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Sunday, November 18, 2012

7 months under my belt.

So, here I am writing the 7 month post two weeks late. Technically JoJo (Joseph, Joe, Little Joe – we’ve yet to figure out what we’re going to call him) is 7 months and 2 weeks as of the date of this post, but I’m going to assume that Joseph at 7 months and 2 weeks is the same Joseph at exactly 7 months. 

Here’s my little man for his photo session (which was taken right around 7 months).

eIMG_3472eIMG_3474eIMG_3477eIMG_3479eIMG_3489eIMG_3493Looks like he’s whispering sweet nothings into the owl’s ear.

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Temperament:

Now that Joe is becoming more mobile, I can definitely see into my future, and it’s going to be a hectic place.  He’s very strong and wild, and every little boy trait that I see in crazy little boys I’m now starting to see in my own little boy.  I didn’t have to baby proof much with Anna.  I have a feeling that I’ll have to bubble wrap my house once this little man is totally mobile. 

Despite his wildness, he’s still the sweetest baby I’ve ever been around.  He smiles and laughs and has no fear of strangers or new places.  He’s a charmer for sure. 

He rarely fusses or cries, and when he does fuss, it’s usually because he’s tired or hungry.  Even then he quiets very quickly when I pick him up or give him what he needs.  Rarely have we had a total melt-down where a little TLC didn’t fix him.

Feeding:
I started my new job this past month and was a bit worried about if I’d continue nursing.  I’ve made it work thus far and am happy to say that I’m still going strong in this department.  I just have to pump once daily at work, and I nurse Joe the rest of the time when I’m with him.  Since I don’t quite make enough milk, he’s supplemented with formula while he’s at daycare.  He does great with the transition.  My new goal is to make it to 9 months.  And then 1 year.  I’m not going to put any pressure on myself at this point because I’ve made it a lot longer than I ever thought I would.  He’s healthy, happy, and thriving regardless, so I’m content.

He loves the following solids:
Squash
Sweet potatoes


Turkey and carrots (YUCK)
Bananas
Pears
Carrots
Apples

He doesn’t like:
Green beans
Peas
Mixed vegetables

Sleeping:
Well, we’ve finally transitioned him once and for all into the Pack-N-Play.  The Rock-N-Play is not a safe sleeper once the infant can sit up and move.  Even strapped in, the baby can easily wriggle his/her way out and fall out of the sleeper.  If I were to have another child (God no), no way would I use this again.  It’s too hard to transition the baby out of the sleeper into something flat – at least it was in our case. 

So, a few nights of sleeplessness, and here we are with a baby who finally sleeps flat on his back.  However, I’d be lying if I said he sleeps through the night.  If anything, he still sleeps like a new born, and I have to admit that I’m exhausted.  Even in the Rock-N-Play, he was still up every 4 hours.  Now he’ll go to sleep early (around 7:30/8) and wake up at midnight.  Then again at 3 a.m. and every hour after until I wake up for the day.  It’s pretty miserable.  I honestly have no idea how I’m still functioning on such little sleep, but I guess I’ve adapted.  I just fear he’ll never sleep all the way through the night. 

I eventually want to transfer him to his nursery crib, but it’s on the other side of the house, and no way am I trekking across my house every hour in the night just to pop his paci back into his mouth.

Milestones:
Joe is progressing so quickly!  He can sit up on his own for a while, but I’m still not 100% comfortable leaving him since he does still topple over. 

situpcrawl

situpcrawl2 
While he’s  not quite crawling, he’s definitely kind of pin-wheeling his way around a room.  He’s able to turn himself 360 degrees and roll around to get to where he needs to go.  Last night Anna and I were playing with him in his room, and he lifted his butt up a few times in an effort to scoot himself.  He’s almost there.

His two bottom teeth are almost fully in, and he’s getting a top tooth which makes him look a little like a vampire.  I guess it’s the incisor tooth?  The pointy one. 

Health:
Well, as expected, starting J at a new school invited a new round of germs into our house.  Both Anna and J have a nasty cough that makes our house sound like a TB ward at night. 

We took Joe to the pedi, and she put him on antibiotics because she said he was in the beginning stages of an ear infection.  Two rounds of antibiotics later, and he still has the infection.  He also has a nasty cough and a runny nose.  No fever, though.  

Size:
He’s wearing 9 – 12 months clothes and size 3 diapers.  Size 2 shoes.  He’s super long and has out grown most of his pants. 

Activities
We took the kids to a pumpkin patch this past month, and it was a total cluster.  My sister brought her two kids, so trying to corral four kids was nearly impossible.  We spent the majority of the time trying to tame Anna and my nephew Jackson, and the rest of the time trying to appease two crying infants who were hungry and tired.  Never again.  Until next year has erased all of these bad memories and we stupidly bring them all there again.

Siblings:
Anna is still very much mom #2 to Joe.  She loves taking care of him and is even strong enough now to pick him up for a few seconds. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Fabulous fours.

Another lovely year has passed, and now I have a four year old.  Granted, I’m almost a month late posting this birthday post for Anna, but at least I’m posting it at some point, right?  I still get half a brownie point, I think. 

This year went by so quickly that I barely remember much of it with being pregnant, having a baby, losing a job, getting another (great) job, and just life in general.  I will say that losing my job and getting to spend nearly 5 months at home with my kids was probably the best blessing of my life.  Getting to spend that time with Anna and watch her grow into the precious little (big) girl that she is today was priceless to me. 

So, what’s new with Anna?  Well, she’s in a new school now and absolutely loves it.  She gets to spend some time with her brother there, so I think it makes her feel like the cool kid on the block. 

She’s well mannered and says “yes, ma’am” and “thank you” about 90% of the time.  The other 10% is spent on the ground screaming and crying, but that’s because she’s a moody little 4 year old with a very strong will, so I just roll with it and carry around a bible and crucifix to keep the devil away. 

She loves and adores her grandparents and cousins, and her favorite thing ever is to go to MiMi’s (my mom) house or stay for a few days at Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s (my in-laws) house. 



She’s hilarious and witty and very funny for a 4 year old.  Not cheesy, knock knock funny, but she seriously says things that will make you laugh for minutes.  Granted, I can’t remember any of them now because I fail, but just envision Jay Leno with less chin and curlier hair, and you have my daughter.

She’s very nurturing with her brother, very maternal with her baby dolls, and very loving with her dad and me.  She’s just a sweet kid.  I can’t say it enough.

Anna’s favorites:
Color: Blue
Food: Raviolis (yeah, I feed my kid from a can sometimes, sue me – I take what I can get with her because she’s a VERY picky eater) 
TV Show: Woody Woodpecker, Curious George
Movie: She’s not a big fan of movies – they don’t hold her interest long
Song: She likes whatever we listen to, so lots of old school music and electronica.  Quite an eclectic mix, I’d say.
Saying: She likes to say the word “actually” a lot.  “Well, actually, I don’t like those pants.”
Toy: She likes her brother a lot.  He’s her toy.
Person: Mom, dad, MiMi, Maw Maw and Paw Paw
Animal: Chloe although she calls her White Harley.
Snack: Chips
Drink: Milk, water, or sweet tea
Pastime: She loves jumping on her bed. 
Height/Weight: 40 1/2 (75% percentile); 36 lbs. (50th%)

So, we decided to do the low-key (we’re poor) thing this year and just have a little mini-party with just us.  We woke Anna up that morning with a showering of balloons.  She absolutely loved it! 

eIMG_3424eIMG_3425eIMG_3428eIMG_3429eIMG_3430eIMG_3434eIMG_3437eIMG_3422
At this age we can get away with giving her $1 bills. 

eIMG_3446eIMG_3449
Hey, I want in on some of that action!

eIMG_3451 I call this clutter corner.  I imagine every house with kids has this if you’re lacking a play room.  If you can find it in the midst of this chaos, her birthday present was a little scooter.

eIMG_3454She was very excited!

eIMG_3459 eIMG_3465
And since I’m the world’s best mom, I was encouraging her to ride it without shoes or a helmet!

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Then my brain kicked in, and I made her come inside and gear up before CPS came by to take her away.

We had a very low-key day for a very special little girl.  Happy birthday, sweet Anna Kate!  We love you so much!

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