Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Jase: 9 Months!!

(Somehow accidentally deleted your 9 month sticker pictures. Boo!)

Every month I fall more in love with you & you somehow become even MORE fun!! We are having a BLAST being your mom & dad. Here’s what this month held for us…

Weight/Height: We went to your nine month appointment on February 26th . You weighed 21 lbs, are 30 inches long, and your head measured18.25. Our pediatrician was happy with your weight gain this time (praise!) and said whatever we’re doing is working. You’re growing fast, my sweet boy!

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Health: All was well at your checkup!

  • I asked about water- she said just give it to you as you want it and as long as you are having enough wet diapers you are fine. You’re starting to really get the hang of that sippy cup anyway. You especially love drinking out of a straw.
  • I also asked about milk because I’m leaning more towards almond milk than cow’s milk. Actually, I’m going to keep nursing for a while if I can, but when the time comes for that transition, I want to know what to choose. I’m going to continue researching that before making a decision.
  • I also asked about how much Benadryl if you ever have a reaction to a food.
  • I asked if you need to be wearing shoes since you’re really starting to walk around (assisted). She said it’s not necessary, but if so, to get a soft soled shoe.
  • I decided against getting the fluoride prescription filled & started giving you water that has been purified through our Berkey water filter.
  • We started “brushing your teeth” after meals (when we remember) with your little toothbrush and water. You love it. I need to remember to clean your teeth or at least wipe them off more often. Gotta make sure we take care of those 8 teeth! (P.S. We’re pretty sure you’ve slightly chipped your front two teeth. We have no idea how.)

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Sleep: You are sleeping well. I LOVE when you are so super snuggly before bed and when you first wake up. Your head on my shoulder and arms around my neck seriously melts my heart & I feel like it’s going to explode out of my chest. You also let out the SWEEEETEST little sighs and yawns when you are tired. That’s one of your daddy’s favorite sounds you make- he thinks it’s so cute.

Sometimes you wake up at night & do some little fussy cries. A couple times I went to console you, but that only woke you up more. I started leaving you alone and you went back to sleep.

Schedule:

  • 8:30 Wake, diaper change, nurse
  • 9:00- 9:30 Independent play time in pack n play
  • 9:30 Breakfast (usually 2 pieces of Ezekial cinnamon raisin toast with yogurt & cinnamon)
  • 10:00 nurse again (about 5-7 minutes) & play till nap time
  • 10:30-12:30 nap (prayers & books anytime before going to sleep)
  • 12:30 Wake, diaper change, nurse
  • 1:00 lunch (we’ve been eating on the porch since it has been nice out) & play
  • 2:30- 4:30 nap
  • 4:30 wake, diaper change, nurse
  • 5:45/6:00 snack (water & some easy food)
  • 7:00 family dinner
  • 7:40 bath time (Daddy handles this) & bedtime routine
  • 7:55 nurse and down for night

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Nursing/Eating: You nurse 5 times a day for about 15- 20 minutes each time . You are eating a TON of real food now & eating like such a champ! You eat pretty much everything we eat & so far the only thing you DON’T like is avocado & blueberries. I can’t even list all the foods you’ve tried now, but you have come around to liking boiled eggs. Yay! You also like peanut butter on Ezekial bread & wraps so that’s one way I get in healthy fats (no allergies so far).  And your hands down new FAVORITE food is BEANS!!! You LOVE them!! This is also your new favorite snack that keeps you occupied during Bible study:

 

What You’re Up to: You are a major fast crawler!! You’re walking along the edges of everything and can stand for about 3 seconds on your own, but your face looks terrified.

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You are waving like a maniac to everyone, & you like to wave and say “hey/hi/uhhh” (some little grunt language you do). You say it over and over and get louder and louder if someone isn’t pay you attention! Peek-a-boo is your favorite game.

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You laugh loud, long belly laughs now and that might just be my favorite sound on the planet. Just like your daddy- I LOVE when he laughs hard!

You love to push your train and walk behind it. Everywhere!! (Thank you, Goodwin’s….this is his favorite toy!!)

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You also love to get the toilet paper off the roll when I’m going potty. You help me “clean up” your tray when you’re finished eating & don’t mind when I brush your teeth. You open wide & smile the whole time. You’ve also started pooting really loudly in public places. (It’s especially awesome during prayer in Bible study- not embarrassing at all. You’re the only guy in there, so I guess it’s your prerogative.) You HATE sitting still to get dressed or have your diaper changed- it is seriously an intense job that I will pawn off on anyone willing to give it a shot. Apparently my methods of distraction are whack. You also love to “hammer” everything. You went to Texas this week & had a blast! Third round trip flight in the books…

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We also spent some time with friends this week. So thankful for sweet friends (& forgot to get a pic of you & Braylon- boo!)

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Post-Partum: I feel good. I’ve majorly cut back on working out because it was affecting my milk supply. I miss the endorphins for sure and am still active, just not as intense. Thanks to some Catalyst & holding a 21 pounder, I still look pretty much the same. Just had more energy when I was working out a little harder.

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The first thing I’m going to do when I’m done nursing grub on some sushi and do a CLEANSE!! I cannot wait!! Oh, and take some O2 Gold & Arginine and work out as hard as possible! Ha….it’s the little things.

But….I am soaking up every minute I can of being your mom & I remember to thank God daily for choosing ME for this awesome task. I love spending my days with you & teaching you everything I can. You’re a fast learner!

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I also made one crazy mistake this month and gave you some Toasty O’s with honey. Sooooooo stupid!!! I KNOW babies under one are NOT supposed to have honey, so after you ate 25 or so for a snack, I realized what I’d done and spent the next hour on the phone with poison control and the nurse hotline. I was a hot mess! I wouldn’t have been as nervous if it was Honey Nut Cheerios, but the kind I got had real, raw, organic honey. I’m sure it was baked, but even with that I didn’t want to take any chances. I prayed for you non-stop & watched you closely for the next few days. I wrote down all the warning signs of botulism and thankfully you were fine. Since you’re on the older side of infancy and have eaten so many ‘real’ foods (solids), they thought you would be fine. Still, I had a major meltdown about it and felt like a mommy failure. I was just NOT thinking and it was a great reminder to slow down and be more cautious. I know I can’t be a helicopter mom and protect you from every little thing, but it sure would have been horrible if something happened to you because of a careless mistake I made.  Praise the Lord you were totally fine.

Thoughts: You turned 10 months on March 8. I cannot believe how quickly this first year is flying by, sweet boy! You are truly the light of my our life!!  You  fill our home with so much joy. We LOVE watching how you make others smile. You are absolutely magnetic and draw people to you….it’s a gift, I do believe. Still praying for you like crazy and cannot wait to see how God continues to use you to bring joy to others. You are going to make an awesome big brother some day!

Jase- you are such a little angel baby. I know it’s more of how God made you than anything we’ve done, so I want to “boast in the Lord” about how wonderful you are. I am so, so proud to be your mom!!!

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We are trying to decide what to do for your 1st birthday. Grammy (the party planning Pinterest QUEEN) wants to have a big blow out of course, but I am feeling a little bit of anxiety about it so I’m just putting off thinking about it. (That’s my coping mechanism- ha!) I don’t want to overdo it and that become a standard. I also don’t know who to invite and don’t want people to have their feelings hurt, but also don’t want people to feel obligated to come or to bring gifts. I’d also prefer books over toys as gifts, or even money for your savings account, but I’m not sure if it’s rude to express that? We’ll just see, I guess. So much to think about!!

You  fill our home with so much joy. We LOVE watching how you make others smile. You are absolutely magnetic and draw people to you….it’s a gift, I do believe. Still praying for you like crazy and cannot wait to see how God continues to use you to bring joy to others. You are going to make an awesome big brother some day!

7 comments:

Adrienne said...

He is just beautiful:)...HANDSOME I mean:). I have major b-day anxiety and it's Saturday! We ended up booking it at a hoppy place (a CLEAN hoppy place that serves only organic food and uses natural cleaners hahaha) because he has some older toddler buddies and cousins. I really wanted to say no presents or just books, or donate to a children's charity...but I chickened out on putting it on the actual invite after I told some people and got less than stellar reactions, so I told people who asked about what to get him to do one of those. We have a small house and too many toys already! I also need to text you the link to these sippy cups I found at Marshalls, they are insulated and straw cups, but kind of different in that it holds the liquid "up" for them when they sip so they don't keep losing it out of the straw..does that even make sense?

Brandy Lee said...

I can't believe he is already 9/10 months! Crazy how time flies! Congrats on your beautiful, growing family :)

Erin said...

Hey Danielle! After having three 1st birthdays in our family, and doing them each a little differently, I would like to give you some advice on the big day! I've done the big family and a few friends blowout before (for our first child), and looking back it seems silly now. Too much! 8.5 years later and trust me, save the money/time/energy for when they are turning 4,5,6... because that is when THEY LOVE IT! With our second, we did family only and went out for breakfast... and came home for cake. It was easy and little prep for us parents, so we got to really enjoy it!! For our third, we did family only again for breakfast at home! (All of my kids are happiest in the mornings and more predictable so I LOVE doing breakfast parties!) We did a 10am brunch and had cake afterward. I have to tell you, since you seem to be as sentimental as I am, there is nothing sweeter than looking back on your babies birthdays pictures and seeing them at your family home. It brings so many more memories of the day, even down to them stuffing their face in THEIR CHAIR. The one they eat at every day. There is something about seeing your home in each picture that makes it that much more special. I also took pictures of each child's cake smashing moments and blew them up and have them all hanging together on a wall... so neat to see the same high chair in each picture!! And so fun to compare each one. Definitely a fun playroom wall collage!! :)

Stacey said...

Hi Danielle, We are approaching 10 months on March 22. I also noticed a drop in my supply :/ I have been taking Fenugreek which seems to help for me. At our 9 month check I asked our dr about milk. He said as long as E has been eating yogurt and cheese then anytime from 10-12 months we could avoid formula and switch to milk. I am trying to go as long as we possibly can. I know that I find comfort in hearing about other moms having similar experiences so thanks for sharing about yours.

Carley said...

Ok, he is a STUD! Also, I am happy you expressed your first birthday fears! I worry about that and I don't have kids! lol!! I firmly believe in small parties until they can ASK for a party and choose the friends to invite. With this being said... I always give books or $$ for savings! So I can't wait to see what you do!

Kathy said...

I have the same feelings about who to invite to the 1st birthday - I'd like to invite people but I don't want them to feel like they have to bring a present. I think we're just going to invite the grandparents and aunts and uncles (our siblings) and leave it at that.

Unknown said...

I love Stide Rite' for eary walkers! Preston started walking right after turning 9 months, so I bought him a pair of Stride Rite's and their beginning walker brand, Robeeze. They have a very soft and flexible sole.