Category: Updates

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 :)

a whopping 9 months old!!

Okay so this post is better late than never I suppose… here’s the update on our precious little 9 month old!!

It’s official, my tiny baby is gone!  Charlie is growing like a bad weed and learning something new literally every day!  It’s crazy to think that 9 months have gone by already, but what a blessed and fun 9 months it has been!

Stats-

Weight-19 1/4 pounds
Height- 27 1/2inches
Teeth- still NONE!!!  Which is crazy, especially since Jay had 6 by 9 months.  However, the little guys has been pretty grumpy and ran a fever (a low one) a few days ago so I have my fingers crossed that they are coming soon.

Things of Note-

*Sleeping- Charlie is still sleeping like a champ.  He goes to bed between 7 and 8 every night and usually sleeps until about 7 or 8 in the morning without so much as a peep during the night.  His naps are  a little less predictable although still pretty good.  Frequently he will sleep for 1-2 hours (sometimes 3)in the morning and then do that again in the afternoon.  The only time I have trouble with him is if we are not home, he likes to sleep in his bed and not the car, or if a certain older brother wants to be super loud during his morning naps :(

*On the move-  Charlie gave up the slow and steady crawl and is full on trucking now.  If little guy wants something he makes a mad dash for it and figures that nothing is stopping him.  He will also speed up if Jay is following him or if you get close to him to pick him up and when you do grab him he usually smiles and giggles at you- silly boy.

*Cruising-  He is not only pulling up but cruising the furniture now.  Jay is not a huge fan of his “safe” couch being within limits now; however, Charlie enjoys being about to grab more things that he would like.  He also loves walking behind his push lion.  He stops from time to time to dance to the music but LOVES the fact that he can push it along on his own.

*Eating-  We have gotten over the picky eater stage as long as we are talking about food that he can put in his mouth himself.  This little guy can eat and will eat pretty much anything that he can put him his own mouth.  He does have his favorites, mini club crackers, cheese, Mommy’s homemade Mac and Cheese, but is not all that picky about food anymore.  When it comes to fruit and veggie purees he does have his opinions though- he likes them cold and carrots are still at the top of his list.

*”Yay Charlie!”-  He doesn’t wave or clap yet but he does do “Yay Charlie!” which is basically “so big” with one hand.  He pumps one fist above his head when you say “yay Charlie” and is so proud of himself for doing so.  By the way, Mommy really loves this trick and will say “Yay Charlie” frequently throughout the day just because it makes her smile.

Likes-

*Peek-a-boo.  This is probably Charlie’s favorite game and one that will guarantee giggles, especially if he is playing with Daddy after bath time.  He loves to pull the towel off of his head and have Jamie say a big “peek-a-boo” which is usually followed by some raspberries and lots of giggles.

*Bath time-  Charlie LOVES his bath these days and along with that hates getting out.  During the day (unless the door is kept closed) he makes a beeline for the bathroom and just stands up at the tub banging on it and smiling.  I think he is hoping that someone will put him in it.  And at night he loves to play in there with Jay and if he would stay on his bottom I am sure that Daddy would let him play in there as long as he wanted.

*Music Table-  The music table is still one of Charlie’s favorite toys.  He will stand there for very long periods of time pushing buttons and dancing along with the music.  And while he sometimes will crawl away and play with something else he usually ends up back at the music table.

*Lion Push Toy-  The loin is probably Charlie’s other favorite toy.  He stands up and dances along with the music and pushes it around the family room (thankfully he hasn’t decided to venture further yet).  He will sit on the floor pushing it back and forth and knows exactly where to push to make it sing for him.

*Touch and Feel books- For a while Charlie wasn’t great at sitting and listening to books, he was too busy snatching them out of your hand to try and eat them.  However, lately he has taken a strong liking to the touch and feel books; That’s Not My Dragon and That’s Not My Baby being among his favorites.  He sits very patiently in laps while we read and touches every page, maybe we have a tactile learner on our hands :)  He also really likes Peek-a-Who?,  which is not a touch and feel book.

*Bella’s food dish and water-  One of Charlie’s favorite games lately is “Race you to the Kitty Food”.  Regardless of how far away he is from Bella’s food and water he will eventually make his way into the kitchen and after crawling through the obstacle course of kitchen chair legs (he could go around the table but under is so much more fun) he will make his way to the bowls, tip them over and bang them on the floor.  If you, ‘catch’ up to him before he gets there he will usually speed up and give you a really large smile or laugh when you grab him.  Thankfully Bella being as chubby as  she is usually doesn’t leave any food for him to spill everywhere which is nice.  However, the water is another issue all together.  We have a pet fountain which cannot be moved but that is fun to play in.  Sometimes a “No, no Charlie” will stop him from dunking his hand in it, other times not so much.  Needless to say this whole game has made supper time prep much more interesting.

*Jay- It goes without saying that Charlie and Jay adore each other.  They are starting to play together really well which is just adorable and Jay can make Charlie laugh like no one else can.  I love watching their relationship grow daily, it makes the crazy that is our lives with two young children so worth it.

Dislikes-

*Being on his own- He is a second child and, well, doesn’t really like to be on his own.  He can be happily playing on his own in a room but if you leave (and Jay is not there playing too) he quickly gets upset.  Frequently you can find him crawling along after Jay from room to room.

*Being hungry- Honestly, this is Charlie’s one huge dislike.  The child is happy, just happy to plain exist (it’s wonderful and endearing all at the same time) BUT if he is hungry watch out he will be fuss-y and nothing will calm him down other than eating.  I can almost guarantee if Jamie is not home to eat with us before 6:30 that I am going to have one fussy boy on my hands.

I didn’t get too many of the fast little guy on his own until I called in reinforcements… not sure my reinforcements really helped all that much ;)

So this little guy was a whopping nine months old today (actually yesterday- I thought I published this post last night before going to bed but I guess I didn’t)- so hard to believe, he’s growing SO fast!  I promise to have the monthly update up soon, since I know that you all are dying to know every little detail I care to share ;) However, here’s a photo from today to tide you all over.  Any guesses as to how soon he’ll be walking???

Well, it’s more like over the weekend I was… but what can you do?  I would have never dreamt of being late posting Jay’s monthly update posts; however, things have changed a bit and while I have been making sure to take the monthly photos I have not stressed about getting the posts up on the exact date.  I have been reminded all too frequently recently to enjoy my little ones every minute that I can because life is short.  So that’s what we did Sunday- we enjoyed our snuggles, said thank you for the 7 months that we have had with Charlie thus far, laughed hard and celebrated our sweet Daddy.

Now on to the update… My little guy is growing like a bad weed and learning new tricks every day.  It is amazing to me how quickly time is passing and lucky I am to be this little guys Mama :)

Stats:

Teeth- sadly there are still none.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that they come quickly, it would honestly make feeding this kiddo SO much easier.

Things of Note-

* Sleep- Charlie is still a wonderful sleeper.  Aside from when he was sick a few weeks back he has been sleeping through the night for months now (YAY!!) and takes good naps throughout the day.  I did realize that I was getting him up a little to early from his naps… if you let the little boy rest for a bit after his first peeps he usually falls back asleep and snoozes for a little while longer.  Also, he usually plays in his crib in the morning before we get him.  I can hear him talking before we wake up and he will wait patiently until I rouse myself enough to pull his sweet smiling face out of bed.

* Mobility- we are about a hair’s breadth away from Charlie being able to crawl.  He has gone about two knee movements thus far (mostly by accident) but he is solidly on his hands and knees, in full rocking position and has been reaching and moving his arms for quite a bit now.  So it will only be a little bit before he is full on crawling and I will be in real trouble.  As for other forms of mobility he scoots on his bottom (while sitting) to grab things that he wants, he has mastered the backwards tummy scoot (although this one really ticks him off since it usually sends him in the opposite direction that he intends to go), he rolls just about anywhere he wants to go and generally doesn’t sit still.  I adore when he crawls up into my lap and hugs onto my knees and while I know that I am going to have trouble keeping up with the boys when he is fully mobile I am enjoying this new phase too.

*Eating- this is probably the most frustrating aspect of this kiddo.  We started having troubles as soon as the acid reflux kicked in and now that we have moved to solids in a addition to the breast feeding we have doubled our eating issues.  Charlie has pretty much decided that carrots are the only thing he will eat, and not just any carrots- carrots from the jar, not homemade ones.  He  pretty much clams up and closes his mouth so tight that you can’t get a single thing in if he doesn’t want it.  The iron-mouth-gate is applied when I try feeding him any type of fruit (he may not actually be my child after all) and any type of homemade baby food I have tried with him.  He does however really enjoy feeding himself, so puffs, veggie straws and frozen bananas are really winners.  Just yesterday I tried giving him frozen parsnips on a whim, he liked the frozen bananas- he wouldn’t eat them fresh so I figured why not, and he gobbled them up!  Popping the frozen blob in and out of his mouth.  I honestly did a happy dance right there in the kitchen- it felt like such a huge victory.  My list of things to do now includes freeze more baby food options; we’ll see if he likes any other flavors ;)

* Talking- Charlie is “talking” up a storm, he babbles quite frequently and is staring to string sounds together.  Occasionally, I get rewarded with a Mama or we also hear Dada- so sweet ;)

*Charlie’s personality is really developing these days.  He is sure to tell you if he doesn’t like something, he smiles pretty much constantly and has started making this adorable scrunched-nose face that I ADORE!

Likes-

* His brother- Charlie adores Jay!!  He constantly watches him, smiles at him and laughs at his antics.  There is no one that can make Charlie laugh the way that Jay can.  Just the other night Charlie was full-on belly laughing as Jay ran past him over and over again- all of us were laughing by the end of it.  I love how much their relationship has already developed, it is so amazing to watch them together.

*Water- whether it is bath time or pool time Charlie really likes it, he splashes along and smiles the whole time.   One of his favorite pool time activities is splashing wars with Jay- they get within two feet of each other and just splash like crazy!

*His stacking cups, cars and duplo- Charlie’s favorite toys are still the stacking cups and now include a few cars and duplos.  Jay has decided that he has a few cars (they were from when he was younger and are not matchbox style cars) that he is okay sharing with Charlie- we are working on sharing ;) Charlie will push them and scoot around to follow them.  He also really enjoys the boxes full of duplo; which he mostly enjoys dumping and chewing on but he likes them none the less.

*Iphones- Charlie is fascinated with iPhones and well honestly most technology (cameras, iPads etc).  He will do anything to get the phones if they are out and he loves watching what is happening on them.  He is so fascinated with them that we have used them a few times to entice him into crawling and every time (even though he doesn’t really crawl) he gets to them and starts pushing buttons.

Dislikes-

*Being on his own- Charlie is okay as long as some one else is in the room with him or within eye shot (if he can see me in the kitchen he is good).  I don’t know if it’s a second child thing or just a Charlie thing but he really doesn’t like to be by himself.

*Loud noises- He is still not a fan of any loud startling noise, including but not limited to loud Jay Bird screams… which lets be honest who really loves when Jay is screeching around the house?