10 months old (*Feb 2*)

Milestones:
Sleeping: You've had another month of really great sleeping.  7pm - 7am....like clockwork! (knock on wood!)
Eating: You continue to love finger-foods, and trying new things.  Fruits are great, but veggies are not quite as great ever since we introduced fruits.  You must have a sweet tooth like your mama.  We're still pushing the veggies at dinner though.  For the most part you'll give them a try.  You love the fruit/veggie mixes by brands like Ella's and Happy Baby.  The squeezers are such a great invention -- we love taking those when we eat outside of the house.  So the big thing this month is that we weaned you to from breast to bottle.  The first week, you didn't want to give the bottle or sippy cup much of a thought (which totally stressed me out!).  I ended up calling our pediatrician's office, and the nurse said that we were doing the right things (trying new cups/bottles, new nipples), and that we just needed to keep trying, and to give him some extra dairy while he gets the hang of it.  Things are going so much better this week.  The Tommee Tippee bottles and sippies are great.  I should do a separate post on breastfeeding....it was hard at times, but I already miss it (words that I thought I would never say!)  However, that said - it is a liberating feeling to feel like my body is my own again.
Clothing Size: 12 mo., but moving into more and more 12-18 mo.
Diapers: Size 3 during the day (until we finish this last box), size 4 at night.  We've been liking the Costco Kirkland brand diapers.
Teeth:  2!  You have 1 new tooth this month....with a 3rd little bud popping up too.
Etc: We have a full-on walker now.  He is such an active, adventurous little guy.  He loves exploring the house, walking under the kitchen table to play with the placemats, and climbing the stairs (gates are on order!).  He gives me such a mental and physical workout every day.  When we are out and about, people always comment that he is "such a happy baby" (that is until he lets out his ear-piercing screech....that's a new thing that we don't exactly love!  I mean it's seriously just about the pitch that only dogs can hear).  Speaking of dogs....he loves watching the dogs, and petting them - but we are working on "gentle, gentle petting" and not grabbing their faces.  His favorite "toys" are his books -- we probably read at least 5-10 every day.

So we're at 10 months.  I'm already feeling a little sad that we only have 2 months left till he's 1.  I have to get on the bday planning train!  I have a theme, and a potential date - but I need to start putting things into action. 

Current....

I am joining the wonderful AEOT at Up North Preppy with a fun survey.....

current guilty pleasure: Our new, yummy Keurig

current nail color:  Nothing special.....clear polish done by moi

current playlist:  A crazy mix with a little of everything.  In the car I listen to country radio stations.....and my ipod is usually playing upbeat running mixes.

current read:  Just finished She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb), and just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer).  I am trying to stay up to date with my New Year's resolution of reading 10 books this year.

current drink:  Trying to drink more water every day.

 
current food: My meals are so predictable every day....multi-grain cheerio's for breakfast, turkey sandwich on wheat bread for lunch (or something equally easy to throw together), and then something homemade for dinner. 

 
current favorite show: I have several faves (The Office, Parks & Recreation, Mad Men (we're catching up on past seasons via Netflix), 30 Rock) but my most, most fave is Modern Family.  It is just so funny every single week -- so many great characters.

 
current wish list:  A bunch of things for the home....buffet for the kitchen, wall decor for the dining room, some kind of lighting fix for the living room.  Just bought 2 new pairs of mid-rise jeans.  I feel like such a mom -- but at least they're cute and I won't be showing anything when I bend over!!

 
current needs:  A new shoulder.  I saw an orthopedic specialist last week....and he says it looks like  I have a tear in my right shoulder.  I have an MRI scheduled for Friday to confirm.....but if it is indeed a tear, I don't think I could easily have it repaired (ie: surgery) in the next 5 years.  It only hurts when I do overhead motions (ie: playing tennis, throwing a ball) -- it doesn't hurt at all in my normal life (picking up Logan, changing diapers, etc.).  I'm really sad though - I love tennis, but I have to be practical here.

current triumphs: Every single day that I can manage working and playing with Logan.  It is an absolute workout physically and mentally, but I love it.  I've started research to find someone who could come to the house in the morning to help watch him.  If any of you have done that before, and could offer guidance on where you found nannies - I'd love to hear about it!

current bane of my existence: My hair.  Such a petty thing, but I've hated my hair color ever since we moved to St. Louis.  First I couldn't get the blond highlight color quite right, then I dyed it "natural" and I hated that, and now I'm struggling to get it back to a natural blond highlighted look.  Again - so petty, but gosh - shouldn't I be able to control something like hair color if I bring in a picture and everything?  Can I add another....our Internet!!  In the last week, I've called Charter 7 times, we had 5 techs visit our house, bought 1 new modem/router. Thank goodness for the last tech, Dan the Man -- we are back up and running....at least we were until an area-wide outage this a.m.  I seriously wanted to scream!

current indulgence: 2 new pairs of designer jeans - hemmed so that I can wear them with flats.  I'm such a mom.

current blessing: Family time.  I love my boys.
 
current excitement: One of my best girlfriends from high school is coming to visit this weekend.  We have some fun travel plans this year that will allow us to spend time with lots of friends (@ weddings!) in really neat destinations (Ponte Vedra Beach/St. Augustine, Napa Valley, my hometown, and potentially Asheville, NC)

current mood:  Happy, happy, happy and tired!

TAG - you're it!!

Last Game of the Season

I'm a little behind in keeping up with my updates!  January has been a surprisingly hectic month.  So to start at the very beginning, we kicked off the month with the Rams' last game of the season.  It's been a long, hard, injury-plagued year -- but they left it all out on the field, and even surprised the 49ers with a strong effort in the 4th quarter.  They were soooo close to tying when the 3rd string QB (yes, 3rd string!) went down with an injury.  Alas, the poor 4th string guy (whose name I can't even remember) couldn't move the ball, and they lost.  BUT there's always next year!  Thank goodness for that.  With a new head coach, a new GM, and a lot of new players, we're hoping that things will improve!  SB and the Game Ops department had a great year --- a lot of accolades, a couple of new staff members, new responsibilities, and new programming.

Here are a few post-game snapshots from the field:

Around the House

Logan is on the move!  The days when we could plop him on a blanket, and sit next to him for extended periods of time are long gone!  The boy likes to be active, and explore the entire house. 

 We all look forward to bath time!  We're still making the infant tub work.  It's just easier for me than trying to keep a slippery, wiggly baby seated.  He loves to splash in the tub, and play with cups, a rubber ducky, and some fun squirty toys.  Dada gave him a mohawk here:

 These next 2 pictures just make me smile.  This is what our day is like!  I am still managing the balance between work and playing with Logan pretty well.  Some days are great.  Some are taxing - but it is so, so worth it to me! 

 Surprise!! Peek-a-boo!

Logan learned pretty quickly that Lilly wasn't a very reliable source of support.  She may be loyal, but you can't count on her to stay still!

Weaning Advice?

So the time has come to start the weaning process.  I've loved breastfeeding, but for a variety of reasons, I need to wean.  I talked with my pediatrician about this at the start of the month.  She advised that I just needed to start by replacing a nursing session with a bottle.  Do that for a few days, then replace another nursing session with a bottle.  We're now down to 2 nursing sessions and 2 attempts at bottle feeding every day.  Here's the tricky part.....LB will not take a bottle for the life of him.  We had introduced a bottle early in his life so SB could feed him every so often, and he did ok with it.  But lately, he just doesn't seem interested in it.  He's not in pain or screaming like he did with reflux, he just refuses it and would prefer to move on to something else.  I'm starting to freak out about whether he's getting enough nutrients via breastmilk/formula.  I should probably just call the doctor, but I'm hoping I can figure this out myself.  She had told me he needed at least 12 oz. every day.  I don't think he's getting that now.  He is eating great, and he'll drink water out of a sippy cup - but we tried that with formula, and he does not like that!  We bought new "Stage 4" nipples for the bottles, but that didn't improve matters at all.  I'm trying a new kind of formula today - but after that, I just don't know what else to do?  He's a week and a half shy of being 10 months old....so it's too early for real cow's milk. 

Let me know if you have any recommendations on what worked for you!  Thanks so much!!

6-9 months -- favorite items!

In the last 3 months, Logan has gotten increasingly mobile!  He started crawling really early, and is now cruising around the room, and walking between SB and me.  He isn't yet walking as his primary form of transportation -- but I don't think he's too far away from doing that.  As such, the theme for the last 6 months has been containing this wild man!!  Here are a few of our favorite items:

Homedics SS-3000 Soundspa Lullaby, White
On Thanksgiving morning, Logan woke from his morning nap and I found him STANDING, playing with his sweet sailboat mobile.  I couldn't believe that he pulled himself up to standing.  Of course, that meant we had to say good-bye to his mobile....but I knew I needed something to replace it b/c we used that to help him get to sleep.  Fortunately, we had friends who gave us this soundspa projection mobile, and it works perfectly!  I highly recommend this if you need to replace a standard mobile (or heck, you can use this from the start!).  It plays 3 different songs, and has 3 "nature" sounds too -- ocean, heartbeat and rain.  It also has 3 different projection images that rotate.  Logan loves it!

Baby Deedee Sleep Nest Baby Sleeping Bag
Somehow Logan's room is always kind of chilly.  We've tried opening/closing some different vents around our house to focus some more air in his room - but it's still a touch cooler than the other rooms.  He can't yet have a blanket in his crib, so we've been using sleep bags.  This particular one is a little heavier than others, and it's been really great.  It's a touch more expensive than some others, but I'd say it's definitely worth it. 

Radio Flyer Walker Wagon
Logan loves this thing.  It's 100% sturdy, and he's loved walking around the house with this.  It works well on carpet and wooden floors, and is good for a little storage too!

Robeez 3D Hound Dog Soft Sole Shoes
I swear that only Robeez shoes will stay on Logan's feet!  I bought these because they're cute, but now they're the only ones he wears because they actually stay on.  He kicks off everything else.  Santa brought 2 new pairs of Robeez in the next size up.

Superyard - "The Octagon" Gate System
I should note that I really like this, and it helps me put Logan somewhere when I need to quickly do something - especially work-related....but I wouldn't say Logan loves it :)  He has tons of toys in there, and I feel it's easier to do this than just gate off the entire room because there are a few "dangers" in there (ie: cords).  So - if you need a safe zone that has a bit more of a "furniture" look, then this is a good choice!


****NOT favorite item:  Our high chair -- the Chicco Polly Magic High Chair.  I wish I'd gotten something else that has fewer nooks or crannies to catch food.  I don't recommend this one at all!

Check out our little walker

Logan took his first steps about a month ago, and is now really getting his feet under him.  He can walk all the way across our living room!  Here's a video, taken yesterday:

We've had a rough last week or so.  We traveled unexpectedly two Fridays ago for the funeral of a dear, dear family friend.  It was sad and exhausting, but good to be surrounded by family and friends to share memories, and offer support.  Logan's sleeping now.....and when he wakes up we have some big errands to run...PBK, Costco, Lowes -- a good little Sunday :)  Hope you all have had a great weekend!

2012 Resolutions

In the past few years, I started making resolutions and really sticking to them. I try to focus on areas of my life that I feel need some nurturing.

1. Read 10 books. I was given a Kindle Fire from work for Christmas, and I really love it! I am in the midst of reading She's Come Undone right now (which is a book I've always wanted to read), and I'm taking recommendations for the next book.  I've gotten out of the habit of reading for fun, which makes me sad.  I read a lot last year, but it was all pregnancy and baby-related.  I'm already loving this resolution, and I really want to stick to it.

2.  Find a church home.  We moved here over 2.5 years ago.  I tried the Presbyterian church closest to us, and didn't feel I really fit in (it's a much older congregation.....nice as can be, but I just didn't see myself really engaging with that church).  We tried a new church for the Christmas Eve service this year and I liked it.  Now we just need to devote ourselves to really getting up and going on Sundays.  The trouble is Sunday morning is such a great morning to go for a long run, and enjoy family time without feeling rushed.  For half of the year, SB is working on Sundays --- and the other half, I usually want him to be able to enjoy a full, relaxing weekend.  But, we are a Christian family, and church needs to be a part of our lives.  The ball is in my court here.

3.  Host 2 parties in our home.  I know the first will be Logan's 1st bday party (eek - can't believe he's approaching 1!!!).  The second......I'm not sure -- could be a dinner party, a 4th of July parade brunch, or a kids' Halloween party, or a Christmas cookie exchange.  We have a great house for hosting, and now that we have some good friends here - I want to have them over.  I know it sounds simple enough, but I always overthink these things, and then get frozen by indecision.  I'm making it happen in 2012!

I think I'm sticking with 3 things this year.  That way I can really devote myself to making them happen.  I'd love to run a 1/2 marathon this coming spring.  I'd love to get my shoulder fixed so I can play tennis again.  But for now....this is it! 

Happy 3/4 of a year!

It's 2012, and Logan is now 9 months old!

Stats:
Weight:  21 lbs, 6 oz (65%)
Height:  29.5" (90%)

Milestones:
Sleeping: You are still a sleeping all star! Bedtime is 7pm, and you usually wake up at 7am. This past week you even slept in till 7:30 am a few times (including Christmas morning, which was a fantastic present!)
Eating: Last week I fed you a grilled cheese sandwich for the first time, and was absolutely shocked when you ate the whole 1/2 sandwich (minus crusts....we'll save those for when you have some teeth!). We've taken some real steps forward in terms of eating this month. You can now feed yourself finger-foods. You really love eating Clementines. Tonight you ate a whole Clementine! You've also started eating yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, quesadillas, little pieces of chicken, and we've explored about 20+ different vegetables and fruits. So far (*knock on wood*) you don't seem to have any food allergies.
Clothing Size: 12 mo., 12-18 mo.
Diapers: Size 3 (maybe moving into size 4 soon?)
Etc: Logan can really pull up and cruise these days. Last week he took 7 steps between me and Scott without holding on to anything - which really gave us a great surprise! One of Logan's Christmas presents was a walker, and he took to it like a fish to water! He loves to walk all over the house pushing it. Christmas was a wonderful, wonderful day. We rang in the new year with our neighbors. Logan had a blast playing with the big kids and with Parker's toys. This month we thought you said "mama" on 3 separate occasions - but it's not exactly a part of your vocabulary. You're babbling a lot, but we haven't heard any other decipherable words. You have been teething for ages, but you are really and truly breaking your first now! Today was the first day we could really feel it. It's one of the bottom middles.  You are also now clapping and waving.  This month has been so fun - it literally felt like you were just changing and growing and developing every single day. 

Daily Routine:
7am - wake up, nurse
8am - breakfast: 1/4 C. baby oatmeal w/ breastmilk or formula, ~3 T. fruit & spinach smoothie, 4 slices of orange or Cheerio's or other finger-food while mama eats breakfast too :)
~9-11am - nap
11am - nurse
12pm - lunch: 1/4 C. rice cereal with fruit or veggie (or grilled cheese! or quesadilla! - starting to be adventurous), ~2-3 T. whole milk plain yogurt, string cheese
~1-3pm - nap
3pm - nurse
5:30pm - dinner: 1/4 C. rice cereal with veggie (or little apple sauce mixed in if he's not taking to it)
7:00pm - nurse

2011: A year in pictures

Oh, what a year it's been!

January - we were approaching the last few months of the pregnancy.  We traveled to Georgia at the end of the NFL season to see family, and celebrated your upcoming arrival with a baby shower.

 

Your Nana, Auntie Sarah, and cousin Annie came to visit for your St. Louis baby shower in February!  We had lots of fun!

 

It felt like we spent March preparing and waiting for your arrival.  We saw some beautiful spring weather, which encouraged the flowers to bloom.....followed by some nasty snow the week you were born. 

 

April -- the most exciting month in 2011!

May -- Mama's first Mother's Day with the whole family!

 In June we traveled to Georgia to see family in Athens, and on Little St. Simon's Island.  We protected you from all the elements there -- sun, mosquitoes, snakes, and gators! 

 Here you are in July - we visited Wisconsin for the 4th of July.  You slept through the night for the first time (hallelujah!), but developed a mean case of reflux.

 In August you and your mommy went to Virginia.  You rode an airplane for the first time at 4 months old!

 September was a great month.  You were feeling better, and getting so much more interactive!

 In October we went apple picking, we carved pumpkins, and you were a tiger for Halloween.

 In November we celebrated Thanksgiving at home with two of Scott's colleagues.  We visited the Magic House - pictured below - which will be a great place to visit for many years to come!

December -- You loved the ribbons on all of the presents.  One by one, we had to move each of the Christmas ornaments out of your reach.  By Christmas morning, we had a partially empty tree!

 

2011 was undeniably one of the very best years of my entire life.  Scott and I learned so much about parenting.  We experienced some very high highs, and a few tough moments as well.   I love waking up every morning and seeing Logan's sweet face peering out over his crib rails.  He greets each day with a smile, which reminds me to do the same.  I feel like my life has so much more purpose now that I'm a mama.  I have so much to teach, to show, to experience, and I love that responsibility.  We are excited for 2012, and all that it has in store for our little family!