Monthly Updates – Page 2 – the perreault family

today i am…

Published on January 15, 2014 by kristenperreault1 Comment

6 months old!!
My baby, my sweet tiny little Luc is 6 months old today. I am pretty certain I blinked and 6 months passed me by because seriously he was JUST born. Time is flying and I am enjoying every cuddle and every stage of this little guy since I know all too well how fast it will all go.

Stats-
Weight-15lbs on the dot
Height- 24.5 inches long
teeth- none as of yet

Things of Note:
-You may have noticed that this little guy has packed on a few pounds over the last month. We struggled (really, really struggled) with his weight gain for months but now we finally have things under control and Luc is starting to pack on the pounds! We were trying desperately to get him to be double his birth weight on or before his 6 month check-up and we have succeeded. Yay! It’s certainly been a journey and I am glad to be where we are with it.
-Movement. Luc is still rolling front to back and back to front but hasn’t really moved much other than that yet. He scoots a little bit on his tummy however, mostly by accident and he usually gets upset when he does because he isn’t happy about where he ends up.
-Sitting. Over the last month he has become very stable in a sitting position. He can sit for long periods of time and rarely tips over, although when he does he usually isn’t too happy about it but I can’t blame him.
-Laughing. Luc has been laughing (full out belly laughing) for about a month now. However, he does not give the giggles up easily. Mostly he finds his brothers hilarious, especially when Jay is “dancing” for him and he likes when Mommy and Daddy jump around.
-Sleeping. We are finally getting back to a more normal sleeping schedule. Luc was sleeping for 6 hour stretches around 3 months but regressed a bit when we had feeding issue and I had to wake him up in the night but now that things have improved he usually goes to bed around 8:30, eats around 1:30 and then again around 7. Naps are a little more inconsistent with Luc than they were with the other boys, mostly because we have no choice. Morning naps are hit or miss but he usually gets in one good afternoon nap and if I am lucky I sometimes nap with him.

Likes:
-Bath Time. Up until the last two weeks or so we had been giving Luc baths in the kitchen sink; however, he has gotten pretty big to put in the sink tub so we have been bathing him in the big tub. He enjoyed the baths and water before but now he LOVES bath time. He smiles really big when we start to undress him (he knows the routine and what is coming) and he loves to splash around in the tub. He especially loves it when his brothers get to have a bath with him. He thinks they are hilarious and smiles the biggest smiles when they are “splashing” with him.
-Peek-a-boo. Almost every night after bath time Daddy and Luc play peek-a-boo while he is wrapped up in a towel and he loves it. You are guaranteed a smile while playing and are sometimes rewarded with a laugh too.
-Books. Luc loves being read to or listening to stories that are being read to his brothers. I know that it is partially that he just enjoys being spoken too, especially since he also really loves to be sung to, but I really hope that he will enjoy books as much as the other boys.
-His Brothers. There really isn’t much that Luc likes more than his two brothers. He is constantly watching them, smiling at them and laughing at them. They in turn are enamored with him and to this day one of the biggest problems that we have with Jay and Charlie in regards to Luc is limiting how often/how much they can love on him.

Dislikes:
-Loud noises. This really isn’t anything to be shocked about but when someone screams (our house is rarely quiet) it usually startles him and he will let you know that he is not happy about that.

Jay at 6 months
Charlie at 6 months

today I am

Published on December 15, 2013 by kristenperreaultLeave a comment

5 months old. I know that this post is a month late but I like being able to look back on them and see what the boys were doing at the time so bear with me while I catch up.

Height- I am not sure since I didn’t actually measure him

Weight- 10lbs 4oz (on December 12) and 11lbs 7oz (on December 19, one week later)

Teeth- none yet

Things of Note

-Luc is moving around quite a bit now. He can roll over both ways although he isn’t in the phase where he rolls to get what he wants just yet. He is pushing up and looking around frequently and always wants to know what is going on with his brothers.

-He gave his first true laugh the day he turned 5 months old. It was a small one but a laugh none the less. He is still super smiley but he apparently saves the laughs until things are super funny.

-Sleep is sort of a sore subject (for me at least) since we aren’t getting much of it. He was doing really well and sleeping almost through the night (at least as far as a baby is concerned) but now that we have had to wake him up for feedings he has gotten used to being up and is waking 2-3 times a night. It has been hard going back from having slept more to this but I keep hoping that after he continues to gain weight that we will be on the right track and he won’t be up as much.

-Weight. His weight has gone up but we are still working on figuring out a long term plan that will work for all of us. He is such a happy little boy it has made it hard to first decide that there was a problem and then to figure out what to do about it. However, thing are improving and the doctors are pleased with the gains that he has made.

-Sitting. Luc has just recently decided that sitting is fun. He still has to sit with assistance; however, he enjoys being able to look around and check out what is going on around him. His other current favorite position is on his back since he doesn’t topple over and can still see everything that is going on around him.

Likes-

-His brothers. He gives the biggest smiles for Charlie and Jay and I think they are the two that will eventually be able to get him to full on belly laugh. Their relationship with each other is really sweet to watch and I love how much they adore each other.

-Being sung to regardless of if you can sing or not. Both Jay and I aren’t really gifted in carrying a tune; however, sweet Luc doesn’t seem to mind. He is happy with whomever will sing to him and it can usually cure his fussiness if he is getting upset.

-Books. Luc has really taken to looking at the pictures in books and he loves listing to stories; whether he is being directly read to or if he is just listening along when we read to his brothers.

-Piper and Bella. Just recently Luc has taken notice of the animals around the house. He will follow them while they walk through the room and he usually gives them a smile when he sees them.

Dislikes-

-To be honest there isn’t much that Luc doesn’t like… Really the only thing that comes to mind is being hungry. When he gets tot the “feed me now” phase (which is usually some time in the middle of the night) there is really nothing that will calm him aside from food. But really other than that he is pretty much happy all of the time.

Jay at 5 months

Charlie at 5 months

today I am

Published on November 15, 2013 by kristenperreaultLeave a comment

4 months old… well on the 15th he was, again I am posting late! Even though I am late posting these I am going to anyway; life is crazy busy right now but I know looking back I will appreciate the time I took to write all of this down.

Stats-
Weight 9lbs 7oz
Height- 24 inches
Head- 50%

Things of Note-
*Weight- His weight has been a bit of a concern, he’s in the 3% currently, since he’s such a peanut. However, we are working hard on stuffing him with tons of extra calories (I am either nursing or pumping around the clock pretty much) and while it has been really tough we have seen improvements in his weight gain and are thrilled! The work isn’t over yet (any and all prayers are still welcome) but things are getting much better.
*He is really the easiest most laid back baby ever! He adores being around people and pretty much happy ALL of the time. There are very few times during the day that he is upset (aside from when he is tired or hungry, and even then it’s not a huge fussing) but aside from that he usually has a huge smile plastered on his face. He really is such a joy to be around!!
*Rolling- He has started rolling front to back but hasn’t gone back to front yet.
*Teething- If I had to guess I would say that the teething process has started, although I would be surprised if he actually got teeth within the next month.
*Luc has really started noticing things and grabbing for stuff. This can be a little problematic from time to time but it’s fun to see that he is starting to notice things around him.

Likes-
*Being able to see what is going on- Luc loves to face out and be able to see what is going on. He doesn’t want to miss any of that action that is going on around him and always has his little head peering around to see what is going on.
*Blowing Bubbles- he has some ridiculous bubble blowing skills right now. Frequently, you will look over and he has a bubble fountain running down his chin. The downside to this is most definitely that is shirts are usually soaking wet; oh well, nothing a bib can’t help with.
*Being sung to. It’s no secret that my voice is not stellar; however, on the rare occasion that Luc is upset he calms right down when he is being sung to.
*Playing “games”- along with being sung to Luc really enjoys patty-cake, roll-polly and other games where you play with his arms and hands!
*crinkle Toys and Wooden Teethers-
*listening to stories- we don’t get as much time to read to Luc on his own as I would like to but he certainly loves listening to stories along with his bothers.
*his brothers- he adores them, smiles at them all of the time and when he is fussy they can usually make him happy. He soaks up their attention and they love on him SO much. It’s so sweet to watch.

Dislikes-
Honestly other than being cold there is not much that this little cutie doesn’t like. He is super patient and really not all that needy. He lets his brothers love all over him and never brings up a compliant! He has been such a welcomed addition to our family and we are enjoying ever minute of watching him grow.

Jay at 4 Months
Charlie at 4 Months

today i am…

Published on October 15, 2013 by kristenperreault1 Comment

3 Months old!!!

Stats-

Height- Our best measurement of this kiddo is 23.5 inches

Weight- according to our scale this little bit is 9lbs 6oz He’s growing and looking older by the day however gaining weight is not high on his list, both Jay and Charlie weighed much more than he does at this age.

Things of note-

Sleeping- Luc is sleeping anywhere from 6-8 hours at night these days and while this is quite good for a 3 month old (and I am certainly not complaining) Jay was sleeping 8-10 hours at this point and Charlie 8-9 and only occasionally waking up around the 6 hour mark. I don’t think we are doing anything extraordinary with him, nor do we have a special secret although I do think that our consistent nightly routine and his eat, then play (we play a whole lot when I can) then sleep daytime routine really does help.

Luc is pretty much the happiest baby around. He very rarely fusses (even when he is really hungry) and more often than not you can find him happily smiling at you. His smiles are huge and freely given.

Luc has started to notice things around him and become much more alert. He is frequently taking in everything around him (which can be quite a lot) and enjoying the crazy of our house. This being said he prefers to be carried so he can see out and see what’s going on.

Likes

Socks- I affectionately refer to these as Luc’s happy-makers. Little boy doesn’t like to be cold and since he doesn’t have much meat on his bones getting cold is easy to do and frequently his little toes are freezing; so socks are amazing and extremely helpful.

Sleeping on his tummy- Shh don’t tell the Doctor (since this is the non-recommended way of infant sleeping right now) but every time we work on tummy time he crashes and falls asleep so much so that I have stated putting him down for his naps on his belly. I mean really he can be awake and as soon as you put him in his tummy he quiets down and falls asleep.

His tongue- Just within the last week or so Luc has decided that playing with his tongue is a lot of fun.

The carrier- the carrier is probably the exception to the rule to being carried facing out. If Luc is riding in my carrier he is usually pretty content and falls asleep pretty quickly. I love using it as I did with all of the boys and it has saved my arms many a time.

His big brothers- He adores both Jay and Charlie. He watches them and listens intently for them. He will quiet down and stop fussing if they begin talking to him and just generally likes being around them. Both of the boys are equally good with him and love and hug on him frequently.

Being sung to- I think this has been pretty consistent with all of the boys but they love when I sing or read to them and since I am not exactly the best singer around I am thankful that they aren’t a picky audience.

Blowing Bubbles- almost all of the time you can find a half dozen bubbles flowing out of this little one’s mouth and while some are quite impressive they mostly just get the front of his outfits soaking wet.

Dislikes:

I am pretty hard pressed to find things that this little one does not like however, if I had to pick something I would have to say that he does not like being cold.

Jay at 3 months
Charlie at 3 months

today I am

Published on October 9, 2013 by kristenperreault1 Comment

2 months old!!

Sweet baby Luc was 2 months old a few weeks ago (I am so bad about getting these posts up, although I do write and take the photos when they are actually 2 months old)! What a blessing this little guy is to our family.

Some things of note-
Sleeping- As far as a 2 month old goes Luc is sleeping like a champ! He usually gives me consistently 4.5-5 hour stretches at night and occasionally he will give me a 6 hour stretch (he wakes up unbelievably grouchy from his 6 hour stretches but can you blame him? He, after all, is starving at that point). He is adjusting nicely to his nighttime routine and barely fusses, even though he is hungry, while we bathe, dress and diaper him.
Eating- Eating is also going really well. He eats every 2.5-3 hours during the day and we let him go as long as he can at night time. I am still using the shield to nurse but other than that we have no problems. He is on the smaller side as far as weight is concerned; he was 8 pounds 11 oz at just over 6 weeks, but the Doctor is not concerned since he is averaging a .5 oz per day gain. He is however my smallest little guy yet- Jay was 11lbs 4oz at 2 months and while I don’t know what Charlie was exactly I know that he was more than Jay (take a look at the pictures below!)
Smiling and Cooing- I honestly think he is our happiest/smiliest baby yet. He is so laid back and easy going and will flash the most adorable ear-to-ear smiles at almost everyone! He is also cooing and “talking” up a storm. It’s SO sweet and also crazy how much he has changed in just the past few weeks.

Likes-
His Brothers- Not always, but frequently when Luc is fussy he will calm down when his brothers start talking to him or singing to him (Jay usually starts and Charlie joins in). He also pretty intently listens to them throughout the day while they play. It’s so cute to see their relationship already forming.
The Fan- Not as much as Jay or Charlie, but he’s still a fan of the fan.
Facing out- He likes to be carried facing out so he can see the world around him. He likes to know what is going on and be able to look around. In the same breath, he also enjoys the “frog” cuddle where he is snugged up tightly and lying on his tummy on someone.
The carrier- If all else fails the Luc is happy in the carrier which is wonderful since I sometimes have no other choice- it allows me to have both of my hands free to chase/tackle/wrangle the other two ;)
Our color book- Not unlike the two other boys Luc likes being read to; he listens pretty contently while I read to him or the boys. He also really likes a color book that we have. It has bright vibrant pictures which he will look at for long periods of time.
The morning- The morning is Luc’s best time of the day. He is SO smiley and just plain happy most mornings.

Dislikes-
Being Cold- This little guy hates to be cold. Since he was born in the summer I don’t dress him as warmly as I did the other two boys; however, he usually has a little blanket on since he gets pretty grumpy when he is cold.

I think that about covers most of it for now. He is sweet and wonderful and I love him.

Jay at 2 months
Charlie at 2 months

today I am…

Published on September 3, 2013 by kristenperreault3 Comments

*While I wrote this update and took the pictures when Luc was really and truly a month old I hadn’t had the time to post it until now…

One month, say it isn’t so! I know you are probably tired of hearing me say how I can’t believe that they are already- fill in blank age here- but it’s true, I can’t. While the days are frequently long around here the weeks and months fly by so, so quickly. I have been trying to drink this little one in as much as humanly possible this past month since I know that all I have to do is blink and he will be grown.

A little bit of an update on our little guy (in no official manor) because I know if I don’t write it down I will forget it…

Luc continues to maintain true to his fabulous 3rd child status. He is laid back, go with the flow and generally pretty easy. I sincerely hope that I am not jinxing myself by saying this but he is usually easy to please. He eats, he enjoys a little awake time and then he snoozes. He does have times that he is fussier than usual (about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours after he eats and late afternoon and late evening) but nothing that a little cuddling and walking won’t cure.

Luc had some difficulty eating to begin with and wasn’t gaining weight the way his doctor would have hoped so we took him in for a few extra visits and met with a lactation consultant. He had a pretty weak latch, something that is pretty common in babies that are born early, and when you couple that with him being so sleepy (also something associated with early babies) it makes for a bad combo. However, he has been getting better and he is gaining weight, he weighed in at 7lbs 14oz at 3 weeks old, but is still pretty squishy and tiny.

He is pretty much the most fantastic cuddle bug ever. He snuggles right in to your chest and snoozes away in the most peaceful and sweetest manner. Like I said, I am drinking him in right now since I know this won’t last. So while the laundry piles up around us I sit and ignore it because if there is one thing I have learned with the other two it’s that babies don’t keep.

Again, I hope I am not jinxing myself when I say this but Luc is a pretty fantastic sleeper for his age. I feed him late at night before I go to bed (between 11:30 and 12) am up once a night with him and then again in the morning. He usually goes right back to sleep in the middle of the night, no pacing for us! Yahoo! So while we have had an few long nights here and there these are the norm and we are very thankful for it.

I suppose the only other thing of note is that Luc prefers to be warm. He’s a tried and true Florida boy and likes things warm and will tell you if he feels otherwise. We swaddle him at night after his nightly bath and feeding and during the day he loves to have a blanket on his legs or be snuggled up tight in my carrier.

That covers the highlights on our little guy for sure and since I had fun looking back at the other two One Month posts I though you might to as well-

Jay’s One Month Post

Charlie’s One Month Post

18 months

Published on May 26, 2013 by kristenperreault3 Comments

A little over a week ago Charlie turned 18 months old. It’s so hard to believe that my (current) baby is turning into such a little boy. I know that I say this with every update but wow, time sure does fly by!

I love this age, some of the others I could do without, but 18 months is by far one of my favorites. Charlie is fiercely determined, independent and stubborn to boot but incredibly affectionate, sweet and just plain happy most of the time. He’s precious and I wish I could bottle him up at this age and save a little bit of this sweetness for later.

Stats:
Weight- 22lbs
Height- 31.75″
Teeth- Charlie has the oddest combination of teeth in that little head of his. He currently has 12 teeth, including the top four center teeth, three of his bottom front teeth, his one year old molars and one canine. They have come in in no particular order so honestly we have no idea what will come next, although I know that more are coming as we speak.

Things of Note:
-Charlie is talking up a storm and has been for quite a while. He had been putting together 3 word sentences for months and continues to say new words daily. His currently list of words include: Mommy, Daddy, Jay, what, this, that, I, where, want, down, me, more (moe), two, nine, ten, cheese, hi, hey, no, oh, goodness, Mimi, “I’m coming”,go
-He adores his brother Jay. Most of the time you can find him following Jay around the house. Not really imitating what he does but rather just wanting to be around him and play with him. He asks for him most days after he gets up from his nap if Jay is still sleeping and if I don’t watch him closely he will stand outside his door yelling for him. He frequently asks “Where’s Jay?” if he can’t find him and is always trying to keep up with him.
-He is a pretty good eater for the most part. He has his good and bad eating days and I don’t worry when he doesn’t eat much because he will eat more than enough on the days that he is really hungry. His current favorites include cottage cheese, cheese, hot dogs, watermelon, beans, ice cream and milk.
-Sleeping is still pretty great. He is still in the crib for now but we might transition him into a big boy bed soon before the baby comes (this will be interesting because he and Jay will be sharing a room at this point). He still takes a morning nap, although if we are out and busy he can skip it, an afternoon nap, is in bed between 7:30 and 8 most nights and sleeps until 7:30 or 8 in the morning. When he wakes up he usually just plays in his bed quietly (or not so quietly) until someone comes to get him. But as soon as you open his door he says “I want down!”
-He is fiercely stubborn, even more so than Jay was at this age. We find that if he wants something he will stop at nothing to make sure he gets it and is not easily deterred.

Likes:
*Books- He still loves to read with us and will sit through as many as you will read to him at night. Book length is increasing as well. He doesn’t always pick the simple ones anymore so we are able to read a little more variety to him. A few of his current favorites are Little Blue Truck, The Bear Snores On and Going on a Bear Hunt. When you read Going on a Bear Hunt he will recite some of the phrases to you and do the snowstorm sound effects while you read.
*Blankie- nothing new here but it needs to be said. Charlie does not go anywhere in the house without his blankie and he would take it everywhere if I would let him (I don’t let it leave the house so it doesn’t get dirty and ruined) and he won’t sleep without it.
*Water- Bath, water table, hose, kiddie pool, big pool… you name it! If it has water he pretty much loves it. He is currently taking swim lessons and doing really well and while he doesn’t love the lessons (he doesn’t like to do things until he knows he can do them) he still does everything his instructor tells him to do and is does it well.
*Buckles- he has a new-found love of buckles. He has just discovered how to clasp them and he will have you undo the buckle multiple times so he can clip it again.
*Being outside- both of my boys have always loved being outside and this hasn’t changed with Charlie. He will play out there for hours and is instantly happy when you ask if he would like to go out.
*Combs, Brushes, Vacuum attachments etc- Charlie has a thing for small objects that you can hold in your hand and walk around with. He frequently has one of them in his hand as he walks around the house. I honestly wish our vacuum wasn’t so hard to push or I think I could get him to vacuum the house for me.
*Cars- he is starting to really enjoy playing with cars. His is nowhere near to Jay’s obsession with cars but he likes pushing them around and making noises while he does. Fillmore (Moe Moe) is his current favorite car, it’s a VW bus from the Pixar movie Cars.
*GO, GO- Charlie loves running these days and loves even more when you say “Go, Go” and even more when you chase him.
*Bella and Piper- Charlie adores our pets and is constantly crawling all over them, giving them hugs and kisses. He helps Jamie let Piper outside in the morning and then helps to feed her. He is generally pretty sweet to both of them and they get a whole lot of Charlie love.

TaDa!

We celebrate half-birthdays with half of a cake and a new half-birthday book. These next few photos are of Charlie enjoying the post-frosting beaters and finally realizing what the thing on the stand in front of him was…

he’s got a mean stink-eye

finally realizing that it was cake in front of him

A lot of the things Charlie enjoys are similar to Jay’s. If you want to read about Jay at 18 months check out this post.

15 months

Published on February 24, 2013 by kristenperreault3 Comments

Charlie was 15 months old last weekend and is growing and changing before our eyes these days so for posterity’s sake here’s a little update on our sweet little guy.

Things of note-
*When you put Charlie to bed these days, for either naps or at bed time, he flips over, waits to be tucked into his blankets and then flashes you the biggest grin around. Every time I see it it makes me melt and a stay just a little bit longer than I normally would rubbing his back and telling him to have sweet dreams. I hope to never forget the sweet smile on his face or the way his hair flips around his ears a bit as he smiles at me.
*He has all kinds of tricks that he can do (when he wants to that is). He is waving (without being asked), blowing kisses, giving real kisses (they are wet and sloppy but SO cute), snuggling (he will put his head on your shoulder when you ask for a snuggle although Mommy is usually the only one he does this for, which I certainly don’t mind), Ta-Da (where he puts his hands in the air touchdown style). He knows all the following animal sounds: horse, dog, kitty, lion and monkey and says Daddy, Mommy (when he wants to) his form of Jay and Hi.
*Sign language. We weren’t as persistent with Charlie as we were with Jay but he has perfected “please” and is working on “more” and “finished”. He will say please without being prompted and also when asked “what do you say?”. Sometimes his answer is a pretty slow please although other times he rubs his little belly so determinedly, it just depends on how badly he wants what we have.
*Eating is hit or miss these days but mostly because he is cutting teeth. He currently has his top 4 center teeth, the bottom two and now 3 of his molars. It’s completely out of any normal order but it is what it is. As for foods he likes… he loves Baby Bel cheeses, ice cream, yogurt, bananas, pureed carrots and most beans (spicy ones too). He does drink from a sippy-cup now and loves milk and water with ice but isn’t too big on juices aside from pear juice.

*He has a temper. If he doesn’t get what he wants, when he wants it look out! That temper will come out something fierce. This is particularly hard these days when we are trying to share with our big brother and take turns.

Likes-
*His Blanket. This is nothing new of course but little one LOVES his blanket. If he’s sleepy- he wants it, if he’s happy- he wants it, if not feeling well- he wants it. Honestly, if I can’t find him I usually can head to his room and find him digging it out of his crib.
*Shape Sorters- one of his favorite toys to play with right now is the shape sorter. His favorite shapes are the circle and star but he can do most of them on his own. He will do one or two shapes over and over and over again without stopping.
*Books. We have been spending more specific time with Charlie reading lately (I am ashamed to say that it wasn’t focused on as early with Charlie as it was with Jay) and much to our joy he is really starting to love books and we have noticed a significant difference in his attention span. He won’t sit through just anything we read and he certainly won’t sit through something as long as Jay would at this age but he loves books and that’s all that matters. His current favorites include, but aren’t limited to, any of our “That’s Not My…” Books (Monster, Baby, Dragon), Baby’s 123, Baby Animals (one that talks about endangered animals around the world), The Foot Book and many books by Sandra Boynton.
*Being outside. Again this is nothing new but he still loves to be outside. Either walking around the backyard, playing in the water table, walking along the path out back, playing at the park- he doesn’t discriminate, if it’s outside he’s a fan.
*Water. Whether it be in the water table, hose or bath tub this little guy loves water. Most nights I can hear the squeals and excitement during bath time from across the house.

*Daddy. He is a Daddy’s boy. He prefers Jamie over me and is thrilled whenever he gets home. On the days Jamie works from home we have to put up the baby gates so Charlie will leave him alone and let him work. If a door gets opened or a gate gets removed he makes a bee-line straight for Jamie.

*Brushes, Phones (old cell phones) and brooms. He is pretty much obsessed with these objects lately. He loves to walk around the house holding any of the above mentioned objects and that temper I mentioned earlier you can see it if you try to take said object away from him
Dislikes-
*Being hungry- Again, this is nothing new however, it can make getting supper ready nightly a tad bit difficult.
*Teething- this is pretty much a no brainer but kiddo doesn’t take to teething too well. Poor guy has been cutting his molars for the last few weeks and they can’t come through soon enough!

*Having to wait on anything. Patience isn’t really his strong suit so when he wants something he wants it pretty immediately. We are working on this and fingers crossed it will get better with time.

These aren’t “official” monthly photos (no blocks were used); however, I adore them and they really show my sweet lively Charlie so well!

the curls I can’t seem to part with just yet

and a few of Jay too since he was out riding his bike on the path with us

today I am

Published on October 24, 2012 by kristenperreault3 Comments

11 months old! Holy cow- right?! How can he almost be one?! Time passes too incredibly fast these days :(

I know that I keep getting later and later when posting these monthly updates; however, at least I am getting them up and I know that my 10/15 years-from-now-self will thank me for taking the time (late or not).

Teeth-5 His smile is starting to even out which kind of makes me sad…

Things of Note-

*Sleeping- aside from a few short naps here and there (mostly due to teeth and trouble with his acid reflux) this kid is a champion sleeper, taking two naps a day and sleeping from 7:30PM-8AM (ish in the morning).

*Eating- We have had a tough time generally trying to figure out what Charlie likes to eat. However, aside from a few setbacks because of his returned acid reflux issues he pretty much will eat anything that is put in front of him. We are lucky.

*Acid Reflux- We are unfortunately still having issues with Charlie’s acid reflux. We had thought that we were past the point of needing medication and had weaned him off of it completely; however, this last week he just hasn’t been himself and has had a cough (a common symptom with acid reflux) so we are giving the medication another go. I certainly want him to be off of his mediation as soon as possible but I don’t have any problem using it while it is still really bothering him.

*Walking (kind of and not unassisted)- Charlie LOVES his push toys so much. He gets a kick out of walking behind them and pushing them along. Frequently, when he is pushing them he will stop turn around and give me a huge proud smile. He has also taken to walking while holding on to peoples fingers and when he wants to he can really move. Aside from that and cruising he isn’t really walking yet but I am sure it will come all too soon.

*Waving and giving Kisses- Sweet little boy has been waving for a while now (I may have forgotten it in his last update) but it is too cute not to mention. He also gives the sweetest and wettest kisses when he is in the mood.

Likes-

*Brushing his teeth- Charlie will just about bounce out of your arms from excitement when he sees his tooth brush or Jay’s for that mater. He loves to brush his teeth (suck the toothpaste off his brush) and it is quite the ordeal to pry it out of his hands after the brushing

*Bath time- little boy still adores bath time. He can be tired and fussy but as soon as that bottom hits the tub he’s all smiles.

*Being outside- When you are walking outside Charlie will practically leap out of your arms because of excitement. He squeals loudly and flaps his arms when you head out with him and is usually (aside from those times that he is really hungry) happy as a clam to be outside regardless of his mood two minutes prior to being outside.

*Bananas- Like I said earlier, Charlie is generally a good eater (acid issues aside) but the kiddo sure has taken a liking to bananas within the last month or so. I can’t let him see one before I am ready for him to have it because he will refuse to eat anything else after he sees it.

*Sippy Cup with Water- for the last month or so I have been trying to get Charlie to use a sippy cup. I tried a little while ago and he wasn’t interested at all and while he still hasn’t quite mastered it and doesn’t want it used in leu of his bottle he loves to have his own cup (I think he especially likes it because Jay has one too).

*Music- It doesn’t matter what type of music is playing or how loudly Charlie becomes a dancing fool when he hears it. Frequently, I will notice him swaying and dancing and have to stop and listen to find where the music is coming from- sometimes it’s from a toy in another room, sometimes its a phone ringing in the next room.

*Push Toys- Kiddo likes to walk so this is pretty much a no brainer. He loves walking behind the toy push toys that we have; however, he hasn’t mastered turing yet and still gets super frustrated when he runs into things and can’t keep going.

Dislikes-

*Being hungry- this is nothing new, little guy likes to eat- enough said.

*Not getting his own way- Charlie is such a little stinker. He’s cute and mostly happy with anything at any point however, he has opinions and strong ones at that. If he doesn’t like what is going on, not being picked up etc he will be sure to let you know LOUDLY!

*Sitting still- This little guy has far too many things to do to sit still for long and does not like when you try to make him… diaper changes are increasingly difficult!

Sorry the photos are limited… like I said sitting still is not high on the priority list these days.

stopping to look at his brother

today I am

Published on September 17, 2012 by kristenperreault2 Comments

10 months old!

It is so hard to believe that our little man is 10 months old already; pretty soon he will be one- slow down time, slow down!

Stats-

weight and height I don’t know about- I forgot to take them

teeth- 3!!! Much to my surprise two weekends ago I discovered a bottom tooth when I was feeling around in there. I say surprise because both Jamie and I felt sure that the top ones would come first. He got his first on a Friday, the second on a Sunday and then one of his top ones last Thursday. There are two other top ones that are SO close to peeking through so I am sure that he will get more within the next month. I will admit though that it does make me a little sad that he has them, he is looking less and less like a baby every day.

Things of Note-

-He is moving- big time!! He is crawling super fast right now and getting everywhere he wants to be. He is cruising with confidence around everything that he can pull up on but hasn’t yet gotten brave enough to stand on his own unassissted. He walks pretty confidently after his push toys and loves that kind of “walking”.

-Eating is going pretty well. While we haven’t moved on completely from purees we don’t feed him that many anymore. He still loves anything that he can put in his own mouth and you can barely tell that he only has 3 (very small) teeth right now by the way he eats. Some of his current favorites are watermelon (he eats big slices of it all of the way down to the rine and LOVES every bite), cheese in any form, peaches and pears (bite sized not pureed)

-Sleep is still pretty much the same as last month although his naps are shorter on some days. Honestly, I am pretty sure that it has everything to do with his teeth and nothing to do with his sleeping patterns.

-Waving. Along with “Yay, Charlie” he has added waving to his repertoire of tricks. None of which he does on command. Right now he mostly waves when he is tired and wants to go to sleep.

-Getting Excited. When this little guy gets excited he picks his legs up and bangs (when he is sitting) them on the ground and then collapses in half of the ground. It’s really funny to watch (and also hard to describe) but it is how you know he is really enjoying something.

Likes-

-Bath time. This is one of Charlie’s favorites times of day, aside from eating. Throughout the day he frequently crawls into the bathroom and just stands at the tub squealing because he wants to get in so badly. He will splash in there for hours if we would let him. Just tonight Jamie had drained the tub completely and the little guy had a blast just crawling and sliding around in the wet tub.

-Sally. Sally is one of Jay’s pull back cars and it is by far Charlie’s favorite. I think it fits perfectly into his little hand and he will push it around the office, kitchen, family room for quite some time. When he pushes it he makes a little car noise that I think he picked up from Jay, it’s really cute. Sally also makes a clicking noise if you push her backwards for awhile which Charlie loves, he usually smiles and squeals when she starts clicking.

-Peek a boo. It’s still a favorite game when he gets out of the bath or really anytime during the day.

-Walking behind the lion. This is probably Charlie’s favorite activity right now. He smiles the whole time and is doing a great job really walking behind the toy. The only problem we are having with this is that he has no idea how to turn and gets beyond frustrated when he runs into something and can’t go any further. It’s really funny to watch (well it’s funny the first or second time) when he runs into something because he will keep walking in place at first, then the walking gradually turns into a foot stamping and when he realizes that he really is stuck he melts and I mean really melts- big huge puddle on the floor of crying mess. He will continue screaming until someone comes to get him or until someone helps him “steer”. Jay has been helping him steer although he doesn’t always go as slowly as Charlie needs him too and Charlie has to flop down onto his knees and walk as fast on his knees as he can to catch up.

-Jay. Nothing about this has changed. They are sweet to each other and make each other laugh like no one else can.

Dislikes-

-Being tired. This pretty goes without saying. When he’s tired he will tell you and you better start moving to get him into bed. This little boys knows his bedtime routine (for naps and at night) and don’t you dare try to change it up on him because he will know and he won’t like it too much.

-Being hungry. He likes to eat so this is a no brainer.

-Not being able to steer his lion. See above for details regarding the mondo fit that he has over not being able to steer.

So this pretty much sums up our little 10 month old. He is the happiest baby I think I have ever met and he steals my heart daily. Enjoy some of the most recent photos :)