all sorts of other fun stuff. I assumed Alex would be a large baby so only had size 1 diapers on hand (dumb), so having some NB diapers just in case is a good idea too. 

Every kid is different, but these were our most used products for the first month or so when they're in the Eat, Poop, Sleep routine. 

1. I mentioned having a good sleep spot.. the first few nights we tried a few different options (big boy crib, pack n play, and this Swing) The pack n play was in our room but we have two cats that were not on board with being shut out of our bedroom, & as a paranoid FTM I didn't want them clawing the baby to death while i slept. Since Alex refused to be swaddled since day 1 the big boy crib was not snug enough for him. The first few weeks were a mix of holding him while he slept and putting him in the swing, 4 months later we're still using the swing for the most part. We're trying to transition him to the crib now since he is way too heavy for the swing to even move anymore. hah!

2. I was so excited to dress my new little guy in all sorts of little outfits. He literally wore these white onesies with the built in mittens for weeks. He loved to claw his face and eyes & his little fingers were so tiny it was scary clipping his nails!  These aren't anything special but they do the trick, word of advice they shrink like crazy when washed. 

3. Alex didn't have many big fits, when we had tried everything to get him to stop crying and didn't know what else to do we tried some gripe water that I got from my shower & it worked every time! We only had to use it a few times but it's well worth having!

4. I've given up on Alex taking a pacifier. He did for a little bit in the beginning but I just can't seem to find one he will keep in his mouth! It's a good idea to buy lots of kinds, hopefully one of them will work!

5. I absolutely love this monitor. 

6. If you hate doing laundry, like me, then these are a must Changing Pad Liners. It's way easier tossing these in the laundry than taking the actual changing pad cover off every time shit gets a little messy.. literally. ha!

7. Alex had some diaper rash the first week or so. We tried desitin, and it was ok, but I prefer this a&d ointment. It's more of a gel than a cream, & cleared up the problem really fast. Alex hasn't had to use it since!

8. Speaking of ointments... the first few days of breast feeding can be rough. Even though I only had to use this for a week or so, it was well worth it! I had an off brand the hospital gave me that wasn't anywhere close to as good as the Lansinoh brand. A little goes a LONG way, so a small tube would be fine. 

Two Month Update

Growth

Baby Alex is growing like a weed! He is already nearly 13 lbs! Every day when we get dressed I find new clothes that don't fit him anymore. I think he'll be in size 2 diapers pretty soon! 

Sleep

He is definitely more consistent than he was last month, but there's always room for improvement ;) At our two month appointment our doctor told us he should be able to sleep 10-12 hours at night now....um, yeah right! We are getting lucky with 4-5 hours stretches. He suggested we give a big bottle when we're putting him down for the night. So the next night we forced him to stay away and take this bottle, we could only get him to take 2 oz and then after waking him up 3000 times he was REALLY awake and wouldn't go back down for a while...Needless to say, we didn't try that again. I know i'm new to this whole baby thing but I think Alex is still pretty young to be expected to sleep through the night..even though it would be really nice. (Also, doctor said to let him cry it out.... let's just say mom is not too impressed with this dude)

Eating

Like a Boss! Clearly, my 13lb baby is a little chunk. He has approximately nine rolls on his legs. He took a bottle of pumped milk (and every now and then formula) at night for a while, but the last two weeks or so he isn't taking the bottle so well. He won't eat that much from it, & usually having to wait a few minutes to get the bottle ready wakes him up so much that it's not worth it. I've been tempted to try co-sleeping to try and get some extra zzz's but it makes me nervous, so for now I will crawl out of bed in zombie mode every few hours to feed my little man. 

Likes

He likes staring at things on the wall. Particularly a shelf in our living room, lighting fixtures, mirrors, etc. Loves his hands more than ever. He finally has some interest in toys- so that's fun. It makes me laugh that we have some elaborate flashy toys but his favorites are the really simple rattles (and hoop connect thingys).  He also likes anything that plays music, & he thinks its funny when I try to sing him little songs. 

Postpartum:

I am feeling about 95% back to normal. My skin is still not the same as it was pre-baby. I've heard that your skin and hair...and hips, are never really the same. I've lost 4 or 5 lbs since my last update, so I have about 10 lbs to go still. I had to go swim suit shopping a few weeks ago, for a boating trip we took with some friends... I wasn't expecting to have to worry about swimsuit season this year! I've never really been self conscious about my body before- it kinda sucked! I found a swim suit that kept my boobs under control so that was nice.. but even though I got lucky with no stretch marks on my tummy, I'm still getting used to having a "mom" tummy- I need to get some good Ab workouts in! I'm not taking as many walks with Alex as I want to, it's been so hot here during the day that it limits the time I can take him. I can't wait for fall!