Chowing Down and Jumping Up

We are attempting cereal with Adam now despite some resistance that comes in the form of tears, arching back, and spitting it all over. It seems even when I think he shouldn't be hungry, he acts as if he is starving when we try giving him cereal. We're sticking with it, but so far we haven't had much success. But he's cute anyway!

We have a new toy at our house, the Jumparoo. Our little man is going to have some strong legs! He loves to jump, jump, jump and loves the lights and music. It is so fun to watch him!

Our Mother Duck has hatched(?) her babies so our flower bed is empty now. David saw her walking the little duckies in a line on our sidewalk so he left our gate open for them. Later, we couldn't find them so we walked down and saw her swimming in the creek with seven little ones following closely on her tail.

Three Years and Counting...

David and I recently celbrated our third anniversary! I feel like I say every year that in some ways it feels like yesterday but other times it feels like we have known each other forever, and I mean that in the best way. I am so thankful to have him as my partner for life and blessed to get to claim him as my husband. He is thoughtful, generous, and romantic as well as a wonderful husband and father. He made us reservations for dinner at Bellini's on our anniversary evening. To many more years together!

Six month checkup and an Expectant Mother Duck

I took Adam for his six month checkup Friday, though we are a bit past six months. However, we've been busy celebrating more family things such as Adam's Aunt Sarah's wedding to Uncle John last weekend. Which, by the way, was beautiful, as was the bride, and Uncle John looked pretty handsome, too. So now they're hitched, and have the monogramming to prove it!

Back to the doctor's appointment... Since we like to keep records around here, we must say that Adam now weighs 13 lbs, 14 oz (first percentile), and is 26 inches long (25th percentile). His head circumference is now in the 13th percentile. I was a bit surprised that his weight was still first percentile, but he made leaps and bounds in the other departments, and he has still gained over 2 lbs since his last appointment. That is difficult for a baby and carseat-toting mom to believe (feels like another twelve to me!). In all, Adam has gained almost 11 lbs since birth, which is nearly one-up from quadrupling his birth weight. (Someone please let me know what that word is…it escapes me at this moment and maybe a year ago I would have stopped to look it up myself). Add to that TEN INCHES in length and he is a growing boy! I have already forgotten how tiny he was, so let's add this in for memories:

We enjoyed being outside with the nice weather and admiring the flowers that my mom helped me plant. I love being outside, but looking at all the things I had yet to get to do was stressing me a bit so it is a big relief to have more color and less weeds. I managed to collapse and then reassemble the Pack 'n Play so that I could bring it outside, and was determined to not let it get the best of me. In the end, it has been just the trick, as Adam slept and slept!

By the way, here is a little surprise that my mom and I found while weeding one of my sun gardens. I heard her say my name in a way that meant she had found something, and given that we live near a creek and have quite an assembly of critters around, I had jumped the flower bed and was high stepping to the door when she finally yelled what she had found…a duck, complete with a down nest! Though I will not be weeding anywhere near her (those will just have to grow), it could have been a lot worse.

Here is a picture from my first Mother's Day with my mom and Adam:

And a picture from Leah's graduation two weeks ago:

Update on Dustin: Our friends' baby boy has had a second surgery now to remove some infection found in the pleural lining of his chest cavity. He is improving and starting to be tired of the hospital, which is good! I am sure his parents reached that point weeks ago! Tim and Kelly thank you for your continued prayers, as we hope for no more infection or fevers and for their family to get to return home this week.

Six Months Old

My little sugar bear is now 6 months old! I can hardly believe it. Ponder this: On May 8th last year, David and I first found out that I was pregnant. Almost exactly 12 months later, on May 9th, we have a 6 month old baby boy. Amazing! Not many people can say that, and we are so thankful for how well Adam is doing considering all that he went through at the beginning of his little life. He was just ready to get here!

-So what is Adam into these days?
-He is now 13 lbs, 6 oz and 25 ½ inches long (by our measurements)
-He is too big for most 0-3 month clothing but 3-6 month is still a little large, so those that are 3 months are just about perfect right now.
-Rolling over is now a great pastime, though being on his belly for long is not his favorite thing.
-On his back and rolling to his left is pretty much his only move currently. There was one roll from front to back but its been so long I now question if what I watched really happened! I love watching him hold his feet straight up in the air then letting his legs fall over to the side, then he follows through to turn over. It is so cute!
-My baby has the best smile in the whole world! (Its been made official).
-He loves to try to stand up and love to bounce. There’s even a look of determination in his eyes. He burns a lot of energy! All boy, already.
-Bath time is lots of fun. He doesn’t know cause and effect, but he splashes and kicks a ton!
-His eyes are still really blue, but his hair color remains a kaleidoscope. Well, not really. Its still red on the back bottom, but the top is becoming more blonde.
-We still aren’t sure who he looks like. He is his own person as of now.
-He is still eating only breastmilk, but will start some new things next week at his 6 month checkup.
-Adam notices some toys now, and has learned to grab onto things such as his toys, my shirt or my hair (ouch!)
-He still really dislikes his carseat. He can now arch his back and make it really difficult to buckle him in.
-The bouncy seat = playtime for Adam. He is also a big fan of the ocean jungle gym. He has moved on from the boppy pillow, though it will forever be close to my heart, and he is just not sure about the Bumbo seat, except that he likes to lean over and bite it.
-He drools, drools, drools, drools, drools! But no teeth yet.
-Everything is starting to go to his mouth – toys, blankets, bibs, etc. He mainly only likes his paci when he is going to sleep, then spits it out.
-He holds his head up well but can’t quite sit up.
-First long trip was this past weekend to Charlotte, NC to see Aunt Leah graduate from pharmacy school. Congrats, Leah! Also the first time out of Kentucky.
-He sleeps really well at night and wakes up to eat usually once, maybe twice.
-He has discovered his feet and grabs them now.

I had a nice Mother’s Day, too. David took me shopping and helped me pick out things for myself, and Adam gave me a sweet card that said all the things he loved about Mommy. Plus, I have a “Full night of sleep” coupon that I can use sometime soon, though it states “Exclusions apply, see Daddy for details”. I may wait until there’s also a sale for “buy one get one free”, what do you think?

Our friends Tim, Kelly, and Dustin need your prayers. Dustin has had some complications following a planned surgery at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and is now fighting off a bad infection from an unknown source. He was recently intubated (though now is not) and is still receiving aggressive antibiotics. Please pray for a full and quick recovery for Dustin, and for some multiplied rest for his parents.