10 Months!

In just TWO months, Sammy will have been with us for a whole year!!  I’m actually really excited about his first birthday now that I’ve started planning his party.  I think it will be fun.  I’m so anxious for summer!  Only 5 more weeks of school!   

Sammy is 24 pounds.  He is wearing anywhere from 9-18 month clothing, depending on the outfit.  He’s still in size 4 diapers and he sleeps 12 hours a night, which is heavenly!

He has 8 teeth! Four on top, four on bottom.  I’m finally brave enough to give him more “real” food.

Speaking of food, he LOVES noodles (like his mama), avocado, chicken, and all kinds of fruit.  He’s not a picky eater.  He is getting better at eating finger food, but we're still working on that pincer grasp. ;)

He knows the word “clap” and he will almost always clap on demand.  I’m still trying to teach him how to wave and give high fives.

He loves peek-a-boo, playing with the remotes, and listening to me blow the whistle on my school badge.  He likes reading books…aka flipping through the pages and putting them in his mouth.  It still makes my teacher heart happy. :D 

He loves bath time and has discovered he can stand up in the tub-yikes!  He also loves music and I’m hoping to get him into a class this summer.

His changing table is beside his window and he recently discovered he can open the curtain to look outside.  He laughs when the dog comes up to the window to say hi.  I really think he’s going to be a dog lover!

He HATES his jumper, which is kind of funny because it used to be his favorite thing.  It’s really interesting to watch his personality change as he grows and is able to do more.   

 He always has to be on the move!  How I haven’t lost the rest of my pregnancy weight chasing him around, I’m not sure.  He’s officially crawling (not army crawling anymore) and getting into everything.  He’s VERY curious.  It’s so funny when he starts going on his own because he’ll look back at us to see if we are watching and then he’ll give the most mischievous smile. 

Much to my dismay, we hit the stage where he loves to empty out all his toys and make a huge mess everywhere.  How do I teach him that it’s as equally fun to put them all back? ;)

He’s not officially walking, but I don’t think it’ll be very long!  He can walk a good 12-15 steps before loosing his balance.  Last month, I posted that he doesn’t walk unless we initiate it and he's walking back and fourth between us.  Now, he is not afraid to stand up and start going on his own.  He is very determined to figure it out and he doesn’t let a fall stop him from getting back up and going again. 

He still really only says mama, dada, & papa.  (Bruno prefers papa, but we call him daddy too.)  He does say nana, so we’re taking that to mean nona…aka grandma.  He also says the “k” sound, so my brother thinks he’s trying to say Jake. Haha

He had his first illness, other than a cold.  About a month ago, he developed a pretty bad cough.  We didn’t think too much of it since he didn’t have a fever or any other symptoms and he was still his happy self.  His check-up was coming up, so we figured we’d wait until then to see what the doctor said.  We found out that he had an ear infection and bronchitis.  We felt bad for taking it so lightly, but luckily it didn’t take long for him to get better.

Even though he keeps us on our toes and cannot be left alone for a second, we love the personality he is developing.  We have a lot of fun with him and I can’t wait to see what summer has in store for us.

On another note, it’s hard to believe that it’s been two years (yesterday) since I miscarried.  I enjoyed writing this particular blog because it gave me a chance to reflect and realize how far we’ve come since then.  I’m extremely grateful for Sammy and the opportunity I’ve been given to be his mother.  I’m also grateful for my angel baby and I’m sure they are looking over Sammy and our family.  

Nine Months!

In three short months, Sammy will be one!  Ahh! I wish I could put this year on repeat and live it all one more time!   

Sammy at Nine Months:

I just have to start off with my FAVORITE milestone ever.  Sammy is officially giving kisses on demand and at random.  There is absolutely nothing better than a slobbery, open mouth kiss from your baby, especially when you ask for it!  The best part is that he’ll respond when you ask for a kiss OR when you ask for a beso, which means kiss in Spanish.

I've already mentioned this on Facebook, but the best news we received this month is that we don't need to worry about his heart murmur.  The ultra sound went exactly like we planned and the doctor was really surprised that Sammy didn't have to be sedated.  I knew my instincts were right. ;) 

He weighs 23 lbs. & is 29 inches long.  In height, he went from the 23^rd percentile to the 79^th, so that made me feel better.  The doctor said he doesn’t think they measured him correctly last time. 

At nine months old, he had six teeth!!  (He’s gotten two more since then.)

He is army crawling everywhere now.  He can crawl on his hands and knees, but he doesn’t go very far.  I’m still okay with this!  We have to be really careful because he loves to get into cords and he always tries to stop at the outlets. (Baby proofing is on my spring break to-do list.) 

He took his first steps this month!  Right now, he can take about 7-10 steps without falling.  He doesn’t really try to walk without us yet.  He’ll walk from end to end on the edge of the couch and will sometimes get really frustrated because he can’t just let go and take off.

In my last blog, I mentioned that he wasn’t pulling himself up yet.  Well, he is now! As a result, we’ve lowered his mattress.  He used to love to sit and play in his crib, but now he'd rather hold on to the sides and walk all around. 

He’s in size 4 diapers and still wearing 6-9 month clothes.  He is moving into 9-12 month stuff though. 

He’s awesome at getting dressed!  When I put a onesie on him, he knows exactly where to put his arms and can put them through the sleeves on his own.  It might be normal at this age, but it still impresses me every time!

He loves shaking his head no.  We asked him once if he wanted to go to Nona’s and he started shaking his head no. haha! The timing of it was really funny.  But, we know he loves his nona! 

He is also a good imitator.  If we shake our head, he’ll shake his.  If we say certain sounds, he’ll repeat them.  He’ll repeat “mama” and “dada” and will sometimes say them on his own as well.  We are trying to teach him some signs, but I’m not sure if he’s understanding them or not. 

His absolute FAVORITE song is This Wheels on the Bus.  He will usually give the biggest smile and will even start giggling as soon as I start singing it to him.  If he’s ever fussy during a diaper change or just upset in general, that song is enough to temporarily calm him.  He loves being sung to, so I sing a lot.  He’s going to grow up thinking life is a musical!  It’s a good thing he doesn’t know or care about how terrible mama’s voice is.  ;)

We’ve noticed that he’s attracted to things that are red, so maybe that will become his favorite color.

Recently, he’s developed a little temper.  He will make a whiny scream when he really wants something and it drives Bruno and I crazy!  We are working on it… Bruno’s mom is really good at teaching him how to be nice, so I’m learning from her. J 

He is very much a home body.  He is happiest when he’s home or in a familiar place, like Grandma Clarke’s (Bruno’s grandma) or Nona’s (Bruno’s mom).  When he’s around people he doesn’t know well, he gets pretty shy.  He won’t smile or be very social.  He’ll still let other people hold him, but he usually doesn’t react or get excited like he does at home. 

We are currently trying to teach him to clap, wave, and give high fives… it’s still a work in progress.

In other news, Bruno got his student teaching assignment this week!  He’ll be teaching at a middle school up in Alpine.  He’s heard tons of good things about the school and students there, so he’s really excited.  We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Eight Months!

Samuel Rey at 8 Months! 

It feels like we’ve known Sammy for as long as we can remember, so 8 months actually isn’t sounding very old to me.  It could be because he’s not very mobile yet.  I’m not complaining!  I’m enjoying my clean house while I still can.J He so badly wants to crawl and walk, but he still has a ways to go.  He can scoot himself when he wants to get down from your lap and he’s really good at standing while holding on to something.  He wants to pull himself up, but that’s a working progress as well.  It won’t be long before we have to move his mattress down, though!

Sammy had his first Valentine this week – of course it was his mama. ;)  He actually spent part of Valentine’s Day at the doctor’s.  He’s been coughing a lot recently, so we wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything serious.  He was fine, but that was the first time we’ve taken him in for something other than a check-up.  Eight months of no unexpected doctor visits seems like a pretty good run to me.  J After that, my mother-in-law brought him to my school during my class party.  I didn’t tell my kids he was coming, so it was a fun surprise.  They think it’s such a treat when he visits! (They kindly reminded me that I needed to update my pictures on my desk. haha)  

We got him a walker yesterday, but he doesn’t how to use it yet.  He likes to play with the gadgets on front of it, though, so it was still a hit!

His favorite food is avocado.  He also likes sucking on limes and lemons! 

He has four teeth and we think he’s getting a second top tooth.  He’s been teething like CRAZY!  The best part is that it doesn’t bother him or make him extra fussy.  He remains as happy as can be, while putting everything in his mouth.  His pediatrician suggested we go see a dentist and start brushing every night.

He is still sleeping 12 hours a night and hardly fusses when we put him down.  I am now an avid believer in the cry it out method.  It was the hardest, most emotional thing we’ve done so far, but the benefits have been amazing -- for all of us.  

When he went to the cardiologist a week and a half ago, he was 21 lbs. 4 oz.  I don’t remember how tall he was.  I just know he’s on the short side… Poor kid.  Speaking of the cardiologist, our next appointment is in a couple weeks, so I'll keep everyone posted.  We are going to try to do the ultra sound without having to sedate him, so I REALLY hope Sammy can be calm and hold still long enough for them to get what they need.  This picture was from the first test they did. They hooked him up to a bunch of cords.  He got mad because they wouldn't let him chew on them. ;) 

He’s in size 4 diapers and still wearing 6-9 month clothing.

He had his first hair cut this month!  I thought I was going to cry, but I did okay. J He’s still as cute as ever.  He also had his first super bowl! He got to "play" with his twin friend, Owen.  Jacen wasn't feeling well so he stayed with his grandma.  Oh, and "playing" with other babies consists of grabbing each other's face.

He loves playing with tags and anything that he can put in his mouth.   He also still loves his jumperoo and playing independently in his crib. 

We've started putting him in the cart now when we go shopping and he really enjoys the new view.  I have a feeling we'll be ditching the carrier and getting a new car seat soon.  (When we shop, Bruno always looks at boy clothing while I look at new toys.) 

Grandma & Grandpa Clarke are in Texas and I think he misses them!  Okay, maybe he doesn’t know the difference, but we miss them!  Grandma was really good at giving him back rubs!  

At 8 months old, my breastfeeding journey has come to an end.  It makes me really sad because he still wants to nurse, but I just don’t have the supply anymore to satisfy him.  I ended up giving my frozen supply away to a baby that needed it more than Sammy, so he is officially finished with breast milk.  After he bit me twice, it was kind of a done deal!  I admire mamas who can nurse with teething babies!

He loves when we babble with him… it’s like he can understand us.  Sometimes, he mimics sounds back or he just gets overly excited.  He also enjoys peek-a-boo and throwing things on the floor and demanding we pick them up so he can continue the cycle a million times.  I love it! 

I’m stuck between wanting him to stay a baby and wanting him to grow and discover new things! 

Seven Months!

Sammy is progressing in a lot of ways!  I didn’t even realize all the things he can do until I filled out a sixth month developmental check list at the doctor's.  He is right on target and doing everything he should be at his age. Yay!

He weighs 20 lbs and is 21 inches long.  He’s a little above average for weight, but way below (23%) for height.  He’s only grown an inch since October. Yikes!  I’m a little worried about that, but I guess he’ll just be short like his parents. Poor kid! 

We are finishing the last of our size 3 diapers and then he’ll officially be in size 4! 

Month 7 has been busy!  We did tons of Christmas festivities last month and spent the holidays with my family in PA.  We had the most perfect trip and Sammy definitely enjoyed all the attention.  I loved showing him off and getting to introduce him to everyone out there.  It was the best first Christmas with a child. J

When we got back from PA, we decided we needed to start sleep training and create some kind of schedule for him.  We decided to do the cry it out method because, at that point, he never learned to sooth himself -- not even with a pacifier.  The first night was HARD!  He cried for two hours off and on.  However, when he finally fell asleep, he slept the entire night!!  He had never done that before!  I told Bruno we would try it for a week and if there wasn’t any improvement, we would have to try something different.  The rest of the week was rough, but we could see gradual progress.  Eight days later, he was sleeping through the night and only fussing for about 5-10 minutes when we put him down.  These last couple of nights, he hasn’t cried at all!  Fingers crossed!  The best part is going to get him in the morning.  He doesn’t cry when he wakes up, so we’ll go in there and he’ll be just smiling and cooing to himself.  Starting a night time schedule and being consistent with it has been an adjustment, but so worth it!  Bruno and I have a couple hours to ourselves every night now and it’s been amazing!  (Side note – I just finished watching all the Star Wars movies for the very first time in my life! I live under a rock, I know.)  He doesn’t nap very well, though, so we’re still working on that!

Other things about Sammy - He discovered his hair.  He likes to pull it.  I’m actually thinking about getting it trimmed, but I’m having a hard time with it. haha  

He LOVES bath time and we’ve started to put him in the big tub.  Splashing is his favorite. 

He rolls from back to belly now and can scoot himself around.  He still isn’t crawling yet, which is okay with me.  He is actually trying to figure out how to lift himself up now.  It won't be long...

He still LOVES food!  The only thing he isn’t too fond of yet is peanut butter, but I'm sure he'll be fine with it once he gets used to the texture. 

I’ve started reading to him every night, even though he’s more interested in eating the books. 

Overall, he loves playing and being social.  He isn’t attached to us, which is nice.  He will usually go to anyone willing to give him attention.  We are having a blast watching him learn and discover new things all the time!  I can’t believe I’m starting to think about his first birthday!    

Six Months!

Six Months!

I’m writing a six month update WAAAAY late because we’ve just been so busy!  I would even just skip this one, but my OCD won’t let me, so I'll make it short.

-I think the biggest six month milestone is that he got his first tooth!  I’m super impressed by how his mood has been through the whole teething process so far.   Occasionally, we’ll give him Tylenol, but it usually doesn’t bother him much. 

-This month he started reaching out for us.  It melts my heart every time!     

-He’s still able to wear 3-6 month clothing, but we are starting to move into the 6-9 month stuff now. Onesies in his age range usually fit him well, despite his chubby belly, but his pants are usually too short, even though he’s really short for his age. It doesn’t make sense. Haha He’s also wearing size 3 diapers. 

-He’s officially eating real food pretty regularly.  There hasn’t been anything he’s rejected yet.  He enjoys all of it!

-He’s also officially sitting on his own.  He likes to rock back and forth, but he can stay steady and play with toys.  He’s really good at playing independently when we need to set him down. 

-He’s not mobile yet, which is just fine with me!  He can roll from belly to back, but he doesn’t do it often.

-Sleeping through the night is still hit or miss at this point.  We waited until after the holidays to start sleeping training.

-He loves his jumper, music & anything that makes noise, being tickled, playing peek-a-boo, pulling hair, etc…  He’s social and loves to interact with people.  We’re at a really fun stage because he loves to play and talk, but he’s not getting into everything yet. J I have a feeling we will have to baby proof soon, though!

I'm having trouble loading pictures! Grrrr!!

Five Months!

I find myself often saying, “This is my favorite stage!”  I am grateful that I’ve enjoyed every single phase of Sammy’s life so far and I hope the positive things that happen as he grows will always outweigh any of the not so fun things that might be going on.  I try to soak up every single moment because it comes and goes so quickly.

-I’m not sure about length, but he’s weighing about 18 pounds.  He’s basically doubled in weight since he was born.

-Depending on the outfit, he can still wear 3-6 month clothing.  We’re slowly starting 6-9 month stuff.

-He just started size 3 diapers.  Bruno was in denial that he was ready to move up a size until he had to deal with a blowout. ;)

-He doesn’t have any teeth yet, but I won’t be surprised if they start coming soon.  He seems to be showing every sign that they are on the way. 

-We started food about a month ago and he liked all of what we introduced – cereal, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and bananas.  However, we stopped and decided to wait a little while longer because his mood had completely changed.  He was really grumpy and it just wasn’t sitting well.  We think his body wasn’t quite ready for it yet, but we will probably try it again soon. 

-He got his first cold this month (thanks to mama) and he handled it like a champ!  He tried so hard to by happy and smiley, even though he was feeling crummy.  He wanted to nurse more than usual and was super cuddly.  I didn’t complain about that, but I’m glad he’s returned to his normal self. 

-While he was sick, I discovered that he loves back rubs.  Who doesn’t?  Now, when he gets really fussy, I’ll rub some essential oils on him and it usually calms him right down. 

-He discovered his feet and loves to suck on his toes! 

-He’s not rolling over consistently yet, even though he can.  He is starting to sit up on his own and likes to grab things.

-EVERYTHING goes in his mouth now.  He still gets frustrated that he can’t put his whole fist in his mouth and he gets frustrated with some of his toys for the same reason.  Oh, and he’s drooling like CRAZY!

-Music is still a favorite – especially when daddy sings in Spanish.

-Sammy also enjoys playing Peek-a-Boo, bouncing in his Jumparoo, and playing with plastic water bottles.  The sound of ripping paper cracks him up!  It’s hilarious. 

-He’s a great sleeper!!  We never went through the dreaded four month sleep regression, which was lucky.  We do have rough nights or weeks occasionally, but overall, he’s been amazing.  He takes a long nap in the morning and then will take a few 20-30 minute naps throughout the day.  Transitioning to the crib wasn’t too bad once we just did it.  It was harder on us than him.  Haha

-He loves any kind of attention and will go to anyone that will chat and play with him. 

-I’m grateful of the fact that I’m still able to breastfeed regularly.  I was worried about my supply when I went back to work in August, even though I pump during all of my prep time.  It has decreased, but I’ve still been able to feed him in the evenings, in the mornings, and if he wakes up during the night.  We have to give him formula throughout the day, but I’m so thankful that nursing is still an option. 

-I’m also just really grateful for his health.  I was only able to pump about 100 oz. of breast milk over the summer and I planned to use that around this time when my supply started decreasing.  However, I ended up giving it all away to a mom who wasn’t able to nurse, but needed breast milk for her underweight baby.  Even though pumping was a lot of work for me over the summer, it made me feel so good to be able to help someone. 

-I’ll say it a million times – Bruno is amazing.  I just love how well we work together.  For instance, he didn’t mind me going out and hanging out late with some friends last night and staying home and taking care of Sammy.  On the other hand, if there’s something he wants to do, I don’t mind taking over so he can enjoy himself as well.  This parenting thing is really a lot of fun and we are already discussing baby number two!  It won’t be for a little while yet, but we look forward to expanding our family soon.  In the meantime, we’re enjoying every bit of Sammy. J   

We love our happy kid!!  He is learning and discovering new things every day.  We look forward to spending Christmas with our family and friends in PA.  I can’t wait to introduce him to friends and family that haven’t met him yet.  He’s going to LOVE all the attention!

Four Months!

Sammy turned 4 months last Tuesday, but we’ve been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to update!  This month has been a blast.  Here’s what Sammy’s been doing:

-Sammy weighs 17 lbs. 2 oz. and is 26 inches tall.  He had some more shots last week and he handled them like a champ.  He cried, but was fine as soon as I picked him up.  His body, thankfully, handles them well, too.  So far, he hasn’t gotten any fevers or other side effects afterwards. 

-He is in size 2 diapers and is wearing 3-6 month clothing!  

-He is still sleeping through the night!  Thankfully, we haven’t hit the dreaded four month sleep regression (yet).  He still sleeps in our room, but I’m hoping to start transitioning him to his crib soon. 

-Sammy LOVES to play with toys.  He has a play gym and a bouncy Baby Einstein thing.  He can grab and hold on to toys now too.  He has a strong grip!  Trust me, I feel it when he pulls my hair.  Haha  He still likes his swing and absolutely LOVES mobiles! 

-He discovered his toes and likes to play with them as well.

-I might have mentioned it before, but he really enjoys music.  Whether it’s from a toy, us singing to him, or the organ at church… it always gets his attention and will usually calm him down if he’s fussy.  We hope he develops some musical talents when he gets older.

-He still likes sucking on his fist.  He hasn’t started teething yet, but it could be coming soon since he has started putting everything in his mouth and is drooling a TON. 

-At his four month appointment, the doctor said he is ready to start solids!  We started rice cereal the other day.  He’s not really a fan of it yet, but we’re going to keep trying.  He would much rather nurse than deal with a spoon.  But, we plan on introducing some veggies this week, so we’ll see how that goes! 

-He hates having a dirty diaper.  It’s usually the first thing we check when he gets fussy because he gets extremely grumpy when he’s dirty – I don’t blame him!  He’ll calm down as soon as we lay him on the changing table.

-He loves to laugh and smile!  All you have to do is look at him and talk to him and he’ll usually get the biggest grin.  We can get lots of good laughs out of him too, especially when we tickle him!  It’s the cutest.

-He went to his first movie this month – Storks.  It’s adorable!  He did really well the whole time!  

-We went to a pumpkin patch last week and he seemed to enjoy it.  We played with him in the corn pit and he seemed content there.  I can’t wait to dress him up and do tons of fun Halloween activities this week! 

-He’s not sitting up on his own yet or rolling a ton, but that’s okay.  He’s growing up way too fast as it is!  We are excited about all the upcoming holidays.  This time of year is so much more fun with a baby and we couldn’t be happier.