Thursday, January 14, 2016

Blake - 10 Months!

Whoa! We've made it to double-digits. I think it would be safe to say mommy and daddy are now seasoned parents...ha ha ha ;).
Here's what our attempt at your monthly photo has turned into:
And mommy thought it was hard when you were a newborn, HAH!

It's a new year and we've officially left behind the year of your birth. Mommy was a little sad about that to be honest. But, we love you more and more each day and LOVE watching your little personality begin to peek through. It seems like the newborn days are so long gone (that mommy already has baby fever). Ha ha! Truth be told, you don't need a sibling yet, but, I sure do miss those newborn snuggles, even if I was a complete walking zombie.

Anyways, on to our look back at the last month!

Memories from the first half of month 10:
-You started crawling on Jan. 1, 2016! Happy New Year! Here's to exploring! At first you were very slow but it only took a day (literally) for you to speed up. It took about a week for you to figure out how to crawl on the kitchen floor because it's slippery.
"Mom, it's hard to crawl on this floor...I think I'll just lie down for a bit." 
-As a direct result of becoming mobile, your new favorite pastime is "chasing" Zoey. Poor dog. Every time you get near her she moves (because you like to grab her fur) and then you follow her. She's not so sure about your new found ability. You also LOVE her bones. You make a beeline for them, ignoring all of your stuff....of course.
-You do not seem to like beef flavored baby food. Everything else is good.
-We started some Stage 3 baby foods but we are giving you more and more table food as well. The majority of your food is still Stage 2. You still do not use your fingers very well so we spoon feed you. I let you practice using your fingers with puffs, but you don't like those very well. They don't have much nutritional value so I'm not too worried.
-We give you a sippy cup with water every now and then. You don't like it. I think the flow is too fast for you. Your bottles still have the slow flow nipples. Of course I just returned all of the medium and fast flow nipples because we weren't using them and now I wish I wouldn't have. I think eventually you'll get used to the faster flow though. I'm going to give it some time.
-Mommy and Daddy took you in for your 9 month pictures. Technically you were 9.5 months, but, close enough. ;) You were such a good little boy and the photographer said you were one of the easiest kids he's photographed. Phew. You did get a "boo boo" during the shoot. You were on a chair that had the legs cut off and you started rocking your body (one of your favorite things) back and forth and before mommy could catch it, the chair fell backwards and you bonked your head. You got pretty upset and cried, so a few pictures had teary eyes, but you recovered quickly and we got great pictures. Here are our three favorites:

Memories from the second half of Month 10:
-You LOVE dinner time! You usually eat all of your food right before daddy gets home and then stay in your high chair while we eat. Daddy feeds you from his plate too and you can't get enough. Little piggy! Usually it's bedtime by the time we finish eating so I nurse you (more food!) and it's off to bed.
-On the weekends you love taking "big boy" baths in the tub. I have to support you so you don't keel over and bonk your head (not speaking from experience or anything) but you love it! We have lots of fun bath toys; Boon toys are our favorite. And, FYI, during the week, grandma baths you when you are with her. I wouldn't want anyone to think we only bathe you on the weekends!
-You are still in your infant car seat but I think the transition to  the convertible car seat will be soon. I don't know how much longer mommy's arms can carry you in it! We've already purchased two convertible car seats for each vehicle. I'm just trying to wait for the snow to go away....which I'm sure will be a long while. It's so much easier to get you buckled up inside and just snap the car seat into the car base. I'll sure miss that!
-You are already a pro crawler.

 And with it has come a mischievous streak. Which leads me to my next point...
-We have had to start disciplining you. I have literally no idea what I'm doing (there's some honest mom talk for you), but, you are trying to get into things you shouldn't. At our house it's the TV table drawers and dog stuff (bones, toys, dog dishes, and the baby gate separating you two) and at grandma's it the electrical outlets. Right now we are saying "No" and sometimes slapping your hand. Often you will pout and then smile and try again...little goober! Sometimes we just physically move you. We'll figure it out in time.
-You love, love, love daycare and your "friends" there. You literally cried when I picked you up to go home last week. Breakin' momma's heart just a little bit. ;) Actually I didn't take it too personally; I'm glad you have so much fun while I'm at work!
-You are loud! When you talk or cry it's loud! I've realized this more lately.
-Ironically, compared to my last statement, you are awesome in church. The last four or five Sunday's you've sat through church without a pacifier and been quiet and good! I just bring a whole library of books for you, specifically the ones with "feely" things and you're happy. 
-Our FAVORITE store, BabyGap, is closing it's doors in our mall. Mommy is devastated. Good thing I can still shop online. :)
-Mommy has been on the lookout for new shoes for you. You're going to need more practical walking shoes soon enough. I just can't believe how much they cost! They sure are cute though!
-You still don't have any teeth! The dentist said that's a good thing and that you're less likely to get cavities. I guess I'll go with him on that.
-Even though you don't have any teeth, you are getting more and more comfortable with table food. Sometimes we don't even feed you baby food you just have different things that we have in the kitchen.
-Your clothes sizes range anywhere from 6 to 9 months to 12 to 18 months, depending on the brand. You are long and lean so you grow out of most things in length first.
-You are pretty much over your exersaucer now. You loved it for a long time but get easily bored with it now. We've left it up to contain you in the morning while we are getting ready. If we put it away the changing table will be the only piece of baby gear left in the living room. 

As always, here are some pictures from the last month:
Chilling in my new Christmas present!
And going for rides!
"Give me all the toys!"
This is how we contain you now!
Taking silly pictures with mommy :)
Getting some reading done at B-dubs
"Helping" mommy sort clothes
And having fun with our socks!
You're a side sleeper (like mommy) but every so often you sleep with your butt in the air! Hahaha!
Playing in the newly discovered water dish...
Meeting your new best friend, Isaiah, for the first time!
Sleepy eyes
Crawling under the exersaucer is your favorite
Reading "Bubbles, Bubbles" with daddy!
"Racing" Zoey for the ball
Who says you can't go for walks when there's a foot of snow? :P
We're hardcore

It's been 10 months of happiness Blake! Can't wait to see how much you'll grow and learn in the next month!!!




Friday, December 18, 2015

Blake - 9 Months!

Holy Smokes! I cannot believe it was already 9 months ago that we welcomed Blake Tyler to the world! You turned 9 months old on Christmas Day. Can't get much more festive than that!

You had a 9 month check-up so here's your stats from the doctor:

Weight: 19 pounds, 3.5 ounces (41st percentile)
Length: 29.5 inches (89th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.25 inches (85th percentile)

You're tall and light! You must get the "lightness" from daddy because I was always in the 90th percentile range in height and weight as a baby!

Memories from the first half of month 9:
-Out of the blue one day (December 6 to be specific) you started clicking your tongue. It's hilarious! You just click away. When daddy got you up the next morning you spit out your paci and started clicking again...it's so fun to watch you learn new things, even clicking your tongue. ;)
-I've begun putting you in 12 month clothes. Since you were born I've used Carters and BabyGap as my guidelines in size but lately it's been goofed up. You fit in 6-12 month BabyGap stuff, 12 month Carters, 12-18 month Gymboree (I've always found they run smaller), 9-12 Oshkosh...you get my drift. Basically your dresser drawers are a mess.
-You spent your first Thanksgiving with Daddy's side of the family. Opa was in the Netherlands due to Great Opa being ill and passing away. :( We enjoyed our time with Grandma though. You certainly looked cute with your little Turkey butt and you celebrated with a jar of Gerber "Turkey and rice".

-You're developing quite the little temper. When you're angry you do this combination of a whine/yell over and over mixed with a little crying and shrieking. It's hard to describe but dare I say a little annoying... :)
-You tried Gerber "Puffs" for the first time. I think they will be a hit. I started you with the plain rice kind but I also bought some fun flavors to try as well. You have a hard time figuring out how to open your fist to drop the puff in your mouth though.
-You are SO curious about EVERYTHING. Grandma calls you "nosy" all the time. You're always whipping around and craning your neck to see what everyone is doing. You need to check out every noise as well. Maybe Zoey is rubbing off on you...

Memories from the second half of month 9:
-You are still trying to crawl but not quite understanding how to actually move forward! Whenever we set you down (or try to change your diaper) you immediately flip over and get on your hands and knees and start rocking. You also stick your butt up in the air! No one told me I would need to know how to diaper a baby who is on their hands and knees...hahaha!
-You are still nursing almost exclusively. Feeds are very short now. It's amazing how much easier it gets as you get bigger. 7-8 months ago I would have never imagined it could be like this. After Christmas Break we will be supplementing both of your daycare bottles...mommy's Christmas present to herself. ;)
-This is your daily schedule most days:
     7:00 - Wake up (most days you wake up earlier than this but daddy gives you your pacifier and you go back to sleep for a while.)
     7:10 - First feeding
     8:30 - Breakfast and small bottle/feed
     8:45 - Nap...typically 1-2 hours
     12:00 - Lunch and bottle/feed
     12:30 - 2nd Nap...typically 2 hours
     4:15 - Feed
     5:30/6ish - Dinner
     7:15 - Last feed and bed (sometimes later)
-You are starting to get bored with your toys. Good thing Christmastime is here!
-Still no teeth little man!
-By the very end of this month you were super close to crawling. You scoot around and mix crawling with rolling to get where you want.
-We lowered your crib mattress for the first time. You're too close to pulling up!
-You received lots of fun presents for Christmas! Lots of books and toys from mommy and daddy and many more fun things from both sets of grandparents. You enjoyed "taste testing" everything (as everything currently goes straight to your mouth) and playing with the wrapping paper. It was a big day for you (lots of traveling and people) but you handled it like a champ.

And, as always, some pictures from the last month:
Trying pumpkin pie for the first time...
...and loving it!

Pulled these out Thanksgiving night...can't say I didn't wait for Thanksgiving ;)
Someone got their hands in the Halloween candy. (This was back in November to my defense) 

Sending pictures to daddy

Looking dapper with grandpa

Trying to get mommy's phone :)



Playing like a big boy up in your room 


Cups are so entertaining!

And I'm obsessed with your crib sheet right now! 
Christmas cheer is ALL through the house! :)




You learned how to turn pages and now it's your favorite!



Visiting Santa for the first time!

And some fun with the Christmas lights:

And some extra pictures from Christmas morning! (All my pictures from the rest of the day are on the camera not my phone)
Zoey thought a few of the toys should be hers too ;)
Playing with his new stuff!

We love you so much Blake!