Six Months

Dearest Lachlan,

I am in a bit of disbelief that you are half way to your first birthday. It's hard to believe in the amount of time we've had together, we only have that until you're one year old. Time has gone by so fast and it seems to go faster with each passing month.

This month has been exciting (I know I always say that) but you're turning into such a big boy. We tried some new foods this last month. You first had avocado which wasn't a total failure but definitely wasn't a hit, either; you seem to not mind it as much if it's mixed with your oatmeal. Next up was carrots. Grammie was here visiting so she was able to give you carrots for the first time. At first, you weren't too sure what to think but eventually enjoyed them. They were pretty easy to make but turn your face (and everything else) orange. After carrots we gave you sweet potato and that was a hit as well. The last couple week you've had sweet potato for dinner with a mix of green beans one night. The green beans were far from a hit and I think it may have been worse than the avocado. You were spitting it back out and made such retching faces. We gave you banana last night and you really enjoyed that.. so much so that you ate an entire banana (pureed, of course!). Unfortunately we learned that bananas tend to leave babies constipated so they're going to have to be a treat now and then.

Your sleeping has been hit or miss. You went through about a 2 week phase where you woke up every 15-90 minutes, which was really tiring for me since daddy starting working overnights as soon as you started refusing to sleep! It was a pretty stressful period but I tried to remember that this too shall pass, and it did. Most nights you fall asleep between 730 and 8 and wake up around 430 and 5 for your morning feeding and then go back to sleep for one to two hours. I can't complain, you're a pretty good sleeper and I consider myself lucky :)

You're starting to scoot a little bit but you're not crawling. You can turn yourself around in circles with ease and tuck your legs under your body and grunt. You definitely get the idea that you can be mobile and reach things, it's just a matter of figuring out how to be mobile. I am fine with you being immobile for awhile longer.. I like putting you in one spot and finding you in the same spot when I walk out of the room. You're sitting a little bit but lean forward and catch yourself with your hands and remain like that or topple forward doing a face plant or falling over to the side. You reach for everything and said everything goes right to your mouth. You bite like crazy with those little gums of yours. Speaking of, still no teeth or signs of one poking through any time soon other than your biting and drooling which has been going on for awhile.

You like to make the ptttttb sound and while it started out as something you just like to do for fun and smile, you mostly do it now when you are frustrated and can't voice yourself. Not only do you blow the raspberries when you are frustrated, but you also pant like a dog. You switch back and forth between pttttb and heeehhhh hehhhhh heeehhhhhhhhhh!! I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you to try to voice yourself and not be able.

Like I said earlier, grammie and grampie came to visit for 11 whole days! It was nice to have them here and when the weather cooperated, you guys spent a lot of time at the park or on walks. Your daycare was closed for a week so they watched you during the day and you did pretty well especially considering it was out of your routine. It was nice having them visit and as always, was emotional when they had to leave.

You're smiling and laughing a lot more now. Sometimes you laugh when we tickle the bottom of your feet and you especially laugh when we tilt you up and blow on your side.. I think you're going to be a pretty ticklish guy. Its so funny how daddy and I do something totally random and you think it's the funniest thing ever. Daddy does little gun movements with his fingers with a "pewww pewwww pewwwww" sound and it is SO funny to you.. well, sometimes. That's another thing. Sometimes things are hilarious and the next day you look at us like we are stupid!

You've especially taken a liking to all of the animals with preference for the dogs. You think they are so funny and laugh at them when they come up close to you. You giggle when Frankie gives you kisses. You definitely like them more than they seem to like you. You have some sort of fascination with Sammy's fur and love to pull on it, and well, he doesn't love it so much. You watch them walk by and they bring so many smiles and laughs to your face. Warms my heart.

Your favorite thing right now is your jumperoo. I feel like it is a circle of neglect because you just rock out in there for 30-45 minutes at a time; laughing, squealing and yelling. When you're not in your jumperoo, you still like to jump/push off everything that is against the bottom of your feet. That was definitely a good investment!

You had your six month appointment today and daddy took you as I had to work. You did pretty well with your shots and didn't cry until the second leg. You weighed in at 16lb 0.5oz which is the 25th percentile, were 26 1/4" long which is the 45th percentile and your head circum. was at the 30th percentile. You're staying pretty close to on track and at the same percentile at each appointment. You're a skinny little dude.. so much so that you still fit into some 0-3 month pants.

As always, I am overwhelmed with this great amount of love for you. Sometimes I still lose my breath when I think about you and you're away, my entire body smiles when you laugh and I often find my face hurting from you making me smile so much. I miss you when I am at work and I miss you when you're in bed for the night. I never knew that being a mommy would be the greatest thing I'd ever experience. Everyone said it was so great being a mom but I had no idea. Being a mommy is something I am good at. I have an overwhelming sense of need to nurture, love and protect you. Sometimes, like when you wake up every 30 minutes at night, my patience is tested, but even at my moments with no patience, I still find the great in it and appreciate that I extra time I get to spend with you in the middle of the night. It's the truth. I love you more than I can express in words.

Love,

Mommy

Half Full or Half Empty?

I have the most amazing little family ever.

Sometimes (seems more often than not these days) I am just overwhelmed with joy, love and a sense of thanks for my family. I sit back and remember all of the thoughts that went through my head before I was pregnant and before Lachlan arrived. I remember thinking that I was too selfish of a person and that I didn't want my free time taken away and that my life was great and perhaps the grass wasn't greener like I thought it would be. How wrong I was. I wouldn't change anything for all the money in the world. There's no more determining whether the glass is half full or half empty.. my glass is full. I love being a momma.

Five Months

Dear Lachlan,

While we were in the office taking your five month pictures today, I had a flash back to your first month. It seems crazy that you're a month shy from being half a year old.

How much you've changed in the last month!

We ended up giving you cereal a little after you turned 4 months. I was expecting quite the reaction but you were pretty straight faced and seemed to enjoy it. We started out with just a tablespoon or so and have moved up to about 1/4c of cereal mix. We decided to go with the oatmeal rather than the rice as you already have issues being "regular" and it seems to have helped a little bit in that department.

Up until about 4.5 months, you slept on your back. You gradually started to turn and eventually preferred to sleep on your side. That preference has gone from side to stomach. Speaking of sleeping, you've had a bit of a regression, especially the last few nights.. we're talking waking up every 2 hours or less. We've tested the waters with giving you a few minutes to cry and then going back in. Usually, you cry because you're exhausted and can't settle yourself down enough to sleep. You're to the point now that you start on your back, roll to your side and end up on your stomach. When you wake up in the middle of the night and you're on your tummy, you cry. We assume that you're crying because you're too tired to roll yourself over. We're hoping this is short lived as it is a little exhausting!! :)

You've made the move and almost always roll to your tummy when we put you on your back. Sometimes you go back to tummy and back to your back. You've started to tuck your knees under your body and stick your butt up in the air. Obviously, I am new to this and am not too sure how the progress works, but with the positioning and your determination, I wouldn't be surprised if you are crawling by the time I make another monthly update.. guess time shall tell! You do turn yourself around in a circle when you are down on your tummy.

I think I may have felt a TINY bit of a ridge on your gums. You sure have been drooling a lot so it wouldn't surprise me if something pops through sooner than later. You've been drooling for quite awhile but its now getting to the point where your shirt is constantly wet from drool.

You started your new daycare with Michael and Tina. We are SO happy and it seems that you are as well. When you see Tina in the morning, you smile and kick your legs. :) You've been a happier baby all around since starting there. You're a lot happier in the evenings when we pick you up than you were when we would pick you up with Sharon's.. I am thinking there is more to it than just being a coincidence.

You're grabbing everything and anything.. including daddy's beard, our nostrils, lips, glasses, skin on our necks, etc. Everything you grab, you put in your mouth. You've started to show interest in petting the animals. Salem doesn't so much appreciate you pulling his fur, but you seem to enjoy it! Hopefully they all continue to be gentle and patient with your new found love of grabbing and pulling.

You giggle and blow raspberries now. The raspberries are hit or miss and are on your terms, but we enjoy the special treat when we get it! You giggle when we make stupid faces and sounds, blow on your belly and when we make high screeched noises and attack you with our face. I am waiting for the day when you start laughing uncontrollably. When you laugh, I lose my breath. You make me smile so much that I often find my cheeks hurting. You're starting to cuddle a little bit. When we hold you upright, you sometimes lay your head on our shoulders. You fell asleep on me yesterday, which is a rare occurrence. I enjoyed every minute of it.. even the warm pool of drool I had on my chest when you woke up.

With the funny and happy times comes the scary times. You've developed a small case of stranger anxiety. Sometimes when you see people, they get too close to your face or just startle you, you scream and cry. We went out to dinner for father's day and you did not like our waitress. She said hello, your bottom lip curled under and you let out some horrible high pitched screams. I tried settling you by holding you, rocking you, shhhh'ing you, giving you a bottle, walking you around, etc, etc and nothing seemed to work. So, we had to leave. Way to ruin your father's first father's day, kiddo! :)

We've finally gone back to cloth diapering and am hoping that we can keep up with it. You don't seem as uncomfortable when you're in them and they fit you so much better now that your tummy and thighs have filled out a little bit! Since our daycare provides diapers (and won't use cloth) we won't really have to buy any more diapers now other than having a small handful on hand as you have to go to daycare in the morning in a disposable. Either way, we will save money from here on out!

You've discovered how to use your jumperoo and really get a kick out of jumping up and down. Im sure by next month you'll be flying in the air and it'll be one of your favorite things.

I decided to give you avocado as your first food (minus the oat cereal of course) on your 5 month birthday, which is today. I suppose that is next month's writing material but for now, we will leave it as you not being too impressed!

I think as far as learning new things and skills, this month has been the most eventful. I still miss you like crazy when you're away (sometimes even when you're only in the other room sleeping) and I am pretty sure I will for the rest of my life. You light up my day when you give me that big smile every morning when I come in to your room. You allow me to see the good and happiness in the smallest things in life. You give living life and everything we do in it a whole new meaning. Being a momma is one of the greatest feelings I've ever experienced. The amount of love that exists in our little family is unreal. I hope someday you are able to feel as grateful to have me as your mom as I feel to have you as my son. I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives together as a family.

xo,

Mommy

The many faces of Lachlan

Four Month Stats

We went for Lachlan's four month appointment today.. a couple weeks late! He looked great and did really good with his shots.. we only had tears for a couple seconds. He is snoozing away now.

His stats:

Height: 25 inches, 50th percentile

Weight: 13lbs 14ounces, 30th percentile

Cant believe that last time we were there you were a screaming babe. Life goes too fast.

Above is a video of Lachie "swimming" - and puking last weekend!

The First Four Months

Four Months

Dear Lachlan,

About a year ago, we found out some news that was going to change our lives forever. Little did we know how great that change we be. On May 22, 2010, we found out that we had an addition to our family. I remember some of my initial thoughts that included excitement, anxiety, fear and an instant connection. We had a rough road for the first little while so while that made it harder to connect with you while you were growing, but there was an instant connection and bond that existed for me. Now, we're at the end of May and that little blur on the ultrasound measuring .64cm long at 5 weeks gestation is now close to 25 inches long and 4 months old!

We've had some big changes this month! One of the biggest was we broke your swaddle. Every morning when we'd come in to tend to your growling belly, you'd have your arms completely out of the swaddle. One night, around 3.5 months, you fell asleep while getting your bottle and we decided to just put your to bed without it. We had been talking about stopping but didn't know when the time would be right. It just seemed right that night. So, you're on 2 weeks now with no swaddle. It is harder to get you to fall asleep at night but you're still doing a fairly good job of sleeping through the night. Sometimes you wake up around midnight but after a short rocking, you're fast asleep. You usually sleep from around 7:30/8:00 - 5:00/5:30. Sometimes we have to stand next to your crib for awhile with our hand on your belly so that you feel safe and secure. We bought you a "blankey" and you pull it up to your face and hold it while falling asleep. I figured holding a blankey would give you the security like being wrapped up like a burrito did. Sometimes I miss the swaddle but you were ready to let it go.

You've really discovered your hands and you are able to grab any and every thing now. Before, you went at things with a fist but you go at things with an open hand and usually pull whatever it is that you re holding, up to your mouth to suck on.. including our hands! You're still very keen on sucking your fingers, sometimes all 4 at once. You pull your paci out of your mouth and try to get it back in, usually without success. You've also discovered your feet and like to grab them and hold them. For some reason, you like to put your legs in a pike position and almost do a half v-up by lifting your stiff legs in the air.

We decided to switch your daycare due to some reason I'd rather not blast all over the Internet but first and foremost, we would like to have daycare closer to home. We found a new daycare that is only 7 blocks away and were able to avoid the wait list that they now have. We are really excited about the new daycare and hope that it works out well. It was a very emotional decision for me. I worry about you and people knowing you and what you like and dislike, how to help you when you re crying and how to get you to sleep. I worry that you won't transition well and you'll develop stranger anxiety and be scared to be left with people you don't know. I guess it is better to switch now that you are 4 months old rather than waiting until you are 6 months or 9 months when you know the difference. I really, really hope it works out. It will make me feel so much better leaving you.

I still struggle with leaving you and some mornings I just snuggle with you on the couch and wish time would stand still so I could hold you in my arms while you either stare at me or fall fast asleep. I still rush home with excitement to see your little face.

You go to the doctor on June 9 to get your 4 month vaccinations and your overall well baby visit. I am anxious to see how tall you are and how much you weigh. You're still a skinny little thing and you still fit into pants that are 0-3 months in the waist but they tend to be too short. You've outgrown some of your 0-3 month clothes and it looks like its time for me to pack up more clothes! I feel like I just packed up your newborn clothes a week ago! Time goes by too fast.

Part of the time I am back wishing that I could freeze time and keep you young and small. I do feel like time is going by too fast and we are going to look back and feel like it was forever ago since you were a little baby. However, I do love seeing you grow and develop and get excited for the next new thing. I ordered your high chair last night and it made me sad to think that you're that big of a boy now. We will probably start some cereal before the next time I post at 5 months. I have mixed feelings about starting the cereal now or waiting until you're older. However, we will likely start some solids once we get the OK at your well baby visit. I am excited to start experimenting with foods when I start making your food. I hope that is one thing that I really do stick with because I think it would be best for you. It might just come down to whether or not I have time with working full time and going to school on top of being the best mommy I can be.

You've really started talking (or cooing!) and sometimes it sounds like you're saying words although we know you're not. It's just funny when we ask you a question and we get a "yea" response. You're starting to enjoy tummy time a little more than before but end up rolling over to your back within a couple minutes. I am excited that you tolerate it a little more and don't just put your head down and cry anymore. Sometimes when you're laying on your back, you get really excited and roll from side to side leaving me excited that you're going to roll over on your tummy. You still have to roll from back to front but it will be an exciting time when you do! I think I am okay with you being immobile while being on your back :)

You're still going to the chiropractor but are up to only going once a month. You're doing pretty well with the crankiness and only really get cranky if you're tired, lonely and want to be held, or are constipated.

I still feel like the luckiest mommy ever to have you as my son. I look at everything in a different way now that I have you as my son. The happy times in life are happier and the sad times in life aren't as sad. Its so nice to have another great reason to be alive and living a great life. You're turning into such a special guy, I can't wait to see what the next month of life brings. I feel so blessed.

xo,

Mommy