Ten Months

Ugh!  FINALLY got this one done after my computer ate the first draft...

This has been a very busy month for you - all sorts of growing and changing and learning going on!

*First, the big one:  You learned how to crawl!!  After many, many weeks of trying to figure it out, you finally did it!  It's been 3 weeks since you learned and you are already lightning quick.  It's a full time job making sure you don't get into something you shouldn't.  You follow me room to room just like a little puppy often ending up literally under my feet.  :)  When you're really on a mission crawling after something you make this funny little "Huh huh huh huh" breathing sound while you're crawling.

*Directly after learning how to crawl, you started pulling yourself up.  Now, you stand all over the place just because you can.  Hanging onto the jumparoo with one hand, balancing on the tub for your blocks, leaning against the chair, in the bathtub, on the couch (while trying to spy the kitties), on momma and daddy's legs, in your crib. 

*(I'm whispering this one and knocking on wood at the same time!)  You have started sleeping better this month.  After we got settled in the new house, we decided it was finally time to order you a crib.  Well, it arrived and we got it all set up and figured we would let you at least sleep in there for the first 2-3 hour stretch of the night.  You surprised us and slept for 5 hours the first night, then 6 or 7 hours the next few nights.  Awesome!  So, now we have a pretty good routine down.  You nurse and then go to bed in your crib at about 7:00, I get you up and nurse you again before I go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00, then you get up again around 5:00 or 6:00 and come in bed with us. 

*You learned a new trick this month and love to show us all that you are: SO BIG!!  You get a big smile on your face every time we ask you "How big is Miles?" and stretch yourself out as far as you can go.  Your hands must be touching every time you do this and you always suck your little tummy.  Cracks us up every time.  :)

*You are still a big fan of eating and you have discovered that if you throw your food over the side of your chair the kitties will come over to check it out.  You LOVE the kitties, so lots of food goes overboard.

*You are making lots of sounds now.  Your standard "Ahhhhhhhhhh" sound is still your favorite, but you say dadadada, babababa, and yayayaya now.  I keep lobbying for mamamama, but no such luck.

*You have seven teeth - three on top, four on the bottom.  They are quite sharp and I have to be careful if I'm sitting around without socks and shoes on.  More than once you've snuck up on me and decided to use my toes for teething toys - that hurts!! 

*Your hair is starting to really come in!  It's still kind of hard to tell in pictures, but it is there.  It's especially noticeable when it's wet.

You are so much fun right now and changing every day.  I keep reminding Daddy (and myself) of this poem:

Cleaning and scrubbing will wait 'til tomorrow,

but children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

~Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Happy 10 months, Miles-y!  We love you so, so much!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

We had a busy week! 

My mom had back surgery at Meriter on Tuesday.  Devon came to our place that afternoon and then we all headed down to the hospital after I was done at Weight Watchers.  Mom was still pretty out of it from the anesthesia, but she did manage to demand a Rocky's breadstick and part of one of the Banana-Berry Muffins I made, despite still being on a clear liquids diet.

On Wednesday morning Devon, Miles, and I packed up in the morning and made a run out to Deerfield to drop off some food for my friend Kelly, her husband, Scott, and their new little guy, Oliver.  He is so tiny and sweet!  :)  Then we headed back to Madison and met Abbie and Josie for lunch at The Mermaid Cafe.  After we were done there, we went back to the hospital for a couple of hours and Miles entertained my mom for awhile before they both got tired and cranky.  On the way home, we stopped at Target and did a bit of shopping.  Devon brought the first sweet corn of the season with her on Tuesday, so we got home and had that for supper along with some swiss chard chips.  Yum!  I also made a cherry pie with the fresh Door County cherries that I found at the market last weekend.  SO delicious. 

Bill had to work again on Thursday, so Miles and I went to a few garage sales, then headed back down to the hospital.  Bill met us there after he was done with work so that he could take Miles home while I went to my Holistic Mom's meeting.  My dad stayed at our place that night since my mom was being discharged Friday morning.

Friday kind of got away from us a bit.  Bill did get to go golfing though, so that was good.  Today we worked on projects around the house.  Bill did all the touch up painting that has been bugging him and I finally hemmed the stupid curtains.  (They're Ikea curtains and just have an iron-on strip to hem them, but it was still a pain in the neck because they weren't all the same length and I had to keep adjusting how much I hemmed them.)  Bill also started working on putting the hardware on the cabinets in the bathroom and I got started on the mountain of laundry that was taking over our closet. 

As for Miles, he had been enjoying a lot of naked time this week.  For some reason he has been pooping more than ever the last 3 weeks, despite starting an iron supplement and us feeding him all sorts of high iron foods.  We were all worried that he would be constipated, but that is definitely not the case.  He had 6 poopy diapers on Friday alone and his poor little butt was so red!  So, he has been having naked time and lots of tub time to try to help that problem.

He was NOT very impressed that Daddy wouldn't let him go downstairs with him.

A Day at the Park

Last Monday Bill and I decided we'd better take advantage of the short break in the miserably humid weather and get outdoors with Miles for a day.  We packed up the stroller and some water and drove down to Olin-Turville Park in Madison.  We spent the afternoon just hanging out, playing on the playground, and sitting in some shade watching the boats on the water.  Miles was loving every second of it (as he usually does while we're outside) and it was a really nice day.  Bonus:  I got a couple of pictures that I really love!  :)



Swinging with Momma
(And, no, that's not all drool on his shirt!  He was practicing with his sippy cup.)



Snuggles with Daddy



Miles taking it all in



I <3 this one!



This one KILLS me!  I LOVE it!  :)
I was sitting behind him saying "Miles, look at Momma" and this is what I got.  Ha!



Momma and baby feet



Aaaaand, we're done!



Standing!

Gosh, it seems like Miles is literally adding another trick to his repetoire every day!

We figured we had a little while before he became really efficient at crawling to get things really baby-proofed, but we were wrong!!  He was pretty slow at the whole crawling business for about 3-4 days, but now it's like he moves at warp speed.  NOTHING is safe from him!  Garbage can, books, Momma's purse, clean laundry, cords of all kinds, books, remotes, every type of electronic gadget, kitties.  Basically everything except those things which are meant for him.  :)

Note the rapturous expression on Miles' face.  Then, note the slightly-less-than-rapturous expression on Greta's. :)

He also uses his crawling to throw himself upon my feet and beg for mercy (or just to nurse).  It is kind of funny and pathetic and cute all at the same time.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF51OIpsghE

Then, no sooner did we adjust to the crawling business, then he started trying to pull himself up on things.  Again (we're not that bright, apparently...) we figured we had a little while to prepare before he became really good at it.  Yup, you guessed it.  Wrong again!  Now the books on the second shelf that were secure a week ago are no longer, anything on the couches (including the kitties!!) is fair game, the computer sitting on the side table almost ended up on his head a couple of days ago...  You get the picture.

Yes, we are definitely busier these days, but it really is amazing to watch him learn and grow and develop.  It's the times like this, where he is literally changing every single day, that I am especially thankful for the opportunity to be at home with him.  Sure, every now and then I miss having an adult, professional conversation, but I would not trade this time, these oh-so-short moments, for anything.  I am definitely lucky.  :)

Some random pictures:

Fun Day in the Dells!

Today we decided we were tired of being held hostage by the heat so, after Miles woke up from his nap and ate some (high iron!) lunch, we packed up and headed to the Dells.  We stopped by the Original Ducks where Bill used to work and he talked to some of the people that he used to work with for a little while.  We also got to enjoy a complementary duck ride, which Miles seemed to enjoy and allowed Bill to do some reminiscing.  We were SO glad we ventured out today!  By the time we got to the Dells, it had clouded over a bit and the humidity had gone down a bit and it was pretty darn nice outside!

Family Pic - Miles is uninterested 

 Family pic - Bill is super interested, Miles is still uninterested

My boys.  :) 

Snugglebug

After the Duck tour, we went to a restaurant with a waterfront deck for supper and enjoyed some more of the beautiful weather.  I can't remember the name of the place to save my life, but Bill had chicken wing and I had a grilled chicken wrap and they were both really tasty.  After we were done eating, Miles and I posed for a picture:

Oh, just a quick public service announcement.  Wal-Mart pretty much sucks in general, but the Lake Delton Wal-Mart in the evening is a completely miserable experience.  Bill decided we had wandered into the armpit of society.  :)  Yikes.  I do NOT recommend going there if you can avoid it...

And finally, a video of Miles taking out some aggression on his toast.  Enjoy!  :)

Evidence. And 9 Month Appt. Update.

Well, I finally managed to get a video of Miles crawling!  It's not very far, but I was just impressed that he finally cooperated.  Every time I've tried to motivate him to crawl he hasn't been interested, and everytime he's decided to crawl on his own the camera has been out of reach. 

Miles crawling!!

This week has been pretty darn uneventful here, mostly due to the miserable heat.  We've spent a lot of time hibernating inside.

We did have Miles' 9 month doctor visit on Monday with our new doctor.  We just did not click with the first doctor we tried after Miles was born.  I fully admit that I am pretty "hippy" about a lot of things and the first doctor was very traditional and we just did not see eye to eye on several issues.  I think it is really important to have a doctor that is on the same page as we are because it ultimately leads to better care for Miles.  So, I had heard great things about our new doctor from several different sources and I was not disappointed!  She is a general practictioner, but also has training in Integrative Medicine and is a Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (a rare find in a MD!).  We had a great visit, she really took the time to answer our questions, and personally called us back with follow-up information.  Bill and I both got a really good feeling and decided the switch was a smart move. 

When Miles started getting his teeth I had noticed that I thought his upper lip frenulum was a little short, but it was hard to tell because he still didn't have any teeth on top.  We decided to ask the doctor about it because we were wondering (if it was short) if it could cause speech problems eventually.  Well, she checked it out and said that yes, it was definitely tighter than normal and that speech problems weren't necessarily a risk, but dental issues later on could be.  So, we have been referred to a pediatric ENT and have a consult scheduled for Aug. 31 to determine if it will require surgery or not.

Just in case you're wondering, here is a picture of the upper lip frenulum:


We also discovered at Miles' appointment that he is pretty severely anemic.  The doctor said that his hemoglobin level was the lowest one she has ever encountered in a baby this age, so that's not so good.  We weren't entirely surprised because we knew that Miles was at pretty high risk for developing anemia because he was born early, had his cord clamped prematurely, and had borderline low birth weight.  Babies get the majority of their iron stores in the last trimester of pregnancy and Miles missed out on about half of that time.  In addition, when the cord is clamped immediately after delivery, the baby misses out on all that blood (sometimes up to 50%! of baby's blood volume) that was still being pumped from the placenta, including the red blood cells and oxygen that it was carrying.  Miles was also right on the borderline of the "low birth weight" cut-off that is considered a risk factor for developing anemia.  Anyway, long story short is that we have ordered an herbal iron supplement (one of the many reasons I love our new doc - she recommended an herbal supplement first!) and have begun feeding Miles all sorts of high iron/high Vitamin C (Vit. C helps the iron to be absorbed) meals.  Some favorites have been a fortified cereal/breastmilk/steamed apricot concoction, an egg yolk/breastmilk/spinach omelette and kale chips with some avocado and muskmelon on the side.

Wow, that got long!  If you made it this far, here's some more cute baby pictures:

Crawling!!

Today was a BIG day for Miles!  He has been trying soooo hard to crawl for about the last 2-3 weeks, getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth, usually ending by smashing his face into the floor.  Well, today he finally did it!  Wouldn't it be sweet to say that he was motivated to crawl by wanting to get to his momma?  Why, yes, yes it would be sweet to say that, but Momma is chopped liver when Greta is around.  Yup, Miles took off crawling today trying desperately to get to stupid Greta.  Greta's not actually all that stupid, though, as she was long gone by the time the poor little guy got to where he was going.  He repeated his new trick a couple of more times throughout the day, but hasn't decided to upgrade to using crawling as his primary mode of transportation just yet...

(Yes, I'm working on getting a video.  I'm a sucky mom and I couldn't find the camera battery charger and the battery was dead.  So.  No video.  BUT, I found it!  So, video tomorrow, hopefully.)

In other Miles news, he is working on two more teeth, a top and a bottom.  Also, he does not appear to care for green beans so much, but he is a BIG fan of shortcake and fresh whipped cream.  He was not a very happy camper when I cut him off after he inhaled half of a shortcake and a tablespoon of whipped cream in record time.  Finally, we will be going to his 9 month check-up tomorrow.  I'm interested to see how much he's grown!

My dad and Grandpa Al came down today to finish up a few jobs around here, build some shelves in the basement, and take a bunch of tools home.  We now have trim around our kitchen peninsula and in our master bathroom, and the basement shelves look awesome (and all my school bins have already found a nice home on them...)! 

Today was also a big day for me.  I successfully cooked my first whole chicken.  Yes, I know, sad that it took me 'til 29 years of age to cook a whole chicken, but there you have it.  I made beer can chicken, roasted vegetables, zucchini chips, some of my newly canned green beans, and homemade strawberry shortcake for lunch today since we had visitors.  All three of them told me it was good, so I guess I can call it successful.  :)

9 Months!

Gosh, it's been a long time since I've updated the blog!

Miles,

Today you are 9 months old.  I am in denial that you will be 1 YEAR old in just 3 months! 

You are so much fun now!  You have such a happy personality and love to smile at (almost) everyone you meet.  You only get upset when you are hungry or overtired, and I guess I can't blame you for that because I do, too!

You are really eating food with more purpose now.  You love bananas, cottage cheese, yogurt, toast with cream cheese, asparagus, pears, noodles, and just about anything else we give you.  Oh, except raspberries - you're not such a fan of those. 

You are trying SO hard to crawl.  You get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but you can't quite figure out how to get your hands moving so you usually end up going head-first into the floor.  As soon as you work out what to do with those hands, though, we are in trouble!  :)

You have figured out how to sit yourself back up after you've been laying on the floor, which is really helpful to us.  Since you learned how to sit up, we spent a lot of time sitting you back up after you tipped over reaching too far for a toy (or power cords or our shoes or some other treasure that is SO much more interesting than one of your actual toys...).

You've started to really look to us to gauge what your reaction should be to things.  A few days ago, Daddy was doing something really silly looking and you looked up at me, then after you saw that I was laughing, you decided you could laugh, too.  You often will bury your head in our shoulders when someone new talks to you, then peek up at them, then me before burying your head again.

You have two more teeth!  Well, ok, more like one and a half.  Your left top front tooth and the one just to the left of it are almost all the way through.  Now it really is dangerous to stick a finger in your mouth!  I must say that we have become believers in your baltic amber necklace.  After 5 teeth, we have not had to give you any sort of pain reliever and have not noticed any significant mood changes or other disruptions to your routine.  So, I tend to believe it must be doing some good... :)

You will have your 9 month check-up next week, but if I had to guess, I would say that you haven't gained a ton of weight (maybe 2ish pounds) since your 6 month check-up, but I think you've been busy stretching up.  It seems like we've been retiring more and more clothes because they no longer fit length-wise.  We'll see...

Sleeping at night is still definitely NOT your strong point, but you do redeem yourself by taking great naps during the day.  I guess if I had to choose one or the other, I wouldn't change it because I am able to get a lot done while you're napping!  But, that doesn't mean I wouldn't take BOTH - that would be juuuuust fine with us!

You love water - shower, baby pool, bath, big pool, boating.  Doesn't matter.  You are a big fan of it all!

You are growing so fast - I feel like you learn something new every single day.  Sometimes I wish I could push the pause button and keep you this little for just a little while longer.  It does make it a bit easier because it seems like the next thing you do is always just as cute and fun and exciting as whatever I was being nostalgic over, though. 

Waking up to your sleepy, stretchy snuggles is the favorite part of my day.  You make us both so happy and we are so lucky to get to be your Momma and Daddy.  Happy 9 months, Bubbaroo.  We love you!